Bike racing and beer releasing!

The bike racing season and good riding weather seem to be in full swing here in Michigan, and only took a few months too long to get here. Since the last posting, it's been a split between single track riding, Ada time trials, cyclocross and some group road rides. The monday night Ada time trials have been a staple in my workout routine for the past few years and are a great way to improve the functional threshold. Jenny and i have made it out for a few rides together to work on some climbing and generally enjoy the weather. Two Sundays ago was the most recent Spring Fury Cross ride at Wilcox Park. The venue was great (and really close to my house!), and there's always a lot of fun and friendly competition. The main focus has been getting the body ready to handle seven days of racing in steep and rocky Pennsylvania single track at the Trans-Sylvania Epic. This past weekend was a good test of both endurance and technical aptitude at the Arcadia Grit and Gravel and the Yankee Springs Time Trial.

Awesome shot of the Spring Fury Cross fun by Jack Kunnen!

The Arcadia Grit and Gravel is a pretty awesome race that has a bit of something for every type of ride; there's 10 miles of plush singletrack with tight banked turns and rolling hills, miles of gravel roads with long winding climbs, a few sections of seasonal two-tracks and steep descents to test one's mettle and a bit of pavement to put the power to the pedals. I felt pretty good coming into the race and knew it would be a battle of watts from the starting lineup. The roll-out was fairly neutral with a welcome attack from the Sovis brothers to stir things up. At the first big climb it really began to heat up and it was a battle of will to the top with myself, Jorden, Ben and Alex. Things came back together on the flats and rolling terrain and i knew it would soon be time to hammer again at the climb before the singletrack. On the second climb i set a steady pace, waiting for the attacks and sure as the wind blows they came hard. Jorden and Alex came around prompting me to stand on the pedals and give it hell. They put a few seconds between myself and Ben who was right on my heels. Coming into the singletrack it was Jorden, Alex, myself and Ben in that order. As we got in further it slowly spaced out until it seemed we were all riding solo. When we peeked out onto the gravel section i could see alex about 15 seconds up and Ben about 15 seconds back. In the second section of two track i was able to bridge up closer to Alex but i took one too many risks and got into a fight with a maple in a sharp turn. Thankfully i wasn't hurt much, mostly just scraped and sore and decided from there on out it was best to just finish the race where i was at, with a lot more riding on the next week of racing. I rolled into the finish line in third position with a good ride by Alex for second and a typically-superb ride by Jorden for the win. The race folks did a swell job with food onsite and fresh beer by Stormcloud brewing. I could have stayed all day to bask in the sun, get burnt and drive home late but Yankee Springs was less than 24 hours away so i withheld.

Fun folks to race against

The Yankee Springs Time Trial is a classic spring mountain bike event in Michigan and a staple for most riders looking to see where they stack up against the usual suspects. However, the weather threw a wrench in the works this year and the race was postponed from it's traditional April time to mid-May. It was definitely a good call to delay as the weather couldn't have been better and the trail was super smooth. It was probably the nicest i've seen yankee in years and the new section was a pleasant addition. Most riders didn't seem to care for the new loop, but i was all for a nice long section to drill it and use those roadie skills! The tricky part of the TT is not knowing exactly where you stand in the pecking order when you're out on course. I stayed on the gas and tried to be as safe as possible whilst still bringing the pain. I knew there were some fast riders that started behind me, and i was mostly concerned with Dan Korienek as i have felt his wrath many times before. I finally got my sanity check when i went through the new section on the second lap and was informed that i was about 3 minutes up on second (which i came to assume was Dan). I knew he started about 2 minutes behind me so i was in the clear as long as i kept pace and didn't muck anything up. It felt good to get the first win of the year on the new Redline D880. This race really showed the advantages of having a full suspension rig with good a wide range of tuning. I was able to hammer every downhill, stay hard in the corners and soak up the rocks and roots without loosing much speed. I couldn't have been happier with the way the bike performed.

