This is a link to a post on another blog. Normally I wouldn't do this, but I found this and realized that others should read it. We cyclist must spread the gospel of the bike. I particularly like Rule #6 and #12. So please read on and enjoy.
The Rules
30 December 2010
26 December 2010
A Great Short Film
Race Day: A short film with Irina Kalentieva
I think this short clip sums up how it feels to be a racer right before a race. It also doesn't help that it is a wonderfully shot film. I hope you all enjoy it.
I think this short clip sums up how it feels to be a racer right before a race. It also doesn't help that it is a wonderfully shot film. I hope you all enjoy it.
02 December 2010
I might as well go for it
I'm sorry for not posting in a while. Lack of Internet and working computer will do that to you. So too will major life changes. My wonderful girlfriend Jess arrived in Cincy two weeks ago, my job now has me working between two locations, and my immediate life goals have drastically changed.
About two months ago I realized that I lacked a goal for the near future of my life. I knew that I wanted my own bike shop, would like to teach art at some level, want a family, would love to travel, etc. But the next 5 to 10 years were lacking any clear goal to work towards. And you can only dream so big in the realm of bike mechanic (I mean I am not the next Julien Devrise, Leonard Zinn, or Sheldon Brown.)
So I went back to a dream that I have had since I was a little kid. Be it swimming, soccer, basketball, or any other sport that I had a slight desire to play, I have always wanted to take it to the very top. To be a pro, yes. But more importantly to go to the Olympics. But I was an awful swimmer, a mediocre futballer, and if you saw my stats from my one year of hoops you would know this white boy can't jump (or shoot: 0 point in an entire season). While I was a road racer I dreamed about it, but road racers are born young and didn't approach the sport with the intensity it required. But with mountain biking, things are a bit different. People start a little later, you don't have to have a good team around you to race at your fullest potential, and the local scenes here in the U.S. are more in line with international competition. So I thought I might as well go for it.
I brewed on it for a few days and called Jess. She said I should do it. My parents and sister agreed. My regular riding friend here in Cincy began dragging me to the gym for off season work. My best friend didn't laugh in my face (though there was some snide remark about having to order a Flash). So with an awesome support network I am going for it. My goal is become a professional mountain biker and qualify for the 2016 Olympics. Not a bad goal if you ask me. I might as well go for it.
About two months ago I realized that I lacked a goal for the near future of my life. I knew that I wanted my own bike shop, would like to teach art at some level, want a family, would love to travel, etc. But the next 5 to 10 years were lacking any clear goal to work towards. And you can only dream so big in the realm of bike mechanic (I mean I am not the next Julien Devrise, Leonard Zinn, or Sheldon Brown.)
So I went back to a dream that I have had since I was a little kid. Be it swimming, soccer, basketball, or any other sport that I had a slight desire to play, I have always wanted to take it to the very top. To be a pro, yes. But more importantly to go to the Olympics. But I was an awful swimmer, a mediocre futballer, and if you saw my stats from my one year of hoops you would know this white boy can't jump (or shoot: 0 point in an entire season). While I was a road racer I dreamed about it, but road racers are born young and didn't approach the sport with the intensity it required. But with mountain biking, things are a bit different. People start a little later, you don't have to have a good team around you to race at your fullest potential, and the local scenes here in the U.S. are more in line with international competition. So I thought I might as well go for it.
I brewed on it for a few days and called Jess. She said I should do it. My parents and sister agreed. My regular riding friend here in Cincy began dragging me to the gym for off season work. My best friend didn't laugh in my face (though there was some snide remark about having to order a Flash). So with an awesome support network I am going for it. My goal is become a professional mountain biker and qualify for the 2016 Olympics. Not a bad goal if you ask me. I might as well go for it.
07 September 2010
Breaking Stuff
Originally this post was to be about prepping for a 24 hour solo race. But considering the amount of parts I am having to replace to keep racing, I decided to switch it up a little.
Since I decided to race in the 24 Hours of DINO (September 11th -12th) I have encountered several setbacks. First, I wore out the bottom bracket on my road bike (not the bike I will be racing, but the one I spend the most time training on). Then I found a crack in my night helmet. This led to me realizing that my back-up helmet is 10 years old and should no longer be used (it was being held together with electrical tape!). Then my speed sensor stopped working on the race bike (my trusty F1). Finally, I wore through my shifter housing on my race bike.
All of these are little things, but as I am maturing I am better understanding that all these little nagging purchases add up real quick and take a lot of time and effort to install and purchase. The real kicker is that that last "Finally" I wrote, wasn't it.
The real finally came last night when I realized that I have put a quarter inch dent in my rear race wheel. A dent I am not sure I can fix or race on. Yeah. I am kinda pissed that I jumped a flight of stairs on it. Stupid move, Steve.
Oh well. Lesson learned.... maybe.
To end this post I am sending out a plea for helpers for this coming weekend's race. I have some friends who might make it out for a bit, but if you have any free time and will be in/around Versailles let me know and I will get you directions to the race. Any support would be greatly appreciated.
So for now, enjoy the beautiful weather.
Since I decided to race in the 24 Hours of DINO (September 11th -12th) I have encountered several setbacks. First, I wore out the bottom bracket on my road bike (not the bike I will be racing, but the one I spend the most time training on). Then I found a crack in my night helmet. This led to me realizing that my back-up helmet is 10 years old and should no longer be used (it was being held together with electrical tape!). Then my speed sensor stopped working on the race bike (my trusty F1). Finally, I wore through my shifter housing on my race bike.
All of these are little things, but as I am maturing I am better understanding that all these little nagging purchases add up real quick and take a lot of time and effort to install and purchase. The real kicker is that that last "Finally" I wrote, wasn't it.
The real finally came last night when I realized that I have put a quarter inch dent in my rear race wheel. A dent I am not sure I can fix or race on. Yeah. I am kinda pissed that I jumped a flight of stairs on it. Stupid move, Steve.
Oh well. Lesson learned.... maybe.
To end this post I am sending out a plea for helpers for this coming weekend's race. I have some friends who might make it out for a bit, but if you have any free time and will be in/around Versailles let me know and I will get you directions to the race. Any support would be greatly appreciated.
So for now, enjoy the beautiful weather.
18 August 2010
The Sweet Smell of Dinner
I am reaching the end of my week off of the bike. Granted, I have still logged in about 25 miles in group rides that I have had to lead. But still, for me this week has been all about relaxing, sleeping, and doing dishes, laundry, cleaning my apartment...!?! Wait a sec? This was supposed to be a week off. No waking up earlier than I had to, no staying up later than I wanted to, no standing for prolonged periods of time outside of work. What the heck happened.
