2010 Schedule

February 6 - Badger State Games 21k Classic XC Ski and 10k Classic XC Ski
April ? Colorado Training Camp
May 2 Iola Bump & Jump Iola Winter Sports Club, Iola, WI
May 8 Stump Farm 12
May 16 Crystal Lake Classic Camp Tesomas, Rhinelander, WI
May 22 12 Hours of the Northern Kettles
May 30 Trek Big Ring Classic Nine Mile Forest, Wausau, WI
June 13 Sunburst Showdown Sunburst Ski Area, Kewaskum, WI
June 19 12 Hours at John Muir
June 26 & 27 Subaru Cup Pro XCT Nordic Mt, Mt Morris, WI
July 4 Pow Wow Days 5k/10k Tomahawk, WI
July 17 Levis Trow 100
July 31 & August 1 24 Hours of 9 Mile, Wausau, WI
August 21 Hatchet Cross Country Alumni Scrimmage 5k Tomahawk, WI
August 22 Reforestation Ramble Reforestration Camp, Suamico, WI
August 28 Blufflands Epic Enduro Race
September 4 24 hours of Seven Oaks, Boone IA
October 2 Metro Challenge
October 10 Wigwam MTB Challenge Evergreen Park, Sheboygan, WI
November 6 Stump Farm Duathlon

Hump Day Tunes

Channel 4 News Interview - Stay Classy Wisconsin

Hello Folks, Champ Kind here from Channel 4 News sitting down with solo endurance mountain bike racer Justin Lund. I was able to ask him a few questions about the 2009 race season and get his thoughts on 2010 and the future.

Champ Kind: First of all, thank you for taking the time to sit down share you thoughts with the best news team in San Diego.

Justin Lund: Not sure what you're doing here in Wisconsin but you're very welcome and glad to have you here.

CK: Coming off of a great season in 2008 would you say you had high expectations going into this past season?

JL: Yes, I was very happy with the way 2008 turned out and really though I could carry that over into 2009 in which started with going West to the Sea Otter Classic.

CK: Did you enjoy your trip out West and what did you take away from visiting the West Coast?

JL: I did enjoy being out west. The landscape was fantastic, meeting the mastermind behind Evomo and some of the other teammates as well as our team sponsors such as Jeff and Sonya from Ergon, Greg from MotorTabs, everybody from Titec, Simbree, Tifosi and meeting some new contacts from Sigma and GT Bikes was an experience I can only describe as extraordinary.

CK: You did race out there right? How did you fare against the stiff competition?

JL: I started off super strong off the front and worked with a group including the eventual winner of the Golden Bike for 4 races or so. As I was about to make it around for lap 1 I ended up flatting and couldn't get it to seal up and was pretty dissapointed after a strong start and pulled the plug.

CK: Sorry to hear that. Do you have a beer?

JL: What? Can you do that on the job? Yes I have a beer (presents Champ with an underdown growler filled with the Red Eye Scarlet Seven and he appears quite pleased)

CK: So I heard the better portion of the race season was spent riding in rain and thick mud. Describe the beginning of the season and how things went.

JL: (takes a big gulp of beer) The season started at the WEMS Series Stump Farm 12 hour. I had big admirations for this race considering I was the defending champ from 2008, but just coming off the first of many illnesses to plague my season was just clearing away and what I found out later was that the chainring I was using needed to be replaced. I had a hard time and pulled plug early on It was raining but that course needed it and there was tons of good racing and great riders drilling it throughout the day. My bike issues would continue all the way till the WEMS race in Franklin and was starting to come around with a top 10 finish but not quite there. I also started feeling strong during the Wausau WORS race where I felt I was on the gas the entire time which was something I had been missing early on.

CK: Sounds like a rough start. Was there a point where you felt like you were at last seasons form?

JL: Yeah, I think just before 24 Hours of 9 Mile I was turning some fast laps specifically during the night hours which was a weak point for me in 2008.

CK: How did that work out for you?

JL: Not great I broke my frame on the first lap and re-injured my knee trying to run in bike shoes. I attempted to get on the singlespeed and grind it but then the pain got to be overwhelming and threw in the towel, definitely not a proud moment in history for me that's for certain.

CK: (Takes another drink of the Scarlet 7) Well slap my ass and call me Betsy. That doesn't sound like the outcome you were looking for. What happened from there?

JL: Well, with the injury and the new bike on the way I took some time off to heal and fit off being sick again. I got back on the bike again just before Cheqfat and was excited to do that race but not on the singlespeed.

CK: How did the Chequamegon 40 go for you?

JL: I thought it went well despite all of the previous illnesses and getting passed by almost everybody on the singlespeed at the start. I rode a 33x16 which worked pretty well on the ski trails but with about 6 miles left I really started to lose energy and cramp up, but that didn't dissapoint me as I still had a pretty good time. I plan to be much more competitive in 2010 if I get into that race via the lottery.

CK: I heard you faced some adversity for quite some time after that. Can you elaborate on that for me partner?

JL: Partner? (Takes another drink) Anyway, yeah, I got sick again after the cheqfat and had a hard time staying healthy between then and Underdown in fact the underdown race turned out to be my best finish of the year but the field wasn't as deep due to WORS re-scheduling a race for that weekend. I went to the doctor that following week and after x-rays, labs, and urine samples, they found I had Epestein Barr Virus which is a basically Mono. It explained my shallow breathing, weakened immune system, and ongoing fatigue. They put me on some antibiotics and it was crazy to get that kind of awakening without dumping redbull or monster into my system.

