A Summer of puppies

Here is what we've been up to lately

2 big races, two dissappointing outcomes.

A few week ago I attempted to do the Mohician 100. For some reason I decided to do it on my geared bike with a ridged fork and new ergon grips. Bad idea, and that combo was an especially bad idea. After 50 miles I decided to throw in the towel.

Earlier I was flying down one of the down hills with my headphones on and was somewhat out of control. At the bottom of the hill was a man gesturing something I took as "whoa! slow down man, your scaring me" about 3 seconds later it clicked what he was actually gesturing "slow down there is a really slippery bridge just ahead that takes a sharpish right hand turn" As soon as I went to turn both wheels slipped out from under me and I was on the ground. A sharp pain shot through my finger and I jumped up holding it and pulling on it (thinking I dislocated it). I looked at it through my glove it looked normal but bending it was very painful. So I got back on my bike and got going again. With the ridged fork every bump rattled through my hands and out my finger.

Shortly after that Jeff Pendlebury on his SS caught up to me and then Ernesto. The three of us rode together for a while dropping then catching one another until I fell off the back.

That was about it for me, my hands and upper body were taking a beating from my sweet new combo and my finger was a constant pain. All I was thinking about was how I really wanted to build a deck in the backyard and install the sliding door we just got,

and how bad my hands were going to be. So after a few more miles of the Mohican Wilderness trail I popped out on the road and headed to the finish line to tell them I wad done.

Afterwards while Zak, Brad and myself were eating our post race (post DNF for me), meal. Ernesto and Josh Tostado sat down with us and Big Bear came up. They were both going to be there. I got excited, this is a chance for me to race against some top 24hr guys.

Big Bear is put on by Granny Gear productions and are the most expensive races around $350 dollars for solo riders plus they charge you ten dollars to camp! In the grab bag you get a frisbee and a t-shirt. No free breakfast. No free meal afterwards, just a t-shirt and a frisbee... It is unclear what the winners get or how deep they pay. So I pretty much banned all granny gear races, but this one was close and I would have a chance to race some fast guys.

About 5 days before the start of the 24hrs of Big Bear I dropped the $350 and signed up.

My brother Jon was up for coming down and helping me out. We left Friday afternoon and got there around 7pm . We found a spot to camp, got all set up then found a better spot all the way in the back right along the trail, we took it. Jon got a fire going as I got ready for the race and went to bed. Woke up the next morning and kind of milled around until the race started.

The Le mans start was pretty long and rocky but was over soon enough.

I found my bike and took off. Less than a half mile in we got into some technical stuff and got the usual slow downs. I ran past a bunch of people got on the bike and passed a bunch more. The first two -three laps went ok, I got a flat on lap two and I was riding slower than normal and just mentally not in it. I couldn't stop thinking about how I just wanted to be home with Amy

and the pups.

I finally snapped out of it and my mind and body started to click.

Shortly after that on lap five I got caught and lapped by Josh Tostado. Five laps in! in 65 short miles and about 7.5 hours! Wow! I knew I wasn't riding my best but come on. Shortly after on my sixth lap another solo rider got me (the eventual winner Brandon Draugelis)

By this time my achiles tendon was starting to bother me (two years ago I had to drop out of the Mohican 24 because my achilles felt like it was going to snap). I knew it was just a matter of time before I would have to stop and last I checked I was in 8th place so I was thinking I'll just finish this lap (lap seven) and hang out with my brother the rest of the night. Soon after I caught Rob Lichtenwainer "Are you catching me" yeah I think so, what place are you in? "I was in third, now you are" we talked for a while but he was hurting so I rode on.

I needed to know if I really was in third or if I was a lap behind Rob somehow. I got to the start/finnish and Jon was there taking pictures like he had every other lap.

I asked him to find out where I was, waved my time card over the scanner and started another lap. Two plus miles later I got to our tent and Jon confirms that I am in third. Damn! I can't stop now, I have to go for as long as I can. Maybe my achilles will hold out. I thought about changing over to my geared bike and even taping my tendon but did neither. The SS felt great and I have no clue how to tape for a sore achilles.

I felt good, my body was holding up great besides the achilles and I was having fun but I knew I had to take it easy and just try to survive. I started to favor my right leg and walking up the steeper climbs. Lap nine it started to hurt. Before it was more of a dull pain not really occupying my mind, now it was pretty much all I could think about. I knew this would be my last lap, I was pretty disappointed. I rolled into the start/finnish waved my time card for the last time and took the course back to the tent just incase I felt like doing another lap later on. I got to the tent and let Jon know I was done. He tried to get me back out there but it just wasn't worth it to me.

We sat by the fire, both of us bummed I couldn't finnish. I was In third place an hour and 20 min ahead of fourth.