It turns out, when you live on your own and take care of yourself and your home, you are working all the freaking time. I always thought that the adults (mature adults with houses, pets, kids, and significant others) where complaining about nothing when I would ask how their day off was. Alas, it is not so.
There is one upside to this. As I sit here typing this entry, I can smell fresh cracked pepper, rosemary, and olive oil wafting from my kitchen as I bake chicken and make some Alfredo. At least I still have time to sit back, read a book, drink my glass of white, and soak in the smell.
Too bad I will need to do dishes again in the morning.
It turns out, when you live on your own and take care of yourself and your home, you are working all the freaking time. I always thought that the adults (mature adults with houses, pets, kids, and significant others) where complaining about nothing when I would ask how their day off was. Alas, it is not so.
There is one upside to this. As I sit here typing this entry, I can smell fresh cracked pepper, rosemary, and olive oil wafting from my kitchen as I bake chicken and make some Alfredo. At least I still have time to sit back, read a book, drink my glass of white, and soak in the smell.
Too bad I will need to do dishes again in the morning.
13 August 2010
Top 5 Worst Times Riding
Everyone has bad days on a bike. For some people it means struggling up a climb. For others it means loosing the Tour de France. Either way it sucks. In this post I am going to reflect on five of my worst moments on a bike.
5) Endless Headwind- A few years back I was competing in the PLT Time Trial series in Virginia Beach, I encountered a bizar, natural phenomena: the endless headwind. The PLT course is a lollipop- head strait out, make a loop, head strait back in. And the entire time I had a headwind. Impossible you say? Not according to every other racer there that day. All of our times where 2 and 3 minutes off.
4) False Flat of Death (aka Vail Pass)- The Triple Bypass takes riders over three Colorado passes in 120 miles in one day. And while Vail Pass (10,560 ft) was nothing compared to Loveland Pass (11,930 ft) it was by far the hardest of the day. It seemed like Jared and I fought up that climb for half of the ride. I think the only guy who enjoyed the climb was the one crazy enough to ride with a cooler of beer in a trailer.
3) My First Crit- A week after my first Wintergreen Ascent, I attempted my first criterium. For the three days before I had been hiding a cold from parents so that I could race. It turns out that was a bad idea. By the end of the race I was not only in dead last, about 5 laps back, but I was also alternating between fever and chills and had difficulties clipping out once I completed my last horrific lap. Funny thing is, I received a third place medal about two weeks later for my age group.
2) Today- This morning's ride was supposed to be a nice little outing. Unfortunately at mile 25 I hit the wall. For the third time in as many rides. The next 15 miles proceeded to push me to the limit of sanity (and humiliation). What really sucked was that Matt was having a bad day as well. I will finish with a little more on this later.
1) Cowbell Challenge 12 Hour Solo- On my first attempt at an endurance race I was greeted by 100 degree heat, a lack of water at aid stations, and a complete lack of preparedness. That and a random root caused my to abandon my first (and so far last) race. To add insult to injury (said root went into right knee forcing me to walk 4 miles back to the Start/Finish), my Explorer's AC was not working on the 4 hour trip home. And you all know how I get when I am overheated.
Back to today's ride. It made me realize something quite important about my training so far this year. I have been going hard for too long it seems. So this next week I am going to take a break. I will commute to work (some days), lead a group ride, and maybe hit the trails for an hour or so. But I am not going to go out with a specific workout or ride time in my head. I am just going to have fun and ride when and if I feel like it.
Enjoy the sleep...
5) Endless Headwind- A few years back I was competing in the PLT Time Trial series in Virginia Beach, I encountered a bizar, natural phenomena: the endless headwind. The PLT course is a lollipop- head strait out, make a loop, head strait back in. And the entire time I had a headwind. Impossible you say? Not according to every other racer there that day. All of our times where 2 and 3 minutes off.
4) False Flat of Death (aka Vail Pass)- The Triple Bypass takes riders over three Colorado passes in 120 miles in one day. And while Vail Pass (10,560 ft) was nothing compared to Loveland Pass (11,930 ft) it was by far the hardest of the day. It seemed like Jared and I fought up that climb for half of the ride. I think the only guy who enjoyed the climb was the one crazy enough to ride with a cooler of beer in a trailer.
3) My First Crit- A week after my first Wintergreen Ascent, I attempted my first criterium. For the three days before I had been hiding a cold from parents so that I could race. It turns out that was a bad idea. By the end of the race I was not only in dead last, about 5 laps back, but I was also alternating between fever and chills and had difficulties clipping out once I completed my last horrific lap. Funny thing is, I received a third place medal about two weeks later for my age group.
2) Today- This morning's ride was supposed to be a nice little outing. Unfortunately at mile 25 I hit the wall. For the third time in as many rides. The next 15 miles proceeded to push me to the limit of sanity (and humiliation). What really sucked was that Matt was having a bad day as well. I will finish with a little more on this later.
1) Cowbell Challenge 12 Hour Solo- On my first attempt at an endurance race I was greeted by 100 degree heat, a lack of water at aid stations, and a complete lack of preparedness. That and a random root caused my to abandon my first (and so far last) race. To add insult to injury (said root went into right knee forcing me to walk 4 miles back to the Start/Finish), my Explorer's AC was not working on the 4 hour trip home. And you all know how I get when I am overheated.
Back to today's ride. It made me realize something quite important about my training so far this year. I have been going hard for too long it seems. So this next week I am going to take a break. I will commute to work (some days), lead a group ride, and maybe hit the trails for an hour or so. But I am not going to go out with a specific workout or ride time in my head. I am just going to have fun and ride when and if I feel like it.
Enjoy the sleep...
05 August 2010
White Bar Tape
I've said it many times. I will never use white bar tape on my road bike. I am a mechanic. Therefore my hands are always greasy, no matter how many times I wash them with GoJo (citrus/pumice based hand cleaner). The pink grips on my mountain bike are a stretch. I really need to spay them down to bring them back to life.
Back to the white bar tape. I wrapped my handlebars last night. With white. I can explain. Kinda. My old black Cinelli tape was at the end of its life (no longer sporting the cool "C" logos). A customer asked us to replace his white bar tape with fresh black bar tape. I completed the work order. I saved the tape. I now have fresh (o.k. slightly used) white Bontrager tape on my S Works (gasp... the B on the S bike!).
