yep, sologoat fan, got 2 sets in the mail today. where from, you say? well, mavic was one of the sponsors of the conyers race.
solo winner got 2 sets of wheels - one was a set of 29er mavic speedcity's. nice set of wheels that you can run with either v-brakes or discs. the other was a disc set of crossmax xl's. sooooooooooooo.... they are going to be used to fund the "ernesto moots part order." speaking of which, parts are ordered.
now, just waiting for the frames to get here.
other than that, not much going on - but my lights & motion vega and lithium ion's are getting used more then ever. daylight savings time is going to kill me. that and winter.
new race resume looks awesome, michael over at the shop has worked his magic. looks really nice as he used some high resolution pics that we took back at the time of the speedgoat photo shoot.
bikes will be handed back over to the 'goat here soon, we are still thinkikng about paint scheme/color/etc. need something super flashy that can be seen a mile away. these frames will NOT be sold to the public, nor will they be available. we are just painting them up crazy like to get the word out on the asylums. but you know about them already, don't you?
jeremy over at the shop ordered up the alpha q forks i'll be running on both the moots, super pumped about those. if you are ever over at the shop, got to check his ink out. really nice work. and if you think you know everything about bikes, jeremy knows about a billion things more then you. bmx, cross, track, old brooks stuff, jump bikes, road, downhill.
gotta run. off to milwaukee next week for some training for work, and maybe some fun training too. they have some kind of low key trails around the hotel that i am staying at - by far nothing technical, but there is a lot of mileage there. it's like heaven compared to paved stuff that i ride here all the time -- but then again, when it is wet and cold outside, i still have a place to ride. and not have to deal with dodging traffic.
that's it - gotta run. riding and checking out houses this weekend.
sologoat out.
10.27.2005
10.25.2005
10.25.05 - nat ross mentions ernesto in L&M interview
click the title above to check the link out.
barrett and the guys/gals over at light & motion did an interview with nat ross after moab. they asked him this:
Were you surprised to see Ernesto Marenchin in 2nd?
Yeah. He’s ridden some laps with the elite riders before, but now he has the confidence to ride the whole race. So much of this endurance game is psychological. Ernesto really stepped up at the World’s and now has the confidence to win.
wow. if you are out there nat, thanks!
check out the LIGHT & MOTIN article, and read nat's write up on the mtbr site.
NATT ROSS MOAB WRITE UP HERE!
sologoat out.
barrett and the guys/gals over at light & motion did an interview with nat ross after moab. they asked him this:
Were you surprised to see Ernesto Marenchin in 2nd?
Yeah. He’s ridden some laps with the elite riders before, but now he has the confidence to ride the whole race. So much of this endurance game is psychological. Ernesto really stepped up at the World’s and now has the confidence to win.
wow. if you are out there nat, thanks!
check out the LIGHT & MOTIN article, and read nat's write up on the mtbr site.
NATT ROSS MOAB WRITE UP HERE!
sologoat out.
10.24.2005
10.24.05 - danny chew. super enduro roadie freak.
click the title bar to go to his site.
danny chew. former race across america competitor/winner that resides in the pittsburgh area. yours truely has gone on many a ride with him back in the days when i first stared long rides with a group of guys of zelienople PA.
danny was also a former member of the US national road team as a junior, but was kicked off the team when he challenged everybody to a water drinking contest two days before the national road race. he won the contest and proceeded to get everybody else sick. he also got kicked off the team because of it.
well, without going into details, he is just a little "different"..... kind of annoying when you first meet him, but after awhile, he sort of grows on you.
any hoo, he has this lifelong dream of riding a million miles before he dies and has this website that has tracked every mile he has ridden since 1978. yep. 1978. longer than some of you pups out there.
any way, i am going to post his last email just sent today... it is entitled "Longest Ride With No Food & No drinks (including water)"
Last week on Friday, October 21st, 2005, I set a new record for my longest ride ever With No Food & No drinks(including water). This means nothing but air got into my
mouth. After eating a huge pancake breakfast, I rode 181 miles from my Pittsburgh home to a Cleveland, Ohio suburb. The weather was cloudy all day. The temperature ranged between 40-50 degrees F, with a cold rain freezing me the last 3 hours. I rode my first century at an average speed of 17.5mph, but the weather and forcing my body to eat itself for fuel slowed my average speed down to 16.5mph by the end of the classic, memorable ride!
I do not recommend that other cyclists try going for this record - as I am a very experienced ultra-cyclist who knows his body very well. I did the record to teach my body discipline, and I beat my previous record of 170 miles by 11 miles! I will most likely someday extend my record to over 200 miles in the future. It has to be done an a cool day so that you are not that thirsty.
yep. freakazoid.
sologoat out.
danny chew. former race across america competitor/winner that resides in the pittsburgh area. yours truely has gone on many a ride with him back in the days when i first stared long rides with a group of guys of zelienople PA.
danny was also a former member of the US national road team as a junior, but was kicked off the team when he challenged everybody to a water drinking contest two days before the national road race. he won the contest and proceeded to get everybody else sick. he also got kicked off the team because of it.
well, without going into details, he is just a little "different"..... kind of annoying when you first meet him, but after awhile, he sort of grows on you.
any hoo, he has this lifelong dream of riding a million miles before he dies and has this website that has tracked every mile he has ridden since 1978. yep. 1978. longer than some of you pups out there.
any way, i am going to post his last email just sent today... it is entitled "Longest Ride With No Food & No drinks (including water)"
Last week on Friday, October 21st, 2005, I set a new record for my longest ride ever With No Food & No drinks(including water). This means nothing but air got into my
mouth. After eating a huge pancake breakfast, I rode 181 miles from my Pittsburgh home to a Cleveland, Ohio suburb. The weather was cloudy all day. The temperature ranged between 40-50 degrees F, with a cold rain freezing me the last 3 hours. I rode my first century at an average speed of 17.5mph, but the weather and forcing my body to eat itself for fuel slowed my average speed down to 16.5mph by the end of the classic, memorable ride!
I do not recommend that other cyclists try going for this record - as I am a very experienced ultra-cyclist who knows his body very well. I did the record to teach my body discipline, and I beat my previous record of 170 miles by 11 miles! I will most likely someday extend my record to over 200 miles in the future. It has to be done an a cool day so that you are not that thirsty.
yep. freakazoid.
sologoat out.
10.24.05 - random pic of the day - picture 03
10.24.05 - random pic of the day - picture 03
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
another old shot from the month of mud series in the pittsburgh area. mostly mountain bike races that are held late in the year, for two seasons we changed the format to all cross races. this was taken during one of those years at the grove city course.
if you look closely, i am riding my second custom indy fab cross bike. this one has track drops and is a single speed with 135 rear spacing (standard mountain spacing).
also went true cross on this bike and have no water bottle mounts. by far, this is probably one of my favorite race photos.
10.24.05 - random pic of the day - picture 02
10.24.05 - random pic of the day - picture 02
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
a shot from a few years back at one of WVU cross races riding my old indy fab custom cross bike.
if i remember correctly, there was one race in this series where we did a total of over 100 dismounts in one hour.
10.24.05 - random pic of the day - picture 01
10.24.05 - random pic of the day - picture 01
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
taken right before the awards at the 2005 24 hours of conyers. i was explaining to my mechanic advanced theories on tree dodging at 25 miles an hour.
10.24.05 - MASTERS CYCLOCROSS RACE ON 10.30.05
click on the title above to go the link for the website.
