sorry for the late update, been hectic getting in some miles the past week.
at the start, field was pretty decent sized and included some fast locals, ross clark and mike simonson.
le mans style start always sucks, kind of getting tired of them but i guess it does the job of stringing it out at the start.
mike takes off at the srart of the first climb, ross is in a group in front of me and i am trailing off the back of them.
it rained the night before and the trails were a little slick at the start. i, of course, had pre-ridden when it was dry and had the tire pressure a little too high and it made things slippy. i backed off as i didn't need to take a spill on the first lap.
lap one down, mike had a small lead that would eventually lead to him winning. i eventually caught up to a small group with ross.
that group would all break up and ross parted ways, i caught back up to him around lap 4 on the start climb. by the top, he took off and i settled in. i was playing a chess game, i would hold him close enough to chase him back in the closing laps - i would drill it on the last lap just as i would roll under the start/finish with about 5-10 minutes to go before the cut-off.
next to last lap, my nightmare happened as the gap to ross was about 30 seconds - my chain dropped into my spokes. AGAIN. hate those freaking "shadow" shimano derailleurs. those things suck. adjusitng them is just a pain in the arse.
dejected, i pulled off to the side of the trail, thought about life for a few moments, and managed to get the chain out. estimate my loss of time roughly about 5 minutes.
last lap, i was convinced i lost 2nd place and came around a corner and washed out the front wheel. nice. another lost minute.
would come in third, behind ross by about 3 minutes. not the race i planned out in my head. that's racing though.
this weekend, pain train ride with phatty.
weekend after - little trip out west (more on that later)
sologoat out
7.23.2010
6 hours of power - longer write up
7.20.2010
6 hours of power
short version - 3rd place.
longer version up in the next day or two as i try to un-pack, clean and fix up the bikes and get ready for a trip out west in a few weeks.
more on that later - time to sleep.
sologoat out
7.06.2010
7.05.2010
2010 Marathon National Championships
well, colorado offically kicked my arse.
gun went off and the parade start rolled through town. we made a left starting up the first climb of the day and the pace just ramped up slowly and slowy.
soon, i was popped off the back and the heart rate i was seeing on my monitor was no where near my max. altitude hits all riders different, and you can pretty much get your max at sea level, subtract roughly 10 beats and there you go.
even with that rough "science" i was still about 10 beats lower. not feeling bad, not feeling awesome - just feeling like i was kind of stuck in 3 1/2 gear out of 5.
second lap went better, pulled a few riders back, but in the back of my head i was wishing it was another 25 miles.
so with that, i rode out the race and enjoyed it. towards the end, i duked it out with DJ - still can't believe anybody can ride that stuff with just 1 gear. rough finishing spot was mid to back of the pro field.
congrats to all the ergon riders - yuki taking the win in his class, dave 3rd in the pro men, sonya 8th and jeff riding a new PR.
with that - time for some hiking and some riding.
and check out my flick pics when you have a sec - new pics up daily this week.
sologoat out
7.03.2010
last pre-ride
short pre-ride of about 1/2 of tomorrow's course today, partial ride time with mr kerkove.
course is screaming fast, few wet spots here and there but i'll take that instead of the dry pebbles jeff was sketching out on last weekend.
750 riders take the to the start line tomorrow - nothing like starting the race being in a parade. the fun quickly fades as the first major climb starts right out of town and goes about 6 miles up.
50 miles later, you'll end up back in breck to some good food and brews. happy 4th to all - get your bike out and take a spin.
sologoat out
pre-ride at the firecracker
short post up, got to sneak in another ride.
rain bursts have padded down the trails and it's going to be a fast 50 tomorrow. town is hectic with people, trails are loaded up with riders.
chekc out my flickr pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/solo_goat/sets/72157624412880972/
today, pre-ride.
tomorrow, race and post race brews, fun, fireworks.
the 5th - heading out with mr kerkove. he's getting 10 hours, i think i may opt for the 5-6.
sologoat out.
6.28.2010
big bear, lumberjack and the wayne ultra.
Big Bear 2x12 – the best tag team ever
Date: 6/12/2010
Venue: Big Bear Lake at Hazelton, WV
Format: Duo, 6 laps total, 3 laps each
Mileage Per Lap: 11.3 according to my Garmin Edge 500
Team Members: Ernesto Marenchin (Speedgoat.com) and Brandon Draugelis (Cannondale.com)
Course and Weather conditions: Low 70’s with chance of showers later in the day. Course was mostly dry with some wet/slick spots in various spots, but overall riding very fast for the course.
