Nemesis

Nobody Likes You

2009-12-07T13:49:00.004-06:00

Graffiti

2009-11-30T09:35:00.004-06:00

Seems like this blog could just as easily be about street art as cycling...

This is some stuff I saw in Medellin, Colombia. Wish I could just drive around town taking pictures of all the cool street art.

Racing Season

2009-10-08T20:37:00.003-05:00

Well... the bike turned out really cool. I'm going to post pics up here as soon as I take some. My dad did a killer job on this frame. It's an amazing metallic grey with light blue flames.

In other news, my racing season is over. I intended to do the entire Oklahoma series this year, but that's just not going to happen. This Sunday will mark the third race in a row that I will have missed. I'm sorry it turned out this way, but I just can't afford to take the time or risk to race any more this year. Things change. Just gotta roll with it. I guess.

New Frame

2009-09-29T09:22:00.002-05:00

Things are changing. My dad's painting this frame.

You're never going to believe this

2009-09-13T18:46:00.002-05:00

My frame cracked again. First ride. Same thing. Shifter through the top tube. Shouldn't have happened. I'm not sure what to make of the whole thing.

Drove up to Ark City to ride the course. On their website the day before, they said the course was dry and no rain was in the forecast. When I got there people were saying the trails were muddy and they closed off a section of it because it is flooded. Sounds to me like the race directors lied. That pisses me off A LOT. So I went out to ride the course. It was a little muddy. Just enough to make tires slick. As I rode, I started realizing that these trails were poorly built. Whoever built them put drops in a lot of the corners. That's no good for mountain biking. Poor trail building. If there is a drop just before a corner, you have to have enough trail after the drop to get both wheels on the ground before steering through the turn. If the drop is right after the corner, you're risking injury because it's unexpected and it's difficult to regain straightaway balance right after a turn like that. I just thought a lot of the trail sucked. I continually came upon stuff that I had to stop and find a line or had to ride 3-4 times before either deciding on something or deciding it was a bad idea.

I came around one corner and a drop to a rocky descent followed. I jammed the brakes and dismounted over the rocks. Left my bike on top, but when I picked it up, the hole was in it. I was shocked and pissed. I rode for a bit after that, but one rocky descent almost took my head off because I didn't see an overhanging tree. That's when I got off and pushed back to the parking lot, loaded up, and headed for home. What a wasted trip and all the time and money I've sunk into that bike. Ugh.

I never hear anyone talk about trails the way I think about them. I hear people say that a race course was good or bad. But people don't talk about trails being good or bad. If they do, they're referring to the terrain. I'm talking about the way the trails were build on the terrain. After riding in Moab year after year, I'm certain that great (ridable) trails can be built anywhere. That's why I'm not sure what's going on at Horizon up at Ark City. It's just my opinion, and it could be that I just don't have the skills to ride that way, but I think it's a bad place to ride. Probably a great place to run. You can have all the huge rock drops you want on a course, as long as there's a run-up, a decent landing area, and it flows.

So I missed my first Tour de Dirt race this year. Next race, Sept 27 - Stanley Draper, OKC. Hope I have a bike by then.

Ark City

2009-09-12T10:05:00.003-05:00

I'm off to Ark City today. Going to pre-ride the course. The race is tomorrow.

I got the bike ready to ride. I have only ridden it up and down the river trail and around the coffeeshop, so I'm sure there are things that aren't quite right yet, but hopefully it will survive this first race. Seat position is a toughie. I hope to get that worked out before tomorrow.

I'm nervous, as usual. It's been a while since the last race- June 7. I feel like everyone I race against has probably been out training, and I haven't. I've only ridden once since I got back from Colorado, and that was out on the course at Osage Hills. Also, this race being in Kansas, I'm concerned that there will be racers I haven't faced yet, and they'll be fast. Crossing state lines is always scary.

So... I'm not expecting to do all that well tomorrow. But I haven't seen the course yet, so that may change my mind. We'll see if I can come up with a race strategy today during my ride. Last race I went out as hard and fast as my legs would take me. That would've worked, but I'm not in good enough condition to keep up that pace. I blew up and got passed.

The new Nemesis is on the prowl. Stay tuned.

I GOT MY BIKE BACK!

2009-09-09T20:03:00.004-05:00

I can't tell you how happy I am to have my bike back. After Trek failed to live up to their word, I had to buy that "other" bike to ride in Colorado. I didn't really like it. I didn't hate it, but it was just different. Bigger. And the fork was not what I wanted. So in the mean time I sent my frame to RR Velo, who fixed it. They did a great job, and I really, really appreciate it. Maybe it's because I stuck a pound of coffee in with the frame. When I got it back, my dad wet sanded it to rough up the clear coat and he painted it black. Black with just the most subtle gold metal flake that you can only see if you look closely in the sun. I cut stencils for it and he sprayed them on in white. Arrows on the downtube, a feather on the headtube, a rabbit on the seat stay, and "NEMESIS" on the top tube. We painted the headbadge white and gold. I switched the racing fur to white, and it looks real good. I'm in love with this bike.

