Weather Blues

Not only has Seattle set the record for the wettest month on record (November or otherwise), the Emerald City was not so green for the past few days because it was under a blanket of white. Snow and ice = no motivation to train. The dreary rainy days, the cold weather outside, and my recent sickness have made my training days few and far between lately. I'm just having a hard time picking between suffering in bad weather or suffering on the stationary trainer. The better option of late has been neither and spending some quality time with SLR. Hopefully, I get some more motivation to train soon or I'm going to be a slow racer come Spring time.

One thing I do have to look forward to is that I'm definitely heading to CA for a training camp in February. I'll probably be pre-riding a stage or two of the Tour of California before the race rolls over the same course. We'll also be hitting some serious mountain passes to get some climbing mileage in too. Maybe a solid 20-hour week will compensate for my lax November. I have my fingers crossed for some beautiful, warm, sunny weather the week of the camp.

Blue Star

Germ Warfare

I typically get a mild sick bug once a year. Generally, it happens mid-October. This year I thought I made it through my sick season with no problems. Well, I started counting my chickens too soon. Sunday, I awoke feeling a bit run down. I thought it was probably just the 3+ hour ride I put in on Saturday followed by a few too many glasses of wine at dinner. As the day wore on, the sore throat set in and I knew it was time to batten down the hatchs and get ready to do battle. Antioxidants, multi-v's, and lots of calories to fuel the fight. Today, the throat is still scracthy and I'm laying low on the couch hoping to hold the line at the throat and stave off further problems.

I'm bummed because this is usually a big volume training week for me. This season's base training is getting off to a real slow start with all the nasty weather, lots of hours at the j-o-b, and now this bug thrown in the mix. Let's hope I can kick it soon and start putting in some mileage.

Looks like the Stumptown Cup USGP race this weekend was a classic in true NW style. Check out some pics here.

Blue Star

Tempest

Yesterday, a dubious record was set, the wettest November in recorded history for the City of Seattle. That's saying a lot considering Seattle is infamous for its rain. The even more amazing thing is the record was set on November 15th, which begs the question: what will the next 15 days bring? If Mother Nature keeps her pace up, then this will likely be the wettest month in Seattle, period. 11.62 inches of wet stuff has fallen and the record for the all time wettest month is 15.33 inches. Not too far to go. If I see a guy building a large boat and herding up animals in pairs, I'm jumping on board.

What does this meteorological aberration mean for me? Well, my base training volume is down from this time last year, but my trainer time is up. I'm only able to tolerate about 2 hours on the trainer at a time (maybe three if I'm really in the zone). So my trainer rides lately attempt to compensate for the decreased time by increasing the intensity slightly including some moderate but sustainable power efforts.

The sun does manage to make an appearance for 5 or 6 hours in between storm systems before the rains start again. However, the three or four times that has happened this month occurred between 10am and 3pm during the work week. Curses! But, I can't complain, because I chose the Emerald City as my home with full knowledge of the propensity for dreary winters. Assumption of the risk, I guess. Plus, the natural beauty and the amazing summers more than compensate for having to strap on Gore-Tex for 8 straight months.

The frustrating thing is that despite nearly unanimous agreement among scientists, the White House continues to adhere to the position that there is no evidence to support that human activities are the primary cause of global warming. Maybe its because these guys have GWB's ear and back, but the reality is something different. I wonder if 100 years from now people will look back at this administration's position on global warming like we do with issues such as segregation, granting women the right to vote, or prohibition. Time will tell.

I hope the rains can recede a little next week. Thanksgiving is a good time for me to crank up the training volume because I actually get a couple of free days away the j-o-b without having to incur dire consequences.

Blue Star

Ellsworth Scant

The beautiful Ellsworth Scant. The frame is less than 1kg, with shaped scandium tubing, and Easton carbon stays and fork.



I can certainly find some room for one on the double-tier rack in my garage.

