as i was contemplating life and the upcoming 2007 season on my 55 degree ride in december, a thought came to me as i looked down at my stem...
'nuff said.
sologoat out
12.30.2006
a picture says a thousand words
as i was contemplating life and the upcoming 2007 season on my 55 degree ride in december, a thought came to me as i looked down at my stem...
'nuff said.
sologoat out
12.28.2006
paying my dues
this week as the entire world has taken vacation and i have no days left. and work is stupid busy, so sorry for the lack of updates the past few days.
now is the time for recovery and try to rest up for what is going to be the start of my base miles for the 2007 season.
with that, got a post the other day on what i do for weight lifting as far as workouts go. well....
when i did them, my workouts were very specific building leg strength and endurance. upper body was 100% ignored as lifting always had a tendency for me to put on extra muscle weight and i was not overly concerned with building up my upper body. i typically would work out two days a week and then once on the weekend.
the first few weeks when i got back into lifting, it was lower weights and reps as i was just trying to get the body used to the effort of weight lifting.
everything concentrated the legs - squats, extensions and every combo inbetween for the legs.
then, i picked up the weight just a little, and did very high reps. to the tune of about 4 to 5 sets of between 75-100 reps in each set. that number is not a misprint.
i would do that for 3-4 weeks, then switched to two weeks of strength workouts. i would switch them up with two types:
pyramids - 5 sets. first set was 50, the next 40, the next 30, then 40, then 50. i would adjust the weight accordingly so that when i hit around the max for the set, i was going to the point of "failure" (ie - i physically coudn't do any more)
max outs - 5 sets as heavy as i could go on the weights, with a max of maybe 20 in the set. would do reps in each set to failure.
then, after the last max out week, i would take it easy for a week, then repeat.
and remember, these were all geared toward what i would need in endurance racing.
i personally don't lift anymore and haven't done so in a 3 years, and won't do any lifting this year. with me working full time and odd hours, it is very difficult to fit it in - i try to make up for it with longer then normal trainer rides as i typically ride at least two hours on the rollers when weather does not permit me to ride outside.
and, i think that at a certain point there is a trade of between power gained from lifting to maintaining aerobic fitness from trainer rides. i've heard different numbers as far as that goes (at what point should you concentrate more on the bike then at the gym and vice versa), but it comes down to what works for you and how your body reacts to it.
just my 2 cents.
sologoat out
now is the time for recovery and try to rest up for what is going to be the start of my base miles for the 2007 season.
with that, got a post the other day on what i do for weight lifting as far as workouts go. well....
when i did them, my workouts were very specific building leg strength and endurance. upper body was 100% ignored as lifting always had a tendency for me to put on extra muscle weight and i was not overly concerned with building up my upper body. i typically would work out two days a week and then once on the weekend.
the first few weeks when i got back into lifting, it was lower weights and reps as i was just trying to get the body used to the effort of weight lifting.
everything concentrated the legs - squats, extensions and every combo inbetween for the legs.
then, i picked up the weight just a little, and did very high reps. to the tune of about 4 to 5 sets of between 75-100 reps in each set. that number is not a misprint.
i would do that for 3-4 weeks, then switched to two weeks of strength workouts. i would switch them up with two types:
pyramids - 5 sets. first set was 50, the next 40, the next 30, then 40, then 50. i would adjust the weight accordingly so that when i hit around the max for the set, i was going to the point of "failure" (ie - i physically coudn't do any more)
max outs - 5 sets as heavy as i could go on the weights, with a max of maybe 20 in the set. would do reps in each set to failure.
then, after the last max out week, i would take it easy for a week, then repeat.
and remember, these were all geared toward what i would need in endurance racing.
i personally don't lift anymore and haven't done so in a 3 years, and won't do any lifting this year. with me working full time and odd hours, it is very difficult to fit it in - i try to make up for it with longer then normal trainer rides as i typically ride at least two hours on the rollers when weather does not permit me to ride outside.
and, i think that at a certain point there is a trade of between power gained from lifting to maintaining aerobic fitness from trainer rides. i've heard different numbers as far as that goes (at what point should you concentrate more on the bike then at the gym and vice versa), but it comes down to what works for you and how your body reacts to it.
just my 2 cents.
sologoat out
12.26.2006
2007 schedule
you can only do so many 24 hours in a year. for 2006, the "october choice" basically came down to 2 of the biggest 24's of the year. moab or worlds. you can argue for or against either one a thousand different ways - and you can argue all over again for 2007 as it appears that the dates for both races are set for the same exact weekend.
hmmmm.
now, the schedules do not appear to be 100% accurate at this point, so do not assume that the dates are solid yet.
some of the 100 miler events seemed to be scheduled, though i am not sure how the series will pan out this year as i know there were going to be some proposed changes for more consistant payouts/placings/etc.
should be an interesting 2007 racing season, and it hasn't even started yet.
that's it - gotta run. toooooons of work stuff to catch up on.
will have a year end wrap up post coming this week, so watch out for that.
sologoat out.
hmmmm.
now, the schedules do not appear to be 100% accurate at this point, so do not assume that the dates are solid yet.
some of the 100 miler events seemed to be scheduled, though i am not sure how the series will pan out this year as i know there were going to be some proposed changes for more consistant payouts/placings/etc.
should be an interesting 2007 racing season, and it hasn't even started yet.
that's it - gotta run. toooooons of work stuff to catch up on.
will have a year end wrap up post coming this week, so watch out for that.
sologoat out.
12.21.2006
dan the man
DAN THE MAN blog entry is now up at the goat.
dan has been my one and only bike mechanic for the past 4 or so years, and if you ever bought a bike from speedgoat, it was probably built by dan himself.
mucho thanks and respect goes out to dan who one time fixed one of my bikes during a race with a shim for my rear cassette created from a milk carton.
without guys like him and a shop like speedgoat, a lot of what i do is impossible.
thanks to all those who helped me during all my years of racing - may you all have a very merry bike-mas.
sologoat out
12.18.2006
the goat speaks out...
got a couple of questions the last few weeks, thought i'd do a post on them:
Hey Goat, I see you race a Moots. Those are out of my budget. Any thoughts on cross bikes in the $1500 price range? I'm really looking hard at that cross bike from Felt. Spec'd real nice with Ultegra and 105 parts, plus it is that sweet flat black color scheme.
Checked out the Felt website, looks like a pretty decent bike - very similar to the RedLine Conquest Pro in color, groupo, etc.
Few things that I look at in a cross bike:
1. Rear spacing - make sure it comes with 130mm spacing. I run 135 spacing so I can run my 29er wheels for backups, and the trend was years ago to run 135 to space out the rear triangle so you can run bigger tires. But - you must consider that your backup wheels will probably come off your road bike that runs 130 spacing.
2. Rear triangle width - see what the biggest tire you can run on the frame. I run 32's, but some guys like to run 34's. So what? Try racing on a muddy course and watch the mud build up and slowly make pedaling your bike a hell of a lot harder.
3. Cranks - if it runs a double crank, check the ring options/sizes it comes with and also if it is running standard or compact rings. And check the prices it is to replace them. I run a standard 42 ring with third eye catch and a chain gaurd - I found that I really never used my other ring, and this setup is lot cheaper to run all around.
4. Cable routing - when I see a cross bike with down tube cable routing, it drives me nuts. I would stay a mile away from any frame that ran it as you are going to have a 150% certainty to have an issue with grabing the down tube for dismounts or if you race in muddy/ice conditions, your cables with gunk up and screw up your shifting for certain.
5. Compact vs. Standard Frames - I have had both and would recomend running a standard frame or a compact frame with VERY LITTLE sloping top tube. You need to have space to lug that bike onto your back for dismounts/runs and compact frames just make it a lot more uncomfortable.
Hey Goat, just curious, in the winter where do you ride in Ohio? On the roads? Or on the trails? I know most of the bike paths seem to remain covered and are used by cc skiers. So, do you do mostly road work? I remember last winter you were working a lot down in Cincy so you were able to ride the snow-free bike paths down there, but I know up here in northern Ohio we don't have a lot of snow-free bike paths.
I ride mostly on the metropark trails - some of the trials run through Kent and Stow, so I hook up on them there and take them all over the place. Do it mostly to stay out of traffic/wind and ride them year round, ice covered or not. I don't have a standard bike I ride, but to be honest, I can say that I really don't ride the mountain bikes too much. I've trained probably the most this year on my road bike, but since September, I've been mostly riding my cross bikes. With cross over and bad weather in, I'll be riding my new winter bike, a Soma 29er that I picked up to replace my Karate Monkey. It runs around 400 bucks for the frame, but it is soooo much lighter then the surly. Watch for a review of the Soma in the next few weeks.
Congrats at the Worlds this year! Your a hell of an athlete and it's cool Ohio has someone like you to represent. I have a Fisher Xcaliber 29er that is going to be my race bike this coming season for the OMBC series. The stock wheelset is a bit heavy, and I was looking into the prospect of lightening it up with something else. From your past blogs from last winter, it looks like you are using King hubs, Schwalbe Little Alberts, and some kind of Bontrager rim (Curious as to what rime that is). I think I remember you stating that you are also using tubes. Is what you are using fairly lightweight and are you happy with it and would you change anything about your wheelset setup if your were doing the 2-3 hour OMBC rcaes? Your input is appreciated.
I have been running nothing but Kings for the last few years (did a stint with last years xtr, but didn't like the slow cassette engagement) and ran either the Salsa Delgado rim (500 grams/rim) or the Bontrager Mustang 29er rim (480 grams/rim) with double butted spokes, alloy nips, salsa tubes and Schwalbe tires. Ran the Delgados because at the time, they were one of the lightest out there, and then had a chance to run the Bontragers and decided to give them a try to, but supplies were limited at the time, so Dan the man could only grab one set at the time.
I've been really happy with both the rims/wheels. For a standard no-frills semi-lightweight rim, Salsa has a nice product and you can't beat the price. Bottom line, they make nice stuff. Genuine George built up all my wheels, and my one set of race wheels I've used for two years - I think Dan touched them up maybe twice and I've had a ton of miles on them.
Though they are light, next year, we are gong to more then likely run a lighter setup based off of the guy's at speedgoat (dan the man and chris's) recomendations. We'll probably end up running the DT Swiss 240 hubs (268 grams/rear, 160 grams front) with the Stan ZTR (415 grams/rim), alloy nips and salsa tubes.
The hubs will save about roughly 50 grams of rotational weight, the rims about 80 grams per wheel. Durability? Not a problem - speedgoat has tested this stuff, and it's holding up.
As far as tires go, the lighter the better, but don't sacrifice weight for performance - think rotational weight. Check out the Scwhalble's or some of the new Bontragers.
And, as far as Stan's setup goes for going tubeless, I have stayed far away, but others love the light setup. I personally don't use them as my hands take a beating during my enduro events and I have a hard enough time holding onto the bars, let alone trying to tear off a tire with a super tight bead and then having to deal with all the latex sealant... yuck.
that's it for tonight - sologoat out.
Hey Goat, I see you race a Moots. Those are out of my budget. Any thoughts on cross bikes in the $1500 price range? I'm really looking hard at that cross bike from Felt. Spec'd real nice with Ultegra and 105 parts, plus it is that sweet flat black color scheme.
Checked out the Felt website, looks like a pretty decent bike - very similar to the RedLine Conquest Pro in color, groupo, etc.
