STJMTB

Corby North

2012-01-20T19:41:00.002-06:00

I know the rumors have abounded about how Corby North will be impacted by news of the Urban Trail being extended from Gene Field down to Corby Pond this year.

Early on, when the rumor started, all that we really knew was that we needed to connect the dots but we didn't know the path we'd take to do that. Thanks to a number of the guys on this blog, we've been trying to make sure that we do the best to keep Corby North a neat trail. As a beginner/intermediate level mountain biker myself, Corby is important to me personally.

The cool thing is that the guy that wrote grant to extend the Urban Trail was smart enough to ensure that funds were set aside in the grant to restore, mend and hopefully try to make the trail better where impacted.

One of the guys I work with just showed me some neat restoration ideas this week that I'd say are pretty exciting. But the proof is in the pudding so if you get a chance to stop by my office, I'll show you and would like to know what you think. If there are better ideas, this is the time to plug them in. As a tease, for the first time ever we actually have access to a day or two of contractor labor and equipment for this. Maybe that means that some ideas that would just be too much work with manual labor are possible.

So take a bit and stop by when you get a chance. Plans will probably get sent out in a few weeks so that's the window for input. It's a team deal and the last thing I want to do is to goof up a tremendous trail while we're also doing good for the Urban Trail. Both can co-exist and flourish together. In fact, I think that trail opens up a lot of prospects further north up in the timber that wasn't real feasible until the Urban Trail extension was conceived.

Bike Fest - Cash$$ :)

2012-01-20T19:37:00.002-06:00

JDoug,

'11 was a crap year for me as I spent all from basically late May thru November hip deep in flood stuff. Because my head was out of it, I got behind on the important stuff.

But as I've gotten back in the swing I've been hearing about a Bikefest or something taking off in May. What I have heard sounds cool. Better yet, I have access to a little cash from a grant source to help make it better yet (if that's needed). Let me know how I can help on this and would be happy to do my bit.

Want to get faster in 2012?

2012-01-12T10:55:00.004-06:00

Then lose weight fattie! No, seriously... You can spend a fortune getting the coolest lightest MTB money can by. If your 20, 30, 40+lbs heavier than you should be, well...... That $5K, 20lb rocket ship you have ain't gettin too far off the ground. Not that I know many people that can swing that kind of a ride.

Anyway.... By far the best thing you can do for riding, heck, life in general is to LOSE THAT BELLY..
I am by no means an expert, I did not study nutrition in school, etc, etc... All I really have done is read a couple of books and actively seek out whatever works for other people.

First thing first, 90% of america does it WRONG! There is no magic pill, potion, etc that can substitute for eating right. It does take discipline, I won't kid ya. Nasty crap tastes great!

I have really only read two books and find one pretty good, and one great...

Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald

Paleo Diet for Athletes by Loren Cordain, Ph.D & Joe Friel

Both are good, and they both work. I will over simplify the two for time sake and why I prefer one over the other.

Racing weight is basically counting the calories you take in and burn throughout the day. If you create a calorie deficit of 200-300 calories then your on your way to a leaner you. The trick is keeping it within 200-300 calories. This means you get lean without losing muscle, take in two few calories and your eating away at muscle, too many calories and you guessed it big boy... You get bigger.
In order to do this you have to get your resting metabolic rate (how many calories your body burns throughout the day) and then figure out how many calories your burning when working out. Then you count the calories you take in and there you have it..

Paleo is a bit different, well about as different as you can get. The basic premise is to stay away from processed foods (which is making America larger than the rest of the planet combined) and eating purely fruit, veggies and lean protein. Where the "for athletes" comes in is you deviate from the plan before, during and after training and racing. At this time you take in more high glycemic carbs that you would not normally take in under the plan.

For me, I prefer the Paleo plan because is takes some of the thinking out of everything, other than what to eat. I don't have to look up the calorie count of this or that, I don't have to do any calculations and I don't have to keep track of what I am eating (seriously, I was looking up bananas, a slice of bread, sugar for my coffee, etc. etc.) each meal/snack all day. I have done it and it does get rather old in a short amount of time.

The hard thing about Paleo is that you have to plan ahead. Its quite hard to find quality food that is not loaded with starches when you have to juggle family/work/training/etc and your running around constantly. In today's society, crap food is the standard, even the 'healthy' food isn't all that great. Also, I know a few dudes who whoop my butt on a bike that follow it... Which never hurts its case...

I would say the biggest thing for me is that when I got lean under race weight, I did not feel strong. Yes it did get me light; but at what expense? Under the Paleo plan, with its high protein intake I can get lean, but still feel strong and for racing bikes, that kind of makes my decision a no brainer...

Again, I do want to emphasize that I am in no way, shape or from qualified to give anything near professional advice. Just a dude who likes to compete and share what helps me. All in all, go and find out what works for you, just thought I would try and help... That and I can't get any other of my Joetown peeps to post on here...

Thanksgiving Ride

2011-11-29T14:48:00.001-06:00

You missed out... I forget how much fun it is to ride MTB in the Fall. We posted, but only Larry came out to play with the rest of us... The weather was perfect... Actually it was a little too warm... Rode through Krug and Sunbridge, its was great... Too short though...

Took off from the bottom parking lot of Krug

Just getting started, notice the youngster on the left ready to go; old men front and to the right, sucking water and sucking wind!!

Got to love youthful enthusiasm. Especially when it comes to trail work!

Getting a refresher of Krug climbing..

Someone has been spending too much time on his road bike... We ride down the hills buddy!

Felt really good to get back on the Fat tires... I am also extremely excited about Sunbridge, it has so much potential out there you can't believe... Just need a loop of some sort....

Can you spot the Roadies?

2011-11-18T14:20:00.000-06:00

Should not be too hard... Found this over at Hellingham...

The Good, The Beered and The Muddy from Ben Stuart on Vimeo.

Rain...

2011-11-08T12:37:00.000-06:00

Don't you just find this cold and wet fall day inspirational?

No...???

Well watch this then...

Yah, thats better......

Little man is killin it!!

2011-10-20T17:12:00.000-06:00

Saw this little Gem over at DC! Kids got the gift....

You know... You guys can post on here also... I know there is a ton of cool stuff going on...
Don't be bashful!!

JDoug

More Race Cancellations...

2011-09-27T07:42:00.002-06:00

What in the hell is going on? RIM was cancelled and now two of my favorite races at my favorite venues for cross are cancelled...

This kind of blows....

Granted I am not a promoter myself (heartfelt thank you for all of you that are) and there are/were probably good reasons, but man, what is going on?

Smithville and Leavenworth Races Cancelled

KC Cycling News

Tuesday, 27 September 2011 07:19

While there is a healthy schedule of cyclocross races in the KC Metro, the newsdesk has just picked up word from the KCA pagethat the full weekend events at Smithville and Leavenworth (formerly known as DeStad van Kansas Series are cancelled.

This leaves two prime weekends without local events. There are some events within reasonable drive time, but it will be interesting to see if replacement races will materialize.

Cross Course...

2011-09-19T09:25:00.000-06:00

Cross is here folks, wheather your ready for it or not... We have a stellar course laid out here in St. Joseph thanks to the Hippy and his mini hippys... Seriously, they out did themselves, this is a truly fun course, one of the best I have been on...

Its hidden away a little, out on 16th street and Duncan..... Down, kind of by the Mead building...

View Larger Map

Not sure how many of you are familiar with Cyclocross... Basically you ride your bike in circles around a field, um, really fast-like... Does not sound like fun, but its actually a blast... And there are a lot of folks who race their mtb bikes on it... Just put some different tires, and your good to go....

Introduction to Cross

What is Cyclocross (Better Video)

View of the course from the top, has more elevation change that the pic shows.

Little jaunt through the woods, well because we are all MTB'ers at heart.

You can see some of the topography here.

You rail down this berm, gets fast in sections for sure.

Little snap shot from the bottom.

The Run UP! Made my legs feel all weak-like.. (Racers, this run up rivals DeStad in Leavenworth and Cross off the old year in Lenexa)

After the run up, you take a sharp left and have a downhill. WARNING, you better slow down, the second ridge is a launching pad!

