The OC....and this's and that's

Well, I have returned! You may ask, why has it took so long, is it because you were busy....partially. Was it because I was lazy? For the most part. Since it has been a while since the last post it may seem like I am rambling. Well, that is kind of what will be going on for the most part. Their is a lot of ground to cover in a short period of time.

To begin with, I have been fine tuning everything for the Ouchita Challenge . As for the training, in the last week and a half I have shortened the time on the bike, but increased the intensity. It has been going pretty good. This week I am taking it pretty easy to rest the body a little, and I am in the process of fine tuning the bike, and gear for the big trip to Arkansas. We will be leaving on Friday morning!

As for the bike, I have replaced the chain, cassette, and all three chain rings. I have also just put on some new tires to try out. They are the Bontrager Mud X TLR 29. I chose these tires because they are specifically designed for muddy conditions, the Mud X's dual compound tread is suppose to be fast rolling and provide exceptional grip on wet roots and rocks, which is what this course is all about. They are also tubeless ready, So I will be running them with Stan's. I have a new wheel set ordered that I had hoped to use, but only the front rim has showed up so far, so this will have to wait.

I have also been breaking in my new Bontrager RL Mountain shoe, my awesome new Trek Circuit Helmet, and some new Bontrager Rhythm Comp gloves. So far I really love the new gear! The BIG test will come this weekend.

Also, we are not going to have our new kits in time for this weekend, but news on the street is they will be here when we return from Arkansas! I can hardly wait. Shawn Honae down at IM Design Group has designed some super cool stuff for us this summer. If you know Shawn, he is the "MAN" when it comes to coolness! If you are in need, you need to go give him a visit.

In other news, a local scribe/photographer and fellow cyclist has just launched a new magazine! It is super cool, and you should take some time to check it out. The concept is about finding and pursuing adventure in your life. The main focus of the first issue is on cycling, and their are some awesome articles in their by well known local riders. The magazine is call the "Adventure Monkey". You can download the first issue for free here!

And if this is not enough news for you, I have one more thing......and it is REALLY big! High Gear Bike Shop is almost finished moving! On this past Saturday they closed their doors for the last time in their old shop, and moved all of their stuff to the new shop. it is huge....they have a lot more stuff.....they now have an official place to just hang out to visit....and the doors will be open this week! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. You really need to go down and check this place out. It is really awesome!

Well, My fingers are getting tired so I will let you go. Tune back in next week to see how team High Gear did at the OC! until then.

Peace Out!

Let the fun begin!

Well I am making an attempt to become more regular with the blog updates. This week has been a good one. I only had to ride the trainer once. All other days were spent outside. This makes for a very happy biker. It is still a little on the cool side, but the weather seems to be getting better, and the forecast for the upcoming week is very promising.

This week I began to throw a few mountain bike rides in to begin getting ready for the Ouchita Challenge in four weeks! It is so exciting to see the first race of the year quickly approaching. The rides have been good, and I have been able to pick up the mileage a little.

To top it off, their was a group ride yesterday. It was the largest of the year so far, which makes for a good time. Their was Matt, Garret, Chris, Randy, Jed, Tim, Jim came down from Lennexa, Dusti came from Maple Hill, Then a couple of new guys, Scott and Eric. For most of the day the pace was pretty chill and we all got to visit and catch up, then about mile 30 or so the pace stiffened and we got into a pace that produced a pretty good workout for the remainder of the ride.

This week I plan to put more miles on the mountain bike. Since each bike works you a little differently, I need to start getting use to the HiFi because the race season will be here before we know it.

The review for the week? My weapon of choice for this summer! The Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe 29er. This is the most awesome bike that I have ridden in over a decade. If you are into the all day trail riding or endurance racing, you need to pick yourself up one of these! Is it the lightest bike? No. But many of the qualities that it does have, more than makes up for it.

As for climbing, it does a good job. I use to ride a GT Zaskar LE for a long time. It was a super light hardtail. You may find it hard to believe, but I feel that I can climb better with this bike. Sure the other bike was lighter, but with the 29 inch wheels, and the rear suspension, the rear wheel is glued to the trail. One of the problems with the other bike was the loss of momentum when you try to roll over things, and it was pretty easy to spin out on the steeper climbs. The HiFi is also extremely stable at low speeds, so you never feel like you are out of balance.

Going down hill their is no comparison. the 29er full suspension rules! In many races, I have come flying up behind other riders on a 26 in hard tail, and had to slam on the brakes, because they were getting thrown all over the place. Once you find a good passing place, they are nothing but a memory! You just let loose, and when you look back, they are no where to be seen.

Sure, you can find a lighter bike, but if you are into the long events, the comfort of the large wheels, and 100mm of travel front and rear make the day such a pleasure. Believe me, what you might sacrifice in weight in the climb, you more than make up for when you point your bike down hill, and the fatigue that you are spared from, by not getting beat to death on the trail.