Few things that I look at in a cross bike:
1. Rear spacing - make sure it comes with 130mm spacing. I run 135 spacing so I can run my 29er wheels for backups, and the trend was years ago to run 135 to space out the rear triangle so you can run bigger tires. But - you must consider that your backup wheels will probably come off your road bike that runs 130 spacing.
2. Rear triangle width - see what the biggest tire you can run on the frame. I run 32's, but some guys like to run 34's. So what? Try racing on a muddy course and watch the mud build up and slowly make pedaling your bike a hell of a lot harder.
3. Cranks - if it runs a double crank, check the ring options/sizes it comes with and also if it is running standard or compact rings. And check the prices it is to replace them. I run a standard 42 ring with third eye catch and a chain gaurd - I found that I really never used my other ring, and this setup is lot cheaper to run all around.
4. Cable routing - when I see a cross bike with down tube cable routing, it drives me nuts. I would stay a mile away from any frame that ran it as you are going to have a 150% certainty to have an issue with grabing the down tube for dismounts or if you race in muddy/ice conditions, your cables with gunk up and screw up your shifting for certain.
5. Compact vs. Standard Frames - I have had both and would recomend running a standard frame or a compact frame with VERY LITTLE sloping top tube. You need to have space to lug that bike onto your back for dismounts/runs and compact frames just make it a lot more uncomfortable.
Hey Goat, just curious, in the winter where do you ride in Ohio? On the roads? Or on the trails? I know most of the bike paths seem to remain covered and are used by cc skiers. So, do you do mostly road work? I remember last winter you were working a lot down in Cincy so you were able to ride the snow-free bike paths down there, but I know up here in northern Ohio we don't have a lot of snow-free bike paths.
I ride mostly on the metropark trails - some of the trials run through Kent and Stow, so I hook up on them there and take them all over the place. Do it mostly to stay out of traffic/wind and ride them year round, ice covered or not. I don't have a standard bike I ride, but to be honest, I can say that I really don't ride the mountain bikes too much. I've trained probably the most this year on my road bike, but since September, I've been mostly riding my cross bikes. With cross over and bad weather in, I'll be riding my new winter bike, a Soma 29er that I picked up to replace my Karate Monkey. It runs around 400 bucks for the frame, but it is soooo much lighter then the surly. Watch for a review of the Soma in the next few weeks.
Congrats at the Worlds this year! Your a hell of an athlete and it's cool Ohio has someone like you to represent. I have a Fisher Xcaliber 29er that is going to be my race bike this coming season for the OMBC series. The stock wheelset is a bit heavy, and I was looking into the prospect of lightening it up with something else. From your past blogs from last winter, it looks like you are using King hubs, Schwalbe Little Alberts, and some kind of Bontrager rim (Curious as to what rime that is). I think I remember you stating that you are also using tubes. Is what you are using fairly lightweight and are you happy with it and would you change anything about your wheelset setup if your were doing the 2-3 hour OMBC rcaes? Your input is appreciated.
I have been running nothing but Kings for the last few years (did a stint with last years xtr, but didn't like the slow cassette engagement) and ran either the Salsa Delgado rim (500 grams/rim) or the Bontrager Mustang 29er rim (480 grams/rim) with double butted spokes, alloy nips, salsa tubes and Schwalbe tires. Ran the Delgados because at the time, they were one of the lightest out there, and then had a chance to run the Bontragers and decided to give them a try to, but supplies were limited at the time, so Dan the man could only grab one set at the time.
I've been really happy with both the rims/wheels. For a standard no-frills semi-lightweight rim, Salsa has a nice product and you can't beat the price. Bottom line, they make nice stuff. Genuine George built up all my wheels, and my one set of race wheels I've used for two years - I think Dan touched them up maybe twice and I've had a ton of miles on them.
Though they are light, next year, we are gong to more then likely run a lighter setup based off of the guy's at speedgoat (dan the man and chris's) recomendations. We'll probably end up running the DT Swiss 240 hubs (268 grams/rear, 160 grams front) with the Stan ZTR (415 grams/rim), alloy nips and salsa tubes.
The hubs will save about roughly 50 grams of rotational weight, the rims about 80 grams per wheel. Durability? Not a problem - speedgoat has tested this stuff, and it's holding up.
As far as tires go, the lighter the better, but don't sacrifice weight for performance - think rotational weight. Check out the Scwhalble's or some of the new Bontragers.
And, as far as Stan's setup goes for going tubeless, I have stayed far away, but others love the light setup. I personally don't use them as my hands take a beating during my enduro events and I have a hard enough time holding onto the bars, let alone trying to tear off a tire with a super tight bead and then having to deal with all the latex sealant... yuck.
that's it for tonight - sologoat out.
12.17.2006
Cross Nationals Write Up - Day Two
12.16.06 Cross Nationals - Providence, Rhode Island
Temperature today was in the mid 50's with a cold and steady wind. Clear skies and the constant wind dried out the ground today, so the course was fast to say the least.
Juniors were first to go out -
Tony from Lake Effect had a bad start, but soon made up for it. I watched his entire race, and he kept a steady pace and was really smooth in the rough sections. Watch out for this kid - he ended up taking about 15th'ish in his race.
Jimmy's race at 11'ish and he would start on the last row. His situation soon got worse as a spill in front of him took him to the ground, but he soon made up ground. Out of a roughly 60 juniors in his class, he finished 14th - and one thing to remember, this is his first cross season.
The collegiate races were next, with the finale of the day - the men's elite.
Shawn and I started at 2pm: He was in the 8th row, I was in the 10th row. I guess it is the price we paid for not getting any UCI points this year, but this was a race I always wanted to do and if I didn't go another foot, it was still pretty cool to be on the starting line contesting the National Cross Title.
Gun goes off and I actually get a pretty good start, moving up two rows by the first section of grass where I was ahead of both Shawn and Gunnar Shogren - but soon I could feel it. My legs were not going to have a stellar day.
By the time I got to the section they called the Jelly Bowl, I could hear the crowd - it was deafening, accelerating and crazy. People 5 deep screaming, banging on the barriers, ringing cow bells, blowing horns. It was pretty awesome just to ride through a crowd of people like that.
Soon I was dropping back in the field. I was turning my legs over but no power or snappiness were coming out. I was sprinting out of every corner and going harder then I have ever went in a cross race.
With 3 laps to go, I was holding on for dear life as I was trying not to get lapped - in the elite national title cross races, they pull you once you are lapped. Nearing the end of one of my laps, I take a stupid spill and go down on one of my wrists - and as you guessed, yes, it was the one I injured a few weeks back. Pain shot immediately through my hand as I fumbled to get my chain back on and push on.
That spill probably cost me at least 30-40 seconds and a chance to not get lapped - as they pulled me the very next time through. I ended up 71rst on the day, out a roughly 140 man field.
Shawn had a better day today, no spills - but he ended up getting yanked out of the race too, a lap latter. He finished up 68th on the day.
Tough day for us both as we talked about it later - we arguably had our best cross seasons ever, but we are left with the notion that next year we can do better if we train a little harder, hone our training schedule, get some early cross races in, snag up some UCI points and get further up on the start line when it comes to this point next year.
That's it for the 2006 racing season, no more races until march'ish of next year as I need some time to rest up for next year.
I'll take some time off the bike, then hit up some good base miles the last week of December.
Thanks to everybody cheering me on saturday - thanks for pushing me on the little bit further.
Sologoat out.
Temperature today was in the mid 50's with a cold and steady wind. Clear skies and the constant wind dried out the ground today, so the course was fast to say the least.
Juniors were first to go out -
Tony from Lake Effect had a bad start, but soon made up for it. I watched his entire race, and he kept a steady pace and was really smooth in the rough sections. Watch out for this kid - he ended up taking about 15th'ish in his race.
Jimmy's race at 11'ish and he would start on the last row. His situation soon got worse as a spill in front of him took him to the ground, but he soon made up ground. Out of a roughly 60 juniors in his class, he finished 14th - and one thing to remember, this is his first cross season.
The collegiate races were next, with the finale of the day - the men's elite.
Shawn and I started at 2pm: He was in the 8th row, I was in the 10th row. I guess it is the price we paid for not getting any UCI points this year, but this was a race I always wanted to do and if I didn't go another foot, it was still pretty cool to be on the starting line contesting the National Cross Title.
Gun goes off and I actually get a pretty good start, moving up two rows by the first section of grass where I was ahead of both Shawn and Gunnar Shogren - but soon I could feel it. My legs were not going to have a stellar day.
By the time I got to the section they called the Jelly Bowl, I could hear the crowd - it was deafening, accelerating and crazy. People 5 deep screaming, banging on the barriers, ringing cow bells, blowing horns. It was pretty awesome just to ride through a crowd of people like that.
Soon I was dropping back in the field. I was turning my legs over but no power or snappiness were coming out. I was sprinting out of every corner and going harder then I have ever went in a cross race.
With 3 laps to go, I was holding on for dear life as I was trying not to get lapped - in the elite national title cross races, they pull you once you are lapped. Nearing the end of one of my laps, I take a stupid spill and go down on one of my wrists - and as you guessed, yes, it was the one I injured a few weeks back. Pain shot immediately through my hand as I fumbled to get my chain back on and push on.
That spill probably cost me at least 30-40 seconds and a chance to not get lapped - as they pulled me the very next time through. I ended up 71rst on the day, out a roughly 140 man field.
Shawn had a better day today, no spills - but he ended up getting yanked out of the race too, a lap latter. He finished up 68th on the day.
Tough day for us both as we talked about it later - we arguably had our best cross seasons ever, but we are left with the notion that next year we can do better if we train a little harder, hone our training schedule, get some early cross races in, snag up some UCI points and get further up on the start line when it comes to this point next year.
That's it for the 2006 racing season, no more races until march'ish of next year as I need some time to rest up for next year.
I'll take some time off the bike, then hit up some good base miles the last week of December.
Thanks to everybody cheering me on saturday - thanks for pushing me on the little bit further.
Sologoat out.
12.15.2006
paying dues
was the theme for today - as i ligned up and dealt with being 8 rows back and 80 riders were ahead of me at the start line.
i had went done in pre-riding and bashed up my right knee and went down on my hand that i injured a few weeks ago.
my start was horrible, made up a few spots here and there, and didn't really start marking up places until half way through. i started picking off riders and made it up to 32nd spot with 2 laps to go.
i made up one more spot by the end of the race, with a about 10 riders right in front of me. had it been 15 minutes longer, i think i would have had a better race.
definetely got to get uci points next year - your starting place is critical for this race.
if you are from ohio or ride for the ALAN team, i can beat i got a picture of you - we took over 1000 pictures just today.
here's jeff from team lake effect - he had a great race at ohio state championships and took his age group.
today, he placed well - top 15'ish. not sure of his exact placing.
rudy had a start position similar to mine, but i think he finished up a little better. around 25th place'ish.
and shawn - he paid some dues today too. a flat early on and a superman crash into the barriers put him back some places.
but - tomorrow is another day, and even though it is going to be a tougher race with the big guns, we have less riders.
course was fast today, but was a little tacky. not sure what the call is for tomorrow...
jimmy is in the junior race at 11am, shawn and myself are starting at 2pm. posts of the race probably not up until sunday.
if you are from cleveland and want the pics from the race, email/call.
that's it - gotta rest up.
sologoat out.
