!Rock!

Yooper Loop Road Trip

After logging 170 miles at 24/9, I rested my legs, back and butt Sunday evening. Monday I was up early, transforming my steel quiring MTB into a road touring bike. This consisted of:

-removing Reba suspension fork, installing rigid carbon fork

-removing heavy dirt tires, installing 'flat proof' specialized armadillo 23/25c road tires

-installing a 44x15 gear ratio

That accomplished, it was time to get some rest and prepare for the first day on the road...

I was up early Tuesday as I wanted to get on the road and get the first day of travel under my belt. Right away, I noticed that I had over-estimated what I could cram into my Ergon BD1 pack and under-estimated what I would like to carry with me on the trip. I ended up leaving some things behind at the hotel in Wausau; two books, a few items of clothing, etc. Still, I headed out on the road with a very full pack with two bundles strapped to the outside.

I got about 7 miles down the road before things started to get interesting. The unmistakable sound of air escaping from my rear tire did not fill be with joy. I've had great luck with the specialized armadillo tires; prior to this ride they have never let me down. Anyway, I got off the bike and looked at the tire and tube--no visible problems. Oh, well. Just bad luck I guess.

Continued on down the road, until about mile 44. The unmistakable sound of air escaping from the rear tire was even less welcome this time around. Off the bike, dismount the tire and tube. Flip tire inside-out; still not visible problem. Super-close inspection of tube reveals no damage. Hmmm, this is not good. Review of repair supplies reveals one (1) spare tube remaining, three CO2 cartridges, and zero (0) pumps on hand. This could get interesting.

Mile 50 brings me to an interesting site; a gas station/county library/personal residence. I walk in and started talking to the station attendant/librarian/homeowner; did she have a tire pump that would fit a presta tube? (A pretzel tube?!? What's that?) How about a tire patch kit? (Yep, for a car tire...) Perhaps some CO2 cartridges? (You mean like for a BB gun? Sure, I've got a few right here...) I also picked up a bungee cord to strap some of the crap hanging off my pack to the handlebar instead.

Anyway, I headed off with not much more than 50 miles to go. The rest of the day passed without significant event. The roads were good, the weather was hot but not awful. I had no problems with dogs or irate drivers. My a$$ was a bit some, but my legs and back were doing just fine. I have to hand it to the people at Ergon; the BD1 was comfortable on my back all day long and that thing had to have 40-50 pounds of gear and water stuffed inside.

After reaching the hotel in Crivitz, WI I wandered over the the grocery store, bought some neosporin with pain reliever (a bit of ass chap in the works...), some beer and a magazine. Then next door to subway for a foot-long steak sub. Eat, drink, read, hit the sack. 104 miles down, 261 to go...

I know I owe you all some updates from my road trip, but since I got back to Portland I haven't been feeling my best; you know, aversion to light, craving for human brains, etc.

Also, it has been blasted hot here and that plays havoc with my compy. As soon as it cools down I'll post some updates.

Not *quite* what I had in mind...

Twelve laps. 7th place.

Some races, everything goes just like it should. See Spokane 24 for details. Sometimes things just don't go your way. This was one of those races.

I don't feel like getting down into the gritty details, but I had just about every kind of problem; mechanical, physical, psychological. None catastrophic alone, but together they were more than I wanted to deal with. And as always, I came away with a bunch of lessons learned. Here are a few:

-Flying to a 24 Hour race is a pain
-Heavy tires are great for 12 hours
-I9 wheels are too stiff for a 24-hour race
-a fork that is set too stiff isn't cool
-a fork that is blowing oil isn't cool
-you can never have a gear that is *too easy*

Oh, the list could go on. But I think that is enough for now.

Later this week, I'll share the story of the 450 miles I logged on the singlespeed in the week *after* 24/9.

Hint: It's a *much* happier story.

Tick Tock; Tick Tock

The watch keeps ticking.

The time of reckoning is drawing near.

Tick tock; tick tock...

Photo swiped from here.

Things that are awsome

1. 54mm carbon tubular wheels
2. Super-light tubular tires
3. Flying up the hills and on the flats.

Things that suck:

1. Flatting on tubulars.

Still here...

... still doing what I do.

Rode tabor last week. I was not a dominant force. Nick killed it, however, and won the race and the series. Good on ya, Nick!

Had a great ride out a Larch Mountain in Washington this weekend. Some crazy ups and even crazier downs. I'm talking about exposed, 300+ foot drops, flint-edged rocks over the edge, with dinner-plate sized loose rocks on the trail. At 20+ mph. My fancy I-9 wheels may never be the same...

As Paddy pointed out, I have strayed a bit from the singlespeed orthodoxy of the past few years. Don't get me wrong; I still turn to the single when I need to get the job done and I can't imaging doing a 24 on anything but a single. But for some of the straight-up fun rides out here on the left coast, a handful of gears and 3" of cushy suspension is just the ticket. And the team hooked me up with a pretty sweet deal on the Kona Hei-Hei 29er, so I couldn't say 'no'. All in all, I've been very happy with my purchase.

Sounds like some MTB and some road this weekend. The weather has taken a turn for the best out here, and I plan to make the most of it. Between rides, I'll finish prep work for 9 Mile. I have plans for that race. Big plans. Redemption plans.

Don't test me.

Just kidding.

But really; don't test me...

I may not be fast, but I sure look good...

Bikes...

...are for riding, so that's what I did yesterday.

Took the kona out for an easy ride with Nick and Dylan. "A couple of guys might show up on downhill rigs..." we were told. No sweat, I didn't want to go too fast today anyway.

Too bad it was Matt Slavin and the guy that got 4th at Cream Puff (in singlespeed) the week before. And a sprinkling of other fast dudes from Tonkin's MTB School and elsewhere. Ouch. 25 miles, 4 hours and about 5000 feet of climbing later, I was bushed. But I've just about got the suspension dialed on the kona.

The new road frame is nearly built up. Just need some h-bars and tape from my boy Jeff Palma. Mt. Tabor will be tamed!

Also need to make a few small adjustments to the Short Track Weapon. 8th Place was ok, but podium is better. Or at least top 5.

News Flash - I've got my eye on you...

