Eric's Web Log

2009-09-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

The last race of the season proved to be a success for both Sam and me. Perfect weather and trail conditions greeted riders today for a great race. When we arrived Brendan Moore was on his way to winning the MN State Single Speed Championships, a decision he made 2 days prior to the event in competing. It was training for his upcoming National 24 hr Championships in Moab. At the line Chris Anderson announced that the race would consist of a prologue lap plus 4. Everyone was thinking prologue plus 3 due to what was posted on line. We were in for a long day. Hollywood got the hole shot as usual with me on his wheel and Brendan behind me. I took over when we hit the forest ski trails and pulled for a bit and was thinking I shouldn't be on the front. I moved over and motioned for someone to pull through. Brendan said "sorry Eric". So Lance Beuning took the pull into the single track. After the prologue it was Lance, Brendan, Luke Nelson, Sam, me, and Justin Rienhart going into the single track. We all stuck together for a while until a nasty swampy section that had rocks and roots strewn all over the place. It was tough to manuever through it and gaps started to open up. Sam and Brendan got around Lance somewhere and Luke and I were behind Lance within 15 seconds. Luke pulled a good first lap and we had eventually passed Lance. Sam and Brendan were up a little further I'd say within 30 seconds. Luke let me take the lead starting the 2nd lap and I was hesitant because I thought we were managing a good pace and I didn't think I could beat Luke's enduro motorcycle skills. Once I got around and found my rhythm though I was railing the corners pretty good and I had good power out of the corners and kick on the short punchy hills. I slowly built a gap between myself and Luke. When I came through the field to start the third lap I couldn't believe I was catching Brendan. I was about 100 meters from him going into the single track. He put up a good fight for the first 1/3 of that lap but I caught him in the nasty swampy section and he let me past when we exited it. I glanced through the woods for a split second as we were weaving through the woods to see Luke hit a rock and go OTB. I was pretty excited to be in second place since this is only the second time its happened for me. Just like every race I always try to ride the single track as efficient as possible and stay focused. If you push it just a little bit you start making mistakes and you end up losing time. The closest I got to within Sam is like 30 seconds. The whole last lap Sam put time into me and I was starting to slow down. The first incident happened just before the swampy section when my forearm hit a tree hard, and for a while it was painful to brake with my left arm. I have a bump on my tendon right now. Then just after that as a result of a painful forearm I tried to hop up a big boulder and descend down a narrow ramp but my front tire slipped off and I caught myself with my left leg. Many racers know that when you have been just using the biking muscles in a race and when your reflexes suddenly make a different muscle move it cramps up tighter than a drum. Oh, the pain! I managed to run the bike trough some of that nasty section just because it was hard to remount and it was probably just as fast. I shifted down to the middle ring for a bit just to spin the legs out and see if cramping was going to be an issue but I didn't feel any threatening. Even after losing some time there I couldn't see anyone catching me. Then I had another incident with about 1/3 lap to go. I came out of a corner or something and a root bounced me sideways and the next thing I know I'm hanging off the back of my bike and side swiping a big pile of cut brush on the side of the trail. I was like, what the heck was that all about. Seriously, in this single track, one split second lapse in concentration and your bush wacking through the woods. I always think of it like the Star Wars speeder bikes. To be able to hold down some serious power and be snapping the bike back and forth through the woods is one of the greatest feelings in mountain biking. Anyway, I held out to the end and picked up 2nd place. Sam had a winning time of 2:15 which is pretty long for a winning time in a mtb. Some guys were out there for 3hrs. Chris Anderson felt a little bad so he offered all elite riders a free beer and slice of pizza afterward. Good times all around and I don't think anyone complained about the extra lap. Overall in the season its: Brendan Moore 1st, Sam 2nd and me 3rd. I'm pretty sure we took over the top spot for team competition too. On a side note Jack Hinkens and Jesse Rients were not present. If they were, Jesse I believe would just have to finish to take 3rd spot overall, and Me and Jack would have a battle for 4th and 5th. I would have liked a duo between Jack and myself but thats the way it goes. We'll have to take it to the cross races for the rest of the season. Thanks to Anderson and all the volunteers for putting on another great race. Until next year, that is it for mountain biking.

A Long Weekend.

2009-08-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

This was a long and exhausting weekend for me not just because I had 2 races but early morning races. I had to drive up to Seeley, WI starting at 5am for the 10:30 start and again this morning for the 9:00 am start in Henderson MN for the state road race championships.