This is the downhill from the bottom. You can get enough air on this second ridge to wake up an hour later wondering where you are and who you are if your not careful...

There you have it.... Also thinking about a Wednesday night Cross ride/mini racing if your interested... Just let me know...

FB, FYI

2011-09-06T15:04:00.000-06:00

Joetown MTB Facebook Page

If your interested! Anyone know how to do an RSS feed to the FB Page? Derrick????

New bridge at the new 'cross course done

2011-08-29T19:35:00.002-06:00

Max and I built a bridge at the Devil's Backbone cyclocross course today. Of course, less than 3 hourrs later, some little bast...delinquent...had to do smoky burnouts with a motorcycle on it.. Get out there and check it out before it gets destroyed RT

RIP Bob

2011-08-26T08:50:00.000-06:00

"Live life like today is the last day of life you will have.

You never know for sure if you will see tomorrow!" ~ Bob Bailey

I just want to say how sorry I am to all of those who were close to Bob.
Last I spoke to him, I was shaming him into sticking with his single speed through Krug. Which he thanked me for later...
I think at least to me, why this is so shocking news, is that it is hard to lose someone who was so full of life.. Bob may have been 50 but he was defiantly 25 on the inside!

Biker Down...

2011-08-23T14:40:00.001-06:00

Robert Hugh Bailey, Jr.

Robert Hugh Bailey, Jr.

1961-2011

Robert Hugh Bailey, Jr., 50, St. Joseph, Missouri, died Saturday, August 20, 2011 at Heartland Regional Medical Center.

He was born August 15, 1961 to Robert Hugh and Anna Laura (Tatum) Bailey in St. Joseph. He remained a lifelong resident.

Mr. Bailey graduated from Central High School and attended UMKC and MWSU. He worked as Traffic Manager for Major Brands and most recently worked for Triumph Foods, Inc. He was a member of the King Hill Masonic Lodge #376. Robert was an alumnus of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity at MWSU. He was an avid cyclist and active in the St. Joseph Bike Club. He loved to play golf and hockey. He officiated for St. Joseph Griffon Ice Hockey Association.

Survivors: son, Nicholas; former wife, Karen; his parents; brothers, David Bailey (Sally), Don Bailey (Jill); sister, Cindy Lovell (Tim); nieces and nephews; and his cat, Solomon.

Services: 1:00 P.M. Thursday, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. Interment Memorial Park Cemetery. The Family will receive friends 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. Wednesday, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. The Family suggests memorial gifts to Bikes for Tots.

I did not know Bob as well as some of you, but I know he was a riot to be around and will me missed by all.. Hope you can make it out to show your condolences.

Bobke even came out to heckle/cheer us on out at Leavenworth CX!!

Spoke Pony!

2011-08-16T12:47:00.000-06:00

Spoke Pony was last Sat.... Sucks to be you if you missed it! Which is everyone, Jimbo and myself are the only folks from Joetown who raced...

Results....

Yes, you missed out!

Did you lose something?

2011-08-10T14:00:00.003-06:00

Did anyone happen to get home after last nights group ride on the trails only to realize they no longer have a bicycle, but instead a uni-cycle?

My brother is bringing me a wheel that he found last night at Corby pond. Let me know if you are missing one.

Derrick

Mid-West Baller!!

2011-08-04T13:40:00.001-06:00

Go get him girl!

2011-07-29T08:07:00.001-06:00

Hot in the city...

2011-07-18T20:03:00.002-06:00

What else is there to say? Its really hot out there lately! Heat index's have been over 100 for the past week and look like they will continue for the rest of this week. HYDRATE YOURSELVES! Tuesday night group riders, please come prepared for this brutal heat . Hydrate before , during and after you ride and don't over exert yourself.

We really need to get a good idea of everyone who is interested in being part of the planning for the bike festival. You can respond by posting a comment on this post, or if you want to talk to me on the phone just say so and I will get you my number. There is something for everyone to do, just ask.

Does anyone out there have any experience with starting nonprofit organizations? If so, let me know, I definitely have some questions for you. Remember , if anyone needs info on biking or trails , help with mechanical issues or even someone to ride with or show you to trail heads , you can post comments or request on any post and someone will get back with you as soon as possible.

Trails, Community and Bike Festival!

2011-07-06T19:40:00.002-06:00

Trails are looking great folks! Thanks to all that came out on Saturday(Don , Thad , Larry, Brandon and myself) and Justin(who was out on Monday ) and a special thanks to Randy who made all that possible by supplying the tools and the materials. Finally Randy got a much needed reprieve from trail work that is long overdue. I've said it before and I'll say it again, "many hands make light work for all", and we are seeing the fruits of our labors.

The cycling community is about to come together like never before , we are already seeing it happen and I like it. There where 27 riders at last weeks group ride and 16 this week, every week we have new riders out and thats awesome. Keep plugging the rides and lets get everyone involved and excited .

BIKE FESTIVAL? Yes , Yes , Yes... Its going to happen. We need to start meeting and bouncing ideas around, I know its almost 10 months away but it will be here before you know it. How do Monday Nights work for everyone? Let me know so we can start with meetings as soon as possible!

Trail Work and Conditions...

2011-06-29T19:25:00.003-06:00

Im still stoked about the group ride last night , 27 MOUNTAIN BIKERS!!!!!!! I hope everyone had as good a time as I did and that you'll all be back soon.

Now this is where I talk about trail work but I am really sending you subliminal messages telling you that trail work is fun, men it will put hair on your chest and women it will do what ever you want it to do to you! OK , OK ... none of that is true , but riding is fun and we cant ride if "WE" dont do the work. Any and all help is appreciated, remember these are "YOUR" trails. I will be at Girl Scout Camp at 6am Saturday Morning to hopefully finish the weedeating. Come out and have some fun with me.

Current trail conditions are as follows:

* Corby South is clear , it does have 1 hanging tree that needs to be pulled down but it will take at least 2 people so be careful.

*Corby North is clear, I removed the down tree today and the rest was clear as of yesterday

*Girl Scout is 1/3 weed whacked and has a large tree down about a quarter mile from the end of the trail. *CAUTION* That tree is infested with bees . Justin is going out tomorrow with a bee keeper to retrieve them and then I will get the tree cut up and then all will be clear.

*Brownie is slightly overgrown, tall in some places but not thick at all and still very ride able .

*Krug is clear as of last Wednesday.

All trails have small sticks and debris, please remove any obstacles that you can and report any others.

Please help us keep the current conditions of trails up to date by commenting on this post.

ST JOE is representing!!!!

2011-06-27T20:37:00.002-06:00

Great Racing on sunday for the St Joe Crew ! I counted 8 podiums ! JDoug pulled a 2nd, the hippe scored a 4th, Little Hoppe sandbagged with a 1st(hahaha) and Colton finished 3rd. A double podium for the Puett Family(great job guys) and Summer ripped a 4th place in her first MTB race. JP Shores (who will always be a ST JOE boy) scored a 2nd overall and the Kansas State Championship. Congrats to all of you!!!!

Randy , Thad and I got about 1/3 of girl scout weed wacked tonight! It needs much more love and I plan on being out there this Saturday morning bright and early. Any help would be greatly appreciated. GROUP RIDES on TUESDAY nights!!!!!!! Dont miss them... We meet at the corby south parking lot and roll out at 6:30 sharp!!!!!!! Tell everyone, these rides are for all riders of varying ability.

I am so excited about the prospects of having a bike festival in st joe, but I know its going to take all of us to pull it off! If you want to be a part of the event planning, let us know!!!!! Comment on this post and let us know when would be a good time for all of us to meet and get the ball rolling !

Crocodile Rock, 2011

2011-06-27T12:43:00.001-06:00

Awesome!! There were so many people from Joetown out racing this Sunday at Perry Lake, KS!

We need some more folks to post on here, so I am going to let someone step up to the plate..
Feel free anyone, seriously...

