Pic dump

It's been awhile since I actually shown pics from a ride, so here are some recent ones. This is from multiple rides.


Found a good snowmobile for the cabin, just needs a little TLC.


My "candid" Kerkove shot. It totally caught me off guard.



Trying to get home before it get's too cold or dark as I roll out of Millville. Found a cool new trail to explore right before this, but water and time were not on my side. My favorite was the discussion I had with the 4 wheeling couple.

Went something like this:
Me: Where does this trail go?
Husband: Dumps out about 6 miles that way.
Me: Oh, I don't have time for that, it is getting dark and I have to get back to Rochester.
Husband: Well, where are you parked?
Me: Uh, Rochester.
Wife: Aha, ha, ha, ha. (as in that flamer on the bike is screwed).


Not sure if you can tell, but there is a tractor up there. I went on to pass him up like Paris Hilton passes up intelligent thought.



A new secret trail. A new custom modded, custom painted fork. Yeah, I am special. Gary Fisher 29er crew graphics adorn this bad mother.



Bridging the gap on my solo ride. Get it, bridging the gap?


J-No and I doing our Kerkove shots. Just another "Break the Four Horsemen" ride.


Secret training involves secret locations. I think I got about 1/2 of the windmills in the picture. Really neat in a "good for you, but I am not putting all those on my property" way.

Btw.

Holy smokes!

I no longer own a cross bike. No road bike. Only Gary Fisher mountain bikes. But man, do I own 3 mountain bikes. Except for the Gary Fisher Rig, all are under different states of assembly, but man. It is ridiculous. Carbon this, carbon that. Lots of Superfly stuff. I am intimidated.

Think in the terms of this X-Box controller. Neat, excessive, but wow.

Real pics to come, but even sooner your boss will be coming around. Get back to work. I am off to the cabin with "Pa" for man time and forest road bike domination.

Look for me on Wheaties boxes next!

I swear I am not out for attention, but the people at the paper must love me. I have never sought out to be in an article, they find me. This is the third time I am in there in 2 months. I don't think this made the front page though. It is somewhere in the sports section. Link Here

As for inaccuracies:
First off, how do you like my senior picture pose they put in? Nice eh? Second, I have 1 child, not 2. Third, I am 32, not 31. And fourth, I was 5 hours into the race (about 50 miles) NOT 5 miles when I dropped.

I knew after talking to that guy there was going to be several screw ups. He isn't exactly a Dan Gaz now is he? Dan, he is sooo dreamy.

BTW.

Chapters

Alright, so this post comes in 4 completely separate parts.

Part 1
I plan on racing Arrowhead again next year. Great people, beautiful course, and pushing it to the extremes; ie, a recipe for fun. I am not a man of deep pockets so a true winter bike will hopefully be built over the course of this summer. Closeouts will be scoured, and begging will be common place. My buddy Chris Strout (formally of World Bicycle Relief and now at Cane Creek) got me off on the right foot by hooking me up with some sweet product (and no begging needed!). Now, people go on and on about Chris King headsets while my basic Cane Creeks pound out long quiet hours without a whimper. I have always had a problem with the pedestal the the King's have been put on. To make a point, CC knocked out the 110 headset. A warranty that lasts 110 years? Sounds like the first piece in the snow bike puzzle as all my other bikes are outfitted with Cane Creek IS headsets already. Thanks Chris and Cane Creek!!


Part 2
J-No? Check. Start in the dark? Check. The XRC/DBD/ABC/LMNOP rides are back on. Meet at 6am, this time with J-No and the man that we'll call the Great Gazoo. We all plan on tackling Ragnarok and Transiowa. They roll on studded cross tires and single speed cross bikes, me on my studded 2.1's and Fisher 29er. Hills are the name, gravel was our game. Pulled up to my side door with over 6 hours in the legs and wondering how much those tires weigh as the last hour I swear they had gained 10 pounds each (they actually weigh 2.42 pounds each). Kuske made his face shown towards the end, not a true member yet of the exclusive club, but his status can be upgraded down the line with the proper paperwork and training.