Round 1: It had been raining up in Seeley for the past 2 days and things were muddy in a few spots but the course was in pretty good condition. When I arrived it was 48 degrees with clouds and drizzle. It pretty much stayed that way the whole day. Upon arrival I also smelled anti-freeze. I checked the reservoir and it was empty, "crap!" The last thing you want during a race is something like this in the back of your mind. Jay Richards knows what I'm talking about. I decided I'll deal with it after and tried to block the thoughts of maybe not getting home. The start was one of the slowest mtb starts I've ever experienced. Everyone was content with getting somewhat of a warm up on the pavement before entering the double track. I was sitting about 6th wheel behind H'wood and Jeff Hall. Hollywood went to the front up the steeper pavement grade to lead us up to the entrance of the trails. I was feeling within my limits for the first few miles still holding 6th wheel (TJ Woodruff, Jeff Hall, Tim Swift, Chad Sova, Matt Muraski, myself) but when TJ and Jeff turned the screws a bit harder on the climb after we crossed back over the pavement I was off the back. No one was on my wheel either and as usual I was in no mans land for a long time. I put it in TT mode and rolled the ski trail sections as smooth as I could. That was for like the first 45 min of the race or so. When I entered the first time through the single track I was gaining on a rider. It took me almost a whole lap to reel him in. It was Matt Muraski. I sat on his wheel for a couple min thinking I could just sit in for a bit and recover, but when I looked back, to my amazement, I caught a glimpse of the orange off a Ski Hut jersey (I later found out it was Mike Bushy putting in a stellar ride with Nikolai Anikin) I had to up the pace so I attacked going into a single track section. Matt never came with so I just kept trying to get myself some time. Somewhere on the second time around the singletrack loop I caught Chad Sova. "I was wondering when you were going to catch me" he said as I rode past. I just kept going because a: I didn't want to have to sprint at the end with anyone, and b: I didn't want the group behind to catch up. The last 2 miles are the longest in that race. Probably because its posted. The race goes by so much faster if you don't know the mileage but only refer to the different sections. Idk maybe its just me. Anyway, when I got on to the gravel finishing straight which is what a half mile or so, I could see Tim swift but he was to far to catch so I rolled across in 4th 42 sec. behind. Chad and Nikolai behind me made up some ground because they were only 12 sec behind me. 25 miles in 1:43.04. I think TJ and Jeff set a new course record of 1:38.05. TJ won by .8sec. Good fun race though and I broke even on gas and entry fees.

Photos taken by Lisa Humphrey

Ok now for the exciting ride home. Tom Gaier (race director and friend) gave me some jugs of water to keep the radiator full. I made it from Seeley to Siren before the temp gauge started to rocket up and overheat. This is where everything went south on me. If I was up to speed like above 50mph the needle would be steady on normal but as soon as I would slow down for a town it would overheat. As soon as I saw the needle take off I'd shut the engine off and pull over. I would sit for about 10 min and let the car puke anti-freeze all over, and cool off a bit. This happened about 8 times or so. The best was when I was going down 35 just south of Forest Lake. Right when the needle went up I was just coming to a rest stop turn off, so I put it in neutral and turned the engine off,and made a silent entry and a perfect landing. My mechanics house was closer than my house so I just drove it straight there and parked it. I finally got home at about 6:30 or 7. I then had to unpack and pack at the same time, getting ready for today.
Round 2: Up at 5am again. Sam surprisingly wanted to go down to the race today so he drove Floyd and me down in his company van.
Side note: Sam finished up 24 hrs of Afton on a relay team yesterday so he only got like 7 hrs of sleep since friday. Also, Jack Hinkens showed up today for the JR state road race championships after doing 24 hrs of Afton on a relay team himself. He even won the road race. P.S- Sam also roller skied a bit when we got back and is now cutting the lawn. What an animal.
Ok back to the State RR. I made my debut back to the road scene at this one. The last road race I did was Memorial weekend of 2008 at the 1st annual Duluth Classic Stage Race. This was another cold start. I was shivering and teeth chattering on the roll-out. It was a neutral start up to the top of the main climb which was also the finish. This was a really flat course with only the 2km climb up to the lap/finish line. We had 4 laps of 18 miles (72 miles) to do. and I was feeling good for the first 2-3 laps. On the climb I was doing just fine when guys were breathing heavily and pushing squares next to me. Nothing got organized and the flyers were coming back quick so I just stayed in the pack most of the time knowing it would come down to the final climb (I did chase down one flyer near the end of the 3rd lap with another teammate). There was one super fast descent down to the river valley and I clocked a 51mph max speed, bummer that there was a 90 degree corner at the bottom we had to brake hard for. One of the Behind Bars racers snapped his chain in front of me when we accelerated out of the corner. Thank God that the chain didn't get caught in his wheel or that may have been a close call for me. Somewhere during the final lap I just wanted to take a nap. I could tell I wasn't all there. The wind was blowing harder and the surges were getting more aggressive which meant for a higher alertness and more effort to keep a good position out of the wind. On the approach to the final time up the hill I was in the position I wanted. About 6 wheels from the front and on the outside of the road so I wouldn't get boxed in. A few hundred yards before the 90 corner entrance onto the hill a small group surged and I thought that was the ticket so I went. I had the cardio to go faster but my legs were sending me signals that they were going to blow. I was holding on for dear life the 1st km. My legs were starting to ping and I thought I was going to see the whole peleton ride by, I had to drop off the pace a bit and I watched my chances pull away. That is a bad feeling. Apparently everyone behind me was feeling the same too. When that last 1/2 km kicked up a bit I just stood up and mustered everything I could. 6 guys were ahead of me and I was slowly gaining back up a little to a few of them but it was too late and I rolled in 7th overall 14sec off the winner. I know of at least 2 guys ahead of me that are from out of state, so I was at least the 5th Minnesotan across the line. It was a little disappointing because I know I had the legs this week to win that thing. Oh well, good training, right? I'll call it a weekend with 100 miles of racing in my legs.

