12/24 Hours of Fury

Where do I start... I could write a book on all the cool stuff that happened, but I am just going to share some highlights... maybe like a top 10...

Adrenaline Team - There were about 10 Adrenaline racers out there... what an awesome group of people! Everyone was laughing and having a good time, but took the race super serious!! Good job to the Masters of Adrenaline team for their 2nd place finish, Chad Sheirborn for taking on the 24 hour event (2nd 24 hour solo in 2 months!!), Zach Stanford for 12 hour solo, Darrin Austin 24 hour solo and Evan Smith, 12 hour solo singlespeed!!

Jeremy, 4 Peaks Racing - This was the promoters first mtb race, and it was a 24 at that!! After many months of promotion and handing fliers out, the race ended up being a lot bigger than anyone expected! He did an excellent job and the race went very smoothly... even when the timing tent caught on fire in the middle of the night!!!

The Race - I raced in the Solo Singlespeed 12 hour category. For some reason, I put the wrong cog on my bike and rode the entire race a little undergeared... I actually noticed it about 300 yards from the start... but I just rode it for the rest of the race. I ended up winning the solo 12 hour category overall, and was able to stop a couple of hours early because of the lead I had built... which is a good thing because the course was starting to beat me up a little!!!

After the race - Evan, Zach, Jeremy (the promoter) and I sat in my car for a couple of hours after the event and told stories and cracked jokes. We were parked next to a friend of mine that was doing the solo 24 hour so we were messing with him during the race.... somehow all of the garbage from my race and a pair of my boxers ended up in his car... :)

The Raffle - What a freaking blast!!! The promoter had a bunch of stuff to raffle off, but did not have tickets... so I walked around the entire venue, went to every campsite, and wrote down the names of everyone that would be attending the raffle... well, you would not believe how many people drink at 10:00 Sunday morning after a 24 hour race and are more than willing to share... special thanks to Bitty Bitty team for that cup of whatever the heck they gave me!!! :)

Everyone at the race - What a super fun group of people!!! Everyone was super cool during the race, and at the venue. It seemed like I knew everyone on the course, which was very cool and motivating! Most of the people I would pass would say "Good Job Tom" or something like that... and I did not even recognize half of them! I think that this was one of the best races as far as
people letting you pass or passing...

WTB Seat - I received a new WTB Vigor seat... and my butt is super happy! This is the first race with the seat, however it worked awesome!!! I will complete a full review of it as soon as possible, however it worked so well it was worth mentioning!

Vassago Bicycles - Vassago donated a frame for the raffle and sent some banners out for the race. Congratulations to Vickie Nelson of Big Fish Racing for winning the Jabber frame!! There were people all weekend checking out the raffle frame and asking quesitons about the bikes. Misty from Vassago was checking in to make sure the race was going well and that we were all taken care of... what an excellent bike company that really supports their riders!!

OK, so the first race of my fall endurance races is complete and I get to go to Temecula for the final 12 hours of Temecula race... I also get to meet the rest of the Vassago Crew and see a lot of the people that I have not raced with in a while... should be fun!

DCB McDowell Race

Last weekend was the 2nd race of the DCB fall series. I raced in the marathon class on my singlespeed and had a blast! The race was about 50 miles long on the same course as the upcoming 24 hours of fury race, so it was a good opportunity to get out and ride!

There were about 20 of us that started the race. When we lined up I looked around and noticed that I was the only singlespeeder in the race and Eric Salstrand, the top pro in the state, was in the race... so it was going to be a fast one!

When the race took off I ended up with the hole shot and made it to the top of the first big climb ahead of everyone. I managed to stay in the lead for the first few miles until the course flattened out.... then Eric big ringed it and just rode away!! Man, it was super impressive watching how fast he went on the flats! For the next few miles that continued... I would catch up to him on the climbs, and he would just power away on the flats and smooth downhills...

I ended up second place in the end and had an awesome ride! The course was perfect, the weather was a little on the hot side but still nice, and hanging after the race was a lot of fun. This is the first time I rode my new Jabber on this course and it performed flawlessly!!! Now, on to the 24 Hours of Fury!!!

