1st Skate of the Season

So let me rewind back to last winter.  Brand new cord groomed nicely into the freshly fallen Wisconsin snow and all I could think about was getting my skate ski on.  I was determined last year to not give up on skating and shut up, quit whining and gut it out.  I would go great on flats and gradual climbs, but REALLY struggle on the steeper climbs to the point where I would "waddle" up after I lost the momentum I carried into the hill.  This would continue for a few more weeks until I finally cleared everything and began to put together solid laps under the lights.  Towards the end of the season I felt and maybe at times looked like a "real" skater.

Fast forward to tonight, I get out there and feel comfortable right away.  My heart rate was through the roof mostly cause my cardio was absent for a great deal of time, but the consistent weight training allowed me to make it through each and every hill no stopping and 2 more laps than I would normally do on the first attempt at skate skiing for the year.  I have now come to the realization that I don't ATTEMPT skate skiing anymore, I just pull the laces tight and go.  The only thing I noticed right away was the heart rate.  I spent 66% of the above threshold and noticed 198bpm come up a couple of times and on top of that I averaged 180bpm.....so to say I have some cardio work to do is an understatement is laughable at best, but it's the first real sustained effort of the year and it felt damn good.  If this is any indication of how 2011 is going to go.....I am really looking forward to that first dirty tire race of the year.

Make of it what you will when it comes to walking with skate skis on, but keep in mind not one person showed me technique nor have I been doing this very long at all.  This is a good accomplishment to continue to build on in my eyes.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas and New Year!

SK8 er' Die Dude!

Introducing Charlee Jayne Lund

Charlee Jayne Lund

Born 11/23/2010 at 12:05 AM.  9lbs 2oz and 20.6 in long.

Mom, Dad and Baby are doing great.

RAD Things Done on a Bike List

(Note: If you don't make the list this year just remember even Cru Jones got his shot)

This list is dedicated to those who have done RAD stuff with or on bikes.  It can be shop owners, industry gurus, riders bouncing back and those who have simply kicked some ass at some point this year In no particular order.  

Dan Schuester - Boy oh boy what can you say about Dan that hasn't already been said.  Inpirational was the first word to came to my mind.  This guy would be the last I would expect to suffer from a stroke of this magnitude and on top of that the recovery process and the ability to get on a mountain bike and ride trails of nine mile again seemed like the Mt. Everest of rehab.  I had mixed feelings about the whole thing.  I first thought he'll be fine and on the bike again by opening day and really underestimated what had taken place.  Another side of me thought about my fitness and how if it can happen to a guy as fit as Dan it can happen to me to and to appreciate the time I have to spend with my friends on the bike and my family at home. Finally, knowing and seeing how determined he was to get back on the bike again made me realize how anything can be possible and before long he was back on the bike out at nine mile turning the cranks out of trail #8.

Tim Wissbroecker - What can I say about this guy.  Flash back to July.  He gets hit by a car and they speed off, he is basically left for dead.  Shattered bones, busted up bike, and oh the pain he and his family would go through.  He would, however, come back in ways that would rival a story like Rocky and is now on his bright red Felt getting ready for Ironman Wisconsin 2011.  Welcome back to race buddy!

John "Nacho" Nowaczyk and Sprocketz Bike Shop - We all know the last two years have been rough.  Companies going bankrupt, ponzi schemes depleting our wealth and trust on Wall Street, people losing their jobs for reasons out of their control.  John here was no different.  Not only did he lose his job but lost it on his birthday.  Did he cry about it?  Hell no!!! He instead gave the City of Weston something it needed for the longest time and that was a bike shop.  In February Sprocketz Bike Shop was born and has the backing of a proud city and a large cycling community.  Sounds like something out of a storybook or made for T.V. movie.

Chris Peariso - One of the nicest guys on the circuit and is a great rep for the Adventure 212 team, but this guy will destroy you and leave you crying for mommy at an MTB race of any distance.  He was known for primarily rocking the WORS series year after year, posting finishes as consistent as lance while he won his 7 tours, but it so turns out he can be found putting the hurt on the field at some stage races and 100 milers alike.  Most recently the NUE Series Cohutta 100. 

Ben Koenig - 4th at 24 Hours of Moab.  He came back to Moab proving that his 3rd place finish last year was by no means a fluke.  This guy pushes the limits of himself and his equipment every time he toes the line.  I remember riding with him this summer and to keep up with him I am bouncing off of trees, going over my bars, he's washing out in the sand.  I learned a couple of things that day riding with him.

Tim Buffington - 1st Place SS at 12 Hours of Underdown.  I have never heard of this guy till toeing the line with him at Underdown.  I was charging trying to get myself a RedEye jersey when I look back and he was there and breathing harder than any racer I've ever heard and cranking his Singlespeed like he had the ghost of Bill Underdown chasing him with an axe.  I didn't know whether or not he was going to make it that lap or the remaining laps, but he sure as hell did and was close to his fellow DBD brotherin Tim Ek who also deserves mention for winning that race.

Tristan Schouten - Made waves early on at the Subaru Cup Pro XCT and never looked back winning the WORS overall and crankin out top 5's in the USGP of Cyclocross (one race even had a pushup wager on the line)

Brian Matter - Iceman!!!!! He not only won it, but destroyed a field littered with Olympians, National Champs and the best of the Midwest.  I may be a little biased seeing as though he was the person responsible for Salsa in my basement.  I am hoping he left a little bit of his expertise on that bike so I can go faster next year.  Well done and bravo...please win the situp bet on day 2 of Ft. Collins.

Chris Schotz - Underdown.....What else can I say, this trail system has such a grassroots feeling yet up to today's standards in sustainability.  I would brag more about these trails but frankly I want to selfishly keep them to myself.

Josey Weik - This 13 year old is racing with the big boys and is no stranger to the podium regardless of where he goes mtb or cross, mud or snow, 30 or 100 degrees.  Watch out for this kid.

Danielle Musto - Dominance is what I use to describe her performance at Wausau24.  She crushed the womens field and when that was done she took a shark sized bite out of the mens as well.  I was lucky enough to ride with her for a few laps and was simply amazed, but not shocked at how well she rode.  She has also posted some ridiculous results on her singlespeed and like me rides the red hot Salsa Mamasita.