Blue Star

'07 Race Schedule

My racing schedule for 2007 is starting to come together. I plan on hitting most of the NORBA Series stops:

• Phoenix, AZ -- March 31- April 1, 2007: I've won here in the past, so I'm hoping to pull off a big early season result. Podium or bust!
• Fontana, CA -- May 5-6, 2007: The inland empire strikes back again. Hopefully, no flats this time around. Also, it's almost like an altitude event trying to extract 02 out of the smog filled air.
• Park City, UT -- June 16-17, 2007: Flatted last year and suffered the year before because of the lung-imploding altitude. I expect more out of myself this go around because I picked up a secret weapon.
• Sonoma, CA -- July 7-8, 2007: The course sucks, but I pulled 4th at Nationals here last year. So, I will make the trip to try to earn some valuable series points. Can't complain about the red anti-oxidants available in the area though.
• Sugar Mountain, NC -- July 28-29, 2007: Skip it. Too much travel for a course that received less than stellar reviews last year.
• NMBS Finals Snowmass Village -- August 11-12, 2007: Colorado Rocky Mt. High. The two major climbs on this course are just brutal (especially when wet), but the venue is awesome. Hopefully, we can score a condo on the course again.

In addition to the NORBA series, I'll toe the line at:

• Sea Otter Classic, Monterey, CA -- April 12-15: The marketing line has changed to, "A Celebration of Sport." Marketing spin aside, this race is a lot of fun because of the festival atmosphere, huge race fields, and the amazing course through the hills of Monterey (when dry).
• USAC National Championship, Mount Snow, VT -- July 19-22: My favorite race course of all-time hosts the quest for the stars and bars in '07 (and '08). It doesn't get any better than racing in the Green Mountains and then having a recovery meal that includes a lobsta' at Poncho's Wreck. Maybe some CT family will be there to cheer me on as well.

I'll hit a couple of local Indie Series or OBRA races as my training schedule permits. I have to manage my recovery a little better, which may have me missing more of the local races than I have in the past. My goal is to put up some good results at the major events this year and make the transition to the semi-pro ranks without finishing DFL at every race. Wish me luck.

Blue Star

New Training Tool

If this weather keeps up, I'm looking at one of these so I can actually train outside:

XTR and First Endurance

Things are starting to come together for next year. Sponsorship proposals went out a few weeks back. Now its a waiting game.

I do know that I will have a complete '07 Shimano XTR group and wheelset on one of the race rigs next year. I love XTR because it works really well. Some notable features this year include a ti/carbon middle chain ring, lighter wheelset, and a more durable finish on the cranks.



Also, I got word that First Endurance will continue to be my nutrition product sponsor. I am looking forward to trying out their new EFS bar.



Blue Star

Carpe Diem

I suck at posting to this blog. Lately, it seems the more I want to do something, the more likely other things will get in the way. The paradox of my life, which was not always that way. Well, today, I have managed to pull together a few spare minutes to create a post. Some thoughts followed by photos from Worlds and a cross race.

I am another year older today and another race season has come and gone. Reflecting back on Year 30, I find myself dissecting some simple, yet challenging questions: did you accomplish your goals?; what do you want to do next?; what will make you happy?. I think the answers lie in my favorite poem by Robert Frost.

The Road Not Taken
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

As I sit here at the fork in the road wondering what the future will bring, I know Year 31 is going to be an interesting one.

Some photos from Worlds at Sun Peaks

Warming up at Worlds in the Team USA jersey


About to head up another leg searing climb


Exiting the pain cave after the battle is over


Some photos of cross at Kelly Creek

Into the barriers


More barriers


Runup (that's me making the pass on the right)


Hopefully, it doesn't take me another 8 weeks to write again.

Blue Star

Masters World Championships

In just a few days, SLR and I will be heading north to Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops, British Columbia for the UCI Masters World Mountain Bike Championships. It will be exciting to don the Team USA jersey and represent the United States against competitors from around the World. The race is only broken down by age groups, so I'll be doing battle with some pro racers and many top amateurs. This is the final year that Canada will host the event and for the next three years it will be at a small ski resort in the south of France.

