hey - just wanted to give a few updates and shout outs before the year end...
updates:
1. the session at ray's the other day was quite fun but beat me up a little bit. upper body really took a beating as i am not used to all that jumping around. thanks to chris/beth at the 'goat for letting me ride that sweet santa cruz jackal. wish you could see everybody's face that asked me about the bike when i replied, "oh, i don't really know about that part - the shop let me borrow this demo bike for the day." it was a pretty sweeeeeet bike - really like the bike.
2. seems like i got a little bit of a cold, so i don't think i will be riding out in the rain today. today is also the last day of any major intake of bad stuff for me - alcohol, soda, snack foods, etc - until after october of 2006. weight is not an issue for me right now, but it is a lot easier going into the season at lighter rather then heavier. (ideally, i should be around 135-140 pounds - race weight)
3. asylums - getting painted. think they are going to be blue. dan the man is fully in charge of getting them stripped down, painted and put back together. we are making some little changes to the components, but not that much. stay tuned for details.
4. asylums - next shipment is coming in soon from what i hear. get 'yer orders in quick as i am sure they will be taken really fast. we've had a ton of people asking about them, so i wouldn't wait around if you really want one. oh, and don't forget to a limited edition silver head badge when you order yours.
just wanted to give a quick shout out and year end thanks...
2005/2006 sponsors
speedgoat.com for all the parts and providing dan the man at the races, asylum for the super sweet 29er frames, tifosi for my optics, light & motion for my hella bright lights, hammer gel for all my food and supplements, and fsa for my bars/stem/cranks. schwalbe tires in 2006, for my tires.
other noteables
tom at wobblenaught: thanks mucho for the support and fits
jim at wobblenaught: good friend, fit expert, coach with mad skillz
dan at speedgoat: great friend and mechanic. thanks for putting up with my "yelling" oders during races and not flipping me the bird.
pit crew 1 and 2 consisting of my family and dan. thanks!
chris/beth at speedgoat for supporting my racing habits for the past 4'ish years, even when i was not racing that well.
everybody at the 'goat you know who you are. thanks for taking time out for some guy who doesn't even live in the same state. you guys rock.
fans of the goat: thanks for shouting words of encouragement during the races, the emails, the blog posts.
i'll have to say, it has been a pretty surreal racing season - and i am hoping to top it next year. roughly, i am looking to add a few more 24 hour races next year and get out to a few NORBA's, so it is going to be an exciting year.
with that, i gotta roll - coffee is brewing and i need to get a 2 hour roller ride in before tonights craziness begins.
hope you had a good 2005 - see you on the trails in 2006.
sologoat out
12.31.2005
12.29.2005
12.29.05 - rays mtb indoor park pic 002
12.29.05 - rays mtb indoor park pic 002
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
this is the expert section. got some crazy parts including a double teeter tooter, a section that you stop and then slide on (have to see it) - and that's just to name a few.
classic west coast gone crazy - but it is crazy fun.
12.29.05 - rays mtb indoor park pic 003
12.29.05 - rays mtb indoor park pic 003
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
this was some of the expert section. i tried riding it earlier in the day and was not doing so well as i was on one of the new santa cruz jackal's and i never ridden a jump bike before.
they also had a really fun rythmn section too, with crazy fast corners and speed bumps. think of a bmx course on cement and wood.
i was able to clear some of the sections later in the day, but was having way too much fun catching what air i could without getting myself freaked out.
it was actually fun and got me thinking that i may come here a few times a year just to brush up on skillz.
12.29.05 - rays mtb indoor park pic 001
12.29.05 - rays mtb indoor park pic 001
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
jeez, i need to get a new camera....
this is a section that i was actually catching some air on. three little table tops that lead into a huge banked turn that must be 10-15 feet high.
12.29.05 - speedgoat justin at rays
12.29.05 - speedgoat justin at rays
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
pic borrowed from mike over at the goat - he downloaded the pic onto the speedgoat blog via the wireless internet connection at rays.
don't have cool computer stuff? go to rays - they got an xbox, tv with cable right over the fireplace, and a computer to check your emails so you can "work" from rays.
'bout the only thing you'll be working on is your mad skillz, yo.
oh - and don't forget your jacket! it's cold inside!
12.28.2005
12.28.05 - wobblenaught fit 07
12.28.05 - wobblenaught fit 07
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
here is a good pic of the laser used to adjust the saddle, and to make sure everything is all ligned up.
12.28.05 - wobblenaught fit 06
12.28.05 - wobblenaught fit 06
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
ah, perfection! with this fit, we tried two different stems, and probably 4 or 5 different height adjustments on the stem to get it just perfect.
jim is very particular about his fits and his setup. during one ride with him a few years back, we stopped no less then 3 times to adjust his cleat on his pedal.
