Another Level

Buy a piece of my soul

Well, time to sell stuff. You want? charly tri at yahoo dot com. Stuff has been removed as it has been sold.

2009 Gary Fisher Hi Fi Pro 29er, not at all stock, all high end stuff. This is the BEST bike I have ever ridden. Crazy fast, super light, tough. 24.5 lbs as you see here, yes 24.5 lbs. $2,500.


Size 17.5" (MD)

Frame	6066 hydroformed butted aluminum mainframe & chainstays, co-molded carbon seatstays, cold-forged dropouts, G2 29" Geometry
Fork	Custom Fox F100RLC 29, 100mm travel, custom G2 Geometry 51mm offset crown, air spring, 4-position external platform adjustment, external rebound adjustment
Rear Shock	Custom Tuned Fox Float RP23 w/air pressure, 3-Position Pro Pedal, external Rebound adjust 7.5x 2"
Drivetrain
Shifters	Sram X9 trigger
Front Derailleur	Shimano Ultegra
Rear Derailleur	Sram XO
Cassette	Shimano XT

Wheels
Wheels	Bontrager Rhythm Pro 29, 28mm wide tubeless ready* rims
Tires	Bontrager XR-1 expert
Components
Crank Set	Shimano XTR, 36/24, Hollowtech II arms, integrated BB spindle
Saddle	Bontrager Race Lite, superlight hollow cromoly rails
Seatpost	Easton EC-70 Carbon
Handlebar	Bontrager Race Lite Big Sweep, 640mm width, 12d sweep, 31.8mm
Stem	Bontrager Race X Lite OS, 7d rise, 31.8mm
Headset	Cane Creek ZS3, semi-integrated, cartridge bearings, short top cap
Brakeset	Avid Juicy Ultimate, Carbon levers, Ti bolts, 160 mm Ashima rotors

Time Atac XS. Used for several years, but bearings and bushings have been replaced. Everything spins great, no excessive play. Come with cleats. I have 1 pair. Retail is $175. Yours for $60.

charly tri at yahoo dot com

BTW

Something Strange...

Moab

Alright, so I have gotten a few "what happened?". I am home now and here is a write up. Wednesday Chris Strout picked me up and we headed arrived in Moab Thursday. After a preride I found the course to be many things. Tough, fun, tough, rocky, sandy, a blast, and tough. Although the elevation profile is not horrible, the course makes you work hard for almost every foot of up OR down. Choosing the right line was critical in being efficient out there. It was demanding and I was looking forward to it despite the fact I could tell the last 6 weeks effected my fitness. We met up with the rest of the World Bicycle Relief guys on Friday and hit another preride. My knee was tight, but not painful. The days leading up to the race I was not feeling 100%, but still fully committed to seeing what I could do. The morning of the race my body felt more like going back to sleep than riding, but my head was ready to go. The leman's start was grueling. Thick sand to run through and a poor choice of bike placement saw me WAAAAY back. Working my way through I got in a groove and ended finished out the first lap well despite not feeling that great. The second lap the right knee was bothering me so the pace lowered. At this point my leg/neck/back/arm muscles just felt worked over already. My body was definitely not firing on all cylinders. The left thigh was hurting from compensating for the bad right knee. Coming in after the 2nd lap I got some Aleve. The start of the third lap my body temp went sky rocketing. I guess the sun was very intense at this point. I layed down in the shade on the course for a little bit as I didn't need to blow up on lap 3 of the flipping race, made it throught lap 3 and the right knee felt a little better. My motto was that I was going to "keep on keeping on". Somewhere in lap 2 the stomach went south as well. The rest of the race was spent fighting the need to release the contents. This included backing off the pace many times and actually sitting up quite a bit to relieve pressure. I would force food down though to keep on keeping on. The night laps were hard. The lines seemed to fade some and that made the riding much harder. It was a very cool experiance looking at other parts of the fairly open course and seeing lines of lights slink there way through the night, very cool. The temps dropped, and the stomach never got better. Before the 8th lap I sat and had some warm food. I was trying to make sure that I was still getting calories as they weren't going down so easy on the course. So off for the 8th lap, and I felt a little weak. No problem, I'll feel better. Hit the first climb and felt weaker. Not wanting to stop I got off the bike and shoveled food down my gullet while walking, figured this was a momentary lapse and I'd get going soon. Well, unfortuanately it got worse. I was pushing the bike up sections I had been "middle ringing" it. Out of breath and would have to stop and rest my head on the bars. This got worse and I was laying on the side of the trail; at 40 degrees, in the middle of the night. I would get going again, but the medics came out and drove me to an aid station where I hallicinated some and eventually slept. I would make it off the course hours later and proceeded to have lingering issues that made going out again not possible. I went into this race with the mentality that I would have to be dragged off the course before I would stop, guess it came to that. I fought hard against a body not working right at the start, bad knee pain, heat, and stomach issues. I was happy with the pace I had set, problems or no problems. No regrets. Chris would end up banging up his knee and retiring early. Brad and Todd soldiered on together during the race and finish 13th and fourteenth. The support was awesome and I want to thank Kim and Kate (Chris's wife and daughter), Bonnie and Fin (Todd's wife and son), Todd (Brad's bro in-law), and Sean (Team friend) for all the help. Also want to thank Chris for making the drive out there and back fun and interesting. Just a note, the Hi-Fi was perfect out there. I was riding lines that others could not because of that bike and I want to thank Fisher bikes for the support. Another note. I think my 24 hour "attempts" are done, at least for a long while. I love riding my bike for 100 milers and 12 hours, but I am not built well to take the abuse for 24 hours on a mountain bike. Key word, mountain bike. I'll still see my fellow riders in Iowa to pound out gravel next spring. I have never gone into the off season with as much motivation. Game on. BTW.