Scott Cole - Cheqfat, need I say more.  For the record I will not make that challenge to him for that race EVER again.  He flat out throttled that race in a very impressive way.  He goes on this list every year as he is certainly the endurance rider I look up to.  Good work (I still owe a blizzard by the way)

So that's it....so far.....If you have an item you would like to add email me at mtbkr81(at)gmail  okay....great

Till We Meet Again,

GET SOME!

2010 Wrap Up (Winter and Spring)

2009 was a year to forget.  I started off weak and ended weak with no real clue as to why for quite some time. 

First, I decided to go to Monterey California for some West Coast racing which I found to be quite dissapointing to not only how I performed, (DNF-Flat that wouldn't seal at Sea Otter) but also, the course was way too easy.  There was UH spot where you decended on beach sand and the Laguna Seca Raceway section was pretty cool.  I came home with some nice goodies and great friends from the Evomo squad.  From stories I've heard from Brandon and Bryan on the Evomo team, I know they do have better trails than what was displayed at the Sea Otter and we'll just leave it at that.

From that experience on, I didn't gain a lot in any form of improvement or at least that didn't involve paying a price in the form of losing mass amounts of liquids in ways that would make newborns blush.  In 2009 I would be blindsided from an illness that took the entire season away from me basically from after Levis 100 to Underdown (July to November) and possibly earlier with the doctor saying "based upon the progression of the infection you may have had this as early as May".....Really?  Wow!  I just thought I was pathetically slow all year, but it would explain bonking everytime I cross 3 hours of riding where I would have little or nothing left in the tank.  It was like running through a well lit hallway at night and then all of a sudden the power goes out and you trip and fall down the steps that you couldn't see coming.  Needless to say the Author had come in with less than acceptable results for 2009 and would dedicate himself to get healthy and make sure that 2010 would not be the same.  Redemption was a must so enough of that crap, time to move on and I did just that.....

Soooooo.....

It all started in November after I felt better I ventured out on some easy rides, but really hit the gym hard.  I had a muscular endurance program I've created that worked great.  In december I partnered that up with skate skiing which I did not give up on like in years past.  I skated all winter and logged hours 3-5 days per week.  I decided to skip Badger State Games this year due in part by the fact that I didn't want to get into race mode so early on I was afterall building a base for cycling.  The spring actually greeted us here in central Wisconsin early and showed signs that an early outdoor riding season would be on the way and thankfully that happened.  I was able to ride the road and Mountain Bay Trail by February.  I would then begin to take multiple trips on that trail as it was such a safe bet for riding during the night as it was still turning black halfway through my ride with toes frozen.

I think I was still tackling some of the lingering illness as I was told it could stick around up to a year even after the antibiotics ran their course, I think I really started feeling like myself just before the Green Bay WEMS Race.  I was still feeling slow with aches and pains to that could only be matched by my constant need to sleep and rest for the Iola WORS Race I felt pretty tired and ached on race day, !2 Hours of Northern Kettles I was definately sick, maybe as bad as Levis in '09 and it was a damn good thing I stayed in Fond Du Lac, and maybe started coming out of it by the time the Rhinelander WORS Race started.

My first race of the spring was in Iola for the WORS opener.  I thought I felt good, I rode the singletrack with confidence and lost a bottle ejector seat style.  I got a bottle of mixed good from the Performa guys.  Deuce and friends hooked me up and I completed the final of five laps and thought I accomplished something only to find I was once again near the back.

Second race was supposed to be the Green Bay Wems Race, but as I commuted to Shoe's place it was delayed, then cancelled.  We then went to Titletown Brewery for pizza, curds, and beer and followed that up with a ride through the camp.  The conditions of the course were in great shape but it was a little windy and a little chilly the rescheduled version became a 100 miler and the conditions may have been worse in some spots, but riding with the Performa crew was fun once again.  My second race actually ended up taking place at the 12 hours of Northern Kettles.  I started out really slow, no real zip to my legs to hang with the rabbits that took off, I of course would pay for this and wouldn't even come close to having a shot at capturing the leader despite my ubber efficient pit stops.  I did get extremely ill once again similar to the episode that i've experienced at Levis in 2009 and I was greatful that I stayed in Fond Du Lac with my Dad and Dawn that night.  I don't think I would have made it home. It was worth the 2nd place finish, but I know I would have rode 6 hours of that race much faster than I did.

Next race brought me to Rhinelander and I made it a point that in this particular race and each one going forward I would try to get to the front, but I still wasn't feeling all that strong and I could only hold the Performa rookie's wheel for about 3 minutes and completely popped within 20 minutes.....ouch!!!! Once again towards the bottom.  Frustration is setting in at this point, but I still keep trucking along hoping to get the WORS Race I was looking for.

Green Bay 100 miler went well.  No complaints except I wish I would have not let Carlos go so early in the race.  I had way too much left in the tank at the end but at least I put together a complete race and finished 2nd place to a VERY strong rider.

I finally got to race on some good conditions for my home course at Nine Mile (changing to Underdown for 2011 by the way).  I started out strong, but got caught in a mess early on.  I spent a lot of energy trying to move up in the heat and eventually got dropped through the field and getting sick on the trail numerous times on the final lap, yay!!  That was not what I had in mind for a good race.  Would I rebound?????? No! well at least not yet.

Epic collapse and mechanical at John Muir.  I clearly overtrained, the muddy conditions and course re-design didn't fit well, for me anyway.  I more or less just should have not woke up that Saturday morning to go to a race.  I said to myself "F this race......till next year"

Ahhhhh yes the Subaru Cup!!! Tensions were super high with the factory pros coming to town and I was amped up to say the least, I mean you would to if you've seen Willow Koeber right?  I got a front row spot and took off like a bat out of hell.  I got my wish to get out with the leaders and paid for it, never to do it again.....well at least on that course.  I don't think I ever bonked that hard ever in a race.  Of course as I got past the last real technical section of the course and tried to climb my and my knee gave me a sharp stabbing pain and felt weak.  Apparently it didn't like the short punchy climbs and I found myself pulling the plug early...."bummer dude and F this race to....till next year"

In next week's episode:

* Levis 100 (or not 100)
* 12 Hours of Thunderdown (okay so like 2 hours for me)
* Wausau24 (more like 25)
* 12 Hours of Pitchblack (not under a full moon do you get pitchblack)
* Chequamegon 40
* The wrap up of 10 notes for 2010! (so I forgot five of them....no biggie I'll add them now....it's still 2010)

* Since the Madden Horse Trailer is no longer I will gladly take over and create my own "List" AKA the RAD Things Done on a Bike List (Stuff people do in the bike industry that's RAD like the movie)


Remember if you hear the Mavic "click" in your wheels you're not riding fast enough!