12.28.05 - wobblenaught fit 01
12.28.05 - wobblenaught fit 01
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
jim b from wobblenaught, switching out the stem. jim will adjust height, stem length and rise, and even the position of the bar in the clamp.
12.28.05 - french benefits
so, during the day i have this great plains consulting gig. it is a accounting software that i work with - i work for a reseller of the software. as a consultant, i come out, install the software, teach you how to use it, setup your data, design reports and integrations that allow other non-great plains software to "talk" to each other.... etc, etc.
my background is in accounting, and a few years back, i got my cpa. i am certified in Pennsylvania - and you need to get so many continuing education hours to remain certified. well..
i had to go get my 8 hours of required tax CPE today and as i waited until the last minute, i had basically no choice in the class i took because it was the only one in my area. so - i had to take this course on fringe benefits, which has very little to do with the type of work i do day to day (other than great plains has a payroll modules) --- but...
i couldn't get it out of my head today - that commercial on TV - i think it is for FED EX - where this guy is telling a co-worker that it's not "french benefits"..
guess you have to see it...
anyhooo.......
i see eddie-o has a nice write up on the 24 hours of conyers from last october on his blog. very nice write up. i believe he is attending jeff kerkove's trans iowa race in '06.
the boys from SPEEDGOAT.COM are invading ohio tomorrow. they are heading up to ray's indoor mountain bike park to do some crazy jumps. supposed to be a really cool place to ride - ramps, west coast style built all over. very cool.
what bike will i be riding there? i am taking my pink surly single speed (pics will be up soon of it), but the other bike will be a demo santa cruz jackal, like the one seen HERE. i haven't ridden one of these yet, but from what i hear, they are the bomb as far as jump bikes go.
jeremie, craig, justin and michael are all heading over - should be good times.
i'll have some shoots up tomorrow of it, time permitting.
nothing really new in the 24 hour/enduro news. adrenaline is going to be posting dates/info for the canadian series soon, along with some possible info on some changes they are making... hmmmm....
saw on mtbr.com that the wilderness 101 may change dates because of conflicts with 24 hour norba nationals. chris, please accomidate us east coast guys and change the dates! please, please, please!
other then that, been getting out to ride - weather here in ohio is wacky, it hit 50 today. had to ride in the rain for the last hour today, but that's OK - i just pretended that i was back in whistler and it was OK. hell, as long as i can ride outside this time of year i am happy.
that's it - gotta run. trying to get a ton of work done tonight/tomorrow morning so i can a vacation day on friday and a half day tomorrow.
ride to live - live to ride.
sologoat out.
my background is in accounting, and a few years back, i got my cpa. i am certified in Pennsylvania - and you need to get so many continuing education hours to remain certified. well..
i had to go get my 8 hours of required tax CPE today and as i waited until the last minute, i had basically no choice in the class i took because it was the only one in my area. so - i had to take this course on fringe benefits, which has very little to do with the type of work i do day to day (other than great plains has a payroll modules) --- but...
i couldn't get it out of my head today - that commercial on TV - i think it is for FED EX - where this guy is telling a co-worker that it's not "french benefits"..
guess you have to see it...
anyhooo.......
i see eddie-o has a nice write up on the 24 hours of conyers from last october on his blog. very nice write up. i believe he is attending jeff kerkove's trans iowa race in '06.
the boys from SPEEDGOAT.COM are invading ohio tomorrow. they are heading up to ray's indoor mountain bike park to do some crazy jumps. supposed to be a really cool place to ride - ramps, west coast style built all over. very cool.
what bike will i be riding there? i am taking my pink surly single speed (pics will be up soon of it), but the other bike will be a demo santa cruz jackal, like the one seen HERE. i haven't ridden one of these yet, but from what i hear, they are the bomb as far as jump bikes go.
jeremie, craig, justin and michael are all heading over - should be good times.
i'll have some shoots up tomorrow of it, time permitting.
nothing really new in the 24 hour/enduro news. adrenaline is going to be posting dates/info for the canadian series soon, along with some possible info on some changes they are making... hmmmm....
saw on mtbr.com that the wilderness 101 may change dates because of conflicts with 24 hour norba nationals. chris, please accomidate us east coast guys and change the dates! please, please, please!
other then that, been getting out to ride - weather here in ohio is wacky, it hit 50 today. had to ride in the rain for the last hour today, but that's OK - i just pretended that i was back in whistler and it was OK. hell, as long as i can ride outside this time of year i am happy.
that's it - gotta run. trying to get a ton of work done tonight/tomorrow morning so i can a vacation day on friday and a half day tomorrow.
ride to live - live to ride.
sologoat out.
12.25.2005
12.25.05 - merry bikemas pic 03
12.25.05 - merry bikemas pic 03
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
sologoat wearing jennifer's merry bikemas hello kitty hat.
hello kitty will be one of my main sponsors for next year and will be featured on my jersey and will be the main "theme" for my new pink asylums.
