Race Report: Leadville 100 - back online

Leadville 100 Yes...finally...my take on the Leadville 100 with pictures! Since the day I found out I was in, my thoughts have been a roller coaster about how this race will go. One day thinking nine hours or less is the main goal...others were maybe 10...or 11 hours...just finish?? I've never raced this long (distance or time) so everything was up in the air.

TJ helped calm my nerves a lot by insisting that he knew I was ready for the challenge. Since he's coached several others through preparation for this race, it was easy to believe him and confidence going into a race like this is key. I can't

thank my Mom, Dad, and sister and her boyfriend Jeremy enough for helping out and cheering me on! It by no means was an easy day for them- I'm sure it gets very long out there- but sounds like they had a great time with it all as well. Both stops on the course were well planned in advance and couldn’t have gone smoother thanks to them- again its extremely nice having confidence in all aspects out there!

Putting us in corrals this year was fine with me- my first time racing this so not much to compare but it seemed to work out very smooth! We were off into the neutral rollout with police escort just after Ken Chlouber started this race with the traditional shotgun blast. I was able to work my way up towards the front of my 'corral' by the time I got to the dirt and the race was truly underway. I was surprised at how fast I felt and easy it was to give juuuuuuust enough effort to be in the front of where the bottleneck up St. Kevins was likely to begin...I bet I passed 3-400 other riders or more from the start to that point.

Although I was ahead of the "walkers"- it was still packed. I noticed a few riders had formed a little conga line that was strategically and successfully navigating its way smoothly through this packed field on the climb. I jumped in line here

and passed another 1-200 relatively easy going up this climb- riding eyes up, leaving some room in front was very helpful- I had time to avoid some mistakes by other not-so-smooth riders and crested St. Kevins climb without incident! The screaming fast descent to the bottom of the next climb was super fast and before I knew it I was going up again- up and over Sugarloaf mountain. A good tough climb...rather uneventful though...which was fiiine by me.

After this crest comes the Powerline descent. The movies make a big deal of the technical level of this- but really it was not that bad at all. There was one relatively quick safe line, but I was definitely not descending as fast as I could have being stuck behind other riders. But each time I deviated from the beaten path to pass, the huge 12-24" deep ruts were just too much to risk hopping over, through, and around in a race like this. I stayed in line for the most part and again finished this section without incident...now at mile 20...turning onto the pavement towards Pipeline...wait...was that twitch a cramp in both hammy's??? Already?!?! This could be a very long (or very short race).

I blasted through the Pipeline feed zone at about 2hrs 13mins into this race. After that I jumped into a pace line with some folks wearing green 'Tennessee Pass' jerseys...and there was Roxanne Hall who I recognized from the movies- her story is pretty unbelievable- determination at its best!

50 mins later I arrive at the Twin Lakes feed zone. People EVERYWHERE! Running along side you cheering, cow bells, waving things- felt Tour de France-ish...of course I've only

seen that on TV before though. Eventually reach my crew- Jill ready and holding my musette anticipating a ride by hand-off. I did stop brefely- 10 seconds at most- dropped the three empty bottles and took off again- literally 10 seconds at most- awesome stop and can't thank them enough for being there to do that. Off to climb the BIIIIG hill- Columbine mountain was up next.

With those cramps stuck in my mind from earlier I was a little worried. Through the TL stop I still managed to be riding in the same group of about 10 riders including the Tennessee Pass team. I held a nice steady (not exactly fast) pace up the road part until the "Goat Path" section. I rode up where many were walking at first but then my hamstrings let go completely with 1-2 miles left to the top. I was walking- and baby steps at that. Each time I tried to get on and pedal my hamstrings lit up. Eventually I made it to the top- the group I was with was now looooooong gone.

I started the way down Columbine and again stuck behind several others not so strong descending...but gave me some time to gather my thoughts. The others I was passing that were on their way up made me realize my leg issues are not that bad...some of them were in for still a very long day and THOSE are the people that I admire. The determination you could see in their eyes and is very inspiring. I went down Columbine the whole way riding very safe and very slow compared to my usual kamikaze style- my split times reflect this.

As I passed through the TL feed zone I saw my family had packed up and moved just as planned and knew they'd be waiting at Pipeline for me. Still unsure

of my legs at this point I started up the little road climb out of TL and noticed by keeping a 50-60 rpm cadence my legs were able to handle a lot more gear- and speed ;) I picked my pace up again with this renewed feeling of excitement that while a sub-9 hour finish is gone, maybe at least sub 10hrs is still in the cards!

Pipeline station comes and there they are- my crew just as planned and I was about half a bottle left of the three I grabbed at TL outbound. I unloaded as much as I could in my pockets (rain jacket, arm warmers, gel wrappers, etc) and took off for the last stretch of this tour. The next time I stop is at the finish! For the most part I was right. I had to walk the bottom section of Powerline, as expected, but was able to muscle the rest in my 50-60 cadence without fail...I don't get it...don't know why...even HOW my legs could handle this but not 90 rpm lighter spin but whatever works I guess!

The climb up this was the craziest part of the race for me though...I never stopped- even when walking at the bottom it was always one step in front of the other...KEEP MOVING FORWARD!! Kept repeating this and its important to remember. After that steep section even though I rode the rest- it seemed to go FORRRREVERRRRR. Crested Sugarloaf now for the second time of the day 'cept the opposite direction- back down the mountain for the last big climb up St. Kevins. Keeping the cadence crazy low I again muscled my way up this road climb and seriously started making up some time and passed many others. Clicked down a few more gears and passed the crowd I was with on the Pipeline and up Columbine! I was feeling great and everything was coming together nicely for a strong finish! All the way up and over...then back down.

Done with major climbs and I felt STRONG! Although still preparing for something unexpected I again aborted my kamikaze mountain downhill antics and stayed cautious. Still 12 miles or so to go. Once I got to the bottom and onto the dirt

road through the pasture I looked at my watch and realized 10 hours was still close but coming fast. I decided to ride as hard as I could until I blow up or finish- whichever comes first. I had heard the "Boulevard" referred to as the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" before as this is a 3.5 mile stretch of dirt road with a slight incline the entire way that can fool some and cause wicked cramps that destroy hopes of close time goals if pushed too hard...this was not the case for me. I was out of the saddle the entire time passing maybe 20-30 more riders here. It was absolutely one of the best feelings ever being able to finish my first 103.5 mile races smiling and sprinting!?!?!

I crossed the line at 9:59:47...yes that's 9hrs 59mins- NOT 10 hours ;-) Other than being out of breath from that final sprint at the end...I felt great! My family and crew were there to congratulate me as I hugged and thanked them all for helping. Hugged Marilee and thanked her for the race! Then my crew bought me a massage from Ella, the hot girl from Sweden. Seriously...how perfect is this! Bike worked flawlessly, feed drops worked perfectly, super strong finish...it was all so awesome. I CANNOT WAIT TO COME BACK...and destroy this time and get that big buckle.

I didn’t get my sub-nine hour finish this time...but after having time to evaluate everything now, if I wouldn't have kept trying to spin so fast and kept a lower easier cadence I could've been at least close if not reached that goal. My fitness is

definitely there! TJ worked with me through my crazy schedule with work, and moving, and several other things that threatened many times to derail my training progress to adjust my workouts and keep things in order. Its been a tumultuous summer that way, but, it all worked out in the end. After the race it was back to the condo in Silverthorne for nice soak in the hot tub and I ate the refridgerator.