An awesome photo courtesy of Karen Brower

I assure you i was having a good time despite my expression

Now it's time for full recovery mode with the TSE starting this coming Sunday. Last night was the release of Cobble Crusher, which i have been greatly anticipating. As a result of winning the Winter Rush Fat Bike series i was awarded with the chance to brew a beer at Harmony. It was a pretty cool deal as i got to meet with the brewers, chat about what i wanted (Spicy Belgian Pale Ale), and arrange for a date to stop in and actually take part in the brewing. The beer turned out great along with the weather, and made for a fun night. Danielle was there as well as her drink's namesake, Ted Bentley! A lot of great folks stopped out to help celebrate and have a good time, and served as a great reminder of just how awesome the biking community is and how lucky i am to know so many cool people! Big thanks to all who made it!

Sweet poster designed by an even sweeter girl, Jenny Scott!

It's a celebration!

Speaking of being lucky, i have had the good fortune of picking up a couple new sponsors in the past couple weeks. Wolftooth Components will be stepping in to fill my drivetrain needs, and i just received my 40T Shimano giant cog for my 10 speed cassette. This should be a welcome addition just in time for the TSE and the nasty climbs that lay ahead. I have been running their chain rings on my other 1x setups and have been impressed with the durability and functionality of the narrow-wide tooth profile they have.  I'm looking forward to putting more of their products through the wringer! Also, i have had the good fortune of being sponsored by Dr. Jason Ross of Train Out Pain! Jason is a miracle worker of sorts and always finds a way to workout those kinks, knots and issues. I've been going to see him since last year, and he was a great asset to have in recovering from my shoulder injury last fall. I can't say enough good things about Jason and his practice!

The Giant Cog by Wolftooth Cycling

Train Out Pain

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!

Fat Tires and Fast Friends

It’s been a whirlwind fat biking season here in Michigan, with a banner year of snowfall across most of the state. In fact, at some of the events this year, snow has actually been removed from the courses to make them passable. With the deep persisting cold, the snow hasn’t been very cooperative at times when it comes to packing in firm trails, which has left some venues a veritable trail of tears for the participants. In general though, the riding has been fantastic and the options have left riders and racers alike with options on most weekends and even weekdays. A great ongoing venue for testing out one’s mettle on a fatbike has been the Fat Tuesday weekly rides put on by Brent Walk of Fun Promotion at the Pando Ski Area. For a mere $10 riders have had access to some awesome groomed trails starting at 5pm until 9pm every Tuesday with the exception of one or two days the entire season. Grand Rapids Bike Co has been kind enough to send friendly folks with a number of demo bikes to ride around, and Freewheeler Bike Shop has ponied up items to give away as prizes to the racers. With the weather we’ve had it looks like the Fat Tuesdays will be ongoing for some time to come so get out there, there’s really no excuse not to…

A sweet ice beard is one of the Fat Tuesday prizes up for grabs...

As far as the weekend races have gone, there are several series to choose from in the Midwest: Winter Rush, Fun Promotions Fat Bike Series, Great Lakes Fat Bike Series, and Northern Michigan Fat Bike Series. Being my first season rollin’ a fatty I have chosen to sample from each of the series and multiple venues to get a feel for what’s out there and where there’s a good time to be had. Frankly, every race I’ve been at that involves tires of girth has been a blast! Maybe the courses have been grueling and frustrating at times, but that is easily solved with a choice beverage and good camaraderie. Here’s a quick breakdown of what each series has to offer:

Winter Rush:

This series has been great for the local GR fat bike scene, offering reasonably priced races ($15 pre-reg and $20 day-of) that aren’t too long to scare away new racers (typically around 50 minutes). The biggest challenge of this series has definitely been dealing with the weather and conditions with a couple of the races taking part during or just after a major snowfall. The prizes have been good with growlers for winners and various other swag (Harmony winter hats, Velocity hangers, gift cards, etc..) which is pretty darn good if you’re only forking over $20!

