snakebite cross pics

first lap shot, getting ready for the first dismount of the race - straight into a sand/mud pit.



another first lap shot, coming out of the sand/mud pit.



and still running out of the pit, in second position, chasing nate.



now, i have dropped down to 4th at this point, roughly 1/2 way through the race.



the gap goes up, so i chase....



and chase...



and chase...



and chase...



until i catch paul and nate...



and then i attack, and immediately open a gap



heart rate is screaming, and i build up a gap in the sand/mud pit area as i run full speed through it. i flail through the mud, slide through the corners and stay upright for the first cyclocross win of the year.

2 races - 2 victories

10.21 - snakebite cross/team lake effect race #2 (pics up tomorrow)
a small field of about 20'ish riders showed up, and all the riders that were in the top 5 last week were there, excluding the winner of that race.

temps were in the lower 50's and the course was mostly a typical cross course (twisty/turny).

after the field section, double barriers before the pine section, and back into a field section.

then into the one trail section which had two dismounts and came right after a decently long field section.

out of that section, through a field and into a sand pit run. fun, fun.

then back into the field, zig zag across, then cross the finish line.

get all that?

race takes off, and the soft muddy conditions and the hell it about to cause is immediate. the field is ripped apart on the first lap. nate is flying, i am chasing and paul martin is about 10 seconds behind me.

paul soon catches me, but i chase him back and hold the gap steady at 5 seconds. we slowly real in nate. paul attacks hard to catch nate, but by this time i am right on his wheel. this is about 1/2 way through the race.

for the next couple laps, the top three ride together. then, paul is pulling us and then lets me take the lead and i throw down my best lines and open up a gap. nate starts fading, paul is still chashing me.

ends up, i stay upright, consistant and use some good lines to hold my gap - and i managed the win in the hellishly muddy conditions.

10.22 - team lake effect race #3
classic cross course, with tons of twisty turns, switchbacks, barriers and two stair run ups. oh my.

line up was the same as yesterday, got in my good warmup on the trainer so i was good to go come start time. weather was overcast and chilly, conditions on the course were exceptionally good.

with the ammount of turns on this course, the turns themselves were going to be a major factor. with our race being the last one of the day, the corners were going to be slick and the lines i scoped out earlier would not be the same come race time.

best advice i can give for a cross race - never show the competition your good lines on a cross course. wait until you have a gap and use it to build up your lead, or if you are with another rider, wait until the last lap, surprise your competition with it and attack immediately after.

anyhoo...

race starts, and nate takes off. i chase. slowly the top 5 break away from the rest of the pack. on the second run up early in the race, everybody hesitates and takes the outside line up the stairs.

i take the inside line and attack - a gap opens immediately and shatters the pack of 5, dropping one guy istantly.

i slowly build up my lead, gaining seconds every lap. slowly, i pull away, but paul martin is coming on strong and has another rider in tow. i try to stay consistant.

with 3 to go, paul has dropped the other rider and the other chasing rider is nowhere in sight. he is closing the gap on me, i put my head down, pick my best lines and run like hell up both the run-ups.

with 2 to go, i turn around - the gap on paul has grown substantially (i later find out he gets caught up in the ribbon on the course and goes down). i pedal on, keeping the pace high.

with 1 to go, the gap is steady and holding. i hold off paul for the second day.

great way to wrap up the weekend - two victories in two days.

photo write up of saturday's race will be posted tomorrow...

for now, got to get some sleep...

sologoat out

hola

two cross races coming up this weekend in the cleveland area - brett's race on saturday and the lake effect race this sunday.

info can be found HERE

pics/results links can also be found on that page as well - that last cross race had four or five pics up of me. great shots..

moab - looks like bloggers and posts are being updated by the minute. some good, some bad. looks like nat won the race/series and the concept has been adopted by granny gear to have "two" races in the future should this happen again.

for instance, race 1 for moab would of been from noon to 8pm. results taken.

race two, for instance, would start at 6am sunday. results taken.

race 1 laps + race two laps = your overall laps/time

seems that would be best solution - hindsite, that is...


and - now starts the fun of cross season and sweating out sponsorships for next year. deadlines are coming due, so they got to get out pretty quick - and then the waiting game is on.

for me, asylum cycles/speedgoat.com is a 1000% certainty for next year - and with resumes going out for others, the talks will soon commence. looking to get some addtional ones this year for possible deals with shoes, wheels, etc.

with that - gotta run.

sologoat out.

you got like 3 feet of air that time!

and 4th and a second

cross race over the weekend - 4th place.

grannygear series - 2nd place overall.

