Faster...

I'm bored and shaking from caffeine so here's a new post!!

When this year began I decided to focus once again on racing in the woods. As of this post my training has been coming along nicely, I managed to stay motivated through the dark times and make it to March with a little (very little) fitness.

With March comes daylight savings, which I think should be done away with but anyway, this means group rides, riding after work, and hopefully the end of the trainer...For the most part this has been the case.

The past few weeks the singletrack at Swope has been perfect!! It's been dry enough to be fast with enough moisture to provide tons of grip everywhere!! This is also known as "hero dirt". Meaning you can ride as fast as you dare with the fear of sliding out or losing traction at a really inopportune moment. FREAKIN EPIC!!!

Anyway...I like to think I can ride with the best of 'em, and for the most part I can. There's not much terrain out there that I fear on a MTB, and for the most part can ride everthing fast...or so I thought...

On this past Wednesday I agreed to meet a friend at Swope for a ride and to give some pointers to help this weedhopper along. I show up and notice another rider with the same team kit he wears, I immediately think to myself, this is not good...I don't know the guy personally but recognize him from racing in the woods and finishing behind him...

So we mount up and decide to spin up the pavement to the trailhead, which is about a 1/4 mile. In this time this guy Tom says he has already ridden a lap, meaning he's warmed up and you guys are gonna go blind as soon as we hit the dirt...remember the "this is not good thought"??? I was right!!!

We drop into the trail, and immediately go to warp speed. The order is Tom, Weedhopper, and myself. Weedhopper is doing good considering this is his 2nd time on his new MTB, and probably his 10th ish time in the woods. He was definitely riding on the ragged edge of his ability!! I was impressed though.

So we're hammering along, the gap from Tom to Weedhopper is getting wider, but there's no place to pass, and even if there was, no warm up and the fact I was going blind from pain would've prevented a pass anyway. The first loop is about 2.5 miles long, mostly flat and and FAST!!

We finish the first loop, and roll across to the technical loop, now I'm thinkin this should slow down A LOT, because it gets crazy technical, with big rocks and Tom is riding a 29er hardtail. I'm thinking oh yeah, gonna return the favor now...WRONG!!! The first section of rocks comes and I stay with him. It smooths out a bit and a small gap opens. No worries, there is plenty more technical riding to come!!

Well...I was wrong. Tom is a freakin machine on a hardtail!! He flat out rode away from me. I was totally impressed and will give props where they are due...he got 'em!!

It has been a long time since I had my ass handed to me on dirt outside of an MTB race. It was humbling to say the least. I kinda knew it was gonna be fast, but it was BRUTAL. Oh well, I needed the eye opener for the season ahead.

This may sound like an excuse but it's a fact. Tom is at least a 2 on the road, and Rides for the Mercy team with Weedhopper. They have been racing on the road already and have held their training camp in the mountains of Arkansas.

I on the other hand, have just introduced high intensity riding into my training about 2 weeks ago...With that being said, I did better than I thought I would. I think a warm up lap would've made it a little easier, but the result would have been the same...getting my ass handed to me and suffering greatly in the process.

If you know me, you have probably heard me say "it doesn't matter what level you ride or race, there will always be someone faster". It's a fact.

So if you ride a lot, check your ego at the door, because at some point it's gonna get stomped on by someone faster.

January

Hmmm...It's January 30th and I've managed to get out on the bike 5 times this month...I think. As for the rest of the month, I was pretty productive on the trainer which is good.

At this point I'm still motivated to train, HOORAY!! Sort of. Anyway, this time last year, my give-a-damn broke!!! February was a month of NO TRAINING, there was a few reasons why, but the main one was the weather...

Every year that I've been training, I've always looked forward to the extra light that February brings, getting out on the road after work and slowly but surely getting away from the trainer!!

This was not the case last year...Mutha Nature was a Dirty HOOKER and maybe my lack of motivation was bit my fault. Going into December 2009, I started riding the trainer and outside whenever I could to carry some of the fitness I had through the dark times...I'm pretty sure this backfired...Between being productive through January and Mutha Nature slamming the door to small doses of riding in February after work, my motivation BLEW UP into a bazillion bitty pieces!!!

Learning from mistakes of the past, I'm feeling good going into February. The month of February is a tough one. Racing starts, the weather should co-operate but probably won't, and the light at the end of the tunnel is right there!!

Bring it February!!! I'm ready!!