+

=

Part 3
Gravel grinding. I am sick of the term and new races popping up everywhere you look. Everyone and their brother is putting on a race or is in one, two, or a dozen. My prediction is we'll see a peak here this year or next and a big decline. Seriously, sweet ribbons of dirt, or long boring roads of crushed rock? Yeah, yeah, yeah, entry costs you a postcard, but you still have to ride it. Now, some courses are worth it. Ragnarok 105 is 'da bomb' because of it's awesome terrain. Transiowa? Well, Transiowa and me have a score to settle from last year and it's first iteration. Beyond that, if it were in the summer, you probably would not see me there. Heck of the North is on my radar for similar reasons as Ragnarok.

Part 4
I watched 2 movies this weekend with the wife and I had guessed the ending of both before they even started. The Ugly Truth was a movie that the wife snuck in on our Netflix queue (note to self: change the password on Netflix). I wasn't going exactly out on a limb when I called the end of that flick. Oh, and for the Men out there, avoid if possible. Then Shutter Island was a very good movie, but again I guessed the entire premise before buying my ticket.

Am I just so amazing that I know everything or are movies too predictable? Seriously, which? No, no it is not my good looks. That was not a choice. They have nothing to do with the question. I think it is a little of both, not my good looks.

And with that, I bid you BTW and thanks for reading.

I'm blowing up!

I am in the paper AGAIN.

Nothing like trying to make Eastwood look like a den of sexual deviancy and crime. Geez Louise.

Oh, and for the record. My "quotes" were only partially accurate. Most of the meaning came through, but they are not exact quotes.

I really should run for public office with all this publicity. I could make a fortune off of bribes and kickbacks.

BTW

Inhale, exhale

What does Moab, Arrowhead, and my ride this last Sunday have in common? They were all cut short with severe breathing problems. A trip to the small, but local Mayo Clinic got me pointing in the right direction. According to Dr. Scanlon (a seasoned cyclist himself), I have borderline full blown ashma. Technically though, I have exercise induced ashma. Three prescriptions later and I have a lot of optimism. One inhaler for shorter events and attacks, one for longer lasting effects for endurance races, and one to use twice a day for several weeks to get my lungs settled down and acting properly. The latter can be used later as needed as well.

The testing is humbling as I could not breath even though I had been doing nothing but sitting for the previous hour.

He even offered to write me a Therapeutic Use Exemption for WADA. That would be pretty sweet if I ever actually need it, but then I would need to stop the EPO and HGH cycles.

Well, now you should join your working buddies in the daily grind again.

Good Eats

Got hunger?

The Sandwich 50 is now open and filling up quick!



BTW

Arrowhead, a pic

Jason (J-No) and I (back turned) chatting the night before Arrowhead. We had just filled our bellies with food and met some of the Duluth crew. I think Jason is smiling at the thought of passing me while I die on the trail.


BTW

Guest blogger.

As I sit here feeling horrible with constant trips to the porcelain bowl to relieve my stomach of it's contents I got an expected e-mail. You have heard his name mentioned here, seen him in the paper, and may remember when he took top honors at the 1991 Rochester Centurion. Please give a warm welcome to Jason "J-No" Novak...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arrowhead Ultra 135 Race Report
Jason Novak

I had a good time up in International Falls, although I missed my family. Andrew (my oldest) turned 8 on Monday and it was hard missing his birthday. He was counting on me to bring him a finisher’s trophy. Charly and I just kind of hung out and prepared our gear for Mon morning. Pre race check in went without a hitch and we were able to talk with old friends and make new ones in the day leading up to the race. One of the nice things about this race was how laid back and friendly everyone was. There was no sense of nervousness or competitiveness.

On Monday morning we packed up and I drove to the start. The temp was -18deg F, but I felt ready for the cold. I had trained in similar conditions and felt I had a good handle on the layers/gear necessary. The snow conditions were great. The pace was fast off the gun, but I was so far back it didn’t matter. I was in cruise control the first part of the race, just riding along and if my legs felt any burning I backed off. I had the opportunity to ride with Lindsay Gould for a while. Lindsay is 61 years old and was on the 1972 Canadian Cycling team. A true gentleman, he is pretty hardcore on the bike. We started chatting and he dropped back due to some frozen hydration issues. The first checkpoint was at the Gateway Store about 30something miles in. Just before the store I came upon Charlie Farrow. Farrow is a legend in these parts. He is the self appointed leader of a gang in Duluth known as the “DBD”. His exploits are something out of a Krakauer novel. Farrow was having some problem with frozen toes. He passed me back for good at the store. I saw Chary Tri at the store as well; he was heading out as I arrived. I grabbed a bowl of soup and some juice for a few minutes and headed out. While I was there another DBD’er, Jason Buffington, came and went (on a non fat 29er!). He would continue on to a top placing.

