up for grabs on ebay - my backup santa cruz superlight frame with a mars lockout front fork and a fox lockout rear shock.
auction is here:
SOLOGOAT SANTA CRUZ ON EBAY!
to note, this bike was one of my rides during my 2003/2004 season. seen action at snowshoe and whistler, including WV/NY/PA/OH. was one of the bikes ridden to victory at last years snowshoe.
if a true sologoat fan wins the auction, maybe a special gift awaits you with the frame!?!
anybody wanting more detail/pics, let me know!
sologoat out.
6.29.2005
06.29.05 - offical lights & motion endorsement
hello sologoat fan - got an update for ya.
patrick and barrett over at lights & motion put up a little page for me over at their site. check it out here:
Light & Motion - Ernesto Page!
super great guys over there, and very nice lighting systems. i am especially fond of the fact that it seems like i don't have a lighting system on me - i hate extra weight! especically on the helmet. with their system, no worries!
gotta go!
sologoat out.
patrick and barrett over at lights & motion put up a little page for me over at their site. check it out here:
Light & Motion - Ernesto Page!
super great guys over there, and very nice lighting systems. i am especially fond of the fact that it seems like i don't have a lighting system on me - i hate extra weight! especically on the helmet. with their system, no worries!
gotta go!
sologoat out.
06.29.05 - more product reviews!
nope not a repost!
reviews should be posted on the SPEEDGOAT.COM site soon. within the next day or two. all with my last reviews, all this stuff is used on my current race bikes.
enjoy!
Light & Motion Li Ion ARC
Light & Motion Vega Light
FSA K-Force MegaExo Mountain Crankset
Nokon Mountain Brake Cable System
Nokon Mountain Shift Cable System
SRAM® PC-99 Hollow Pin Chain
reviews should be posted on the SPEEDGOAT.COM site soon. within the next day or two. all with my last reviews, all this stuff is used on my current race bikes.
enjoy!
Light & Motion Li Ion ARC
Light & Motion Vega Light
FSA K-Force MegaExo Mountain Crankset
Nokon Mountain Brake Cable System
Nokon Mountain Shift Cable System
SRAM® PC-99 Hollow Pin Chain
6.27.2005
06.27.05 - all big bear pics are now on flickr
all my good pics are now posted on flickr. check them out here:
SOLOGOAT FLICKR PHOTOS!
there should be 30'ish pictures just from big bear.
just a short post today, lot's o' microsoft SQL reading today as i am taking the exam to become certified on it this week. i have until the end of NEXT month to pass (i am allowed to re-take the exam at no cost) so this is my first run-through of sorts.
Fellow enduro freak from iowa JEFF KERKOVE just completed a 12 hour this past weekend with a 2nd place. Check out his review on the link above. sounded like a tough event and the heat was up there.
that's it - about 15 hours'ish on the bike last week, no intervals. just steady tempo. legs are still a little beat, but they feel better when i am on the bike - just to be sure, today will probably be an active recovery day. probably 1-2 hours at a pretty slow pace.
so, if you feel like racing me on the bike path today - forget it fruitcake.
gotta run - sologoat out.
SOLOGOAT FLICKR PHOTOS!
there should be 30'ish pictures just from big bear.
just a short post today, lot's o' microsoft SQL reading today as i am taking the exam to become certified on it this week. i have until the end of NEXT month to pass (i am allowed to re-take the exam at no cost) so this is my first run-through of sorts.
Fellow enduro freak from iowa JEFF KERKOVE just completed a 12 hour this past weekend with a 2nd place. Check out his review on the link above. sounded like a tough event and the heat was up there.
that's it - about 15 hours'ish on the bike last week, no intervals. just steady tempo. legs are still a little beat, but they feel better when i am on the bike - just to be sure, today will probably be an active recovery day. probably 1-2 hours at a pretty slow pace.
so, if you feel like racing me on the bike path today - forget it fruitcake.
gotta run - sologoat out.
06.27.05 - BIG BEAR #24
06.27.05 - BIG BEAR #24
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
final lap - approx 12:47 on sunday. like to wear my knee warmers on the second day to keep the knees warm (dah) and to possibly prevent cramping.
06.27.05 - BIG BEAR #19
06.27.05 - BIG BEAR #19
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
lemans style start - chaotic running through the pit area.
6.25.2005
06.25.05 - giving a shout out'
wow - seems like i have been bloggin' a ton lately.
anyhoo - got a TON of pics from my dad yesterday that he took during big bear. not too many action shots, but have some good photos at the start, end, etc. i've posted a few of my favorites, but all of them can be seen on my flickr.com site here:
SOLOGOAT FLICKR PHOTOS!
I have about 17 pics posted from the race so far, and i'll do the rest of them tomorrow.
in other news, got signed up for conyers later in the year. looks to be a nice venue. booked flights, hotels last night - already registered.
looks like andrenaline will be cool - i was going to do the holiday farm race this weekend, but my hands are not gripping too swell.. and... even though my legs are OK, yesterday was the first day i could sit down on the bike without making some type of adjustment to the saddle. ouchy. i'll find out the details later as to what my options are, but there is a race in late october in arizona.... maybe....
interbike - speedgoat just got me signed up so i booked the flight last night. if you ever get the chance to go, it is definetly worth it just to see the spectacle. as i told a buddy of mine - "bikes, babes and beer - what couldn't you like?" no, seriously - i find it pretty interesting to see how the industry really works, the people involved in making and getting products to the shops, supplier issues, profit margins, supply and demand. i work with accounting software that specializes in pretty much every industry (the software is called great plains - used to work with timberline) but my specialty comes with construction/service type companies. just seeing the similarities/differences is very interesting to me. (so how many software consulting CPA's do you know - that race endurance mountain bike events?) guess you have see it to believe it. it's just cool to walk over to a booth and there is the founder of the company telling you about his bikes/product. way cool.
hmmmmmmmmmmmm.....
that's about it. going to see the new batman tonight and tomorrow jennifer is going to make her double choclate cake which is to die for. it is soooooooooo good.
i like to save a few pieces, and stick them in the fridge. on two very special mornings, i'll wake up and grind up some very delicious starbucks coffee because i am a coffee snob and cannot put up with bad java. i'll microwave the choclate cake for about 30 seconds because my microwave sucks, and just like magic, i have a little piece of choclalty heaven.
i really got to get out more.
speaking of which - i need to ride! and so do you!
peace out dawg.
sologoat out.
anyhoo - got a TON of pics from my dad yesterday that he took during big bear. not too many action shots, but have some good photos at the start, end, etc. i've posted a few of my favorites, but all of them can be seen on my flickr.com site here:
SOLOGOAT FLICKR PHOTOS!
I have about 17 pics posted from the race so far, and i'll do the rest of them tomorrow.
in other news, got signed up for conyers later in the year. looks to be a nice venue. booked flights, hotels last night - already registered.
looks like andrenaline will be cool - i was going to do the holiday farm race this weekend, but my hands are not gripping too swell.. and... even though my legs are OK, yesterday was the first day i could sit down on the bike without making some type of adjustment to the saddle. ouchy. i'll find out the details later as to what my options are, but there is a race in late october in arizona.... maybe....
interbike - speedgoat just got me signed up so i booked the flight last night. if you ever get the chance to go, it is definetly worth it just to see the spectacle. as i told a buddy of mine - "bikes, babes and beer - what couldn't you like?" no, seriously - i find it pretty interesting to see how the industry really works, the people involved in making and getting products to the shops, supplier issues, profit margins, supply and demand. i work with accounting software that specializes in pretty much every industry (the software is called great plains - used to work with timberline) but my specialty comes with construction/service type companies. just seeing the similarities/differences is very interesting to me. (so how many software consulting CPA's do you know - that race endurance mountain bike events?) guess you have see it to believe it. it's just cool to walk over to a booth and there is the founder of the company telling you about his bikes/product. way cool.
hmmmmmmmmmmmm.....
that's about it. going to see the new batman tonight and tomorrow jennifer is going to make her double choclate cake which is to die for. it is soooooooooo good.
i like to save a few pieces, and stick them in the fridge. on two very special mornings, i'll wake up and grind up some very delicious starbucks coffee because i am a coffee snob and cannot put up with bad java. i'll microwave the choclate cake for about 30 seconds because my microwave sucks, and just like magic, i have a little piece of choclalty heaven.
i really got to get out more.
speaking of which - i need to ride! and so do you!
peace out dawg.
sologoat out.
