All Blog Posts (398)

I made the trip up to Redding for the Lemurian last weekend.  Though this race usually falls just after my first training peak of the mountain bike season, this year I really have not even begun to train yet.  Despite my lack of preparation, I knew the race would be fun - so much climbing and descending on a long single-loop course, with cool temps and moist dirt.  Most of the NorCal hardmen show up for this one, and it would be hard to keep me away.

I built my new full suspension…

A good day to ride.

One week before the Devil Mountain Double, I needed one last primer to sharpen my edge, shake out sludge. A 60 mile Hopper over west Sonoma County mountain roads seemed the perfect last intensity push prior to easing off before digging deep across the 200 miles and 18K in climbing at the Devil the following weekend.

On course, I see many familiar faces, many at the same locales along the route seen in previous Hoppers. We start in Occidental and roll out…

Coming into this years NVDC I'm in my normal decent racing shape.  So I got to the start line 10 minutes before the start and ended up squeezing in at the back of the pack. I was just gonna have to get past as many people as I could before the single track.  Off the line we were charging hard, no one wanted to give up any spots, I was out of breath quickly, and thought I might pass out at the run up.  I had a chance to catch my breath while drafting up at the airport, but I also was able to…

The Napa Valley Dirt Classic is one of the first big NorCal races of the year.  It usually comes at the beginning of a fitness peak for me, one I have been working toward since November or December.  This year has been different, as some big life changes have disrupted my training.  I've been riding a good bit, but without structure and with relatively little intensity.  Despite my lack of preparation, I couldn't resist doing this race, which is one of my favorites.

Shiloh, Phil and I…

January was a pretty low month for me.  I was sick for a bit and spent a lot of time out of town working.  Despite the all-time-great winter riding conditions in Marin, I had not been able to ride as much as I would have liked.  Of course, the first Grasshopper Adventure Series race of 2014 caught most riders in a relatively unfit period.  This is my favorite 'Hopper of the year and always brings out a large, enthusiastic, and diverse crowd.  Roadies, mountain bike racers, and 'cross guys…

Saturday was the last race of the inaugural NorCal CX Series.  Simon and I travelled to yet another new course, this one at Lake Cunningham Park in San Jose.  We weren't sure what to expect, but Murphy promised that it would be a great venue and the weather looked perfect.  It was also Simon's 5th birthday, though we had already celebrated with a party a couple of weeks before.

My cyclocross season has been going for a few months and the fitness has recently declined.  I trained to…

A week after racing in Oregon,  it was back to Northern California for another Candlestick BASP race.  My fitness was beginning to wane, which hadn't been disastrous, but had definitely left me without the punch to hang with the front guys. I started pretty strong but slowly moved out of the top 6 or so.  I did my best to hammer on the few long, flat, straight sections.  I was seeing some decently high heart rate numbers, but I was out of contention for a podium by minutes.  Towards the end…

This is only my second season racing 'cross, and all of that has been in the Bay Area.  I had to go up to Oregon for work, so I figured I'd take the chance to see what the cyclocross racing scene is like to the North.  .  I've heard really good things about the 'Cross Crusade series and there was a race scheduled on Sunday of the weekend I would be in Portland.  That one was on the schedule, for sure.  Saturday I could either do an Outlaw CX race in Medford or a Psycho 'Cross Pseries race in…

Morning came a little too soon Sunday.  My eyes were sore and bleary from the dusty racing the night before and my arms, leg and back were a bit worked.  I ate a big breakfast with Simon, who couldn't make the kids' race due to a birthday party commitment, and loaded up for the relatively short trip to Vallejo for the fourth race in the NorCal CX Series.  The weather was beautiful, cool in the shade and warm in the sun.  This was a newer venue that was unfamiliar to me, so I suited up to…

The Sierra Point night race was to be my first of two races for the weekend.  I don't do a lot of doubles, but I know this is a fun venue and I wanted to do the NorCal CX Series race on Sunday, so I headed down to Brisbane on Saturday evening.

