Lumberjack 2010

This year was all about change. I decided that I am tired of burning myself out on training and racing. I decided that I just needed to get back to riding bikes for fun. And that is just what I’ve done this year. Rather than bind myself to a rigid training schedule, I just ride when I want to. Tuesday night brick workouts, Thursday night group rides, riding bikes is FUN again!

Yesterday was an amazing day for a mountain bike race. The weather could not have been any better. It was very nice to sleep in an actual bed the night before this race too (I’ll be camping before big races no more). 4:45am came pretty early on Saturday but I felt rested and refreshed and was ready to race. I ate as much as I could for breakfast and headed to the Big M.

I am pleased to report that I had a pretty uneventful race. The roll out is always interesting on a single speed. I lined up in the front half, spun my balls off and got passed by about 200 people that I knew I’d catch and pass in the single track. As always the first lap is a bit of a pain trying to match speeds with people in front of you. Why is it that no one can cruise down hills without brakes? Easy on the gravity jokes there folks… There were brake bumps (BAD ones) on sections of trail that didn’t even require braking.

I was on cruise control all day- trying not to blow myself up early. I stopped at the aid stations and walked the hills I couldn’t ride. I was focusing on keeping my heart rate down and breathing under control, I knew I had a long day ahead of me. Coming up the cement step and around the corner, I saw the start line, I was sure I was seeing things, 2:54:44? Really? I was well on pace to attaining my (now seemingly achievable) goal of 10 hours. After a quick stop to refuel (perogies!) and fill up water I was on my way.

Lap two was much more of the same. I rode with a guy named Rob from Ann Arbor for quite a while. I had a few moments of suffering (the 10 miles after the aid station were a bitch! I swear it was ALL up hill). I had a few moments of worrying that I hadn’t eaten enough or had eaten too much. The aid station was great. Seeing familiar faces is one heck of a pick-me-up. I was in a great mood after the stop and it helped me finish the lap.

Lap three and a bit more suffering. I rode most of this lap alone. I’m glad to have had my mp3 player with me (Metallica, Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash). I caught up with Jeremy Karel a few miles before the Aid Station and rode with him for a bit. After the stop it was much more of the same. I was feeling pretty good after the stop so I decided to pick it up a bit. I passed a few guys on single speeds and I saw Steve Kunnath in the distance (thankfully, he was walking the same hills I was). Steve is a monster and I just couldn’t catch him. I did pass my buddy Craig about ½ a mile from the finish line (also on a single speed).

Even though my lap times were slower each lap I felt pretty strong throughout the race. I pedaled my way to a 9:04:04 and that was good for 21st in the single speed category. I had a bit too much gear (32x16x29) and next year I’ll take an 18t on the back. It was great to see old friends and meet some new ones. Great job to all of the 19 Greyhounds! Rick Plite’s events are always top notch and this was no exception. Thanks to all of the volunteers and everyone else that made this race possible!

Fear and Loathing in Udell

Last weekend I learned a hard lesson. Nothing is a sure thing. I thought for sure I was going to slay the beast that is the Big MF'r.

Everything was going well all weekend, I arrived at the campsite early on friday and got everyhting set up, my body felt great at the starting line and I cruised through the first lap in a time of 2:14:48.

I was on pace to break my 10 hour goal and I felt pretty decent dispite the heat and humidity.

This was supposed to be my big race of the season, everything leading up to June 20th has been training for the LJ100. Sometimes things don't quite go as planned. The bike slid out from under me in a corner and I went down hard. I jumped up and took a quick inventory, I at first glance I was fine. Then I tried to pedal. it felt like someone had hit me in the right thigh with a baseball bat. I made it to through the inner loop and stopped at the 8 mile aide hand off station. I needed help getting the bike out from under me because I could barely put any weight on my leg. some nice woman offered to help me stretch it out. When she touched my leg I about screamed. I layed there for a while trying to decided if i was going to go out and finish another 73 miles. My head said yes, but my leg said no. I had to call it quits after 33 miles. this was my first DNF ever. I am sorely dissipointed as the course conditions were perfect and the weather was great (if not a little hot). I will be back with a vengance next year. I've got 9:30:00 in my sights.

The rest of the Cycle to Fitness RACING GREYHOUNDS did and outstanding job. Seven members of the team finished the race, but everyone that attempted did a great job.

For the rest of the year I'll focus on staying healty and maintaing my fitness by riding some of the Fun Promotions 6/12/24 hour races, Cyclocrossing in the fall and training for the Dances With Dirt 50K trail run in September.

1Gear1Love

Spring in Michigan

The weather certainly was the deciding factor for most cyclists plans in Michigan this weekend. Both the 6/12 Hours of Addison Oaks and the Bloomer Park XC mounitan bike races were cancelled due to poor trail conditions. 

 The Addison race is slated to be run on October 10th while the Bloomer Park race will be held next Sunday, May 24th.

The Cycle to Fitness Road team was in full force at the Tour of Kensington Valley on Saturday.

A Strong Showing for the CtoF Racing Greyhounds!

(photos by Chris Werth and Danielle Jankowski)

1Gear1Love

Bikes!

Last year I decided I was going to build a Niner One9 for the 2009 race season. I ordered one in December with a slated delivery date of March. No big deal, right? I wouldn't want to ride my sweet new scandium bike in the snowy slushy weather anyway, right? Long story short, the Niner frame never came in, I did some research and decided I was going to go with a Bianchi Sok SS frame instead. 

After riding my Bianchi Sok a grand total of 5 times I decided the frame was WAY too big. Which was a bummer, cause it was a sweet bike and it rode really well. After a little deliberation with Daniel from Cycle to Fitness, I decided that I'd just find a new frame and swap all the parts. I was thinking I would go with a Misfit Psycles DiSSent.  I talked to Daniel  about getting one in my size to build up. He showed me the Soul Cycles Dillinger. All signs pointed in this direction. It has the same tube set as the Bianchi (Easton Ultralite Race Aluminum), no track dropouts (it has an eccentric bottom bracket), and was close to the same geometry and about 1/2 the price of the Niner One9 I was originally looking at. 

I built it up last thursday just in time for a PLRA pre-ride. The only thing thats different is the Seat post as this one requires a 31.6mm post and the Bianchi took a 27.2mm. Here it is fresh after a cleaning and lube this afternoon. The geometry of the frame along with how I've got it set up make it feel really agressive. It just wants to go fast! I am also super impressed with the Laserdisc Single Duty hubs. They roll very smooth and are pretty light for a fairly inexpensive hub set. The one thing I haven't decided on yet is if I'm keeping the Reba up front. I almost always have it locked out, so I think I'm going to go with a carbon fork to save some weight. I am very happy with how this bike turned out, now I just need to put some more miles on it!

1Gear1Love.