1. I bought my airline ticket for 9 Mile today. The die has been cast.

2. I did an all-michigan MTB ride tonight. Me, Bernie, Jeff Palma, and Nate from the Hellriders. We rode Scapoose. Then we feasted on Mexican food. Good Times!

3. I broke down and ordered a cheap road frame to replace the Airborne that was cracked at the Mississippi Crit. Mt. Tabor must be Dominated!

Monday

Tried to race short track. 5 minutes late to start, but that didn't stop them from selling me an entry...

Anyway, the Quiring Ti is set up for the super-fast short stuff. Dirty, with 2 cages, a computer mount and an Ignitor on the front it is sitting at 19.4 pounds.

Oh, I likes me some Quiring... :)

Sunday

30 miles, 5000 feet of climbing, lots of vigilantes and non-vigilantes, only one flat and lots of laughter and good times.

About that whole leg-shaving thing...

Smooth as a baby's bottom!

Fuckow

1. Lost the roller thingy for the DD-X that allows it to run a front shifter. Can't put gears on that sucker without it.

2. Managed to bend the alloy hanger on the road frame back into shape. (Yes, I know that is not smart; read on, it doesn't matter...)

3. During cleaning of said road frame, noticed that the frame is *cracked* at the seat stay - seat tube junction!

4. Camera seems to be broken, so I can't even take picture of said frame in lame bid for sympathy.

This seems like a good time to get back to mountain biking...

Update

So nothing in my shoulder is broken. At least, I don't think so. I went for a MTB ride yesterday. It was a longish day, with about 25 miles and 4000 feet of climbing. The shoulder was sore, but I felt like I was riding pretty strong all day.

But it still hurts. And now the whole thing is developing what I'm sure will be a pretty dramatic bruise. When it gets good and colorful I'll take another picture.

Not sure what is on tap for this week. I wanted to get out and do Tabor again, but I don't think I'll have a road bike that is ready to go. I could put gears back on the DD-X, but I'm not sure I want to go that route. That bike has developed into a nice commuter. There is supposed to be a team ride starting up soon on Thursday evenings, but that would also require a road bike. We'll just have to see how things work out...

Hey Man, let's go race a crit...

...that sounds like fun!

Not!

I'm still here...

...and I'm still riding. Did a fun/hard ride on Sunday. Been doing some bike commuting. I'm off to do the Fat Tire ride in just a minute.

Some stuff from the last post sold, some is still lingering around. Let me know if you want any of it.

Big bike stuff this weekend. No time to post about it right now, but look for some stories in the near future...

Bunch o' stuff for sale...

The time has come to clean out the spare parts bin! This stuff is all going on craigslist/ebay/mtbr next week, so if you want something speak now or pay 20% more later...

Airborne ti frame, used/scuffed/ridden hard but still straight and serviceable. Rim brake only. $200

Boone ti chainring for White Industries ENO crank, used but very good condition; $65

Brand New ENO Cranks; 175mm, no chainring, never used: $140

Used Eno Cranks; 175mm, used and scuffed but still work great, includes used but servicable 34t chainring: $100

New Eno Chainring, 44t, mounted and chain installed but never pedaled, silver: $20

New Eno Chainring, 34t, silver: $20

New Eno Chainring, 32t, green, $20

Phil Wood ti BB, 124mm, +5mm offset, 2 installation tools, and 2 alloy english-threaded mounting rings (i.e. everything you need to install this sucker...) I installed it once but never pedaled with it. It is in brand-new condition. $125

FSA Carbon Pro Crank Arms (no rings), 175mm, ISIS splined, 110 BDC, used and scuffed but working fine: $50

Thomson Elite x4 stem, silver, 10 degree x 130mm, used with a few cosmetic scrapes but fully-functional: $40

Thomson Elite x2 stem, black, 17 degree x 130mm, used with one small scratch (10mm) otherwise like new: $50

29er Wheelset; shimano 535 hubs laced Sun Equilizer rims. Six-bolt disk only, no rim brake. With cassette, skewers, and Maxis Ignitor tires installed. These are brand-new take-off wheels from a Kona Hei-Hei 29er; they still have that little plastic thing behind the cassette. Heavy, but good for winter/back-up use. $100. I really don't want to ship these...

I think that's it. If you think I'm off-base on a price, let me know and we can work something out. You pay whatever actual shipping cost turns out to be. I have pictures of most of this stuff that I will send on request.

Buy this stuff and help fund the rest of my season! :)

(Mostly) Recovery Week

Has it really been a week since the 24-hr race? I guess so...

Didn't ride at all until Thursday. Since the car is in the shop, I commuted to work (10 miles) and road the Fat Tire Farm ride (25+ miles). That was enough. Rode to work on Friday but otherwise chilled.

Saturday was the Team Time Trail. I'd never done a TTT before; I'd never done a road TT before, for that matter. Although the results were not stellar, a good time was had by all. I think it worked out to be about 25 mph average for 1:07 or so. Not shabby for a bunch of cat4/cat5 TT rookies.

Getting back into the swing of things this week. Maybe some PIR, maybe some Mt. Tabor; it's hard to say at this point. If the weather is good, who knows what might happen?

24 Hours Round the Clock 2008 Race Report

Many things have to go right to win a 24-hour solo singlespeed mountain bike race. A minimum level of physical fitness is necessary to stay on the bike for 24+ hours. A certain degree of mental toughness is required; no matter what shape you are in physically, it is a mental challenge to keep riding hour after hour. Proper equipment is an important part of the equation; if parts keep falling off your bike, it is hard to keep riding. Luck is also helpful. At the 24 Hours Round the Clock race over Memorial Day weekend, I had the minimum necessary amount in all of these areas and was able to notch up my first 24-hour solo singlespeed victory.

The defining characteristic of this race for my was the lack of drama. The weather was benign, the course was mostly flat and not technically challenging, and all of my equipment function as designed. My food plan was executed to the letter, my pit stops all went smoothly, and I suffered only one small crash with no significant consequences.

I limited my long training rides in the early season this year, capping rides at around 6 hours for the most part. I was worried that this would leave my unprepared to a long day in the saddle, but instead I was able to enter the first long race of the season with strong but well-rested legs. My body felt good for the entire race, and I was able to finish with some reserve of energy.