"Get Some!!" ~ Tim "Coffee" Wilcox

12 Hours of Pitch Black Singletrack

(Pic Would Go Here But THEY Want $20 Bucks For It)

The cheerful and recovered author paid the price to get the win at the WEMS 12 Hours of Pitch Black Singletrack.  You see, this 12 hour solo event wasn't quite like the others.  The race started after sunset and finished just after sunrise from 8pm to 8am.  This was a new journey for me despite all of the night hours I've been fortunate enough to ride in the darkness. 

I had to start fast and finish fast all throughout the night and usually I am used to already having good knowledge of the course and have sections already picked out to drink, recover, and hammer to put time into the field.  The race started with the typical run to the bikes where I swear I had to be the last one to get mounted and on my way.  Luckily for me the leadout was flat and long where I picked up at least a dozen spots and passed some of my competitors flying up the first long climb.  I settled into a pace with Tim Bates, who was racing 3 hour solo.  I had my fair share of mistakes on the course while feeling it out and really got frustrated with my tech skills.  I did manage to settle down and began to start tilting my line of sight upward and that seemed to make a difference.  All too often you get caught looking at your front wheel and where you don't want to go as opposed to looking ahead and where you do want your bike to go. 

The rest of the first lap went okay and got a sense of what sections will be hike a bike due to keeping the bike in working order and also to save energy.  My lights were almost ridiculous and really didn't have a need for bar and helmet light and powered one off completely and the other was only on at half output.

I made a plan in those first few laps as I caught and passed several others out there on the trail that I would only be making two stops.  The first would happen 4 hours into it to switch batteries and took advantage of the time to drink some boost and eat a banana.  The same would take place on the 8th hour where I drank two boosts, ate a banana, took some ibuprofen for the my ailing knee.  I dealt with the annoying soreness of my right knee for as long as I could handle it, but as would go with any bout with tendonitis it got to the point where I couldn't turn the cranks.  At about hour 10 the sun tried to sneek a peek over the horizon and I discovered that I could make the knee work as long as I continued to pedal.  This became really difficult while decending and the pain on the upcoming climbs would be insane to the point of almost being unable to make it up the climb.  The first sustained climb on each lap never hurt as I could pedal all the way to the beginning stretch of it, but some of the others you rolled into the climb and the sharp pain would get worse and worse.

Laps came and went and by the time I came around for the 12 lap I had it under wraps, but now it became a sense of pride and sticking it out for another lap and only finished about 6 minutes off the pace of my first one.  I came across the finish line as the winner traveling 89 miles at night in 11 hours and 33 minutes.  Now it's time to get some at cheq fat.  I have big plans for that race as we have a history.  Who is up for a blizzard challenge?

Wausau24 Part 2 Looking Back and Time for Breakfast

A blog I wrote on July 27, 2009 shortly after the titled "24-9 A Catastrophic Failure" ran its course as did the short lived battle with mono, I ended that post with "Redemption will be the word to describe 2010!"  Little did I know how real that statement would become.  As I ponder and gather my thoughts of what the night laps had in store for me I now realized that I am getting better and better with each passing 24 solo event and that sickening feeling holds off longer and longer each time I do one.  I hope at one point I wont get the weird dizzy spells and naucious feelings, maybe next year? 

Anyway, the night laps went pretty well.  I would have good laps where I cleaned each section with ease, but there were times where others kicked up rocks and dislodged logs and I wisely jumped off to save myself and my bike.  A fog started settling in but my lights were doing the trick.  I was quite pleased with the performance of my light setup and the burn time.  I came and went through the pits the only time I sat was when it was time to change batteries so killing 2 birds with one stone seemed appropriate and I was still in the right frame of mind that I could sit and not quit.  I continued to click off laps and then the big one came.  at around 5:30 or so I became very dizzy and sick to my stomach I thought I was going to get sick, but I did lay down for a little while, made a visit to the bathroom and got back out there.  I wasn't sure what to expect but the lap times of the last three laps were pretty good and rivaled that of my late afternoon lap times.  Then out of nowhere my wife shows up with coffee and that was exactly what I needed and I finished pretty strong.  I wasn't completely destroyed at the finish but was looking forward to having some RedEye goodness added to mix. 

I was quite pleased with the outcome this year at the Wausau24, but will look to continue my improvement into next year as I will be back and looking to improve on my top 5 finish.  The most important thing, I raised roughly $1,200 for the Wissbroecker family.  I am very thankful for all the help this year.  Jason kept the bottles filled and the lights charged, John from Sprocketz supplied more than I asked and was a great supporter for the fundraiser.  Of course my wife for putting up with my training antics and supplying coffee in the early morning hours.  Kevin at RedEye for the post race brew.  Thanks to Muddy Paws for resurrecting a race and doing an excellent job I only hope it continues to be as successful if not more in years to come.  Matt designed a killer course can't wait to see what's in store for 2011. 

Now it's onto some wems races and cheq fat.  After that I will continue to work on my trails in Bradley Park and work on getting two races scheduled to occur there hopefully in 2011.

Wausau24 Part 1 Racing the Sunset

I am not sure what it is about 24 hour racing that keeps me coming back for more, but it takes a strange and rare breed to get excited about sitting in the saddle for over 24 hours.  During a race like this you can go from high heat and humidity to cold and rainy at any given moment.  Rocks become slippery after being ridden over by hundreds of different tires.  Roots become slippery, rocks and logs become dislodged and branches come out of nowhere to slap you in the face.  Day turns into night and corners become blind.  As the 12 hour racers finish, you see less and less people and you find yourself imagining things and at times talking or even singing to yourself.  The air becomes chilled and some fog sets in and you can't tell the difference from the fog or dust.  Bats from above diving down all around you as you jump in and out of the singletrack. As each stop through solo row goes by I feel a little better each time until at one moment it all goes south and a break was much needed before things turned for the worst.  I rested and shook off the stomach bug, drank some coffee and rode into the sunrise.  I managed to get in a few more laps and at a pace that rivaled that of my early afternoon laps some 18 hours earlier.  I began my last lap and took each section one at a time saying to myself  "this is the last time through this section and that section"

This years' Wausau24 was something I will not soon forget.