Slow again

Well, It has been a while since the last post, again! No excuses, I have just been a lazy bum. Things have been going well and their is very little to report on. The training is going well, but I am beginning to get a little bored. I have at least been able to get outside quite a bit lately. On Thursday it was so dry that I actually saw a little dust on me after a nice gravel road ride. I was really looking forward to getting out on the trails for a little ride, but then, the next day it rained all day, snowed on Saturday and Sunday, and everything is frozen again today. So much for the trails until at least the weekend. I am so ready for the racing season to begin.

In other news, The new High Gear bike shop is coming along nicely. I got a look at it on Sunday, and it is going to be really cool! I can hardly wait for it to open in 3-4 weeks from now. You will really need to go down and check it out. It is A LOT bigger than their old shop, and they are going to be caring a lot of new stuff. It is a major expansion.

Today's product review: the Bontrager's XDX. I used this tire the entire summer last year. I really love it. This is one of the best all around tires that I have ever used. It is a fast tire that performs well on a variety of terrain, Bontrager's XDX uses small, closely spaced, well supported knobs to deliver superb traction in loose or dry conditions. Siping on the outer knobs improves traction on wet, slick surfaces, and the Tubeless Ready technology lets you enjoy all the advantages of tubeless while saving nearly 100 grams per wheel. Some of my favorite features are the rounded profile, and the 2.1 width. these features allow the tire to glue itself to the ground, and is very easy to handle in tight fast corners.

Well, if the cold is getting to you, and you are in need of riding partners, you might like to try out a few of the spinning tires down at Emporia Fitness. My team mate Garret leads the class, and rumor has it that if you want, he could work your butt over pretty good. Might be something to look into until the thaw! until next week, stay warm, and keep the rubber side down.

Peace Out,

Mike

Let the LONG miles begin!!!

Well, I have once again been a little slow with the post. Sorry, but I have been extremely busy finishing up a project on my house. But, I am happy to announce that it is done, and I can focus all of my efforts to training!

Since my last post about a week and a half ago, I have been able to keep up with the training pretty much, despite all of the construction. Even with all of the business I have been able to get in 2-3 hours a day on the bike. The only problem is that I have only been outside a couple of times. Now that I will be having all of this free time I can start getting out pretty much every day. I will be able to finally start getting in some much needed LONG rides! The clock is ticking, and we now have 7 weeks until the Ouchita Challenge! I am really starting to get excited.

Some good news, team kits have been ordered, and are going to be really cool. They should get in about a week before the first race!

The final order of business for the day is the product review. This week I am going to talk about the Trek XO1. It is an cyclocross race bike, but I use it pretty much for training since I don't race cylcocross. The XO1 is an awesome bike. It is pretty much a road bike on steroids. It is great for many reasons. First, when conditions are bad, you can put on some skinny tires and use it as a road bike. The geometry, and drive train (cassette, rings, derailleurs, shifters, etc.) are the same as a road bike, so you can get out and put in some quality miles and not have to worry about mud.

Second, unlike a road bike you can take this bike on gravel roads, and even a little off road riding, as long as it is not to extreme. I love to take this bike out on some REALLY long gravel road grinders! All you have to do is put on some knobbies and you are ready for some action. This bike has some off road brakes, welded instead of lugged, and has better tire clearance so you can use some wider wheels. The beauty of gravel roads is the lack of cars. I can head out into the flint hills into the middle of no where on the gravel and minimal maintenance roads and not see a can for literally hours.

If you are wanting to put in some quality training, and not deal with cars, and not wear out your nice race bike, I would recommend that you go down to High Gear and have Matt hook you up with one of these! They are awesome. I know that for the next 4-5 weeks, I an going to put some serious mileage on mine. Until next week, train hard, and keep warm out there.

Peace out!

Mike

WOW, 2 Weeks

Well, it has been two weeks since the last up date. Sorry, but you know the saying, I have been busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest! Besides work, I have been trying to get some regular training, and doing a project around my house before spring rolls around. I have some renovation that needs to be done before I am released to the racing season. Shelley and I both know that if it doesn't get done before the race season is hear, I will not get done this year.

The past couple of weeks I have been refinishing a ceiling in our living room, painting the living room, and laying wood floors in the living room and entry. I now need to repair the walls in the dining room, and put the new wood floors in there also. The dining room will not take nearly as long. In my estimates, maybe a week.

On the training side, I have been able to get outside some lately. A couple of gravel rides, and the other weekend there was a team training ride. Because of a meeting I was a little late, but met up with them just before Council Grove. It was nice to get out with others. Their was myself along with Matt Brown, Garret Seacat, Chris Wiggins, Jed Samsel, Lyle Reidy, Rand Smith, Bobby Wintle, Dusti Sopoci and Eric Benjamin. It was an awesome day to ride! Pretty warm, and the sun was shining. The following week I got a couple of quality hours a day, and worked on my projects. This past weekend I was unable to get on a bike due to the flooring project, but I got a lot accomplished.

This week has been nice. I have been able to get back out on the bike, and take a little break from the project. This coming weekend....possibly a group ride on Sunday, weather permitting, and start on the last room to get fixed for the year. Then, RACE SEASON CAN COMMENCE!