weekend was pretty epic - first cross race of the year. paul martin (former national road champ) and mike house (fomer junior cross champ) took off with a local rider in tow, while i was battling it out for 5th.

dropped fifth, moved into fourth about half way through the race and started chasing down - paul martin. got the gap down to about 5-10 seconds when he caught 2nd place, then they started slowing down and i had the gap down to 5 seconds. i was so close i couldn't believe it...

then, up came a corner while i was watching in amazment that i was catching them, and i slipped up, slid out and went down - at the same time paul attacked for 2nd. i got up quick, but the damage was done. that was with 3 laps to go.

at 1/2 lap to go, i had the gap back down to what it was - had i not slipped, i am pretty confident that i would of got 3rd, but i guess it's not too shabby of a result considering last week's venture.

and - moab.

wow, what a shame about the weather. guys got only 8.5 hours in and they had to call it due to the weather. streams/rivers washed out some sections of the course and made the riding conditions very dangerous to say the least. from reading the reports, i guess a lot of solo riders were pretty ticked off seeing the teams got to go out again and the solo's didn't.

not being there, but hearing what happened - it's probably the best way it could of worked out. did it work out well for everybody - probably not - but it was probably the most fair way it could of worked out.

and - hats off to nat for taking the series. it was a toss up for me between worlds and moab because of the series and i can say that i am pretty bummed out that i didn't win the overall, but nat has been riding well and it has been showing. good job nat.

with that - gotta run. two local cross races this weekend - more info on that later.

sologoat out.

a little r & r

has been the ojective of the week, before i hit up my first cross race of the year this weekend with the cleveland series. thought about the cinci cross this weekend as they have 2 uci events going on, but i am going to a art show opening up in cleveland saturday night - plus, the 4 hour drive down there is not that appealing this weekend. i need some rest and time to unpack.

but - don't forget, for you pittsburgh nutz out there - the month of mud has a cross race this weekend.

and - next week, two cross races in the cleveland area. one of the bike authority series race, and the other is the snakebite racing cross race put on by brett davis. check it out - he'll have free camping the night before and there just may be some beer drinking around a campfire... will there be smores brett?

this weekend is moab - where mr. nat ross is making an attack on my first place in the overall granny gear 24 hour solo series. lots of tough competition - nick martin, dave harris, tinker -- just to name a few. and i just heard a report - moab is muddy, and the weather/temps are not looking too swell for the weekend. it's going to be a super epic battle. good luck to all my fellow solo freaks out there - wish i could enjoy your pain this weekend.

in speedgoat news, looks like they are going to be picking up NINER bikes as they continue to build up a very good selection of 29er's to choose from. keep your eye on the blog over there, as chris continues to make some very good blog entries on the happenings at vegas. latest ones had some detail of the new compact road frame from salsa and some 29ers by van dessel, who also make a very cool cross bike.

and, speaking of salsa - watch out for chris's upcoming blog entry on the updates to the salsa lineup of frames and bikes. these guys are one of my favorite companies out there - they make great bikes and apparel and don't break your bank account doing it. i've been running their gloves/arm & leg warmers/bibs for years now - cheap price for good quality. and the frames - wow, this year they have some very nice 29er options and a very cool old school type road frame. hats off salsa - you deserve it.

with that, time to relax, drink a cool brew and get the moots cross bikes ready for the weekend.

cheers - sologoat

24 Hour Worlds write up

10.07 – 24 Hour Worlds Write Up

10:45am
With breakfast in me, and my pit crew (my father, brother, Dan the Man and Jennifer) already having setup my pit, I made my way down to pit row.

It was in the high 60’s and would reach maybe a max of 75-80 during the rest of the day, with sunny skies. It was a relaxed feeling in the pits, and I tried to take it easy before the start.

Did a quick video interview with Barrett Heywood from Light & Motion as he was in town to check out the race. Light & Motion was part sponsor of the Gripped Films documentary on Chris, and the venue is around Barrett’s home town, so it was a good event for him to be at.

After that, I mentally prepared for the race to come.

Chris was going to go out fast, and Gordon would be in tow.

NOON
Race starts, the run is chaotic as usual with arms flailing as guys who don’t run very well get through the quarter mile run. I am about 15th’ish to the bike, but due to some mad cyclocross skills, I run past a lot of guys and jump on the bike making up roughly 10 places in about 30 feet. I can’t run that well, but the skill of being able to jump on your bike during a full run not only looks cool, but saves a ton of time.

I chase. Chris and Gordon are flying ahead of me and the game plan was to let them duke it out, hoping that they would cook each other out. With me riding a “safe – but close – distance” behind them, I would swoop in. The plan was then to be on the same lap as them before nightfall, and to make up time during the cover of darkness.