If you not a contributor, just email and I will add you... Simple as that!

And it begins for this little fella...

2011-06-06T07:36:00.002-06:00

Amen, little brother!!

This never gets old...

2011-06-02T20:50:00.001-06:00

I know I have posted this before, but its hilarious....

Tuesday Nights and May 28th!

2011-05-18T19:17:00.002-06:00

Tuesday Night group rides are getting ridiculous ! We had 13 riders out this week , and as long as Justin Carr keeps performing his acrobatics we will continue to grow each week. These rides have something to offer everyone , granted they are not training rides , but you fast guys can come out and help us others go fast with your tips and encouragement! Spread the word about the group rides, lets get everyone involved and excited about hitting the trails.

The group rides where extra fun considering the recent trail work that has been done. Krug has been Manicured once again and is perfect shape. Problem is , everyone cant ride Krug and if they did , they wouldnt be back! BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! With that , the corbys , GSC and brownie are very important trails to our off road cycling community. Corby north has been shined like a new penny and GSC has been trimmed up nicely. The Hippe has arranged for the Boy Scouts to weedwack the Brownie trail. So, that leaves Corby South which needs a lot of lovin , mark May 28th on your calendar , lets all get together and knock it out. Remember, many hands make light work.

2011-05-13T14:19:00.001-06:00

Here is a better picture of ratdaddy

Robidoux Roundup 2011

2011-05-11T15:17:00.000-06:00

In case you don't know already, were very blessed to have singletrack like Krug here in St. Joseph... I just love it out there! With that being said there was a little race last Saturday called the Robidoux Roundup.
The usual hooligans were present to to race the home course which was groomed to perfection. Be sure to thank the Trail Hippy and Hoppy for being the ring leaders in getting Krug to the shape that it is. Also thank eveyone who helped, Jimbo, BradBob, Ethos Crew (Steve and Jesse I think came up from KC). I apologize if I missed any... Yes because I am a loser and didn't do sheet myself.... Yes I deserve to be ostracized, but enough of that..

Also, thank you to the St. Joseph Bike Club for providing food for the event, the city of St. Joseph for letting us use the park.
Do all your bike shopping at BikeSourse, because they provided all the swag and sponsor Ethos Racing! Well that and they are awesome down there....

Thanks to Ed S. for all the trials stuff.... And we thought we were crazy!

Im sure the visits here probably knows all of this but...
You can find results/pictures/race reports on the race blog, HERE....

Here are a couple of pics from the locals racing....

I love this pic of the Hippy, BADASS!

Larry

Brandon

Dr. Smith busing out the guns

Jimbo!

JP Shores

RatDaddy

Robidoux Roundup

2011-05-04T08:02:00.000-06:00

Come on out this Saturday for the 2nd annual Robidoux Roundup MTB Race! Krug Park, follow this Link to get more info... http://krugparkmtb.blogspot.com/, or just click on the link, on the right...

Here are some random Pics from last years race.... Just to get you pumped... Owe and the weather is going to be gorgeous!!!

trailwork day at krug

2011-04-25T21:43:00.001-06:00

Howsabout we all get together for a weedeating day at Krug this next Saturday, as in april 30th. Say 8 AM. Whaddya say? the trail hippie

Bone Bender, 2011

2011-04-19T09:40:00.001-06:00

Well the crew made it down for another Bone Bender 3/6 hour race, this year at Clinton Lake, KS. And as I type this with my body still felling like I got my arse beat with a baseball bat from Sunday, I kinda wish it was at Smithville again....I am a sissy man!
The Hippy, Bradbob, Jimbo, Hoppe and Myself headed down at the crack of dawn and hooked up with the Ethos crew and got ready. Saw Derrick and crew down there as well... Orange Leiderhosen? How do you spell that?
Had a Le-Mans start with always kind of sucks...

Staging Area

And Were OFF!

All of us from Joetown had a bit of trouble with the technical sections until later on in the day when you kind of get used to them. We just don't have that kind of terrain up here, we can climb hills, just not when there covered in roots and rocks.
Hoppy and I got our buts whooped, there was a ton of great riders competing. Looks like I need to step up the intensity of training as my lap times were not even close to the fast dudes.

BradBob

Hippy and Hoppy (Apparently this is one of the few times my "partner" could keep is bike rubber side down!)

First MTB race in the books. Learned a lot, hurt a lot, had a great time!

Don't know what happened, but when you see a bunch of racers standing around, its never good.

The lord only knows...

Check out racers, race reports on the blog roll on the left...

Results HERE

Pictures HERE

Bone Bender Updates

2011-04-14T09:04:00.001-06:00

Bone Bender Updates - 4/12/11
Due to our event size and parking limitations, we are having to make a small change in our start/finish location. The start/Finish and registration area is now moving to the Swim Beach area.

Parking will now be at the Swim Beach with additional parking along the course (see map). This will be an ideal location to setup your team pits.

Here is the updated course map.

Click on map to enlarge

You can visit their blog HERE...

krug

2011-04-08T17:18:00.000-06:00

If your not pre riding Clinton tomorrow (like I wish I was). Come on out to krug in the morning. I plan on being there about 9:00 and doing three laps, so I will.be there a while.

Smithville tonight?

2011-04-06T09:52:00.002-06:00

Anyone going to this tonight? If I can sneak away, I want to go.

http://forums.earthriders.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13226

Where: Sailboat Cove main parking lot (just west of Paradise) NOT @ Smoke N Davey Trailhead
When: 6 PM MTB Time
What: Ride our bikes on some sweet SMV singletrack.
What else: Epic Bike and Sport is holding a Specialized Demo Day. So come on out and check out some new single track rides. Scott (owner of Epic) has generously offered to provide us with burgers and dogs for some post ride munching. Thank you Scott!

What to bring: Your bike, a camp chair, your favorite post ride beverage, and a smile! If you have a hankering for some chips or any other snacks besides burgers and dogs, feel free to bring it along and share. :wink:

So far the weather is looking SWEET!

See you out there!

Lawrence Race is Officially Cancelled

2011-04-05T09:18:00.004-06:00

Bummer...

by Doug Long on Tue Apr 05, 2011 8:43 am

just got off the phone with Curtis and have officially pulled the plug on "Lawrence River Trail Challenge". My apologies to all that were planning on opening the UFD reason at Lawrence on Saturday. Believe me, I wanted to be there also.

I should have cancelled this race a long time ago when I saw the effort that the promoter was putting into getting all the details completed. I guess there is a lesson to be learned here. It does take a lot of time and effort to promote a successful race and I guess I need to be a better judge of who will follow through in the future. FYI, if this promoter decides to reschedule this race to a latter date, it will not be a UFD race. His days as a UFD promoter are history!

Please help spread the word to any racers that you know may be traveling toward Lawrence. You might want to let them know about the Duathlon on Sunday.

I know Chris is looking forward to a great Bone Bender race on April 17th at Lawrence, and Doug Chambers is expecting a good crowd at Wilson Lake on May 1st.

Pappy

Hey!

2011-04-04T12:20:00.000-06:00

Get out and ride! Trails are great!!!

Moab, UT Porcupine Rim Trail

2011-03-24T03:51:00.001-06:00

Just some photos of last weekend in Moab.

owe yah...

2011-03-11T18:56:00.000-06:00

The hurt locker!!!!

Those of you doing the crit tomorrow.. Good luck! pedal till hit hurts so bad you cry!!

Man I need some off road racing!!!! Got to love the competition of paris-nice etc.. even tho its those skinny tire leg shavers......

You know... Hats off to Cam.. Fastest mofo I know... (or is it fastist? anyway)

2011-03-05T01:04:00.002-06:00

Chillen haven a IPA checking out the blog scene... Ran across Cameron Chambers newest posts over with Specialized and you know what.... Damn dude, I am pumped as S**T your getting some props over at Chris C.'s/Winning 24 hour USA, im a badass/renewing your pro card.....

