3.30.06 - who knows what tomorrow may bring

maybe the sunshine maybe the rain
but as for me i'll wait and see
maybe it will bring my love to me
rjd2 - smoke & mirrors

with that, some updates at ya.

NAT ROSS INTERVIEW ON CYCLING NEWS
nat ross with an interview on cycling news. yes, it is a couple days old and is somewhat "old" news, but it is a good read for all you cycling freakazoids out there.

here is a little bit of it:

CN: What are the biggest adjustments you had to make when working with a coach?

NR: The hardest part for me has always been to do the speed component within the workout. I'll bust out the hours; if he says I need to do four hours at a certain cadence, I have no problem. It's the intervals within that four hours that I have the hardest time doing.

hmmmm. i think a lot of enduro riders feel the same way. i'm just glad i don't have to do sprints anymore. yahoo!

ULTRA ENDURO SERIES
also old news out there but i think there is some good things to be said of the series:

1. it is a good solution for races for east coast riders to get in some good races without breaking the bank, lugging around a ton of stuff and support crew.

2. you don't have to do all the races to be considered for the overall. nice.

3. west coast/east coast - you have to at least one west coast race. good concept - i think it's a good idea for riders to experience east/west coast riding.

4. finally a points system that really makes sense. i'm not going to go into the details, but check out the link above. very fair - good job on that one mr. ultra enduro series promoter.

that's it - got two very interesting emails yesterday, but i'm keeping those on the down low for now. exciting stuff.

what's next for the goat? some local yocal training crits where my "suprise" tactic of every race is to take off from the gun. i have never stayed away and usually get caught pretty quick, but it's all in good fun to see the roadies who are not locals panic to get clipped in and chase me down.

ah, the things i do to amuse myself.

gotz to run -
sologoat out.

03.28.06 - sologoat hammer gel promo flyer photo

this is a preview of the new hammer gel promo flyer that will be in goodie bags at upcoming hammer gel sponsored events.

get yours autographed!

sologoat out

03.27.06 - goat updates

hey all - just back from an easy recovery ride. i'll sure say it is a switch going back to 45 degrees in ohio compared to the 85 last week.

congrats to NICK MARTIN. the heat got to him on friday, but he pulled off his first pro win on saturday in the mountain time trial.

firming up some dates on my race schedule. to keep things exciting, i'm not going to post a whole lot about them, other then i am hitting up some NORBA and Granny Gear races... maybe a few others... stay tuned - more info to come. same goat time. same goat channel.

HAMMER GEL has a new promo flyer coming out soon. why mention this? hmmm... can it be a huge picture of yours truely on the back cover? along with a quote? yep - it will be scanned in tomorrow for your viewing pleasure.

SPEEDGOAT.COM will soon be having a GIANT TEST RIDE program. the test ride program is going to be setup with the newer rider in mind so this may be your chance to get your significant other to fall in love with... bicycles.

just to note, the giant TCR still remains one of my favorite frame designs - but giant has come out with something way cool. it's so cool, it kewl.

it is the bowery. it will make bike messengers drool.

gots to run - sologoat out.

03.24.06 - hella hot in arizona

the start line of the first stop in the NORBA marathon calander. on the line, nick martin and the west coast trek guys, nat ross and travis brown.



the course was cut down a loop - it was supposed to be 5 laps of a roughly 14 mile course and was cut down to 4 laps because of the heat. temps would reach 85 today.



this is a shot on the first loop of a very rough figure 8 course. my dad was able to hand me up some badly needed water. laps were running about 1 hour long. got a good start, but backed it off a little bit because my heart rate was screaming. average heart rate for the day was 170 for over 4 hours.



the goat on the only real climb of the course. this was on the first section of the figure 8 and was super tight single track. once on the climb, there would be no passing.



another shot on the first section. the course was very swoopy and really, really fast. this was my first real west coast race and i can easily say they are really different from the east coast. the biggest difference? i would say the overall speed - i swear i was going so fast in some sections that i thought i was in a road race. imagine super hard ground with little pebbles everywhere. you go into a corner so fast that you are sliding both wheels at the same time, hoping you don't bail into that cactus and trying to get your body and bike ligned up for the next corner. the straights are so fast that when you hit those little bumps on the course, you catch a foot of air and you are not even trying.

