ouch!

Bryan BTU Mnt Rike Race 2009 Oct.

Was muddy, wet and good. I rode well. Placed a 3rd. Could've would've, should've applies here. I showed up in Perkins fashion. 10 minutes until start. Didn't warm up. Was late for registration, but they allowed me to register. Several inches of rain before hand. The night before, day before and as I was driving there. All and all, now that i've cooled down (from be glued and screwed) it was great to be out there giving it all I've got at the age of 41. Damn I'm blessed and happy.

Got Screwed!

Friends. Nothing more makes me outraged then when a "friend" decides for one reason or another that fucking his friend is a good idea. Or when a friend can't see beyond his or her own pride and feels inclined to use you as an excuse for not accomplishing an objective. May Karma have it's way with you.

Fire on the trail....

Damn, I lit a fire on the trail today, Friday Oct. 2, 2009 Austin Freaking TExas..Green Belt etc.... Hit the trail about 3pm. Road until 6pm. One bottle of water, no food, no air. Just a BlackBerry and car key. Road like a 22 year-old. Balance was excellent. Trail was Prime. (From the weeks worth of rain. Barton Creek actually has water in it. A miracle nowadays.) And I was dead-on my game. Rode alot of trails I'm not familiar with which makes the G-Belt so freaking great.

Sunday is Bryan BTU Power Pedal Race. 3rd of this season. I'm hoping (of course) to do well. Hopefully, the weather holds out. The 429 is so sweet!

Slug

With the wet weather here lately, I'm feeling a bit sluggish. I haven't ridden since this past weekend. The weekend rides were nice, though. I mountain biked 3hrs on Sat. at the GreenBelt. Very sweet section of the belt. Sunday, I went out for 2.5 hrs on the road during the middle of the day. It also was nice. Today, Thursday, I plan on either going to the gym, or running in the rain around Townlake which is usually pretty nice. It's been a while since I've done both. We'll see what happens? BTW: I hope my good friend Rick Jordan reads my blog soon;) Peace!

Change it up..

Decided to take a little rest and change up the schedule. I took off Tuesday nite from the Dirt Derby to gain a little rest and hope for another "good week" in a few weeks. This past week I raced 3 days which has left me a little unsure... I was unable (last week) to ride at my best in all 3 events. Especially in Huntsville. I should (could've, would've) have ridden at least 3 minutes faster overall. But whatchagon'ado? Change it up!

Tonight, I showed up at Cycle Progression for the weekly Wednesday night mountain bike ride with the fellows from Cycle Progression, and no one showed except for Jack. Jack's an older dude in his early 50's that rides like a kid. He has excellent skills and makes a good riding partner. He and I rode moderately and ended up being a excellent ride.

No Thursday night at the Driveway tomorrow for me. I may head to the Gym to change it up there too..

Huntsville

Raced Huntsville Classic this past weekend. Was raining a majority of the time. Good to have the rain, but another wet race I was concerned about. If there's a race to race in the rain, this was one of the better ones. Sand and a well drained trail acted as good compaction for good traction. Very little clay and slick mud. Anyway, raced hard but was hurting on the last lap where I lost a few minutes. Ended up 11th. Out of the money range.

Just a cool video....

Later Camp Eagle...

What a race! I arrived to Camp Eagle Saturday afternoon. Getting there (down a 8 mile dirt road) was mud bog. Friday night they got rain. Saturday afternoon, rain, and Saturday night rain. When I arrived I found a descent place to camp. (what was left) and pitched a tent. I decide to ride the course (one of the reasons for getting there early). It was a creamy mess. The trail was saturated. I rode for an hour and took it back to camp. Thereafter, cracked a beer and started making dinner. I cooked up a chicken breast, frozen veggies, and Roman Noodles. Then went to bed. Seems everyone shut it down around 11pm. During the night I was woken-up by a strange noise near my tent. Not once or twice, but three times. I thought it may have been a hog? I knew once I got back to the office my co-worker Tanner would know what it was. He's from this area and knows the wild life very well out in these areas. He said it most have been a Axis Buck. They're known for this noise I described to him. With that noise, the boy scouts, and rain during the middle of the night I woke every 30 minutes. Anyway, I woke at 7:30am to get breakfast started. Went and registered for the race. Found a pooper to blow up, then back to camp to get ready. My plan was to have the bike ready/everything ready at 9:50am and show up on the starting line @ 10:20am. The race was posted to start at 10:30. Once I left to start my warm up at 9:50am. They started calling my class -Cat 1 40-49 to start first in front of the Cat 2?? This delayed my warm-up. So, I showed up on the line cold. Thereafter, they had us just wait until 10:40 before starting us. It really sucked! I really needed my warm-up!
The race got started with a blast off the start which took us up a 200 foot climb then a hard left onto a , muddy trail. The climb freak'en hurt like no other! I felt like I had muriatic acid pumping thru my veins. The trail was just a messy mud bog. This makes it sooo much harder because your trying keep the bike up-right without a tire slipping or whatever. It's mental game against yourself at this point. These conditions just sap the heck out you. I wreaked once. Slid out a few times and got a seat rammed up my butt. Anyway, I ended up with a 7th Place, respectfully. I've got to be happy with that. I did notice that after the race my rear breaks were rubbing pretty good. And it certainly felt like it all day. Here are the result.