Review of the week? Since I am at work, and I have the pictures with me, I will review one of my favorite training tools. The Garmin 705. Since I got it a couple of years ago, I have become truly addicted and dependant on it. It this point, I don't know what I would do with out it. This little device can do everything!

Every ride, on the main screen I track speed, time on the bike, heart rate, cadence, distance, total ascent, heading and have a clock. It also tracks the route, and places it on a map so you know exactly where you were, and where you are at! All of the tracking is done by satellite, and you can look at it on Google Earth. You can also punch in where you would like to go, and it will tell you exactly where you need to turn to get there.

One other cool feature that I use on occasion is, I can track the vital statistics on the trainer! It has a handy dandy sensor on the chain stay, and a magnet for the wheel, is on those bad days, you can hook up to the trainer, and still track your speed, time on the bike, heart rate cadence, and distance, because the magnet is on the rear wheel! This thing is SLICK.

Well this thing is getting long, so I am going to let you go for this week. Check back next week to see how the project ends up, how training is going (8 weeks to the first race), and a bike review! I think since it is still winter, I will review the Trek XO next week. Remember, train hard, and keep the rubber side down.

Peace Out!

Welcome to the Mid West!

First off, Matt Brown, down at the highgear bike shop has made the "Official" announcement of this years team! I would like to say that it is a honor to be riding for Highgear this year with so many awesome riders. Matt has assembled an extremely strong team this year. It is truely impressive. I am humbled to think that I will be riding with some of these riders. I have a list of the great sponsors in the right hand column, along with the team roster. Please take some time to look it all over.

Next - Riding! I have finally been released to the outside. The roads have been cleared enough to get some gravel road rides in, and for the next week, the temperatures are suppose to get into the 40's! IN THE 40's!!! The gravel has been a blast, but with the temperatures come massive thawing. Because of this, tomorrow I will be putting road tires on the cross bike. By the weekend off road is going to be a real mess, so I am going to the road while things dry out a bit. The pictures above are from my ride this morning. Since I knew that I needed to update the blog today I stopped to take these pictures so that you could see the fun that was being had! I saw a lot of this today!

In other news, On Sunday I got entered into the Dirty Kanza 200! The entries filled in less that 12 hours this year. It is turning into one of the premier event of the year. I am very excited to participate in it this year. They have added a master's division, and this year I have qualified for this particular division, so, it will be awesome to participate in this division in the first year that It will be offered.

Now for the final business for the day. Last week I mentioned that I was going to offer a product review, so hear is the first installment. I thought that I would start with something seasonal specific. A few weeks ago, My beautiful wife got tire of listening to me complain about cold hands, and how my old gloves were so worn out, so she went down to Highgear bike shop and talked to Matt Brown.

As an end result I got this awesome pair of winter gloves by Trek. I was so excited, that I ripped into them, and forgot to get the name of them so I took a picture. They are by far, the best winter gloves that I have ever used, and are every bit as warm as mittens. They are made with Kevlar, and are wind resistant. I have now used them in temperatures that were in the single digits, with a wind chill below zero, and my fingers have NEVER gotten cold! In fact, using today as an example, when I started my ride, the temperature with the wind chill was 11 degrees. I rode for about an hour, and then stopped to take the above pictures. when I stopped to take the picture my gloves were soaked with sweat. I was a little concerned when they were wet, and I was putting them on, but my fingers never once got cold.

If you get the chance run down to Highgear bike shop, don't walk RUN as quick as you can and get a pair that look like these. If you don't live close to Emporia, go down to your local Trek dealer and pick up a pair, you will not be disappointed! Until next time, get out and train hard, and enjoy the nice weather that is to come this week.

Peace Out!

Welcome to my hood!!!

Well, it's a dry heat! What can I say. Since my last post winter has really set in quickly, and brutally. I have only been able to get outside a couple of times. Not because of the cold, but because all of the snow has made the roads unusable. I have been able to stay consistent, but I have not had anything longer than two hours due to the mind numbing that riding a trainer has on a person.

I have been stuck in the pain cave for over a week, and the rest of this week doesn't look to be any better.


We are expecting more snow today, with a wind chill of possibly 25-30 degrees below zero through the rest of the week. I am praying for a warm up next week so that when I get back to my normal work schedule I can return to the outside and get in some longer rides. The first race of the season is quickly approaching (March 28).

Last year I was able to rack up good mileage, and am hoping that this next year will be as productive. The totals are as follows: 334 total rides with 11325 total miles. This is broken down into 143 rides on the cyclocross bike with 5314 miles. With the mountain bike I had 191 rides with 6011 miles. Not bad for 49 years old.

Since we are beginning a new year, and still a little while until the race season begins, I am going to do a few product reviews of some of my favorite biking stuff. Plus, this time of year is when a lot of racers start to get all of our cool new stuff from our awesome sponsors for the up coming season, and believe me, their is some really cool stuff beginning to come in! I will give you my impressions of these products as I test then out. Until next week, stay warm and keep the rubber side down.

Peace out!