24 Hours of Fury Pre-Ride

A bunch of the Adrenaline team showed up at McDowell park this morning to re-ride the course for the upcoming 24 Hours of Fury race. We met with the race promoter and talked about how transition areas were going to be set up, the vendor area, and all that good stuff. This is a first year event, however it will be a lot of fun and should be a pretty good turnout!! The promoter said registration is around 300 right now with a couple of weeks left - awesome!

The McDowell course is in excellent shape thanks to the park and a bunch of people doing trail maint out there the past few weeks. The race is going to have a big movie screen, bonfire, a ton of different vendors, and a couple of kegs of carb drinks... :) I also found out there are going to be several bikes given away, including a Vassago Jabberwocky frame, and a ton of other cool swag... SWEEET!!!

The ride was a ton of fun this morning! I met one of the new Adrenaline members... Zack, a 16 year old hammerhead freak cross country racer that is super fast. He is going to be one to watch over the next few years!

I also had the pleasure of delivering a new member to the Herrera family... a 16" Bandersnatch for Jeff to race on next year and win the Pro state points series on!!! He was super stoked to get the frame and should have it built pretty soon!

It was great to get out there today and catch up with a TON of people that I have not seen in a while.... a lot of people were out pre-riding and tearing it up today. I had a great ride and had a blast on my new Jabberwocky... that thing just screams on this course and will be an awesome weapon for the 24 hour race!

BCT Trail Ride

On MTBR last week there was a post about a group ride on the Black Canyon Trail system... a trail that has been built over the past couple of years. I have read a lot about it, however have never had a chance to go and ride it... was I in for a shock!!

Saturday morning I loaded everything up and took off for the 7:00 ride start. Well, I had no idea that Black Canyon was only about 20 minutes from my house so I ended up about 1/2 early to the ride... no big deal, I just kind of rode around and checked things out. Well, the 7:00 group ride turned into me and one other guy... another singlespeeder! We took off at a leisurely pace, with a very bad paper map, and no clue where we were going. We ended up getting lost a few times and doing a little scouting but ended up completing the entire loop.

There is only one thing that I can say about the BCT trails... WOW!!! They must have been built and designed by a singlespeeder! It was all uff, pristine singletrack with a ton of switchbacks, long, gradual climbs, awesome views, river crossings, technical sections, and super fun twisty downhills... easily one of the best trails I have ridden in the state... and it is only 20 minutes from my house (closer than almost every other trail in Phoenix) Huge props to all that worked on the trail and the trail designer... I will be spending a lot of time up there the next few months!!

Tuesday Night Ride

Ok, so I have written about the Tuesday night ride several times... however it is one of my favorite rides of the week, even if it is a roadie ride!

Tonight there were about 30 people in the group... about an average size ride. Well, there is a father and son that show up every week on their mountain bikes with slick tires and tear it up! Tonight, we did our normal warm up laps, and Brandon, a 10 year old mtn biker, was pretty close to the front of the group.

After the warm up laps, the pace really picks up and normally the group splits into a faster and a slower group... well, the same happened tonight, however Brandon hung in the group for a long time!!! I was totally drafting off a 10 year old on a mountain bike in a fast road bike group ride!!! How cool is that? He was totally putting a hurt on his father, which was pretty cool to see also. He has been winning all of the local races and is probably bumping up to race with the 12-13 year olds the rest of the year... it is going to be exciting to watch!!

Keep it up Brandon!!

New Jabberwockies!!!

This week a couple of new bikes were delivered to my house... a new Black Vassago Jabberwocky for me, and a white one for Evan. Well, I took a couple of hours and built Evan's up for him and it looked pretty cool. He took it out for his maiden voyage and could not believe how awesome it handled and how much better the bike fit him than his last singlespeed (it was a little big) Anyway, a pic of Evan's new bike... the Jabber Junior... :)


I also had a chance to build my new Jabberwocky... and it turned out sweet! There are a couple of changes to the frames, most notably the new headtube gusset. It looks really clean and the paint is super shiny!!! I took mine out for a spin tonight and it rode excellent! Nothing like the feel of a good steel frame!

This bike is probably going to end up being my race bike for the rest of the year. I just can not believe how well these things climb, descend, and handle techy rock gardens in AZ. Just a blast to ride and they are pretty too!!! (also, all built up with pedals my Jabber came in at 22.01 lbs with a suspension fork and normal parts! Very nice!)