E

The end of the road...or...singletrack...

It's hard to believe another year has rolled by...it didn't feel like it!! As I look back, there were highs and lows, but for the most part I rode right down the middle.

DING!! Coffee is done!!! I planned on racing in the woods this year, which I did, but between Mutha Nature and my Truth breaking, the amount of racing was reduced GREATLY!! BAH!!!

The highlights...The Bone Bender 3/6 hour race is probably the race that stands out the most. That was the biggest field of racers I have ever lined up in, bar none!! There was 128 in my class, and 300ish overall. I pulled down a 10th in class and 12th overall. A great ride!!

The Swope CX was a great race for me for a few reasons...It was the first time I lined up in a masters race since learning masters races are generally the really fast guys using those races to warm up for their main event...That race is also put on by a bunch of old school MTB'ers from waaaaay back, who put emphasis on bike handling skills into their courses, which is good for me!!

I too am an old school MTB'er from waaaay back, and you KNOW I gots me some MAD NINJA bike handling skills!!!

Anyway...I pulled down a 4th in a race where I had no idea what place I was in, I just kept the hammer down, and was rewarded with a good result!!

So there you go...the top 2 races for me this year. As I write this I'm looking forward to 2011. I have again decided to focus on slugging it out in the woods, with 2 "A" races for 2011.

Hopefully I can hone my focus to a fine point this year to have the those elusive peaks come around at the right time. At this point I'm a little excited about 2011 and looking forward to the next few months...sort of...I have a game plan that I think will work, so bring on the dark times...January and February...

There you go...my take, albeit a short one, on 2010.

E

Urban assualt...

So yesterday, Sunday, I was supposed to ride gravel with this dirt lovin biker chic I know...that didn't happen, mostly because she had just gotten home from vacation the night before...

So what do we do...we go on a recon mission into downtown K.C. to find the best route for her to start commuting to work on her CX bike. Since we had planned on a gravel ride and I don't have a CX bike I was on my MTB.

We take off on the road from her house, after a wheelie or two I settle down and we spin down the road. About a mile later I'm getting bored and we are rolling through this industrial area that has a sidewalk and tons of stuff to ride on, over and catch air off of.

So what do I do...Start riding the sidewalks, swerving in and out of parking lots at speed and catching air off the curbs...it was a BLAST!!

On this day I got a huge dose of why I ride...I ride because it makes me feel like a kid everytime. Well this time, I was damn near giddy I was having so much fun, and totally felt like a kid again!!!

IT WAS THE BEST 10 MILE RIDE I'VE DONE IN A LONG TIME!!! It also didn't hurt that company was good too!!

We found a good route to work, rode across the Heart of America bridge over the mighty MO, and just had a kickass time riding!!!

I love riding!!!

E

Swope CX...The Sequel

Has it really been a year since the great wheelie incident?! How time flies...

So this past weekend was the KC Cup CX and MTB event held at Swope Park. This is the event where in '09 my mad bike handling skills outweighed my better judgement to the tune of a wheelie and 2nd place is better than a win...Is it? No...but it still makes me laugh when I think about it!!

Moving on...This year I decide to race in the masters category for a few reasons. I'm 40 now so why not, the cat 3 race was at 2pm and the masters race was at 11am...oh yeah, there was a mtb race the next day at Swope that I was planning on doing, weather permitting...so early race means more time to recover...

I wake up on Saturday morning and start the race day ritual...Start with a French press to get whacked out on the goofballs!! Next, when I finally feel coherent enough to function...CRANK THE METAL and watch the neighbors yard die, get my stuff loaded and head out. Which for some strange reason, this time, I left right on time...woohoooooo!!!

I get to the venue, and with the lessons I learned last year planted firmly in the front row of my thoughts, I grab my bike and ride the never ending road that I ran last year to sign up...Look at the big brain on me!!

I'm signed up, number is pinned, it's time to warm up with...a wheelie!!! Most people don't care about that stuff, but when I ride a good one, deep down inside they're sayin...god I hope he doesn't beat me!!! HA!!! MAD MUTHA EFF'N SKILLS.

Anyway...I rode the course the day before for about 30 minutes and then headed to the woods to inspect the MTB race course...which by the way would've been really fast and fun...but that whore, Mutha Nature, decided that a dry race 2 days in a row was waaaaaaaaaay too much to ask for...so it HURRICANED, and I didn't race...bitch!!