NOT.
happy holidays sologoat fans!
12.25.05 - merry bikemas pic 01
12.25.05 - merry bikemas pic 01
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
gift from sologoat's sister.
thanks to the folks over at grannygear.com for sending her over some of the old flyers from this year's 24 hours of big bear and last years 24 hours of snowshoe.
i won both of these events...
12.25.05 - merry bikemas pic 02
12.25.05 - merry bikemas pic 02
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
mootsy kitty with her new kitty bikemas gifts.
thanks to mootsy kitty, i was awakened at 4am this morning to open gifts and to play with kitty toys.
thanks mootsy!
12.24.2005
12.24.05 - xmas eve - pic 03
12.24.05 - xmas eve - pic 03
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
hiking in the local yocal trails near kent ohio.
this section o' trail has a ton of neat stuff to climb around in and to fall off of. watch your step!
12.24.05 - xmas eve - pic 01
12.24.05 - xmas eve - pic 01
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
the goat and a tree.
happy holidays sologoat fans!
12.24.05 - xmas eve - pic 02
12.24.05 - xmas eve - pic 02
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
hiking in the local yocal trails near kent ohio.
this section o' trail has a ton of neat stuff to climb around in and to fall off of. watch your step!
12.21.2005
12.21.05 - adrenaline series update
got this email today...
Dear Adrenalin Participants,
we are still waiting to finalize a couple of dates / locations and do not wish to hold off on Part 1 of our schedule. Sorry for the hold up but Part 2 should be ready in the next couple of days, plus a great deal more information on a number of fronts.
Part 1 of the 2006 24 Hours of Adrenalin Schedule
Hurkey Creek Park, Idyllwild, CA April 28th – 30th, 2006
Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA May 13th – 14th, 2006
Hurkey Creek Park, Idyllwild, CA September 15th – 17th, 2006
Conyers International Horse Park, Conyers, GA October 6th – 8th, 2006
team twenty4 sports
interestingly enough, i do NOT see anything about whistler/worlds - and i don't know any more detail about part 2 - but i am guessing that maybe worlds will not be at whistler? it's a wild guess that will surely start rumors a flyin' but worlds has been at whistler for years so i don't know why they woudln't announce it....
and word on some new fronts? hmmmm.... interesting.
that's it - gotta run. house stuff. and more house stuff. and more house stuff to do.
gotta run - sologoat out.
Dear Adrenalin Participants,
we are still waiting to finalize a couple of dates / locations and do not wish to hold off on Part 1 of our schedule. Sorry for the hold up but Part 2 should be ready in the next couple of days, plus a great deal more information on a number of fronts.
Part 1 of the 2006 24 Hours of Adrenalin Schedule
Hurkey Creek Park, Idyllwild, CA April 28th – 30th, 2006
Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA May 13th – 14th, 2006
Hurkey Creek Park, Idyllwild, CA September 15th – 17th, 2006
Conyers International Horse Park, Conyers, GA October 6th – 8th, 2006
team twenty4 sports
interestingly enough, i do NOT see anything about whistler/worlds - and i don't know any more detail about part 2 - but i am guessing that maybe worlds will not be at whistler? it's a wild guess that will surely start rumors a flyin' but worlds has been at whistler for years so i don't know why they woudln't announce it....
and word on some new fronts? hmmmm.... interesting.
that's it - gotta run. house stuff. and more house stuff. and more house stuff to do.
gotta run - sologoat out.
12.20.2005
12.20.05 - sologoat living room
12.20.05 - sologoat living room
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
here's a pic of the new casa.
hardwood floors cover the entire first floor, wood burning fireplace and someday...
a kitchen table.
12.20.05 - i m tired
hey all - quick update on the house. everything is moved from the old place and i have way too much stuff - things are in boxes everywhere and i can't seem to find anything. but - at least i am out of there. big excitement came last night when i ordered up a wireless network for the new casa.
cool thing too is that the house has one of those old school intercom systems with these old mod speakers all over the place - was thinking of keeping the mod looking speakers but hooking up a newer intercom system that has a cd player/radio in it. and, was thinking of maybe hooking up my old computer to it so i can have some streaming audio pumping techno.
biking news - not mucho going ono. guys from the shop are coming out ray's mountain bike park on the 29th. if you want to see the crew from the goat, stop on out - we'll be doing some photo's of the guys showing off their mad skillz.
might be going south soon - got an invite from mr. davis to go down to the 12 hours of razorback in florida. heaven knows the weather is going to be sooooooooooo much nicer down there in february. he'll be getting ready for transiowa, i'll be gearing up for the granny gear series and 24 hour nationals.
should be an interesting 2006 season.