DCB Estrella Race

It was great to see everyone at the race this weekend! All of the people that only attend the cross country races show up so it is a different crowd then the past several endurance races, so it was really nice to catch up.

I arrived at the race at 7:30 set to register for the cross country race. Well, Zach pulled up, we talked for a few minutes, and then registered for the marathon... which started at 8:00. So, we both did our best superman impressions to get into our supersuits and get ready in about 20 minutes for a 40 mile marathon race! I set everything up, filled a bunch of water bottles, and took off for a one minute spin around the parking lot... and then heard my name over the loudspeaker. The race promoter was getting everyone lined up and he started calling my name... it was pretty funny actually.

Well, the start of the race freaking hurt!!! I took off and got a pretty good lead on the first lap. I kept looking back, and Zach was right there, maybe 30 seconds back... man he is riding strong! On the second lap, I went a little harder because I was warmed up and was feeling really really good!

Thats when all hell stated breaking loose. I was cruising along in the middle of the lap and my chain broke! No big deal, I had a couple of powerlinks and a chain too with. So I jumped off, fixed it in less than a minute and jumped back on. I then came through the transition area, grabbed a bottle and took off on my third lap when.... my chain broke again!! This time, I was trying to fix it and really struggling. There was a lady that was timing how long I was spending and where second place was. After 4:20, Zach rolled by and smacked me on the ass when I was bent over trying to fix it. I struggled for a couple more minutes and broke my chain tool... DAMMIT!!!

Well, I was only about a hundred yards from the parking lot, so I coasted back down the hill and to my car. At that point I knew I was still in the race if I could get the thing fixed. I dumped all my tools out and did not have anything to fix the chain... so I noticed Darrin had his bike in the truck next to me... so I jumped in the back, stole the chain, and tried to put it on my bike... well, it was not the right length and I could not get it to work.

At this point at least 20 minutes had gone by and I came to realization I was not going ot be able to finish... so I went to go find the promoter and bag the race. I found Dave, and he said... "Just take my bke out"!!! He is a super strong singlespeeder and we have been pretty good friends for a few years, so I grabbed his bike and went to get it ready.... Well, he rides a 17" Gunnar with a rigid fork and different pedals, so I moved the seat up as high as it would go, put my pedals on and took off hell bent for leather to catch anyone I could in the race. That 25+ minutes in the parking lot put me down a LOT!!!

Changing bikes to something that does not fit and something you have never ridden before in the middle of a marathon race is tough.... I just did the best I could and hammered out a couple of pretty fast laps.... one other thing.... rigid forks are not meant for riding Estrella... trust me on this one.

Well, in the end I ended up making up all the time and caught up to second place. Zach ended up with the win, and was almost exactly 11 minutes ahead... bummer. It was a pretty hard effort and just to get that close after almost a half hour of the bike was a very very successful race in my books!!!

After the race, I took the promoter his bike back and he was shocked that I had come back from all the issues to even finish the race and was congratulating me on the second place. I talked to him for a few minutes, and then asked if this was a NORBA sanctioned race with NORBA rules and he said it was. Well... I ended up withdrawing from the results because it is against the rules to switch bikes mid way throug an event. I was thinking about this the entire time I was racing on his bike but I wanted to make sure I was not cheating. He said it would not be a problem and he was OK with me staying in the standings but I withdrew anyway... oh well...

In the end it was super fun and a totally different experience for a race!!! I was happy with my ride, overcoming all the crap, and not quitting even though I almost did not have a choice. That would have been my first DNF in several years and I would have lost sleep over it.... :)

Anyway, great ride, awesome to see everyone at the event, and just a good time!!! Congrats to Zach on his win.. he really tore it up and is a total force to watch in all the upcoming races.... I think maybe I will carry an extra stick to throw in his wheel when he is passing me from now on!!

Tour of the White Mountains Race

This is one of my favorite races every year. The trails in Show Low, AZ are very fun, scenery is awesome, and there is just a good vibe at the race. This year was no exception!

I arrived at the race on Friday night to get camp set up with Zach and some guys from Prescott. Zach is off his freaking rocker. We laughed all night like elementary school kids having a sleepover... I am still amazed that he is a school teacher!!! It was also great to meet Tim, one of Zachs long time friends from Tucson and a really cool guy as well.