Camp Eagle I'm coming...

From SouthFork Colorado 2009

Today I had off work (Friday, Sept 5) which was nice. Got to sleep in and catch up on some well need rest. Dirt Derby Tuesday allowed me some intensity work followed by Wednesday nite Cycle Progression Mountain bike ride. Tomorrow I leaving for Camp Eagle. I plan on camping, riding Saturday two laps easy, then race Sunday. I feel confident and on form for a good start for the season. I've worked hard all summer to get to this point. Now with a new Mnt. bike (429), I hope to be a new man possessed by a new bike. It happens you know.. I'll be sport'en my new team jersey for Cycle Progression and hope to make an impression. Next week, same thing all over, but in Huntsville. I think I'll change it up some with Tuesday nite Dirt Derby, followed by the Thursday Niter Driveway series. It's been a few week since I've done the Driveway. The Plan is to remain on good form without peaking, remain rested, stay healthy and stay out of trouble. Be safe that is... Things happen you know!

Dirt Derby

This Tuesday nite was the beginning of the Dirt Derby series of which I broke out the new (to me) cyclocross bike that's been hanging in my barn just waiting to be ridden. I haven't ridden this bike, other than up and down my road I live on. I've just been too busy this summer training on the road bike and focusing on getting the my new mountain bike. However, Tuesday nite opened up the opportunity. It's been 6 years now since I've raced a cyclocross event. But it was just like riding a bike. I rode exceptionally well, except for I got off course and ended up losing 65 seconds which took me from 3rd position to 6th. I quickly caught 5th and 4th but was unable to get back to 3rd. So, finished in 4th. I'm very happy with that result. I'll try again next week. Saturday is the big day for me. My first Mountain Bike race of the new Fall 2009 series. With me luck...

2008 Dirt Derby Halloween Party from Pirate Race Productions on Vimeo.

This week my mind will be on ...

My first mountain bike race of this new season. It will be taking place near Rocksprings outside of Kerville. A good 3 hour drive form the casa. I know because I drove there this past Saturday. Excellent course. The course if very technical with alot of expose limestone rocks, ledges and off-camber trail. Some elevation involve, maybe a total of 200 feet of relief? I'm hoping to rest well this week and stay on schedule for a good race. Actually, I'm trying to over come last weeks rides in high elevation. It seem everytime I come back from high elevation riding it take a little time to come back into my good form? Not sure what's with that? Happy Monday, everybody.

Back to Reality

Back at work today. I've been going through all the pics we took and have been day-dreaming of being back. What a wonderful trip. The first day we road up to Wheeler Geologic Area. A 14 trip up a 4x4 road.

We took the hiking / horse trail back down. It was a 7 mile trail that is very eroded and we took a beating on the way down.

What one will do for a sweet ride.

Just got back from SouthFork, Colorado. Drove into Houston with Holt and Damian, from there home. Dang, what a long drive. We woke b'out 3am, made a pot of coffee and hit the road. Holt took the drive to Greenville, NM. There I drove a couple of hours, then Damian took a long haul at it. Finally ending back home in Tejas. I have a new liking for the Panhandle. We drove through Fort Worth (my original home) then hit I45 to Houston. Glad to be home, sweet home. The Trip, btw, was excellent! It was great to see the Harlan's (Kathy and Jimmy, Holt's parents) They have the best Retirment cabin in Southfork. They welcomed us and we had a wonderful time share old stories of how Holt and I used to raise cane on 3-wheeler back in the day.