With the new sherrif in town organizing the race after the epic fail of a certain east coast promoter.  The event was in great hands with Adam Schmidt, Josh Halverson, and course designer extrodinare, Matt Block.  These guys did a hell of a job and without charging an arm and leg.  I am looking forward to doing this all over again in 2011 as I complete my transformation to a 24 hour racer.

I set up my pit along solo row once again and began to get everything set up and ready for the race.  Jason had my bottles set to go and was helping with the fundraising efforts prior to the race getting started.  I was really expecting and hoping for some great things this year as I was helping a friend (Tim Wissbroecker) with his mounting expenses stemming from a hit and run accident that left him with multiple fractures and other damages that will take an exstensive time to heal.  After suiting up and doing a quick interview with a local news station I applied a healthy dose of chamois butter and jogged to the start line, it was time to get some. 

I was glad to see so many familiar faces and some old friends that have previously boycotted the race.  The pre-race chatter was so loud that we couldn't hear the national anthem or the countdown.  Before we knew it the time was here to run to our bikes.  I stayed comfortable and jogged easily to my Mamasita, which proved hard to find considering the amount of them at the race and even having the green Ergons.  I found my bike though and continued on my lap.  I tried to keep my pace and not worry about the team riders busting out of the gates as I know that I had over 24 hours to ride my bike and it does me no good to push the pace this early on.  The only regret came in the form to the entrance to #3 the first time across Redbud Road where I got stuck in a log jam of sorts on the first rock garden and again on #1.  Across Redbud again and into #6 things began to string out a little bit and I was getting a rhythm going.  The doubletrack to HoChi was still wet which made the climb up HoChi really interesting to say the least as I've seen so many different lines through the rocks, but I used my typical line through that section and through #12 and was home free for lap 1.  Lap 2  started off with me and a few others taking the wrong turn into the first section of singletrack, but I had Brett in front of me leading the way through singletrack and made up all of the time we lost as that dude can ride the hell out of singletrack.  from the top of the gravel climb and out by checkpoint charlie I began to have conversations with Scott Cole as he was helping his brother Mark along to his 8th place finish in the 12 solo (nice job Mark).  I mean out of nowhere he would show up and keep telling me to stay consistent and that is a phrase that stuck with me all day long. I had a couple of bad laps somewhere during the normal lunch hour time I would take on 12 hour race, but I remembered to eat more at that time and not stop and luckily there was some tylenol around to help with the correllating headache.  I got back some of the time lost while being in a funk and I was bridged up shortly to Salsa Pro Danielle Musto.  We continued to chat during the next couple of laps which was refreshing considering I've been kind of bored riding by myself for a few laps prior to that, but when I stopped to get my lights she continued on to her pit and that would be the last we would see of each other till the awards as she took the 1st place spot on the box in the womens 12 solo (great job Danielle).  Now it was nightfall and this is when things began to get quite interesting.

To Be Continued.......

It's All About the Big Picture

Levis 100 strikes again.  I am now 0-3 at this race and am thinking of staying away from that place for awhile as nothing good happens there....for me anyways.

I started off great and moved with ease to where I wanted to go.  I then got caught up by some junk riding that forced me off my bike 3 times in the first lap.  The start of the second lap I put some air in the tires based on the fact that I was rimming out a little too easily.  The very start of the third lap is where all hell broke loose and upon entering the first section of singletrack I picked up a stick and snapped off the derailure hanger.  My day was done after that, but I did manage to salvage the day by getting out on the mountain bay for another 40 miles.  Luckily for me I still managed to get in 6 hours of riding just as the coach ordered.

This race was a dissapointment, but all in all it's about the big picture and riding as many laps as I can for Tim Wissbroecker and his family.  The more laps I complete the more I can hopefully give them.  So if you are interested in pledging or even just a regular donation I wont turn you away plus you gain entry into a raffle from the great people at:

Bigby Coffee of Wausau
Sprocketz Bike Shop of Weston
RedEye Brewing Company of Wausau

All you need to do is send me the following to mtbkr81[at]gmail.com

Name:
Address:
Phone Number:
$ Pledge per lap:
$ Maximum:

Here is the news story about my quest and personal tie to Tim and this type of accident:

Thanks to everyone for their donations and support see you at Wausau24.

Ramping up to Wausau24

As I get closer to the Summer Formal of 24 hour racing here in the Midwest I am slowly learning more about my strengths and weaknesses by riding with the fast and the furious from right here in Wausau to those speed demons from Duluth.  I have found what I need to work on just in time to have a final test before Wausau24 by facing some past demons at the Levis 100.

This race has seemed to hand my arse to me year after year.  The first time I made it to that race was in 2008 and I had just come down with the flu in which I only managed to make it for 4 of the 8 laps.  2009 I was determined to get my revenge and come home with the win but I had been already plagued by mono up to that point unknowingly and was extremely sick before crossing the line in which I at least finished.  I am hoping for a strong appearance this year as it would be only two weeks out from my last 24 solo attempt for an unknown amount of time.

Needless to say I am ready for Levis after a hard workout at the underdown and I will be ready for Wausau24.  So let it be known I am ready to GET SOME!

Louis Garneau "The Review"

Louis Garneau TRAIL X-GRIP SHOES

About the shoe: 

This is actually their level MTB shoe and has two single straps that merge into a wider one for more power transfer. Removable crampons under the toes and a heel retention system make this shoe a practical and affordable solution.

Approximate weight (size 41/1 shoe): 308 g/11 oz

First thoughts were based on the price range and at an msrp of $84.99 I wasn't sure if I was going to get the performance to rival that of the Sidi's and Specialized BG shoes.  The design was simple and for me it didn't include a ratchet strap that seem to fail on me after a year or so on most shoes i've tried in the past.  The loop on the back I wasn't really fond of I honestly thought I was going to catch it on something, but that has not yet happened.  I was worried at first about only having two velcro straps but the width of the top strap made for a tight yet comfortable fit.  Even in wet muddy or dry and sandy conditions I never felt the velcro loosen up.   The cleat track is durable and stiff but not to the point of being unable to run in them and they clear mud quite well.  The design of the toe box is interesting and while I didn't see anything up front to protect it from the elements and damage from bouncing off rocks amongst other things it's held up very well after 4 wors races, 3 12 hour races, and multiple mountain bay rides in all conditions from the wet rain and snow to the dry and dusty.  I am very happy with the performance of these shoes and at this price there is no possible way you can go wrong especially if you don't like the ratchet strapping.