12.14.2006
here at last
at the race venue - drive out was an adventure. straight accross 80 then turned north. and proceeded to drive at 80mph all the way - and was getting passed. traffic was nutz.
got to the venue. course is super dry and stupid fast, to the point at race speed it is going to be scary fast going into the corners. the transitions from cement to dirt come at very high speed, but the corners are wide.
pics up - probably not until sunday.
the ohio posse of cross racers are here in force - was here for only minutes, and ran into 4 ohio riders. look for a lot of the cleveland cross series racers in the results.
race starting position for ernesto is not too swell - 76th for the elite puts me in the middle of the 9th row. not good. there are 135 riders'ish in the race.
and for the masters tomorrow, i am in the 5th row - there are about 180 in my masters race.
totally nuts - i think if i am going to try and have a good race at cross nationals, i will need to pick up a few uci points for next year to move me up on the start line.
that's it - gotta run. been a long day.
race updates after dinner time tomorrow...
sologoat out
got to the venue. course is super dry and stupid fast, to the point at race speed it is going to be scary fast going into the corners. the transitions from cement to dirt come at very high speed, but the corners are wide.
pics up - probably not until sunday.
the ohio posse of cross racers are here in force - was here for only minutes, and ran into 4 ohio riders. look for a lot of the cleveland cross series racers in the results.
race starting position for ernesto is not too swell - 76th for the elite puts me in the middle of the 9th row. not good. there are 135 riders'ish in the race.
and for the masters tomorrow, i am in the 5th row - there are about 180 in my masters race.
totally nuts - i think if i am going to try and have a good race at cross nationals, i will need to pick up a few uci points for next year to move me up on the start line.
that's it - gotta run. been a long day.
race updates after dinner time tomorrow...
sologoat out
12.13.2006
last post before heading out to nationals...
biowheels got a little write up on their site about state championships:
BIO-WHEELS
going to be short, as i need to get packed el quicko.
will he heading out and staying with ALAN riders tomorrow AM, racing masters on friday and with the big guns on saturday during the elite race.
weather is looking good, and here is the course descriptioin:
The course is fairly wide open and on the longer side to accommodate large fields and to prevent too many riders from being lapped. There is ample space for re-setting sections of the track that might get torn up too much, so the following days/races may have fresh tracks. The ground is mostly hard with very good drainage. It would have to be exceptional conditions to slow the racing down appreciably (heavy snow for instance).
There will be 4 obstacles: one long run with wood and earth stairs at the bottom, one 5-meter set of stone and cement stars, one set of hurdles on flat ground, and one 10 to 12 second run that may have earth and wood stairs mid-hillside if the conditions are dry. The course is 3.2km long, of which about 1 km is paved in 4 sections. There is also about 200 meters of gravel road. The rest is grassy parkland.
that's right off of the pre-race info email from the organizers.
in other news...
northwave shoes arrived today and i got approximately 5 rides in on the soma. early thoughts - rides nice and builds up decently light. nice option for a cheap but nice riding 29er.
that's it, gotta roll. taking the laptop with me, not sure of internet connection ability, but stay tuned as i am going to take as many photo's as i can....
sologoat out.
BIO-WHEELS
going to be short, as i need to get packed el quicko.
will he heading out and staying with ALAN riders tomorrow AM, racing masters on friday and with the big guns on saturday during the elite race.
weather is looking good, and here is the course descriptioin:
The course is fairly wide open and on the longer side to accommodate large fields and to prevent too many riders from being lapped. There is ample space for re-setting sections of the track that might get torn up too much, so the following days/races may have fresh tracks. The ground is mostly hard with very good drainage. It would have to be exceptional conditions to slow the racing down appreciably (heavy snow for instance).
There will be 4 obstacles: one long run with wood and earth stairs at the bottom, one 5-meter set of stone and cement stars, one set of hurdles on flat ground, and one 10 to 12 second run that may have earth and wood stairs mid-hillside if the conditions are dry. The course is 3.2km long, of which about 1 km is paved in 4 sections. There is also about 200 meters of gravel road. The rest is grassy parkland.
that's right off of the pre-race info email from the organizers.
in other news...
northwave shoes arrived today and i got approximately 5 rides in on the soma. early thoughts - rides nice and builds up decently light. nice option for a cheap but nice riding 29er.
that's it, gotta roll. taking the laptop with me, not sure of internet connection ability, but stay tuned as i am going to take as many photo's as i can....
sologoat out.
12.11.2006
Ohio State Cross Write up
12.10.06 Ohio State Cross Championships
LOCATION: Yellow Springs, OH
WEATHER CONDITIONS: Clear skies, very light wind with temps in the mid 40's.
SOIL CONDITIONS: Freezing temps from earlier in the week left the deep soil frozen - but with the higher temps on Sunday, the top layer of soil softened up. Result - a very rough ride with extremely slippery conditions due to the upper layer of soil thawing out.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Extremely flat traditional cross course with no run-ups, three sets of barriers (two that you bunny hop over), a sand pit, a few short single track sections, and about a thousand 180 degree sharp/off chamber/slippery turns.
STARTERS: Not too familiar with the Ohio Valley Cross series locals, but notables included Paul Martin, Ohio Series leader Phil Noble, John Carr (winner of about every Michigan cross race this year), ALAN boys Shawn Adams and Jimmy, and Nate-O (winner of the Cleveland Cross Series).
BIKE SETUP PARTICULARS: With the course being so flat, I opted for the hella fast Reynolds wheels. With the conditions being as slippy as they were, I reduced the PSI to around 35 pounds to help with traction. Ran my standard 42 up front, with a 12x23 in the back.
CLOTHING: With the temps as warm as they were, I opted for thin layers and I ran a long sleeved Craft base layer. Since the course was rough and my hand is still in pain from a training accident two weeks earlier, I ran three sets of gloves - a trick I "invented" to help reduce pain in my hands from endurance racing. One light winter glove over a short fingered glove over top of a very thin summer full finger glove.
RACE DETAILS:
Got to the start line early to get a good starting position, but was trumped by the "locals" in the Ohio Valley Series who thought they should start ahead of us because of their standings in the series. Total BS, but we didn't have time to fight about it as the start was about to happen in 30 seconds.
Gun goes off and into the slick corners we go, slipping and sliding,and bumping into each other. Very quickly, the lead group is formed and the main split happens within 1 lap. I am the last man in the main group, a group consisting of about 12 riders - but the speeds are somewhat slow and the gaps are short. Go too fast and you'll go down.
So I quickly come up with a game plan - stay upright. Play it safe in the corners and pay attention to my angle coming into them to avoid slipping. And then gun it in the straights - full out sprint out of every corner.
Soon, my plan was paying off and I quickly moved from 12th place up to fourth, behind John Carr, another rider and Shawn Adams. This was now about half way through the race. In one of the sections, the unknown rider and Shawn had some difficulties in a section that I came through clean on so I gunned it and opened up a gap immediately.
The gap to John was at 20 seconds, and I was closing it down fast -- but a slip left me on side and a dropped chain soon brought Shawn back up to me. Time was running short - maybe only 15 minutes left in the race. As soon as he caught me, I told him, "let's not race for 2nd place - let's go for the win."
We chased and at one point, had it down to 15 seconds. We shared in the pulling, and didn't attack each other or race for second - which proved to secure our placing as Paul Martin came within 45 seconds of catching us by the end of the race.
Last lap came, and on the final little log/barrier, I jumped over it to the right with Shawn on the left. An earlier crash had left Shawn's hanger bent and left him with only three gears.
I attacked hard and didn't look back until I was on the road. When I looked forward, I was closing in on John and got within 5 seconds of him, but he sneaked out the win.
Since John is from Michigan, in regards to the state championship, I came in first, Shawn was second, Paul was third and Nate came in at fourth.
Thanks for all those who stayed around and cheered me on - especially Nate's cheering posse and Gary from the 'burgh. Made the race pretty exciting to hear all the cow bells going and the crowd cheering everybody on.
Full results can be seen at the biowheels website HERE
That's it - thousands of hours of riding, hundreds of hours of racing, and now it's down to just two more hours.
sologoat out
LOCATION: Yellow Springs, OH
WEATHER CONDITIONS: Clear skies, very light wind with temps in the mid 40's.
SOIL CONDITIONS: Freezing temps from earlier in the week left the deep soil frozen - but with the higher temps on Sunday, the top layer of soil softened up. Result - a very rough ride with extremely slippery conditions due to the upper layer of soil thawing out.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Extremely flat traditional cross course with no run-ups, three sets of barriers (two that you bunny hop over), a sand pit, a few short single track sections, and about a thousand 180 degree sharp/off chamber/slippery turns.
STARTERS: Not too familiar with the Ohio Valley Cross series locals, but notables included Paul Martin, Ohio Series leader Phil Noble, John Carr (winner of about every Michigan cross race this year), ALAN boys Shawn Adams and Jimmy, and Nate-O (winner of the Cleveland Cross Series).
BIKE SETUP PARTICULARS: With the course being so flat, I opted for the hella fast Reynolds wheels. With the conditions being as slippy as they were, I reduced the PSI to around 35 pounds to help with traction. Ran my standard 42 up front, with a 12x23 in the back.
CLOTHING: With the temps as warm as they were, I opted for thin layers and I ran a long sleeved Craft base layer. Since the course was rough and my hand is still in pain from a training accident two weeks earlier, I ran three sets of gloves - a trick I "invented" to help reduce pain in my hands from endurance racing. One light winter glove over a short fingered glove over top of a very thin summer full finger glove.
RACE DETAILS:
Got to the start line early to get a good starting position, but was trumped by the "locals" in the Ohio Valley Series who thought they should start ahead of us because of their standings in the series. Total BS, but we didn't have time to fight about it as the start was about to happen in 30 seconds.
Gun goes off and into the slick corners we go, slipping and sliding,and bumping into each other. Very quickly, the lead group is formed and the main split happens within 1 lap. I am the last man in the main group, a group consisting of about 12 riders - but the speeds are somewhat slow and the gaps are short. Go too fast and you'll go down.
So I quickly come up with a game plan - stay upright. Play it safe in the corners and pay attention to my angle coming into them to avoid slipping. And then gun it in the straights - full out sprint out of every corner.
Soon, my plan was paying off and I quickly moved from 12th place up to fourth, behind John Carr, another rider and Shawn Adams. This was now about half way through the race. In one of the sections, the unknown rider and Shawn had some difficulties in a section that I came through clean on so I gunned it and opened up a gap immediately.
The gap to John was at 20 seconds, and I was closing it down fast -- but a slip left me on side and a dropped chain soon brought Shawn back up to me. Time was running short - maybe only 15 minutes left in the race. As soon as he caught me, I told him, "let's not race for 2nd place - let's go for the win."
We chased and at one point, had it down to 15 seconds. We shared in the pulling, and didn't attack each other or race for second - which proved to secure our placing as Paul Martin came within 45 seconds of catching us by the end of the race.
Last lap came, and on the final little log/barrier, I jumped over it to the right with Shawn on the left. An earlier crash had left Shawn's hanger bent and left him with only three gears.
I attacked hard and didn't look back until I was on the road. When I looked forward, I was closing in on John and got within 5 seconds of him, but he sneaked out the win.
Since John is from Michigan, in regards to the state championship, I came in first, Shawn was second, Paul was third and Nate came in at fourth.
Thanks for all those who stayed around and cheered me on - especially Nate's cheering posse and Gary from the 'burgh. Made the race pretty exciting to hear all the cow bells going and the crowd cheering everybody on.
Full results can be seen at the biowheels website HERE
That's it - thousands of hours of riding, hundreds of hours of racing, and now it's down to just two more hours.
sologoat out
12.10.2006
ohio cross championships
short version as i have a TON of work to catch up on tonight. full recap, details and pics up tomorrow.
