April 2018 Blog Posts (13)

 Another fun, intermediate loop in the Nevada City area. As far as I know this was the first race held here? YBONC has included this trail in their California Dirt/State campion series of races. The race started at the Diamond Arrow Christain Conferance Center. The start had us roll through the cabin area and quickly start into the first of two climbs. Our 11am group was all the Cat 1 ages, Pro's and single speeders(35-40 people). The first climb was less than a 1/3 of a mile with about 100'…

I enjoy getting to race venues early, as it provides more time to settle into the mental game, and hang out with old friends.  Hence, my arrival to the second round of ACME’s Summit Shorties, 2 hours before my start time.  I also felt like I was going to need a lengthy warmup, considering my tired legs from the weekend, and pushing a little to hard at Tuesday practice.…

Really excited to be back into the mid-week race series, Acme Shorty. This race is fast fun and about 25 minutes in the pain cave. Before the race, I meet up with my friend, Sebastian Dow, a Bear Development racer and we road to my teammates house, Thomas Gibson, to meet and ride the course for our warm up. Climbing up the hill to where the race starts is where my nerves and excitement start to kick in. I could see fellow racers and hear the music at the top…

The Sea Otter Classic is four fun amazing days of just bikes. Before the festival I did a fun ride in Santa Cruz with my friend who flew down from Utah for the event. On the ride the dirt was good and the trials where perfect which set the tone for a great weekend. We rented a condo in Marina this year which was lovely because we had space for all of our bikes. We went with 6 other people so there where a lot of bikes, but we had plenty of space to keep them…

It’s so awesome that we have these local mid-week races. I am especially appreciative of them at this moment in time as, with a crazy work/travel schedule, I am missing a lot of the weekend races that are happening around now, like Sea otter last weekend, and probably the Nevada City Dirt Classic this coming weekend. The fact I can roll right up to a race after being at work all day is just awesome. Thanks to Acme, Jim and Scott, for all the work putting on the only races in Marin this…

Sea Otter (Saturday)

I woke up at 7:00 Saturday morning and threw all of my pre-packed bags into the car.  Grabbed a quick bite to eat and hit the road.  I picked up my fellow racer friend Gabby Huffman along the way as we both planned to race the XC, but she was unable to get a ride, so she tagged along.…

  The 2018 Sea Otter would be my 7th in a row, having first raced when my son, Carson, was a Freshman in high school.  It would also be my third race on the current course which covers about 28 miles and over 3500 feet of elevation gain.   Two years ago was maybe my best Cat 1 Sea Otter, coming in 5th in the 50-54 race with time of 2:11.  Last year was pretty much the opposite result.  A lack of training and a short warm up led me to a 2:19 time and 15th out of 17 riders.  This year I felt…

Another beautiful day at Fort Ord. I wish this is how I left Sunday but it wasn't. Fort Ord is a fast mostly fire road with short climbs course. Nothing to techincal but at these high speeds there is plenty of reason to be careful.  I have not worked only my training thus far this year and this was the result= 20th out of 25. 3 plus minutes slower than last year. I need to remember- Disappointment comes with anything we are passionate about. The result of this race is what I needed to decide…

There's nothing quite like a large scale event to make you feel small. The Sea Otter Classic hardly needs introduction in the world of cycling and this year I was going to actually, finally be a part of one of the world's premier cycling events. A mere spectator last year, I already knew to expect not only a massive turn out compared to anything else around here but a more…

Hi All. This will be quick post here because I'm short on time at the moment but still want to tell everyone about the Hopper last weekend.

Lake Sonoma Grasshopper. 23 miles, almost all on single track. The fast guys can finish in 2:15 or so. Perfect course for a hardtail or short travel XC bike. I was on my hardtail with Racing Ralph tires at 27/29psi under my 180 lbs of dad-bod. Course starts with a 10ish minute paved climb before jumping straight into smooth ribbon…

  For the whole week I felt like I was on the clock and needed to manage every minute. I worked a full day Saturday and woke up at 3:50 AM to make the trip down to Sea Otter. I could finally relax as I warmed up on the raceway track. The temperature was perfect. As I arrived I saw fellow teammates Greg, Paul, and Dave finishing their warm-ups. Sea Otter combines the last 3 groups ( 60-64,65-69,and 70+) which made a group of about 25 riders.(old, older, and oldest) Within my group was Jon…

Yesterday was the first of the 6 consecutive Wednesday night races that make up the Shortys, and it was awesome. This event is fun for the whole family, and a perfect way to spend a beautiful evening in Marin. I pulled up with my 19 month old daughter to a lively crowd and fun music booming out of the speakers on the hill atop McInnis Park around 4:45pm. I had packed her scoot bike and a picnic dinner, and we had a blast riding around park, meeting the doggies, and watching all of the middle…

The Shorty is back! I've been looking forward to this series for the last few weeks, with it being the only race in Marin going on this year, and having missed a couple races already this season due to work commitments. It's great to have a local race series, and a huge thanks to Jim and Scott for all the work put in with this event.

It was good to see a lot of the Acme team, as well as some of the local High School racers using the race as a great mid-week intensity training as they…