Big Schloss

I don't know what a Big Schloss is but we didn't have those in West Virginia. Maybe we do , but they call them somthing different. Anyway, Big Schloss is a sweet mtb ride up on Wolf Gap. Its low in mileage but high in smiles. Tim, Anne, Kristin and Kyle went up and enjoyed the continuing summer like weather.

Big Bear Ultra

I went to the Big Bear Ultra race in Hazelton, WV this weekend. It was a sixty mile off roader. The first 25 miles was very sweet singletrack. I just love a smaller race that can go right into very fun singletrack. Then there were some rugged fire roads and a couple miles of singletrack at the end. It was a very classy race run by Mark Schooley. I saw a lot of old friends. I even met a guy who grew up with Lea. It was great to ride for 5 hours then hang out and eat and gab.

Where are all the racer girls these days at local races? There were only two of us, Me and Besty Shogren. Then I heard that there was only one girl at the six pack downhill. Come on ladies...go racing. I know the cyclocross races are getting great numbers. I guess that is where the big interest is for ladies racing right now.

One on One

Ross, Lea and I headed down to Minneapolis Sunday night to hang out with Larry Foss, international man of soigneuring and Nick Waite, not a little kid anymore. Nick lives in the same town as me, but It seems that I always hang out with him someplace else. Larry has a killer apartment above the cool bike shop One on One Studio. They have some beauty bikes and an unbelievable basement full of crazy stuff. It was good to see Gino O, whom I haven't seen since the Punk Bike enduro many years ago. I picked up a copy of a newer rag called Urban Velo. It is really cool and reminds me that bikes are not just about racing.

We got to walk around the city, which was a big treat for all of us since we live in small towns. Minneapolis has tons of fixies riding around. It also has tons of bars and clubs that have lunch buffets. Lea said it was the weirdest night of her life. I think she has been hanging out in Jericho too much.

My stomach has been messed up for a couple of days now. I guess the weekend really took its toll on me. Maybe it was the combo of severe dehydration, Wisconsin barbeque, donuts and beer. It was so much fun though.

We had our first cross practice last night. Three of us showed up. Harrisonburg doesn't have much of a cross scene. Its okay with me because the mtb scene is off the hook. I wasn't feeling good, so I took it easy. Even when I feel good there is no way I can keep up with Trevor and Carp. They have mad skills.

Chequamegon

We woke to an a gorgeous day on Round Lake. We are so lucky to have nice sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s. The start was amazing as we expected. Rolling down Hayward with 2500 mountainbikers is something everyone should experience. The energy in that mass was palatable. It had its sketchy moments as well. There were some crashes. Lea got stuck behind one and didn't catch up to me and Jenna until 500 meters to go( in a 40 mile race!) The racing was really fun. It was nice to do a regular cross country race since I've just been doing longer stuff.

I felt good until about 4 miles to go and with 2 miles to go I was in the deepest bonk of my life. The world went black and I wondered if I shouldn't just stop for the donuts. I was digging very deep. I was in the lead and really wanted to win. But with 1/2 mile to go Jenna Z passed with a fury. I held on to second by a couple of seconds. Lea was third. We were all within 14 seconds after 40 miles of racing. That is pretty cool. I had a trip to the medical tent. The first time in ten years of pro racing for an IV. It just goes to show how crazy bike racing can be. I know to eat and drink during a race, but I just didn't do.

Travis was rolling on his cross bike, Zack was on his Top Fuel 69er, Dusty was on his 69er singlespeed and Lea and I were on our hardtails. Amazingly the winner of the race, Jessie Lelonde was on a 29er singlespeed. It was the first time the race was won by a singlespeed. Big props to Jesse. Three out of the top five guys had mullets. Marco had the longest, but Tilford has been running one for the longest time.

The banquet after the race was a big trip down nostalgia lane again. It is so cool to see the mtbers of the 80's. They just look like real adventures who had a lot of time on their hands to play and explore their backyards. I imagine that I would have loved that era of the sport.

Wisco Disco

Lea, Dusty, Bork and Z man and I are here in Wisconsin freezing out butts off. Darn its cold here. They are calling for some snow the day of the race. By the way if you don't know what race is tomorrow, then you are not from the Midwest. Tomorrow is the biggest race in the midwest. Its actually the midwestern world championships. There is a lot of psyche getting thrown around about this race and who is going to win. There are rumors of some people peaking for this race instead of Nationals. Lea is really nervous. She has never been in a mass start with 2500 people. Well not many mountainbikers have unless they have done this race. In someone's preview of the race they misspelled her name and insinuated that she is just here to be a domestique or something. Obviously, the people in the midwest don't know about the Eastside being the best side. Yeah!

There are some cool bikes floating around. Nostalgia is big up here. It is the 25th anniversary of the Chequamegon and there is a lot of bike celebration going on. Harry put together a little retrospective bike show. It has some vintage mtbs.
It has the first Trek mtb frame from 1983 and the first composite carbon and aluminum bike. The bike culture is really vibrant here.

By the way, the race course tomorrow is on the American Birkenbiener cross country race course. But it goes in the opposite direction. On the wall at the Telemark Lodge they have all the past winners. Its awesome! These people really respect their history up here.

September days

The days have been sweet here in Virginia. I've been enjoying starting to feel the first signs of fall. The air is cleaner, crisper and cooler. I did a nice road ride then got to come home to my sweet dog, Ruby. I'm so lucky to have such a nice life. But the days at home are always numbered. Today, I drove to Dulles. Dulles is my airport. I spend a lot of time traveling to and hanging out in Dulles. It has its problems, but I love the architecture and the people movers are a trip. We have a big Trek team event this weekend in Wisconsin. We got a special welcome by the Wisconsin State Troopers. I guess they know what VIPS we are.

My bike

This is my Trek Top Fuel that rode to wins in the Trans Rockies and Shenandoah 100. Its the perfect enduro machine.

My Peeps

Blogs happen

I'm going to try blogging. I can't resist. This is a test for the first one.