CK: Ouch! So that was basically the end of your season, is that safe to assume?

JL: Yeah that was it.

CK: In an down year like this, is there anything positive you got from it?

JL: Oh yeah, I would say taking time and going up to Bond Falls for the annual Tomahawk Cross Country camp and speaking to the kids about continuing to stay active after their cross country days are over and seeing how far the program has come over the course of the last decade. Also, going up to Hayward for the Cheqfat 40 was a blast in which I got to hang out with friends both new and old including the Colorado crew Scott D, Brett Ebben, Marni and Chris Plesko. Chris had some funny stories to share about the Great Divide MTB race.

CK: So I heard you had some Jungle Jooz up in Hayward, Did you know I own stock in that company. Anyway, what are your plans for 2010.

JL: Really? If I could sum up the taste of that stuff in one word it would be....butt. For 2010 I am planning to stay local as I am working with the city of Tomahawk to get some mtb trails built in the park so I will be spending a lot of the summer up there. I plan on opening up the season with a Colorado training camp in April. I plan on doing 24 hours of 7 oaks and the WEMS series as always. Plus I look forward to doing some of my favorite WORS races again as well. I will try to get into Cheqfat again, and of course the badger state winter games will be on the calendar. I will lace up my running shoes again to get the THS alumni the win next year and wont miss out on doing the stump farm duathalon either.

CK: Is there anyone you would like to thank?

JL: Of course. I would like to thank Brian at Evomo for bringing me out to California and the support from the team sponsors. I would also like to thank my wife for her support throughout the season and never letting up on me to get me to see the doctor as I am as about as stubborn as they come. I would also like to thank all of my sponsors both new for 2010 Hayes, Uvex, and QRotor, and for 2009 sponsors involved with Team Evomo.

CK: Well thank you for taking some time with us and good luck in 2010.

JL: Thanks

CK: Back to you Ron Burgundy

Ron Burgundy: Stay classy Wisconsin!

Tomahawk MTB Trail Layout

So I was able to get a layout planned and should get to work on it this upcoming weekend. It's about 5 miles in total length with only a little bit that needs to be added to complete the loop. Red is where I walked it last weekend and the white is how I want it to go. There is and will be a little climbing in this compact little area but it wont disappoint once completed.

New Sponsor for Team Redemption 2010

2010 is already in the works after some chest xrays, blood work, and doctors visits I will soon know what had ailed me during 2009 and with that all in the past it's time for redemption in 2010. I would like to thank all of my gracious sponsors who had stuck with me through this trying year. EVOMO, Simbree, Rocky Mountain Roastery, QRotor, MotorTabs, Fluid, Titec, Brave Soldier and Ergon, I would also like to Welcome Hayes Disc Brakes for their upcoming support during 2010. I've been lucky enough to have utilized my Manitou R7, Hayes Stroker Trail Brakes, and Answer Hyperlite Bar. I can't wait to see what else I can use to make me a better rider.

New Belgium at its finest

Shawano 100

Well I got one century out of the way this year...finally, and it didn't conclude without it's fair share of surprises. I decided to set out at around 11:30 and hit the mountain bay. This is a pretty nice trail and well maintained for a gravel grinder, but found that it doesn't stay gravel all the way to green bay and does in fact break up in shawano so about 3 hours and 53 miles into it I found a gas station close to downtown and refilled my camelback and found my way back to the trail. On the way back, I wasn't able to find where it connects but now at least I was able to put together a hassle free century route with no cars, but the downside is no hills. I felt good for the majority of the ride until the return route where the wind picked up and dropped my average speed quite drastically so I made another stop in Eland Wisconsin to hit up the bathroom and down some additional calories, from there I pushed as hard as I could and turned it into sign sprints for awhile. I still managed a 6:40 century on the dirt which wasn't too bad considering the recent illness, but my body did tell me to rest when I didn't wake up till close to 11am so I missed my ride at underdown with the coles to scout the Thunderdown race course which looks to be epic as usual.

So in a nutshell that's it, one more race at underdown and a duathalon at the camp in November then it's time to get some skate skiing goin on.

Fattire Weekend 2009

This would be the 2nd time I've been lucky enough to get into the 40 with the last time in 2007. Devils Lake Retreat would be our headquarters for the weekend. Jshoe and Jvog arrived here in Weston Friday morning to head up Hayward after converting my rigid redline ss into a 69er. A short stop in Trego for subs and we were just about there. The majority of the group had already arrived Luke and Sarah, Paul and Melinda, Nate and Kim and finally us. After a few calls back and forth between Brett and Nate, Jim and the Colorado Crew (Brett, Scott, Marni, and Chris) showed up and ready to head to registration. Surprisingly that whole process went pretty quickly and we were already on our way back. Jim "da chef" Parman cooked us a spectacular dinner consisting of grilled chicken, alfredo sauce and noodles, with brocolli while the rest of worked on bikes. Figured out staging and returning to the cabin after the race and before too much longer we went to bed for an early morning wake up.

