Fatboy Bikes!

Vote for Gunnar!

2011-06-13T15:03:00.001-04:00

What did Charlie do today #5

2011-03-28T10:02:00.001-04:00

What did Charlie do today #4

2011-03-25T19:38:00.001-04:00

What did Charlie do today #3

2011-03-21T21:49:00.000-04:00

What did Charlie do today #2

2011-03-20T17:39:00.000-04:00

2011-03-19T00:03:00.001-04:00

2011-03-14T23:31:00.000-04:00

TRI'ing Something New!

2010-09-01T09:23:00.001-04:00

This past weekend was one of Morgantown's most popular events, the 7th annual Sprint, Splash and Spin triathlon present by Mon County Habitat for Humanity. For the past four or five years I have been the iPlayOutside.com photographer for the event and more than once I said to myself I should have signed up and took part in the race. Well this year I did just that.

Most folks know that I am pretty good on a bike but swimming and running?! I didn’t even own a pair of running shoes and would I make a fool out of myself trying to swim in the pool for all to see? These were the questions I was faced with days before the event. I was still going to be the iPlay photographer for the race so first I needed to find someone to step in for me while I was out on the course. Luckily Julie Black (owner of iPlay) was more than happy to get up at 6:30 am and come down and take photos for a bit. Thanks again Julz! Problem solved.

At 8:30pm the night before the race I found myself in a shoe store trying to find something to wear on my feet for the next day. Probably not the best idea waiting till the last minute to find some shoe but free time was at a minimum the weeks leading up to the race. After searching for a whole five minutes I picked a pair of shoes and headed out of the store wearing my new shoes like I was 5 years old again (thought maybe they would break in a bit, lol!). My wife said that the shoes looked funny on me because I never wear running shoes. :/

After my last minute shopping for shoes, Gina and I headed over to Jay’s Getaway for a congratulations party for Laura Kelley who defended her dissertation that morning. GREAT JOB Dr. KELLEY!! I looked at my wife before we stepped into the bar and said, “Two beer maximum for me, got to race at 7:30am”. Well we all know how that goes, let’s just say more than two beers were had. We left the bar at around 11pm and there was still enough time to go home get some sleep and then get up around 6am to prepare to race.

I was nervous about the swimming and running. I was not sure I could complete the swim in 10 minutes and run 5k because I had never done a race like this before. At 4am I found myself lying in bed wide awake. I didn’t fight it, I just got up made some coffee and breakfast and started my day (for those who know me, I never get out of bed before 9am). As much as I hate getting up early it was nice to not be running around trying to get ready an hour before the race started.

Photos by Julie Black/iPlayOutside.com
Fast forward to 7:15. I found myself standing in the pool area at Marilla wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into. Racing bicycles was pretty normal for me but this was going to be totally different! 7:29! I was in the pool making nervous talk with the lifeguard who was in charge. Then before I knew it he blew the start whistle! ACK!! My swim was not a thing of beauty and was a little slow but I finished it in 8 minutes and 4 seconds. I was so happy to finish it before the maximum limit of 10 minutes and headed to the transition area feeling pretty happy. Goal one, complete!

The bike leg was where I had hoped to make up some time. Heading into the race I was shooting for a top 40 time on the bike. I had a slight disadvantage because I was not using aero bars but hoped I could overcome that. In the first mile I started passing folks who exited the pool before me and I was riding well. Even though I was putting in a good effort, I still was able to appreciate what a nice morning it was for a ride. I enjoyed it so much! In the end I finished the bike leg with the 29th fastest ride of the day. Goal two complete.

Photos by Julie Black/iPlayOutside.com
During the ride I was thinking about the upcoming run. It had been at least 10 to 15 years sense the last time I ran, plus I just bought my shoes the night before. “This could be a disaster”, I thought to myself. As I dropped off my bike and headed out for the run I had no clue how my body was going to react. I started out with a very easy pace and tried not to blow myself up. Further and further down the trail I was going and I was still able to run. I was kinda surprised. I got to the halfway point and was still able to run! Hmm I thought. This is new. I was able to finish up the run without walking at all and I was pretty happy with that. Goal three complete! In the end I could/should have going a bit faster on the run but I didn’t know what to expect.

Photos by Julie Black/iPlayOutside.com
I finished the race in 1 hour and 12 minutes. That was good enough for 85th place out of 265 racers. I was extremely happy with that! After a quick change of clothes it was off to take over for Julz and finish up the event photos for iPlay!
I had so much fun doing the race and I hope to do it again next year! Now I just got to get the TRI folks to do my Time Trail race on Sept. 18th!

Thanks to Dynamic Physical Therapy, Cannondale, Kenda Tires, Camelbak, Swiftwick, Ergon, I9, Mike Miller DDS, Edward Jones, Performance Coaching Services, Pro Gold Lube and Pathfinder for letting us race on the best equipment in the business.

Pedal for pints Week #3 Recap.

2010-07-23T11:04:00.001-04:00

he word has gotten around about Pedal for pints I would say. Tonight at week #3 we had a total of 20 riders and 2 spectators show up for PfP and John Pillo even showed up afterwards to socialize. As par for the course lately it was hot. This weeks course was much like last weeks but with a few little changes here and there for the better I think. We also, because of the growing number of riders marked the course with barricade tape at all the intersections (thanks to Mike, Marc, George and Andy for taking it all down afterwards). I don't think anyone got lost this week! The 6.5 mile course was fast, flowing and fun and I am pretty sure everyone really enjoyed themselves.

GPS data: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=717530

The racing was hot and heavy up front (from what I hear) as Marc, Andy W., Gary R., got away and duked it out for the lead.. However in the end Marc "I aint made of" Glass made it 3 for 3 in wins at PfP. Can anyone stop this madman? Behind that James and Vanderburg had a good battle going for the final podium spots.

Top Rookie Award: James B.
Top Birthday Girl: Traci R.
Top Pathfinder Employee: James B.
Don't Drink Scotch Before Award: Steve S.
Most laid back: George, Andy B. (tie)
First Timers: James B., Andy Gorby, Andrew W., Scott R., Jon E., Anthony B., Laura K., Sequoya M., Tricia L., Auvid M

In the end we all ended up winners cause everyone got to pick from the cooler after the race. It was really a nice seeing all 20 some folks just hanging out after the ride. Thanks everyone it was really cool.

Also big props to the women's "special" ride for showing up.. Also known as the women's super secret ride.

Special thanks to Guest Host Trail Boss Andy W. and James B. for doing results.

Next week we will be doing tonights course backwards. That should be interesting. So in case you live under a rock Thursday's at 6:30, White Park Ice rink parking lot.. All levels are welcome, but don't forget your pint of something as a entry fee.

This weeks results:
1) Marc G.
2) Andy W.
3) Gary R.
4) James B.
5) Mike V.
6) JR
7) Andy Gorby
8) Andrew W.
9) Scott R.
10) Traci R.
11) Steve S.
12) Andy B.
13) Chris C.
14) Jon E.
15) George
16) Anthony B.
17) Laura K., Sequoya M., Tricia L., Auvid M. (tie)

A day with my wife..

2010-07-08T13:54:00.001-04:00

Gina and I have been spending much more time lately ride our tandem so we thought we would give racing in the Barbour Detour a shot. The Detour is much flatter then most WV road races so it was the best course for us and our boat archer to make our first racing attempt on. I am pretty sure Gina was a bit nervous as the start approached cause she had never been in a bike race before. I was pretty excite and nervous for the challenge of us trying to get around the roads and not get lapped by the Cat 1/2/3 field and be dead last.

In the first 1/4 of the course you hit the only real long climb of the day. The race officials were nice/smart and had us start with the Cat 4/5 field and not the Cat 5 field which started last on the day. Had we stated with the Cat 5 field we would have been off the back in the first 1/2 mile and would have not seen anyone else the rest of the day. However starting with the 4/5's put us in the middle of the race and we got to see some of the action as we rode along. What fun!

We made it up the first hill much easier then I had imagined before the race and was really excited about the rest of the race as it was rolling the rest of the way out. As we progressed we tried pedaling hard over the top of the rollers and then taking it easy on the downhills because with the tandem's weight it goes downhill fast with out much effort. This worked pretty well for us.

As we reached mile 20 of 31 the heat day and weight of the tandem started to catch up to me. My knees really started to hurt from pushing the pedals so hard (this was a new pain for my that somehow only the tandem brings out). Gina was also getting tired but was hanging tough. Every time I asked her to pick up her pedaling, she did. We also received a huge cheer from the folks sitting on there porch on Route 38. That was really cool!

As we reached the final descent into Philippi for the finished we even passed a racer (only one of the day), and the Cat 1/2/3 field was still no where to be seen behind us. "We are going to finish with out being lapped", I told Gina WOOT! As we head towards the line I asked her over and over again to look back for the 1/2/3 because we didn't want to get in the way of their finishing sprint but that never became an issue. We crushed the other tandems out there that day. Of course there were no other ones but no one needs to know that.

At the beginning of the race Dave Burns asked me, "what time you guys hoping to finish in?" I through out 2 hours and 5 minutes thinking that it would be hard for us to make that time, but we finished in 2 hours and 4 minutes! Another WOOT! It was hard but it was also a lot of fun to do that race with my wife. We even rode the tandem two out of the next three days, guess we both had fun?! Will have to see if we get a chance to race "Big Red" anymore this year. :)

Great work Gina, love ya!

Thanks to Dynamic Physical Therapy, Cannondale, Kenda Tires, Camelbak, Pyro Apparel, Swftwik, Ergon, I9, Mike Miller DDS, Edward Jones, Performance Coaching Services, Pro Gold Lube and Pathfinder of Morgantown for letting us race on the best equipment in the business.

Till next time!

A brand new Hilly Billy Roubaix video

2010-06-15T23:17:00.000-04:00

Tweeting the 100 miler.

2010-06-04T10:10:00.002-04:00

We are going to tweet our way through the Mohican 100. Follow the adventure @ByBc on twitter.

The Billy is coming!

2010-06-02T22:52:00.000-04:00

Women’s Road Cycling Clinic May 22nd..

2010-05-04T13:41:00.003-04:00

The Steel City Endurance women’s cycling team will be hosting a clinic at the Washington Blvd Cycling Oval on Saturday May 22. The clinic will teach the basics of riding in a group and will be an excellent event for meeting other local women cyclists. Any woman at any experience level is welcome. The cost will be $20 per person. Must provide your own bike and helmet. There will also be prizes!

Directions to the oval. For more information, contact coach[at]steelcityendurance.com.

Morgantown RR Recap and May Contest #6!

2010-05-02T14:12:00.001-04:00

ABRA May Newsletter 2010
May 2, 2010
Morgantown RR Recap and May Contest #6!

Success at Morgantown Road Race Presented by Pathfinder!

As you most of you know unseasonably warm temperatures and high winds made an already tough MRR course an epic this month. Conditions were tough to say the least. Throw in the occasional falling tree and things looked like a war zone some riders reported. “I have never seen so many seasoned riders pushing their road bikes as I did today!” stated Betsy Shogren (Dynamic Physical Therapy Cycling).

Some riders however, dug deep and conquered the difficult race and conditions. Nick Waite (Kenda Pro Cycling) took the Men’s Cat 1/2/3 win in a sprint finish with our buddy Tim Rugg (Battley Harley-Davidson) and Jacob Tremblay (Team Nature’s Path). Jason Meidhof (Clean Currents) was just a few minutes back finishing fourth in a time of 2:10:11. Rounding out the top five in the Men’s 1/2/3 field was Todd Hesel (Kelly Benefit Strategies) crossing the line in 2:10:26.

In the Women’s Cat 1/2/3 race it was Anna Barenfield (Minuteman Road Club) going off alone just a few miles into the race and never looking back. The rider from Massachusetts finished the 45 mile course in 2:33:11. Local hero Betsy Shogren (Dynamic Physical Therapy Cycling) took second of the day in a time of 2:38:43 followed by Katherinr Klauing of Washington D.C. in third with a time of 2:43:30. In fourth was veteran road racer Barbara Grabowski (Steel City Endurance) in 2:48:55 followed by Emily Moy (WVU Cycling) in fifth at 2:52:15.

In the Men’s Cat 4/5 field Brad Dodson (WVU Cycling) took the win in a time of 2:13:22. Brad was followed by Chad Hill, Nate Annon (Pathfinder/Cannondale), Brian Maclean and Lukasz Majewski. Sixth went to Jason Craper (Global Ride) and 2009 defending 4/5 race winner Rob Lochner (Iron City Bikes) was seventh. The great performance by Dodson and Annon gave them both enough USAC points to upgrade after the event and both riders did. The upgrade of those two riders sure will change things up in the ABRA 4/5 series points race. Good luck in the 1/2/3 fellows and congratulations on the upgrades!

The women’s Cat 4 race was controlled by the Steel City Endurance team and its leader Patricia George. George who is really coming into her own this season took the win followed by Nina Wilczek (Global Ride) and Tina Kirk was third. Forth was Pam Milavec (Steel City Endurance) followed by her teammate Stacie “the bull” Truszkowski in fifth.

Kyle Kukieza took the win in the junior’s field, while Jeremy Edwards (Evolution Cycling Club) won the Cat 5 class. It was a sprint finish for the Men’s 40+ field as Ace McDermott (ABRT) just edged out his fellow teammate Michael Brown. Both riders finished in a time of 2:16:30. David Osborne and Gerry Pflug (Salsa/SPK/Pro Bikes) had their own sprint finish for third and fourth with Osborne crossing first in 2:18:05. Local boy Marc Glass (Breakaway Velo) put on a great ride against some heavy hitters to take fifth in 2:19:35.

Ad Bax (Clean Currents) took the win in the 50+ class just ahead of Kean Bird (Breakaway Velo) of Morgantown. Third went to Paul Mittelstadt (Clean Current) with William Ehler (UMPC Cycling Performance) fourth and long time ABRA supporter Mike Spinnler (AVC/ Team Hagerstown-Washington County Tourism) fifth.

What a great day it was despite some very hard course conditions. The next event that I will personal be promoting is the Tour of Tucker County and I hope to see you all there for the toughest single day cycling event in America.

Photos of the event by Jason Clark are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/j-clark3/sets/

Results can also be found on the ABRAracing website at http://www.abraracing.com/News.html

Also series standings to be posted week after round number two.

Tour of Tucker County Road Race APRRS #3
On May 29th the toughest single day road race in America returns for its third year. The event that includes three seven mile climbs for the Men’s Cat 1/2/3 has been a soul crusher in years past and that is the way we like it in ABRA land. Here are some photos from the 2009 event - http://www.flickr.com/photos/j-clark3/sets/72157619267300207/. Besides being a challenge event this course offers some of the best views you will ever see on a bicycle. Registration is really starting to fill up with just four weeks to go before the race. The men’s Cat 4/5 and Men’s Cat 5 field will most likely fill up for this event like the MRR so DO NOT DELAY if you want to take part in this race. Register on-line at http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=9279
Race Facts:
Men’s Cat 1/2/3 Course Record – Sean Barrie 2:51:41(2008)
Men’s Cat 4/5 Course Record – Wes Schempf 1:50:57 (2009)
Men’s Cat 5 Course Record – Justin Hovatter 2:10:09 (2009)
Women’s Cat 1/2/3 Course Record – Betsy Shogren 2:04:36 (2008)
Women’s Cat 4 Course Record – Ruth Dickinson 2:10:54 (2009)
Men’s 40+ Course Record – Gerry Pflug 1:55:59 (2009)
Men’s 50+ Course Record – Tony Bilotta 2:05:37 (2009)
Junior’s 12-18 Course Record – Elias Husoy 2:02:39 (2009)

Here are a few blog posts from past participates:
Pro Bikes Cycling Team - http://probikespittsburgh.blogspot.com/2009/06/tour-of-tucker-county-road-race.html
Team Traveller.com - http://www.teamtraveller.com/2009/tucker.html
Team Ninja Turtles - http://ninjaturtlesracingdiary.blogspot.com/2009/05/pre-ride-2009-tour-of-tucker-county.html
MoTown Velo - http://teamrowman.blogspot.com/2009/06/june-update.html
Hope to see your there for the toughest race in America!

New Martinsville Road Race Details
Thank the lord baby bi-atch I have race details for New Martinsville.

Here's a link to the race course- http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/wv/new-martinsville/836127040221892257

There will be two laps for the Men's and Women's 1/2/3 and Masters 40+. One lap for all other classes.

Start time will be noon and registration opens at 8.

More info at 304-771-0445 in case anyone wants to call.

The start and registration will be in front of baristas cafe and pub, 326 Main Street. New Martinsville, WV (www.baristascafe-pub.com)

ABRAracing.com May Contest
Tell ‘em what they’re playing for this month Rod! Sure Bob, it is a new car! WAIT WHAT! We can’t afford that! Ok ok. How about a FREE entry into the Tour of Tucker County, plus a prize pack from our friends at Spoke Art? That is more like it! (I tend to talk to myself a lot if you don’t know me).

That right folks, this month’s contest winner will receives a free entry into May 29th ToT “The Toughest One Day Race in America”, plus a gift pack from Spoke Art.com. This month we are going to go old school with a little Q and A. First one to answer ALL the questions correctly is the winner. One answer submission per person please. Here we go!

1) Address for Joey’s Bike Shop?

2) Final climb of ToT is called what?

3) Winner of ABRA’s first ever road race “High Roller Road Race”

4) How many APRRS races are being held in Philippi, WV by Promoter Thad Kelley? And name them?

5) Lance Armstrong just became an owner of what ABRA sponsor?

6) Who was the 2009 ABRA Men’s Cat 1/2/3 Cyclocross Champion?

7) Name one sales person at Superior Ford in Morgantown? (feel free to call and ask)

8) What is the name of the former road pro who is now a coach of the Dynamic Physical Therapy Cycling Team and his company is an ABRA sponsor? Hint.. He holds two USAC Colligate National Titles.

9) My nickname? Hint. Deals with my size.

10) Who finished second in the Men’s Cat 1/2/3 at this year MRR?

11) Winner of the 1944 Tour De France?

12) ABRA Series Championship is held in what West Virginia town in 2010?

Hope you all are enjoying the year so far. If you have any further questions please feel free to email us!

Thanks again to our 2010 ABRA Series Sponsors!
Superior Ford - Cannondale - Hammer Nutrition - Swiftwick - Speedgoat.com - Panaracer - Pathfinder of WV - Pro Bikes - Performance Coaching Service -Global Ride Productions - Twin Six - Smith Optics - Planet Bike - Wamsley Cycles - Dynamic Physical Therapy - Honey Stinger – Verge Sport - Race Face -Sierra Summits Skin Products - Joey’s Bike Shop - Camelbak - Fat Tire Cycle - Dirtbean.com - ProGold Lube - Kenda - Spoke Art - iPlayOutside.com – Rising Creek Bakery & Café -Mountain Roaster – Sports N Spokes – Chris King Precision Components

Dentist to the Cyclist!

2010-04-29T23:17:00.001-04:00

If your a big baby like me the thought of the dentist's drill always sends a shiver down your spine. That was the case for me until last year when I needed my first root canal. I was so worried about how much it was going to hurt I almost didn't want to get it taken care of, however the pain from the tooth made me go through with it. Luckily I knew of Dr. Mike Miller from bike racing over the years. Dr. Miller has been around the cycling scene for many years. I first met him as a mountain bike rider as we both competed in the Clydesdale class in the last 90's. I also have to credit Dr. Miller for giving me the idea to finish a road bike race at the top of Sugar lands Road which is now the Tour of Tucker County. However this was going to be my first visit to see Dr. Miller the dentist, not the cyclist. After that day however I became a big fan of him as a dentist.

He completed the root canal for me and I felt zero pain during and after he was done. It was a miricle in my mind. I had heard some horror stories from other folks about their root canals with other dentists, but my experience was a walk in the park. Between his solid work and his really warm and friendly staff I gave them two thumbs way up!

Fast forward to 2010 and Dr. Mike Miller Dentistry is a sponsor of Dynamic Physical Therapy Cycling. Not only is he a sponsor but we are clients of his because of his great work. Unfortunately this week I had a tooth crack in half and another trip to Dr. Miller's office was in my future. I was able to get right in to see him and you are all in luck because he agreed to take some photos for the blog!

"Mike you sure you need that big of a needle?"

