8.30.2008

it's starting to smell like cross season


friday_cross_ride
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
ah, the first smells of cross season is upon us - dead leaves. let the pain begin.

more on this later, but in my extreme coffee drinking and web browsing efforts this early AM, i've stumbled upon some great news for the cleveland area.

the cleveland cross series is back in style - 6 races in total. will be tied in with the cross my heart race of team spin and the chagrin race put on by brett.

hat's off to brett - he's having a beer sponsor, a halloween themed cross event and all the proceeds are going towards fast track cycling's effort to get a velodrome in the cleveland area.

i'm strongly suggesting it be in akron - but that's my 2 cents.

and - watch out for a press release coming from them on the build location for the velodrome. should be coming up soon.

also up - my dream mid-week training race - team spin is going to be putting on a wednesday night cross race up in cleveland. 8 races of fun.

and - in a never ending search - if anybody in the cleveland area is willing to part ways with any road tubular wheelsets, drop me a post on the blog.

with that - gotta ride.

sologoat out

8.29.2008

long week


lining up
Originally uploaded by static-photo
sorry for the lack of content the last few days - been quite a hectic week of work and riding.

no NUE for me this weekend - passing on it to rest up for few more enduro events this year, then hitting up cross races the rest of the year until mid-december.

vegas is on for me, will be heading out with the speedgoat guys. crossvegas, though i am registered may not happen unless somebody out there loans me a bike to ride for the event - moots, redline, bh - can you help a brotha out?

AMC - somebody asked if it was a cool event and if i would go back. location was really cool, but didn't have too much to offer as far as food/restaurant's/etc goes. if you were taking a family, they may get a little bored if you stay in town.

hiking/etc is all around, though i am not sure if you want to be doing all that when you are trying to race - at elevation.

elevation was a bit extreme, but the views and scenery were spectacular. thought they could of used more trails, but seeing it through the eyes of promoter, that could be a nightmare to figure out logistically for 4 days of racing.

beer - better get it before you get in town. that 3.2% beer is just wrong in so many ways.

would i go back - yep. i think it can only get better with time - you just need to set realistic expectations based on the altitude... you also need to consider that the elevation will defintely help your fitness - i just build it into my training program and go from there.

would also suggest you go out with extra time and check out the parks.

now - need to finish up some work.

looking forward to a long weekend of riding, catching up on house work, a drinking a few cold brews.

sologoat out

8.24.2008

amc - day 4

just a quickie - need to catch a flight.

pace started a little easier and then picked up on the course that they will be using for nationals.

on the most technical section of the course, i burped my front tire. i'll spare the details, but i got it fixed and lost at least 20 minutes or so.

after that, i started picking off riders again and ended up riding the tech section on the second lap pretty conservatively since i was out of c02's, my pump was no longer in pocket, i left my saddle bag open and lost my multi tool and i gave my only tube to a stranded rider.

ended up in the top 20 or so for the day, think i finished overall 15th or 16th.

sologoat out

8.23.2008

amc - day 3


amc - day 3
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
tough day to say the least.

throw downs began on the first climb and i just tried to maintain a steady heart rate. tricky thing with elevation is that once you blow up, it takes a lot longer time to ride through it then it at a course lower then 7k feet.

i get in a group, make up some ground. repeat for the next 45'ish or so miles.

on the last climb, i somewhat crack probably due to lack of calories. at that point, i was within a minute of pulling back a group of 4 or so riders.

and to top off the final climb, my front wheel washes out leaving me some nasty cuts to bring back home.

next up - 2 laps of 24 miles with tons of climbing and then pack up the bikes and off to the airport.

sologoat out

8.22.2008

AMC - day 2


start3
Originally uploaded by jasonsager
9am start, 9:05 the throw down begins and the group splits.

i'm around 10-15 seconds back of the second group.

i catch another rider just before the first sections of single track and we make up some ground, but he drops me on the first single track climb of the day.

up down and all around, two feed zones and i end up catching around 4 or 5 guys. for roughly 85-90% day i ride alone.

finish out the day somewhere in the top 20 or so, not too shaby for an east coaster. should be interesting to see how things pan out the rest of the weekend.

tomorrow - roughly the same distance, less total climbing.

sunday - short, but hellish. the shortest of the stages also has the most climbing.

sologoat out


(photo credit out to sager)

8.21.2008

AMC - day 1


AMC - day 1
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
short track specialists got their grove on - jerimiah took the win.

very short course with a few techy single track sections.

tomorrow starts the hellish elevation - most of the climbing will come on the first part of the course.

other then the short race only other thing going on today was a brief riders meeting. there's always a fair share of stupid questions.