(short version pictured)

Louis Garneau MEN ALVEO 3K BIB

About These Bib Shorts: 

The mesh look-a-like construction of the Alveo 3K Bibshorts provides ventilation and the ability to recover its shape although it has been stretched.  Airzone chamois is super ventilated with memory foam that maintains density.

DETAILS:

• Ergonomic fit
• 10 panels
• No seams inside legs
• Flatlocks
• Powerband
• Front reflector
• Back and bottom reflective logos
• Airzone Chamois

I normally don't go the route of a bib short I just didn't like the feel in the past but I'd figure I would give it one more chance and I am glad I did and with a bib at an msrp of $119.99  It is well ahead of it's competition at the pricepoint.  Fabric felt heavy at first but the mesh like material allows the short to breath with ease and very comfortable.  I was very impressed with the airzone chamois in one major aspect in that the beveled edges really made a difference by not pinching your skin as you move in the saddle as you pedal at a high cadence.  A nice touch to add to this as well would be the lack of seams on the inside of the short and the "powerband" got rid of that ever so annoying gel bead at the end of the leg.  The only thing I didn't like and I may just need to get used to this is how high the material goes above the waistband and I thought it would get too warm but didn't notice a change except to the slimming of my midsection.....hahahahaha.   I am loving these shorts, but I have to keep reminding myself that I still need to use some chamois butter despite how comfortable these bibs are. 

For more info go to www.louisgarneau.com

Order through John at Sprocketz here in Weston!!!!

WEMS #2 Stump Farm 100

Photo By Mark Schindel

I'll start off by saying that I wasn't sure what to expect.  The weather up to Sunday morning had been well short of amazing even by rain forest standards, but if history says anything about the Reforestation Camp, this place could hold water on monsoon like levels, which is a complete contrast from what the Adventure 212 guys went through in Ohio this past weekend.  The weather when I left for the venue was fine with even some sun here and there and that basically lasted till I got to highway 41 when it poured like crazy really till I got to the camp.  The setup was very much different from the past and without lapping through the same route as done in past.

We lined up for the start and the field was not short of competition and even with Tim sprinting to a top 5 finish at the Dirty Kanza, I still had to contend with the usual suspects plus with the addition of Carlos, Mike and Trevor this was surely going to be a hard fought event.

The start ran in the opposite direction down the new wet single track and then out on the ski trails backwards to the main gravel two track.  I got off the line out front and was first to the bike.  I was quickly joined by Carlos and clearly he can ride singletrack smoother than I can so I held is wheel and jumped ahead going into the first section to buy a few minutes of time and once it opened up he regained the lead and we rode out the better half of the first lap wheel to wheel until I bobbled a section and lost my momentum for little bit.  I thought at this stage in the game it was early and maybe, hopefully, he would come back to me later on  and really I should have stuck with him as our lap times were almost the same averaged out over the last 4 laps so yeah I screwed up a little bit so I settled into a pace in which I felt most comfortable and was caught by Mike Curtes and we rode in through the lap area chit chatting a bit about how fun that course was backwards.

I kept my pace where I thought it needed to be and began concentrating on riding smooth and efficient and basically that's what I did for next few hours. Lap 3 I was already encountering lapped traffic and  Lap 4 I came in for new bottles and took to the course again without hesitation.  I started feeling pretty damn good so I began my attack and really my approach was to pass every rider ahead of as if it were a fellow 100 miler and this pace continued on as I came through lap 8 even though I dropped my chain while climbing some singletrack.

It's strange what goes on in your head during a race like this.  Today I was paranoid that my bike was going to break and that Mike would catch me so in an effort to fend off those demons I stopped for more bottles and this time I lubed my chain quickly and glanced for loose twigs and such in the derailure, pedals and cassette.  I ripped out of there like a James "Bubba" Stewart starting a Moto X race with every intention of testing these tired legs and "build some character" I pulled out a couple of my best laps  (minus the pit stop) and rolled in 2nd place at 7 hours and 5 minutes.  This was probably in my eyes the best race I had where I didn't win because of the hard pace I sustained and then the increased effort that I didn't know I had towards the end.

Photo By Mark Schindel

WORS #4 Sunburst Slowdown
With a very difficult training week in store I wasn't expecting much but it did have some climbing so I thought I could sustain enough for a top half finish.        WRONG!

I took off from the back and got hung up in a crash that occurred early on before the initial loop even got underway.  Then to top it off, I got caught up in another mess on the singletrack climb where I was reaching for every branch trying to keep myself from unclipping but it just wouldn't hold off and I jumped off the bike while Scanley, Mark, Bill, Dan and Jesse all got away and again I was off the back. Now I am getting pissed off at this point and really just cruised around for the first lap.  The second lap I hit the reset switch and attacked as best as I could with my flat as hell legs and busted up that climb.  I started reeling riders in one by one and thought I did a good job, but that was not the case.  Too much early on putzing around really cost me some valuable time.

Next up is the 12 Hours of John Muir.  I've loved this course the last couple of times I've done it and am looking to improve on my 9th place finish from last year and looking back at my lap times, there should be no reason why I can't get back to my 2008 2nd place performance, but the new course has me quite curious and with the weather that place doesn't hold water all that well and gets very sticky.

After that I have the Subaru Cup XC and Short Track followed by a much needed break before heading to Levis to get some revenge on that course.  I have unfinished business with that race let's put it that way shall we.

WEMS Series #1 12 Hours of Northern Kettles

"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, either way you're right"

~Henry Ford

The first race of the 2010 WEMS Series begins in the Northern Kettles outside of Fond Du Lac and not in Green Bay as the schedule may dictate.  Due to the "weather" (or lack there of)  the Stump Farm 12 was rescheduled and changed to a different date and format in which I am still planning on attending and still intending to bring the pain to the best of my ability. 

The 12 Hours of Northern Kettles had a challenging wet course that only got better as the hours passed by and we were warned that it would be slick but that was not at all to be a joke.  We had a different start format this year running up a pretty steep gravel hill to get to our bikes.  My goal was to get to my bike at a comfortable but uptempo pace and hold my own from there.   You see, I normally have issues during the first couple of races during the season with trying to complete all of my laps without taking a break.  Typically I would take one here an there for around 10 to 15 minutes to take inventory on my body and my gear to make sure all was okay.  At this point I didn't have a clue what to expect as my lap times were by feel since my garmin had no juice out of the fact that I never charged it and I also ran out of Infinit Nutrition while mixing my bottles.  As far as I knew, I would be in survival mode from the time Mr. Nigh yelled GO!