I went with a completely liquid diet for this race. Heed and Sustained Energy mixed to 300 calories per bottle were consumed every 60-90 minutes. I had Gu2O on hand, but ended up drinking very little. I supplemented the food bottle with Hammer Gel when the laps got closer to 90 minutes. I never got sick or felt excessively hungry or thirsty during the ride.

The twin Quiring bikes were perfect! I rode the ti bike for the first 10 laps and the final lap. I could really feel the bike soaking up the braking bumps on the course. This bike had a Reba suspension fork, which was useful for the couple of 100-foot rock garden sections of the course. I did find that running the Ignitor up front and Small Block 8 in the rear at the minimum rated pressure produced a ride that was a bit too harsh. I believe this is due to the design of the Stan's ZTR rims and the stiffness of the Industry 9 wheels. I could have let a bit of air out of both tires without a problem. I switched to the full-rigid bike for 6 laps. The overall weight of the bike was a bit less than it's ti brother because the carbon fork is so light. Running fat tires (Nevegal front and Karma 2.2 rear) made the bike feel even more plush than the ti model! I chalk some of this plushness up to the compliant build of the Mike Curiak wheels vs. the ultra-stiff I-9's.

The competition at this race was pretty stiff. Many of the racers had done this race before; the number 2 and number 3 finishers from last year we present. I was able to get out ahead on the first lap and stay ahead all race. The number 2 rider stayed a consistent 20-30 minutes behind me for most of the race. I was able to open the gap a bit in the final laps, eventually reaching a 45-minute cushion. I found that racing from the front is a good tactic for me. Being the leader on the course was the extra bit of motivation I needed to keep riding strong until the very end of the race.

The Best Support Person Ever lived up to her title. In this case, I gave her very little to do, but just knowing that she was there ready to jump into action put my mind at ease.

Some final thoughts: While I am glad I did this race, I don't know that it is a venue that I will return to next year. I liked that the promoter paid cash in the single speed category; that is almost unheard of! But the course wasn't very challenging and I found myself getting bored. I'll let it settle for a while and see how I feel with some further reflection.

Not it's time to start thinking about Cream Puff and beyond that; 9 Mile...

Spokane 24 Hour in Pictures

The Run

The Race

Sweet, sweet victory!

Angry Podium.

The aftermath...

Results

17 Laps
250 Miles
1st Place Singlespeed

Body=battered but serviceable.
Bikes=perfect in every way (both suspended [11 laps] and full rigid [6 laps]).

Pictures and stories to follow.

Countdown

I leave for Spokane tomorrow. Mostly packed, and I pick up the old Q from the bike shop (shortened the brake lines and trued the wheels...) tonight. Gear lists have been checked and rechecked. The car will get packed tomorrow and then it is time to head northeast.

Weather looks interesting. It has gone from sunny and cool to wet and cold-ish. That's fine for me; it's a good way to separate the men from the boys. And I guess I don't need to buy any more sunscreen.

Lots of pictures and a few videos should be available on Monday or Tuesday. Quick race report as soon as I get back.

A taste of things to come...

Still no pics...

...but I took the new ti bike to the shop to have a couple things done to the brakes before the big 24hr race in Spokane. Threw it on the scale. The verdict: Dirty, Jones bar, with computer mount, 2 water bottle cages, and a Reba and an Ignitor on the front she still came in at 22 lbs even.

That means sub-20 in XC trim.

Nice.

Still Here...

...still riding bikes. Lots of interesting stuff happening. Still don't have my camera back from d-bag so still no pics! I know, my blogging rep is falling away fast.

Return of the Mystery Stomach Ailment this weekend. Went to the doc today. Blood screens back in a few days. Most likely nothing serious, but lets run some tests 'just in case'.

I'm down with that.

Snappy Cap in route. We'll break her in real good Memorial Day Weekend!

Stay tuned...

The Nate Versluis Training Method, version 2.0

Best done after a 75-mile day on the road bike.

Quick non-picture update

My camera is still a Dylan's place. Soon the site with be adorned with bike porn; just bear with me.

Busy week at works means not as much riding as I would like. What little riding I've done has been on the new bike, which continues to impress. I gave it a pretty serious mud workout today. It passed the test with flying colors.

Nice weather tomorrow means a long ride on the road. I switch out the rear shifter cable and housing on the road bike yesterday. That was the first time that cable had been changed. I bought that bike in 2003. I'm not sure what that means, but I wish all my bikes were like that.

Oh, wait a minute. None of my other bike *have* shifter cables...

Anyway, pictures and ride reports to follow.

Quick Update

Built up the new Ti Quiring frame last night. Did a 4-hour shake-down cruise today in Forrest Park. Verdict? Awesome with a side order of Perfection! The steel bike is great, but it is nice to be back on ti. I had a vision for this bike all the way back in '06 when I ordered the steel bike from Scott. After many twists and turns, I have what I think is the ultimate set of bikes for single speed endurance racing. Pictures to follow shortly, both of the new bike and of the two bikes together.

Man, I really like these bikes. Thanks, Scott Quiring!

In other news, I think I have most of the bugs worked out of the road bike as well. I think it will get a shakedown on Monday and maybe a trip out to PIR to mix it up in the 4/5 race on Tuesday.

Ruminations and Revelations

So, I've been reflecting on Sea Otter. Here are a couple of thoughts:

1. Short Track - I am not a short track kind of guy. Go super-hard from a dead stop on a tiny course. Sort of like cross without the barriers and mud. Or cool atmospher or beer. The race was over before I got warmed up.

But the cool thing about this race is that I got to ride a Pivot FS bike. Now, you know me; I'm not a FS or geared kind of guy. But this trip was about trying new things, and this race was an opportunity to do just that. The bike was awesome! It handled the course with ease, and although I didn't lock anything out it didn't feel like riding a sick water Buffalo. I'm kind of bummed that I didn't get a chance to ride this bike out on the XC course. I was offered the opportunity, but declined in favor of a plate of pad thai.

2. Road Circuit Race - I have to admit that I was surprised to do so poorly in this race. I'm no road racing stud, but I've won Cat 5 races before. More than once. So to get dropped at the start just didn't seem right. I was dealing with a stomach issue, not enough sleep, etc. But still; dropped from a Cat 5 race? It just didn't seem right.