here in moab

got here yesterday morn. rode the course. daddy likey! ready to rumble.

hi

I am going through Iowa now. Loaded van. Chris @ the wheel. Taking hits off a bottle of Jagermeister. Chris added that we are only wearing socks.

Moab or bust

I leave in a few hours here.  I am mostly packed thanks to some help.  Chris should swoop in and together we'll conquer MN, IA, NE, and CO on our way to Utah for the "big" race.  Wish me luck.  You can check out real time results here (http://www.grannygear.com/realtime/public/gg_index.php?view_race=grannyg_2009_moab).  Just do it on your personal time, alright? Abi took her first few steps on her birthday, September 24th.  It was not until last night she replicated that feat, over and over.  I am guessing she'll be up to a full run by the time I get back.

Commence Whining

Abi's birthday was last week and we got a nice picture. So I have not posted in awhile.  I am trying to pull things together lately just so I can ride.  Oct 2 marked the one month anniversary since the flood at our place and it was also when everything settled down.  I have ridden a little in that time, but nowhere near what I wanted. Now I whine.  I am sitting here with an ice bag on my knee, loaded up with ibuprofen and Zicom.  I have tendinitis in my knee, my back muscles have been flaring up, and I am keeping back the worse of the cold symptoms that Becky and Abi both have been going through.  I can't ride with this knee pain.  Argggghhhhh, I will swim tonight. Moab is this coming weekend.  I head out with Chris Strout on Wednesday.  I may have an ice bag and massage ball working overtime while we drive.  It may not be pretty, but I am lining up at Moab's 24 hour race.  Everything is being done to make sure it goes well. Oh, and I raced the Cheq fat tire a few weeks ago.  I am planning on a write up, but since I had no expectations, 26th overall exceeded what I had hoped for. BTW.

WI worlds approaches.

I've been busy, leave me alone.  Well, our basement is coming along since the "flood".  Sheetrock is done and carpet goes in Monday.  At the same time I found out about a ton of water damage at a rental of ours from a leaking toilet.  Needless to say this last weekend was the first time I did 2 consecutive days of riding in the last 3 weeks.  I have been a very busy boy. Now I am getting ready for the WI mountain bike worlds, also known as the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival.  I love everything about this weekend except the race.  The WI blogs are all a flutter about their blessed gravel road race.  Should be a fun time up at the cabin. I have my tandem for sale for real now.  Craigslist ad is here, http://rmn.craigslist.org/bik/1377528526.html.  Buy it or die. I am just trying to get out a lot now and get ready for a big week next week on the bike.  Moab is getting closer and closer. FYI, I am not sure how this entry will look.  I am sending this through e-mail, which is much faster.  I should stop now, don't want to take up too much of your work day.

Frazzled, Wet

I have not been on the bike since Tuesday, maybe today I will get out. Woke up Wednesday morning at 5am to use the bathroom. When my feet were wet I turned on the lights to find my basement flooded. Now we have a completely torn up basement, lots of carpet and sheet rock missing. Lots of headaches. Big mess. All this because a faulty clothes washer kept running all night (over and over) next door and the drain was slightly clogged(we own a twinplex and occupy one side). Farmer's Insurance has been awesome through the whole process though! The had Service Master at our house in 30 minutes from our call.

Looks like I am riding out to Moab with some guy who's mind is always in the gutter. Should be fun. Need to start riding again to prep...

