So...

It's been a little while. What was it, May 1st when I stopped riding. Started again on June 3rd. Put in 4 rides, which leaves me at my last post.

Since then, I did a ride a few days later, and my knee was bugging me again. Did a few quick 15-30min feeler rides to see how the knee was feeling. That's 5 rides in 50 days! Didn't really ride again until the day before Lumberjack. Did a quick little pre-ride of the course and thought I was going to die. I felt so out of shape on the climbs and had really tight legs from doing nothing other than standing all day at work and sitting on my ass at home.

DISCLAIMER: I highly recommend training for 100 mile mountain bike races. You might be able to get by without it though.

Photo: Jack Kunnen
So, Lumberjack was just a training ride for me and to see how my knee was feeling. Luckily the rest and exercises had been working and it was feeling good. Hit the rollout in the top 30 and just chilled. I knew I could not hang with the top guys like I was hoping for earlier in the season. Slow and steady.

Lap 1 hurt. My legs had no idea what was going on. Rode the first half with women's winner Betsy Shrogen as she was throwing down a XC pace on the chicks. Spent the rest just enjoying riding my bike in the woods and sweating profusely in the mid-west humidity.

Lap 2 was sweet. I was solo for most of it, but I was having a great time. Sweeping and flowing through the course. I was loving life. This lap was a little quicker than lap 1.

Lap 3 came and I was wondering what the hell I was doing. Why was I racing a hundo off the couch? Hmm, cause I like riding my bike. According to Simonster's high tech and 100% accurate scale, I was in stage three. Wondering why I was out there, what I should do? My body felt great, but it is that step where it gets mental. Luckily I joined up with Scott Cole who was also in the exact same boat I was. His body wasn't up to par on the first lap or 2, but after a few miles, I got my mind back in the game. We rode and chatted together for a while which made the time go by much faster and made the race much more enjoyable. Stopped at the aid station on the outer loop to grab some stuff. I didn't need anything, but I was in no hurry. Goddard came by just as we were leaving, so we tagged along. Fire tower climb my fat and out of shape body couldn't go as fast as the guys. Finished the loop at 6 hours and 2 min. Not too bad considering 2 years ago I finished in 7:55, so not far off of that pace.

My knee was feeling good and I was content with my 6hr training ride. I sat down and chilled out for 1.5 hours until my dad came by for his 4th lap. Grabbed the fly and headed out to finish the race and keep him motivated on his virgin 100 mile race. Pulled in at the 10:15 mark to cap off a good day.

I was so nice to be back out on the racing scene and see all the people I haven't seen since last July. I rode the 29er as well, and it was great. I am really digging the big wheels. can't wait to take it back to Colorado in August to shred on rock.

Since the race, my knee has still felt good. I rode Sunday morning after the race and my legs felt like 1 million bucks. Musta been that long taper!!! Did a good 3+ hour ride with a bit of intensity realizing I have no top end power anymore. Poto in the extreme heat on Wed was fun and the 29er just totally ripped that place apart. Early morning Spiderweb clearing of ILRA yesterday was the extent of my riding. Had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled out this morning, so who knows when I'll get back on the bike. Then it's off to Baltimore to the the bro late next week. Hectic schedule but hopefully I'll be able to get some structured training in sometime in the next few weeks! Maybe I'll be in shape for cross natz in December?

2009 Lumberjack Training Plan

Step 1: Take a month off the bike

Step 2: Start riding 17 days before 100 mile event


Step 3: Take it easy and only ride 3 days for 2.5 hours to let knee heal

Step 4: On the 4th day pretend you have been training and ride 8+ hours and cover 95 miles.

Step 5: Ride for next 2 weeks and show up for event fatigued.

Step 6: Suffer through race and love every minute of it.

Ya, so yesterday was good. Did the Milford Trail Challenge from home and met up with Jon Heft and Bernie Smith for some fun in the saddle. Hit up Highland, Proud Lake, Commerce, Island Lake, and the Milford Trail. Knee felt good and body was starting to feel great about 6 hours in. Some R&R is on tap to make sure everything is happy and the body is healed up.

Not sure on nutrition strategy for the race yet, but I fueled with 8 Kroger pop-tarts and a dairy queen blizzard. Felt energized and no upset stomach. Total cost: $4.80!