I remember just not that long ago, I just started out racing. People pointed out who you were, fast as hell, etc.. etc.. but what I remember is how down to earth and cool you were to us newbies.... I also remember he was tagging around a dude with the last name of Donn who now is fast s**t too (yah, I remember when he was still cat 2)....Also nice as hell.... Anyway, 2011 is going to be my first season in Cat 1, so it should be enlightening to say the least...

I guess I don't really have anywhere else to go with this post other than its awesome to see when hard work pays off... Now if I could only quit downing my IPA's I might be able to keep up with my teammates...

Here is his latest cam of riding single track..

Peace!

Urban Downhill

2011-03-03T11:47:00.001-06:00

Got this gem from ClassicinKC.... On the blogroll...

Yah, I don't think so.... These dudes must be crazy.... I mean Loco!

Roubidoux Roundup, 5/7/11

2011-03-01T15:55:00.000-06:00

Updating the race site....

Have any suggestions for the site and or the race?

Now or never!!!

Hey, you a potential sponsor? Help us help you!

UFD Series

2011-02-23T20:46:00.003-06:00

Here is a little inspiration for you racers out there... The intervals and hill climbs will pay off, I promise.... Well, if your doing them anyway...

Anyone out there that wants to start racing, curious, etc... Don't be bashful, we all started where you are now. Except the hippy, he was mtb racing before they were invented.....

Check them out, there website is updated... Lookin all fancy like... United Federation of Dirt

UFD West
April 9th (Sat) River Trail Mountain Bike Challenge
April 17th (Sun) Bone Bender 3/6 MTB Odyssey-(Clinton Lake State Park)
May 1st (Sun) Kansas Fat Tire Festival (Wilson Lake)
May 7th (Sat) Roubidoux Roundup-Krug Park, St. Joseph
May 15 (Sun) Rhetts Run (Andy Shuette/CBC)
June 5th (Sun) The Down and Dirty-Warsaw, Mo.
June 12th (Sun) KC Cup (Mo State Champ) Landahl Park
June 26th (Sun) Crocodile Rock-Perry Lake (Ks. State Championship)
July 17th (Sun) Shawnee Mission Mayhem
July 24th (Sun) Sunflower State Games (Topeka)
Aug. 13th (Sat) Spoke Pony Showdown 3/6 (Swope Park)
Sept. 10th (Sat) SAC 6/12 (Springfield)
Sept. 11th Sun) Tour de Lizard (Arkansas City, Ks)
Sept. 24th (Sat) RIM 6/12 (Crowder State Park)

UFD East
March 13: (Sun) Leadbelt XC. St. Joe Park (Mark Grumke)
March 27: (Sun) Mesa Lost Valley Luau (Mesa/Matt James)
May 7: (Sat) Greensfelder (DRJ Racing/Bob Arnold)
May 15: (Sun) Rhetts Run (Andy Shuette/CBC)
May 22: (Sun) 3/6 Hour Indian Creek (Off the Front /Todd Holtman)
June 26: (Sun) Brommelseik – St.Charles County Parks (Mitch Johnson)
July Dirt Crits (Lone Wolf) (Date Confirmed- Every Thursday)
July 9: (Sun) Castlewood (Big Shark/Pfoodman
Aug 21: (Sun) Cyclewerx Crankfest. Cape Girardeau, MO (Cyclewerx/John Dodd)
Oct 2: (Sun) Chubb TT (Segal/Hoffmeyer) Could be the UFD Championship Race
Oct 8 (Sat) Burnin at the Bluff 2011

On a different note... Anyone out there have any skills in adobe? I need to update the Robidoux Roundup (St. Joseph MTB Race) and want it to look nice(ish)... All I need is someone to tweek a photo and add cool font/graphics etc.... Email me if you can help out... Please, I am serious...

singlespeed stuff for sale

2011-02-13T20:23:00.007-06:00

Does anyone need some singlespeed stuff? I have a year old Haro Mary SS frame 18", with an eccentric bottom bracket. A pair of barely used Avid Elixer R disc brakes...6 and 7" rotors, all hardware, and adapters included. 2 Origin 8 Black ops carbon rigid forks...one with vee brake bosses and both have disc tabs. the fork with vee tabs has a 7 1/4" steerer, the disc only was on the frame and has 6 5/8" steerer. Last is some xt cranks, model 751 in 180 mm, with a surly stainless 34 tooth ring and a bashguard outer ring (comes with a xt splined bb also).

$175 for the frame $150 for the brakes $75 for the cranks $75 for either fork

Thanx, the trail hippie 816-273-60 oh eight

Gotta hide that last Picture!

2011-01-30T09:45:00.004-06:00

OK,

Does anyone know what a mountain bike looks like? I know everyone who has posted here recently must have forgotten. With all the Guitar/Speedo/Mullett/Sissycross stuff, I am not sure if any one even rides a mountain bike anymore! So lets see some "real bike" content.

Gravel?

2011-01-27T09:22:00.000-06:00

Any one interested in a Saturday a.m. gravel ride? Get out there before the ground thaws... I will have to check out the weather report, but tentatively thinking about 8:00 ish...

Come on out, it will be awesome! Just like this guy!

Lance Armstrong Does Drugs...DUH..He Rides Bikes for a Living!

2011-01-21T16:15:00.000-06:00

Too funny...

CX Season Done, MTB coming up....

2011-01-12T14:30:00.002-06:00

Sunday marked the end of Cross season. The hippy and I went down and raced the Grote Prijs (have to look it up every time to spell it) last Sunday while all you fools were busy watching the Chiefs get pummeled..

I keep getting complemented my my Knickers! RaceFace for those that care...

It was a pretty neat venue, not far away. I tell you it would be nice to hit up that race earlier in the year when the weather is nice. It is a very spectator friendly venue.
I managed a 4th in the Singlespeed and the Hippy DNF’d…. Unlucky SOB snapped his chain on the last lap of his race while sitting in 3rd… Bummer dude, your still my hero anyway…

Hippy, gettin it!

Some dude that looks like someone we know in a Shores Jearsy...

Put your numer on right side up for crying out loud!!!

Spencer made it on down and hit up Masters and Singlspeed in his trademark cool jerseys and mustache bars…

As the season closes, looking back, I could have done some things better, and things could have been a lot worse. I did notice that my endurance and cardio went down when I got lazy and quit racing two races. Won’t do that again next year, this is training for MTB. Right? Well, I don’t know if it was I got lazy as much as sniffing the podium a couple of times by one spot and thought I would focus on one race instead of surviving in two.

Didn’t work, 4th was the magic number for me most of the time… Close, but not close enough… So it goes…
With all this damn snow, has brought the training indoors which pretty much sucks a big one… I absolutely hate it… After doing some intervals yesterday I realized just to the extent of what a mamby pamby I am when I can’t stand up and crank… Got some work to do this offseason…
Tentative plan is strength training in Jan, dropping weight a little and get miles in Feb, picking up some intensity in March and getting back in race shape in April/May… 2011 hopefully is going to be a stellar year.. I hope all of you stay motivated these next couple months! I know I am going to need all the encouragement/ ass kicking’s I can get come middle February!

Peace….

Last Cross of 2010

2011-01-03T12:00:00.001-06:00

Well, we knocked off the rust and headed down to Cross off the old year… Met up and rode down in Derek’s new ride…

Minimal heat, but enough.. Fun ride down and back… I only feared for my life one time.. Not bad Derek, not bad at all… I personally enjoyed the license plate attached by duct tape...

Hippy pulled off a 3rd in the old peoples 4 race… It was nice that at least one of us got at top 3….What in the hell he is doing in this picture here, the lord only knows...

Derek, Spencer and Nate made the trip down, had a good time.. I think anyway…

I ended up pretty disappointed with my performance (read here if you wish), but you know, its still fun even when your getting your butt kicked (which I did)….I enjoyed the course, it was nice to race when there is not a foot of snow on the ground like last year… Apparently, its easier to pedal when clipped in...

The run up was awesome, hurt really bad also.. The flats were deceptively difficult.. I had anticipated that it was going to be fast.. It was, but just soft enough that you had to work at it a bit more than I anticipated..