Game Plan: With $1,000 for the win and it only paying one deep, we opted for the quick start and started Brandon so that we would be ahead of the field and would not have to fight through traffic later on in the day.
LAP 1 – Brandon
Brandon starts off for us under cloudy skies at 10am. Starting on the bike on the entrance road leading into the venue was less chaotic then the Le Mans style start and Brandon would be lead into the first section of single track by one of the riders of the eventual single speed class win.
Brandon rips off a super fast start and comes back to the start/finish with the single speed rider hot on his tail. Now it’s my turn.
LAP 2 – Ernesto
I take off with us in the lead. I am pushing the pace, but as soon as I near my limits, I back it off just a little.
Towards the end of the lap, going up the climb, Gerry catches me and soon after, Nick Waite. We are now sitting in second spot – about 45 seconds down by the end of the lap.
LAP 3 – Brandon
Brandon takes off and regains the lead. His pace puts us in the lead again by minutes.
LAP 4 – Ernesto
It’s tight, so I have to push it. At the top of every little climb or whenever my speed slows down, I stand up to pick up the pace – and I’m now pushing the limits of my heart rate. I’m bumping up to my max, but staying under it.
At the top of the last climb, I can’t see Nick and push on – I have about a minute lead on him as Brandon heads out.
LAP 5 – Brandon
Brandon takes off under darkening skies and somehow misses most of the rain and worsening conditions. He puts more time into the team headed up by Nick, but the finish is going to be tight.
LAP 6 – Ernesto
Mud has now engulfed the entire course, but I have ridden on these muddy trails many a time. I had to slow down in several spots, but kept my speed up overall.
Up the last muddy slow climb, I take a peek back – Nick is nowhere in sight. I push on and we take the win with about a 2 minute gap at the end.
lumberjack 100
Date: 6/19/2010
stop 3 on the NUE series was the lumberjack 100, a venue i have been dying to get to for awhile now and it is always scheduled the week after big bear. the last time i was there, i raced the 24 hour event and then the lumberjack back to back. not good. i was until about 75 miles in and then my heart rate shot sky high.
so, i was back to conquer my demons, but it was not to be.
dry conditions made for a fast course and just as i was dropping down the backside of the first climb, my front wheel hit something under some leaves and some me flipping over a couple of times and whacking my knee that i busted up last year. instant swelling and pain in that knee made it an easy decision to yank the plug for the day. if it were 7 miles to go, that's one thing, with 70 miles. my heart told me to keep going, but my head was telling me i may be doing some serious damage.
so, i headed back and iced, iced, iced - and drank a pint, pint, pint, pint and maybe a few more. two days later, i would be riding again, feeling rested and calmer since the swelling all went away.
wayne ultra
Date: 6/27/2010
getting there was a fiasco.
not really knowing where i was going, i headed down to marietta ohio only to realize when i got there that the location that was listed on the one website i pulled the address for was the ranger station 18'ish miles down the road.
at 10:22, i am debating to drive back home or to try to make it to the start. having just been ticketed for speeding a few days before, i was not in the mood to be on the recieving end of another one - but, i headed north and attempted to get there.
i got to the venue with literally 1 minute to spare before they shut down registration - and it was a good thing i had prepped all my fueling the night before. i was putting on my helmet just as everybody was ligning up.
field was smaller, but packed with about 10 guys who could take the win.
soon we were out of the parking lot, and soon after that, we were heading up the first demon of the day, a hellishly long road climb.
the temps were screaming and so was the pace, by the first right hand turn i had popped off the back of the lead group and was in a group of 4 - and there was not a soul in sight behind us.
i backed off, thinking the pace was too high with these temps (average for the day was 89!) and i am the early call that they would pay for their efforts.
into the single track, i stay steady and within my limits. i pick a few riders off that i was with and then start heading towards the next main group.
by mile 11'ish or so, i catch the group with gerry and notice 2 riders are not with them. most of these guys are riding rigid's and my pivot eats up the rocks as i inch closer and eventually past them. i now search out the leaders.
i ride by myself the remainder of the race, only stopping once to grab a mountain dew and some water from an aid station.
overall tough course, but well laid out and flowed awesome. can't wait to go back next year.
next up - tuesday night worlds at westlake.
sologoat out
6.13.2010
victory at big bear 2x12
full story tomorrow as i sort out all my goodies from the 'goat and i wash up the bikes and sort out things for next weeks adventure - the lumberjack 100. can't wait to get back out to this venue and it's awesome i can hit up the 100 miler without having a 24 hour in my legs from the weekend before.