You too can win a growler of beer!

Fun Promotions:

Brent Walk has long been putting on good races, so it’s no surprise that these events and venues have been a blast. The first race of the series took place at Pando Ski Area and the conditions couldn’t have been better. With a hard pack XC ski trail to blast and great scenery the course was a pleasure to crank out laps on, and with average speeds approaching 14 mph it made for a race where there was no walking (a bonus in fat biking). The entry fees are reasonable and with a cash payout to the A class it’s one of the few series that forks over dough to the winners. The timed format (Pando happened to be 2 hours) made for a longer race which is a nice option to have outside of the shorter ones. There’s a couple more races in the series so don’t miss out!

Team Freewheeler crowding the podium

Great Lakes Fat Bike Series:

The GLFBS is comprised of several major races taking place throughout the Midwest. Yours truly has only participated in a couple of the events in his mitten shaped homeland, but has heard good reports of the races over the pond. Farmers Fatbike Race was the first GLFBS race I made it to, and it was a doozy. With heavy rain and warm temps leading up to the race, everyone and their adopted siblings knew this was going to be a sufferfest, especially given its 3 hour duration. The Farm Team did a terrific job salvaging the course the best they could, but conditions were still arduous. A single fat lane formed in the center of the course, but faster riders were left slogging through the boggy mess if they wished to advance their lead. Every lap packed a healthy elevation punch which sapped the already aching legs of much needed energy. Prizes were good with custom growlers, gift cards and heavy duty shovels being doled out to victors. The second race I sampled of this series was the Noquemanon World Championship race in Marquette. This was a last minute decision which was reinforced with the addition of an epic travel partner. Adventure was the name of the game, with it being consider a great feat just arriving at the start venue given the storm conditions and closed roadways. The ass end fell out of the thermometer in Marquette that weekend and racers faced bleak sub-zero temps with wind chills dipping to minus 30. At 50K in distance and plenty of punchy climbs this course was no joke. The scenery was grade A though, and the miles ticked by more quickly than I expected with awesome trail conditions and a fast run into the finish. The spoils to the racers were sweet customized cowbells and a center stage podium. This is definitely a series geared at the serious fat bike racer.

Shovel Envy

Cowbell envy

Northern Michigan Fat Bike Series:

The NMFBS is a short series consisting of just 3 races in the general vicinity of Traverse City. I only have the chance to participate in one of the three, but it was completely worthwhile! My race of choice from this series was the King Vasa 27K fat bike race, and I chose it for a number of reasons: I’m a fan of the VASA trail system, I like the Timber Ridge Finish area and it’s short and fast! Many of the fat bike races may see average speeds top out at 9-10 mph which can sometimes be a bit of a drag for the speed freak in all of us, but with speeds touching 16 mph for this race it was a totally different animal. I used my brakes more in this race than probably all of the other combined what with the fast descents and turns. The crowd that was out for the race was awesome too, and the finish venue had that Iceman air to it. The prizes were good with some sweet custom medals and lots of swag and free beer. If I’m on a fat bike next season, I plan to hit this one again fo sho!

King Vasa

GR holding down the podium with Jill and Danielle on the steps!

It wasn’t until this past fall that I even remotely thought about racing on a fat bike through the winter. When I heard about the Borealis Yampa and got the opportunity to get my hands on one though I simply couldn’t resist. While I spend a good portion of my time on the road bike, I’m a mountain biker at heart. I love cruising single-track, checking out new scenery and having the ability to cover any conditions I choose. The fat bike further fuels this passion for exploring on the bike, and opens up a whole new list of opportunities and venues to ride. Now that I’ve been on one and have been in several races I think I’ll have a hard time not coming back. I never planned on doing so many fat bike races and actually contending them, I just figured I’d bomb around all winter and have fun getting out to show off the new rig. I have to give a huge thanks to Freewheeler Bike Shop for getting their hands on one of these for me and getting it built quickly last year so I could enjoy the full season! I can’t endorse the shop and this bike enough, I’ve had the chance to ride other fat bikes, and much heavier ones, and the difference is noticeable.

