04.28.06 - random quick stuff

hey all.. busy as hell this week, so i needs to be quick.

SPEEDGOAT.COM
has a ton o' ernesto links..SPEEDGOAT.COM ERNESTO INTERVIEW and the upcoming "talk to ernesto day" link can be seen HERE. the talk to ernesto day will be part of the giant demo ride happening early in the day. if you are going to stop out, please call the shop and the shop and let them know you are coming.

also, if you did see the interview earlier when i posted it, you may want to check it out again - looks like michael at the shop has added some pictures to it including me catching big air at rays indoor mtb park in cleveland.

have a couple other things going on that's pretty cool - have to be secretive at this point, but i'll let the cat out of the bag within the next few days.

nat ross had a stellar day at the first granny gear race - he beat 2nd place by something like 6 laps? cyclingnews.com has an article on it - including some detail about an eye operation that he had recently.

and chris eatough is going for number 7 at solo worlds this year. adrenaline sent out an email earlier this week with some quotes for him.

oh - and also check out the blog/site at speedgoat.com. they got the new pink bike project going (got to see the sweet pink anodized parts) and you need to see the new 15 pound road bike they just built.

yes, 15 pounds. and because of the lightness, it gets offically called "stupid light." carbon, carbon everywhere, not a drop to drink.

or something like that.

gotta run -
sologoat out

04.24.06 - weekend update

whew.

first crit of the year for me was last saturday and it was at a blistering pace. 35 signed up for the local yocal RATL races. these races are usually stacked - i would say conservatively speaking, there was 5 category 1 riders, and at least 10-15 category 2 riders.

so, looking at the start line, it was going to be pretty fast. i second thought my classic take off from the gun approach, thinking that these guys might try to chase me down really quick.

gun went off and i took off. went like hell on the first lap, then backed it down to 75% on the second and they caught me going through on the 3 of 21 laps. it was then just crazy fast after that.

i stuck to the front, stayed out of trouble. a little group escaped with 2 to go, we chased them back on the last lap but the guy in front of me opened a gap just when we were bridging. when i looked up, the gap to the guys in front of us was about 30 feet. hmmm.

a quarter mile to go in the race, we are pegged at 30+ mph and i quickly do the math...

30 foot gap to 10th place rider + race is only paying 8 deep + one sharp 90 degree last corner + i cant sprint to save my life + 30+ mph speed + somebody may take me out sprinting for 13th place = NO CHANCE IN HELL

so, with that, i backed off and cruised into the finish line. you have to pick your battles - and assess your risks. honestly, i feel safer screaming down a hill at 30mph at 2am then i do screaming into a corner at 30mph at 2pm with 20 guys behind me.

in other news...

will be heading back out to the shop in a few weeks for a giant bicycles demo day - after the AM ride will be a special guest appearance by myself where i will be talking 'bout nutrition on the bike. this is going to be geared for new riders and poeple who signed up for the AM ride - i am going to keep it basic. more info on this later - stay posted to the site for updates, or check on SPEEDGOAT's website for details.

that's it, gotta run.

sologoat out.

04.20.06 - asylum/ernesto web ad on spokejunkies

SPOKE JUNKIES got a new web ad for the asylum frames up on their reviews web page. check 'em out.

nada mucho going on these dayz - getting hammered at work. i have a client "going live" in a few weeks down in cinci so things are getting hectic.

i consult on an accounting software produced by microsoft called great plains - my specialty field is construction and service. what happens in a "go live" situatation for a client is when you cut over from one accounting system to the other.

which means, all that data that is in the old system, now has to be in the new. so imagine a companys data - employee records, customer records, vendors, bank accounts, general ledger, jobs, service contracts, etc -- all that data has to tie out and balance to each other.

and all the settings have to be reviewed and checked, reports have to be created, employees need to be taught how to learn the system, you need to know their business inside and out, including their old system and the way they entered data.

you need to know accounting, you need to know the industry, you need to know great plains, you need to know SQL databases, you need to know how to extract/manipulate/reimport data.

that's my day job...

my bike "job" is waaaaaaaaay more fun..

gotta run.

sologoat out

04.18.06 - pics from todays ride

i had this massive tailwind today so i got huge amount of mileage.

sologoat out

04.16.06 - things u see on a ride

never surprises me the nutty stuff one can see on a ride. from huge bunnies...



to an offer for free manure.



sweet. just what i needed.

not much to update yin's on (that pittsburgh talk).

just been riding, working, eating, riding more, eating again, sleeping.

got in the first few rides on the new asylums - must say the nokons dan put on are shifting awesomely. been very happy with these cables - been running them now for over 3 years. very nice system.

that's it tonight - cinci is calling me yet again. which, has been working out well for my training, but not for my tires on my moots. i have cut tires so bad on that trail that i have had to replace two of them - and i have only done about 6 rides on the trail with my road bike.

and - i must say, the compact moots frame is working out really nice for me. very quick handling and responsive - reminds me a lot of the compact giant i used to have years back.

sologoat out.