06.25.05 - BIG BEAR - #15
06.25.05 - BIG BEAR - #15
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
me and about 140 of my friends about 20 seconds away from the start of the 24 hours of big bear.
06.25.05 - BIG BEAR - #9
06.25.05 - BIG BEAR - #9
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
and mark comes in to join us at the middle too. check out his super cool ink.
06.25.05 - BIG BEAR - #8
06.25.05 - BIG BEAR - #8
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
cameron joins me at the middle of the pack before the start of the race.
06.25.05 - BIG BEAR - #1
06.25.05 - BIG BEAR - #1
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
cool chillin' in my dad's van that was recently featured on mtv's "pimp my ride"
6.24.2005
06.24.05 - SPEEDGOAT.COM reviews posted.
they should be posted on the SPEEDGOAT.COM site soon. within the next day or two. all products reviewed on my personal race bikes.
Asylum OCD FS29 Frame
Schwalbe Little Albert 29er Tire
FSA OS-115 Stem
FSA K-Force XC Riser Handlebar
Easton EC90 Zero Carbon Seatpost
Asylum OCD FS29 Frame
Schwalbe Little Albert 29er Tire
FSA OS-115 Stem
FSA K-Force XC Riser Handlebar
Easton EC90 Zero Carbon Seatpost
6.22.2005
06.22.05 - one of my favorite quotes
"The more I practice, the luckier I get"
Arnold Palmer
ain't that the truth arny, ain't that the truth....
sologoat out.
Arnold Palmer
ain't that the truth arny, ain't that the truth....
sologoat out.
06.22.05 - i am now offically a rock star
well, maybe a rock star whom rides a bike.
seriously - thanks for all the emails to my sponsors and to the blog. kind of overwhelming to think a few years back i was still trying to find my niche in the sport and now there is people sending in emails about me to speedgoat. and i don't even know them. to those people - thank you, thank you, thank you. sponsors love it, it's good for the sport, it helps me out -- it's all good. thanks yo.
some cool news and things in random order:
1. was contacted by karl at www.ride424.com (check out my links!) and i now have a link on his page. check his site out - lists all the major enduro races. wish i could of found this site when i first started doing these races.
2. was also contacted by lights in motion today. they hooked me up this year with some employee purchases so i could run their Li-Ion ARC lights and the Vega light too. Well, looks like I will be addded to their web page for their list of riders and I may get a chance to run some new lights at worlds. Sweeeeeeeeeeet.
3. check out jeff's link on my links too - he's getting ready for some enduro's as well. running some new cateye lights, supposed to be hella-cool.
4. pictures - up on the speedgoat.com site, and possibly www.hammergel.com too. not sure when the rotation of that is coming up on the hammer gel site.
5. was going to do holiday farm this weekend - that was my surprise. i am feeling OK, but the gripping strength in my hands are not 100%. basically, i keep dropping things and i don't think i can hold onto the handlebars too swell. so, i am bummed, but i am skipping the race. i can't afford to get hurt.
6. billy corgan - now has his first solo debut album out. get it. this smashing pumpkins freak got it. now get it. only listened to the single, but it sounds good. it has to - it's billy. and billy rocks.
7. asylums - in for minor repair. will get the fork steerers cut a little since i am running a little smaller stem now - too much steerer is showing. possibly will get new SRAM deraillers as i guess they took a beating at big bear, and new front big chain rings as well. guess i left 3 or 4 teeth of the rings on some rocks down there.
hmmmmmmmmm.....
that's all i can think of - need to spin out the legs today. gotta ride!
sologoat out.
seriously - thanks for all the emails to my sponsors and to the blog. kind of overwhelming to think a few years back i was still trying to find my niche in the sport and now there is people sending in emails about me to speedgoat. and i don't even know them. to those people - thank you, thank you, thank you. sponsors love it, it's good for the sport, it helps me out -- it's all good. thanks yo.
some cool news and things in random order:
1. was contacted by karl at www.ride424.com (check out my links!) and i now have a link on his page. check his site out - lists all the major enduro races. wish i could of found this site when i first started doing these races.
2. was also contacted by lights in motion today. they hooked me up this year with some employee purchases so i could run their Li-Ion ARC lights and the Vega light too. Well, looks like I will be addded to their web page for their list of riders and I may get a chance to run some new lights at worlds. Sweeeeeeeeeeet.
3. check out jeff's link on my links too - he's getting ready for some enduro's as well. running some new cateye lights, supposed to be hella-cool.
4. pictures - up on the speedgoat.com site, and possibly www.hammergel.com too. not sure when the rotation of that is coming up on the hammer gel site.
5. was going to do holiday farm this weekend - that was my surprise. i am feeling OK, but the gripping strength in my hands are not 100%. basically, i keep dropping things and i don't think i can hold onto the handlebars too swell. so, i am bummed, but i am skipping the race. i can't afford to get hurt.
6. billy corgan - now has his first solo debut album out. get it. this smashing pumpkins freak got it. now get it. only listened to the single, but it sounds good. it has to - it's billy. and billy rocks.
7. asylums - in for minor repair. will get the fork steerers cut a little since i am running a little smaller stem now - too much steerer is showing. possibly will get new SRAM deraillers as i guess they took a beating at big bear, and new front big chain rings as well. guess i left 3 or 4 teeth of the rings on some rocks down there.
hmmmmmmmmm.....
that's all i can think of - need to spin out the legs today. gotta ride!
sologoat out.
6.21.2005
06.21.05 - BIG BEAR ERNESTO_1
06.21.05 - BIG BEAR ERNESTO_1
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
this is my favorite of the 5 photos taken at big bear. they are all basically the same, so i'll only post this one. if you want to check out the others, click on the picture to go to the flickr.com site and check the others out.
thanks sologoat fan. you rock.
sologoat out.
06.21.05 - a word on the complete write up
hey fans - please ignore some of the details i went into about the race -- i did the write up assuming you may not have known about my enduro mountain racing freakness.
one of my sponsors is not affiliated with the bike industry, so i explained in detail as best i could.
hope you enjoy.
sologoat out.
one of my sponsors is not affiliated with the bike industry, so i explained in detail as best i could.
hope you enjoy.
sologoat out.
06.21.05 - big bear complete write up
June 18th-19, 2005
Big Bear Lake at Hazelton, WV.
24 Hours of Big Bear – Solo Event Write Up
Hey all, first endurance mountain bike event for me has come to a conclusion and here comes the write up. Enjoy.
For those new to my adventures, here is a short introduction:
For the past few years, I have been competing in endurance mountain bike events. These events are based on how many miles one can complete in a given amount of time and is in relay race type of format. For instance, if the race starts at noon and lasts for 8 hours, and I am doing roughly 1 hour laps and come in just before 8pm, I can go out for another lap and in the end I will complete 9 laps in roughly 9 hours. In the same instance, if one of my competitors is hot on my trail, but comes in at 8:01pm, he has missed the cut off and CANNOT go out for another lap.
In most cases, two, four or even five man teams typically enter these types of races. For the extreme tough guy competition, an individual rider can race the event by himself. This race class is called “solo” and is the class I compete in.
This class has no type of rider skill level breakdown that you typically have in other classes. For instance, a beginner would not race against a professional in the team events. But in the solo class, it is every man or woman for themselves – beginners race against the top professionals in the country.
The current breakdown of classes for mountain biking is as follows (from lowest to highest): beginner, sport, expert, semi-pro, and then pro. Last year I turned semi-pro and hopefully will turn pro before heading out to my biggest race of the year this September at Whistler.
The Race:
Big Bear. A roughly 13 mile twisty loop with lots of rocks and short rolling climbs. Only one major climb at the 10 mile mark left me wondering if this course really suited me as I feel like I am a better climber then technical rider. Feeling that I needed to sharpen my skills in the technical area, I raced in some “warm up” races to in the weeks previous to this event, and also had pre-ridden the course 3 times before race day.
My competitors:
12 solo men entered, but I was really only concerned with two. Cameron Chambers is an up and comer to the 24 hour scene and is racing full time pro with Gary Fisher. He placed second to me last year at this event, but he was just coming off of a win at the US National 24 Hour race that was held 3 weeks prior at Spokane.