The second leg to Melgeorge’s is about 37 miles and is where the hills start. We are talking monster climbs, 50 yards long and as steep as a ski hill, one after another. My goal was to make the elephant lake crossing and to Melgeorge’s before dark. Temps started to drop to around zero (from a high of about 5 degF). About 15 miles from the halfway point I came across a walking Charly Tri. He was having some breathing difficulties. He withdrew soon after. Once I hit Melgeorge’s I had a soup and sandwich, chatted with the awesome volunteers, and dried out my clothes. There was a cute baby there and that made me a little homesick. No cell service. At this point I was tired, but having a really good time.

I headed out for the long stretch (about 40 miles) to the last checkpoint. The distances do not seem like a lot to a cyclist, but when you factor in an average speed of 4-7 mph, the hours add up. More hills. Initially I left with Dave Gray, Don Gabrielson, and Chris Plesko. Dennis Grelk had left a few minutes before us. Don and Dave had a faster pace so Chris and I rode together for the next few hours. I was getting pretty cold and sleepy at about 11pm. My clothes were soaked. I would overheat on the way up the hill and then flash freeze on the way down. Chris and I were entertaining the idea of breaking out the bivy’s for a couple of hours and catching a nap. A few miles later we caught up with Don and he mentioned stopping and starting a fire. He joked that we had all this expensive gear, why not use it? We stopped at about mile 100. The temperature was about -10degF. After we had some difficulty getting a fire started, I jumped in my bag and ate about 1000 calories and a bottle of water. I started shivering uncontrollably for about 10 minutes although I was not cold. I have read about this and I knew it would pass. It did and I fell asleep for 2 hours. Lindsay, Andy, Bill, and Jeremy (another crazy DBD’er on a single speed 29’er) passed us at some point while I was napping. Janice from AK rolled up at some point and crashed for a while as well. Once we got up and rolling the hills continued for the next 3 hours to the tipi, the final checkpoint. It was just Don and I at this point. Chris (on a single speed snow bike) was not far behind.

The final 18 miles are pancake flat, just a path through the trees. The sun was up, and I was getting tired, but being so close to the finish kept me going. Once I rolled in to Fortune Bay I found where I was supposed to go, congratulated the earlier finishers, and took a pull of whisky from Dave Pramann’s flask.

The race was very well organized. The scenery was spectacular. I had a disposable digital camera, but it froze and would not work. Everyone was friendly and supportive and the volunteer’s were top notch. It was the hardest event I have done. Thanks to the Ostor’s for putting on this event. The timing looks better next year and I spent the last stretch making mental notes on some changes I’ll make for next time. I look forward to seeing my new friends again soon.

Chequamegon 100

With every down there is an up. And now someone is organizing the exact race that I have been dreaming of in my mind.

Can you say excited?

EDIT:

CANCEL THAT, I WILL BE OUT OF TOWN THAT WEEKEND.

Arrowhead 135, a recap..

So J-No and I headed up to International Falls on Saturday, checked in Sunday and got to hang with some fellow racers before hand. Pretty much everyone doing this race has experience that allowed them to be more relaxed than you would typically see before a big event like this.

Jason and I headed over to the start Monday morning, him on his fatbike, me on my plump Gary Fisher (47mm wide rime, wide tires). It was dark still and dozens of bikes lined the outside of the warming house. I took a hit off my wife's albuterol inhaler as my lungs have not seemed 100% and I was worried about them for the race. Got to talk to several familiar faces and off we went at 7am. The -15 degree temps dipped down to -22ish before crawling back up. The pace on the front was fast (I'm told), and I had no intention of trying to match their pace as my only goal was to ride steady and finish the race. I followed about 100 yards back with the rest of the field a fair bit behind me. After about an hour we actually got on to the Arrowhead trail and the once perfectly straight trail finally had some turns. I rode for awhile trading places with another rider as we went about the same speed, but we both kept stopping to make small changes to our set ups.

As I kept along I came across Charlie Farrow (XRC wannabe member), Chris Plesko (great divide single speed record holder), then finally Josh Peterson (Deathrider). I rolled into the Gateway store after almost 4 hours feeling alright, chugged a Gatorade for good measure, hit the inhaler again just in case, and got on my way. I think I may have "passed" a couple of riders that spent a little longer at the store. About an hour after Gateway I started to have trouble with my breathing.