DIRECTIONS: Park is located on RT 18 in Raccoon Twp. This is NOT the Raccoon State Park. From Rt. 60 north, exit Shippingport/Monaca, take 18 South 6 miles to park on left. From Rt. 60 South, (ignore Raccoon Park signs) take Aliquippa exit, turn left, drive past Green Garden Plaza, across little bridge and up hill. Stay on that road for 6 miles. Turn right on Rt 18 (north) ¼ mile, park on right. Use 100 Winford Lane, 15001 for mapquest.
races start at 10:30am, last one is at 2:30pm.
i have a flight leaving cleveland at 8:30pm, my race would be at 2:30pm. hmmm.....
not 100% sure if i am going because of this, but go out and support gary. should be a good course and lot's o fun.
gotta run - some pics up tonight.
sologoat out.
DIRECTIONS: Park is located on RT 18 in Raccoon Twp. This is NOT the Raccoon State Park. From Rt. 60 north, exit Shippingport/Monaca, take 18 South 6 miles to park on left. From Rt. 60 South, (ignore Raccoon Park signs) take Aliquippa exit, turn left, drive past Green Garden Plaza, across little bridge and up hill. Stay on that road for 6 miles. Turn right on Rt 18 (north) ¼ mile, park on right. Use 100 Winford Lane, 15001 for mapquest.
races start at 10:30am, last one is at 2:30pm.
i have a flight leaving cleveland at 8:30pm, my race would be at 2:30pm. hmmm.....
not 100% sure if i am going because of this, but go out and support gary. should be a good course and lot's o fun.
gotta run - some pics up tonight.
sologoat out.
10.23.2005
10.23.05 - random updates
hey all... not much going on in sologoat world. just been riding a little bit and took a few days off which feels really odd. it's like i spend all this time on my bike that when i am not riding it feels like something is wrong. i know i need a break but i am having a hard time convincing myself.
weather here in ohio stinks - cold and raining yesterday. the ride was prety hard to get through after my hands went numb from the cold rain. i hate cold hands and feet.
been looking at the schedule for next year, saw that there is rumors about 24 hour nationals coming east and that snowshoe is no more. guess the rumor is somewhere in north carolina? and i guess nationals are still out west for both the 24 hour race and the marathon. this is all just rumors though. i wish they would move some of those races east, but i guess the east coast guys can't race in mud and fifty degrees.... just joking... though it would be nice to do a few more national events if they were on the east coast.
oh, and my dad just gave me some pictures from the conyers 24 hour and i'll be posting them this week. think i will do two or three a day, or something of that nature....
and if any of y'all are can get to pittsburgh this coming weekend for a cross race, there is one happening on the 30th. i'll have the link up tomorrow, but it's put on my a long time pal of mine gary dugovich. gary is a big cross freak and does a lot of the races in the MAC cup and tried to get something of the sort started out here in the pa/ny/oh area but it was not to be this year. i wish i could help him out with the series, but i have so much stuff going on as it is. anyhoo, i'll have the flier up tomorrow - and, while i do not know the exacts of the course, i can pretty much bet a million bucks that it is going to be an awesome layout as usual because i have done a lot of his races and it's all good, yo.
gotta run. pics/flyer up tomorrow.
sologoat out.
weather here in ohio stinks - cold and raining yesterday. the ride was prety hard to get through after my hands went numb from the cold rain. i hate cold hands and feet.
been looking at the schedule for next year, saw that there is rumors about 24 hour nationals coming east and that snowshoe is no more. guess the rumor is somewhere in north carolina? and i guess nationals are still out west for both the 24 hour race and the marathon. this is all just rumors though. i wish they would move some of those races east, but i guess the east coast guys can't race in mud and fifty degrees.... just joking... though it would be nice to do a few more national events if they were on the east coast.
oh, and my dad just gave me some pictures from the conyers 24 hour and i'll be posting them this week. think i will do two or three a day, or something of that nature....
and if any of y'all are can get to pittsburgh this coming weekend for a cross race, there is one happening on the 30th. i'll have the link up tomorrow, but it's put on my a long time pal of mine gary dugovich. gary is a big cross freak and does a lot of the races in the MAC cup and tried to get something of the sort started out here in the pa/ny/oh area but it was not to be this year. i wish i could help him out with the series, but i have so much stuff going on as it is. anyhoo, i'll have the flier up tomorrow - and, while i do not know the exacts of the course, i can pretty much bet a million bucks that it is going to be an awesome layout as usual because i have done a lot of his races and it's all good, yo.
gotta run. pics/flyer up tomorrow.
sologoat out.
10.19.2005
10.19.05 - random stuff
hey all. not much exciting going on, just freaking out about sponsors for next year. all proposals/resumes going out soon, been working with michael over at the 'goat. he's good at this type of stuff. we are going all formal 'n such. been looking at some other "non-cycling" specific sponsors to maybe pick up some travel costs, entry fees.
speaking of which - i know i never addressed the "why go pro" question awhile back from one you guys out there. i'll get to it - i didn't forget.
some links at ya:
JEFF KERKOVE BLOG
jeff is up to his antics again and is organizing TRANSIOWA 2006. two big changes to the event - about 30 more miles and the fact that it is going to be TOTALLY unsupported. drop site at the half way point - you are NOT allowed anybody there. only the serious need apply. or should i say, enter.
FLAT SALLY BLOG
i had to get on her about not posting. once she saw my pink surly single speed, all she has been doing is riding all day while i am at work. and then she eats all my food.
LIGHT & MOTION
Multi Chem Fast Charger is in the house. (click on the "chargers" section on the link above). Why is this cool? Well, I will tell you why.
Why it is cool reason #1 - 50% faster than 2004 (1-3 hours charge times).
Why it is cool reason #2 - Auto selects between Nimh and Li-ion.
Why it is cool reason #3 - 110/220v compatible.
Why it is cool reason #4 - backwards compatible to year 2000 L & M batteries.
SPEEDGOAT.COM should have these in too, but i haven't talked them about it yet and i don't see it listed yet. as always, if you don't see something on the page, you may just want to call and ask about it. the shop is a dealer for L&M, so they should be able to get it in.
HAMMER GEL/E-CAPS
has a little mention of ernesto in the last endurance news issue. they usually are posted on the link above, but the PDF version just came out today so i don't know when it is posted.
in other news...
been trying to find out some info on some local cross races in orville ohio. guess they are putting on two cross races, but i cannot find info. if anybody knows a website, please pass along the info!
that's it - gotta run.
sologoat out.
speaking of which - i know i never addressed the "why go pro" question awhile back from one you guys out there. i'll get to it - i didn't forget.
some links at ya:
JEFF KERKOVE BLOG
jeff is up to his antics again and is organizing TRANSIOWA 2006. two big changes to the event - about 30 more miles and the fact that it is going to be TOTALLY unsupported. drop site at the half way point - you are NOT allowed anybody there. only the serious need apply. or should i say, enter.
FLAT SALLY BLOG
i had to get on her about not posting. once she saw my pink surly single speed, all she has been doing is riding all day while i am at work. and then she eats all my food.
LIGHT & MOTION
Multi Chem Fast Charger is in the house. (click on the "chargers" section on the link above). Why is this cool? Well, I will tell you why.
Why it is cool reason #1 - 50% faster than 2004 (1-3 hours charge times).
Why it is cool reason #2 - Auto selects between Nimh and Li-ion.
Why it is cool reason #3 - 110/220v compatible.
Why it is cool reason #4 - backwards compatible to year 2000 L & M batteries.