Jon eventually went to bed, I stayed up encouraging everyone that went by until I decided I should probably get some sleep for the drive home.
Brandon Draugelis won with 14 laps and plenty of time to do more if he had some competition. Josh Tostado mysteriously dropped out after lap 11 in first place by twenty min. I finished eighth.
Thanks to Jon for taking the time out to come down and helping me out, you did awesome!, the Baltimore boys for keeping things lively and Brian and Eric for the good company.
I have a Dr. appointment soon to get this thing checked out so I don't continue to have this problem. For now I'm staying off the bike...sort of.

Dirt Sweat & Gears

Amy, Deuce and myself loaded into the car for a week of hiking, biking and relaxing in NC, but first stop would be Fayetteville, TN for the 12hr race DSG. This was Deuce's first big road trip and he made the perfect travel buddy here he is a few hours into the trip

Safety first

A few nights before we left I started paying close attention to the weather down there. Rain, rain and more rain. Knowing what rain does to this trail from the first lap of last years race. I decided to run cross tires on my spare wheel set. Hoping if anything I would be able to at least push my bike around the course instead of dragging or carrying it. Never having done this before I was anxious to try it out. I rode around the trails for a few miles and decided I should try to run them tubeless.
The next day I woke up bummed a tubeless stem off Fuzzy and with some trouble and a friendly neighbor with an air compressor I was finally able to mount the cross tires tubeless.
The race began with a Le Mans style start. I found my bike and was off. The conditions of the first lap were ok, wet and muddy but everyone was able to ride. My rear wheel went flat three times before I decided to throw a tube in it. Then about 100 yards later I dropped my chain. I was bummed but figured there were still over 11 hours still to go.


The second lap started to get sticky everything slowed down. Lots of people walking or stopped pulling mud off their bikes. I was able to ride most of the course. At one point I came up to Dicky pushing my bike up a hill. And he said something like "how is it possible that I'm hearing a rear wheel turning". A few minutes later my front tire blew out. Then a little later everytime I went to unclip to run up a hill my left foot would get stuck and I'd fall over. "Now what" I lost a bolt to my cleat "damn" so I rode with out clipping in untill I got out of the first section of woods and asked the first person I saw if he had a spare bolt. He did! he cleaned out my shoe and put in a new bolt. Thank you who ever you are.
A few min later I came up to DJ he was pushing his bike around looking defeated. I'm sure it didn't help things for him when I rode past him. I knew he wouldn't be too far out of first place. This is the point where I started thinking I might have a shot at winning this thing.



The third lap was worse people were comming at me trying to find a way out of this disaster. I was still able to ride a lot of the trail and what I couldn't ride I could at least push my bike through. I was passing people left and right that were either standing there in a daze, cleaning the mud off their bikes with hands and sticks, dragging their bikes through the mud or carring their bikes, some with wheels in one hand frame in the other. I went through that last year in the first lap and it was horrible this was some peoples 2nd or third lap! I don't know how the did it. A few miles in I cought up to Fuzzy (he was way ahead of any other SS rider I saw) walking next to his bike just chugging away. He looked surprised when I rode up to him,

he asked: what lap are you on?
Third, Its the cross tires not my fitness.
do you have any more that I can use?
no, I wish I did. Good luck

About a min later we saw each other again on a swich back and Fuzzy asked me to have Mike Stanley set him up with cross tires. "alright" I said and continued on. The rest of the lap I was going back and forth in my head should I say something to Mike or not... I told Fuzzy I would so I'm going to... ahh that sucks he's probably going to catch me... I decided to stop and let Mike know Fuzzy needs cross tires It was only fair. By the time I got to the tents Fuzzy was already there getting everything going. He probably figured instead of finnishing his lap walking his bike it would be faster to stop where he was come in and change tires then go back out and finish his lap on cross tires.



The fourth lap more of the same about 3 hours of thick heavy mud any time the trail pointed up I would push my bike looking back every so often hoping like hell not to see Fuzzy back there. I passed Harlen Price at one point. We talked about just calling it quits at the end of this lap. He was in 2nd place in his class Pro open and I was sitting in 1st of my class Pro SS. We both just wanted it to be over and were hoping everyone else felt the same way. I came around to the tents and asked Fuzzys wife if she thought John would be up for just calling it a day or if he would keep going. She couldnt answer that so I went over to DJ and asked him the same question. "Its hard to say" "Just quit" Dicky says. Thanks guys
So I ride up to the start finnish line and talk to Bruce Dickman for a min and he sticks the mic in my face asking me whats on my mind. I mumble something about calling it a day and look over to see my wife Amy waving me on yelling at me that I had better go out for another lap. Does she even know what its like out there?