Race Report: MNMBS #7 - Hillside Park, Elk River

Soooo busy lately not able to keep up!! Lots of work, lots of training, and trying to stay relaxed oand focused on both which has cut out some things like writing. I have been using Twitter- check it out: @slovickracing

Now for the race! Again keeping larger goals in mind I kept the burlier tires and heavy (but strong) wheelset on the bike. Maximum traction and some harder efforts on the twisty with lots of acceleration points made for a great day of training while racing. My goal this time was to start even slower than normal and maintain a pace that, by the end of the race, I could have kept going for another lap or two. With temps again in the 90's and mid-70s dew points this could work out well in many ways.

I started off in the main group of riders but towards the back. Keeping a nice sustainable pace through the first singletrack I was able to get a round a couple guys having some trouble navigating the fun but sometimes tricky Hillside course...and...as I've put it to many, that was pretty much it from there! Super fun SOLID race with NO DRAMA. Just awesome riding fast through the rockier and rooty sweet course that Hillside is. I finished with quite a bit left in the tank- definitely enough to do another lap- so this was a huge success...particularly how I felt after this race as opposed to previous ones where I kept overheating myself.

My note taking after each training ride and race recently has gotten better and is proving to be very helpful and should be huge in Leadville- now just 11 days away! The LT+ efforts are not as frequent as they need to be to place well in the MN series- some FAST riders in the Comp class this year. It still is hard to let that go a little- but I'm still loving getting out on the bike with a number plate with hopes to go all day and ride strong the whole time ;) TJ's weekly schedules having been falling in place perfectly with how my body seems to feel regarding off, endurance, and high intensity days. Pretty amazing stuff!

Race Report: MNMBS #6 - Mont Du Lac

Well...yeah so plans changed last minute...again. In my last post I mentioned feeling slightly sick and waking up early Saturday I wasn't quite ready yet. I had visions of having a so-so race and then being full-blown sick for the next few days because of my impatience to not race! So I skipped it, slept in, then after resting most of the day went out for a relatively easy couple hours on the road. That felt okay so went back and packed things up for what I knew was going to be a tough race near Duluth, MN...Mont Du Lac is also one of my favorite courses!

And tough it was for all...even just standing at the line it was hot and extremely humid. We did four laps with each having one long fire road climb that I made everytime, but not at the speeds I wanted. I tried out a new liquid fuel source (typically used in longer races)- which I think will work- but the rate of consumption needs to be worked on. I finished 3/4 of a bottle in the first 45 mins that I had originally set up for about 2-2 1/2 hrs worth...not good, and I was full...so full that it was hard to drink water! I sipped what I could and backed pace way down to try and stay reasonably hydrated until things settled and by the time it did, I was about mid third lap. Until then I had been in the small front ring for most of the race and lost soooooo much time on the others- but these are learning experiences. No mechanicals, flats, or crashes at least.

I'm still in marathon and ultra-endurance mode. Which can confuse my brain at times during the regular XC races for pacing strategies. While I do like to see better finishing positions in this series, right now I'm more into trying new things during these races to find out where all the limits are- including nutrition. So in that regard, technically Mont Du was a success in that I think I'm gonna like the new fuel source- provided I keep a closer eye on the intake of it, and the fact that in the last climbs of my 4th lap I was able to carry a larger gear and go faster than I had in previous laps.

Hopefully heat and humidity will dial down for this next weekend. On Saturday, there is a 4/8 hour 100% singletrack race at the Murphy-Hanrehan course in Savage, MN that I am currently planning to do the 8 hours solo...IF the heat and humidity dial down by then.

Thanks John Reinan for the bottle hand-ups!

Race on!

Next Race...and Buck Hill MNMBS Race Report

It was HOT!...and that is about it for the Buck Hill report :)

So anyway...felt a little on the verge of a cold coming on yesterday so skipped the Buck Hill race in lieu of some more recovery. It doesn't seem like things progressed over night so hopefully I was just a little overtired. Shifting daily work schedules to 2 hours earlier does take a little getting used to.

Congrats to John Reinan on back-to-back podium finishes this week...Sport class as part of MN Series on Sunday and Rec class at Thursday night races at Buck Hill last night!

Next race for me...marathon XC or regular XC???? On the fence...MNMBS Mont Du Lac or WEM Series Levis Trow 50 miler ...I've been really having fun (and performing better it seems??) at the longer races so I'm choosing Levis- race start at 1pm Saturday. Looks to be a multi-lap race according to what was done last year and should be a fun race from what I've heard about the trails...only x-factor to mess this plan up is the 50% chance of rain and t-storms in the area...hmmmmm...

Race Report: Firecracker 50 - Breckenridge!!

I was a little intimidated coming into this race. With 10,400 feet of climbing over 54 miles (all done over 9,500 feet elevation of course) this was sure to be a huge test. I set up the bike the day before with Kenda Karmas which have been my “go to” tire for races with unpredictable terrain.

This race is such an event. I didn’t realize how much the town gets into this! The race started off with several waves lined up on Main St for a neutral procession that kicks off the towns 4th of July parade. Each wave had its own marshal and was paraded through town starting at 9:30am and 2 minute intervals after that. My wave rolled through the town led by Olympic speed skier CJ Mueller (dressed as one of America's fore fathers)- pretty cool!!

There were thousands people lined up on the streets roaring and cheering us on- it ‘almost’ made me forget the butterflys going wild in my stomach for what I was about to do.

At the edge of town, Uncle Sam pulled off to the side, bid us ‘Good Luck!’ and we were off onto a road climb to start the 27 mile lap. After about four miles up and just after the ‘Wild Turkey’ guys with the van, stereo blaring Rocky music, and WT shot hand-offs (…already??), the road turned to gravel and stayed that way until the first neutral feed zone around mile 6 or 7. The full course is made up of 3 climbs and 3 descents with a neutral feed zone close to the top of each climb. This first climb, albeit long, was not real steep and we were even able to form sort of a draft line. I tucked into 2nd place here, and not sure how much I was gonna need in reserve, eventually drifted back to about 8th or 9th but still had the leaders in sight.

After ripping the first descent, I reached the second climb which had the toughest part of the course. Part of the climb was a mile or so section that was steep, rocky, and wet…with snow banks. Picture Red Wing’s Stairway to Heaven climb but two or three times as long and the extra elements. Most people around me were pushing their bikes up this. I was able to pedal the whole way and made up some good time in doing so without wasting the legs…I was going to see this again in 27 miles. The rest of the lap went off without much drama- just sweet mountain race course riding.

The second lap I started off in 8th place and feeling very strong. I was anxious to jump on the pedals and crank hard but knew I’d pay for it still with 27 miles to go. First climb was nice and steady- even hit the ramp that the Wild turkey guys had set up beside the van! …luckily I did NOT crash in front of them! I got passed by another rider in my class that also seemed very strong- I latched on to his wheel and we took off. However, on the descent off the first climb, drama part 1 happens…1/4 inch tear in the tread of the rear tire. After messing with it for 5 minutes I have it fixed…now with a tube.