and in other news - congrats on all y'all getting into transiowa. should be a fun event - jeff layed out the course real nice last year, so it will be interesting to see if the cross guys come out to play again.
gotta run - my old main computer died the other night and i am running late buying gifts for the holidays. crazy.
sologoat out.
cool thing too is that the house has one of those old school intercom systems with these old mod speakers all over the place - was thinking of keeping the mod looking speakers but hooking up a newer intercom system that has a cd player/radio in it. and, was thinking of maybe hooking up my old computer to it so i can have some streaming audio pumping techno.
biking news - not mucho going ono. guys from the shop are coming out ray's mountain bike park on the 29th. if you want to see the crew from the goat, stop on out - we'll be doing some photo's of the guys showing off their mad skillz.
might be going south soon - got an invite from mr. davis to go down to the 12 hours of razorback in florida. heaven knows the weather is going to be sooooooooooo much nicer down there in february. he'll be getting ready for transiowa, i'll be gearing up for the granny gear series and 24 hour nationals.
should be an interesting 2006 season.
and in other news - congrats on all y'all getting into transiowa. should be a fun event - jeff layed out the course real nice last year, so it will be interesting to see if the cross guys come out to play again.
gotta run - my old main computer died the other night and i am running late buying gifts for the holidays. crazy.
sologoat out.
12.16.2005
12.16.05 - update
hey all - well, after about the 100th trip back/from the old place, i am just about moved. things went well at first, and then i started realizing i have a ton of stuff and it's taking too long. totally sucks - i want it done.
heard from the guys over at SPEEDGOAT. we'll be doing a little photo shoot at a secret location in ohio later this month, should be cool.
not much news on the bikes for next year, but we have been discussing them off/on ever since worlds last year. probably switching stems/bars and doing some other top secret stuff to lighten them up, and then switching to the newer trigger sram lever on the right and the twist shift on the left. that setup seems to work the best for me, and i think it's just a tad lighter... but don't quote me on that...
JEFF KERKOVE has the start of registration for his race TRANSIOWA this coming saturday - limited to 70 wakco's who want to ride accross the state. UNASSISTED. good luck to all those attending - i am not attending due to some conflicts with race schedules, but i really like what he's doing with that event.
that's it - gotta sneak in a ride tonight before i make another run over to the old place. hopefully only 2 more trips!
oh - also, next week, i'll have some pics of my last wobblenaught fit up with some detail on how the fit works. exciting stuff.
heard from the guys over at SPEEDGOAT. we'll be doing a little photo shoot at a secret location in ohio later this month, should be cool.
not much news on the bikes for next year, but we have been discussing them off/on ever since worlds last year. probably switching stems/bars and doing some other top secret stuff to lighten them up, and then switching to the newer trigger sram lever on the right and the twist shift on the left. that setup seems to work the best for me, and i think it's just a tad lighter... but don't quote me on that...
JEFF KERKOVE has the start of registration for his race TRANSIOWA this coming saturday - limited to 70 wakco's who want to ride accross the state. UNASSISTED. good luck to all those attending - i am not attending due to some conflicts with race schedules, but i really like what he's doing with that event.
that's it - gotta sneak in a ride tonight before i make another run over to the old place. hopefully only 2 more trips!
oh - also, next week, i'll have some pics of my last wobblenaught fit up with some detail on how the fit works. exciting stuff.
12.16.05 - Jim Baldesare - Wobblenaught guru
12.16.05 - Jim Baldesare - Wobblenaught guru
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
coach, friend, bike fitter dude, jim baldesare.
jim has fitted up my race bikes for the past 3 seasons and has coached me since day 1 of me starting my serious enduro racing.
past former national crit champion and pro, jim is now racing as a cat 1 on the road and has well over 100 wobblenaught fits under his belt.
does jim know what he's doing? hmm. took an average inconsistant rider from an expert to a pro in three seasons.
12.14.2005
12.14.05 - super fast update
quick update -
1. house move almost complete
2. i have too much stuff
3. got my moots road bike fit completed
4. next bike to be fitted - my karate monkey
5. wobblenaught pics - to be up in the next day or two
6. number of christmas gifts bought to date - two
7. number of gifts i still need to buy - 7
gotta run - about to be late fer' work.
house is going good - hope to get some riding outside this week, weather permitting!
sologoat out.
1. house move almost complete
2. i have too much stuff
3. got my moots road bike fit completed
4. next bike to be fitted - my karate monkey
5. wobblenaught pics - to be up in the next day or two
6. number of christmas gifts bought to date - two
7. number of gifts i still need to buy - 7
gotta run - about to be late fer' work.
house is going good - hope to get some riding outside this week, weather permitting!
sologoat out.
12.14.05 - sologoat "helping out"
12.14.05 - sologoat "helping out"
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
this pic was from saturday at about 10pm. here i am "helping out" by drinking a cold brew.