My breathing became very shallow and rapid with deep breaths impossible. I had been keeping a steady pace of 10-11mph on the flats and about 6mph on the hills. Well, now I was reduced to walking all the hills and struggling to go 6mph on the flats despite trying the inhaler again. I became very weak and dizzy. My calorie and water intake had been fine, but I took more in for good measure. I was still warm, not worried about the cold (except some problems I had been having with my feet). I spent a little over an hour like this and realized that my race was done. Even if I could get my breath back, I could not risk being in the middle of nowhere at 3am and having the same problems. I met Jerry, Dave Grey's dad, at sheepranch road and he gave me a ride to Melgeorge's where I had a hacking cough for an hour when my lungs got warm air in them. It was cool to see the top 15 or so guys come and go, but I wish I was there with them.

I am very frustrated with the end result of my race. I felt like I spent many, many hours trying to figure out how to best handle gear, the overall cost was much higher than I initially expected, I had back ups for all emergencies (I thought), and set a pace that was well within myself. it is hard to see any positives that came out of this for myself. Now the fitness that I have needs to be built upon for the summer.

I do want to note that Jason did awesome. He finished in 26:22 after spending part of the night in his bivy with some fellow racers. Look for a guest blog post from him soon. Also, Dan Dittmer rocked out a top 5 finish in his first attempt of the race. That guy is a machine! I look forward to getting his autograph soon.

So now I am trying to figure out to smoothest way to get into the clinic to get checked out. I have put off my breathing problems long enough.

BTW

Just checking in.

I'm alive.  I'm very frustrated.  I'm trying to get into the clinic to figure out my breathing problems.

No problems with cold/food/water.

The night before

Well, as I type out this on the hotel computer the hourly forecast says hi of about 6 degrees, low of -18ish.  Snow should be good, not great for this non "fat bike" rider.  Starts at 7am tomorrow (-18 at start).  You might be able to find live results on the Arrowhead blog.  Click the link on previous post and then the blog link.

 

Wish me luck.  Just looking to finish this bad boy.

 

BTW.

Leaving

Not sure if they will have updates during the race, but here is where you would look.   http://www.arrowheadultra.com/ 

You may have to check their blog.  Race starts on Monday at 7am.  I am leaving now with J-No.

I am in a hurry, gotta go. 

BTW

Hmph.

I don't know what to think. It is weird. Arrowhead is in 8 days. Weather looks like cold, but not super cold, and that will change a couple of times. You can't be die hard focused on events all year, and I feel like took this one at a step back. I don't know. Riding on snowmobile trails for around 24-30ish hours? I like to race what I enjoy riding. Not sure I love to ride snowmobile trails. Give me LaCrosse, Levis/Trow, Cable Classic, and such. The thing I truly am excited for is the fact the fitness should have a big head start this year for those races mentioned before.

Yeah, I know. I sound like that guy who is all depressed and is expressing it through the keyboard. No, just not super pumped. Pumped, just not super pumped. Lately, I've been thinking more about racing Ragnarok lately than Arrowhead (Ragnarok is a super cool course, and the next race on my agenda).

That being said, if the legs are there and it works out I hope to make a mark on this edition of the race.

Click the pic.

An update, act like you care.

Hmmm, 5 hours with J-No on trails today at roughly 20 degrees. Ran into JP, Eric A, and Scott M while we were out. Got to see 7 sleds drag race by us (literally) on The Real Lake Shady. Nutrition was dialed, making me happy. Made some needed changes to the Gary Fisher Rig which improves things dramatically, making me happy. Had an aha moment in regards to clothing for Arrowhead, yes, making me happy.

Maybe a pile of hours tomorrow morning on trails, teach cycling in the afternoon, pile of hours Monday, and also Tuesday. The last 2 weeks were not what I wanted and it annoys me. My body has become complacent. Time to show it who the boss is.

If I get around to it tomorrow I will show off my $3 stove/pot/windscreen that I made for Arrowhead. It is light, works awesome, and has character.

Mmmm hmmph. Yes. I agree. You do waste a lot of work time on blogs.

Some quick math

After checking WebMD.com and talking with my gynecologist, I might have THIS in my right eye; causing excessive tearing.

ADD

Only a one hour ride at 10 degrees.

EQUALS
_______________________________________________________


What does that mean? Well, here is another equation to work out.

