05.24.06 - more race pics from conyers

the sologoat pit tent. stacked with extra clothing, food, ice, lights, etc.



start of the race. jumped on the bike cyclocross style for maximum speed and kewlness points.



end of the race. riding in with eddie o.



thumbs up to my pit crew of dan the man (wrenching), dad (food and general trouble maker) and drew (techno wizzard/weather man/everything else). job well done - couldn't of done it without them.



the iron crank award was given to the first ever solo man john stampsted. he pretty much invented the event. this is a replica of the original which lists every single granny gear 24 hour solo men winner.



this shows one side of the trophy - for event winners in 2004. tinker, ernesto and nat. pretty awesome company to have, indeed.



the podium at the 24 hours of conyers.



ernesto and the iron crank.

photo credit goes out to dad.

gotta run - race update later tonight....

sologoat out.

05.23.06 - pics from georgia - set 01

these pics are coming at you from sologoat fan thomas n.

these were all taken on the first lap of the race.



i believe this was taken right before the first section of singletrack.



this picture was taken on the first loop, right behind my pit tent area.



this one was taken in the same spot.

thanks thomas for sending the pics - if anybody else has others, please forward them to me and i'll post them as soon as i can.

stayed tuned - more race pics from eddie o, ernesto sr and sologoat himself.... in addition to the full race recap.

and, you may want to check out the wobblenaught site... word travels fast...

gots to run-
sologoat out

05.21.06 - victory at conyers

quick update - longer post with pics to come tuesday sometime.

field of 7 solo's started in 94'ish degrees. fast pace at the start, had to back it down for fear that i would not finish if i kept the opening lap pace. heat was getting to me.

eddie o was close behind for the first 12 hours and i lapped him around midnight.

third place ended up 6 laps behind me by the race end.

eddie came in second, 3 laps behind. we ended up riding most of the last lap together.

that's it - gotta run. still completely wired from the past 24 hours. hands are a little sore, my big toes are a little numb.

for all those who said hi to me during the event - thanks for the shout outs.

pics/updates will be posted tuesday.

sologoat out.

05.18.06 - update from conyers

sitting at the atlanta airport. once again, in akron, i was bleeding in my ears after hearing the life story of a passenger in the two minutes it took me to get my ipod going.



got busted at the venue. aparantly, my asylums are really fast and the "five - o" found out about it.



ah, the new asylum kits (or "outfits" as jennifer calls them) have arrived.



trail is dry, temps are humid and hot. weather for the weekend looking like possible wet stuff.

right now, the trails are dry and fast.

that's it - gotta run.

more later.

sologoat out

05.18.06 - off to GA

'bout to head down to atlanta where i will be meeting up with my posse - dan the man, dad and my brother in law drew.

we are going drinking heavily tonight, more tomorrow night, and will drink shots of vodka to celebrate my first 24 hour of the year two minutes before start time.

NOT

looks like we may be getting a slight heat wave down there - up to 87 degrees on saturday with some possible showers coming to cool us off sometime on sunday. it's going to be hot, hot, hot.

with that - gotta run.

but stayed tuned - audio updates from my pit crew to come during the race, with some possible text updates too via laptop and a dial up card via drews laptop from the pits. very high tech.

sologoat out.

05.17.06 - i got wobblenaughted

yesterday, i got my last adjustments to my race bikes for my next race which is...

the granny gear 24 hours of conyers

field is looking to be super small - under 20 teams (including solo's!) - should provide to be a pretty low key event as number of total participants go.



will have 3 members in my conyers posse for this race - my father helping out with the food/clothing, dan the man wrenching and my brother in law helping to fill in the gaps. should be good times.

weather - looking to be OK for saturday, maybe some early evening rain on sunday, but it keeps switching back and forth. not holding my breathe on anything, but it looks at least the temperture will be fine - somewhere between 82 and 58. not bad.

and..

