Faliz Navidad!!!

I wanted to send everybody a quick update to wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Things are well around here. I have been able to get outside every day except one. In fact I was able to get a ride in today (Christmas eve) before the storm really set in. I rode into the 30mph head wind for about an hour, until the ice pellets stung so much it became uncomfortable. Then I turned around and skated back into town. It was not to bad, because I was on the gravel roads.

As I type, it is snowing like crazy, and blowing so hard you can hardly see. It is looking like I will have to be inside for a couple of days.

I only had to work two day's this week, and I am now officially on vacation until January 4. This is an awesome feeling. It gives me additional time to spend with the family through New Years. It is going to be a fun and relaxing time. Tonight we are going to Shelley's parents for Christmas eve, then, all of the kids and grand kids are coming over to our house tomorrow!

On a last note for the day, A few decissions are being made for the up coming race season. Six people from the team, including myself are going down to Arkansas on March 28 to do the Ouchita Challenge. It is an awesome race, and am really looking forward to it. We all had to get up early to sign up. Entries opened at midnight on December 15, and they sold out of all of the spots by 9:00 the next morning.

I have decided that I am going to do the endurance league in the UFD series. I am also going to compete in the west league for the traditional cross country series that the UFD is also putting on. I have a couple of other things that I am thinking about, but have not decided upon yet. Check back later to see what will become of them.

That's it for now! Stay warm, enjoy your Christmas, and train hard! Until next week!

Peace Out!

HUGE News!!!

Their is a lot going on in the biking news! It is exciting this time of the year when all of the promoters are making their BIG announcements, and the early registrations begin. I will get my business out of the way first, then get on to the big picture.

On the training side, I have been able to stay consistent during this difficult time of year. With all of the parties, changing of the schedule, shopping and all, I have been able to get at least two hours on the bike every day. The good part is I was able to get back outside again this week. I even get in a little trail riding. This is ALWAYS good for the mental health. Up front I want to thank my wife Shelley for the support and encouragement during this time. Without her help it would be so much harder.

Last weekend Shelley and I finished up our Christmas shopping. While we were out, we had lunch together. We decided that it would be nice to go to Plant Sub. It had been a while since I had been their so I decided to experiment with the menu. I tried their signature sandwich, the "Planet Sub", WOW it was awesome! It had a ton of great stuff on it, and it was extra nice because they toast the sandwich! I think that I am going to have to make this a weekly ritual.

Well, on to the really HUGE news!!! To make it easier I am going to cut and paste the information directly from the new release. Needless to say, this will help make the planning for the upcoming race season much easier. Check back next week for some of the decisions for the upcoming season!!!

KANSAS CITY, MO: We are thrilled to announce the 2010 United Federation of Dirt [UFD] race calendar. The UFD consists of a collective group of promoters, trail builders and racers unified in the goal of bringing dirt lovin’ good times to the Missouri and Kansas region.

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.

In addition to the 17 cross country races and 4 endurance races, we are pleased to announce the return of the Short Track Dirt Crit Series to the St. Louis area and the Kansas City region. These weekly training races will be the perfect way to keep the legs a moving and the body acclimated to racing on dirt.

And lastly, the UFD is proud to announce that these events will be under the sanctioning of USA Cycling. This is just the beginning of many exciting things to come for the 2010 season. We are still in the early planning stages and working to get all the pieces in place to bring you the best racing experience around. Look for more announcements soon…fun in the dirt is what it is all about.

United Federation of Dirt [UFD]


Eastern League XC races:
March 14: Leadbelt XC. St. Joe Park (Mark Grumke)
March 28: Mesa Lost Valley Luau (Matt James)
May 8: *Greensfelder ( (DRJ Racing)
June 12: *Missouri State Championship. Castlewood (Big Shark/Pfoodman)
June 27: St.Charles County Parks (Ghisallo Sports)
Aug 8: Trailblazer Blitz. Spanish Lake. (Trailblazer Bikes)
Aug 22: Cyclewerx Crankfest. Cape Girardeau, MO (Cyclewerx)
Sept 25: *Council Bluffs (ICCC)

Alpine Shop Short Track Dirt Crit Series– 7/1, 7/8, 7/15, 7/22, 7/29. Dirt Crit Final Blowout XC race - 8/1

Western League XC races:
March 28: Lawrence River Trails. Lawrence, KS (Curtis Martell/Free State Racing)
May 1/2: Wilson Lake Fat Tire Festival. Wilson Lake, KS. (Doug Chambers/Golden Belt)
May 8: *Robidoux Roundup. Krug Park. St. Joseph, MO. (Randy Tracy/Craig Hoppe)
June 6: The Down and Dirty. Warsaw, MO (Mac Vorce)
June 20: Cramp Alexander. Emporia. KS. (Matt Brown/High Gear)
June 27: Crocodile Rock. Perry Lake State Park. Perry, KS. (Lyle Reidy/HSP/Bad Goat Racing)
July 25: Sunflower State Games (Curtis Martell/Free State Racing)
Sept 12: Tour De Lizard. Arkansas City, KS (Bobby Smith)
Sept 19: Kansas City Cup (Federation Championship). Swope Park. Kansas City, MO. (Ron Acklin/HSP)

Short Track Dirt Crit Training Series –Thursday Nite Throwdown: June-August Timeframe

Endurance League ( Dirt Lovin Good Times style format ):
April 18: Bone Bender 3/6 MTB Odyssey. Smithville Lake. Smithville, MO (Chris Locke/Cow Town Cycling)
June 5: *Dirty Kanza 200 [DK200]. Emporia, KS (Jim Cummins/HSP)
Aug 14: *Rapture In Misery [RIM] 6/12. Crowder State Park. Trenton, MO (Doug Long/HSP)
Oct 9: *Burning at the Bluff (Mesa Cycles)

* Saturday race date
**The above dates and venues are subject to change due to events beyond our control.
** In addition to the dates listed above, we are also working on scheduling apx 2-3 rain dates into the calendar.

Peace Out!

Weeping fingers

Well sooner or later it was bound to happen. No matter how tough you are, sooner or later you are going to have to use your trainer at some point during the winter. Depending on weather conditions, some years you only have to use it a few times, and other years you will have to use it more that you would like.

My philosophy is this: If the roads are dry, I have enough clothes to suffer through a ride, but, if the roads are snowy and icy then you go inside and use the trainer for safety purposes.

I really try to stay away from the trainer as much as possible for a couple of reasons. First, if you do it enough you get cabin fever, and it will drive you crazy. Second, even though you are able to maintain some cardio fitness, it is not the same as being outside.

When you are outside you have to deal with the wind, hills and all of those natural elements where as on the trainer, you are not able to truly simulate the experience. It is always shocking to people that spend a lot of time on the trainer, to come outside in the spring. They are SO amazed at how different it is. If you are able to stay outside most of the winter you have an advantage over other going into the next race season.

This past week I was able to get outside a couple of times, but old man winter moved in a couple of days ago, and for the past three days we have had snow/ice on the ground, and the temperature has been below zero. So, for a few days I am forced inside to my trainer. As soon as the streets melt and dry up I will return outside. But until then, I am forced into the basement, creating big pools of sweat dripping off of my fingers, and getting my but kicked by training videos that I have in the DVD library.

I will let you all go for now. Check back next week for the newest 411, and until then stay warm and safe!

Peace out!

Coming Soon!

Got a lot of information for everyone this week. Thanks to Matt down at the bike shop, the stable is once again full! I finally got both bikes repaired and at home at the same time. It is a wonderful feeling to have everything in order. At times I don't know what I would do without his help.

On the training front, I have been getting in some good quality miles, and have begun adding in some extra lifting in the weight room. For this time of the year, things are going pretty well, and pretty much on schedule.