saturday - epic battle for the cash saw me averaging a 170 heart rate for all three hours of my riding time and burning up over 2100 calories. we grabbed the lead on the third lap and held it to the end. hats off to brandon for ripping it up.
full length write up tomorrow - check out my flickr account link for 100+ pics.
sologoat out
6.07.2010
6.06.2010
mohican 100
mud was the dish to be served yesterday in Loudonville Ohio, rain soaked pretty much all of the course and left them pretty slick in spots.
gun went off and the field went flying up the first climb for the $200 prime to the top. i stayed with the back end of the first main group and was feeling decent.
around mile 25'ish, was sort of going through a mental funk where the mud was starting to get to me, but after my first feed at station 2, i started coming around.
i was just catching on to gerry when i somehow dropped my chain in between the cassette and wheel - luckily i could pull it out, but i snapped two spokes when i dropped the chain. i bent the spokes so my legs would not get whacked by them and i went on, loosing about 5 minutes and hoping that the wheel would somewhat hold up.
i would ride mostly alone for the day, but did end up waiting for two other riders to get me through the long hike and bike sections that are flat, long and full of nice gritty stuff that likes to get in your eyes.
at drop 4, i was able to get out before them, but not before dunking my head in water and getting a cold can of coke.
the second time through drop three, disaster hits again - i get a flat, and decide to pump it up and hope it holds rather then fix it right at the stop. bad mistake.
i make it another 4 miles or so and i am just catching back up to andy applegate whom i caught in the last section of single track - and my tire is going flat.
get my first tube in, hit it with the co2 and it somehow pops my tube instantly. my inflater, full of mud, jams and releases all the c02.
i get my second tube out and repeat, this time my pump is full of mud and not working.
great.
a random rider stops, hands me his pump, i inflate and take off. conservatively, i most of lost at least 10-15 minutes and was just about to go into 11th spot.
i get rolling, ride great over the remaining sections, but lost too much time to make up my lost spots.
when it rains, it pours i guess and that's mountain biking. think i finished up about 14th'ish or so.
epic day with the rain and mud, lets hope i get to race sometime when the sun is actually out.
oh - and got the full ride on my garmin edge 500 - worked beautifully, but for some reason only registered about 90 miles. working on getting my ride info up later this week.
sologoat out
6.04.2010
one day to mohican
ah, mohican is coming up and what better way to distract your mind from 100 miles then with a new a toy that will save every second of your journey.
the Garmin Edge 500 is the newest accessory to my lineup of bike stash, purchased with the intent to give me a way to analyze my ride data and to get me another method of recording/saving my ride data other then with a calendar and a piece of paper.
first ride with it and i think i am hooked. we'll see how it goes recording my mohican race - should be pretty cool to look at after.
staying with my old posse members gerry and angry andy - and meeting up with about 500 other friends to try to beat the crap out of each other tomorrow. should be good times.
with that - must roll. keep the rubber side down.
sologoat out
6.03.2010
next up - mohican
100 miler next up on the race schedule, and this one is close to home which is always good.
work and riding has been hectic, not much free time at all these days to fit in extra stuff like cutting the grass and minor bike repair - but my home theater system is nearing completion and i am making a drastic upgrade to a garmin 505 power/heart rate monitor thingy so i am going to be on overload here pretty quick.
in local yocal races, i have also hit up the westlake worlds and plan to do so a bunch more times this year - somehow had a good race up there last weekend without ever doing a sprint for the past 6 months.
that's it, better roll - maybe another post before race day, we'll see - if not, see you at the finish line with a cold Great Lakes.
sologoat out
5.18.2010
dsg 12 hour - longer write up
course was dry - for now.
john was in with matt from moots - always good to catch up with them. and everybody is always in car envy when you pull up in a sprinter.
friday was more or less the same, except i got to ride with the toastman.
saturday am, the weather was looking good, but the rain was coming. i think having lived through last years event, i was a little more prepped mentally for what was to come.
gun goes off, brandon and josh and the eventual 3rd place rider would all take off - i was in chase.
soon, the rain hit - and the mud came - and i soon caught 3rd place.
it was odd, but the south side of the course was dry and the north side was muddy as all heck. i switched bikes but was still having some issues with the clay like mud.
and, with less then 4 hours to go - i overshift and place the chain in tightly between the spokes and the cassette, lodged perfectly under a pin in the cassette so i couldn't pull it out.