Legs felt great on Tuesday as I rocked the single speed for the first time this year. Rode our little race series here in town and just kept getting faster during the 30 minute ordeal.

Oh, and the future of women's US cycling has started training camp this week. More to come.

But for now, you should get back to work, back to your family, or just go for a freaking ride already!!

Afton Recap, lessons learned, call for help.

Alright, so I had support at the race thanks to a coworker. He shall go nameless until I have a pic to post as well.

Dan Dittmer would prove that he deserved the title this weekend. Like we have before, we shared a pit. This makes it a little bit more entertaining for those crewing for us and it just seems to work. Here is how it shook out.

The start was a Le man's start up a hill, around a barrel, and back to our bikes. I completely underestimated how hard the course would be. Before the race I swapped my 26 tooth small ring for a 24. I should have bolted on a 22. Up or down, you choose. There is at best 1/2 mile of flat on this course. Most of the climbs are STEEP.

The first lap I just rode. I was not setting out to blow doors off, but I found humor in what appeared one solo's rider determination to stay with me. His face spoke of pain. I could see Dan a ways back there, but not falling back for sure.

Dan and I would stay within sight of each other pretty much for the first 6 hours while we lead the race. I was feeling strong and consistent. I was very pleased that despite the steep hills I was riding everything and staying strong. Over the next couple of laps I got a gap of about 15 minutes. Now granted, this is getting to be about midnight now. The temp has dropped considerably. You can see your breath and the dew appears frozen on the tall grass. I would spend my time on these laps hot and sweating going up the long steep climbs and freezing coming down. The constant temp change had my stomach uneasy so I got behind on calories. Lap 11 I stopped to try to get some food, but I was slowing hard. Lap 12 I would realize that if I did not eat I would bonk.

So at about 2:30ish in the morning I stopped to eat. Dan would stop as well as he had caught back up. This is where I made a mistake. I huddled under a sleeping bag and ate, Dan would head back out. This became nice and cozy enough, so I headed next to the fire. Well, the sleep deprivation, freezing cold, hunger, and drowsiness got the best of me and I took a break. Then a longer break. Then I was taking a nap.

That was all good I figured. My thought process was Dan would take a break like he did the year before. We had a 2 lap lead on third. Well, I woke up to a 4 lap deficit to Dan and tied for 2nd. Out I headed out to finish up the race and try to reel some of Dan's lead back.

I was riding strong and the body felt good; except for one thing. I was getting bad stomach cramps and the need to use the bathroom NOW despite going before I left. I would roll into the start/finish and head straight to the Porto potty. I came out, grabbed some food, and went out again. By the bridge loop I was getting the same pains and need for a bathroom. The bike got turned back and I spent the rest of the day with bad stomach cramps and frequent bathroom trips. In fact, as I type this, I still have those cramps. Besides just a tad of leg soreness, this is the only way I can tell I raced this weekend.

I would end the day in 8th out of 54. Not the result I was hoping for. I made the mistake of stopping and that cost me dearly. Also, I did not learn from past experiences. You see, I have had these cramps and bathroom trips before; the day after my endurance races. Considering the only constant with all of these was my EFS shot and sportlegs it had to be one of these. In training I do long rides on EFS without problem, but only used sportlegs in races. Some internet searching found that I am not the only one that has had this reaction to sportlegs. It only seems to happen though from several doses, like in my endurance races.

So my fitness was good, I rode strong, but made mistakes that cost dearly. I'll live to fight another day. My disappointment has turned to motivation for Moab. I'll get some good training in and try to make up for it there.

NOW HERE IS MY ONLY WORRY. I HAVE NO ONE TO TRAVEL WITH TO MOAB AND HELP. MY ORIGINAL PLAN HAS BEEN THWARTED BY A FRIEND'S BOSS NOT GIVING HIM THE TIME OFF. A SECOND AND THIRD POSSIBILITY FELL THROUGH. NOW I SIT HERE, MOTIVATED, TRAINED, AND PRIMED, BUT NOT ABLE TO DO IT ON MY OWN. SO, IS ANYONE OUT THERE INTERESTED? MY THOUGHT IS TO LEAVE AROUND THE 6TH OF OCTOBER. WE WOULD ARRIVE IN CO AND UTAH TO DO A COUPLE OF DAYS OF RIDING. THE 24 HOURS OF MOAB WOULD BE ON OCT. 10 AND 11TH. WE WOULD THEN MAKE A MAD DASH BACK TO MN (A 24 HOUR DRIVE) TO WORK ON TUESDAY. I AM REGISTERED. I GOT GAS COVERED. WE CAN TAKE MY CAR (WE CAN FIT YOUR BIKE AND GEAR). I WAS THINKING ABOUT CAMPING, BUT AM FLEXIBLE. ANYONE? IT WOULD BE FUN.....