So I was looking at the road bike this afternoon. I noticed that the new Rival crank I had installed just before leaving for Sea Otter was tight. Very tight. Like, I had a hard time turning it. I almost did a post before I left about how I greatly favor the Shimano method of attaching cranks as opposed to the Sram method. The pinch bolts (or whatever they are called) on the Shimano stuff is idiot-proof. Apparently, the Sram stuff is not. I loosened the bolt on the non-drive crank arm and what do you know? Now the crank spins... I know, I know; excuses are like ass-holes. Nevertheless, this makes me feel at least a little bit better.

So make of that what you will. It was still a good trip; the stories I heard on the way down and back were worth the price of admission. But some better results should be on the horizon soon. That will be fun, too.

All sorts of update...

New bike on the way.

New team kit on the way.

I can't race Expert XC (39 of 43) Short Track (lapped and pulled) or Cat 5 Road Circuit Road Race (lapped and pulled) to save my bacon.

But I still like bacon.

Overall, the trip to Sea Otter was a good one despite the poor results. I had some sort of stomach issue that kept me from eating right, and the 13+ hour drive on Thursday didn't help. But let's face it; short races are not my thing. I was feeling pretty good 2 hours into the XC race; that is not how those races are won.

I got to stay with the Yakima Bike Vigilantes, with whom I will be riding this season. They are a great bunch of guys, and I think this will be a fun year no matter what results get put up.

Looking forward to getting the new bike built up and ready for Spokane. Not sure about goals for that race yet. Stay tuned for pictures and stories...

Off to Sea Otter!

I leave for Sea Otter tomorrow. I'll be traveling with the Yakima Bike Vigilantes. Should be a good time. Jason will be there as well. Good times will be had by all.

Perhaps some pictures will be taken. We'll see.

Good news should just be flowing off this page over the next few weeks. A bike here, a bike there. Some new kit. All capped off by the best support crew ever coming out of retirement for the Spokane 24hr race over Memorial Day.

Mmmmm, the sweet, sweet smell of victory. It's in the air; can you smell it?

I can.

It's Saturday, that means...

...time to ride bikes! 111 miles on the singled-out DD-X. 6:15 moving time. Not bad; I would have done the sub-5 hour hundy but I got bit by the headwind. Oh, and that one hill in the middle of the ride. The graph makes it look more dramatic than it really is, being that it's only 600 feet or so. The rest of the ride was dead flat.

The weather here went from crap to awesome in one day. It was sunny and in the 80's here today; there were so many people in the park by the river that I thought maybe there was an anti-war protest going on or something. It was just about standing room only in there. I went through five water bottles on my ride, and I now sport tan lines.

Only one other noteworthy ride this past week. As mentioned before, Eric Tonkin puts on a ride on Wednesdays called "Mountain Bike School". He ought to call it "Mountain Bike Catholic School" because when I finish it I feel like I've been worked over by a pack of sadistic nuns with weighted rulers. I've come out of that ride with fresh bruised both times I've done it. The ride isn't long at under 90 minutes, but it is full-on hammering from the word go. When my eyes aren't bleeding from the climbs, my shins are bleeding from the high-speed get-offs on the descents. In other words, it's mountain biking! I love it.

Easy week coming up, until Thursday when I drive down to Sea Otter and do three races in three days. Not looking for any great results, but I do plan to have a good time.

What to eat? How to ride?

How I chow...

How I roll...

Funny how I look just as happy doing one as the other!

By the way, the name of that dish? "ManCakes"; I kid you not. If you eat three, they put your picture up on the wall. Someone suggested that this post should have been titled "Eat Joe Eat!"

Bottom picture credit to Dave Roth. More of Dave's pictures can be found here.

So, what'd you do on Saturday?

Me, I did 45 miles and 8700 feet of climbing in just under 4 hours, according to Dr. Garmin. Used the road bike with a 39x25 small gear. Walked a very small portion of one climb, and cleaned all the rest. Had to make use of my 40-rpm singlespeed training. This ride put the hurt on my pretty good. Did I mention it was in the mid-40's? Or that it rained for the last 90 minutes? Well, it did.

I skipped the XC MTB race today. The legs just weren't feeling it.

More interesting news to follow later this week...

On your left...

I did my first duathlon on Sunday. The format was run-bike, the distances were 6 miles and 15 miles. "That's not too bad..." I thought to myself as I registered.

Ha!

The run was a 'Trail Run', except about a quarter of the time there was no trail. I was simply running through the woods like a deer. Or maybe more like a hippo, or a llama. Down super slick slopes, up ravines, through brambles; it was a pretty intense course. Although difficult, this course slowed down the faster runners, allowing me to get to the bike section in the top 20. The six miles took me about 57 minutes.

I was quite pleased when I got to the bike section. I could see that there were still quite a few bikes left on the rack, and I knew that I had the right bike (single speed) and the right experience (lots of time riding in mud...) to do well on the course. I started passing other riders right away. It was very hard riding, since the course was mostly covered in slick mud and had several deep bogs. Some sections were quite rutted and others had puddles of unknown depth. Taken together, the bike course was challenging but well-suited to my bike, setup, and riding style.

In the end, I was the 5th person across the line out of 56 starters and 47 finishers. As luck would have it, I was second singlespeed. The guy who won the overall was on a Gary Fisher Rig. Two out of the top 5 on 29er singlespeeds...at a duathlon! Gotta love it.

Results: http://www.xdogevents.com/Assets/Results/DIRTYEVENTS08.HTM

Pictures from the event to follow. They took a ton of pictures; should be interesting. The bike is trashed, as you would expect from a mud fest.

Riding this week on Wednesday and Thursday. First XC race of the season on Sunday. Did somebody just cry "Havoc!"...

Still Here...

Sort of an easy week on the bike. The weather here turned cold (for Portland) and I have been right on the edge of getting sick. So instead of riding, I did some running and some bike maintenance.

Running? Why in the world would I wan to do that? A little something called the Dirty Du. I decided to do that instead of another road race. I can do road races almost any weekend here; how often can I trail run and ride my bike in the same event?

The clincher? They have a singlespeed class... I predict a top-5 finish. :)

First real MTB race of the year is next weekend. Then it is just a hop, skip and a jump to Sea Otter and that puts 24 Hours of Spokane right around the corner.

Good Times...

A use for the fixed DD-X

http://www.mttaborseries.com/fixed

Portland; I (heart) you!