SPEEDGOAT.COM should have these in too, but i haven't talked them about it yet and i don't see it listed yet. as always, if you don't see something on the page, you may just want to call and ask about it. the shop is a dealer for L&M, so they should be able to get it in.
HAMMER GEL/E-CAPS
has a little mention of ernesto in the last endurance news issue. they usually are posted on the link above, but the PDF version just came out today so i don't know when it is posted.
in other news...
been trying to find out some info on some local cross races in orville ohio. guess they are putting on two cross races, but i cannot find info. if anybody knows a website, please pass along the info!
that's it - gotta run.
sologoat out.
10.18.2005
10.18.05 - my fuel at the 24 hours of conyers
10.18.05 - my fuel at the 24 hours of conyers
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
all of the pictured was downed during the race.
additional details:
red bull - 12 cans
coke - 4 ice cold cups. yummy
consumed after race before going to sleep:
3 pieces of pizza
1 cup of soup
5 coca cola's
1 burger and fries
1 salad
3 oatmeal cream pies
5 reese peanut butter cups
1 small bag of chips
5 glasses of water
10.18.05 - waiting in the parking lot
10.18.05 - waiting in the parking lot
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
at the pittsburgh airport on the way back from conyers.
the people on the shuttle bus were not amused after we gave the bus driver guy an "approximate" parking spot for our van.
10.18.05 - howdy
race results/split times are now up for the 24 hours of conyers. check it out
HERE
salsa road bike is now all apart - parts are going on the moots cross/road bike projects which are coming up soon (i hope) and what is left is going on ebay. alpha q forks are being ordered by jeremy over at the shop and whatever parts i need will be ordered within the next few days.
riding is going good, just trying to keep some fitness for next year. nothing exciting, just some cross races - 6 in the cleveland series, maybe a few others here and there, maybe even one over in PA and a couple down in the carolina's. the down south is a double race weekend, free place to stay.... very tempting.
congrats to the newest edition of future employees to beth and chris - very happy for the both of them and glad to see everybody is doing good.
mmmmm.... that's it. gotta run - have a TON of on-line courses to get through this week.
oh - and i have some new pics up at the SPEEDGOAT.COM BLOG. if you are a cross freak, you may want to check it out. have some pics up of the sibex, IF, cross bikes. and i'll have some cross forks up in the next day or two.
and - i also have a review of the TIFOSI OPTICS line for next year on the blog as well.
sologoat out.
HERE
salsa road bike is now all apart - parts are going on the moots cross/road bike projects which are coming up soon (i hope) and what is left is going on ebay. alpha q forks are being ordered by jeremy over at the shop and whatever parts i need will be ordered within the next few days.
riding is going good, just trying to keep some fitness for next year. nothing exciting, just some cross races - 6 in the cleveland series, maybe a few others here and there, maybe even one over in PA and a couple down in the carolina's. the down south is a double race weekend, free place to stay.... very tempting.
congrats to the newest edition of future employees to beth and chris - very happy for the both of them and glad to see everybody is doing good.
mmmmm.... that's it. gotta run - have a TON of on-line courses to get through this week.
oh - and i have some new pics up at the SPEEDGOAT.COM BLOG. if you are a cross freak, you may want to check it out. have some pics up of the sibex, IF, cross bikes. and i'll have some cross forks up in the next day or two.
and - i also have a review of the TIFOSI OPTICS line for next year on the blog as well.
sologoat out.
10.16.2005
10.16.05 - first cross race o' the year
first cross race of the year.
one crash, 5 stops to fix my dropped chain, 5th place.
started out feeling ok, then i didn't. cross race is just super high tempo for an hour and my body is not really made for that. my heart rate gets so high i see double and my lungs want to burst. i had a good start, but i didn't start feeling good until about 15 minutes to go when i moved from 9th to 5th in about 4 laps. if i can hold on for 40 minutes, that is when most people snap and the enduro freak in me kicks in and i start motoring. i was just too far back this race.
had it been another hour long, i may just of won.
paul martin won.
in other news, nat ross ended up 2nd and sloane anderson was 6th at moab. cameron was back at 14th. looked to be an epic solo class with something like 50 riders? kind of bummed that i missed out on this race. next year, you will see me out there. location, location, location. moab is the just the meca of 24 hour races.
that's it, short post tonight. i may just get to sleep before 11. yipee!
sologoat out.
one crash, 5 stops to fix my dropped chain, 5th place.
started out feeling ok, then i didn't. cross race is just super high tempo for an hour and my body is not really made for that. my heart rate gets so high i see double and my lungs want to burst. i had a good start, but i didn't start feeling good until about 15 minutes to go when i moved from 9th to 5th in about 4 laps. if i can hold on for 40 minutes, that is when most people snap and the enduro freak in me kicks in and i start motoring. i was just too far back this race.
had it been another hour long, i may just of won.
paul martin won.
in other news, nat ross ended up 2nd and sloane anderson was 6th at moab. cameron was back at 14th. looked to be an epic solo class with something like 50 riders? kind of bummed that i missed out on this race. next year, you will see me out there. location, location, location. moab is the just the meca of 24 hour races.
that's it, short post tonight. i may just get to sleep before 11. yipee!
sologoat out.
10.16.05 - quick update
hey all..
sorry for the lack of posts, been trying to catch up on things this week.
race resume and such will be worked on next week, going out by the end of the month.
cross race today, will be leaving shortly. legs are beat down, but i am going anyway. should be fun.
24 hours of moab - nat is currently in 2nd, sloane is in 5th and cameron is way back in tenth. looks like cameron is not having a good day.
my two frames - no word on them yet. will be ordering up some parts next week for them. think i am going to with alpha q forks for the both of them, and also just run 9 speed on them too. it's a little cheaper and then i can also swap parts between the two if i need to.
that's about it - gotta run. cross bikes need a little TLC before i head out.
sologoat out.
sorry for the lack of posts, been trying to catch up on things this week.
race resume and such will be worked on next week, going out by the end of the month.
cross race today, will be leaving shortly. legs are beat down, but i am going anyway. should be fun.
24 hours of moab - nat is currently in 2nd, sloane is in 5th and cameron is way back in tenth. looks like cameron is not having a good day.
my two frames - no word on them yet. will be ordering up some parts next week for them. think i am going to with alpha q forks for the both of them, and also just run 9 speed on them too. it's a little cheaper and then i can also swap parts between the two if i need to.
that's about it - gotta run. cross bikes need a little TLC before i head out.
sologoat out.