_______________________________________________________


This race and it's much colder temps.



PLUS


MAY EQUAL


________________________________________________________


Yeah, instead of dealing with my eye freezing shut and the awkwardness of that, or huge stalactites hanging off my face, I may just be a pirate. I don't feel like trying to spend the entire race trying to keep my non-dominant eye functional.

Oh, and I am growing facial hair for warmth, you like? Nothing to impressive as I remember 8th grade classmates with full on face rugs. The wife is not so found of my man hairs.

I am trying to think of my new nickname. McDreamy and McSteamy are taken...

BTW

Cold? Not yet.

So I finished up a ride with J-No this morning. Out the door at 4:45am to be greeted with -15 below temps and a -35 windchill. We rode on snow mobile trails up Douglas, over to Oronoco, across Lake Shady, and to Pine Island via trials by Hwy 52. A stop at Kwik Trip was needed for my partner where the locals were a little in awe, but actually seemed to recognize us from the paper. One guy asked me if it was cold. My answer, not yet. Rode back to Rochester with J-No slowing his pace to match my quickly reducing speed. I guess my workouts this week caught up with my legs.

Got home at 10:30am and was having a hard time with the heatwave of -10 and -24 windchill. Lessons learned, but confidence built. My clothing selection was almost right on, but some small changes with that and other gear should have me set. One piece of gear that did not work in the super cold temps was the camera.

The pictures are from a 4 hour ride earlier this week. It was 4 degrees with a -15 windchill. Rode to Oronoco and had to turn around after almost crossing all of Lake Shady.


JP has a problem with his heterosexuality, so a non-butt shot was in order.



I thought of the Dixie Chicks and their song "Wide Open Spaces" when I was rolling through here. Not that I like those nutjobs, just thought of their song.


Hi my name is.....my name is.....my name is.....ticka ticka, Lake Shady.


On the way back, just thought it looked cool.

BTW

Making the world happy one driver at a time.

Looks like J-No and I are famous. It amazes me that not only did we ride for 7 hours on snowmobile trails, but we blocked traffic on a bridge in LaCrosse, made skiers mad because we rutted out the Douglas trail which has never been intended to be a ski trail, caused headaches on 2nd St in Rochester by riding on a 4 lane city street, and disturbed a man that is insecure about his sexuality because he saw us in our "leotards" while he was driving this summer.

Extreme Ride Club; pissing off the world one grumpy person at a time.

BTW

Extreme Ride Club

Farrow has the DBD rides, I realized J-No and I have always called ours Extreme Ride Club. There is a story, but I can't talk about it, right Maury? This would be ride #5 or so this year.

As alluded to before in the comments area, J-No and I had plans Christmas Eve. I was up at 4am, out the door at 4:30 on the Rig. We proceeded to set tracks in the 3 inches of wet snow left the night before. Up the snowmobile portion of the Douglas trail was slow going. The temp was high which led to squishy snow with rutted out slightly harder snow underneath. My front wheel got kicked around while J-No was able to keep his Puglsey a little more straight. We both would end up tipping over at least once (I forgot the camera).

Gears finally adorned the bike but 1/4 the way through the combination of the worn middle chain ring from last year and packed snow suddenly made chain engagement impossible. The rest of the way would be big ringed. You would expect nothing less, no?

I finished up with 7 hours bike time for the day. A quick nap and it was party time at the folks. Presents, food, and freestyle rapping are all part of the tradition.

Christmas day was presents at our house. Santa had a high opinion of me this year. Let's just say that I am now too good to ride alloy rims on my mountain bike. Blingy. Pictures to come soon.

Hope all is Merry and bright, blah, blah, blah.

Riding

Remember when I used to talk about actually riding my bike? Well, the riding has been spotty as "situations" arise. It seems it is full on now as I hope not to completely embarrass myself at the Arrowhead 135. The Gary Risher Rig and I took the monster wheels for some snow riding.

Heading out for a 4 hour tour this weekend. Yes, I use the clock on the seatpost as a watch. Other than that my "zones" I stayed in could be accurately described as J.F.R.


Mayowood, Mayowood always up to no good. A beaten path made things easier, but lowering the tire pressure did the trick. Took a lap on the recently held microcross course. Was able to ride it without dismounting once. I must be amazing.


Woke up too flipping early so I could be out the door at 4:30am yesterday and be back by 7am. Recent snowfall of 2-3 inches made things more fun. The local road crews heard about my ride and brought out a plow for me to motorpace.