2 Days, 5 hours

Ya, I rode my bike the past two days. Feels good to be going again. I am fat, slow, and outta shape, but I'll get back there one day. Knee is starting to feel better, and I am hoping next week it will be all back to normal. Hit up Island Lake a few times as it is easy and not taxing on my knee. The 29er just rips the place up out there.

Almost 4 weeks...

This is really pissing me off. My knee still hurts and nothing has been done about it. Got an MRI and it showed nothing. I am going to try to get into PT. That will probably take another week or so. I have a new bike, and I can't ride it. At least if I new what my problem was, I could do something about it and get it better. Right now it is all about waiting and waiting. Ice, ibuprofen, and rest has done nothing. It still hurts, similar to day 1. Walking, climbing stairs, riding, it all hurts. Maybe if I ever get back on a bike, I might have fitness by mid-December for cross nationals. I've been looking for positive thoughts, but they are hard to come by.

Since May 2nd, I have ridden three times. Once for a little spin in Fort Collins to see how it felt. Once before I left GJ just to get in one last MTB ride there, and then an hour last weekend on the 29er to see how it was feeling. I am now hoping it is just an alignment problem with the kneecap and I can do some exercises and maybe tape the shit out of it with some kinesio tape.

Hours for the month: 2.5

We're going on 5 days

...Off the bike. It is a huge mental challenge to be sitting here and not out riding in the 85 degree weather.

Here is what has been going down lately.

-Got back from Sea Otter and got some good MTB rides in with friends from Michigan.
-Went to Salt Lake City for Conference Championships. It rained. TTT was pouring, crit was okay, and road race turned into a circuit race at the race track.
-Came back to GJ for a day and did laundry, oil change, and got packed up.
-Drove to Silver City, NM for the Tour of the Gila on Tuesday.
-Stayed with some awesome hosts. Some guy named Lance riding for a Texas bike shop stayed at the house next to us.
-Stage 1 was okay. Made it with the group to the bottom of the final 3 mile 11% climb. Came in 21 of 73.
-Stage 2 split up like crazy with a good climb early on into the 80 mile race. Was in the chase group and bridged back up to the front with 20mi to go. Finished in the front group of 30. Knee started to hurt.
-Knee was painful that night. Hurt to walk.
-Decided to ride the TT with a sore knee. It really hurt, especially on the way out which was almost all uphill. Rode on my drops most of the way on a TT bike course. Somehow I was 29th. Didn't go that hard out there.
-Legs were feeling better as the week went on, but knee hurt.
-Tried to ride around the parking lot before the crit and I thought I was going to cry. OUCH. My knee was killing me. I pulled out.
-Fed guys on the last Gila Monster stage. Drove behind the pro men at the end of the caravan the first 20 miles and saw 2 guys put on stretchers.
-Drove back to GJ in 9.5hrs, home about 12:30am Monday.
-Class, studying, and sitting on my ass. Icing my knee, ibuprofen, and trying not to look at my bikes.
-Going to Ft. Collins this weekend for collegiate road nationals. I hope my knee will heal up, but I am not to hopeful at this point. One more week here and I am back to the homeland. I might just take this as a mid-season break and hope to have a killer year after this problem. My fitness was really coming around and I was feeling really strong. Makes me mad.
-Going to try the whole 29er thing this year.
-I think I just have some tendinitis in my knee and not much I can do about it. It better not last too long.
-I'm outta here.

Sea Otter Wrap-Up

The trip has come and gone, and I am glad I decided to go. What a great few days it was. 5 of us packed into a pick-up truck and set off for Monetery, CA around (;30 Wednesday night. After snowy/icy conditions in Utah(the storm that dumped feet in Colorado), a cruise down the Vegas strip, and 15 hours later, we arrived in one sleep-deprived state. A nice little pre-ride and a tour of the expo, and it was off to In-N-Out for some food, then sleep.
PICTURES OF THE TRIP-BETTER THAN WORDS
TECH/EXPO PICS
Did another loop of the course on Friday and checked out some other races and went through the expo in deep. What a great venue and scene. Weather was the best ever at Sea Otter and everyone there was in a great mood. Went to the beach later for some sunset action and touch my toes in the Pacific for the first time ever.