After getting camp setup, we went and mingled with all the racers. There were so many people at the race!! I think there were well over 1000 people that registered this year (thats what the promoter said), making it one of the biggest races in the southwest! We in a group talking when Dejay Birtch came walking over... with a couple beers in hand. I have not seen him in months, since he has been travelling the country going to all the big races, so it was nice to catch up and talk some crap and stuff. He also said Fuzzy was racing this weekend, so it should be a lot of fun!! (the #1 and #2 singlespeed endurance racing champs...)

The start of the race was super cool. There were 350 people lined up for the 60 mile event (actually 67 miles, but the promoter likes the sound of 60!!!) and I lined up about 4 rows from the front, right behind Dejay. While waiting for the start, the guy standing next to me asked if I was Tom that used to ride the orange singlespeed... we talked for a minute, and found out that we had done a smaller endurance race last summer together, and the guy next to him had done it, and three other guys right behind him.... the entire group of guys that did the marathon in that race was all lined up together... pretty cool! Also lined up next to me were several of the fast Sho-Air guys from the Payson race and some of the people that I had met the previous weekend... very fun!!

The race took off and the start was a blast!!! We were almost immediately on singletrack, and fast fun fireroads that climbed to the top of hills with nice views... riding through open fields, through trees, over logs, and screaming downhills. The next 15-20 miles of the course was gradual, easy climbing up wide service roads... not technical and really not a lot of fun, however it was a good way to get the climbing out of the way. I totally under-geared for the event not knowing how my legs were going to feel, so I paid for it in this section. I spun as fast as I possibly could to not lose ground on the other guys... and it worked! I ended up catching Dejay and riding and talking with him for a while, and then I basically sold out.... all I could do and as fast as I could go on the singlespeed on that fireroad. I am normally a little better at stuff like that then he is, and he is a better climber and tech rider, so I figured I better get as much time as I could in that section... Zach passed me on the road section as well.. he was drafting a super fast pro-guy and they were just flying!!!! He came by and waved and gave me a goofy ass smile...

After that section ended it was back to super fun trails again!! There was a really really steep hike-a -bike... yuck, and then a ton of rocky, rough, techy singletrack to fly down. I was going as hard as I could go in all these sections and having major cramping problems in my legs. I tried to suck it up and just hammer through the cramps, but it was painful. I also knew that Dejay was behind me so there was not way I was going to let up just because of cramps... Also, I broke my freaking chain in one of the rocky sections... I have no idea why it broke, however I fixed it real quick and got back going.

The rest of the course was amazing... pretty much the best and one of the technically hardest endurance courses I have ever ridden. There was fast downhill twisty singletrack, and about 5 miles of nasty rocky technical singletrack... the kind that you would get a downhill bike and ride, or a trail that you would actually make a trip to ride... it was that fun. I rode it WAYYYY over my head, blasting all of the sections as hard and as fast as possible... I dinged my rims probably 100 times, however my WTB tires heald up without a flat... which is simply amazing!! The last 12 miles of the course was pretty sweet singletrack that twisted through the trees, however it was rough and punishing!!! There were horses on the trail right after it rained a couple of weeks ago and they totally tore it up. There were big horse foot post-holes that were hard dried up bumps for the entire rest of the ride. It was freaking torture that late in the race but my Optimus Ti and White Brothers fork did an awesome job smoothing them out and I was able to maintain a lot of speed through those sections. I really felt sorry for the guys on the Scndim bikes or the 26ers while I was riding that part... OUCH!!!

I ended up second place in the SS event (Fuzzy was first by a couple of minutes and Dejay was a couple minutes in third) which I was super happy about considering the way that I have been feeling and also the level of competition at the race!!! I was also happy that I was only a couple minutes behind Fuzzy... who is probably the fastest singlespeeder in the country at this time!!!

After we finished the race it started raining (there were several hundred people caught on the course in the rain!!!) so we hung out under the Fat Tire tent and drank a bunch of beers and told war stories about the race. Man, it is only 1 year away, but I am totally looking forward to tour of the White mountains again... I hope all of the rest of the races this year are as much fun as thid one was!!!

Stampede Support

OK, I am starting to recover and remembering all the cool stuff from the race this past weekend. There is one last thing that really stood out at this event.... the support!