So this brings me to the meat of this post... why is it a faux paux to put say Bontrager (a Trek company) parts on a Specialized or Cannondale and vice-versa. I am now running Bontrager tape and tires on my Specialized and Cannondale respectively. I have long run Specialized tires on my most of my bikes. Yet I know people who refuse to throw a Specialized saddle on a Trek (ok... I might be one of those too if I can find a decent saddle from someone else). But really why?
All of the bikes I ride have a large assortment of mix-matched parts. Most of these parts, regardless of label, come from the same factory. The only people who should really worry about whether or not their bikes have matching parts are the professional riders who get paid to ride certain parts. Then they should make sure their labels match. But for me, a lowly Cat 5 and 3 racer (road and mountain... I know: confusing as hell) who cares? So this is my message to all of you who pay dearly to match brands... get a life. And does anyone know of a saddle that does not say "Specialized" that rides like a Toupe?
Back to the white bar tape. I wrapped my handlebars last night. With white. I can explain. Kinda. My old black Cinelli tape was at the end of its life (no longer sporting the cool "C" logos). A customer asked us to replace his white bar tape with fresh black bar tape. I completed the work order. I saved the tape. I now have fresh (o.k. slightly used) white Bontrager tape on my S Works (gasp... the B on the S bike!).
So this brings me to the meat of this post... why is it a faux paux to put say Bontrager (a Trek company) parts on a Specialized or Cannondale and vice-versa. I am now running Bontrager tape and tires on my Specialized and Cannondale respectively. I have long run Specialized tires on my most of my bikes. Yet I know people who refuse to throw a Specialized saddle on a Trek (ok... I might be one of those too if I can find a decent saddle from someone else). But really why?
All of the bikes I ride have a large assortment of mix-matched parts. Most of these parts, regardless of label, come from the same factory. The only people who should really worry about whether or not their bikes have matching parts are the professional riders who get paid to ride certain parts. Then they should make sure their labels match. But for me, a lowly Cat 5 and 3 racer (road and mountain... I know: confusing as hell) who cares? So this is my message to all of you who pay dearly to match brands... get a life. And does anyone know of a saddle that does not say "Specialized" that rides like a Toupe?
27 July 2010
July in a Nutshell
Wow... what a month! July holds a lot of events for me. The Fourth of July. Le Tour de France. The Iron Mountain 100 k. The Dream Bigger sale at work. The promise of great weather to ride in. The third annual Ander-Son's Ride. I think I did them all justice this year. I'll start at the beginning though.
Independence Day: Ribs. Cornbread and baked beans. Chocolate pie. Yes and Peter Frampton. Live. With a 35 minute barrage of explosive projectiles launched directly over my head. Awesome time spent with the Drapkins.
Le Tour de France. Lance crashed. Shleck cross chained. That cheeky bugger Contador won again. at least Radio Shack won the team competition and Horner and Hesjedal finished in the top ten.
Iron Mountain 100 k: I rode. I rode some more. I rode a bit more. I placed 24th out of 70 some over all and 20th out of 40 in my class. And a full hour faster than I predicted I would finish. Check out my report at the Team Twin Six page.
Dream Bigger sale: Busy. Dead. Busy. Dead. That pretty much explains it.
Good weather: I've been riding pretty much six days a week. Two days a week with my boss, co-workers, and customers. One day a week I meet my boss for a mountain bike ride before work. And then I hit the road hard for the rest of the week to try and get myself into shape for some upcoming ultras.
Ethicon-Endo, Cincinnati Off Road Alliance, Trek of Cincinnati, and Biker Bob hosted a bike ride for kids from the inner city this past weekend. This was the second year that I participated. Last year I had a blast, but left in the back of an ambulance, missing a digit. This year I stayed upright and had a blast leading the kids through the trails and then sneaking off with some other riders to catch some sweet new trails. All in all a great experience that combines my passion with helping other people. Next year's event promises to be bigger and better than ever. I can't wait!
Well... time for me to hit the air mattress. I have to be on my bike by 5 AM tomorrow morning. Enjoy the weather and the bikes!
Independence Day: Ribs. Cornbread and baked beans. Chocolate pie. Yes and Peter Frampton. Live. With a 35 minute barrage of explosive projectiles launched directly over my head. Awesome time spent with the Drapkins.
Le Tour de France. Lance crashed. Shleck cross chained. That cheeky bugger Contador won again. at least Radio Shack won the team competition and Horner and Hesjedal finished in the top ten.
Iron Mountain 100 k: I rode. I rode some more. I rode a bit more. I placed 24th out of 70 some over all and 20th out of 40 in my class. And a full hour faster than I predicted I would finish. Check out my report at the Team Twin Six page.
Dream Bigger sale: Busy. Dead. Busy. Dead. That pretty much explains it.
Good weather: I've been riding pretty much six days a week. Two days a week with my boss, co-workers, and customers. One day a week I meet my boss for a mountain bike ride before work. And then I hit the road hard for the rest of the week to try and get myself into shape for some upcoming ultras.
Ethicon-Endo, Cincinnati Off Road Alliance, Trek of Cincinnati, and Biker Bob hosted a bike ride for kids from the inner city this past weekend. This was the second year that I participated. Last year I had a blast, but left in the back of an ambulance, missing a digit. This year I stayed upright and had a blast leading the kids through the trails and then sneaking off with some other riders to catch some sweet new trails. All in all a great experience that combines my passion with helping other people. Next year's event promises to be bigger and better than ever. I can't wait!
Well... time for me to hit the air mattress. I have to be on my bike by 5 AM tomorrow morning. Enjoy the weather and the bikes!
13 June 2010
A promise to update more regularly
This is just a short post to appologize for not posting in a while. My Mac has bit the dust again and I currently do not have internet at home. My grandparents just gave me their old laptop which should get me back into posting on a regular basis soon. This plus the ability to access wireless at work durring lunch should let me becom an online-socialite again. I hope everyone's summer is going as well as mine. Enjoy.
27 May 2010
A day off is a horrible think to waste
Today was a much needed day off. Not that my new job is horrible. Just three uber crazy days in a row can drain you. So I looked forward to sleeping in, riding my bike, and relaxing. I only accomplished one of these tasks.
At 6 this morning I woke up on my own accord. And again at 7. And yet again at 9. At this point I just lay there until 10 when I figured out I might as well roll out of bed. Not horrible, not great. Sometime after a quick breakfast I realized I should get my trusty old Mac to the Apple store to get it repaired. One and half hour wait. No big deal. 2 hours later I finally get to sit at the genius bar. An hour and half later I was informed that my 7 month hard drive was dead. Yipee.