2006 new asylum clothing is in and from what i hear, looks really good. i will be wearing my new stuff this weekend. would show you pics, but i haven't seen the clothing myself (other than a pdf which i cannot find).

for this weekend, granny gear should have good postings up during the race. please check out the results section as they should have hourly updates.

and - starting tomorrow, i should have some pics/updates posted of the course, venue, airport, etc. i should be landing sometime around 11'ish at atlanta tomorrow.

for the fans that will be waiting for me there - please have a latte waiting for me.

just joking.

that's it - gotta sneak in a ride.

sologoat out

05.15.06 - starting to pack

for my first 24 hour of the year.

i'll have one more hand of support for this event - i'll have my father, dan the man, and my brother in law. should make things a little easier.

this weekend, skipped the last of the local yocal criteriums. every race has had a crash when the course was dry, so when i woke up and it had been raining all night and there was a light spray of rain in the air, i opted to skip the race. not what i really wanted to do, but i just didn't want to take a chance.

updates to the sponsors just went out - need to keep everybody in loop as far as my schedule goes and how products/bikes have been working out so far.

as far as schedule goes, man... NORBA changed the marathon race around for nationals, and the website has conflicting dates on it. the web site list of events has the marathon on thursday, the web site for the registration has it for sunday. hmmmmmm.

that would make booking a flight at this exact moment pretty impossible. hoping they have this resolved by the end of the day.

that's it - just a quickie update today as i needs to get things organized.

sologoat out

05.12.06 - tgif

long week coming to an end...

and i am still trying to figure out some type of racing schedule - seems that this year there is so many races to do and they all fall on the same dates. very frustrating - i swear i need a team manager. or call that, ernesto manager.

the ultramtb series, the NORBA series, the east coast UCI race in Sainte Anne, Granny Gear, Adrenaline - seems like you can't pick a race without missing the other.

And then, late changes to race dates - NORBA just switched the NORBA nationals to the Sonoma location in July. Makes the race more "do-able" for those wanting to hit up both the Marathon and 24 Hour National, but you'll have to miss out on one of the ultra MTB series race.

very, very frustrating.

new dirt rag came out the other day - got the new "ernesto" asylum ad, an ad for the salsa 29er hardtail and an article on enduro racer rob l. you may remember rob from my conyers write up last year - i rode the last two laps with him. rob did the event solo (no support), came in second, is vegan/straight edge and all around good guy. pick up the issue - it's sure to be a good read.

gots to - good luck to all those racing this weekend. see jeff k is hitting up his first major enduro of the year - check out his blog for updates.

as for me - one more crit this weekend if it doesn't rain (dang roadies fall too much in that stuff) and then weekend after next...

my first 24 hour of the year.

stay tuned.

sologoat out.

05.10.06 - late weekend update

suuuuuuuuuuuuper busy with domestic stuff lately, sorry for the lack of updates.

with rising fuel costs and a certain sense of taking some responsibility for the environment, i "stuck it to the man" and bought a electric lawn mower. kind of a pain with the cord, but i got a small yard. cord shouldn't be an issue as i got sockets all over the house on the outside. big thing is where you start cutting an how you lay out the cord.

anyhoo... back to racing stuff.

last saturday was the 3rd of 4 local yocal crits. as usuall, three quarters of the field are either cat 1 or cat 2's (some of the cat 1's are former national champs and/or pro's) so it was going to be a blistering pace.

with hopes of my off the start line attack sticking a little longer then usuall, i threw down my attack as planned off the gun and went extra hard this time because i was hoping to last 3 laps. (there is lots of cameras around, so i was trying to get some press for asylum.. ha,ha...) with a huge tailwind going up the climb, i gained a good margin on the field very quickly. going up the climb the second time, i looked back and saw the field chasing at a very high rate of speed.

as the story goes (heard this from a buddy who was in the field), the ambercrombie guys were taking pulls at 32mph to chase me back. the field was strung out. then, paul martin (former national champ on the road, former navigator/go-mart pro and current super freakin' fear me strong) attacked off the front. yep, attacked off the front at 32mph.