At the butt crack of dawn or i

n this case earlier we set out to stage bikes and at the time we arrived it was already 15 or more rows a

nd around 400 bikes back. I wasn't too dissapointed only because I w

ould get shuffled to the rear afte

r the cannon blew anyway cause of the fact I was riding single speed. The bike of choice for the weekend was the Redline monocog with 33x16 gearing. Anyway, we all met up again at the cabin a few hours prior to the start for breakfast and headed over to Hayward for the start. The start to the race was uneventful, hell, the cannon didn't even blow off but we did have pirates yelling pirate like things little did I know it was national talk like a pirate day. The start was very controlled and slower than years past but really what did that matter I was on a friggen singlespeed I got dropped in a fashion comparable to contador during the opening mountain stages on le tour. So I pushed on spinning my nuts off trying to keep pace at 22mph as best as I could pedal, pedal, coast and repeat till rosie's field. I think I took it way too easy in the beginning because I was thinking ahead to fire tower. Still I came through OO in fair shape. I would try to find a group that was moving pretty fast but after I would catch a group I found it easy to drop them in which I think this was because the type of riders I would normally be with were 10 or more minutes ahead with JS

hoe and JVog. I would continue to pass swarms of riders on the climbs which I found quite strange. I couldn't understand the amount of riders that were not using the hills to their advantage on to roll up on them and move quietly along side and ride on by with a ring of the bell or two if I felt saucy.

This process would continue till just about fire tower where I pushed it down and tried to carry all the speed I could into it but as luck would have it and I know others have run into this as well where you're climbing and someone jumps off and it's a domino effect until you are running along with the herd. The climb consisted of 4 sections all marked with the signs listed to the left not sure on the length but it couldn't have been too bad. After the end of the fire tower climb it began to go down hill little by little, mile by mile. I started feeling my calfs twinge a little after we got back on the birkie trail and with 4 or 5 miles left I w

as in full cramp mode on the climbs only, luckily for me I had john

hirsch riding with me back and forth as he would gap me on flats and I would catch him on the climbs it was probably the greatest timing as I was ready to give up and spin it in but he encouraged me to keep pushing hard. He got me in the end but it was worth it and greatly appreciated. So the wrap up for the race goes as

a time of 2:48:27.2 So not too bad by my estimation. Afterwards some post race chatter it was back to the cabin and the brew would be flowing like water in a gentle stream. Seriously though we've had an extensive collection of beer being represented from coors (yuck) to point oktoberfest, fattire hoptober, etc. see image to the left (disregard the can of jungle joose as that should have come with a surgeon general warning to drink at own risk). From that point on we talked some trash, got drilled by paul on music trivia, and listened to some intriguing stories about the tour divide by Chris Plesko current singlespeed record holder beating the previous record by 4 days!!! some of the stuff he was telling us made nullified my own personal stories of riding a bike for 24 hours. This looks to be my inspiration going into the 2010 season. Something like whenever I feel like stopping in my pit or walking a hill I need to ask myself wwpd - What Would Plesko Do. In all seriousness though it was great to meet the Colorado Crew and visit with Brett again.

There would be more war stories shared and people turning in one by one until it was me, shoe, and luke left. It didn't last too much longer since we were subject to Coors Light after all of the good beer was gone so that was a good time to call it a night. Sunday was

pretty much as expected in that we all packed up and departed to home. Shortly after arriving I jumped on the Turner and did about an hour and a half at nine mile and then proceeded to become very ill for the better half of the week, but all in all I'll be set to go for a ride at underdown this weekend hopefully to pre ride before next weekends 12 hour solo. There isn't too much left of the racing season but the Stump Farm Off Road Duathalon sounds intriguing.

Found New Music to Jam While Shreddin the Gnar

What the hell have I been doing?

I've since dissapeard from the racing scene for a bit now, but have managed to stay busy. I've been trying to get my knee back to 100% and up to this point I've had good and bad days on the bike, but I was recovered enough to go and run with the Tomahawk CC kids who were kind enough to allow me to talk to them about continuing their active lifestyle and all of the options they have now and after school. That following saturday I ran in the THS alumni race and while I didn't have the greatest run of my life, hanging with this years team and some of the fellow alumni like Simon, Deann and Nate was the highlight for that day. I have since taken on a project of bring some mountain biking to my hometown so I boarded the single speed after the race and some food from Sammy's Subs and rode the existing trails and gather ideas of what needed to be created, reclaimed and finally think up a loop. From that point on I've been working with the city to advise of my ideas and also got the help of IMBA and WORBA to get some valueable input and great advice.

I've also been working on getting back on the geared bike and I was like a kid on Christmas Day when I received this beautiful, custom coated, 2010 DW Lind Turner Flux. Oh it is art in the greatest of forms with geometry, aluminum, great welds and the independent dw link a full pound heavier was the biggest concern but after mounting this up and riding it through the roots and rocks of nine mile i'm convinced that this will not be a problem. With the DW Link this suspension is not only more active than the Nitrous, but it climbs like a hardtail. I had a hard time believing this myself until I started up Twinkie Hill and it felt easy. Riding the new Ho Chi connector felt smoother and decending Ho Chi was insane and the flats felt damn good. I am thoroughly impressed with this bike only after the first ride but I do have some suspension tweaking to do and there is no better place than the Underdown.