So I made my way back to the house to get ready for my bike rides. I had planned to hit some local trails to get back into the flow of mountain biking. Then I was scheduled to lead the no-drop ride from the shop at 6:30. I got kitted up and drove the the trail head only to be greeted by a beautiful bolt of lightning as I put my front wheel on. Quick storm. No problem. I headed to the shop to make sure the group ride was still on and fix my broken chain. Once I arrived around 4 we checked out the radar. Without blinking we canceled the ride. Storm cells scatted for miles to the west of Cincy. Awesome.
The upside of the day was that I watch 5 episodes of "How I Met Your Mother". My Team Twin Six kit also showed up which might have been the high point of the day. This leads me to the conclusion that from here on out I will ride first and then take care of business on my days off.
At 6 this morning I woke up on my own accord. And again at 7. And yet again at 9. At this point I just lay there until 10 when I figured out I might as well roll out of bed. Not horrible, not great. Sometime after a quick breakfast I realized I should get my trusty old Mac to the Apple store to get it repaired. One and half hour wait. No big deal. 2 hours later I finally get to sit at the genius bar. An hour and half later I was informed that my 7 month hard drive was dead. Yipee.
So I made my way back to the house to get ready for my bike rides. I had planned to hit some local trails to get back into the flow of mountain biking. Then I was scheduled to lead the no-drop ride from the shop at 6:30. I got kitted up and drove the the trail head only to be greeted by a beautiful bolt of lightning as I put my front wheel on. Quick storm. No problem. I headed to the shop to make sure the group ride was still on and fix my broken chain. Once I arrived around 4 we checked out the radar. Without blinking we canceled the ride. Storm cells scatted for miles to the west of Cincy. Awesome.
The upside of the day was that I watch 5 episodes of "How I Met Your Mother". My Team Twin Six kit also showed up which might have been the high point of the day. This leads me to the conclusion that from here on out I will ride first and then take care of business on my days off.
23 May 2010
New Places
I'm sorry for the lack of post in a while. I have been busy making some drastic changes with my life. Two weeks ago I made the drive out to Cincinnati, OH to begin working at Trek of Cincinnati. In order to cover a lot of ground I am going to be brief with each aspect of this new segment of my life.
New job: I love my new job. The guys (and girls) I work with are great. The shop is well stocked. I get to build and work on everything from entry level hybrids (cringe) to 5 and 6 series Madones and TTXs. Sometimes I even get to deal with customers. And ever great once in a while I deal with a phone call. Dream job: yes. The only down side to my new job is the constant harassment I receive for riding a S-Works Tarmac to a Trek store (Specialized is one of Treks biggest rivals).
New city: Amazing. Though so far I have only frequented places that I already knew, I am already finding new places that I want to eat, play, and be entertained at.
New apartment: I just put a deposit down on a one bedroom apartment in a decent area of town that is halfway between the original Trek of Cincinnati and the new location that I will work at most of the time. I'll have about a 5 mile bike commute to both with is just about perfect.
I will try and update more often once I get my Mac up and running again.
Enjoy the Summer.
New job: I love my new job. The guys (and girls) I work with are great. The shop is well stocked. I get to build and work on everything from entry level hybrids (cringe) to 5 and 6 series Madones and TTXs. Sometimes I even get to deal with customers. And ever great once in a while I deal with a phone call. Dream job: yes. The only down side to my new job is the constant harassment I receive for riding a S-Works Tarmac to a Trek store (Specialized is one of Treks biggest rivals).
New city: Amazing. Though so far I have only frequented places that I already knew, I am already finding new places that I want to eat, play, and be entertained at.
New apartment: I just put a deposit down on a one bedroom apartment in a decent area of town that is halfway between the original Trek of Cincinnati and the new location that I will work at most of the time. I'll have about a 5 mile bike commute to both with is just about perfect.
I will try and update more often once I get my Mac up and running again.
Enjoy the Summer.
05 May 2010
Two days, two events, a heck of a lot of fun
This past weekend I had the pleasure of competing in two very different events. On Friday I headed to Blacksburg with Lindsey to compete and help out with Ride Hard: With a Vengeance! Sprinks and Dan put on a heck of an event with everything ranging from sprints to an all-out alley cat. I only competed in two events in order to save my legs for the race on Saturday. On Saturday I drove up to Wintergreen Ski Resort to compete in the Wintergreen Ascent Hill Climb State Championships. This is a little more my event, so I gave it an all-out effort and posted my second fastest time up the mountain at 45 min 2 sec which put me into 5th place in the Cat 5 group. Can't wait to come back next year and give both of these events another go. Check out full reports on both races at Team Twin Six.
20 April 2010
26 v 29:The Debate
I've been riding mountain bikes in a serious fashion for 5 years now. Up to this point all of my riding has been on 26 inch wheeled bikes: a Giant Iguana SE, a Cannondale Rush 600, a C'dale F1, and a C'dale Scalpel Carbon 2 (RIP). Even last fall I still believed that 26 inch wheels were the way to go for mountain bikers, at for least cross country racers like myself.
This winter some things changed. Several articles were published comparing 26 inch wheels to 29 inch wheels. New 29er components have come out making the weight gain negligible and gearing a more manageable. Then this Spring a riding buddy bought a 29er Cannondale much like the 26er F1 that I currently ride. Last Thursday I took his F29er and my F1 down to Warriors Path State Park in Kingsport, TN.
Let me first describe the rigs.
My F1: Aluminum hardtail, Lefty Speed Carbon SL (the lightest available), DT Swiss wheels (light and fast), 2x9 gearing with 24x36 crankset and 11x34 cassette, Specialized Captain 2.0 front tire and Fast Trak 2.0 rear tire, Thomson Elite seatpost, and Ritchey WCS flat and narrow bar
Est Weight: 22 lbs
F29er: Aluminum hardtail w/ ecentric bottom bracket (little bit heavier), Lefty Speed DLR2 (light), WTB wheels (little on the heavy side), 1x9 gearing with 23 crankset and 11x34 cassette, WTB NanoRaptor 2.1 tires front and rear, ControlTech high and wide bar
Est Weight: 25 lbs
I decided to use Darwin's Revenge as my standard lap to test the two bikes against each other. For those of you who have never ridden Warriors, Darwin's Revenge starts with a series of rooted switch backs and a short ride through some rock gardens, followed by a fast and flowing rollick with the occasional banked turn and switchback to keep it interesting. Then it hits some tight, twisty, cut-through-the trees before some more technical rock gardens and finally a short climb back out of the valley.