Sorry...bit of a rant there...onward!! So the rules for CX have changed, and I'm not sure about the barriers, but the barriers that were on this course were 2 x 10's...I think. There were 3 of them space far enough apart that if your skills were up to it you could ride over them as opposed to running them. Riding was faster. Also this particular course had a ton of singletrack incorporated into it which I thought was SWEEEEET!!!

Sufficiently warmed up, this HOT girl asks me to pin her number on...I say HELL YEAH, it's about 20 minutes til the start, no worries!! All done there, I decide to ride a little more, and as I take off I check the time and it's 10 til...damn, better head to the start.

Of course everybody and their mommas are already lined up, I'm thinkin great!! Starting D.F.L.!!! This ought ta be fun...as I walk by I'm asking where's the 40+?? No answer, oh well I can pass these chumps in the turns, no worries!! The official comes down and says "I need the 30+ followed by the 40+" and so on...WOOHOOOO!!! Not starting D.F.L.!!!

The age groups are sent off in waves with 30 second intervals between. 40+ is the second group. GO!! Me and the Truth are in a fight with a bunch of CX bike riding Nancys!! I'm thinkin I'm gonna get my ass handed to me, as my experience with masters races has been brutal!! It usually consists of the really fast guys using this race as a warm-up for their respective main event.

We drag race for an eternity up a paved hill which flattens out for about 100 yards leading into the first turn. At this point I'm sitting about 12th, no worries I'm on the Truth and I start taking tight inside lines that the CX bikes with super stubby knob tires can't get enough grip to rail these lines and ride a wide arc through the turns.

I start passing riders with ease...I made some sweeeeet passes, inside lines, outside lines...I sliced right up the middle of a group of 4 riders through a chicane and every pass was clean!!! It' makes me giddy...teeheee!!!!!

At this point I'm headed onto the paved section of this track which I thought for sure I was going to go straight back to where I started...fortunately when I built the Truth I spec'd it with a 46 tooth big ring!! I jam it into the big ring and drill it, no one passes me. I looked at the speed and I was rollin 22mph...gotta love the big ring!!

Fast forward to the middle of this race. I'm on the long paved section and I'm dying big time!! I look down and I'm going 18mph, I take a look back and a racer is coming to me and there's nothing I can do about it right now. He makes the pass and I jump on his wheel just as we roll onto the grass again. He's twisting the screws on me but I have recovered!!

We come to the hairpin turn that leads to the 3 barriers that I can ride. I'm thinkin, if he runs these I'm gonna pass him and put it on kill...sure enough, that's what happened!! I ride by him as he runs over the last barrier, I grab a gear or 2 and punch it!! I create a good gap going into the next section, which was 5 or 6 switchbacks that emptied into the woods on the singletrack. I go as hard as I can through the trees, the gap gets bigger.

I roll through the start finish into the first turn again and the gap was at least 75 yards...where'd who go?!?!

2 laps to go...The gap I created is about 100 yards now...I have punched through the pain and I'm just killing it...back up to 21-22mph on the road again, and definitely making time in the turns on the grass.

Near the end this lap, a rider crashes in front of me and lands on his side on some rocks at the end of the singletrack where there was no way around...I yell at him get up, get up, get up!!!! This seemed to make him move slower...I slow down , and say MOOOOOOOVE!!!! He finally drags himself out of my way, he says something to me as I go by...I think he was mad at me for telling him to move...Whatev...I say thanks and punch it again...

Now on the last lap, the nice cushion I had created for myself was now about half...THANKS MR. NO SKILLS!!! There's a group of about 5 riders being lead by one who, by the looks of his face and riding style is on a mission to run me down...

Fortunately I'm having a great day on the bike, realize this go absolutely as hard as I can on the last lap. Through the 1st grass section the gap stays the same...onto the pavement...time to die...I wind it up to 22mph, I gain a bit, back on the grass again headed to the barriers, the gap is about the same...I think to myself, hit the marks through the next set of 5 switchbacks and kill in the woods and it will be over...I nailed my lines, hit the woods and drilled it to the end...

I popped out of the woods onto the start/finish straight, I look behind me, there's no one behind me, it's time for a finish line wheelie!! I ride a sweet one, good enough to actually coast on the back wheel across the line in 4th place out of 27!! The official says don't do that again...THAT MADE ME LAUGH!!

There you go now you know...It's not win, but I'm stoked with how I rode!! I rode well enough to pass the eventual 30+ winner with a lap and a half to go...CX on the Truth...Gotta love it!!!

