All Blog Posts (398)

Just heard about this race “Old Caz Grasshopper” from Jim a few weeks ago. I was psyched for the race because I knew two buddies doing the race (Mark I, Greg), the website indicated beer at the finish line, and I was riding my bike really well.

As race day approached, I got a decent sinus infection that kept me off the bike for 10 days or so outside of a ride with my little 7-year old Luke. The sinus infection never got too bad and I wondered maybe this will just leave me well rested…

So I decided to get off my dh kick and try some real racing this year. With A LOT of help from Jim I participated in my first Grasshopper event and mixed racing challenge yesterday. I really had no idea what to expect, as I've never even really ridden on the road, let alone with 400 other people in race mode. Strategy? What strategy? My strategy was to not fail. I must finish.



That being said, I had the time of my life! My morning started as Jim and I did some road warm ups. I…

This is my first post since last year's Old Caz' 'Hopper.  Team Acme Bikes will be on the race scene this year, with a new team and new energy.  Expect to see race reports after the good local mountain bike races.

It was a beautiful day for the Old Caz' "adventure ride".  Though we have been getting a lot of rain this winter, it was 70 degrees and sunny, with good dirt conditions.  Once again, this early season mixed dirt/pavement ride sold out at 400 people;  the usual mix of…

Just never know what might happen at these double events. 



Somehow, from somewhere, I managed a fairly descent ride at the tail end of my 'racing season'.



The week prior to the Mount Tam Double (MTD), the final race in the CA Triple Crown series,I felt strangely tired and un-motivated. Telling signs of true burn-out for certain.



I thought at least that this unenthusiastic mood would make  for a good taper leading up to…

Fully charged, ready to roll, not sure how long my batteries would last, I joined 19 other intrepid cycling souls at 6 AM in Santa Rosa, CA for a long strange SRCC 600K bike ride.



Easy conversion: 600K = 375 miles. Reasonable numbers, but still, my first ride at this distance.



With our team assembled ahead of time, we hatch a ‘Plan’ for a sub 24 hour finish. MarC, Shane, Doug, Miguel and I had contemplated a go at a course…

Respectable finish. Perfect cool weather. Good folks.

Rode steady and strong all day. Despite losing some ground starting mid-pack up the Coleman Valley climb and getting bumbled up down the first dirt descent with the mass of other riders on Willow Creek, I slowly re-gained positions throughout the rest of the race. 

Coleman Valley + Willow Creek (down) + HWY 1 + Fort Ross + Salt Point + Kruse Rhododendron + Hauser Bridge + King Ridge + Cazadero + Willow Creek (up) =…

Time for some short XC intensity!

Three 8 mile laps, each with 1,200' of climbing. Off in waves, Pros and Experts start up front. 

The foothill course conditions were choice; green grass, blue skies and tacky soil from recent light rains. No mud. A few hundred riders of all ages and categories eventually mob the flowing single track loop through oaks, rocks and creek crossings.

I choose not to blow myself up out the gate, but to find that grove right near or at my…

Feel free to see my race report archives for numerous posts on this race from years past that discuss the unique nature of Grasshopper "adventure rides" - this one is going to get down to business.

The dead of winter in Northern California;  sunny and warm, mostly dry.

For the first time in years, I chose to race a cyclocross bike instead of a mountain bike.  My new Trek Boone Disc was outfitted with carbon rims (23mm internal) and Specialized Trigger Pro 33mm tubeless tires…

SQT Goal: To establish a new and epic mountain bike route that traverses the entire western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Summary: This was an mountain bike tour like no other. Carl attempted to pioneer a new and continuous adventure…

I missed the Downieville Classic last year due to a work conflict, but this year I was back for more competition on the rugged Sierra trails.  My preparation included periodized training to put me in peak condition for the weekend, as well as a couple of trips prior to better learn the extended downhill portions of the XC and DH courses.  I would also be riding the most capable mountain bike I had ever ridden for the rocky and fast terrain.…

As a kid, I used to painstakingly build these incredibly fragile balsa wood model airplanes. Hours of work would go into cutting, gluing and assembling these delicate little projects. After carefully winding the rubber-band powered propeller, I'd hold my fragile model aloft, release my grip on the tiny aircraft and watch it take flight into the unknown.