So that's it, the update, I will be doing some racing at cheqfat and the remaining two wems races.

This Just has to be shared

Monday ride hurt only 5 mins into the climb, but today iwas finally able to get a full road ride in. rest wednesday back at it on thursday. RUKUS

Congrats to Ted Hanes for taking the golden bike. Only one more race left inn the series.

LAX race cancelled. I like this since i can recover from injury and do this one on my new flux!

Turner Bikes came through in a huge way. Cant wait to get my new copper flux. Thanks Greg and Dave Turner himself.

24-9 A Catastrophic Failure

After some of the lap times I've been running at night there at 9-mile, I was very optimistic about the outcome of this race.  I knew what times I needed and where.  Food was set, bike was clean, numbers on and lined up behind Brandon.  The cannon goes off and we take off in a scene that would rival that of a cattle stampede.  I get on the bike and ride right behind scott into the first tech section of singletrack and descend out I lose scott and joel hynes right away due to a dropped chain, but do catch back up heading into ho chi.  Before you know it there is a huge gap formed now and kept a really good pace heading across redbud rd and as I entered the second group of singletrack, go past the stumps and I heard the bang I never thought I would have to hear and to my suprise my frame is broke, no worries at this point though I would still have a lap time that would keep me alive in the overall but now in 43rd of 56.  

On the 2nd lap I jumped onto my singlespeed and continued on a good second lap clawing my way back up to 25th and proceeded into the 3rd I .  The 3rd lap started out great but when it came to climbing out of trail #6 to cross redbud my knee began to shoot some sharp pains and before I knew it I couldn't apply pressure on the climbs.  So I finished the 3rd lap in terrible pain and fought my way up to 17th at this point, but Adam from Ellsworth hooked me up with a demo for the rest of the race if I wanted it so I switched pedals adjusted the seat and off I went.  My thought process for the 4th lap was to slow it down, recover, see how the knee feels and go from there.  I didn't even make to the first singletrack section before my knee started up again and now it was getting to the point where I couldn't put any pressure on it at all.  So I unclipped and rested it as I took the "y" bypass back to the pits and turned in my card and cancelled the 4th lap.  

A very bad day indeed, I felt good, nutrition was setup the way I wanted and had great support.  It just goes to show that even on your best days you can still have things go wrong.  At this point I don't know what will happen going down the road for 2009.  Chequamegon is still a go since I am in the singlespeed class (still not sure if that's a good idea considering the knee problem) and Iceman which again I signed up for the singlespeed class.  Underdown I should have a new bike by then but bluemounds wems might have to come off the schedule and maybe the 12 of pitchblack as well.  

Thanks goes to all of the people on the course who offered to help not knowing the situation.  Also, thanks to Scott Cole for his offering to help as well as his great crew.  Also, Adam from Ellsworth was a great help and ready to let me use a demo that Liz (24 solo womens winner) had literally put together the night before in which the glimpse worked great.  Evomo for their kick ass hoody that kept me warm throughout the night.  MotorTabs kept me hydrated, Ergon, Titec, Simbree, Tifosi, Brave Soldier, and Rocky Mountian Roastery for all their support this season.  Only 363 more days till I come back to 24 hour racing.  Redemption will be the word to describe 2010!  

Levis "Knock Down Drag Out" 100

My triumphant return to Levis after last years mess of flu/food poisoning (in which the jury is still deliberating on) is now in the books. I didn't know what to expect in that everybody that knows me knows by now or now just found out that I haven't been riding much due to life issues mainly in the form of shit hours at work, but I push on looking into the big picture that it's only temporary as one down year is not going to end my world as we know it.

I knew the front was going to break fast and that they did. A group consisting of chris s, chris p, tim, lee, and the minnesotans (charly and dan) took off like derby horses as I sat in with charlie farrow. I was content in running 1:30 laps just cause I know this place will claim my life if I try to go out at a WORS pace. So when I came in around 1:13 I was plenty pleased and optimistic, oh how the tide would turn. lap 2 was around 1:15, lap 3 around 1:19 and lap 4 was about 1:22, but I was getting some nasty stomach cramping on lap five with jello legs plus full blown stomach problems on lap six forced me to take care of that plus sit for way too much time. So on lap six I get out there and tried to put the hammer down again but could only muster a 1:30 lap minus the stop, but instead of stopping I continued onto lap 7 and destroyed myself I was cramping in my legs on every climb I couldn't hold a line on the second half of the course and I was beginning to get dizzy and my vision was blurring out a little bit I was sure I had not only lost any hope of catching anyone in the top five but may have to worry about not making the 8th lap and losing a few more spots. So finally I roll around to begin lap 8 with lights with me in case I end up walking, get a mechanical, or even a possible #2 in the woods so that I can find some good leafs that wont require expensive creams. I am unsure what possessed me to get back out there maybe just to get the monkey off my back as this place as always plagued me and for god's sake I wanted to finish on the lead lap as the leaders for once this year and quitting at 7 wasn't acceptable. I get out there and I feel like I am the only one and that may as well be true so I drilled the sections I felt really comfortable in and took the other sections down 1 by 1 except for a sandy section where I sunk my front wheel and started to endo until that well placed boulder broke my fall via my pinky and ergon bar end and continued onward. Finally I loop around after busting up that final climb as I wanted to make sure I ended a hard day on a good note and brought it in with sunlight remaining to pack up and roll out. Apparently my suffering did not end yet.