1. jon card - cane creek - michigan
2. ernesto - asylum cycles - ohio
3. shawn adams - alan - ohio
4. paul martin - roadhouse - ohio
5. Nate Ziccardi - ? - ohio
2nd place overall...
1rst place OHIO rider - State Cross Champ for 2006.
sologoat out
1. jon card - cane creek - michigan
2. ernesto - asylum cycles - ohio
3. shawn adams - alan - ohio
4. paul martin - roadhouse - ohio
5. Nate Ziccardi - ? - ohio
2nd place overall...
1rst place OHIO rider - State Cross Champ for 2006.
sologoat out
12.09.2006
winter bike project
is coming to a close. after mucho slow progress, the soma is nearing completion as my new winter bike. since the white stuff is on the ground, progress is speeding up to the point i hope i am riding it today.
i ended up getting the gun metal gray version of the juice - which is kinda cool because it has no brake mounts other then disk. frame looks super clean. but - i ended up getting a lower end steel fork so i kinda killed the looks with those huge posts sticking out (they look like they cannot be removed).
pics up maybe today of the soma.
ohio state championships this weekend - heading out with jimmy and shawn. should be a good time - not sure on the weather though, think it supposed to warm up so maybe there won't be snow down there.
and - few tidbits coming from the speedgoat guys.
unoffically, just picked up some new sponsors. nothing offical yet, but it looks like it is a go for them. give a hug to jeremy when you are at the shop - he really busted his arse getting this stuff out for me and it is paying off. mucho thanko.
and - jeremy also got in some of the heated SIDI insoles. charge them up, stick them in your shoes. to turn them on, take out this gadget that looks like something to open your car doors with and give it a click -- then magic happens. your feet stay warm in winter.
mucho expenso at around 300 bucks, but you get something like 600 charges out of them. really not that bad if you like riding/hiking etc in the winter.
keep yer eyes on the speedgoat blog for the write up which will be up in the next week or so.
that's it - gotta run. wallpaper to take down and a ride to sneak in.
sologoat out.
i ended up getting the gun metal gray version of the juice - which is kinda cool because it has no brake mounts other then disk. frame looks super clean. but - i ended up getting a lower end steel fork so i kinda killed the looks with those huge posts sticking out (they look like they cannot be removed).
pics up maybe today of the soma.
ohio state championships this weekend - heading out with jimmy and shawn. should be a good time - not sure on the weather though, think it supposed to warm up so maybe there won't be snow down there.
and - few tidbits coming from the speedgoat guys.
unoffically, just picked up some new sponsors. nothing offical yet, but it looks like it is a go for them. give a hug to jeremy when you are at the shop - he really busted his arse getting this stuff out for me and it is paying off. mucho thanko.
and - jeremy also got in some of the heated SIDI insoles. charge them up, stick them in your shoes. to turn them on, take out this gadget that looks like something to open your car doors with and give it a click -- then magic happens. your feet stay warm in winter.
mucho expenso at around 300 bucks, but you get something like 600 charges out of them. really not that bad if you like riding/hiking etc in the winter.
keep yer eyes on the speedgoat blog for the write up which will be up in the next week or so.
that's it - gotta run. wallpaper to take down and a ride to sneak in.
sologoat out.
12.07.2006
it's white in ohio
as the snow starts hitting the ground - 40 degrees yesterday, 25 and snowing today.
ohio state cross race is this sunday, probably heading down there with the ALAN guys shawn and jimmy. i must say, the ALAN frames have come a long way since i first saw them years back when the frames looked like they had tubes made out of aluminum cans and were pieced together with huge lugs.
other then that, not much happening other then a bunch of bike maintenance, sweating out the sponsors and looking at the race calander for 2007.
got some changes out there - the e100 guys have a 7 day race, some of the local 6 hour race dates have changed, and there are a few brand new events that are relatively close to me.
NORBA seems to have the same schedule up, and as was with last year, they are not east coast friendly. they promised some changes last month, so let's hope the winter tempertures are slowing them down and that they get some decent races for us out there. and how about making the marathon events real marathon events, eh?
not sure what is happening to the 100 miler series, but i know a lot of guys didn't like the fact that it didn't pay out to swell - or at all. though, i do have to say, all the races i hit up in the series were epic events. really loved that colorado race even though i didn't cope with the altitude too great.
3 more hours to go of racing, and then i can rest - for a week or two. then starts the long rides in frigid tempertures starting the last week of december.
gotta get to work -
sologoat out
ohio state cross race is this sunday, probably heading down there with the ALAN guys shawn and jimmy. i must say, the ALAN frames have come a long way since i first saw them years back when the frames looked like they had tubes made out of aluminum cans and were pieced together with huge lugs.
other then that, not much happening other then a bunch of bike maintenance, sweating out the sponsors and looking at the race calander for 2007.
got some changes out there - the e100 guys have a 7 day race, some of the local 6 hour race dates have changed, and there are a few brand new events that are relatively close to me.
NORBA seems to have the same schedule up, and as was with last year, they are not east coast friendly. they promised some changes last month, so let's hope the winter tempertures are slowing them down and that they get some decent races for us out there. and how about making the marathon events real marathon events, eh?
not sure what is happening to the 100 miler series, but i know a lot of guys didn't like the fact that it didn't pay out to swell - or at all. though, i do have to say, all the races i hit up in the series were epic events. really loved that colorado race even though i didn't cope with the altitude too great.
3 more hours to go of racing, and then i can rest - for a week or two. then starts the long rides in frigid tempertures starting the last week of december.
gotta get to work -
sologoat out
12.03.2006
cleveland cross series finale
cold temps with no snow was the weather for today - the last of the cleveland cross race series. with three points between nate and myself, it was going to be a battle to the end.
begining of the race went really well - the new wheels were super fast, but my legs were not. and nate was hot on my tail.
by the second lap, i was just turning the legs over. felt good, but just couldn't seem to push the big gears that were needed on this course. additionally, a spill on a training ride earlier this week left my left hand pretty banged up, so braking and holding onto the bars were sometimes an issue.
hmm.... braking and holding onto your handlebars. is that needed in a bike race?
no excuses though - nate was the stronger rider these past few races. hats off to him and congrats on the series win.
by the end, ice was over evrerything. shifting was still ok, though i must of had 5 pounds of ice on the bike.
finished up 6th on the day, which is pretty consistant with my placings there the last few years. seem to have a very difficult time with the course because of it being so flat, coupled with the fact that it comes so late in the year and i feeling pretty beat down.
3 more hours of racing to go - not expecting miracles, but expecting a good time as these last 3 races were events that i have always really wanted to get to, talked about doing, but just never went.
next weekend, ohio state championships. two weeks out - two events. the masters 35-40 on friday (which is rumored to have over 180 guys in it!) and then the elites on saturday.
that's it - sologoat out.
begining of the race went really well - the new wheels were super fast, but my legs were not. and nate was hot on my tail.
by the second lap, i was just turning the legs over. felt good, but just couldn't seem to push the big gears that were needed on this course. additionally, a spill on a training ride earlier this week left my left hand pretty banged up, so braking and holding onto the bars were sometimes an issue.
hmm.... braking and holding onto your handlebars. is that needed in a bike race?
no excuses though - nate was the stronger rider these past few races. hats off to him and congrats on the series win.
by the end, ice was over evrerything. shifting was still ok, though i must of had 5 pounds of ice on the bike.
finished up 6th on the day, which is pretty consistant with my placings there the last few years. seem to have a very difficult time with the course because of it being so flat, coupled with the fact that it comes so late in the year and i feeling pretty beat down.
3 more hours of racing to go - not expecting miracles, but expecting a good time as these last 3 races were events that i have always really wanted to get to, talked about doing, but just never went.
next weekend, ohio state championships. two weeks out - two events. the masters 35-40 on friday (which is rumored to have over 180 guys in it!) and then the elites on saturday.
that's it - sologoat out.
12.01.2006
cross stuff
moots cross got the carbon wheel upgrade yesterday - reynolds status dv tubular cross wheels with tufo tires.
surprisingly, compared to my front king wheel with open pro's - the reynolds felt of relatively the same weight. however, the rear wheel felt a lot lighter.
somewhat of a disappointment on my new adjustable canti brake pad gizmo.
while this looks like a great idea, and gives an option where there is none, the adjuster bolt it is just too big and does not leave any room for the post itself. i could of ran it, but the adjustment would of been so minimal that running them was of very little benefit.
additionally, the mount uses a standard brake pad - and i would of preferred to use the longer pad that is avaialable with the standard swisstop canti pads.
and due note - these are just in the prototype stage. ask the guys at the 'goat for the full details on availability, but i know it is no time soon!
great idea though - would like to see the next version of it make these two "upgrades". just my 2 cents...
that's it - last cleveland cross series race this weekend will decide 1rst place in the a's and it looks like the bad storm that we were expecting is going to miss us, but the temps are going to be "slightly" chilly.
gotta run - sologat out.
11.29.2006
sponsorship news update #1
is starting to come in.... ASYLUM CYCYLES and SPEEDGOAT.COM will continue to provide support into the 2007 season.
TIFOSI OPTICS will continue to their support as well. they have some updates to their line including some new frames and updated lenses. thanks shannon and tifosi!
and, (drumroll please....)
NORTHWAVE will be my shoe sponsor the upcoming year. northwave has recently changed their US distributor, so be sure to ask the guys at the 'goat about their shoes if interested in getting some for yourself. i have been running northwaves now for over 6 years and i love them - to the point i even turned down shoe sponsorship from other companies. i am really looking forward to representing them in 2007 - and the new color scheme on the kameleon is to die for.
in other news..
reynolds wheels now offically have tubulars glued on and offically make both the "hella light" and "hella fast" classifications.
and need a bike? check out the speedgoat.com demo bike sale HERE! sad news though, looks like the moots 29er is now gone.
that's it - back to work.
sologoat out.
TIFOSI OPTICS will continue to their support as well. they have some updates to their line including some new frames and updated lenses. thanks shannon and tifosi!
and, (drumroll please....)
NORTHWAVE will be my shoe sponsor the upcoming year. northwave has recently changed their US distributor, so be sure to ask the guys at the 'goat about their shoes if interested in getting some for yourself. i have been running northwaves now for over 6 years and i love them - to the point i even turned down shoe sponsorship from other companies. i am really looking forward to representing them in 2007 - and the new color scheme on the kameleon is to die for.
in other news..
reynolds wheels now offically have tubulars glued on and offically make both the "hella light" and "hella fast" classifications.
and need a bike? check out the speedgoat.com demo bike sale HERE! sad news though, looks like the moots 29er is now gone.
that's it - back to work.
sologoat out.
11.28.2006
down to the last race
in the cleveland cross series - for both the "a" group and the old man's class..