I'm not worthy

Probably the best part of getting into fat biking this season has been the new friends and acquaintances I’ve made throughout the cold harsh Michigan winter. The folks that ride fat bikes are a truly unique and awesome group of individuals, and the camaraderie I’ve experienced has been unparalleled at many other events. It’s been an honor to line up with the Grayling Giant and get to chat with him about racing, bikes and generalities. Watching GRs own Danielle Musto take on the women of the Midwest has certainly been impressive, and I take pride knowing that GR has been well represented at the fat bike races! Duking it out with the Farm Team at the winter rush races has made for some brutal workouts and good stories post-race. When traveling to races, I’ve had good company in the form of a bear (Jenny Scott, not an actual bear…) and a teammate, Bill Shaver. Up at Noquemanon the racers from GR were kind enough to let us crash at their place in town and share good company. It’s been the best off-season a racer could ask for, and I’m sad to see it fading into the sunset with the impending season and training demands beginning to ramp up.

Even the bears party in Marquette

GR Joe staying fueled with me on an urban adventure

Fat Jimi at Fat Tuesday

Tying the races, equipment, and good times all together has been the Freewheeler Racing Team. I’m proud to be a part of such a diverse and awesome team of people. I can count on seeing red and grey at each and every fat bike race in the form of racers and sideline fans. These folks come and brave the cold to just shake a cow bell and heckle you if nothing else. When you’re digging deep in a race it’s always refreshing to have a friendly smile or chanting teammate to lift your spirits. I can always count on solid help from all of the guys over at the shop, whether it’s Curt, Pat, or Tim getting their hands on some random part for me, or Logger, Gordy or Sam helping me keep my rig in tip top shape. It’s really less of a team and more of a family.

Borealis Yampa Carbon Fatbike: Short term review

So, a couple weeks ago i got my hands on a new winter toy: A carbon fiber fatbike! I've been anticipating the delivery of the new steed since earlier this summer when i first learned of the Borealis Yampa frames, and that Freewheeler Bike Shop would be carrying them (i think Curt ordered a dozen or more right off the bat). The frame showed up a while before iceman, and the components were slowly trickling in and teasing me with visions of ripping down the lakeshore and carving snowed in singletrack. After the excitement and post-iceman depression i was in desperate need of a cycling pick-me-up. In the nick of time, Curt got the components in stock and Logger did a fine job of assembling this glorious mode of transport.

As you can tell, i no sooner that got it outside of the shop than started photographing the glory!

Of course, the first thing i did when i got it home was to fine tune the fit to a more aggressive stance and prep it for it's inaugural voyage. It looks a little more like this now:

Stem slammed, seat jacked... that's more like it

Once i had the bike fitted to my specifications i burst out the door in full cold weather regalia and set about seeing just what this machine could handle! First i noted how responsive it was for such a large wheeled beast. Although the acceleration is slower due to the greater rotational weight, i didn't notice it feeling too sluggish. I would compare it to a turbo-diesel automobile; takes a minute to spool up that turbo, but once you hit the right RPM it's all systems go! I headed directly to the nearest park with anything resembling singletrack and set about tackling the steepest hills i could find. I had the bike built with SRAM 1x11 with a 34T ring upfront. For reference, i'm used to my Niner which is geared 1x10 (11-32 cassette and 38T ring upfront). This fatbike with the new drivetrain climbs hills like a tank, you just drop it into a creeper gear and scale grades up and above 30 percent. The drivetrain was expertly tuned by Freewheeler's very own Logger so naturally it snapped into gear immediately and produced literally no noise. I'm very happy with the 1x11 setup and am seriously thinking about making the leap on my Niner now...

That cassette is a marvel of engineering!

Solid Raceface Turbine cranks to put down some meager power at best...