On another note, the weather has taken a turn for the worst in the past couple of days. For my rides, the temperatures have been in the single digits. It is going to take a little getting use to, but I have been able to get in about two quality hours a day in without freezing solid.

Their has been quite a bit of news beginning to be released about the upcoming season. First off, their was some news that came out of Missouri. It appears that the Heartland series and Midwest series are going to merge into a HUGE regional series. I am excited to hear more of the details as they are made available! The news read like this:

- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -
9 A.M. CST,
November 25, 2009

NEW MOUNTAIN BIKE SERIES PROMISES BIG THINGS TO COME!
COLUMBIA, MO: A newly formed group of seasoned mountain bike promoters
is proud to announce its intentions to promote a down and dirty
mountain bike series in 2010. The groups will be named United
Federation of Dirt. Included in this impressive group are some of the
region's most experienced race promoters dedicated to delivering
racers a series that is all about fun and grassroots racing. This
collaboration will deliver a true Regional series that will include
races from Cape Girardeau, MO all the way to Perry, KS. Full Details
will be available shortly but expect great things and great
locations across Missouri and Kansas. We are finalizing the details shortly
but one thing can be guaranteed - fun in the dirt is what it is all about!

On another front, the Dirty Kanza is gearing up once again. It sounds like they also have big plans for this year. Check out the 411 that I got just yesterday:

Greetings from Jim and Joel, your Co-Promoters for The Dirty Kanza 200. We have been hard at work on next year's event, and we are confident that 2010 will prove to be a banner year for The Dirty Kanza 200. Numerous "tweaks" and "refinements" are in the works, designed to bring you a truly life-enriching cycling experience. Our Vision... that The Dirty Kanza 200 will become North America's premier annual ultra-endurance gravel road cycling challenge. Exciting things are happening. Keep reading... we share the "Huge News" at the end of this email.

Emails and phone calls have been pouring into the illustrious DK office, asking when registration will open. So we thought we would throw together a few details that should help you in your planning for the 2010 running of The Dirty Kanza 200. Here you go...

Race Date:
Saturday, June 5th, 2010
(Sign-In and Packet Pick-Up, Friday, June 4th, 2010.)

Registration:
Will open Sunday, January 10, 2010, and will once again be conducted online at BikeReg.com

Field Limit:
We will expand our field limit this year to 150 participants. Note... Last year's limit of 100 participants was filled in just four days of registration. Mark you calendars now for January 10th. You won't want to wait too long, if you plan to race in 2010. (We will send you a reminder right after the first of the year.)

Classes:
Open Men
Open Women
Single Speed
Masters Men
(50+) This class is new for 2010.

"Auxilary Events":
We are woking with The Emporia (KS) Convention and Visitors Bureau to create numerous activities for your support crew members and family members to enjoy throughout the weekend. So bring your spouse, significant other, kids, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and friends. More information on these activities will be coming in the next few weeks and months.

Dirty Kanza Blog:
Joel and his lovely wife Michelle are hard at work making significant upgrades to our blog site. It is a little "rough" right now. However, in the next week (or so) you should see huge changes. Go ahead and bookmark it now. http://www.dirtykanza200.wordpress.com/) Check it regularly. And please provide your comments and suggestions on how we can continue to improve the site.

Dirty Kanza 200 Video:
For those of you who have not yet seen the Dirty Kanza 200 video, there is a link on our blog site. The video was produced by the folks at IM Design Group, in Emporia, Kansas. We think they did a fantastic job.

And now for the Huge News... drum roll please...
Salsa Cycles has come on board and will be the "Premier Sponsor" for the 2010 running of The
Dirty Kanza 200. Joel and I are both absolutely giddy with excitement over this development. When we very first began discussing plans for 2010, one of our primary objectives was to identify a company within the cycling industry with which we could create a long-term partnership. Salsa Cycles was the first company we thought of, and throughout all of our planning discussions remaind at the top of a very short list of candidates. Due to their company philosophy, their fantastic products and their great people, Salsa Cycles is the PERFECT sponsor for The Dirty Kanza 200. Salsa has stepped up to the plate in a major way. The winner of each of our four classes (Open Men, Open Women, Single-Speed and Masters Men) will receive a complete 3-piece "Salsa Upgrade Kit", which will include that rider's choice of a Salsa Stem, Salsa Handlebar and Salsa Skewer Set. In addition, one lucky participant will go home with a brand new Salsa Fargo Frameset. Salsa's support of The Dirty Kanza 200 goes even further,
including water bottles, hats and T-Shirts. You can check out all of their great products here... www.salsacycles.com While you are there, drop them an email and let them know how much you appreciate their support of The Dirty Kanza 200.

That's it for now. More details will follow soon. Until then, stay safe, train hard... and Get Your Gravel On. We look forward to seeing each of you in Emporia, Kansas the first weekend in June.

That's it for today, I will try to update this site weekly during the winter. Check back to see what is new, and until then train hard and keep warm.

Peace Out!

NEWS FLASH

Greetings! A lot has happened since the last post. I would like to start by giving a shout out to our team sponsors for this next summer. Their are so many cool sponsors that I could not do them justice at this time, so I have made a list of them to your right, and linked their logo's to their web sites. Please take the time to check them out If you are in need, please visit them and take advantage of there awesome businesses.

Next, I got the cross bike back and have been putting on some good miles on it. It is such a pleasure to be back on it. It is truly a hot rod! The Trek XO1 is the weapon of choice to rack up the big winter miles. It can handle BIG miles with minimal maintenance and repair.

The HiFi should be back in my hands an day! I spoke to Matt Brown down at High Gear and he said that they will have no problem replacing the wheel under warranty. Bontrager is awesome! They are so quick to replace anything that seems to go wrong, and that does not happen very often.

This past weekend I went to Lendsborg Ks, with team mates Jim Cummins, Garret Seacat and Tim Mohn for the Coronado Challenge. It was a really fun race. It is centered around this old castle that was build by Coronado himself when he came up this way from Mexico looking for gold. I can't say enough about how wonderful the people were that put on this race. They put a lot of effort into it, and it showed. It was extremely well organized.

I would also like to thank Matt Brown down at High Gear for lending me a rear wheel so that I could go to the race. If it were not for him I would have missed out on all of the fun. Matt is truly a great guy, and such a pleasure to race for. He always goes out of his way to make sure that we are all well taken care of, no matter what it takes. It is comforting to know that Matt is in your corner!

As for the race itself, it got off to a rough start. From the beginning, I ran into quite a bit of difficulty through out the first lap. Since I had not been in a race for a little while I thought that I would hang back a little and not mix it up right away. After all, it was to be a four hour race. This would prove to be a crucial mistake. About 500 yards into the race, there was a group of us that were shoulder to shoulder. All of the sudden, some guy rubbed wheels with me, and the two of us, and about five others went down.

After getting up I attempted to get going as quickly as possible. As I started to peddle away, my bike shifted down into the small ring in the front. I did not think much of it at first, but I could not get it to shift up to a larger ring.

As I began to climb, I tryed to check over my bike to see what was going on. About the time I got to the top of the first climb, I figured out that the housing and cable for the front derailleur blew out. I spent the remainder of the first lap in the small ring, and the bike kept shifting itself off of the small ring, so I had to stop 5-6 times to put my chain back on.

When I got back to the pit area, I found a screw driver, and adjusted the front derailleur so that I could ride in the middle ring for the remainder of the day, until I could get the bike back to the shop to have a new cable put on.

By time the repair was done my race was pretty much over, so I decided to just turn the day into a fun four hour trail ride. For the rest of the day, I backed off of the pace just a little and enjoyed the ride.