As I packed up my area I had to take numerous breaks caused by dizziness and finally as I pulled back around to the event area I opened the door and hurled onto the gravel, this did make me feel better and good enough to drive back to wausau but I would have to stop 3 more times in random areas.

As I have been mentioning to anybody that has asked how the race went, this was much harder than doing a 24 solo, but the organizers did a great job, and the people at the aid tents were great to everyone that would pass through.

Just got settled in at levis. looks like a strong field again this year but atleast this time i dont have the flu

12 Hours of John Muir

Much like the last 5, count em, 5 races we were gifted more rain.  So I rolled up to the venue, donated more money to the DNR (why you need both a state trail and parking pass just to ride your bike is beyond me), and set up my pit and as usual rolled to the start line with about 5 minutes to spare.

The course conditions were far from perfect watching riders go down left and right some right in front of me.  I bobbed and weaved like a veteran prize fighter but busting out the rigid singlespeed was not only an option cause of the way it performs in nasty conditions, but it was my only option due to drivetrain issues once again and would come back to haunt me later.  So for the first six hours I spent it all on my Redline SS and the aftermath looked a little something like this.

So now after that mess was over I needed to get on the geared bike, but I think it may have hurt me more than helped at this point as I was too worried about dropping my chain on the one or two climbs on the course and my turner is much more responsive so I rode a pretty sloppy line for the first couple of laps and just enough that I slowed a little and let people by that I normally wouldn't especially in the pits as I watch a fellow series rider go by as I change out shoes and camelbacks.  I am bummed about and new I could have caught or simply stayed ahead of the 3 riders in front of me had I been more prepared.  I did feel a little better and my legs came to life again like I was in a 24 solo race on the last lap and rode the 2nd fastest lap of the race for me which is a sign that I am on track for my season goals.  So the story goes 9th place on the day just under 100 miles and my turner survived despite the not so optimistic approach.  At least the 2nd half of the race offered no mud to speak of and I didn't have to clean two bikes.

Thanks to Simbree, Fluid, and MotorTabs for keeping me alive during the first five mud filled races.  Also, thanks to Tifosi for keeping said mud from scratching my retinas.  Of course I would also like to thank Ergon and Brave Soldier for keeping me comfortable in the saddle.

9th on another rainfilled race. last lap was 2nd fastest...report to follow.

Racing (If that's what I call what I am doing out there)

Now that everyone had a chance to hear the word about the bird (see previous post) I gotta say Life has funny ways of messing with you. First I go to California and do the Sea Biscuit Sand Classic in which I flat and crash myself out after a strong leadout. I then have work schedule changes that limit my weekly riding time to half of what I've done last year to this point. Then comes the weather. Green Bay WEMS looked promising up till about two days prior the weather channel changed their tune and from there we would have rain. I got off on a bad foot forgetting my camelback on the first lap, having the wrong camelback on the 2nd lap and along with chain suck issues from a old drivetrain that the budget wouldn't allow for upgrade I was forced to "riding in the dog" for about 2 hours which left my legs lifeless and would not recover no matter how easy I took it. I called it a day and would live to fight another day.

Next up was the 12 hours of Northern Kettles and I was feeling better than green bay but let it get to my head as I went out like a bat out of hell which if you know my style I started the opposite of the norm for me and burnt my first match early on in the first friggin lap. I recovered much quicker this time due to my illness being put away finally, but stomach issues forced me off the bike after each of the following two laps. Of course once again the rain gods decided it was time to wash the riders off the course and more chainsuck and bigring riding was on tap once again and was doing okay, but as I was gearing up to make a push for my final lap I crashed hard and came in about 5 minutes later than I wanted to be. Now I am at the breaking point. I can't get my legs the correct amount of work they desperately need, the weather has been piss poor each and every weekend, but there is still hope. Hope that the new drivetrain thanks to SRAM and some new chainrings should clear up the mechanical situation. Hope that the switch back to the old nutrition plan will keep my stomach in check. Finally, I hope that a good race at WORS Rhinelander event with good weather for once and of course a great group of friends will be all that I need to keep it going all the way to 24 hours of 9-mile.

At this point of the year I get so busy with trying to train, race, rest and repeat that I don't take the time to say thanks to the people that support the habit and most importantly my wife and friends deserve it the most. They all give me the appropriate amount of shit for doing what I do and never allow me to get lazy. Also, Bryan and Clint at EVOMO for contributing to this two wheel addiction plus wearing the EVOMO gear certainly helps me continue to bring the ruckus out there. The guys at Titec for some coolest go fast goodies, Jeff at Ergon for some sweet green grips and their packs that make commuting look cool and easy on the back, the Simbree snacks are awesome, motortabs tasting like Koolaid makes me happy to have a drink that doesn't taste like your typical endurance drinks. Fluid to ensure I recover well from riding that heavy redline ss for 5 hours or more at a time. Brave soldier friction zone for the keeping the undercarriage in check if in the rain. I would also like to give a shout out to Hayes Disc Brakes for creating the stroker....the guys from performa turned me on to these and despite the rain, mud, and thank god no snow they simply work and my hands do not tire unlike other brakes I've used in the past over the course of 12 hours in a race. Easy to adjust, set up, etc just simply awesome gear. Actionwipes came to the rescue at the right time early on this season cleaning up the mess I was in during the mudfest that ensued in the northern kettles.