3PM
Laps are clicking off fast, heat is getting higher and I am starting to feel it. I am now roughly in third place with the 4th and 5th place riders close behind.

6PM
I am getting tired, which is not good. By this time, I have slipped back to 5th and now try to come up with the next game plan.

The fast laps threw off my pit strategy – I was taking in too many calories which believe me, figuring that out at a heart rate of 175, covered in sweat, dodging the trees and screaming through dust as thick as fog at 20 plus miles an hour is a feat in itself.

11PM
Having lapped riders literally by the third lap, I was now a lap up on the 6th place rider and was roughly 20 minutes down on Hendershot who was riding steady in 4th.

I pitted to change clothes, grabbed some grub and made my way back out – not really knowing how could it really was. I dressed light and opted for no knee warmers.

The temperature was 47 degrees.

3AM
At this point, I am getting hungry and my heart rate is going down as I get more and more fatigued. I feel OK, but cannot push a high heart rate.

I start eating Hammer Bars and some other solid foods as the temps got really cold – I had to get calories in as I was not drinking due to the coldness.

7AM
Having heard that Chris was getting warm oatmeal for breakfast, at around my 24th’ish lap, all I could think about was scrambled eggs. I have my pit crew get some eggs from the hotel across the street and at roughly 7am’ish, I am taking off my lights and eating scrambled eggs out of a cup. Yummy.

8AM’ish
Chris was a few laps and a couple minutes ahead of me during my lap, and I would catch up to him on the second section of the figure 8 loop. We ride together for awhile, talk for a bit, and eventually catch up to Steve Schwartz. Chris is not looking that good.

10:30AM’ish
Having passed up Chris in the pits, I get informed that Gordon is starting to slow and Chris is making another move to get back into first. He soon catches me again and he physically looks a lot better.

I am informed in the pits that I am now about to lap the 6th place rider again as he is right in front of me. This late in the game, I am now a lap down on Mark in fourth, and 6th place is far enough behind me that if I stop early, I will still finish 5th.

11:30’ish
Having just completed my last lap, I cross the finish line in 5th place overall.

Great race, one that I can honestly say I’ll never forget.

I gave it my all, maybe went a little too hard at the beginning and possibly sacrificed a few places because of it, but I feel that it was better to have tried and failed, then to not try at all.

And to all my fellow competitors out there – great race. Hats off to everybody– the teams, the single speed freaks, and for Adrenaline.

And for the fans of Ernesto – thanks for cheering me on during the race and checking out the blog.

24 Hour Worlds - pic post #2

crusing the pits - was a little chilly at the start, around 65-70 degrees.



quick interview with light & motion head man barrett heywood.



le mans style start. watch those elbows!



about 18 hours in, sporting my hot pink "hottie" socks.



cool shot of backside, early on the first day...



23 1/2 hours later....



about 10 minutes after the finish of the race, looking "slightly" tired.

24 Hour Worlds - picture post #1

me coming out of the woods on the first section of the course - this was early in the race.



same section - upclose like.



pit row bike line-up before the start of the race on saturday.



pimping my sponsors - speedgoat supplying dan the man and all components on the bike, less pedals from crank brothers and sweet rubber from schwalbe.



shot going down pit row. this would get chaotic later in the race as people tended to wander aimlessly around as riders are ripping down the trail. watch out, yo!

Solo Worlds Cycling News post

is now posted HERE

my race post will come in the next day or so, along with the pics which i need to do some editing on, mostly because of the huge file sizes.

quick notes:
1. temps hit 47 degrees on saturday night/sunday morning

2. gordon couldn't walk at the end - had to get an IV about 5 inches past the finish line

stay tuned..

Solo Worlds - YOUTUBE video clips

conyers write up - super short version

Eatough dethroned.

1. Craig Gorden - australia
2. Chris Eatough
3. Brandon Draugelis
4. Mark Hendershot
5. Ernesto Marenchin

pace was super fast at the begining - craig eventually put the hammer down with some crazy fast pit stops.

more later - gotta pack up and get back to ohio.

check out the blog tomorrow for pics and video.

sologoat out.

24 conyers update #2

course, super dry and somewhat dusty in some sections.



rider meeting was today, along with another interview with gripped films. if you got a minute, the trailer is up on their website already. hendershot and nat ross have a little clip in it.



and cameron has arrived - and he is on a hard tail steel single speed. didn't get a chance to see if it was a 29er or not.