I took the F29er out for a lap of Darwin's Revenge, White Tail, and Magic Carpet Ride to get a feel for it. At first I hated it. It was harsh and hard to maneuver and really difficult to accelerate. After a few miles I adjusted the tire pressure (more than took care of the harsh ride and maneuverability) and started to get into the flow with the bike. Then I put in a flying lap on Darwin's Revenge. I had one forced dismount on a a switchback that I normally ride and rode over two sections which I normally dismount on. I was able to stay seated for more of the lap than normal (I am much more efficient when seated), though did have to slow up a bit when cutting through trees (wider bars than I am used to).
Lap time: 15 min 33 sec Avg Speed: 7.5 mph
Before running my F1 I took about 10 min to catch my breath and spin around. Then I re-entered Darwin's and started gunning it. The ride was very twitchy compared to the 29er (to be expected) and I wound up standing much more to absorb the shock of roots and rocks. I didn't have to dismount anywhere outside of where I normally shoulder my bike, but did try and ride a rock section I had cleared on the F29er and went down with the bike. All in all if felt like a fairly decent lap.
Lap time: 15 min 30 sec Avg Speed: 7.1 mph (GPS was only method of measuring distance and so was off a little between laps)
My overall impression is that while the F1 feels faster in the corners, the F29er actually handles and rolls better. By switching to a narrower bar the F29er would better suit my riding style and would probably be faster over any given course than the F1. The wight difference between the two bikes was at least 3 lbs which could easily be lost on the F29er. The difference should also be taken into note when looking at the lap times as that was 3 lbs of mostly rotating mass that I was having to accelerate out of the corners.
My conclusion is that 29ers are faster and easier to ride than 26ers for people who are my size and ride in the same style as I. That said, my next race bike will be a 29er hardtail. Anyone want to buy my F1?
This winter some things changed. Several articles were published comparing 26 inch wheels to 29 inch wheels. New 29er components have come out making the weight gain negligible and gearing a more manageable. Then this Spring a riding buddy bought a 29er Cannondale much like the 26er F1 that I currently ride. Last Thursday I took his F29er and my F1 down to Warriors Path State Park in Kingsport, TN.
Let me first describe the rigs.
Est Weight: 22 lbs
Est Weight: 25 lbs
I decided to use Darwin's Revenge as my standard lap to test the two bikes against each other. For those of you who have never ridden Warriors, Darwin's Revenge starts with a series of rooted switch backs and a short ride through some rock gardens, followed by a fast and flowing rollick with the occasional banked turn and switchback to keep it interesting. Then it hits some tight, twisty, cut-through-the trees before some more technical rock gardens and finally a short climb back out of the valley.
I took the F29er out for a lap of Darwin's Revenge, White Tail, and Magic Carpet Ride to get a feel for it. At first I hated it. It was harsh and hard to maneuver and really difficult to accelerate. After a few miles I adjusted the tire pressure (more than took care of the harsh ride and maneuverability) and started to get into the flow with the bike. Then I put in a flying lap on Darwin's Revenge. I had one forced dismount on a a switchback that I normally ride and rode over two sections which I normally dismount on. I was able to stay seated for more of the lap than normal (I am much more efficient when seated), though did have to slow up a bit when cutting through trees (wider bars than I am used to).
Lap time: 15 min 33 sec Avg Speed: 7.5 mph
Before running my F1 I took about 10 min to catch my breath and spin around. Then I re-entered Darwin's and started gunning it. The ride was very twitchy compared to the 29er (to be expected) and I wound up standing much more to absorb the shock of roots and rocks. I didn't have to dismount anywhere outside of where I normally shoulder my bike, but did try and ride a rock section I had cleared on the F29er and went down with the bike. All in all if felt like a fairly decent lap.
Lap time: 15 min 30 sec Avg Speed: 7.1 mph (GPS was only method of measuring distance and so was off a little between laps)
My overall impression is that while the F1 feels faster in the corners, the F29er actually handles and rolls better. By switching to a narrower bar the F29er would better suit my riding style and would probably be faster over any given course than the F1. The wight difference between the two bikes was at least 3 lbs which could easily be lost on the F29er. The difference should also be taken into note when looking at the lap times as that was 3 lbs of mostly rotating mass that I was having to accelerate out of the corners.
My conclusion is that 29ers are faster and easier to ride than 26ers for people who are my size and ride in the same style as I. That said, my next race bike will be a 29er hardtail. Anyone want to buy my F1?
16 April 2010
Big News
I have some big news to share with everyone who happens to stumble upon these recordings of my blathering (which will include me one day).
On Tuesday I recieved a job offer from Trek of Cincinatti. On Wednesday, halfway through my morning ride, I called back and accepted. I will be a mechanic at the new Trek of Cincinatti store in Blue Ash, Ohio begining in May.
This is a big move for me, leaving my home of five years (the greater Damascus/Emory area) for an area unlike any I have lived in before. Cincinatti is so much more populated than South-West Virginia yet much less hectic and populated than Northern Virginia/DC.
I am excited on so many levels about this change in scenery. I will once again have access to a wide variety of food, art, music, and culture in general. The biking scene in Cincinatti is increadible and should push my riding further than I have been able to achieve over the past five years. It's the clean start that eveyone dreams about when they graduate college: I am just making the leap a year late.
At the same time I am sad to leave Damascus. I'm leaving behind a great group of friends: Jess, Lindsey, Katelyn, Paul, Pepper, Greg, Brad, and Bill (I am sure I am leaving someone off this list: sorry). Also, I am leaving behind a great shop that gave me the experience needed to move up in the bike industry. To Adventure I will always be greatful.
With that I am going to hit the sack before starting in on my last two weeks in Damscus. Enjoy the great weather and all opportunities.
On Tuesday I recieved a job offer from Trek of Cincinatti. On Wednesday, halfway through my morning ride, I called back and accepted. I will be a mechanic at the new Trek of Cincinatti store in Blue Ash, Ohio begining in May.
This is a big move for me, leaving my home of five years (the greater Damascus/Emory area) for an area unlike any I have lived in before. Cincinatti is so much more populated than South-West Virginia yet much less hectic and populated than Northern Virginia/DC.
I am excited on so many levels about this change in scenery. I will once again have access to a wide variety of food, art, music, and culture in general. The biking scene in Cincinatti is increadible and should push my riding further than I have been able to achieve over the past five years. It's the clean start that eveyone dreams about when they graduate college: I am just making the leap a year late.
At the same time I am sad to leave Damascus. I'm leaving behind a great group of friends: Jess, Lindsey, Katelyn, Paul, Pepper, Greg, Brad, and Bill (I am sure I am leaving someone off this list: sorry). Also, I am leaving behind a great shop that gave me the experience needed to move up in the bike industry. To Adventure I will always be greatful.
