Off to Frost Bike

Hi All,

I am heading out tomorrow for Minneapolis, MN for Frost Bike. This is a 4 day long trade show put on by the largest vendor of bicycle parts and accessories in the US. So, in other words, I will be ogling all the new toys and technologies while freezing my butt off in the colder portion of the Mid-West. The night I get back to Cincinnati I will turn around and drive to Cleveland to hit up Ray's indoor park for a day. Then a day of work and Jess and I head back to Roanoke.

I will try and post some pics and some of the exciting news that I have been keeping the lid on over the past few months.

Catch you on the flip side.

Damascus, VA: Help us win Coolest Small Town!

Hi all,

Just found out that my adopted home town of Damscus, VA has been nominated for the Coolest Small Town in America award. And has made it to the final 10! Now it is up to us to raise the votes needed to win this  award. Bellow is a brief description of the town.

Damascus, VA

(Population: 1,066)

It calls itself Trail Town, USA, and the title is no hyperbole. In addition to the fact that Damascus’s main street runs on top of the Appalachian Trail, the town serves as a crossroads for a half-dozen wilderness and cultural pathways. The town commemorates its unique location with an annual Trail Days celebration in the spring that gathers hikers and other outdoorsy types for three days of free concerts, film screenings, and, of course, guided hikes. For tired travelers looking for a touch of comfort, the 12-room Damascus Old Mill overlooks Laurel Creek and is a stone’s throw from the Virginia Creeper Trail—no one rests for long around these parts! For an extra pick-me-up, there’s always Mojoe’s Trailside Coffee, whose “trail magic” drink mixes espresso, ice cream, and caramel into a sweet concoction for a burst of quick energy.

So get over the following link and vote for Damscus!

America's Coolest Small Town 2012

Happy New Years!

Just wanted to say Happy New Years and a big thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past season. Everyone who reads this blog, encourages me at work, pushes me in training, keeps me awake on the drive to races (Chris, Luke, Jess, Jacob), and supports me in any other way... Thank You!

Also if anyone is interested in a great photographer, Dave Witt, one of my coworkers took this shot at the Harbin Park UCI race. 

Winter Hibernation

As you all have undoubtedly noticed... (or not)... I have been quite delinquent in my posting the past few months. I have had a few races (more on that later), a little travel, a cold, an injury, sold a bike, bought a new one, and completely procrastinated on this whole Christmas shopping thing. As usual.

First off- racing. I wrapped up both the DInO and OMBC series. My last race in the DInO series was a giant blowup. We ran flat out for 21 miles with no let up. Halfway through the second lap I was running second when I just ran out of steam. Had I raced more conservatively I could have held on for a podium, but instead I went for broke and wound up one step out of the prizes.

 My last OMBC race went much the same, except for the fact that I didn't eat breakfast before the race. And my left foot and calf cramped. And I wound up two steps off the podium. The good news out of both of these races is that I preserved my finish in both series. 1st in CAT 2 19-29 for DInO. 5th in CAT 19-29 in OMBC. Not bad for my first real season of racing.

I have also jumped into a few cross races. A ton of fun, but no results worth mentioning. That's what cross is for me though, the fun of racing without the stress.

As usual, for my sisters birthday. Only this time, I came back home with a sprained foot and ankle. From stepping in a hole. While spinning my cousin around by her feet. And dropped her on her head. She's ok. I am still limping around two weeks later.

And I still need to do my Christmas shopping. So with that I am leaving you all for a few weeks. At least. I'll have some exciting news on the other side of the holidays tune back in.

A long two months

It has been a while since I posted last, around two months actually. Longer than I would like, but life gets in the way sometimes. Over the past month I have raced in a handful of races, picked out a fourth place and a fifth place in two highly competitive races in Indiana and Ohio, raced (and stayed upright) in my first cyclocross race, and fell in love with road riding all over again.

There comes a time towards the end of every Summer that I get burned out on riding. I still enjoy going out for a romp in the woods, but I can't stand to go out and train on the road. It usually hits me late August or early September and last for a few weeks. This year it has taken me a full 5 weeks of not touching my road bike to get it out of my system. Last Tuesday Justin talked me into a hilly little route around Mitchell Memorial Forrest in Cincy. 34 miles and 2300 feet of climbing later I was back in love with skinny tires. The next day was my last group ride for the year with one loyal customer showing up for a pleasant evening ride. And Friday morning began our weekly staff ride. All in all it the perfect time of year to be on the bike. Brisk mornings that call for arm warmers and vests. Warm afternoons that leave you exhausted, but not soaked with sweat.

Last Thursday also brought about my first hike in quite a while. Jess and I headed down to Red River Gorge, KY for some hiking and light bouldering. Here is a shot of the Double Arch that we climbed up and around.

After that amazing week, I capped it off with an awesome dip into cyclocross. What a hoot. 30 minutes of all out racing in the mud and grass with piles of logs and barriers to run over... whats not to like as a spectator or a racer. Besides the lung searing, leg tearing pain of it all for the racer. All in all I had a blast and moved up form dead last (39th) to 19th over the course of 4 laps. Next time I will get a call up somehow and try and get a top ten. 

Well time for bed. Enjoy the awesome Fall!

One edit before I hit the sack: I took the Doing INdiana Outdoor (DInO) Series 19-29 Cat 2 championships for 2011! Should be getting a jersey sometime this Winter.