E

2 in 1

Alright peeps...I'm back!! So it's been a while and I have a good reason...I haven't been racing as much as I would like. This year was supposed to be the season of dirt...you know, back to where the EveredE started.

I fully planned on doing battle in the woods on a regular basis this season, then Mother Nature decided to RAIN on my parade...literally...bitch!! Also the dirt gods stopped smiling upon me...the Truth broke...sadness.

So I get in touch with the local Ellsworth rep to try and remedy this problem. He comes back to me with "it's too old, they don't make that design anymore and they aren't going to warranty your frame"...I kinda thought that might happen...I hoped it wouldn't but WTF!! That frame was $2000.00...so I welded it. It just needs to get me to winter.

A side note...SPECIALIZED BICYCLES stand behind their bikes. I had a 97 model MTB that failed, they didn't produce that model anymore and still warrantied it with a current model no questions. SUCK IT ELLSWORTH!!!

The dirt season started out promising...I managed to get some good racing under my wheels before the skies opened on what seemed like a daily basis...so much for that idea. I have said it before and I'll say it again...MTB racing in the mud is not racing.

Moving on...R.I.M. As I said earlier I welded my MTB frame. I did this a week or so before the Rapture in Misery so I could ride it and make sure it was going to hold. The 1st ride back was at Shawnee Mission park, a great place to test my weld. It's rocks with a little dirt thrown in to keep the ants happy...very technical riding and pretty demanding on equipment...the Truth survives so it's game on for R.I.M. I do 2 more rides on it before the race with no worries.

The night before R.I.M. it hurricanes...imagine that...rain the night before an MTB race...Thanks Mother Nature...HOOKER!!! Anyway, I'm set to do the 1st lap and I decide to line up on the front of the LeMans start...never done this, thought I would try it.

Go!!! I start running and quickly realize that the rest of the racers are SPRINTING...I threw out a couple of good obscenities and finally get to my bike...As I look back on that I laugh...I totally didn't expect to have to do my best Carl Lewis impersonation to get to my bike. My legs were shot for a week from that 75 yard sprint.

I roll out of the start area in about 13th, proceed to slide my way around the 9 mile loop fairly fast with no diggers and came into the transition inside the top 10 overall and 4th in class. It would've been faster had I listened to my gut and put my FREAKIN MUD TIRES ON!!! I did the first loop on hard pack tires...not mud friendly at all.

I hand off to Leadfoot, and he comes back right at an hour later. No worries it's a long race and it's hell hot...we'll be fine. I now have a mud tire on the front as I head out on lap number 2 and I'm on a mission. I'm now railing through the muddy turns I skated through on the 1st lap and I'm flying...about 3.5 miles into my lap, I hear a loud SNAP!! I stop thinking my rear hub just exploded, but no...the Truth had once again broke...but this time not a crack, the seat tube was now 2 pieces...GAME OVER.

The next day I looked at the weld I had put on it and I didn't put enough heat into it...as of now it's welded...again...but this time I put the heat to it and it has a solid weld on it. I went into it thinking it's broke and not rideable what's the worst that can happen...I fuck it up more!! OOOoooooo...so it has a solid no fear of screwing it up weld on it now...

Next!!

I did the Bicycle Shack TT today. It was pretty much fun, they had a Merckx division, which means NO AREO EQUIPMENT. Of the 12 riders in the group, I think I was the only one with 32 spoke wheels...Shoulda protested!! ;)

Anyway, my previous best time for a 10 mile TT on standard stuff was 26:31. Today I turned a 26:25, this made me happy. As I look back on this ride, I'm happy with how I rode today!! I was on the limit and focused the whole way...no complaints...well...there is the wheel thing, but it's no big deal...really!! Next time tho!!!

E

The tale of a 3...

It finally happened...I have officially lined up as a 3. I have to be honest, I was a bit nervous the week leading up to this race, after all it was a new group of racers that are faster, and my training for various reasons is not at the level it was last year...

On to the race...My race day ritual, like most racers, is timing based. You know...leave on time to give yourself plenty of time to get ready, eat at a certain time before the race so you don't chuck, and so you're not starving when you line up. This day was no different.

So I get to the venue with the first race going off as I sign up, meaning I have about 45 minutes to get ready. No worries...then I find out that the start of the 3's race will be delayed due to some poor fool throwing his manhood into the meat grinder of marriage!! There's a church on the course that was being used for this man card termination!!