Lately, my form has been finicky after a long season of training and racing. Regardless, racing in my first international race surrounded by the beautiful mountains of the BC interior is a proper way to wind up the season. I've achieved some of my goals this year and fell short on others. This fall Coach Thomas and I will sit down and evaluate what worked and what didn't and see if we can fine tune my engine just that little bit more so I can make the step to the next level. Mix in some local cross races and maybe a couple of epic fall MTB rides with THayes and it should make for a good off-season.

Blue Star

And some more from the Brian Head NORBA

Father & Son. Live Strong, Dudster!


The venue at 10k feet


Climbing


Turning


Wheelie across the line


A podium for the Short Track XC

A Photo Dump

If anyone still checks this site, you know I haven't posted in forever. Hopefully, I can keep a regular posting schedule moving forward. Once you slip, it's easy to put off posting. Rather than attempt to capture the last two months of riding in words, I'll try and do it with images.

Warming up for the Mt. Constitution Hill Climb


On the switchbacks on Mt. Constitution


Mt. Hood Pre-ride. Does it get any more beautiful?


Given'r with a grin on Mt. Hood


Ripping on some SWEET singletrack


The National Championships in Sonoma, California


Waiting for the gun


Towing a wheel sucker in the Short Track XC


Fourth Place in the XC to add to the year's hardware

Hello? Anyone home?

Yeah Yeah. I know. It's been like a month since I've posted anything. I've got updates in the hopper. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. But, alas, this thing called a job is keeping me quite busy lately. A colleague of mine recently said, "Wow, if you're not working or sleeping you are on your bike." That quote sums up the last month or so in a nutshell. Although the training volume and quality have definitely taken a hit because I'm mentally spent at the end of the day. I'll endeavor to get some race reports up soon.

Here's a photo of the short track XC from last weekend:

2006 Ellsworth Truth

Just under 25lbs of pure racing goodness:


Close up of new asymmetrical chainstay and carbon cross member:


There is no other bike that I would want to toe a start line on. It is fast, plush, and responsive. We shall see if its rider can take it to the podium.

To Mom:

Because of you I strive to make it be there every day!



Thank you and have a Happy Mother's Day!

With much love,
Blue Star

Allergies, The Shuffle, and the Inland Empire Strikes Back

I've been a total slacker when it comes to blogging. I promise to me more diligent in the future. Soooo, what's been happening?

Allergies
Just after my last post, I went to the allergy doctor because my seasonal water works turned on and the dreaded gagging cough that has plagued me the last few years since I moved to Seattle returned. The Doc did a variety of tests for common allergens in the Pacific NW. Grass -- positive. Trees -- Positive. Weeds -- Positive. Dust -- Positive. Pet Dander -- Positive. And, of course, all stinging insects -- MAJOR Positive. The nurse and doc watched the various test sites swell beyond their little measurement card could handle. With a furled brow, the doctor asked me: "Are you sure you don't want to take up an indoor sport? I hear speed skating is fun?" Sorry, no can do. He then prescribed an anti-allergy cocktail in hopes of combatting those pesky allergens. All the drugs were OK on the WADA and USADA banned substance lists.

Seatac Shuffle
Two days later I toed the start line for the Seatac Shuffle. I was breathing free and clear for the most part because of my new morning regimen of little pills and spraying stuff up my nose. The pack hit it hard from the start and the usual cast of characters moved to the front. I was tentative at the start and hit the singletrack around 5th place, but quickly realized I was on a good day. I had power on demand and was motoring. I started picking off the guys in front of me with ease. I was feeling so good I backed off a little because I was afraid that I would blow up and not be able to maintain such a high pace to the finish. On the last lap, I was in eye sight of first place but just couldn't close the gap down and I finished a close second less than 30 seconds back from the winner. A promising result, especially because Seatac is a power course with no climbs to speak of.