MNSCS #6 Hillside Park

2009-07-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry This will be the abbreviated version on what happened and to the point. Ok, for starters this was a great venue that Rich organized and he did a great job and remodeling the trails to accommodate a race of this caliber. They finally got the call ups in the right order this time and started from 1st instead of 10th. I lined up next to Brendan just like last race. I told myself that I would start out slower and work into it since that is what has been working best for me this year instead of trying to keep up with people I have no chance against (yet) and then paying for it at the end like in Redwing. Off the line I let up at the first corner down the dirt road and said for Brendan to go in front of me. We turned off the road and went up a short steep powerline trail for a couple hundred yards did a 180 turn and descended back down to the road. I didn't put in any huge efforts up the climb and i was a bit further back than I wanted to when we came back to the road. I saw Brendan and Jeff up ahead and they weren't going full gas so I put in an effort to get up further. Right before the entrance of the single track I saw Justin b-lining it for the hole shot. I let Sam in front of me to take TJ Woodruffs wheel, so we were sitting around 6 and 7th or so. Over the course of the first lap Luke Nelson and I broke off from Chris Fisher and Justin Rinehart with Sam, Jeff Hall, and Brendan up ahead of us. Luke was a good pacer and his tenacity was showing. He kept me going right at my threshold and kept me from getting complacent, he was the perfect lead man. At the end of the first lap TJ caught us after loosing air in his tire and having to put some air in it. After he passed, Luke sill tried to keep up but Tj put in some big efforts to pull a gap on us. Luke didn't want to let him get away that easily and I could tell he still thought he had a chance to reel him back in. through the course of the 2nd lap and into the 3rd and final, TJ maybe put in a maximum gap of about 15 sec. but began to loose it. I was watching Luke and seeing where he struggled and where I excelled and was trying to think of the best spot to attack. I noticed that he stood up alot on the climbs and pounded a big gear on his hard tail. I was taking advantage of the full suspension and was spinning a higher gear and using my momentum more efficiently. The trail system was split into 4 sections and sections 3 and 4 on the east side of the dirt road were the hilliest. We were gaining on TJ and were within 5-10 seconds when I made my move on Luke. I took the lead at the top of that powerline climb I talked about at the start because I knew he struggled through the rock garden at the bottom when we entered the single track the last 2 times. I had a better line than him and the full sus. helps alot through that kind of stuff. I took off after TJ and tried to get out of sight of Luke. In mtbing if you get out of sight of someone you can count on that other person having a tougher time mentally getting their body to put in the effort necessary to catch back up. TJ knew I was coming and and I knew he was putting in some strong efforts to try and hold me off. I was feeling good this time and I kept up with the positive waves. "It was a mother beautiful bridge" (Odd Ball- Kellies Hero's). Yes, I bridged the gap and was glued to his back wheel like day old oatmeal. No words were spoken the entire time. For 3/4 of a lap I was so motivated that I had caught TJ, this was a huge accomplishment for me even if he was having a bad day because I have never done this before. He was tough though and put in big surges on the straighter sections (if you could say there was a straight section in this course) so I couldn't get around easy. I knew it would come down to a finishing sprint. When the time did come I just slammed the gears put my head down and pedaled as hard as I could. He eeked me out by a bike length over the course of a 100 yard sprint but i was slowly gaining on him. Great race though. I loved the course. Thanks racers and volunteers, and Rich for another wonderful MNSCS.

Red Wing

2009-07-12T19:10:00.001-07:00

Photo from Dana Schoppe

Plenty of pain to go around today at Red Wing. A few major changes to the course this year. In years past we just went around one field for the prologue but this year they added another field before entering the first single track section. In years past they also just had one of the 2 major climbs in the area to go up, this year we had to climb both of them. They also added a steep section at the end of the lap before the finish to add insult to injury. There was a few more little sections of new stuff that was in there as well.

Off the line I got on Brendan's wheel in second and stayed there. The prologue was extra long this year before going into the single track, but the pace Brendan set didn't seem over the top. I was a little reluctant going in in 2nd wheel because I didn't want to slow down Sam and Jack if Brendan built a gap. Surprisingly I did a good job staying with Brendan for the first half of the lap that is until we hit the hills. Sam Jack and Eric Thompson went around me when we hit the first major climb. I held my own and didn't let too big of a gap go out. After a downhill section and hill traverse we hit the "Stairway to Heaven" which is a super rocky and steep ascent. What makes this climb hard is the big rocks and lack of a "good" line up it. There is just no main line up the thing at the top when it kicks up and your forced to power over loose rock.

All four were in sight still but that was it. Sam, Brendan, and Jack broke away leaving Eric and I to have our battle. After the first lap I was feeling it and I had to back it down for a while.The second lap Eric put a sizeable gap on me, about 1:32 at one point according to Floyd.

After I let myself recover for a bit I started feeling better and was being more efficient through the tight single track. There was a group chasing me that I marked going into the 2nd lap but they dropped back on the 3rd lap. Eric abandoned his chase for the leaders during lap 2 and I started gaining the time back. When I started the final lap I caught Eric in the open fields of the prologue and rode past him. The last thing I wanted was to have Eric with me for a sprint, so I tried to put as much time on him in the technical single track. Mid way through the lap and before all the climbs my legs were sending me signals, very bad signals. The cramping had begun. I dropped out of the big ring and tried to spin as much as I could. I was just praying that my legs would be able to make it up the climbs without Eric catching me. I made it up the first major climb albeit slowly but at least I wasn't on the side of the trail screaming in pain and my legs disabled. Tom Rinehart gave me half a bottle near the top which might have saved me from total lock up. I hit the stairway to heaven hard to get enough momentum to take me as far as I could. I rode the first 3/4 but didn't even attempt the tops steep kick up. I was running a hair thin line in having my calves and quads lock up but I made it. On my way over to the quarry descent I look behind me to see an expert rider I didn't recognize. When he came up I asked if he wanted to pass, "No your faster through the single track than me, I am just making my time on the climbs". "What's your name", I ask. "Adam Swank", he says. Ah, that explains it I think to myself. Adam is a pro xc skier I know he was on the Subaru team and don't know if he still is, all I know is those xc skiers have some crazy fitness. I descended into the quarry leading him but let him buy when we started to climb out since I had to run that one too.