Luckily for me he said that he would be able to save the tooth after a quick look over the x-rays of my tooth. However 1/4 of it was totally chipped off and was only held in place by my gums. "That is going to have to come out!", he said. After my last trip with the root canal I felt pretty safe with whatever he said and wanted to do. "Yank it Doc", I told him.

Just like with my visit before I felt nothing. I was not even sure he had taken it out till he said something about it. Dr. Miller is 2 for 2 when working on me. I will have to go back and get a crown on the tooth and I am thinking a gold crown would be cool. It is all about the bling ya know.

Take my advice, if you have a need for a dentist or know someone who does it is well worth your time to visit Dr. Miller office. Dentist to the Cyclist!

Happy Birthday Chrissy!

2010-03-15T14:51:00.000-04:00

Hilly Billy Raughbikes Prelude Scouting #2

2010-02-01T20:06:00.002-05:00

2010.01.23 Hilly Billy Raughbikes Prelude Scouting and Such

So this is the race-
http://www.abraracing.com/Schedule.html
http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=9791

Now the exact course has not been decided, but certainly the type of course has.
It will be mean. It will be fun. It will be quite possibly different
than anything most of us have ever done, let alone race on it.

We put out the word that we were going to do a scouting mission,
actually the second one so far, but I didn't document that one, just
yet.
Only me, Betsy, JR, Ryan, and then finally the ever-late but
ever-present Jaybo took the bait.
As you can see from the pics, it was a bit sloppy, then it was a bit
nasty, then the hills were oppressive and finally we had some
crackage.

Any longer and I suspect there may have been more than just
Ryan drooling, but w/ the setting sun, lack of places to get food and
other aid (beer to numb the pain), we were all quite happy to have
ridden as much as we had.

Found a few little areas that we are going to happily include, found a
possible new way down off a highwall, meet up w/ some very pleasant
and encouraging folks, and of course there was one jerkwad (but that
was okay cause his road wasn't as good as the next, Hah! you turd).
Anyway, here's what we most of us rode. Jaybo didn't start until
Mylan Park and of course Ryan could only make it to the big bag of
Fryz at Sheetz-

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=480752

Some of the expressions are apt at telling the true tale indeed.
And don't the new kits look rather swell, before they got pretty dirty
and stinky that is?

Look for notice of an opportunity to find out what the rest of the
route will be soon!

Hilly Billy Planning Ride Adventure #1

2010-02-01T20:03:00.001-05:00

2009.12.27 Hilly Billy Planning Ride Adventure
By. Nars

So it was a decent day, so JR and I grabbed RobbieL, BrentS and JohnP,
and off we went.
Off to see just how bad John Fox Rd. was, to see how awesome Little
Indian Creek Extension (JR calls is ICE) was, and something else that
I forget, it was last year you know.
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=480745

John Fox was pretty bad. Snowy, icy, slushy. Not too much traffic though!
RobbieL had to clean house w/ the anticipated return of LauraK (and I
think he had enough of the crap we call cool dirt roads). He missed
out on a treacherous and nasty ICE.

JR sliding down the hill w/o his bike, me looking like I knew what I
was doing, but w/ one foot out it was just slightly controlled chaos,
and enjoying making everyone cross the stream in that weather.
At the end JohnP swears he doesn't remember ever being on River Rd.,
and BrentS as usual just laughs and smirks (I don't think he
remembered much of it either).

JR really liked John Fox (Betsy and I had ridden it a week earlier or
something and thought it might "make the grade" for the Dirt Road Race
JR had planned).
Thus began the turning wheels and scheming.

The IT Crowd

2010-01-05T15:50:00.004-05:00

I usually don't make posts about silly things like this, so that should tell you even more how great this show is. I stumbled upon this show (The IT Crowd) on netflix. In about a weeks time I watch all 3 season. Check it out.

Samples:
New 911 number

dont type google into google

Birthday Ride! Dec 14, 2009

2009-12-22T14:54:00.003-05:00

Videos from the Dirty Dozen.

2009-11-30T14:48:00.002-05:00

Good video of all of us climbing Canton Ave.

I get some good camera time on Bousted Street

The Dirty Dozen

2009-11-30T13:21:00.001-05:00

Saturday Gunnar, Betsy and I headed north to Pittsburgh for the 27th Annual Dirty Dozen. If you’re not familiar the DD here is how it began. In 1983, Dan & Tom Chew and Bob Gottlieb wanted to showcase Pittsburgh's steepest and toughest hills in one ride, never getting more than 10 kilometers away from the center of the city. So on Saturday December 17, 1983, the first Dirty Dozen ride was held in 27 degrees F with snow flurries. At that first DD there were only 5 rides, however it has really grown in recent years as 181 riders showed up for this year’s event.

Gunnar (a former DD winner) had no plans on trying to compete this year due to a broken rib or two, that occurred racing cross the weekend before. However Betsy was in it to win it, and I was there to try and become the heaviest person to ever finish the event. On the ride up Betsy and I were super nervous and we both laughed at how silly were being about it in the car. Gunnar probably thought we pretty dumb. An hour and half after leaving Morgantown we found ourselves pulling into the parking lot in Pittsburgh. The place was packed with riders and a record turnout had registration running a little behind so the start was going to be a little late. I sure didn’t have a problem with that cause I used the extra time to make my rounds and talked to all my Pittsburgh friends that I don’t get to see that much. Suzanne, Steve-O, Powers, LA, and a whole gang of other seemed pretty happy to see the WV crew up in their neck of the woods.

After about a half hour delay we were ready to head out. Ryan Post, Kean Bird and Scott Benson also made the trip up from Morgantown to try their hand at the monster climbs. We all rolled out together and only Gunnar really knew what was ahead of us so in our group the nerves were running a bit high. The start was a blast. A 181 person peloton through the streets of Pittsburgh is very cool. It was only a few miles or so before we came to our first climb of the day. Center Ave was a shock to the system. It was long steep and painful. Halfway up I wondered what had I gotten myself into. There was a reason no one heavier than me had ever finished the event. As the snot poured from my nose because of the cold morning air I suffered to the top. However I received a really warm welcome from Gunnar, Betsy, Montana, Sticks, LA and Don to name just a few. That put a smile on my face even after all the pain from the climb.

Next we headed for Sharps Hill. I am not going to give a full recap of every hill because we would be here forever. Sharps’ was however in my mind ever harder than the first hill. UGH! The ride to the third hill seemed to be a good 3 or 4 miles. It was a well needed recovery for my legs. Climb three was Berryhill. It’s not a long hill maybe 200 yards long but it is steep and tricky. There is a steep descent leading into the hill but then the beginning of the climb shoots straight up. By the time I arrived at the hill many had already made their attempt. IT LOOKED LIKE A WAR ZONE. Bikes and riders were lying on the ground, people off to the side of the road looking shell shocked, it was crazy. I however somehow gathered myself and slow and steady climb to the top. For me short very steep hills like Berryhill are not so bad and I was happy to have clicked off one of the 13 climbs with not much pain.

To not write a book lets fast forward a bit. Sycamore Street was climb number eight and to get to it we had to ride right through downtown. This was one of my highlights of the whole day. Picture this, 181 riders not stopping at any lights and just hailing between sky scrapers downtown. All the folks on the sidewalks were even cheering for us. What a cool feeling. Sycamore Street takes you up to the well known Mt. Washington area. You know the shot of the incline going up the mountain, seems like you see this image just about every time you watch a Pittsburgh football game on TV. It was a beautiful view of the city once to the top. However I started to feel some real fatigue in my legs on the way up and worry started to settle in. I still had five serious climbs ahead of me, and next was Canton Ave. This hill had a 37 percent grade and Betsy and I expressed our worries about that one on the car ride up. If you are ever board look up Canton Ave on youtube you will find some funny stuff. Not only will you find videos of the Dirty Dozen but also folks trying to climb the hill in cars with little success.

I had to make a pit stop on the way to Canton because my bladder was full, and by the time I got there folks were already literally lying on the road. Oh boy I thought to myself. This was going to be the make or break hill of the day. If I could just get to the top my chances of finishing would go up dramatically. I waited a minute then saw Ryan Post jump out to make his attempt, so I darted off behind him. The beginning was paved and not so bad, but about a third of the way up it was cobbled. It got harder. Halfway up, pain, pot holes and more cobbles. Three quarters of the way up I started to think I can do it, as I heard a massive amount of cheers for me coming from the top. As I crested the top of the hill Gunnar gave me a smack and I could tell his was pretty happy for me and big cheers came from the folks at the top. That was probably the number moment of my cycling life. As I sat the bike to the ground I had to take a minute to slow my heavy breathing from the huge effort, but I was on cloud nine!

After all the excitement of watching folks try to finish the Canton climb we still had a lot of work ahead of us to finish. Boustead Street and then Welsh Way both hurt but I managed my way to the top of both. Two more to go and then I would accomplish my goal! Then we came to Barry/Holt/Eleanor Streets which all made up the second to last climb. This was a monster for me, 100 yards from the top folks dove on to side streets to rest their legs for the rest of the climb up. This is totally legal but I couldn’t let myself do that. I pushed further and further up the hill and I think I felt pain I had never had before. Can I make it, I thought to myself. I could not fail on the next to the last climb! I pushed and I finally made it to the top. It hurt me and I knew it. As I tried to ride a bit and recovery the race organizer Danny Chew said, “Hey 240 lb guy, you make that?” I gathered enough energy to say yes.

The ride from climb 12 to climb 13 had some bonus hills along the way. I say bonus because they were not steep enough to make it into the DD but were painful enough with my worn out legs. A few miles later we started the finial climb as a lady who looked to have been taken some hard core drugs yelled at us from being on the road. I told her to shout up. That defiantly is not my usual personality, I sure the ride was starting to get to me at that point. The first half mile of the climb was manageable however it didn’t end that way. The finish line was atop a steep, steep pitch! I was going to finish I thought to myself. However half way up the final 100 yards I felt pain in my legs like never before and my brain was telling me to STOP! I started to zip zag up the hill just to try and help make it a bit easier, however it didn’t feel like it help much. All of a sudden I heard Gunnar yelling for me that I can do it. Somehow not sure how but I made it to the top. I am well known by many to always be smiling no matter what is going on. Hell I smiled after finishing the Wildness 101 but I had no energy to even do that now. After a few minutes I started to get my breathing calmed down. I did it I thought to myself! I was extremely happy and proud. I can now call myself the heaviest person to EVER finish the Dirty Dozen!

Betsy didn’t do too bad herself. She won ever climb except for one and tied the course record with the highest point’s total. Gunnar since he was unable to really race spent the days riding with her a bunch and supporting her, as well as a side race between him and Mr. Post. Kean and Scott well we lost them somewhere in downtown Pittsburgh. They pulled off to do some Christmas shopping I think. I was a blast of a day. It was great to get to ride and talk to some many cool people and challenge myself at the same time.

Next year, well will see.

Finale on the Farm

2009-11-24T12:50:00.003-05:00

Finale on the Farm
By J.R. Petsko
Photos at www.NaturesEssencePhoto.com

On Saturday afternoon, cyclocross racers from all around the area headed to the Parks Farm outside of Bruceton Mills, West Virginia for the final WVCXS race of the year. This marked the sixth year for the event and each year the number of competitors taking part has increased. This year was no different as a record number of racers showed up to get their cross fix. A few folks were there to try their hand at their first ever cross race, but the majority was there because they wanted to place well in their respective WVCXS classes.

With much warmer temperatures than the previous year, race #1 competitors gathered at the start line. Race #1 included (as it has all year) the singlespeed, the women, and the masters. GO! Jon Martin (WV Night Club) took the hole shot as he does on many occasions. He was followed closely by the rest of the singlespeed field which included Stephen Rowand (Wamsley Cycles), Montana Miller (Pro Bikes), Morgan Miller (Colorado University) and Justin McKeel. Martin held on strong for the first lap but then an attack came from the Montana Miller ride and Rowand was quick to jump on his wheel. The pace was more than the rest could hold and quickly it was a two-man race. Rowand would attack, Miller would counter. It was like a heavyweight fight watching the two riders go toe to toe. Rowand had the experience of winning the Marilla Cross race earlier this season, in which Miller finished second. However Montana clearly wanted his own win in the 2009 cross season as he attacked with three laps left to go and was able to put a gap on Rowand. Miller would continue to push his fixed gear machine through the remaining laps to take his first series victory of the year. Rowand hung tough in second, followed by Morgan Miller in third. Martin, after his hole shot effort, eventually fell to fourth, and rounding out the top five was Justin McKeel. Despite finishing second on the day, Rowand took home the title of WVCXS singlespeed series champion.

In the women’s race, Betsy Shogren (Cannondale Factory Racing) was looking to make it a clean sweep of WVCXS events in 2009 by trying to capture her fourth win in four tries. However, Kristy Lanier (Dirtbean.com), Emily Moy (WVU Cycling) and Laurie Johnston (WV Night Club) were going to try and have something to say about that first! At the start Shogren found herself mid-pack amongst the singlespeed and masters riders and Lanier was not far behind. However by the third lap Shogren found herself out front of the women and running third overall in the entire field. Things never changed after that. Shogren took the win and the women’s series title. Lanier finished second on the day as Moy and Johnston finished third and fourth respectively.

In the masters race there were points on the line and a series to win as Fritz Kessler (Breakaway Velo) and Joel Harris held the top two spot in series points. At the start Kean Bird took the lead followed by Bob Vernon who was sporting a super cool vintage Whitetail bicycles jersey. Wish I still could find mine. Vernon was seen following Kean for the first few laps but the course was suited for a cross bike and not a mountain bike. This was in Bird’s favor. Bird finished first and captured his first series win of the year. Vernon took second followed by Kessler who used the great ride to claim enough points to take the masters series title. Fourth went to Scott Mabry and fifth was Jeff Bernstein. Sixth went to Joel Harris which gave him the runner-up spot in the series.

Race #2 was the Men’s B and the Clydesdale/Tandem class. From the gun it was Bill “Sticks” Westover (Thick Bikes) and Rob Lochner (Iron City Bikes) out front and riding hard. Westover, who was wearing jeans, was feeling good and turned the screw 25 minutes into the race and dropped Lochner. Behind the two leaders the racing was excellent. Scott Benson, Duncan Oliver (WVU Cycling), Robert Chaney and Danny Welsch (Western Maryland Wheelmen) all took turns battling for the third through sixth position. “Just when you thought someone was gapped and behind you, here they came again”, Welsch said. Westover went on to the win followed by Lochner. Benson was able to push his way to the front of chase pack and score his best finish of the year in third. Oliver, last week’s winner, rallied back after a slow start to finish in fourth. Chaney was fifth followed by Welsch in sixth. On a side note the best race was between Ryan Post (WVU Cycling) and James Braswell (WVU Cycling); the two rode the entire race neck and neck. The crowd was into it just as much as the two riders. In the end Braswell took eighth and Post was ninth. In the series, the top spot went to Oliver followed by Welsch, Benson, Chaney, and Post.

The Clydesdale/Tandem class saw the duo of Betsy and Gunnar Shogren (Cannondale Factory Racing) take their fourth series victory of the year along with the overall series title. Second on the day went to Mike Miller (Miller D.D.S.) which also helped propel him into second in the series.

The final race of the day was the Men’s A class. Series points leader Brad Schmalzer (Bikeman.com) had the series in-hand; all he needed was to finish the event. That was a thankful fact to Schmalzer who had fallen ill with the flu just days before the race. I asked Schmalzer had he thought about not racing: “you couldn’t have kept me away from this race”, Schmalzer said. Behind him in the series there was much left to be decided. Jason Cyr (Cannondale), round number 1 and 4 winner, held a one point lead over Gunnar Shogren (Cannondale Factory Racing) in third. Cyr gave Shogren all he could handle in Davis and he was going to need to do it one more time to hold him off in the series points. Also racing on the day was Gary Rodosta, Gerry Pflug (Speedgoat/SPK), Ed Krall, and Nate Annon (Cannondale/Pathfinder). Montana Miller, Rob Lochner, and Bill Westover also decided to pull double duty by racing their second event of the day.

From the start it was Pflug out front and looking to run away with the race. Pflug has been having a year to remember. With wins in cross, road and XXC racing, to say the newly crowned NUE singlespeed series champion is on fire would be an understatement. However just when it looked like it was going to be a cake walk for Pflug, Montana Miller tried to bridge the gap between the leader and the chase group of six riders. Miller was unable to make the jump but he did launch Shogren out of the chase group to make a successful bid to bridge the gap. All of a sudden it had turned into a two-man race.

For the next forty minutes the two leaders put time into the rest of the field making sure no one else was going to challenge for the win. With just three laps to go Shogren came across the start finish line alone. What had happened to Pflug? “The hills were starting to burn me up”, Pflug said. He had stopped at the pit for a bike change and grabbed his geared bike. The former UCI Police and Firemen World Cycling Champion was back on Shogren’s wheel one lap later and attacked. Pflug’s attack worked as he rode home to victory with Shogren second. Behind the leaders Rodosta was in his own dog fight with Krall. The two riders looked to be in pain as each rider took turns attacking one another. If you remember just one week before Rodosta was in a similar battle with Brad Schmalzer in which Schmalzer got the better of Rodosta. However Rodosta was not about to let history repeat itself and used a great attack on the final lap to take home the third spot. Jason Cyr rounded out the top five with Schmalzer in sixth to clinch his series title!

All in all, it was a great race and a great series! If you have not heard yet, things are going to be bigger in 2010. Check out the new series information at www.ABRAracing.com

Also I want to thank everyone who came out to race and all the folks who helped set up and tear down at each race. Thank you!!

Last but not least I want to thank the series sponsors one last time!
Spoke Art
Pathfinder of West Virginia
Hammer Nutrition
iPlayOutside.com

Blackwater Cyclocross was a Miracle!

2009-11-21T23:05:00.005-05:00

Blackwater Cyclocross was a Miracle!
By J.R. Petsko

Weeks leading up to the Blackwater Cyclocross was full of excitement for me. I had a vision in my mind of exactly what I wanted the course and the event itself to be like. However, H1N1 had a different idea. The week before the event I was hit hard by the pig flu! Needless to say all my ideas didn't happen, and if it wasn't for the help of all my friends, the race itself probably wouldn't have happened. The morning of the event more than a dozen racers showed up early just to help me setup. Thanks everyone! I owe you all a big one!

One thing did cooperate, and that was the weather! Mid November in Davis, WV you could easily have a foot of snow on the ground, but the racers were all welcomed to town with sunny skies and unseasonably warm temperature. I did have that going for me!

Race #1 saw a large group of racers consisting of the Single Speeds, Women Open and Masters Class. Out front early was a group of five SS riders that included series point’s leader Marc Glass, Steve Rowand (Wamsley Cycles), Joey Riddle (Joey's Bike Shop), Robbie Loehr (Cannondale/Pathfinder of WV) and Steven Nutt. The group looked to be pushing the pace each and every lap. The pain was clearly written on each of their faces. Glass was the first to not be able to continue the hammering pace and Nutt was soon to follow. However, for the final three, it was going to go down to the final lap. Robbie Loehr has a magic touch on his side when it comes to racing Davis; you see Loehr has not lost a SS race there since 2006. That was one record that he was not going to let end on this day. Finding what strength he had left, Loehr put a small gap on Rowand and Riddle and was able to take the Single Speed class victory! Morgantown Cyclocross winner Steve Rowand was second followed by Joey Riddle who made his first appearance at a WVCXS event this year.

The women’s race had another large field that included 11 women racers. The field included Pam Milavec (Steel City Endurance), Emily Moy (WVU Cycling), Laurie Jonston (WV Night Club), Kristy Lanier (Dirtbean.com), Mandi Riddle (Joey's Bike Shop) and series leader Betsy Shogren (Cannondale Factory Racing). As she has at every series event this year, Shogren took off and put her may years of cross racing skills to work. However, behind her a good race was being had for second through fifth. Lanier, in her second ever cross race, was able to hold onto the runner-up spot. She was followed by Riddle in third. Moy riding in her first ever cross race was able to pull out a solid fourth place and Milavec rounded out the top five.

In the Masters division Mike Buchness took the win over Matt Marcus and Cory Smith. Kean Bird took fourth just in front of series rival Fritz Kessler (Breakaway Velo). Kessler however still hold a lead in the series overall and looks to become the first series masters champion after this weekend’s Bruceton Mills Cyclocross.