12.14.05 - sologoat house pic
12.14.05 - sologoat house pic
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
this pic is from last wednesday - the first day in the new house. it's a one level ranch with cool hardwood floors throughout.
12.12.2005
12.12.05 - the move goes on.
quick update - not much a happenin' these days. moving is taking way too long as i am now on my 3rd day of moving stuff. won't be too productive today as i got a holiday party, work, and other stuff going on.
if i wouldn't of taken all my vacation days racing around the world, i could of used one today.
but that wouldn't of been fun.
gotta run - going to be late to work as the lake effect snow is hitting cleveland today.
hope you are all loving your rollers/trainers these days.
sologoat out.
if i wouldn't of taken all my vacation days racing around the world, i could of used one today.
but that wouldn't of been fun.
gotta run - going to be late to work as the lake effect snow is hitting cleveland today.
hope you are all loving your rollers/trainers these days.
sologoat out.
12.09.2005
12.09.05 - 24 hour news
hey all - i see there hasn't been "offical" emails sent out by either granny gear or andrenaline, but there are new updates in the 24 hour world.
24 HOURS OF CONYERS - GRANNY GEAR
date is set for may 20th - be the first to sign up as i see nobody is registered yet. should be interesting to see how different the events between the two big dog organizers of 24 hour racing really are.
ANRENALINE SCHEDULE TO BE POSTED
next friday on the 16th. it has been super hush-hush from them lately as to venues, schedule, etc. this should also be interesting to see if anything will change going forward into the 2006 race season. new venues? paybacks? hmm...
as far as schedule goes for me next year, it is NOT 100% set yet and will probably change. all i can say is at this point, game plan is to concentrate on the major races and fill in the rest of the season with local races or those that catch my eye.
early season will see me at the local cleveland road races and will have me out of the category 3 races as i somehow managed to get a category 2 upgrade this year based off of all things, my cross results from last year. i have actually raced on the road longer then i have raced on the moutain bike, but i could never really sprint all that well. at the end of 2-3 hours of racing on a road bike, i noticed that i didn't feel all that worn out - but i never finished well. so i got into mountain biking.
first real race was at the ramble gramble down in (i believe) west virginia - and this was years back when i was racing a low end schwinn 696 mountain bike with a rock shox quadra 21 fork. the next year, i raced my first 24 hour race at canaan. actually have some pictures of it, i'll post them some time after the fiasco with moving is done.
in fact - i just looked at them the other night. you will note when you see the pictures, that while i was far from being overweight, i was definetely heavier. from what i remember, i was around weighing in at 160'ish back then. this year, i was racing at 140 pounds. (related funny short story - cameron chambers told me at the wilderness 101 this year that i should eat a burger. i was walking around without a shirt at the time...)
ah, the memories...
gotta run -
sologoat out.
24 HOURS OF CONYERS - GRANNY GEAR
date is set for may 20th - be the first to sign up as i see nobody is registered yet. should be interesting to see how different the events between the two big dog organizers of 24 hour racing really are.
ANRENALINE SCHEDULE TO BE POSTED
next friday on the 16th. it has been super hush-hush from them lately as to venues, schedule, etc. this should also be interesting to see if anything will change going forward into the 2006 race season. new venues? paybacks? hmm...
as far as schedule goes for me next year, it is NOT 100% set yet and will probably change. all i can say is at this point, game plan is to concentrate on the major races and fill in the rest of the season with local races or those that catch my eye.
early season will see me at the local cleveland road races and will have me out of the category 3 races as i somehow managed to get a category 2 upgrade this year based off of all things, my cross results from last year. i have actually raced on the road longer then i have raced on the moutain bike, but i could never really sprint all that well. at the end of 2-3 hours of racing on a road bike, i noticed that i didn't feel all that worn out - but i never finished well. so i got into mountain biking.
first real race was at the ramble gramble down in (i believe) west virginia - and this was years back when i was racing a low end schwinn 696 mountain bike with a rock shox quadra 21 fork. the next year, i raced my first 24 hour race at canaan. actually have some pictures of it, i'll post them some time after the fiasco with moving is done.
in fact - i just looked at them the other night. you will note when you see the pictures, that while i was far from being overweight, i was definetely heavier. from what i remember, i was around weighing in at 160'ish back then. this year, i was racing at 140 pounds. (related funny short story - cameron chambers told me at the wilderness 101 this year that i should eat a burger. i was walking around without a shirt at the time...)
ah, the memories...
gotta run -
sologoat out.