It sucked because this is my dream bike. I didn't want any other bike. I love it. So when something happened to it, I was at a loss. It's enough to throw me into a funk, that's for sure. Now that it's back, I've been riding in circles around the coffee shop. It handles as well as I remember. Fan-dam-tastic.

I had to put it all together myself, which I've never done before. The rear derailleur still needs some tuning, and I'm sure there are some things I didn't do as well as I could've, but it's together and ridable. Yay! Check out the pictures. That's my baby.

The Leaving Song

2009-08-22T10:49:00.002-05:00

You'll have to sing it yourself.

I'm taking off today. Broke down camp this morning and went down to wash up in the river one last time. :(

Even though it started out rough, this has been a great trip. Especially for my fitness. When I got here my legs were not equipped to ride up mountains. But now they are much better.

Yesterday's ride was amazing. I drove out to the trailhead on Cement Creek. It's pretty far away. I've only done that ride one other time and I accidentally rode it backward. I thought it was amazing that time, but it's MUCH more fun going the right way. The ride is a loop that incorporates four different trails. I rode up Reno Divide, which is a 2-track that climbs to a beautiful view. I was actually climbing pretty well, staying in my middle ring the whole time. And looking around a lot and laughing at the absurdity of my surroundings.

One of the great things about CB riding is that you climb for a long time and it's hard, but I always feel like I didn't work hard enough to deserve the payoff I get at the top and on the trail back down. The rides here are so fun.

After Reno, I got on the Flag Creek singletrack, which joined up with the Bear Creek trail. So fun. Lots of racing, winding downhill. And some fun, steep, technical sections thrown in for good measure, just to see if you're paying attention. It's easy to let it roll and then suddenly you're in the middle of something you might be going too fast for. Reacting to the trail is part of what makes it so much fun. You never know what's around the next bend. And the singletrack is about 15 inches wide, with probably a 4 inch sweet spot. No matter how fast you go, you need to stay in or near that sweet spot. Which can be challenging.

Then the trail dumps out on Deadman's Gulch, which is a beautiful valley that feels very, very far away from everyone. It climbs up for a while on that singletrack, into the woods, to the top of a hill. Then it heads downhill to the parking lot. I forget how many switchbacks there are on the way down, but it's a lot. It's fast and steep and rutted with drops going into most of the turns and really fun. Probably a 20 minute descent. Then I crossed the creek and drove back to CB for a burrito at Teocalli Tamale. 3 hour ride total.

Great day.

I'm obviously taking my time getting out of town today. No rush. I don't need to be home until Monday. I'll be sad to leave these mountains.

I have a lot more "stuff I love" to write about. I got to use gear here that I don't normally use.

And if you're ever in CB to ride, make sure you do 401 (obviously), but don't miss Reno/Flag/Bear/Deadman's Gulch. I think it's the best ride in town.

Stuff I love

2009-08-19T20:13:00.000-05:00

I decided today, while I was riding, that I should start writing about things I really like. I don't know if anyone reads this blog really, but maybe some of these recommendations could be helpful.

First, it's ridiculous that I'm sitting out in the middle of the rocky mountains, far away from other human beings, seven miles outside Crested Butte, in front of the best little campfire, in my camp chair by my tent, next to an old gas lantern... blogging. But here I am.

I love campfires. I like making them. Especially in the Rockies. Gathering wood, cutting logs, shaving a stick, making a little tipi, blowing on the coals. I love it.

But that's not what I was going to tell you about.

ARM WARMERS!

I've never had any until just before this trip. I bought some for the Leadville race from my friends at Pricepoint.com. They are the Pricepoint brand, so they were less expensive than the "designer" arm warmers. But I love them. They do the job they are meant for. They're spandex with grippy elastic around the top and bottom. So they stay where they are supposed to and they sure enough keep my arms warm. Probably seems ridiculous in the middle of August.

But I'm in Colorado!

I only like to wear sleeveless coolmax shirts when I exercise. So when I get up in the morning and it's cold, I make coffee (obviously). But then I put on my Pricepoint arm warmers and my sleeveless shirt and I start riding toward town. And after I've climbed a few hills and the sunlight is beaming down on me, and I'm properly warmed up, I just slide them down to my elbows or my wrists and keep on rolling. Then when I stop, I take them off and put them in my pack in case I need them later. They weigh almost nothing, they keep me warm when I need it, and they're easy to take off. What could be better?

Trail 401 is better, but that's off-topic.

