April 2012 Blog Posts (12)

Never quite know what or who to expect when one shows up to a local Grasshopper. On this day the route called for us to roll out of Santa Rosa bent for new territory east of town that promised a few steep climbs, a number of rough roads and one dirt descent over the course of 70 plus miles. Fat 25cc tires on the Madone would prove to be good gear for this mixed road terrain.

Amidst the assembling 100 or so riders in the grammar school parking lot at the edge of…

The Shasta Lemurian is a classic NorCal hardman race.  Lots of climbing and some fast and rough descending on a 2+ hour single-loop course in the mountains West of Redding.  I have done this race most years since I started racing in 2005, but it always comes at the end of my first peak racing period.  Last year, I was pretty fatigued by this point and decided not to do the race.  This year, I was in better form and ready to race!

The course conditions were very good, with recent rains…

One big loop, lots of single track, lots of climbing, an ice cold lake to swim in afterwards, and it's technically challenging. I have been hearing stories about the awesomeness of this race for years, and I've finally decided to get out and race it.

I don't know how or why but I somehow signed up in the pro class. No big deal, though.  Category can't affect my time.  I heard that the mass start was gonna be a cluster of mayhem.  But it wasn't that bad.  Downieville's start is much…

What a week! My very pregnant wife finally popped last Thursday, April 19th, giving birth to a happy and healthy girl, Arden, weighing 6lbs 7 oz and 19". Blue eyes like her brother, 3yr old-Owen, but with lots of dark brown hair like her mother. No less moving and emotional the second time around, and we were again blessed with an easy and no-drama delivery. My…

So this year the Pro XC race at Sea Otter dispensed with the 5-7 lap format.  Instead, we did one 20 mile lap.  With the amount of fireroad, I knew it would be fast.  The record high temps forecasted for Saturday made me thankful that I would be out there less than one and a half hours.

I've never really had a great race at Sea Otter.  This year I was coming off of a lot of local wins and in a decent peak period.  I took it easy for a couple of days prior and went down on Friday with…

3:17:24 -- 12th position across the line. Two short of the my objective.

First blood when taken down by a volunteer accidently catching my bars at the aid station while attempting a bottle hand-up at mile 10!

Second blood on the second lap, mile 29, when my front wheel washed out down a loose rutted section. Determined to finish the course this year, I banged the seat into line, re-set the chain and jumped back into the game.

Not an entirely pleasant experience out there…

The stage was set for a good race day: our new kit, a full team photo before the start, perfect sunny weather, tacky trail conditions and a deep field of talented local racers amassed for battle. My fitness was in-line for later season peaks at Boggs and Terrible Two.  This was to be my early season perfromance test.

Expecting the high intensity of a relatively short XC race, I psyched up for the fast start; attempting to explode up the first climb, I charged ahead, pulling a clean…

Wow, what a fun race! Jim's write-up captured a lot my experience too, but I have to say that this is a really well managed event. Having showers after the race, especially one as muddy as yesterday, was great.

My race was another "what could have been," similar to my last race at Cool (where I had a flat that cost me 8 mins due to forgetting my tube and air...appeared I could have won that race without the flat).

I knew that this course could reward my climbing…

The Dirt Classic is always a big Spring race in NorCal.  A great course, great history and good attendance from local racers coincide with a pre-Sea Otter date.  Lots of people out trying to get one (or one more!) race in before Sea Otter.

I have done this race every year since I started racing.  Last year I finished off the podium, but I have placed 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in Pro class.  I usually try to come to this race fit and get the win, which works well as it easily falls into a 2…

I built my new Santa Cruz Highball carbon 29er hardtail and rode it Friday - very nice! - so I had to race the Toro Park CCCX XC race on Saturday to really give it a good break-in.  I was excited to do the Toro Park course, as I had a lot of fun on it the last time I raced there (2006?).  Pretty much a 15 minute 700+ft climb on a gradual fireroad with one steep section and then a ripping 5 minute bermed descent, then repeat.

There were some fast guys there.  Danny Macnaughton, Kevin…

Last year I raced the Pro All Mountain stage race at the Keyesville Classic in Southern California.  The race consisted of an XC race, a short track race, and a downhill race.  All Mountain racers did all three events on the same bike and results were totalled to crown the overall winner.  I raced a carbon hardtail, definitely set up XC style at under 21 lbs, and pulled off the win, despite a rather weak downhill result.

This year, I decided to show up with a bike that would be more…

Well, I am def getting faster (at least uphill, with several  big climb PRs and KOMs-like Big Rock Ridge segments to teh towers from queenstone and burger king, both over 2000'), but have hit a wall in terms of weight at 173lb for the last week. Going to keep at it and hope to start to peak for the Napa Dirt Classic, which is quickly followed by Sea Otter and Boggs 8hr. The new bike is also going to be ~5lbs lighter than my Tallboy too, so that should help, although I might have to revise my…