In race #2 it was the Men's B racers and the Clydesdale/Tandem class out on the course. I sure was disappointed to miss out on racing due to the flu. Out front early was Duncan Oliver (WVU Cycling) but lurking not far behind was the Tandem duo of Betsy and Gunnar Shogren (Cannondale Factory Racing). After the race Gunnar said, "Did we win? I don't remember getting around Duncan?!” You sure did Gunnar. The Shogren Tandem not only won their class but won the Race #2 overall. Impressive! Second in the Clydesdale/Tandem class was Bill Miller and third was Mike Miller (Miller D.D.S).

Even though Oliver was not strong enough to hold off the tandem, he was however able to keep the rest of the B riders at bay. Danny Welsch (Western Maryland Wheelmen) improved on his third place at Marilla Cross by taking second at the Blackwater. Ryan Post (WVU Cycling) rode to a fine third place finish. Fourth went to Robert Issem who was followed by Rob Chaney in fifth.

The final race of the day was the fast guys, the Men's A race. At the starting line was series points leader Brad Schmalzer (Bikeman.com), Andrew McKeegan, Gunnar Shogren (Cannondale Factory Racing), Jason Cyr (Cannondale), Gary Rodosta, Nate Annon (Cannondale/Pathfinder), Robbie Loehr (Cannondale/Pathfinder of WV) and Joey Riddle (Joey's Bike Shop). The pace was hot early with Cyr, Shogren and McKeegan riding together at the front. However Cyr being the local was looking to make good in front of his home crowd. Just 25 minutes in the 60 minute race he leaped off the front and quickly put 30 seconds into Shogren and McKeegan. Shogren lightened his pace some to try and pull back Cyr, which cause McKeegan to fall back.

The three seemed to be locked in their respective positions until about 15 minutes left in the race. All of a sudden Shogren seemed to be pulling Cyr back some and then the unthinkable happened...Cyr was forced to pit with a flat tire. It looked that luck was not smiling on the local but from my point of view it looked as though the flat inspired him to ride even harder. Behind Cyr, the smoke was starting to roll off Shogren who was feeling the effects of winning the B race on the tandem. Shogren said, "My plan was to just sit up a bit and wait for Andrew to bridge up". Shogren later admitted that plan didn't work because as soon as McKeegan bridged he counterattacked and Shogren was unable to match. At the finish Cyr took the win and title of Blackwater Cyclocross Champion. McKeegan was second followed by Shogren. In fourth was Schmalzer who had his hand full all day battling it out with eventual fifth place finisher Gary Rodosta!

The day started off with me wondering how in the world we would get everything done in time for the race, but thanks to you all (my friends) it turned out to be a huge success!

Thanks! Ps.... Series standings have been updated!

Marilla Cross Recap - Record Turnout at Marilla Despite Mud!

2009-11-01T10:05:00.030-05:00

Record Turnout at Marilla Despite Mud!

by JR Petsko

photos found at - www.NaturesEssencePhoto.com

On Saturday racers and spectators converged on Marilla Park in Morgantown, WV for the 2nd annual Marilla Cross. The event in its first year had a good turnout of around fifty participates but no one expected the ninety racers to show up on Saturday! Round number three of the WVCXS saw the largest attendance ever for a West Virginia cyclocross race. That fact had everyone pumped all day long.

Race #1 started at 9:30am with a very strong wind but dry and warm temperatures. The start included the Single Speeds, Masters and Women's Open class. Jon Martin (WV Night Club) took the hole shot and early lead but was followed by a pack that included Stephen Rowand (Wamsley Cycle/Team Rowman), Don Powers (Pro Bikes), Montana Miller (Pro Bikes) and series single speed leader Marc Glass (Backyard Bike Club). Mid way though lap number one Martin was pulled back in by the pack and Rowand counter attacked. Rowand, who's first ever cross race was on this very same course one year ago, looked to have made some serious improvement to his cross game after finishing 18th the previous year. His attack looked to be holding. Behind him Powers and Miller were in a battle. Miller, who earned the "Rock Star" award for riding a fixed gear bike in two races, looked strong and was able to just stay ahead of his Pro Bikes teammate. Then Mother Nature decided to show up! The 70 degrees and wind started to change and change fast they did. Rain came. The course had already been a little damp so it did not take long for the circuit to go from not bad to slick! The condition change did not affect Rowand at all as he took home the victory for his class and the first race overall. Miller rode his fixie to a well deserved second followed by Don Powers in third. Jon Martin was able to hold onto forth just in front of co-race director Marc Glass.

As the single speed boys were duking it out more excitement was going on a little ways behind them. Betsy Shogren (Cannondale Factory Racing/Pathfinder/Backyard Bike Club) was putting rubber to the dirt. Shogren had a slow start and found herself somewhere around mid pack at the beginning but now was moving up and moving up quickly. Behind her Traci Rodosta (Desire Title/New Orleans Bicycle Club) was looking strong and was holding off Jackie O'Lantern (Chrissy Buerkle/Speedgoat), Ruth Cunningham (Pro Bikes), Laurie Johnston (WV Night Club), Stacie Truszouski (Steel City Endurance) and Rachel Teodori (Steel City Endurance). It was anyone’s race for the final podium spots behind Shogren. As the laps counted down things settled in for the women as Rodosta and O'Lantern looked to have solid holds on second and third respectively. However the final two podium spots were going to go down to the wire. Cunningham was feeling the pain and worked extremely hard on the final lap to take home fourth in the race and was followed just behind by local Laurie Johnston in fifth!

For the Men's Masters my money was riding on Kean Bird. The start saw Bird, Bob Vernon, Matt Marcus, Bryan Davis, series leader Fritz Kessler (Breakaway Velo) go away together. However my prediction was not to come true after Bird received a early first lap flat. Marcus and Vernon started to pull away from the others and it looked to be a two man race. Vernon is one of those riders that you never know how much they have left in the tank due to his facial expressions never changing. I would hate to play poker against that guy. However Marcus was just barely able to keep Vernon at bay for the class win. Behind them found Bryan Davis in third and Fritz Kessler in fifth. Hats off to Bird who was able to recover after the flat and finish up in fourth place.

As race number two got ready to start, the course had become wet, muddy, slick and fun if you ask me. It was just the kinda conditions you think about when cross racing comes to mind. For this race I was in the action, racing in the Clydesdale/Tandem class. During the same race however the Men's B class would be racing. The race started at a moderate pace that I found to be manageable. Out front was Men's B riders Duncan Oliver (WVU Cycling), Rob Lochner (Iron City Bikes), Danny Welsh (Western Maryland Wheelmen), Robert Chaney, Scott Benson, Mike Maher and Chris Schott. Oliver and Welsh chose mountain bikes for the race due to the muddy course that was degrading lap by lap while Lochner stayed with the cross bike. The mountain bike gave Oliver an advantage in some of the muddy corners but Lochner would even things up on the flat and road sections of the course. Towards the final laps the muddy course became hysterical in sections. The approach to the "Hill of Death" was as slick as the Mon Ice Rink and a mass of spectators made their way to the section to view the carnage. Oliver, however, seemed to be unfazed by the course and took the class win. Lochner finished second followed by Welsh. Rob Chaney took home forth in the Men's B while Scott Benson finished with an impressive fifth.

In the Clydesdale/Tandem class it saw the Tandems school the Clydesdales. I (JR Petsko-Backyard Bike Club)found myself in the lead after the start but it was short lived as those pesky Shogrens and their Cannondale Factory Racing Tandem went flying past me. I was feeling comfortable in second until a mistake in the gravel pit saw the team of Cunningham/Pokrivka (Pro Bikes) go past me as well as well as Rick Plowman. I recover and was feeling good as I passed Plowman and then found myself on the Pro Bikes tandem's rear wheel. Just as I thought I would be able to pass them for second in the class a mechanical! My derailor grabbed a hold of one of the rear spokes and it sent me my flying over the bars. It took what felt like an eternity to get the derailor free of the back wheel and get racing again. By that time the second place tandem was gone. Behind me Mike Miller was able to get around Plowman and moved himself up into the fourth spot. At the finish it was the Shogrens first, Cunningham/Pokrivka second, me third, Miller fourth, Plowman fifth and Craig Weimer sixth. Most fun I had ever had in a race! Great job guys..

At this point the course was a nightmare of mud that seemed fitting for a Halloween race. Up next it was the main event and the folks with all the horse power, the Men's A race. The field had some super fast East Coast cyclocross names in it like Morgantown's own Gunnar Shogren (Cannondale Factory Racing/Pathfinder/Backyard Bike Club), Gerry Pflug (Speedgoat/SPK), Mike Mihalik (Freddie Fu Cycling Team), Justin Pokrivka (Pro Bikes), Jason Cyr (Regional Cannondale Factory Racing), Chris Mayhew (JVB Coaching.com) and don't count out series leader Brad Schmalzer (bikeman.com). There was also some pretty fast local rider lined up at the start like Mike "I'm Not Ryan" Vanderberg, Nate "Ol' school Gunnar" Annon (Pathfinder/Cannondale), Gary Rodosta, Robbie "Shoot 'em up" Loehr, Jacob Brown and Matt Kettering. More fast guys then you can shake a stick at!

The start was super fast and Gerry Pflug wasted no time getting to the front followed by Mihalik. Shogren frond himself in third and was followed closely by Cyr. One lap into the race it looked to be a four horse race out front as they begin to pull away from the other. The once firm ground that we saw at 9am that morning had now become unrecognizable and muddy was everywhere. The traction and but handling was difficult in the easiest spots on the course and in place like the "Hill of Death" it seemed as though it took a super human effort to get to the top. The battle for the lead was just that, a battle. One lap found Shogren in the lead, the next Pflung, and then Mihalik and so on. At about the mid way point things started to widen even more throughout the field and even in the lead group. Pflug and Mihalik had a gap on Shogren and the gap increased even more when Shogren was forced to stop and remove a layer of clothing due to overheating. This then allowed Cyr to take over the third spot. Some riders knew they were out of contention for the day and just had fun with it. Matt Kettering failed on one attempt to make the "Hill of Death" and after he slide all the way to the bottom proceeded to put on a break dancing show for the crowd. Nice moves there Matt. Vanderberg, Annon and Brown where all seen taking drink at the beer stop at the top of the "HOD". Then all of a sudden no more time for games, LAST LAP! Out front Pflug looked to have made the move for the win when a a slight error allowed Mihalik to slip by for the win. Pflug however still finished with a strong second. Shogren, even though it took a few laps, was able to cool down his body temperature and get back around Cyr for the third podium place. Cyr held onto fourth ahead of Justin Pokrivka.

I have said it once and I will say it again. Best time I have ever had at a bike race. My hat goes off to Gary and Marc for all their hard work. It sure showed. Thanks to all the volunteers and the SPECTATORS. You guys brought the event to another level.

Next up on the WVCXS schedule is my very own race the Blackwater Cyclocross on Nov. 14th in Davis, WV. You can register on line now at bikereg.com and the first 40 preregistered get FREE messenger bags from Endura!

Ps... West Virginia Cyclocross Standings Updated

Raccoon Cross

2009-10-26T11:13:00.002-04:00

Shogren’s win three, while Kessler wins Vet!

2009-10-22T07:18:00.003-04:00

Fayetteville Cyclocross WVCXS #2- October 18, 2009

This past weekend round number two of the WVCXS made its way to Fayetteville, WV. With cold weather and some rain the day before, it was typical cross racing conditions. The course, which encircled Fayetteville City Park, was 1.2 miles long and included two sets of barriers and a ton of twists and turns. The day’s first race included the Vet, Single Speed and Women’s classes. From the beginning, Josh Feazell (WV Night Club/Endura) was out front and charging on his Single Speed. Behind him Marc Glass (Backyard Bike Club) was doing his best not to let him get away. However a slight touch of a cold was not making things any easier for him. Feazell continued his march and 35 minutes into the 40 minute event looked to have things in hand. However, just before getting the cowbell for the final lap, Feazell’s rear tire went flat. There was not much he could do except shoulder the bike and run the last lap in hopes that he had built up enough of a lead to hold off Glass. Glass was starting to look a little stronger in the final few laps and upon hearing the news of Feazell’s misfortune got on the gas. As the final lap ended, Feazell’s flat and run proved to be just what Glass needed to take the Single Speed win.

For the women it was cyclocross veteran Betsy Shogren (Cannondale Factory Team) taking the win. Shogren was able to hold off Kristy Lanier (Dirt Bean) and Laurie Johnston (WV Night Club,). With all three women looking to win the series title, this isn’t the last we have heard about these fast ladies! In the Vet Class (40+) Fritz Kessler (Breakaway Velo), long time friend of the ByBc, was on fire. The Frostburg, MD resident worked with Lanier during the entire race and pulled away from the other racers in his class. Second went to Joey Harris and Steve Haroff respectively.

Race #2 included the always popular men’s B class (sport/beginner) and the Clydesdale/Tandem class. All eyes were on the Shogren’s and their Cannondale Factory Racing Tandem. It had been the hot topic all morning. The folks who had not made it out yet this year were dying to see how they handled the barriers. JR Petsko, (me) (Backyard Bike Club/iPlayOutside.com) took the race’s hole shot and looked strong for lap one but then reality set in and I funneled to the back. With a little bit of a slow start the Shogren’s had some work to do but after three laps they found themselves in the overall lead that they would never relinquish. All and all, they had a clear race except for a little barricade tape found in their rear wheel after the race and an unlucky marking pole that they smashed out on the course.

For the Men’s B class Jeff Hankens took a 35 second lead into the final lap and never let go of it. Behind Hankens was Mark Peet in second with Eric Hawkenberry in third. Chris Clark put in a great ride for his first ever cross race and finished in fourth. Rounding out the top five was Brian Beckett.

Race #3, the final race of the day, was the men’s A race (Experts). From the start, a pack of three riders were off the front which included Gunnar Shogren (Cannondale Factory Team), Brad Schmalzer (Bikeman.com) and Mike “I am not Ryan” Vanderburg. Shogren, with his twenty years of cross racing experience, was too much for the younger riders and began pulling away from the two. However, what he left behind was by far the race of the day. First Vanderburg attacked and was able to gap Schmalzer nicely. It looked as though Vanderburg was going to cruise to an easy second when Schmalzer dug down deep. As the two riders came back together, things looked like they had changed and Schmalzer was running the show. However with two laps to go, Vanderburg attacked one more time and a tired Schmalzer was unable to match. Vanderburg took home second with Schmalzer not far behind in third. In fourth was Andy Forron (New River Bikes). Andy admitted after the race that “I just didn’t have the legs to race with those guys today!” Fifth went Sean Zurek who took home the crash of the day award! Don’t worry, Sean, we have called the tree doctor to check on that oak ya hit. Doctor says the patient is fine!

Next up on the WVCXS schedule is Marilla Cross in Morgantown, WV. The race falls on Halloween so that should bring out all the crazies for the race. After the race Pathfinder of Morgantown is holding their annual “throwdown in Motown,” during which they truck-in snow and have a snowboard rail jam right outside the store. What fun! And of course don't forget about my big cycling bonanza the Blackwater Cyclocross on Nov. 14 in Davis, WV.

My 12 hour race in 1hour and 41 minutes.

2009-05-11T13:50:00.010-04:00

This passed weekend I headed down south to Eleanor, WV for the first ever 12 Hours of Eleanor Mountain Bike Race. I was looking forward to just having some fun with the event sense it was a team relay race. Gina and I arrived early the day before just so we could hang out with some friends and give Larry Perkins any help he needed in setting up for the event. We have camped at events so many times that Gina and I have the routine pretty much down top a science. We got the tent up, made the beds, tended to the dogs and I also prepared for the following day. After all that was done we decided to head back out to the interstate to find some dinner. Most of the time races are in the middle of no where and there is not many options on food. The same could also be said for living in Davis, so when CHANGE pops up we like to eat something different. After stuffing myself full of pasta and rice we headed back to the park. As we were driving the heavens opened up and started to dump buckets of water. It was hard to see the road while driving cause it was coming down so hard. THE TENT!!!! The thought popped into my mind. Yes we had the pop-up tent over our sleeping tent but we didn't put the rain fly on. UGH! The last 2 or 3 miles of the drive I couldn't help but imagine what state are sleeping bags and blankets were in. We had just learned the weekend before after a large rain that the pop-up was starting to get worn out and was starting to leak.

As we pulled up to the tent if it was even possible it seemed as though it was raining even harder. I bolted over to the tent to check and noticed right away a large puddle had formed under the front of the tent. $@&*$^! Gina and I through the rain fly on top of the tent as fast as we could. Afterwards I opened up the tent to look inside. Minimal damage at the most. Thank goodness! We dodged a bullet on that one. The rain never let up so we decided to move our tent into the barn for the rest of the weekend. Note to anyone camping to at upcoming Creek to Peak points race. CAMP IN THE BARN! Besides all the bird poop is was pretty sweet.. Really! As we sat around drinking a brew or two watching the rain outside we were so happy to have moved the tent.

The next morning I was awoken way to early at 6:30am by the sound of yelling kids and pigs?! The night before there were no pigs or kids around so what the hell was going on. Well I came to learn that from the hours of 7am - noon the barn was going to be used to TAG the ears of livestock. As 7am drew nearer a line of pickup trucks and trailer form about 10 deep. Each 4x4 had at some kinda farm animal on board. It was like going to the petting zoo. I saw pigs, goats, cows, sheep and more mullets then I could count. Gunnar would have been in heaven. Lets say however the animals were not to happy to have a hole punched through their ear for there number tag. I said to myself, thank goodness the Shogrens are not hear. As registration started you would every once in a while hear a scream of a little piggy getting tagged. Very interested registration to say the least.

Notice the cow in the back, Photo by Theresa Svoboda

Lucky was not happy with the livestock

Finally all the drama was over and it was time to get down to some racing. I was headed out first on the course for my three man team and was super ready to get going. As the race began it was clear that all the rain for the last two week was going to make for a muddy race but things were not all that bad. My team mate Steve Thorne and I rode much of the first lap together. I struggled a little in the mud to keep up but I have never been the best in that type of conditions. 1 hour and forty one minutes later I completed my first lap. That was just a minute long then I had thought it would take so I was pretty happy. I handed off to my friend Darren Bennett who I had talked into doing the race the week before. I think Darren was pretty excited about doing the race as he headed out.

Steve and I, ready to race

I then started to eat and drink for the next lap that I would do, which I was gussing was going to be in 4 hours. Darren was fit but didn't race much XC so I figured 2 hours for his lap and the same for are third team mate Philip Poff. I ate and then I ate some more. The tank was full and I was ready to head out again but Darren had not returned yet. It had only been 2 hours so he should be hear anytime. At about 2 hours and 20 minutes his girl friend started to worry. I didn't show it much concern just figured Darren was having a little trouble with the conditions. Little did we know at the time the course was starting to turn into a peanut butter like consistence. At hours and thirty minutes Darren showed from the woods. He looked tired and was cover with mud. He handed of to Phil and Darren didn't say to much.. The look on his face said it all. He was tired.

Is a front chainring meant to look like this?

SO phil was on the course by 4:11 PM and that meant at around 6:00 I needed to be ready to go. I ate some more and drank some more. Got the bike all ready and was now just waiting. With some extra time I decided to take a few photos out on the course. The trails was really starting to fall apart. Even walking was becoming extremely hard. As riders made their way past me the before happy and excited racers looked tired and dejected. The course is 10% ridable one person said to me. UGH! I thought. At 6:00 I started to get ready. I paced around with excitement for my next lap. I knew it was going to be hard by the look of the other riders coming in. At 6:30 no Phil.. Ah, he will be here soon. At 7:00, no Phil. By this time riders were pushing what was left of there bike in from their laps. Broke derailors, one broke frame, and more mud the you could imagine. 7:15 and still no Phil. By this time the thought of heading out in that crap was not looking like fun and everyone around me was also questioning it. Also teams were quiting left and right. 7:30 and no Phil. At this point he had been out there for over 3 hours. I was feeling his pain and I had almost no excitement left about going back out. At 7:40 Philip came out of the woods. He was barely turning the pedals and just looked worked over. I waited for him back in hand at the transition area. As he came up he said,"Dude you don't want to go out there". He stated that it looked like a war zone out on the trails. He said people were laying against tree worn out and out of food.