I did hold off Eric in the end even running on damage control but still I was one hurting unit when I crossed the finish line in 5th overall with a time of 2:14 Brendan and the front trio creamed me. Brendan took the win and Sam in second and Jack in 3rd. Sam and Brendan were over 8 min ahead of me, that was kind of disappointing. I guess I can't complain since I'm going to school and working. My training will be more consistent after school is over in 2 weeks, AND we are planning a trip to Colorado early to mid August and I can work on my climbing there. Peace!

Photos courtesy of Bruce at www.skinnyski.com

Chippewa Valley Firecracker

2009-07-06T15:19:00.001-07:00

Couldn't ask for nicer weather for this race. Mid 70's and dry air is not very common this time of year. A hand full of MN riders made it over for the race: Kyia Anderson, Todd McFaden, Jesse Rients, Jack Henkins, Eric Thompson, Paul Hanson, Berry Tungseth and Trent Warner to name a few. Sam and I both felt a bit lazy when we arrived, besides it was a holiday weekend and we were at a race. I have learned over the years however that this feeling is a good sign for both of us. Sam crashed out of this race the last time we did it at the start and the year before that I crashed out in the first 100 yards, so Sam's goal was to just get through the start and get away from sketchy riders.

Eric Thompson showing how hard of a day its been. Sam and I just caught him on this hill. As you can see Eric is a good draft.

Sam and I were sitting 2nd or 3rd row at the start and getting a bit nervous now. The start was a long drag race to the single track about a mile and a half down some double track and a service road. There were a few tight 90 degree corners where you'd go from all out to a crawl, back to full throttle. I stayed on the outside (lesson learned from when I crashed) and was not pushing it too hard to the first 90 degree corner. But sometimes something just clicks on when you see an opportunity. A lane opened up in front of me and I took it, next thing I know I'm making my way up the field. The worst thing was the dust. It reminded me of Ore-To-Shore where your stuck in a big line of riders and you can't see the riders or the trail in front of you. You just hope to God know body crashes in front of you or you don't hit a rock or rut off guard and spin your front tire out. I was doing pretty good and wasn't too worried about making drastic moves going into the singletrack which is important for everybody. I went in behind Berry Tungseth and Sam was right behind me. We were I'd guess around 15th or so. I used the first couple singletrack sections to ease into the race a bit and started to move up when the trail ducked out of the woods. Paul made a mistake and went off trail but got back in in front of me before a stream crossing. He let Sam and I by on the next open section which was a long double track section where I could slow roll a low gear which is always fun. I can't remember who else we passed, there are a lot of Wisconsin riders I don't know and the first lap was kind of a blur. Coming around on lap 2 in the open field section we could see a couple groups ahead that weren't too far off which is always a boost mentally. I remember a small gap between the groups and it must have been where Sagar and the Lelondes took off from the rest of the group. We caught Seth Lenss (I think that's who it was) and he stayed with us for a while and made some moves to try and get away but he fell off up a climb on the double track when we caught Jesse Rients I think. Its like taking a Gu for the brain seeing a rider being shelled and your gaining on them. Over the next couple laps, guys were getting shelled off the chase group, Seth and Jesse were the first followed by Mike Phillips and Eric Thompson. Sam and I worked together the whole race. When I needed a break he would pull and vice versa. It was working out well. Having someone else with you also keeps you from being complacent. In no mans land sometimes I forget I'm racing, and I find myself going slower than I should. Anyway, we both were doing good in the singletrack which flowed really nice. I don't think I'm of singletrack ninja status yet but I'm close. I dinged a couple trees with my shoulder on the same spot but no crashes and we just stayed smooth and efficient. At the end of each lap there was this "Dr Jekle and Mr Hyde section which consisted of some tight 180 switchback berms down a descent into a huge rock quarry that you had to climb out of. Sam and I ran it each time not risking a flat tire from the sharp rocks and we can run pretty fast. Sam let me lead and I hate to say it but, he said he would let me win. I'm sure he could have rode away from me at some point during the race but it would have been hard for him and its not a MN series race so anyway, I can't end it w/o a sprint for the crowd so I gave it all my gears and came in 8th overall. We took 2nd and 3rd in the elite class since we decided not to take the pro license when they made the category changes this year. Neither of us wanted to cough up $150 for a license when payout is overall anyway. So there you have it. Great race on a great day. Thanks to Don and all the volunteers at WORS for making racing possible.