So I head out for my fifth lap not looking forward to it but if it means winning this thing and bringing home that $15oo check then I gotta do it. I ride around the field listening closely for Bruce to announce something about Fuzzy coming through.I dont hear anything so right before I head into the woods I ask a guy standing there if he has seen Fuzzy come out of the woods yet (the trail going into and out of the woods pass right by each other and there is about 2 miles to the start/finnish from this point and I'm hoping he is at least 2miles back) "no but I can't say 100% if he has or hasn't" ok so I sit there for a few min waiting for Fuzzy to come by... nothing then a golf cart comes up asking if everything is ok. I explain to them whats going on and the driver says hold on let me find out if Fuzzy has come through yet. they come back about four min later saying fuzzy completed his 4th lap and is headed out for his 5th. "F--k"! He must have snuck past Bruce and is close behind me. So I jump on my bike and go. Running up hills not wanting to look back just go! go! go! I pass Rebecka Tomaszewski
she is in the same boat racing to the finnish with someone hot on her tail. After a while I start thinking the golf cart guys were wrong and Fuzzy never went out for his 5th lap but still not sure I keep up a good pace. Fuzzy never catches me and I finnish before the sun goes down. High fiving Amy at the finnish line (someone took a photo of this and I would love to have it but can not find it) I go straight to the hose and wash up.

Turns out Fuzzy never did go out for his fifth lap and I was the only solo rider to complete 5 laps.

Thanks to my Sponsors
Dieringer Custom Cycles
Swiftwick
Endura Clothing
and
Idutri.com

Now off to Saluda, NC for some fun.

There is still Hope

This winter has been a long and harsh one. I have only been on my bike a hand full of times in the last 3 months (partly weather, partly me being lazy). I have been going to my local Rec. center for some cross training and some weight training. Not to mention all the exercise I've gotten from shoveling. So I still feel fit but Mtb fit?? Maybe I'll have a chance to find out in the next week or so. Its supposed to be in the 50's in a few days.

This past week I've been spending hours a day in front of the TV (we just got cable!) pounding out the miles on the trainer. I'm excited to be riding again even if it is only riding in place.

I'm going to be even more excited to ride once I get the new bike. Zak Dieringer of Dieringer Cycles (my new sponsor) built me a new 29er geared bike. I should have it in a few days. Its at the paint shop now. It should look something like this:



Deep dark metallic gray and a light blue. I'm hoping my bike doesn't come back with "Pedro" or some other name written on it somewhere like my buddy Robb who had his bike repainted by the same painter and it came back with "Greg" mysteriously written on the top tube.

I have most of the parts for this thing: Thomson Masterpiece seat post and Thomson stem (both won from races last year) Old XT cranks and a monkey lite bar, a slew of Hope parts that Greg from Spin ordered for me (Thanks Greg) will as some bling

Hope hubs & Stans ZTR Arch hoops and matching skewers finish out what I have. Zak is ordering the rest and what he's getting me only he know. White brothers fork and Sram shifty things maybe??

All I know is that I'm looking forward to this season and warmer weather. My cat Tut is excited for me to get out of the house too, he hates it when I get bored.

Dog bite

It has been snowing here too long and too much. I find myself walking from room to room just wondering around the house bored out of my mind. I had to get out. So I bundled up got my bike out and went for a ride in the valley. The same route I do at least once a week.

The trail starts three minutes down the road and ends about 13 miles later in Lakewood (where Spin bike shop is located and where I ended up going). There are only two hills one to get in the valley and one to get out, nothing lasting more than a minute or two. It's illegal to ride in the Metro Park but I have never had a problem (say for a few angry walkers) north of Cedar Point road.

The harsher the weather the less I worry about some ding dong yelling at me or spreading their arms out as wide as they can to block me as I attempt to get by. I figure its cold and snowy not too many people are going to be out.

About ten miles in I come across this guy and his dog walking near the river and as I get closer I notice the dog is not on a leash so I swing way around them and continue on. about ten yards later the guy yells HEY! I look and see this 80lb. German Shepard chasing me down. I got a little nervous but figured he would back off soon or just wanted to play.

Turns out he wanted to eat me. He got in one good chomp before I jumped off my bike . Now with the bike between us, dog barking at me trying desperately to get at me, me yelling at the guy to come save me. It takes this guy so long to get to us it was ridiculous. So now with dog in owners hands I check out my bite. It hurts but not soo bad (yet anyways) and I'm not bleeding so I hop on my bike figuring I'm pretty lucky, say goodbye and ride away. The owner never apologized or even looked sympathetic the only words out of his mouth were "oh did he get you?" Yes. yes sir he did get me.

I got to the bike shop changed out my shifter cables and limped home.

Day 1

Day 1: I woke up early and got in a 3.5 hr mtb ride. It was about 10 degrees out and when I got home my face was all puffy and fat looking. Amy had a few laughs at my expense.



She felt bad for me so she steamed me some egg nog. YUMMY!