2009 cohutta 01
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
dsg 12 hour
sologoat out
5.05.2009
5.01.2009
cohutta write up
now up at the Speedgoat Blog.
for now - getting ready for the wobblenaught fit on pivot #01.
see you at the crits tomorrow if there's no rain as i stay faaaar away from wet sketchy pavement and twitchy bike riders.
sologoat out
for now - getting ready for the wobblenaught fit on pivot #01.
see you at the crits tomorrow if there's no rain as i stay faaaar away from wet sketchy pavement and twitchy bike riders.
sologoat out
4.26.2009
cohutta quick recap
hot in both pace and temps. 7:12 was my finish time, 21 minutes faster then last years. i placed top 15 but not 100% sure of exact placing as i took off for the drive home.
pace was hot, temps were even higher. i and most of the 100 field were dealing with cramps as early as 50 miles in.
gerry won single speed, andy came in 15 minutes behind me.
sorry for the lack of pics - been a hectic work week and i was soaking in the sun time which has not come often this year for this ohio rider.
full write up coming in the next day or two on the speedgoat site.
sologoat out
pace was hot, temps were even higher. i and most of the 100 field were dealing with cramps as early as 50 miles in.
gerry won single speed, andy came in 15 minutes behind me.
sorry for the lack of pics - been a hectic work week and i was soaking in the sun time which has not come often this year for this ohio rider.
full write up coming in the next day or two on the speedgoat site.
sologoat out
4.24.2009
i like latte's so much, i run it in my tires
just in...
CaffeLatex will be now running in my tires. as a replacement to running stan's seaslant, caffelatex foams up within you tire to make for effective sealant.
stay tuned for install instructions and how to replace your current stans setup with caffelatex.
now - time to sleep. cohutta in the AM - fast and dry. pain train to commence at 7am.
all aboard!
sologoat out
CaffeLatex will be now running in my tires. as a replacement to running stan's seaslant, caffelatex foams up within you tire to make for effective sealant.
stay tuned for install instructions and how to replace your current stans setup with caffelatex.
now - time to sleep. cohutta in the AM - fast and dry. pain train to commence at 7am.
all aboard!
sologoat out
4.22.2009
RATL race 1 video
Race At the Lakes #1 from Mark Gorman on Vimeo.
video shot from a camera mounted to my bar at last weeks RATL - a lot of butt shots and it's a bit jumpy as the course is kind of rough. thanks for mark over at ohio outside for letting me borrow his camera and for the editing.
for video junkies out there, it was shot on an oregon scientific ATC5K camera - runs about $250'ish or so.
next race, we are going to try running it on the helmet to see if it steadies out.
check back friday - may put up some video later in the day going up the opening climb at the cohutta course.
sologoat out
bike work 101
the past 4 days have been a long excercise in my bike wrenching skills. never fails - always when i am putting in big hours, something is bound to break. in an effort to save cash, i run things into the ground.
this past week - had a chain/cassette go out, snapped a spoke nipple (but luckily the spoke and rim are OK) and had a mavic rim sidewall wear out. nice.
that - and i somehow managed to get the pivot together - but i am missing a few parts here and there, so no full blown pics until i got the complete package together.
last week - my "suprise" attack at the local crit did not go un-noticed and i somehow managed to find 2 other partners in crime with me on my attack from the gun. about 50 guys started, about half got lapped. average speed for the first 45 minutes was around 26-27mph - finished up lucky number 13.
this weekend - slower and waaaaaaaaaay longer. the cohutta 100.
sologoat out
this past week - had a chain/cassette go out, snapped a spoke nipple (but luckily the spoke and rim are OK) and had a mavic rim sidewall wear out. nice.
that - and i somehow managed to get the pivot together - but i am missing a few parts here and there, so no full blown pics until i got the complete package together.
last week - my "suprise" attack at the local crit did not go un-noticed and i somehow managed to find 2 other partners in crime with me on my attack from the gun. about 50 guys started, about half got lapped. average speed for the first 45 minutes was around 26-27mph - finished up lucky number 13.
this weekend - slower and waaaaaaaaaay longer. the cohutta 100.
sologoat out
4.17.2009
friday
ride, work, ride, eat, sleep, repeat.
mucho thanks going out to the speedgoat gang and the following new sponsors...
JAGWIRE
Setting me up with HyFlow housing and disc brake pads to help me stop when I need to stop (which is always a good thing).
ALPHA Q
Will be setting up the bikes with ProLite post and stems and the XROC 3 degree oversized bar.
LAZER HELMETS
will soon be running the lazer genesis road helmet which runs their new Rollsys fit system for a super snug helmet that fits super nice.
build up pics and possible video coming soon!
sologoat out
mucho thanks going out to the speedgoat gang and the following new sponsors...
JAGWIRE
Setting me up with HyFlow housing and disc brake pads to help me stop when I need to stop (which is always a good thing).
ALPHA Q
Will be setting up the bikes with ProLite post and stems and the XROC 3 degree oversized bar.
LAZER HELMETS
will soon be running the lazer genesis road helmet which runs their new Rollsys fit system for a super snug helmet that fits super nice.
build up pics and possible video coming soon!
sologoat out
4.15.2009
4.12.2009
pivot build up number 1
pivot01_01
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
is now complete - somewhat.
few parts to be finalized after i get my wobblenaught fit and we are waiting for a few others to come in. final parts and full coverage of the build ups by dan the man will soon be up on the speedgoat blog after frame #2 arrives in a short bit.
i9's, king ti cage xtr, foxl are just a few of the brands you'll see on the final builds - weight is actually around the same area as the asylums.
thanks for dan the man, jim, don and the whole speedgoat crew for pulling together a great build up for 2009.
now - off to sneak in a long ride before sunday dinner with the family.
sologoat out
4.09.2009
long days
IMG_0254
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
last night ride ended at 9:45pm as i snuck in both a long day at work and on the trail.
not mucho to report on these days as the meat of the season is fast approaching, but i am really looking forward to heading out to speedgoat shop to build up and pick up pivot #1, meet up with the guys and then get a good ride up linn run to hit up some of the local 'goat trails that i don't get to see enough of.
local road races are starting soon - hope to hit a few of those up to remind all of those roadies how mountain bike races start.