40 elite riders will be running timer chips that will not be used for timing as they are just testing it out this race - so it should be interesting to see the results.

that's it, nothing seems too crazy other then there seems to be a lot of riders from out of the US.

stay tuned for updates - check out the ride424.com website, and i'll try to get an update out pretty quick after the race.

that's it for tonight - wish me good legs and big lungs.

sologoat out

update from conyers

some pics up tomorrow - stay tuned.

race course is the same as races past, few new lines here and there, but basically not mucho has changed at all.

temps today hit over 100, about 93 in the shade. still calling for temp range of 54 to 76 for race day.

course is super, super, super dry - don't light a match or you'll light the whole place on fire dry. it's going to be a fast one guys and ladies.

and - it looks like there is a pretty big field of solo's - looked to be around 70'ish riders or so. there are riders from england, australia, south africa, and some odd country called ohio.

riders - hendershot, karl from ride424.com, rob l, and i guess cameron got in at last minute. steve schwartz is here as well - eddie o is pitting for him as i guess he and namitra are getting married next week.

things are marked on the course, pits are all setup - looks to be laid out really nice and that there has been some work done on the trails.

and - just an fyi - one of the last emails sent out by adrenaline did say that there will be a date/venue change for worlds next year but supplied no info.

one or two more posts up before race day - then expect to see something up later in the day on sunday.

for now - i am getting some rest...

sologoat out

velonews article up

VELONEWS eatough article now up - ernesto, hendershot mention...

off to georgia - temps hitting 89 today, but should only get up to 75'ish race day.

check out RIDE424.COM for race updates/pics and audio posts during the race...

and i would also check around for chris's updates on the trek site or NICK MARTIN'S BLOG for other race updates from either nick or poz.

gotta run - flight to catch.

sologoat out.

Give me a ticket for an aeroplane

that travels from akron to atlanta....

heading down to sunnier skies tomorrow AM for the big show down in conyers. going to be some fast times for the riders with dry hard packed trails, while the pit crews battle off the bugs, sun and red biting ants. ouchy.

watch out for some possible visits from the reps at tifosi optics and light & motion and some guys from gripped films in tree stands taking some footage. should be quite a specatacle going on.

in other related news - watch out on the VELONEWS website for a write up on this weekends race. i did an interview with them yesterday and it sounded like they already did some other interviews - so keep 'yer eye out for that.

and - if you haven't checked it out already - EATOUGH had a very nice write up on the USA TODAY website AND paper.

it's great to see that chris and the sport is getting some good press.

and watch out for his dad this year - he'll be racing on one of the corporate teams.

and - tom over at WOBBLENAUGHT.COM gave me a call today - he just got back from the vegas show and it sounds like we may be meeting up to fine tune my fit even more for the upcoming 2007 season. stay tuned for more details on that...

for now - off to sleep and then to georgia.

sologoat out

ernesto pre-conyers video post

random pics and random stuff

been doing some work for a client up in cleveland - they happen to be less the 100 feet away from cleveland's jacobs field.



cold weather is here in ohio - today, high of 50 degrees with light rain.



out on ride testing the new drivetrains dan the man put on the asylums. this ride went well - bike number 2 had some pedal issues. at least it happened in ohio - and not georgia.



cool chillin' at the shannondoah. about 50 feet past the finish line was a nice cold cold and hot food. it was like heaven.



putting on my race face the day before landahl.



self portait on the trails. this is part of a trail that will eventually link cincinatti to cleveland. say goodbye to traffic and hello to nature and crazy roller blade people who look like they are going to take you out.



part of my sponsorship with hammer gel requires me to eat their bars with the wrapper on.... just joking... if you haven't tried them yet, they are very tastey - without the wrapper.



been riding the cross bikes a ton now that the cross season is coming up. and - can't wait to try out the moots with the dura ace crank on it. that ride is coming up next week.

sologoat out.

resting up

for worlds, so sorry for the lack of content the last week or so. been on the down low, saving up for georgia and checking out the stuff from vegas.

salsa seems to have some cool stuff out, most noteably a carbon/scandium hardtail 29er. and ritchey has cool new carbon out as well. and industry nine has some very nice anodized wheelsets out - the goat has been running them for a few months and they have been working great. can't wait to see some of the new stuff on the asylums for next year.

so, georgia is on my mind. getting in on thursday to do some pre-riding for a few days, talk to the gripped film guys, go to the rider meeting, and generally hang out until the race start on saturday at noon. hope the run is shorter this time, that damn run was sooooooooo long last time.

haven't checked weather yet, but from my guess, it is going to be cooler then the 95 degrees it hit when i was last there.