I settled in right behind Cale and let a couple of rabbits go ahead knowing full well that I was in it to retain a fast yet obtainable pace.  Now I didn't have any support and neither did Tim so I really didn't care to check on my progress until the last few laps, but more on that later so really my focus was on being consistent and not overdoing it.  The first lap felt slow and was.  Same can be said for laps two and three.  Lap four I felt a crap-ton better despite the fact that I crashed late in the lap on an off-camber downhill. 

I stopped only a few times to get new bottles filled full of Infinit and to apply chamois butter and the occasional Baer back & body pills to help me out with the bumpy course.  I knew that this course was going to eat me up due to the fact that every time I had to apply more chamois butter the pain almost made me vomit.  Granted I know this isn't something you all need to hear, but it is one of those things that you may never know you may have to deal with during a race like this as if it were some sort of a law where you need to expect the unexpected.  So I continue on towards the halfway point and now I know this is the best I've done this early on in the season.  Usually, I sit down for awhile as previously mentioned, but this time I haven't considered doing any sort of rest other than restocking on fluids.  I was quite happy with my progress and still to this point I didn't have a clue whether I was in last place or in first place as I have been riding by myself not getting passed by any solos at any point since this morning.  

So somewhere around the nine to ten hour range I finally decide to check and in an effort to not slow me down I picked a lap I needed more liquids and rode past the timing area straight to the cabin and noticed I was in second.  I can't lie here, I was a little shocked all I did was rode how I felt and didn't rest as that was my only choice since I did not have a clock, gps, odometer and so on.

My focus then shifted toward attack mode to keep the distance more if not the same to third place and see what I can do to reel in Eki.  Well now that I've seen the stats I know I couldn't have caught him at the pace I was riding, but I wasn't too far off and with it being this early in the year I would have some hard workouts to get me to that level or better later on so I needed to maintain and really without thinking into it, that's what I ended up doing anyway.  So I came around for lap 14 and looked at the clock for a little bit running some simple grade school math (which after ten hours can be challenging) and with some praise from the crowd I embarked on my 15th lap and hammered home what I felt and thought would be a hot lap.  I was pretty gassed at that point and hoped I had something left other than this annoying cough that recently developed.

I came in at 7:44 with roughly 16 minutes to spare 15 laps and around 100 miles with Tim (former teammate and fellow Salsa rider) coming in 8 minutes later wrapping up his 16th lap.  I gotta say he is always a great competitor and I enjoy racing against him.  Wish him all the best at the Dirty Kanza.

Next up is the WORS Trek Big Ring Classic here in Wausau.  The Rhinelander race was a strategic disaster and will hope to bring a better performance to my home course.  I know my strengths and weaknesses and hopefully my body will forget about the weaknesses I have for about 2 hours next Sunday.

WORS #1 Iola Bump & Jump

The opening race of the 2010 race season for me has come and gone. I am about 90% happy with how things turned out as I knew I wasn’t going to contend for the win I just really wanted to sustain a hard effort for a long as I could and turn the screws as I went along hopefully within 8-10 minutes back of the winner, but that did not happen.


The pre-ride on Saturday gave an early indication of what to expect in regards to the number of riders hitting the course on Sunday and I am glad I got there before the start of the sport race as I had one of the last remaining spots in the parking lot. Around 850 racers toed the line that day and I also heard that 70 Elite riders had a series plate already in addition, over 100 Elite men were to toe the line at the start of the Belgioso Pro/Cat1 series.

I found out early on and reflected hours later that my best races, and races I’ve won were because of start position and placing before the trail tightens up. I know it’s common knowledge, but year after year I get either a terrible start or get stuck behind some slower traffic while the leaders smoothly ride away.

My first race of the year was no different. I picked a bad place to start and got caught up in a mess and watched all of my friends speed off in joy and glee to the first right hand corner going up to the ski jump and again another mess in the little sand box at the top. At this point I got shuffled back quite a bit and spent a good deal of the first lap trying to see if I could gain what I’ve lost and really the only thing I lost on the first lap was a lot of energy. The second lap was not any different, but the third lap I could see a large group of people including Jesse and Nate along with about 3 or 4 more guys and as I drop down into the second half of the 3rd lap I end up losing my second full bottle. Not cool, I had to stop on the start of the 4th lap to get whatever I could and Paul was able to help a brother out.

The fourth and fifth laps were kind of a blur as I was pretty mad at this point and my lower back was killing me. I did catch a couple more riders and had Nate in my sights until a stick got caught in his spokes and wouldn’t be able to see him again for the remainder of the race. I rolled in towards the bottom of the results page and 19 minutes back of Tristan, but cut 10 minutes off my 2008 elite time and gained 5 minutes on the winner so that was the encouraging part of the day.

10 things I’ve learned….

1. Earn the call up and pick a more strategic place to start. Not just any place will do. Look for the line of fast racers in the best position to maneuver the first series of corners and obstacles this can make a difference between a top 20 or bottom 5.

2. Kill the lower back issue and get a riser bar already. (done)

3. Have an extra bottle waiting just in case.

4. Racing is fun, but you can have fun and be aggressive at the same time.

5. I’m not pro, this is a hobby. Train by yourself and ride with your friends

6. I have to be more aggressive on the starts. I’ve put in the time and the effort to compete it’s a matter of just shutting up and doing it.

7. I have been racing for about 6 years…I still have room to improve on technical riding skills.

8. Remember, everybody out there is in just about the same amount of pain. What am I going to do about it?

9. Who cares about how many hours you spend on the bike. Quality trumps quantity.

10. The conditions are never going to be perfect and races don’t always go as planned. Just keep pedaling circles and let the smile on your face do the talking.

This weekend is the WEMS series opener in Green Bay at the Stump Farm 12 and without a doubt will be going 12 solo again. Rain and snow in the forecast with temps around 50 at best with rain the night before will make things interesting. This is going to be a tough early season test for equipment setup, the mind, and keeping on a regimen in regards to nutrition is always tough as we tend not to ingest as much as we should because of the rain and cold. History would show that these are typically conditions found at the Underdown WEMS race and I’ve usually had good luck there when healthy, so this should be right up my alley. Race report to follow after I thaw out from racing in these conditions.

