Schwalbe Knows.....

....TIRES! Just a quick note post-ride to tell everyone what they should already know. I've been trucking along on the Schwalbe train for quite a while now, and some of you may be riding their sweet treads thanks to yours truly (you're welcome!). But if you're not, then head over to your local shop and politely, yet sternly, ask for Schwalbe tires for your bike. Pretty soon, your tire bin will look like this........

Pain Withdrawal

Rest week over-and-out. I made this one count too, did my easy rides, hanging in Jim Thorpe at my friend's place. No cell phone reception, only a few bears and insects to chat with. Went on a crazy hike Friday through Hickory Run State Park and got caught in a sweet thunderstorm. Definitely almost wet myself a few times, but was able to hold it in. Definitely more lightning than I was comfortable with.

Thursday got a sweet ride in with BG. He outsprinted me 235-to-218. What can I say, he's crafty. My tally of junk food for the week ends at: 2 nights of wings, one night of ribs (had leftovers for lunch), one bacon burger. Not too bad, actually kept it rather healthy this time! I should have taken a picture of the ribs though, man were they Deeeeelish!

Training plan gets drastically different now as the hours go waaaay down and the intensity goes waaaay up. I've been anxious for results as the season progresses, but haven't really been doing race prep until the past few weeks. I finally feel rested and as though I've properly absorbed the previous training blocks. Last weeks massage probably helped with that, as I was in desperate need of some work. If things go as planned, I'll finish up the two Pro XC Tour races in Vermont and New York with good results, and then refocus on cyclocross for the Fall. Will probably mix it up during September between mtb and 'cross though. Pics below: Bear, Bug, Beer.

Scenes from Cowbell

Photos from Cyclepix taken by Ron Richardson.

Exiting the first section of singletrack.

Over the rock gardens and through the woods.......

Giving Bruce 'The Mouth of the South' a finishing high-5

The impeccable Harlan Price

Dog at the Helm

It's mid-week in my rest week now and I'm finally starting to feel relaxed. After 3 weeks of traveling, racing, and training I realized I hadn't taken a full rest week in a while. I packed my bag and headed to the mountains for a little relaxation. Before heading up, I got an amazing 2hr massage to help work some of the kinks out of my weary body. I still feel like putty......sweet!

The Cowbell US Cup race did not go quite as planned. After two tough races with crashes and cramps, I hoped I could still squeak out a solid result before hitting the rest week. Such was not in the stars. After a lackluster start I made my move and put on a solid pace up to 7th position going into the final lap (this according to the announcer, I had no idea where I really was). Then the fireworks started.....in my head. I hit the wall and fell back to 17th, all in the final lap. The heat of the day was the deciding factor for me, and even though I drank as much as I could, I just couldn't keep my core temperature down low enough to keep the engine running smooth. As I limped in, all I could think about was a cold shower. So fresh and so clean-clean!

Pic of the one real technical section on course, which was a blast to ride through! Multiple lines and fans cheering.

Harlan before our race flexing for the ladies.

Tomorrow I'm meeting up with BG for a long fun ride. The weather is finally decent in the Mid-Atlantic and we plan on taking full advantage!

Toodles!

Joe Knows........

Meet Joe. Joe knows bikes. Joe is owner of Breakaway Bikes and Fitness (click HERE for their website). Need bikes? Need fitness? In Philly? See Joe. He looks a little crazy.....ok, he is a little crazy, but it's a good crazy. Tell him Jordan summoned you.

Heading to North Carolina via D.C. with Harlan and Gurtie. The Cowbell Summer Solstice is another classic race which was included on the US Cup Schedule this year. Looking forward to it!

Ta-ta.......

Scenes from Williams Lake

Mulling over a tough race up in NY today. The course was sloppy, with multiple short, steep hills that required dismounting and running. Coming off last weekend's crash, I felt good but was an unknown quantity. Turns out I really only had half a race in me as the second half was marred by another crash and lots of cramping due to the run-ups. In the end, I got 5th out of about 12 Pros. I'll take it for now, but need to continue to improve so that when I show up to these small races I'm winning them hands down. That's going to take some consistency, which I can feel is coming now.

Aside from the race, the venue was beautiful. Enjoy some pictures from the venue below. Race pics to follow hopefully.

Next race on tap is stop #4 of the US Cup East in North Carolina, the Cowbell Summer Solstice XC. Still have to finalize travel plans, but if that falls through I'll be at the Mid-Atlantic Super Series stop at Neshaminy High School. It's actually only 30 minutes away, but I'm hooked on racing the US Cups, so go figure!

Until next time, Ciao!

The way Jim Thorpe liked it.