Mark Hendershot was also a contender. From Michigan, he was previously ranked 3rd in the World a few years back and has beaten me at numerous events. I had beaten him before at last years 24 hour event at Snowshoe, but Mark is very fast and often times sets a furious pace at the start. He also raced at Spokane a few weeks prior as well, but had to pull out due to dehydration.
Knowing that record heat waves hit the Spokane race and that basically 4 out of the 5 top endurance riders in the nation had to pull out because of it, I knew both of these guys were possibly not 100% going into the race. In my mind, I had the advantage going into the race.
My Pit Crew:
Think of my pit crew as the guys who jump over the fence at a NASCAR race who fuel the car, change the tires, yell out split times and get the driver out as fast as possible. Same thing applies to 24 hour bike racing.
Dan the mechanic does all bike related work. While I am out riding bike #1, he is busy working on bike #2. I’ll swap bikes roughly every lap. I’ll dump one off, yell to him what I want him to fix or what is not working, and when I come back on the next lap, I have a freshly repaired and clean bike for my next lap. And when it comes to the night laps, he’ll rig my bikes and helmets with lighting systems as well.
Dad will be in charge of all my nutritional needs as well as my clothing. I’ll have bottles of either carbohydrate or protein mixes to keep me going as well as an assortment of supplements in capsule form to help me stay awake and alert, to stop me from cramping, and to help flush and buffer the pain of lactic acid that will surely be burning in my legs. While not the norm, I prefer to keep on an all-liquid diet for the 24 hours, as my stomach seems to get upset very easily.
Thursday June 16, 2005
Arrive at the venue late in the day. Things are just getting rolling for the event and I had hopes of pre-riding the course to memorize the trail for the best possible lines to take during the race. Rain is coming down pretty good, and the temperature was dropping so I bagged hopes of riding and setup my tent with my father that would be used by my pit crew.
Friday June 17, 2005
Pre-ride the course at about 10am and was happy to see the sandy soil drained the previous days rain very well. I talk with Hendershot and Chambers both briefly about how the season is going. They both look fit and lean and as usual, we are all very secretive about how we are currently riding.
Saturday June 18, 2005
Start/Lap 1
All the racers line up at the start line. Seconds before the race starts Hendershot, Chambers and myself all shake hands and we wish either good luck and to keep the race fun. The gun goes off at noon at we run to our bikes.
We run approximately an eighth of a mile to our bikes (this is done to string out the field to single file so that there are not 140 racers trying to get into one 2 foot section of trail all at the same time). We run through the pit area where all the fans and spectators are yelling and screaming and photographer’s bulbs are flashing. It’s pure chaos. At one point, I do believe a rider was drinking a beer as he ran past me.
We jump on our bikes and into the woods where I was probably in the top 30 or so riders, right along Mark and Cameron. The trail went along the pit area for a little bit, so more fans were down in the first couple of sections of trail. There was one fan with an old fashioned boom box that had the rock band Queen playing. The song they were playing was a classic – “I like to ride my bicycle.”
With the three of us keeping a close eye on each other, I decided to pick the pace up a little and ended up coming in on my first lap within the top ten riders overall, only a minute behind Cameron.
Lap 2 – 3
With Cameron and Mark still hot on my trail, I kept the pace up for the 3rd lap. I was flying. The rocks seem like pebbles and the climbs were rolling by. I was still keeping pace with the top teams at this point, so there were no riders to slow me down in any way. I did most of the third lap without seeing another person and came in to complete my third lap with roughly a ten minute lead over 2nd place.
Lap 4-6
With the arrival of all of my family, my spirits picked up as I learned of my rough time splits. At this point, I also started to carry a hydration pack as I knew 1 water bottle per lap would not be enough. Bikes were working great.
Somewhere around lap 5 and 6 I started to not feel so well. Overall I felt OK, but I felt the need to throw up. At the beginning of lap 6 I consumed a gel pack and took a bottle of my electrolyte fuel and I started out again. Immediately after I left I almost hurled but for some odd reason, I felt 150% better after that. Very odd.
On lap 6 I came in, instructed Dad that I would consume any more protein until I felt better and I didn’t want any more gel. But bring on the Red Bull. Oh yes. The Red Bull brought me wings as their ads claim, and took me into the night laps. The dreaded night laps.
Lap 7-9
Came in on lap 7 and did a complete wardrobe change as the temperature was starting to drop and my clothes were wet with perspiration. Dan hooked up my lights and informed me that Cameron and Mark were trying to catch me, and Cameron was starting to make up ground.
Somewhere on the 7th and 8th lap, Cameron caught me. He was flying. But I also noticed that he did not change clothing yet and it was cold enough to see my breath, so I tough he had to be cold. I had also noticed he was not carrying a hydration pack and laps were now well over an hour long, so I knew he was probably at this point a little on the dehydrated side. I figured whatever time he gained on me this lap he would loose. I told myself the following: “He’s freezing. He’s dehydrated. He can’t keep going like that.” “I’ll catch him at the end of the lap.”
Well, it didn’t take that long. In fact, I passed him about a half hour later. I thought he was waiting for me for some reason, but I rode right past him and he didn’t try to chase me down.
On lap 9, my tummy was better. Bring on the protein fuel. Oh ya, and don’t forget the Red Bull. Yummy.
Lap 10
Freaky lap. Why freaky? I passed Cameron at a water station at the 9-mile mark. He was talking to another guy about his lights, or something. I don’t know what he was doing, but he wasn’t paying attention to riders going by. And he never saw me go past him. I just lapped the current national champion. Trying not to totally freak out about it, I ride on.
On the end of lap 10, Dan informs me Mark is 8 minutes ahead of me and he looks really bad. I had intended to change clothes at this point as the sun had come up, but I wanted to lap him as soon as I can. I changed bikes, refueled, switched helmets to take off my lighting system and went off to chase down Mark.
Funny thing was, I caught Mark right were I had caught Cameron during the night. I informed him of Cameron’s troubles during the night and when I looked at him, he looked white as a ghost. He didn’t look good. Knowing he had to pull out of the Spokane race weeks earlier due to dehydration, I honestly hoped he would at least finish in second place. (He later pulls out while in second place and finishes 6th overall.) After speaking to him, I continue on.
Lap 11-14
At the beginning of lap 11 was my last and final wardrobe change. I had by now completely lapped the entire field, so the tension levels in the Asylum/Speedgoat team tent was pretty low. My dad joked that I had to do a one-hour lap if I wanted to win because I was only 1 lap up on everybody. Dan laughed. I had to think about it for a second before I laughed as well.
So, I put on some fresh clothes and some new shoes and gloves. Then I settled down to a warm cup of chicken soup topped off with some water and a full can of Red Bull.
At this point, my original thoughts were that my competitors would still be trying to chase me down so I would go out hard for two laps. When they would see my times, they would be demoralized and would start racing for second place. But with everybody a lap down on me, the game plan changed.
The game plan was to finish the race, stay upright and not let anybody pass me. So for 4 laps, I was careful in the rocks and went hard on the climbs. Nobody caught me.
Lap 15
At a little past 10am, I knew this was going to be my last lap and nobody could take away my win at this point.
So, on my last lap, on the only major downhill, I flat. And both spare tubes are bad. When I almost give up, along comes the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place rider. They wait for me. Yep, they wait for me. Nobody can make up any places or loose any ground.
We try to fix it to no avail, and then along comes Steve from Speedgoat racing in the “just for fun” category. He has a tube for me. In fact, he even fixes it for me.
Our parade lap now becomes 5 riders long. We take way too long to finish the lap, but shared some good conversations during our last two hours.
Just before we got in to the finish line, they let me ride ahead for the glory. And as I crossed the line, it all seemed like a dream.
It may have been a victory for me, but it was also a victory for my family, Dan the man (my mechanic), all the guys at Speedgoat, for Chris and Beth at the shop, for Asylum bicycles, for 29’r bikes, for the guy whom talked to me about my blog web site during the race, for the people who yelled my name even though I didn’t know them, for my sponsors (Tifosi, Hammer Gel, XPERT), for Jennifer and her family, for Wobblenaught fits, for phatty and my pals back in Pennsylvania and Ohio, for EJ and Sharon, and for everybody whom ever believed in me.
