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.......