120% effort at the gun.
with that in mind - i'm out. possibility i may actually get a long ride in without having to use my lights.
sologoat out
3.29.2009
2 saturdays, 2 derailleurs
2 saturdays, 2 derailleurs
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
somehow managed to snap 2 vintage sram 9.0sl rear derailleurs in the past week or so. nice. managed to to convert the niner to a hard tail to finish out the last hour and a half, making it the first unoffical single speed ride i've been on in about a year or so.
this week - back to normal life for me as i got my bonus for the quarter (racing fundage!) which is good as i need to ramp up the hours next week. i've been doing some double workouts since january, but now i need to get in some pretty hefty doubles to ramp up for the season.
also with the end of the quarter for me means that i can start concentrating on the pivot build ups which will start once i get my forks from the boyz over at FOX SHOX which will continue to sponsor me through the 2009 season.
no race for me today down at mohican - wanted to race, but i think i need an overall mental break, some extra hours on the bike, work on the bikes and a few extra hot cups of 'joe.
sologoat out
3.22.2009
weekend wrap up
032209_sunday_ride
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
not mucho exciting - mostly on the bike paths this weekend as i try to avoid the main roads to stay away from cars and the jerks that are in them.
staying on the path doesn't seem to help avoid the jerks though.
mileage and fitness are on the way up and i think i may even venture out to a cross country race in the glorious state of O-hi-O this weekend. not the norm for me, but will be good to get out on the trails.
with that - gotta roll.
sologoat out
3.21.2009
cane creek
cane_creak_h
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
thanks to eric over at cane creek for setting up my red pivots with a set of the blue cane creek 110 headsets which should match up perfect with the blue and red from the I9 wheelsets.
build ups coming soon - in the meantime, counting down the days until the end of the month as i work towards some race fundage (quarterly bonus).
58 degrees in ohio tomorrow - it's going to be a heat wave.
sologoat out
3.20.2009
3.19.2009
working the 9 to 5
or should i say the 7 to 6? not mucho time to post lately as i have had the focus of a lazer these past two weeks as i get closer and closer to getting a bonus for work this quarter.
bonus = race fundage
couple of updates coming soon, but i gots to run.
and, if you are ordering up any bike goodies from the guys over at speedgoat, give a shout out to jim as he has been busting his ass organizing all my stuff this year.
i can do the pedaling, but without jim, speedgoat, sponosors and my family, it would be impossible.
thanks mucho to all of them -
sologoat out
3.14.2009
lazy saturday
not really - bunch of house stuff to do and a ride to sneak in after it warms up a little bit.
getting stuff organized for the rest of the season, but other then that, not mucho going on other then it was a rather odd friday 13th as i tried to start my car with my wifes keys and then i wrapped up my ride seeing one of my neighbors lauch some little ballons made out of candles and grocery bag down the street and into the sky. things went way up in the sky before they burned up. very odd and very surreal.
kits are in progress with the same basic layout, bikes will be all setup with xtr, i9's, running conti's.
and i just want to give a little shout out to dan the man who had a birthday earlier this week.
random thoughts on a random day
sologoat out
3.09.2009
spa city 2009 - 3rd place
quick write up - fuzzy, chris, me and a local pretty much broke away from the main group within two laps.
by the end of the second lap, john was in the lead and chris was hot on his heels.
i was with a local, down on them by a few minutes. soon, the local would come around me (and eventually finish 2nd).
chris would flat 2 or 3 times, putting me up to 3rd. not 100% thinking, i backed off on what was my next to last lap -- thinking it was my last lap.
2nd place rider stopped with about 50 minutes to go when i was 5 minutes down on him - had to turn a 45 minute lap when i was turning around a 50 minute lap riding conservatively.
i made my best effort on that last lap - about 2 to 3 minutes from the finish, time elapsed... so i backed off and rolled it in - about 5 minutes too late from being counted.
as always - gotta pedal every minute of the race and ride that last lap when the little devil on your shoulder is telling you to stop.
it's all part of the game. great race, great course.
now, after a 14 hour drive -- back to the 40 hour work week.
starting.... NOW.
sologoat out
3.06.2009
spa city
ah - where you can see bill clinton, the 6 hour spa city race and you can enjoy strip kereoke all in the same city. amazing.
race course is twisty turny, flows good and full of small little gradual power climbs. overall great course - hats off to the organizer who actually had trail crews blow off the pine needles with leaf blowers.
fuzzy john is in town riding a geared one by nine and rebecca and danielle are also here to represent. should be a nice day, possible late day showers tomorrow.
rain (if it does come) at 70 degrees is much better then 25 and snow.
approx 30 pics up at flickr - check 'em out.
gotta run - double race write up for florida and spa city coming monday.
sologoat out
3.01.2009
does this rim come in tubeless?
the NAHBS is going on right now and some shots are now streaming in... i swear more cool stuff comes out of this show then vegas and it seems like every year the innovations coming from the dude making bikes in his garage is way better then anything mass produced.
florida write up coming - soon. work and riding are sucking up mucho time at the present - i'm just happy there is no snow in ohio.
at this for this weekend.
sologoat out
2.22.2009
heading north
more pics up on flickr - check them out.