Yesterday I partook in a sweet ride with Harlan, Rick, and Tim through the Northeastern PA region, starting in Jim Thorpe, and following dirt and paved roads for 60 miles. Despite some difficulties with the Google Maps route we used, we still managed to have a blast. There's something about road biking on roads normally meant for mountain bikes, or better yet Jeeps, that adds an extra 'epic' factor to a ride. Now I have to remember to grab some fresh brake pads from the shop next time, probably has something to do with my riding my brakes down that steep fire road for 1 or 2 miles. Awesome.

After the ride, we hit JT's for some burgers and fries, the way Jim Thorpe like it. Hip is feeling good again, very happy!

Hoo-Hahahahahahaaaa

I made it down to Anna and Jeff's place Saturday night just in time to catch the end of Independence Day, a fine Will Smith movie.  After much joking and deliberating, we hit the sack to rest up for the following day's bikefest, the Massanutten Hoo-Ha!  

Upon waking, I searched for my Emergen-C packets, only to realize that I left them in the car.  I then realized that there surely should be some Emergen-C in the cupboards of the house, so I set out in search.  Anna and Jeff must be doing some product development research for Emergen-C, because I never saw this box in the stores.

The drive down was uneventful, other than the bathroom break where I snuck into the ladies room of the gas station.  Sorry ladies, one cup of strong coffee and I was a level-12 emergency 1.5hrs later.  At the race, I hopped out, grabbed my bike, and went straight to registration.  Into the pre-reg line, I got my number, signed my waiver and forms, and headed back to the car to get ready.  Back at the car, I started prepping my bike, and upon grabbing my number, I noticed I got the number '1'.  Oh man.....

After some joking around with the crew, I finally got out on the road for my warm-up about one hour from the race start, giving me time for about 40 minutes of spinning and efforts.  That all went well, and I felt petty darn good when I toed the line.  A front row start was nice, and I was right next to some of the big guns I knew I needed to keep up with.  At the start, a rider I didn't know sprinted off and I took his wheel, and draft, while everyone else followed suit.  As we started climbing, he started slowing and as people started coming around, I followed and kept up a good pace in the front.  As we hit the first section of trail, a doubletrack climb, I got a small branch wedged in my rear brake rotor which forced me to stop, check my wheel, then remount in pursuit.  No problems, made it back to the field, but while passing riders I made a huge mistake and took too much speed into a rocky technical section and crashed.  My knee and hip took the brunt of it, along with my deraillure hanger.  I managed to fix the hanger, but my hip got worse as I rode and eventually abandoned.  Boo!  I should have been more patient on a long, technical course, but hindsight is 20/20!

So now I'm resting up, the hip is doing OK and I'm making sure to stretch and keep it loose.  If I feel recovered, I'll head up to NY for a small local race before going down to North Carolina for round #4 of the US Cup, the Cowbell Summer Solstice.  Until then........

The calm before the Hoo-Ha

Going to be heading down to Virginia this weekend for the next US Cup race, the Massanutten Hoo-Ha!  The exclamation point is part of the race name.  I'm really looking forward to this race.  When I got back Monday night from Alabama, I started thinking about Virginia.  When I woke up Tuesday, I thought all I'd be able to get in was a short recovery ride, but after my easy hour spin, I felt too good and went out for my prescribed interval session.  Wednesday I did a 3hr easy road ride, focusing more on recovery, and felt great after.  Today though, I didn't feel 100% this morning, and after eating breakfast waited a little longer than normal until I got on the bike.  I got through the first part of the workout OK, but in the middle I knew I wasn't meeting the goals of the workout, so I made the decision to cut the workout short.  Normally I'd be dissapointed in myself, but I probably should have taken a full rest day Tuesday after a whole day of driving.  After getting back on top of my hydration, I'm feeling good again, so no damage done.  

Now it's time to start getting the bike cleaned up and ready.  The course is rough, so it's back to the Nobby Nic this weekend for tires.  Racing Ralph is sad, but he'll be back soon enough!  Hoo-Ha!

I am Alabama

Well I'm back from Alabama.  The above picture is a very accurate portrayal of the return trip.  Me, driving, for 15+ hours.  I felt great the whole time, so I just kept it rolling.  Can you blame me?The Twins grabbed a huge hoagie for lunch, this thing was massive!  I was impressed with the speed in which they consumed said hoagie.  Upon arrival at the homestead, I left everything in the car and passed out for the night.  In contrast to yesterday, today was very productive.  I unpacked, cleaned, organized, celebrated my mom's birthday, and am finishing up my weekend plans for the Hoo-Ha US Cup race in Virginia this weekend.  With more rest in my legs I should have a better result than 51st, and the course is harder and more technical than Alabama, so that will be to my advantage.         My Wednesday morning mtb ride is being threatened by weather right now, but I may brave it anyhow.  30% chance of showers usually means nothing, but if I have to I'll ride the paths and stay rested as planned.  Hopefully Thursday we can still do the plateau!  Until next time, keep it kosher....