I reached the bottom of the second more punishing and grueling climb…my strategy worked awesome for keeping the legs strong because I saw a young woman rider riding this with me…we were the only two on this hill still riding- all others were walking. I bet we passed 40 other riders along the way up- not exaggerating. Confidence was flying as high as can be at this point!! Once again the rest of the lap was clicking off well…all the way until I crested the last climb. Jus starting the descent back towards Breckenridge drama part 2 happens…kicked up a rock off the front wheel and left the business end of it standing straight up for the rear tire to pinch flat…I have no more spare. I had to ride very conservatively for a mile or so on a flat tire on a descent that I should have been flying down.

Several riders went by before one has a tube that he hands off. Pull off the trail and attempt to fix…pumping and pumping to get inflated as quick as possible…turns out the tube has a hole in it…drama #3. Looking for the hole or tear I start getting things back together to just start riding again on a flat…many many riders going by at this point and blood is beginning to boil a little…then another rider goes by with a tube that he promised was good. Take the bike back apart reinstall new tube and off I go to regain any spots possible but at least stop the bleeding of losing time and positions.

Drama #4…apparently I didn’t get enough air in the tube…because another mile up the trail- ”hissssssssssssss”…with only a couple miles to go and I can start to hear the crowd and the announcer in Breckenridge I don’t stop- just pin it, and hope for the best. Lots of teeth chattering rock and root sections mixed with a dozen or so banked switchbacks later I finally finish the descent and the race crank as hard as I can on the now destroyed rear tire through the finish line. The crowds around there were awesome and coming up to the finish with the flat got some extra cheers.

That rider I was with in the first part of the second lap finished 5th…I netted a disappointing 15th with all the tire drama. However, there were many positives that came out of this race. I had set this race in mind as a test for my fitness levels and how preparations are going for the Leadville 100 on August 13th and I’m pumped for how well the performance was in that regard.

Special thanks to my Dad for helping out with all the pre-race preparations which really helped me relax and focus on what I needed to do. He likes to get involved on the racing I’m doing and that kind of support makes life doing this so much easier and more fun.

Also, thanks to TJ for working with my crazy schedule to keep adjusting the workouts that prepare me for these long races. I’m training for the longer marathon and ultra-endurance XC type stuff and its showing.

Also, the volunteers there were awesome!! I was able to use bottles the entire time due to the frequency of neutral handoff points. Super fun event, well organized, tons of people, awesome awesome course…and I want to come back next year…with a little better tire selection.

Firecracker 50: Officially In!

Off to Colorado tomorrow! Big days of altitude training- long Saturday ride planned, a good tune up ride Sunday, and the Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge on Monday the 4th of July!

Looking forward to this race as I've read about for years and finally have the opportunity to do it. My energy and fitness feels like its finally coming back with some much needed long nights of sleep and routine training again setup by TJ. This is all in good timing when I just received the email today that I'm off the waiting list and in the race!

Should be a great fitness test to set the stage for whats to come in the next six weeks of training for and eventually racing the Leadville 100. Plus another reason to visit CO...like I needed one ;)

Race Report: MNMBS #4 - Red Wing

Last weekend was the fourth stop of the MN series at Red Wing. The events leading up to this race greatly distracted any good race prep, so once again I went into this race...more or less just ride, have fun, and see what happens. I've raced here only twice before with the last time being in 2008 and have to say I was glad to be back!

Once again, I had no power but at least a little more endurance-like efforts to have a fun ride. The 'Stairway to Heaven' climb is a great one- steep, loose, rocky stuff that provides GREAT training. I really liked the course and need to make the drive down to ride there more often.

I didn't finish the greatest, but a solid race to build on overall- all things considered. Some unfortunate race news from the event was cheating (some caught and some rumored to have cut the course in Citizen and Comp classes) and also a bad crash by one of the Sport women- get well soon Sam!

Puppy Problems...

So after the move...last week I was doing what I could (albeit unsuccessfully) to try and get recovered and well rested and loose. Firday morning brought another major distraction. My 6 1/2 month old puppy Italian Greyhound, Ajax, (very fast runner and is just as clumsy as fast) is running one direction- looking in another- and clips his front leg on a chair.

The vet showed me xrays and how badly he broke his leg. Luckily he's still a puppy, and with the help and extreme generosity of Jenny at Lifeline Italian Greyhound Rescuehe was able to get the surgery he needed on Monday from the best in the region at Inver Grove Animal Hospital on Monday.

My little buddy is confined to a kennel for much of the time because of his ambitions to take flight off anything at anytime...apparently even with a broken leg- although he is a little more hesitant at least. Luckily the pain meds keep him well relaxed and drousy enough to handle it for now. The surgeons expect full recovery since he is so young and they were able to realign everything nicely.

Needless to say though there were some long nights this last weekend with him before his surgery...if he couldn't sleep well...he wasn't gonna let anyone else sleep well! Luckily he wil be okay though...he's on the road to recovery.

Race Report: MNMBS #3 - Afton

I definitley stretched my limits of sanity last week. When I found out I was moving back to MN, I tried to scramble and get all arrangements in order so I could keep up some training and still keep the double header weekend planned of the Nebraska series on Saturday and MNMBS Afton on Sunday.

Well...as most know this stuff just doesn't always go to plan and they cracked...I tried to remain optimistic damn it but it didn't help!! Almost no training and loooooong days of moving stuff to a storage unit in 90 degree and high humid conditions killed any chance of racing Saturday...just too much...and that didn't include any spinning.

I was literally sore on Saturday night all over from the 4 days of moving. I knew Afton was going to be a bust, but a good jump start into good training again...when I say I knew Afton would be a bust though, I didn't think it would be as bad as it was- literally comical.

I rode really well- great lines through the tougher technical sections and pretty smooth and fast there. However, after about 2/3 through the first lap I was out of any usable max power completely. I could motor along in a high cadence endurance like efforts, but overall I was cooked. Laps 2 and 3 were simply just riding along in endurance mode just out for a cruise as any slightly sustained hard effort made the legs twist and scream, sometimes nearly lock up...my legs were pissed at what I was trying to put them through.

Apparently more than 3,700ft of climbing in less than 17 miles is what someone clocked for the Comp race...that combined with the heat- whew! it was tough out there! I like riding Afton because of the challenge- so the real bummer is that I just couldn't ride it like I normally can but oh well.

Hopefully soon I'll get another strong finish though! I'm thinking that the ProXCT stop in Mt. Morris this weekend is probably out for in lieu of some extra recovery, a nice long training ride (without travel time), and time to get things better organized here. So probably Buck Hill tonight and then for sure Red Wing on Sunday...with hopefully a nice long ride on Saturday somewhere on the dirt?? If the rain stays away??

Moving back to Minnesota!

Yep! I'm back in MN- working for the same company and in the same position but was able to work in a transfer to our Centennial Lake - Edina office. I still have my house in Coon Rapids and lots of family and friends here so its great to be back!

The move happened very fast- from getting the finalzied email to getting everything packed into a storage unit for now, to driving up with clothes bike stuff and dogs in 6 days!

I'll most likely now be racing almost all of the MNMBS races and some others around the area as well. I'll be changing my race schedule on the site here soon now as well.

Race Report: MNMBS #2 - Mankato

Pretty happy with pre-race prep for once this year! Good warm-up and felt great at the start. Used only GU and lots of water- hot and humid day- but pretty nice!

