01.29.06 - the goat speaks out

had a few questions sent to me the last few days, and one that was asked a few months back..
now - the sologoat speaks out..

QUESTION 1 - I am wondering if you can explain to me your experience going pro as an endurance cyclist. Benefits, taxes, etc.

it has been good - speedgoat has helped me a ton in this area - and i would probably highly recommend anybody wanting to go pro get somehow affilated with a shop for your everyday minor spare parts, repairs, etc.

most of my support has come in the form of product and that is pretty much the standard type of sponsorship. but - you have to be prepared to send them feedback, results, pictures, etc. i take my relationship with my sponsors seriously, and i help them with promoting their products as well as providing feedback to help improve upon their existing product line. as with any relationship in life, you have to maintain the relationship - you just can't get your stuff and forget about them until the end of the year, or you probably won't have them as a sponsor the next season.

taxes - i am not a tax consultant, but any money i get is through the form of 1099. any other questions, i would suggest reading up on the IRS website in regards to miscellaneous income.

QUESTION 2 - is that 26 front 29 rear?!?

no, it is a straight up 29er front and rear. the only company that i know is currently doing something like that is castellano and the frame was designed for the feel of a 29er, but the quickness of a 26er. their design uses a 26 inch rear wheel and a 29 inch front. the builder used to work with IBIS and designed some of their nicer frame designs including the silk ti frame. very cool rear triangle on it.

QUESTION 3 - What have you personally seen change in your riding style with the 29er? And are you digging the Reba?

i can tell you without a doubt, my riding has vastly improved. before the asylums, i started out with a surly karate monkey. i jumped on the monkey and loved it, but felt that it was a little slow. chris at the shop suggested i try out the asylum after the end of my 2004 season, and in early 2005, i got my first real racing 29ers.

at whistler, the courses up in new york, the snowshoe marathon, i was preriding and would say to myself, "OK, now where is that section where i was having problems with last year" - and the next thing i knew i was through it and saying to myself, "i can't believe i just cleared that when it gave me so much trouble last year on my 26er".... single track with small roots, short steep little climbs -- the 29er just comes alive and eats that stuff up. and the downhills - the asylum is the first bike i have ever owned when going downhill i am pedaling looking for more speed, when before i was on the brakes and tentative.

the reba - i am way diggin' it, but i wish it was a little bit lighter. i would highly recommend getting the lockout as i like to climb a lot out of the saddle and throw my entire body into my pedaling - and with it locked out, the fork is not dampening and absorbing all that effort. guess it just depends on your riding style.

sologoat out.

01.28.06 - the 2006 season

start of a late day - this was last thursday at about 5pm before a 4 hour night ride. 2 hours later, i would have two frozen water bottles for the ride home.

ah, espresso. yummy. i have been thinking a lot lately about the season - still thinking about the NORBA marathons, Granny Gear seems to be stepping up big time with their addition of two new races this year... it's hard picking which ones to do - low entry/high entry, travel to/from, payouts/no payouts, high profile/low key...

decisions... decision now at 10am - gotta ride. 40 degrees in ohio on a saturday and i have a hall pass to ride until 4pm.

gotta ride - sologoat out

01.26.06 - sologoat race bike #1

dan the man has worked his magic and this is his latest work of art.

the sologoat race bike (limited edition creation 1 of 2 - signed by the mechanic) is a pure racing bike and clearly a work of art. thanks mucho dan.

01.22.06 - bike ride 03

01.22.06 - bike ride 03
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.

almost home from a four hour winter adventure.

overcast sky all day, the sun decided to make an appearance 5 minutes before i finished up my ride.

01.22.06 - bike ride 02

01.22.06 - bike ride 02
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.

3 hours in and i practice my track stand skillz.

this is actually a skill i picked up in my old school freestyle days. i used to ride for hours in my parents basement - and one of the things i practiced - track stands.

01.22.06 - sologoat bike ride pic 01

bike ride 001
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.

start of my saturday ride. been riding my surly karate monkey a ton lately, and it was the bike of choice for the day.

good parts where it is needed, saddle the same as my race bikes, and spare/heavy duty parts everywhere else.

and on muddy days - the setup is completed with the addtion of fenders

01.20.05 - think purple/blue'ish

and that will be the color of my frames for this year.

dan the man (my mechanic) has offically picked out a color that was supposed to be blue, but has turned out to be more of a purple/blue'ish mettalic color. so, i won't exactly match the production bikes, but from what the guys at the shop are saying, the paint looks hella cool.

the rear triangle is also painted - something that WILL NOT be on the production bikes which be coming in stock very soon (if they are not there already).

should have some pics up soon as the first of my two bikes will be built up by the end of the month. nothing major to note, though we did decide on the ritchey wcs stem and the easton monkey lite sl bars.

why this setup? the stem is decently light - the published weight is 130 grams, but dan weighed it in a 100 grams. and the bars - did not go oversized, and are going with the riser bar. oversized stems/bars add weight - and stiffness. stiffness then comes backs through to my hands as the bar does not dampen any type of vibration. not good. we are hoping that the bar is not so hard on my hands and saves a little weight over the FSA bar/stem i was running last year.

that's it - gotta run.

sologoat out.