Sarah Stanford (Zachs bestest half) and Misty (Vassago team manager) took really really good care of Zach and I throughout the entire race. They were there with filled water bottles, food, and encouraging jokes on every lap... they even made fun of me and gagged a little when I ate the sandwich that fell in the cooler water :)

Team Adrenaline was also set up to support the racers and that really made a difference. We were set up close to the transition area so doing the transitions was a no brainer and we could totally watch how the race unfolded. Everyone on Adrenaline really pitched in and helped everywhere they could... what an excellent team!!

Best support that I have had to date at an endurance event... Thanks everyone!

Thoughts on New Ergon Grips

I am the type of person that buys parts and then uses them for years and years, or until they break. If they are good parts, then I use them and buy them over and over... things like Chris King, Thompson, etc. Well, over the past few months I have had an opportunity to try a couple of new products... boy have I been in for a shock!!!

First off, I have been running the same grips for about 15 years... and they seem to work fine! After a race a couple of fingers on each hand would go numb, but I thought that was just part of racing... Anyway, I decided to give some of the Ergon grips a try... DAMN they are freaking fantastic!!! My hands did not hurt, I am able to use all of my fingers on BOTH hands a day after the race, and they just seem to do what they are suppose to... what an improvement over my old grips. I can not believe that I have been missing out on these things for so long... I totally understand why all the top endurance racers run the Ergon grips...

Another thing that I tried was bar ends. Remember waaay back in the day before riser bars?? All bikes had bar ends on them... remember those really cool Onza ones that looked like cow horns?? Well, the Ergon grips that I put on my bike had bar ends. I did not figure I would use them, however they were part of the grips so I gave them a shot... DAMN!!! Another revelation! Bar ends work fantastic on a singlespeed. Climbing was easier, they gave me more hand positions, and they even looked cool.

Anyway, to make a long story short... I need to get out a little more often and try new and different products. If there are other products out there that add to the experience as much as these Ergon grips... I am totally going to be all over them!!!

Payson Stampede 12 Hour

What a tough weekend and a super hard course! The Payson 12 hour race is the second to last race in the National Endurance Series, and it was one of the hardest courses for a 12 hour race that I have ever ridden! I am still trying to recover from the effort and it was 3 days ago!

The race started at noon on Saturday and went until midnight. When the race started, it was probably over 90 degrees, and there was a really long run. I lined up next to Nat Ross, Rebecca Rusch, Zach Stanford and several other Adrenaline team members. I think that I ran the first half and then walked/jogged the second half of the start!

The Lemans style start... I am in third at this point...

The first few laps were really rough because of the heat and I was just not feeling very good. The course started with a gradual climb, then down a super rocky trail for about a mile, it then flattened out for a couple of miles, and then was a series of steep climbs for a couple of miles, and then ended on a paved road that was about 2 miles long. There was 1366 feet of climbing in about 9.5 miles (most of that came in about 2 miles of the course in the middle). After the race we were talking to Nat Ross, and he said that this is going to be the hardest National Championship race that has ever been held next year, and a lot of people will be in for a shock after racing the 9 mile course the past few years....

This was also not a singlespeed friendly course. I normally think a singlespeed is not at a disadvantage for most courses, however this one was the exception. The trail was either really flat, or went uphill really steep, so there was no way to gear for it... and the 2 miles of flat pavement were torture on every lap!!!

I was sitting in about 6th place overall for the first 4 or 5 hours... with Zach ahead of me by a few minutes on his geared bike. We were not racing in the same category, however I always try to race everyone that is doing solo and not just in the SS category to make it a little more interesting for me in these events (there were only 5 SSers signed up and about 20 geared solo's).

Transition and support area

After the first 5 or 6 laps, something happened and I started feeling a LOT better!! I was able to ride more of the hills, and felt like I was turning faster laps (they were by a couple of minutes each lap). When I came through the pits I was able to crack jokes and have a good time, even though I was behind a few minutes. It was really encouraging going around the loops and being able to ride most of the hills that late in the race... and seeing a lot of people that were turning superhard fast laps earlier in the race walking the hills... welcome to my world!!! :)

Flying downhill!!