in a panic, i start back tracking the wrong way - 4th place catches me for third.
i turn around, make it back to the pits - probably loosing easily at least 25-30 minutes. very disappointing to say the least.
i would battle back into 4th place overall.
josh would wind up in second after battling through some nasty cramps.
and brandon would take home the well deserved win.
and i would like to entitle the above pic as "i am about to kick your ass - with a smile"...
that's it - thanks to the dsg crew for a stellar race and an overall well run event. and thanks to mother nature for delaying the hellish rain downpours until the next day.
sologoat out
5.16.2010
dsg 12 hour short write up
dry start, 4 hours later rain and then it turned to clay.
sitting in 3rd, got the chain caught between the spokes and cassette. i ran down to the pit area, lost a ton of time but got it fixed and got back out.
salvaged 4th place and got to drink some cold yazoo brews to top the night off.
brandon rode super strong and took the win, the josh the toastman rolled in second.
long write up tomorrow - time to unpack.
sologoat out
5.14.2010
dsg - friday
setup and some bike prep out at the dsg venue today as racers are starting to head in.
heat and humidity have gone up, and the wet stuff has stayed away.... for now. weather forcasts have about a thirty percent chance of it hitting.
course this year is running counter clockwise which makes for a more flowing course and new sections near the end make it a longer loop then compared to years past. overall, i think it rides a lot better years past.
some more pics up with my ride with the toastman.
with that, i'm out - time for food and rest.
sologoat out
dsg 12 hour - thursday
drove through the rain to get to dryness, course is prep'd and ready to go. rain? we'll see if that stays away.
new sections laid out on the backside which is a little fresh, but fast rolling and fun. the pivot setup with the conti mountain kings were hooking up sweet.
in town - the toastman, dj, brandon and the matt and john from moots. field is looking small, no doubt the result of last years mud fest.
that's it - gotta sneak in a lap and some rest.
pics up on flickr - check them out.
sologoat out
5.04.2010
cohutta 100 write up
better late then never, eh? work lately has been kind of crazy, so sorry for the delay. good news is that my client went live this past weekend, so the end is near.
drove down early friday AM and was able to get to get to the venue at around 3'ish after roughly a 9 hour drive which included a short stop for lunch and to pick up some fat tire ale (can't get that stuff up north).
hit up the beginning climb and single track with billy a, richie rich, matt and a few other friends whom i was supposed to stay with. long story, but my directions got hosed up somehow and i ended up staying with josh the toastman which was cool since i haven't seen him in awhile and as bonus, he cooked dinner and i supplied the krispy cremes.
woke up saturday AM to the sound of rain which quickly cleared by start time, but both josh and i started the race with vests and arm wamers as i think we both feared the rain that was about to come. and, incidentally, i think we were the only two riders with arm warmers on in the front five rows of riders.
race started, i got dropped off the back of the main group just before the top. could of made it, but i didn't want to peg it that early in the race. by the first single track, i caught the back of the main group but some slower riders got in between me and the main group - they slowed me down and the main group went away. it was totally my bad, just a lapse in aggressive position holding at a super critical time.
about half way through that first single track, i passed the slower riders and slowly started making my way to catch the main group.
caught the first guys before the stream crossing as they made a mess of the little root section right before it (as i have made a mess of it my first year). the pivot 429 ate up the roots and i rode by.
think the next main group i caught was with eddie o and antoher rider on the flat road section. we rode together for awhile and then i parted ways as the road went up.
next group i caught was with john p from ohio and 2 other riders. we rode together for awhile but i again lost contact with them as the road went up and they stopped for food.
next up was with garth with whom i would ride with for awhile but would loose on the feeds, the last of which i saw him was in between food stop 5 and 6 as we caught up (and got dropped) by matt who was freakin' riding a single speed. garth would sneak away too.
after food stop 6, it's all mostly single track that looks like it's going down on the topo map, but it doesn't really seem like it. very similar to the sm100 where just when you think it's done, the race kicks you in the gut again.
i roll through it, keeping up good speed and keeping pressure on the pedals as i have lost places in this section before. i pick off one rider in my class with about 6 miles to go that looks like he's seen better days and then i pick off another rider literally a few hundred feet from the finish line.
ended up 11th on the day. good start to the 100 miler series.
next up, the dsg 12 hour (let's hope for no rain) - and a mucho thanks out to steve for finding me an entry for the lumberjack 100.