I arrived with plenty of time to pre-ride the course and watch some earlier races.  It was quite an exciting scene, with lights and people everywhere.  The course was bumpy and dusty, with a few contrived patches of mud.  There were lots of…

Today was the third race of the NorCal CX Series, and the only cyclocross race of the year in Marin County.  The action happened at Stafford Lake in Novato, so it was just a thirty minute drive for me from Fairfax.  I had high hopes for a win in my home county, as I am reaching a bit of a training peak, but I have also been dealing with a lingering cold-like illness for a couple of weeks. 

Simon and I made the trip over early enough to set up the Summit Bicycles EZ Up and for him to…

I've made the Stafford  Lake race my yearly cross race.  Farm walls, transforming hay bale gardens, and stair run up are among the obstacles that I do no training for.  Nothing like a CX race to remind me I wont stay in top shape riding four hours a week. 

I started at the back of the pack and sucked dust right off the line.  I took about 90 seconds for my lungs to sting, I haven't opened them up like that for quit a while.  Going up the run up I believe I was in second to last…

Arriving 15 minutes ahead of the 7:00 AM start at Furnace Creek Ranch, put me in the second wave of 60 riders at 7:10 AM, 10 minutes behind the lead group. No bother. This was the last double of my season and I was planning on taking it easy for a change. 

I carried a camera and fully intended to take in the sights and experience of another long ride in the desert. Death Valley is an amazing place to ride; wide open vistas, the rocks and bones of the earth exposed, alluvial gravel…

My son Simon and I made the 2 hour journey to Santa Cruz today for the second of the Surf City Cyclocross races.  It was sunny as we left Fairfax, but quickly turned overcast and colder through San Francisco.  We arrived in Santa Cruz with enough time for him to register and prepare for the kids' race.  They lined them up in two start groups:  7-9 year olds and 6 and under. …

I have been working on my new cyclocross bike and it's starting to really come together.  I changed the handlebars for 44cm wide Ritchey WCS Logic bars, adding 2 cm of width and losing a couple of ounces.  I lost the double front chainrings and added a single 42 tooth Wolftooth narrow/wide ring.  I added a short cage "type 2" rear deraileur and an 11-36 XX cassette.  I have settled on a much lower handlebar position that allows me to get aero, ride in the hoods in a powerful position, and…

White Moutain Double: off to the eastern Sierra; mass start in the dark out of Bishop; south on HWY 395, then east and up to 10,000' where the course u-turned before the final gravel pitch to the 14,000' summit; killed it on that climb, surprising myself at how well I was feeling at altitude in the cool morning air; then a series of bombing descents east, and then counter-clockwise over super smooth blacktop back onto the playa and around the…

Today was the second race of the new Norcal CX Series.  While I was excited to race The Lion of Fairfax in Fairfax, where I live, it wasn't meant to be.  Due to continued construction at White Hill Middle School (the usual location), the race moved to a new venue in Los Altos.

I left home later than I had intended, and reached the race 30 minutes before I was scheduled to stage for my race.  This is not ideal, as I still had to prep my bikes, dress, and hopefully pre-ride the course. …

My son Simon and I made the trip down to San Jose to race the very first Norcal CX series race ever.  I could tell Simon was a little nervous, as he was extra chatty and anxious to get on the course.  I guess that is one thing 4 year old and 41 year old racers will usually have in common.  I am very used to racing and I don't put a lot of emphasis on 'cross racing in general, but I intend to do all of the races in this series and I was shooting for a good start.  Last week's BASP race had…

The NorCal cyclocross season began for me today with the first race of the Bay Area Super Prestige series at Candlestick Park.  I have been training for a couple of months and I had fun doing the DFL series over the last few weeks.  The fitness is coming along and today was the first real test.  This was also my first real race wearing the Osmo Hydration kit, as I am racing 'cross for them this Fall.  I'm using the Active Hydration and Acute Recovery, and also pre-fueling for the intense…

Its been awhile since I posted, and a lot of great stuff has happened. Life is busy with family and work, so just getting around to a write up.

While I have had some decent results this year, my focus on enduro prevented me from being able to do as many XC races as normal, and had me on a different training plan. A big break in the enduro race scene and some added flexibility at home and work allowed me to ramp up my training mid-summer for the Bike Monkey Annadel XC race in…