Anyway...it's a good thing this was happening, because with 3 laps to go on the 1st race, I was just getting on my bike to warm up...not good!!! I jump on the course just as the last few 4's are finishing. I roll past the start line to find out the race will indeed be delayed...WOOOOHOOOOOOoooooo!!! I now have time for a warm up!!

The race was supposed to start at 6:40...it started at 7:30. After riding around the course for what felt like an eternity I see riders starting to line up, so I head to the start line. I'm sitting there for about a minute and another rider asked me "did they call us to the line"? I say no we're just greedy!!

As of late I have had issues with hitting my pedal on the first try...about a minute before the race rolls out I say to myself, relax, you know how to do it, you'll hit on the first try. It worked!! The wedding finally rolls out and they say GO!!

I get a great start, I'm sitting about 7th heading into the first turn. We roll through this turn and the screws are immediately turned...no worries I'm feeling good. On lap 2 a rider goes on a flier with about a half lap to go, at this point we are rolling through the lower parking lot, the field slows a bit and I maintain my speed and attempt to jump across the gap. I get separation from the field and make it across...woohoooo...that was painful!!

That attack was short lived...it lasted about a lap. The field was still fresh...As I have said to some people in the past...If you never try, you never win!!!

About 2 laps later we diving down into turn 1 (which is a technical, 1 lane 90 degree, downhill left with square curbs at the apex and outside exit) and I'm sitting 7th. A rider 3 spots ahead pushes the front and down he goes!! The 2 riders immediately behind him rail inside of this knucklehead, at this point, I can see his carcass will be where I'm headed...OH SH*T!!! So I grab fists full of stoppers, the guy slides across my intended line into the curb, and I crank my bike hard to the right and managed to avoid him and the curb...a hollow victory...as this happened the front 4 riders drill it and create a gap.

At this point I'm pissed...Jackass gets up and starts to ride in the direction of the race...I'm ranting aloud at this point and say F**K THIS...I'M TAKING A FREE LAP!!! Captain Road rash hears me and says "we can do that"?!?! I responded with a HELL YEAH and proceed to ride to the officials. Road rash and I get there about the same time, and I tell the official I was caught behind him and had to avoid him or meet certain pain!! They grant us a free lap...

As we sit there, the official asks us if we were with the leaders, I say hell yeah, the field was still solid when he hit the pavement!! He says ok, I'll put you back with the 4 man break when it comes by...SWEEEEET!!!

The break is about to come by and the announcer says "put them in with the field"...So much for a repeat victory...The gap was not very big and had I not been sitting there for an eternity I think I could've jumped across to join the front. As it was, my legs immediately loaded up and I suffered greatly for a lap and a half!!

Back under control, my job at this point was to manage the field because I had a teammate in the break...There was 4 of us flying the Shack colors left in the field and once we were on the same page, we shut down pretty much everything that tried to go from then on!!

The last lap...Due to our efforts at controlling the field, everyone, I felt, was rested...This is gonna be interesting...A little less than half way through the last lap the pace goes straight to the redline!! Up the hill, left, down a short straight, right into a parking lot going at least 30mph at this point...at the end of this parking lot, there's a chicane that sets up into an uphill right.

I'm sitting about 15th going into this turn. I set up for a wide line on the outside...I'm carrying a ton of speed, the riders in front of me grab brakes and dive for the inside line...I think about the stoppers but that's about it...I rail around the outside and my line is going to take me to the curb...I realize this and put total faith in my tires and my bike handling skills and lean a little more...I missed the square curb by couple of inches at the most!! I say out loud...OH YEAH!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T HIT THE CURB!!! I would have bet money I was gonna wad it up and find myself on the ground in the grass, that's how close it was!! At this point I had moved into the top 10...A great move!!!

While I was yelling this, we were climbing, headed to the last turn and the sprint finish. We all start sprinting and in the end my spectacular move and adrenaline fueled comments ran me out of gas about 30 meters short of the line...after all, if you're talking, you're not breathing...so a potential top 10 turned into 13th...

There you go now you know...No one knows how a race will play out and crashes happen!! All you can do is stay at or near the front and be attentive. Sometimes this is not enough but that's racing...

Overall I felt better than I thought I would, this is encouraging!! The Tour of Lawrence is up next and after this ride I'm pretty sure I will be lining up!!