Yesterday, after full season of dedicated training and racing, I stood in the dark atop my trusty Trek Madone, waiting at the start…

Skyline is my favorite local race.  The course never lets up.  The climbs are steep, tight, and technical and so are the descents. I think I have been doing this race for the last six years.  My best finish at Skyline was a while back when it was a state championship race.  I got first in my class and third overall,  not too many people showed up for it that year. Anyways, I love the race and I'm in great shape now but my crash at the rockhopper has left my wrist sore.  I'm forced to ride…

Mountain bike racing means different things to different people.  No doubt it involves a predominately dirt course, and mountain bikes, but from there tastes diverge.  Is it about technical skill?  Fitness?  Power?  Endurance? 

To some, XC racing has come to mean a competition of lean and fit racers on light and fragile hardtails, traveling fast enough on smooth dirt courses to benefit from drafting.  Long climbs are an important aspect, often deciding the winners.  Technical…

This year the California Enduro Series held it's inaugural race just over the state border on Peavine Mountain in Reno, NV. You may think its odd to have a California Enduro Series race in any state other than CALIFORNIA, but just as the Tour de France occasionally starts in Belgium, the CES started in Nevada. Peavine mountain is hot, dry, dusty venue that is 4600' above sea level. Not exactly what I usually ride in Marin, but it sure was challenging. I arrived at Peavine Friday and decided…

I have never done this race, which is relatively close to home in Vacaville.  I'm usually in a low fitness point this time of year and the weather is also a deterrent.  This year I am just beginning intensity training, so I figured I would check it out, despite the forecast for high temps.  Seemingly as an afterthought, this was also the USAC California State Championship race.

Shiloh, Phil and I rode up together.  I had tried to hydrate well the days before, drinking lots of water…

The Rockhopper Classic is held in Vacaville on a dry exposed hillside.  Three laps, about 26 miles and 3800 feet of climbing total.  It's a great course for racing. With fireroad sections for passing, steep climbs for crushing fools, and flowing singletrack decents. But I wouldn't recommend riding there in over 80 degree heat, it was about 95 degrees. 

This race was also a state championship race which seemed to mean very little.  Racers showed up so that they could qualify for…

The Tamarancho Dirt Classic is just  a few miles form my front door so there are zero excuses for passing it up. This race is mostly singletrack with very few places to pass cleanly.  Aggressive riding can pay off.  Bike Monkey organized the event this year and they did a good job of spreading out the classes to reduce the amount of lapped riders. 

The start line was packed with many strong pro racers, and many racers who I have gotten comfortable mixing it up with at the Summit…

It is a beautiful thing when I can ride my bike from home to the race venue.  This is only possible once a year, when the purpose-built mountain bike trails around Camp Tamarancho are opened for the Tamarancho Dirt Classic.  This year, the action occurred both Saturday and Sunday, with a short track race, chainless downhill race, and cross country race.

I have just completed my "base" period of training, where I develop aerobic fitness and prepare my body for the intense training to…

Uplift - A few final encouraging words exchanged with my traveling companion, Paul McKenzie, and we set of at the 5:15 AM start from the Palmdale Holiday Inn parking lot. Approximately 70 Double Riders take to the high Mojave Desert for the second Stage of the California Triple Crown series. Twenty or so of us push the pace up a 50-mile gradual climb along the San Andreas Fault. I hope that I won’t crack with this early morning extended effort.

My attention on this…

 The Calling – With a third place finish at the CA Triple Crown Double Stage Race last year, the pressure was on from fellow SRCC members for another Club podium at this year’s prestigious test of cycling endurance.

Immersion – My training under way, with each goal and objective set down on paper, I set out to see what I had in me for the race season ahead. Out the gate at the Solvang Double a couple of months back, I tested a field of seasoned…