New sponsor, new season and new goals!

I’m definitely overdue for a blog update, and there hasn’t been a shortage of stuff going on to report about. The lingering winter weather here in Michigan definitely made riding outside the past few months difficult to say the least. I enjoy suffering in the cold and wet as much as the next cyclist, but every once in a while it’s nice to feel the sun and ride with fewer than 3 layers on! It would seem that the weather is finally beginning to cooperate and it’s nice to get out and hammer some singletrack that’s snow and mud free. The focus is shifting this year to mountain bike, and I’m happy to announce my new sponsor, Redline Bicycles! This has been in the works for a few months now, and I received my new bike just in time to put it through the paces at Mud, Sweat and Beers. I’ll still be heavily affiliated with the awesome Freewheeler Bike Shop and Race team.

Awesome photos of Mud, Sweat and Beers (Photos courtesy of Karen Brower)

So, the season is shaping up with racing already underway. The past couple years my primary focus has been road racing, and I’ve very much enjoyed pounding pavement with some of the fastest guys around. Over the winter months I entered into discussion with Redline about riding for them and racing their new D880 full suspension rig. The goal this year is to race fewer but bigger events. In the past I have raced nearly every weekend from spring to fall, which can tend to wear one out after a while. I’m looking forward to being able to focus on a more consistent training plan complete with recovery weeks and long weekend rides! Right now, the next big race in the lineup is the Trans-Sylvania Epic out in Pennsylvania. It’s a seven day stage race on some pretty gnarly terrain out east. It should be interesting to say the least with some really fast guys such as Justin Lindine (my new teammate!), Jeremy Powers, Jeremiah Bishop, etc… There are a few secondary races in between now and then with Arcadia and Yankee TT this coming weekend. They’ll serve to further test the new setup out and get things dialed in before the big show at the end of the month.

It’s taken a while to get used to riding full suspension again, but I have to say it’s been awesome! Usually after 2-3 hours of mountain biking I’m feeling it pretty good in my lower back and upper body (this also may have something to do with the fact that I pretty much only workout my legs…). The new rig has Fox shocks front and back with three firmness settings and Climb, Trail and Descend modes. All this new-fangled technology has taken some getting used to, but now that I’ve had some time to play with air pressure and settings it is feeling pretty sweet. I haven’t had a full suspension bike in over 4 years, so there have definitely been some advances. It’s nice to be able to bomb descents, power through choppy sections and soak up rocks and roots then be able to get out of the saddle and put some watts down on the steep stuff. Another thing that’s taken some getting used to is not having bottle cages on the bike and going back to a bladder system. I’ve been playing around with various hydration methods, and it is pretty nice having water at the ready as opposed to finding a chance to reach for a bottle in tight singletrack.

Happy Day!

Mad muggin'

Training has been pretty brutal with the weather being moody the way it is. Nonetheless I’ve managed to get out with the fine Freewheeler Racing crew and the Bissell Boys quite a bit. The camaraderie that comes with being on a team is hard to beat when you’re racking up miles and need to stay motivated. Two weekends ago I decided to set out for a Lumberjack training ride of equal distance/elevation gain. I’ve been primarily racing in the 2-4 hour range for the past couple years, so I knew that making the jump wouldn’t come so easy. During the ride, I was graced with the presence of my fantastic girlfriend Jenny somewhere near the halfway point. We got to ride the trails together a bit then made a quick pit stop at Grams party store up on Egypt Valley and Knapp Street for refreshments. It helps to dull the sharp edges of suffering when you have a pretty smile to look at and company for the ride. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and I was out again solo. At around the 75-80 mile mark I really began to hit the wall, and just as I was going into zombie mode, I came out in the Cannonsburg SGA parking lot to find a crew of Freewheeler teammates! It felt great to have some friends to chat with, and I had the good fortune of finding my way into trail mix and a sandwich (Thanks Sarah Jaromin!!). I made haste after consuming those tasty treats before I ended up in someone’s car getting a ride home, and once again stopped by Grams for liquid nourishment and salty snacks. I was spotted by Eric siting on the stoop of the store in full devour mode of some chips and soda… It’s rides like these that make me truly appreciate the great support crew around me in friends, family and teammates!

Grinding gravel while grinning

Urban cross

That’s about it for now; I’ll have updates coming more frequently now that things are in full swing. Look for some equipment blogs, new fancy parts write-ups, race reports, and general riding shenanigans in the coming weeks!

Some photos from a random bike packing trip with my buddy Chris!