sologoat out
4.18.2010
numb shins
was what i got today, along with a flat during the local yocal valley race topped off with 2 flats on the way home. nice way to wrap up a cold and wet day.
next up, the cohutta 100, one of my favorite 100 milers - long sustained open climbs. you get clobbered about 30 miles in with basically a 30 mile climb and just when you are feeling like toast, the last 10 or so miles are mostly all single track.
thanks goes out to the industry nine folks for rebuilding up my wheels this year, should be all setup and ready to go by this weekend. if you haven't checked their stuff out lately, they got some new hella cool road wheels with a new front hub that makes for a super stiff front wheel.
that's it - time to get some continental tires on those wheels.
sologoat out
4.15.2010
about my bar/shifter setup
got a few questions recently about my shifter setup, so here goes.
for shifters, i am running a front sram x-0 twist shifter (new old stock from 2009?) with a 2010 xtr rear pod. back in the day, and the guys at speedgoat could give you all the gram/weight details, this was the lighter setup then running both xtr pods.
but in my instance, back in the day, it was also a cheaper setup then running two pods and it also allowed for trimming up the front derailleur a lot better when the chain line gets crazy and the chain starts rubbing on the front derailleur. i ran this on my old cross country bikes, i ran this on my old santa cruz's and asylums and now i am going back to it - mostly because of the chain rub issue.
and to "modify" the ergon grip to a twist shifter variety, i take a hacksaw and whack it off. though i will say, this pretty much voids any warranty from ergon, so beware...
and, the syntace stem - pretty much the only 135mm stem i can find on the market right now (without going custom) and is also pretty light as well. my fit calls for a 135 stem, so that's what i run.
cables, brake housing and pads are all jagwire, headset provided by my pals over at canecreek and thanks to the guys over at magura providing the magura marta sl disc brakes which are the same exact brakes spec'd on the pivot 429 ultralight complete bike.
bars are the easton e90's, flat style. i personally hate any degree of bend as it seems to put my wrists in an odd position and was causing me some wrist fatigue issues after 6 hours.
more pics up later -
sologoat out
4.13.2010
2010 pivot build up sneak pics
just a few shots of my 2010 build ups - now posted up on flickr.
ck it HERE
sologoat out
rest day
ah, big block of training in preparation for cohutta now wrapped up just as my big work project is nearing completion. very odd going from having no time to having time for anything - like getting to actually change out my tires on my training bike.
or rebuild a king rear hub. or yard work (not so fun).
and got a chance to hit up the first cuyahoga valley cicuit race last weekend, which is always a good time. it's a good reality fitness check of sorts.
break went early, everybody chased. a crash half way through split the main group - and thank heavens i just missed it.
with a lap and a half to go, a good little break went and had the gap. i buzzed right across but the group decided to chase us down, but i decided at that point to stay at the front.
shawn tells me it may work if i attack from the last corner, which is funny as i was thinking the same thing - but the last corner is waaaaaaaaaaay out.
i attacked, had the huge gap and it probably would of worked but my legs turned dead after 30 hours of riding for the week just in sight of the line and the pack caught me just as it was about to start heading downhill. so, my attack plan for this weekend will have a slight twist to it. stay tuned.
next up, double local yocal race weekend. saturday crit and sunday circuit race -- weather permitting.
sologoat out
4.02.2010
lack of communication
sorry for the lack o' posts lately, been quite a busy few months of work for me as i am working with a local client to get their accounting system up to speed.
inter-company accounting, multi-currency, SRS reports, and over 50+ line of business's. very complex, very challenging.
training is also picking up again, legs are feeling awesome and the power is starting to increase. last weeks hill ride with phatty was a good one as we put the screws to each other. will be seeing him soon as it's getting time to get wobblenaughted.
i9's are all nice and pretty with new rims and rebuilds and are about to get sent over from the shop with some other fun toys like my easton e90 stupid light bars..
also picking up a set or two of the eggbeater candy's - i will always race the standard pedals but i thought i'd try the candy's out as everybody talks about them all the time (especially for cross) because of the bigger platform. with the sweet limited edition colors and anodized springs from the 'goat, got to get a set. just a theory, but anodized stuff has and always will remain cool.
that's it - gotta roll. sneaking in a bonus ride today - it is 60 degrees at 6am and i am itching for a ride.
sologoat out
3.22.2010
3.20.2010
saturday solo
pretty mellow 5 hour ride today rocking out to radiohead.