Last Week Wrap Up

Rode on Thursday. It was very wet and very cold. I mean VERY cold. One of those leg-shaking, teeth-chattering suffer-fest downhills out of the park. It rained from start to finish on this ride, and I suffered the entire time. That makes two weeks in a row of less-than-perfect weather and/or body conditions at the Park. Somthin's Got To Give....

Saturday was a nice road ride. I made a wrong turn, so I only ended up with 2.5 hours, but I packed in over 4000 feet of climbing. It was a cool but sunny day, and there were lots of other cyclists on the road. I took Germantown from Highway 30 up to Skyline again. It was much easier on a geared bike. Go figure.

XC Skied on Sunday. The snow was sort of crappy, but it was actually nice to see some snow for a change. And talk about snow; the bathroom at Teacup had snow up to the roof! Pretty cool. There was more snow falling during the ski; heavy, wet snow. All in all, not the best skiing of all time, but still a good workout and a fun time.

Hardcore stretching (let's not call it yoga...) yesterday, and some walking and bike maintenance on tap for tonight. Not sure what the ride schedule looks like for the rest of the week. It is supposed to be quite wet and cold; if that is the case I think I might strap on the running shoes.

There is a road race on Sunday, and I have started looking at the course profile for Horning's Hustle and Sea Otter. Sea Otter should be fun; I'm thinking about road racing Friday and Saturday (Cat 5 4ever...) and Expert SS XC on Sunday. Mmmm, tastes good *and* it's good for you...

Wednesday in the Park

29 Miles; 4100 feet of climbing. Lots of road and lots of gravel. Very little singletrack.

It was a very good ride tonight. There were 3 29er SS, 2 26er SS, a full-sus and a hardtail. Nice mix. The Yakima Bike Vigilantes were well-represented.

I felt really good. I put on a gear that is two teeth harder than last week (32x18 vs. 32x20) and I was cleaning stuff that had me off the bike last week. Go figure. Felt good all night, and still feel pretty good right now. Back was fine. Having the Jones Bars back on was the right choice. More leverage and easier on the arms and shoulders.

Back to the park tomorrow for the Fat Tire ride. Not sure what is in store for the weekend; fixie ride? First 100-miler of the season? Gravel grinder? I don't know, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

Fixed?

My first real fixed ride. I have the DD-X set up with a White Industries ENO Eccentric hub. I have a 16t freewheel on one side and a 16t fixed cog on the other. After hemming and hawing for the past few weeks, I decided to give the fixed side a try.

Note to self: 48x16 + 2100 feet of climbing (and descending!) might not be the best way to try out this fixed gear thing...

This was my first time taking Germantown Road up to Skyline. I figured it would be a climb; I didn't realize it went pretty much straight up with no rest. About half way up, it started to hail. I didn't care. I was in full suffer mode by that point. Still, it is kind of cool in retrospect. I look forward to giving that climb a try on my other road bike.

Note for new arrivals to the Northwest

Although you will be tempted to spend all your time riding, take a few minutes and lube the screws that hold your cleats to your pedals. Don't wait six months; do it now.

Trust me on this.

While you're at it, just go ahead and put some lube on pretty much every fastener on your bike...

Thursday and back to Forrest Park

About 28 miles; about 4000 feet of climbing. Alas, it was 95% dirt road or regular old pavement. Still, not too bad for a weeknight ride.

The weather has returned to a more winter-like feel. That is to say, 40's and rain. The ride was clear at the start, but the last 30 minutes on Leif Erikson and all the pavement on the way home was in a pretty steady downpour. My hands and feet were fairly cold by the time I got home.

To be honest, I wasn't really feeling the ride tonight. It was ok, but I wasn't feeling great and Brandon was able to drop me at will. The tiny gear didn't help, but for some reason my heart just wasn't in it tonight.

Slapped the Jones Bars on for this ride. I forgot how nice those bars are; they transmit a small fraction of the trail chatter to my hands that I am otherwise forced to deal with when running aluminium bars. The rigid fork was back on as well; I don't want the sus fork to suffer with the rain, and let's face it: that reba is not light. I knew I'd be back on gravel for a while, so the carbon fork got the nod.

Gonna be a light weekend for riding. I'm on call at work, so no cool trips will be had. Good chance to clean up bikes, maybe do a few tune-ups. We'll see...

Syncline Pics

Swiped from Dylan. Although these are good pics, they really don't do the day or the trail justice. You can find more here. Thank you, Yakima Bike Vigilantes, for a great day in the saddle!

The wheels keep spinning

Rode Syncline today. Not as much climbing as I thought, but as you can see it just keeps coming and coming once it starts. The downhill was something to behold.

The day was perfect for riding, and a perfect ride was had by all. Seven riders, no crashes and no real mechanincals. Everybody rode all day in good spirits. The views from the switchbacks and from the top were pretty incredible. Pictures were taken and will be posted or linked to at a later date.

On the down side, I tweaked my back a bit. I believe the weekly rides will calm down a little bit as we adjust routes to accommodate daylight savings time. At least I hope so; I need a chance to recoup the back!

Did I mention that it was in the high 60's and sunny all day? And dry as a bone on the trail? It was. It felt like summer. And this trail is 1:15 from my front door.

What was it like in Michigan today? :)

Garmin Seems to be working...

The ride wasn't all that long, but 3700 feet of climbing in 13 miles is no joke. I slapped the Reba on the Quiring, which made for some fun descents. The climbs were a bear, however. In any case, it was a good ride.

Fat Tire Death Ride on tap for tomorrow, with a possible Syncline trip on Sunday. That would make for a pretty good week.

Garmin; back from the dead?

Taking Nick's advice, I tried hooking the Edge 305 to the charger one more time and just leaving it there for a few hours.

Bingo! It seems to be working again! I'll take it on the Yakima ride tonight to make sure all is as it should be. If so, then I will chalk this one up to operator error.

Thanks to Nick for the sound advice!

RIP Garmin Edge 305

My GPS died.

It has worked well since I took it out of the box. It worked great on Thursday, but the battery mysteriously died overnight between Saturday and Sunday. Now it won't turn on at all. It won't take a charge. It is dead.

I've got an RMA from Garmin. They were very cool over the phone. It was a gift, so I don't have a receipt, etc. I'll keep you posted.