Felt great off the start and was in the top 10 by the top of the initial climb! Riding fast and pretty well through the rest of the lap until the very last technical section (~ half mile from the end of the lap when the rider in front of me stopped just going into Quick Release...NOT the place to stop...I went off course to avoid a messy wreck and EVERYBODY went by.

Going into lap 2 I pushed a little harder than I would have otherwise up the climb and passed a bunch of people back...then on a short rough decent into a left hairpin my chain came off "expletive, expletive, expletive"...the riders I passed on the climb re-passed me...wind out of the sails for the second time in less than two miles. Have to say I was less than dscouraged at this point but rode on...eventually got over my pity and although I felt like I was cranking hard, I probably wasn't actually going fast again until the end of the lap. Railed Quick Release hard which really boosted confidence again.

I felt like I was almost out of water in the Camelback starting lap 4 which didn't seem right, but, I ditched it since I had a friend, John Reinan, standing by with emergency water bottle up the climb. Got around a few more riders in the lap and finished feeling really strong...gained two spots in the last half mile!

My fitness definitely feels good! Three minutes would have got me a podium spot and top 13 or 14...and with some smarter racing I know I could have had all of that. I'm happy with salvaging a decent finish overall and that I didn't give up- I was pretty frustrated for a bit after the chain came off- was tougher than it needed to be to get my pace back. I've put a lot of focus on fitness- which is good and definitely shows, but I've let race focus slip a little I think- making stupid mistakes that are costing me good finishes. Feeling good and looking forward to more racing though!

Thanks to Dana Shoppe for taking the awesome photos!

No TEVA...Off to Mankato!

Reports say that the TEVA games mountain bike race this weekend will be plowed service roads...since much of Golden Peak on Vail mountain is still under 3-6 feet of snow!

Good luck to TJ and whoever else is racing there! Even with the snow filled racing its tough to not go to this...the festival itself is pretty awesome. Hopefully next year!

Mankato has always been one of my favorites in Minnesota so making the trip up there instead tomorrow...and much closer! Forecast calls for 0% chance of rain tomorrow and Sunday with partly cloudy skies at 80 degrees...awesome! I'm excited to race drier conditions in MN again!

Hydration has been a key focus this week while getting in the interval training that TJ has set up. Its been hot (~90 degrees), humid, and WINDY here!!

Leadville 100: I'm in!

I got the word yesterday from the Lifetime Fitness Racing Team that I will be wearing their jersey and competing at the Leadville 100 on August 13th! 100 miles above 10,000ft and five HUGE climbs...this is sure gonna change up the racing/training mindset this summer- spending more time in Colorado than I originally thought! I'm looking forward to this...huge huge challenge!!

Race Report: MNMBS #1 - Freewheel Frolic and Buck Hill

Last Wednesday night I packed up the car for a weekend of racing- attempting three races in four days! Thursday night Buck Hill, Saturday the MN series opener at Salem Hills, and possibly a Sunday Duathlon at Hillside Park in Elk River.

Thursday noon comes and I take off to Burnesville hoping to get there around 5:30...I roll in around 6:05 which gave me just enough time to register, change, pedal once around the parking lot and line up. These races are so fun though- and this gives me an opportunity to try out some new strategies that TJ has talked to me about. My start was not great (having to unclip and stop 20 yards off the start line) so I sort of just let the race unfold easy. Most of the field was ahead of me going into the first singletrack, but remained calm, over the four lap race I passed maybe 20-30 others and felt great at the end. Good enough run to have some motivation for Saturday!

Heavy rains arrived on Friday and didnt quit until Saturday afternoon. the mud tires go on and after a decent warm-up I line up with an unusually small wave- I guess the rain kept a lot of people away!

The start was a mad sprint around a grassy off camber prologue to the muddy singletrack. Looking at the tire choices of others I was not worried about having to be at the front as I knew my setup was going to be very predictable once in the mud and could catch others- and I was not wrong. The first lap felt good and the bike was handling great- no sliding through the greasiness or spinning out on the short power climb.

Problems came though at the end of the first lap and into the second. Mud had caked the rear derailleur and cassette and I could not get it to stay in gear! It jumped every other pedal stroke....until about 1/3 way into the 2nd lap I found one gear that would work and hold...unfortunately it was the 28 tooth rear and 32 front- not the best choice for this course! but better than a dnf since I'm already here!

Needless to say I got passed back by a lot of people as I was spinning as fast as possible and definitely as long and fast as I've ever done in a race situation ha! Oh well, finished a little better than mid pack overall which is better than I expected. Good times. Looking forward to seeing the pictures that Dana Shoppe has for this one!

Mechanical trouble (i.e. no brakes) and general bike and equipment cleansing and adjustments kept me from being able to make the duathlon in Elk River. I was a little bummed about missing that but, training-wise...the efforts on Saturday were enough for a stellar workout.

I got to spend some time with great friends as well that I don't get to see very often now that I live in Omaha- always great to see them and take shots at each other about trail riding (or lack thereof for some), our "Acquire" championships (which by the way I'm now in the lead for 2011), and other general topics worth trash talking about ;)

Thanks to John Reinan, and Lisa and Klaus Schneegans for their excellent hospitality! Bandit, Ajax, and I really appreciate it!

Race Report: Platte River Park - Psycowpath Series #3

Lack of pre-race prep = mediocre performance. Arrived at Platte River State Park later than I wanted and wasnt really able to get any pedaling in before the race. This was a problem when everyone sprinted from the start (which was also lemans style). A lot of people were in front of me when I got to the initial climb...I passed a bunch but had to put in lots of effort, and without a warm-up I also paid for about 10-15 mins later and had to back off...way off.

After backing off for 20 mins I finally got my rhythm and could pick up the pace, but many had passed me again and I realized I was already halfway through the race!! Going into lap 2 I felt decent and caught a few people particularly around the technical rock section- where I made up A LOT of time as I didn't need to dismount on either lap.

Came through the finish at 1hr 6mins...fun course and fun to be racing...but really? ...mediocre CAT 2 finishes with that time? We need to be racing for 90+ minutes at least. Looks like for the remainder of the season its going to be the marathon class for me! The 3 hour races will be just the ticket with how I like my races to progress.

Race Report: Kansas Fat Tire Festival...Top 3!

Wow what a weekend. Friday night after all packed and ready for a trip to Oklahoma I just happened to notice on USAC's website that the race is CANCELLED! Thought about Iola for WORS, but thats quite a jaunt for overnight. Then found the Kansas Fat Tire Festival...and it was only about 4 1/2 hours away! They claimed that this course at Lake Wilson, KS reminds people of riding in Colorado...seemed a bit of a stretch for Kansas?! However...the area of the state park we rode in was called the "Hell Creek" area.

They were not kidding. I did not get a pre-ride in so I found out as I went. For anybody thats ridden the loose sandy rocky stuff along the foothills in Colorado...this was identical...and played in my favor. Decided to drive down Sunday morning- arrived 10:45am with 1hr 15 mins to race time. Register, change, check the bike, organize the fuel, short warm-up and lined up. I was running my XR1/XR0 setup...I was the only one like that- everyone else was running XR2s or 3s, Rocket Rons, and other luggy stuff because of all the sand and rocks. They've ridden here, I hadn't so I was a little nervous but whatever.