3 points now seperate Nate and myself which means it is coming down to the last race. since it is double points, one place can make the difference in the series. so, the stratus wheelset will make a debut at the cross race this weekend saving me an approximate 200-300 grams of rotational weight, at least.
rudy and brent also have a tight race on their hands, thought the point spread is a little more. as in the past, the last race of the series is a real deciding factor for your overall standings. it will be tough physically as your body wants to shut down for the season but your mind tries to push you through the last hour of major effort.
for some it will be the end of the race season, for others it will be a warm up for state championships and the fiasco finale of nationals out in rhode island. i am pretty pumped up for the trip out there, should be a good time.
the elite race on saturday will be hectic as i will be towards the back of the back because i have no UCI points. next year, i'll try to hit up a few UCI races when my fitness is super high to try to sneak up a few spots on the line up for cross nationals.
then, after the elite race - i'll finally get some rest - but not before downing some pints out of a frosty mug.
that's it - tubulars to glue.
sologoat out
3 points now seperate Nate and myself which means it is coming down to the last race. since it is double points, one place can make the difference in the series. so, the stratus wheelset will make a debut at the cross race this weekend saving me an approximate 200-300 grams of rotational weight, at least.
rudy and brent also have a tight race on their hands, thought the point spread is a little more. as in the past, the last race of the series is a real deciding factor for your overall standings. it will be tough physically as your body wants to shut down for the season but your mind tries to push you through the last hour of major effort.
for some it will be the end of the race season, for others it will be a warm up for state championships and the fiasco finale of nationals out in rhode island. i am pretty pumped up for the trip out there, should be a good time.
the elite race on saturday will be hectic as i will be towards the back of the back because i have no UCI points. next year, i'll try to hit up a few UCI races when my fitness is super high to try to sneak up a few spots on the line up for cross nationals.
then, after the elite race - i'll finally get some rest - but not before downing some pints out of a frosty mug.
that's it - tubulars to glue.
sologoat out
11.26.2006
cleveland cross write up
boughton farm, copley ohio was the 6th stop in the cleveland cross series and was set to be a fast one with warm temps and dry conditions.
this course is on a very flat farm with wide open sections that is open to the wind - great course for roadies, awesome course for paul martin who never seems to loose here.
relatively small field, but it was going to be fast with paul, nate, and the alan boys at the start line. i have been feeling under the weather so the game plan was to try and stay with the leaders and to stay close to nate (2nd in the series) and jake (3rd in the series).
gun went off, we were flying. on a ditch crossing towards the end of the first lap, i bobble and loose my placing. i am now dropped and not feeling all that great.
in a few laps, i start feeling better, but run into a small tree and loose more time. i soon recover, make up two places and catch up to jake who i start pulling around the course. just as soon as i was about to ask him to start pulling, i really slip up in a corner and go down.
bars turned, i continue on. i make one last ditch effort to try and catch up to jake on the last lap, but it was not to be. 6th place on the day, paul takes the win, nate takes the sprint for 2nd.
i retain the lead in the series with one race to - the double point race again at boughton farm.
3 points seperate nate and i, so one place seperates us both. basically, next week decides it all - one place in front of nate, i win. one place behind, 2nd place.
either way, it has been a great series. courses have been great, and the new venue was awesome.
that's it - sologoat out.
this course is on a very flat farm with wide open sections that is open to the wind - great course for roadies, awesome course for paul martin who never seems to loose here.
relatively small field, but it was going to be fast with paul, nate, and the alan boys at the start line. i have been feeling under the weather so the game plan was to try and stay with the leaders and to stay close to nate (2nd in the series) and jake (3rd in the series).
gun went off, we were flying. on a ditch crossing towards the end of the first lap, i bobble and loose my placing. i am now dropped and not feeling all that great.
in a few laps, i start feeling better, but run into a small tree and loose more time. i soon recover, make up two places and catch up to jake who i start pulling around the course. just as soon as i was about to ask him to start pulling, i really slip up in a corner and go down.
bars turned, i continue on. i make one last ditch effort to try and catch up to jake on the last lap, but it was not to be. 6th place on the day, paul takes the win, nate takes the sprint for 2nd.
i retain the lead in the series with one race to - the double point race again at boughton farm.
3 points seperate nate and i, so one place seperates us both. basically, next week decides it all - one place in front of nate, i win. one place behind, 2nd place.
either way, it has been a great series. courses have been great, and the new venue was awesome.
that's it - sologoat out.
11.22.2006
pimp my moots
yes, once again i have updated the bling level of thy moots.
i bring ye the reynolds stratus dv cross wheelset weighing in at a stupid light weight of 1250 grams. full specs can be seen at SPEEDGOAT.COM
these sweet tubular wheels will have TUFO's glued up and ready to roll by the weekend and just in time for the Ohio state cross championships and Cross Nationals the week after.
in related product reviews, i have a set of brake mounting hardware that allows spooky type canti's to have adjustment of the brake pads. only have enough for one brake, but i'll have pics up this week.
in other speedgoat related news, for all those interested in the new salsa's coming out, looks like they are going to be here around February/March. check with the shop on the exact dates, but i know they are getting a ton of them in because we are on the down-low with the salsa guys.
and - TIFOSOI OPTICS will continue to be a sponsor into my 2007 season. waiting to hear from others, but this is the first confirmed sponsor outside of speedgoat and asylum for next year. this will now make it the 4th year of me riding with Tifosi's and the third year i have been sponsored by them.
and - looks like there is a winter cross series for all those nutz in the ohio area. more details on this later, but it has 3 races that start in january. as if you thought suffering on the trainer was bad enough, try snow and 25 degrees.
things are crazy due to the turkey day holiday, so i may not post all that much this week.
last tidbits-
happy b-day to pit crew members: ernesto sr and nuclear scientist tom
speedgoat and blog pals: have a happy turkey day!
sologoat out
11.19.2006
cross write up
hellishly cold and rainy temps were in store today for the next race in the cleveland cross series. constant rain led to light snow back to rain - for the entire race.
muddy conditions were in effect for the course with no dismounts but two hellishly brutual run ups.
start was fast, nate got his guns firing and never looked back. i slipped back to fifth on the first lap, and chased away. i managed to bridge up to 4th, dropped him and then did the same to get into 3rd. it was one of those days you either have a good day or not.
i had a so-so day, didn't have the goods. great job to nate who looked strong and managed to extended his gap the last few laps. this result now inches him towards my first place in the series with 8 points seperating us.
next stop in the series - Boughton Farm next sunday.
course is mainly flat, and should have at least 2 double barriers. tends to favor the roadies as it has a lot of flat sections and the wind seems to be nasty out there as it is wide open with no cover.
and - with any luck, i may be riding my new reynolds status cross wheels. hella light with tufo tubular cross tires.
that's it - gotta dig the mud out my ears.
sologoat out.
muddy conditions were in effect for the course with no dismounts but two hellishly brutual run ups.
start was fast, nate got his guns firing and never looked back. i slipped back to fifth on the first lap, and chased away. i managed to bridge up to 4th, dropped him and then did the same to get into 3rd. it was one of those days you either have a good day or not.
i had a so-so day, didn't have the goods. great job to nate who looked strong and managed to extended his gap the last few laps. this result now inches him towards my first place in the series with 8 points seperating us.
next stop in the series - Boughton Farm next sunday.
course is mainly flat, and should have at least 2 double barriers. tends to favor the roadies as it has a lot of flat sections and the wind seems to be nasty out there as it is wide open with no cover.
and - with any luck, i may be riding my new reynolds status cross wheels. hella light with tufo tubular cross tires.
that's it - gotta dig the mud out my ears.
sologoat out.
11.14.2006
tifosi optics posts
got two sites that has an update on the tifosi optic product line for 2006:
CROOKED COG PODCAST
has a pod interview with matt conto from tifosi optics.
and...
WORLD CYCLING TV
has video of the new line up on their website. click on the link on the left for the interbike videos, then scroll on the right to the tifosi icon and click.
i've been running tifosi's now for the past 3 seasons now - get a lot without having to pay major cash for nice optics with multiple lenses.
this weekend...
next stop in the cleveland cross series at broadview heights.
sologoat out.
11.13.2006
a 4th, a 3rd and a first
4th on saturday, 3rd on sunday - and a first overall in the cross series in cleveland with 3 races to go.
sunday was a small field, late in the evening at 3:15pm. one barrier/run up and one barrier/stream/run-up combo. longer course, with some single track.
course was slick, field before the first run up was pretty soft.
pace was fast at first - a little too fast for me. there was a group with two ALAN riders (jimmy and shawn) and one other rider who quickly got away from me. they slowed, i chased.
and just when i was about to catch, shawn attacked - classic great move. jimmy sat on the other rider who chased - and the gap to them opened up again.
i slowly caught back up, and sat on for one lap. the non ALAN rider was pulling the entire time, and he was slowing. so through the field we went, with me the third rider.
i unleashed a super hard effort - i attacked with all i had through the field and up the run-up. a lap latter, jimmy was still on my tail. with his teammate ahead of us, it was job to try and pull shawn back - and i knew as soon as i caught him, i would probably get attacked by jimmy.
with 2 to go, i was not getting closer to shawn - and jimmy let me have it at the same spot shawn attacked. he went, and i had nothing to reply with - good move.
overall, legs felt kind of dead, but i am currently still holding the lead in the cleveland series... which will be tough to hold onto, as usual. the last race of the series usually has snow/ice and is cold as hell - and is double points. have a bad race there and it could mean a loss of your placing in the series.
in other news - dan the man (my mechanic) is getting wobblenaughted this weekend. he has seen the light....
that's it - gotta run.
sologoat out
sunday was a small field, late in the evening at 3:15pm. one barrier/run up and one barrier/stream/run-up combo. longer course, with some single track.
course was slick, field before the first run up was pretty soft.
pace was fast at first - a little too fast for me. there was a group with two ALAN riders (jimmy and shawn) and one other rider who quickly got away from me. they slowed, i chased.
and just when i was about to catch, shawn attacked - classic great move. jimmy sat on the other rider who chased - and the gap to them opened up again.
i slowly caught back up, and sat on for one lap. the non ALAN rider was pulling the entire time, and he was slowing. so through the field we went, with me the third rider.
i unleashed a super hard effort - i attacked with all i had through the field and up the run-up. a lap latter, jimmy was still on my tail. with his teammate ahead of us, it was job to try and pull shawn back - and i knew as soon as i caught him, i would probably get attacked by jimmy.
with 2 to go, i was not getting closer to shawn - and jimmy let me have it at the same spot shawn attacked. he went, and i had nothing to reply with - good move.
overall, legs felt kind of dead, but i am currently still holding the lead in the cleveland series... which will be tough to hold onto, as usual. the last race of the series usually has snow/ice and is cold as hell - and is double points. have a bad race there and it could mean a loss of your placing in the series.
in other news - dan the man (my mechanic) is getting wobblenaughted this weekend. he has seen the light....
that's it - gotta run.
sologoat out
11.11.2006
saturday cross wrap up
mud and rain, and lots of it.
this week was the 4th stop in the team lake effect cross series which had me leading the series by 1 point over paul martin.
paul was a no-show this race, but the rest of the top were on the starting line.
conditions were pretty bad from the start, but i got the good start and moved into the lead - which changed pretty quickly as i took a wrong turn. opting to ride my trainer for warm up left me not knowing the course - i have raced here before and i thought it was the same layout. not the case. dah.
the gap was there from my mistake, and the lead 5 took off. i chased and chased, and moved up into 4th place with 3 to go and felt pretty confident i had a good chance at 3rd, if not second - but two more unfortunate events happened.
as i got onto the wheel of the 3rd place rider, i washed out and went down. stupid mistake - looked up to see where he was and forgot where i was in the process.
then, just as i was getting back onto his wheel, the cut the race laps down by a lap - which sucks for me, as the 3rd place rider and 2nd place rider were slowing down.... oh well..
but - i did get a slight consolation prize in that everybody in the top 5 finished behind me (the top 3 riders today have missed at least one race, putting them behind in the series).
next stop - orrville tomorrow at 3:30pm. crazy late start, and with 24 hours of rain and mid 50 temps, we will have crazy mud.
some pics and a post up tomorrow.
sologoat out.
this week was the 4th stop in the team lake effect cross series which had me leading the series by 1 point over paul martin.
paul was a no-show this race, but the rest of the top were on the starting line.
conditions were pretty bad from the start, but i got the good start and moved into the lead - which changed pretty quickly as i took a wrong turn. opting to ride my trainer for warm up left me not knowing the course - i have raced here before and i thought it was the same layout. not the case. dah.
the gap was there from my mistake, and the lead 5 took off. i chased and chased, and moved up into 4th place with 3 to go and felt pretty confident i had a good chance at 3rd, if not second - but two more unfortunate events happened.
as i got onto the wheel of the 3rd place rider, i washed out and went down. stupid mistake - looked up to see where he was and forgot where i was in the process.
then, just as i was getting back onto his wheel, the cut the race laps down by a lap - which sucks for me, as the 3rd place rider and 2nd place rider were slowing down.... oh well..
but - i did get a slight consolation prize in that everybody in the top 5 finished behind me (the top 3 riders today have missed at least one race, putting them behind in the series).
next stop - orrville tomorrow at 3:30pm. crazy late start, and with 24 hours of rain and mid 50 temps, we will have crazy mud.
some pics and a post up tomorrow.
sologoat out.