Squeak squeak squeak...

...was the mystery sound emanating from someplace in the bottom bracket area of my road bike for the last 10 miles of my 65-mile ride today. Annoying, but even that (and the prospect of paying for a new bottom bracket) couldn't dampen my enthusiasm for today's ride.

I was up at 6 AM to be a Dylan's for a 7:30 ride start. This was my first road group ride with the Yakima Bike Vigilantes , so I didn't know quite what to expect. Lucky for me it turned out to be mostly a nice base-miles ride.

Although it was quite cold and foggy at the start, it ended up being a stellar day weather-wise with lots of sun and temps in the 50's. The route took us out to Multnomah Falls and back. This route has one significant climb in each direction. Long-time readers know I'm not a climber, but I was able to hold my own today. I think Dylan was taking it easy on me...

I somehow discharged the battery on my computer, so I don't have any ride details. I bet we were on the move for around 4 hours, but that is just a guess. One flat and my squeaky bike were the only mechanicals. Several shouts and gestures from passing trucks.

The most interesting moment of the day occurred while we were on the side of the road taking pictures. A fleet of eight recumbents rode by. I say 'fleet' mostly because they all had very brightly-colored fabric fairings, and when they turned around it looked like a racing regatta making the final turn! Cool stuff!

Full week of rides on tap. Some road, some mountain and who knows what else. I suspect a road race on Sunday, but that is TBD.

So, what did you do on Thursday?

Not much. 2:40 ride time, 5500 feet of climbing, 80% singletrack. All in the dark.

Top Speed? 30 MPH. In the dark. On Singletrack.

Did I mention that I (heart) Portland?

Global Update

In Michigan, cyclists are snared in the ice grip of Old Man Winter.

In Portland, the sun shines down and the air smells like flowers and other growing things.

In Arkansas, the goats and llamas are cowering in fear and a pile of empty Founder's bottles and growlers piles up outside a remote cabin.

Training for the season has gone in fits and starts. Not having a set of 200 and 300 mile races right from the get-go has allowed a bit of playfulness to creep into the spring base phase. Enough of that! With a 24-hour race over Memorial Day weekend, it's time to get down to business. A calendar was printed, notes were scrawled across it, and now it is time to start pushing pedals in earnest.

--
I've seen a vision of the future. Beneath and EZ-Up in Spokane, WA sit two bikes. They are the mirror image of each other. A rider walks toward the bikes; he is lean and ready. His entire demeanor is calm, but his eyes burn. He does not see the bikes; he only sees tools. He does not see the trail; he only sees the finish line. He does not taste the water; he thirsts only for a beer at the end of the final lap.

And his shorts are a bit too tight.
--

Modified ride schedule this week. Lots of road on the weekend. Full-on training program starts Monday. Stay tuned...

Luna

Went on the Yakima ride on Wednesday. Typical route, typical riders. Atypical weather and trail conditions; fairly warm temps and mostly dry trail. Also, riding the trail backwards was a new experience.

Got to the top of a certain hill just in time to watch the lunar eclipse. Several other folks were gathered at the top of this hill as well. We were even offered some champagne! The moon was a crazy orange color. It was a very interesting sight. Although I still felt some lingering issues from last weeks illness, it was a fun ride and I am looking forward to next week.

Out-of-town guest causes reduction in rides for the week. Out of town guest causes general increase in other good times. Not sure about weekend plans at this point; ride? Ski?

Decisions, decisions...

Road Racing? Ehhhh....

Did the Cherry Pie road race on Sunday. 52 Miles about 90 minutes south of PDX. The weather was amazing; bright sun and 60F degrees!

The race was two laps of a 25.5 mile loop. One climb at the start/finish line. The first lap was a snoozer. Very slow, with lots of grab-the-brake moments. One guy broke away and got a decent gap, but the field just sort of sat there.

It was a pretty big group; maybe 50-60 guys. We only had one lane to work with, so it was hard to move up. On the plus side, people were friendly and polite in the field. No uptight roadie 'hold your line' jabber.

After doing the start/finish climb on the first lap, the pace picked up a bit. The second lap seemed to go by faster, althought I don't think it did from an objective point of view. My plan was to get near the front with a couple of miles to go and make my best effort up the hill.

Well, that didn't work out so well. I could not get to the front; the traffic was just too tight, and I ride with safety and politness fist in mind. I guess that will have to change if I want to win; you need elbows to get to the front!

The final hill was really two hills, one after the other. I was mid-pack at the bottom of the first hill. The race split in two; I was at the front of the back half. I gave it everything I had, and caught on to the tail of the lead group as we started the second climb. I pretty much had nothing left, and just held on to the finish. I might be in the top 20, but I might now. I didn't wait around for results to post.

Overall, not a bad day. More like a training ride than a race. I'd think hard about doing another road race. Without a team, it seems hard to make anything happen. And let's face it, even in a Cat 4 field I'm not gonna tear the legs off anyone. At least in a crit, something is always happening...

That's about it. Full set of rides on tap this week, assuming I don't have a repeat of the stomach issue. Just another happy day in bike pardise...

What a crazy week...

So I went for a ride Wednesday with the yakima boys. Or at least a few of them. Anyway, as we were getting ready to head out I was stretching an had a weird cramp in the lower abdominal area. "That's funny..." I thought as we rode off into the night.

It was a good ride. I felt just slightly off; the hills were a bit harder than last time and I missed several switchbacks that I have been cleaning as of late. Anyway, a solid two hours of riding; good times! I went home, ate, and hit the sack.

I slept like crap; kept waking up for no apparent reason.

Woke up Thursday with the worst stomach cramps ever. I could hardly stand up straight. I had a full day of meetings and I needed to wear a suit and tie. Awsome! Nothing like a leather squeezing my gut and some silk trying to choke me to make the cramps even better.

I had to leave the first meeting early becuase I was so uncomfortable. I went back to my apartment and had a quick nap. I had no appatite, so no food for lunch. Went out for the second meeting; more of the same. The cramps were in full effect, and I was starting to get shaky and sweaty. Not good. I went straght home after that.

Got home around 3pm. Sat on couch, passed out cold until 7pm. Woke up, not hungary but had a bite of food, and right back to sleep untill 10PM. What the heck? Off to bed after that.