and i'll also take another wild guess in that if it is dry, expect some super high lap counts - i'm guessing around 24'ish laps, weather permitting.

that's it - gotta run. packing for georgia has offically started as of now....

sologoat out.

resting up for worlds

is going to be on my agenda for the next few days.

bike prep is pretty much done, new drivetrains and pedals going on the asylums for the big show going on down at georgia in a few weekends.

looks like it is going to be a good fight for both the men and women this year, so it should be pretty good from a spectators perspective.

if you haven't been checking out the vegas show schwag, and you are a 29er fan, you gotta check that stuff out. carbon is the rage for road bikes this year, and it seems likes 29ers are the rage on the mountain side.

white brothers rigid carbon forks, dt swiss 29er wheelsets, reynolds carbon 29er TUBULAR wheels, 29ers from GT/JAMIS/SALSA and about 20 others. very cool stuff coming out. hopefully, some of that stuff will be on my bikes next year.

and - sponsorship proposals are in the works as speak. resume is being updated and the list is being made - now is the time to start getting them ready to send out.

with that in mind, gotta roll. need some shut eye.

sologoat out.

the vegas fiasco has started

in addition to all the other web pages out there, don't forget to check out the SPEEDGOAT BLOG for all the interbike coverage.

michael has trumped everybody on the Salsa El Mariachi To Go - it is the new Salsa El Mariachi that is setup to be sold as a complete. very cool 29er hardtail, with matching rigid fork and salsa stem and...

it comes as a complete. ya, so what?

it comes as a complete running a 1x9 shifting setup. way kewl.

chris also posts on the new XTR crank which as usual, kicks major arse, and the new xtr pods because we at speedgoat like pods, not shifter/brake combos.

and - michael also has a post on FUNK which is making a custom ti using a very unique rear triangle.

check it out - it's all good.

sologoat out.

new stuff

on the asylums. landahl killed the drivetrains with the clay/mud, so chainrings, chain and rear casettes have all been changed. last race of the year will have me running new stuff - sweet.

also, should be running new schwalbe little alberts too - and getting a couple of sets of cross tires from them as well. their tubulars are not available as of the present, but i am hoping that they will be in from the boyz in italy for nationals.

other then that, got in a training day at the shop and did a few repeats up the long climb behind the shop. very good sustained climb.

and - got back to see the dura ace 2 piece crank just getting installed on my cross moots. very cool. very light. very stiff. saved about 80 grams over my last setup.

asylum prototypes are in the works - all i can say is that at this point, you will have some options and the frames are different from the current version. there is too much to speculate on everything as chris is still considering a lot of different things at this point, from angles to materials, etc.

and - the vegas show is coming up. expect some pics up from the guys at the 'goat, but this year they are running lean and mean and are not doing the dirt demo days because they tend to get over crowded and by the time you get to ride, the bike is totally trashed. just got to remember, for bike geeks interbike is like a dream. for most people in the industry, it is work.

with that - gotta get a ride in. today was the first day in a loooooooooong time i actually got to sleep in.

sologoat out.

Chris blogs on the future of Asylum

here it is - straight from the owners mouth, courtesty of the speedgoat blog.



at this point, i have seen the prototype - looks to be lighter then the current version and i am happy to see some changes to the rear triangle. won't go into too much detail for now other then that.

for more details, keep your eye on the speedgoat blog.

sologoat out

wobblenaught and kewl stuff

word.

wobblenaught got an article up on the recent results of nat and ernesto at landahl. couple side notes on this - cameron also has been running these fits and mr. ross is actually trained in the fine art of wobblenaughting.

CYCLING NEWS and PEZ CYCLING NEWS have got some shots of the new procuts coming out next year - pre-vegas show. cyling news has the coverage in the tech area, pez has it on the front page.

carbon was a big thing last year and from the shots i am seeing, it is even a bigger deal this year. crazy shaped tubes, hollow top tubes for dampening, curved rear stays for dampening too.

other stuff worth mentioning - zipp is coming out with some drilled out stupid light hubs that remind me of the old school campy stuff, reynolds is making a carbon 26 inch deep dish rim and SIDI is making rechargeable heated soles for freaks who ride it is cold out. and for some reason, i see some of the italian clothing companies are making super light weight jerseys and bibs. jersyes look ok, but the bibs are somewhat obscene and silly.

that's it - one more enduro race of the year coming up, cross wheels/tires about to be ordered up and i need to get back to work.

so do you - sologoat out.

pics from landahl

running le mans style start at landahl.



pretty cool picture of the run. this is about the first 100 yards or so.



on the bike with nat in hot pursuit. single track came up soon, so a good start was important. with the start being on a slight uphill, you had an advantage if you could run up it, then jump on cyclocross style.



coming in on my last lap. i was glad i was done eating mud for the day.