Saturday started off playing in the waves and having a blast in the ocean. It was a little cool, but we didn't care. Off to the venue to pre-ride then watch some racing. I opted out of the short track and was glad I did. Not much passing, and most people were done in 10 minutes. It was a great race to watch. The womens was animated then Emily Batty blew them all away with an attack on the last lap. The men's race was full on Specialized domination. They made everyone look like they were creeping. After a flat tire from Susi, it was down to Todd and Burry, but they killed everyone.

Sunday was race day. I went off with 140 of my closest friends at 1:30. It was really hot at 10am, and hit record high temps in the afternoon. They shortened the race a little due to the extreme heat. It was up in the 90's and most people are not acclimated to it yet. The first lap was so hot and miserable. The course was fun and cool riding with that many people, but the heat radiating in the woods was unbearable. You couldn't pin it or you would totally blow up. Just ride a good tempo and look forward to passing others and seeing the finish line. I finished 78th of 140 pro starters. Not bad for the first mountain bike race of the year. Legs felt good, but the heat just zapped everything. You could tell everyone was suffering and that was what kept me going.

Hopped in the car, ate In-N-Out, and drove straight back to GJ. Got back at 9am with 1hr of off and on sleep in Utah. Did a few things, then went for a sweet MTB ride with friends. Finally went to bed at 6:30, and got up at 9:30 this morning. Now it is off for a few good rides this week, then conference championships this weekend and off to Tour of the Gila on Tuesday for 6 days. Sea Otter and MTB racing was a great little refresher.

The Start of Craziness

Well, here it is. The heart of the spring races. Last weekend was a trip down to Durango for the Fort Lewis races.

Saturday's TTT was canceled as we woke up to pouring rain, then lots of snow. The crit was still on a few hours later. It was a really cool course. Once everyone got used to the soaked roads, it was smooth and really fun. It started raining again before our race, then it started snowing a bit, and even sleeted on us in the race. Needless to say, it was chilly and wet, but I had a great time. I just kinda chilled on the back of the main group, and when people would pop, which was like 1/2 the field, I would come around them and get back on the group. Needless to say, after 20 minutes the glasses were so covered in grime that you couldn't see. Even better was it was the worst conditions of the year, but the first race with no crashes!





Sunday was a circuit race of 9, 6 mile loops. It finished with a killer climb that was a mile+ in length. The first part has a few switchbacks and is ridiculously steep. Since I suck at accelerating and power climbs, my goal was to try to stay with the group for a couple laps. Each lap, people would come off, then try to bridge back. Even after a hard week of training, my legs had some good power in them. I used my flatlander skills to bridge back and bring others back to the group every lap. After 7 laps, I finally was gone. I was able to keep riding strong the last two laps and passed a few more stragglers. I finished 20th out of 49, so not bad for another training race.

Next up is Sea Otter. I can't wait to race my MTB. I am registered for the XC, but I am not sure about the short track yet. I am going to look at the course and decide. Being 100 guys back on a short course could mean guys like Treefarm will be about to lap me before I get to the start line. And I usually get faster as the race goes on, which is horrible for ST. Oh, and its like 95 bucks. Yeah...

Wowza

I just looked at my schedule for the next month and a half or so. Let's just say it is going to go by FAST. Here is what it is looking like...

This weekend-Golden, CO----CANCELED DUE TO LOTS OF SNOW--I can stay here
April 10-12 Durango, CO
April 15-19 SEA OTTER CLASSIC-MTB!!!
April 24-26 Salt Lake City, UT-Conference Championships(if we have to go)
April 28-May 3 Tour of the Gila-Silver City, New Mexico
May 8-10 Collegiate Road Nationals-Ft. Collins, CO
May 11-17 Exams, and family is in town to ride some sweet trails and roads
May 17/18? Leave for Michigan.

That's a lot of traveling and bike racing. As they say, "You only live once, and do it while you're young!"

Once I get back to the mitten, I will hit up the Brighton Stage Race, then an assualt on the Lumberjack 100. I think I will take a week or two break from the bike after that for a mid-season refresher. Need to be able to throw down for collegiate MTB Nationals in October and cross nationals in December.