Just a little mud out there
I was torn. I wanted to ride but that didn't sound like any fun at all. After a minute or two I said the hell with it and headed out on my bike. As I rolled out I people yelled at me that I was crazy. Phil was ride, the trails were a mess. I had to push a few hill and it was so muddy it locked up the back hill pulling the bike up hill. After about 2 miles I had enough and headed back. It was getting dark and I had not interest in pushing my bike at night. Best choice I made all day. The only bad thing was that I had spent all day eating to deep my energy up for the race. With only doing one 12 miles lap it was a waste. Feeling kinda fat today. Need to ride a lot this week. Lets hope Tour de Lake is going to be dry this weekend.

Morgantown Road Race revisited!

2009-04-29T21:56:00.009-04:00

It sure seems like it went from being the cycling off season to the thick of things in the blink of an eye. In the last three weeks I have raced two more times and promoted one road race. Been busy to say the least, and that doesn't even take in consideration all the work to get WVMBA Series up and running for the year lol!

So where to start? Tonight I will start with the MRR and in the nights to follow maybe something about the races I did. Well, round number one of the West Virginia Road Race Series (WVRRS) was my event the Morgantown Road Race. I was pretty happy in the weeks leading up to the race because preregistration had been going very week and with a few days before the event 63 riders had already signed up. With just 10 more riders signing up the day of the race it would be bigger then any other road race held in the state the year before. I was excited!

The day before and the morning of the event it had been rain. Because I use spray chalk and not paint I was unable to mark the course before registration started. At first I was not very concerned because I just planned to headed out before the first riders to get it done. THEN THINGS GOT NUTS! Before I knew it the line at registration was 20 people deep. At first I was like cool, good turnout. Then an hour later the line was longer then when we started. I looked down at the computer and it said 120 registered so far. WTF! Thank goodness for Gunnar.

Gunnar and I controlling the masses!

He was able to take over the job of explaining to the race volunteers what they needed to do for the event. That made a huge difference. About 2 hours after opening registration we had a final total of 160 racers! I was beside myself, and getting more gray hair by the minute. Maybe it was because it was an early season race and everyone was just happy to be outside but everyone was super about waiting on the delayed start time and the long lines.

And they're off!

Look at all them folks! UGH!

After getting all 160 people to the start line it was time to get things under way. CRAP! The course still is not marked! I jumped in the car and drove 55 mph on the back roads of WV & PA to stay in front of the pack. I also dropped Gina off at one of the intersection to direct traffic. Some how I made it around the 50 mile course and got it all marked but it only took the first finisher about 15 minutes to cross the line after I pulled in the parking lot from marking the course. Damn that was a near miss!

We did have a little problem with results but some how we pulled it off. To this day I am still getting email about how great the race was.. Go figure.. There was however one HUGE problem! Gina got left out on the course for like three hours after the last rider passed hour. Ya it will be sometime before I live that one down. With all the craziness of trying to get the results done I total forgot about her. But beside that everything went well. Well enough in fact that it has helped the registration for the June 6th Tour of Tucker County Road Race. Many folks have already signed up for it as well. That night I went how and must have asked myself how that got pulled off. Thanks for all the help before and after the race BYBC! You guys & gals are the best.

People I want to thank!
Nars - License holding BYBC member
Bunny - License holding BYBC member
Chrissy - License holding BYBC member
Ruth "R.C." Cunningham - License holding BYBC member
Jacob Brown
Gina Desmond
Chris Nichols - Card carrying BYBC member
My mom & sister
Robbie's Dad
Photos by Dan C. Thanks!
Darren Bennet
Mandy Starr
Matt Marcus for picking up the lost Gina!
Maddisan Starr
Ashlon Smith
Carrie Hawkins
Mike Miller
Twilla Miller
Bonnie A.
Ryan Post
Mikey "sirianni's Cafe" Goss
WVU Healthcare Cycling Team
Blackwater Bikes
Hammer Gel
Pathfinder
Wamsley Cycles
Boston Beanary
Black Bear Burritos
Blue Moose Cafe
Mount Morris Volunteer Fire Dept.
Mason Dixon Park

If I forgot someone let me know! I am really sorry!

Kicking off a new season in Logan!

2009-04-08T22:46:00.005-04:00

Ahha! You hear that? It is the sound of happy mountain bikers all of the state of West Virginia! This past weekend the season got kicked off at the Wilderness Challenge in Logan, WV. It was a pretty long haul for me from my sleepy little mountain town of Davis but that sure wasn't going to stop me from racing.

One of my teammates who hocked me up with a room at the brand new Chief Logan State Park lodge. The place was so new you could eat of the floor and the pool was pretty nice also. Thanks, you know who you are. The next morning I awoke from my king size bed ready to roll. The excitement of the first race of the year was killing me. I had worded so hard on my fitness over the winter and was really wanting to test it. After a quick breakfast at the lodge it was off to the race!

Car is packed to the roof
One of the things I like so much about racing is the people. It sure was nice to see my friends that I had not seen or talked to sense the fall. Everyone one seemed to be just as excited as I was about getting the season started. Like Gary Morefield, he could not even race do to a sore back but made the trip all the way to Logan to hangout.

My WVMBA Cycling Teammate Steve Thorne, up to no good

As always Gina and I were running registration for the event and it sure took a few minutes for us to remember how everything worked. I must have tried 20 different buttons on the computer before I figured out how to get the timer to work. The race turned out to have a smaller turn out sense it was not a points series event but I think the was perfect for us to get used to running all the equipment again.

Former DSK member Matt Marcus

Gary, James and Larry "the clydesdales"

Even with the lower then usually turnout it didn't stop a good number of clydesdales from showing up. That is what I wanted. I wanted to see were I was in the class. At noon we all gathered at the start line and I was just pretty calm about the whole thing. As always I was the last person to the starting area so I lined up at the very back. Go!

Feeling great 4 miles into it

As we took off it was a quarter of a mile or so of pavement before we hit the dirty. All the guys in front of my just took off like a rocket. I was a little shock but it took just a few seconds to jump on someones wheel. I knew in my head were everyone in my class was in the pack. I really didn't have much of a plan but Gunnar told me the night before to go HARD! SO as the course made a sharp left into the dirty I dove to the inside getting in front of all the other clydesdales.

Pacing with my teammate Steve

After the first climb I found myself right behind teammate Steve Thorne who told me his plan was to just pace himself until the BIG climb of the day. So I just settle in behind Steve and road the same pace as him. Right then I thought wow! Being in shape and is nice.. lol! Last year at this point I would have been just trying to survive.

The course took me about 1 hour and 38 minutes to finish and I felt great the entire race. I was extremely happy and surprised by how well I did. I would go into more detail but I am putting on the Morgantown Road Race this weekend and I am so busy it is crazy... I will have more for you soon!

Gina and I enjoyed the drive home together

Rewards of a job well done

Rides of the past month!

2009-03-24T22:42:00.004-04:00

A Weekend Back Home!

2009-02-23T13:42:00.015-05:00

The snow is still deep in Davis, but that was ok because Saturday and Sunday all the riding was going on in Morgantown. Most off you already know but us here at Team Bi-atch started are own USAC club. The Backyard Bike Club as it is known held it first ever group ride on Saturday. The ride was 50 mile mild pace ride around the up coming Morgantown Road Race course, which is being host by the BYBC.

The group of around 16 gathered at Mason-Dixon Park outside of Mount Morris and everyone was excited to get going. I have three road rides under my belt for 2009 but honestly it has been years sense I've done much on the roads. It's been all mountain biking for as long as I can remember. Drafting to stay out of the wind and save energy is something that brain is having trouble with after all this time. Gunnar has been in my ear about that but to this point it hasn't set in.

As we started out I was out front while the stonger rider tucked in behind me as we headed out Rt.7 towards Blacksville. DUMB DUMB DUMB... As we arrived in B-ville we did however make a quick stop to get a picture or two of the old fighter jet. While photos were taken someone noticed the stuffed dog in a window of a nearby park camper. Not stuffed like a toy, stuffed liked was once alive. I should have taken a photo but I was afraid of someone coming out and stuffing me.

So once we were back on the road I was out front again and Gunnar pulled up behind me. "Slow down boy", he said. Yup I was at it again going way about what I should be. I relaxed a little and let him take over at the front and finally started to chill out. Jeremy R & Josh C must have not felt like hanging out with us and took off up the road. After they already were 50 to 75 yards up the road I got up on the pedals and took off after them.. DUMB.. DUMB.. DUMB.. I put in a good effort for me for a few minutes but couldn't bridge the gap. Just as I turned off the gas Kean pulled up beside me and we road a while togeather because we had dropped the pack. About 2 or 3 miles the group all can back togeather again but not for long. Gunnar and Chris took off. Once again I wanted till they were 50 yards ahead to try and bridge up.. I guess I like doing things the hard way. I did however make it acrossed this time. The boys were pacelining and decided to show me the ropes.. For the next few miles up to Waynesburg we pacelined. DUMB.... DUMB... DUMB... My legs were on fire!!! I need to work on my technique cause I had to work really hard to get on the back after my turn at the front of the line.. Oh well..

At Waynesburg we regroup for the turn onto Sugar Run Road and the ride back. I was around 20 miles at this point and the ride had be pretty flat, but that was all about to change. The next 30 miles had 5 pretty mean climbs instore for us. Of course I am always a pretty poor climber because of my size but the fact that I wasted so much energy at the beginning of the ride didn't help. THE CLIMBS HURT AND HURT BAD! Thanks goodness Chris had gotten a flat on the second climb and it gave my legs a chance to recover..

The Morgantown Race course does have some big climbs but it does have some really nice long flats sections between the climbs which really made a difference for me. I must say I am a very popluar guy when we would come to the flat. I made a very effective hole in the wind with my sexy body.. lol!

The rest of the ride back was full of chit chat which made the ride a lot of fun. As we pulled buck into the parking lot we were just short of 50 miles. Here is the GPS info if ya want to see. The first BYBC ride was a huge success if you ask me. Thanks to everyone for showing up and to Nars for putting it togeather.

Sunday was a whole different story however. The weather had turned over night and dropped an inch or so of snow on the ground. That goodness it was a mountain bike ride and not a road ride on Sunday. For this ride it was at Bakers Ridge and the Dan Cas ride. It was a good 20 degress colder, windy and still snowing. I was super pumped to hit the trails after how well I rode the day before and even with the poo weather around 12 other showed up to ride.

The trails were really really muddy and the going was a little rough at first. I could fell some fatigue in my legs from the day before but it wasn't to bad. I settled in and was ride ok even though I am not the best mud rider in the world. I really think my weight makes it much harder for my then everyone else because I sink in more, but that is just me whining.

I was having fun and that was all that really matter until we drop down the mountain side. At the bottom the conditions we unreal! The warm weather the day before had made the ground soft but with it being 20 degress on Sunday the muddy soup would freeze to your frame. It was everything I could do to keep the pedals turning. The mud/ice mess packed in my frame and at times wouldn't turn at all. Matter because even worse when you tried to get back on the bike and clip in to your pedals. The ice had frozen to the bottom of your shoes and to your pedals and clipping in was impossible.

I must admit at that point the fun ended. I spent more time clean ice off and tring to get my feet in the pedals then I did riding. I did however not say anything cause I didn't want to be the big baby.. Once we got back on top of the mountain five or six people said they had enough and headed home. I really wanted to ride more even with the issues so I was staying. Things went back to "ok" for a while. At the very top of the ridge the ground was much harder and the issues were at a minium. However I think it must have started to get colder out cause it just seemed like everything started to stick to the bike and pedals all of a sudden.. Now irt really wasn't fun.. Betsy made me feel tens times better when she looked at me and said, "I am not having very much fun". THANKS BUNNY!

We rode for around 2 hour but only covered seven miles.. WOW! That was rough.. I hope things are better for next Sunday cause I am planing to make the trip back to Morgantown for Dan's ride.

Mother Nature Must Read My Blog.

2009-02-10T17:01:00.007-05:00

Just two days ago I was saying in a post how much I wanted to get outside and ride. Well good ol' mother nature must have been reading my little blog 'cause the weather took a turn for better the past two days.

Sunday it was partly sunny and around 50F in Morgantown so I hopped in the car to take a scouting ride for the Morgantown Road Race course. Klara Hitchcock came over from Ohio to do the ride and some how I even talked Gunnar into going. I am guessing he wanted to make sure I didn't have some screwed up race course planned for the April event. I bet I am right. Anyways it sure was nice to be outside and have some friends along. Meanwhile in another part of Morgantown, around the same time, Gina was trying to get some wedding stuff done at the expo at Morgantown Mall. It's getting closer!

We started the ride at what we think is going to be the start/finish area up in Mount Morris. It was liberating to feel the wind and sun on my face. The first climb on Fort Martin road woke me real quick. Those hills just aren't that big when you are riding the trainer. Even though it was a little tough I could tell all the work the last few months had paid off. The rest of the ride went off with pretty much no issues. Gunnar and I talked about a hundred different options for the race and it's pretty settled at this point. For the people out there that want to know Gunnar's secret is frozen burritos. Most of get gels, power bars, etc. on rides but not the old man. He was literially eating a frozen burrito out on the ride. "It's thawed out now!", he said. Weird.. Betsy please come home..

Three hours later we found our selves back at the start with the sun still shining. Here is the GPS info from the ride.

The following day I had planned another road ride with Roger Lilly of Blackwater Bikes fame. I was super surprized that I had no sorness in my legs after my first real outside ride in 2009. Damn that sounds bad. Once again we headed off the mountain for warmer temps down in the valley. I have heard from others about these great farm country road rides towards Mount Storm, but had never gotten to experience them myself until now.

We parked next to a beautiful mountain trout stream with steep rock out cropings. KILLER! As we headed out the weather was once again perfect. 50 degrees and sunny is the best if you ask me. The first 12 miles of the ride was like one long hill repeat workout. Tall roller after tall roller.. The legs that didn't have any sorness in them really started to hurt towards the last few repeats.. Thank goodness the back to back to back rollers were over after the 12 miles.. After a lttle spinning my legs were back to normal and go to go..

Great ride, thanks Roger! In all it was a 2 1/2 hour ride at 37 miles. The roads were everything that I had heard about. No traffic, great surface and it was beautiful!! Anyone who wants to head out there and see for themselves just give me a shout. Here is the GPS info for this ride if ya want to peak.

Today it was back to the trainer and I really really missed the roads.. Tomorrow they are calling for 60F and rain.. I think I will deal with the rain and ride outside!

Getting ready for 2009..

2009-02-07T18:14:00.003-05:00

It's been a bit since my last post, but things just have not been that interesting around here. It's not that I've been sitting at home, but who wants to hear about me skiing or riding the trainer everyday? Anyone? That's want I thought... However progress is being made for the 2009 season. As of right now I weigh in at 229.0 and that is down from 253.4 in mid November. Still work needs to be done to get down to my goal weight but it's looking good.

The skiing as been killer up here in the mountains lately, and just yesterday Mandy Starr, Nicole Siri and I skied up to Bald Knob. What a blast that was. The weather was clear and around 35F, perfect if you ask me. I have heard people talk about xc skiing for years, but never really had many chances to go living in Morgantown my whole life. That all changed when I moved to Davis. I now see why all the mountain bikers love it so much. It reminds me a ton of riding and the workout is unbeatable. I just wish the snow was a little more consistent this winter and could ski everyday. I couldn't image what kinda shape I would be in if that was true. Just like cycling you get to see things that are off the beaten path. Check out these photos from Bald Knob.

Skiing has not been the only thing going on around here. Spin class at BWB is still going strong. Every Tuesday and Friday Carrie Hawkins, Mandy Starr, Sara Lampo, Jason Cyr and I jump on the trainers and spin out the old legs. It is so much more enjoyable riding the trainer in a group like that. Team Bi-atch is always giving me crap about riding the trainer. They say GET OUTSIDE AND RIDE. However winter riding is pretty tough up this way. Slush on the roads most of the time make road riding sketchy and mountain biking is possible but can be extremely muddy in the "high wet lands" of the area. That's why the trainer is really the only way to go up here on a regular basis durning winter.

Well that's it for today but I'll try to update more often in the next few weeks. When April gets here things when be back to normal with regular update because of the start of the WVMBA racing season... Later.

The OG Fatboy Bikes...

2009-01-03T19:57:00.002-05:00

Sporting my Luke Skywalker haircut before my hair turned black..

My Grandpa found that bike and pimped it out with a hot red paint job that had matching tires and seat... Hot...

To shave or not to shave that is the question?

2008-12-18T22:53:00.003-05:00

Picture it. The time was the 90's and I was young and smooth running around Morgantown with nothing to lose. Ya I was in college and was running around but when I am talking about being smooth it wasn't with the girls, I am talking about my legs. Back then all I did was ride and to show off my muscle legs I shaved. That was not the only reason, it was also the cool thing to do as a cyclist and it just plan looked and felt better.

So once again it been on my mind and I not sure if I am going to do it or not, so I decided to look up some good reasons to do or not to do it on the net and here are few examples I found.

1)Crashes. If you crash, it's easier to clean up the road rash and doesn't hurt as much taking off bandages.

2)Tradition. Road cyclists have been shaving their legs for decades.

3)Psychological Advantage. Having my legs shaved makes me feel even faster.

4)It Feels Better. I've found that when it's warm and I haven't shaved my legs, I get more bugs hanging out and biting me. I also don't like the feel of the wind on my hairy legs when descending at 50 mph. After a mountain bike race with mud bogs and and stream crossings, it's no fun standing in the parking lot with only a little water and trying to clean mud off hairy legs.

5)Massages. I've been told massage therapists can give smooth legs a better massage.

So there are some of the reasons people give for shaving. Are they all 100% true? I don't figure so but I will have to admit that it feels better and it sure does look better... Stay Tuned for any developments.

A day in the life of...

2008-12-16T17:54:00.005-05:00

Just cause the cycling season has finally come to anend doesn't mean the work is all done. To be honest there is more work to do now then in the middle of summer. For the last few weeks I have been spending most of my time finding sponsors for the 2009 WVMBA Schedule. It hasn't been easy this year with the economy being so unstable. However so new folks have come on board and they seem just as excited as do about next year. When I am not looking for Sponsors my time has been spent working on our database, legal paperwork and membership for 2009. Needless to say things have been pretty busy around here and sleep has come second to things that need to be done.

All Kinds of Fun At Snowshoe

2008-12-12T00:06:00.008-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, but things have been super busy here at WVMBA central. Most of my time these past few weeks have been spent on the phone and on e-mail getting sponsors for WVMBA for 2009. However I have found a few days to myself. My birthday is coming up on Sunday! Did you get me anything? My parents got me a tiny little point and shoot camera. WTF? you maybe asking. Why does a professional photographer want a P&S camera? Well for one I don't have drag any of my big, expensive cameras around. It's perfect for taking on rides or XC skiing and if it get wet or broke it's not that big of a deal. Thanks Mom and Dad. I also headed to Snowshoe to take photos for Subaru this past weekend, and the P&S was going to come in handy for the trip. I was excited about going to Snowshoe because of fresh powder on the slopes and to hangout with my friends there.

Saturday was Subaru Demo Days on the mountain and just about every ski manufacture you can think of was there demoing skis and boards to folks. The weather was cold but the snow was falling and everyone was excited. It was perfect so I took a lot of breaks from shooting to hit the slopes. I was however having some major problems with my boots, and the pain in my feet was unbelievable. I got to get on that. The day seemed to fly by with all the skiing thrown in and before I knew it everyone was packing up for the day. I didn't take as many photos as I would have liked but there was always tomorrow.

The perfect day on the mountain. Shoot on good camera
For dinner me, Gina, Ashlon, Bull and Lucinda headed to Fox Fire Grille and that was fine by me cause with this diet I've been missing out. I sure made up for it that night as I packed the food away. One funny thing did happen though. I order a baked potato with sour cream with my dinner and when they brought my plate to the table it had mashed potatoes. Not big deal to me at first and I ate them all up. However later when the bill came the charged me for sour cream. Not that the $.50 was a ton of money but I thought that was weird. Since when did places start charging for sour cream?

Dinner was a blast baked potato or not. We spent most of the time trying to talk Ashlon into going out with the waitress. However he was not into it. Oh well maybe next time.

Ashlon was more into the BBQ. Taken with P&S.

Lucinda's not getting anything for Christmas

Turned out to be a lotion night for Ashlon

We did stay out and had a few drinks but there was work to do in the morning so we didn't get to crazy. I awoke the next morning feeling like I had a few to many drinks the night before, but I had to get out and take photos. I bundled up and stepped out the door. The wind was unreal. If I had to guess, I would say 30 MPH. Also over night another 8" of powder had fallen and combined the two and it was a white out. Crap! I then made my way out to the demo area and only one tent of the 15 or so from the day before was there. They canceled the damn thing because of the weather!!! So much for getting more photos..