Slept like a baby all night. Woke up Friday with junior-sized cramps. Not bad if I didn't move around too much, but still painful to stand up straight and not much fun to walk around. I had meetings out of town that I cancled. Went in to the office for half a day. Back home, take it easy, and to bed on time. Me and WebMD were thinking appendicitis at this point.

Anyway, woke up today feeling much better. I was actually hungry! Still have very minor cramps/twinges, but otherwise feel ok. I went out for a short spin on the road bike, and finished work on converting the DDX to a fixie.

Tomorrow should be interesting: 52 miles of road racing. I didn't feel great on the bike today; hopefully tomorrow will be better. I don't have great expectations.

For the record; the legs are and will remain as hairy as the back end of a llama.

Look for a race report soon.

In Brief...

1. XC Skiing cancled; too warm on the mountain yeilds rain and avalance warning.

2. No trainer arrived in the truck. By new or harden up and ride in the dark?

3. North American Handmade Bicycle Show = Awsome! I didn't take pictures, not that it matters. Every blogger and magazine employee known to man took pictures. Suffice it to say that there were many nice frames at the show. And some weird shit, too. Like the $7000 MTB frame made out of kevlar/carbon fiber mesh.

I think I am going to add a dualthlon to the schedule. These guys host something called the Dirty Du; 5 mile run and 12 mile bike. What the heck? Might as well put all those Run Club miles to good use.

Sent Scott Q. an e-mail. It's about time to get specific on the second bike. I've got two 24's on the schedule for '08, and running one bike is risky...

Full ride schedule on tap for the week, including my first ever road race. I'm not talking about a crit or a circuit race, but an actual road race. Reports to follow.

Quick Little Update

It's been a slow couple of weeks on the bike. Lots of rides cancled, lots of bad weather.

The Wednesday ride was cancled this week. I did the Thursday ride last night. The weather was somewhat warm, maybe in the high 40's at start. We did the normal stuff up in Forrest Park. The ride up Leif was very fast; perhaps the fastest to date? Pretty fast, in any case.

Continental 29er Mountain King 2.4 tire review: This was my second ride on these tires. They were recommended as a great Oregon mud tire. I was running a Nevegal 2.4 up front and and a Karma 2.2 out back prior to the Conti's.

The tires performed as advertised; tons of grip in the mud. I ran them tubed at about 30 psi front and rear. They feel stiffer than the Kenda's, but were very confidence-inspiring in the high-speed turns on Leif. They held up to the mud on FL 5 very well. They were a little bouncy on the rocks, but I think they could be run at a slightly lower pressure and some of that would go away. Or, you know, I could put the Reba on and not worry about it! Also, they did not pack up with mud. Things were quite goopy on FL5 and I noticed no extraneous mud build-up.

Survey says: Pick up a pair! I think they would work at least as well as the Ignitor in Michigan, and I suspect they would make a fine Arkansas tire as well. I'm not sure about the weight, but I think they are lighter than the Kenda's noted above. And as a bonus I picked them up for $25 each.

Busy weekend. XC skiing Saturday AM, NAHBA Saturday PM, some sort of ride Sunday.

Oh, and my trainer should be here today. Be afraid. Be very afraid...

Sheldon Brown, RIP

Sad, sad day.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/index.html

Dos

2nd Place today. 2nd Place for the series.

I'll take it. :)

Not too much to report, really. Brandon, the guy that won the first race, was strong from the get-go. The guy that came in 2nd last week flatted in the first gravel section. The race kind of slowed down after that; I sat on Brandon's wheel, and he never pushed the pace. A group of four of us shook off a few slower riders and stayed together utill the last lap. Branon put in one hard effort and got about 50 yards on us. We closed it to 25 yards, but could never get a good draft. The #3 guy passed me with 300 yards to go; not a wise move. I sat on his wheel and went past with 100 yards to go. Hand in the drops, head down, legs like pistons. 2nd Place.

This was a fun series, and I look forward to more racing in and around Portland. :)

Men At Work

I'll be making some changes to the site over the next week or so. As a result, some of the links won't work correctly.

Check back later for Kermesse series wrap-up, and maybe some comments about my mega-slush ride yesterday. Portland! Snow! Somebody shoot me!

Kermesse me on the lips...

Smile for the camera...

Working hard...

Sprint Finish! This is what 31 MPH looks like on a singlespeed.

Still repping the Best Beer Known to Man or Beast.

It was a good race today! The course was a bit wet, but I ran the same set-up as last week. Eight people toed the line. The first two laps were casual. On the third lap, the new guy punched in through the rough gravel section. I nearly spit up a lung, but held on. The next lap, the winner from last week went out with a flat. The last two laps were 'New Guy attacks, everybody else holds on..." over and over. Painful, but also fun.

I stayed with the lead group until the very last gravel section. The winner (New Guy) punched it and the other four of us in the lead group sort of shattered apart. I was third, and the guy in forth out-sprinted me last week. This week, I used my Secret Weapon: Math! By saving my sprint for the last lap (how novel!) I easily outpaced Guy #4. Well, maybe not easily, but I did have a good sprint (hands in the drops, in case you were wondering, Dan...) and finished in 3rd Place.

Looking forward to the season finale next week. I hope the winners from each of the first two weeks are there; it would make for some very interesting and fast racing. Once again I had a great time. The racers were very nice, and we spent a few minutes after the race chatting. Good folks. The pictures are courtesy of the on-site medic Darren who is also a pretty cool guy.

Like Concrete

Rode in Forrest Park. Everything that was a sloppy soup two weeks ago was rock hard last night. Fast. Suppa Fast! The new easier gearing (and gobs of traction!) turned me into a climber. No pictures; the camera really likes it's spot on the desk.

On tap this weekend; Kermesse for sure on Sunday. Someone mentioned Syncline maybe on Saturday? Who knows. If not, then maybe a longer ride. Or maybe the new Rambo movie! :)

Wednesday Ride

Wednesday group ride with the Yakima Bike Vigilantes. The ride was awesome! The trails were frozen solid, so the grip was incredible. No real crashes and lots of good times.

The weather was clear and cold. The views of the city from the start location were spectacular. I dropped down to a 32x19, which made dealing with the occasional switchback much easier. Last week I ran a 38x20...

Fat Tire ride on tap for tonight. Will I bring the camera? Perhaps...