As the day went on, a few of the hills got a little tough, and I was wishing for that small ring, but it was still fun, and the legs got a really good workout. When it was all said and done, I am not sure exactly what place I finished in, but it was some where in the middle of the pack. I would like to congratulate my teammate Garret Seacat though. He rode tough, and put in a good showing, ending the day in 5th place in the open men division.

Well, this is a lot of 411 for today. I will let you go, and check back soon to see the latest happenings! Until then, check our our sponsor links. These company's are really cool.

Peace out!

Like a captain without a ship!

So much has happened, it is had to know where to start. I will keep it short and simple for this post. Geico insurance is pretty cool. They took care of me, and paid off quickly to fix the bike from the accident.

On November 1, Matt Garret, Tim, Chris, Jed and myself went for a long afternoon training ride north of town. Rode gravel, rails to trails, toured an abandoned missile silo, gravel and more rails to trails. I then blew up my rear derailleur at about 45-47 miles into the ride, had to turn the bike into a single speed and ride into a 30 mile headwind on some pretty good hills.

The cross bike went into the shop the next week for repairs so it is the mountain bike for a while. Rode that bike two days, got sick with the flu and did not ride for 2 days, rode trails the next two days, just to have my rear rim explode on Saturday afternoon.

Took the mountain bike into the shop today, and am now running this week!!!!!!!!! What a life. Broke 2 bikes and had the flu all in six days. Who Say's I have a boring life?

The good news, Matt Brown is the man! He said that he should have both bikes to me by the end of the week. The rear wheel of the mountain bike will be repaired under warranty. Lets pray that things will turn around and the bad luck is over. I heard that they travel in three's, and by my count this was the third disaster.

I will be heading up north a little ways with some of the guys on Sunday for a little recon for the next dirty kanza. Check back to see if I survive! Until next time, keep cool!

Peace out,
Mike

Return of the nightmare!

Well, since my last post a few things have happened. Last Thursday (October 15) I was on my way out of town for the daily training ride. It was cold and wet, and I was not particularly excited to brave another frozen ride. I was about 3 miles in, at the intersection of 24th and Prairie headed north on Prairie. I was on one of my usual wet weather 50 milers. As I was approaching the intersection, I saw a lady coming up to the corner and slowing to stop. As I was entering the intersection, I was keeping an eye on her. Just as I was directly in front of her, she pressed the gas and was headed directly into me! I tried to punch it, but she was turning the corner to go into the same direction that I was going.

She first began to make contact with me on the back half of the rear wheel. I could feel the wheel beginning to give. As she turned and accelerate I could feel the wheel bending under the pressure, and finally their was enough pressure and damage to throw me from the bike. As I was going down, one of the first things that came into my head was "oh no, not again". It was one year and one month ago that I was hit by another car, which totaled my bike.

After I got up off of the ground I checked myself and the bike. Fortunately I was uninjured except a little road rash on my left elbow and left hip. The winter riding clothes saved a little skin. I then checked out the bike. The rear wheel was severely bent, and pushed into and kind of around the frame. We called the police, and reported what had happened.

The officer told us that because their was no damage to her car, that we should just exchange information. To me this did not seem quite right. She hits me with her car, and doesn't even get a ticket?!?!?! After information was exchanged, the officer gave me a ride home, since the bike was broken. I took the bike down to High Gear bike shop to have Matt Brown check it out.

Matt IS the man. He has got me back on the road quickly! He got me a replacement wheel, exactly like the one that was damaged, and got everything back in order in less than a week! A BIG shout out to Matt and his awesome service!!! This is where things get interesting! Now that I got the bike finished today, I went to call the lady that ran into me, and when I called the number, the number was not in service!!! We had an agreement that she wanted to fix it without dealing with the insurance company, but since I was unable to contact her, I called her insurance company today, and filed a claim for her, with the information that I got from the officer.

Now, it is the wait, call, follow up, bug, follow up and see if they are going to settle. Thanks Emporia police department! The insurance company SEEMED to be very helpful. We will see how it goes. I hope that it goes quickly, and easily.

In other news, since the cross bike has been out of commission this week, I have spent some quality time on the mountain bike! This week has got me to fall in love with the HiFi all over again! That in one SWEET bike. I have had a blast this week on it. I think that I am going to have to use it a little more often this winter, and not just stay on the cross bike all winter.

This week when I was down at the shop, I was talking to a couple of teammates, and we have decided that we were going to do the Coronado Challenge on November 22. This should help to not get so bored with the winter training. It is nice to throw a little fun in once and a while!

Also, I have begun to think about some of the events that I would like to do next year. I have started a wish list which will serve as a working list. Will I do all of the races on the list? I would like to, but in all likelihood, probably not. Some races might be added. Some races may be removed. As the season progresses I will use the list to post the result of that particular race. Thought that this would be a helpful addition to the blog. You can fine the list in the right hand column.

I have rambled on enough for now, so I will let you go. Thanks for hanging in their and reading this lengthy post! Remember, always wear a helmet when out riding. You never know what will happen. If you don't have one, go down to the High Gear Bike Shop and my buddy Matt brown will hook you up. He has some pretty cool lids down their. Until next time, keep the rubber side down!

Peace Out!

New Video's

Well, Their is not much to report this week. The training is consistent, and I am getting in real regular miles. The weight room is a little slow, but it is still early, and their is a long winter still ahead.

This past weekend was the wife unit's birthday. We had a lot of fun. On Saturday we went to Kansas City to the Renaissance festival and then dinner at Abuelo's! On Sunday our son came down from Topeka and we went to the pumpkin patch and zoo the the grandson's, and then BBQ for dinner! A fun time was had by all.

Since their is a lack of action I thought that I would post a few videos for your entertainment. They are from a few events that I took part in this past year. Enjoy, and check back next time for more 411!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr5cEVeZdEw
Dirty Kanza 200

http://vimeo.com/6349519
Dirty Kanza 200

http://vimeo.com/6085808
cRamp Alexander

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew2Qfll5ZHk&feature=player_embedded
KC Cup Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOViq3DOYag&feature=related
KC Cup Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0WUFTZAkRw&feature=related
KC Cup Part 3

Peace Out!

And.....it's over.

Well, this past week I was all dressed up and had no place to go. I had trained pretty good the past couple of weeks to prepare for the Kansas City Cup. That was to be the last mountain bike race on the schedule for this year. I felt like I was in decent shape. Not quite where I was before the injury, but close.

It would have been fun to race this past weekend, and missed being their with the guys, but those things happen on occasion. The HiFi has not got it's new part yet, so I had no bike to race.

Since the season is now officially over, I have backed off a little this week, and have begun some base training on the bike, and am returning to the weight room. Soon, since it is really beginning to cool down, I will mess around with a little running to mix it up a little.

Who knows, since I am putting most of the time in on the cross bike, maybe I will toy with the idea of doing a couple of cross races so that I don't get too bored! Check back later for some more updates on life!!!

Peace out!

And life goes on!

Life has been returning to normal lately. School has begun, the house has been repaired and ready for winter, the body is healed and I am beginning to get consistent miles again.

Since the injury, I started back on the bike for about 3 days the first week, intentionally keeping it out of the big ring. It was a slow and wimpy start, but each day out I could feel the strength coming back, and the pace picking up, then disaster struck this past labor day weekend. Last Thursday we had a real down pour and when we went to the basement the next morning, the shop and laundry room were flooded.

After we found our what was going on, I began working on the drainage issue that we had. This involved digging a 65 feet drainage ditch and creating a french drain that stretched from out back yard, all the way along the south boundary of our property to about mid-way into out front yard. After the drain was built, I had to fill it back in, re sculpt the ground along part of the south side of the house and throw down some grass seed. It was a killer project, but is already paying dividends. The day after I finished, it rained long and pretty hard, and we are now staying high and dry!