extended write up some time this week as i try to catch up on some sleep. tomorrow, early AM ride in charolette.
tuesday - back to the grind.
sologoat out
2.20.2009
last post before race day
in town - robbie, harlan and harvey. going to be a fast one tomorrow.
more pics uploaded - check them out.
that's it - time to rest up.
sologoat out
2.19.2009
next up - santos
it's dumping snow in ohio as i am soaking up some early season rays in florida - next up, the 12 hours of santos.
pre-rode the vortex - first section felt like a twisty vortex as you flowed with speed through the santos trails. roughly 40 minutes in, you hit what is dubbed the 'red' trails and you are in for a lot of steep ups and downs, rocks and some other silliness. reminds me a lot of the old trails at mikey's in ohio, only 5 times more packed with short steep climbs.
roughly 55 minutes or so at a moderate pace - guessing around 40-45 minutes at race pace.
check out flickr for some more pics.
sologoat out
2.13.2009
2.11.2009
2.06.2009
ripping flvs and thinking of warmer weather
Nathan Spear's Euro Cross Video website has been sucking up a ton of my time lately.
why?
FREE: sign up on his website
FREE: downloads of hella cool euro cross video
files are huge, they are speaking german, and it gets a little pixelated when converted to dvd, but it's worth it. tons of videos, awesome coverage.
and if you only check out one of the videos - have to download and rip the 2009 worlds mens high def file. it's a whopping 1 gig file, but man is it clear and awesome.
shouldn't need the video this weekend - temps above 40 degrees are going to seem like july 80 degree weather this weekend.
some updates from pivot - the frames are on the way. will be running mostly the same setup overall as last year, few tweaks here and there. pivots will be running mostly xtr, fox forks, conti tires, ritchey stems, carbon post/bas, ergons, san marco saddle, crankbrothers, chris king headsets, king cages.
gotta shout out to jim, dan and the rest of the speedgoat gang for once again for all the work involved in getting me riding the trails with some killer bikes for another season.
that's it - gotta roll.
2.01.2009
44
was the high today in ohio - glad to see the windchill factor higher then 15 and to see the snow mostly gone from the roads.
sologoat out
sologoat out
1.27.2009
not mucho
has been going down in the white covered ohio area i call home so not much to report on other then ice, snow, cold temps and roller sessions from hell.
schedule is tentatively planned out, now i am just waiting out for better weather which is coming this weekend. should be exciting - temps are going to hit 30 degrees.
sologoat out
schedule is tentatively planned out, now i am just waiting out for better weather which is coming this weekend. should be exciting - temps are going to hit 30 degrees.
sologoat out
1.19.2009
1.16.2009
passing time at 10 degrees
not much is moving here in the state of ohio these days - woke up to negative 5 degree temps this morning.
2009 schedule is panning out to be an interesting one - one thing that really spices things up is the move of 24 hour nationals by a month to late october, the week after the 8 hour cowbell on the USA cycling enduro calendar. with a few other big name races late in the year, you got to pick your poison and decide what races to hit up.
me - i'll be busy. i'll be at a few races that i need to get back to and a few that i've been wanting to hit up but was not able to in the past.
and cross - more UCI's too. cinci triple weekend, michigan double weekend, wrapping up the season with the portland cup and cross nats. and don't forget the best one (if it's still a UCI based event) - cross vegas.
that's it - gotta roll.
sologoat out
1.07.2009
trying not to freeze
has been the main objective in ohio the last few days as i have been subject to monster hours on the trainer, work and my new house obsession which is a new furnace.
dvd collection has been growing quite a bit lately, but i must say that so far the 2008 dvds of the tour, tour of ireland and the 2007 tour of ireland are pretty good.
also picked up the 9 ball diaries - definite must get for any cross freaks out there. the footage from portland has me thinking about 2009 cross nats already.
schedule is getting hammered out, can't wait to go south to warmer weather.
with that in mind, i gotta book some flights.
sologoat out
dvd collection has been growing quite a bit lately, but i must say that so far the 2008 dvds of the tour, tour of ireland and the 2007 tour of ireland are pretty good.
also picked up the 9 ball diaries - definite must get for any cross freaks out there. the footage from portland has me thinking about 2009 cross nats already.
schedule is getting hammered out, can't wait to go south to warmer weather.
with that in mind, i gotta book some flights.
sologoat out
1.01.2009
adiós to 2008, hola to 2009
another year down, another starting up - here's some of my "best of" 2008 times...
Best Ride Buddy:
Would have to be my Ipod. no more talking to myself for 6 hours.
Best clothing purchase:
Craft windstopper base layers. Wish I would of bought these products 4 years ago. Nice for riding when you don't want to wear a ton of bulky clothing and nice for cross season to wear under the skinsuit when you decide to race in 20 degrees instead of staying home and sipping hot coffee.
Best Ernesto kit to date:
Hats go off to Jeremy and Speedgoat for hooking me up with Pactimo clothing for 2008. Nice winter long sleeved jerseys, the vests and jackets rule and the jerseys are racer cut. Awesome. Glad to see they will be back for 2009.
Best Bike shop of 2009:
Wild guess - Speedgoat.com. A lot goes into getting my s*it together every year from clothing to sponsors to wrenching - and everything inbetween. I've said it a million times, and I'll say it again - I couldn't do all of this without Speedgoat.
Best Bike component:
Is a no brainer - Ergon grips. I race many a season trying different grip and glove combo's and none of them ever worked. Now I run Ergons and thin full fingered gloves with no padding - hand issues are gone.
Best Bike ride of 2008:
Jeff and the Toastman in Breck - wish the rain would of stayed away though.