The road to 24...oops I mean 12 hours of 9-mile starts....now!
June 1st WORS Rhinelander

June 7th WORS Wausau

June 13th WEMS John Muir - Whitewater-ish

June 27th WEMS Metro Challenge- Milwaukee

July 4th Pow-Wow Days 5k (that's a run in case ur wondering) Tomahawk

July 11th WEMS Levis 100 - Neilsville

July 25-26 12 Hours of 9-mile (a beer costume bring I will)

Lengthy...yes. Informative...maybe. I did manage to kill some time and continue onward with my business plan....watch out trump!

News!

In todays headlines you may have not yet heard

back in the saddle

Monday I was feeling a little scratch in my throat and all I could think was "oh shit now I got the swine flu" I assured myself it wasn't in fact I had everybody telling me to get it checked out but never fear all I have is a cold...yuck!.  This was my week now to have a little training camp since this severely gave me little chance for trans iowa (Congrats goes to Tim Ek by the way for a 2nd place finish).  Wednesday I had planned to do 6 hours at the camp in green bay and had every intention on doing so.  I did 3 full laps by myself and then Josh B rolled up so I did a lap with him and couple of his co-workers.  Nate and wrong turn neubauer along with paul from team performa pulled up as well.  At this point I was completely thrashed with the sickness creeping in and rockin the 32x16 for almost 5 hours already.  So when they took off I got dropped.  Total time was about 5:45.

I rested the following three days to see if I can shake this cold and today I finally got out to standing rocks.  Again, I was rockin the 32x16 singlespeed and again I did 5:40 minutes of riding but much less mileage as it was much more challenging than the camp.  I really have to take my hat of to guys like the lalondes and constatine rolling a singlespeed requires much more than pedaling circles, keeping rhythm, and the additional muscle groups that are recruited.  

All in all I am feeling pretty good about going into the first wems race of the year.  Last year I wasn't anywhere near ready and it showed as I spent a total of an hour in the pits.  Some good competition should be a great test for the early season legs, but the big question will be will my stupid cold be gone?

Sea Otter Report

This was a long time coming at least as far as a write up goes, but a sudden illness kept me in recovery for quite some time in fact right now I should be riding Trans Iowa, but I had to bow out as I was certainly not feeling well, but getting better.  Good luck to fellow EVOMO team member Tim Ek on his 300+ mile of gravel goodness.

So about that Sea Otter deal.

Flight departure from Milwaukee was at 5:05 so that meant getting up at 3 am. Good thing about having to go to the airport so early was the lack of traffic and I would be in California before 2pm. I found that regardless of the lack of sleep I've had I still will not sleep on the plane. I had a few connections, Chicago, Los Angeles, and finally Monterey before Bryan stopped by to give me a lift to Laguna Seca Raceway.  I got all situated at the EVOMO booth and headed over to get the first of many burritos.   After stuffing my face, Bryan and I went around to check out the booths.

First stop was at the Tifosi booth to say hi and thanks to Matt and Shannon.

From there we stopped by the Ergon booth and chatted up Jeff Kerkove and Sonya Looney two very cool people in which is truely great that we get to represent Ergon for 2009.  Sonya later stopped back to check out the threads and drop off a couple of dh grips that are new for 2009.  

Greg from MotorTabs set up his HQ at the EVOMO booth he is the man with the plan and hooked us all up with Motortabs for the weekends hot weather at times getting very close to 100 degrees.

We also made a stop at the Simbree booth to try ALL of their creations and they are All good.   If you have a chance to try some Simbree energy bites I am sure you'll enjoy them.

As far as the race goes, I started off great getting a front row start I took off like I was blasted out of a cannon.  I maintained 2nd wheel for the better part of the Laguna Seca leadout.  I could tell right away that this was going to be a blood bath with all the climbing in the wide open sun so I put down hard on the climbs and relaxed on descents.  The course was comprised of a lot of sand and maybe about 10% was tree covered if that and wide open easy to pass for around 19 miles for each lap.

This would not be my day though as I would lose my front tire in freakish way and do down on a descent as the tire was about ready to roll off the rim.  I ran/walked the remaining 3 miles for lap one and turned in my timing chimp.  Race ending in DNF.  I will say though that despited my early withdrawl from the race It was a great weekend and met a lot of amazing people.  Thanks to Bryan and Mike with Evomo, Tifosi, Motortabs, Fluid, Ergon, Simbree, and it was great to meet all of you.  

Next Race?  WEMS Series Opener at the Stump Farm 12 Hour.  Where I will be looking to defend my 2008 solo win!

The Turner is ready...well after I get some shifters!  I can't wait for the season to begin.

Who's Going to the Otter?

Stop by the Evomo booth and say hi, chill in the lounge, play some foosball and register to win the prize pack.

Sunday

Well there isn't much time left before either Trans Iowa and the Sea Otter is literally 2 weeks from today!  I got a ride in this morning and am going on another in a little bit should total around 7 or 8 hours today.  I just wish it were warmer as I may end up finishing my ride on the trainer. 