About 40-45 line up for Cat 2 mass start and we were off. Good start around 7th going into the singletrack when those ahead of me really checked up on the pace. All CAT 1, 2, and SS were doing one full lap of 21 miles and I guess they were saving, but maybe a little too much?? Not really used to this, but I picked them all off within the first few miles and found myself leading the pack...which was good, because it was about that time when we hit the technical sections...and they were serious gnarly rocky uphill and downhill switchback loose and sandy stuff- I was in heaven because typically I can ride this stuff a little better than others in my class.

I heard lots of "RIDERS DOWN!"s yelled out behind me and could only imagine the bikes stacking up behind. I was AMAZED at the performance of my tire setup. These tires worked awesome, and hooked way better than I thought in this terrain. My legs felt great and was waiting to feel them start to fade from the pace I was trying to keep but it never really happened! The workouts from TJ really showed up here!!

However, one point I was one of the guys that somebody yelled rider down for...over the bars on a steep rock sort-of-drop that I was surprised with around a blind corner haha! Some good trail-cred on the left shin and right wris but nothing really worth bragging about. One other "incident" was me showing off a bit for some cameras and a crowd at a road crossing that had a nice high speed ramp built up to it...that went well...however, I had so much speed off the landing that I didn't see the next ramp about 100 yards further down the trail...this was definitely the longest air I've gotten on a mountain bike...I had enough time to think "This isn't gonna go well" before the landing...but somehow I landed it, not gracefully and hoping nobody saw it haha!

Around halfway I hit some more rocks that either made a pinhole leak or burped some air out of the rear tire. Either way the off camber hill climbs and turns had to be taken very slow and the chase group started to catch me. I held them for awhile, and realized the tire was not going all the way flat so around mile 15-16, hopped off and stuck some air in the tire. Five riders went by but I had only lost about a minute or so to the leaders.

I was able to catch and pass three of them but just couldn't ride that much faster than the other two to catch before the end. Came in third overall in CAT 2 with a great time at 2hrs 4mins. Turns out my tire did have a leak because the last mile the rear tire was a little squishy in the turns...finished on 12psi.

Awesome time racing though- super cool group of racers and the course was amazing. If you happen to be driving across Kansas and have your bikes stop off here (~40 miles west of Salina on I-70) - the whole trail is really sweet. I'd love to race there again!

2011 Ride

Finally getting up to speed on the machine for 2011! I found a great deal on a Yeti AS-R that fits perfect. It came with XTR M970 drivetrain (M960 cranks) and decided to stay with that for now...changing from SRAM XO. Using my 2010 Fox fork, SDG saddle, Stan's ZTR 7000 wheelset.

This year I've been running Bontrager XR1 front tire & XR0 rear and on deck for some looser stuff are Kenda Karma's and for mud Michelin Grip'R 2.0 front and Kenda KOT 1.8 rear...one lesson learned from last year to be sure to have a mud setup. No weight on it yet...but its light ;)

The race at Swanson Park on April 3rd marked the last of the Superlight which I have to say worked awesome for what I used it for...it just wasn't quite the right size and that extra long stem positioned me too far out over the front wheel- kind of unstable on high speed downhill turns and braking...which is definitely not where I want to be at all unstable!!

More Preseason Racing

After much debate...I'm going to check out the race scene down in Oklahoma this weekend. Fruita is a beautiful place and one of my favorites I will get back to again, but the iffy weather and time available are just not in favor of that trip this year.

The race this sunday is in Osage Hills Park outside of Bartlesville, OK and is currently considered a "state" level USAC race. The state level designation says a lot about what USAC thinks of this particular event. In comparison all MN, WI, and Mountain States Cup series races are at this level- which all are very well organized and attract many racers making the field usually very competitive. Plus when the promoter sends results to the USAC office, its a chance to really boost a racers national ranking...which I think is fun to watch how I progress and fuels good competition.

TJ's still has the great preseason workouts setup for me and has been able to get these schedules to fit in to my ever-changing "other" schedules without me feeling guilty...and thats huge- just keeping it fun- what it should be ;) I got the most recent edition of Momentum Endurance newsletter today...always full of GREAT information, racing success stories, and links to websites that I never knew about with great race videos and post-race interviews and other really good stuff to fuel the passion.

Life's been busy so this has been a little neglected- no pictures or fun stories really...I just realized also that I have no info about my new ride yet even! The core season of racing is right around the corner- should have some good racing this year- yesterday the Powertap gave me some encouraging numbers!

Colorado Training

Driving to Colorado so often has made the drive feel almost like a regular commute...not joking...kinda sad ha! The weekend went well for a 2am arrival Friday night. On Saturday, I had already nixed the MSC race for Sunday (for several reasons), so I got in one of my favorite rides: the Super Walker.

Sweet 30-40 minute mountain climb before descending to the trailhead, and then getting some sweet technical skills riding- both ascending and descending- on some awesome singletrack. The lap at Walker can really test the skills in all areas.

I did take advantage of this technical stuff by passing through, stopping and going back, then riding a different lines...so fun to get out and play while in between these sessions getting some great interval/climbing work. The new bike works so awesome.

Saturday night was a good night out in Old Town Fort Collins wih friends. It still amazes me just how many people commute there on bikes at all hours! Awesome! Except I'm still a car guy...hopefully things will settle down soon so I can get buildin my next project. Some talk about that over the weekend as well...

Sunday was as usual...mostly depressing cause I had to leave...

What to do this weekend...

I am heading to Colorado tomorrow. Can't wait to get my dogs that my parents have been watching for me through this rediculous month of traveling!

Race on Sunday...maybe...it's the season opener of the Mountain States Cup in Colorado Springs. Should be fun but I have to say the entry fees are a bit crazy. I was planning on the TT Saturday and the XC on Sunday but that would cost $100. I understand its not cheap to run these things but geeeeeeeez- $45 for a TT?

If anything, I guess $55 for the XC I might do...mainly because I have just assembled my latest weapon for the 2011 season and I REALLY want to get out there! More to come on the new ride ;)

Race Report: Psycowpath Series Opener!

Busy days leading up to this...I was in Miami Beach for the four days leading up to this...and it turns out that is NOT the best way to preapre for a full weekend of racing...weird huh?

Well started off on Saturday with a Time Trial at 1:34pm and short track later at 5:30. The TT course had lots of power climbs and tons of surprise switchbacks. Going all out for ~20mins was really tough- couldn't get any rhythm with the steep quick climbs and turns. I finished 8th out of about 23 in the CAT 2 Open class- but only 3 seconds out of 5th...meh...whatever...not the greatest but could've been worse.

The short track course was at a different venue and really flat and really fast- 50% singletrack. I was able to stay loose and felt my legs coming back a little...finally realizing what they're supposed to be doing.

At the start line they combined our class with three others which made it roughly 35 riders. Off the start I got the third spot and held it for the first four of 8 laps. About six of us broke away- the leader put 10 seconds on us. I slid to fourth on lap 4, fifth on lap 5, but then those that passed blew up and I got back up to 3rd again on lap 6. Off the last turn into the last sprint to the finish, I drag raced the 2nd place rider to the line but just couldn't get past him. We were still about 10 seconds back from the leader but there was at least a big gap behins us! I felt awesome during and after with this finish! Short track racing is awesome!