Looked like a pretty good turnout.. Was a good day all in all….
I missed Epic’s cross in Parkville… One of the boys will have to recap that one for you..

On another note, the Hippy and I were talking on the way home and the KC Cycling scene is lucky to have Roger Harrison. That guy goes all out in these cross races and we are absolutely blessed to have all the pics, etc. that he does.. If your reading this Roger, Thank you!!!

Would love to have you out at the MTB scene.. Pics are harder to come by…

Cross off the old Year Results.

Epic Cross Results.

Rogers Pics

Only a handful of CX left.... Get your fill, it's now or never fellas..

2010-12-28T09:54:00.003-06:00

Just think, this could be you this weekend... If your lucky!

2010 coming to a close and its been a hell of a ride! Three CX races left on the calender for this season and then its time to get back your focus to MTB and some singletrack.. CX is such good cross training for MTB racing, each year I end up in better and better shape come January and February... Which in turn means I get faster and faster come June and July...

The weather looks like its going to raise to the 40's for Cross off the old year on Friday.. Possibility of some rain too... Do we have the makings of a "real" cross race in some mud????
I know the hippy and I are planning on making an appearance..

"Friday, December 31st the 'crossers hit it again at CROSS OFF THE OLD YEAR. Expect a BIG run up and a BIG party at the venure:"

Then, two days later.. Out at English Landing, Parkville. Where the hippy and I first caught the CX bug at Boss Cross with our mountain bikes (with our trail riding gears)... First cross race ever and were pushing 34x18 on the flattest course around... Anyway....

"Sunday, Jan 2nd a return to classic turf in Parkville's English Landing course with the EPIC HOLIDAY CYCLOCROSS."

And then finally, " Sunday, Jan 9th the finale of teh Series 60CX: GROTE PRIJS SHAWNEE/"

Hope to see some of you there... My tentative plan is to make it Friday and then again next Sunday... Its been fun!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T11:08:00.000-06:00

Wish all of you a Merry Christmas! Hope Santa brought you everything you wanted.. Which we all know is bike parts, etc......

Pic of the day...

2010-12-21T09:00:00.002-06:00

Now THAT is a cross race....

CX National Champ.

2010-12-17T09:50:00.000-06:00

Cycling is a fickle thing... Those that are really good at it make it look so easy. I think that's why you have to ride to be able to really appreciate those who can suffer like no one else... Well that an a VO2max of 94..

Pulled this from Todd Wells website, its worth a gander...

U.S. Cyclocross Nationals from Jim Fryer/BrakeThrough Media on Vimeo.

Big Ring Riding....

2010-12-15T14:08:00.003-06:00

IT'S NOT JUST A CHAINRING, IT'S A STATE OF MIND… For your viewing pleasure, Love this site...

Cyclocross Category Upgrade Awareness

2010-12-07T14:15:00.002-06:00

JingleCross Rock Race Report..

2010-12-02T12:28:00.000-06:00

Jingle Cross Rock....Rocked!

This last weekend was yet another Epic weekend of racing in Iowa! This was the 2nd year that I have done this race. It was by far the toughest event yet for me, but also one of the best pro fields to witness live! We started out on Friday mid morning with the Hippie Mobile picking me up in Osceola at the in-laws. The Hippie can drive! It was nice to chill in the car and wrap with Craig H. and Hippie for a few hours. A lot of nervouse energy so i talked non-stop, sorry boys.
The race venue was set up for just about any and everything you could ask for in a cross race. Run ups, climbs, gravel, swirls, and even a cool man made run up with a ramp! Randy was the first to race on Friday Nite. He started with close to 75 racers strong. Nobody who races Jingle Cross is weak! Craig and I were able to watch the start, but then had to get ready for our race. Randy was steady as usual and finished 32nd! Which was a solid performance!
My race started in the dark, it was cold and spitting snow, you would not want it any different at an Epic event! I was 3rd row, which meant there was a ton of horse power all around me. Many of the top Open racers in the region in this 70 plus field of 35 plus racers. My goal was simple, just go until i could not pedal any longer! The race started super fast, i had a great start and was able to stay with the top 15 for the majority of the 1st lap. Then I go to the descent of Mt. Krumpit! It was a twisted sheet of ice and mud! I tried riding down it, but thought it was best to run. I was able to maintain my position for the first lap and came into the finish area in the top 20. Knowing that Hoppe had started a mere 30 seconds behind me, i was starting to think that as long as he did not catch me I could hang on to a good spot. I had a solid first 3 laps and then a suddle voice from behind me on the way down mt. Krumpit, "Go JP", and around me he came! Hoppe is just a beast, my goal was to stay with him the rest of the race. I tried hard, but he was about a minute or so ahead of me at the finish. Craig was solid and finished 9th in a very stacked 45 plus field, the winner of his race, Tom Price, will most likely be this years National Champion! The results were jacked up for that night, they had me in 9th, but that was not right, I ended up 29th out of close to 70 riders. It was still a great 1st nite of racing! The post race meal at Old Chicago was great after racing that hard in the cold!
Day two started early, the Hippie had a 9:45 a.m. start, so we were up and at the venue by 8:15 a.m. Craig and I chilled and then scouted out the course. We were able to watch the Hippie start and finish his race. It was fun watching him suffer, but also amazing watching him methodically pick off riders one by one. He had another 70 plus racers and he was solid with a 31st placing! His technical skills are 2nd to none, the Hippe can handle a bike! Wish i had half of those skills.
Craig and I lined up for our race and the sun was shinining, the wind was blowing, and it was just above freezing. This meant one thing....MUD on Mt. Krumpit! The course was set up for a long run up today, which became a run up in the mud! Not my strong suite, but hey we all had to race the same course. I had another great starting position, in which the Hippie made sure that I knew how good it was and not to let it go to waste! Gotta feel the love! We had a false start due to some idiots not knowing the difference between a bell and a horn. Anyway, we started out like a rocket, the field was packed again. I was going pretty good until the run up. I knew after that first run up that I was in for a day of survival on the bike. That is what I did as i proceeded to crash 4 times on the course. I felt off the entire race and only managed a 40th placing. Not what i was hoping for, but that is bike racing!
Hoppe had another stellar day in the 45 plus race. He just seems to get faster every time he races his bike. Which is very cool! I know he caught me less than 2 laps in and finished 13th or so on the day. Once again Tom Price won his race, which my money is on him winning in Bend in two weeks!
We watched another incredible pro race, loaded up and hit the road in the Hippie mobile already talking about coming back for more in 2011! It is a well done event and if you can do it and love cyclocross racing, this is an event you should put on your wish list for 2010! Best of luck to everyone racing the state events this weekend. It will be my last race of the 2010 season on Sunday. I am thankful for such a great team and all the racing that we were able to do together in 2010! 2011 will be a new experience racing as a member of the Ethos Racing team!

Get out and ride!
JP

View from Mt. Krumpit

The Hippy is in there somewhere

Horner, all 135lbs of him

Driscoll at the finish, Friday I think..

The man, the legend, the hippy

Fast dudes!

Good luck this weekend to anyone racing state, either MO or KS! I am going to try and hit up MO Singlespeed, but dosen't look good so far...

Peace!

Jinglecross Rock....

2010-11-30T10:39:00.000-06:00

The boys did well at JingleCross Rock! Maybe one of them could post a little something? Hint! Hint!

Here are some videos... Too cool...

Here is a good one Brocket put together...

Dont see handups like this very often!!

If you want more there are a ton on You tube...

Is anyone racing on Saturday... Boss Cross Numero Quatro.. I can't spell, just read it

phonetically.....

JIngleCross

2010-11-26T16:06:00.000-06:00

Good luck to all you MO & KS boys up racing this weekend!!!!! Go get um.......

JingleCrossRock

Manions II, CX ~ with video

2010-11-22T11:24:00.003-06:00

The three stooges, Randy, Hoppe and myself made it down to Manions part doux and had a great time..
The course was tough, with a good amount of climbing involved. Just the way we like it!

