The Last Hoorah of 2012.......

.....or is it?

Love is like a garden, sometimes it takes time to grow.

Summer has been crazy lately.  The heat and humidity, though hard to believe, is worse than last year.  I mean, seriously, I literally cannot sweat any more.  Ever.

More Cowbell, less heat & Humidity please.

Life is going well though, despite the heat.  Getting ready to move, and planning some fun things to do for the Fall.  If you have any suggestions for Winter, let me know.  I always fall short on Winter activities since moving back from Colorado.

Scene from Lewes, DE.  Taken in a post-dinner/ice-cream euphoria

Training is also going well, thanks to (mostly) sleepful nights and a steady supply of Elete!  Introduced some Plyo work before/after workouts to add some snap to my step, and it seems to be working.  Look out 'cross season!

And of course, there's the racing.  This has been going equally as well, having shown steady improvement throughout the season, after some early disappointment.  Here's some quick recaps:

Massanutten Hoo-Ha:  A race which has turned into a staple on my calendar, this was again a fantastic weekend of bike gaming!  I decided to take things at a more relaxed pace this year, and left on Saturday for the slow haul out with my buddy The Weav.  Missing the Super-D, we were fired up for the Short Track, and found the course to be as awesome as ever.  Some fast-laps had us even more wound-up, and we took off for 20'ish minutes of pure hel....er, I mean bliss.  Finished in the top-10 somewhere, hung out, went for some dinner, then hit the sack for the main event XC race.  Again, super awesome trails, two laps, cramp-fest due to maladjusted saddle, had a blast, finished 8th....or was it 9th....

Ian McAlexander takes some awesome photos.  This from the Hoo-Ha Short Track.

Ute Valley Pro XCT:  Good idea:  Heading back to CO to see some old friends and race my bike.  Bad idea:  Crashing and fracturing my wrist while pre-riding the course.  Good idea:  Taking it easy at the start to take the pressure off my wrist and not blow up in altitude.  Bad idea:  Taking it easy at the start to take the pressure off my wrist and not blow up in altitude.  Good idea:  Racing my first Eliminator event.  Bad idea:  Staying up until 1am playing Batman Arkham Asylum on PS3, lamenting over another poor ProXCT result, then racing my first Eliminator event.  Would I do it again?  Heck yeah.

Like a screen-capture from a dream.  Backside of Lookout Mtn.

Neshaminy Classic:  Back in the late 90's, this was my first mtb race I ever entered.  Since then, the course has morphed slowly over the years, keeping things fresh with new obstacles and routes through the relatively small patch of woods where the race resides.  I get pumped for this race, even when I'm not racing 100%, and this year wasn't much different, save for the two ultra fast South Africans who crashed the party.  Still had a blast, and had the family come out for some cheering and bottle hand-offs.  Thanks everyone!

Dropping into the gnarly descent on course.  FOCUS!

Windham World Cup:  R.I.P.  I'm extremely happy that I was able to make it up for this year's World Cup event in Windham, NY.  With two teammates donning the US kit, it was a must see.  Getting to watch Seamus and Forrest race in front of a home crowd against the best riders in the world quickly made me forget about the disappointment of not starting the elite race.  Proud of you guys!

Seamus up the climb

Ride Forrest, Ride!

Bulldog Rump:  A New Jersey classic mtb race, also the longest running mtb race in NJ!  I actually skipped a popular race only 1 hour away from me to make the trek 3hrs up to Andover, NJ and race one of the best courses in the Mid-Atlantic.  This event never disappoints, and with the usual strong field of competitors I found myself knee-deep in suffering on my way to a satisfying 2nd place effort on the day.  To make things interesting, I traveled with The Weav, and while leading me into the final lap, he thought he'd be nice and fall of his bike in order to let me go by (I kid, but seriously, he really did fall!).  He was ok, just got a little overzealous in the heat, and it made for a good laugh on the way back to Baltisnore.

For the last string of mtb races, I've got nothing but favorites on tap.  This weekend I'm headed up to Bear Creek for their Super Series event, followed by the PA State Championship event also at Bear Creek.  Then it's off to Wisconsin for the Subaru Cup Pro XCT event.  If I don't see you at one of the Bear Creek races, then SHAME ON YOU!

Later Gator........

Every office should be equipped with one of these in my opinion.

Back in the swing, in my opinion.

How most of the world views a short jew.  No wonder nobody recognizes me!

Hi blog, how are you?  Good, good, great to hear. 

The activity of blogging as a cyclist is unique, at least for myself.  When things are going good, I can't shut up.  But when things are going bad, I can't bring myself to write.  Maybe it's because I don't want to sound like I'm down, or upset.  Or maybe it's because I'm embarassed for plating up a big pile of poop at the races, ha!  