This victory was for all of you. Thanks for your help during my 2005 season.
Big Bear Lake at Hazelton, WV.
24 Hours of Big Bear – Solo Event Write Up
Hey all, first endurance mountain bike event for me has come to a conclusion and here comes the write up. Enjoy.
For those new to my adventures, here is a short introduction:
For the past few years, I have been competing in endurance mountain bike events. These events are based on how many miles one can complete in a given amount of time and is in relay race type of format. For instance, if the race starts at noon and lasts for 8 hours, and I am doing roughly 1 hour laps and come in just before 8pm, I can go out for another lap and in the end I will complete 9 laps in roughly 9 hours. In the same instance, if one of my competitors is hot on my trail, but comes in at 8:01pm, he has missed the cut off and CANNOT go out for another lap.
In most cases, two, four or even five man teams typically enter these types of races. For the extreme tough guy competition, an individual rider can race the event by himself. This race class is called “solo” and is the class I compete in.
This class has no type of rider skill level breakdown that you typically have in other classes. For instance, a beginner would not race against a professional in the team events. But in the solo class, it is every man or woman for themselves – beginners race against the top professionals in the country.
The current breakdown of classes for mountain biking is as follows (from lowest to highest): beginner, sport, expert, semi-pro, and then pro. Last year I turned semi-pro and hopefully will turn pro before heading out to my biggest race of the year this September at Whistler.
The Race:
Big Bear. A roughly 13 mile twisty loop with lots of rocks and short rolling climbs. Only one major climb at the 10 mile mark left me wondering if this course really suited me as I feel like I am a better climber then technical rider. Feeling that I needed to sharpen my skills in the technical area, I raced in some “warm up” races to in the weeks previous to this event, and also had pre-ridden the course 3 times before race day.
My competitors:
12 solo men entered, but I was really only concerned with two. Cameron Chambers is an up and comer to the 24 hour scene and is racing full time pro with Gary Fisher. He placed second to me last year at this event, but he was just coming off of a win at the US National 24 Hour race that was held 3 weeks prior at Spokane.
Mark Hendershot was also a contender. From Michigan, he was previously ranked 3rd in the World a few years back and has beaten me at numerous events. I had beaten him before at last years 24 hour event at Snowshoe, but Mark is very fast and often times sets a furious pace at the start. He also raced at Spokane a few weeks prior as well, but had to pull out due to dehydration.
Knowing that record heat waves hit the Spokane race and that basically 4 out of the 5 top endurance riders in the nation had to pull out because of it, I knew both of these guys were possibly not 100% going into the race. In my mind, I had the advantage going into the race.
My Pit Crew:
Think of my pit crew as the guys who jump over the fence at a NASCAR race who fuel the car, change the tires, yell out split times and get the driver out as fast as possible. Same thing applies to 24 hour bike racing.
Dan the mechanic does all bike related work. While I am out riding bike #1, he is busy working on bike #2. I’ll swap bikes roughly every lap. I’ll dump one off, yell to him what I want him to fix or what is not working, and when I come back on the next lap, I have a freshly repaired and clean bike for my next lap. And when it comes to the night laps, he’ll rig my bikes and helmets with lighting systems as well.
Dad will be in charge of all my nutritional needs as well as my clothing. I’ll have bottles of either carbohydrate or protein mixes to keep me going as well as an assortment of supplements in capsule form to help me stay awake and alert, to stop me from cramping, and to help flush and buffer the pain of lactic acid that will surely be burning in my legs. While not the norm, I prefer to keep on an all-liquid diet for the 24 hours, as my stomach seems to get upset very easily.
Thursday June 16, 2005
Arrive at the venue late in the day. Things are just getting rolling for the event and I had hopes of pre-riding the course to memorize the trail for the best possible lines to take during the race. Rain is coming down pretty good, and the temperature was dropping so I bagged hopes of riding and setup my tent with my father that would be used by my pit crew.
Friday June 17, 2005
Pre-ride the course at about 10am and was happy to see the sandy soil drained the previous days rain very well. I talk with Hendershot and Chambers both briefly about how the season is going. They both look fit and lean and as usual, we are all very secretive about how we are currently riding.
Saturday June 18, 2005
Start/Lap 1
All the racers line up at the start line. Seconds before the race starts Hendershot, Chambers and myself all shake hands and we wish either good luck and to keep the race fun. The gun goes off at noon at we run to our bikes.
We run approximately an eighth of a mile to our bikes (this is done to string out the field to single file so that there are not 140 racers trying to get into one 2 foot section of trail all at the same time). We run through the pit area where all the fans and spectators are yelling and screaming and photographer’s bulbs are flashing. It’s pure chaos. At one point, I do believe a rider was drinking a beer as he ran past me.
We jump on our bikes and into the woods where I was probably in the top 30 or so riders, right along Mark and Cameron. The trail went along the pit area for a little bit, so more fans were down in the first couple of sections of trail. There was one fan with an old fashioned boom box that had the rock band Queen playing. The song they were playing was a classic – “I like to ride my bicycle.”
With the three of us keeping a close eye on each other, I decided to pick the pace up a little and ended up coming in on my first lap within the top ten riders overall, only a minute behind Cameron.
Lap 2 – 3
With Cameron and Mark still hot on my trail, I kept the pace up for the 3rd lap. I was flying. The rocks seem like pebbles and the climbs were rolling by. I was still keeping pace with the top teams at this point, so there were no riders to slow me down in any way. I did most of the third lap without seeing another person and came in to complete my third lap with roughly a ten minute lead over 2nd place.
Lap 4-6
With the arrival of all of my family, my spirits picked up as I learned of my rough time splits. At this point, I also started to carry a hydration pack as I knew 1 water bottle per lap would not be enough. Bikes were working great.
Somewhere around lap 5 and 6 I started to not feel so well. Overall I felt OK, but I felt the need to throw up. At the beginning of lap 6 I consumed a gel pack and took a bottle of my electrolyte fuel and I started out again. Immediately after I left I almost hurled but for some odd reason, I felt 150% better after that. Very odd.
On lap 6 I came in, instructed Dad that I would consume any more protein until I felt better and I didn’t want any more gel. But bring on the Red Bull. Oh yes. The Red Bull brought me wings as their ads claim, and took me into the night laps. The dreaded night laps.
Lap 7-9
Came in on lap 7 and did a complete wardrobe change as the temperature was starting to drop and my clothes were wet with perspiration. Dan hooked up my lights and informed me that Cameron and Mark were trying to catch me, and Cameron was starting to make up ground.
Somewhere on the 7th and 8th lap, Cameron caught me. He was flying. But I also noticed that he did not change clothing yet and it was cold enough to see my breath, so I tough he had to be cold. I had also noticed he was not carrying a hydration pack and laps were now well over an hour long, so I knew he was probably at this point a little on the dehydrated side. I figured whatever time he gained on me this lap he would loose. I told myself the following: “He’s freezing. He’s dehydrated. He can’t keep going like that.” “I’ll catch him at the end of the lap.”
Well, it didn’t take that long. In fact, I passed him about a half hour later. I thought he was waiting for me for some reason, but I rode right past him and he didn’t try to chase me down.
On lap 9, my tummy was better. Bring on the protein fuel. Oh ya, and don’t forget the Red Bull. Yummy.
Lap 10
Freaky lap. Why freaky? I passed Cameron at a water station at the 9-mile mark. He was talking to another guy about his lights, or something. I don’t know what he was doing, but he wasn’t paying attention to riders going by. And he never saw me go past him. I just lapped the current national champion. Trying not to totally freak out about it, I ride on.
On the end of lap 10, Dan informs me Mark is 8 minutes ahead of me and he looks really bad. I had intended to change clothes at this point as the sun had come up, but I wanted to lap him as soon as I can. I changed bikes, refueled, switched helmets to take off my lighting system and went off to chase down Mark.
Funny thing was, I caught Mark right were I had caught Cameron during the night. I informed him of Cameron’s troubles during the night and when I looked at him, he looked white as a ghost. He didn’t look good. Knowing he had to pull out of the Spokane race weeks earlier due to dehydration, I honestly hoped he would at least finish in second place. (He later pulls out while in second place and finishes 6th overall.) After speaking to him, I continue on.