Tough Race

2009-08-15T19:17:00.002-05:00

I knew this race was going to be hard. And I knew I hadn't had enough training to be in shape for it. And I knew the bike would be different than I was used to. So what did I expect? I expected to finish. But I didn't.
The weather was cold and raining, and the trails were wet. The 1400 mass-start was a little intimidating, but it was fine. They rode a little slower than I would've, and I thought this would help save my legs for later. On top of Sugarloaf Pass it was too cold. Riding down Powerline in the mud might've been ok, but my hands were freezing. By the time I got to my crew (thanks Tammy and Audra!) my hands were ice cubes. I couldn't feel them or move them, so I couldn't hardly shift gears or feel the brake levers or get a drink from my water bottle. I was worried I would accidentally let go of the bar and not know it. I don't do well in the cold. By the time they got my hands functional again, I guess 20 minutes had passed. I thought, prior to that, I was doing ok. I knew I wasn't setting any speed records, but I thought I'd finish. Then I started doing math. It was 2:50 into the race when I left that aid station. The next section was easy, but I still had to climb Columbine Pass. Thad told me that was a 2.5 hour climb and 40 minute descent. That would've put me at 6 hours plus. Then when I rode through Twin Lakes they told us we were 5 minutes ahead of the cutoff. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I wasn't going to finish. With my slow climbing, I would be lucky to do the climb in 2.5 hours. And I was going to miss a cutoff at Twin Lakes on the return. Then I saw my crew again at the base of the Columbine climb, and immediately a cold windy rain hit me and I said no more.
It wasn't fun. That's a problem for me. I thought it would be fun. I don't get much time to do things that are fun outside of work, and I'll be damned if I want to ruin mountain biking. I really enjoy riding my bike. But the only fun part of the course was a new singletrack that resembled Crested Butte riding, and I had to be behind some dumbass who had a handful of brakes the whole time. I just don't think I'll race in Leadville again. You have to like being wet in the cold and you have to be a really strong climber. I used to be a strong climber.
It's hard knowing my physical limitations compared to 5 years ago. Back then I could run and ride. I could do it anywhere for as long as I wanted. And I was fast. But all that has faded away. A little bit every day. Honestly I think I finished my first hundred mile run simply coasting in on the fitness I USED to have. I'm sad that it's gone. I traded it for a coffee business. And until I trade back, I don't think it's possible to get it back. You can't have everything.
I'm not sure where this leaves me, as far as racing. I'm also not sure where it leaves me as far as enjoying Colorado and Utah. It's going to be difficult to enjoy it like I used to. I'm physically limited.
Not to go on and on about this, but it occurs to me that I took my fitness level for granted. I knew I could do just about anything outdoors. I just thought that was the way it was. I guess I didn't realize how much that was tied to the hard work I put in. I didn't think it was temporary. Maybe I'll look back someday and feel the same way about today.
Off to Crested Butte tomorrow. I think.

Problems, as usual

2009-08-12T08:15:00.002-05:00

The frame of the new bike I bought is bigger than my frame. I think this means it's an XL instead of a L, like they advertised. The headtube is 6 inches long, about .5 inch longer than mine. No big deal, right? Wrong. The steerer tube on my fork is too short, so I'm going to have to race on a fork I've never ridden before. I'm not happy about this. It's a White Brothers fork, which is supposed to be good, but there's no lock-out for climbing and there's no way I'm going to be able to tune this thing in one day. I can't even find the documentation on HOW to tune it. Feel like I'm screwed.

Last night I was depending on Chad to come help me switch parts off the bike and install the parts from the Nemesis. He didn't show up. So I took everything off (except the hydraulic brakes) and put everything I could on it from my bike. Still haven't installed the shifter cables. And I need to change tires.

It's funny, before this happened, I bought an entire new drivetrain and cable set for my bike so we could get it switched out if needed in plenty of time to ride out the kinks. Now look at me. Doing my own mechanic work on a foreign bike three days before the race.

I'm not feeling very positive.

New bikes

2009-08-05T12:00:00.003-05:00

Leadville bike update

2009-08-01T09:20:00.002-05:00

Trek. What a company! Don't know if I mentioned this before, but don't buy anything from Trek.

I am stuck. But I have come up with a solution that will get me through this phase of my life. Unfortunately I have now spent an ungodly amount of money on bikes and bike parts in the past month. Here's what I decided to do.

There is a company called RR Velo in California. Edgar Chavez is the guy I talked to. He was very optimistic that he could easily fix my bike and get it back on the trail in no time. I looked up some of his work, and found his bikes to be pretty cool. Check out this report from the NAHBS. There are a ton of amazing bikes on this page, but if you search for Edgar, you'll see him and a couple of his bikes. He builds bike frames out of carbon and carves the tube junctions by hand to look like steel lugs. Pretty intricate work. So I feel confident (despite a few people telling me there is no way to fix my frame) that Edgar will do a great job. I shipped my frame to him yesterday. When I get it back, my poor custom paint job will be marred and my next step will be to sand it down and paint it with the custom Native paint scheme: http://nativebikes.com

The Nemesis won't be back from Cali until after Leadville.