What it looked like Sunday morning. P&S Camera

Well thank goodness the ones I took on Saturday were pretty good. I'd like to thank Ashlon and Bull for having me out to take photo for Subaru. It was a lot of fun guys and I am looking forward to next time. I did take a few photos Saturday night with the good camera that I'd like to share.

My Revenge at White Grass..

2008-11-26T19:17:00.006-05:00

A Weekend on the Farms

2008-11-25T21:46:00.006-05:00

Friday I got a call from my mother that one of my sister's goats (she has five) had two babies that afternoon. The whole situation was made really funny because my Dad had been working his butt of for the past week building stalls for the goats because he thought one of them was pregnant. Why is that funny you ask? Because the one he thought was pregnant wasn't and out of no where a different one had a litter of two. I was planning on coming to the Morgantown area for the cross race but with the new babies at my parents house I had to swing by and check them out.

This one is a climber
I was at my parent's house for a few hours and couldn't stop playing with the new ones. I was shocked at how well they got around for only being 24 hours old. One of them kept trying to climb my head. It wasn't all fun and games though. From some reason that I don't know goat babies are not great at going to their mother for milk when they are new born. For the first few days they need a little help pointing them in the right direction. This isn't the easiest task to complete when the mother wants to run around and the little ones don't know what to do. However we did finally get the job done! I can't wait to go back for Thanksgiving and play with them again.

What can I say, I have a way with the animals
The following day it of was of to another farm. This time I was headed to the Park's Farm in Bruceton Mills for the 5th annual Bruceton Mills Cyclocross. This event had a little bit of a special meaning for me. It was one year ago at this race when I decided to really start riding again. What a great idea that was. I have had so much fun in the last 12 months. I wonder what I would have been doing if I never made that decision.

Is it just me or do I look cold
Just like last year the weather was pretty darn cold on top the mountain but unlike last year there was a good bit of snow on the ground. Considering the conditions I wondered if anyone would show up for the race. Guess I am not the crazy one out there because the number of racers doubled this year from last.

Believe it or not I was pretty warm in my tights
With my other Bi-atch Teammates racing again at the MABRA race in Maryland it was up to me to represent for the team. Right before the race started I decided to change bikes. The course had been snow plowed that morning and the sun was starting to melt what was left on the course, so I thought a fatter tire would do me better. However my pit bike was my single speed mountain bike.

After the start I was really happy to have picked the wider tires and was felling pretty good. I was also staying pretty close to a few guys that I know were faster then I was. However each lap became tougher and tougher trying to push the single gear around the course. My buddy Tim Bishop was cheering for my on the sidelines and every time I went by him I would howler out a WOOT! About the fourth lap he yelled back that my Woot was starting to become weak. He was right, it was. I was in the pain box. That was a good thing. May times I find myself not racing as hard as I possible could but I was giving it 100% on the old single speed. At the finish my overall standing were not that great but it was a good race for me.

Greatest help you coulf ever find
With it being a WVMBA race in all I was there to clean up afterward. I was thinking it was going to take me forever, but thanks to some great folks from Morgantown I was done in an hour. Thanks you guys for all your help.

The day was capped off with a great sunset. I had my junky camera with my and no tripod. I wish I had my gear or I would have really put some effort into the above photo. Atleast one more race left this year, will see after that.

From Thursday Night Ride to Thursday Night Ski

2008-11-21T00:50:00.006-05:00

Below is what it looked like here in Davis last night at 4:00pm. So the World Famous Thursday Night Ride turned into the Thursday Night Ski at White Grass because of a second dumping of snow this week.

This was going to be my first XC ski of 2008/2009 and only like the 3rd in my life. I was super excited to have a group of friends to spend the evening with but I was a little worried about holding everyone up because I am new to the sport. When I arrived at White Grass I was quickly greeted by the always super nice Chip Chase. Chip was really excited when I told him that everyone was coming out for a night ski. A few minutes later Rob Stull, the three Sarah's, Darren and Macky showed up to join us and almost on cue the snow started falling again.
Just as we were ready to head out Mandy showed up. Mandy didn't have her own gear so Chip quickly found her a pair of new retails and we were off. You can ski out of WG lodge in any direction but of course the group wanted to go straight up the mountain. I really had never done any climbing before and it was a challenge at first but after a few minute I started make small improvements. We ended up climbing up to round top which is a mile of climbing from the lodge. I was really shocked at how good I felt going up the mountain. It was really step in sections and figured I be toast at the top but I wasn't.
Chip giving Mandy hell for being late

Then it was a nice long section of kick and glide on top of the ridge. It was freaking sweet! I was as happy as can be and loving it. The snow was also continuing to fall all around me. Things then changed. It was time to head back down the mountain. First let me say that I have been a downhill skier since I was 5 years old and will ski any trail on downhill ski. With that being said I was getting worked on the way down the hill on XC skis. I couldn't even snow plow! I still don't get it. I have no problems doing it before, but it was almost impossible for me last night. I hit the ground four times total and one of those times was pretty darn hard.
Time for a photo at the top of round top

It took some time but I did make it back to the lodge. I still had a blast even with my troubles coming back in. I think going to head back to WG today and try some shorter skis and a few other ideas to try and fix my problems. My snow falling out side right now! Sweet! If you are interested here is the GPS information from our ski and thanks to Chip for all the tips.

Snow & Cross Fit.

2008-11-19T23:20:00.004-05:00

This week Davis got hit with it's second snow storm. When it was all said and done we ended up with around 10" - 12". The way things seem to be going we are going to be seeing a good bit of the white stuff this year.
Anni loves the snow

Tonight I was invited by Sarah Deacon to take part in Cross Fit over in Thomas. I knew the majority of the folks that took part in the workout so I was game. However I was not ready for how hard the workout was going to be. I did bike races this fall that took 7 hours to finish but cross fit made me really feel out of shape. Here is what we did.

The Workout
You are to do the following exercises as fast as you can.
30 Sit ups
30 Push ups
30 Jumping jacks
30 Box jumps
30 Leg raises
30 Squats
30 Weighted Squats
30 Squat thrusts
30 Medicine ball tosses

It was hard! The girls total kicked my ass, but I am glad I went. I had no clue my strength was gone. On the way home I was even light headed. Damn. The workout even though it's very hard, is kinda weird cause it is so short. Around 20 - 30 minutes depending on how quickly you can do everything. They make these Tucker county girls hard. Well, most of them aren't from here like me, but it sounds good. If your in the mood for a good ass kicking come to town on Monday or Wednesday nights at 5:00.
Deacon getting cross fit

Lampo showing off the new cut at cross fit

Speaking of workouts and snow this week the cross race is super nearby in Bruceton Mills, WV. However it's going to be interesting with the snow and all. Sunday the weather man's calling for a high of 37. That is just high enough to make the snow start to melt and if that happens it going to be one hell of a cold muddy mess. I CAN'T WAIT. Should make for some really interesting photos and blogging. Check back...

Cross'ed Into Virginia

2008-11-10T20:56:00.009-05:00

:::Fade to dream scene:::

The year was 2002 and the place was Charlotte, N.C.. It was halftime of the Continental Tire Bowl and WVU was losing pretty badly to Virginia. Just as I tried to relax and enjoy my halftime beer the University of Virginia "Pep Band" took the field. They then preceded to do a imitation of what they thought folks from WV were like. Oh course the women had no shoes and were pregnant and you know the rest. The WVU fans at the game where shocked by the display. There actions where so offencive the U of VA "pep band" was disbanded by the school a few weeks later.

:::Flash forward to this past weekend:::

Saturday I found myself at a Super 8 hotel just off campus of the University of Virginia and needless to say I wanted to give the finger to every student I saw at first. What can I say.. I grew up in Morgantown and that silly school was a big part of my life growing up. However I was not in Virginia for revenge. I was in Charlottesville for round #5 of the MABRA series. The race was called Urban cross because unlike most event it pretty much took place right downtown.

Team Bi-atch HQ for the weekend
My first race was at 9am so the wake up call at the hotel came pretty damn early, 7 am to be exact. After a bite to eat it was over to the race course. I jumped on my new cross bike for a few warm up laps. I got a kick in the nuts from the course right away. The uphills were pretty darn steep and I had all kinds of trouble riding them. I was also amazed by all the concrete pipes and metal scaffolding that lined the starting straight away. The course also went off a few side walks and on a ridged cross bike that really hurt the joints.

Betsy!! Don't run into the concrete!

I still would have thought it would have been cool to go through that building

At 9 I found myself on the start line along with some sunshine and warming temperature. The grass however was still a little slick from the morning dew and could be trouble on thin cross tires. The start was fast and I was kinda unprepared and I quickly found myself near the back of the field. I was working hard trying to keep up and pushing a little faster then I should have on the downhills. Bad idea, I paid for it in the wet grass. I found myself falling on the ground and my knee went straight into the ground with 250 pounds behind it. The pain went shooting up my leg but I jumped back on the bike to continue. After a few turns of the cranks however I lost the will. My knee hurt the field was gone and I was not happy.

I pulled off the course and Gina asked if I was OK. I was fine but the knee was a little tender. I had also signed up for the Master race which was in an hour an still was unsure if I could do it. I grabbed my jacket and some water and went out for a short ride to check out the knee. After about twenty minute I decided I could do it. The Masters class is much faster then the Cat 4 race even though I was more prepared for the fast start I however once again quickly found myself near the back. After the first race disaster I was going to try and make a better show of things. However I total had issues with the climbs and the race became a suffer fest for me. I did however finish the second race and even made the news in Charlottesville in the process. Don't blink or you will miss me! I was happy to have made up for the first race even if I didn't finish all that well. On a side not the first thing I did today was to change the gearing on my cross bike. NO MORE HILL ISSUES!

Kids beware, cycling makes you look like this

After my race the rest of the team was ready to do battle. Gunnar, Chris and Betsy all crushed, but if you want to know more of what happen then your have to go to the Team Bi-atch Blog. After the race we headed into town searching for cougars for Chris, burritos for me, and Poe's dorm room for gunnar. Betsy and Gina where just happy with what ever we did. Thanks ladies. We found my burrito and we even found Poe's dorm room. While we peeked through the glass into the room a student walked by. I am not sure how the conversion start but she stopped to give us some history about the school, the campus and Poe's room. My mental imagine of Virgina students started to change some what. The conversion lasted a few minutes and I even learned a few thing myself. Wish I had gotten her name, cause I would have made her world famous in my blog. Not everything was perfect that evening however. NO cougars we found for Chris. Next time!

Gunnar on the way to victory

Chris licking his lips thinking about them college girls

Poe's Dormroom. FYI kids still get to stay in these rooms

After all the excitement It was time for the long drive home. Three and a half hours later I found myself pulling into Davis and was welcomed by snow flurries.

NEXT!

2008-11-06T21:45:00.005-05:00

At the being of 2008 I was fat, smoking and not riding anymore. In March I started really riding again after two years of letting my bikes collect dust. It was REALLY hard in the beginning but now I have gotten some of the fitness back from the old days. Then in August after ten years I was finally able to quit smoking. It was a huge improvement in my overall health and I can still tell a difference everyday. So now that leaves me with one last thing. Got to cut out the fat! So as of Monday of this week it been a whole lot of soup. Campbell's makes these Healthy Request soups that are only 240 calories for a whole can, so that been lunch and dinner since this all started. I have also been eating 1 apple, 1 orange and 1 banana throughout the day. To snack at night it hard pretzels and mustard. In total I am eating around 1500 calories per day and no more coke's. There would be days when I would have four coke's and that alone is 1000 calories. Wish me luck... I am at 253 right now and really would like to see at least 180lbs. Some much for the Clydesdale series next year but I rather be lighter and faster then win a series where you have to weight 200lbs. I have always been big except for one year when I was a river guide and couldn't afford to eat, so I don't really expect this to work but I give it 100%.

Video from Marilla Cyclocross.

2008-11-04T20:56:00.000-05:00

I look slow..

What a Shoe In.

2008-11-03T20:41:00.021-05:00

This weekend was once again a double race weekend with everything getting under way Saturday morning in Morgantown at the Marilla Cyclocross - *Raza De Los Muertos*. It sure was nice to head off the mountain to the low lands after dealing with over six inches of snow all week. Along with the better weather it was great to see a lot of faces that I hadn't seen for a while. Because of being on my old home turf during the race I felt like a rock star. I have never had that many people cheering for me at a race. Every few seconds I would hear "go J.R.!" or something to that effect all around the course.
Coming down off the mountain

The race itself started at 10am and the turn out was more than anyone would have guessed for this first year race. At the start I was off like a bullet. I was running pretty good but was still getting pasted, so I turned the pace up even higher. The fact that everyone was cheering for me helped me ride even harder. One problem though, I was riding way to hard. After two laps of a pace way above my fitness level the wheels started to come off. I went out so hard and my body was on fire. I couldn't do anything but slow down and try to keep a decent pace. I didn't and couldn't... Oh well lesson learned. Here are the results.
Looking good before I blow up!

After the race it was fun to hang out with all my old friends and new ones. Some beer was drunk, pasta was eaten, roped was jumped and manly raking took place (don't ask). I would have loved to hung out all day but sense joining team Bi-atch it's the Pro life style from here on out, so I had to hit the road for a race in Washington D.C. the following day.
Betsy thinking, "is it my turn?"

Gunnar being nice and grooming Marc's chest hair

Bi-atch teammate McGill was nice enough to put me up at his D.C. bachelor pad for the night. Yes that right ladies he's single and willing. Chris is a school teacher plus a ultra mountain biking specialist, so act now!
Want to date a Super Star? Chris is waiting for you!

I'd love to say that I made it to his place with no problems, but that would be a total lie. I spent an hour driving around D.C. looking for Chris's place. I once even found myself drive loops in a traffic circle which made me think about National Lampoon's European Vacation. "Look kids, Big Ben Parliament!"After a few phone calls to Chris I finally found the place. My mood improved really quick because right after getting my car unpacked we headed out for some sushi and the night life of D.C. OK that's a lie also, we had the sushi but came home right afterwards to watch Saturday night live. I was ready to wingman for my teammate but we had to rest for the morning.
OMG this is the four time I drove past this sign! I am lost!

The next morning we headed out the door well rested and ready. I was some what nervous do to the fact that I was racing on a brand new bike (thanks to Cannondale) that I picked up at the factory just two days before. More about the new bike tomorrow. The Kelly Benefit Strategies Cyclocross at Rockburn was also a pretty large race so that didn't help the butterflies as well. Chris and I did some laps around the course right after the C race was over. It was not a super long time to warm up but it was at least a good chance to see the course. As they were calling for the racers at the starting line I was ready to make my way to the starting area, but there was a problem. My shoe broke. I rushed back to the car to fix them, but it was unrepairable. Lucky I had my winter riding boots in the car so I throw them on.

I made it to my spot at the line just in time before we started. The start was wicked fast but at least three different crashes at the front with in the first quarter of a lap helped hold things together for a while. However I started to notice really quickly that the boots were really hurting my feet. I kinda figured the pain would go away soon once I settled into the race. However this never happened. The pain just kept getting worse. As I passed Chris he would cheer for me but all I wanted to do was quit. The pain grew to the point were I just wanted to quit. I was also getting my ass kicked in the race and my motivation was dead. However I sucked it up and told myself I had to finish. Which I did, but after the race as Gunnar and Chris warmed up I found my self laying on the ground in pain. After around 20 minutes or so I was back to normal and ready to watch the rest of the team race. Here are the results.
Thanks to me, Chris was final on time

Gunnar already knows his on the way to victory

The event itself was kick ass and I plan to come back next year to try again. Even with all my issues I am already on board to travel to Virginia for Urban Cross. Hopefully this weekend will go a little better to plan. Gunnar crushed, Chris is riding better and better on that broken wrist and Betsy race was SUPER exciting and she won in a sprint finish. Make sure to check out Team Bi-atch's Blog for the details.

Get out and ride!

2008-10-28T20:21:00.004-04:00

I been catching all kinda hell for not wanting to go ride in the cold weather the last two weeks. So tonight I sucked it up and did some hot lap. Oh did I mention that we got our first snow here in Davis? Thank goodness I got new cold weather gear today from Cannondale! Here are a few photos! I am so ready for this weekend. The only thing that can stop me now is a Philly cheese steak and fries..
The snow plows made a great track!

Do you see my rubber duckie

The Single Speed gets great traction

Headed to Morgantown..

2008-10-27T17:05:00.004-04:00

I am happy to say that I am headed home to Morgantown this weekend to race in Marilla Cross. Ahha nothing like going as hard as you can for forty minutes to the point that your legs just want to fall off. I'am sure that's how I am going to feel this weekend cause the amount of hours on the bike has been limited as of late. It has gotten pretty damn cold here in Davis and I am missing my motivation to ride in the cold. Ohh and the weather says it's going to snow a little for the next few days. Time to break out the trainer... This weekend will also be my first official race as member of Team Bi-atch. That means the director, Bunny and Chrissy will be evaluating my performance to see if I make the team for the world tour in 2009.. Shit guess there is no time to get lazy on them... Got to ride!! Well if Saturday in Morgantown works out ok I'll headed on over to Elkridge, MD for the Kelly Benefit Strategies Cyclocross at Rockburn. Gunnar says it a pretty cool event and I am in the need of a kick in the ass, so a double race weekend should take care of things.

Iron Cross a Weekend of First!

2008-10-13T23:30:00.011-04:00

Saturday at 5:30 am it was damn cold out and I was just getting on the road for Carlise, PA to take part in the Iron Cross race weekend. My first race was at 10am so that's why I set out so early. The race was going to be my first cyclocross race ever. You are probably asking whats the big deal? Yes I have done many bike races in the past but cyclocross takes place in a small area and most of the time the entire course can been seen by the spectators. If that's not enough you have to dismount and remount your bike many times as there are barriers on the course that you can't ride over. Here is short video if you want to see an example. It's a great video so watch it even if you know what cross is. I could just envision myself falling on my face when trying to get on or off the bike at the barriers, but thankfully I went over to the Shogren's and got some expert tips out behind their house.

Of course we are talking about me here so I showed up at the race about 20 minutes before the start. By the time I signed in, put on my race kit and got the bike of the top of the car it was time to start. My field (Cat 4/5) was made up of 30 racers, who were all riding some pretty cool cross bikes which look much like road bike but with a little wider tires. I however rolled to the line on my 29er with some 700x40 tire on it. I didn't have time to feel out of place because it was time to race. I wasn't prepared for how fast riders start in cross. My legs were on fire with in one minute of racing but my only concern was the first barrier. Please don't fuck up, I thought to myself.. I am happy to say some how I made it over and it felt good. From then on I was good. I there was no way I could hold the pace but damn I was having fun. The course had a ton of tight turns which I love. Gunnar and Betsy got there just in time to cheer me on the last few laps. Thanks guys. In the end I was 24th out of 30 that started the race. I was happy for my first cross race. I am also total addicted to the sport. I had soooo much fun. I am hoping to follow Team Bi-atch east for DC Cross in two weeks.

After my race Gunnar, Betsy and Chris each took part in their own races. Check out the Team Bi-atch website for there recap. After everyone was done racing it was time to pick out our house for the evening. At the event they had bunk house for the racers to stay in. They where pretty sweet if you ask me after spending most of my weekends camping this summer. The bunk houses had power but not windows and not heat. I was wishing that the houses had windows half way though the night because it was starting to get cold, but then Gunnar kept farting and ventilation was key. Sleep was definitely not easy to come by that night. I should have brought my sleeping bag but instead I just had my regular blankets and I was cold as hell.

Sleep would have been nice because Sunday's event was the reason I came. The Iron Cross was a 63 miles mountain/cross/road race though the hills of eastern PA. Around 300 riders from other countries and all over the US showed up to try their hand at the ultra event. I start the morning with a really needed cup of coffee and a whole lot of complaining about my snoring throughout the night. Sorry! The coffee was good about waking me up after little sleep but it did nothing to claim the butterflies. Thankfully once again the there was tons to do before the race and it left little time to worry, plus Chris, Gunnar and Betsy keep telling me I could do it.