man, i really love racing.



ernesto at the finish line. overall, i felt pretty good - all things considered. first west coast race and first race/ride in this type of heat since last summer. i'll try to hit up a few more of these - i love this type of racing.



results list - placed 21rst out of 46'ish guys. looked to be 12 DNF's - names i recognized was nick martin and nat ross. think nat had some tire issues - assuming maybe nick had some issues with the heat? didn't check his blog - will need to check there later for the details.

overall, i'm pretty pleased overall. wish i could of done better, but it's a pretty good prep for 24 hour nationals.

that's it - gotz to get packed up for the early flight out to the 'burgh and out to this really cool italian place down the road.

more pics 'n stuff up later - gotta run.

sologoat out.

03.23.06 - in fountain hills AZ

at the first stop on the NORBA marathon race schedule - fountain hills arizona.

yet again, i am amazed by the space cadets walking around airports on their blue tooth telephones "conducting business" while chomping away at a big mac and walking around like we should know who they are. silliness.



race course is super dry and fast. if you veer too far from the path, you wil either hit somehting hard (a rock) or pointy (a cactus). try to stay away from both.



the tunnel in the background is part of the course which is about a 15 mile loop - first section has what i consider the only climb of the course and is about 2 minutes long. the first section of the course is roughly 6'ish miles. The second half of the course is twisty and turny, very fast and rolling. overall, the course reminds me a lot of bootleg canyon out in vegas - only a ton more fun.



one of the smaller little roller climbs on the second half. i accidentally did most of the second lap in my big ring. very friendly single speed course overall.



mountains in arizona got hit with snow this week - down in the valley, today it hit the mid 80's. to all my east coast homies, i miss you - but damn, this weather is awesome.



the course is going to be stupid fast - biggest thing i would fear tomorrow is the heat. us east coast riders are not used to it - hydration will be a factor for all.



kewl self portrait. haven't been to arizona in a long time - last time i didn't bring my bike. i think i would die if i came back and didn't bring it.



ah, the small race venue. i think the venue at the wilderness 101 was bigger, but who cares. did get a visual on some of my "enemies" - saw the trek guys (didn't see chris?) and i did see nat ross (no cameron?) heading out with 3 other pros.



ah, what would fountain hills arizona be without a fountain? hmmm.

maybe, middle-nowhere-arizona-so-we-have-to-do-something-to-attract-vistors arizona?

more pics and results up tomorrow.

for now, wish me no sunburn, huge lungs, fast legs, big heart and a safe ride.

for all y'ins other racing this weekend - keep the rubber side down.

talk to ya after the race -

sologoat out.

03.21.06 - new helmet for arizona

ah, the limar 911. got two of these sweet helmets from chris and beth over at SPEEDGOAT.COM. have been using limar helmets for over 2 years now and i must say i like them a lot. very nice fitting helmets and they are also very stylish.

hmm... italian shoes and italian helmet.

speaking of italian helmets - catlike has some crazy azz helmets that are hella cool. supposed to be available in the US this year. i think they need a US enduro rider on their sponsored riders page.

other random tidbits...

getting a new compact digital cam - the kodak v530. won't have it for the next race, but will have it in the next week or so.

NOVA Desert Classic is the first NORBA marathon of the year. yours truely will be heading out tomorrow evening - i'll leave the 40 degrees of ohio to the 70's in arizona. looking to be 5 laps of a 14 mile circuit with 26 guys signed up in the pro/open class so far -- only 10 singed up on the ladies side.

pics of the course will be posted on thursday sometime later in the evening. really looking forward to going out there.

better run - work, riding and packing must be done.

sologoat out

03.18.06 - arizona on my mind

well, the countdown begins.

about 6 days now until the first norba marathon of the year and i see there is about 20 guys singed up so far. should be a good time - the first race of the year is always a little nerve racking as everbody hopes they didn't overtrain and/or undertrain.