04.14.06 - asylum #2 pics

just got asylum #2 from my pals over at ASYLUM CYCLES where dan the man at SPEEDGOAT.COM has yet again constructed another masterpiece.



ah, the pretty in pink chris king disc hubs with the new high end SRAM cassette and chain. those are the sweet SCHWALBE little alberts on those bontrager rims.

NORTHWAVES are my shoe of choice. am i sponsored by them? no. why do do i run them? 'cause they are stiff, i have been running them for over 5 years and everything italian kicks ass. well, most everything.



side shot showing of the "pre sponsor sticker session" view. logo's have been changed for 2006 - update your pre-2006 frame with new stickers HERE.



front shot showing off the new head badge sticker. also, the new stem/bar combo of choice for 2006 - a ritchey wcs stem and the easton monkey light sl carbon bars make for a hella cool and hella light setup.

oh... and notice those sweet nokon anodized black sealed cables all around, yo.

gots to go. sologoat out.

04.12.06 - back from cinci

back from cinci - seems like the last few days were somewhat crazy. left cinci on friday, only to come back on monday. nutty.

at least the weather was a little nicer this time and i didn't have to ride through hail and thunderstorms. that was not mucho fun-o.



SPEEDGOAT.COM has a new deal going right now with ASYLUM complete bikes. two different builds - one entry level, the other higher end. nice stuff on each - but is it by any chance that most of the parts choosen were "ironically" the same brand that ernesto is running? hmmmm.... maybe because they know what works? hmmm.... maybe because it's race proven? hmmm... food for thought.

TIFOSI OPTICS now has their new website up which will have some sponsored rider info on it later on. and - stayed tuned to this blog and speedgoat's where i will be reviewing the Q3, quam and the backlash.

that's it - gotta roll. hope you guys like the new higher resolution pics - my old camera was 2.0 mega pixels, new one is 5.0. hellz ya.

sologoat out.

04.09.06 - busy, busy, busy

work, ride, sleep. repeat.

sorry for the lack o' posts lately, but work has been pretty hectic and my riding schedule has been too.

was in cinci 3 days last week and rode friday down there in what i believe was pure hell. started in 70 degrees and 35 minutes later, i was in 50 degree dumping rain that soon turned to hail.

the enduro freak in me kept riding, and when i turned around 25 minutes later, it rained harder. and harder. and harder.

hands and forearms went numb and i stared riding tempo to keep from freezing. by the time i got back to the car, the clouds had cleared, blue skies set in and the temps were back up to 60.

freaky.

this weekend was good tempo riding at the shop on saturday when i picked up my second bike and did some hill repeats on the climb up laurel hill. 40 minutes of pure climbing fun. from the shop, i went up the climb, turned around and went back up it again. i have to take opportunities to climb that hill every time i go to the shop as i don't have any sustained climbs like that around me. we have some 10 minute ones, but nothing like that one.

and today was tempo work with fellow cat 2 roadie tris h. tris was my old roommate from a few years back, and he basically started racing really well about the same time i did. i think the year he upgraded to a 2 he won something like 15 cat 3 road races. he's a pretty big guy and has plenty of power, so he has some good stuff on the flats. so he would power the flats, i would power the climbs. repeat for the rest o' the day.

i think it's important to switch things up every once in awhile - you just can't always ride the same route, same guys, same thing... you have to switch it up.

anyhoo, shame about hincapie today - looked like the steerer tube broke on his fork at paris roubaix, and two discovery guys got DQ'd for crossing a train track when the gates were closed and there was 10k to go in the race. kinda bogus on the DQ, but i guess that is the rule. pretty exciting last 20k though, if you happened to catch the race.

gotz to run - more cinci fun this week. 60 degrees in cleveland means 80 degrees in cinci. hellz ya.

sologoat out.