In the biking world, things are mixed. On labor day Shelley and I rode across town and rode our bikes with our grand daughter Olivia. As we were getting close to their house, the HiFi was was starting to make funny noises, and I thought that the wheel was just a little out of alignment. Just before we were going to ride back across town to our house, I went to try to adjust the back wheel to stop the break squeak, and this is when I found out that the carbon fiber seat stay on the right side was broken!!!!! What a drag!!! The next day I took it down to High Gear Bike Shop and Matt took pictures, and emailed them to see if the part could be replaced under warranty.

Since Labor Day I have been on the cross bike, and have found that I have kind of missed riding it. I have not really been on it since the Dirty Kanza 200, the last day of May. I have been hammering out the miles on the HiFi. The cross bike is all pimped out now and working well. Now that fall is just around the corner, I think that I am going to begin spending quite a bit more time on the cross bike. It has become my tool of choice during the fall and winter months. It is the work horse!!!

It feels nice to be getting out now on some regular, consistent training rides. Life is really looking good to me right now. Well, that is it for now. Keep tuned in for the next edition. Until then,

Peace out!

Curse of 666.....

Well, it has been a while since I have last up dated. Since my last post things have went south a bit for me. The weekend before the Rapture in Misery, Lelan Tim Garret and myself went out to camp to practice night laps. All was well until the last lap. On the easiest part of the course, I was looking forward toward a corner, and my light did not pick up a tree stump. Needless to say, if it is there, I will hit it!!! My pedal caught the stump and bodyslammed be like you would not believe!

We I went to get up, it took a few minutes. It wass one of those kind of crashes that you don't see coming, and can't prepare for. When I was finally able to get to my feet, I could hardly stand, of breath. I landed on my right side with my arm under me, and it took the wind out of me and my chest hurt to breath. I was SOOO unprepared that the bike stayed between the legs, and the left pedal barried itsolf into my calf, and then scraped all the way up to the knee. Their was a welt on my calf the size of a baseball!!!

Needless to say, I finished to lap and then loaded up in the truck and went home. The next day, could hardly walk,and my leg from the knee down was really swollen. I limped around for a couple of days, and then on wednesday I decided to test the leg. Even though the leg hurt quite a bit to stand on it, it was not bad on the bike. That go me to thinking that the weekend may not be a wash afterall!!! I rested it another couple of days, then tested it again on Friday. By then I could walk pretty normally, but the calf was still really swollen and tight.

Since I had a couple of good test rides during the week I thought that I would join everybody at the race, and just hope that their was no section that would take me off of my bike. I tought that it might be a little difficult if I had to push at all.

The Rapture In Miser was AWESOME. I teamed up with Tim Mohn anf Jim Cummins. We were doing pretty well, and the leg was holding up well throughout the day. I was the one to go out on the first night lap. By that time it had alredy started to rain. I was a little concerned leaving, but took off, and was doing well for almost the first half of the lap, then as it was getting dark, the skys open up and I began to pour. The course got REALLY muddy and slippery. The rocks and exposed roots were like glass!!! Since I was recently injured I was extra careful. Their was a section about 2/3 through the lap that was REALLY rocky, so I decided to walk it. I Was slipping and sliding on all the water, mud, wet and muddy rocks and exposed roots.

By the time that my lap was done, the conditions were horible! Tim was next to go out, and shortly after he left they called the race, but tim had to finish his lap. It took him about twice as long because it was so bad out. At oun point in the day we were in 3rd place, but by time it had ended we slipped into 6th.....6TH AGAIN!!! Except for 2 races this summer, I have finisher 6th in every other race. I don't know what it is about 6th, but I can't seem to break the curse!!!!

To make a long story short, I agrivated the calf injury, could not walk for two days, went to the doctor, got put on crutches for a week and a half, and am just now getting back on the bike! This time I am going to take it a little slower. I will have a series of fairly easy rides this week, and then begin to pick up the pace a little bit. Well, that it all I can stand for now!

Peace out!

The Rapture is Near!!!

Well, my ability to keep this thing updated sucks. Since the last post we had the cRamp Alexander Bike Race. It was a lot of fun, and their was a high quality level of riders their. We were Blessed by some of the top riders from the Midwest. When it was all said and done, I ended up in 6th place. It was pretty good for me. This is the first year that I am racing in the expert class since I came out of retirement. I was even able to finish at a respectable amount of time behind the likes of Cameron Chambers, Mark Studnicki, and Tig Lamb.

Since then I have not put in a lot of long rides, but the pace has been pretty good. I have done trail riding three days a week, and out on the road the other three. On the road I have been averaging about 20.5mph, with out getting to uncomfortable.

The latest news? This weekend we are having a going away party for Lelan at our house on Saturday. He is going to New York to work at a YMCA camp for a while. He is pretty excited about it. Then, on Sunday evening a bunch of us are going to go out to camp and do a little night riding! We want to get a little practice in before the Rapture of Misery!

The Rapture of Misery is on August 15th! It is always a good time. This year the location has changed. It will be held in Trenton Missouri, at Crowder. I have never ridden their but everybody that I have talked to has nothing but good things to say about the place. Events like this are great for spending the day on the bike, and having a good time with friends. Nothing beats a 12 hour race! Well, I think that I am going to wrap it up for now. Check back again to see if I can get my lazy butt in gear and update again some time soon.

Peace out!

NEWS FLASH

Greetings all! I want to start off by plugging the race coming up. It will be here in Emporia at camp Alexander! It will be held on July 19, and is called "cRamp Alexander Bike Race". It is going to be a BLAST! A lot of people have been putting a lot of work into the trails, and they are the best that I have ever seen them.

It will prove to be a real barn burner. We are going to be visited by some of the top racers from the Midwest! Come race, or at least watch the big boys put on quite a show. You can watch the likes of Cameron Chambers, and other hot foot's. you can find more information at http://crampalexanderrace.blogspot.com/

I other news, I just got back from Colorado! It was an awesome trip. I got to visit family, go white water rafting, ride alpine slides, go jeeping and do a LOT of mountain biking! We started by spending a couple of day's in Ft. Collins visiting family. The first day I got to go up to Horsetooth Mountain Park and ride for a few hours. It was a lot of fun, and I got to get a little practicing in at altitude. Later we went to my mothers house for a visit, and then out to dinner at the Rio!

The next day I also got to get out for a little spin before shopping, and then dinner at my sisters house. She had an awesome cookout for my family, her family, and my parents. It was great to sit around eating and drinking and just catching up with what has been happening in each others lives.

The next morning we got up and trained a little and then went to the grocery store for supplies before heading up the Breckenridge. Once we got into the mountains, I unloaded the bike and did a pre-ride of the firecracker 50 course. The course was not completely marked yet, so I operated off of a Que sheet. It took me a while, but I managed to stumble through the course, and got a feel for what pain was in store in a couple of days.

By time I got off of the mountain, Shelley and Jeff had already checked into the condo, and met up with our friends that we were going to spend time up their with. While I was putting away the bike and showering the went down and secured a table at Eric's, where we ate some AWESOME burgers! After that it was to the condo for a chill evening.

The next day we went white water rafting! Boy, was that a lot of fun. With all of the snow and rain the river was full, which made for an excellent ride. It was the best trip down the river that I can remember. A good time was had by all.

The day before the race we decided to chill. We went up to peak 8 and did some alpine slide in the morning, then Shelley, Beth and Mallory went hiking in the afternoon while I took the guys up in the hills in the jeep to see the sights! It was awesome! We went down this trail that was the abandon narrow gage railroad for quite a ways and saw some great sights.

The 4th of July was quite a busy day. It started in the morning with Shelley and Beth doing their 10K trail race at 8:00am. They did excellent on such a challenging course. Part of their course was the final 2-3 miles of the bike race. After they got a good start on their race, and I snapped a couple of pics, I then went back to the condo to get ready for my race. When I was ready I went back to find out that Shelley had already finished, and Beth was within sight of the finish line. We all cheered for her as she finished, I congratulated them both, then I was off!