SCHWALBE TIRES sent out my tires earlier this week. as i did last year, i will be running the 29er version of the LITTLE ALBERT. light with a tough sidewall, the tire seems to hook up well on both east/west coast soil. very nice tire. thanks mucho to celeste and the guys for sending them out.

speaking of which, i just got asylum #1 all stickered up:



and wobblenaught fit guru Jim Baldesare has done yet another fit on my asylum. we switched my bars/stem out this year so i wanted to make sure things were looking good. i'm glad i had him look at things as my saddle was a little high (i was off by about the width of 3 pieces of paper - literally) and my bars needed a little adjustment to ease up the pressure on my hands. now, all i have to is pedal the bike.

and - almost forgot.

speegoat jeremy has come up with a blogspot of his own called mechanism that is the first digital edition and publication of his own zine.

why check it out? cuz you may just see an interview with ernesto.

check it out.

speaking of out, i gotta roll. mucho stuff to get done today.

ride your brains out.

sologoat out.

03.15.06 - decisions and updates

decisions
well, worlds was announced. it's taking place one week before moab. they are probably two of the biggest 24 hour events out there and are the two that everybody wants to attend. very tough decisions are going to be made, but it's my gut feeling that turnout to each event is going to heavily depend on what coast you live on.

honestly, it was two events on my calander for this year.

CAMBA
thanks to the guys at CAMBA for letting me ramble on racing, sponsors and what not last night. these guys are local trail builders in the cleveland area who are tightly tied to IMBA and work on trail access issues, along with trail building, group rides/trips/etc. if you are in cleveland, they are definetly worth checking out.

and ladies - they have women riders as well. don't be shy!

and for those who go out to ray's mountain bike park - he's putting in a cross country "trail" in the rafters above the jump park area. you'll ride a ramp up to the rafter area and will be able to do a loop around the entire place. you have to see the place - it's going to be nutty. like a nutty bar. but even better.

also - gots to give the shout out to the folks at hammer gel hooking up my fellow CAMBA members with some from product samples of heed, hammergel, endurolytes and perpetuem. all members got a good supply of the same products that i use during my training and events, which made it really nice that they could ask questions on how to use the items that they received.

asylum going black and blue
those will be the new colors of my clothing kit (otherwise known as an "outfit" as jennifer likes to call it). off the shelf clothing with mostly gray/black/white, while the "ernesto" stuff will have the gray replaced with blue.

hammer nutrition
got in some of the new voler hammer gel clothing and i must say - very nice stuff once again. voler makes some very nice clothing and i would HIGHLY recomend their winter vest and riding jacket. honestly, the best winter jackets i have ever owned and probably the best clothing investment i made last year. bib shorts are also highly recommended as they are a nice material and come with a good pad.

that's it - gotta run. need mucho resto for arizona.

snow this week, cactus the next. should be a blast.

sologoat out.

03.14.06 - worlds info posted on adrenaline

found this posted on their site:

Location:
GIHP Conyers, Georgia


Description:
2006 World 24 Hours of Adrenalin™ Championships

The 8th annual The World Solo 24 Hours of Adrenalin™ Championships will take place October 6th, 7th and 8th, 2006 at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, Ga., the site of mountain biking's debut as an Olympic sport.

On Tuesday July 30th, 1996 the first ever Olympic Cross Country Mountain Bike race took place in Conyers Georgia just outside of Atlanta. Now 10 years later in celebration of that historic cycling date, the venue will host the top solo athletes from around the world.

Solo athletes qualifying from around the World via for honors in both the elite, age group and single speed categories.

NOTE TO RACERS: If you feel that you have qualified and would like to be activated for registration, please create a profile on the website and email worldchampionships@twenty4sports.com to get your account activated (please include the qualifying event name and your placing).

link is HERE

off to CAMBA. sologoat out.