Lap 11-14
At the beginning of lap 11 was my last and final wardrobe change. I had by now completely lapped the entire field, so the tension levels in the Asylum/Speedgoat team tent was pretty low. My dad joked that I had to do a one-hour lap if I wanted to win because I was only 1 lap up on everybody. Dan laughed. I had to think about it for a second before I laughed as well.
So, I put on some fresh clothes and some new shoes and gloves. Then I settled down to a warm cup of chicken soup topped off with some water and a full can of Red Bull.
At this point, my original thoughts were that my competitors would still be trying to chase me down so I would go out hard for two laps. When they would see my times, they would be demoralized and would start racing for second place. But with everybody a lap down on me, the game plan changed.
The game plan was to finish the race, stay upright and not let anybody pass me. So for 4 laps, I was careful in the rocks and went hard on the climbs. Nobody caught me.
Lap 15
At a little past 10am, I knew this was going to be my last lap and nobody could take away my win at this point.
So, on my last lap, on the only major downhill, I flat. And both spare tubes are bad. When I almost give up, along comes the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place rider. They wait for me. Yep, they wait for me. Nobody can make up any places or loose any ground.
We try to fix it to no avail, and then along comes Steve from Speedgoat racing in the “just for fun” category. He has a tube for me. In fact, he even fixes it for me.
Our parade lap now becomes 5 riders long. We take way too long to finish the lap, but shared some good conversations during our last two hours.
Just before we got in to the finish line, they let me ride ahead for the glory. And as I crossed the line, it all seemed like a dream.
It may have been a victory for me, but it was also a victory for my family, Dan the man (my mechanic), all the guys at Speedgoat, for Chris and Beth at the shop, for Asylum bicycles, for 29’r bikes, for the guy whom talked to me about my blog web site during the race, for the people who yelled my name even though I didn’t know them, for my sponsors (Tifosi, Hammer Gel, XPERT), for Jennifer and her family, for Wobblenaught fits, for phatty and my pals back in Pennsylvania and Ohio, for EJ and Sharon, and for everybody whom ever believed in me.
This victory was for all of you. Thanks for your help during my 2005 season.
6.20.2005
06.20.05 - victory at big bear
hola sologoat fans!
i greet you with news of a fantastic nature - a victory at big bear.
here is the short of it:
hendershot, cameron and myself went out hot. i thought they were going too slow, so i picked it up after about 4 miles into it. cameron either had light problems or was not feeling good because i passed him at about 3am as he was sitting at water stop about 9 miles in talking to somebody about his lights, and he didn't even notice that i had passed him. i then caught mark at about 6am'ish after my dad and mechanic saw him puking for 3 minutes straight on the previous lap. he looked white as a ghost when i passed him and he was sweating like a maniac. he didn't look good. next lap, i was informed that cameron had stopped and that hendershot pulled out. after that, i just kind of cruised through the rocks and went hard on the climbs as i was just trying to stay upright and not do anything silly considering i was a lap up on the rest of the field.
that's the short version - a more detailed version will be posted within the next day.
gotta run - need to unpack and respond back to a ton of emails
oh - and in case i forget...
THANKS to all the racers/fans whom at some point yelled for me, sologoat or speedgoat at some point during the race. had a couple of short conversations during the race with some of the racers whom check out the blog as well - thanks for cheering me on!
gotta run - think i earned a box of little debby nutty bars for last weekends adventure.... mmmmmmmmm..... little debby.....
sologoat out.
i greet you with news of a fantastic nature - a victory at big bear.
here is the short of it:
hendershot, cameron and myself went out hot. i thought they were going too slow, so i picked it up after about 4 miles into it. cameron either had light problems or was not feeling good because i passed him at about 3am as he was sitting at water stop about 9 miles in talking to somebody about his lights, and he didn't even notice that i had passed him. i then caught mark at about 6am'ish after my dad and mechanic saw him puking for 3 minutes straight on the previous lap. he looked white as a ghost when i passed him and he was sweating like a maniac. he didn't look good. next lap, i was informed that cameron had stopped and that hendershot pulled out. after that, i just kind of cruised through the rocks and went hard on the climbs as i was just trying to stay upright and not do anything silly considering i was a lap up on the rest of the field.
that's the short version - a more detailed version will be posted within the next day.
gotta run - need to unpack and respond back to a ton of emails
oh - and in case i forget...
THANKS to all the racers/fans whom at some point yelled for me, sologoat or speedgoat at some point during the race. had a couple of short conversations during the race with some of the racers whom check out the blog as well - thanks for cheering me on!
gotta run - think i earned a box of little debby nutty bars for last weekends adventure.... mmmmmmmmm..... little debby.....
sologoat out.
6.17.2005
06.17.05 - pre ride at big bear
just got done from a pre-ride on the 24 hour big bear course and grabbing some lunch.
here's the down low...
the pit area - sort of a fiasco if you ask me. OK for the teams, but solo riders are kind of screwed to get a pit near the start/finish. found a place right off the race course, right next to mark hendershot. i think we lucked out, but the other solo riders will have a hard time finding prime location.
the course - 80-90 percent dry, some wet sections here and there. 100% better then snowshoe in regards to mud. this stuff doesn't seem to be that sticky peanut butter thickness mud that was further south. course is fast, flowy - and somewhat long. just shy of 13 miles. and roots- there are none. but plenty o' rocks.
the other riders - there are only a few riders i am worried about, namely hendershot and cameron chambers. actually, the three of us talked today. i congratualed cameron on his win at nationals a few weeks back - he said it was kind of handed to him because of the heat. mark and i both agreed it was a little more than that. (mark and some others had to pull out due to extreme heat in spokane a few weeks back).
the venue - low key. no lighting. kind of minamal. seems OK - but i don't know how it will be for the mechanics/teams.
the weather - temps last night were chilly, down to 50 degrees. warmed up real fast this morning. hopefully the weather will hold up for the next few days and that wet stuff will stay away - guess there is a 30% chance of it happening. hoping it won't as it brought in some heavy fog last night.
other stuff - dan the man coming down tonight. bikes working good. i need to nap.
gotta run - pray for the sologoat to have good legs this weekend.
and when you go to sleep saturday night, pray for sologoat to stay awake.
and when you wake sunday morning, drink some extra coffee to keep me going.
and when you are eating lunch sunday, save some for me.
gotta run - update on the race monday'ish.
sologoat out
here's the down low...
the pit area - sort of a fiasco if you ask me. OK for the teams, but solo riders are kind of screwed to get a pit near the start/finish. found a place right off the race course, right next to mark hendershot. i think we lucked out, but the other solo riders will have a hard time finding prime location.
the course - 80-90 percent dry, some wet sections here and there. 100% better then snowshoe in regards to mud. this stuff doesn't seem to be that sticky peanut butter thickness mud that was further south. course is fast, flowy - and somewhat long. just shy of 13 miles. and roots- there are none. but plenty o' rocks.
the other riders - there are only a few riders i am worried about, namely hendershot and cameron chambers. actually, the three of us talked today. i congratualed cameron on his win at nationals a few weeks back - he said it was kind of handed to him because of the heat. mark and i both agreed it was a little more than that. (mark and some others had to pull out due to extreme heat in spokane a few weeks back).
the venue - low key. no lighting. kind of minamal. seems OK - but i don't know how it will be for the mechanics/teams.
the weather - temps last night were chilly, down to 50 degrees. warmed up real fast this morning. hopefully the weather will hold up for the next few days and that wet stuff will stay away - guess there is a 30% chance of it happening. hoping it won't as it brought in some heavy fog last night.
other stuff - dan the man coming down tonight. bikes working good. i need to nap.
gotta run - pray for the sologoat to have good legs this weekend.
and when you go to sleep saturday night, pray for sologoat to stay awake.
and when you wake sunday morning, drink some extra coffee to keep me going.
and when you are eating lunch sunday, save some for me.
gotta run - update on the race monday'ish.
sologoat out
6.14.2005
06.14.05 - wobblenaught fits complete
ah.... nothing like waiting to the last minute.
jim baldesare hooked a brotha' up and did my fits today so i will be mr. efficiency at big bear this weekend. i have been on these fits for a long time - i am a firm believer in them.