A Week Off (The Skinny Tires)

What a refresher. After 4 weeks straight of riding and racing on the road bike, I was able to set it in the corner and leave it be. Such a great mental refresher. Don't get me wrong, I like to ride my road bike, but there is just something about MTBing that I don't get on the skinny tires. I can't wait for the summer and fall when I can ride/race the mountain bike, and don't have to think about road racing. Sometimes it is really fun, other times it is freaking boring, and then other times it just plain sucks. At least when you MTB and you feel like bricks, you can still rip the DH and have a smile on your face!

So, all I did this week was ride my MTB. What a blast. I stayed in the valley and hit up some stuff that I don't ride much, some I have never ridden, and did some of my favorites.

All of these photos are from the Lunch Loops here in town. Crazy fun trails, all clearable on the hardtail.


Lookout from partway up the Ribbon Trail

Ribbon is the only slickrock trail in the valley. Steep. 3 miles and 2,000ft of climbing.

That section was 1/2 mile and an average of 17.5%. That was 4mph!




The top. I guess a lot of people shuttle it and ride big bikes down. I think it is better uphill.


Next week is back to building some fitness again. The weekend we'll be down in Golden for a hill climb up Lookout Mt and then a crit on the Mines campus. Should be some good intensity. I bet the trails down there will be sweet with the recent snow(melt). Nice and tacky!

Race Weekend #4: Home

First weekend I haven't had to travel in a few weeks. Even though we missed out on Chimayos in Silverthorne, it was nice to be able to work out of home base for the weekend.

Saturday morning we rode out to Fruita for the hill climb. I had a decent run at it and posted a new PR by 1:14 over the 4 mile course. I took of way to easy in it, as my HR was 10 beats below threshold 2 minutes into the 16:28 race. Rode back home, and had 50 miles in the legs for the morning.

Food and nap were next on tap. Then off to the crit. We were racing at the local motor speedway/shifter-cart course. Collegiate A's had the best race of the day as we went off at 7:15 for a twilight crit. It was sweet. Because of the technical nature and fast/hard corners, the whole race was strung out-which we all know means fast! After an early crash, the field split into 2 groups. We had Conor and Kevin in the first, and Adam and I in the second. After Adam told me what I should be doing, we had some nice teamwork and covering the guys trying to bridge the gap. We got close, but with only a couple people working, and us trying to slow them down and not work, it never came back. Conor attacked and was in a 2-man break. In true fashion, he pulled off the W. NICE! Yeah, only 20 of the 36 finished, all others were pulled. FAST.

It stared off with some light

Got darker-Kevin attacks

Then really dark by the time we finished:Conor in the break

That turned into a late night with some good dinner in us. Up at 6am with not enough sleep. 9am was the start of a killer road race. Big steep climb, another climb, long 4 mile 2-4% grade, long gradual downhill, then another kick in the ass climb. Do 4 loops, then the 8 miles back to the start. 74 miles of pain! Being the last day of a hard 3-week training block, and after hard races the day before, I was looking to keep with the group for the first climb. I made it, and made it a lap, until the final climb, where I popped along with a bunch of others. Throughout the day, I rode with like 10 different people, and only 3 of us finished the race. 14 of the 38 people dropped out. Got some good hard miles in the legs, which should help come the time I really want to be fast.

Results

Race Weekend #3

CU hosted a crit in Boulder on Saturday. It was a pretty fun race and basically just an oval with no hard turns. It was a great race to move around in. Back, middle, front, I saw it all. On the 6th to last lap, I was sitting in good position near the front when I flatted the rear tire. Ran over to the pit to grab a wheel. Free Lap. The official said she would let me back in, but only once the group went by. Huh? So I jump back in once the CSU lead group flies by at 30-32 mph getting their leadout going. 1.5 laps later, I was back on with no lungs left. SUFFER! Sat in to try and recover for a half a lap, then starting moving my way back up. Last lap comes and sure enough there is a pileup halfway around the course. I come to a complete stop as no not get in the crash with no where to go. Soft pedaled it in for the finish.