Look at that bottom bracket girth!

When i left my house, i had measured the tires at around 18 psi, which i realize is firm for a fatbike. I could tell right away on the trails that i was giving up ride comfort and traction as a result. Curt was forward thinking when he built this rig, and set me up with the matching Borealis hubs laced expertly by the Wheel Department over at Velocity to their awesome new Dually rims. He also selected some fine rubber in the form of 45NRTHs Dillinger 4" model, and set them up tubeless. I have to say, comparing the tubeless Dually's to some of the wider tire/rim combos with tubes that the difference is staggering. I soon stopped and aired those bad boys down to 10 psi and instantly noticed a smoother ride. The traction also went up ten-fold as it made little effort to overtake roots and stones that would normally jar my teeth half loose. I tackled another hill at a nearby park which although only 25 feet in height, packs a near 35% grade of loose grass and leaves. I'm pleased to report that with the largest cog on the cassette i was able to climb without blowing out a hammy!

These tires also happen to accept metal studs for when winter really picks up. I haven't had any issue with burping the tires from the Dually rims. The whole package is stout!

The rigid fork and thru axle are robust pieces. Borealis did a nice job with the fitment of the hub/axle/fork.

The rear hub has a great sound and feel to it. It engages quickly and after over 100 miles of punishment i haven't noticed a change.

So, what conditions have i put the fatbike through exactly? Well i'm glad you asked... Here's a rundown of the flogging:

1. First trip out was brief, i hit Manhattan park to check the confidence on leaf covered, steep trails. I rode through the sand pit several times, and hit some greasy trails to check mud-shedding. Tooled on over to Fuller park and tested out some really steep stuff and more tight trails.
2. Second trip was a pro-longed urban MTB course. Threw in some mulch, railroad tracks, railroad bridge, long and steep descents and stair descents. Long story short, the bike is confident riding off and down stuff.
3. Threw in a few more urban MTB rides with a lot of mud, sand and tall grass. Rode through a dried up swamp which was interesting. It's amazing how much grass you can wrap into the drivetrain and still be able to ride...
4. Three loops at Luton. One loop with fast segments and waiting at the end of each mini-loop. One loop of recovery and one full loop without stops. This bike can really soak up the roots and rocks that otherwise pose a threat on normal MTB tires. Also, i was able to hammer corners without worry in the leaves. This thing has a ton of traction and good handling.
5. Went out this past Sunday in the epic rainstorm. The bike does awesome with foot deep or less puddles and creeks...

I've got 110 miles in so far, and a pretty good cross-section of terrain to report on. The rest of the build is pretty standard:

Brakes: SRAM XO hydraulic w/Ashima Ai2 ultralight 160mm rotors

Cockpit: Carbon Niner flat bar, carbon Niner seat-post, alloy Niner stem

Seat: Fizik Ardena

Pedals: Shimano SPD

Grips: Lizard Skins rubber w/custom Freewheeler Lock-on clamps!

Robust!

 I like the feel of these grips, and the latest version of SRAM XO hydraulic brakes.

I chose a smattering of tried and true durable goods. The pedals are M525 which weight half a metric ton, but are indestructible. The cockpit is not boutique by any means, but built to handle thrashing down Belknap hill at 40+ MPH. The seat is built for comfort and also is near one metric ton. Even with a non-uberlight build this bike tips the scale at 24lbs in full riding decor (pedals, two bottle cages, and tail-light). If one were so inclined to drop an extra couple hundred bucks you could easily slide into the 21-22 pound range.

I plan to partake in several fatbike races throughout the winter months as well as continue training sessions once or twice a week on this beast. Overall, i'm very pleased with this build. The bike can tackle the worst of it with ease, but still carve up some singletrack and post top 10s on serious segments. It's light enough that it feels nimble when pushed to the limit, but not so light that i'm afraid to bomb drop-offs and curbs. I'd like to give a big shoutout to Freewheeler Bike Shop for the sweet build and great timing! I'll report back after I've got to logs some serious training/racing miles on it with an update on how it's holding up!