I'll write more about it tomorrow, however, the riding was soooooo-frecking-sweet! It was so with the 37 hours of driving to get there and back. Nice to be Home. I missed Staci.

Before I sleep. Today was another good one. We got a ride up to Hunters Lake. From there we rode to Trout mnt. 11947ft. We desended 3500ft. Nice aspen gro

Going to bed early so we can wake in a few hour to start our 17hr drive. Going to be a long one. Time to pay for the good times.

From Miners creek trail we went to the Continental trail at 11000 ft. Fast and fun. I wish I could send photos from here. Get ready for the last ride.

Another great day.

Friday was a great day. Took a shuttle up to lost creek. Decented down 3000ft in1hr. Fun. That wasn't enough so we went to Miners Creek

Was a long day. Rode up to wheeler geo. Lots of climbing and some good downhills. Beautiful views. Loss of good pics. 429 rode like a champ. Phenomenal!

Made it to southfork.

Got to Holt's parents house a hour ago. Had dinner in Alamosa at the San Luis brewery. Had a burger and a couple of ales. Finally here

We are driving thru Eli and Memphis Texas.

Memphis

Later, I'm going to Colorado on the 429

It's 12:55am. I should have already left for Houston. Need to meet Damian and Holt around 3am.

We leaving for Southfork Co. Got the 429 yesterday. I rode it for nearly 3 hours today. Such a nice bike.

Got to go... I'll be updating the blog form the BlackBerry.

I'll miss snug..

This is my first mobile blog entry. Here the 429.

Blue Monday

First of all, I want to reflect on the passing of Kevin Underhill. Kevin, from what I understand, was a nice guy. I didn't know him. I did see him at the beginning and during the 4/5 race at the Driveway. During the 4th lap of the race I saw and heard behind me bikes and riders going down. On the next lap we passed Kevin. He was laying on the ground unconscious bleeding. The pack slowed down, a few riders stop to render aid. The pack spead back-up, continued a lap and approached Kevin again. This time everyone knew he wasn't getting up. At that point the race was "nutilized". We all cleared the field and tried to reflect on what had happen. EMS was called out and took Kevin away. From what I understand, he went trough 2 1/2 surgeries and was in ICU. This weekend Kevin passed and thoughts and prayers go out to his family. God Bless.

Sunday Ride & Armstrong wins Leadville

Per usual, I wake a little late, around 9. Get out of bed and think, owell. I'll get a later start on a ride. Since I rode yesterday, I was think about 2.5 hr. ride. Take it a little easy and concentrate on spin and form. So, I have my breakfast of blueberries and oatmeal. Lube up and get fluids and calories for the ride. I check the bike make any adjustments needed and check pressure. The front tire was flat? (I just put a new tire on Friday nite). I just air it up to 120 psi check for leaks, I don't hear any so off I go. Today, I changed up the route a little. Working into a Southeast wind 12-15 for the first 15 mile then, another 10 or so into a cross. I went took some back rodes around Comels dump and out to New Braunsfel Airport, to Zorn the back to San Marcos. It was hot, per usual. Black top roads make for a baking effect. I really need am extra 32 oz. of water but I conserverved what I had. Which is not a good thing to do while riding in this heat. But I made up for it when I got home. I ended up pushing a good pace all day. Lots of climbs on this route too. Real nice. Colorado trip on my mind all day. Tuesday evening I leave for Houston to meet the boys. The plan is to get on the road around 3am? We'll see if that happens? The rest of today will be resting and preparing for trip. Armstrong wins Leadville 6:38". That's hauling!