At 9am it was race time. The goal for the day was to finish and to do so I had to make it to Check Point 4 by 3:00 or I would be pulled from the race and not allowed to finish. Again the start was fast but it was it only took me five miles before I told myself to slowdown and ride my own race. Once I settled down I start to get into a rhythm and was feeling great all the way to CP 1. I still had a bottle and a half of water so I kept on cruising and didn't stop at the first check point. From CP 1 to there was a pretty nice section of single track where I passed six or seven people which made me feel even stronger. Things were going great and then I can to the hike-a-bike like none I have ever seen before. It was straight up hill for what felt like a 1/4 of a mile. I could only take 10 to 20 steps before I would have to stop. It was unbelievably hard. Once finally to the top it was another tough mile to CP 2. I made it to CP 2 just in time because I was out of water and needed some food. However CP 2 had other plans. They were out of water! WTF!!! They sent someone off the mountain to get it and he should be back soon they said. It took 10 to 15 minutes before the arrived. In that time I would guess about 10 people passed me because they had on Camelpacks (I cant stand them). I was also loosing time that I needed to get to CP 4 before. I was a little edgy. When it finally came I filled up quickly and was out of there. The course between CP 2 and CP 3 had some really long gravel road downhills. Thank fully I was able to pass a few folks bad on the them. Even though I was getting pretty damn tired it was a pretty ez ride to CP 3.

Once there I asked how far it was to CP 4and they said 5 mile. I could believe them. Most of the time it atleast 14 miles between CP's. Even though it was only 5 miles it was all up hill and pretty darn steep in sections. Then I asked what time it was. It was 1:30, so I had 1 hour and a half to get there so I was off like a shot but my legs hated the climb. It made my brain start to go wacky as my legs. I started to wonder if I could really finish even if I did make it to CP on time and I wasn't even sure I could do that. Even time the course started to go down it was only for a minute before it started climbing again. I was starting to think it was never going to end when I saw a few folks standing in the road. IT WAS CP 4!!! I had made it.. First thing I askedwas what time is it? The older women said it's 2:30. SWEET! I knew no one could make me stop rcaing now so I took my time and filled up on water and ate a ton of crap.

The trail out of CP 4 was a sweet trail section that I would really like to ride again but with a little more energy left in my legs. Then it happen at mile 53. I hit the wall. I was out of energy and there was nothing I could do but try to keep going. THe last ten mile were the hardest miles I have ever done on a bike, but I am happy to say I made it!!!! I finished the 63 mile course in 6 hours and 51 minutes. As I came across the finish line Chris and Betsy were there to cheer me on.. Thanks guys... Here is a link to my GPS info if ya want to see. Saturday was my first cross, Sunday was the longest race I have ever done and it was the first time I have ever done two races in one weekend.. So I am now tried and you can understand why! I going to bed!

Video from Tuesday Nights Polo..

2008-10-08T21:57:00.001-04:00

Weekend of Bad Luck, but Good Friends!

2008-10-06T20:13:00.008-04:00

At Saturdays Tour De Lilly around 40 folks showed up to take part in the ride. The weather was kinda cool but the sun was shining and everyone was ready to go. The tour started out by going up Son of Plantation which was kinda weird considering every time I have ever ridden that trail I was going the opposite direction. Half way up the trail the ride claimed it's first victim in the form of a broken derailleur only five miles into the ride. From there it was a right turn onto Plantation. With a pretty dry second half of the summer and some major trail clearing by the forest service the trail conditions were perfect. By the time we got to Davis Loop road everyone was starting to have a really great time, but we did loose two more riders who found the trails to be a little above what they were looking for.

The ride then took us up Pendleton Point trail which I had never ridden before. It was pretty darn technical even for Davis standards but was still fun. It was almost like a game when we rode up on hard sections to see who could do it with fewest or no dabs. About 3 miles into the trail I found myself following Matt Marcus when I saw him dab on one of the sections. I smiled and thought to myself "I can right that clean". I put a little extra pressure on the pedals and went for it. As I made it over the first few rock I knew I had it and then all of a sudden my back wheel stopped turning. I knew what was wrong even before I looked down. I had hit a rock a ripped my rear derailleur right off the bike.. I was pretty bummed to say the least. As I pushed my bike to an open part of the trail up ahead Ashland was standing there with looking at his bike. Turns out he hit the same rock I did. Lucky for him he only bent the derailleur a bit and was able to put it back into place. So for me to get back home I took a few links out of the chain to run it as a single speed. It worked well for about half a mile but then I noticed the cranks where starting to become hard to turn. Well it turned out that the chain hand jumped up one gear and caused the drive train to become really hard to turn. I tried everything to get the chain off but Ashland had the chain tool and all the others had taken off. I was in the middle of no where and had no clue which direction would be shorter to walk. I kept going in the direction we were traveling. Boy was that a wrong choice. After about 4 miles of pushing my back I made it to the road.. The rest of the day was spent in the shop putting my bike back together.. Maybe I get to finish the ride next year.

The next day I found myself in Charleston for the Creek to Peek race. Right after registration Steve Thorne came up to me and said Gina had just called and said there was a fire in the house. "Shit", I thought to myself. I didn't have my phone so I grabbed the first one I could find. I got Gina on the phone and she explained the house was full of smoke and had called Roger at the bike shop for help. Turns out the hot water heater had caught on fire in the basement. Thanks to Roger and Mikey for taking care of it since I was away. I decided at that point I better not race just in case Gina needed to talk on the phone again. Gina did call back and said everything was fine now, so I figured I could race again.

The start was fast and when we it the trails they were awesome! Things were going pretty well when all of a sudden I heard a snap. I had broken the rail of my seat. This was the second one I have broken this summer but unlike the first one this one was not ridible. Thankfully it was a short petal back to the start/finish area and didn't have a long haul like the day before. However it was the second day in a row that I could finish. I did get to spent time with the guys that make up the Charleston Crew (Larry, Steve, James), so that made up for a lot. I must say the Creek to Peek was a killer event and the guys went above and beyond.

Well I am back home now and the house smells like smoke but thankfully everyone is ok.

Lapse in judgment #2

2008-10-03T22:44:00.007-04:00

Them damn Bi-atches! Well the folks over at Team Bi-atch have talked me into doing the Iron Cross race on Oct. 11 and 12. The race on the 11th is just your average old cross race. That no big deal, I'll just get pulled after a while. The race on the 12th is a 63 mile slobber knocker and features nearly 6,300 feet of elevation gain. My fat ass better learn to climb.. I must admit it really didn't take anything for me to be talked into the race. I guess I just like to make an ass out of myself and be in pain for 8 hours.

Until then I got a full weekend planned starting in the morning. Tomorrow is the 11th annual Tour De Lilly. The tour is a all day ride on the hardest trails that Canaan Valley has to offer. Roger at Blackwater Bikes leads the ride and out of his own pocket provides lunch to anyone who comes out for the ride.. Nice move for a grump! Love ya Roger! LOL! Right after the tour it is off to the Charleston area for the Creek to Peek race. Larry and the folks down there have out done themselves from what I here and I am super excited to see what they have planned.

Sunday night I am headed to Ohio to hang with the Athens Crew for a few days. Meredith and I have already talked about riding Monday afternoon and of course polo Monday Night. Exciting stuff!!! Wish me luck and if anyone wants to ride the Iron Cross I looking for a someone. So go register at Bikereg... Come on, if I can do it you can to...

Rattlesnakes & Leaf Peepers

2008-09-28T18:58:00.008-04:00

Saturday saw the end of the Ultra series with the revenge of the rattlesnake. The race course took advantage of the trail up on Dolly Sods. I know it sounds crazy but I really had not had a chance to check out the riding up there since moving to Davis. However that changed when I spent yesterday morning up there taking photos of the race. The weather was not the best of days to shoot because we were in the clouds but every once in a while the clouds would part just for a second to see the beauty of that area. The leaves are really starting to change up here so that means it going to be sun up to sun down taking photos for me for the next week or two. After seeing everything that the sods have I plan on spending a good bit of time up there.

After about an hour of shooting in the sods it was off to the Plantation Trail area or Davis Loop road, what ever you want to call it. It was about 28 miles into the race and people were starting to look ruff. I wish the weather would have be a little more cooperative because I could have had some great photos but the rain kept coming and going.

At the same time as the race the leaf peeper festival was going on here in Davis. It also took a little hit from all the rain but it still kept the tourist busy with beer, music and food. I was able to snap a few shoots just before the 5k...

Stay tuned I should have some fall colors photos for you all soon. Just as long as the weather holds off.

I like bike!

2008-09-24T21:23:00.004-04:00

Just like a kid on Christmas morning I've got a new toy and I super excited. I just got done building up my new bike! The new ride is a Cannondale F29 IFG. It looks like my other 29er but this one is a 32 x 20 single speed. As you can see it comes standard with a milk crate.

It's going to see a fair share of trail riding but I also plan on using it as my townie bike. Got to keep that carbon foot print low ya know!

Get out the sun dress and big hats for polo!

2008-09-23T22:59:00.008-04:00

So tonight Jason Cyr, Sarah Deacon, Matt Marcus, Jeff Melnick, the Gusho's and I took part in the first bike polo match in Davis. It was a blast! Even Jeff who had played once before and didn't like told me afterwards that it was great and would be back. That good considering him hit the ground way more then anyone else.

So it has been a week since my last post and that because it been a crazy last few days. Saturday I was in Clarksburg, WV for the Jerry Dove 5k run. This event took place on the FBI center grounds. I had to fill out all kinds of paper before hand because I was bring photographic equipment onto the property. Once I arrived on Saturday I was told that I was only aloud to take photos in a curtain area. What the hell they doing over there? Seems like more then finger print stuff to me.

Do we really need the guns and bullet proof vests for a 5k?

Running from the FBI

Then Sunday it was off to Kesson, WV for the West Virginia State Championship Road Race. Turn out was low with only 38 riders. I am not sure what the deal has been with Thad's races this year. He puts on good events and he is a nice guy?! Well I got roped into doing the timing for the race and photos had to take a back seat.

Then on Monday I was off to Summersville, WV to take photos of "The Animal Down River Race" This was the third year in a row that I took photos of the event and every year I dread the hike down to the river. One of the only good spots to take photos on the gauly river and to get to it you must go down a 1000ft from the overlook to the river. It is a straight up and down trail and one little slip would make it a very bad day. Going down is hard but coming back up is terrible. I am in better shape now adays with all the riding I have been doing, but that trail is so steep that you have to take a break every 30ft or so.

So that was my week. Not a very interesting post but oh well!

A Push at Big Bear..

2008-09-14T13:52:00.009-04:00

The weekend started on at 4:00pm on Friday for me. That was the time registration opened for the Big Bear Ultra. The rain was pouring outside and lets just say Friday's' registration was a little lite due to the weather. However 3 guys from Virginia did come in to sign up for the race and asked me the same old question I hear everytime it rains at a race. "Is the race still on?" The three must have thought I was an asshole because of the look I gave them.

After the Virginia guys left the WV Night Club guys showed up. Chris and Andy paid their fees and then headed out the door, but before exiting Chris said, "you coming over for the keg?" I knew the best thing for me would be to go back to my camp and get some sleep for the big ride the next day, but sometimes logic doesn't always prevail. After registration closed I found myself over at WV Night Club HQ. In the last week or so the Night Club has gotten some bad press for partying a little hard. Now a days I don't tend to drink all that much and stay up late. I did plenty of that growing up in Morgantown. However on Friday evening I found myself doing 3 keg stands (stated to be Ultra race training on Cycle Dumb Training)plus drank my fair share of Jagermeister and beer. At 2am it was time for me to head back to my camp and get some rest. When I finally crashed down in bed I half expected myself to just pass out, but then I started to think about the race. I was nervous now, and it was keeping from falling a sleep. I wonder how I was ever going to ride 50 mile of trail before tonight, and now that I am only going to get 4 hours of sleep I was doubly worried.

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning I finally fell asleep and awoke to the alarm at 5:45am. I would have loved to have hit the snooze bar and went back to sleep but registration opened in 15 minutes and I had to get down there and get ready. The folks over at Team Bi-atch gave me some advice on how to prepare for the race, one was eating a big breakfast. Well I really didn't have any food to eat for breakfast because of bad planning on my part. Thank goodness I was able to find a blueberry muffin and a bottle of Gatorade. It is not the breakfast that I was hoping for but it was least something. Registration was once again lite and sadly only 39 folks showed up for the race. I wasn't to surprised though do to the down pour of rain the day before.

After a few last minute people signed up for the race I had to get everything moved from inside the community building over to the finish line area and setup for the race. At most of the races this is a major pain in that ass because I don't get to warm up and I am a little stress about getting it done in time for the race. However this time is was a blessing because I didn't have anytime to think about the race and get nervous before the start. When I made it over to the starting line I got to hear a little of Mark's racer meeting then we were off.

Suck in that gut!

I watched as the others tore off down the trail and I was amazed. They started off much the same speed they would at a regular cross country event. I wasn't even think about going hard at all, if anything I rode the first 15 miles way to easy. My plan was to just go slow and finish. The first 8 miles to check point #1 I rode with a guy named Jim. He was not a technical rider and actually crashed in front of me a few times, but I always stopped and waited for him because he had rode in a few 100 mile events and kinda knew what he was doing. At the first check point I stopped to fill up my water bottles but Jim just kept going. I didn't need to stop but I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to top everything off. It only took me a 1/2 a mile to catch back up with Jim and once again found myself slowing my pace. It was another 8 miles to the next check point with a few miles being on new trail. I have to say I really hated the new trail. Not the kinda riding Big Bear is famous for. One mile from cp#2 Jim got a flat. I asked him if he needed anything but he said he was good. I was not going to wait for him any longer. I rolled in CP#2 felling good but I knew it was 16 miles to CP#3 some I put on my camelpack even though I can't stand wearing them. I usually drink 2 bottles of water every 8 miles so there was no way bottles would work for me. I also tried to eat a little at CP#2 but it wasn't so easy. After stuffing a few bites of trail mix in my mouth I was off.

Look at me sweating out the beer at mile 4

Things were going pretty well I didn't fell tired, my legs didn't hurt and the big thing for me was that my ass didn't hurt. At about mile 28 I started realize that I didn't remember much of the last 2 or 3 miles. That's weird I thought. The 16 miles from cp#2 to cp#3 was a long haul. I saw no one the entire time and a few times I had wished I would have slowed up for Jim. When I hit mile 30 I couldn't stop thinking about what I wanted to eat at cp#3. I can't remember if it was Gunnar, Betsy or Chris but one of them told me to pack pringles. OOOOO! Once that popped in my mind I was so excited. PRINGLES!!! Once I arrived at cp#3 I had been on the bike for 32 miles. At that point I was on the longest trail ride I have EVER been on. I have been on my road bike for 82 miles and even rode my mountain bike for 45 miles on a rail grade but this was all single track. As I sat down for a moment with my pringles in hand, I smile that I had made it so far. I was starting to get tired now but I was only had 18 miles left to go and I figured I could do it. On a side note, the aid station workers told me that a few people had mention how good my pringles looked when they hit the cp. I WOULD HAVE BEAT YOU WITH THE EMPTY CAN IF YOU WOULD HAVE EATEN THEM! LOL!

I took off from cp#3 felling pretty good but then something weird happened. I started to break down mentally. This next part my be a little hard for those of you who don't know me real well to understand so just bare with me. For the last few years I have had some major issues with anxiety and most of it has to do with my health, or thinking I am going to die. OK I know that sounds stupid but there ant much I can do about it. So I am riding along and I started thinking to myself, "am I over working my body", "maybe this will cause me to have a heart attack!". I know that sounds crazy and it is but that what was going through my head. My riding started to suffer as well. I was having trouble with every obstacle that I encountered. I also started think I was done and could not go on for another 15 miles. Considering I was in the middle of no where I had no choice but to just continue to petal. Then after another few miles the thoughts just disappeared as quickly as they entered my mind. How weird! I was once again felling like I was going to make it, and my mind which had been kinda blurry was clear.. Again how weird was that!

Rolling along at mile 30

I rolled into cp#4 with 38 miles of riding under my belt and was feeling pretty proud when I got to the cp because iPlayOutside founder Don Parks and Mark Schooley of Big Bear were both there. Mark said he was surprised at how good I looked because he said some people had looked terrible. I told him I felt good also but that I had a melt down a little was back but was ok now. Mark said well I closing the course. "What?, NO, I got to finish!" I told him. I think he was a little surprised that I wanted to continue because at that point I had been riding for 7 hours. Also when I told him I was planning on riding a few days before I could tell he didn't think I had a chance of finishing. In his defence I don't think he knew how much I been riding this summer and that I had stopped smoking. He then told me he couldn't let me go on. I was super sad. I still had to ride another 3 miles back to the finish area and that gave me a grand total of 41 miles on the day, but I was kinda torn about it. Yes I did just go out and ride for 7 1/2 hours (41 miles) but I failed to what I set out to do. Ohh well! Mark later said I needed to be 30 minutes faster and I could have finished. I pondered the rest of the night what would have happened if I wouldn't have followed Jim for the first 15 miles. Because in the last 26 miles I put over an hour on him.

Rolling into check point #4

After getting cleaned up I was walking around the parking lot just chatting with folks when Betsy spotted me. She was acting like she was up to something. Her and gunnar kept walking to their car and back to the community building, and they would tell me go here, then go there. I couldn't help wonder what they were up to. They finally decided on tell me to go back into the community build where they presented me with a large cupcake cake (6 cupcakes in a circle with ten pounds of icing on top). They said it was finishing my first Ultra (kinda "my words"), stop smoking and for some other stuff. I heart the Shogren's. It was really touched, but I think gunnar knows by now that I not big on compliments especially in public. I think he likes embarrassing me. I later found out that Betsy and Gunnar had to drive all the way back to Morgantown after they raced because they forgot the cake at home. Damn, then I really started to fill bad about not finishing.. Thanks guys that meant a lot!

So now it Sunday and I feel fine. I must say I am kind surprised. I would have thought I be pretty sore today, but I am hungry! I am writing this post in Sirianni's and eating a fat cheeseburger at the same time. I think this was the last race for my this year maybe going to do the Creek to Peak in a few weeks, but will see. However I am really starting to get addicted to competition again. It not that I want to try and beat someone, it has to do something with competing. Every time I complete an event I am filled with a big sense of accomplishment. So with that in mind I plan on putting time in on the trainer this winter and doing a fair bit of xc skiing this winter get in better shape for 2009.

Photos of the night before with the WV night club

I think I can, I think I can!

2008-09-12T12:42:00.005-04:00

We tomorrow is the Big Bear Ultra race and I am thinking about trying it. The race is 50 miles long with 37 of it being single track and 13 dirty road. I thought I would have maybe a 25% chance of finishing the event but it would probably take me 9 - 10 hours. Well as I sit here at Sirianni's and eat my pizza I am starting to worry. The rain is coming down outside and it not really going to let up all weekend. oooo! The Team Bi-atch! as well as the WV Nightclub crew keeps telling me that I can do it but dowlt has entered my mind.. I am still going to line up at the start come tomorrow morning at 8am but who knows what will happen after that. So I just do as my favorite kids book say, I think I can, I think I can! Wish me luck!

Ps.. I forgot to mention I going for the rockstar award by racing in a regular xc race the day after! LOL!

Summer coming to an end!

2008-09-08T23:03:00.011-04:00

Well this past weekend was the final race in the WVMBA point series and to be honest I am sad to see it come. I am coming off one of the best summer I have had in my life. The traveling, all the work and little to no pay would make most people sick of things at this point but hanging out with friends and getting to ride every weekend made it all worth it. I can't even tell you how many new friends I have made this year at the races. Many people have asked me if I plan on being Director of WVMBA in 2009 and I respond by always saying they will have to kick me out. I am sure someday I will not be as excited to jump in the car every weekend but for now I am happy do what ever I can for mountain biking in the state of WV. It late so I am off to bed but I want to leave you with some images from different 2008 WVMBA events and some randem photos of friends.

Some of the peeps from this year

Tucker County Landfill.

2008-09-05T18:39:00.009-04:00

Since March 15 I have traveled almost every week. The porch to my house has turn into a place to dump camping gear, bikes, boxes of t-shirts, photography equipment and dirty clothes when I get back into town. The mound of stuff just continued to grow all spring and summer long to the point that it now. When I looked at it this morning I was just shocked at how bad I had let it get.

Look there is clean clothes hanging up. To bad you can't get to them.

It kinda looks like the house fell in

Even the dogs don't want to mess with it.

