Being Lazy

It's been a week of just work and family so far with no desire to pedal a bicycle. I'm going to breakout of my funk that has made me feel sluggish/lazy and commute into work today. The weather has been pretty mild for November and I need to take advantage of this before it turns ugly. I'll be throwing on some bright clothing this weekend to enjoy some miles and stay highly visible to those out hunting on opening weekend. Be careful this weekend when riding the roads and trails. Pedal on...
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The End

Yesterday I got back out to Standing Rock county park for the final day that the mountain bike trails are open for the 2009 season. It was the second time in the last few days that I was able to ride my commuter bike (S-Works 29'er hard tail) on some single-track to get the bike dialed in more. I had one nice leaf clearing experience when I went down in a root strewn corner landing on my non-damaged body side. For an expensive commuter bike it is actually a pretty light(21.1 lbs, 19" frame) big wheeled bike with a few parts and pieces I need to replace and it definitely handles lots better than my 2008 Stumpy Comp 29'er that had a longer wheelbase in the tighter single-track sections we have at Standing Rock.

This week will again be a mix of commuting and continuing home projects before winter actually shows its ugly face. No snow in the forecast so far and it's very much needed as people are getting anxious to snowboard and xc ski in our area. It's been hard to stay away from riding, but with my week long junk food eating marathon I need to keep pedaling to burn off all the bad calories that I've consumed lately.

My race schedule that I posted a few days ago keeps on changing as I've been manipulating it daily. My big focus for 2010 is the NUE Series and I would like to get at least four races in to qualify for a series overall. Three of the races look to be very doable with the NUE Wilderness 100 catching my attention as a replacement race for 24-9 next season. The Trans Iowa gravel grinder is also haunting me again as I've been thinking about it ever since I DNF'd two years ago, but it conflicts with the NUE Cohutta 100. Pedal on...

Looking Ahead to 2010

Tentative Mountain Bike Schedule:

1. April 24, NUE Cohutta 100, Ducktown, Tennessee
2. May 2, WORS Iola Bump & Jump, Iola, WI
3. May 8, WEMS Stump Farm 12, Suamico, WI
4. May 16, WORS Crystal Lake Classic, Rhinelander, WI
5. May 30, WORS Trek Big Ring Classic, Wausau, WI
6. June 5, NUE Mohican 100, Loudonville, OH
7. June 13, WORS Sunburst Showdown, Kewaskum, WI
8. June 19, NUE Lumberjack 100, Wellston, MI
9. June 26 & 27, WORS Subaru Cup Pro XCT, Mt Morris, WI
10. July 3, WEMS Thunderdown in the Underdown, Merrill, WI
11. July 11, WORS Chippewa Valley Firecracker, Eau Claire, WI
12. July 25, WORS Alterra Coffee Bean Classic, Franklin, WI
13. July 31, NUE Wilderness 100, Millheim, PA
14. ??? July 31 & Aug 1, 24 Hours of 9-Mile, Wausau, WI
15. Aug 8, WORS Border Battle, River Falls, WI
16. August 14, Ore 2 Shore, Marquette, MI
17. August 22, WORS Reforestation Ramble, Suamico, WI
18. Sept. 6, Copper Harbor Mtb Festival, Copper Harbor, MI
19. Sept. 12, WORS Treadfest, Lake Geneva, WI
20. Sept. 18, Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, Cable, WI
21. Sept. 26, WORS Wolf River Rendezvous, White Lake, WI
22. October 10, WORS Wigwam MTB Challenge, Sheboygan, WI
23. Nov ??, IceMan Cometh, Traverse City, MI

Iceman Recap


It was a great weekend to be in Traverse City for the 20th annual IceMan Cometh mountain bike race. With 4,000 registered entrants, this is by far the largest cycling event that I've been part of. The race starts in downtown Kalkaska and finishes 28 miles later at the Timber Ridge Campground just a short distance from Grand Traverse Bay in beautiful TC.

Going into this race I had my doubts about how I would do after fracturing a rib less than 2 weeks ago. The one thing that was a positive for me was getting to race my new 29'er S-Works Stumpjumper Hardtail in the race. One teammate calls it my high end commuter bike, but it also works well on a mountain bike course. I knew that the bike was going to help mask some pain, but just how much was something that I wouldn't know until the adrenaline was flowing once the race started. Once the race got going I was never bothered by my rib as I battled among the top ten in my race category. Towards the end after passing what seemed to be a few hundred racers from the earlier wave starts I found myself battling for the fifth and final podium spot. My race came down to the last five miles that I've always considered the hardest at the IceMan with a half dozen good climbs before the finish. Battling a local named Dan, I did my best to get away up a few climbs as I led him up them, but with just over a mile to go I had used up everything in the tank and started to feel the effects of my rib injury. Dan surged just before the last climb and I watched him cruise in 12-13 seconds in front of me leaving me to cross the line in 6th out of about 140 starters in the 45-49 Expert category. I'm always disappointed when I miss an award by such a small margin, but for this IceMan I was happy to just be part of it after a tough October.

Thanks to the Adventure 212/Specialized Team and all my sponsors who have helped me this season. You guys are all great! Pedal on...
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Bikes vs Car Value

It's pretty bad when the two bikes on top of my car are worth more than the car...
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Tough Decision...

...but I'm leaning towards the 29'er for this weekend at the IceMan. Pedal on...

Iceman Bike Choice???

29'er hardtail or 26'er full suspension?

A Little Twin 6 Friday Action

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When Are You Too Old???

It's funny how when you talk to people who don't ride or race bicycles and you ask them why they don't do it, the answer sometimes comes back as "I'm too old." What gets me laughing first is that most of these people are younger than I am. I'm 45 years old and my own mom wants to know when I'm going to stop racing or she has sometimes made comments like, "should you be doing this at your age, your dad stopped racing motorcycles when he was such and such an age(the sport was getting too expensive)." Why do some people think that when you get into your 40's, you need to be so cautious with everything you do and you should never hit your maximum heart rate? I believe that you've got to live life, take chances and never have any regrets when you are old(90's) that you didn't try an activity that caught your attention. You're never too old to try something new and if you think that you are too old, you might as well just sit down on a couch and rot away with the TV remote in your hand. Caution though - the batteries to the remote may die before you do, then what are you going to do? Get out and pedal...

Safe Biking Video


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