Best race location of 2008:
Would have to be the Mas o Menos. A tiny town in Texas 100 miles away from anything. The atmosphere and silence was golden.
Race you have to go to in 2009:
Cross nationals - you need to get there at least once at some point, even to spectate. Atmosphere is nutty, the racing is awesome - overall great vibe and awesome way to end the season.
Best "what the hell" look of the year:
Was on the faces of a lot of riders one day in Brian Head at the AMC stage race when Pua and myself rode and pulled together for most of the stage, catching and dropping riders all along the way.
Best I think I almost died on my bike today moment of 2008:
Happened ripping down one of the local bike paths when a 50 pound beaver (about the size of a small dog) decided to run across the trail - I bunny hopped over the huge fatso of an animal with my rear wheel actually hitting his fur.
That's it to 2008 - see you in 2009.
sologoat out
Best Ride Buddy:
Would have to be my Ipod. no more talking to myself for 6 hours.
Best clothing purchase:
Craft windstopper base layers. Wish I would of bought these products 4 years ago. Nice for riding when you don't want to wear a ton of bulky clothing and nice for cross season to wear under the skinsuit when you decide to race in 20 degrees instead of staying home and sipping hot coffee.
Best Ernesto kit to date:
Hats go off to Jeremy and Speedgoat for hooking me up with Pactimo clothing for 2008. Nice winter long sleeved jerseys, the vests and jackets rule and the jerseys are racer cut. Awesome. Glad to see they will be back for 2009.
Best Bike shop of 2009:
Wild guess - Speedgoat.com. A lot goes into getting my s*it together every year from clothing to sponsors to wrenching - and everything inbetween. I've said it a million times, and I'll say it again - I couldn't do all of this without Speedgoat.
Best Bike component:
Is a no brainer - Ergon grips. I race many a season trying different grip and glove combo's and none of them ever worked. Now I run Ergons and thin full fingered gloves with no padding - hand issues are gone.
Best Bike ride of 2008:
Jeff and the Toastman in Breck - wish the rain would of stayed away though.
Best race location of 2008:
Would have to be the Mas o Menos. A tiny town in Texas 100 miles away from anything. The atmosphere and silence was golden.
Race you have to go to in 2009:
Cross nationals - you need to get there at least once at some point, even to spectate. Atmosphere is nutty, the racing is awesome - overall great vibe and awesome way to end the season.
Best "what the hell" look of the year:
Was on the faces of a lot of riders one day in Brian Head at the AMC stage race when Pua and myself rode and pulled together for most of the stage, catching and dropping riders all along the way.
Best I think I almost died on my bike today moment of 2008:
Happened ripping down one of the local bike paths when a 50 pound beaver (about the size of a small dog) decided to run across the trail - I bunny hopped over the huge fatso of an animal with my rear wheel actually hitting his fur.
That's it to 2008 - see you in 2009.
sologoat out
12.29.2008
group ride
went down this past saturday headed up by shawn - other saturday rides will continue through whenever, depending on weather.
rides and house work are rolling right along as i eek out my last vacation days to concentrate on house work, resting and getting some early season miles in.
2009 calander not set in stone yet as i haven't had the time to plan things out - same rough schedule, though i may switch things up and try to get out to a few more of the hundred milers.
gotta run - need to ride and paint.
sologoat out
rides and house work are rolling right along as i eek out my last vacation days to concentrate on house work, resting and getting some early season miles in.
2009 calander not set in stone yet as i haven't had the time to plan things out - same rough schedule, though i may switch things up and try to get out to a few more of the hundred milers.
gotta run - need to ride and paint.
sologoat out
12.24.2008
merry festivus
off to see the family in little while after i sneak in a christmas eve ride.
not mucho going on, planning out 2009, taking some much needed time off and getting in a little r&r before i start logging the miles.
roughly two weeks of unscheduled workouts for me, then it is time to get back to the schedule.
rough schedule is basically the same, but with more enduro's and less 24's out there, should be interesting to see how things pan out.
with that, gotta ride - and then rest up for some feats of stregnth.
sologoat out
not mucho going on, planning out 2009, taking some much needed time off and getting in a little r&r before i start logging the miles.
roughly two weeks of unscheduled workouts for me, then it is time to get back to the schedule.
rough schedule is basically the same, but with more enduro's and less 24's out there, should be interesting to see how things pan out.
with that, gotta ride - and then rest up for some feats of stregnth.
sologoat out
12.22.2008
ernesto speedgoat socks
will soon be up at Speedgoat.com so be on the lookout to not only look stylish, but to also help Speedgoat in their effort to support me during my 2009 racing season.
sologoat out
12.21.2008
odd weekend
in the sense that i don't really have anything that i am specifically training for - probably the first weekend i can say that since... about this time last year.
so it's my offtime for the year - two weeks of riding without looking at the calendar or without a specific workout. and, it's also two weeks of getting house stuff done as after january 1, i probably won't have the time.
mas o menos for 2009 - need to contemplate that and the rest of the goals for the year.
in my holiday gift search, i did pick something up for myself - the Park Tool RK-41 Portable Race/Ride Kit.
there's a few options out there for tool sets, but for traveling and going out to races, this seems like the best tool/tool case option out there.
that's it - time to drink some java, put away cross bikes, and plan out 2009.
sologoat out
12.16.2008
12.15.2008
cross nationals - sunday
masters start - 45 to 49
Originally uploaded by solo_goat
1:30pm - 21 degrees
clear but friggin cold day - ligned up in approximately the 5th row and had a good start, but went downhill from there.
felt good overall but just lacked the speed - would eventually end up getting pulled, but had enough laps to get placed. made it to the top 70 riders.
kind of disappointing, but the game plan going in was just to stay on the same lap. goal next year will be the same.