At any rate, things haven't been going all that bad, and lately I've been starting to feel the spark come back on the bike.  The spark I seemed to lose in Texas earlier this year when I found myself hitting the deck at a race, then puking multiple times on the trip back home (NEVER eating airport food EVER again.....EVER.).  That trip seemed to set in motion the old allergy/cold cycle for the next few weeks, which consumed my planned rest period.  I then stubbornly continued training again for Sea Otter, which was to be my last result on which I would petition for a world cup start at Windham.  In short, FAIL.  No World Cup for me, but where I lost the hope of a spot at the start line, I gained the realization that I needed to pay more attention again to my training and rest.

Practicing my ninja stealth by sneaking up on dragonflys.

So how did I set things straight?  It started with a week off the bike, followed by a few days camping/hiking down in Shenandoah National Park with Erin & Tealy (My girls!).  Now THAT hit the spot!  I immediately felt the positive affects of the rest, and set out with a renewed vigor to my training.  I raced a new event (to me), Dominion Riverrock in Richmond, VA, which I HIGHLY recommend, then went back to my roots with a ride through southern Michaux State Forest with an awesome group, led by my old friend Travis.  He still makes me look silly in those rock gardens.

Testing a new tent indoors.  I napped in it for a bit.

Coming up, I have the bulk of my racing schedule.  It starts off with the Massanutten Hoo-Ha this weekend, then I'm off to Colorado for the next stop in the ProXCT series.  I'll still be racing at Windham, but only at the 'Race the World' event on Sunday, and in between Colorado and Windham, I plan on heading to the Neshaminy M.A.S.S. race.  The Neshaminy race has a special place in my heart, as it was the first race I ever competed in.  I'd be stoke to notch up a 'W' there, and if my form continues to improve, I just may pull it off.

New bling-bling squish from RockShox, to be abused at a race course near you!

Ok, this post has gotten waaaay too long, so I'll end this one and hopefully see you at one of the awesome events coming up.  

Like a fine whine

Muddy

If you squint real hard while looking at the picture above, you might mistake it for a mountain bike photo.  It looks like half of my rear wheel is gone!

I have sincerely enjoyed racing 'cross this Fall, and will be sorry when it's all over.  On the other hand, I can't wait for it to be over so I can begin to focus on the 2012 mountain bike season!  Here's the tentative schedule thus far:

• Mellow Johnny's Classic, TX
• Fontana, CA
• Dominion Riverrock, VA
• Ute Valley, CO
• Subaru Cup, WI
• Mont St. Anne, CN
• Windham, NY

That should keep me busy.....

The weather as of late has brought rain mid-week, which has kept me on the trainer in order to stay sharp.  Unfortunately, my will broke today and I veg'd instead of riding.  I think I'll hit it hard tomorrow instead, considering I only race on Sunday this weekend.

Speaking of the trainer, I seem to go through a trainer about once every 2 years now.  Poor things......
Does anyone else have this problem?  And follow-up question:  Has anyone used those free-motion trainers, like the Kinetics?  Thoughts?

Speak Softly and Make a Big Racquet

I like to make a big racquet ever now and then.

My parents used to tell me not to make a big racket, but what else was I going to do with all that string?!

The rare Backflip Derailleur Double Upchuck.  

So the above picture tells the story of my last mountain bike race of 2011.  The derailleur decided to do a backflip double upchuck 10 minutes into the cross-country event at the Bear Creek Triple Crown event.  To say I was disappointed is an understatement, I was crushed!  But this is racing, and I got over it the next day.  I'll miss racing with my Giant teammates the rest of the year, but I got different fish to fry this Fall/Winter......

Making big red polka dots look cool since 10 minutes ago

I had some people ask me why I decided to end the mountain bike season early this year, and here's your answer:  CYCLOCROSS.  Yes, that silly sport where you get on-and-off your bike for no good reason while sprinting around a grass field with beer-swigging spectators yelling at you from 2 inches away.  For the 2011 cyclocross season I will be guest racing for Adventures for the Cure (www.adventuresforthecure.com).  I will be donating all my race winnings to diabetes research and having a blast doing it!  And to help me in my endeavors.......

My 2012 Giant TCX 0, one of 2!

My office had a 'bring your kid to work day'.  I brought my cyclocross bike instead.

So to prepare for the upcoming onslaught of barrier-induced suffering, I will be going on fun mountain bike rides and attending Wednesday 'cross practices nearby.  My first race of the season will be the first 'cross race I ever attended:  Charm City CX.  A double dose of UCI madness, and even better I can ride to it from my house!

Whatever you choose to do this fall/winter on the bike, I hope you have fun and enjoy the ride!

Gieda and I, enjoying the ride.