01.17.05 - random pic from bigbear pic 02

01.17.05 - random pic from bigbear pic 02
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.

all smiles at the start of the race - next to hendershot and cameron.

both had just finished 24 hour nationals weeks earlier in severe heat.

01.17.05 - random pic from bigbear pic 01

01.17.05 - random pic from bigbear pic 01
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.

i believe this was towards the end of the lap - it was a fresh newly cut section and the ground was soft.

01.17.05 - a bunch o' stuff

bikeblogs.com
has voted me blog site of the month. check it out - tons of listings of bike related blogs. sweeet. thanks for checkin' me out.

24 hour NORBA nationals
what the heck - just checked this link out after seeing kerkove's blog - 78 bucks for a 24 hour race? jeez. i can't remember paying that in a looooong time for a 24 horu race. just to note though, usually national events don't payout. why, i don't know. just an FYI. only prize is the national jersey. current holder is cameron chambers.

wilderness 101 update
i am sad to say that it is being held the same weekend as the NORBA 24 nationals. dang - really wanted to get out to this event. definetely worth checking out - i passed this event up a couple of times in years past, bummed that i will not be at this years event. very fun race - tough, lots of single track. beer and cash after the race. it's almost like heaven - except you are in PA.

sologoat replies to question?
a fellow blogger came up with the question of what are some of the ramifications of turning pro (financially speaking) and how it applies to tax returns, sponsorships, etc. i have been thinking of how to reply back to this - and will be posting it soon. so, for the couple of you that had some questions - your reply will be coming soon.

wobblenaught ernesto update
tom over at wobblenaught has updated the site with my cleveland cross update - ya, it's old news, but it's all good.

that's it - gotta run for a fun filled roller ride in a hotel room in cincinnati. fun, fun.. there is a little paved back path down here that is super long, but can't ride it tonight - too much rain. been getting in some good rides lately, so tonight and tomorrow will be my "easy" roller rides and then another long night ride on thursday as the heat wave in ohio comes back.

gotta go -
sologoat out.

01.15.06 - long rides and the goat's winter training secrets

can't believe the weather here in ohio recently - earlier this week we had 60 degrees and now it is back down to 30. at least we don't have snow.

this week i was able to get in some good longer rides - something i wasn't able to do until next february last year. this year, winter training seems to be going a lot better - i don't know if it is the weather or that my 2005 season went so well that the suffering in the winter doesn't seem so bad.

here is a few tricks i have to get me through my winter rides:

1. heat packs - i don't know why i never thought of these before. cheap source of heat when you are two hours from home.

2. double layer gloves - i usually wear a thin cross country ski glove overtop of a oversized shell mitten gloves. if the weather gets really cold, i insert the heat packs. if it gets warm, i carry a thin liner glove - i then take off the mittens, put on the liners and then put on the cross country ski glove. yes, it sounds like a process, but it works.

3. i walk - when my feet get cold. despite having some of the best winter mountain shoes in the world (northwaves) my feet still get cold. so, once my toes start getting cold, i walk until i can feel them again. this usually works for about an hour, but it is a pretty simple way to warm them up.

that's about it - i don't usually do a whole lot more other than carry an camelback and use it as a backpack and stuff it with spare food, tubes, etc. i usually leave extra space in it so that i have room in case the weather warms up and/or i over dressed.


other then that, not mucho has been happening. got to do some work in cinci and columbus later this week. since i work out of town sometimes, i usually try to find a place to ride. well, i just hit the jackpot in cinci since i found the little ohio trail. i'll post the link to it tomorrow, but it is about 70 miles long and is a paved bike path - which is about the equivalent to what i train on every day here in kent ohio. took me foooooooorever to find it last week, but luckily the one parking lot for it is right next to a starbucks. oh yes.

nothing new from the 'goat lately. just getting ready for the season, same thing, different year. i'll have to look back, but i think this may be my fifth year racing for them. first races i did with them was some of the month of mud series in pittsburgh years back. i was racing with a schwinn team for years and then switched over to speedgoat after hearing about them through some friends of mine. very funny story actually to hear all of it, but i'll save that for another day.

gotta run - got some work to do tonight.

go ride.

sologoat out

01.14.06 - NORBA update on marathon series

here's the update from NORBA:

Ernesto,

The marathon national championships will be at the U.S. Mountain Bike National Championships in Mammoth July 20-23. Also, the 2006 NORBA Series calendar will only have the two marathons as posted.