overall, had a blast - glad i stayed around for both races. and for all you fellow cross freaks that cheered me on - thanks.
sologoat out
12.13.2008
cross nationals - saturday
update: i came in 18th and andy came in 20th.
gerry got 9th and fellow ohio rider andy applegate came in 11th in the masters 40-44 group.
got about 60'ish pics or so up on flickr - mostly of gerry's race. this is one pic is pretty classic - tuba player in the background.
two years ago during the elite race, i caught a glimpse of a hula girl playing a ukulele.
sologoat out
gerry got 9th and fellow ohio rider andy applegate came in 11th in the masters 40-44 group.
got about 60'ish pics or so up on flickr - mostly of gerry's race. this is one pic is pretty classic - tuba player in the background.
two years ago during the elite race, i caught a glimpse of a hula girl playing a ukulele.
sologoat out
cross nationals - saturday
conditions were super windy today, mud was dry, tacky and slow.
lined up in the 3rd row, right next to andy.
gun went off, and all hell broke loose. held my position for the entire race, made up a few more. course layout was tough, you were either going up or going down.
one run at the top of the climb, one barrier at the bottom and one more little run up at the end.
finished up somewhere around 15th, results will be up soon. andy finished a spot or two behind me.
gerry had a great race - finished in 8th in his race.
now, rest and some coffee. tomorrow, the elite race and then the drive back. both will be painful.
sologoat out
lined up in the 3rd row, right next to andy.
gun went off, and all hell broke loose. held my position for the entire race, made up a few more. course layout was tough, you were either going up or going down.
one run at the top of the climb, one barrier at the bottom and one more little run up at the end.
finished up somewhere around 15th, results will be up soon. andy finished a spot or two behind me.
gerry had a great race - finished in 8th in his race.
now, rest and some coffee. tomorrow, the elite race and then the drive back. both will be painful.
sologoat out
12.12.2008
cross nationals - friday
arrived into town today around 2'ish, right before gerry and andy got in.
was able to do about 7'ish laps - conditions at time of riding was tacky mud. kind of stuff you can ride real fast, hold off the brakes and let the tacky mud act as brakes. nothing too crazy, wide open stuff.
will say though, the preview i posted last week is a bit deceptive - there is a lot more going "up" then you would think and the layout is not exactly as it was in the preview.
but, overall the vibe is positive, the course is good and i think everybody is pumped up about racing.
first race up tomorrow - masters. then sunday, the big show is on. it's a racers race - people screaming, lungs burning and it's the last race of the year. hells ya.
sologoat out
was able to do about 7'ish laps - conditions at time of riding was tacky mud. kind of stuff you can ride real fast, hold off the brakes and let the tacky mud act as brakes. nothing too crazy, wide open stuff.
will say though, the preview i posted last week is a bit deceptive - there is a lot more going "up" then you would think and the layout is not exactly as it was in the preview.
but, overall the vibe is positive, the course is good and i think everybody is pumped up about racing.
first race up tomorrow - masters. then sunday, the big show is on. it's a racers race - people screaming, lungs burning and it's the last race of the year. hells ya.
sologoat out
12.10.2008
the packing is almost done
but somehow i have managed to a pretty decent write up on cross tire choices on the speedgoat blog - you can check it out here
race conditions - i'm not jinkxing them or anything, but it's looking better then it was last year.
head out tomorrow, get there for a pre-ride and registration on friday.
masters event for me is around 2'ish where i will line up 3rd row, 2nd person in next to my man andy. we'll race, give the race course secrets to gerry who will be lining up for his race right after we finish up.
with that - gotta roll. 2 more to go then i get some rest.
sologoat out
race conditions - i'm not jinkxing them or anything, but it's looking better then it was last year.
head out tomorrow, get there for a pre-ride and registration on friday.
masters event for me is around 2'ish where i will line up 3rd row, 2nd person in next to my man andy. we'll race, give the race course secrets to gerry who will be lining up for his race right after we finish up.
with that - gotta roll. 2 more to go then i get some rest.
sologoat out
12.08.2008
cleveland cross final
not mucho to say here, going into the final race, the battle was up for the overall.
for me to tie for the win with paul, basically both shawn and paul would not both have to not show with how the points worked out. with probably only a few good races in me left, i decided to go safe and stay upright as my 3rd place was basically already ensured at the start line.
stuck it out for the first laps, but the 2.0 tires on my salsa were no match to the speed of the cross bikes. ended up on the day way back, but finished out 3rd overall in the series.
overall:
1. paul
2. shawn
3. ernesto
4. tony
5. brett
with it's 10 year under it's belt, congrat go out to bike authority and team lake effect for putting on the series. first race ever 10 years back had a total of 9 riders - they had a race this year that had over 200. awesome.
with no work having to be done to my cross bikes, i am ready to roll out on thursday with trailer in tow, hauling out 4 bikes, 2 extra wheelsets and a bunch of other stuff i probably won't need but will take anyway.
and thanks go to my man shawn who let me borrow his dugast tubulars...
sologoat out
for me to tie for the win with paul, basically both shawn and paul would not both have to not show with how the points worked out. with probably only a few good races in me left, i decided to go safe and stay upright as my 3rd place was basically already ensured at the start line.
stuck it out for the first laps, but the 2.0 tires on my salsa were no match to the speed of the cross bikes. ended up on the day way back, but finished out 3rd overall in the series.
overall:
1. paul
2. shawn
3. ernesto
4. tony
5. brett
with it's 10 year under it's belt, congrat go out to bike authority and team lake effect for putting on the series. first race ever 10 years back had a total of 9 riders - they had a race this year that had over 200. awesome.