5 minutes after the end of the race. i felt beat up and was wishing i had a hamburger to eat.



mud, mud, everywhere. first half of the course was really bad, the second section was rideable - except the rocks.



podium shot with nat, ernesto and steve.

long version - landahl write up

here's the long version...

day started off nicely with clear skies and nice temps. during the course of the next 24 hours, it would soon change.

gun went off, and the run started. i had a good run, came in about 10th'ish or so, but with some mad cyclocross skillz, i was in 3rd place by the time we were all on our bikes, and then soon leading after a few hundered yards. nat passed me just before the first single track section, and cameron was on my tail. cameron would soon pass me when i bobbled on an uphill. nat and cameron took off.

with my heart rate hitting 187, i backed it off. way too early to run the heart that high. at about 6 miles in on my first lap, i flatted. i reached for my spare in my back pocket and i must of lost it during the run. fumbling for my tube under my saddle bag, i made the change. then, the bead didn't sit well on rim and then i almost popped the tube. had to deflate, get another co2 catridge and start all over again. i must of lost at least 5 minutes during that mess.

steve passed me, along with a few other riders. i chased hard and caught up to steve, and we duked it out for several laps back and fourth, most times coming in within 30 seconds of each other on our opening laps. the heat was coming down on us too - 92 plus degrees it hit during those opening hours.

at around 5 hours in, i started using a camelback with water in addition to my bottle on the bike. water on back, Hammer Heed or Sustained Energy on the bike. I felt a lot better now and passed steve on a single track rocky section while nat slowly built a lead with super fast laps. shortly before nightfall, nat passed me while i put time into steve.

after that, my gaps on steve grew and came down, nat seemed to be going steady and i didn't seem to be making up any time on him.

got the report shortly before 2am that they were going to stop the race. bad rain was coming and they were going to stop the race for 4 hours and adjust times. so, they stopped the race at 2am then added 4 hours to your time. that would be your start time. (for instance, steve got in at 2:06, so his start time was 2:06. i got in a lap ahead of him and got in at 3:10, so i went out at 7:10)

bonus for me here was that i got an extra lap in when it was dry. so with the skies looking bad and thoughts of this years national 24 hour race and the mess of a restart that was, i took off and went as hard as i could.

i came in at 3:10am, so my restart was 7:10 and within 5 minutes, i knew the last 5 hours was going to be tough. the first half of the trail was really bad - i would maybe go 100 yards, then would have to clear the mud off my bike so i could ride/push the next 100 yards. very tough riding - the type i like to say "builds character"... because it didn't rain enough to thin the mud out, it was more like a clay consistancy. literally, mud would stick to my tires an inch thick on the sidewalls.

so, with the race coming down to the final hours of a super muddy course, i was thinking it was going to be a battle of who could clean their bike the fastest for 2nd place.

i turned in three more laps and so does nat. steve ended up snapping a derailler hanger and had to walk back to the pit area for another bike.

at the end, nat won, i got second and steve came in third.

tough day, great course - when it is not muddy.

sologoat out

short write up - landahl

here's the short...

nat and cameron took off. steve and i chased. nat slowly built a lead with super fast laps, then lapped me shortly before nightfall.

steve and i were locked in battle in the approxiamte 92 degree heat. we went back and fourth several laps. shortly before nightfall, i passed him for the last time.

bad rain came in, they stopped the race at 2am, then added 4 hours to your time. that would be your start time. (for instance, steve got in at 2:06, so his start time was 2:06. i got in a lap ahead of him and got in at 3:10, so i went out at 7:10)

bonus for me here was that i got an extra lap in when it was dry - which was pretty crucial because conditions on the trail went from bad to worse. i would maybe go 100 yards, then would have to clear the mud off my bike so i could ride/push the next 100 yards. very tough riding - the type i like to say "builds character"...

when dry, the course was great - but muddy, jeez. i wish it would of just downpoured to thin the mud out.

with that, gotta catch a flight. pics up in the next day or two.

sologoat out.

pics up from Landahl & the cat is out

well, the cat is out of the bag - yep, i'll be at 24 hour worlds and not moab. i have been debating it all year and my thoughts are mixed between worlds and moab and i'll leave it at that.



soil is super dry here which is great for now, but can be slick if the rain hits this weekend. the words stupid fast come to mind.