Fontana NORBA
Next up, was the first Norba National stop of the year in Fontana, CA outside LA. The course was in a city park that was smack between huge residential neighborhoods on all sides. The smog was so thick I didn't see blue sky the whole weekend even though there were no clouds. This area of CA is called the Inland Empire. I definitely felt like I was riding on another planet in a Star Wars movie with all the strange blown out foundations and big dump trucks on course. Although the course was pretty fun, with some good climbing and real loose technical descents. The course was 75% or so singletrack so I perceived a good start to be important. The group took off and I hit the gas immediately and was first into the singletrack. No dust and no slow traffic to worry about. I was riding strong, not as good as Seatac, but still really good. I was in the top-5 after the first lap and actually passed a couple guys on the big climb to start the second lap. I was just starting to think I was going to get on the box, when BAM, my tire blows up after hitting a rock that was buried in the sand in one of the chutes on the descent. My front wheel locked up sending me on an over the bar hop and tumble-run into the brush on the side of the trail. Stunned, I ran back to my bike and changed the tire as fast as possible. Riders streaming past me like a sand through an hour glass. I quickly realized I was now probably in last place. Nonetheless, I charged on picking off as many riders as I could in the remaining lap and half. I ended up finishing in 11th place out of 25 starters in my group. The guy who finished 5th was behind me when my tire incident occurred, so I have a feeling I would have made the podium. DAMN! Gotta give a shout out to the Parents that made the drive over from Lost Wages to see me flat. I'll try and redeem myself at Brian Head.

Motivation
I feel like I am on top of the fitness curve right now for the amount of time I have been training. It's really motivating to see the results of hardwork paying off, but really frustrating to have a flat ruin a chance at a big result. I'm chomping at the bit for a big result. Now that day-light savings time has hit, I hope to crank out some more training time and get even faster. Earning my semi-pro upgrade is my major objective this year. I probably could upgrade now with the results I have had, but I want to bust out some solid top-5's and even win a National before making the move.

Race Schedule Update
Unfortunately, the trip planning for this summer hasn't worked well. Mt. Snow isn't going to happen because of prohibitive flight costs. Plus, USAC cancelled the one-day at Mammoth and bumped it up a week and changed the venue to Sonoma. This move may bode well for me because the course will not be at altitude. However, they made the switch after I booked my tickets for Mammoth. I'm planning on re-finalizing the schedule this weekend and will post where I'll be over the summer.

New Truth
The new frame has arrived and is built. It is a work of art and comes in at 24.5 L bees. I will post some pics this weekend. I'm sure some folks on the MTBR board will want to have a peak.

Til next time,
Blue Star

Atomic Bonk, Recovery, and Wednesday Night World's

Well, the Sea Otter XC race did not go as I planned. I suffered through a bonk of epic proportions. I got a good start and my first lap of the 19 mile course went well. I was definitely in the top 5 or so riders in my age-group. Then things began to unravel, I noticed I was getting hungry and soon thereafter I was in serious need of calories. I sucked down some EFS sports drink and some gel, but it was too little, too late. I was probably a little dehydrated and I couldn't process the sugar. My stomach got upset and I was still in need of energy. I was soon left staring at my front tire and pedaling like a small child. Needless to say, riders started coming by me at a regular rate. To add to my misery, my drivetrain started to skip gears on the second lap because of all the mud that had accumulated in my chain and derailleur cables. I was left with only one functioning gear to negotiate the remaining 8 miles of the second lap. I persevered to the finish taking a lofty 22nd place in my age-group. A little less than half of my field DNF'd. Oh, forgot to mention that is was pouring rain the entire race.

I buried myself to finish Sea Otter. Upon returning to Seattle, my legs were cooked for a solid 7 days. I took several days of the bike to aid in their recovery. I went to bed early and slept a lot. I did do a couple of recovery spins and a 3-hour low-intensity ride to close out the week. The entire 3-hour ride my legs were saying "no!" I was worried that the legs weren't going to come around.