Thanks for looking. BTW.

Locked and loaded.

I am heading out to compete in the Salsa 24 fest (www.salsa24fest.com). Start at 5pm tonight, end 24 hours later. Solo.

Real time results here; http://www.peaktiming.com/results/2009salsa24/

And a pic, why bring 2 Gary Fisher 29er's when I can bring 3? The single speed has got the mud tires ready to go just in case.


And always, btw.

So Pro.

Many things are attributed to being "so pro". As in shaving your legs is "so pro", or your name on your bike is "so pro".

So which of these is more "so pro"? (Note, both are wearing Velorochester gear)

Getting your face on Velonews.com as you line up behind Geoff Kabush like Ben "Brendan's Brother" Moore,

OR

getting a blurry shot of you lined up behind Lance Armstrong at Leadville like Dan "Afton King" Dittmer on superhumanmag.com's video?


You decide....when you get off of work.

PSA

Add this to your do not do list:
Put bit in drill.
Hold up new shelf support with right hand (back of hand to the wall).
Use drill to turn in a screw.
Lean in hard on the screw.
Have the bit slip off, penetrate, hit bone, and chew up the end of your index finger.

No Dan, this will not stop me from battling at Afton this weekend. Looking forward to 24 (25?) hours of fun:=)

BTW.

Review: Hi Fi Pro

So I thought I would post some reviews. I preface everything I say with the understanding that I am supported by Fisher bikes and I like the company because they are awesome, so no bias.

The Gary Fisher Hi Fi Pro-
100mm front and rear travel. G2 geometry. Superlight frame. Big wheels. Blingy.

Set up. I messed with most of the parts on this bike when I got this bike. Most things were swapped out, not because of quality, just my preference. Needless to say, I have it loaded with Bontrager goodies. For gearing I run a 11-34 cassette and a 26/36 tooth set up on the front. I find this perfect for my needs. The bike weighs in at 25.75 pounds as set up in this picture with "heavy" tires. Close to 25lbs with racey tires. Fox supplies the suspension on both ends with the optional propedal settings to increase efficiency. Sag was set up at 25% of travel.

The ride. Gary Fisher likes to hype the G2 geometry on their 29'ers. It is designed to make the bike ride like a 26'er in the tight stuff. I got to say there is something to this. I found the bike rides best when the Fox shocks are set up on their propedal setting of "1". With propedal on front and rear this bike becomes a singletrack guru, slicing up the tight stuff. No fork dive, no pedal feedback, but still fantastic at schooling any bumps along the way. Small drops are handled with aplomb.

Climbing is great. Traction is great like any 29'er. The weight is very light, especially for a dually. The propedal settings make sure the power hits the rear wheel like Bill Clinton hits on interns, while the shocks still work well at keeping rocks from wrecking my fun. The Lord did not bless me with innate climbing abilities, but this year I have done much better in this department, and I like to think it is partly due to this bike.

With the lightweight Bontrager XR-1 tires this bike amazes me. Superfast, light, nimble, but still bump gobbling goodness. This is the fastest set up I have EVER ridden. Me likey. I throw on bigger meat when the need arises, but in a XC this is the bees knees.

As mentioned before, I love this bike (or did I forget to mention this?). Know that the purchase of the bike will leave you happy.

Now, stop reading about bikes on work time (or maybe free time) and get busy.

24 Hours of Afton

So at the moment I have no real support for Afton (known as Salsa 24). The Baby's Momma will be out of town. Dad will be recovering from surgery. I have some people that I might be able to lean on during the race, but anyone want to help out?? I would be looking for someone that is willing to stay up much of the night, fill my flasks, maybe take some pics, fill bottles, get lights ready, and let me know how I am doing; basically be a set of hands and eyes in the pit for when I roll through.

Rewards are that you would get a blog mention/pic and a heart felt thank you. Yeah, so both of the people that read this site would know who you are.

There is a whole bunch of other stuff going on during the race that I wouldn't care if you frolicked in as well.

Anyone?

charlytri at yahoo dot com

Oh, and got lots of riding in last week. A bunch up in Cable. You should see the new epic singletrack going in from Hayward to Cable. It is off the chain, yo!