With that I am going to hit the sack before starting in on my last two weeks in Damscus. Enjoy the great weather and all opportunities.
31 March 2010
Paris Mountain Time Trial
This weekend brought the first race of the season for me: the 1st Paris Mountain Time Trial. I placed 23rd out of 53 participants with a time of 12 min 48 sec. Not quite the time I wanted, but not too far off. Zach also did well, coming in at 14 min 8 sec. What's great about this race series is that there are two more time trials throughout the season to test myself in. This means I now have four and a half weeks before the Wintergreen Ascent, my first season goal every year. I have to keep my streak of top 10 going.
Here's a shot of me waiting for my 30 second man to start. I didn't catch him. But I did catch a guy who started a few minutes up on me.
25 March 2010
First race of the season
This weekend I get to test my legs against one of the fastest region of road racers in the country. Saturday is the Paris Mountain Time Trial in Greenville, Sc. This 2.2 mile hillclimb averages 7% and tops out at 14% grade. A nice little molehill if you live in Damascus. Zack and I will be heading down in the wee morning hours and pre-riding the course before tackling the beast.
The fastest known time is 8:45, set by George Hincapie (a local pro who has raced for the likes of USPS, Discovery, Columbia, and BMC Pro Tour teams). I am hoping for something under 12:30. That would put me well on my way towards racing well at Wintergreen in roughly a month. We'll see. I will post what goes down (or up in my case) on Sunday. Enjoy this incredible weather.
Here is a picture of Jared, Paul, and I just before Jared hit the road for Texas through Cinci. Jared: Best of luck to you at your new job.
13 March 2010
Team Twin Six
As some of you may already know I had the chance to talk with some of the guys from Twin Six at this years North American Handmade Bike Show. While talking about riding and their clothes, Brent brought up the Team Twin Six: a loose collection of riders around the country riding for Twin Six and posting race reports and journals on their website. Needless to say when I got back to Damascus I applied. And was accepted.
This year I will be racing for Team Twin Six in full Metal kit. I know, It's black and will get really hot in the summer heat. If it gets too bad I can always switch to my Twin Six Fat Cyclist jerseys which are in orange, white, and (of course) black. I will be sure to let you all know when I have stuff up their website. Now off to go enjoy the weather.
This is the reverse of what the team jerseys will be: our are black with gray graphics.
This year I will be racing for Team Twin Six in full Metal kit. I know, It's black and will get really hot in the summer heat. If it gets too bad I can always switch to my Twin Six Fat Cyclist jerseys which are in orange, white, and (of course) black. I will be sure to let you all know when I have stuff up their website. Now off to go enjoy the weather.
This is the reverse of what the team jerseys will be: our are black with gray graphics.
03 March 2010
2010 NAHMBS: Richmond
Last year Jared and I attended the North American Handmade Biks Show (NAHMBS: pronounced "noms") in Indianapolis. This year the show came to my neck of the woods: Richmond.
Leaving Friday afternoon and picking up people all along I81 we pulled into my house around 10 PM. The next morning we got to Richmond around noon and found a parking spot around noon-thirty. We then rode our mary way to the valet bike parking (only a cyclist would geek out over this). At this point we intered the fray. Or heaven for bikers.
Vendors ranging from Columbus to Pedros to Thomson to Paragon dotted the halls. Builders with the names of Sachs, Vanilla, Bilinky, and DeRosa filled up most of the space. Pure heaven I tell you. I can't give a great recap becaus there was just too much to tell. But I will give you my top 5 list.
1) Twin Six- I got to meet Brent from my favorite clothing company. Also picked up an awesome pink wool welder's cap. Yeah... the one with the green stripes.
2) Shamrock Cycles- Amazing bikes. My favorite, however, was the Belle Fast- a around town bike built for the rider with everything. Increadible attention to detail and accessories on this bike along with a precisely crafted frame.
3) Pedros- Tools! I know, I know... not Park. But thier Vice Whip is amazing and will be added to my toolbox by the end of the year. And the Trixie is awesoem for you fixie freeks.
4) Six-Eleven - The best new builder of the show. And he is building in Roanoke, VA! He also invited us to the COG after-party. Cool guy.
5) Seven Cycles- They brought Mary McConneloug's race bike. She's been riding this one for six seasons as a pro. Including two Olympics. Wow!
We rounded out the day with a Fixie trick jam, the COG after-party, and the world premier of Death Pedal II. I never new fixies could be thrown around like these guys do.
With that goodnight and good riding.
Leaving Friday afternoon and picking up people all along I81 we pulled into my house around 10 PM. The next morning we got to Richmond around noon and found a parking spot around noon-thirty. We then rode our mary way to the valet bike parking (only a cyclist would geek out over this). At this point we intered the fray. Or heaven for bikers.
Vendors ranging from Columbus to Pedros to Thomson to Paragon dotted the halls. Builders with the names of Sachs, Vanilla, Bilinky, and DeRosa filled up most of the space. Pure heaven I tell you. I can't give a great recap becaus there was just too much to tell. But I will give you my top 5 list.
1) Twin Six- I got to meet Brent from my favorite clothing company. Also picked up an awesome pink wool welder's cap. Yeah... the one with the green stripes.
2) Shamrock Cycles- Amazing bikes. My favorite, however, was the Belle Fast- a around town bike built for the rider with everything. Increadible attention to detail and accessories on this bike along with a precisely crafted frame.
3) Pedros- Tools! I know, I know... not Park. But thier Vice Whip is amazing and will be added to my toolbox by the end of the year. And the Trixie is awesoem for you fixie freeks.
4) Six-Eleven - The best new builder of the show. And he is building in Roanoke, VA! He also invited us to the COG after-party. Cool guy.
5) Seven Cycles- They brought Mary McConneloug's race bike. She's been riding this one for six seasons as a pro. Including two Olympics. Wow!
We rounded out the day with a Fixie trick jam, the COG after-party, and the world premier of Death Pedal II. I never new fixies could be thrown around like these guys do.
With that goodnight and good riding.
19 February 2010
Yay!
There are very few things that will make me say "Yay." Here's is a not-so-complete list actually.
1. New bike parts from Hawley's or BTI.
2. BBQ, root beer, and baked beans.
3. Getting over a cold and having the weather take a turn for the better.
4. New bike.
Today is a number 3 day. So today is going to be a good day. Not only is the weather better, I am also feeling loads better. I will not get to ride outside today (not quite up to that), but the next two days also promise to be nice out, so I will get to ride. And the promise of a ride is almost better than the ride itself as one gets to anticipate, plan, and imagine all of the great things that the ride will include.