P.S. I have to give special mention to Jack Hinkens. Sam and I were all done cleaning up and packed and decided to go get the water bottle stands down on the end of the course.Everything was over and the venue was starting to be taken down even, so we walked down there got the stands and as we were about to the car walking back Sam yells "Hey Eric look who's coming". Up out of Dr Jekle and Mr Hyde emerges Jack on his way to the finish. He was shot. I guess he had 2 flats and bonked but still wanted to finish even when he was the last one on the course, now that's the mountain biker attitude. He looked like he was going to fall asleep on his bike so we gave him a Gu with 2x caffeine and told him to get some water. It was a character building race for him. I'm sure this will be one of his survival stories he's going to tell years from now.

Dirt Spanker

2009-06-15T20:03:00.001-07:00

This post starts way back to 2 weeks ago at Afton where I got my butt handed to me. It was the worst I have ever felt in a race. My legs were worthless and I should have quit but I pushed through and I think it did a lot of damage. For over a week my legs felt the same, I would get lactic acid build up below my normal threshold thus reducing my power dramatically. I was not spinning the same gears I was earlier in the season. So, after my poor Ride and Glide time trial last Tuesday, I decided to either take the day off or go for an easy short spin from wed- sat. When Sat rolled around, I went for my ride that would prepare me for Sundays race and I felt like the legs were coming back. I found myself spinning the gears I wanted to be in.

Sunday was hot at the start and Mt Du Lac boasts one of the hardest starts in the series; 2 steep kickers right off the line to get the heart rate maxed out. I had a slow start which I expected since I hadn't done any climbing or intervals in the last 2 weeks, my plan was to ease into this one. So I eased into around 10th place going into the single track at the top of the hill behind Devin, TIm Norrie, Jake Richards, Chris Fisher and Scott Kylander- Johnson (order from me to up the trail). Devin crashed 1/4- 1/2 way in and I sat on Jake for a while. I lost my water-bottle on a descent at this point so I had no water the first lap (this will take its toll at the end). At the bottom of the main descent I passed Jake and quickly made it up to Fisher. Oh boy, the legs are starting to kick in at this point. I caught Scotty at the bottom of the big climb and slowly made my way around him as I ascended. Half way up was my water bottles which was a relief as I chugged half a bottle. Laps 2 and 3 were pretty much the same. I was feeling the flow of the sweet single track and I was spinning a nice gear staying smooth and letting the full suspension do its magic. Sam, Brendan, Jack and Jesse were a ways up the trail battling it out but I had my own war going on and there was no way I was going to catch them. I was growing the gap on Scott through the single track and the climbs but he has mad motocross handling skills and would make up time on the descents. I found out later that he had cramping issues on the big climb too. He came close to bridging back up but he dropped off quick in the bottom section single track. Anyway halfway through the final lap I marked Scotty and Tom Miller charging through the single track. I knew I couldn't slack off so I kept telling myself that I had to keep it going and run scared. Miller was finishing super strong. Remember that bottle that jumped ship on the first lap, well on the final climb before descending to the finish line the inevitable happened. PING! one more pedal turn and my inner thighs were going to lock up tighter than a drum. Let me tell you, total muscle cramps are one of the most painful things I have ever experienced. Lucky for me it was not a primary muscle used for running so I ran as fast as I could up the rest of the climb and didn't look back. Scotty later told me that Tom came around him and hammered up that last climb like it was the start, and I was the weak little carrot teasing him up the hill. I remounted at the top of the hill and navigated the slick grassy switchbacks w/o any problems and bombed the downhill straight before the 180 turn which led up to the finish. As I was bombing down the hill I snuck a glance back and saw Tom about 100 yards back. CRAP! Yea, I came into the 180 degree corner hot and ran out of talent. Boom! down I went sliding across the grass. I quick get back on but my chain fell off. I frantically shift my derailluer down and try to spin the chain back on while Tom comes up along side of me. Tom, the good sportsman that he is, doesn't capitalize on my misfortune and lets me win the sprint. Thanks Tom.

Well that's my race. I had a great time and the single track was perfect. Most fun I've had this year in a race. Thanks Coggs and everyone that volunteered to help put this race on.

Erik's Spring Cup

2009-05-17T19:09:00.001-07:00

First race is in the books. Its a little nerve wracking going into the first race because you don't know where your fitness stands compared to the rest of the field. The usual's were there with a few new faces mixed in. We had call ups for the first time in the series. Off the start there was no prologue lap, so it was a mad dash to the singletrack. Brendan Moore took the lead followed by Doug Swanson, 18 year old Jack (or James) Hinkens, Jay Henderson, and then me. Jay "Hollywood" Henderson slid out on the first corner and let me go around. Brendan and Doug had a small gap and Jack and I were chasing and a big gap formed to the rest of the field. About half way through the first lap Jack washed out on a corner allowing me around and I built a gap on him. Going into the 2nd lap Brendan and Doug were within a stones throw from me but I just couldn't close it up. I had a hard time getting the flow of the corners which were really dry and slippery.

The second and third lap I was being chased by Jack and I knew he was slowly gaining. I put in a couple surges to see if he would pop and give up but he kept coming. At about almost half way through the fourth lap I believe is when he accomplished the bridge. I was feeling it on the small climbs at this point and was essentially in a lull. I let him by hoping to get a little recovery by sitting on and study him a little more. That little kid can move let me tell you. He has great high speed handling through the single track and he has great acceleration up the hills. I figured my best chances were in a sprint at the end. While this is happening I was noticing that my front wheel would pull to the outside on the hard corners, making it difficult to keep my lines. Going through the start/finish area I looked down to see my tire almost flat. CRAP! Why do mechanicals have to happen when your doing so good? I must have burped in in a corner somewhere. Needless to say I had to stop and put some co2 in.

