January 2018 Blog Posts (5)

"I just want this to get going so I can stop thinking about it." Straddling my Trek Boone about 1/3 of the way back in a field of some 560 riders with Dave, Paul and Danny around me, I was staring down at the tires mounted on the potpourri of bicycles around me. This was my third Caz. The first one I rode on my Pivot Les hardtail that I'd made some effort to modify for the event. Last year I felt better equipped on my Boone with 35mm Continental rolling stock. In the days prior to this cool…

Once again, the Old Cazadero Grasshopper pops up just in time to add a little spice to the early season training.  Never the right thing to be doing in my first periods of base training, this race nonetheless tempts me to go out there and see how things are going.

I have had many top ten finishes on this course, but the competition has been getting deeper every year.  Add to that the decline of fitness that seems to inevitably come with age, and it becomes more and more of a…

  Last year I did two new races for me, the Lake Sonoma Grasshopper and SoNoMas,  both of which kicked my butt.  This year I finally got up the courage to ride the Old Caz Grasshopper after watching my son, Carson and many of my Acme Bikes teammates grind up to the Willow Creek Rd hilltop finish over the past two years.  What could be better, ride 50 miles, climb 4400 ft and get to eat chips and drink beer overlooking western Sonoma County?  

  As the majority of riders use a CX bike…

Saturday, January 27, was my third year of participating in the first leg of the annual Grasshopper Adventure Series - Ye Old Caz. The course was challenging and fun and very lonely at times…

The day began with a leisurely drive to our destination in Occidental. Jim, Phil and I took to the road early so we would have plenty of time to prep before the race. The day was crisp, not too cold, and the surrounding fields along the drive were lush and green. I always feel like i’ve been…