Doing hood rat things with my friends, and other random events...

It's been quite a while since my last post, but there's been plenty going on. Lets go in chronological order from where i left off with my last post....

Early September - I was doing a lot of gravel road riding and some trail riding in preparation for the Chequamegon Fat Tire festival 40 mile race that i had registered for at the beginning of the year. They do a lottery for this race, and it's never a sure thing that you'll get in. I was feeling good and excited to get out there as it was also my birthday weekend. I had a whole weekend planned of MTB things and good times. Three days before the race i went out for one last singletrack ride to shake the legs out and test my equipment when disaster struck... I got a little too carried away on the third segment of the Cannonsburg SGA loop and washed out on a sharp turn into a tree. I went flying and was stopped cold by an unforgiving maple tree with a pig attitude. It took me a minute to get up and get my wits about me. I grabbed my bike and felt a nasty pain in my shoulder. It was definitely no longer in the socket and there was more movement than i care to describe. Fortunately for me i was only 3 miles of rough trail from my car so i rode the rest of the trail one handed and very slowly. The result of the tree altercation was a fully separated shoulder.

Needless to say, i was pretty bummed out to not be heading to Wisconsin for an awesome race and good times with cycling folks. I laid low for a few days to let the shoulder heal up, and got tired of doing that so i tried road riding a few days later. I figured how much worse can it get anyways? September was a slow month of recovery and testing and overstepping the bounds of what i could do with my arm. A few Wednesday night Korienek Killer gravel rides thrown in for good measure.

Stand around talking about bike things

October brought with it the promise of off-road glory and perfect riding weather (read: rain, wind, mud and cold!!). I know, i know, i have a problem, but i love this time of year when the dirt roads are desolate and you need a light to stave off the darkness. There's something about being out there pushing yourself when no one else wants to even go outside, let alone battle a furious west wind. The first weekend actually found me racing trails, but not on a bike. For whatever reason i though that a trail half marathon in the rugged Porcupine Mountains State park would be a grand idea. Mind you, i had run few enough times during the summer to recall with the 10 digits of my hands. IT was a wicked day as far as wind and wet, the trail was destroyed, and so were my legs by the end of it. The fruit of my labor was sweet (literally, i won a bottle of syrup for 3rd O'all).

Pre-race bro-down

Now i just need some pancakes

It was a grand idea to wear my new shoes...

Once my legs didn't feel the urge to fall off anymore, i picked the bike back up and hit the gravel again. With that horrific running race behind me, i could once again focus on getting back in good bike shape for the remainder of the seasons races. Next on the list was something new for me; cyclocross! I decided to give it a shot out at Cascade Park as part of the Kisscross series. I had heard nothing but good things about cyclocross (pain, suffering, glory and beer). My friends had urged that i do the A-race but i stubbornly insisted on doing the B-race because i had never done cross before... Bad idea, i looked like a sand-bagging mofo out there on the front the the B-race. I like to think that i always race in an appropriate category/field when it's my choice to make, but this was definitely not the road to valor. Oh well, it was an awesome race, and i found out that i really enjoy the added pain that cyclocross has to offer.

The weekend following Kisscross was reserved for Peak2Peak, but after last years debacle and the poor weather forecast for this years event, i decided to bail and go do a gravel group ride instead. I heard that it turned out ok for those fine folks that decided to race, but i have to say that it was nice to get together with my Freewheeler kin and hammer some headwinds out near Lowell. We managed a good ride and pace, and stayed together for the most part. 

We share our dope!