Kermesse!

I did the first of the Vanport Kermesse races this morning. It was a good time, but I learned an important lesson: know how many laps you are racing!

Long story short: There were seven people racing in the singlespeed class. Three guys were from one team. One guy broke away after two laps. I was busy watching the teammates and didn't see him go. Even after I saw that he was going, I assumed the team guys would pull him back. Not so-he got away and stayed away.

At the end of the the fourth lap, a few of us were looking at each other and going very slow. I assumed this was the end of the race, who is going to lead out nonsense that is so common in road racing. So, I went for it. I felt great, and had a great sprint to the line. Too bad there was one more lap to go.

That's right, I was one lap early! Oh well, live and learn. We played some cat and mouse for the last lap, and I ended up getting nabbed at the end by couple of folks. I ended up 4th. Not great, but not bad either and I had a good time.

There are two more races in this series and I think I will do them both.

Wednesday Night Ride

Four riders.
2 Quirings. 1 geared, 1 ss.
2 Singlespeeds. 1 29er, 1 26er.
2 29ers. 1 geared, 1ss.
2 crashes, neither of them me.
2 people with light problems, neither of them me.
1 person who forgot to put the retaining pins in his front brake pads...also not me. But yea, he was one of the crashes.

Trails can be tricky; "it's at the top of this hill". "It's right around the corner..."

Sometimes, not so much.

Good guys, and plans were made to verify trailhead locations prior to late-night wandering. I plan to join this ride again.

Good times.

Kermesse

The initial version of the Kermesse bike is almost done. I'll post some pics on Friday.

DD-X
Singlespeed (of course!)
48x16 (not great, but the best I could do on short notice)

...and a whole lot of attitude, baby!

Sunshine!

There was a great big bright shinny sun in the sky today! Portland is great all the time; it absolutely *glows* when the sun comes out. Mt. Hood was just amazing off in the distance. Truly stunning.

So of course I went for a bike ride. I took the DDX up Thurman to Leif Erikson to Saltzman to Skyline. I managed to stay seated the whole time. The DDX is running 40x19(*edit* actually it was a 44x19, so I'm a little more manly than I thought...), so it wasn't necessarily anything to write home to Mom about, but still not a bad bit of training.

I took Skyline to Germantown Road, then u-turned and rode Skyline back to Burnside. There were a couple of decent climbs on Skyline. There were quite a few groups and solo road riders out. I'll ride that section again for sure.

They I came to the highlight of the day: Riding down Burnside! Two miles downhill at an 8% grade! I don't know how fast I was going, but it was posted at 40 MPH and I had no trouble keeping up with the cars. I could have passed the car in front of me in several spots, but chose not to do that this time. As a bonus, the song "T*****s" by The Trucks was on the Ipod during the decent. You know the one I'm talking about. It was perfect.

Overall, I'm still not getting in enough hours. The rides I am getting are quality, however, so I hope that makes up for it to some extent. The VanPort Kermeese series starts a week from today; we'll get a good test of early season fitness there, I suspect.

Speak at me for a minutku...

Rode bike. Rode singletrack.
Rode singletrack in the dark, and in the fog.
There was mud. Oh, yes. There was mud.

A great time was had; new people were met. Plans were made. Next Thursday? Yep.

Oh, did I mention the mexican food? Torpedo Burrito! Subed in the IPA for the Dos Equis, and only a pint at that. But you gotta start somewhere.

Brings back some good memories, except instead of being the quiet guy for two years, I just started in with the shit-talking right from the get-go.

Seemed to work out ok.

It's not the cold that gets you, it's the hypothermia...

I had a very interesting ride in Forrest Park today.

I was supposed to go riding with one of my new friends here in Portland at Forrest Park. We've ridden there a few times, as well as a few other places around the area.I have a tendency to over-dress for bike rides. I've been riding for many years and I should know better, but I still often find myself with one more layer than I really need. This problem has been even more pronounced in Portland since "winter riding" in Michigan means arctic survival gear! So today I pledged to not over-dress. Well, I succeeded. Perhaps a bit too much. The ride up the hill was ok; I was a bit chilly and it rained (and snowed up on top!) off and on, and there was a lot of standing water. Did I mention that I forgot my fenders? Well, I did.

I was wet. And it was cold. And it was time to ride back down the hill.

It was awful! My hands and feet went from cold to very cold to numb. I could not work the brakes. My body went from cool to cold to full-body shivers. I was so cold I had a hard time talking. We stopped at the gate and walked our bikes half-way down the hill on the pavement.First thing: Start the car and fire up the seater-heater, baby! I took forever to get dried off and cleaned up. Stripping naked in the parking lot at the bike shop at Noon on a Saturday? I don't recommend it. Portland is pretty open-minded, but still, you get looks...

We stopped at a bar for some soup and to sit next to the big, hot wood stove they have there. That was good, but we both still had trouble warming up. I was cold when I got home. It took the hot shower to really get my hands and feet back in shape.Now I've got a bike covered with mud and a pile of filthy clothes in my garage. I'll mess with them later.

Right now, I think I'll just chill with a cup of coffee and relax.

Bummer! Bandit?

Found this in my mailbox Today:

"Thank you for your interest in SSWC08. Unfortunately registration filled up prior to receiving your form. We had over 800 people interested and only 350 spots to fill. We hope you will still consider coming out to Napa, CA for the race festivities and to cheer on your fellow single speeders. There will be various rides around the Bay Area the week leading up to the race and afterward too, so it should be a lot of fun. We will be posting a blog soon to keep everyone up to date on what's going on. Thank you.

SSWC08 Team"

Pathetic

I just got back from Michigan. 9 days, 1 bike ride, 1 run. Weak.

The ride was a good one, however. Me and the Farmer on cross bikes. We were out for about two hours. It started snowing about 30 minutes into the ride. Not great for my vision, but it was still a good time. It was nice to chat with the Farmer again!

I don't plan to return to Michigan any time soon, and if I do go back I don't plan to spend much time there. Vacation days are limited, and I want to see some west coast places. To that end, I registered for SSWC08 this morning. Or at least tried to register; I sent in my e-mail two hours after registration opened. Hopefully there was still a spot left for me.

Back to riding and working out this week. Running, the gym, and some actual time on the bike are on tap. It's time to get muddy!