I finished 4th overall on the day...those 3 seconds in the TT would have put me in third (on the podium) and riding the TT course at least just once or twice to get the layout could have put me in 2nd or maybe 1st. But it was a great day of racing!

Sundays XC Race...I woke up SORE!!...the prior weeks lack of riding or training is really showing up now. After getting some warm-up riding in I knew I was way down on power.

I couldn't get a good start- I couldn't sprint my way to the top 5 off the line going into the singletrack like the day before and wound up around 15th going in...and there were several crashes involving riders around 7th through 12th within the first 100 yards of singletrack leaving the rest of us stopped and weaving off course four different times.

Overall, I could maintain a steady and decently quick pace throughout, but any time I got out of the saddle to make up some time I felt like my tires were full of lead. Finished 13th- 5 minutes behind the race winner. Each of my 3 laps were within one second of each other at 25mins each- and I felt like I could've held that pace for 2-3 hours...but just NO power.

Not what I was hoping for...but I'm still excited and moving on and looking forward to the training and preparing for the next race!

Race Report: Spa City 6-Hour ProUET

Edit: Just after I posted this, I remembered that I had the flu last week as well...I was already happy with performance and had forgotten that little detail! anyway...read away...

Wow! So...I made it! First attempt a any mountain bike racing longer than three hours so I was a little nervous going in. I'll get into the race recap in a minute but first I just have to say that this whole experience was great. I've never been that far into Arkansas and realizing that I was still in the Ozarks was a pleasant surprise. Hot Springs was definitely a cool (albeit very busy) town- population signs said ~35,000 people but with all the tourists it seemed 2 or 3 times that!

The USAC ProUET event was very well organized and everything clicked off smoothly from what I could tell. The course was fast...faster in the first couple hours than in the last couple hours...but definitely fast and fun- no smaller ring stuff here! It wasn't very technical but rough with lots of loose rocks, some nice places to catch high speed air, half a dozen or so water crossings, very fast flats and downhills, switchbacks, and 'fun' climbs. Aside from those flat sections it really reminded me of riding around Duluth, MN- and I love that place as well.

About 150-175 riders lined up for the Le mans start. I'd love to see a video of this- running in these shoes is not always the most stable! Jumping on the bike I was not in a very good position, but made up a lot of time and positions on the road section of the prelude before settling into the singeltrack of lap 1.

Each lap was somewhere between 10-11 miles and at a 6-hour long kind of pace I wanted to avg about an hour each. Laps 1 and 2 were easily done in that and I was holding a good pace and surprisingly good position until about 1/3 of the way into lap 3...front tire became very soft and where ever was leaking was too much for the stan's to fill- I tried pumping up 3 times hoping I could last until the end of the lap and make one stop as I needed to refuel anyway. The last time I pumped it up I rode out as long as possible before I realized other riders were suddenly closing hard and eventually passing. No choice now but to stop and throw a tube in it...I wasted way too much time on this deal and easily lost 20 minutes on the race. After the first time I pumped the tire up again I should've pulled off and went with the tube right away. Lesson learned!

Overall still feeling great about the race, refueled on lap 4 and caught major hamstring cramps 2/3 into the lap on a short climb that luckily I was able to spin out of by dumping the gears and reving the cranks up to about 100 rpm for the rest of the race- kept eating and drinking and didn't stop- thought that might make it worse! Starting lap 5 I looked at the time and knew I wasn't going to make my goal of 6 laps. But still happy with how things are going overall I kept spinning the lighter gears and again had to spin through another spell of major hamstring cramping in the exact same part of the course- but again not stopping, they were not as bad as the lap before so kept on truckin'!

That finish line was a joy to see...I rolled through the traps at 5hrs 50 mins with only 40 mins left to fully complete another lap- obviously that wasn't happening so I was done...and happy with it all.

Upon the finish I realized I should've started the lighter gears earlier because my last lap felt really good. It was about 8 minutes slower than my first and second lap, but for not ever racing this long- I was good with that. Fueling-wise...I could've done a little better- that combined with better handling of the flat tire situation and I could've gotten the 6th lap for sure- my fitness is obviously in good order so I am super pumped to build off this! I wasn't sure how I was gonna feel about this Ultra-Endurance stuff in the end but so far I love it.

The Flu will do that...

Well...Sundays lackluster ride was due to the beginnings of the flu (doctor confirmed) as Monday felt progressively worse and continued into Tuesday. It's Wednesday...and I feel 'okay' at best ...will get the bike on the trainer tonight to see how I feel. Haven't pulled the plug on this weekend yet but...we'll see.

I've been really looking forward to this race though...I'll have to be feeling pretty miserable still to not go. 6-hour race though...that alone will take a lot...hmmmm...

Nice Weather Racin' Comin'!

Lookin forward to the race this weekend! It will be fun to ride in 60-70 degrees again. Last weekend was kind of a bust- after that last race I feel ultra sensitive to cold and just dont want to ride in it at all. A little frustrated about that but it will pass.

After thinking about it- never before have I raced this early- usually this time of year I'm just starting to think about training after several months off. Perspective is important for motivation. With a competitive nature, it's easy to get wrapped up in the days leading into a big race thinking about the workouts that were either missed or didn't go according to plan for whatever reason. I just love the racing and sometimes need a little thought or reminder to move on looking forward saying I did the best I could, so who cares...lets race!!

No Leadville!!! ...yet...

The announcements were sent tonight and I did not get in. However...this year they're having three qualifiers to allow people to race into the start list- One in CA, CO, and NH...guess I'll have to try one of those. It's also very likely that my schedule will be changing dramatically in the next couple weeks. Lookin to add some more Ultra Endurance/Marathon type events.

Lots of outside stress lately...stress outside of training and riding and that sort of fun stuff- Lots of waiting...patiently...it's starting to affect my motivation. Need to get back into somewhat of a routine again! Need to release some tension!

Race Report: CIRREM

Terrible race. The weather did not come even close to what it was supposed to be- hovered around 13-14 degrees and was supposed to warm up to 30. Plus it snowed 3 inches the night before.

LOTS of 'cross bikes! Got to the starting line just as they said "go!" There were ~110 racers and I was in about 111th, but quickly (within the first couple miles) and without too much effort drafted my way up to about 25th and at the back of the lead group of about 35 at a harder but sustainable pace to start.

By mile 20, about 20 of that group had put a ~2 minute gap on the rest of us as we strung out into a few groups of 2 or 3, but I was getting pushed into a pace that I would not be able to hold til the end. From there I sat in the draft of others and held a good high paced tempo effort...until around mile 29 the lead guy slows up hard and stops to say "I think we missed a turn" ...uggghhh!!

I had 2 riders in front of me (drafting them) and ~4 behind me, plus my goggles were icing over from the SLEET so I was assuming the 2 in front of me either saw the lead group or saw the tracks. I guess they lost the lead group through a series of about 5 intersection turns in one mile (~40 in the race) so we ended up about a mile half out of the way - so 2 miles extra total. That sucked.

So the "race" was pretty much over for us then, but just kept going to use it as a great training ride. At the start of the race, I had prepared some food to eat while riding but had to take off my gloves after the halfway point not realizing how cold it was at speed and how much sweat was in my gloves...they froze...almost completely. From then on it was terrible- I had to slow so my gloves would warm up- then my feet got cold and never recovered- they got SO cold and numb and for real fear of frostbite at some points I had to get off the bike and walk/run just to get circulation going again. It was terrible.