so, spent the AM dropping the car off and taking my other car (otherwise known as an asylum bicycle) out for a little spin. i love my car, i just hate taking it to the garage. something is NOT cool when you walk in and describe to the mechanic what is wrong with it and he tells you it sounds like a thousand dollar day. dork.
other short news:
for those of you whom don't know, the asylum bikes i am riding this year are 29r's. no 26r's for you guys with little wheels. rear end is a classic titus rear swingarm.
whistler - looks like a 100% for me. flight was booked today - my dad's and dan the mans will be booked tomorrow.
food - i am hungry right now, so i am keeping this short.
big bear - in WV. cool temps this weeekend. will be pre-riding thursday/friday. pray for sologoat to have good legs, mind and body this weekend.
beer - will be consumed after the race. i have troubles falling asleep after major efforts. only a bottle or two should do.
next week - a little surprise. nothing exciting, but i do believe it will offically qualify me as nutty. i hole heartedly embrace the concept of being goofy, but nutty is another thing.
tomorrow - some random babbling, and my final post before i head to WV. i'm pretty sure the hotel i got in WV has high speed internet, so i'll send out my last post early on friday. if i'm freakin' out, maybe not until sunday.
sologoat is hungry, so he is out.
jim baldesare hooked a brotha' up and did my fits today so i will be mr. efficiency at big bear this weekend. i have been on these fits for a long time - i am a firm believer in them.
so, spent the AM dropping the car off and taking my other car (otherwise known as an asylum bicycle) out for a little spin. i love my car, i just hate taking it to the garage. something is NOT cool when you walk in and describe to the mechanic what is wrong with it and he tells you it sounds like a thousand dollar day. dork.
other short news:
for those of you whom don't know, the asylum bikes i am riding this year are 29r's. no 26r's for you guys with little wheels. rear end is a classic titus rear swingarm.
whistler - looks like a 100% for me. flight was booked today - my dad's and dan the mans will be booked tomorrow.
food - i am hungry right now, so i am keeping this short.
big bear - in WV. cool temps this weeekend. will be pre-riding thursday/friday. pray for sologoat to have good legs, mind and body this weekend.
beer - will be consumed after the race. i have troubles falling asleep after major efforts. only a bottle or two should do.
next week - a little surprise. nothing exciting, but i do believe it will offically qualify me as nutty. i hole heartedly embrace the concept of being goofy, but nutty is another thing.
tomorrow - some random babbling, and my final post before i head to WV. i'm pretty sure the hotel i got in WV has high speed internet, so i'll send out my last post early on friday. if i'm freakin' out, maybe not until sunday.
sologoat is hungry, so he is out.
06.14.05 - asylum #1 rear triangle
06.14.05 - asylum #1 rear triangle
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
guess what i did today?
maybe a wobblenaught bike fit?
hmmmmmmmmm....
06.14.05 - ernesto asylum #2
06.14.05 - ernesto asylum #2
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
this one with xtr wheels and ceramic bearings
6.12.2005
06.12.05 - a goat in heat
or should i say, riding in heat?
been a heat wave in ohio the last couple of days, so i decided to ride at the hotest time of the day the last two days to get acclimated to the heat. seems like the first ride in any type of major heat just does not go well, and saturday was that day.
went out for a 3 hour'ish ride at high tempo - heart rate rate was screaming, but i really didn't feel 100%. didn't help that after 2.5 hours, i ran out of my magic HAMMMER GEL HEED to help me through the last hour. i got home with a slight head ache and some slight dehydration. the heat felt good, but it got to me that last hour.
today, temps were even higher. went out for basically the same ride, and was able to ride through the same heat and keep my hyrdation levels better with the HEED and the PERPETUEM hammer gel products. just felt 100% better today, and was able to keep the pedals turning over. yesterday was a hard 3+ hours, today was a easy 3+ hours in comparison, even though i was riding the same tempo.
BIG BEAR 24 hour race coming up next weekend - 11 solos signed up so far and 118 teams. should be a good event. the staging area is friggin' HUGE - it's an old air port air strip. about a quarter mile long and about the width of a football field. soil is much better than snowshoe for draining, so sloppy mud shouldn't be a issue. and - no roots. snowshoe had a TON of them, this course has NONE. but - watch those rocks!
dan the man will be the mechanic of choice, as usual. he'll be coming down on friday, and speedgoat will have a corporate team in the "just for fun" class, so i should have a few fans around. and - i think some of the shop guys have asylums, so you may even see a few "extra" asylum frames out on the course. guess the shop has been a lot of people asking/buying them - good to see them taking off. seriously, the big 29'r wheels just make so much sense -- not only for cross country, but espeically for the single speed freaks.
wobblenaught fit - last fitting is this week, probably tomorrow or tuesday at the latest. you may think i should be freaking out about this, but i have beenn fit on this system at least 6 times and i am firm believer in it. but - make sure you get somebody that knows what they are doing. jim b here in the akron/kent area knows it like the back of his hand. check out their website and look for locations - his name is there.
ah......
in other news - sorry for the lack of posts, in secret training for big bear and one surprise race after that -- but i am keeping that a big secret to build up the suspense. i'll probably post the details on next wendesday night - wait to the last minute, like those annoying local news broadcast that shows the gossipy news clip you have been waiting for all night in the last 2 minutes of the show.
that's it - gotta call the folks and get things straightened out with my dad in regards to next weekend. he's the other half of my pit crew - in charge of the food/fuel and keeping dan awake and posted on the time so he knows when the bikes need to get ready. what's good about next weeks course is that he won't have to hike up/down that huge friggin' hill at snowshoe.
gotta run-
sologoat out.
been a heat wave in ohio the last couple of days, so i decided to ride at the hotest time of the day the last two days to get acclimated to the heat. seems like the first ride in any type of major heat just does not go well, and saturday was that day.
went out for a 3 hour'ish ride at high tempo - heart rate rate was screaming, but i really didn't feel 100%. didn't help that after 2.5 hours, i ran out of my magic HAMMMER GEL HEED to help me through the last hour. i got home with a slight head ache and some slight dehydration. the heat felt good, but it got to me that last hour.
today, temps were even higher. went out for basically the same ride, and was able to ride through the same heat and keep my hyrdation levels better with the HEED and the PERPETUEM hammer gel products. just felt 100% better today, and was able to keep the pedals turning over. yesterday was a hard 3+ hours, today was a easy 3+ hours in comparison, even though i was riding the same tempo.
BIG BEAR 24 hour race coming up next weekend - 11 solos signed up so far and 118 teams. should be a good event. the staging area is friggin' HUGE - it's an old air port air strip. about a quarter mile long and about the width of a football field. soil is much better than snowshoe for draining, so sloppy mud shouldn't be a issue. and - no roots. snowshoe had a TON of them, this course has NONE. but - watch those rocks!
dan the man will be the mechanic of choice, as usual. he'll be coming down on friday, and speedgoat will have a corporate team in the "just for fun" class, so i should have a few fans around. and - i think some of the shop guys have asylums, so you may even see a few "extra" asylum frames out on the course. guess the shop has been a lot of people asking/buying them - good to see them taking off. seriously, the big 29'r wheels just make so much sense -- not only for cross country, but espeically for the single speed freaks.
wobblenaught fit - last fitting is this week, probably tomorrow or tuesday at the latest. you may think i should be freaking out about this, but i have beenn fit on this system at least 6 times and i am firm believer in it. but - make sure you get somebody that knows what they are doing. jim b here in the akron/kent area knows it like the back of his hand. check out their website and look for locations - his name is there.
ah......
in other news - sorry for the lack of posts, in secret training for big bear and one surprise race after that -- but i am keeping that a big secret to build up the suspense. i'll probably post the details on next wendesday night - wait to the last minute, like those annoying local news broadcast that shows the gossipy news clip you have been waiting for all night in the last 2 minutes of the show.
that's it - gotta call the folks and get things straightened out with my dad in regards to next weekend. he's the other half of my pit crew - in charge of the food/fuel and keeping dan awake and posted on the time so he knows when the bikes need to get ready. what's good about next weeks course is that he won't have to hike up/down that huge friggin' hill at snowshoe.
gotta run-
sologoat out.