A picture is worth a thousand words, but looks like I only wrote fourteen.

I am not sure if I will be in optimum shape for Arrowhead, but things are looking positive. This has to be the best shape I have ever been in for the time of year that I normally am making belly jelly.

I am hoping to finally get some gears on this thing tonight as I am bogged down in anything harder than smooth flat pavement. Good training though, eh?

Christmas is almost here, get some work done before your day off, o.k.?

Seasonal Singing

Merry Christmas!!



BTW

Don't be that guy.

So this one time in college I went to use the bathroom. There were 4 urinals, one was lower than the others, similar to this picture. The 3 high urinals were being used and the 4th lower one was not. As I prepared to make my way to the vertically challenged depository, I realized someone was in the bathroom before me. He was just standing, waiting. What was he waiting for? One of the high urinals. I gave a guy a look and then went about doing what I came to do.

Don't be the guy that is too good to use the kiddie urinal.

BTW.

So it starts.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We got a butt load of snow. Finally got to test out the snow wheels on the snowmobile trails. Met up with J-No at 5am Sat for 3 hours of Douglas trail riding. Snow was not ideal, but we did well. One thing I found is that his 26X3.7" tires on 70 mm rims have better float than my 29X2.5 tires on 47mm rims, but not a lot better. It was 7 degrees with a -10 windchill at the start and 9 degrees with a -3 windchill when done. Only taking in 350 calories caught up to me in the last 1/2 hour as I knew it would. I think I do stuff like that to see what my body will tolerate.

Oh, the bike still does not have gears on it so I was pushing some very low rpm's on the trails with my gearing. Legs were begging for lower gears to spin in the last hour.

BTW

PSA

We are in trouble...

The
population of this country is 300 million.


160
million are retired.



That leaves 140 million to do the
work.




There are 85 million in school.




Which leaves 55 million to do the work.





Of this there are 35 million employed by the federal
government.




Leaving 20 million to do the work.




2.8 million are in the armed forces preoccupied
with killing Osama
Bin-Laden.



Which leaves 17.2
million to do the work.




Take from that total the 15.8
million people who work for state and city
Governments. And that
leaves 1.4 million to do the work.




At any given
time there are 188,000 people in hospitals.



Leaving
1,212,000 to do the work.



Now, there are 1,211,998 people
in prisons.





That leaves just two people to do the
work.





You and me.



And there
you are,



Sitting on your ***,




At your computer, reading jokes..


Nice. Real nice.


Time for you to get back to work.

Help me out here.

I am looking for suggestions for a charity that is most worthy. I have several in mind, but I am partial to helping children who have been dealt a bad card (illness, abused, etc.). This is just the start of a bigger plan I have been thinking of for a long while, so please help me with suggestions.

And since everything needs a funny picture,

BTW.

Sorry Joe.

Mr. Friel,

.....I appreciate you helping my riding structure again this year. Just like the previous years I am upping my "yearly hours". In accordance to your ways, a plan has been set out to not embarrass myself at the Arrowhead 135. Yesterday marks the start of my second week in the base period.
.....This is where I owe you an apology. You see, you want base to be primarily long slow miles following your guideline for hours in a week. Well, I did ride or workout the required number of hours, but they were not all slow. Saturday there was a local "micro" cross race. It sounded fun so I lined up with about 10 other guys to take part in the free race that was only a mile from my house. I figured it would be fun as I was on my Rig all single speeded out and with the big monster snow wheels.
.....The start was relaxed, and I was not there to try to crush people as it was all in fun. There was a whole smattering of people on single speeds, mountain bikes, and such. One local made it out on his Belgium cross bike and skinsuit. A far cry from my bike and 15 year old jersey and tights. We all started out together, but 3 of use pulled away with me in third. My gearing was limited, so most of the course I was just spinning it, enjoying it. Eventually, I pulled into the front and built a gap. I was never attacking, it just seemed that I continued at my same pace while others slowed during the 45 minutes of racing.
.....I know, I know Joe. There should not have been a race according to you, but it was fun. I attached my award above for you to look at. Not being a beer drinker, I let the Wookie take over the duty of polishing this off. I still don't understand the fascination with such things, but I am just one person in this world. A fire was made and a hotdog consumed before riding another 3 hours. Yes, they were slow and steady.

I look forward to working with you more this year. Have a Merry Christmas.