I ended up catching and passing Zach, who was the solo leader, at about the 8 hour mark. We rode together on the pavement while he ate a McDonalds burger. His strategy was to eat a burger every lap... seemed to work pretty good for him! My strategy was one that I have used for a while... basically have a bunch of food in the transition and just stuff my face every time I came through, and eat a hammer gel in the middle of each lap.

Zach Climbing a hill

At that point, it was night so we mounted our lights and took off. As soon as it started to get cooler, I started to feel better and better!!! It was awesome and riding the trail at night was a lot of fun! This is the first race I used my home made lighting system and it performed flawlessly! The system weighs about 220 grams and burns for a little over 6 hours.... plenty of time to just leave the light on for the entire race and not have to change batteries and have enough light to ride just as fast at night as during the day... very awesome setup!!

In the end I ended up putting a little over 30 minutes on the next closest 12 hour solo geared guy and won the race. I was also leading the 24 hour solo racers except for Nat Ross, and a couple of the Uber pro riders (I would have caught Ernesto in the next couple of laps if I was doing the 24) I ended up stopping the race a little early even though I could have gotten two more laps in because it would not have made a difference in the standings.

Overall, this was a very fun even, however a very very difficult course. Everyone at the race seemed to have a really good time and everyone was super friendly on the trails. Looking back, it is definitely one I will remember for a very long time!!!

Next race is the Tour of the White mountains... 66 miles of singletrack Bliss... WOOO HOOO!!!!

Payson Stampede Preride

Zach and I headed up to Payson, AZ to pre-ride the course for the upcoming 24 hour race. I have raced in the event the past 3 years, however the course was changed from the previous years... man was I in for a shock! The course has pretty much completely changed except for the first few miles and it has become very tough.

Zach on one of the rocky downhills

The first few miles are very very rocky and hard to ride. There were loose babyheads on the downhills that made it tough to get going very fast. The rocky section is an old doubletrack, however there was no line at all, and it was just a mess... but super fun! This is going to be a very tough downhill a few laps into the race. The rest of the course is pretty smooth, and all fireroads. There really is not any singletrack at all which is kind of a bummer. The last mile or so is even a paved road that goes through the middle of town. There are a few pretty spectaculr views on the course, and I am glad that I was able to pre-ride and enjoy them.

Switchback on the course... and tough steep climb coming out

I rode one lap by myself and then waited for Zach to show up. We rode another lap and I realized how tough this was going to be on a singlespeed. There are not many courses that I think a single is a disadvantage, however this is one of them. There is a lot of flat areas where you are spun out, and 5 or 6 super steep loose climbs that are tough to even walk up. I downloaded the data from my GPS and the grade hits 20% in several different areas... OUCH!!

He still has that freaky mustache!!!

Anyway, we had a freaking blast and laughed a lot. I rode 3.25 loops and fealt totally dead at the end. This is going to be a painful 12 hour race (or 24, still have not decided) however is should be a lot of fun! Misty from Vassago is coming out and we are going to show her a good time in the big town of Payson. Ben, one of the Vassago riders is also coming out and doing the 12 hour on a Rigid Singlespeed Jabberwocky.

Fall Race Schedule

The fall race season is fast approaching, and I am nowhere close to being in the shape I need to be, but what the heck... I will just race myself into shape. So, I thought I had a pretty good schedule going and then I received a couple of emails from different race promoters, so it looks like it might be a rough fall season... AWESOME!! So, it looks something like this:

Sept 20 - Payson Stampede 12 Hour
Oct 5 - Tour of the White Mountains 66
Oct 11 - DCB Estrella Cross Country
Nov 1 - DCB McDowell Cross Country
Nov 8 - 24 Hours of fury
Nov 15 - 12 Hours of Temecula
Dec 6 - Dawn to Dusk 12 Hour
Dec 25 - DCB McDowell Cross Country

Ummmm.... might be a little too much to do in 3 months but it us worth a shot!

Tuesday night with a tandem

The Tuesday night roadie ride was a little different this week. Robert Ball (Cat 2 Roadie, overall bad ass) and Chrissu Sarecini (Pro Roadie, bad ass also) teamed up to do the state time trial on a Tandem... holy crap! Put two super stong roadies on a bike together and it is something really cool to watch.