most classic one today - "will the foods stations have sunscreen?"

heckling started immediately.

gotta rest up - sologoat out

american mountain classic


brian head
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
got in brian head utah yesterday for the american mountain classic.

field is small but stacked and the elevation starts at around 10k feet. should be two contributing factors to coughing out a lung before the end of the stage race.

today, short prologue, then 3 55 mile'ish stages wrapping up on sunday.

prologue is 7 miles - about half road, half serious single track. has a few sections of rocks you need to watch out for or else you will be on your head in a second.

gotta run - stay tuned.

sologoat out

8.17.2008

thule cargo trailer

got a ton of questions on my trailer at nationals and through the blog - thought i'd pass along some info on it...



trailer is attached to my vibe via a trailer hitch i picked up at etrailer.com. hooked right up to my vibe with two bolts. ran about $150'ish.

this one uses an inch and quarter reciever - believe the bigger sized ones are for trucks/suv's.



the thule N1205 with the optional double aluminum side rails.

size is 4 foot wide, 7 foot long, 14 inches high. mine has the double rails, so it is 28 inches high. then throw on the clamshell top - adds probably another 6-8 inches at least.

weight is around 285 pounds with nothing in it, the max you can put in it is around 1400 pounds.

vibe's towing capacity is something like 1500 pounds - but don't quote me on that. look at your car manual.



also needed to get a ball hitch for it - think it was a 2 inch. double check that, i don't remember if it was 2 inch or 2 1/4.

would HIGHLY suggest getting a wiring harness - etrailer carries them. use the harness and you don't have to figure out the brake/turn signal wires. otherwise, watch your father try to figure it out for 3 hours. ran around $40.

as far as driving goes, can't really tell your even pulling anything. car handled same as if it wasn't on, but with the other rails on it, the trialer blocks your view in the rear view mirror.

also, if you are thinking that your local THULE dealer/bike shop can get you this trailer, you may be disappointed. THULE cargo split off from the bike carrier side a few years ago - so forget your pro deals bike geeks as this bike geek tried the same thing.

gas took a little hit - think my dad said it was averaging around 25 to 27 miles to gallon with it fully loaded and two bikes on the top racks. much better then the 10-12 of my sisters SUV.

rough figures, at 650 miles at $4/gallon gas:
sisters SUV one way cost: $260
vibe with trailer cost: $100

so, roughly speaking again - it will pay for itself travel wise in less then 10 trips.

worth it - definetely. fits in my garage with both our cars - that way it will last longer and i can keep it about 1/2 way packed up. may even end up using it during cross season.

sologoat out

8.16.2008

my garage is now open...

got a new blog started up - need to clean out some schwag, old parts and a few bikes.

check it out when you can:

SoloGoat Garage

thule cargo write up coming tomorrow

sologoat out

weekend of rest


columbus ride
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
is in store for me - need to catch up on life, work and get ready for the next adventure that starts early next week.

looks like the interbike fiasco will be happening again for me with a few slight changes of sorts... more on that later..

and - of course - when in vegas for interbike, i am almost obligated to do CrossVegas. it's an hour of beer, tips, and pizza while i try not to lapped and/or cough out both my lungs at the same time.

as i say, 24 hour racing is not much different then a cross race. same ammount of pain, two different periods of time.

sologoat out

8.08.2008

A Punchup at a Wedding


Radiohead- Blossom
Originally uploaded by lauren_r1
is no fun - but monday's radiohead concert at blossom was awesome.

now - time for a few more recovery rides and the prep for the next adventure.

next post coming up - since i've been getting a ton of questions about it, and it seemed to be a topic of conversation for many a passer by at my pits last weekend, i'll do a quick write up on the thule cargo trailer.

with that - back to work, pick up a cold sixer and a ride. TGIF.

sologoat out

8.07.2008

24 nats - long write up


DSC_0022
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
now up on the speedgoat blog.

check it out!

sologoat out

8.03.2008

24 nats - 4th place


DSC_0021
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
short write up..

tough day in the saddle - course took it's tool on the competitors.

i chased nat around for hours, closed the gap to around 10 minutes at 21'ish hours.

that's it - gotta get packed up.

sologoat out

8.01.2008

last post before the storm


100_1869
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
pit setup, pre-ride's are complete - now all to do is rest up.

course has seen some very minor changes and a few sections cut out and a few added - glad to see the section that cracked one of my ribs out this year. overall, seems to flow a lot better.

everybody and their brother is here, so the pace is going be hot and stay hot for a long time. grannygear is lending out their timing system, so be sure to check out the live feeds.

that's it - time to catch a little rest. next post up possibly late sunday.

sologoat out