So, I bought another frame. This race is just too important to me. I actually bought a complete bike on ebay. I bought the same model frame as the Nemesis, but factory paint, and it has been rebuilt with different parts than were stock- some of which are really nice, like SRAM trigger shifters and a White Brothers fork. I'm just going to have a backup from now on. And when one frame is free I can paint it, and then I can switch it over and paint the other one. No more Trek for me.

Leadville 100 is August 15. If you go to their website, they have a new home page and it has a video on it that you should watch: http://www.leadvilletrail100.com/

They also announced that they would be doing four live webcasts during the race. I won't be in any of them (I hope) but it would be cool to watch. I looked up the entrants list and I'm number 384 out of 1360. Oh man. That's too many riders for one race. I'm a little nervous about that. My friend Thad has done the Leadville bike race before, so I'm going to talk to him about different strategies and what I should expect during the race. For some reason, I'm also concerned about my skills. I know I have good skills, but sometimes when you get behind people, you don't get to pick your line or speed and things can go wrong. Hopefully not.

So that's my story right now. Did I tell you not to buy a Trek? Don't.

I was going to call this post TREK SUCKS, but I decided I probably shouldn't

2009-07-27T17:15:00.003-05:00

So... you probably know that I like my bike. I like it a lot. In fact, I didn't sign myself up for the Leadville 100, I signed up my bike. The NEMESIS. I'm going to tell you about my bike, so maybe you can get a little appreciation for it.

First, if you ride, and you really love the bike you're on, and you've ridden it a lot, in different places that you love to ride in, you'll probably understand what I'm saying.

A long time ago, I got my first mountain bike. It was a Schwinn High Plains. Fully rigid, maroon, steel. It was great. But after I started to get serious and think about racing, I decided to upgrade. I looked at bikes and already knew I liked Schwinn, so I test rode a Schwinn Moab. I was skeptical about the suspension fork. I was pretty good at riding with a rigid fork, and I didn't think front suspension was really something I needed. But once I realized you still had to have A LITTLE skill to ride it, I decided it was ok. And I bought the Moab from Lee's. I rode the wheels off that bike. Whenever I jump, I tend to land a little sideways, and after a while the frame started to bend just slightly. Enough to make the bike turn when I'd take my hands off the bars. And it was time for a real racing bike. So I bought a Schwinn Homegrown off Brian Duvall. It is beautiful. Bassboat blue. Amazing ride. This is when people began to comment about my bike. When you ride a different bike, people notice and they stop and look. I would pass people in races (or vice versa) and they would say, "Cool bike." True. Then one day it started creaking. And I discovered that the head tube was cracked.

By this time, Schwinn had gone bankrupt and been bought out by Pacific Bikes, who started selling them in Walmart. Not "QUALITY" anymore like it says on their head badge.

So I decided to walk across the showroom floor and look at Trek.

Now, I started riding on a steel frame, which is a bit flexy, but strong and heavy. The Moab and Homegrown were both aluminum frames, which are much stiffer. So the ride was not as soft and I was starting to desire a little flex in the frame. I did some research and I knew my options were titanium and carbon. Ti was tempting. But in the end I was worried about bending the back end around again and lateral flex. They can build carbon frames so they give a little up and down, but are stiff laterally. So when I corner, the frame doesn't bend. Stiff lateral frames are faster and more reliable. Carbon also sucks up vibration really nicely. So I decided on carbon. Which left me one option with Trek- the 9-series.

I bought a 9.8 frame from Lee's, thinking I could switch all my parts over from the Homegrown. Wrong. I had to buy a new fork because the head tube was so much bigger on the 9.8 that my steerer tube was cut too short. It was ok. I needed a new fork anyway. Little by little I had built this amazing bike. Every time a part would wear out, I would buy the nicest replacement I could afford. After a while I was running full XTR.

One day I did a race in the mud up at Osage Hills State Park. It was so muddy that I literally pushed my bike half of the race. This ruined my fork. So I upgraded. To a Fox FRLT. And my dream bike was taking shape. The bike was a factory paint- red, black, blue, and white. But I put rabbit fur on the forks. And people noticed. That's my mojo.

Then someone stole my bike. I'm not going to say who I think it was, but she's not a good person.

Luckily, we had been putting on races and I was riding for the DoubleShot, so the bike fell under business insurance. And I decided to go all the way.