04.06.06 - cyclingnews.com update

hey folks...

the CYCLINGNEWS.COM interview is on hold for a week or so. what was first intended to be a short article in relation to the ULTRA MTB SERIES has now changed into a full blown interview, something similar to what was out for NAT ROSS on their site a week or so ago.

so, after all the fuss is done with sea otter, the article/interview will be posted. stay tuned, yo.

speaking of nat ross, picked up a velonews the other day - have a nice short piece on him with a full color shot. very nice to see us enduro freaks are getting some press.

with things like the ultra enduro series type of events and riders like cameron, nat, chris e getting some recognition, it's getting really interesting to see how just in a few years that the endurance events seems to be getting more popular.

why i can remember when...

i was at my first 24 hour race ever. it was canaan. i was on a team of guys i didn't know and they we doing it for fun. so was i.

i was picked to go first. i was going to take it easy, have fun. not be serious and enjoy the event.

this was when the canaan event drew hundreds. ESPN had coverage there. the mountain was lined 10 people deep watching the start.

the gun went off. i went from "having fun" to super serious racer in about 2 seconds. on the last climb, i was riding behind john stampsted (forgive me if i killed the spelling) and the ESPN guys were video taping us from 5 feet away - a camera man was taping via the back of ATV.

little did i know years later this is where i would be.

sologoat out.

04.03.06 - solo worlds update

this just in from the 24 HOA guys:

World Solo Championship – 2006

Grandfather Clause

(NOTE - this is edited down...)

Keeping with the Olympic theme for a minute, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the fine folks in Whistler for their support the last three years. As you know all eyes are on Whistler as they prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics. All of those who traveled to Whistler (despite last years continuous down poor) would agree it is a great venue for both the event and as a vacation destination. Moving our event to Conyers is an opportunity to host the best on the historical Olympic course (1996), while also taking into consideration the many current infrastructure demands on the Whistler Resort, which very well could have an impact on the WSC. Thanks goes to our past host hotel the Westin Whistler Resort & Spa, Whistler/Blackcomb and the town of Whistler. We look forward to returning in the future.

As many of you know, we have always continued to build this championship around our past participants. We have done so using what we call the “Grandfather Clause” (GFC). This years GFC will again offer you automatic qualification status into the 2006 event. With only 200 slots open for this year’s event and a new qualifying system about to be announced, this is a great opportunity to commit and focus in on the WSC.

As just mentioned we are about to announce the opening of a new qualifying system that will open up opportunities Worldwide. The new system will have restrictions on the elite vs. age group categories. Taking advantage of the GFC allows you to commit and compete without any restrictions.

....

that post was an email from stuart - check back on their website for more info.

in other news...

not mucho going on these days - just concentrating on work and riding.

look for some exciting stuff on CYCLINGNEWS.COM. what could be exciting? hmmm... maybe another interview with an enduro rider....

interesting cycling news articles the past few days..

GARY FISHER team updates

NEW XTR
dang... this stuff looks hot - trimmed down and drilled out. even the pictures look silly light.

WIRED TO WIN
remember that IMAX movie that tyler was supposed to be in before all that doping stuff came out? well, no fear - the movie is hear. but, a few new "actors" are playing the role of the riders. check it out. OH.... and if you are from the cleveland area, you are a HELLA silly for missing out on it when it comes to our neck of the woods in may.

that's it - gots to roll.

sologoat out

04.03.06 - i hate mondays

waz up?

some random news and updates in the sologoat world.

ADRENALINE update -
i'll post the email later tonight, but it looks like their maybe a raffle for a few rooms at the local hotel accross from the venue. there's something like 20 spots open.

registration now up for worlds and it looks like their may be new rules for qualifying, etc. rules don't apply if you are grandfathered because of prior years qualification.

i think there was a cutoff for registration too. check back later tonight for the full email.

ASYLUM update -
last post was a april foolz joke. saw some other pretty funny ones on cycling news. may want to check out their website for the articles.

and - picking up asylum #2 this coming weekend and asylum #1 is getting new nokons. we are putting black nokons on - the silver ones were flaking.

that's it - gotta run.

sologoat out

04.01.06 - new asylum frame design!

this just out from the crazy nutz at SPEEDGOAT.COM.

a hella sweet 2.2 pound, 11 inch rear travel full suspended 29er. it seems too good to be true.

frame material will be wafer thin aluminum, with carbon links to save on weight.

my race bikes will have special injection ports for helium which will help me with jumps and to make the bike feel way lighter then what it is.

and, frame colors will be the latest discounted aluminum siding paint that we can find at lowes. this will help keep down the costs for the consumer.

pre-order today!

sologoat out