10.12.2005
10.12.05 - a few more comments b 4 sleepy time
hey all - just a few random thoughts before i crash out.
just wanted to say thanks to all those who were at conyers who gave a shout out to me during the race - i honestly wanted to thank all of you when it came time for speech time after the race, but i was so out of it that i was having a pretty hard time forming any time of sentence. seemed like a thousand people were cheering me on during that race and if you were one of them, thanks!
pit crew - dan, dad and jennifer. couldn't of done it without you guys. seriously, a good pit crew can save you minutes every lap. compound that by 25 laps - and that is A LOT of time. hats off to them and every member of both crews this year.
sponsors, yep, you know who you are. i'll be giving the shout out soon on you guys, and expect a little write up this week on some of my hammer gel secrets.
in other news...
working on my race resume and proposals, will get them out the door by the end of the month. got an email already from crank brothers, so that is cool. they have some new pedals coming out next year. not much has changed for the cross country guys (spring is now anodized) but they have some new platform pedals for you guys who like to jump their bikes. how silly.
cross season is coming up - guys and gals, i know it is late in the season. i know you are tired. i know you want to sleep in and drink coffee and watch football on sunday. i know you have a fantasy football team and you must keep up on your team points. and i know you are totally sucked into the abis of ebay and that auction that you have been watching and is ending in the next 23 minutes and 24.65 seconds.
get out and race cross and support your local race organizers. the races are fun, they are short, and racing in knickers in the snow is really fun.
with that...
sologoat out.
just wanted to say thanks to all those who were at conyers who gave a shout out to me during the race - i honestly wanted to thank all of you when it came time for speech time after the race, but i was so out of it that i was having a pretty hard time forming any time of sentence. seemed like a thousand people were cheering me on during that race and if you were one of them, thanks!
pit crew - dan, dad and jennifer. couldn't of done it without you guys. seriously, a good pit crew can save you minutes every lap. compound that by 25 laps - and that is A LOT of time. hats off to them and every member of both crews this year.
sponsors, yep, you know who you are. i'll be giving the shout out soon on you guys, and expect a little write up this week on some of my hammer gel secrets.
in other news...
working on my race resume and proposals, will get them out the door by the end of the month. got an email already from crank brothers, so that is cool. they have some new pedals coming out next year. not much has changed for the cross country guys (spring is now anodized) but they have some new platform pedals for you guys who like to jump their bikes. how silly.
cross season is coming up - guys and gals, i know it is late in the season. i know you are tired. i know you want to sleep in and drink coffee and watch football on sunday. i know you have a fantasy football team and you must keep up on your team points. and i know you are totally sucked into the abis of ebay and that auction that you have been watching and is ending in the next 23 minutes and 24.65 seconds.
get out and race cross and support your local race organizers. the races are fun, they are short, and racing in knickers in the snow is really fun.
with that...
sologoat out.
10.12.05 - 24 Hours of Georgia (long write up)
here it is, the much anticipated long version.... enjoy.
10.06 - Travel day to Georgia.
Two short flights this day, but a one hour delay in Washington doubled with another one hour wait in the plane made for one unhappy camper. Good thing they foiled the mutiny on the plane by serving us water.
Got to the hotel and got one bike together and got a spin in for about an hour. My legs and body have been feeling tired for over two weeks. Worlds and Interbike really beat me down and I was starting to worry that I was a little fatigued during my spin in the dark.
10.07 - A ride in the rain.
Rain was the menu for today and we got several helpings. With temperatures in the high 60's to lower 70's, this somewhat unphased me because of the low 50's and heavy rain we saw a few weeks ago at Whistler. 65'ish? Jeez, that was balmy.
I waited until the rain lessened to a drizzle and went out for a ride on the course. It was a basic figure eight course that started right in front of the hotel we were staying at.
The first of the figure eight's was less grueling than the second. This was filled with lots of fun/fast single track, super short and steep climbs, switch backs all over the place. Nothing too bad, but the tendency of all the climbs were that you came into them with absolutely no speed. Flying down a section at twenty miles an hour you would come up on a sharp turn that would scrubs off all your speed and then shoot you straight up a climb.
Second section was a ton of rock. Imagine riding on a huge rock that is bumpy and unforgiving and throw in some silly drop offs. One rider told me that the 24 Hour course at Moab had a ton of this stuff too. Up and down on the rocks. Seemed like (on this section in general) that whenever you went up, you went down. And the single track on this side was much tighter.
Still feeling tired, I opted out of the travel to pick up Dan the Man and Jennifer and had my dad go solo. During my trip to Whistler in 2004, I went with my dad to pick up Dan and it turned into a nightmare. On the trip back the road was closed - completely. Yep, construction crews had the road shut completely down for something like 3-4 hours. Totally sucked. So, feeling the need to rest, I stayed at the hotel and slept.
10.08
MORNING
Woke up and got the free breakfast at the hotel. Legs were feeling good, pit crew (Dan, Dad and Jennifer) were busy getting things together after breakfast. We went over my magic potions that would get me through the upcoming 24 hours which consisted of mostly Hammer Gel products, Coke, Red Bull and two cans of Campbell Chicken Soup. Yummy.
Clothes packed and sorted, bikes checked, everything seemed in order. Signed in and talked to Rob Lichenwalter for a bit - I race against him a lot. He was actually surprised to see me at Georgia, he said he thought I was going so good that I would be going to Moab. Rob is a good guy and it would end up about 22 hours later that I would ride my last two laps with him.
NOON
Line up for what I believe was about a 200 mile run before we got our bikes. Seriously, this was by far the longest run to the bike I have ever done and it had to be at least a 3-4 minute run from my recollection. Had a really bad run, but got on the bikes and sprinted past most of the riders that had passed by me in the run. It is critical to get in front of slower riders before the trail gets into singletrack. Otherwise, they stand a good chance of slowing you down and letting other riders you catch up to you.
Laps 1-5
Lap times were blazing fast and my heart rate was screaming. At one point I looked down and saw my heart rate at 192, average was at 182. I can hold a 185'ish average if need be, but this was a little too high for my comfort. This course was grueling and it was going to be hard on the body, and temperature was getting warm. Or at least very warm for this Ohio'ian, as I was sweating like a maniac and had several little twinges of cramps. Luckily, I had some Hammer Endurolyte tables packed with me and I downed 3 of them every time it happened. I took this super dose two more times during the first 10 hours.
Eddie O was flying, I caught up to him around the 5th lap, then passed him, but was having a hard time loosing him in the fast single track. He seemed to know the perfect lines. (I didn't know until after the race that he had raced this course before and that he is somewhat local to it) and when I was trying to follow him, I washed out and went down really hard and bent my rear hanger. Derailler was OK, so I reached into my saddle bag for my spare hanger, installed it and continued on.
Fifteen minutes later, I flat. This actually was somewhat a good thing as it gave me a break - the heat was hard on me and I really didn't feel good. Most races, I get into my "race zone" with a couple of hours after the start. This is the point where I sort of feel out of my body and I am just concentrating on going as fast as I can. Pain is pumping through me, but I seem to feed off of it and go harder. At this point, I was in a "I feel like hell" zone and was having a hard time wanting to put myself through more pain.
Laps 5-10
Temperatures start dropping, and my spirits start lifting as I was picking riders off one by one. My goal was to hopefully lap everybody by nightfall, or shortly thereafter.
As nightfall came, Dan put on the lights and I put on some dry clothes and had some Chicken Soup even though I was literally eye sight distance behind lapping Eddie. Dan and Dad got me through the pit stop super fast and when I got back on the trail, Eddie was just in front of me. Eddie was still riding the technical really fast, but he looked pretty tired on the climbs. I rode behind him for a long time and towards the end of lap (I think this was about the 8th lap) there was a really tough climb that some riders couldn't make, so they had to walk the last 20 feet or so. When he got off his bike, I made my pass. Good guy, though I really don't know him very well. And his support crew was cool too - they even cheered me along several times during the race. Hats off to him and the Kona boys.
Laps 11-15
The dreaded night. Well, this felt like my best night riding I have ever done in my life. The big thing with 24 hour races is that when the night sets in, lap times go up because your vision is drastically cut down (dah). So with that in mind, one of my goals is to literally memorize the course in my head so that when I am riding at night, I know every little rock and root that can take me down during the night. (This tip I picked up on in an old interview Tinker Juarez that I read years back).