11.08.2006
nada mucho
going on these days, but good to see the weather warming up this week in ohio.
two local cross races to hit up this weekend - lake effect's series on saturday and then a late race at 3pm'ish on sunday with the orriville guys. haven't hit up any of their races yet, so it should be a nice change to my usual cross schedule.
so, it's looking like roughly about a dozen'ish or so more cross races for the year, a few weeks break, then into training for the 2007 season which is taking shape already.
and - if you are looking for a deal on some higher end stuff - speedgoat is blowing out some of their demo bikes which includes 3 29er's - one of which is a Moots Mooto-X 29er with roloff hub. and, they also got some higher end road bikes too - a moots, a carbon parlee... nice stuff. my first higher end race bikes were actually speedgoat demo bikes at one time.
that's it for today - got to get to work...
sologoat out.
two local cross races to hit up this weekend - lake effect's series on saturday and then a late race at 3pm'ish on sunday with the orriville guys. haven't hit up any of their races yet, so it should be a nice change to my usual cross schedule.
so, it's looking like roughly about a dozen'ish or so more cross races for the year, a few weeks break, then into training for the 2007 season which is taking shape already.
and - if you are looking for a deal on some higher end stuff - speedgoat is blowing out some of their demo bikes which includes 3 29er's - one of which is a Moots Mooto-X 29er with roloff hub. and, they also got some higher end road bikes too - a moots, a carbon parlee... nice stuff. my first higher end race bikes were actually speedgoat demo bikes at one time.
that's it for today - got to get to work...
sologoat out.
11.05.2006
no race weekend
was supposed to hit up the pittsburgh cross race, but ended up getting really sick last night after eating some clams. was sick all night and half the morning.
not mucho happening these days - just getting in some rides and checking out the schedule for next year. looks like there are some changes coming down from the NORBA guys with some new formats for that could make marathons more "enduro" type of events. schedule (as of right now) is really not looking all that great again for us east coast riders, so hopefully this will open up the way for new events.
if you haven't checked out the speedgoat blog lately and you are a 29er freak, got to check it out. have some posts on there about crank lengths - would be interesting to hear what others think about one of the salsa guys comments that he actually runs shorter cranks on his 29er to help with out of corner speed. what he says makes sense, but i think i'll keep my 175's on.
and looks like mr. bishop got hurt pretty bad - broken bones in his jaw and a broken nose to boot at the la Ruta. good luck to our man harlan price down there...
with that, gotta run - proposals and resumes to get out this week.
sologoat out.
not mucho happening these days - just getting in some rides and checking out the schedule for next year. looks like there are some changes coming down from the NORBA guys with some new formats for that could make marathons more "enduro" type of events. schedule (as of right now) is really not looking all that great again for us east coast riders, so hopefully this will open up the way for new events.
if you haven't checked out the speedgoat blog lately and you are a 29er freak, got to check it out. have some posts on there about crank lengths - would be interesting to hear what others think about one of the salsa guys comments that he actually runs shorter cranks on his 29er to help with out of corner speed. what he says makes sense, but i think i'll keep my 175's on.
and looks like mr. bishop got hurt pretty bad - broken bones in his jaw and a broken nose to boot at the la Ruta. good luck to our man harlan price down there...
with that, gotta run - proposals and resumes to get out this week.
sologoat out.
11.02.2006
Racoon Cross Flyer - Nov 5th in the 'burgh
RACOON CROSS FLYER HERE
Race start times are a little different then the Cleveland series, so check it out as they start a little earlier.
Fields run about the same size, last time I was there Gunnar from Fort Cycles showed up, along with some tough guys from Eastern PA.
Depending on the layout, Gary could set it up with some mountain bike single track, but he has been setting them up lately as a classic cross course and doesn't put any of that in.
also - just an fyi - for you local yocals out there, CAMBA moved their next trail buidling/maintenance date. yours truely may make a guest appearance - stay tuned for an update within the next couple of days.
gots to run..
sologoat out.
Race start times are a little different then the Cleveland series, so check it out as they start a little earlier.
Fields run about the same size, last time I was there Gunnar from Fort Cycles showed up, along with some tough guys from Eastern PA.
Depending on the layout, Gary could set it up with some mountain bike single track, but he has been setting them up lately as a classic cross course and doesn't put any of that in.
also - just an fyi - for you local yocals out there, CAMBA moved their next trail buidling/maintenance date. yours truely may make a guest appearance - stay tuned for an update within the next couple of days.
gots to run..
sologoat out.
11.01.2006
speedgoat presents - vegas best in show
The 2007 Salsa Momasita
Salsa's newest addition to the their 29er line up, the Momasita. Scandium up front, carbon fiber rear end. Setup with a light rigid carbon fork and you are looking at around 20 pounds for a fully geared tricked out 29er that will make you not only go fast, but make others drool.
Read Chris's write up on the Speedgoat.com blog - link is above.
sologoat out.
10.30.2006
back from zoo york city
and i must say, it was a pretty cool experience. last time i was there was when i was about 16 and we didn't get to see too much. got some pretty cool pics, i'll post them randomly throughout the week...
big weekend coming up for the cleveland area - ray's mtb park has some pro jump bike studs coming in (from what i have heard) and the CAMBA guys are out building this weekend to put in some new trails off of the metroparks trail system -- which, if you are local to the area, is a HUGE deal because most of the trails in/around this area are highly illegal. hats off to those guys - they put in a lot of work.
and - cross races coming up this weekend. one in cinci, one in the youngstown area and another with my homies down in the 'burgh. all the races are on the same day (the 5th) so i think i am going to go back to my roots and catch up with some friends down at the pittsburgh race.
and - speedgoat. man, they are getting hooked up with some new schwag. soon they'll be getting in some niner bikes/frames, pretty much any component in the ritchey line up, and will also possibly start carrying more northwaves. stay tuned to their website.
and - the next few weeks, all sponsorship proposals out the door thanks to jeremy and the crew at speedgoat.
now, all i have to do - as my dad says - is pedal my bike.
so - off to ride.
sologoat out.
big weekend coming up for the cleveland area - ray's mtb park has some pro jump bike studs coming in (from what i have heard) and the CAMBA guys are out building this weekend to put in some new trails off of the metroparks trail system -- which, if you are local to the area, is a HUGE deal because most of the trails in/around this area are highly illegal. hats off to those guys - they put in a lot of work.
and - cross races coming up this weekend. one in cinci, one in the youngstown area and another with my homies down in the 'burgh. all the races are on the same day (the 5th) so i think i am going to go back to my roots and catch up with some friends down at the pittsburgh race.
and - speedgoat. man, they are getting hooked up with some new schwag. soon they'll be getting in some niner bikes/frames, pretty much any component in the ritchey line up, and will also possibly start carrying more northwaves. stay tuned to their website.
and - the next few weeks, all sponsorship proposals out the door thanks to jeremy and the crew at speedgoat.
now, all i have to do - as my dad says - is pedal my bike.
so - off to ride.
sologoat out.
10.27.2006
weekend of rest
is in order. no races this weekend, so i am taking a few days of easy rest before the i start the build up of more cross races which will end up in december.
looks like i am hitting up 2 races on nationals weekend - the masters race the day before and then elite nationals the next day. it's going to be a hella fast weekend.
got a couple of cross parts reviews coming up - a twofish bottle cage that attaches the frame via a velcro strap. why? because twofish, like myself, hate unsightly bottle cages on our cross bikes. so, put the cage on, take it off during cross practice, and put it back on for the ride home. 'nuff said.
and..
imagine you have "spooky" type brakes - the are super cool, super light and get you bonus bling points because you have a tricked out cross bike with tricked out brake pads. but... you call speedgoat and go...
"uh, i have some spooky brakes and i want to know how to adjust the brake pads"
dan the man will probably tell you - "ahhhh..... you can't adjust those brakes"
and you will say "what?"...
well, imagine the adjustment for the brake pads is actually ON the brake pad itself... hmmmm... ingenious.. watch for that review coming up when i get my new wheels in.
for now, i rest - next post coming at ya' monday.
sologoat out.
looks like i am hitting up 2 races on nationals weekend - the masters race the day before and then elite nationals the next day. it's going to be a hella fast weekend.
got a couple of cross parts reviews coming up - a twofish bottle cage that attaches the frame via a velcro strap. why? because twofish, like myself, hate unsightly bottle cages on our cross bikes. so, put the cage on, take it off during cross practice, and put it back on for the ride home. 'nuff said.
and..
imagine you have "spooky" type brakes - the are super cool, super light and get you bonus bling points because you have a tricked out cross bike with tricked out brake pads. but... you call speedgoat and go...
"uh, i have some spooky brakes and i want to know how to adjust the brake pads"
dan the man will probably tell you - "ahhhh..... you can't adjust those brakes"
and you will say "what?"...
well, imagine the adjustment for the brake pads is actually ON the brake pad itself... hmmmm... ingenious.. watch for that review coming up when i get my new wheels in.
for now, i rest - next post coming at ya' monday.
sologoat out.
10.26.2006
light & motion worlds video
is now posted at their website - you can check it out HERE.
there is a ton of video there, three of ernesto, including the entire pre-race interview with light & motion's barrett heywood - he also has a huge picture section from the race that includes all riders from the race - not just the l & m riders.
cross nat's registeration opened on monday and part of the where you start could depend on when you registered. register later and you could be #170. register soon, and you could be #50. That's 120 places when the gun goes off this december in rhode island. sounds like i may be heading out with the local ALAN riders, but that is all tentative for now.
and, this will be my only weekend off from racing from now until cross nats this weekend. will hit up some more double race weekends, some maybe in ohio, some in PA. only thing 100% is the cleveland series and the November 5th race in the pittsburgh area held by gary d. link to his race is at the teamlakeeffect.com website, but i'll have more up about it next week.
for now - gotta run. have that work thing going on today.
sologoat out.
there is a ton of video there, three of ernesto, including the entire pre-race interview with light & motion's barrett heywood - he also has a huge picture section from the race that includes all riders from the race - not just the l & m riders.
cross nat's registeration opened on monday and part of the where you start could depend on when you registered. register later and you could be #170. register soon, and you could be #50. That's 120 places when the gun goes off this december in rhode island. sounds like i may be heading out with the local ALAN riders, but that is all tentative for now.
and, this will be my only weekend off from racing from now until cross nats this weekend. will hit up some more double race weekends, some maybe in ohio, some in PA. only thing 100% is the cleveland series and the November 5th race in the pittsburgh area held by gary d. link to his race is at the teamlakeeffect.com website, but i'll have more up about it next week.
for now - gotta run. have that work thing going on today.
sologoat out.