BTW

Buck

Well, I spent 75 minutes of my life racing 6 laps at Buck Hill as part of the MN series. That averages to about 12.5 minutes a lap. A little ridiculous, but that is the end of my rant. The race was fun, people where cool (on course and off) except for one of my fellow competitors that got too heated when passing some of the comp riders, and the course was fun (albeit short). I let off the gas a little on the start as I was expecting a bad day. My body was not revving well in warm up and the heat was not to my liking. First lap I was towards 8th or so with several guys around me (that's what she said). By the end of the last lap I was able to shed all but Dave Oachs. I would roll in to take 4th overall, 1st in Cat 1 (my best MN series finish ever, oh, and cash money!!). Dave would finish about 10 seconds back. Sure, the field was thinner than normal and I wish there were more riders, but 4th is 4th and the cash already went into the "Moab trip fund". I am especially stoked because the course was not good for me (passing primarily on the climb), the heat was not good for me, and the race was short/intense not long/arduous. Brendan "KC" Moore took top honors again (I think they should name part of the trail after him and all of his wins there), and Chris "My wife won the chick catagory" Fisher rolled in for 8th.

Here is a video from MNSCS, I can be seen at 2:40:



That is all for now. I have had very little time to get this out.
Now I am off to Cable for 4 days of riding while you surf the net at work. Have fun without me.

I've been thinking.

This is how I look when pondering. Yes, I put on the jersey to think.
So, Abi and I have been talking about how I want to handle my 2nd part of the season (while I was changing a loaded diaper). The plan was to race the 12 hour race in LaCrosse this weekend and than prepare for Moab on October 10th. Well, Abi is full of insight and she reminded me that I always was disappointed I didn't race the 24 Hour race at Afton. So, now that is on the schedule. Well, I was hoping to get in 2 three week blocks of hard training (plus rest). La Crosse would throw a hiccup in that plan. Without it, I would be missing out on a fantastic race (course/people/atmosphere). I was heavily considering it when Abi took a break from eating Cheerios and pulled up the weather for that day. Having suffered heat exhaustion there last year and then having a hard time recovering from it I have decided to not race this Saturday. Can't say I am not a little disappointed.

So I am in my first week of the first block. Long hours, big gears are on the agenda. I will now be making an appearance at Buck Hill this Sunday to see what I can do in the Elite class. Afterwards, Abi's Mom and I will tear up Lebanon or Murphy.

Next weekend, 4 days at the cabin. I wonder if there is any good mountain biking in Cable?

BTW.

Remember me?

Huh, life gets busy and the blog suffers. I have been busy with work, life, and just having fun. Found a couple of minutes just to let you know I am alive.

Things I have been up to.

-Working at the shop Mon-Thur., and then leaving for the weekend. This weekend will be the first at home in like 2 months.

-Raced the WORS race. Legs were not snappy at all from the Levis 100 the weekend before, mechanical cost me a few minutes, and I literally started behind every single racer in the Elite class. It is hard to move up and the depth of talent in WI is better than MN. I was not a fan of the course. A large series like WORS should have better courses that don't consider mowing a path through tall weeds a proper way to set the bulk of a race course.

-Hanging with the daughter and wife. Both are super cool.

-I have been riding, but nothing hardcore. Planning on a couple of long butt kickers this weekend. I plan on racing for 12 hours in La Crosse here soon.

-Spent a lot of time up at the cabin with the family. From our 1 acre we have seen bears, a bobcat, wolf, turkeys, deer, loons, bald eagles, and fox. I almost ran into a bear out on the trail as well, and almost smacked one with my car. The riding within a 10 mile radius of there is amazing and plentiful. I can go out on a 4 hour loop just riding super fun trails and never overlapping...amazing.

-I need a hair cut.

-You can rent out the cabin (site needs updating) for your own trips as well. Maybe free lodging in trade? We are looking at building a deck, could use some different kitchen cabinets, or maybe you have another idea. We also have a barn that can be used for boat storage for rent. There is also great deer hunting in the area.

-I love my Fisher Hi-Fi, but I have a Superfly 100 on backorder. Look for me to sell off the Hi-Fi and Paragon later this summer.

-My training this summer has been fairly consistent, but not aggressive. I need to figure out a program to lead up to Moab which is in a few months. Should I change the blog name for the lead up to the race? Mission to Moab for a title? How about Maddash to Moab? Maybe, Singletrack to Slickrock? How about Saddle up to Slickrock? I could talk about my training and such, but in all reality I probably would just put up stupid pictures and talk nonsense.

-You and I need to get back to the grindstone.

Well, I sit here in the land of cheese. We are here for my Baby's Momma's Brother's Daughter's baptism. We brought the bikes and rode the southern kettles this morning. Now, I guess, I'll be racing the cheese heads at WORS this weekend. Just realized tonight that there is a race near here. Should be interesting to see how the legs feel. I barely have the gear to race. Funny how things go.