Well, I must of memorized every pebble on that course because I was riding at high speeds and never went down. I was loving my Lights & Motion Lithium Ion battery setup too, a lot of light with not a lot of weight. I think I made up a lot of time on a lot of riders as I think I ended up lapping the field again during the night.
Laps 16-20
Daylight comes and the lights go off, along with my sweaty clothes I was wearing during the night. This would be my last clothes change. I was still going at 100% race pace as I was feeling really good and was somewhat thinking of Mark Hendershot's 25 laps on the course last year. I was offhand thinking of going for 26 laps so I could joke with him next year about beating his course record.
Good thing is, temperatures stayed cool for the rest of the race. When it is in the 60's, it is the best for me as I do not have to worry so much about dehydration and it also provides a little more fuel in the fire to keep my tempo high so that I will stay warm as I tend to dress pretty light. Sounds odd, but it works for me.
Laps 20-25.
At this point, I am starting to get a little out of it. Riding, I am fine. Whenever I get off the bike and my feet touch the ground, I feel a little dizzy. And the bottom of my feet feel like they are on fire (I guess this was because I was climbing a lot out of the saddle and was pushing down really hard on the pedals).
I start having dreams of ice cold Coca-Cola and tell Jennifer to get me some for my next two laps. For the entire 23rd lap all I could think about was an ice cold Coke. It was going to be like heaven, I just knew it. For some reason at this point, I was still in my "race zone" and going hard. Towards the end of the this lap, I went down really hard on a bridge. I go flying and so does my bike. Bike is OK, I am bleeding and I get a wake up call to slow down and play it safe.
I log my 23rd lap, and plan on stopping at my tent to pick up my fresh water bottle and Coke. Just as I look up, Rob L was telling my pit crew that if I keep on with the pace that I was on, that I would pass him a third time. They all laughed and pointed to me about 15 feet behind him.
So, I ride the next two laps with Rob. Nice guy. He is from Pennsylvania and this was really the first conversation I ever really had with him. We were both pretty beat at this point, so riding with him was a nice change of pace. I normally don't like talking during a race, especially when I am going hard, but conversation was taking my mind off of the pain.
We log my 24th lap, and Rob's 21rst lap and find out that Eddie is close behind and turning one hour fifteen minute laps. Not much difference to me, but Rob my have to go out again after this next lap. Dan the Man tells us that he will give Rob split times at a point right before the start/finish line to tell Rob whether or not he has to go out again. I down another Coke and grab a bottle of Heed. Rob downs a vegan donut.
We talked constantly the previous lap, but we don't talk as much this lap. I kept the pace somewhat moderate as I just wanted to get the lap done as safe and as fast as we could.
We get out of the last section of woods and Dan tells that Rob is done.
I ask Rob if he wants to sprint to the finish line and he agrees. We pick a spot to start our sprint and let loose, but it pretty much ends up a tie. I end up with 25 laps and Rob finishes in second with 22 laps. We were both happy to be finishing at around 23 hours and 40 minutes.
10.06 - Travel day to Georgia.
Two short flights this day, but a one hour delay in Washington doubled with another one hour wait in the plane made for one unhappy camper. Good thing they foiled the mutiny on the plane by serving us water.
Got to the hotel and got one bike together and got a spin in for about an hour. My legs and body have been feeling tired for over two weeks. Worlds and Interbike really beat me down and I was starting to worry that I was a little fatigued during my spin in the dark.
10.07 - A ride in the rain.
Rain was the menu for today and we got several helpings. With temperatures in the high 60's to lower 70's, this somewhat unphased me because of the low 50's and heavy rain we saw a few weeks ago at Whistler. 65'ish? Jeez, that was balmy.
I waited until the rain lessened to a drizzle and went out for a ride on the course. It was a basic figure eight course that started right in front of the hotel we were staying at.
The first of the figure eight's was less grueling than the second. This was filled with lots of fun/fast single track, super short and steep climbs, switch backs all over the place. Nothing too bad, but the tendency of all the climbs were that you came into them with absolutely no speed. Flying down a section at twenty miles an hour you would come up on a sharp turn that would scrubs off all your speed and then shoot you straight up a climb.
Second section was a ton of rock. Imagine riding on a huge rock that is bumpy and unforgiving and throw in some silly drop offs. One rider told me that the 24 Hour course at Moab had a ton of this stuff too. Up and down on the rocks. Seemed like (on this section in general) that whenever you went up, you went down. And the single track on this side was much tighter.
Still feeling tired, I opted out of the travel to pick up Dan the Man and Jennifer and had my dad go solo. During my trip to Whistler in 2004, I went with my dad to pick up Dan and it turned into a nightmare. On the trip back the road was closed - completely. Yep, construction crews had the road shut completely down for something like 3-4 hours. Totally sucked. So, feeling the need to rest, I stayed at the hotel and slept.
10.08
MORNING
Woke up and got the free breakfast at the hotel. Legs were feeling good, pit crew (Dan, Dad and Jennifer) were busy getting things together after breakfast. We went over my magic potions that would get me through the upcoming 24 hours which consisted of mostly Hammer Gel products, Coke, Red Bull and two cans of Campbell Chicken Soup. Yummy.
Clothes packed and sorted, bikes checked, everything seemed in order. Signed in and talked to Rob Lichenwalter for a bit - I race against him a lot. He was actually surprised to see me at Georgia, he said he thought I was going so good that I would be going to Moab. Rob is a good guy and it would end up about 22 hours later that I would ride my last two laps with him.
NOON
Line up for what I believe was about a 200 mile run before we got our bikes. Seriously, this was by far the longest run to the bike I have ever done and it had to be at least a 3-4 minute run from my recollection. Had a really bad run, but got on the bikes and sprinted past most of the riders that had passed by me in the run. It is critical to get in front of slower riders before the trail gets into singletrack. Otherwise, they stand a good chance of slowing you down and letting other riders you catch up to you.
Laps 1-5
Lap times were blazing fast and my heart rate was screaming. At one point I looked down and saw my heart rate at 192, average was at 182. I can hold a 185'ish average if need be, but this was a little too high for my comfort. This course was grueling and it was going to be hard on the body, and temperature was getting warm. Or at least very warm for this Ohio'ian, as I was sweating like a maniac and had several little twinges of cramps. Luckily, I had some Hammer Endurolyte tables packed with me and I downed 3 of them every time it happened. I took this super dose two more times during the first 10 hours.
Eddie O was flying, I caught up to him around the 5th lap, then passed him, but was having a hard time loosing him in the fast single track. He seemed to know the perfect lines. (I didn't know until after the race that he had raced this course before and that he is somewhat local to it) and when I was trying to follow him, I washed out and went down really hard and bent my rear hanger. Derailler was OK, so I reached into my saddle bag for my spare hanger, installed it and continued on.
Fifteen minutes later, I flat. This actually was somewhat a good thing as it gave me a break - the heat was hard on me and I really didn't feel good. Most races, I get into my "race zone" with a couple of hours after the start. This is the point where I sort of feel out of my body and I am just concentrating on going as fast as I can. Pain is pumping through me, but I seem to feed off of it and go harder. At this point, I was in a "I feel like hell" zone and was having a hard time wanting to put myself through more pain.
Laps 5-10
Temperatures start dropping, and my spirits start lifting as I was picking riders off one by one. My goal was to hopefully lap everybody by nightfall, or shortly thereafter.