Yours Truly,
Charly

Clean up.

So I added 2 blog links and took 2 away. I figure if you haven't updated in the last 6 months then it is too bad for you. Tom, you're on the edge.

It is Obama's fault.

BTW

Less like the Doughboy

So in the past I would pull the plug on consistent workouts in September or so. I just lost motivation. A lot of that has to do with the fact if I have nothing to be fit for I am not. Well, here it is November still and I have not gone too hog wild on cookies and kept a fair amount of my fitness. I am not in shape to go toe to toe with Ivan Drago, but the Pillsbury Doughboy and I have a lot less in common then we normally do this time of year. I have been hitting the weights a little and my strength is there, no relearning, no post lifting soreness.

Now with Arrowhead in Feb, I start my official "training" earlier then ever, as in today. So, I am starting earlier and the pinch test results are reading record results for November. Neato.

On another note, watched Napoleon Dynamite again with the wife last night. Too many funny lines in that movie. Too many.


My monster bike seems to be going well. I have to throw gears on it here soon and rock out with my derailleur out.

BTW.

Arrow through my head.

You ever get something in your head and you can't stop thinking about it. Researching, planning, replanning? That happens to me too often, and now I am thinking about the Arrowhead to which I am on the roster. I really don't feel like losing digits or dying.

I had a friend ask me if I expected to be in the same shape as I was early this year. It could have been phrased differently as, "Are you going for the win?". Uh, no. The veterans of this race have a huge advantage mentally. They know what to expect. I don't care how good of shape anyone is in, this is not all pedal pedal.

Just trying to get all the gear is a battle in itself. Then it is what to bring for food/water. How to carry all of it. Where to carry it. Gotta make sure it does not freeze. Gotta make sure you don't freeze.

Order this, borrow that. Trying to do it on the cheap because the money tree in the back yard has yet to blossom.

Will my "plump" bike be a poor choice compared to the "fat" bikes?

Well, at least I managed to clean out the gutters. BTW.

I do dumb things.

Not many people consider things I enjoy as smart. For instance, I categorized the 3 races I registered for just this weekend.

Dumb
Raganrok 105. Gravel, 105 miles worth. Self supported.


Dumber
Transiowa. Gravel, 320 miles worth. Self supported.


Dumbest
This race. To date, the hardest event I will have every tried to do.
I have a lot of planning to do, like how to keep all my body parts.


You have a lot of planning to do. Like how to goof off on the internet until lunch without the boss noticing.

Other Bad Boys.

Just finished up the new monster truck wheels. Kris Holm 47mm wide rims, WTB 2.55 weirwolf's (not really that wide unfortunately), and XT hubs. Split tubed ghetto tubeless (homemade stan's strip from a 24" tube) and held air great all night.

Not a ton of clearance on the back (plenty on the front), but oh so much more float for those "secret" winter trails.

Now I need to really think about registering for some of those crazy endurance races held at stupid low temps.




No, your coworkers probably would not be impressed. What would impress them? You pitching in more around the office.

The Bad Boys

Witness the athleticism. The coordination, the strength. I am going to incorporate this into my cross training this winter. Well, maybe not the exercise move at 1:10. I love the robot moves btw.



Your boss is wondering why your tapping your foot while staring at the computer. Better act busy....

So I have this thing.

Anyone know what this bad boy is worth? Seems to work great, but I have no use for it.








BTW

Checking in.

Hope things are going well for all you blog readers. I feel like it is going well for me. Just got back from "the cabin" where my Pa and I installed new kitchen cabinets and moved the fridge to a more appropriate spot. Looks really nice.

Went out on the Makwa trail in the single speed, rigid. That bike is fun, but I will not be a "less gears more beers" kinda guy anytime soon. Met some nice people, Dee from Duluth, John from the cities, and Kevin from Freewheel. Does anybody from WI ride the CAMBA trails? Simply amazing trails and it sounds like by the end of next summer the Makwa will be connected to the Ojibwe. What does that mean? Well, I will be able to ride from the cabin to Hayward on singletrack (probably about 20 miles worth). Maybe grab a bite to eat, and then back to Cable.

I have some secret BIG wheels assembled, but not tensioned. I'll get those on here soon and you can awe in their bigness.

And a super cute picture of my daughter at the Zoo. This is right after the tiger came by and sprayed her. Well, he sprayed the window, but she was the target.


Sorry to waste more of your work day.

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.