with no work having to be done to my cross bikes, i am ready to roll out on thursday with trailer in tow, hauling out 4 bikes, 2 extra wheelsets and a bunch of other stuff i probably won't need but will take anyway.
and thanks go to my man shawn who let me borrow his dugast tubulars...
sologoat out
12.06.2008
snowy saturday
snow hitting ohio today, so i hit up the local hike and bike path to get in a ride. little did i know, i literally would hit the trail twice as i bagged it early due to black ice all over the trails.
tomorrow, last cleveland cross race for the year up, then nationals. looking forward to wrapping things up for the year and getting some house work done.
and - a few new items on my Solo Goat Garage blogsite.
gotta roll - sologoat out
tomorrow, last cleveland cross race for the year up, then nationals. looking forward to wrapping things up for the year and getting some house work done.
and - a few new items on my Solo Goat Garage blogsite.
gotta roll - sologoat out
12.04.2008
cross on my mind
this time next week, the adventure of cross nationals begins as my dad and i journey out to kansas so i can attempt to cough my lungs out - twice.
check out the preview - and imagine it covered with snow with 30 degree temps.
could be worse - you could NOT be there.
sologoat out
12.01.2008
murrysville cross
heading out to the state where i started racing, it was good to be seeing some old friends, but not good. temps in the mid 30's and a cold steady light rain was going to make things hellish.
small field, but things got strung out pretty quickly. mike, steve-o, joe, gerry, andy and myself soon gapped the field in super sloppy conditions.
steve-o and joe cheked out pretty quick, and i got in a group with andy, gerry and we slowly brought back mike. that's when all hell broke loose.
rain started coming in heavily and the course gradually got worse. on the backside of the course, i took a spectacular header over the double barriers allowing gerry and andy to catch back up and mike to make a gap into a big gap. my hands drenched in mud and water, they would soon start to freeze.
bars turned, hands going numb, i get back up to gerry and andy. gerry powers through for 4th, i come in 5th and andy comes in 6th (after winning the earlier masters race).
hands stinging in pain, it was a good race to get through. these are the types of races that make you savor the days when it's 80 degrees and sunny and makes you tougher in the later hours of an enduro when nothing seems to be going right.
as the saying goes, that which does not kill you only makes you stronger.
sologoat out
small field, but things got strung out pretty quickly. mike, steve-o, joe, gerry, andy and myself soon gapped the field in super sloppy conditions.
steve-o and joe cheked out pretty quick, and i got in a group with andy, gerry and we slowly brought back mike. that's when all hell broke loose.
rain started coming in heavily and the course gradually got worse. on the backside of the course, i took a spectacular header over the double barriers allowing gerry and andy to catch back up and mike to make a gap into a big gap. my hands drenched in mud and water, they would soon start to freeze.
bars turned, hands going numb, i get back up to gerry and andy. gerry powers through for 4th, i come in 5th and andy comes in 6th (after winning the earlier masters race).
hands stinging in pain, it was a good race to get through. these are the types of races that make you savor the days when it's 80 degrees and sunny and makes you tougher in the later hours of an enduro when nothing seems to be going right.
as the saying goes, that which does not kill you only makes you stronger.
sologoat out
11.28.2008
turkey day week
been nice to actually get out this week on the road as the trainer was starting to drive me nutty already.
next up, murrysville cross this sunday - looking to be a pretty fast race already, lots of schwag and some of the speedgoat crew are coming out to rally on the speedgoat troops through the 1 hour battle.
knee is coming around, it's still a little tender so i haven't been doing any major efforts on it all week. 4 more races, then that's it for 2008 - 2009 will not be that far away.
2009 schedule is still all tentative, hoping to get to the majority of them by car as to some cashola on shipping bikes/etc. bikes will be rolling in soon, along with a slightly re-vamped 'ernesto/speedgoat kit'. the speedgoat crew loved the colors of my kits, so most of the team/shop guys will be rolling in green kits next year.
that's it, going to sneak in a ride, eat some turkey, drink some brews, try to find a wii on-line and relax. i don't get too many days like this.
rock out - sologoat
11.26.2008
sologoat crankskin bottlewrap
will be posting more on their stuff once i get a chance - but here is a shot of the super limited edition sologoat bottle wrap.
drop ej at crankskin.com an email if interested in these botttlewraps or his crank, fork and frame covers. some pretty nice options out there to save your paint.
sologoat out
drop ej at crankskin.com an email if interested in these botttlewraps or his crank, fork and frame covers. some pretty nice options out there to save your paint.
sologoat out
11.25.2008
whats a girl to do
by the band bats for lashes - found off a facebook post. way too freaky cool to not post.
sologoat out
11.24.2008
state cross champs
i'll keep it brief as i am pretty bummed out about it...
first laps went well, just as i was catching onto the main group i got chopped and taken down. levers turned, i got back trying to salvage what i could.
3 or 4 laps later, i wash myself out super hard whacking my right knee about as hard as one possibly could right into my bars - so hard i nearly puked right there. barely able to limp off the course, i laid down for about 4 minutes before i could actually stand on it.
i bagged it at that point - was so far back that i wasn't going to catch on and with nationals a few weeks out it seemed kind of silly to keep pedaling just to finish and then end up doing more damage then good.
card ended up taking the win - he looked super strong. gerry came in 4th after winning his masters race earlier in the day.
so today i am taking the day off and trying to keep off the knee.
next up - freddie fu/speedgoat cross race this sunday in the 'burgh.
sologoat out
first laps went well, just as i was catching onto the main group i got chopped and taken down. levers turned, i got back trying to salvage what i could.