While I was airing up Cam Kirkpatrick went by me and I didn't know he was that close. When I got back on the legs did not like it at all. I was in the hurt locker from here on out. To make matters worse Sam, and Jay Richards were closing in fast. I was running for dear life on that last lap and by the time I rolled in for 4th with a time of 1:31:26, Sam and Jay were only 5 sec behind, (I was 4th because Doug dropped out because of a crash and/or mechanical) now that was close. Sam got 5th.

I am happy with the result because I did not feel my best. With the finals stress and some sore legs I was going into this race feeling the worst I have in weeks. I did not feel much power on the climbs like I was a week ago. Thankfully for that first lap when I made the huge gap it was enough to hold everyone off for the rest of the race.

Photos courtesy of Bruce at www.skinnyski.com

Tune up

2009-05-05T18:49:00.001-07:00

First TT of the year at Withrow tonight. Heavy winds out of the south south west, meant for a fast start but steady headwind on the way back. I opted for the Hed tri-spoke demo wheels which was a good choice for the day. I gave Sam my Ardennes and he was blown away with what he has been missing. He received a well deserved "I told you so". If he thinks the Ardennes are fast wait until he tries the new stinger 60's. Anyway, my goal for this year is hit the 26mph avg mark. I left off at 25mph last year for the 12.5 mile course (20km). I have to see tomorrow if I got it. I may have got a personal best because I felt pretty fast and had consistent power the whole time. Well, the ice cream is calling.

Change of seasons

2009-02-28T15:02:00.000-08:00

I had my last skate today at the Oval. We raced a 500m and a 1000m. I was paired with little Ducker in the 500 and Amanda in the 1000. Ducker creamed me in the 500 because I was shortening my stroke too much. I was relaxed in the 1000 and got a 1:33:34 or something. After that Sam and I went to Wirth and did the golf course and out to the 394 where they stopped grooming. Perfect march day out there. The snow was finally fast. 90% of the season was Start green for me and really squeaky snow. I had red LF and it was oh so fast in the sun. Sounds like the snow will mostly be gone by next weekend, that means it it time to start logging miles on the bike. This week I'll ski as much as possible and maybe take a few days to do some strength training hopefully by the end of the week the roads will be good to go.

Jr nationals

2009-01-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

Jr Nationals

Erzberg 2006

2009-01-15T19:26:00.000-08:00

The toughest enduro in the world.

New Computer

2008-12-26T13:44:00.001-08:00

Sam Got me a Dell XPS for Christmas and I'm just trying it out. 4 gig ram and 320gig hard drive. Very nice.

2008-12-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

One of John Thompsons friends set up a nice web page for John here you can write a note and keep updated on his recovery.

hibernation

2008-12-14T07:07:00.000-08:00

I'm glad I don't live in northern Montana these next few days.

Right Now for
Glacier Natl Park, MT

Partly Cloudy
-30°F
Feels Like
-60°F
Updated Dec 14 07:45 a.m. MT
Glacier Natl Park Live Webcams

UV Index: 0 Low
Wind: From E at 17 mph
gusting to 35 mph
Humidity: 56%
Pressure: 29.87 in.
Dew Point: -39°F
Visibility: 10.0 miles
FREE Weather on Your Desktop

When it rains it pours

2008-12-13T14:10:00.000-08:00

There has been so much going on right now its insane. First off finals are next week mon-thursday. Second, John Thompson is still in the hospital fighting extreme pain. He had 3 plasma transfusions. They put a direct line in the carotid artery and hook him up to a machine that looks like a transmission fluid changer. They centrifuge the plasma out and put donor plasma back in. It's odd because he can move his feet and legs in bed but he can hardly walk. Its like he has no strength and the pain is still severe. The nerve coatings were damaged so its like having open nerves when you get road rash or a burn, only its on the inside. He should be rounding the corner soon and be on the road to recovery. Sam and I have been helping out with his business of making skijor lines the best we can. We visited him yesterday. Its hard to see someone who was so fit and active get tired so quick just from walking out of the room and back. Maria Stewart came in when we left. He is getting a lot of encouragement from the cycling community and he is great full for it. He's fighting and staying optimistic that he will be back on the bike. The third and last thing that happened is my grandma passed away this afternoon. We saw it coming the last few days so it didn't really take us by surprise. She died at peace in bed at home which is the way she wanted it and everyone else wanted it. It is going to be a busy Christmas vacation for me. I just want finals over with so I can get going on what needs to be done.