I was able to get a decent warm up rolling around town a little. The town was packed out! After about 20 minutes, I went to the staging area and found where my division was to line up. We hung out for a little while waiting for the start, and checking out the competition. I was able to meet some pretty cool dudes, and get their take for the day.

Before we knew it we were off in the rolling start. the street was packed with kids wanting hand slaps all the way down the main street. Once we made the left out of town the race was ON. The first 4 miles were all climbing. It went better than I thought it would. I was able to keep pace with my group pretty easily. When we entered the first single track at about mile 4 I was feeling pretty good about the race. For the first lap it was business as usual for the first two thirds of the lap. I was riding much better than the pre-ride, and was making great time. I was able to even ride most of the real difficult climb, and reached the top with ease. After the summit we pointed down and ripped up some single track. It was such a blast. After a bit of fun, we were ready for the last series of climbs. At the bottom I developed a bit of a problem. After all the descending I had cooled off considerable, and when we started to climb again I was starting to show signs of cramping. I chugged A BUNCH of electrolyte replacement, and backed off for a couple of minutes and then things returned back to normal.

Before we knew it we were on the final decent to the finish line. It was the most rewarding single track of the day, and was well worth all of the pain that we all went through to get to it. By the time we got to the bottom, we were so jazzed the we didn't even think of the pain that we were going to have to endure for the second lap of the race.

The second lap was uneventful. The pace on the climbs were a little slower than the first lap but were OK. The best parts were the descents though. The trails were not as crowded so I could open it up a little more and FLY down the course. It was such a blast. I had no problems on the second lap, and even though the climbs were a little slower, the lap time was only a couple of minutes slower.

At the end of the day I was quite content with the race, and ended up in 6th place in my division. This was the biggest race of the year, but am looking forward to a few more fun events. If any of you are in the area this weekend, you really should stop by at Camp Alexander on Sunday. My team (Team High Gear) is putting on a race on our home course, and it is going to be a BLAST! Check back next week and I will have an update on the race. Until then, keep the rubber side down!

Peace Out!

I HAVE RETURNED!

Well....I finally regained some level of testosterone, and decided to return. Since the last post I have done the Dirty Kanza again, or should I say have attempted the Dirty Kanza. That's right, I was unable to finish the race this year. To me this is a humbling experience. For the first time in my life, I did not finish a race that I started. This was a true kick to the nut sack.

To make a long story short, when I woke the morning of the race it was already 70 degrees at 5:00am, and 15 mile an hour winds. The forecast for the day......record highs and 20 mile per hour south winds. The course was, 35-40 miles south, 100 miles north, and then 65 miles south. The plan for the day if I wanted a chance to win.....go out a little harder than I normally would until we turn and go north, then back off some to recover for a while. This would have put me in a good spot.

What happened......Went out pretty hard to the spot when we were to turn and go north. I was in a good spot at this point (3rd place), but this is where things turned horribly wrong. As we were reaching the turning spot, the wind shifted!....To the NORTH!!!!.....At this point I knew that my plan was out the window, and I was in for a great deal of pain.....Then, at mile 43 or 44, a flat tire. This was a mental blow. Finally got the tire repaired, and chased for a while. Passed a few people and entered the first check point of 3 in fair position, some where in the top ten.

Got my map and filled my water and headed out again.....in a 30-35 mile per hour head wind......in 93 degree temperatures.......ran out of water.......got cramps.....couldn't bring the old ticker down......Pulled the plug at mile 100....TOASTED!!!!! The one thing that made me feel better about the day was that about 90 people started, and only 15 finished. The Dirty Kanza this year dished out a good old fashion butt kickin.

Since then I have been busy catching up, and helping around the house. Doing things that I had been putting off while I have been training. The rides have been somewhere around 2 hours long, but higher intensity.......with lots of hills. Been trying to get the legs ready for the Fire Cracker 50. I will do a couple of longer rides this week, and then we are headed off to Colorado. It will really be nice to take the family with me. We are turning it into a family vacation. At the end of the vacation will be the 4th of July......Breckenridge.....Fire Cracker 50......the wife unit will do a 10K. While we are their we will do some fun things also, like white water rafting.

Before I leave you, I want to tell you all about the race coming up here in Emporia. It will be on July 19th, out at Camp Alexander. This is really exciting! To have a race on the home course will be cool. Info can be found here http://crampalexanderrace.blogspot.com

Until the next time.....Keep the rubber side down!

Peace Out

Yes....an update!

Due to laziness, I have not updated lately. My schedule has changed and I am working from noon until 8:00pm. This has caused a dramatic change in everything. Train until 11:00am, then work until 8:00pm, then go home and enjoy the family for a couple of hours. Everything is going will.

Lake Wilson.......really fun course, and more quality riders than I thought would be. Rode the new mountain bike, it is awesome! Came in 6th. Been getting In regular training since then. No long rides, but quality rides. Been on the cross bike since lake Wilson, due to the Dirty Kanza next weekend (May 30). Think that I have the bike set up to my liking. If I ever get my lazy butt in gear I will take pictures of it, and the new mountain bike so you all can see them!

On more good training ride tomorrow, then the wife unit and myself will be going to Kansas City for the weekend. It is our anniversary Sunday and we are going their to celebrate. This will give me two days off of the bike. Then I will taper next week for the race. Just a couple of shorter rides, and rest the legs to get all of their strength back.

After this, the cross bike will be retired for the remainder of the summer. It will be time to play on the mountain bike until fall!

Check back next week for a possible up date before the Dirty Kanza. I will try, but can't promise anything.

PS. Their will be a mountain bike race at Camp Alexander on July 19! BE THEIR!!!

Peace Out!

Quick update!

Sorry that it has been so long. I have only a few minutes, so I will try to be fast! Got the cross bike back, and got the NEW mountain bike, both on Thursday afternoon. I got to ride the new bike to work on Thursday and Friday! I was trying to get everything adjusted just right so that everything felt good! Went for a quick ride on the cross bike Friday morning before work.

I helped with praxis testing on Saturday to help pay for the new bike, then, took the Zaskar LE down to the bike shop to be boxed up so that I can send it to its new home in Michigan! Then, I took it to Garret who helped me get it shipped off through UPS. Matt and the boys came down on Friday afternoon, and stayed for a visit though the weekend. They did not leave until Monday morning, because of the big storm that passed through on Sunday. We got four inches in one day. It was something to see.

Needless to say, I got no riding in over the weekend, and because of the lingering rain on Monday, I rode the trainer in the basement. Today though, I was able to get a nice ride done outside. I rode the cross bike to Beto Junction and back, at just over 18mph. I hope to get some good training time in on the bike for the rest of the week, then take Saturday off, and Maybe go do the race a Wilson Lake on Sunday!

Matt and the boys will be coming down again this weekend since Jessica is still out of town. She is returning Sunday, and will be passing through Emporia with her parents, so they will drop her off here and she will ride home with Matt and the boys!

Finally, I think that I have the other bike sold to a girl that works with Garret. I will know tomorrow! If so, that will be a major accomplishment taken care of. Well, that is it in a nut shell! Check back next week to see it the last bike sold, to see if I was able to go to the race, and I promise pictures of the new bike next week! until then.

Peace Out!

All Good Things Must Come To An End

Where to begin? Since my last post, a lot has happened. This seems to be the theme of my life. The week after our trip to Arkansas the body was pretty trashed. I did not even get on a bike until Wednesday, then I only did a couple of easy rides that week. Both rides my legs felt really strong at first, but then lost energy quickly. Both rides were only 2 hours each. Then is was time for the marathon weekend.