You may be asking yourself, why all the gravel?! Well, good question, because one of my favorite races (Lowell 50) was just around the corner. Plus, who doesn't like riding terrain like this:

Top-secret two-track

Cyclocross combines two of my favorite things: anything involving bikes and beer. I like talking about bikes, thinking about bikes, riding them, looking at them, weighing them, building them.... You get the idea. The great thing about late season training is that the most important thing is just getting a workout without getting burned out. After 6,7,8 thousand miles or so, it can get a little bit old, and i love bikes! So, in an effort to stave off the dreaded dead legs we often find that it pleases the mind to combine rides and beverage stops into one good time. In pursuit of that effort i submit exhibit A:

Those are thirsty eyes

It is ideal to travel a distance no further than 10 miles give or take between re-fueling stops. It is also ideal to not linger for a period of time as it can result in over-indulgence. The goal between stops is to hammerfest until you arrive at your next juncture. The stops provide sufficient motivation to induce pain and thus grow into a stronger more indignant cyclist. Anyways, i digress.... The Lowell 50... There's not much for me to say. I felt great at the start, was at the front of the lead group coming onto centerline road and snap! I looked down at my drivetrain expecting an exploded chain only to discover half of my pedal on my foot and the other half in my crank. Not... Good....

Not easy to pedal on a nubbin

Quick release pedal system, patent pending

With the Lowell 50 a failure on my part, i decided to vent some steam at Manhattan Park in the form of Kisscross. The course at Manhattan was much more trying than the Cascade setup, and i found the hills and singletrack suited me well. What didn't suit me was the three dismounts that i'm utterly terrible at. I frequently found myself stumbling and fumbling to get clipped back in to my pedals. Must have been a higher being telling me to relinquish the weight weenie Crankbrothers in favor of tried and true Shimano. The Lemans start was pretty awesome, and i had good position throughout the race. I came in 4th in the A-race (where my sand-bagging A$$ belongs!).

Next up was the illustrious Iceman Cometh mountain bike race. If you aren't familiar you should probably just stop reading right now and not bother reading anymore of my blog posts because i am infinitely disappointed in your lack of bike knowledge. Ok, now that we've cleared that up, Iceman!!! For me, a grown man with no kids, Iceman has become a figurative Christmas. There are many similarities between Christmas as a child and Iceman as a grown adult. For instance:

1. The anticipation leads to sleepless nights and obsessing over what time/place i will get
2. My friends and i have trouble working or doing little other than preparing for the race, being festive and making plans for who is leaving town and when
3. We all get together in one location for the weekend to eat, be merry and suffer (oh, wait, i guess suffering was never part of christmas...)
4. It's cold as hell outside

This was my first year racing Iceman in the afternoon, and i have to say that the weather couldn't have been better aside from the wind. The sun shone occasionally, the trails had dried out just enough, and the course was fast. My biggest mistake was lining up too late and getting relegated to the back of the field. Per usual, the pavement was a slugfest with yahoos riding through yards, puddles and contemplating bunny-hopping cars. Once we got onto the first two track there was a slow up, and then a stop. Two fine fellows tangled and tacoed their wheels about 3 miles into the race, classic! From then on out it was a task of working in a group long enough to recover and then setting out on my own for muddier pastures. I felt good, my bike was working awesome, and my pace was high. I managed to get into a group with Dan Korienek (of course the pace was high) and begin working together to get to the finish as fast as possible. Several miles from the finish we picked up Mike Simonson and he assumed some pace making duties as well. I knew coming into the final climb that the lead position was the place to be so i drilled it on the front to stay there. The climb went by quickly with a blur of fans cheering and teammates urging me on. As we came over the top i could tell i hadn't done enough damage to separate myself. On the descent to the flyover Dan came by in full beast mode. At that point, i knew he was gone so my main duty was to hold the other couple guys off until i crossed the line. In the end i crossed the line in 1:44:03 and 23rd place. I was thrilled with my time and happy to be in the presence of such elite riders. Afterwards i joined my team for a beverage and photo op. The Iceman was a nice success after a fall blighted with bad gear and busted shoulder.

"I wonder when Dan is gonna pass me?"

Battle of the beards!

Bikes are like family

Mustache night!