Trek 9.9 Project One. Custom paint job, full XTR, SID RockShox, the whole works. I had built this bike with my sweat and I felt like I earned it. With the upgrades and the custom paint that I picked out, the real dream machine was born.

If I could have any bike in the world, no matter how much it cost or anything, this is the bike. I love it. Plus, I've spent so much time on it and we've been to so many places together. I feel a kinship with my bike.

So yesterday morning before SIX IN THE STICKS, I went out on the course to make sure the markings were still ok. I found that 80% of them were down. I was pissed. It was dawn. I was feeling the urgency to ride fast. Inevitably I hit a tree in a hard right curve, and my handlebar smacked against the bike. My brake levers and shifters are usually loose enough that if I hit something, they turn on the bar. But they got tightened and I neglected to loosen them again. Chad Shanks taught me that. So when my shifter hit the top tube of my bike, it poked a hole in it. This is bad. My frame is cracked and subject to catastrophic failure. It is now unridable. And I'm supposed to ride Leadville on the 15th.

I decided not to fret over it until I found out what the real consequences are. One of the other reasons I went with Trek is because they have a lifetime warranty on their frames. If you break a frame, they are supposed to replace it. Chad took my bike yesterday and disassembled it completely, and he dropped it off at my apartment last night. That was really nice of him. He told me to take a box of coffee and a dozen donuts to the Trek store as soon as they opened today (noon) and tell them the situation. I did that. They said they didn't know and would have to talk to Trek and find out the verdict and they would call me later today. I didn't hear from them so at 430p I called. Remember now, I own one of the most expensive mountain bikes they produce. I even paid for a custom paint job. This is the third bike I've bought from Adam (Lee's). And every time I ride, I'm a rolling billboard for Trek.

So this is what they told me. They said they can't fix the frame. It has to be replaced. The custom paint job is out. They won't do that. But they'll replace the frame with a 9.8 and a factory paint job for $1145. Remember, I bought the level above that- the 9.9. OR I can buy the 9.9 for $1675. Hell of a warranty.

I talked to a couple friends and they both recommended the same place to send my frame to get it repaired. Apparently it's pretty easy to repair carbon fiber. But it's more profitable to sell me a new frame.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about Leadville. I don't want to ride a bike that isn't my Nemesis. You probably don't understand that. But that's MY bike. Rabbit fur and all.

I'll get it repaired. And I'll keep my custom paint job. But I'm looking into painting over the part that says TREK on the downtube.

Don't buy a bike from Trek. That's all I'm trying to say. The corporation sucks.

I didn't even tell you the trouble I had with them getting that Project One 9.9 in the first place.

So don't buy anything from Trek. And tell Lance Armstrong I said so.

Strong Singlespeed

2009-07-18T08:23:00.003-05:00

Anyone want to buy a singlespeed? The frame is a custom build by a guy named Carl Strong. You can see his info here. It's a good bike. I bought it one year while I was in Moab- I couldn't resist. Steel frame, 26-inch wheels, horizontal dropouts. I think the fork is a Marzocchi, but the decals have been taken off so I don't know. XT v-brakes with Avid levers. Easton EA50 riser bar. Surly Tuggnut chain tensioner. XT hubs, not sure about the rims. Maxxis Larsen TT tires. I'd like to get $1000 out of it (OBO).

Bike-speak

2009-07-16T15:55:00.002-05:00

There aren't adequate words in the English language to describe a great ride. That's why mountain bikers (et al.) have co-opted several terms for their own use.

I went for a road ride today on my mountain bike. Hey, I'm training for a mountain bike race, not a road race. My current course is around 30 miles and has a lot of climbing for Oklahoma. I like it. Today I was feeling pretty good (90%?) and I was flowing. I killed it. Crushed the hills and destroyed the flats. I was ripping. Hooked up in the corners like I was on rails. I dropped the hammer a few times. Had it pinned. I think I was on fire because I was hitting on all cylinders.

So training is going pretty good. Feeling stronger every time I ride and I'm really starting to get some climbing legs.

LeMond

2009-07-03T10:28:00.002-05:00

I bought a road bike.

Anyone who has known me for any length of time will need me to go back over that again.

I bought a road bike.

Seriously. It's a LeMond. 2007 Zurich Triomphe carbon bike. It's interesting. I can't say I really like riding it yet, but maybe I will. I need to get used to it and probably make some minor adjustments to the saddle and bars. It's easier to pedal than my mountain bike. When I ride the Trek, there is constant tension in my legs. I pedal hard. On the LeMond, the pedals turn so smoothly that my legs don't really get tired. It took me a bit to get used to climbing and figure out where to put my hands, but I'm getting better. And yesterday when I got on my mountain bike, it felt a little unstable at first because the wheelbase is a lot longer. Should be an interesting training tool. Miles on the road without wearing out my knobby tires.