(Me In Motion)

On this past Friday I spent the morning with other committee members getting ready for the concert that we put on this past Saturday evening. Saturday was AWESOME, but extremely exhausting at the same time. We began the day at 8:30am setting up for the event, and meeting/taking care of the bands. By mid afternoon we were ready for show time! The concert was totally awesome.

(Fireflight)

I had not really heard much of Me In Motion, but I was pretty impressed! They had a nice style, and were super nice guys. The middle band for the evening, in my oppinion were the best! I had been listening to Fireflight for a while not, but man were they impressive. They were the best band that I had seen in quite a while. THEY ROCKED!!!!! It is easy to see why they are nominated for four Dove awards.

(Fireflight)

The headliner band was really good also. They were pillar, need I say more? They have been one of my favorite bands for a while, and it was really cool to meet them in person! After the concert was over we still had to tear down and put everything up. What a LOOONG night. I did not get home until 1:00am.

(Pillar)

The next day was Easter, and a fun time was had by all. The service at church was great, and then we hosted the easter lunch at our house. As usual Shelly out did herself. I have truely been blessed by a wife that is an awesome cook. Again, by time everybody was gone, and we were cleaned up it was 6:00pm. what an exhausting weekend! It wears me out just thinking about it.

As usual, this week has been a strange one. I was all ready to start training for the Dirty Kanza 200! This is the next BIG race that I will be doing. The plan for the next couple of weeks? Put in a boat load of miles on the cross bike, and ride in the area that we are to be racing in. At the same time, sell the two Zaskars and apply that money to the new mountain bike that the wife has so graciously agreed to let me purchase. What really happened? Hard rain Monday, went for a long gravel ride on Tuesday, but 14 miles into the ride, the mud got the best of me. The mud and rocks got into the drivetrain, and the rear derailure broke into half! Had to call and have Bobby come and save me.

This gave me a little problem. the cross bike was broken for the rest of the week, and I did not want to ride the Zaskar because it is up for sale on ebay. The salution was this, the cross bike is in getting repaired, the new mountain bike has been ordered and will be in aproximately the middle of this next week, and ride paved, dry roads on the Zaskar very carefully for the rest of the week! It makes for a real mess for the rest of this week, but bu the end of next week things will be awesome! I will have a really nice cross bike that I just bought this past fall, I will have a BRAND NEW AWESOME mountain bike, and the two Zaskars will be on their way to their new hope.
This will put me in excellent condition, and ready for the rest of the summer. I will have been blessed with two new top of the line bikes this year to replace the two worn out bikes that I have been using for the last decade. WOW, that is a lot. Check back next week for the latest updates!

Peace out!

One For The Books

The first race of the season is now complete, and BOY was it a kick in the butt! Dusty, Tim Garret and I left for Arkansas on Friday morning, and arrived in Oden about 5:30pm. We unloaded the expedition, rested for about an hour and then went for some BBQ. After that we went back and hung out at the motel for the evening. The next morning we went out for a mid morning breakfast, and then returned to the hotel to prepare for a pre-ride of some of the course that we would be racing on the next day. We first rode the final miles of the race to see what it looked like. We wanted to know so that the next day, when things go familiar we knew we were about do

After this, we met up with Lelan Bobby and Randy at the venue. We then road the first 10-12 miles of the race so we knew what it looked like before riding it with hundreds of other riders all around. A good time was had by all, and we found out that we were in for one heck of a day climbing, and climbing, and climbing!
Post pre-ride we went back to the motel to shower, clean bikes and gorge ourselves with pizza. After filling our stomach's we went back to prepare for the next day and hit the sack early.

The next day was a blur! Got up at 5:00am to rain. We quickly dressed, had some leftover pizza, loaded up and headed out to the race. By the time we got their it was wet and cold. We quickly got ready and headed for the start line. When we got their we met up with some friends from Kansas City and visited for a few minutes. This is when the first sign of bad luck showed up. I was sitting their messing around, and all of the sudden my front break went out! Close by their was a person with a tool bow. We borrowed a couple of tools, and get it temporarily fixed.

We had to rush over to the start line and find a place. The start was FAST but uneventful. We started of course with a pretty long climb up to the first single track. It was quite congested and moving was sluggish due to being behind a few people that were unsure on the single track. When arriving at the first check point, I opted not to stop so I could get around some of the slower people, and it worked!

The second section was my best of the day. I was able to cruse at will and take my own pace. I was making good time and passing a few people here and their. And the climbs went well in this section. I was able to work hard!

When I pulled into the second check point I was feeling pretty good, and I stoped for a few minutes to refill the water, lube the chain and eat a quick power bar. By this point I was thinking that the climbs were a killer, but was quickly informed by the volunteers that the next section was the toughest, and they were not lying! The third section was by far, one of the toughest areas that I ever remember riding. Their were unrelenting steep, long, long climbs, and then when you were exhausted they threw in some rock gardens that were tough to even walk through!

It was in one of these rock gardens (mile 43) that things turned BAD! I was making my way through one of the rock gardens, and it was very muddy with standing water. As I was riding through, all of the sudden I remember laying on the ground, vision a little blurred, and my right shin hurting. I stood up, and walked for a couple of minutes to gather my composure. I then got on the bike to ride away when I noticed that my read deralure are bent bad. The bike would not peddle properly and I had 2-3 miles to the next check point.

When I finally arrived, the mechanic worked on the bike while I got something to drink and had another power bar. After leaving, the bike was working muck better, but was still not quite right. I went through the last section of some really steep climbing and the legs were shot, and I had climbed DEEP DEEP DEEP into the pain cave. I soon spilled out onto the gravel roads that led back into town to the finish. I was so excited by this point that I was able to move quite quickly down the rode to the finish!

I crossed the line after 62 miles of trails in 7 hours 2 minutes, with 7,375 feet of climbing. Like I said, it was by far one of the toughest things that I have done, was totally exhausted, and had one of the best times of my life! Would I like to do it again?....................HECK YEA!!!!

Peace out!

GO TIME!!!!

Well, I have not updated in a couple of weeks due to the fact that I have been extremely busy. I will try to keep it short and to the point. First order of business, spring break. I spent the week working in the yard and getting a few REALLY good rides in. I had two high intensity rides of about 50 miles each, and between the two of them I did my first century of the year. The 100 mile ride went very well. I was able to do the entire Ride at about 80% of my maximum heart rate, and my legs felt great the entire ride.

Since spring break I have finished the taxes for the year and have efiled them. It turned out much better that the last couple of years. I also was able to get some pretty good rides in since them. They have all averaged about 50 miles each, with a decent intensity, despite the rain, snow, extremely high winds and all kinds of nasty weather.

This week I have cut back on the mileage, but kept the intensity pretty high.. I am tapering for the race this weekend. In the past week I have had a slight glitch though that I am working through. It was nothing major, but it took me off of the mountain bike for a week. Some how the back wheel flared. After inspection, they determined that they were going to warranty it. The problem is, they don't make that particular wheel any more. I guess that the company stopped making race quality rim brake wheels that are tubeless. Any more, pretty much all of the people that race use disc brakes. Since I have an older frame, it is not disc compatible. So, they are going to send me a decent wheel, but I will be going back to tubes with that bike, BUMMER!!!

This brings us up to today. The plan? I am leaving for Arkansas in the morning for the Ouchita Challenge! We are driving down tomorrow, pre-riding the course on Saturday, and the race is Sunday!!!! I am so excited to finally get the race season started. It has been a long winter, and I am ready for the fun to begin. This first race will be a 60 trail race. It is going to be great. Check back next week to hear how the race went, and I will try to get a couple of pictures while I am down their. Well, until next time,

Peace Out!

Bone Bender Postponed!