6.10.2005
06.10.05 - got WV on my mind
hey all. sorry for the lack of posts - been freakin' out about big bear and my first 24 hour of the year which is the weekend after next. got me going nuts.
cameron chamber and mark hendershot have signed up which will be the main competition, but there are two other guys down there that have been placed consistant 4/5th place at snowshoe, so i'll be on the lookout for them too. as we all know, 24 hour races have a wierd way of turning out sometimes. just look at nationals a few weeks back.
wobblenaught fits are next week - have the new FSA stems in, but my coach is out racing in minnesota. fit should be next week.
XPERT is stepping up to the plate for me and is helping me with a flight out to whistler this year. was slightly torn on the KONA race the week after, but i have too many obligations to do worlds. it's still not 100% as to what i am doing between worlds and my last 24 hour of the year out at georgia, so i may change my mind in the next 5 minutes.
trying to get travel arrangements planned is nuts -- but i have found some hostels out at whistler which are reasonably cheap if anybody needs them. just go to google and type in "whistler chamber of commerce" and look around for accomodations. they have about 4 of them, but i think only two had private rooms. rates were around 3--50 bucks. A LOT cheaper than hotels.
gotta run - have to get to work soon.
sologoat out.
cameron chamber and mark hendershot have signed up which will be the main competition, but there are two other guys down there that have been placed consistant 4/5th place at snowshoe, so i'll be on the lookout for them too. as we all know, 24 hour races have a wierd way of turning out sometimes. just look at nationals a few weeks back.
wobblenaught fits are next week - have the new FSA stems in, but my coach is out racing in minnesota. fit should be next week.
XPERT is stepping up to the plate for me and is helping me with a flight out to whistler this year. was slightly torn on the KONA race the week after, but i have too many obligations to do worlds. it's still not 100% as to what i am doing between worlds and my last 24 hour of the year out at georgia, so i may change my mind in the next 5 minutes.
trying to get travel arrangements planned is nuts -- but i have found some hostels out at whistler which are reasonably cheap if anybody needs them. just go to google and type in "whistler chamber of commerce" and look around for accomodations. they have about 4 of them, but i think only two had private rooms. rates were around 3--50 bucks. A LOT cheaper than hotels.
gotta run - have to get to work soon.
sologoat out.
6.06.2005
06.05.05 - sologoat single track photo #1
06.05.05 - sologoat single track photo #1
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
single track on black bear trail.
06.05.05 - sologoat single track photo #2
06.05.05 - sologoat single track photo #2
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
(subliminal message)
shop at speedgoat, wear tifosi glasses and get some hammer gel.
(end of subliminal message)
06.05.05 - sologoat single track photo #3
06.05.05 - sologoat single track photo #3
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
check out my butt...
er... i mean the XPERT logo...
;)
6.05.2005
06.05.05 - weekend update
i'm back... whew, long weekend.
was out at the 'goat on saturday for some local trail riding and some photo shoots.
saturday morning i headed out early and got to the shop by 9am to head out on the trail with chris, dan the man, michal and the new guy. road easy tempo with the guys so as not to cook them over, and did an impromptu photo shoot on some of the connecting fire roads between the main trails. if you ever get to go out to the shop, i recomend going on saturday and calling ahead of time. the group goes out at about 9am and they can show you around. call the shop and they will hook u up with some sweeeeeeeeeet riding.
after about 2.5 hours (only 1.5 hours riding time due to the fact that we were stopping and i kept rambling on about some random indy movie), i parted ways with the group. they had to get to work, and so did i.
1.5 hours of race tempo climbing and single track. oh yes.
then, down to the shop to get some work done on the bikes, hang out at the shop and do a photo shoot thingy after hours for their bike fit system. michael was shooting with his super cool digital slr camera - the nikon d70. i've been checking them out forever as i am a huge fan of the slr body type. very nice stuff.
anyhoo, after chris/beth/michael had their laughs while i posed for some shots, off it was for mexican food. yummy.
sunday - up at the crack o' dawn for one more photo shoot. this one was in the trails with the sole purpose of getting some good action shots for the shop for later use (sometimes used for backgrounds/ads/etc) and for the sponsors (xpert, hammer gel, tifosi).
saw some of the photos' already - they look awesome.
soooooooooooooo.... i jump in the car after the photo's are done, and drive down to WV for some pre-riding at the big bear course.
and let's just say this - while some of the course is still being cut and they are making some slight changes to the course that is posted on the website, i think 24 hour racers will be plesantly surprised with the course. with the exception of one approximately 75 foot section of trail, it is completely ridable. i will further say that if it doesn't rain the week of the 24 hour race, it is going to be fast. soil is very adept to drying quickly according to the locals.
rocks are plentiful, course is rolling and there is only one decent climb. the climb comes late in the course and is substantionally long. enough details...
anyhoo, thanks to locals ed and frank - they knew the trail like the back of their hand and after talking to laird knight before we rode, they even knew where the new sections were.
well - that's it. have some unpacking and eating to do.
pics up tomorrow from the goat' - check their website for the fit photos.
later - sologoat out.
was out at the 'goat on saturday for some local trail riding and some photo shoots.
saturday morning i headed out early and got to the shop by 9am to head out on the trail with chris, dan the man, michal and the new guy. road easy tempo with the guys so as not to cook them over, and did an impromptu photo shoot on some of the connecting fire roads between the main trails. if you ever get to go out to the shop, i recomend going on saturday and calling ahead of time. the group goes out at about 9am and they can show you around. call the shop and they will hook u up with some sweeeeeeeeeet riding.
after about 2.5 hours (only 1.5 hours riding time due to the fact that we were stopping and i kept rambling on about some random indy movie), i parted ways with the group. they had to get to work, and so did i.
1.5 hours of race tempo climbing and single track. oh yes.
then, down to the shop to get some work done on the bikes, hang out at the shop and do a photo shoot thingy after hours for their bike fit system. michael was shooting with his super cool digital slr camera - the nikon d70. i've been checking them out forever as i am a huge fan of the slr body type. very nice stuff.
anyhoo, after chris/beth/michael had their laughs while i posed for some shots, off it was for mexican food. yummy.
sunday - up at the crack o' dawn for one more photo shoot. this one was in the trails with the sole purpose of getting some good action shots for the shop for later use (sometimes used for backgrounds/ads/etc) and for the sponsors (xpert, hammer gel, tifosi).
saw some of the photos' already - they look awesome.
soooooooooooooo.... i jump in the car after the photo's are done, and drive down to WV for some pre-riding at the big bear course.
and let's just say this - while some of the course is still being cut and they are making some slight changes to the course that is posted on the website, i think 24 hour racers will be plesantly surprised with the course. with the exception of one approximately 75 foot section of trail, it is completely ridable. i will further say that if it doesn't rain the week of the 24 hour race, it is going to be fast. soil is very adept to drying quickly according to the locals.
rocks are plentiful, course is rolling and there is only one decent climb. the climb comes late in the course and is substantionally long. enough details...
anyhoo, thanks to locals ed and frank - they knew the trail like the back of their hand and after talking to laird knight before we rode, they even knew where the new sections were.
well - that's it. have some unpacking and eating to do.
pics up tomorrow from the goat' - check their website for the fit photos.
later - sologoat out.
6.03.2005
06.03.05 - TGIF
hey all - back from a 2 hour easy spin on the new wobblenaught fit. seems to be working good, though the final fitting will not be until next week when i can get my new stems and my other rp3 rear shock.
picking that stuff at the 'goat tomorrow. meeting the boys at 9am'ish for a ride at laurel mountain. if you ever get out to the shop, give yourself about 3 extra hours and ride it. sweet single track, tricky cool rock sections. and - you can do about 2-3 hours EASILY with no climbing. yep, no climbing. and, i guess you can actually ride from there to the seven springs area as well, which also has some good riding too.
better run - have to feed. going to watch the "supersize me" movie tonight. i'm a freak about indy films and this one got some good press.
gotta run - next post will be sunday.
sologoat out.
picking that stuff at the 'goat tomorrow. meeting the boys at 9am'ish for a ride at laurel mountain. if you ever get out to the shop, give yourself about 3 extra hours and ride it. sweet single track, tricky cool rock sections. and - you can do about 2-3 hours EASILY with no climbing. yep, no climbing. and, i guess you can actually ride from there to the seven springs area as well, which also has some good riding too.
better run - have to feed. going to watch the "supersize me" movie tonight. i'm a freak about indy films and this one got some good press.
gotta run - next post will be sunday.
sologoat out.