But, with every valley, there comes a peak. I raced my first Wednesday Night race down at Seatac Park yesterday. The legs came alive and I was motoring. I beat all my usual competitors and was in eye sight of the leading pack of pro racers. Definitely a boost to the morale. Fitness is a finicky thing.

This weekend is the Seatac Shuffle. Another Indie Series race that should be a good test to see where I am at on the fitness curve. I'm hoping to build back up some for the NORBA in Fontana, CA outside LA in early May.

That's about all for now,

Blue Star

Sea Otter - Days 1 & 2 (and some hardware)

Day #1:
My flight left Seattle bright and early on Friday morning. Hayes, Aaron, and myself arrived at the San Jose airport to clear skies and warm temps. We rolled down to Monterey and the race venue at Laguna Seca. Beautiful green hills with a car race track all wrapped up in the terrain. The event is huge. Industry rigs everywhere, several different races (road, mtb, dirt jump, etc.) going on at one time, and a whole lot of people on bikes. I heard there were over 10k people registered for the various events over the course of the weekend. With all the mud, it definitely has a Woodstock of bikes vibe about it. Anyway, we proceeded to get the bikes built and hit the XC course for a pre-ride. It's wicked fast with lots of swoopy fun singletrack. About two-thirds into the 18 mile loop, the skies turned dark and opened up with 25 mph wind gusts. Fun stuff for a pre-ride. The sandy course ate my middle ring in the process so I was suffering from a wicked case of chain suck. We got back to our pimp rental van, changed, and made our way through the massive traffic jam to Salinas. I stopped at a shop in Salinas and luckily they had an XTR middle ring to replace the one that was misfiring on my Enlightenment during the pre-ride. We grabbed some grub and then I promptly set in to a few hours of bike maintenance to get the rig ready for short-track XC on Saturday morning.

Day #2:
Arrived at the race venue bright and early to scope the yet unseen short-track course out. Wow, lots and lots and lots of mud. I watched the earlier races and noted all the pits that were unrideable because I certainly wasn't going to pre-ride in those nasty conditions. I decided to mount up the full fender set to stay reasonably clean. I get a short warmup in and then head over for my 11:00 am start. The whistle blows and were off like pigs in mud. Slip and slide was the name of the game. Run over the impassable stuff and slide down the somewhat rideable stuff. I had my running game on today and passed many people that were trying in vane to keep pedaling. I ended up on the box in third place. Mission accomplished.

Here's a shot of the hardware:


I'll have some action and podium shots in the future.

Now, its time to recover and get prepped for battle number two the 36-mile beast of a XC race. Hopefully, the climbing legs are firing on all cylinders and I can give'r a go.

Later,

Blue Star

Off to Sunny (err.. Rainy) California

I'm off to Sea Otter tomorrow morning.



The hardtail is clean, dialed in, and packed in its plastic case for the trip. Legs are feeling really good. The weather is, well, it's nasty, but that should be to my advantage coming from the Pacific Northwest. People from California have been complaining that it has rained like 20 days straight in Monterey. I've been there, done that. Remember this post or this post.

There is supposed to be in the neighborhood of 60k people attending (spectators and racers) over the course of the weekend. That's a whole lot of bike freaks in one town. The exciting part is that the Expert XC race on Sunday goes off immediately after the Pros so all the fans will be on course cheering us on too.

I'm taking the laptop and camera so I'll try and get some posts of the festivities up over the weekend.

Blue Star

On the Box

A short race report from the weekends 20th Annual Peak Sports Mudslinger in Blodgett, OR.

SLR and I rolled down to Portland, OR on Friday night and met up with our good friend Mags from MU. She generously served as our host for the weekend showing us around Stumptown and joining us on the journey to Blodgett for the race. On Saturday, we stopped in at a sweet bike shop in Portland that fabricates the most beautiful wooden bike fenders I have ever seen. My mind quickly was processing what kind of bike I could build around those fenders.