Grabbed some food and decided to skip out on the open races for some climbing up in the mountains. Went out for a two hour jaunt to Jamestown and back in awesome weather. Great scenic ride and sweet roads. Good 4hr day on the bike!


Sunday was the UNC crit in Greeley. I got off in a break for a little while early in the race and collected some premes along the way. Kevin got into a break later that lasted until 4 to go. The team rode really well together and we were well represented and scored good on the preme points. 1/3 of the way into the last lap(long laps) Adam took over and pinned it. I came around and lead out of the bottom of the course up the grade just before the last finishing traffic circle. I pulled off and soft pedaled it in. We had a good pace going, but two of our guys got boxed in at the bottom circle and were pushed back a bit, so the leadout didn't work perfect. One more guy, or a later start to the leadout, and we could have had it. We'll get it down soon I am sure. Fun race though.




Then I managed to wipeout in some gravel on my cooldown and totally jack up my shoulder. Pretty sure I popped it out of socket. It's a bit sore. Hopefully it heals up quick.

Next up is our home race with a hill climb up the Monument and a twilight crit at the local race track. Sunday is the first road race of the year. I am looking forward to it. After that I might be going down to Boulder to race their version of Paris-Roubaix or MI's Cone Azalia. Koppenburg sounds like a blast!

Racing

Well, the second weekend of collegiate racing has passed here in Colorado, and the races have been great so far. The first weekend was a crit on the CSU campus, then another crit on the Colorado College campus the next day. I was able to do both the A race and the 3 race on the Saturday, then the A race again on Sunday morning. It was a good weekend of getting used to road racing and moving around in crits. Not like mountain biking where you can just ride your bike without thinking.

This past weekend was a crit hosted by DU at City Park in Denver. It was a fun course with three roundabouts and everyone was riding really smooth. I was basically useless for this race. After my first week of hard intensity and some good hours, my legs just didn't want to respond. I thought I was going to pop 10 minutes into the race. Just no legs that day. I was able to stay in, and with 10-15 minutes to go, the whole race blew up into small groups. I bridged some gaps and got into the main group, which was wittled down nicely. Rode in for 14th. Better than dropping out. Needless to say, I skipped the 3 race in an effort to save my legs. After all , it's the first week of March.



Sunday was an individual time trial, as well as a team TT. I put on the stubby aero bars on the road bike and went for some good intensity. I had some better legs today and the power was good. I finished 13th with a 20:38. It was a tight field with places 3-13 separated by only 23 seconds.


Next up was the TTT. We started with myself and Adam, another A racer, then a B and C racer. We smoked the first section of technical turns. I lead and flew through the S turns and 90deg turns all out. If I would have done that in my ITT, I could have shaved some good time off, but I was not as comfortable with the setup early on. So, we dropped the C early before he could do any work for us. Then it was all about trying to keep the B with us. The last section I pulled, while Adam pushed the guy up the rollers. We still had a decent time, and got some points for it. I think we did a 21:05.



After those races, it was off for a nice 2hr spin over to Golden to ride up Lookout Mtn and back. Fun ride with a sweet downhill coming down Lookout. Great day to be riding a bike. Mid 60's and bluebird skies.

Now its just time for some good riding this week, then off to CU and UNC for a couple more crits next weekend.

I know this is cruel, but...

Winter, Day 74 of 91

72F degrees and flowing ribbons of singletrack.




Working on the tanlines...

Miles to Date: 2,575

Cowabunga Baby!

What a week. Tour of Cali live streaming online, great weather outside, and lots of riding myself.

After last weeks road races, I stepped away from the skinny tires for a bit and brought out the mountain bike. The Tabeguache trails, which are about 4 miles from campus, are in prime condition right now. That lead me to do some long hours and lots of climbing on the MTB early in the week.

Well, my road bike in all her carbon glory looked lonely after riding the fat tires for a couple days. I guess I have to split time with them so they don't quit on me when they are most needed. Put in some decent time later in the week in some nice 40-50 degree and sunny weather.

Saturday I needed to get out of town. The trails in Fruita and Loma are still not rideable, so the next best option was for some red dirt goodness of Moab. A quick 1.5hr drive and I am there.