But rides rarely reach the level of perfection that our dream rides entail. That is what makes our sport so incredible. While rides never live up to our expectations, they don't have to. It can be raining, you can have 4 flat tires, you can be pushing your bike down your favorite section of trail because the patches won't stick to the wet tube. But you will always remember that ride, because it was on that ride that you got to eat black berries all the way down the Iron. It was also on that ride that you cleared a section of trail that had previously been impassible. That ride was an amazing ride. I will remember it for the rest of my life.
Or not, as there are sure to be rides in the future that take its place as being sucky and amazing at the same time. That is why I am a cyclist, because even our worst days on a bike are better than our best days off of a bike. Fishermen say, "A bad day fishing is better than the best day at work." I believe that to be true. But my worst day riding is a lot better than my best day fishing.
Enjoy the ride.
1. New bike parts from Hawley's or BTI.
2. BBQ, root beer, and baked beans.
3. Getting over a cold and having the weather take a turn for the better.
4. New bike.
Today is a number 3 day. So today is going to be a good day. Not only is the weather better, I am also feeling loads better. I will not get to ride outside today (not quite up to that), but the next two days also promise to be nice out, so I will get to ride. And the promise of a ride is almost better than the ride itself as one gets to anticipate, plan, and imagine all of the great things that the ride will include.
But rides rarely reach the level of perfection that our dream rides entail. That is what makes our sport so incredible. While rides never live up to our expectations, they don't have to. It can be raining, you can have 4 flat tires, you can be pushing your bike down your favorite section of trail because the patches won't stick to the wet tube. But you will always remember that ride, because it was on that ride that you got to eat black berries all the way down the Iron. It was also on that ride that you cleared a section of trail that had previously been impassible. That ride was an amazing ride. I will remember it for the rest of my life.
Or not, as there are sure to be rides in the future that take its place as being sucky and amazing at the same time. That is why I am a cyclist, because even our worst days on a bike are better than our best days off of a bike. Fishermen say, "A bad day fishing is better than the best day at work." I believe that to be true. But my worst day riding is a lot better than my best day fishing.
Enjoy the ride.
17 February 2010
Sick
Originally this post was to be another complaint directed at Mother Nature. But over the past 24 hours some things have changed (alas not the weather).
I am getting sick or am already sick or something along those lines. Runny nose, sinus headache, and general tiredness along with a scratchy throat. Always a good time.
But at least this is my first cold in 9 months... a new record for me. Usually I go about 3 months between colds. Evidently organized education did not do me any favors. This has put a slight kink in my training program. I will still try and get on a trainer for a little bit today. We'll see.
Enjoy being well.
I am getting sick or am already sick or something along those lines. Runny nose, sinus headache, and general tiredness along with a scratchy throat. Always a good time.
But at least this is my first cold in 9 months... a new record for me. Usually I go about 3 months between colds. Evidently organized education did not do me any favors. This has put a slight kink in my training program. I will still try and get on a trainer for a little bit today. We'll see.
Enjoy being well.
14 February 2010
The Plan
I promised a training plan last week. And, as usual, I am late.
But better late then never I suppose.
For the remainder of February and the first half of March I will work on getting out on the bike 6 days a week. As long as I get an hour in I will be happy. I might even work some Spinervals into my daily routine on top of my outdoor riding.
From the midpoint of March to the end of April I will focus on my climbing fitness. This means at least two days a week of hill interval work and one day a week of extended climbing. This will be getting me ready for my 6th attempt at Wintergreen. I would really like to place this year as I did my in my first attempt.
From May through September I will work on my endurance and extended speed. This should help me out in the Hotter n' Hell and any 12 and 24 hour races that I attempt.
I know this is a very loose plan, but I have found that the tighter the training plan, the shorter I follow it. So here goes the 2010 racing season!
But better late then never I suppose.
For the remainder of February and the first half of March I will work on getting out on the bike 6 days a week. As long as I get an hour in I will be happy. I might even work some Spinervals into my daily routine on top of my outdoor riding.
From the midpoint of March to the end of April I will focus on my climbing fitness. This means at least two days a week of hill interval work and one day a week of extended climbing. This will be getting me ready for my 6th attempt at Wintergreen. I would really like to place this year as I did my in my first attempt.
From May through September I will work on my endurance and extended speed. This should help me out in the Hotter n' Hell and any 12 and 24 hour races that I attempt.
I know this is a very loose plan, but I have found that the tighter the training plan, the shorter I follow it. So here goes the 2010 racing season!
06 February 2010
A Goal and a Plan
Every summer the Breaker and I attempt a stupid biking event. The first summer it was simply the Morning Glory in Cincinnati, OH. Second summer, the Triple Bypass in Colorado. Third summer, the 24 Hours of Allamuchy (solo) in Allamuchy, NJ. Last summer a little accident ran our plans amuck and we were forced to shrink our goals to a diminutive 40 mile mountain bike race call the Black Bear Rampage in Tennessee.
This year our sights are set on the Hotter n' Hell 100 in Wichita Falls, TX. A 100 mile paved romp through the scorched state of Texas in August- sounds fun! In the process of attempting this ride there will be some other events to gauge my fitness. You know events like Wintergreen Ascent in May, the Cowbell Challenge in June, and hopefully a couple of 6/12 hour mtb races (solo or team), a few road races, and maybe a 24 (solo or team) to fill out the mix.
In order to attempt a pretty full competitive schedule I will need to start training on the first of the year... ooops! Already missed that. I guess I will have to settle for February 7th. Yay! The end of the NFL season will coincide with the beginning of my training.
As for the plan... I will come up with something over the next week and use this blog and you readers as my motivation.
22 January 2010
Product Review #1: Maxxis Ignitor tires
I have ridden a mess of tires over the past 8 years. On the mountain bike side of things, Kenda, Continental, Specialized,Toiga, IRC, and WTB tires have all found their way onto my wheels. My favorite all around rubber though has to be the Maxxis Ignitor 2.1 w/ Silkworm Technology. It is my race tire and my trail tire of choice (when we have it available).
They roll fast, grip hardpack to sticky mud well, and are about the lightest thing on the market with any tread. And they are fairly puncture resistant (only two flats ever while racing them). What I am really looking forward to is trying them tubeless this summer on my XC race wheels. I currently run them around 30 psi front and rear, but from some previouse (although punctured) experience I think they will run even better around 20 psi. So if you are in the market for an all around tire for the upcoming XC season or just to ride on the local trails, check out the Ignitor: they won't let you down.