6.02.2005
06.02.05 - write up at wobblenaught
hey all, check out:
WOBBLENAUGHT
jim baldasere out of ohio has done my fits for ages and also coaches me as well. his info can be found on their "locations" under the "get fitted" section.
anyhoo, when you open up their main page, check to the left - they gave me a little blurb write up after i sent a mucho thank-o email into them. jim has helped me out TONS and i can easily attribute pretty much all of my success to his fits and coaching. jim has done around 100'ish fits so far and he is more precise then... well, he is probably more particular about your fits and your goals with cycling then you are yourself. (read that again - yes, he is a super duper particular type o' guy).
anyhoo, i am a firm believer in their fit system - and i have done all my race bikes on their system. my road, mountain 26'r, mountain 29'r and my cyclocross bikes have all been fit with their system.
and just to note - and i hate to disappoint you roadies out there, but this sytsem was actually designed for mountain bikes. yep, don't get freaked out about sag this and sag that, front suspended vs. full suspended. wobblenaught takes it all into consideration.
get fit now. feel the power.
oh, and drink good coffee, listen to good music, eat great food... and... get to work - it's 9am!
gotta go!
sologoat out!
WOBBLENAUGHT
jim baldasere out of ohio has done my fits for ages and also coaches me as well. his info can be found on their "locations" under the "get fitted" section.
anyhoo, when you open up their main page, check to the left - they gave me a little blurb write up after i sent a mucho thank-o email into them. jim has helped me out TONS and i can easily attribute pretty much all of my success to his fits and coaching. jim has done around 100'ish fits so far and he is more precise then... well, he is probably more particular about your fits and your goals with cycling then you are yourself. (read that again - yes, he is a super duper particular type o' guy).
anyhoo, i am a firm believer in their fit system - and i have done all my race bikes on their system. my road, mountain 26'r, mountain 29'r and my cyclocross bikes have all been fit with their system.
and just to note - and i hate to disappoint you roadies out there, but this sytsem was actually designed for mountain bikes. yep, don't get freaked out about sag this and sag that, front suspended vs. full suspended. wobblenaught takes it all into consideration.
get fit now. feel the power.
oh, and drink good coffee, listen to good music, eat great food... and... get to work - it's 9am!
gotta go!
sologoat out!
6.01.2005
06.01.05 - wobblenaught fit step 1
hey all...
little bit of a recovery week going on so i thought i would get my fit done this week before the big 24 hour races come up. initial fit was done yesterday on bike #1 and i found out i need to get a little bit longer of a stem. need two 130's.... speedgoat will be to the rescue as i will need two of them by the saturday AM for the afternoon photo shoot for the 'goat.
was going to post some more details of the race, but instead i will post some random comments that i heard during the past 3 races:
1. are you going to keep this pace up?
2. you're an alien!
3. holy ****! (insert explative there)
4. i can't believe you are riding this fast
5. you are insane
6. one spectator to the other - did you see that guy?
7. one racer to the other - what is he is taking?
8. you're unreal
9. dang you are fast
10. where are you from?
11. you know you are beating most of the teams
12. who is this guy?
13. are you pro?
14. you came all the way out here?
15. are you ever going to take a break?
i'm just glad my training and fuel intake has been right on...
but in other news - eataugh the wonder of 24 hour racing dethroned to cameron chambers? hmmmm..... looks like tinker and hendershot also had to pull out because of the heat and nate ross pull out due to a bad crash. goes to show, no matter how much you train, things can go drastically wrong. fuel is such an important aspect, one that many underestimate - and even the best can be beaten at it, especially in extreme conditions.
random stuff i used during the 8 hour:
1. hammer race caps
2. hammer anti fatigue caps
3. hammer endurolytes
4. hammer heed
5. hammer sustained energy
6. hammer gel
7. 2 cans of red bull
8. water. mmmm... water...
did no solid foods during the race as my tummy usually does not like solids during the race. around 6 hours'ish i needed something a little sweet and a little different as i was getting a little tired - the red bull came to the rescue. i have done this before at snowshoe last year, but i usually don't go the red bull route until i really need it.
oh, and just to be in the spirit of being completely random:
XPERT stickers have been ordered - they are one of my sponsors and i thought i would give them a little more coverage. have their logo on the back panel of my shorts and now they will get some press on the top tube of the bikes.
TIFOSI Q2's rock. have been racing with them all year - very nice glass. prefer the clear lens as my jedi skills require clear perception. like the green lens as well, but only on overcast days. no issues with fogging because of the little vents on the lens. and i love the thick sturdy frame. no flimsy stuff for me, yo. when i'm bouncing my head off of trees, the Q2's help me deflect the blow by displacing it through the earpiece.
well, not really. but they are super sturdy, look and function super. get some.
fox rp3's are the choice of rear shock. 5th element lighter, but i like the feel of the rp3. very complimentary to the asylum.
oh, and asylums - functioning perfectly. climbs - awesome. techical abilities - very cat-like resposiveness. downhlls - lets just say this 140 pound lightweight was catching 200 pound downhillers when the terrain was going down.
asylums - get one of those too.
gotta run - learning great plains human resources via e-courses, then maybe a little into their inventory modules and maybe sprinkle in some microsoft SQL training. lot's o fun.
gotta go - stop reading and ride!
sologoat out
little bit of a recovery week going on so i thought i would get my fit done this week before the big 24 hour races come up. initial fit was done yesterday on bike #1 and i found out i need to get a little bit longer of a stem. need two 130's.... speedgoat will be to the rescue as i will need two of them by the saturday AM for the afternoon photo shoot for the 'goat.
was going to post some more details of the race, but instead i will post some random comments that i heard during the past 3 races:
1. are you going to keep this pace up?
2. you're an alien!
3. holy ****! (insert explative there)
4. i can't believe you are riding this fast
5. you are insane
6. one spectator to the other - did you see that guy?
7. one racer to the other - what is he is taking?
8. you're unreal
9. dang you are fast
10. where are you from?
11. you know you are beating most of the teams
12. who is this guy?
13. are you pro?
14. you came all the way out here?
15. are you ever going to take a break?
i'm just glad my training and fuel intake has been right on...
but in other news - eataugh the wonder of 24 hour racing dethroned to cameron chambers? hmmmm..... looks like tinker and hendershot also had to pull out because of the heat and nate ross pull out due to a bad crash. goes to show, no matter how much you train, things can go drastically wrong. fuel is such an important aspect, one that many underestimate - and even the best can be beaten at it, especially in extreme conditions.
random stuff i used during the 8 hour:
1. hammer race caps
2. hammer anti fatigue caps
3. hammer endurolytes
4. hammer heed
5. hammer sustained energy
6. hammer gel
7. 2 cans of red bull
8. water. mmmm... water...
did no solid foods during the race as my tummy usually does not like solids during the race. around 6 hours'ish i needed something a little sweet and a little different as i was getting a little tired - the red bull came to the rescue. i have done this before at snowshoe last year, but i usually don't go the red bull route until i really need it.
oh, and just to be in the spirit of being completely random:
XPERT stickers have been ordered - they are one of my sponsors and i thought i would give them a little more coverage. have their logo on the back panel of my shorts and now they will get some press on the top tube of the bikes.
TIFOSI Q2's rock. have been racing with them all year - very nice glass. prefer the clear lens as my jedi skills require clear perception. like the green lens as well, but only on overcast days. no issues with fogging because of the little vents on the lens. and i love the thick sturdy frame. no flimsy stuff for me, yo. when i'm bouncing my head off of trees, the Q2's help me deflect the blow by displacing it through the earpiece.
well, not really. but they are super sturdy, look and function super. get some.
fox rp3's are the choice of rear shock. 5th element lighter, but i like the feel of the rp3. very complimentary to the asylum.
oh, and asylums - functioning perfectly. climbs - awesome. techical abilities - very cat-like resposiveness. downhlls - lets just say this 140 pound lightweight was catching 200 pound downhillers when the terrain was going down.
asylums - get one of those too.
gotta run - learning great plains human resources via e-courses, then maybe a little into their inventory modules and maybe sprinkle in some microsoft SQL training. lot's o fun.
gotta go - stop reading and ride!
sologoat out
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