mucho thanks out to my pals at the 'goat for sending me a 2010 xt crank super fast as my old gossamers decided to break on me last week. seems that 2+ plus years of heavy use on my training bike and a little too much torque on the crank bolts can cause a spindle to break. guess that's why dan the man uses a torque wrench.
in local yocal news, RATL crits and the westlake road series are both starting up soon, plan on hitting them both up this year - weather permitting.
beware, i am pre-announcing my RATL attack from the gun game plan once more. i have dubbed it the "reverse ekimov plan" - ekimov was know to launch attacks off the front with 2k to go and the whole field behind him - think it only worked once. my plan is just as nutty, but it's a whole longer way out - like about an hour.
with that, time to relax - and maybe do a few bit of pics edits for some sologoat schwag going up on ebay. a few old school parts, some awesome spooky cross gaurds, a sweet schwalbe jersey and old school speedgoat downhill jersey all up for sale - link up tomorrow night.
sologoat out
weekend update
not mucho has been going on lately other then some training bike repairs, training and bike room cleanup. gets a little time consuming sometimes maintaining the fleet, but it's all good.
seems like the dust has settled somewhat on the 24 nats change of date and venue, still bummed out that it won't be in the east.
but, as fate would have it, the change of date opened up the possibilities for other new venues - and of course, a chance to ride at fruita again.
wheels off to industry 9 for the rebuilds and then bikes and i head over to jim to get wobblenaughted.
with that, must run. temps are warming up and i need to get in some miles. see you out there.
sologoat out
3.13.2010
i shed a tear
so, no big bear nationals this year - it's at moab again.
my thoughts on this have fluctuated wildly in the past few days since i have heard the news but i must say i am somewhat bummed out that big bear is not nationals. dreams of having all my friends and family there and having the support of a massive pit crew behind me was inspiring just in itself.
was also looking forward to a nice and long cross season and getting back to the Cinci 3 day cross series (Moab is on the same weekend).
reading the forums, everybody is grumpy about who is to fault and i am sure there are two sides to everybody's story. i just hope that everybody takes a chill pill on the whole thing, that everybody listens to what everybody is saying & that changes are made for 2011.
i'll leave it at that.
sologoat out
3.09.2010
2010 ernesto speegoat kit - warmers
last pieces of the 2010 ernesto kit up. pactimo will be the choice again for clothing supplier this year.
that's it - mucho stuff do sort and schedule.
sologoat out
3.08.2010
2010 ernesto speedgoat kit
new kit for the new season. cross skinsuits are the same layout, with a few tweaks.
thanks for jim at the shop and everybody involved in working on the layout and new graphics.
stay tuned - pics of the new arm and knee warmers up tomorrow.
now, it's time to unpack from the weekend.
sologoat out
3.07.2010
spa city
ok, so this is coming about a week late. some last minute switch up on some drive train stuff had me slightly freaking and in a panic. sold an old training bike and also making plans for another.
also working on a master plan for later this year, we will see if it pans out. as a firm believer in jinxing, i will not go into details.
got into arkansas two days before the event, ernesto sr utilizing the thule trailer to tow way too much stuff down as i didn't know how the weather was going to work out. was calling for snow on friday, so i choose to bring 3 bikes.
pre-ride on thursday was a nice change as i was outside in 50 plus degree weather. how odd. two new sections, but the course was fast and swoopy and well laid out except one weird tree in the last section. lap times would be around 45-50 minutes or so. course was a little wet in some sections, but in condition overall.
friday''s snow storm blew south and i rejoiced and did 2 laps in celebration. plews was in town, so i knew i would have a race on my hands and there's always a chance one of the fast local guys would show. fuzzy was out with the flu.
race started 10am saturday, had a good start and was one of the first five guys or so in the woods. some single speeder was trying to duke me out in a few sections before the single track and almost took me out twice. nice.
plews caught me half way through and danced away. he would end up winning.
i chased and chased, never closing the gap, but finally caught another one of the guys ahead of me who was racing solo, but was not in my class. officials kept giving me my overall placing amongst the teams and other classes so i had no idea where i was so i kept going hard.
switched bikes about 1/2 way through after burping a rear tire, otherwise the pivots worked awesome.
finished up the race with 7 laps and in 3rd. tough race, fun course. see you there next year.
sologoat out
3.04.2010
NAHBS video from mr wendell
2010 North American Handmade Bicycle Show from Michael Wendell on Vimeo.
cool stuff - ck it.
sologoat out
3.01.2010
2010 spa city 6 hour results
hard fought day, still trying to rest up and recover after the marathon effort of a race and a hella drive back.