Hippy took 9th in the 35+ 4s.. Not bad for not being on the bike for 2 weeks.. But more importantly JP Brocket got a picture of him in all his glory, which is now my screen saver... I asked him what happened, and told me he was just resting...

Hoppe Killed the Masters 40+! Which is extra impressive after I think he walked the lemans start... When I saw him go by on the fist lap, I think he was dead last... Pulled it together to win!

Good job dude, I'm going to catch you one of these days!!!

I did was seems to be some cherry picken and got my first cross win... Took 1st in singlespeed....

The course was well planned out I thought, in a valley which was cool... Had one really good climb in it which made everyone racing heart rate spike every lap... Here is a good pick of the backside of the course...

Although it looks downhill, its a bit deceiving.. You even had to work to go downhill on this course!!
MANION II RESULTS

ROGERS PHOTOS

BROCKETS PHOTOS

Here is a cool video JP Brocket put together... I see the hippy in there in the 4's... also myself in a couple in the singlespeed race... We went before the 4's...

Race Reports: I will add more when I see them....

Big thank you to all of those that made this race happen.. And a huge good luck to everyone racing Jingle Cross this weekend... Wish I was coming with you a-holes!!

DeStad Videos...

2010-11-18T12:56:00.001-06:00

Some cool videos have surfaced... From the 3/4 race.... See myself in a bunch of them.. White sleeves...
See Spencer in one of them also...

Hey theres me!

One More HERE... Can't figure out how to embed this from Exposure Room...

DeStad, Levenworth

2010-11-15T11:07:00.002-06:00

Great day for Racing!! I can't say enough about the courses they put together out there. I am quite fond of them.. Always have a bit of everything...

Got the gear ready and headed down there with Hoppe.. Brad Bob, Spenser, Derek and JP were all in attendance...

Its been a little since I raced last and felt it a bit... Thought everyone did pretty well, JP has been doing a ton of racing lately... Hoppe did have to DNF because he uses crap pedals... Guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks...

We even had the Bob's (Fitz & Baily) came out and show their support.... By support I mean drink Blue Moons!!! Thanks for coming out fellas....

I'm going to post my race report on my blog, so you wont be forced to read it....JDoug's OCD.
Let me know if you want any links to other race reports....

More info for your reading/viewing pleasure! Also, I saw a ton of video cam's out there.. I will post them as I find them..

RESULTS

PICTURES

MORE PICTURES

Derek sporting is killer twin 6 jearsy

JPS killin it

Spenser, aka El Mustashio

Brad Bob, pulling a double up on race day

Hoppe before his DNF.. Dude just get some Eggbeaters!

Enjoy!

2010-11-10T22:00:00.002-06:00

See some of you fools on Sunday in Leavenworth!!!

Sorry I can't get the formatting to fit correctly....

Boss Cross #3

2010-11-01T14:59:00.002-06:00

Boss Cross 3 was this weekend.. Could not make it myself so I have no race report for you.. Maybe Hoppe or Derek could post one...

Here are some post I have found from the race..

Something Classic KC

Dan O's Racy Thoughts

Winkler

CKKC (has video)

Schotter

Looks like it was a great time! Pictures at Lanterne Rouge

Derek here representing in fine fashion!

Spencer lookin like he is hurting a little.. CX is Short and fast buddy!

Hoppe looking like he is laying it down! Took 4th, WTF dude? flat tire? Ha!

Peace!

Classic CX

2010-10-28T10:31:00.004-06:00

Found this gem at Slice O'the Ham..... Old school!!

Smithville CX

2010-10-25T13:58:00.005-06:00

Smithville CX this Sunday was a blast! By far my favorite course to date, they did a better job than last year and I thought that was a good course…

We were all down in numbers: the usual suspects, Hippy, BradBob, Hoppe, JP and myself… Out of the woodwork came Spenser, Jimbo and Joel, all came out to race…

I did the 3 / 4’s first, got a second row start but made it to the top 5 on the hole shot... Well kind of, actually I was 4 back about 10 feet from the end of the pavement when we all were going to take the hard left, when some dude came flying in on the inside of the corner, locked his breaks (which is a feat with cantilever breaks) and proceeds to fall flat on his arse right in front of me… You have got to be kidding me!!!!!!!! Dude, it’s a 40 min race, chill out man…. What kills me is 1. the dude wasn’t even that fast 2. Were racing in the 3 /4's..... Anyway, its about this time I am a little wound up and holding back a verbal assault on this guy when five or so guys go right by me while I am waiting for this dude to get up… Not a great start…

I managed to pick some of the guys off during the race and ended up 6th… That’s just the way things go sometimes.. Felt much better than the week before at Boulevard Cup. I think the course helped us MTB fellas out a bit since it required some technical skills instead of just straight up wattage….

Second race was an hour later and I raced Singlespeed. I actually held on to the leaders for quite a while this race (much better than last week)… Was having some fun with things until I pulled an endo trying to put a dollar in my shorts from the dollar tree…. Yes, it was a little embarrassing, JP was right there to witness the debacle… You know it took me the rest of the race to make up the two spots I lost messing around… Wish it was at least a 5 or a 20 spot, I think that would have been more respectful, or maybe a beer hand up… Finished the race in 4th, one spot off the podium… Damn…

I think everyone had a blast. Hoppe was the big winner on the day taking 1st in his masters race! Good job dude! I am racking my brain on how to keep up with you….

JP, Hippy, Brad I think did well… I hope they feel that way… Jimbo made it out for this first and hopefully not last CX race of the season….

Also Spenser and Joel made it out… It was good to see you guys out there, hope to see you some more…

See for yourself... RESULTS and PIC"S......

Found this VIDEO... Us slow fellas...
Another VIDEO from the Mens Open Race... Bunch of fast dude here, thats for sure....

Hippy Ready to roll...

Hoppe up the hill!

JP at the beach

Myself looking devilishly handsome in my new kit

Hippy movin like a man 1/2 his size

Spenser up the hill with is steel SS!

Joel's first race I think..

JIMBO!!!!!

Brad on the hippy's heels!!

Peace!

Boulevard Cup!

2010-10-19T08:11:00.002-06:00

Holy crap, I was not prepared for that!!!! Totally different animal than MTB Cross Country Racing… My training was quite insufficient for this kind of effort.....

Took the family down to Kansas to Race the Boulevard cup, little Liam got his first taste of CX action and he’s not a month old… Got to expose the little fella early!!

VIDEO of Singlespeed race HERE... (Video is pretty awesome, you can get a good idea on how the course was)

RESULTS can be found HERE.

PICTURES can be found HERE..

Met Hoppe and JP down there and we all raced Masters at 11:00… Pre rode the course, there was two obstacles and one sand pit, not very much climbing, very fast…

I knew this was going to be interesting when I toed up to the line with a bunch a fit looking dudes… Wasn’t a chucky monkey around.. 30+ was up first so we took off like a rocket at the start. So were off, 40 min of pure pain/fun! Long paved section before a soft left to the course and I hit the hole shot two back.. Hells yes I’m thinking… Well, I am used to the pace slowing down a bit after you hit the single track, not the case here.. About a quarter mile in and I was getting passed like I was soft pedaling… Thinking, Okay, im still 3 back, wait 4 now, crap 5, s**t 6,7,8th now.. Caught my breath enough to stop getting abused by these fellas, but still did not make up any ground until about 3 laps into it when people started slowing down a little.

Ended up the race in 8th, could have been worse, I tell you that… Next up Singlespeed race for me and Cat 3 for JP and Hoppe.. Census from all of us was that two races in the same day kind of sucks.. Legs got really heavy, really quick.. All you could do was just pace yourself the best you could and try to have fun.. Having fun was a bit easier on this race because the kegs were tapped and the drum and trombone came out… People started getting a little rowdy and I loved it!! NOW WERE CROSS RACING!!

Only downer of the day is that my team mate, good buddy Hoppe was too busy worrying about getting warmed up for his Cat 3 race to give me beer handups… WTF?!?! Had to take one from a stranger… Just don’t feel the love….

See you all Sunday at Smithville!!!