Tuesday, 10 March 2009 07:36
Well folks, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this latest round of rain just put us over the top on soaking the trails and making them un-rideable for this coming weekend. Sorry but we will have to postpone the Bonebender MTB race until the scheduled make up date of April 18th comes around.

This pretty much sums up the week! After heavy rains on Saturday and Monday, this is the news that I got Tuesday morning. This pretty much messed things up in the schedule. It is like being all dressed up and nowhere to go. I am feeling really good, and in good condition for this time of the year. Now, we wait 3 more weeks for the next race to roll around. This week mother nature has been playing testicle soccer with me, It was not bad enough that it rained twice hard enough that they had to postpone the first race of the year, but, the last three days have been brutally cold!!! On Wednesday, when I left for my ride the wind chill was four degrees, on Thursday it had raised all the way up to ten degrees, and today....a heat wave of twenty degrees!!!! Even with the bad weather I was able to get in a decent 200 miles. Lord, God, when is this madness going to end! I am SO ready for spring to roll around.

The good news, this next week is spring break around here, and the weather is suppose to be much better. I am thinking of having my own personal mini training camp! I think that since we did not get to race, I would like to put in a long hard week on the bike to get ready for the Ouchita Challenge. This is the next race on the schedule. This is going to be a fun one. When they held registration back on December 15, they filled and had to close registration 10 hours later! It is a super fun, large regional race. I am really looking forward to it, but am a little nervous about it because it will be the first race of the year for me.

Well, I hope that you all have a fun spring break, and check back next week for the latest news on the up and coming race season!

Peace out

Riding the Rollercoaster

Where to start? Well, you might say that the wheels fell off of the wagon a little at the end of last week. On Friday I went out to camp for a little spin before work, and I had a mechanical issue! On the last lap that I was going to put in, I broke the rear derailleur cable, so, I just single speeded it back home. I guess if I were to break down, this was good timing. It was 2 weeks before the first race of the year. I was wanting to get the bike in to the shop for Matt to work his magic on it, but was to lazy and didn't want to be without the bike for a day or two.

Since the Zaskar was in need of a little attention, and the business of life, I dropped the bike off at High Gear bike shop on my way into work. On the agenda? A new cable for the rear derailleur, a new bottom bracket, new brakes, a new chain and some pedal work. As usual, Matt had it ready to roll by the end of the weekend, and in race ready condition. Down Town Matt Brown is the man! He works magic on bikes, and is the only person I let touch my bike in Emporia.

Next for the news? well, A little while back I pulled a hamstring and nursed my way through it, and had been doing REALLY well for the last 3 weeks. Well, on Sunday I was helping someone move, and was helping carry a washer down a set of stairs when I felt a POP in the same hamstring that I injured before. CCRRAAPP!!!! At that point I got very stressed and thought the worst. After we were done with the loading of the trailers, I went home and began damage control. Ice, drugs etc. The next 2 days I rode short and very carefully. Then, due to something at work, I took Wednesday off. Today I woks up and the leg was feeling a lot better!

I thought that after 3 days of TLC, and since it was feeling a lot better I would put it to a test. I went out to camp Alexander, and went for a three hour train ride. Since their are some pretty steep climbs out their it would be a good test. To my surprise, things went REALLY well! I actually rode quite strong today. I made all of the climbs with no problem, and at the end of the day I had no signs of any problem. I guess that it was not as bad as I thought. This is great news. I will be going back out to camp tomorrow for another ride before work, and then on Saturday a bunch of us are going to go out Randy's place to ride the new trails and some post ride festivities! Then it is time to decide how to handle next week leading into the Bone Bender! Stay tuned.

Peace out!

No Training, Training!

Yes, you heard it right. The plan for the week?.....Their is no plan. After a couple of weeks of hard training, I am in the middle of a recovery week. That means no set amount of miles, no specific heart rate, no specific speed and no specific amount of climbing! The only thing I am doing is trying to spend 20 hours on the bike at a more relaxed pace. That means PLAY TIME!!!!! I am just getting out and seeing where the road takes me.

I am trying to get in about 4 hours a day, for 5 days. It has been really fun. The first couple of days I did some trail riding. I started out a camp Alexander, I would ride at a fun pace and goof around, then when I started to feel like I was getting a little tire, I would take a little gravel Cruise across town to the campus trails! They are easier and pretty fun to flow through. I have been getting out about 8:00am, and riding until noon.

Today I took a little gravel grinder south of town and enjoyed a 65 degree morning. I really like the recovery weeks. They help to remind me of the reason that I am out their, to enjoy spending time playing on my bike outside, playing around in the dirt, rolling over, through around up and around all kinds of cool stuff. It is really easy to get wrapped up in all of the hammer, hammer, hammer.....crush, crush, crush of training and racing.... To place the little soldiers up against the wall and see who can whizz the highest. Sure, I am just as competitive as the next guy, but it is important to enjoy spending your time on the bike, or why are we doing it? Right? Sure, soon I will be back to the hammer, hammer, hammer, crush, crush, crush of training, but I will really enjoy this week, and enjoy the other s that are to come.

On another note, Matt, Lelan and Garret got out today and started to add onto the trail system out at Randy's place. A bunch of us are going to go out their on Saturday, and work on it some more. When this phase is done it will give us close to six miles of trail out their! I can see some fun group ride/cookouts out their this summer! Good times to come. And don't forget......Bone Bender in about 2 1/2 weeks!!!!! Stay tuned for the latest news next week.

peace out!

Zone 4 X 4 = 200 miles

Training has went well in the past couple of weeks! Last week I concentrated on a lot of climbing to up the intensity in preparation for the quickly approaching season. In a 7 day stretch I went 230 miles and over 12,000 feet of climbing! Not bad for the middle of February. After the week was completed, the legs felt OK, but were REALLY heavy. I decided to give them a little tread and take a second day of rest to give them a Little more time for recovery.

After a two day rest period I thought that I would change it up a little bit this week but keep up some intensity in a different fashion. I decided that I needed to concentrate on some quality miles at the same time since the first two races will be of a decent distance. The plan for the week? Do 50 miles every time I get on the bike, and ride so that at the end of the day the average heart rate would be in zone 4 ( 80-90% ). This has made for an awesome training week for February. In a 4 day period I have went 200 miles at an average of zone 4.2, and am feeling pretty good. I would like to get in another day or two this week before changing things up a little for a couple of weeks leading up to the Bone Bender.

The next couple of weeks I would like to attempt to get in four hour rides each time I throw my leg over the bike, then back it off for the week leading into the race on March 14. Wow time if flying.

On another note, I have really been enjoying the Tour of California on TV this week. On Sunday Shelley has agreed to allow me to have my riding buddies over to watch the final stage, and have the first pasta feed of the new season. A good time should be had by all. That pretty much does it for now, check back next week for the latest news!

Peace, Out!

All systems A OK!

This week has been a good one. I started it off on Sunday with some hill intervals up Highland hill. I was wanting to see how the legs were feeling after the easy week, and to get an idea as to where I was as far as training goes. The plan......do hill repeats at a decent pace for two hours. The results are as follows: 1 hour 59 minutes, 46 times up the hill, 20 miles, 3,768 feet for climbing. After I was done the legs still felt pretty good! I could have went longer, but I got the idea.

With the good report I decided that the training schedule has back in action. I have pushed the legs pretty hard this week, and they have done well, but are starting to get a little tired. As for the rest of the week, I have done 2 days on the hills of old highway 50, one trip out through the beginning section of the Dirty Kanza 200, and another day going north, in the high wind, snow, and 20 degree temperatures! So far I have racked up about 180+ miles and over 9,500 feet of climbing! Pretty good for the middle of February! I sill am going to get a little ride in tomorrow. I think that since Saturday is valentines day, I will take it off, rest the legs a little and spend some quality time with the wifey.