time to unpack from the race, repack for the trip out to 'goat and get a full race write up done.
pics and full write up coming hopefully tomorrow.
sologoat out
2.26.2010
6 hour spa city
out at the arkansas 6 hour spa city race course. conditions are a little on the cold side, some sections are a little wet but course is mostly dry.
same course as last year, few new sections, nothing major.
field looks to be a little thin, doesn't look as there is as many riders as there was last year. guess we'll see tomorrow.
pics up sometime late sunday as i forgot my card reader.
gotta run, need to put up the legs and rest up for tomorrow.
sologoat out
2.21.2010
rest, recovery & frostbike
resting up after last weeks adventure in tucson & getting ready for the next one in r-kansas.
unpack from one race, fix what needs to be fixed and get packed up for the next. looking forward to once again getting out of the snow.
after that, bikes washed up, packed up again to head out for 2 days of dan the man magic where all my new stuff is setup on the pivots & my i9's are sent off for some new builds. should be a couple of good productive days.
in bike stuff news, quality is hosting their version of interbike called frostbike this weekend and tons of new stuff is out for the speedgoat gang to get their hands on.
lots of new wheel options out there from velocity, stans (and a few others) - even including some with twisted spokes and different color combo options as i know you all like to accessorize as much as i do.
one my favorites to come out at frostbike has to be the all-city single speed cross bike in what looks to be a lime green with deep dish single speed wheels and a SRAM crank. very clean and sharp - lime green with white tips. jim from the shop has been instructed by yours truly to get the full specs and build up, so stay tuned.
with that, gotta roll. any takers that want to unpack my stuff from tucson and wash/tune up my pivot? and get some work done too?
i thought so - go ride.
sologoat out
2.17.2010
old pueblo write up
This past weekend was a first for me, a 24 hour duo. Here’s the low-down on how it all went down.
Race: 24 Hours of Old Pueblo. Quite arguably one of the biggest 24 hour events of the year, it pulls in a ton of riders mostly looking to get in some miles in great weather. This field this year pulled in the names like Harlan Price, Fuzzy John, DJ, Sully from IF, Yuri from Marin, Jeff Kerkove – just to name a few.
Course: Super tight and rolling, no big climbs like back home. Single track was fast, but miss a turn or get cut off by another rider and you’ll go straight into a cactus. And don’t even think about running a tube, you’ll get a flat in a heartbeat. A tad under 16 miles, fast laps will be around an hour, night laps will see another 10 minutes or so added on.
Location: Tucson, Arizona.
Weather: Clear and windy with the temps in the high 60’s to the low 40’s.
Duo Partner: Fellow backed Pivot rider Brian Bennett who is a very fast local that pulled off a solo 12 hour win a few weeks prior and also supplied the pit setup supplies and 3 friends to help crew for us. Brian would start the race off for us.
February 8th, 4pm
I am officially freaking out as my 2pm flight to Tucson is now cancelled for tomorrow due to the crazy snow that was hitting the Cleveland area. By 6pm, I have my flight rescheduled to leave at 6am.
February 9th, 11am
I am in Tucson, with bike and all my gear. Thanks goes out to Billy A from BikeFlights.com for getting my shipped out for me – there would have been no way I could of got my bike out there. All things considered, shipping the bike saves so much time and hassle at the airport. With baggage fees the way they are now, it’s not worth the risk of either getting hit with a massive fee to ship or the chance they will damage it.
My “misfortune” works out great as I get to the venue, get the bike together and sneak in a 3 hour ride before nightfall.
February 10th and 11th
Two 4 hour rides on the race course. Practice makes perfect.
February 12th
Meet up with Brian, setup camp and get in about an hour and half before turning in.
February 13th, noon – the start
Brian starts the run and it is total mass chaos. Dust and riders everywhere, most are walking due to the congestion of riders. Brian rolls a 1:04 lap, I back that up with a 1:05.
We continue to roll out the fast laps and are trailing the Waltworks team – they are just minutes ahead. I crank out another 1:05 on my second lap and pass up their rider to go into the lead.
Lap 6, 5:27pm
In the lead and feeling awesome, I am pushing hard on the pedals and am flying around the course. It’s tight and congested and it is pretty clear that some riders are in way over their heads. When I came upon a rider about half way through the lap and asked to get by, I never thought he would attempt to come back onto the line that he just gave up. Instead of braking to allow me through, he tried to speed up and cut me off – we then locked bars and both went flying into a cactus, with me going head first.