12.08.2005
12.08.05 - you can say i am a dreamer
i hear the news today, oh boy.. john lennon was killed 25 years ago today. hmm. just food for thought...
not mucho going on these days. taking a few days off to rest up from the long season and get things moved into the new place.
went to check it out last night as i got the keys about 6'ish. nothing too exciting, just walked through the house. kind of cool thing was that they left the orginal plans for the house. didn't get a chance to check them out, but thought it was kind of cool of them to leave it.
so, the movers are helping with the big stuff this weekend and then i am going to try and get all my stuff over by the 15th. it's going to be hella hectic the next week or so and i may not get to update too much.
in bike news:
tom over at WOBBLENAUGHT is setting me up with some bike fits for the remaining of this year and next. Jim Baldesare (critboy@aol.com) has been doing my fits for years now and we are going to change a few things up a little. nothing crazy, but it should help with the overall picture kind of thing. i have been running the wobblenaught fits on all my bikes (road, cross and mountain) and i can tell you that the fit seriously had mad a HUGE difference. jim is in the kent ohio area, but i know he travels around a bit if you can get him 2 or 3 other appointments at the same time. he's a good guy - cat 1, former pro, former national crit champion. hella fast guy.
speaking of hella fast, the garbage guy is going to be here hella soon.
got to get the hella out o' here.
sologoat out.
not mucho going on these days. taking a few days off to rest up from the long season and get things moved into the new place.
went to check it out last night as i got the keys about 6'ish. nothing too exciting, just walked through the house. kind of cool thing was that they left the orginal plans for the house. didn't get a chance to check them out, but thought it was kind of cool of them to leave it.
so, the movers are helping with the big stuff this weekend and then i am going to try and get all my stuff over by the 15th. it's going to be hella hectic the next week or so and i may not get to update too much.
in bike news:
tom over at WOBBLENAUGHT is setting me up with some bike fits for the remaining of this year and next. Jim Baldesare (critboy@aol.com) has been doing my fits for years now and we are going to change a few things up a little. nothing crazy, but it should help with the overall picture kind of thing. i have been running the wobblenaught fits on all my bikes (road, cross and mountain) and i can tell you that the fit seriously had mad a HUGE difference. jim is in the kent ohio area, but i know he travels around a bit if you can get him 2 or 3 other appointments at the same time. he's a good guy - cat 1, former pro, former national crit champion. hella fast guy.
speaking of hella fast, the garbage guy is going to be here hella soon.
got to get the hella out o' here.
sologoat out.
12.05.2005
12.05.05 - final cleveland cross race pic 06
12.05.05 - final cleveland cross race pic 06
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
ernesto cool chillin' at the after race awards with Julie Lewis Sroka from bike authority.
she will be heading out with the bike authority guys to nationals next week.
12.05.05 - final cleveland cross race pic 05
12.05.05 - final cleveland cross race pic 05
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
this was early in the race, first lap.
in third spot was zak whom must of went down or was having a difficult time with the bad conditions early on. he was somewhat close to me, and then the elastic broke and the gap got bigger.
12.05.05 - final cleveland cross race pic 04
12.05.05 - final cleveland cross race pic 04
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
shawn leading down the final straight. little did he know that 20 minutes later he would be laying oh his back on this same section.
and - little did i know, i would be on my back 10 minutes after shawn.
12.05.05 - final cleveland cross race pic 02
12.05.05 - final cleveland cross race pic 02
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
gun goes off and rudy from bike authority gets the good line.
ice covering the first corner made for a switch from the original start line. ice covering the entire course made for what seemed like (at times) a very slow race.
12.05.05 - final cleveland cross race pic 03
12.05.05 - final cleveland cross race pic 03
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
ernesto sliding on the ice.
opted for my older moots cross bike because i had my tufo cross tires on it. thought they would hook up a little better in the snow, but as the temperture dropped and the snow got packed down, the course was covered with ice spots.
notice my high tech gloves - they are actually ski gloves over top of a very thin liner. my hands can't stand being cold!
12.05.05 - final cleveland cross race pic 01
12.05.05 - final cleveland cross race pic 01
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.
good pic of the top 5 from last sundays race.
going left to right, paul martin, shawn adams, jerry fluge, ernesto marenchin, and zak dieringer
12.05.05 - rumors
heard a few rumors floating around the 24 hour world recently, so i did a few inquiries, checked a few emails, and got some info..
1. GRANNY GEAR AT CONYERS
yep, saw this one on the mtbr forums, and quickly emailed karl over at ride424.com and he confirmed. set your calanders for may 20th as granny gear is hosting a 24 hour event at that venue. hmmm. should be interesting to see what kind of caliber of an event they could put on at this venue.
2. adrenaline series no more?
saw this one on mtbr too. funny how the web really spreads words really fast, as i just literally received an email from stuart about 15 minutes ago. yes, they are still alive and kicking and will have a series in 2006. the email noted that there will be some changes for next year, but did not go into detail.
now you know what i know.
that's it for tonight - gots some packing to do tonight as my adult life starts in 10 days when i move into my first house. finally, my bikes will have a place to call home.
sologoat out.