The ride is pretty much a flat 3 mile loop... perfect for the Tandem. The ride started like it always does, a couple of warm up laps then all hell breaks loose. Well, a few of us were battling for the first lap at the front of the group, and then the tandem just kind of rode right by us like we were standing still (we were already going 28 mph) I worked my butt off and got on their wheel, and just kind of motorpaced for a couple of laps. It was awesome!!! We were running 32-33mph for about 40 minutes or so. Super painful, but a ton of fun!!

Good luck to both of them in the state time trial this weekend! They should do really well and hopefully take a state chmpionship!

Random Babble

OK, bunch of random stuff...

First off, went for a 50 mile ride with Darrin and Evan today. It rained last night, so there was a little bit of mud on the trail, but not much so we went for it!! Took off at like 5:30 and rode until it was to hot. Damn it is hot in Phoenix!!! The humidity was really high, and it was just nasty. Only a few more weeks and we will be back to some version of normal weather.

I rode the Optimus today, man I love that bike more and more everytime I ride it. I am getting close to saying that it is the best bike I have ever owned (my 1993 Jamis Dragon still holds that spot, mostly for sentimental reasons). I also built up the Jabber and am going to start riding that one again... it is going to be the bling machine!!! All of the parts are different colors; Mango king hubs, Red nipples, Gold King Headset, some undetermined skewer color (I let Misty at Vassago be creative so I have not seen what they are going to be), A blue or purple seat collar, Easton EC90 stem and handlebar, Thompson post, Race face cranks.... should be a pretty sweet build!!

One of the team Vassago riders is completing his first solo singlespeed race as I write this, and he is leading, so I wish him well as he goes into the night laps! Good luck Ben and remember not to stop for any reason, well, maybe for nature calls....

I went to the Swiss shop to pick up a few parts and got to see a bunch of riding buddies. I found out one of the guys has been stalking me on the internet, and that was kind of Creepy... So Tom Stack... I am sure you are going to be reading this a few minutes after it is posted, please keep the stalking to the internet and not in real life. Your cool and stuff, but we have to draw the line somewhere!!! LOL!!!! Actually, I found out that Stacky is going to be getting a Vassago 29er and he is stoked about that, so it should be fun to build that one up!

Ok, more randomness.... the Tahoe 100 is next weekend and I am pondering the drive up there. This is starting to sound a lot like the weekend before the breck 100. I am in no shape whatsoever to be really competitive at the race, however it would be nice to get up there and "Pre-ride" it before next year... and it would be nice to be able to race with Dejay again...

Also, Misty from Vassago has posted some stuff on her blog about my pink fairy wings... it is not true at all!!! I never wear them around the house, just mostly out to dinner and stuff. I have to look pretty

Flagstaff Mountain Festival

This is the third year I have raced in the Flagstaff mountain bike festival... one of my favorite short races of the year. The course is awesome, with some really nice, rocky singlestrack and a really long, fun, downhill at the end of each lap.

This is one of the races that is not part of any series, for any points, and just kind of in the middle of the season, however more of the pros show up for this one than any of the other races in the state. A lot of the full time pros ive in Flagstaff, so they use it as a tune up for the fall season. This year was no exception!! The promoter grouped all the pros, experts, and singlespeeders and sent us at the start together. Very cool to get to start with a group of 50-60 riders that are all hammerheads!!

Start of the Race

The start of the race is on a 4-5 mile dirt road that gradually climbs so it spread out the pack. I tried my best to stay in contact with the lead group on my singlespeed... not an easy task when you are spinning your legs off!! I lost contact with them a couple of miles in, however Darrin was still with the group I was in!! He has been training super hard and is riding really really strong right now and will just get stronger for next race season... should be interesting!!

Darrin at the start with his "Game Face" on

I ended up getting a 1 or two minute gap on the rest of the singlespeeders the first lap, and then extended the lead over the next two laps, however I worked so hard at the start of the race I had really bad cramps the last lap... and my speed dropped considerably. I kept pushing as hard as I could, looking back for Darrin or anyone else to catch me, and did what I could to keep the lead.

In the end, I managed to win the race by about 5 minutes or so, however this will be one I will not soon forget!! For this race I tried a different training and eating strategy the few days before and it did not work out at all... lesson learned!! Also, I really need to remember to take my sport legs or endrolytes before the race. I was not sure if those things actually did anything at all, however I am not a firm believer. this is the first time I have had cramps in the past couple of years, and the first race where I did not take something prior... awesome learning experience!!