Friday, Doctors, Chiropractors, Anti Chaffing Cream? Race Season is about to blow up

In the spirit of Friday being my day off I..... Went to the chiropractor and got cracked a little bit, visited the doctor for some much needed maintainence and check up, stopped at starbucks and topped off my fluid levels, worked out a deal to get support from Brave Soldier and finally in the spirit of training for mountain bike marathons, I had a marathon conversation via phone with my pops. I have yet to get on the bike and clean a little around house before sam gets back home, but hey it's Friday....who "works" on a friday anyway?

Doctor visit went better than expected after the little scare I had with a irregular heart beat as the EKG showed no serious problems, but with a blood pressure of 142/84 I was quite high.. and may need to check for hypertension. This I think may be due to adding Lawrys to everything short of the apple juice i am drinking right now. Other than that I am quite healthy and can continue on my daily ritual of abusing my body in prep for some Sea Otter and Trans Iowa action. I still have to go back for some labs for thyroids (not to be confused with hemroids) glucose testing and standard lipid profile as well. Oh and a tetanus shot to boot so rusty nails wont hold me back either.

Also, added to the fold, is some support from Brave Soldier. Good dependable brand to keep my time in the saddle a comfortable one. It will truly be put to the test come Trans Iowa. I like their products and look forward to all the comfortable time I am about to spend on my favorite trails (mainly nine mile and standing rocks)

A little more about brave soldiers Friction Zone


Endurance sports formula. Superior anti-chafing. Cold water and sweat resistant. Occlusive silicone/botanical barrier protects and conditions skin for hours. Helps prevent blisters and reduce rash irritations. No petrolatum so safe for wet suits. Long lasting protection from any sports activity where gear chafing of your skin is a problem.

Well that's it for now I found some new material from C-Monster.  (It's all Marko's Fault)

Itunes - Wednesday

If You Don't Know, Now ya Know

Cheq for $67 cleared today.  Looks like I'm in this year.

Awaiting the Spring

After weeks and months of a brutal winters' past, I am hoping STRONGLY that it's over after seeing temps struggling to hit 60 degrees as a high. I've been in sort of a funk being very frustrated over the lack decent weather and with the sea otter on 34 days away, I need to get my shit together and fast if I am going to have any shot at coming home with this beauty.
This week was an off week of sorts with a scheduled decrease as a transitional period. Next few weeks I will hit it hard again maybe outside!!! I am beyond ready for May, June and beyond. So far this week goes as follows

Monday: Weight and Core Training
Tuesday: 1 Hr Hill Sprints L6 power 90+ RPM
Wednesday: #1 2 Hr tempo ride 2x20 minute sustained efforts
#2 1 Hr 20 minute TT max effort
Thursday: 2 Hr at a coversation pace
Friday: 1:10 Hr optional ride
Saturday: 5ish hours to tomahawk
Sunday: 6ish hours back to wausau with extra credit moon loop

This should get me started

Fat Music Friday

EVOMO Shirt Design Contest

Here you go all of you creative types out there.  EVOMO has created a t-shirt design contest so put the pencil to the paper and bring the rukus.  Click HERE for more details and some prize info which by no doubt will be in large supply.

Snow Wont Go. So here you go!

It's Official I am pissed!

Okay so first we have A-Fraud (Alex Rodriguez) on tv every hour on the hour and so I am sick of that (Strike ONE) he should be out of baseball for 2 years just as any cyclist would be.  Work changed my schedule giving me notice of the change exactly 1 day prior to the new format in which makes me angry cause they require us to give a two week notice for a single vacation day. (For those counting at home that's TWO strikes).  Finally (Strike THREE) I find out it's going to cost $280 or more  to get into the 24 hours of 9 mile.  Looks like I'll be shooting for 12 solo and that's not even a good price either at $60 (WEMS charges 35).  Shout out goes to GG Series for screwing up a great grassroots event.  Maybe I can go back to the college days and sell plasma again for race money.  Hmmmm I wonder how much jiggalos make...scratch that I'm married.

2009 Semi-Finalized Schedule

4/16-4/21 - Sea Otter Classic

5/2-5/3 - Trans Iowa

5/9 - WEMS Stump Farm 12

5/23 - WEMS 12 Hours of Greenbush

5/31 - WORS Smokin Spoke (Rhinelander)

6/7 - WORS Big Ring Classic (Wausau)

6/13 - WEMS 12 Hours of John Muir

6/20 - NUE Series Lumberjack 100

6/27 - WEMS Metro 12 Hour Challenge

7/4 - Pow Wow Days 5k (Tomahawk)

7/11 - WEMS Levis 100 (Neilsville)

7/25-26 - 24 Hours of 9 Mile (Wausau)

8/8 - WEMS Blufflands Epic 12 Hour

8/22 - WEMS 12 Hours of Blue Mounds (apparently I didn't learn from last year)

8/30 - WORS Reforestation Ramble

9/4-5 - WEMS 12 Hours of Pitch Black

9/19 - Chequamegon Fattire Festival

10/3 - WEMS 12 Hours of Underdown (Tomahawk)

11/7 - Iceman Cometh

Training Wheels

Not too much going on but spinning the wheels on the trainer until the snow is finished.  We're only supposed to get a few inches which will be nice to get out and skate some more so watching viva la bam on the trainer is broken up a little bit.  I've been downloading some tunes.