03.13.06 - the goat to speak

at the local CAMBA meeting tomorrow - you can find out about it HERE

i'll be talking briefly about my cycling career to date, some of my past races, current sponsors, etc - then will be taking some questions.

i will also be hannding out some product samples from HAMMER GEL. the swag bags are full of goodies, which also include 4 serving samples of HEED, a product that i have been using for the past two seasons with success.

in other news...

andrenaline about to post info regarding worlds. i don't know much more then the rest of you at this point, other then i know it will be at canmore and it looked like their may be a change of date. i just hope for the sake of the 24 hour community that it does not conflict with the other major 24's out there.

gotta run - see you guys in cleveland tomorrow.

sologoat out.

03.12.06 - solo worlds announced

hey all - just got this email from stuart and wanted to update all yin's on solo worlds...


Greetings solo athletes,

It has been my pleasure to witness the first ever solo rider, a young 17 year old named Eddy Hunt, who participated in our first ever 24 Hours of Adrenalin event back in 1994. Frankly we didn't have a category until that very day.

Solo? Are you kidding me! We had still to witness a team finish this new type of racing.

And so it was born, the solo category that is. Then in 1998, inspired, I created the first ever World Solo Championship, to be held in Canmore, Alberta Canada for the 1999 season. Since that time it has been my desire to provide endurance mountain bikers with a world stage to compete against one another. Both for elite and age group athletes and that's why I created the age group categories in 2002.

2006 will mark the 8th annual World Solo 24 Hours of Adrenalin Championships. The new date and location, plus a number of new qualifying procedures will be announced on Tuesday and Wednesday of this coming week. It is with careful consideration that we look to improve not only North American, but also global opportunities for participation.

Please feel free to contact us at worldchampionships@twenty4sports.com

to your good health,

Stuart Dorland
Founder
World Solo 24 Hours of Adrenalin Championships


sologoat out.

03.08.06 - the loneliness of the long distance cyclist

name the tune of the "modified" song name in my title for the day...

this was a shot from early this winter taken by a photographer that was shooting some photo's for the metro parks of summit county winter program guide. that particular shot appears on the back cover, in color.

it was a total random shot - i was out for an early morning ride and the roads were covered in ice/snow and it was windy, so i headed out on the trail for a ride. i saw a group of photographers with high end digital cameras and zoom lenses about a mile long. i said hi and then road by.


random updates:
1. asylum #2 in production. dan is currently creating masterpiece #2.
2. hammer gel - got in all my product today for the CAMBA meeting next week.
3. schwalbe - tires are in the mail.
4. first race - coming up soon. sweet.

that's it - gotta run.

sologoat out.

03.07.06 - supplies are coming in

just got my latest stuff from HAMMER GEL just a few days ago.

i must say, the voler clothing they have is really nice - i personally recommend their winter vests/jacket. very nice items to have - honestly, the best winter cycling jackets i have ever owned.

and SCHWALBE Little Alberts will be ordered in the next day or two. 29er tire with low weight and a tough sidewall to prevent punctures. i ran these all last year and will be running them again this year - i can personally say they hook up well in all weather conditions. awesome tire.

hmmm...

that's it - gotta run. miles to ride, software to install.

sologoat out.

03.05.06 - random pics and updates

first road ride of the year for ernesto. a group of 7 roadies and a mountain biker riding a 29er road bike went out on a tempo ride in the akron area.

don't ride too much on the road, but i like to do so every once in awhile to switch up the tempo and to get ready for the early season road races.



this pic was from last friday where i came from 55 degrees in cinci, to 25 degrees in akron. nice.

in other radom news....

i will be at the next CAMBA meeting (which i thought was coming up on the 7th) but is actually the 14th. sorry for the mix-up. i'll have all the details up soon, but if you come, you may just get some samples from HAMMER GEL.

here's the list of goodies:
HEED Mandarin-Orange
HEED Lemon-Lime
ENDUROLYTES
HAMMER GEL Rasberry
Perpetuem

no catch to the goodies, just come out and i'll get ya hooked up with some swag.

gotta run.

sologoat out.

03.02.06 - art imitating life?

this art sculpture at the miami trail in cinci brings up the classic art question -

art imitating life or life imitating art?

sologoat out.