3 or 4 laps later, i wash myself out super hard whacking my right knee about as hard as one possibly could right into my bars - so hard i nearly puked right there. barely able to limp off the course, i laid down for about 4 minutes before i could actually stand on it.
i bagged it at that point - was so far back that i wasn't going to catch on and with nationals a few weeks out it seemed kind of silly to keep pedaling just to finish and then end up doing more damage then good.
card ended up taking the win - he looked super strong. gerry came in 4th after winning his masters race earlier in the day.
so today i am taking the day off and trying to keep off the knee.
next up - freddie fu/speedgoat cross race this sunday in the 'burgh.
sologoat out
11.22.2008
read all about it
photo from the local paper in NC where the oktoberfest race was at - thanks to race organizer taylor for sending it out.
full cover, showing the I9's off.
gots to pack - ohio state cross champs tomorrow and i have about 10 different tire selections and 3 bikes to pick from.
sologoat out
full cover, showing the I9's off.
gots to pack - ohio state cross champs tomorrow and i have about 10 different tire selections and 3 bikes to pick from.
sologoat out
11.21.2008
The aftermath
pics from last weeks aftermath.
i have a feeling sunday is going to see the same conditions.
gotta pack - sologoat out
i have a feeling sunday is going to see the same conditions.
gotta pack - sologoat out
11.20.2008
everything in its right place
listening to a live radiohead broadcast on the trainer yesterday and this song came up and kind of sums up the year.
everything in its right place - phrase alone sums up what you need to do to get through your season, your racing goals, etc, etc.
with the end of the year coming up, few more races coming up...
ohio state cross - coming up this weekend and i am obsessing about parts, setup, etc, etc. should get a good start position as they are doing call ups for the cleveland series.
murrsyville cross - put on by speedgoat sponsored freddie fu team. should be a good showing of speedgoat sponsored riders near the 'burgh. (go steelers!)
cleveland cross - last of the series race, at boughton farm. this course has somehow cursed me into having bad races. this time i am hoping to get that monkey off my back. should wrap up the overall in at least the top 3.
cross nats - masters and the elite race. in the masters race, i am ligning up in the 3rd row, right on the outside. about 150 guys are behind me. that should be good.
elite - about 150 are going to be in front of me. i registered early, but will be behind everybody who has points. will be a crap shoot, hopefully make up some spots quickly before it gets too strung out. fighting to stay on the lead lap will be a challenge. by far probably the race i most look forward to all year. pain, screaming fans, fun course...
should be loads of fun at cross nats - and i will be heading out with my dad and it's his first time ever seeing the spectacle.
sologoat out
11.19.2008
ohio state cross FYI
next up - ohio state cross race this weekend.
just a word out to my fellow ohio riders - if you are going down, may want to register as they will ding you another $10 if you don't pre-register... last day to pre-register is tomorrow dawg, so get on it.
gots to roll.
sologoat out
just a word out to my fellow ohio riders - if you are going down, may want to register as they will ding you another $10 if you don't pre-register... last day to pre-register is tomorrow dawg, so get on it.
gots to roll.
sologoat out
11.16.2008
speedgoat one two
a speedgoat one two went down at broadview today, gerry took first, i rolled in second.
condtions were cruddy - 33 degrees, snow blowing around, wetness and mud all around.
gun went off and 5 guys were duking it out for first place by the backside of the course - gerry, myself, tony, zak and brett.
soon, gerry myself and tony were away - and tony was catching me. seemed to be not finding my groove to well and tony soon caught me and opened up a gap.
half way point of any cross race is at 45 minutes - tony cracked and flatted around the same time. when he switched bikes, i caught him and he would finish in 3rd.
tough race - more mentally then physically. conditions were bad and it's just a thing of riding through it.
hats off to tony today - think it's the best finish for him in the "a" group to date and he rode really well.
sologoat out
condtions were cruddy - 33 degrees, snow blowing around, wetness and mud all around.
gun went off and 5 guys were duking it out for first place by the backside of the course - gerry, myself, tony, zak and brett.
soon, gerry myself and tony were away - and tony was catching me. seemed to be not finding my groove to well and tony soon caught me and opened up a gap.
half way point of any cross race is at 45 minutes - tony cracked and flatted around the same time. when he switched bikes, i caught him and he would finish in 3rd.
tough race - more mentally then physically. conditions were bad and it's just a thing of riding through it.
hats off to tony today - think it's the best finish for him in the "a" group to date and he rode really well.
sologoat out
11.13.2008
2009 sologoat frame is..
the pivot 429 will be the frames i will be riding next year - colors, parts, etc are not 150% nailed down at this point, but will more then likely be similar to years past.
thanks to jim at speedgoat and chris at pivot - without sponsors like these guys, working and racing full time would be an impossibility.
thanks for keeping me rolling in 2009.
sologoat out
11.10.2008
winter bike build up
new stuff:
- 2008 niner emd (still some left at speedgoat- light frames!)
- white brothers carbon fork
- xt front derailleur
- titec 3 degree bar
- salsa seat collar
old stuff from my santa cruz frames
- xt crank/bb
- nokon cables
- sram half pipe shifters/sram rear derailleur
- thompson stem
- king headset
old stuff from my asylums:
- easton e90 carbon post
- san marco ti saddle
- avid mechanicals - from the very first asylum ever
- crank brothers pedals
off my salsa mariachi:
- xt wheelset
- sram rear cassette
- king stainless cages
should be considerably lighter then any other winter bike i've had to date.
mechanical brakes chosen to save me (or should i say dan) the effort and time into getting brakes setup. i actually prefer my mountain training bikes to be fully rigid as it saves a little cash/maintenance in the end and i think it adds a little bit extra skill training to each ride with no shock to soak up bad lines.
and - no - niner is not the 2009 frame sponsor. keep guessing.
sologoat out
- 2008 niner emd (still some left at speedgoat- light frames!)