attacked off the front at 32mph.

blows my mind when i think of that. well, i guess it also blew apart the field as well. from the accounts i heard, we dropped at least 10 guys within 3 laps as a direct result of my initial attack and the paul martin response attack. very impressive to watch him race - even if you are racing against him.

the rest of the race was business as usual - slow down to 25, then up to 35. repeat again and again. loose a few more guys in the process. in the end, i think we lost about 1/2 of the field as when it came down to the sprint, i sat up and turned around and saw only a few riders. if i am nowhere near the top 10, i don't even try to sprint in these races - way too risky for me. and although i can corner with the best of them, i can't sprint all that well - so if i don't have a good gap in the last corner, i usually don't stand a chance.

i see these as mostly training races. my main races - are coming up very, very soon.

with that - gotta run. lots of updates this week and next as i get prepped for my second major enduro of the year.

sologoat out.

05.05.06 - 4 dayz of daziness

hey folks - back from my go live client in cinci. things were hectic, we did some remote training today via a net meeting and will do so again monday and tuesday.

this internet, cell phone, lap top stuff is crazy when you think about it - you can work all day if you want to from any where in the world.

or..

you can stop and go ride your bike.

like tomorrow. another crazy fast criterium at the local venue near kent ohio. sure to be fun... and hopefully not dangerous.

last week, i did my classic attack off the front at the start of the race. two laps and a half laps later, they chase me down. at least i lasted a half lap more - tomorrow, will i get three? hmmmm. about 8 laps to go, a little group escapes. they are within reach, about 5 seconds up on us. then it happened.

going into the last turn, there is a slight "s" turn. imagine starting at the bottom of the s, making your way through the slight turns at around 25'ish miles an hour. at the end of the s, you make a super hard 90 degree slightly off camber turn that can fit a max of two riders (and only when you tell the outside rider "inside" because the turn is so sharp that the rider often can't see you).

i come into the corner fast, tell the outside rider "inside" to let him know i am there, and at the split second before we hit the corner i see a rider coming up between us. we are going well over 25mph, and all i can think is that he is going to take somebody out but it probably won't be me because i am on the inside.

i feel his hand brush my hip. i hear his front skewer hit the spokes on my rear wheel. i hear him skid. i hear his tire pop. i hear bikes crashing.

i come out of the corner OK, and turn around to see the carnage of 3 riders crashed and about 10-15 riders held up behind them. luckily, all riders we not seriously hurt, but man, that was close.

so with that, just a shout out to race safe this weekend.

in other news - NORBA nationals to switch venues but not dates? hmmm.... shall we pray for snowshoe, oh yes... maybe seven springs? yes, that too... how about a switch to the east coast?

and don't know if i gave a shout out to nat ross last week or not - he must of had wings at the first granny gear of the year as he beat second place by a crazy margin of something like 6 laps. he could of quit riding at 18 hours and still won.

with that - gotta run.

sologoat out.

05.02.06 - ernesto cycling news interview up

thanks to stever over at cycling news - interview is up.

check it out here: ernesto marenchin cycling news interviw

check it out - steve did a really good interview. we talked a lot about the upcoming ultra mtb series, endurance cycling, training and racing as a pro.

i think he has done a few interviews in his day.

he also did some good write ups on sea otter. if you haven't seen the page, it really does a nice job of coverage for cycling of all types - road, track, mtb, cross. and nice tech areas too - stuff that even the guys over at speedgoat hasn't seen.

CYCLING NEWS.COM

gotta run - my "go live" client is gonna' kill me if i don't get this stuff done!

sologoat out

05.01.06 - busy

hey - sorry for the "no post" stuff going on this last week - have a client going live with their accounting system tomorrow and i am in a rush to get it all done on time.

got some updates for ya - but, i gots to run.

races coming up and maybe a rest day for these tired legs.

and - sorry to hear about the bad weather at trans iowa 2 for all those who attended and for jeff who put it on.

gotta go -
sologoat out

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

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.