Saturday Mnt. bike ride

View Larger MapDid a quick three hour ride through the green belt today. Starting from 1st. st. bridge. Did some of the Canon trail off the main trail which is very technical and beat you like bull riding on a hard tail. Therefore, I would like to have the 429 b'out now. Especially before the trip! We'll wait and see. Today on the trail, towards the end, I flatted. Blew a sidewall. (I've been running the Stan's NoTube product. Excellent stuff!). The tires are old and need replacing. So, if I don't get the 429 before Tuesday, I'll have to purchase new tire for the Mojo:( Then I'hv'to spend more money on Stan's. Pricey all the way around. I'm bitch'en again.. Anyway, the ride was excellent. I rode hard. Took a dip in the San Marcos River afterwords. I'm feeling fine. It was the second time I've been on the Mojo since April. I've been doing all road stuff this summer. My upper body strength is lacking, big. Need to start working on it soon. Mountain bike season begins Sept. 5-6. The Colorado trip will be a nice beginning to the season. Holt, my good pal, is thinking about not going because his sciatic never is bothering'em. We'll see.. If he doesn't, Damian, my other good pal, and I will go. But we'll

have to camp. Either way, it'll be nice to be in the mountains. Thinking bout riding River Road tomorrow?

Thursday Niter

This summer I've added to my normal summer road riding the Thursday Niter. AKA, the Driveway. I've done 7 of the last 10 Thusdays. My best finish was a 5th. Most have been top 10 finishes. I'm very happy with these results so far. So, tomorrow night/tonight I'm going to give it another shot before the Colorado trip. BTW: my 429 is in. I'm still waiting on wheels from Stan's.

Can't wait. Hopefully, it'll be ready before next Tuesday when I leave. Wish me luck! I just got the stitches out of the Knee, so I'm good to g-o. Did the Tuesday Niter last night. I didn't push it too hard. I took it somewhat, easy. I haven't riden too very much for the last 4 weeks. Only 3 rides. Not sure how the body's going to act? I'll try anyway. Here's my claim to fame photo of the summer. http://dcmphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/9023903_yaMo4#600376494_cUeJJ

The Yeast Effect

Yeast. Every think about? It's in everything I like to eat and in some places I don't care for it to be.. Beer, Bread, Diary Products, etc.... Whatever... Today, I spent a major of the day at various doctors offices tring to take care of matters. Derm, General and Allergist. Allergies are a big part of my life. Since I was tout, I've been living with allergies which triggers my asthma. I once sared the living crap out of my mother when I was 11 by turning blue as she was rushing me to the emercency room back in 79'. The once again with Staci in '97. Weird the numbers are turned around? Never thought about that..? Anyway, I had the annual allergy test done which consist of 60 to 90 needles poked in me. The idea is to see if a certain injected allergen causes a reaction. This allergen, along with many other that I inject weekly will hopefully cause me to become ammuned.(spelling?) That's the idea anyway. I think it's impoved my quality of life greatly. Afterward, I went to Dermotogist. A new one for me. Second opinon. He couldn't beleive I've been walking around with this for sooo long and especially since I've seen another Derm for the past 2 years. From there, I rushed over to my General Prat. Dr. Grulkey. A fine doctor. There I dicussed my cycling ambitions for the year, a check up, and other things. It's good to have this done once a year. Which normally

don't do....

On a nother note, tomorrow I'll check on the 429. Better days are a head! Onward!

429 Pivot

429 Pivot has been on my mind for some time. Actually many different mountain bikes have been on my mind, not to mention bikes period this year. I got the hankern again (like some many times) this year after racing the Mas-O-Menos Marthon. There I finished a respecful 30th place at 6hr and some changes. I ran the course with the ol' trusted IbisMojo. Steel hard-tail that is. With the hand job. I purchased this bike back in 97' with the idea of it lasting a long time. I dropped more money on it then any other bike I've ridden. However, the bike has been such a sweet ride over the years. I've upgraded the component twice and shock once. Well now it's time to move on to something different and comfortable. The 429 is a sweet, I'm mean frick'en sweet 29'er, fully suspended ready to burn trails, mountain bike. I've been on the fence for sometime now about a 29'er. I've seen bike trends come and go and this one is here to stay and revolutionary. It's taken me some time to embrace but I'm now invested. I ordered the bike last Thursday(Aug 6, 09) as a birthday gift to myself. It should take a week to arrive. I order the frame and fork from the factory thru Cycle Progession and Bryan Fawley and I are buiding it up. Basically, weight is an issue with this bike and keeping it light and with-in budget(?) is the game. With this in mind, the build is XTR Cranks, Sram twist X9 and X9 derail. The wheels will be kind with DT240 Hubs, Stands No-tubs Rims. WSC Stem and Race Face bars. The Disk brakes are by Hope. This ought to lighten it to 26lbs. I hope. Can't wait to see it.