Including our 2-3 mile "diversion" I reached the halfway point at about 2hrs 20 mins. The leaders were there at about 1 hr 54 mins. I finished around 5 1/12 hours- didn't look at the place or the time- didn't really care- couldn't feel my toes or fingers and just wanted heat.

So...positives? I felt good through about 3 hours- good pace- and in that time I think my fueling was sufficient. I cut up the cliff bars and that seemed to work well- could eat relatively easily when I wanted. 90% gatorade in the Camelback and one bottle filled with water worked well.

Colorado

No snow in the foothills as I hoped!! Such sweet riding there! One day I took the usual route from just east of Boulder up Baseline to the top of Flagstaff and back...feeling really good about how that felt.

My mantra of smooth is fast is working in many ways even off the singletrack- I didn't "sprint" to the top...but made it to the top faster than ever before. The tactics TJ's been having me practice are really shining right now.

Didn't get into the mountains to do any skiing this time though. That turns out to be an all-day event and I wanted to spend some time with the family.

Race tomorrow in Cumming, IA! 100K over mostly gravel road I think. Probabbly lots of "cross" bikes...not sure how I'll hold up against them but should be a fun test of endurance and keeping on top of nutrition for Spa City 6-Hour in two weeks!!

50+ degrees!!

Finally! I got to get out on the road yesterday without suiting up with all the heavy cold weather gear. I was so amped up and could not wait to release this energy into the bike! I didn't even think much about the route- just headed north on Hwy 133 up to Blair then over to Arlington and back which turned out to be about 3hrs 45mins and roughly 62 miles.

This is a pretty flat route but had a good head wind most of the way to Arlington before turning back...that tailwind felt really good from there ;)

On Saturday, for the first time ever, I took a yoga class...yeah it was weird at first- haha! But, I gotta say that it was pretty sweet in the end. A little different and felt a little out of place...but I can definitely see the benefits of it. And it is one of those things where how much you get out of it greatly depends on how much you put into it. There's more strength/muscular endurance involved in some of the poses than I would have thought.

Heading to Colorado this coming weekend. Not sure how open from the snow the foothills are for some good hill climbs but hoping to find something! Plus...have to hit those slopes at some point!

Funny Stuff for Athletes

When training a lot of the time on your own, its always nice to see, hear, or do something that reminds you that you are not the only one with this level of crazy/commitment to go faster. This email was forwarded to me this week ha! (Thanks Sandy!):

Message: Triathlete online dating profile:

"I am an outdoors type of person." Really means: I train in any type of weather. If its raining, snowing, 90 degrees w/100% humidity, or winds gusting at 30 mph. I don't want to hear any complaints because I will still train in it and you're just a big wuss for complaining about it.

"I enjoy riding my bike." Really means: with or w/o aero bars, alone or in a peleton, I don't care. If you can't do a spur of the moment 30 miler then youre not my type. I will let you draft, but if you can't hang and I drop you - I will see you later. I am a capable mechanic, but don't expect me to change your flats or tune your bike. You need to learn that on your own.

"I enjoy jogging." Really means: Lets run hills until we puke. I have just as many shoes as you only mine are better because they are functional and all look the same.

"I enjoy dining out." Really means: I enjoy eating out, in or any where else I can find food. Don't be shy because with the amount of food I eat, you can have that main entree instead of a salad and you will still look as though you eat like a rabbit in comparison. Don't get your limbs too close though as I may take a bite out of you. Most importantly don't expect any taste off my plate unless you can bring something to the party like more food. Eventually though if you're not burning 4,000+ calories a day your going to plump up and have a terrible complex due to watching me eat deserts and not gain any weight. Friends and family will eventually decide not to dine with us anymore due to my horrid table manners. Oh, and don't ask me any questions during breakfast, MidMorning Lunch, Lunch, Afternoon lunch, Dinner or Recovery Dinner as it does not lend to efficient food intake.

"I enjoy quiet walks on the beach." Really means: Walks on the beach warming up into an 8 mile run and then plunging myself in the ocean for a 2 miler. If you get in my way you're going to find out what mass start is and let me assure you that you don't want to find out.

"I find fulfillment in charitable work." Really means: If I am not racing, I am volunteering for a race and I expect you to be there along side me as I stand out in 90 degree weather or rain for 8 hours handing out sports drinkto cyclists going 20 mph. Just stickthe ol' arm out there and hope it doesn't get taken off.

"I enjoy sharing quiet moments together." Really means: It's tapertime. Just back off because I am strategizing and in a pissy mood because I am worried about my "A" race and can't workout.

"I am an active person." Really means: Aside from my 40 hour job, and the 8 mandatory hours of sleep a night. 10 hours a week are devoted to me during the off-season and 20 during race season leaving us 4 hours. 2 of which are spent inhaling food and you not talking to me, so let's make the best of the 2 hours we will spend together on average each day. If you are a licensed message therapist or doctor this would make the most optimal use of our time together. Nutritionist is also acceptable, but I probably already know just as much as you.

"I enjoy road trips and leisurely drives." Really means: You have your choice of Wisconsin, Idaho, Florida, California, Arizona, and NewYork, but don't expect to do much site seeing. If I get enough support from you we might be able to include Hawaii in there.

"I enjoy site seeing." Really means: Lets grab a mountain bike and get our HR's up to 90%. There's plenty of time to look around on the descent as trees and bushes whiz by you at 40 mph.

"I like stimulating conversation." Really means: while we are running,we can talk about food. Then we can talk about how we decided what to wear on this run based on the temperature at start time versus the temperature at the time we expect to finish, how horribly out of shape we are, how many miles we did last week, and how many we will do this week and next week. Then we can talk about food.

"I enjoy relaxing soaks in the tub." Really Means: I'm going to stop on the way home and buy two bags of ice, throw them in the tub with somewater, and sit in this torture chamber for 30 minutes.

"I'm interested in photography" Really Means: My camera is permanently perched a tripod in front of my trainer. I obsess over taking photos of my bike position and analyzing them to get the perfect setup.

"I'm into in technology" Really Means: My HRM and bike computer are my best friends. Until you can give me some hard data that can improve my training, don't bother trying to buddy up to me. You could one day break into the top three if I find you as entertaining on long runs and rides as my Ipod.

I love this stuff...

Saturday afternoon I swapped back over to the lighter Kenda Karmas (best all-around tire I've EVER been on) and headed out for a good long ride. At ~37 degrees, it was raining, which greatly increased the efforts. After about 6 miles on the road I veered off onto a dirt road that was a bit peanut buttery and very soft from the current rain. I was out for a few hours- not sure on mileage. When I was done, I was sloppy muddy and wet head to toe...it took more than two hours to clean the bike and get the drivetrain to quit making the harsh sandy grinding noises. Good effort though. Good ride.

Sunday- it's just crazy that the more I feel the previous days workout, the more I want to get out and ride?! Today I opted to stay IN-side and hit up Lifetime's Sunday afternoon movie ride. Brought the freshly cleaned Santa Cruz to the studio with the trainer and rode for about two and a half hours there. These are proving to be very helpful when getting outside is just not the best for training with the weather...and with the first big race (a 6-hour national calendar race!) in 5 weeks...I need all the training capacity of spinning those cranks as I can get. Another 60 minutes of some core work in the gym after the ride and it was a good solid day of...playing :) I love this stuff!!