Enjoy the trails.
21 January 2010
Ohhh to be in the 50s again... a public letter to mother nature.
Dear Mother Nature,
I began riding again last week. Put in some good miles, had some great rides, really enjoyed myself. You blessed me with some great weather over my four days off. And then I worked for three days (I look forward to these three days every week- not complaining). Following my three days of labor, you decided to have fun with me again.
You have thrown an intolerable mix of cool weather and soaking rain, two things that as a cyclist, I am ill-equipped to deal with (even with my best wool jersey and "waterproof" shell). This is so wrong. Either give me a nice two weeks of weather so I can work the kinks out and really kick some butt on the bike- or give me foul weather all the time so I can get used to it, suck it up, and be a man (or a softly crying baby depending on my mood).
Anyway, my dearest Mother Nature, please keep me in mind when you throw your next low pressure system towards Damascus. I would really just like to ride my bike in unchanging conditions for a while. No more of the false hope stuff please.
Yours (quite literally) truly,
Steve
P.S. Oh... and thank you for making Saturday sunny with a high in the 50s.
I began riding again last week. Put in some good miles, had some great rides, really enjoyed myself. You blessed me with some great weather over my four days off. And then I worked for three days (I look forward to these three days every week- not complaining). Following my three days of labor, you decided to have fun with me again.
You have thrown an intolerable mix of cool weather and soaking rain, two things that as a cyclist, I am ill-equipped to deal with (even with my best wool jersey and "waterproof" shell). This is so wrong. Either give me a nice two weeks of weather so I can work the kinks out and really kick some butt on the bike- or give me foul weather all the time so I can get used to it, suck it up, and be a man (or a softly crying baby depending on my mood).
Anyway, my dearest Mother Nature, please keep me in mind when you throw your next low pressure system towards Damascus. I would really just like to ride my bike in unchanging conditions for a while. No more of the false hope stuff please.
Yours (quite literally) truly,
Steve
P.S. Oh... and thank you for making Saturday sunny with a high in the 50s.
09 January 2010
The Benefits of a Stuck Car
When the weather turns this bad (I haven't seen temperatures above freezing in weeks) it becomes next to impossible to motivate yourself to ride. Unless of course your car is not in working order. Or is stuck in such a way that attempting to move it might cause it to fall down a 10 foot embankment.
The latter is the predicament my beloved (and hated) explorer currently rests in. Another foot to the passenger side and it will, in all likely hood, roll down into a 10 foot gully that runs up to the side of our driveway.
This has led me to bike everywhere that I need to go. And being that it keeps snowing and making traction along the side of my driveway worse, it looks like I will at least be riding to work for a week if not more. And if I am already out on a bike, why the heck should I just ride to and from town? So I will probably get some real snow riding in this week which is just one thing to be excited about.
The latter is the predicament my beloved (and hated) explorer currently rests in. Another foot to the passenger side and it will, in all likely hood, roll down into a 10 foot gully that runs up to the side of our driveway.
This has led me to bike everywhere that I need to go. And being that it keeps snowing and making traction along the side of my driveway worse, it looks like I will at least be riding to work for a week if not more. And if I am already out on a bike, why the heck should I just ride to and from town? So I will probably get some real snow riding in this week which is just one thing to be excited about.
02 January 2010
Bringing in the New Year
Being a cyclist makes celebrating hard. You can't train as effectively after partying and eating copious amounts of food. But when the holidays (as mentioned in my previous post) come in the off season, it is hard to avoid. So with multiple Christmas dinners under my belt I arrived at my doctors office for my yearly asthma checkup. Here of course they weigh each patient. This time the scale read 162. Now when I got home (to the trailer) I weighed in at 159. It was with that in mind that I chose how to celebrate the New Year.
First I made some goals. I want to weigh 135 for Wintergreen. For the remainder of the season I would like to stick between 140 and 145. I want a top 5 at Wintergreen. And I want to win a race this year.
Second I set a start date. January 2nd (today) I will begin dieting and training to achieve my goals.
Third I set a last hoorah. This coincided with celebrating New Years Eve and so forth.
With that Jared and I set forth on a road trip. 2 hours up to pick up Jess, followed by 3 hours to Stephen's house for the festivities. Stephen's plan included food, beverages of the adult variety, and a rather large bonfire. Sounded fun to us. And boy was it. Whoever thought that Dinwhitty, VA could hold so much in store for us.
To begin with, using a little patience, a lot of old homework, questionable amounts of accelerants, two road flares, and a blow torch we started a 10 foot high by 10 foot wide pile of wood on fire. On top of this we added one and a half cords of split wood, two bags of M2000, one package of Black Cat firecrackers, a tire (on wheel) and eventually a couch. The fire kept us warm from 8 when we started it until around 3 in the morning.
At this point we headed in the house for pizzas and water to ward off the consequences that faced us in the morning. And with that, we all headed to our respective sleeping areas.
Yesterday we made it back in 5 hours and that brings me to my fourth step. I need to plan all of this dieting and training stuff out for the next few months. Yipeee.
All in all though, it looks like its going to be an amazing year.
First I made some goals. I want to weigh 135 for Wintergreen. For the remainder of the season I would like to stick between 140 and 145. I want a top 5 at Wintergreen. And I want to win a race this year.
Second I set a start date. January 2nd (today) I will begin dieting and training to achieve my goals.
Third I set a last hoorah. This coincided with celebrating New Years Eve and so forth.
With that Jared and I set forth on a road trip. 2 hours up to pick up Jess, followed by 3 hours to Stephen's house for the festivities. Stephen's plan included food, beverages of the adult variety, and a rather large bonfire. Sounded fun to us. And boy was it. Whoever thought that Dinwhitty, VA could hold so much in store for us.
To begin with, using a little patience, a lot of old homework, questionable amounts of accelerants, two road flares, and a blow torch we started a 10 foot high by 10 foot wide pile of wood on fire. On top of this we added one and a half cords of split wood, two bags of M2000, one package of Black Cat firecrackers, a tire (on wheel) and eventually a couch. The fire kept us warm from 8 when we started it until around 3 in the morning.
At this point we headed in the house for pizzas and water to ward off the consequences that faced us in the morning. And with that, we all headed to our respective sleeping areas.
Yesterday we made it back in 5 hours and that brings me to my fourth step. I need to plan all of this dieting and training stuff out for the next few months. Yipeee.
All in all though, it looks like its going to be an amazing year.
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