I'll end with some good racing news. Sam took 18th in a short 11km preseason xc-ski race today at Theo-Wirth. He plans on racing most of the big ski events in MN this year to feed the racing bug. The little guy never gets out of shape.

photo: skinnyski.com

John Rose Oval

2008-12-08T17:14:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to post my update I wrote for skinnyski.
The John Rose Open was a great time this weekend. The conditions were a bit harsh but everyone had to deal with it. Saturday brought some strong north west winds gusting to 30mph which made it feel like hitting a wall coming out of turn 2. Sunday the temps were in the single digits with subzero windchills and some heavy snow squalls would periodically come through. Canada came down with a couple bus loads of skaters, and we had a total turnout of 100 or so competitors. This was my first time at an event of this scale and the volunteers and officials did a good job at getting skaters to the heat box ( the place where the skaters gather in their groups before going out to race), and keeping the races going smoothly. Saturday was the 800m, 500m, and 1000m. I was glad the sprint distances were during the windy day because it would have been a lot worse pushing a heavy wind lap after lap on Sunday. Teammate Andy Kostka and I were the only ones in the senior division so we raced with the only 2 intermediate girls from Midway. The Junior boys from Midway were heckling us about getting beat by a couple 17 or 18 year old girls while we were in the heat box. Honestly, I was a little concerned about this matter; I wasn't necessarily born with skates on my feet like most of the Midway kids, and when it comes to speedskating technique is everything. My fears were confirmed as I was beat by both girls by about the length of a blade in the first race which was 800m. Andy beat me by a little bit over a second. The second race was the 500 and I had a little redeeming to do. I still got stuck behind one of the girls going into the first turn and almost went around by the time I hit the second corner but had to fade back in. I did get around on the sprint and was gaining on Andy in the last 100meters only to get beat out by 8 tenths of a second. The 1000m race I just went right from the gun to the front giving Andy a free ride. He went around me 200m from the finish to take the 3rd win by 1.5 seconds. Sunday rolled around and the organizers decided to put Andy and I with the Master men for the 1500m and the 3000m. I was one of the last ones to make it to the line so I was stuck with a second row position starting on a corner. I tried getting behind Andy but was cut off at the start. I chased for a lap or two and eventually caught on. I had a lap to try and recover but no kick to pass Andy. He won by yet another slim margin of 1.3 seconds. For the 3000m I was able to get a front row position between Andy and Mike Anderson. Andy and I hit skates on the start and he had a little bobble. Randy Plett from Manitoba got the hole shot with Anderson in his draft. I was just off their draft going into the corner and put in a couple fast opening laps to try and latch on. I couldn't do it and my effort put me in no mans land well ahead of the rest of the field. I didn't dare look back and loose any time so I put it in time trial mode and listened to Floyd when I came out of turn 2. He would say, " Keep it there. Nice steady rhythm." The last 3 laps I was falling apart and wondering when everyone was going to fly by me. My back and hips were starting to lock up on the corners as I struggled to keep it upright. After I went by for the bell lap I was listening for the ring that would give me an idea on how far back the next person was. I got around the whole corner before I heard them ring the bell and I knew I had a chance. I gritted my teeth and made it home for a 3rd overall. Mike Anderson took the win 2 seconds ahead of Randy Plett. Floyd was impressed that I soloed 7.5 laps without getting caught. Andy ended up crashing after his pivot bolt came loose in one of the corners. I had a fun time and most importantly, I improved after every race. Floyd always tells me that racing is the only thing that will bring you over the next plateau. He's right, racing always pulls more out of you, it shows you both your strengths and weaknesses, reveals any bad habits, and makes the body push past any threshold that limits you during training. Patti Koehler has greatly improved her technique in the last couple weeks too, and she was able to take home some hardware to prove it. That's a key point in any sport, beginners seem to improve in great intervals but when you make it to the elite level things get more precise if you are going to get any better. It seems like you have to put in a lot of work for just a little gain.
All in all it was a long but fun weekend. The Canadians were great guests and they enjoyed their visit. Sunday we never had the pursuit because the weather was bad, and the Canadians had a long drive ahead so they forfeited. Thanks to all the volunteers, organizers and officials for providing the opportunity to compete in such a great sport. Next weekend is the American Cup II which is a two day Metric racing event. There are some US National team and World Cup hopefuls that will be racing so come on out and watch the fast guys race at 30+mph.

2008-12-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

Not a whole lot of good news to report. A nasty cold is going around here at home and at school. If Sam gets a bad cold and my mom get it, it has to be a bad one. Sam hardly ever gets sick, and if he does, its minor and lasts a day or two. This one he is actually taking days off. I can't remember the last time that's happened. I've had the bug for over a week now and its still hanging on for dear life. I'm feeling ok but I don't want to rush things and get a relapse until I know I'm 100%. Lots of people at school sick too. This weekend is the John Rose Open. You can read about it on Skinnyski when it comes up. I'm going to race it for experience and the fun of it. I was 4 days down last week from the cold and I need to build my strength back up.

What John Thompson is going through belittles any cold or flu. Sunday night after returning home from the Jingle Bell Cross race in Iowa, he felt numbness in his hands and feet and got concerned. He went to the hospital on Monday and found out he has a spinal infection. The doctor says he has seen 5 cases of his infection in his 28 years experience. The infection is messing with his motor skills right now in his legs. Please keep him in your prayers.

Getting going

2008-11-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

I took this picture of Mr.Anderson

Is that better?

I had my first speedskating race this weekend. No pack race on saturday only the 1000m on sunday. I had a slow time of 1.39.55. I wasn't trying anyway since I have only been doing slow laps and I have only been on the ice 3 or so times, plus i had a sore throat. I just set a nice smooth rhythm and held it the whole way. I forgot I was chewing gum and Floyd noticed It when I was racing. I proved I can chew gum and skate at the same time.