Base

While getting ready to ride this beauty well into plaid speed at Wausau24.  I've been training probably the best I've ever done.  I did come down with something this week but not before I got at least 10 hours in, but it's too early to risk something worse by riding through it much like I did last year so I took the previous 4 days off to focus on getting healthy again.   This just about happens every year since I began to run track.  I get allergies which leads to a cough, then leaving me with a massive cold.  I got my salsa in working order and minus my rotor crank I'll be ready to rock.

I am excited to race a 24 solo again this year.  I am also glad to be racing it at a lower price....at least 200 dollars less.  I hope they get rid of that stupid finish loop on the way into the tent this year, boy was that terrible.  I don't really like the idea of a shorter lap.  While I would love to bring in more riders that were affraid to tackle a 15 mile lap,  A short lap would make things clog up and would be kinda difficult to keep the traditional favorites i.e. flower trail and Ho Chi Minh both in the course while still crossing red bud rd.  I say go back to how it was during the 2007 race.  I want to say it was around 13 miles and afterall it is an endurance event.

Trail project in Bradley Park is taking shape.  Really the focus is on design right now and to get a feeling for how many markers, maps, and other signage to make it a course we can all follow.  My goal is to have a race in the park using the old and break in some of the new stuff in spring of 2011.

Racing schedules will be cut down to smaller amount for 2011 as well with baby Lund entering the picture sometime in mid to late November of this year.  I being a future daddy and all will be sure to educate the baby by watching Klunkerz, Kranked Revolve, 24 Solo, Off Road to Athlens, Chasing Legends and Highlights of the Tour De France.  We are excited for the new adventure.

This weekend I will be riding the salsa on my new trails up north as a early season test session for the bike, Epic Cam, and the trails already in place at the park.

Happy Easter and enjoy the great weather.

Wausau24 Is ON!!!!!

PRESS RELEASE FOR March 20, 2010

March 20, 2010

Wausau24 will be held on July 31- August 1st, 2010 at Nine Mile Forest in Wausau Wisconsin.
Muddy Paws Racing is working directly with the Marathon County Park department to use the Nine Mile Forest trails including lodge rental and all logistical support from the county for this race weekend.
MPR is a Wisconsin event promotion group focused on “promoting dirt in the Midwest.”
Full details including registration and event schedule will be available at Wausau24.com April 2nd, 2010.  Updates are currently being posted to the facebook group “Wausau24 hour MTB race”.  We invite the racing community to provide us with feedback to make this a fun and professional event.  The goal in 2010 is to provide an excellent racing experience to all participants, make the entry structure competitive, and have everyone heading home with a smile and marking their calendars for the event in 2011.
MPR is working with an excellent team of professionals to make this happen.
Peak Timing, owned by Greg Blasko, is a well-known and respected timing company that has the contracts for such events as the Lifetime Tri, the Birkie, and the MNMBS series.  We will use “chip timing” for all participants, the best for error free and accurate results throughout the event.
Matt Block will be our course manager.  Matt has worked with the Marathon County parks for years and has a great working relationship with county park management.  He has set the course for the Trek Classic the past two years and again for the event to be held on Memorial weekend this year.
TST Media will host and develop our race website wausau24.com, as well as handle all online registration.  There will be no additional charges for processing online registration.  Discounted rates will be available for early registration as well as a free chance to win a Trek Travel trip to anywhere in the lower 48 states for each entry prior to May 20th, 2010.
Muddy Paws Racing will host the event and serve as race promoter for the Wausau24.  MPR is owned by Adam Schmidt, a race promoter for over 15 years and based in Wisconsin.  MPR is the promoter for the WORS Trek Classic held at Nine Mile Forest over Memorial weekend this year.  MPR also hosts the WORS/MNMBS Border Battle, MNMBS Lifetime Avalanche, and MNMBS Wheelhouse Classic event.

The clock it ticking and MPR is up to the challenge.  We are asking the racing community to speak up early and let us know what you want.  After all, the event is here for the racers, so let’s make 2010 a great one.

Adam Schmidt
MPR

"Hard training, easy combat; easy training, hard combat"

(The infamous JVog shot)

Looks like a little more focus on WORS this year.  I hate to say it, but I had a WORS burnout which led to me only doing two events.  So in all reality I took the year and as most already know I needed it more than I thought I did.  I decided to renew my license and get a series number again.  I guess that means I need to do that training thing I hear so much about.

So I got a little overzealous and jumped on the mountain bay to give the legs an early test.  They responded quite well, turning over with easy and felt lighter if that makes any sense.  The return trip was a little sketchy as the wet areas have since turned into a small skating rink at random times, but at least it's a good test of the early season balance skills.

Some long miles ahead for the remainder of the week and weekend hopefully we can get some rain early on to get rid of some snow, salt, and dirt.  Game on.

Saturday Ride

40 miles on Saturday.  The early afternoon session had me looking for a way to get out to Hwy KK and back home.  Quick showered and jumped back on the bike to meet up with John at Sprocketz and headed over to Red Eye for some beer, food, and good conversation with new and old friends alike.  What a fantastic weekend.  Even with USA losing gold to Canada hockey.  Now get out there and bring some rukus.

Energy Bars at Home

I found this in an issue of Bike Magazine while cleaning up man cave/spare bedroom.

Dry Ingredients
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 Cups Rolled Oats
1/2 Cup Oat Bran
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetend)
1 Cup Lightly Salted Chopped Nuts
1/2 Cup Dried Fruit

Wet Ingredients:
2/3 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Milk
2 eggs
1/2 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

Line a 9"x13" Baking pan with plastic wrap and coat with cooking spray.
Mix together the dry ingredients, then usa a mixer to blend well with wet ingredients.
Press the uber-sticky mixture into the pan.
Cool for 30 minutes in the fridge.
After cooling, remove the concoction from the pan and cut into bars.
Place bars on a greased baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
Let cool, then chow down before during and after your ride.

Pump It Up!!

I would be a dead man if I ever tried it but damn would it be worth it.

The Week In Review

This week it was pretty damn warm for January.  I decided to take full advantage of it and why not?  It is looking as though the following week is going to struggle out of negative temperatures.

Monday: 2.5 hour skate ski at nine mile beating my previous record of 6 and did 8 night laps.
Tuesday: 1.25 hours at the gym
Wednesday: 2 hours on the skate skis
Thursday: 1.5 hours at the gym
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 3 hours of skate skiing at nine mile
Sunday: 2 hours of snowshoe hiking/running
Total Workout Time: 12.25 hours

Last year at this time I was close to 158lbs with about 14% body fat.....ooops!