I bet Jimmy Hoffa is in there

What a dump right!? I started at 11am and it finish until around 6pm. The amount of stuff I can collect in six months is crazy. You all know what I am talking about. The stuff you will probably never us but it to good to throw away. What the hell you do with that stuff? Well it is clean now and I am happy!

You can see the floor!

I bet I'll be able to find stuff now

How pretty they look all hung up

Me so happy!

Ride at 5! Sept. 4,2008

2008-09-04T23:22:00.005-04:00

OK so I going to make a post about a ride again sue me! We had great weather tonight in Davis and around 28 folks showed up for the ride at five. I was actually surprised it wasn't around 35 people, it was BEAUTIFUL outside. After doing the 30 mile ride yesterday my legs were feeling less then perfect so I decided early that I was doing the B ride. I am so glad I made that choice. Gary, Sarah, Tom, Charlie, Melissa and I headed towards brown mountain with a comfortable pace. The chatter was heavy and the laughs were jolly. Once at the turn for Brown Mountain taril we headed up the hill and half way up we stopped to take a break and let everyone regroup. This was a pattern throughout the ride. Joking, laughing, ride, regroup. The point I am trying to make is that not every ride needs to be a dick swing, gear pushing, crack fest to be fun. We made our way to the Hoo-doo rock which is a pretty challenging section for about a mile or two and everyone on the ride did great. A few on the ride never do trails like that so it was nice to get them out there and cheer for them as we regrouped.

As we headed back towards town we ran into Carrie "I can crash with the best of them!" Hawkins and Mandy. I was happy to see Mandy cause she told me earlier in the week she would be off the bike for a while because of a crash a few days before. Mandy did show me the bruises on her legs. They ran from top to bottom of BOTH legs with some cuts thrown in for good messure. You look like a mountain biker Mandy!! Sweet! Carrie also was recovering from a crash that she took into the bushes a few weeks back. Well about that time it was starting to get dark so we headed back towards town. For those of you who don't ride here often there is one big rock one the way back that cause problems for most people. I myself only have about a 50% success rate on the rock. As we got to the rock Carrie was deteremined to meet her fear and get up that rock. Well right before "The Rock" she hit a different one and went over the bars hard! She just missed smashing her head on "the rock". I happened to be just behind her and it scared the shit out of me, but when I asked she said I am ok. What a tough girl. I would have layed there for a bit. Well I am happy to say we made it back to town and everyone is safe. I didn't see Carrie at dinner. Hope you ok! Here is the DPS information for the ride if you want to see it.

How about some faces to gowith the names! Sorry this is all I have for right now.
Carrie "Crash" Hawkins

Gary Bertti

Mandy Starr

Sarah "Your Momma's So..." Decon

Melissa Plus Rob

Think About It! #4

2008-09-04T22:48:00.003-04:00

Why do they say "New and Improved"? How can it be improved if it is new?

A Ride That I Couldn't "Bear"!

2008-09-03T22:25:00.004-04:00

So I kinda gave up on making posts about my rides but today's ride was a good one. My friend Robbie came over about 4:30 and said he had a perfect ride picked out for us. We jumped on our bikes and headed out from Davis and across the strip jobs towards Thomas. Once in Thomas it was a LONG fire road climb all the way to the fire tower out by Route 219. Ya, ya I know that all sounds kinda boring if you are just reading about it, but about 10 miles in the ride we saw a small Black Bear just sitting on the trail looking at us. We saw him, he saw us but no one moved. I really enjoyed that little moment. Robbie gave out a yell and the bear slowly went off into the woods. Now how cool was that I thought to myself. I once again started to get into a pace climbing the hill. It had been about a mile since I seen the bear but I couldn't get it out of mind. Then out of no where Robbie hit the brakes in front of me. Right in the middle of the trail was a second bear.. Crap I can't believe this I thought. This bear was about twice the size of the first and bolted when it saw us. WEIRD!!! Two bears, what are the odds. Needless to say Robbie and I could not stop talking about it. Not long later we made it to the fire tower. It was about 15 miles at this point and we where only half way.

The tower was really cool and in great shape. The cool thing about the tower is that your aloud to climb the stairs on the tower. Can you say 100 feet up!!! I was stunned that the forest service didn't have it locked up tight so people couldn't climb it and fall off. The ride back was along a section of trail that I had never road before. It was sweet. It has been years but looking at the trail you could tell that a lot of work had been done to these trails. We where flying down the trail when damn there was a bear in the trail. I SWEAR I AM NOT LYING!!!!! REALLY!!! I have seen 3 bear my whole life until today. I doubled that in one day. It is possible that the 3rd bear is the same one we saw the 1st or 2nd time but who knows. Robbie says the third was really small and he got a little worried cause he was afraid momma bear may be near by. I didn't disagree and we hammered out of there. What a cool night!!

Well it was almost a 30 mile mountain bike ride and my legs are toast! Here is the GPS of the ride if you want to see where we went. Take this ride is you want to see some bears.

The following is a reanactment of my ride!

A bear how cool!

Shit there is another bear, that is crazy

WTF!!! I am starting to worry!

Shenandoah 100, ain't nothing?! Try the Shenandoah 200!

2008-09-02T11:59:00.011-04:00

This past weekend was a fun packed weekend that included 3 days, 300 miles, two states and one shower. Luckily for Gina she and the dogs were sick of traveling every weekend and decided to sit this one out. The weekend started off with the Dirty 30-30 and white trash river race in Romney, WV. The whole thing was centered around the birthday of Ms. Shara Decon. Happy Birthday Shara! I had planned on posting results from the river race but there was some shenanigan's going on and I protest these so called results.

The U.S.S. Cyr, ready for battle

Relaxing in Romney

Burger Time

There wasn't much time to stay in Romney because I was headed to the Shenandoah Mountain 100. Once I made it to Harrisonburg, VA I put up my tent and got to hang out with some friends that I don't get to see very often. That's what makes mountain biking and races so much fun for me. Yes I total love the exercise and the things I get to see on a ride but most of all for me it about the friends.
Meredith and Baby Kate from the Athens,OH crew

Marco & Aaron from the Athens. Good work boys

A few of the WVMBA regulars who raced the SM100

Betsy trying to see her time.

The race got under way at 6:30 am Gunnar and Benji got the holeshot and 500 other bikes trailed behind. I planned on trying to stay out in front of the leader to get some good photos for Cycling News but since I didn't pick up a map of the course I got lost. I did manage to come up behind Chris and Gunnar as they were climb up Soul Crusher. Why is it called soul crusher? It took me more then 30 minutes to climb up it in a car. I probably could have made it to the top in 15 - 20 minute but Gunnar was hogging the road.

Get out of the road Gunnar!!!!

Gunnar gives a nasty look as I pass him, then he realized it was me lol!!

It felt like I drove my car over 200 miles trying to watch the race. I got super lost but I got to see some of the best views that Western Virginia has to offer. To bad it was pretty cloudy all day cause it wasn't worth taking photos. After spending the entire day drive around in the car I was hopefully headed back towards the finish area. After about 20 more minutes of driving I found my way back at the camp ground. Thank goodness.

The rest of the event was spent eating, drinking and laughing with friends. I say it was one of the high points of the summer.

The Shogren's tired but happy. Betsy 3rd Women, Gunnar 1st Single Speed

Baby Kate after joining the WV Night Club

Betsy downing the bubbly

I take a bubbly bath

Chris ready to get on the podium. 2nd Single Speed. Nice work sir!

The OG Bad Ass!

2008-08-29T22:47:00.001-04:00

So when I get bored my mind starts to wonder an I start looking up werid stuff on the internet. Did you know that in 1797 (October 22), Andrew Garnerin was the first person recorded to jump with a parachute. Garnerin jumped from hot air balloons as high as 8,000 feet in the air. I can only wonder what Garnerin and the people who were watch thought on that day.. I say Garerin had some REALLY big balls to do that. The day wasgoing to end one of two was for Garerin, great or really really bad.

Three views of Garnerin's parachute

My first cover! Well sorta kinda?!

2008-08-27T22:00:00.005-04:00

So many of you out there know that I have been published in different types of magazines and catalogs over the last few years. Believe it or not I still get pretty excited about it every time it happens. Well next week Cannondale is coming out with there 2009 product catalog and my photo is on the cover. Just one problem, there are 48 other photo on the cover as well. lol! FYI, The photo will also be some where else in the catalog.

Can you find my photo? lol

Here I marked it so you can find it, lol

Here is the original photo

The photo is of Gunnar and it is staged. After the Spencer race I took a few photos of both Gunnar and Betsy. Once gain this year I think Cannondale bought one of the worst photos. LOL, it just kinda funny. Well it is my first every cover credit lol!

A good weekend..

2008-08-26T22:13:00.008-04:00

This weekend got an early start by me having to be in Morgantown Friday evening to shoot the Sprint, Splash and Spin kids race. Things went smoothly and it was over before I knew it. Being back in my old home town was fun and I decided to head to the Black Bear to get some good eats. Once there I saw Robbie L. and Brian T. so I joined up with them for a few drinks and some killer food. The next day was going to be an early one so I headed to the Black's house to crash for the night.

6am came early!!! Day two of the Sprint, Splash and Spin was for the adults. Every year this event is my favorite and the one I hate the most at the same time. I love it because 500 people of different shapes and sizes show up for the event just to see if they can do it. I hate it because I spent 7 hours sitting on hot black top and in the sun taking photos. This year there was an added bonus in that Betsy's mom and dad took part in the event. It was really fun to cheer for them. I think Betsy and Gunnar were pretty excited as well.

Betsy and her Mom & Dad, pre-race. FYI Mom beat Dad!

Around 2:00 pm I was all done with photos and it was time to hit the road south to Oak Hill, WV. I had a camp sit waiting for me at ACE, which was the site of round #15 of the WVMBA series. At the camp I was joined by Gina, Klara, Greg Moore and Jon for a little campfire fun. One problem, I not been smoking for 3 weeks now and I didn't have a lighter!

Camp for the weekend.

Wood is ready, just no lighter.

Thank goodness the store was open at ACE so Klara and Gina to a walk to get so matches. Once they returned it took less then a minute before we had the fire burning.
Fire, fire, fire!

Klara surprising us all with how well she could play

After a few beer I was well ready for bed since I had such an early start that more in Morgantown. I awoke the next morning feeling a lttile bit of the parting we had done the night before. I was to start registration at 8am for the race, I got up at 8:04.. Not good. As I throw on some clothes and headed up the mountain I was a little stressed. I hate being late. Once there it did take me long to figure out the race director wasn't even there so I started relax. That didn't last long because the staff at ACE kinda had thing a cluster fuck for me at registration and my blodd pressure started to rise. Thank goodness Gina took over and let me take care of other things. Some how we all made it though the mass confussion and the race was ready to start. I will not put you all to sleep with my race recap, but I did feel pretty good becides getting a little hot. I finished the 13 mile course in 1 hour and 37 minutes to finish fifth. I was pretty happy with that.

Still coughing up those naste cigurattes now and then.

One last piece of exciting news. I got a new road bike this week thanks to Cannondale. Also thanks to Drew Hannan for bring it down from the factory.

Ohh how I like the new bike and wheels

Funny things that happened over the weekend.
1) The lookon Betsy's face when I told her I apply shammy butter for free.

2) Gunnar sending me flying off the top of the floating toys in ACE's pond.

3) The pencil size piece of steak that the resturant gave me after paying $21.99.

4) Mark Way telling me he ran into a horse that was on the rcae course.

Think About it #3

2008-08-21T23:38:00.002-04:00

Why do they advertise Cordless Screwdrivers? Have you ever seen a screwdriver with a cord?

Obese, kinda figured that..

2008-08-20T21:20:00.003-04:00

OK so I went for a 17 mile ride tonight alone, and those of you who ride know it is a great time to let the mind wounder. While riding tonight I became curious of my Body Max Index. In case you are wondering, YES I am like some 18 girl why is always thinking about their figure. So far it is not helping, lol. Back to my BMI. So I got home and started looking for a BMI calculater on the internet. I was not to surprised when it said my BMI was 36.9, which is obese. Then I wondered what my weight needed to be so that my BMI would be normal. 168lbs, just to get a BMI of 24.9 (that the start of the high side of normal)!!! Are you fucking joking?! I don't ever remeber weighing that and I think I been paying attention since the 6th grade. SO after a little calculating so more data about 145 would be my ideal body weight.. LOL!!!! That will never happen unless, wait that will never! Here is the link, go calculate your BMI.
This is interesting, wonder why the pattern?

Just in case you wanted to see my ride information from tonights ride here it is.It wasn't hard and it wasn't super long but it sure was fun.

BBQ and Beer!

2008-08-18T20:34:00.010-04:00

***Hope you like the new title photo above. I took that on a ride to Elkins last week. Share the road! lol!***

I am finally finding a free few minutes to make a post after a week packed with traveling, taking photos and eating BBQ.

**Thursday**
Klara showed up at the house around 3 AM Thursday morning. She wanted to take part in the world famous Blackwater Bikes "Ride at 5", so she left the hospital Wednesday night around 11 pm soon as she got of work. I was passed out and didn't even hear her come in and so much for my two watch dogs! lol..

Once again around 25 to 30 folks showed up for the ride and I wasn't to surprised seeing that the weather was perfect. Darren, Ashlon, Klara, Robbie, Morgan Chase, myself and about 8 others started our own group and headed out. The group made the mistake of leading me pick the ride. I was wanted to get dirty, so we headed to the high wetlands on hunt club property. Here is the GPS info. It was a 17 mile mudfest and we all had a blast. I dare say it was the best "ride at 5" for me this year. After wards it was off to hellbenders for some food and IPA.
Smiles all around after that ride

Darren, Mandy, and Carrie making me smile

Poor Ashland always has to drive home to Elkins

**Friday**
Friday morning I headed out to Snowshoe Mountain to take photos for the weekend. The resort was host their Blues, Brews, and BBQ fest and I was hired by Subaru to take photos. It only takes a little over 2 hours to get there so before long I was shaving (believe it or not) and getting dressed up, have to look good when work the resort you know. I made my way to the court yard just as the music and free beer started. After a few hours of photos it was time for din, din. Fox Fire grill had Mountain State Brewery on tap so that's where we headed. After some more BBQ and a few pitchers of cold trail ale I was ready to head back to the room. Right before asking for the bill, Willy (one of the owners of Mountain State Brewing) walked in. Willy headed over and grabbed a seat with Gina, Ashlon and I. There was no getting out early now! Willy ordered a pitch and we started drinking again. I must admit it is weird seeing a man pay for a beer that he makes. After about 6 beers (which is a massive amount for me) it was time for me to get away. At 1:30 was able to get back to the room and crawl in bed.

**Saturday**
The second days of the Blues, Brews and BBQ fest featured 7 hour of great music, FREE BEER, and of course BBQ. What more could one fat guy ask for? Taking photos was a piece of cake because once the golden drink starts to flowing every one wants their photo taken. This is how the day went... Take a few photos, get Willy to fill my glass, take more photos, get my glass filled.. Working hard.
Ashlon grabbed my camera to take this pic. No clue who the lady is.

Willy setting up for the day

Filling a pitcher and pouring at the same time, nice!

See kids, beer helps you have fun! Go get some today!

After a fun day of taking photos I had to head back to Davis on Saturday Night. I would have loved to stay another night but I had to shoot again Sunday at WISP.

**Sunday**
I was off to Deep Creek at around 6 am on Sunday to shoot a Wake Boarding contest. That consists of me riding in a $100k boat all day and taking photos. Once again it was going to be a hard day... Now that I think of it how come every weekend can't be like this? The contest started at 7:30 am and man I am glad I was no the one getting into the water, it was cold out. I usually always hot but that morning I never took my fleece off. I guess from what I am told is that wake boarders do not like other boats messing up there water. Doesn't make much since to me also but if they want to start at 7:30 they can, I could just image what would happened if we had a mountain bike race start at 7am. No one would show up.
This is going to hurt!

The wake board contest ended around noon and I have been sitting here since then editing photos, help me!! Smoking update: Just in case you are wondering I am still 100% smoke free, it been two weeks now. I like to say that I never think about having a smoke, but it would be lie.

Think About It! #2

2008-08-12T22:56:00.003-04:00

How does a Nun retire? Does she instantly not believe at sixty-five,
and start partying?

LOST! Staring me.....

2008-08-11T22:06:00.004-04:00

Saturday I headed down to Charleston for the 22nd annual Black Bear race. Steve Thorne was once again nice enough to open his beautiful house up to me. I arrived at Steve's house around 6pm and I was just in time to wake him up from his nap. You see Steve had just gotten back from Brazil the same morning and hadn't got much sleep in the last 24 hours. Sorry Steve! For dinner Steve, Gina, Larry Perkins, Larry's wife and I ate at Rio Grande #8094. It was really Rio Grande #81 but I swear you can't go anywhere without running into one. Well after a few greasy chips with cheese I was ok with the place. Steve couldn't hang for long but the rest of us sat around the table and chat for a long while. I did have a thought while talking with Larry. Every weekend I travel to a different party of the state and get to have dinner or stay with a different set of friends. How nice is that. It's really a really nice way to live. Last week I had dinner with Pete, Meredith and Klara and the week before Gina's family, you get the picture.

The next morning I woke up around 7am and headed out the door for the race. The Black Bear 40K is one of the longer XC races but I had been feeling pretty good the past week or so and was up for it. Once again I didn't get to warm up before the start of the race do to running registration. Actually the riders had all took off before I even got there. Thanks for waiting guys... The first climb was LONG. Not sure because of some GPS issues but it had to be well over a mile long. I got dropped ASAP. Not being able to climb plus no warm up equals no chance to stay with the other Clydesdales. Once to the top I could still see Rick Pauley and that gave me a carrot to start with. Rick I know was not as good at descending as me so I knew I get by him on the long downhill back towards the start finish area. When I got up Rick's back wheel I started talking to him (which I always do). Not sure if Rick like doing that because every time he just pulls over and lets me by. Guess that’s not a bad thing...

A few minutes later I founded myself passing the Clydesdale that rides for WVU and a few others. It was the second race in a row where I was felling good and passing people. I was smiling and happy.

By the next single track climb I caught up with Roy, talked with him for a while then dropped him. Bigger smile, even happier... About twenty minutes later my back just start hurt really badly out of nowhere. I really had to slow the pace down. It didn't take long for Rick and Roy to bridge back up to me. It was one of those moments when I was 50/50. Just ride with them and suck up the pain and go? Well lucky for me a kind of long and semi technical down came next. I decided to suck it up and few down the decent. I knew Rick would be walking so of the section of the downhill and would put time on him but wasn't so sure about Roy. Once at the bottom it came out right beside a shooting range. Man that was a little nerve raking. The trail went perpendicular to the shoot range and I was just waiting to get hit by a stray bullet. Never happened thank god... Next was another climb of 1 mile+ this was about 10 miles into the race and I really couldn't believe how good I was feeling. I past 3 more people during that climb. Nearing the top I could see Klara and Kelley Shaw. I really wanted to bridge the gap and ride the rest of the race with them. At the top of the mountain I gave it everything I could muster to get up with the girls and it was feeling great! I was out of the saddle and dancing on the peddles. First time this year that I have been able to even think about that after a long climb. Think the not smoking is paying off. Big big big smile, so so happy! I was flying.. I was a little surprised I had not caught up with the girls after 15 minutes or so.. Then I saw it... The fire road I was riding intersected into another part of the race track like a T. Crap I thought to myself.. I missed a turn.. I figured I had gone a mile or maybe two of course. No smile, not happy.. I back tracked to a Y in the road that I just went flying by before because there were no signs to turn there but I did see bike tire tracks. On on, I said but after only 2 or 3 minutes I came to a trail I had road before but at least this time I saw someone. It was one of the race sweepers so I asked him how to get back because I took a wrong turn. He said right up that way. I then asked him if he had seen the girls. He said ya only about 5 minutes ago. Yes, I was back in action somehow. So I just on the trail and it took about 10 pedal strokes and stop. I rode that trail at the beginning of the race. I turned around and went back to the sweeper. Do we ride that trail two times I asked him? No he said.. He must have been high as a kite is he thought the girls had gone by 5 minutes again. I asked the guy which way I needed to go to get back on course and he looked like a deer in headlights. The anger started build up and 1 week of not smoke wanted to pour out on that dude but I rode away. It had been around 20 minutes at that point and I was still no wear near the trail. I never did find it. Super pissed! Thank goodness I had to worry about finding my way back now, that way it gave me some time to cool off. I didn't want to be a poor sport, well at least did want anyone to see me being one, lol..