I'm getting fitter and stronger. That's good because the Leadville 100 bike race is August 15, which is right around the corner. I have a long way to go and a short time to make it happen.

Between now and then, Kari and I are putting on a 6 hour mountain bike race at Turkey (July 26) and a Duathlon at Keystone (August 8).

I'm still in second place in the Tour de Dirt series!

Roman Nose State Park

2009-06-08T20:34:00.003-05:00

I did a 24 hour mountain bike race here... six years ago. The race didn't go so well (and now I think I remember part of the reason why), but my failure in the race was a huge turning-point in the creation of The DoubleShot. That's a long story, but the lesson was that failure is quitting. And the only thing that can stop me is ME. I have to DECIDE to give up. No matter what obstacles are in my way or how tough the times seem to be, in the end I have to make the final decision to quit or to keep going.

Well, that was a long time ago.

Yesterday was another mountain bike race: number 5 in the Tour de Dirt series. BTW, why don't they change the name of that? Tour de Dirt? Really? That's dumb. It's like the Tour de France except it's not a tour and it's de dirt instead of de France. Great.

Anyway, the trail at Roman Nose State Park is great. I like it. It's really fun and it suits my riding style. Lots of flow-y singletrack through pine forest and then desert-landscape with rolling rocks. It reminds me a bit of Fruita without the great views, sustained climbs, and it's less technical. I'm pretty good at desert riding, from all the time I've spent in Moab. So I pre-rode the course on Saturday afternoon. It was hot. I decided to try to take the hole shot in the race and see if I could open a gap.

The race started down a paved road for maybe a 1/4 mile and then hit an uphill, loose climb. At the start I jumped out front and was hammering down the road. Another rider passed me, so I sat on his wheel and stopped pedaling- let him do the work. Then I passed him just before the climb. By the time I crossed the dam, I put a significant amount of time on the pack. I was hammering and flowing pretty well. I pushed as hard as I could through the first lap, but there were a few steep, loose climbs that really tore me up. My new rear tire wasn't conducive to such terrain and I was blowing up. I came through the first lap in front, but a guy named Simon was hot on my tail. Somehow in the middle of the first lap, I bent my rear derailleur and every time I would stop pedaling, my chain would drop off the chainrings. Not good.

Not far into the second lap, Simon caught me. I got off my bike and pushed for a minute- I was cooked. Bent my derailleur back where it was supposed to go and got back on it. After spinning out for a bit, I recovered as much as could be expected. Eventually another racer caught me, Jeff St. Clair. He's a good racer. We traded spots a few times. It was starting to look like we were going to be together for the rest of the race and sprint for second and third. Then he flatted. I went on to take second and shared a couple beers with Simon.

I felt like I should've won this race, but I can't complain. It was my best race of the year. I've gotten stronger every race. And for the first time this year I raced MY race and didn't let anyone else dictate the pace.

No more Tour de Dirt races until September. But I'm training for August 15... Leadville 100.

Keystone Race

2009-05-25T12:01:00.004-05:00

Not too good.

I've been getting progressively stronger. But not faring as well in races. Saturday I fell ill. So much that I had to lay down most of the day and I couldn't eat. Not a good pre-race ritual.

I felt some better on Sunday morning, but had to get up pretty early to get everything out to the race. Kari helped me out by meeting at the DoubleShot at 6a. She hung around all day helping set up, tear down, nurse me back to health, etc.

So my race started at 940a. I went out and rode up a hill and out onto the trail where the race started, just to get warmed up and see how I felt. A little dead-legs. Got to the starting line, but felt thirsty, which made me think I was dehydrated. And it was starting to get warm. The race set off up the road and I jumped into second on the first hill. Rode first place guy's wheel for a while, then he bobbled and I didn't yell at him. I hate it when that happens because he gets back on it and I'm trying to get going again. So eventually he got out of sight, but he couldn't have been too far out front. Third place guy (Simon) was on my wheel. Then I realized I had lost my bottle. The first half of the course is super rocky, so I'm sure all those bumps at race-pace made it fly out of my cage. I started to get thirsty, but had hopes that I could get a hand-up when we crossed through the starting line, a half-lap into the race. We were to do 2.5 laps. I yelled for Kari to get me some water and she did hand me a new bottle, which I lost about 5 minutes later. Then my saddle tipped up on me. I was trying to figure out how to deal with that when I crashed. Put my saddle back down and got back on it, but realized my chain was off and it wouldn't grab. So Simon passed me. Then Jeff passed me while I was putting on the chain. And then I realized I felt sick. And thirsty. So I rode easy for a bit. Thinking about dropping out. Then I wondered if I could find the first bottle I dropped on the trail, but didn't have any luck. So I kept riding slow until I got back to the start/finish area and the DoubleShot tent. I was thinking this was the end, but hadn't made any final decisions. I hate DNF'ing. So I sat down in the shade, drank water, then gatorade, then more water. Waiting for the nausea to go away. And then I got back on my bike and headed out for one more lap. I think I sat for a good 15 minutes.

