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!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
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!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
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!
Friday, July 10, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
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
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
Friday, May 22, 2009
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!
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!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
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!
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!
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