1. GRANNY GEAR AT CONYERS
yep, saw this one on the mtbr forums, and quickly emailed karl over at ride424.com and he confirmed. set your calanders for may 20th as granny gear is hosting a 24 hour event at that venue. hmmm. should be interesting to see what kind of caliber of an event they could put on at this venue.
2. adrenaline series no more?
saw this one on mtbr too. funny how the web really spreads words really fast, as i just literally received an email from stuart about 15 minutes ago. yes, they are still alive and kicking and will have a series in 2006. the email noted that there will be some changes for next year, but did not go into detail.
now you know what i know.
that's it for tonight - gots some packing to do tonight as my adult life starts in 10 days when i move into my first house. finally, my bikes will have a place to call home.
sologoat out.
12.04.2005
12.04.05 - sologoat 1rst overall in cleveland cross series
today was the last race in the TEAM LAKE EFFECT'S cleveland cross race series. with only 4 points seperating myself and second place Zak Dieringer, and paul martin 15 points down from me, i knew that this was going to be a tough race with the points so close. and with paul in the mix, one can never tell what is going to happen.
at sign up, the word on the street was that paul was NOT going to show, but in classic paul style, he showed up with about a half hour before start time. other noteables at the start was jerry pflug and shawn adams. this was going to be a fast race.
conditions made for an interesting race - one to two inches covered the course, and either was hard packed and iced over, or it was soft and muddy. most of the mud was on the straights and most of the ice were in the corners. interesting.
pre-race laps were done with jerry and we quickly decided that 50 pounds of pressure was just too much as we kept sliding out (i even fell once). i lowered my pressure down and did another lap with jerry.
gun went off and pretty much paul took off with jerry, myself and shawn quickly putting a good gap on the small field of fellow cross freaks. paul soon put a good gap on the 3 of us, while shawn and i took turns chasing jerry. i checked out the situation behind me - zak was locked into battle with the second place finisher from last sunday.
about half way through the race, while behind shawn, he went down on a hard packed icy flat section that was made difficult because the field had ruts that were frozen and it made your rear tire slide a little. well, his slid a little too far and he went down.
two laps later, as i was wondering how the hell did he go down on a staight section, i did the same thing. after this, i must of went down about 4 more times before the race was over. i got closer and closer to shawn, going hard where i could. i managed to get the gap to within striking distance with two laps to go - and aslo put a really good gap on eventual 5th place finisher zak.
with two to go, i went hard on a couple of straight sections and closed down the gap on shawn. i figured he would slow down thinking that he had third all wrapped up, but i knew that it would come down to taking some chances on the last lap if i were to catch him.
so on the last lap, i went hard on the first flat/climbing section - i was getting closer. some short single track sections and two barriers later, i was closing in, but i would have to take a chance with two sections. one was a slight gradual off camber section that lead into the flat section where i had previously went down.
so i put my head down, went as hard as i could, and just as i started the off camber corner when i could see i was closing quickly on shawn, my wheels slipped out from under me. as i layed on my back holding my bike in the air because i was still clipped into my pedals, i said out loud, "i guess i'm not catching shawn."
oh well... fourth place in todays race, but it was enough to seal the victory up for the series. because today was DOUBLE points and that paul martin finished four places ahead of zak, that gave paul the second place in the series over zak by ONE POINT. zak looked pretty PO'd after the race - he had a few good races and was in what i thought his best fitness for cross season that he had ever been in.
some possible pics up maybe tomorrow - one of the bike authority guys took some pics at the race, so check back.
for now, i can rest - for a few days, i suppose. this may be the end of the 2005 season, but i also see it as the begining of the 2006 season.
mucho lucko to all those heading out to cross nationals next weekend - pflug, rudy and the bike authority guys and gary dugovich. ride hard guys (and gals!)
sologoat out.
at sign up, the word on the street was that paul was NOT going to show, but in classic paul style, he showed up with about a half hour before start time. other noteables at the start was jerry pflug and shawn adams. this was going to be a fast race.
conditions made for an interesting race - one to two inches covered the course, and either was hard packed and iced over, or it was soft and muddy. most of the mud was on the straights and most of the ice were in the corners. interesting.
pre-race laps were done with jerry and we quickly decided that 50 pounds of pressure was just too much as we kept sliding out (i even fell once). i lowered my pressure down and did another lap with jerry.
gun went off and pretty much paul took off with jerry, myself and shawn quickly putting a good gap on the small field of fellow cross freaks. paul soon put a good gap on the 3 of us, while shawn and i took turns chasing jerry. i checked out the situation behind me - zak was locked into battle with the second place finisher from last sunday.
about half way through the race, while behind shawn, he went down on a hard packed icy flat section that was made difficult because the field had ruts that were frozen and it made your rear tire slide a little. well, his slid a little too far and he went down.