10.23.2006
snakebite cross pics
first lap shot, getting ready for the first dismount of the race - straight into a sand/mud pit.
another first lap shot, coming out of the sand/mud pit.
and still running out of the pit, in second position, chasing nate.
now, i have dropped down to 4th at this point, roughly 1/2 way through the race.
the gap goes up, so i chase....
and chase...
and chase...
and chase...
until i catch paul and nate...
and then i attack, and immediately open a gap
heart rate is screaming, and i build up a gap in the sand/mud pit area as i run full speed through it. i flail through the mud, slide through the corners and stay upright for the first cyclocross win of the year.
10.22.2006
2 races - 2 victories
10.21 - snakebite cross/team lake effect race #2 (pics up tomorrow)
a small field of about 20'ish riders showed up, and all the riders that were in the top 5 last week were there, excluding the winner of that race.
temps were in the lower 50's and the course was mostly a typical cross course (twisty/turny).
after the field section, double barriers before the pine section, and back into a field section.
then into the one trail section which had two dismounts and came right after a decently long field section.
out of that section, through a field and into a sand pit run. fun, fun.
then back into the field, zig zag across, then cross the finish line.
get all that?
race takes off, and the soft muddy conditions and the hell it about to cause is immediate. the field is ripped apart on the first lap. nate is flying, i am chasing and paul martin is about 10 seconds behind me.
paul soon catches me, but i chase him back and hold the gap steady at 5 seconds. we slowly real in nate. paul attacks hard to catch nate, but by this time i am right on his wheel. this is about 1/2 way through the race.
for the next couple laps, the top three ride together. then, paul is pulling us and then lets me take the lead and i throw down my best lines and open up a gap. nate starts fading, paul is still chashing me.
ends up, i stay upright, consistant and use some good lines to hold my gap - and i managed the win in the hellishly muddy conditions.
10.22 - team lake effect race #3
classic cross course, with tons of twisty turns, switchbacks, barriers and two stair run ups. oh my.
line up was the same as yesterday, got in my good warmup on the trainer so i was good to go come start time. weather was overcast and chilly, conditions on the course were exceptionally good.
with the ammount of turns on this course, the turns themselves were going to be a major factor. with our race being the last one of the day, the corners were going to be slick and the lines i scoped out earlier would not be the same come race time.
best advice i can give for a cross race - never show the competition your good lines on a cross course. wait until you have a gap and use it to build up your lead, or if you are with another rider, wait until the last lap, surprise your competition with it and attack immediately after.
anyhoo...
race starts, and nate takes off. i chase. slowly the top 5 break away from the rest of the pack. on the second run up early in the race, everybody hesitates and takes the outside line up the stairs.
i take the inside line and attack - a gap opens immediately and shatters the pack of 5, dropping one guy istantly.
i slowly build up my lead, gaining seconds every lap. slowly, i pull away, but paul martin is coming on strong and has another rider in tow. i try to stay consistant.
with 3 to go, paul has dropped the other rider and the other chasing rider is nowhere in sight. he is closing the gap on me, i put my head down, pick my best lines and run like hell up both the run-ups.
with 2 to go, i turn around - the gap on paul has grown substantially (i later find out he gets caught up in the ribbon on the course and goes down). i pedal on, keeping the pace high.
with 1 to go, the gap is steady and holding. i hold off paul for the second day.
great way to wrap up the weekend - two victories in two days.
photo write up of saturday's race will be posted tomorrow...
for now, got to get some sleep...
sologoat out
a small field of about 20'ish riders showed up, and all the riders that were in the top 5 last week were there, excluding the winner of that race.
temps were in the lower 50's and the course was mostly a typical cross course (twisty/turny).
after the field section, double barriers before the pine section, and back into a field section.
then into the one trail section which had two dismounts and came right after a decently long field section.
out of that section, through a field and into a sand pit run. fun, fun.
then back into the field, zig zag across, then cross the finish line.
get all that?
race takes off, and the soft muddy conditions and the hell it about to cause is immediate. the field is ripped apart on the first lap. nate is flying, i am chasing and paul martin is about 10 seconds behind me.
paul soon catches me, but i chase him back and hold the gap steady at 5 seconds. we slowly real in nate. paul attacks hard to catch nate, but by this time i am right on his wheel. this is about 1/2 way through the race.
for the next couple laps, the top three ride together. then, paul is pulling us and then lets me take the lead and i throw down my best lines and open up a gap. nate starts fading, paul is still chashing me.
ends up, i stay upright, consistant and use some good lines to hold my gap - and i managed the win in the hellishly muddy conditions.
10.22 - team lake effect race #3
classic cross course, with tons of twisty turns, switchbacks, barriers and two stair run ups. oh my.
line up was the same as yesterday, got in my good warmup on the trainer so i was good to go come start time. weather was overcast and chilly, conditions on the course were exceptionally good.
with the ammount of turns on this course, the turns themselves were going to be a major factor. with our race being the last one of the day, the corners were going to be slick and the lines i scoped out earlier would not be the same come race time.
best advice i can give for a cross race - never show the competition your good lines on a cross course. wait until you have a gap and use it to build up your lead, or if you are with another rider, wait until the last lap, surprise your competition with it and attack immediately after.
anyhoo...
race starts, and nate takes off. i chase. slowly the top 5 break away from the rest of the pack. on the second run up early in the race, everybody hesitates and takes the outside line up the stairs.
i take the inside line and attack - a gap opens immediately and shatters the pack of 5, dropping one guy istantly.
i slowly build up my lead, gaining seconds every lap. slowly, i pull away, but paul martin is coming on strong and has another rider in tow. i try to stay consistant.
with 3 to go, paul has dropped the other rider and the other chasing rider is nowhere in sight. he is closing the gap on me, i put my head down, pick my best lines and run like hell up both the run-ups.
with 2 to go, i turn around - the gap on paul has grown substantially (i later find out he gets caught up in the ribbon on the course and goes down). i pedal on, keeping the pace high.
with 1 to go, the gap is steady and holding. i hold off paul for the second day.
great way to wrap up the weekend - two victories in two days.
photo write up of saturday's race will be posted tomorrow...
for now, got to get some sleep...
sologoat out
10.19.2006
hola
two cross races coming up this weekend in the cleveland area - brett's race on saturday and the lake effect race this sunday.
info can be found HERE
pics/results links can also be found on that page as well - that last cross race had four or five pics up of me. great shots..
moab - looks like bloggers and posts are being updated by the minute. some good, some bad. looks like nat won the race/series and the concept has been adopted by granny gear to have "two" races in the future should this happen again.
for instance, race 1 for moab would of been from noon to 8pm. results taken.
race two, for instance, would start at 6am sunday. results taken.
race 1 laps + race two laps = your overall laps/time
seems that would be best solution - hindsite, that is...
and - now starts the fun of cross season and sweating out sponsorships for next year. deadlines are coming due, so they got to get out pretty quick - and then the waiting game is on.
for me, asylum cycles/speedgoat.com is a 1000% certainty for next year - and with resumes going out for others, the talks will soon commence. looking to get some addtional ones this year for possible deals with shoes, wheels, etc.
with that - gotta run.
sologoat out.
info can be found HERE
pics/results links can also be found on that page as well - that last cross race had four or five pics up of me. great shots..
moab - looks like bloggers and posts are being updated by the minute. some good, some bad. looks like nat won the race/series and the concept has been adopted by granny gear to have "two" races in the future should this happen again.
for instance, race 1 for moab would of been from noon to 8pm. results taken.
race two, for instance, would start at 6am sunday. results taken.
race 1 laps + race two laps = your overall laps/time
seems that would be best solution - hindsite, that is...
and - now starts the fun of cross season and sweating out sponsorships for next year. deadlines are coming due, so they got to get out pretty quick - and then the waiting game is on.
for me, asylum cycles/speedgoat.com is a 1000% certainty for next year - and with resumes going out for others, the talks will soon commence. looking to get some addtional ones this year for possible deals with shoes, wheels, etc.
with that - gotta run.
sologoat out.
10.17.2006
and 4th and a second
cross race over the weekend - 4th place.
grannygear series - 2nd place overall.
weekend was pretty epic - first cross race of the year. paul martin (former national road champ) and mike house (fomer junior cross champ) took off with a local rider in tow, while i was battling it out for 5th.
dropped fifth, moved into fourth about half way through the race and started chasing down - paul martin. got the gap down to about 5-10 seconds when he caught 2nd place, then they started slowing down and i had the gap down to 5 seconds. i was so close i couldn't believe it...
then, up came a corner while i was watching in amazment that i was catching them, and i slipped up, slid out and went down - at the same time paul attacked for 2nd. i got up quick, but the damage was done. that was with 3 laps to go.
at 1/2 lap to go, i had the gap back down to what it was - had i not slipped, i am pretty confident that i would of got 3rd, but i guess it's not too shabby of a result considering last week's venture.
and - moab.
wow, what a shame about the weather. guys got only 8.5 hours in and they had to call it due to the weather. streams/rivers washed out some sections of the course and made the riding conditions very dangerous to say the least. from reading the reports, i guess a lot of solo riders were pretty ticked off seeing the teams got to go out again and the solo's didn't.
not being there, but hearing what happened - it's probably the best way it could of worked out. did it work out well for everybody - probably not - but it was probably the most fair way it could of worked out.
and - hats off to nat for taking the series. it was a toss up for me between worlds and moab because of the series and i can say that i am pretty bummed out that i didn't win the overall, but nat has been riding well and it has been showing. good job nat.
with that - gotta run. two local cross races this weekend - more info on that later.
sologoat out.
grannygear series - 2nd place overall.
weekend was pretty epic - first cross race of the year. paul martin (former national road champ) and mike house (fomer junior cross champ) took off with a local rider in tow, while i was battling it out for 5th.
dropped fifth, moved into fourth about half way through the race and started chasing down - paul martin. got the gap down to about 5-10 seconds when he caught 2nd place, then they started slowing down and i had the gap down to 5 seconds. i was so close i couldn't believe it...
then, up came a corner while i was watching in amazment that i was catching them, and i slipped up, slid out and went down - at the same time paul attacked for 2nd. i got up quick, but the damage was done. that was with 3 laps to go.
at 1/2 lap to go, i had the gap back down to what it was - had i not slipped, i am pretty confident that i would of got 3rd, but i guess it's not too shabby of a result considering last week's venture.
and - moab.
wow, what a shame about the weather. guys got only 8.5 hours in and they had to call it due to the weather. streams/rivers washed out some sections of the course and made the riding conditions very dangerous to say the least. from reading the reports, i guess a lot of solo riders were pretty ticked off seeing the teams got to go out again and the solo's didn't.
not being there, but hearing what happened - it's probably the best way it could of worked out. did it work out well for everybody - probably not - but it was probably the most fair way it could of worked out.
and - hats off to nat for taking the series. it was a toss up for me between worlds and moab because of the series and i can say that i am pretty bummed out that i didn't win the overall, but nat has been riding well and it has been showing. good job nat.
with that - gotta run. two local cross races this weekend - more info on that later.
sologoat out.