Chinese Democracy - GnR

Shacklers Revenge - GnR

You Wouldn't Know -  Hellyeah

Alcoholin' Ass - Hellyeah

Stranglehold - Ted Nuggent

Stillborn - Black Label Society

See you on the Other Side - Ozzy Osbourne

I Got Erection - Turbonegro

Hot For Teacher - Van Halen

Unchained - Van Halen (not van hagar)

No racing until the Sea Otter, but did the registration thing and if people are complaining about camping rates at the wors races this year they should stop by the sea otter site and see the $60 per site per night price tag....I would rather pay the other 25 or so to have a comfy bed.

Looking Back and Pushing Forward

Badger State Games for me are now over as today was the final event for the 2009 winter games.  The games started for me on Saturday Jan 25th as I lined up for the 10k classic xc ski race in temps well below zero.  I got off to a great start and posted a strong 1st place finish.  From there I lined up again right away the next morning with of course the same below zero temp I'd seen the day prior in the Quadrathlon which included the 5k run, 5k bike, 5k snowshoe, and finally a 5k xc ski.  To make a long story short, run was conservative, my bottle froze within 5 minutes after I mounted the Redline, lots of climbing in the snowshoe, and finally I had no tech skill on the skate skis.  All in all a good race with a 4th place finish despite the fatigue.  Finally, today, the 3rd and final race which was simply a 5k trail run.  I was thinking it was going to be a fast race on some roads but it really was in fact a trail run.  Picking your way around the trail was the hardest part as it rivaled that of beach sand, but I managed to come out with a good result and my second gold in my final Badger State Games race of 2009.  I was able to utilize the fluid recovery (berry treasure) drink just in time before this last race and it did wonders I wish I had it the Saturday night before the Quadrathlon I like the taste more than others out there as well.

Friday was like the second coming of Christmas as a box of EVOMO goodies arrived. Including the key ingredients to the Nitrous diet plans thanks to Titec, Simbree, EVOMO, Fluid, and of course did I mention EVOMO.  As I mentioned above I've already begun to use some of the great items.  The new long sleeve team jersey was great for xc skiing.

The Gravel Road to Trans Iowa Begins 2/9/09 at 7:00 am!  The Coach Lynda plan has me doing  a couple of hours tomorrow with the 20 minute max effort as which I will enjoy.  I don't want to just make it through I would like to also get a good result in my first attempt.

Skating...We'll Leave it at That

So now after swearing off skate skiing I gave it another shot and finally...this time...it's better.  I can at least surpass the time it normally takes on the classics which makes it worth sticking with.  The one problem I am having is going up hill which at time it seems like I come to a complete stop so if anybody has any pointers let me know.  

I think this is going to be a better form of training for me due to the power it takes as compared to striding.  It's almost like striding is awesome for aerobic while skating is great for building power.  Well I'll just stick with it as it can only get better from here....right?

Balancing Life and Racing With Dave Wiens 6x Leadville Winner

Want to know how to balance life, work, family and racing?  It's a tough task that I am sure anyone that goes through it can attest to, but in a 2 part series, EVOMO interviews the 6 time Leadville 100 champion as he explains how he balances his time and still managed to keep the streak alive by knocking off 7 time Tour De France champion Lance Armstrong.  I along with other teammates on the EVOMO team were able to ask questions in regards to training and prep for this race with the type of schedule he has and more. 

To be honest my wife and I don't have kids yet, but the balance is still difficult with family and work taking up the better half of the day while sleep takes up the other.  I really have to give it up for guys like Dave Wiens and Scott Cole for bringing the rukus the way they do with their busy lives off the bike, but to get a better Idea of how Dave goes about it click here for the first part of the interview with part 2 here.

As far as today goes, I got a good 1.5 hours in on the skis (need more klister by the way) and another 1.5 hours on the trainer.  Big weekend ahead.

As Any Other Day That Ends With a "Y"

Skis were prepared, breakfast down, looked outside......and I about crapped myself.  Once again the skies opened up and dumped about 4-6 inches of pow pow (yeah that just happened) freshly on my deck leaving me with two things to think about. 1) I get to shovel the crap when I get home and 2) my skis were not set up for fresh snow ooops this will teach me to not check the weather the night before a race again. It was too late to re-wax, so I packed up my brown blazer and headed to nine mile.  I was gladly relieved that they mentioned the fresh grooming had taken place so I had a snowballs chance to glide efficiently and later found I couldn't be more wrong even if I was George W. Bush the last eight years.  The trails were not groomed and people made paths in the skate lanes which really left me scrambling and only after bringing forth the rukus on the first large climbs, it all went down hill and I couldn't catch a nice track to stride in, but all in all it was good prep for next weekends beating I am lucky enough to bring on myself.

Tickets for Sea Otter are purchased and accounted for now.  Last things to do is find a place to crash for the few days I'm there.  The course is about 38 miles which is nice, but rumor has it that it's not super technical which can be boring but this early in the season an easy race technically might be a better option as I prepare for the human sacrifice that is trans iowa.  Salsa 24 fest looks to be a place to be at in 2009, but I am not sure I am up for it if the performa crew doesn't go as it falls the same weekend as the Green Bay WORS race.