As nightfall came, Dan put on the lights and I put on some dry clothes and had some Chicken Soup even though I was literally eye sight distance behind lapping Eddie. Dan and Dad got me through the pit stop super fast and when I got back on the trail, Eddie was just in front of me. Eddie was still riding the technical really fast, but he looked pretty tired on the climbs. I rode behind him for a long time and towards the end of lap (I think this was about the 8th lap) there was a really tough climb that some riders couldn't make, so they had to walk the last 20 feet or so. When he got off his bike, I made my pass. Good guy, though I really don't know him very well. And his support crew was cool too - they even cheered me along several times during the race. Hats off to him and the Kona boys.
Laps 11-15
The dreaded night. Well, this felt like my best night riding I have ever done in my life. The big thing with 24 hour races is that when the night sets in, lap times go up because your vision is drastically cut down (dah). So with that in mind, one of my goals is to literally memorize the course in my head so that when I am riding at night, I know every little rock and root that can take me down during the night. (This tip I picked up on in an old interview Tinker Juarez that I read years back).
Well, I must of memorized every pebble on that course because I was riding at high speeds and never went down. I was loving my Lights & Motion Lithium Ion battery setup too, a lot of light with not a lot of weight. I think I made up a lot of time on a lot of riders as I think I ended up lapping the field again during the night.
Laps 16-20
Daylight comes and the lights go off, along with my sweaty clothes I was wearing during the night. This would be my last clothes change. I was still going at 100% race pace as I was feeling really good and was somewhat thinking of Mark Hendershot's 25 laps on the course last year. I was offhand thinking of going for 26 laps so I could joke with him next year about beating his course record.
Good thing is, temperatures stayed cool for the rest of the race. When it is in the 60's, it is the best for me as I do not have to worry so much about dehydration and it also provides a little more fuel in the fire to keep my tempo high so that I will stay warm as I tend to dress pretty light. Sounds odd, but it works for me.
Laps 20-25.
At this point, I am starting to get a little out of it. Riding, I am fine. Whenever I get off the bike and my feet touch the ground, I feel a little dizzy. And the bottom of my feet feel like they are on fire (I guess this was because I was climbing a lot out of the saddle and was pushing down really hard on the pedals).
I start having dreams of ice cold Coca-Cola and tell Jennifer to get me some for my next two laps. For the entire 23rd lap all I could think about was an ice cold Coke. It was going to be like heaven, I just knew it. For some reason at this point, I was still in my "race zone" and going hard. Towards the end of the this lap, I went down really hard on a bridge. I go flying and so does my bike. Bike is OK, I am bleeding and I get a wake up call to slow down and play it safe.
I log my 23rd lap, and plan on stopping at my tent to pick up my fresh water bottle and Coke. Just as I look up, Rob L was telling my pit crew that if I keep on with the pace that I was on, that I would pass him a third time. They all laughed and pointed to me about 15 feet behind him.
So, I ride the next two laps with Rob. Nice guy. He is from Pennsylvania and this was really the first conversation I ever really had with him. We were both pretty beat at this point, so riding with him was a nice change of pace. I normally don't like talking during a race, especially when I am going hard, but conversation was taking my mind off of the pain.
We log my 24th lap, and Rob's 21rst lap and find out that Eddie is close behind and turning one hour fifteen minute laps. Not much difference to me, but Rob my have to go out again after this next lap. Dan the Man tells us that he will give Rob split times at a point right before the start/finish line to tell Rob whether or not he has to go out again. I down another Coke and grab a bottle of Heed. Rob downs a vegan donut.
We talked constantly the previous lap, but we don't talk as much this lap. I kept the pace somewhat moderate as I just wanted to get the lap done as safe and as fast as we could.
We get out of the last section of woods and Dan tells that Rob is done.
I ask Rob if he wants to sprint to the finish line and he agrees. We pick a spot to start our sprint and let loose, but it pretty much ends up a tie. I end up with 25 laps and Rob finishes in second with 22 laps. We were both happy to be finishing at around 23 hours and 40 minutes.
10.12.05 - long race post up tonight
the "maid" (otherwise known as myself) got sucked into cleaning/putting away stuff, then ended up eating a burrito, drinking a few beers and again watching the movie "garden state." i absolutely loved that movie. seriously, i think that movies should not always end with an absolute "things are going to turn out OK" kind of ending. it's just too fake. but, i am just a movie snob, so what do i know... anyhoo...
race update on conyers tonight - 95% certainty.
some race pics from georgia - HERE OR
HERE. the guy who took these is a local georgia photographer. not a ton of pics, but he did some nice work. his name is Andrew Kornylak. really cool pic of rob and i on there that was taken on what i believe was our last lap.
heading to milwaukee the end of the month for a week of work related training. looking for some good places to ride - cross, mountain, road, whatever. if anybody is from around there, give me a shout out.
that's it - gotta run. microsoft on-line courses await me today.
sologoat out.
race update on conyers tonight - 95% certainty.
some race pics from georgia - HERE OR
HERE. the guy who took these is a local georgia photographer. not a ton of pics, but he did some nice work. his name is Andrew Kornylak. really cool pic of rob and i on there that was taken on what i believe was our last lap.
heading to milwaukee the end of the month for a week of work related training. looking for some good places to ride - cross, mountain, road, whatever. if anybody is from around there, give me a shout out.
that's it - gotta run. microsoft on-line courses await me today.
sologoat out.
10.11.2005
10.11.05 - quick shout out to my peeps
hey all - back in ohio as of 1am last night. quick update, then i gotta go.
long race recap - working on it tonight, hopefully posted tonight too.
more race pics - are coming.. within the next couple o' days.
cross race in cleveland - brett davis and the guys at snakebite racing are putting on a cross race. check it out HERE. Race is sunday, but riding and camping is going on saturday. yummy beer might be there.
thanks - to all those sending me congrat's on last weekend races. anybody with some race pics or wanting to email me, do so here: solo_goatatyahoo.com. (replace "at" with "@"!!!!)
body - no numb fingers this race, ya! and i don't have huge ankles this time.
pit crew at conyers - dan the man, dad and jennifer. thanks for putting up with my nonsense and getting me through it. hats off to you guys, i couldn't of done it without you.
speedgoat pals - i like your asylum bikes. a lot. they go fast. and three other riders were riding them at conyers. if you were one of them, speak out now or forever hold the truth! 29ers rule!
tifosi - Q2's are the way to go. Q3's - can't wait to use them.
light & motion - my arc lithium ion lighted the night and i honestly believe let me ride my fastet night laps ever.
wow, gotta run.
more tonight.
sologoat out.
long race recap - working on it tonight, hopefully posted tonight too.
more race pics - are coming.. within the next couple o' days.
cross race in cleveland - brett davis and the guys at snakebite racing are putting on a cross race. check it out HERE. Race is sunday, but riding and camping is going on saturday. yummy beer might be there.
thanks - to all those sending me congrat's on last weekend races. anybody with some race pics or wanting to email me, do so here: solo_goatatyahoo.com. (replace "at" with "@"!!!!)
body - no numb fingers this race, ya! and i don't have huge ankles this time.
pit crew at conyers - dan the man, dad and jennifer. thanks for putting up with my nonsense and getting me through it. hats off to you guys, i couldn't of done it without you.
speedgoat pals - i like your asylum bikes. a lot. they go fast. and three other riders were riding them at conyers. if you were one of them, speak out now or forever hold the truth! 29ers rule!
tifosi - Q2's are the way to go. Q3's - can't wait to use them.
light & motion - my arc lithium ion lighted the night and i honestly believe let me ride my fastet night laps ever.
wow, gotta run.
more tonight.
sologoat out.