This year I am a robust 161lbs with about 8% body fat....

I love it when a plan comes together.   I can't wait to get on the bike.

Maybe I'll have some B.A.L.L.S come April!!!!

Also, see the new link at the right www.gravelgrindernews.com

A Little Spice In Life Never Hurts

I was able to pick up Salsa this weekend and I love it already.  The paint is cool and the lettering isn't the run of the mill decals like other bikes I've owned, plus the carbon rear seatstays are nicely detailed as well.

My first impressions were that this is a damn cool looking rig.  After further examination you can see a pivot point at the bottom of the seatstays by the dropouts.  This bike is designed to be a little forgiving and all of that energy needs to be dampened somewhere right??? I could see this being a big advantage in the kind of racing we do in this area as we don't necessarily have to "huck" anything (right Nate?).  Another thing I liked right off the bat was the inclusion of reuseable cable routers (see seat stay) these little black wonders are so small in the broad scheme of things but just the attention to detail and the non-use of zip ties made me pretty happy.

This bike came with a full Shimano XT group minus the crank in which that was a Raceface DeusXC (heavy is a nice way to put it).  A Salsa stem, bars, grips, and seatpost also came with.  I quickly got rid of that stuff and replaced with Titec Ti 118 bar, Titec Pluto Prolite Stem, Titec Duke Carbon seatpost and prolite gel saddle.  I also swapped out the xt brakes for my Hayes Stroker Trail brakes.  I added a little weight with the addition of some Ergon GX2 grips but they are a must have on all of my bikes.

What's next for the Mamasita diet?  Well Starting with the wheels I am going to lace up my American classic hubs to some of Stans NEW ZTR Crest 29er hoops with DT Revolution Spokes and Prolock nipples should come out to around 1400g for the set which is damn good for a set of 29er wheels.  The crank comes next.  Rotor Bike has a killer crankset called Agilis and I am going to go the route of 2x9 40t/27t.  Really once those two things are done I would imagine the final weight would be somewhere between 21-23lbs depending on what tires I use.   I do like the wtb prowlers it came with cause of treat pattern, but they are pretty heavy.  I could drop about a half pound just by switching to some Maxxis tires.

Other than that I have just been skiing whenever I get a chance.  This week will be a tough one as I have no weekend plans so skiing will reign supreme and I am back in the weight room again this week after missing last week due to meetings and not feeling good for a little bit.  There is a long time before the first race of the year and I can't wait to ditch the skis and heat up the trails with a little Salsa action, until then I ski till my legs fall off then I ski some more.

Birthday Crosstraining "Ride"

2009 Yamaha Apex GT = Fast!!!

Well with this weekend being the first of many 29th birthdays I decided to get out on the snowmobile with some friends one of which having a prominent stable of very high quality sleds.  We started out with a quick ride to Rick's parents house to swap sleds and from there we rode the twisty stuff which would compare to mtb singletrack.  Diving into corners and opening it up on the wide open double track and finally squeezing the throttle to bar and seeing how fast you shoot across a frozen lake and on the sled above it was extremely fast in the respect that going 70 felt comfortable I didn't care to look down on the lakes but 100mph couldn't have been out of the question.  The end of the ride led us to a local bar/campground for pizza and soda (no really, soda, I don't drink on the sled).  What a ride,  What a weekend with great friends time to go to sheboygan this upcoming weekend to pick up a toy the people that typically follow this site are used to seeing.  The Salsa Mamasita!!!  Who wants to ski at the camp next weekend?

A Public Service ad from the AGRCI

10 Notes for 2010: Part 1

A list of sorts. What I want to do, what not to do, plus any goals I have. Really, and I've said this about a million times, 2009 was an epic failure. This past year I experienced and made many changes, but really I did learn a lot and grew as a better person and will hopefully translate to a better racer, which leads me to note number ONE.

1. Mono and Bronchitis is not an effective training tool if after 6 months you still feel tired from walking a flight of steps or can't have a month without getting sick, do not get stubborn and think it's just a little bug. I will be sure to keep tabs on my health for I am not invincible.

2. Race and train like I mean it and smile so much in the process it hurts. This sport can burn you out if you view it like a job and that can be easily said for those that simply stick to WORS. Now take that time and dedication and bump it up to a rider that does all of these 12 hour and above races. It's not a matter of "if" you burn out, it's a matter of "when". I have made the executive mental decision that if I can maintain a smile throughout and enjoy the backdrop in which I am blessed to ride in, I would be selfish for not enjoying it and therefore not have that burn out phase. My though is if I can ride happy I can ride more. If I ride more I hope I could become competitive once again. Simple math people! Well at least I hope it's simple math anyway.

3. I hope to have trails completed in Bradley Park by the time the leaves start to fall. The approval process and working with the city has been smooth so far, but it is like I mentioned above in that it is a process and like all processes they take a while to complete. From there it's adding snowshoe and xc ski trails on a smaller loop. Goal from there is to maybe have a cyclocross race or trail run event.

4. Support the sport, local shops, and greatful sponsors. I've been lucky enough to find my way into this sport. I can pinpoint the day, time, and even weather of the day I decided I was going to race bikes. A lot of people along the way helped me in various different ways from Scoots introducing me to singletrack at Alpine Valley to Bryan at Evomo hosting me at the Sea Otter. Without the state series like WORS, WEMS, and organizations like WORBA these trails may not even exist. Sites like fattireguides, xxc magazine, and MTB Racenews give us, Wisconsin, a pulse on the national scene. Companies like Redeye Brewing Company, Sprocketz Bike Shop in Weston, EVOMO, are all run by cycling enthusiasts and they pull no punches on supporting the industry and it's population of riders.
My sponsors make all of this racing stuff possible and in return I try to broadcast their message to as many people that care to listen and in short to all of the great support, thanks!

5. Preparing for future endeavours and putting to rest my internal thoughts that the tour divide can't be done. This will be the start of a long process to learning the fine art of bikepacking and self supported ultra long distance rides. Chris Plesko got me very intrigued with his stories about his journey along the continental divide. I don't know when and for what year I will send my letter of intent, but the preparation begins now.

Really, since the week of November 1st I haven't taken a complete week off and got back into the gym this year.  I think it's going to be a fantastic year.