I didn't ride as fast as I did in the first lap, but I rode pretty hard on my final lap. Had a pretty clean ride and finished strong. And then felt sick again. I still feel sick.

Can't get rid of this cough or develop an appetite.

So it was a rough day. I finished 6 out of 7 finishers (but I think there were more starters). I didn't care. I just wanted to finish. Good news is, I'm stronger now and I know I can ride with the fastest guys in my class. I just can't let them dictate the pace. I'm climbing stronger than most of the other guys, and we're in a really fast CAT 2 class. If I can just go into a race healthy and ride my own pace, I think I can win. But we'll see.

And I just ordered a Thomson seatpost. This carbon Bontrager post is for suckers. And people who like to stop during races and adjust their saddle.

Pics from Ardmore

2009-05-19T09:45:00.003-05:00

Racing Schedule

2009-05-18T13:47:00.002-05:00

I intended to race in the Sick 6, six hour mountain bike race in Norman yesterday, but I decided that it was probably too muddy. I don't like riding in the mud and I can't really afford to replace my drivetrain right now (even though it's getting close anyway). So I stayed here, drank some fine alcoholic beverages and smoked a cigar with friends on Saturday night, then went to Keystone to ride on Sunday. Sunday was probably the most beautiful day we've had this year. Joel Collins (Moose) and Cole Nelson (what's the opposite of Moose?) went with me, and I've never ridden with either of them off-road. It was fun and relaxing. Good to be outdoors. But the mud was an annoyance. Keystone is rocky enough that it's really difficult to get traction with muddy tires- and mine are almost bald.

I have a bet with Chad Shanks that he can't get my new IRC tubeless tires on without tools. The bloody-handed loser owes the winner a six of Full Sail IPA. Mmm, I can't wait.

So the racing schedule from here on out is as follows:

This sunday, May 24 at Lake Keystone. Hopefully the trails will dry out before then. I'm probably going to get my ass kicked again because of the rocks and the full suspensions.

Next weekend, May 29-31, Tulsa Tough will be going on here in town. My girl Shelley Olds will be here from California, and I'll be standing on the curb cheering my lungs out for her.

The weekend after that is June 7 and I'll be at Roman Nose State Park for a 14-mile race.

I'm hoping to go to Moab (and maybe CB) July 1-7.

Then nothing until I put on SIX IN THE STICKS on July 26.

We have the first DoubleShot Duathlon at Lake Keystone on August 8.

Of course, I won't be racing in either of those races.

Then the big boy. Leadville 100. August 15.

I don't want to think about anything after that. Leadville is my big race of the year. After that's over I'll get back to the Tour de Dirt series.

Native Bicycles

2009-05-14T09:14:00.003-05:00

The first headbadge for my new bicycle company, Native Bicycles, is hot off the press and ready to be installed on the first build, "White Lightning."

CAT 2

2009-04-29T17:08:00.002-05:00

So I'm racing CAT 2 this year. That's the new group that used to be referred to as SPORT class. I was just reading some rules on the USA Cycling website because Kari and I are putting on a 6-hour mountain bike race in July called SIX IN THE STICKS. I read through the category definitions and noticed that it says the following: "A rider must advance to Cat 1 after placing in the top five in five races." Huh? That's ridiculous. Here are my finishes this year:

Norman 3rd

Turkey 5th

Ardmore 5th

I'm going to have to step it down a notch or I'm going to be CAT 1 before the season's up.

Red River Shootout

2009-04-27T09:44:00.002-05:00

I drove down to Ardmore Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon- about a 3.5 hour drive. Out to Lake Murray. They had an X-Terra race there that morning and the mountain bike race was Sunday. So I rode the course. I'll be honest, I was pretty tired before I left and didn't feel at all like going. I kept falling asleep on the drive. So I didn't have particularly high expectations for the race. Not to mention that I worked too much last week and lost my voice, and I haven't been riding enough to really make a dent in my lack of fitness.

Anyway, the course was windey and smooth, but loose. It was really dry out there, so all the curves were washed out with a lot of loose dirt that just dared you to slide through and meet up with a tree. At first, this was a problem. You have to really trust your tires and use good technique. By the end of my practice lap, I felt like I was starting to get in the groove, so I went out and did another quarter-lap to make sure.

The weather was pretty ominous. Lots of cloud cover and forecast for bad storms. Sunday, though, all we got was a little sprinkle- proving once again that weather men can't predict, no matter how much they act like they know what they're talking about.

