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
4.18.2010
numb shins
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