"xxx" danger spots are all over the course - some bad, some not. while others, are simply not really marked. they assume by you seeing the huge rock and then a drop off, that you know it dangerous.



ouchy - watch out for those pointy, sharp rocky things. these guys are all over the course. gription on the tires is good, but just dont hit them.


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this is around the 7 mile mark, where the trail opens a little bit before the last single/double track sections. the next single track section follows a ridge line and has a ton of turns in it with a ton of rocks with little ditches inbetween. fun, fun.



last little open section before the finish. overall, very flowing course. not bad at speed, but if you ride it slow, it is hard to stay upright. better to go fast and float over some of the rocks then to go slow and hit every one of the darn things.

that's it for today - next post will be on sunday/monday with complete recaps and pics.

wish me good legs, huge lungs and clear skies.

sologoat out.

out of ohio

and at the race venue.

wow - fast course, with lots of rocks and crazy squirrels running all over. course is super fast and flowing, with switchbacks and covered with rocks. it is one of those courses where you are flying on one section and cursing/slamming on your brakes on another.

all i can say is to keep that speed up to float over those rocks..

and the doomed wet stuff may come in - the fast concrete like soil could likely become slick as heck if it rains (or even thinks about raining). chances are likely the storms are going to come in later in the day in saturday, not until later at night. lets hope mother nature is nice to us.

solo field looks like it is going to be a battle for the series - nat ross and steve schwartz will be here bringing the field up to about 9 solo riders. going to be a great race.

cameron is coming as well - but he'll be racing on a team. he has another event later in the year that he is keying on. i'll keep you in suspense and just say that it is either worlds or moab.

with that - gotta run. pics will be up tomorrow AM, for now i have to get some rest.

sologoat out

next up - landahl

yep, the next venue on the ernesto world tour will be landahl. which leaves only question as far as my schedule goes....

worlds or moab?

decision has been made - but i'll leave you guessing for now.

check for updates - last one will be friday sometime mid-afternoon.

with that - gotta catch a plane.

sologoat out

weather

for the weekend is looking pretty awesome. nice cool temps and the rain is staying away from the venue - which is always a good thing.

pit crew for the next event is mean and lean - dan the man and my dad will be heading out and will have a massively huge new pit tent coming in at a whopping 10 foot by 15 foot - condo style.

bikes are runnning great - maybe swap some stuff out, but otherwise they will be pretty much left alone for the last two events of the year if you don't count the new schwalbe little alberts.

and - just a little fyi for you cross nutz out there - schwalbe will be offering cross tubulars in the upcoming future. now you got options other then TUFO if you run tubulars for cross tires.

and - preliminary on the cateye heart rate monitors are that they are working really well - except when mounted next to a light & motion vega light. i think the new types of transmiters are having "issues" when ran next to lighting systems, but don't quote me on that.

with that - gotta run. posse coming to pick up the bikes.

sologoat out

weekend update

not mucho going on these days - just training for the last season ending enduro races and getting the bikes setup for cross season.

last time i looked, hendershot was winning the kona 24 hour race that was going on, didn't get a chance to look at how it ended up. looked like 2nd place was just a few minutes behind him, but i couldn't tell.

so, it's looking like roughly a few more enduro races and then about a dozen cross races to finish out the year. switching from the long distance sustained effort to the hour long all out effort usually takes me a few races, but luckily, usually my endurance kicks in later in the cross races. i've found that cross is all about the last twenty mintues - if you can hold your own during those last few minutes, you can usually make up a few spots.

with that gotta roll - starting early to pack up this time for the next race.

stay tuned this week as i head out for my next adventure.

sologoat out

pics from shenandoah - part 2 of 2

line up for the start of the race - this was about 6:30am



chris scott at this point is shouting out instructions to us at this point. one good thing he premotes is no trash on the trail - this is easily accomplished through one of the race sponsors Hammer Gel who supplies both flasks and Gel to all the riders. Sweet.



the gun goes off for the start of the race and 400 racers shoot for a jeep trail - i end up about 30 riders back in all the confusion.



rouding the last corner at around 8 1/2 hours'ish. overall, felt pretty good during the day and felt like my climbing legs finally have come back to me as i have lost a little weight in the last few weeks.



just about to cross the finish line. showers, a hot meal and some cold brews were awaiting me.

shenandoah pics - round 1 of 2

more pics are going to be up tomorrow... for now - these are pics of the first climb on my pre-ride on saturday afternoon.



this is heading up to the first climb on a paved section. there were a few paved sections throughout the course which usually came after very hard sections - which served as nice little "breaks" to get to the next section.



this is still on the first climb - pavement turned to gravel, all while going upwards.



this is near the top of the first climb, right before the left hand that started the steeper, rougher area of the climb. thought the trees in front of me looked like palm trees, so i snapped off a picture.



the last 50 feet of the climb was pretty steep and seemed like you would drop off the end of a mountain at the top.



alas - no drop off. just another 90 miles to go.

round 1 of 2 pics done - pic post #2 up tomorrow.

sologoat out

shenandoah 100 report

09.01.06
Friday evening, headed out to the race venue with my parents in a SUV over packed with supplies for the weekend. Hurricane Ernesto fears were dancing in my head as the further east we got, the colder and wetter it became.