On the starting line with 12 guys who looked faster than me, I was a little nervous. Hammered into the woods and got in around 4th or 5th, which is a good place for me to start usually. Generally there are a couple guys who went in too hard and they'll give it up after a few minutes. We were hanging together and I was getting warmed up. Then the guy in front of me started getting tired, but I couldn't get around him. I was inches from his wheel and he went down right in front of me. Unfortunately I had to stop (or run over his torso) and two guys behind me went by. They weren't doing too well either, so every time we'd come to a rock section they would stop and get off, causing me to have to stop. I needed to pass, but wasn't having any luck. Meanwhile the front group was putting an insurmountable gap on me. Finally on a short, technical climb everyone (but me) got off their bikes and I passed three guys. Then it was wide open. When I got to the end of the first lap, my legs were still really fresh. Then I started really pinning the corners and hammering out of them, trying to catch up. It was too late, but I felt pretty strong. I did crash once, just because I was careless on a downhill. But I felt like I put in a pretty good lap. Unfortunately, my crappy racing tactics got me 5th place in a race I probably should've podiumed. I think there were some pretty fast guys up front, so there's no guarantee I would've been able to keep up anyway.

I'm racing into shape for the Leadville 100- August 15.

Racing again

2009-03-28T10:58:00.004-05:00

It's been a long, long time, but I'm back on my bike, back in the gym, and starting to race. I suck. But this is a first step. I feel like every time I ride I'm getting stronger. Stronger is faster. My skills are decent, my fitness is relatively poor.

For so long I've been doing ultra-running and my body has adapted by lowering my anaerobic threshold, reducing my muscle mass, and storing up some extra energy (fat). That means I'm weak, I blow up easily, and I'm most efficient at lower heart rates. Those are the things I'm working to change.

So far I've done two races. One in Norman at Lake Thunderbird, where I finished second in Cat 2 30-39. And one at Turkey Mountain here in Tulsa last weekend where I finished 5th in the same category. That race was a course for big wheel full suspension bikes, so I'm probably fortunate to have finished that good. No crashes last weekend, which means I was riding controlled and possibly a bit too slow. But that tame approach to racing is one I should probably adopt for now so I can finish strong.

The big race of the year for me is the Leadville 100 bike race. August 15. I'm racing to get in shape. Fun fun.

So far I'm ranked 2nd overall in my class. I'm sure that won't last long.

Check out the series here: Tour de Dirt

My Natural State

2007-07-06T12:00:00.001-05:00

Big wheel
Originally uploaded by doubleshotcoffee

I am not a runner.
I am good at cycling.
But for some reason, I keep running.
I ran 27 miles last Saturday at Turkey through the mud and into the dark. I finally found my rhythm. But every week, the last 9 miles are really hard. Guess that's the way it's supposed to be.
Tomorrow evening I'm going for 36.
Leadville's coming. August 18.

Rocket

2007-06-23T12:04:00.001-05:00

Rocket
Originally uploaded by doubleshotcoffee

I bought a rocket. In a couple of weeks, I'll be launching the DoubleShot 1.0 with in-house rocketeer, Little Phil. I've been wanting to do this for a while. Rockets. Fun.

Running again today. 18 miles. Woke up to rain. Then an onslaught of pouring rain. Torrents of rain. But it's cleared up now. The sun is shining. I'm sure it's humid as hell. But I'll tramp it out in the mud.

Re-training

2007-06-18T12:25:00.001-05:00

Running Rocky '05
Originally uploaded by doubleshotcoffee

Started running again last weekend.
9 miles at Turkey.
I'm less than 9 weeks out from the Leadvill 100. My last time. This coming Saturday, 18 miles.
I'm unhappily out of shape. But the trail is where my heart is.

I haven't ridden my bike...

2007-06-04T15:59:00.001-05:00

OsageMtbRace
Originally uploaded by doubleshotcoffee

in a really long time.

And I don't like it.

M'lungs!

2007-04-30T10:27:00.000-05:00

I went for a ride on Saturday. It sucked. Well, I sucked. Sucked wind until I had no oxygen to make my muscles work or my brain connect to my eyeballs. I kept bobbling on easy rock. Near-missing trees with the tips of my handlebars. Stopping to take in, not the scenery, but the air around me.
I was terrible. I hope it was my lingering cold. And I hope it gets better soon.

Moab

2007-04-28T11:07:00.001-05:00

Moab Rim Trail
Originally uploaded by doubleshotcoffee.

I'm sitting in the coffeeshop, behind the counter, listening to two guys talk about moral bases.
But I wish I were in Moab.
I want to ride.
In the desert.

New Blog

2007-04-26T13:53:00.001-05:00

Nemesis
Originally uploaded by doubleshotcoffee.

I've decided to make a writing outlet for my running and cycling activities and pursuits. This is it. I couldn't care less if you read it. But if you want to, here it is.