10.10.2005
10.10.05 - Conyers pic 04
10.10.05 - Conyers pic 04
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
on the podium giving a shout out to my peeps. oh, i mean my sponsors.
mucho thanks to speedgoat.com and asylum bicycles this year - and espeically dan the man (main mechanic at the 'goat) who got me out of many a jam.
10.10.05 - Conyers pic 03
10.10.05 - Conyers pic 03
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
finishing with rob l from pennsylvania. funny how i do these races all over and i keep on racing against guys from OH/PA.
i rode the last two laps with rob and then we sprinted to the finish line.
10.10.05 - Conyers pic 02
10.10.05 - Conyers pic 02
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
finishing with rob l from pennsylvania. funny how i do these races all over and i keep on racing against guys from OH/PA.
i rode the last two laps with rob and then we sprinted to the finish line.
10.10.05 - Conyers pic 01
10.10.05 - Conyers pic 01
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
hangin' with flat sally in the hotel before the race start.
looking like a million bucks here - not so after the race.
10.10.05 - Conyers 24 Recap - super short version
super short as i have to do a little work in the atlanta airport this morning. seems my expense report is about 10 days late...
i said super short, so here is super short:
1. ernesto marenchin (alias/alter ego - sologoat) with 25 laps
2. rob lichenwalter - with 22 laps
3. eddie o - with 21 laps
went out fast, eddie was flying and i was trying to catch him. went down hard, bent a derailler hanger, but got it fixed only to get a flat 2 miles later. that was the end of the bad luck.
tough race, tough course that beat me up pretty good. the iron cross race is pretty much out for me unless i am somehow bribed. or given free entry, one of the two.. ha, ha...
gotta run - more later. pics hopefully up within the next day or two - dad got some killer race pics.
sologoat out.
i said super short, so here is super short:
1. ernesto marenchin (alias/alter ego - sologoat) with 25 laps
2. rob lichenwalter - with 22 laps
3. eddie o - with 21 laps
went out fast, eddie was flying and i was trying to catch him. went down hard, bent a derailler hanger, but got it fixed only to get a flat 2 miles later. that was the end of the bad luck.
tough race, tough course that beat me up pretty good. the iron cross race is pretty much out for me unless i am somehow bribed. or given free entry, one of the two.. ha, ha...
gotta run - more later. pics hopefully up within the next day or two - dad got some killer race pics.
sologoat out.
10.07.2005
10.07.05 - georgia post 4
last post before the race.
dan and jen's flight was late - jennifer is now just getting in about 2 hours late. no problem, at least they got here.
tomorrow/sunday will be all business, dan will get into action early in the morning setting up the tent n such. we are running light for this race as we all just brought enough stuff to get us through the weekend.
got signed up earlier. looks like we have about 23 riders and i think there are only a few women. noticed a few names - eddie o, bob anderson from some of the races i do up north. no big guns here or at least i don't recognize the names. this weekend is going to be pure survival of the fitest. should be a good test for us all.
that's it - time to rest.
next update - probably not sunday, more realistically monday.
intersting update though - just found out some bell south people are here from new orleans. they will be here until january.
gotta restup - sologoat out
dan and jen's flight was late - jennifer is now just getting in about 2 hours late. no problem, at least they got here.
tomorrow/sunday will be all business, dan will get into action early in the morning setting up the tent n such. we are running light for this race as we all just brought enough stuff to get us through the weekend.
got signed up earlier. looks like we have about 23 riders and i think there are only a few women. noticed a few names - eddie o, bob anderson from some of the races i do up north. no big guns here or at least i don't recognize the names. this weekend is going to be pure survival of the fitest. should be a good test for us all.
that's it - time to rest.
next update - probably not sunday, more realistically monday.
intersting update though - just found out some bell south people are here from new orleans. they will be here until january.
gotta restup - sologoat out
10.07.05 - georgia post #3
well, the free wireless in the hotel keeps on shutting the man ernesto down. appears i am using too much bandwidth uploading my pics to the flickr website. whatz up with dat?
guess hendershot only lapped the field twice here last year - apologies to everybody out there.
course is fun, twisty, turny. soil is super hard packed. mud in a few sections, soft sand in a few more. i even saw a few rocks today. yikes.
reminds me a lot of the terrain i saw up in canada this year, in a town called coolingwood (appologies if my spelling is incorrect) except that it has a few more short and steep kind of climbs and the soil is more gritty/sandy and feels like it is a better grip. it looks slick, but it is not. rocks are actually more slippery. hmmm..
saw an asylum today - first one i have seen at a race. guess the guy read about it on some of the forums and read up on it at the speedgoat website. kind of cool to see. he was on a team and had two other 29er's with him - one was called a vulture and had a super cool paint job.
dan/jennifer - both have flight delays. seems the delay i had yesterday is still in effect due to that storm off the florida coast. no worries - supposed to clear out later today.
gotta run - maybe one more post tonight if i get bored. dad is picking up jennifer/dan as i cannot afford to be sitting around at the airport forever. two years ago, i went with my dad to pick up dan when we were at the whistler race. big mistake as the road back was closed down COMPLETELY on the way back and we had to wait for about 4 hours on the road in the middle of the night. way sucked. guess the locals complained - and that is why this year, the most they could close a road completely down for was just 30 minutes.
anyhoo....
more later.
sologoat out.
guess hendershot only lapped the field twice here last year - apologies to everybody out there.
course is fun, twisty, turny. soil is super hard packed. mud in a few sections, soft sand in a few more. i even saw a few rocks today. yikes.
reminds me a lot of the terrain i saw up in canada this year, in a town called coolingwood (appologies if my spelling is incorrect) except that it has a few more short and steep kind of climbs and the soil is more gritty/sandy and feels like it is a better grip. it looks slick, but it is not. rocks are actually more slippery. hmmm..
saw an asylum today - first one i have seen at a race. guess the guy read about it on some of the forums and read up on it at the speedgoat website. kind of cool to see. he was on a team and had two other 29er's with him - one was called a vulture and had a super cool paint job.
dan/jennifer - both have flight delays. seems the delay i had yesterday is still in effect due to that storm off the florida coast. no worries - supposed to clear out later today.
gotta run - maybe one more post tonight if i get bored. dad is picking up jennifer/dan as i cannot afford to be sitting around at the airport forever. two years ago, i went with my dad to pick up dan when we were at the whistler race. big mistake as the road back was closed down COMPLETELY on the way back and we had to wait for about 4 hours on the road in the middle of the night. way sucked. guess the locals complained - and that is why this year, the most they could close a road completely down for was just 30 minutes.
anyhoo....
more later.
sologoat out.
10.07.05 - georgia post #2 - pic05
10.07.05 - georgia post #2 - pic05
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
me back at the hotel. this is a picture of how excited i am to race here.
this is also a shot of how i will feel when i can sleep past nine AM on saturdays starting next weekend - something i haven't done since last january.
10.07.05 - georgia post #2 - pic04
10.07.05 - georgia post #2 - pic04
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
this is the pit area about 4'ish. since then, a lot more guys have come in, but from the looks of it, i was the first to set up a tent in the solo area.