Thanks

-Andy

01.10.06 - sologoat frappr website

holla friend.

i have just set up a frappr website after checking them out a few days ago from some links at moots and the transiowa websites.

it basically shows a US map and allows members of a group to create a little link on it so you can see all the other members and where they are at.

for instance, on the transiowa frappr website, you can see the hometown of all the racers who will be competing in the race. and at the moots frappr you can see a map of moots owners. very cool.

anyhoo, here is the link:

sologoat friends frappr website

sologoat out.

01.09.06 - long night and NORBA

Just got in from a long night ride - temps are in the balmy low 30's here in ohio. have to go down to cinci for work this week, so i am getting in some long rides and maybe even a short ride wednesday morning before heading down to cinci. usually when i head out of town for work, i end up taking my trainer or try to find some local trails - or try flipping around my workouts. if i have an easy day in the week, then i try to fit my out of town appointments around that day. most times it works out...

just saw NORBA announced some changes to their schedule and listed out the events for all the races. only two marathon events. hmmm.... i sent an email over to them to see what the deal-e-o was - to see if there was going to be more marathons and what is going on with marathon nationals as i don't see any info on it. i'll update u guys if i hear anything.

asylum cycles and speedgoat.com are hard at work getting the 06 race bikes painted and prepped for the upcoming season. my choice of hot pink for the frame color was somehow voted down and replaced by a dark metallic blue that is going to look similar to the blue frames that will be available on the next asylum run which is due very soon.

about the only difference between the stock frame and the frames i will get will be racing will be that the rear triangle will also be painted on mine -- otherwise, i am riding a prodcution frame. no customized specs on it, lighter tubeset, etc.

parts - no major changes there. in fact, i'll be riding on pretty much updated versions of the same components i was running last year with a few exceptions. after numerous disussions with dan the man (my mechanic from the 'goat) the parts we had on the bikes in 05 really held up well, were pretty light and most parts that may need to be replaced during a race situation wouldn't be too hard to find if we were out of town and not near the shop.

so, as far as my color combos go, i guess i at least get to keep my pink king hubs and headset.

that's it - gotta run. i am suuuuuuuuuuper tired tonight.

sologoat out

01.07.06 - trainer pic 02

01.07.06 - trainer pic 02
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.

notice how effortlessly i appear to be pedaling.

no pressure on my hands, my arms seem relaxed, by back is not hunched over, my legs are in the most wattage efficient position they could be.

only one thing this could be a sign of - a jim baldesare wobblenaught fit.

01.07.06 - trainer pic 01

01.07.06 - trainer pic 01
Originally uploaded by solo_goat.

roller day on the new compact moots.

right now, borrowing a stem from the 'goat before i decide what one to run for the 2006 road season.

thinking of going oversized, but that means i need a new bar - running oversized stuff on my moots cross and it feels hella stiff, so i gotta make the change

01.07.05 - clocked at 71kpm

well, not really. but i watched Alessandro Pettachi get clocked on a stage finish during the 2004 giro at 71km easily outsprinting everybody. sprinters - if you want to watch some crazy fast finishes, get some of the giro dvd's - very impressive.

not mucho going on these days - been sick for the past week and a half. won't go into details, but it is pretty gross. don't feel that bad overall, but i hope it goes away pretty quick. been planning a tentative race with brett davis (transiowa finisher from last year) down to florida next month, so i hope it won't kill my chances down there. just going down for good training in warm weather, not expecting much as it is early in the season and it will be on the shop asylum bike.

speaking of asylums - they are being painted blue by a local near the shop that paints/designs/builds frames for those little hot rod remote control cars/trucks. guess this guy does some pretty cool stuff - and i guess he takes these cars to remote control "car shows" to show them off. very funny. hey man, different strokes for different folks.

it's all about the passion, yo.

speaking of which, got to get on the rollers - about to watch that pesky roberto heras kick some butt at the 2004 tour of spain.

i wish you a happy day and warm weather. and no sickness.

sologoat out.

01.04.06 - roller kind of day

in the 'goat casa. rain and moderate temps made for the makings of a two hour roller ride to some of the 2004 tour dvd coverage. yep, pretty exciting.

not much going on these days, just trying to keep some fitness and try to fit in some long rides on the weekends. when the weather has been permitting, i been putting on the lights and heading out for night rides. sucks, but it could be worse - at least ohio doesn't have a lot of the white stuff around.

got a few more pics of the wobblenaught fit i had on my new road moots to put up - they'll be up in the next few days or so.

first races of the year for me will be on the road, a local crit series and a local road race series. prefer the road series as it takes me about an hour ride to get there, so i get a nice long ride in by the days end.

and first mountain race - well, that is to be determined. i have a few in mind, and it may involve a trip down to florida. i think it is a little early for me to go down, but it will be some good training.

that's it gotta run - hope you all had a good new years/holidays/etc. man, it always is way too short.

sologoat out.