Since this week went well, I will probably do something similar next week. After that, I think that I will put in a couple of weeks where I will spend a little more time in the saddle. I was thinking of something like, a couple of weeks of 4 hours a day, 6 days a week to try to get the body getting use to the LONGER rides. This should get me within a week of the Bone Bender. Boy, Race season is really sneaking up fast. Well, check back next week for more updates! As they say, same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel

Peace Out!

Bent, but not broken....yet!

The past couple of weeks have been brutal! I am still getting in my 2 workouts a day. the 5:30am lift, or run, and then my daily 3 hour ride. About 2 weeks ago I decided it was time to dust off the old war pony, the old Zaskar LE, and begin to increase the intensity in preparation for the upcoming race season. For the past couple of weeks I have been going out to camp Alexander a couple of days a week, and doing laps out at the trails. Doing the steep technical climbs out their is the first attempts of high intensity training for the year. All I have to say is WOW.....it is really kicking my butt! The intensity has been great, but after two weeks of this, I have come to the conclusion that I am in need of rethinking the game plan a little.

The day's that I have been going out to camp, I am riding the zaskar, and several other day's a week I have been taking the cyclocross bike out on the gravel hills for some good old zone 4 training. The problem was this..... the body is not quite use to the zaskar yet, and because it puts you in a different riding position, the intensity felt like it was about to rip my legs off. To end last weeks training, after my weight training session I went out on Friday and did a 2 hour zone 4.4 cyclocross ride that had about 2,000 feet of climbing. The ride was super fast, and I was quite pleased, but the kicker was Saturday! On Saturday me, Lelan, Andrew and Chris went out to camp and laid down some laps for 4 hours non stop! WOW did that kick my butt, I rode well but the legs felt like they were about to fall off, then when we were finished I had to ride the 5 miles home into a 30-40 mile headwind. By time I got home I had crawled so deep into the pain cave that I felt like rolling up into a ball and crying like a little baby.

Well, on Super Bowl Sunday, while I was enjoying the first day off of the bike in 6 days, I was rethinking the game plan. I remembered one important thing that I had not taken into consideration..... GET USE TO BEING ON THE WAR PONY BEFORE THE TORTURE SESSIONS!!! Well, this week, since my legs were trashed from the last 2 weeks of repeated torture sessions, I was going to spread the love around a little more than originally planed. You know how the old saying goes, you dance with the one that brought you, well me and the Zaskar have some pretty big dances coming up this year, so her dance card has filled up for a while! Now that we are so close to the season the cyclocross bike is going to be hung up for a while.

This week is a well deserved easy week, so I spent the first 3 days riding an easy zone 3 on gravel hills on the war pony, and today I picked up the pace a little bit. The legs are just now coming around and I am feeling much more comfortable on the bike. I am going to take it easy one more day, and then I think that one of the days this weekend I am going to do a 6 hour gravel grinder to get some quality saddle time. By the end of next week, I think that I can pick up the pace again without tearing myself to pieces. Hopefully next weekend we can have a rematch with camp Alexander with better results, after all the first race is a 6 hour event March 14! TIME TO ROCK AND ROLL!!!

On another note, I have "Officially" add another race onto the calendar! The condo has been rented in Breckenridge for July 1-5, for the Firecracker 50. The "for sure" races for the year are the Bone Bender, Ouchita Challenge, Dirty Kanza 200, Firecracker 50, Rapture in Misery, and the Kansas City Cup. The other possibilities, Hills of Hell, Wilson Lake Fat Tire Festival, Cruise the Blues, Tour De Lizard, and maybe some others down in Oklahoma! Just have to wait ans see. Well, I am kind of tired of doing this for today, so stay tuned next week.

Peace out!

Back in the saddle again!

Well, I did not get an update last week due to several factors. First, it was really busy at work, due to the beginning of the new semester, and second, I had the flu and was wishing that I was dead for most of the week. I got sick on Monday, and missed 2 days of work because I could not even get out of bead.

As for training, it was all systems shut down. I did absolutely NOTHING for seven days. After the week off though, I have made adjustments to my schedule. Since it is only 8 weeks until the first race I am OFFICIALLY in the pre-season. This means that I will be on the bike six days a week now, and I am getting the mountain bike out again to start getting use to the way it rides again.

So far this week it has went pretty well. Sunday a bunch of us went out to camp Alexander and I did the first trail ride since about early October. It went better than I expected. The fitness was fine, and my technical skills were better that I expected. The main problem was the lack of power in the legs! The climbing was average and the pace was pretty slow, but it was a lot of fun.

I can really tell that I have not trained for power for 3-4 months. This will change now though. I plan on going out to camp 2-3 days a week for the next 8-10 weeks and work on some trail riding. The other days will consist of some LONG rides. I would like to get the cross bike out for 3-4 hours at a time on the days that I am not out at camp.

Since it is still winter, and Shelley is also in training for her marathon, I am also continuing to go in to the gym at 5:00am, and either lift weights or run until 6:30am. This double work out is kind of tough right now, but seems to be working well. So far I have been on the bike for four days in a row. The legs are a little tired tonight, but the ride at camp today went exceptionally well! Well stay tuned to catch the newest info. about the middle for next week. Until then.

Peace out!

WAYYYYY overdue!

Well where to begin? A lot has happened since my last post. Through out the holidays I have attempted to stay consistent with the training. Shelley and I have been going into the gym every morning for some training. I have been lifting weights three days a week, and the other days I have been getting an hour run in. Shelley has been concentrating on getting a quick lift in three days a week, doing the elliptical every day, and adding in some treadmill work on the days that she does not lift. We are both very happy with the progress that we have made this month.

For the riding, it has been OK, but not at consistent as I would like but hope that this will change next week! I had to spend a couple of weeks on the trainer due to the cold weather, and we all know how BORING this can be. So, during this time I was trying to get as close to two hours as possible, and still keep my sanity. The cold broke around Christmas, and after that I was able to get outside until this week.

The day after Christmas Matt, Lelan, Tim and myself went out for a nice training ride! It was actually so warm that I was able to ride in just a jersey and shorts! We went for a 50 mile ride that was pretty high intensity. We covered the distance in two and a half hours. This was quite good, due to the fact that it was quite windy that day. It was the first time to get the heart rate REALLY elevated in a couple of months, and it felt good.

On December 27, we went to Colorado to visit my family. I took the cross bike and got in three nice rides in the wonderful Colorado weather. It felt SO good to be out side. The weather was around 50 the whole time we were their. We then returned to Kansas and I was able to go on a fun group ride on New Years to start off the year on the right foot. It was a casual 42 mile ride through the Flint Hills. A good time was had by all.

This week things have changed a little though. I am back to work, and doing the day shift thing for a week and a half until school starts. I am trying to piece together workouts to try to keep on track. Early mornings with Shelley, lunch runs and something aerobic for a little while after work. It has been the exercise bike at work the last couple of days, due to the fact that my new coat DIED on me Monday! I spoke to the company, and they are going to replace it for free. The problem is that it has cooled again, and I will not have a winter riding coat for this week and next. WHAT A BUMMMMMER. Next Wednesday school begins again, and my new coat should be just about here, so I can at that time attempt to get some sort of regular training schedule established for this next block.

On the racing world, the season it quickly approaching! The first race is the "Bone Bender" March 14, in Smithville Missouri. It will be a 6 hour race. It will be a nice practice/warm-up for the Ouchita Challenge which is April 5, on Oden Arkansas. This race will be BIG FUN!!! When registration opened, they had to close it again in ten hours because it had already filled. It will be 60 miles of goodness! All of this is going to be wonderful training for this years Dirty Kanza 200 which will take place on May 30. WOW, this race season is already shaping up to be AWESOME!

Well, the digits are getting tired so I will let you all go for now. Hope that all is well, and stay tuned.

Peace Out