Now covered in about 200 cactus needles and not noticing my bent up front wheel, I roll on. Still don’t know how I managed to not swear or take a punch at the rider in all that fiasco. In hindsight, I was probably taking too many risks and the other rider just panicked. I had a friend who once told me that if you don’t crash at least once in a race, you probably were not going fast enough – guess I just had it.
Med staff help me pull the needles out, and I got changed up and ready for my next lap – all the while, Josh from Pivot trued up my front wheel best he could to get me through to the finish.
Lap 9, 10:17pm
Still rolling it good, but feeling stiff, Brian flats but still comes in with a decent time. By this time we are roughly about 10 minutes up on Waltworks – little did we know, but they had some misfortunes at some point and lap times slowed for them and it looked like they took some time off during the night. Our lead grew.
Lap 14, 4:32am
My last night lap. I love the sight of the sun coming over the horizon during a 24 hour race as it seems to give you a little surge of energy to get you through the event. I wrapped up this lap, took off my lights and had my favorite morning food – eggs. Yummy.
Lap 19, 9:41am
Brian rolls out on his last lap, and we now have a lap and a half up on 2nd. Brian rolls out a super fast lap and sends me on my way.
Lap 20, 10:53am – last lap
Heading out on the last lap, I went hard where I could and didn’t take any major risks. Pulled off a fast lap and was greeted by Brian holding a cold Fat Tire brew.
Overall great event that was well worth the trip. Traffic on the course was a little heavy, but in the end it was something that everybody had to deal with and I think it also provided a little bit of a mental and physical break every once in awhile.
Racing duo was awesome too – one would think it would be easier, but in a way it was more difficult as you could go a lot harder as you had time to rest and fuel up.
And special thanks goes out to Brian, his pit crew buddies and the gang out at Pivot. Once again shows that it takes more than just pedaling to get across the finish line.
sologoat out
2.15.2010
victory at 24 hours of old pueblo
whew, that was a tough race.
sun so hot, i froze to death, saw a cactus flash before my eye (or maybe i tried to tackle it) but managed to pull off a victory with fellow pivot backed rider brian bennett.
long write up tomorrow, just got back in, but thanks go out to brian and his pit crew pals and pivot. special mucho thanks goes out to josh from pivot who "trued" up my front wheel after a rider crashed me into a cactus.
sologoat out.
2.12.2010
old pueblo - thursday
late rain showers yesterday left for a cool breeze today with bright and sunny skies today with temps in the mid 50's.
course soaked up all the rain, so no issues at all due to the water.
very odd course compared to an typical east coast course in that you can probably ride in the big ring for about 75% of the course - but you need to really concentrate.
you need to concentrate on that ditch, that cactus, that short steep climb - you need to flow, flow, flow and be one with course. if not, you may find that a cactus is not the best thing in the world to hug. in an odd way, it sort of reminds me of a cross course with all the turns and the importance of setting for the corners.
in town - the ergon guys and gal, dj, fuzzy, yuri and nat. the race hasn't started and i want to come back next year.
with that, i am out - updates coming to ya via facebook starting tomorrow and possibly during race day.
about a dozen or so pics added today - check flickr.
sologoat out
2.10.2010
old pueblo - wednesday
well, i made it to tucson despite mother natures attempt to stop me from getting here.
original flights had me leaving around 2pm'ish on Tuesday with a layover in chicago. that flight cancelled on me around 4pm on monday and 2 hours later i had a new flight booked through denver that would jump me over the weather and get me to tucson 12 hours earlier.
and, as luck would have it too, shipped my bike out through bikeflights.com and it was already there waiting for me to pick it up at around 11am tuesday morning.
funny how things are working out this week. don't like all the running around, but getting an extra riding day in tucson is well worth all the hassle considering the weather back home.
now onto the course - (check out FLICKR for all my pics)
course is mostly flattish, no major climbs but not flat by any means. couple of smaller climbs here and there, but nothing really sustained.
when it gets to single track, overshoot a corner and you are bound to hit some sort of cactus - either a flat or pain will hit you, sometimes both.
course is on state land, but leased by local ranchers - so watch out for those free roaming moo cows that everywhere. just kind of odd to be flying around on the trails and then you see a cow standing in the middle of the trail.
it's also on the long side, just under 16 miles. a little long if it were on the east coast, but the flow and lack of any real major climbs will lead to fast laps times.
gotta run - check the rest of the pics up on flickr.
sologoat out