Race day was Sunday morning. We got a little lost on our way to the little town due to a lack of adequate directions in the race information. We arrived at Blodgett Elementary where the cars with roof racks lined both sides of the road and we were relegated to parking on a fire road a good distance from the registration area. The number of cars was indicative of the number of racers in the field, many.

The race started with a 2-mile neutral rollout to the base of the first climb. Once there we staged for the start and I was stuck mid-pack. Despite my poor start position, I quickly started passing riders on the steep stair-step climb. The course just kept going up and I just kept passing riders. As it turns out, the race had no shortage of climbing, somewhere between 4000 and 4800 feet of vertical gain depending on who you talk to.

After slogging up the climbs and sliding down the slippery descents, I came through after the first lap in 4th place. I should have ran fenders on my bike because the Mudslinger was living up to its name. SLR and Mags cheered me on and gave me a fresh bottle as I started the climb again and with their encouragement I focused on catching more racers. About a mile into the climb, the skies opened up, first with rain, then with hail. The conditions motivated me even more to charge up the climb. I caught up to the third place rider and quickly moved by before he could muster a counter attack. Again, I descended slow and steady in the mud because I couldn't see and I was doing my best to keep the bike upright.

I dropped onto the road back to the finish line, put it in the big ring, and hammered as hard as I could. I passed the second place rider like he was in the granny. I crested the final climb to the cheers of SLR and Mags. I rolled across the line as the second expert overall in about 2:40. I'm considering it a win, because the winner of the expert category beat the entire semi-pro field and half the pro field in the process. I think I could have shaved some serious time off if I had run some fenders and could see the trail when heading downhill. Hindsight!

Charging to the finish (note the fresh coat of mud on my face):



There was some mud out there:



On the Box:



Bring on Sea Otter because I'm ready to thrown down. Hopefully, there is enough climbing that I can put the hurt on some guys.

Later,

Blue Star

Gear Rolls In

Almost all the sponsorship goods are in the garage. It's so fun to get new gear from the sponsors. Almost like being a kid on Christmas with a mountain of new toys to play with. I just hope I represent this season and make their investment worth while.

A few weeks back Maxxis sent me a bunch of tires to satisfy my OC obsession with having the right tire for the right condition. My initial shipment included a good mix of tires for conditions from hardpack to wet and loose. I will post reviews of the various tires after I get some more time on them. This past weekend I ran an Ignitor on the front and an ADvantage on the rear. I think this is a good all-around condition setup. My only gripe is that the bead on the Ignitor is a little loose and I couldn't get it to seat in the rim with a Stan's NoTubes rim strip, which resulted in a mess of wet latex on the garage floor. So, I'm running a tube up front and Stan's in the rear for the moment until I get brave and try and do the Stan's again. I've got some Rancheros set up on the XTR wheelset for the Otter.

Spent a few hours last night getting the Enlightenment (a.k.a Stealth Bomber) dialed in. I'm going to run it this weekend with all the climbing that the Mudslinger course is going to throw at me. Plus, it will allow me to identify any issues that may be lurking before Sea Otter. As it sits now, its weighing in at ~21 el bees.

Yesterday, the brown box truck dropped off a sweet Fox F100x fork. I ran the F100x on my Enlightenment hardtail last year and liked it so much am going to put the one that arrived yesterday on the new Truth (when it FINALLY gets to Seattle). The beauty of the X line of Fox forks is the inertia valve. I call it the auto-lockout. Essentially, what the valve does is prevent the fork from compressing when there is downward force from the handlebar, i.e. no bob, and it will activate when the wheel takes an upward hit from the terrain. This technology makes out of saddle efforts during races easy because you don't waste any energy on a pogo-sticking front fork and when your in the pain cave you don't have to remember to turn on or off a manual lockout. Not to mention, that all the forks guts are machined aluminum and the stanchions are some super-stiff 32mm fattys. No flexy legs or out of spec plastic crap need apply.

Stick a fork in me...

... because I'm done.

Blue Star out