Did I or didn't I...

...get in? Well...I sent my entry to the race in November...cutoff for registration for the Leadville 100 'lottery entry' was Monday. Guess I'm supposed to get an email on or before February 28th if my number's drawn? I have to say I'm really hoping I get in to this thing. I hadn't seen either of the Race Across the Sky movies...until this week. I knew watching this would be a real boost in motivation to keep training hard- even in this weather. Now I want to get out and ride for hours! Of course I've only been able to see the first one because the 2010 race isn't out until March 8th, but as everyone who's seen it knows, this very well done...and really gets my hopes up to get in to this race. It's suposed to be nice this weekend- hopefully thats right. I printed off a few 50-60 mile routes posted by other riders in the area...would love to get out there!

Other than that, I added most of the dates up to the USAC Nationals on my calendar. I'm excited for the longer "road" race on dirt coming up here on February 26th- registration done. I'm not so excited to announce that I might not make the journey out to southern Cali in March- too much going on here to plan plane tickets, bike shipping, car rentals, hotels, dealing with socal traffic and whatever, and still try to relax and prepare for a big race; however...I think I found a fun alternative; the Spa City 6-Hour Ultra Endurance MTB Race in Hot Springs, AR on March 12th. This is also a USAC National Calendar race and some big ultra-endurance names competed last year- looks like a great event!

Training has been great- more than just putting the time in. I'm learning a lot more about efficient workouts- concentrating on position and more focus around the purpose of each ride/task/excercise/stretch. Perfect timing for what is now the 'pre-season' for me. TJ's been setting up killer workouts- sometimes literally- and they've been great! Working with someone this knowledgeable has helped me train so much more efficiently and it really shows.

Really hoping I get into Leadville the more I think about it...mid-August is perfect timing for it too!

So this is January...

2011 has blasted out of the gate! Two races already in the bag with heavy weeks of training- on and off the bike...indoors and outdoors.

The 5th annual Cold Bear Challenge Series put on by Rich Omdahl and the Dirtwerks Crew has been a blast. Competitive but low pressure and just fun! The CBC series consists of three races at one of my favorite courses to ride- Hillside Park in Elk River, MN...racing at or around 0 degrees in snow...in MN...ahhh the fun factor of these events. There's a certain amount of pride that comes with rolling up to the starting line at these races.

Race #1 - January 9, 2011: first ever race in snow. Initial strategy was to simply stay on the packed stuff, keep an even pace, and just have fun. This worked really really well. Went into the singletrack after the 1/3 mile road sprint in about 7th- no worries though as was feeling strong with a lot in the tank still. Stayed smooth got the 'focus'

and quickly found myself in 2nd place after the prologue and 1/2 way into the first lap! I held this until I realized my Camelback spout froze...and it was inside my final layer! (testament to how cold it was that day) The pace I was on...there was no way I'd be able to keep it without hydration so while fiddling with that (including two corner slideouts) three racers went by that I never could catch again. Had a fun final push in the last two sections of the course with Angry Catfish Bikes and Coffee rider Ben Rogowski- great 100 yard sprint to the finish. Finished 5th- first top 5 of 2011 though and fitness levels feel strong!

Race #2 of CBC was today...happy to report the fitness level feels even stronger...however, the course was not nearly as fast as before and I (and many others) was

pushing the bike through mushy snow more than riding in some sections. One of my booties kept sliding up over the toe of my shoe exposing the mesh to the snow and foot was beginning to turn into a popsicle. I wasn't feeling like two laps of this so called it after one- I had fun still- and got a GREAT high intensity workout in...heart rate was definitely bouncing off the rev limiter for most of it!

Pictures!

More posts to come later for updates...but here are some photos to show a little of whats been going on- yeah don't have too many, I'm usually riding (bike or ski's) hard and forget picture breaks....

Skiing Arapahoe Ski Basin

Can't wait to ski these trees!

Loveland Ski Area

First Tracks at Tranquility in first December snow

Skiing Breckenridge

Not sure what the F this is yet...

T-Bucket project progress...

Bandit needs a buddy while I'm away...so...coming February 1st!
My Italian Greyhound Ajax! (Named after the ski mountain in Aspen, Colorado)

Best of 2010...

Lifes been busy- busy enough to where things like trying to keep up a blog has been sort of challenging. I typed up a few entries throughout January in Word, but just never transferred them...anyway, the next few posts were written sometime in the last few weeks.

“Best … of 2010”

Its fun to reflect back on the previous year- I’m very competitive and driven in several areas so I like to see and remember what I’ve done. 2010 was a wacky year and brought lots of changes…and definitely has its own chapter in my life. Starting the year I was almost sure I was done racing competitively after losing so much fitness in the seven months off the bike after my accident in 2009! Not only the fitness loss but I had some weird “things” going on with my ankle- thankfully I just started the training anyway and when it went away I realized it was only because of the lack of use and physical therapy during recovery. There were some major peaks and some valleys last year – but here are some of the “best” of 2010:

Best Race: USA Cycling Nationals…this one is obvious- a bronze medal at this caliber of event?! Big thanks to TJ at Momentum Endurance for helping me boost my fitness as much as possible in such a short amount of time. Huge accomplishment- I still have lingering battle scars six months later to prove the effort I put into the preparation and participation in this race.

Best Event: TEVA Games in Vail. I don’t care what other events fall on this weekend- I’ll be back for this in 2011. The events, food, people, music, the whole festival was everything I love- even better being a participant in something this big..

Best Day Dream Topic: The Olympic Skeleton

Best Race Course: Kind of tough as there’s about five…but can probably narrow it down to a toss up between Sol Vista and Rabbit Valley (Fruita). Sol Vista was an awesome course for a mountain bike race- the long climbs varied from dirt road to technical and the descents varying from rocky/sandy loose singletrack to high speed banked turns. Rabbit Valley was quite simply the most scenic place I’ve ever ridden…ever- racing over flat rock, red dirt, sand, along the edge of cliffs and bluffs with amazing colors and views- racing on this terrain was seriously sweet.

Best Training Workout: LT Intervals (thanks TJ!)

Best Ride: Riding to the top of Mount Evans; ~14,260 feet above sea level

Best Lessons Learned: Pre-race hydration/preparation!! Several times in 2010 I bonked (including one DNF) or didn’t get warm-ups in due to lack of hydration, sleep, and/or not getting to the venue early enough before race start times.

Best Road Trip: Omaha to the Black Hills in SD to see two great friends get married; then two days later to Burnsville, MN for the MNMBS race at Buck Hill.

Best Addition to Traveling Entertainment: My dog Bandit

Best Equipment Purchase: PowerTap

Best Cross Training: Downhill skiing at A-Basin in Colorado

Best Motivation to Train Movies that are not Bike Movies: Rocky- all of 'em, The Cutting Edge

Best Training Tunes (well...some of 'em): Paradise City (GNR), Scream (Avenged Sevenfold), Awake and Alive (Skillet), Hell of a Time (Hell Yeah)

Best Thanks: To all of you who put up with my "I care about racing and thats it" way of thinking and living throughout the summer months in particular. AND also to anybody that at one time or another has let me take up refuge for a night or four in your basement, guest room, closet, garage, where ever...Bandit and I sincerely appreciate it.