Im sorry the pictures suck! If anyone can do better, please do so..

I'm back Beeoches!!!

2010-10-13T09:09:00.002-06:00

Time to knock the rust off these dem legs of mine!! Babies sleeping a little better and have the green light from the wifey... Training without racing SUCKS!
Its on! Boulevard cup, This Sunday... Debating on what races to do, I wanted to race Cat 3 but its right after Singlespeed, so I think its Masters 30+ at 11:00 and then SS at 1:00....
Who else is in?

On another note, I stared reading Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald... Insightful, I suggest taking a look.

Doing a trial run for a little to see how it goes for the remainder of the CX season and then it will be in full affect come spring... I have to keep up with those Cat 1 animals!!!
So far I have got my body fat checked and started keeping a food diry. Its very enlightening to write calories taken in a day. Once you see it on paper, if your like me, is very motivating to eat right. When you have to wright down 700 calories for some Arbys curly fries, you think twice.... If anyone has any questions on how its going just let me know... I have only started, so give me some time.....
Just in case your wondering, Boulevard Pale Ale is 175 calories....

Peace!

Cross Out Cancer CX Race Report

2010-10-11T15:48:00.002-06:00

By the time I got to the race, Randy and BradBob had already raced their first race. We ran into them in the parking lot on the way to the registration table and Randy warned us that the course was very rough and recommended letting some air out of tires to ease the jarring terrain.

We watched the next race start while Randy and BradBob pointed out some of the points on the course to watch out for. There where three sets of barriers. One set of two high barriers at the end of a straight away, another set of two high barriers directly after a hairpin turn on the other side of the course. And finally a set of three small 6 inch barriers that where jump-able if you had the speed. The course weaved back and forth with several tight turns, and turns that I originally thought would be no big deal. Other features of the course were a parallelogram of death. Instead of being a spiral, this thing had some tight corners to maneuver around, and then spit you out onto one of the two straight-aways that were not up hill. The other downhill straight-away was on loose dirt with a sharp hairpin turn at the end preventing you from wanting to pick up much speed.

Emma and I hung out with the Jeff and Amy from Renaissance and watched Randy and BradBob’s Masters 35+ Cat4 race from in front of the parallelogram of death. Randy killed it, finishing first. From where we were sitting, it didn’t look like he had any problems with any section of the course. BrabBob had some problems with his chain and finished 11th.

Women’s race was up next, so we were getting Emma ready to race, and first thing we notice is she has a flat tire. Sure enough, we went to the cross races without a spare tube or tire levers. We managed to round up a tube and levers from some other racers and quickly changed the tire so she could race. I don’t know if she had enough time to get a practice lap in though. She did good in her first race in two years, and it being only her second race ever. She finished with a flat tire (rode it right over the finish line with maybe 10lbs of air) in 17th place.

I raced single speed, which was the last race of the day. My plan was to race into the larger curves and pedal right on through picking up speed. That didn’t work out too well for me, with the combination of low tire pressure, loose dirt, and dry grass it was very difficult for me to keep my wheels underneath me. On two occasions I found myself somersaulting through the corner. I did manage to keep my bike in my hand, so it was pretty easy to get going again. On my second wipe out, I was kinda glad I crashed, because I wasn’t paying attention to the course and would have run right into the largest barriers. After spilling the corners a few times I decided to take it a little more cautious through the rest. I couldn’t get enough speed coming up to the small barriers to bunny hop them like some of the racers, but I was able to wheelie over the top and bounce the back over them on a few laps, although most of the time it was just faster to run them, especially if there was anyone else going over them at the same time.

With it being as warm and dry as it was, the dust was pretty bad and my mouth dried up and became lined with dust pretty quickly. So on one of the laps when I rode through the feed area, Jeff from Renaissance handed me up a bottle of water, which I promptly choked on as I tried to turn into the parallelogram. I thought I was going to have to get off the bike and puke for the next third of that lap. I did manage to finish in 15th place, and Emma met me at the finish line with a cold beer ready for my drinking pleasure.

On a side note, I am not too fond of having my race as the last race. I hardly have enough time to drink my post race beers before every one starts tearing down and heading home.

Nationals/CX

2010-10-11T09:44:00.000-06:00

Cameron Chambers won the 24hour solo, singlespeed national championship this weekend... Article HERE... You can see the results HERE and marvel on how consistent the lap times are.... Flippen animal!!! Very impressive, HTFU indeed Sir...

DeStad CX was this weekend also... I know that the hippy, Bradbob, JP, Derrk and Emma went down.. One of you should post a race report... I spoke to the hippy and he won the cat 4 35+... Flippen sweet, results here.... Photos by Roger Harrison here...

I would have posted some pics from Roger but I could not figure out how to get them saved... Or don't have the time to figure it out anyway....

Next up, CX races this weekend... I am going to actually try and hit up the Boulevard Cup on Sun....

Boss Cross Video

2010-10-05T20:19:00.005-06:00

I think I see a couple of you guys in here?

[youtube]gf6-yZ5DaQo[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf6-yZ5DaQo

either of these work? I am not sure how to embed.

2035 National Champ!!!

2010-10-01T13:09:00.001-06:00

As of Tuesday, we have a new Hard Breatin Fat Kid, the future 2035 National Cross Country Champ.... Only one decision now, gears or no gears????

MTB season is wrappen up, recognize a bunch of names on the UFD series... Its too bad that some more of us did not race more often, I think we have a good concentration of good mtb riders here in town....

Soooo, while I am off the bike for a little while, you guys have been slaking.... I know there is come CX racin going on! Anyone going to post some updates/ reports/ pics of the Hippy taking a crap???? Anything?????

Anyone need a 29er?

2010-09-27T19:40:00.005-06:00

Im selling my 2009 sette razzo, currently a single speed but you can put gears on it. Size is a med or 18inch , origin 8 black ops carbon fork, chris king headset, aerus carbon bars , avid bb7 disc brakes, thomson stem, ritchey ocr hubs with wtb speeddisc rims(built by the trail hippe), scott saddle, truVativ hussefelt cranks, panaracer 29er tires with lots of tread left on them. Bike is 1 year old, 1300 invested , price is $600! I will consider reasonable offers, thanks guys.

Weekend...

2010-09-25T08:47:00.000-06:00

Heading out to the cross course before it rains....

FYI, some of the boys are doing a CX race tomorrow... Ground should be wet, just how CX is supposed to be!!!!! I would hitch a ride if I were you!!

Fellas, be sure to post some pics/report... I have to live my racing addiction vicariously though you fools....

KC Cup, Swope Park, KCMO 2010

2010-09-22T13:52:00.002-06:00

Last race of the UFD “west” series was last Sunday at Swope Park, KCMO… I arrived to find the place soaking wet, parked next to BradBob and saw the usual faces getting out their race gear. All the boys who I needed to beat were all in attendance. Now I have heard that swope has plenty of rock areas with I found very disheartening. The only think I hate more than rocks on the race route, is WET rocks on the route.. Brad and I decided to take a pre lap to check this bad boy out and I am so glad we decided to do that… The singletrack was nice and hardpacked but the rock section was slick as can be.. This was going to get very interesting.. You can get an idea here…

Before we even start we run into Mark from Smithville (Water Doc) with this lovely gash in his shinn

About start time we noticed that there was about 20 deep in the Cat 2 race so I knew right off, that I am going to need to hit the singletrack with the top guys to get out of traffic… They started the race up a long paved straightaway. I was fortunate that it was an uphill start so that leveled the playing field for me with my singlespeed. They started the Cat 1 superhumans then the Cat 2 kiddos (19-29) then us (Cat 2, 30-39).. Right off the gun I got my handelbars caught up with a guy and he ended up pulling an endo right off the start line (sorry dude).. Bout the top of the hill folks were redlining and I hit the singletrack 4 back. The four of us opened up a gap real quick, as soon as we hit some switchback, I could not see anyone behind us.. Bout the time we hit the second paved section, some of the fellas dropped it into their big ring and took off. I was struggling to keep up, spinning like a mad man til we hit the dirt again. At this time I ran into Denny with 360 who apparently was feeling the Billy Porter from the night before and told me to pass him. This surprised me because I was worried about him the most for the UFD series point race..