two laps later, as i was wondering how the hell did he go down on a staight section, i did the same thing. after this, i must of went down about 4 more times before the race was over. i got closer and closer to shawn, going hard where i could. i managed to get the gap to within striking distance with two laps to go - and aslo put a really good gap on eventual 5th place finisher zak.
with two to go, i went hard on a couple of straight sections and closed down the gap on shawn. i figured he would slow down thinking that he had third all wrapped up, but i knew that it would come down to taking some chances on the last lap if i were to catch him.
so on the last lap, i went hard on the first flat/climbing section - i was getting closer. some short single track sections and two barriers later, i was closing in, but i would have to take a chance with two sections. one was a slight gradual off camber section that lead into the flat section where i had previously went down.
so i put my head down, went as hard as i could, and just as i started the off camber corner when i could see i was closing quickly on shawn, my wheels slipped out from under me. as i layed on my back holding my bike in the air because i was still clipped into my pedals, i said out loud, "i guess i'm not catching shawn."
oh well... fourth place in todays race, but it was enough to seal the victory up for the series. because today was DOUBLE points and that paul martin finished four places ahead of zak, that gave paul the second place in the series over zak by ONE POINT. zak looked pretty PO'd after the race - he had a few good races and was in what i thought his best fitness for cross season that he had ever been in.
some possible pics up maybe tomorrow - one of the bike authority guys took some pics at the race, so check back.
for now, i can rest - for a few days, i suppose. this may be the end of the 2005 season, but i also see it as the begining of the 2006 season.
mucho lucko to all those heading out to cross nationals next weekend - pflug, rudy and the bike authority guys and gary dugovich. ride hard guys (and gals!)
sologoat out.
12.01.2005
12.01.05 - the goat has a house
whew...
i am sooooooooo glad that is over. got a couple of emails/posts about it - ya, i guess i could of just walked away from it all and that is what i said to the real estate agent on the last call i had with him. it's just that i have absolutely no time to screw around with it and i didn't understand what the hell they were doing. every story i heard when i talked to people about buying houses was that it was all done with in a couple of days. not here...
anyhoo - i plan not to go off on it again. i'm tired of thinking about it.
so....
taking the day off tonight from riding to do some on-line shopping and maybe do a few blog entries for speedgoat's blog. came up with the title last night - it is going to be called "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil".... assuming my battery on my el cheapo digital camera doesn't die on me tonight, it should be up tomorrow. it's going to be a secret what it will be about, so you will have to check out the SPEEDGOAT.COM BLOG to see what it's about...
i'm also thinking of doing some quick holiday gift review type blog entry for the shop as well, so i will keep you posted on that as well.
thinking of random stuff, you 29er karate monkey fans get yer' order into the 'goat cuz there are some coffee colored monkey's in stock now from QBP. not very many around, so you may want to call in soon if you are looking for one.
and, jeff kerkove announced the date of december 17th as the offical "start" date for registration for his second edition of TRANSIOWA. NO outside support on this little ride across the state of iowa on gravel country roads. new sections for this year include some single track which will be put in to weed out those pesky cross bike riders who spoiled the party last year. get your entry in early if interested, field limit of 70 riders. (just an FYI for all you blog readers - i will NOT be at this event for 2006)
hmmmmm.... that's about it - gotta run.
sologoat out.
i am sooooooooo glad that is over. got a couple of emails/posts about it - ya, i guess i could of just walked away from it all and that is what i said to the real estate agent on the last call i had with him. it's just that i have absolutely no time to screw around with it and i didn't understand what the hell they were doing. every story i heard when i talked to people about buying houses was that it was all done with in a couple of days. not here...
anyhoo - i plan not to go off on it again. i'm tired of thinking about it.
so....
taking the day off tonight from riding to do some on-line shopping and maybe do a few blog entries for speedgoat's blog. came up with the title last night - it is going to be called "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil".... assuming my battery on my el cheapo digital camera doesn't die on me tonight, it should be up tomorrow. it's going to be a secret what it will be about, so you will have to check out the SPEEDGOAT.COM BLOG to see what it's about...
i'm also thinking of doing some quick holiday gift review type blog entry for the shop as well, so i will keep you posted on that as well.
thinking of random stuff, you 29er karate monkey fans get yer' order into the 'goat cuz there are some coffee colored monkey's in stock now from QBP. not very many around, so you may want to call in soon if you are looking for one.
and, jeff kerkove announced the date of december 17th as the offical "start" date for registration for his second edition of TRANSIOWA. NO outside support on this little ride across the state of iowa on gravel country roads. new sections for this year include some single track which will be put in to weed out those pesky cross bike riders who spoiled the party last year. get your entry in early if interested, field limit of 70 riders. (just an FYI for all you blog readers - i will NOT be at this event for 2006)
hmmmmm.... that's about it - gotta run.
sologoat out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)