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)