Busy Weekend

2008-11-16T13:21:00.000-08:00

This weekend was non stop. I kicked it off racing the B class at State Cross Championships. Hardest cross course I've ever ridden. Not a mtb friendly course at all. It was wide open in a lot of sections and groups stayed together. It was a long course also. I heard 2 miles per lap. I wouldn't be surprised if it was longer than that. I got the hole shot to stay out of trouble then stayed with the lead group for a couple laps. The legs felt big and swollen after that and the acid was too great resulting in leg lock (cold might have played a factor in that too). I did the best my legs could handle which wasn't much and came in 17th or so. I was expecting more out of myself but some days the body doesn't cooperate. What made it all worth while were the fans. On the stair run up it was like a European race. Fans lined both sides all the way up shoulder to shoulder and really loud. The sand pit was a first for me. When your legs are already at the brink and then you have to power through 6 inches of sand across a volleyball court then run 3 barriers up a hill, it really hurts. John Thompson did very well finishing with Sam in the A race and he is turning 50 this month.

Sat night we went to the MNSCS awards party at Quality: Where was everybody? Sam Brendan and I were the only ones to show from the top 5. Jan and Heath finished out the top 10 that showed. One expert woman came. We won the expert team trophy too with the help of Jay Richards. I have to put in a congratulations to Jake Richards for making the national development team. Great racing this year.

I finished up the weekend with my first day on the ice today. When I first started out I thought it was going to be a sad day, but I got way better by the time we finished. I was even able to make it to the end of an 8 laper with Ebben and Mike. Mike was the only one from our team to do a Time Trial today. Next week I might start and I know Ebben is going to start just to lay down some base times and see where were at. Floyd was pumped to have pretty much the whole team out there running laps together. He is so proud of his athletes. We finished our session at Mavericks for some roast beef sandwiches and fries.

Suffering near the end

Sam in the volleyball court

Stairway of pain

Top 3 in the MNSCS

Colton Barret in the warm up lane

State Cross

2008-11-14T14:25:00.001-08:00

I built some new wheels for cross. I put some Ardennes on my old WTB disc hubs. It was a 32 hole hub and a 24 hole rim so I had to do the rare crows foot pattern and skip a hole every fourth. It looks neat. I almost had to tear down the front and do it over because the spokes stacked up on top of each other left no clearance for the disc caliper. I ended up shimming the rotor towards the fork and maxing the float in the caliper. I have about 1mm clearance between the red pad adjustment knob on the caliper and the spokes. I cornered hard with it and tried to make it rub but it turns out to be OK. Total weight for the wheelset w/o skewers is 1570 grams. If the conditions are right I hope to race these tomorrow otherwise I go with the 26" wheels.

2008-11-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

It happens every year. Whenever I get back from up north I see a big buck up close and personal. We did get 2 deer this weekend. My dad sat down in the stand and 30 seconds later 2 deer come walking in range. He got both, one a small male fawn and the other a fork horn with a nice sized body. I didn't see anything...that is until I got home. So I went for a run this evening when the sun was going down through Snail Lake park. I was running along an 8 foot wide gravel path when around a corner a big 6 pointer is walking towards me. He stops for a couple seconds to look at me and I wait for him to put up his flag and run away with a snort like all other deer. Not this one. He was too busy chasing skirts. He just continues straight towards me and I'm the one backing up. I couldn't believe it, here I am on one side of the path and a big buck is 8ft away from me on the other side and doesn't even care about me. He went up into a field with his nose to the ground searching for a hot doe. Those bucks get pretty stupid during the rut. I had a good time in the woods though. Its so relaxing to take a weekend and do that. Now I have to get back to the routine. The Oval opened up today. Tuesday will be my first day on the ice for evening practice. Time to break out the skates and sharpen them up.

Its that time of year again

2008-11-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

I'm going up nort tomorrow after school. The weather looks crappy for opener day. I don't know how much the deer will be moving around with all the wind. Its just for one weekend for me. Last year I had mine bagged, tagged and on the road back home by noon. I sat in the stand for an 1:45 before it came by. That's the way to do it.

2008-11-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

I did my 3rd cross race Saturday. I took the hole shot and had 50 meters on the field. Ross Fraboni bridged with a few others. By lap 2 it was me and Ross. Ross held back a few times for me but he was feeling spry the whole race and pulled away. We both rode solo the rest of the race he was 44 sec ahead of me and I was 38 seconds ahead of everyone else. It was my favorite course so far this year with lots of sharp corners. The course was narrower too making it more mtb friendly. Good times.
On Sunday I went to Lebanon and tagged along with Rebbecca (The one putting on lipstick a couple posts back) and her husband. We split up at the expert loop and when I got to the new section of trail she was on the side being interviewed by channel 4. I might have made it in the background during the interview and riding a berm when we left. Side note: Floyd wants your number Rebbecca. You can drop him an email FCB69HL@aol.com
My speedskating season preview is up on skinnyski Janet took the aerial photo of the oval while Floyd was piloting the plane.I wont be there for opening ice because I will be shooting large mammals. The week after that is state cross. Then the Turkey Day Ride will be close.

It got a bit slick last year. The year before highs in the 40's, and the year before that -8 degree windchill.

What the media will never tell you

2008-10-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

I have a paper to write about global warming. We read a book that was pro global warming and watched this video against it. We don't hear this side of the story.

Luz

2008-10-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

One of my favorites to both climb and descend.