- white brothers carbon fork
- xt front derailleur
- titec 3 degree bar
- salsa seat collar
old stuff from my santa cruz frames
- xt crank/bb
- nokon cables
- sram half pipe shifters/sram rear derailleur
- thompson stem
- king headset
old stuff from my asylums:
- easton e90 carbon post
- san marco ti saddle
- avid mechanicals - from the very first asylum ever
- crank brothers pedals
off my salsa mariachi:
- xt wheelset
- sram rear cassette
- king stainless cages
should be considerably lighter then any other winter bike i've had to date.
mechanical brakes chosen to save me (or should i say dan) the effort and time into getting brakes setup. i actually prefer my mountain training bikes to be fully rigid as it saves a little cash/maintenance in the end and i think it adds a little bit extra skill training to each ride with no shock to soak up bad lines.
and - no - niner is not the 2009 frame sponsor. keep guessing.
sologoat out
11.09.2008
sologoat garage updates
the Sologoat Garage is now updated with a few items. any interest in items, put a comment on the post with your email.
this weekend, off from racing - full throttle on the house projects as i try to get caught up with them before winter hits.
got some sponsorship news coming up, gonna make you guys wait it out a few more days as i try to get old parts sold for 2009 racing fundage.
also, need to get together the new winter bike - looking pretty sweet in all black and few old retro parts off my old race bikes.
that's it - gotta roll.
sologoat out
this weekend, off from racing - full throttle on the house projects as i try to get caught up with them before winter hits.
got some sponsorship news coming up, gonna make you guys wait it out a few more days as i try to get old parts sold for 2009 racing fundage.
also, need to get together the new winter bike - looking pretty sweet in all black and few old retro parts off my old race bikes.
that's it - gotta roll.
sologoat out
11.07.2008
linn run ride
ah - my favorite climb in the speedgoat area... this week, not much going on other then getting in some training, cleaning up the basement bike mess, some house work and figuring out what i need and don't need (part-wise) to get me through the start of the 2009 season.
first to go was one of my el mariachi's - that was yesterday. other one will be parted out and sold as a frame/fork/stem/headset possibly to go over to a salsa selma build up next year. figured out that the mariachi frames geometry did not work out to well for my fits and that i am used to more race specific geometry.
so - got a 2008 niner emd to replace it as my winter trainer. nice, light, race specific geometry. pics up later this weekend, but bike looks hella stealthy all in black and carbon. thanks to dan the man for frame prep.
that's it - gotta do the work thing.
sologoat out
first to go was one of my el mariachi's - that was yesterday. other one will be parted out and sold as a frame/fork/stem/headset possibly to go over to a salsa selma build up next year. figured out that the mariachi frames geometry did not work out to well for my fits and that i am used to more race specific geometry.
so - got a 2008 niner emd to replace it as my winter trainer. nice, light, race specific geometry. pics up later this weekend, but bike looks hella stealthy all in black and carbon. thanks to dan the man for frame prep.
that's it - gotta do the work thing.
sologoat out
11.02.2008
speedgoat one two
a potential speedgoat one two with ernesto and gerry was formed with a group containing us and paul martin in the very opening of todays cleveland cross race.
that one two finished was sent ablaze when we were skooled by paul martin on the last lap.
course was awesome. lot of twists and turns, three run ups - great for riders like myself and gerry who relish on the techy areas and hope we have the watts to out power riders like paul.
gun went off, we were immediately in a group with the 3 of us. we rode together for all the laps and i had the notion that we would pull off the win as gerry was killing it with the power on the flats and on the re-mounts. he only fumbled once the whole time.
one lap to go, paul made his move and came around me - a minute later he attacked gerry and a gap opened between all us. i washed out soon after and that was that - 3rd overall, 2nd in the class.
great race - had fun duking it out with paul and gerry -
sologoat out
that one two finished was sent ablaze when we were skooled by paul martin on the last lap.
course was awesome. lot of twists and turns, three run ups - great for riders like myself and gerry who relish on the techy areas and hope we have the watts to out power riders like paul.
gun went off, we were immediately in a group with the 3 of us. we rode together for all the laps and i had the notion that we would pull off the win as gerry was killing it with the power on the flats and on the re-mounts. he only fumbled once the whole time.
one lap to go, paul made his move and came around me - a minute later he attacked gerry and a gap opened between all us. i washed out soon after and that was that - 3rd overall, 2nd in the class.
great race - had fun duking it out with paul and gerry -
sologoat out
hola!
about 200 pics uploaded to flickr from brett's chagrin valley cross race - dead legs, 2 beer hand ups and a 5th place. good times.
gotta run - next race up in a 3 hours and counting...
sologoat out
11.01.2008
cleveland cross weekend
will be served in just a few hours now, need to get out the door...
rest of the season will be spent maintaining my fitness, hitting up cross races until mid december and trying to figure out how to get my house projects done before winter.
another part of the winter clean up project will be clearing out some of my stash of bike parts (stay tuned) so i have room for some new additions next year.
gotta run - off the brett's halloween cross race. feeling kind of lame i didn't get my act together for a costume but at least i'm getting out there to support his race. (all profit today will go towards the cleveland velodrome project)
sologoat out
rest of the season will be spent maintaining my fitness, hitting up cross races until mid december and trying to figure out how to get my house projects done before winter.
another part of the winter clean up project will be clearing out some of my stash of bike parts (stay tuned) so i have room for some new additions next year.
gotta run - off the brett's halloween cross race. feeling kind of lame i didn't get my act together for a costume but at least i'm getting out there to support his race. (all profit today will go towards the cleveland velodrome project)
sologoat out
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)