09.02.06
Awoke to cold and rain in Pennsylvania. Soon headed south and the weather cleared and temperatures were rising and drying out the ground.

Pre-rode the first 10 miles of the course which got me to the top of the first climb. In the first miles, it was real gradual and started out on the road. Then, it got a little steeper as it turned to unpaved jeep trails and towards the top you took a left hand turn and it got to be loose rocky stone that was decently steep at the very end. I could tell from the lack of good lines and how loose the stones was in the last mile of that climb that it would be the first real place the group would start to split up.

After some discussions about the course with other riders, I got back from the ride and switched out tires for some brand new treads and pumped the air pressure up to 55 pounds – hoping that my wheels would be flying on the tons of jeep trails that this course is known for.

09.03.06
4am wake up time was in order to get some grub and get to the venue. The local Waffle House is open 24 hours, so getting breakfast would be no problem. Get to the Waffle House, eat breakfast all the time being entertained by some drunken lady who was yelling at the top of her lungs across the diner to another patron. The story was something about a person she knew had her husband die when he was 34 because he was working 80 hour weeks to get a house. How did I know she was drunk? She must have repeated the same story 4 times in a matter of 15 minutes to the same person.

Got to the venue and got ready just in time for the 6:45’ish start. The pack was 400 riders and is was stacked with a lot of good riders – Chris Eatough, Jeremiah Bishop, Nick Waite, Harlan Price – just to name a few. It was going to be a fast race and word was out that Jerimah was there to break the course record.

Gun went off and there was a mad dash to the front for the next half mile. Things didn’t really didn’t thin out until the left hand turn on the first climb where it started getting steeper. Temperatures were cool at the start, but things were starting to heat up.

Soon after the top of the climb was the first section of single track. This section was rocky and rough – and was the first of many to come. By the time this section was through, the pack was split and little groups of riders were formed.

My group contained Garth Prosser, Justin Pokrivka, Dave Duvall and one other rider. We would split and regroup several times over the next 20 miles, until the second check point.

At check point two, I grabbed a quick bottle of Heed and started my way up the next climb. I dropped the group I was with and for the next 70 miles, I would only ride with two other racers – I was basically alone for the next 5 hours.

I was climbing well, but being cautious on the rocky descents. Most of the climbs were long and gradual and I was able to make up time and keep a high pace for long periods of time.

Shortly after the fourth check point started a gradual 20 mile climb – check point 5 was about 15 miles into the climb and then the last 4-5 miles continued upwards. On that climb, I met up and climbed with Visit PA rider Ray Adams who would finish 9th on the day. We rode together for awhile, but he was having chain suck/shifting issues and about 10 miles into the climb I ended up dropping him.

From check point 5, there was roughly only twenty miles left. A few more miles of the climb I was on, a long descent, another climb, and then about 4-5 mile mainly flat section. I just had to roll it in and keep upright to hold my 8th place.

The next 5 miles of climb seem to last an eternity – the altitude was around 4000 feet and because of the cloud coverage, it did not dry out completely. The trails were soft, rocky and in some sections steep and overgrown with weeds. This was probably the only section I really didn’t feel too good on the entire day and I was glad when the trail started heading down instead of up.

Right before the last check station, I recreated a scene from Superman during a stream crossing when my bike when right and I went left. Luckily, I somehow did not go down, but my bike was now dirt free as it lay in the stream I was trying to cross at 20 miles an hour.

I dropped off my hydration pack at station 6, got a fresh bottle of Heed and rolled up and over the last climb of the day – the last few miles were pretty scenic as you got a good view of the area on your way back to the start/finish.

At the end, I finished 8th place – roughly 60 minutes down on the flying Jerimah and 50 minutes down on Chris Eatough. Tough day in the saddle and it was a pretty good result considering the competition and that the course was new to me.

Hats off to race promoter Chris Scott – the course was marked out really well, trails were awesome and the venue/free beer/atmosphere were second to none. Definitely a race to include on the schedule for next year.

Sologoat out.