I finally made it back after taking a few trail not made for mountain biking.. That pretty much killed my chances of making the top five for the series, but oohh well.. Next year I am hoping to win the damn thing. When I got to the finish area Gunnar, Jason, Chris P and a few other friends had finished so get to talk about my issues made them just go away. It just sucks to race 15 miles and have to DNF because you got lost.

The New Civil War! Davis vs.Thomas...

2008-08-08T23:07:00.007-04:00

In honor of the opening day of the Olympic games townies from Davis challenged the townies from Thomas to a game of kickball. You may think that such an event would bring out a few crazy kids to play and that's all, but not here in the mountains. At least 60 - 70 people turned out for the first ever event. Team Davis had 20 players and the same could be said for team Thomas and everyone else came out to cheer.

Umpire Roger Lilly started the event off with a reading of the rules and then Shara D. caped it off with a prepared speech to honor the Olympic nature of this game. Next the shit talking started with Team Thomas and their "You have no Beer", chant. For those of you who don't live here you should know, Mountain State Brew Pub is in Thomas and they had 2 kegs which they would not share. My team, Team Davis sent out a runner to Shop N Save for Beer and Janet came back with a few cases of Genesee. Problem solved, kinda...

It didn't take long for Team Davis to start pouring it on the low landers of Team Thomas. It was 7 - 0 before you could say Thomas is a second class town. Then it was 9 - 2. In the bottom of the seventh Thomas closed the gap with some runs to make it 9 - 7, but Team Davis was just toying with them. A 5 run eighth sealed the game for Davis and our 14 - 7 win.

Not really sure where it came from but two bottles of champagne were used to spray the crowd and our team. By that point I was feeling the beer and really didn't care. The victory party was held at Hell bender's where the beer was on the house in celebration of our towns win. Then Davis team member Chip Chase stepped the victory party up a notch with one of his mason jars filled with high octane drink that he is well known for.

The victory was short lived though. After the party Team Parson phoned in a challenge to the current Kickball champs.. Bring it on Parsons,will be waiting..
Damn I look sexy in my uniform.

Frenchie! Jason Cyr under cover

Coach D and her moving speech

Think about it!

2008-08-07T23:18:00.002-04:00

Duct tape is like the force. It has a light and dark side and it holds the universe together!

My Favorite Ride.

2008-08-06T22:43:00.005-04:00

I have not been on the bike since the race on Sunday so I decided to take a pretty long ride this afternoon. I've done the ride from Davis to Elkins once before and it is unbelievably beautiful the first 15 miles. There are a total of 5 different waterfalls along the way and some really nice view of the Blackwater Canyon. I wish the same could be said about the next 25 miles but it's pretty lame the rest of the way to Eklins.

So I took of from BWB about 1:00. The Riddle's told me the night before that they were thinking about meeting me in Thomas for the ride back down. As I got to Thomas no Riddles were in site. No biggie I thought to myself I just hocked up the iPod and started the 40 mile ride down.

My pace was high at first but after I flew by the second waterfall without even looking I had to stop for the third.

We have had a desent amount of rain this week so the normal Pendleton Falls had a nice little bit of water over them. Once again I was on my way when I rode upon a group of riders. As I passed them one man said,"did you see the rattle snake?". Crap I missed it, but I thought maybe it was a good thing I didn't see it right in the middle of the trail when I was going 15 - 20 mph.
I didn't seeany bears? What do they mean? lol

Well I amy have missed the snake but just a mile or so later I saw the biggest and craziest catipiler I have ever seen. It was as fat as a roll of quaters and as long as a hot dog. Someone tell me what it is and what the hell does turn into when it gets wings???? GEt back to me on that.

Well it took 3 hours and 5 minutes but I made it to Gina's office in Elkins. I was just in time for her to get off work and we headed out for some Mexican for dinner. Yummy Yummy in my tummy!!! Well worth the ride.

Well I still not smoking just incase you wonder and I think I make it. Tomorrow I am head to the Cannondale Factory in PA going to pick up a few new bike for the shop. I better be a good boy. I could easy leave there with a few of my own. Guess I better leave the wallet and check book at home... Night

Day 3 Complete!

2008-08-05T22:01:00.002-04:00

First off I want to that everyone for their e-mails, comments and phone calls. I know most of you probably have never smoked and had to quit but you support really helps. Today was about the same as yesterday. I am still a grumpy bastard. I still had to remind myself that I don't smoke any more and falling a sleep last night sucked, but I did wake up with a smile on my face when the first thing I thought of in the morning was that I stop smoking. I also didn't know what to do with myself half of the time today. I went down to BWB and clean the shop and ordered new gear for the store then I came home and cleaned the shit out of the house. When I say I cleaned I cleaned! I am not sure I have ever put that much work into cleaning a house. I just got to keep myself busy. Tomorrow I am jumping on the bike and riding to elkins. That should help a little. Thanks again for the support..

Send Lawyer,Guns and Money!

2008-08-04T18:41:00.012-04:00

I finally get that classic song by Warron Zevon! "Send Lawyers, guns and money!" Send lawyers because I have not had a smoke in two days and I fill like I want to kill someone and need them to keep me out of jail. That's also covers the guns part. Money so I can go buy a pack of cigs and hypodermic needles so I can inject the stuff straight into my blood stream.. FFFUUUUCCCCKKKK!!!! This sucks!.. I feel pretty confident that I am done smoking because I really wanted to quite. I was just afraid to get started but I am past that now....I couldn't fall a sleep last night but once I did I slept till 2 pm. Man I have not don't that for like ten years...
Warron Zevon, Mamba him?

So enough about the whole smoking thing. This past weekend was full of friends and cycling. Saturday morning I held a fun ride in Davis as part of the WVMBA new effort to be more then just a racing organization. Despite getting almost 2" of rain on Friday 12 people still showed up for the ride. It was one of those rides that made you fell like a kid again with puddles as deep as the bottom bracket, creek crossing and MUD! It was a hoot!

As soon as the ride was over Jason Cyr and I hit the road for Athens, OH. WVMBA and OMBC had joint race on Sunday and I was really looking forward to just racing and having no other jobs to do at the race. We showed up in Athens around 10pm and drove up and down Stimson street looking for the bike shop. That's is where we were going to meet up with Klara who was letting us crash at her house. We only pasted by the shop 4 times until we saw it(it was right beside the road with a big bike out front. Guess we were a little tired?). After finally making it to Klara's house we were welcome with slices of lasagna as big as heads and red wine. Then we capped the night off watching "Anchorman". Funny funny stuff.
At fat boy cycling this is how we do it. Food, Wine and Bio/Chem!

Oh how I love the night before a race feeding!

Time to get up! aaahhhh! With only a 20 minute drive to the race and a 1:00 start time we all got to sleep in. After a few bowls of triple Berry cereal and some of Klara's STRONG STRONG coffee we headed at the door (Jason literally had the shakes from the coffee). Once at the race lines were long at registration and thing were busy and I didn't have to deal with it... Sweet! At the start line the Clydesdale all got to start alone do to OMBC weird rules and there being 12 of us. The start was freaking fast for fat guys. The first 1/2 miles was super scary loose gravel. I knew I was not going to be any where near the front so I slowed down and just let the guys go. Before the turn into the woods I looked back to see if anyone was behind me, and I was in last. No worries, that is typical. It didn't take long before I found myself on the rear wheel of another WVMBA Clydesdale who has just beaten me at the last 3 races. I was determined to beat him. The course was perfect for me. FAST! with little climbing. It remained me of being on the roller coaster at some points. At about 3 miles in a got past the other guy and start pushing it to stay in front of him.
I lika da Triple Berry!

I kept pushing and with about 5 miles left to go Rick was no where in site. Believe it or not I also came up on a group of 3 other riders and past all three on a up hill. Then just a 1/2 mile feather I past another guy! What the F is going on I thought to myself. I NEVER pass people, it is always me getting passed now a days. Maybe not having a smoke all day helped. But more then likely it was the course. I cover the 15 miles course in 1:45 minutes. That is flying for me.. I was 10 out of 12 but left the race felling like I was on the right track again. Here is the GPS information from the race. Jason came in with a fourth overall even after ripping off the rear rotor and doing the final 20 miles with only a front brake. Klara took a hard crash only 3 or 4 miles into the race and did finish all that well but that happens sometimes. It was also nice to see the Return of STEVEEEEE HILLLLLL. Steve finished in three overall.

After a quick shower Jason, Klara and I headed to downtown Athens to have dinner with Pete and Meredeth. They took us to super place called Casa for some good grub. I could have eaten a house. My GPS said I burnt 2997 calories during the race and I needed food. Casa was like Athens,oh version of Black Bear in Morgantown but dare I say it tasted better. Dinner was great except for me jumping up from the table and scaring the hell out of everyone when I get a Hugh leg crap.

After dinner it was time to make the 3 1/2 drive back to Davis. It was a great weekend with some super great time. Thanks Klara from the place to stay and Pete & Mere for meeting us for dinner. Jason thanks a lot for all the encouragement about not smoking.

Top Secret, Black Ops ride with Roger!

2008-07-29T21:40:00.007-04:00

Stick it to the man, that what I always say! OK for those of you who really know me out of my millions of readers (who will now been know as the Petsko Pets)I don't know if I have ever really said that. ***Warning*** If you can't keep a secret stop reading. I will have people watching you! Tonight covert action was taken in Canaan Valley. Commander Roger Lilly and I hit some of the super sweet trails on the Wildlife Refugee. I sure that we total destroyed the whole damn echo system of the valley. Well that's what the fuckers at the refugee would tell ya. But maybe their right?! That one foot wide trail on 48,000 acres really hurts the animals and land! I sure it hurts the echo system much more then 20 years of the Blackwater 100 motorcycle race and getting the shit bombed out of it as military test range! WTF!
Pretecting your lands so no one can use it!

We were looking at a $500.00 fine if we got busted but with some of the best views I have seen since I moved to Davis it would be well worth it. Check this out!

See told ya it was worth it! We just a short ride recap. I made the mistake of telling Roger that I wanted to climb. Davis doesn't have climbs like Valley Falls but he made sure we found every hill possible. I was doing fine until about 1 mile from home and believe it or not I ran out of gas.. I could still pedal but I could no longer hold the pace. Ohh well. What hurts only makes me stronger, right? Here is the GPS info from the ride. It was so total worth it and would do that ride again in a heat beat, but I guess we really shouldn't do it for a while. Mainly because I can't aford to get caught. This message will self distruck in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1....

The Fastest Race of My Life!

2008-07-29T12:45:00.005-04:00

This past weekend was a trip around West Virginia packed with racing. Saturday I was off to Bridgeport to cover the J. Cecil Jarvis Memorial Triathlon. Some of you many remember Cecil since he was an avid cyclist and WVMBA racer. Cecil was killed last year while riding his bike by some jackass kids who though a rubber snake at him. It was really nice to see that over 150 people came out to take part in the tri. Thing went well and my photos for iPlayOutside were not so bad also. I did run into Adam Anderson there and asked him when he was going to get a mountain bike, he answer was NEVER. He said, "you guys crash to much". Ok the guy has turned into a hell of a road racer but that answer was total weak!

After the tri it was just a few miles over to Gina's moms house where we would spend the night. Klara Hitchcock would be meeting us there to crash for the night and car pool the next day. Gina's mom made a killer meal of BBQ chicken and tomato pie for us. We the ended the night by watching the movie into the Wild. Great move if you have not seen it, but a little sad.
Dinner at the Desmond House

The next morning it was a 6am wake up call for the drive to Beckley. We had all kinds of photos from the trip that Klara took to post but she needs a lesson because not one of them came out. The weather was perfect for a race when we got to little beaver state park. I was pumped and ready to race. Unlike the last few races the climbing in this race was limited and it was pretty technical. Perfect for me. At the start the climb was not steep so I told myself to go hard to the top and beat the other to the single track before the log jam happened. Go! The plan was working well I was going hard but the legs were there and the pain was not to bad. I got to the top of the hill and heard people saying my name. How nice I thought to myself. It sure is nice to have people cheer for ya. Then I heard the voices again say JR STOP! Fuck I said to myself. I knew what it was right away. The time system was not working... Well I road over to the finish and worked on it for a while. Turns out I think one of the cords is back. 34 minutes after the start I decided to head out. I would love to say I finished still but after 3 miles I just wasn't into it. I had no interest in making everyone wait for me and going hard for no reason. The biggest bummer is that second may have happened. Everyone who road Clydesdale but the winner had issues during the race.. Ohh well..
Looking good 100 yards into the race

So now I am siting at home looking for the motivation to ride.

Time to hit the scale.

2008-07-24T23:15:00.005-04:00

So it been two weeks now since the crew over at Team Bi-atch created this blog for me to report on my intelligent thoughts but most importantly track my progress in losing weight since I start riding again. Two weeks ago I top the scale at 250 lbs. I am happy to report that tonight I am at 253 lbs! Wait what? 253? WTF!!! I been riding my ass off. I spent around 9 hours on the bike last week alone! Well it may not be showing on the scale but it is in my riding. I was even told tonight on the Thursday night ride by a guy I don't know that, "your misleading". What he meant was that I look like a weeble (80's toy) and not like someone who can ride a mountain bike. So I guess I take that as a compliment. So keep riding is all I can do, I guess.
If I don't lose weight soon I amcalling this guy!

Tonight was a beautiful night in Davis and 31 people showed up for the ride at 5. 10 alone came for the B ride. 19 people is actually a little much when everyone has totally different abilty. So it didn't take long before me and 5 others took off on our own. I will admit it was not as fun as night with talking with friends and all that but we did get a good right in. Here is the GPS info.

This weekend the WVMBA series is headed to Little Beaver but I sad to report that Team Bi-atch will be at the Wilderness 101. What will I ever do with out their support. (lol, hope that fills your guys heads).

Top Ten List

2008-07-23T20:42:00.015-04:00

Here is my top ten list on why high gas prices increasing the amount of people cycling is a good thing!

10) You will sleep better!

9) Finally you will look cool when you tell you date you dont own a car

8) Kid spent more time out playing and not infront of the TV

7) Super fit people from more exercise!

6) No gas, new ideas!

5) Bicycles are greener then we even thought

4) Bike lanes will come more of a common thing!

3) Always plenty of parking

2) I won't be the only fat guy in spandex

1)Chics Man!

The Suriname Crew

2008-07-22T22:42:00.003-04:00

I was excited to open my e-mail tonight and see that Julio de Rooy had e-mailed me. I met him and his crew while I was in Suriname a few months back. They were very excited to meet me once they learned I was the head of WVMBA. Julio sent me the link to a free ride video that they had posted on Youtube. These guys are total into the cycling scene. They even took me out and asked for idea about their trails. The truck you see in the video I was out riding in the jungle in with them. Also I did that crazy zip-line with them. And yes I did what that old man was doing with them.. Don't tell.. It really kind cool to see a place you visited and people you know on youtube. Check out the video..

Dizzy!

2008-07-22T21:48:00.002-04:00

So as most of you know I trying to stop smoking with the help of that new pill that is out. Well I must say that I am already smoking less then normal but some of the side effects are starting show up. I spent most of the day not really dizzy but having trouble focusing on things. I have also been to the bathroom more times then I care to count and just overall not felling to great. I have only been on the pills 4 or 5 days and I double the dose in two days. I do think that it will really help me stop since I can already feel a less of a need for a smoke and I still have over a week before I need to completely stop. However I hope the side effect don't continue, but I guess it better to deal with the side effect and stop smoking then continue to smoke. Wish me luck!!!!

Two Wheeled Kindred Spirits

2008-07-21T17:59:00.001-04:00

PS from DS-
Nice one Goose.
This was from Clifford, past Harrisburg, going up to VT.
The crew was mesmerized.

Papa got a brand new hat?!

2008-07-21T11:19:00.004-04:00

OK this may sound kinda werid but isn't that what blogs are for? I have always been one of those bigger people. When in junior high I was known as fatboy just like today. Back then kids were just being mean and of course I didn't like it very much, but now a days I own it. The nick name started again from Roger Lilly at Blackwater Bikes. When I first moved to Davis I was fat and out of really out of shape. Roger would pound me into the ground when we rode togeather. So the nick name begain. I still fat and I would say semi out of shape now, but when Roger and I rode togeather on saturday I turn the screw and hurt him a little I think. :) So like I said I am really starting to own the nick name and must say I dont mind at all. At yesterdays race I even wrote it one my water bottles that I placed at the water station. Now it has all come full circle with my new hat!

I am also on day 3 of taking my stop smoking pills.. Starting to get nervous!

Now for a little race recap. At the pre-race meeting the race director said the course was a little hilly. In english that means your going to be climbing your ass off. My bro Jason Cyr said it was the most climbing he'd ever seen in a WVMBA race. Not good news for Fatboy. It was hard but I finished. I was however the last sport rider of the course once again and that drives me nuts. Got to keep riding I guess. I would say though that the legs are really starting to get there. It is the fact that I pull 30 or 40 pounds more weight up the hill then the rest of the clydesdales in my class. That goodness that the expert class did a very long loop and I was able to finish before a lot of them to not be the last person to finsih. Here is my race GPS info. Even though it really really hurts I happy to be out racing again. If nothing else it great to get me in shape. I go a lot harder then I would one just a ride. I also what to say that Jason Martin did a fantastic job of putting on his first race. Bang up job!

Time for Jackie to go.

2008-07-19T22:59:00.003-04:00

Well it been funny but tomorrow will meet the Shogren at the Valley Falls race and give Jackie back. I question how much Jaackie really wants to go. Her and Anni have spent hours playing tug-a-war.

Ride information for tonight. Short ride, just trying to warm up for tomorrow. More tomorrow night after the race.

Busy Busy Busy!

2008-07-18T09:39:00.005-04:00

OK first of all it been nice being friends with you all! Why do I say that you ask? Well I started taking Chantix (the stop smoking pill) this week and when I stop smoking I become an a-hole. So I am saying I am sorry before hand. Will see what happens, wish me luck.
Ohh Boy!

Day one done!

So the Shogren's, Chris and LB all left for Mount Snow yesterday. I drove up to Grantsville, MD to meet up with them before there really hit the road. For the next four days or so I be taking care of their puppy Jackie.
Team Bi-atch plus LB ready to put it down at Nats

Somebody get LB some water and soap

Jackie seems to be liking life at our house. Her and Anni are getting along pretty well. LUcky is more like WTF another dog? The cats aren't to happy and I really don't think Jackie knows what to think about cats living in the house also.
Jackie and Anni playing with the rope

Jackie getting ready to get the business from Pedal

So after all the I did make it for the thursday night ride. I hate to say it but it rained at about 4:40 and scraed almost everyone off. About 10 people showed and we just had one group of riders go out. Fast guys and super slow people make for kinda werid ride. Here is the ride info. Well that is it for now. Good luck to all of you up at Nats.

Knowing is half the battle!

2008-07-16T13:17:00.001-04:00

Riddle Mountain

2008-07-16T08:13:00.006-04:00

Tonight I head 40 minutes down the mountain to visit my friends the Riddle's Joey was going to help me with a few bike issues I was having at his new kickass bike shop he has started. While Joey and I work on my bike, Mandi was busy like a bee working on a new bird house for their back yard. Since I was coming down to have "Joey's Bike Shop" work on my wheels he suggested we go for a ride after shop hours. I was game..

The right took us on a killer loop of back roads around the Elkins area. I was even feeling pretty good. There was only one real climb on the ride. At the begining it was like uphill steps. You would ride a flat section then the road pitched up. I was dancing on the pedals and rolling pretty good for me. After about the 10 tenth step I was starting to get tired. I was to worried cause I figured we were near the top. Then Mandi said a few work that killed my spirit. "It really starts to go up now!". I not sure on the distance but it was a long stead climb. It hurt a good bit but I made it and was not to far behind the Mountain goats that the Riddles are. Of course though I was going full out and they were just riding lol. Once to the top there were some great views of the mountains. Totally worth the ride up. It was then time to fly back down hill towards home. We even did a litlle pace lining on the road. But I would have to say Joey small body doesn't cut though the wind as well as my LARGE body! I have to send him a box of donuts or something every week to fix that.

I had a blast and I thing they did to. Sounds like we may start riding together on most Tuesdays. Here is a link to the ride data! Thanks guys!