Started at 9 in the morning from the center of town. Did the world famous Slickrock trail first. Had it all to myself. Can't say that too often about that trail. Rode back down into Moab, grabbed more water, and rode north out of town to my next destination. Hit Gemini Bridges to Gold Bar. Went to the overlook, then hopped back down to Golden Spike and linked that to Poison Spider. Great ride. It had everything from sandy roads to sandstone and a mixture of both with techy spots to keep ya on your toes. From there is was a ride back into Moab, more water, then off to Amasa Back. I was only able to ride a bit of the trail as time was a factor and I did not want to play in the dark.

CLICK HERE FOR THE PHOTOS OF MOAB. It will take too long to load them with blogger.

It ended up being a great day of riding. 75 miles of riding in 7hrs with 10,154 ft of climbing. Grabbed some grub and back to home base.

Today was a day of fixing a flat on the road bike, then chamoising up for the last ride of a 6-day block. Cloudy today, which is unusual, but still mid-50's. Nice spin on the skinny tires to cap off a 28 hour week in the saddle.

Next up is some much needed rest and recovery, followed by the first collegiate road races on the weekend. That should be the start to my intensity this year.

Racing...already?

Wow, I just finished my first races of the year. This winter has seemed really weird. Usually the first week of November is my last race, and I don't start racing again until mid April. That time is usually spent slogging out the miles in damp, cold, and cloudy conditions for months on end. This winter has been very mild out here. People would say it is cold, but sunny and high 30's to mid 40's everyday is luxury. Toes don't go numb, faces don't freeze. It is nice. Just get on the bike and ride until the sun goes down. Never are there thought of how much longer I have to ride or how uncomfortable I am. Sometimes I have to limit myself so I don't get burned out way too early in the year.

So, after 6 weeks of some base mileage, I headed down to Phoenix with some friends to get the first intensity of the year in our legs. After a 9.5hr drive, we were in the heart of Arizona.

Friday was a 14.5 mile TT west of Phoenix. False flat out, head wind back down. Having never done a TT before, I had no idea what to expect besides it would hurt. Put some stubby aero bars on the road bike and headed off. I passed 3 people and never got passed. The legs felt good, but I probably could have gone a bit harder. I was happy with my performance. Got the lungs burning for the first time. Afterwards, looking at my PT download, I was very consistent. My avg power was the exact same coming back as it was going out. A good way to start the year. Ended up 9th.

The road race was 7:40 in the morning on Saturday. Welcome to Cat 4. Low 40's in the city, and about 30F where the race was. Once we got going it wasn't too bad. The race was only 40 miles and a bit boring. I went off the front on lap 2 on the climb. There was a KOM at the top, but didn't even attempt the sprint after the three on my wheel for the past 2k jumped. Going into the final group sprint, we weaved though a junior women, then everyone sprinted through a 2 master woman break. It was so freaking sketchy. Wasn't even able to get into good position or sprint hard. Only 1 crash in the 4's, so it was successful. Finished 9th again.

The crit was Sunday in an upscale neighborhood. I was looking forward to this race as I was hoping it would be fast and I could go hard. I lined up in the back of 85 guys, but passed half of them as they were trying to clip in. First few laps were freaky as everyone hits their brakes going into the corners. I was able to move up and stay in the top 10 to be safe. The front was much smoother with better riders. I guess the field blew apart pretty good. As I was sitting 8th wheel around a corner, a USAFA guy went down in front of me. Somehow, I was able to nail the brakes and steer around him. The front 6 was gone. After chasing solo for 2 laps against a working front group, I looked back to see a group of 6. Slowed up to wait for them to bridge back up. Got to them and pulled a lap as no one would work. I waved them through and everyone starting bitching. F-bombs everywhere. People almost fighting because no one would pull. I launched with a WM guy. Didn't dig very deep here. They brought us back. On the last lap with 500m to go, I jumped them and took it to the line for first in the chase group. I was 7th. It was a blast. Just wish the roadies weren't as big of assholes. Legs felt good. Think I was 8th in the GC.

Legs felt good for some base mileage in them. Can't wait to see what I can do this spring once I start some intensity in a few weeks. I'll have pics up later.

Ye-Haw

I'll just leave you with this. 3.5hrs of bliss.