10.13.2006
a little r & r
has been the ojective of the week, before i hit up my first cross race of the year this weekend with the cleveland series. thought about the cinci cross this weekend as they have 2 uci events going on, but i am going to a art show opening up in cleveland saturday night - plus, the 4 hour drive down there is not that appealing this weekend. i need some rest and time to unpack.
but - don't forget, for you pittsburgh nutz out there - the month of mud has a cross race this weekend.
and - next week, two cross races in the cleveland area. one of the bike authority series race, and the other is the snakebite racing cross race put on by brett davis. check it out - he'll have free camping the night before and there just may be some beer drinking around a campfire... will there be smores brett?
this weekend is moab - where mr. nat ross is making an attack on my first place in the overall granny gear 24 hour solo series. lots of tough competition - nick martin, dave harris, tinker -- just to name a few. and i just heard a report - moab is muddy, and the weather/temps are not looking too swell for the weekend. it's going to be a super epic battle. good luck to all my fellow solo freaks out there - wish i could enjoy your pain this weekend.
in speedgoat news, looks like they are going to be picking up NINER bikes as they continue to build up a very good selection of 29er's to choose from. keep your eye on the blog over there, as chris continues to make some very good blog entries on the happenings at vegas. latest ones had some detail of the new compact road frame from salsa and some 29ers by van dessel, who also make a very cool cross bike.
and, speaking of salsa - watch out for chris's upcoming blog entry on the updates to the salsa lineup of frames and bikes. these guys are one of my favorite companies out there - they make great bikes and apparel and don't break your bank account doing it. i've been running their gloves/arm & leg warmers/bibs for years now - cheap price for good quality. and the frames - wow, this year they have some very nice 29er options and a very cool old school type road frame. hats off salsa - you deserve it.
with that, time to relax, drink a cool brew and get the moots cross bikes ready for the weekend.
cheers - sologoat
but - don't forget, for you pittsburgh nutz out there - the month of mud has a cross race this weekend.
and - next week, two cross races in the cleveland area. one of the bike authority series race, and the other is the snakebite racing cross race put on by brett davis. check it out - he'll have free camping the night before and there just may be some beer drinking around a campfire... will there be smores brett?
this weekend is moab - where mr. nat ross is making an attack on my first place in the overall granny gear 24 hour solo series. lots of tough competition - nick martin, dave harris, tinker -- just to name a few. and i just heard a report - moab is muddy, and the weather/temps are not looking too swell for the weekend. it's going to be a super epic battle. good luck to all my fellow solo freaks out there - wish i could enjoy your pain this weekend.
in speedgoat news, looks like they are going to be picking up NINER bikes as they continue to build up a very good selection of 29er's to choose from. keep your eye on the blog over there, as chris continues to make some very good blog entries on the happenings at vegas. latest ones had some detail of the new compact road frame from salsa and some 29ers by van dessel, who also make a very cool cross bike.
and, speaking of salsa - watch out for chris's upcoming blog entry on the updates to the salsa lineup of frames and bikes. these guys are one of my favorite companies out there - they make great bikes and apparel and don't break your bank account doing it. i've been running their gloves/arm & leg warmers/bibs for years now - cheap price for good quality. and the frames - wow, this year they have some very nice 29er options and a very cool old school type road frame. hats off salsa - you deserve it.
with that, time to relax, drink a cool brew and get the moots cross bikes ready for the weekend.
cheers - sologoat
10.11.2006
24 Hour Worlds write up
10.07 – 24 Hour Worlds Write Up
10:45am
With breakfast in me, and my pit crew (my father, brother, Dan the Man and Jennifer) already having setup my pit, I made my way down to pit row.
It was in the high 60’s and would reach maybe a max of 75-80 during the rest of the day, with sunny skies. It was a relaxed feeling in the pits, and I tried to take it easy before the start.
Did a quick video interview with Barrett Heywood from Light & Motion as he was in town to check out the race. Light & Motion was part sponsor of the Gripped Films documentary on Chris, and the venue is around Barrett’s home town, so it was a good event for him to be at.
After that, I mentally prepared for the race to come.
Chris was going to go out fast, and Gordon would be in tow.
NOON
Race starts, the run is chaotic as usual with arms flailing as guys who don’t run very well get through the quarter mile run. I am about 15th’ish to the bike, but due to some mad cyclocross skills, I run past a lot of guys and jump on the bike making up roughly 10 places in about 30 feet. I can’t run that well, but the skill of being able to jump on your bike during a full run not only looks cool, but saves a ton of time.
I chase. Chris and Gordon are flying ahead of me and the game plan was to let them duke it out, hoping that they would cook each other out. With me riding a “safe – but close – distance” behind them, I would swoop in. The plan was then to be on the same lap as them before nightfall, and to make up time during the cover of darkness.
3PM
Laps are clicking off fast, heat is getting higher and I am starting to feel it. I am now roughly in third place with the 4th and 5th place riders close behind.
6PM
I am getting tired, which is not good. By this time, I have slipped back to 5th and now try to come up with the next game plan.
The fast laps threw off my pit strategy – I was taking in too many calories which believe me, figuring that out at a heart rate of 175, covered in sweat, dodging the trees and screaming through dust as thick as fog at 20 plus miles an hour is a feat in itself.
11PM
Having lapped riders literally by the third lap, I was now a lap up on the 6th place rider and was roughly 20 minutes down on Hendershot who was riding steady in 4th.
I pitted to change clothes, grabbed some grub and made my way back out – not really knowing how could it really was. I dressed light and opted for no knee warmers.
The temperature was 47 degrees.
3AM
At this point, I am getting hungry and my heart rate is going down as I get more and more fatigued. I feel OK, but cannot push a high heart rate.
I start eating Hammer Bars and some other solid foods as the temps got really cold – I had to get calories in as I was not drinking due to the coldness.
7AM
Having heard that Chris was getting warm oatmeal for breakfast, at around my 24th’ish lap, all I could think about was scrambled eggs. I have my pit crew get some eggs from the hotel across the street and at roughly 7am’ish, I am taking off my lights and eating scrambled eggs out of a cup. Yummy.
8AM’ish
Chris was a few laps and a couple minutes ahead of me during my lap, and I would catch up to him on the second section of the figure 8 loop. We ride together for awhile, talk for a bit, and eventually catch up to Steve Schwartz. Chris is not looking that good.
10:30AM’ish
Having passed up Chris in the pits, I get informed that Gordon is starting to slow and Chris is making another move to get back into first. He soon catches me again and he physically looks a lot better.
I am informed in the pits that I am now about to lap the 6th place rider again as he is right in front of me. This late in the game, I am now a lap down on Mark in fourth, and 6th place is far enough behind me that if I stop early, I will still finish 5th.
11:30’ish
Having just completed my last lap, I cross the finish line in 5th place overall.
Great race, one that I can honestly say I’ll never forget.
I gave it my all, maybe went a little too hard at the beginning and possibly sacrificed a few places because of it, but I feel that it was better to have tried and failed, then to not try at all.
And to all my fellow competitors out there – great race. Hats off to everybody– the teams, the single speed freaks, and for Adrenaline.
And for the fans of Ernesto – thanks for cheering me on during the race and checking out the blog.
10:45am
With breakfast in me, and my pit crew (my father, brother, Dan the Man and Jennifer) already having setup my pit, I made my way down to pit row.
It was in the high 60’s and would reach maybe a max of 75-80 during the rest of the day, with sunny skies. It was a relaxed feeling in the pits, and I tried to take it easy before the start.
Did a quick video interview with Barrett Heywood from Light & Motion as he was in town to check out the race. Light & Motion was part sponsor of the Gripped Films documentary on Chris, and the venue is around Barrett’s home town, so it was a good event for him to be at.
After that, I mentally prepared for the race to come.
Chris was going to go out fast, and Gordon would be in tow.
NOON
Race starts, the run is chaotic as usual with arms flailing as guys who don’t run very well get through the quarter mile run. I am about 15th’ish to the bike, but due to some mad cyclocross skills, I run past a lot of guys and jump on the bike making up roughly 10 places in about 30 feet. I can’t run that well, but the skill of being able to jump on your bike during a full run not only looks cool, but saves a ton of time.
I chase. Chris and Gordon are flying ahead of me and the game plan was to let them duke it out, hoping that they would cook each other out. With me riding a “safe – but close – distance” behind them, I would swoop in. The plan was then to be on the same lap as them before nightfall, and to make up time during the cover of darkness.
3PM
Laps are clicking off fast, heat is getting higher and I am starting to feel it. I am now roughly in third place with the 4th and 5th place riders close behind.
6PM
I am getting tired, which is not good. By this time, I have slipped back to 5th and now try to come up with the next game plan.
The fast laps threw off my pit strategy – I was taking in too many calories which believe me, figuring that out at a heart rate of 175, covered in sweat, dodging the trees and screaming through dust as thick as fog at 20 plus miles an hour is a feat in itself.
11PM
Having lapped riders literally by the third lap, I was now a lap up on the 6th place rider and was roughly 20 minutes down on Hendershot who was riding steady in 4th.
I pitted to change clothes, grabbed some grub and made my way back out – not really knowing how could it really was. I dressed light and opted for no knee warmers.
The temperature was 47 degrees.
3AM
At this point, I am getting hungry and my heart rate is going down as I get more and more fatigued. I feel OK, but cannot push a high heart rate.
I start eating Hammer Bars and some other solid foods as the temps got really cold – I had to get calories in as I was not drinking due to the coldness.
7AM
Having heard that Chris was getting warm oatmeal for breakfast, at around my 24th’ish lap, all I could think about was scrambled eggs. I have my pit crew get some eggs from the hotel across the street and at roughly 7am’ish, I am taking off my lights and eating scrambled eggs out of a cup. Yummy.
8AM’ish
Chris was a few laps and a couple minutes ahead of me during my lap, and I would catch up to him on the second section of the figure 8 loop. We ride together for awhile, talk for a bit, and eventually catch up to Steve Schwartz. Chris is not looking that good.
10:30AM’ish
Having passed up Chris in the pits, I get informed that Gordon is starting to slow and Chris is making another move to get back into first. He soon catches me again and he physically looks a lot better.
I am informed in the pits that I am now about to lap the 6th place rider again as he is right in front of me. This late in the game, I am now a lap down on Mark in fourth, and 6th place is far enough behind me that if I stop early, I will still finish 5th.
11:30’ish
Having just completed my last lap, I cross the finish line in 5th place overall.
Great race, one that I can honestly say I’ll never forget.
I gave it my all, maybe went a little too hard at the beginning and possibly sacrificed a few places because of it, but I feel that it was better to have tried and failed, then to not try at all.
And to all my fellow competitors out there – great race. Hats off to everybody– the teams, the single speed freaks, and for Adrenaline.
And for the fans of Ernesto – thanks for cheering me on during the race and checking out the blog.
24 Hour Worlds - pic post #2
crusing the pits - was a little chilly at the start, around 65-70 degrees.
quick interview with light & motion head man barrett heywood.
le mans style start. watch those elbows!
about 18 hours in, sporting my hot pink "hottie" socks.
cool shot of backside, early on the first day...
23 1/2 hours later....
about 10 minutes after the finish of the race, looking "slightly" tired.
10.10.2006
24 Hour Worlds - picture post #1
me coming out of the woods on the first section of the course - this was early in the race.
same section - upclose like.
pit row bike line-up before the start of the race on saturday.
pimping my sponsors - speedgoat supplying dan the man and all components on the bike, less pedals from crank brothers and sweet rubber from schwalbe.
shot going down pit row. this would get chaotic later in the race as people tended to wander aimlessly around as riders are ripping down the trail. watch out, yo!
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