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.
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