Darrin and Tom on the podium

At the end of the race I cooled down with one of the up and coming pro racers in the state... 21 year old Chris Suter. He is a real bad ass... and is FAST!!! He ended up second in his class and fourth pro overall at the race. We traded bikes, he rode my optimus around for a while (which he loved!!!) and we talked about the upcoming season. He is not on a team, so we ended up recruiting him for Adrenaline!!! WOOO HOOO!!! Now we have a couple really strong pros to content in the NORBA points series for next year.

All of the people from Adrenaline went into Flagstaff and we hung out at the Pay and Take, where the awards ceremony was... and had too many post recovery drinks and just hung out and talked... very fun!! These are the kind of races that are my favorite. They really do not mean anything as far as series points or anything, and they are just super fun events with everyone having a good time and not being all serious... Very awesome weekend!!!

Evan and Zach

1:59:34

OK, personal best on the roadbike last night.... did 50 solo road bike miles in 1:59:34, up Cave Creek road, to the towers, and back home... Average speed 25.01 mph (previous personal best was 22.1 mph last year about this same time, can not remember the time though...)

Another reason I ride my bike...

Every year about this time I get hooked on the roadie thing for a few months... I hate myself for it, however it is super fun and amazing training for the mountain bike. When you live in Phoenix, there really is no way to ride a mountain bike in the heat so we are pretty much forced onto the road for a few months...Well, this year is no exception!! Since last Thursday, I have a little over 300 road miles in and am just itching to get out and ride some more.

Tonight was the weekly Tuesday night ride and it was the normal crew of people out to tear it up for a couple of hours. What a blast!! We were all going at our limit, making super-hero efforts to break away from the group, and generaly pushing ourselves beyond our normal limits just for fun in the middle of the week on a 3 mile paved loop... It is pretty cool that a group of people of all ages just get together, without knowing each other that well, just to play... Man I love cycling!!!

BOS Roadie Ride

Last week I sent an email to the Adrenaline team to see if anyone wanted to do the BOS ride... the fastest road group ride in the valley. Well, Darrin, Robert, and Jay were all up for it so we had a group of Adrenaline folks all lined up.

Now, the fun part of the story... Darrin and Robert have not really been on a lot of group rides, so they were not exactly sure what to expect. I let Darrin know this one will be pretty big, super fast, and we might all get dropped. Well, he didn't believe me... :)

I live about 13 miles from the start of the ride, so I planned on riding my bike over for a warmup and to get a few extra miles in. Well, I overslept so I did not leave my house until 5:25 (ride starts at 6:00). I thought no way I was ever going to make it to the start, and I would have to meet the group along the way. Well, it seemed like everything went my way, there was a slight tailwind, and I hit all lights green, so I made it with a few minutes to spare. I was a little tired considering I just did a solo 25+mph time trial to make it, however I made it!!

I met Darrin and Robert and they seemed a little stressed about the start... there were already about 60 roadies all ready to go. All their little outfits were all matching, their bikes all pretty, and all the normal roadie stuff... When we took off I rode with Darrin for a while, and provided some advice... I pointed out who the strong guys in the group were, and what wheels to beon at certain times of the ride not to get dropped... there are certain points the pace picks up and it is important to be in the right place so you do not get dropped...

Well, the plans really did not work out so well. I ended up having a great ride and managed to hang with the Cat1 and 2 roadies on the climbs, but Darrin, Robert, and Jay ended up in the second group somehow... but they are itching to go back and try it again this weekend.

In the end it was really fun and it was really cool to introduce a few of the guys to the dark side... Group road riding!!!

Crazy 88 Race

Do you like Ninjas?

Do you like long, epic mountain bike rides?

If you answered yes to at least one of the above questions, then this race is for you!!!

My little buddy Zack (Hi Zack!!!) sent an email yesterday with some info about a race in Flagstaff coming up in a couple of weeks. It is an 88 mile, "Underground" race on 8/9 on some of the most fun singletrack trails in Flagstaff!! Check out the website for all the details on the race:

http://www.handlebarsandwich.com/crazy-88