10.07.05 - georgia post #2 - pic03
10.07.05 - georgia post #2 - pic03
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
this is the start of the second section of the figure 8 loop.
some sections on this are kind of sketchy. the rock itself is really grippy, but if you get into the wet leaves or pine needles, you are a gonner.
one section in particular, is downhill, offcamber and has a turn in it that shoots directly uphill and is covered in wet pine needles and has a few little drops in it.
un-rideable. and stupid. if you are riding this course over the next two days, i wouldn't chance it.
and overall, if you go down anywhere on this course it is going to hurt real bad - the dirt is packed super hard. and the rocks - they are really hard too.
10.07.05 - georgia post #2 - pic02
10.07.05 - georgia post #2 - pic02
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
this is a shot of the first section of single track. hard packed stuff, but it is really gritty.
temps are warm, not bad. some mud but not much, roots are here and there, but nothing too bad.
10.07.05 - georgia post #2 - pic01
10.07.05 - georgia post #2 - pic01
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
sologoat and dad at the local walmart. some fruitcake guy was passing out some free knives. we checked out the knives and left - the knives were super small and the guy was really annoying.
10.07.05 - georgia post #1
10.07.05 - georgia post #1
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
this is the view out of the hotel which is righ across from the venue.
if you look carefully, to the left you can actually make out some tape that marks out the course. and if you look in the field, in the middle of the picture, you can see a couple of small tents enjoying the rain.
was lightly raining last night and continued through the morning. right now, it is coming down pretty steady but their is two good things about this rain.
1. the temperture is at least 10 degrees warmer then it was at whistler.
2. looks like it might be clearing out. i hope.
i just want it to clear enough to get a ride in without getting totally soaked. i think that is pretty wishful thinking at this point.
10.06.2005
10.06.05 - in georgia
after a never ending layover in washington, arrived in georgia about 3'ish hours later then i wanted to. got a short ride in and from what i can tell, looks like it rained a little bit today.
looks a little wet around here, soil reminds me of the same type of soil i have raced on near the grand rapids area in michigan.
temps should be in the low 60's and high 80's come race weekend. it is drizzling here, but i can tell you that it is not near the coldness of whistler. it is easily ten degrees warmer, at least.
tomorrow, pre-ride the course. it's super short, so i'll do two laps - do a lap on each of the bikes. fast begining laps should be about 45 minutes'ish, night laps shoudl be around one hour 10'ish, then the morning laps should go back down to 1 hour. that's based on hendershot's last year laps - he lapped 2nd place 3 times, if i remember correctly.
gotta run. more tomorrow - thanks for the support for all those givin' me a shout out.
sologoat out.
looks a little wet around here, soil reminds me of the same type of soil i have raced on near the grand rapids area in michigan.
temps should be in the low 60's and high 80's come race weekend. it is drizzling here, but i can tell you that it is not near the coldness of whistler. it is easily ten degrees warmer, at least.
tomorrow, pre-ride the course. it's super short, so i'll do two laps - do a lap on each of the bikes. fast begining laps should be about 45 minutes'ish, night laps shoudl be around one hour 10'ish, then the morning laps should go back down to 1 hour. that's based on hendershot's last year laps - he lapped 2nd place 3 times, if i remember correctly.
gotta run. more tomorrow - thanks for the support for all those givin' me a shout out.
sologoat out.
10.05.2005
10.05.05 - flat sally and two asylums
10.05.05 - flat sally and two asylums
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
getting packed for georgia.
man, this packing stuff is for the birds, but sally was having fun.
10.05.05 - fuel for georgia
10.05.05 - fuel for georgia
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
here is my hammer gel magic.
note - perpetuem bottle actualy has a mix of sustained energy with a little bit o' heed.
10.03.2005
10.03.05 - a few more days until
i head out to georgia.
jeff kerkove heads out to japan.
i go crazy.
jeff is on a 17 hour flight.
sorry for the short posts (and lack of them!), but i am trying to get things organized for georgia, send some quick updates to sponsors, trying to find a tent for georgia because i am a dork and forgot about it, and a million other things.
cool thing is, jennifer is heading out to georgia with me, dan the man and my dad. should make things a little easier for all of us in georgia. looking forward to it, but then kind of bummed that the season is coming to an end. ah, but cross season is coming up.
speaking of which, sounds like moots is starting to build up my cross frame soon. i can't wait to get it - totally custom cross titatium moots. i hope it is done before the season starts.
and, have to check out the SPEEDGOAT.COM BLOG. more updates and posts are up. THE TIFOSI OPTICS REVIEW should be up tomorrow. pink glasses are now option. sweet.
that's it - gotta sleep.
a few more posts before georgia, then i am aboard another flight to atlanta and then down to the horse park to ride the old olympic course for 24 hours. should be a good time. as i said during my race at the snowshoe 24 hour race a few years back as one competitor asked me why i raced in the solo division, i said, "imagine the best ride you ever had on your bike, and imagine it lasting 24 hours."
with that...
sologoat out.
jeff kerkove heads out to japan.
i go crazy.
jeff is on a 17 hour flight.
sorry for the short posts (and lack of them!), but i am trying to get things organized for georgia, send some quick updates to sponsors, trying to find a tent for georgia because i am a dork and forgot about it, and a million other things.
cool thing is, jennifer is heading out to georgia with me, dan the man and my dad. should make things a little easier for all of us in georgia. looking forward to it, but then kind of bummed that the season is coming to an end. ah, but cross season is coming up.
speaking of which, sounds like moots is starting to build up my cross frame soon. i can't wait to get it - totally custom cross titatium moots. i hope it is done before the season starts.
and, have to check out the SPEEDGOAT.COM BLOG. more updates and posts are up. THE TIFOSI OPTICS REVIEW should be up tomorrow. pink glasses are now option. sweet.
that's it - gotta sleep.
a few more posts before georgia, then i am aboard another flight to atlanta and then down to the horse park to ride the old olympic course for 24 hours. should be a good time. as i said during my race at the snowshoe 24 hour race a few years back as one competitor asked me why i raced in the solo division, i said, "imagine the best ride you ever had on your bike, and imagine it lasting 24 hours."
with that...
sologoat out.
10.03.05 - Sram Girls at Vegas
10.03.05 - Sram Girls at Vegas
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
these are some of the SRAM girls that were cheering for me as they announced my entrance to interbike.
i literally had to beat them off me with some of my mad karate skillz.
10.02.2005
10.02.05 - short post
hey - sorry for the lack o' posts lately, still trying to get caught up from the vegas show. i have been posting like crazy on the 'goat blog but they probably won't update them until monday'ish so they are not up yet. until i get caught up with them, i won't be posting too much.
saw hendershot, kerkove and etzel at the show - cool. and i see cameron is singed up for moab. and hendershot is not coming to georgia. hmmm...
things looking cool for next year - got some ideas working in dan's brain to lighten up the fork. we'll see if it works soon.
georgia is coming up fast, need to get some rides in on the new wheels. i've done a few so far and they seem to be riding fast and true. can't wait to race.
gotta run - busy day. packing/unpacking, blogging, ebay packages to send out, going to see the folks.
jeez. i think i need a day off to recover from my vegas vacation.
gotta run-
sologoat out.
saw hendershot, kerkove and etzel at the show - cool. and i see cameron is singed up for moab. and hendershot is not coming to georgia. hmmm...
things looking cool for next year - got some ideas working in dan's brain to lighten up the fork. we'll see if it works soon.
georgia is coming up fast, need to get some rides in on the new wheels. i've done a few so far and they seem to be riding fast and true. can't wait to race.
gotta run - busy day. packing/unpacking, blogging, ebay packages to send out, going to see the folks.
jeez. i think i need a day off to recover from my vegas vacation.
gotta run-
sologoat out.
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