Started to feel pretty good, caught back up with the leaders and started to run into traffic from the 19-29 kiddos (our group should have started after the Cat 1’s).. This is when we hit the Rock section. I forget what it was called, but it gave me fits… Bout ripped off my shorts completely getting through the section and completely lost track of who is in the lead and what place I am at this point. Not sure who I passed and not sure who passed me..

Lap one down, felling pretty good at this point..I hammer it to try and catch up with who I think is in the number 2 position… About the time I catch him, were back into some more traffic and we hit the rock section again… Then John W (Cowtown) came up and passed me (not very happy about that) and I thought I would just suck onto his wheel all the way to the finish line.. However he has a bit more tech. skillz than I do so I lost him after a couple other rock sections… That was the last time I saw anyone I knew… Climbed my way out of the woods to take 4th on the day… More importantly though, I beat all the guys I knew were close to me in the UFD point standings…
So I have won the UFD Cat 2 30-39 series… Pretty pumped about that!! Hopefully I win something out of it.. T-shirt? Anything?
Ethos boys Garet and Travis won their series also!!(on blogroll, G-Wiz, Pyrocrank)

KC Cup MTB Results

UFD Series Results

I will post additional info/pics as they come available…

Saturday there was a CX race in which Randy and Hoppe raced… Found a video on Vimeo, even see a cameo of Hoppe a couple times… Video..
They will have to give you the scoop on the race, think it went pretty well for them though…

Cross.... Thought......

2010-09-22T09:25:00.000-06:00

Thinking about picking an evening each week and having some makeshift/ laid back cross races.... Nothing too organized, just having like an A and B race out on the cross course.... Would be great for training (A) and having fun/ seeing if cross is for you (B)....

Soooooo... Whatcha thinks ladies and gents? I'm not going to put forth the effort if its going to be me and two other people...

We'll even get Bob out if you would like!!

Good Weekend for Racin...

2010-09-17T10:38:00.002-06:00

Who is doing what????? I know Hoppe has a freshly built CX bike ready to go, so he is ready to do some CX racin on Saturday at Swope...

For me, I lucked out and none of the top running mtb guys (UFD Cat2) made it out to Arkansas City, KS for the Tour De Lizard. So I am still holding the top spot (by a thread) on the Cat 2 UFD series.. The last race is at Swope on Sunday... So barring my wife going into labor, I am going to try my A$$ off to win this bad boy by a good showing... Its defiantly going to be interesting, the course is exactly opposite of my strengths, rocky and technical... Can't all be out at Krug! Unfortunately.....

Owe well, you never know what can happen during a race... Just go 110% and see what happens....
Wish me luck & no mechanicals!!

UFD- Tour De In the Middle of Nowhere KS

2010-09-10T08:16:00.000-06:00

After days of contemplation the Tour De Lizard in Arkansas City is way to far for me to go and race with a baby ready to pop out in a couple of weeks.. Looking at mapquest it shows 4 hours and 46 min drive with a Cat 2, 10:15 start time.

Kind of a bummer, being only 2 points in the lead of the UFD Cat 2 series. I am so close to winning the series I can literally taste it… If one of the top 4 guys race, I will most likely be too far behind to make up any points at the KC Cup…. Rather a bitter pill to swallow, being so close to a goal and not being able to compete…

However If my little one would be born without me I don’t know that I could live with myself, so all in all there will always be other races, other goals on a bike… Nothing is worth risking the missing of the birth of the 2030 National XC Champion!

Best of luck to all that are going to be racing…. JP, GMapes….

Anyone riding this weekend????

CX Course, thanks to Randy

2010-09-05T20:37:00.003-06:00

Randy must have spent a long hot afternoon out with his mower today. I stumbled upon him as he was about 75% done push-mowing a CX course like last year. I was explaining to my mom what he was out there doing, and she replied, "He's been out there quite a while, I think he's mowing the whole field." I'm sure he'll tell you he can navigate using the earth's magnetic fields like many insects, and I'm now inclined to believe him. I went out & GPS'd a lap when he was finished, and would you believe it came out 1.02 miles? He's either damn good, or damn lucky! (I hope this pic attaches correctly)

Corby south trail work tonight, Monday

2010-08-30T13:21:00.003-06:00

I mentioned to Randy the other day that some of the runner guys who use the trails you guys so generously maintain have decided to pitch in & help out, since we benefit from the trails also. Yesterday we got about half of Corby south done. Tonight, a couple of us are going back to finish up the three (I think) spots that still need clearing. Two are one-man, 5-minute jobs, and the third location is a little more involved. All three locations are fortunately within a 200-foot radius, near the NW corner of the big field at the end of 25th St.

If anyone wants to come heckle us in our short-shorts and other silly-looking attire, feel free. Or if you want to come help. Or tell us how we are doing it all wrong. Or whatever. We are planning to start at 5pm.

MTB Race Season Winding Down..

2010-08-30T12:21:00.000-06:00

What a 2010 its been so far! Can’t believe that the summer is gone and only one more month of MTB races… Three weekends, and that’s it. Time to turn your attention to skinnneeee tires and big time leg shavers!

So here is the game plan for whoever is interested! Its now or never…

This Saturday, September 4th, I am going to head down to Swope Park, KCMO to preview the singletrack out there. So if your interested, just let me know.. Going to try and leave early so we can get back at a decent time..

THEN, its two weekends of racing to finish off the season: UFD Series

Frist off Tour De Lizard, Arkansas City, KS (wherever the hell that is) on September 12th…

After this, last race of the season, KC Cup, Swope Park, KCMO on September 19th… If your done with MTB already there is a CX race that Saturday…

All in all its been an awesome season, got my little mini me due on September 27th. So I am going to take a little break for the beginning of Cross season. Much needed, have been battling burnout for about a month now… Legs are dead more than not and need a little RR…. With a newborn, prob not going to be either restfull or relaxing, but will give my legs time to recover…..

Anyway, someone is going to have to take over the posts for a little and keep us up to date on Cross Season!

Get your TT Roadie on!

2010-08-24T10:19:00.001-06:00

Just passin on the word in case any of you fools are wanting to do some cross training. Or whatever..

"Ladies & Gents, "Let's get ready to rumble!" Hope to see ya'll at the same

place as last couple of years... basically start from the gravel road
(County Rd 395) just on the other side of the train tracks east of Amazonia
baseball field on Hwy T... just east of Amazonia. If we get a lot of people
driving out there, the baseball field's parking lot is just about 1/4 mile
down & will work out nicely. I'm attaching the spreadsheet with the data
from past years in case your interested in those results... or better yet,
to help you figure out & set your own timing goal. I'm certain that those
of you whom trained with me during the winter months & have been riding
consistently will see a noticeable improvement from your times last year.
I'm definitely going to expect faster times from "Javier's Heroes". ;0)-
But seriously, remember that the whole reason for setting this up is simply
to give you another tool to get to or stay at whatever fitness level you
want... so come on out and have fun & feel good about doing your own thing!

Annette will input the info into the updated spreadsheet and we'll need
someone to help with the stopwatch & hopefully another to watch for any
vehicles at the turn around point near the train tracks."

ALSO!!! I am going to make a road trip down to Swope Park one of these weekends to get a look at their trails. KC Cup MTB race is going to be there Sept, 19th..
Looking at either this weekend or next...

CX is around the corner...

2010-08-18T12:58:00.000-06:00

With just two MTB races left in the season...Its almost that time of year again.... Time to rub elbows with the rodies in their skinsuits!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRZOa_E9Qs8

speaking of which, I need some new CX tires.. Any suggestions?

Rapture In Misery (RIM) 6/12 hour race

2010-08-16T10:25:00.002-06:00

Joetown and Shores Sports crew was down in full affect at Rapture in Misery 6/12 this Saturday.. What an accurate name for this race! RESULTS ARE HERE
This was a finely tuned machine of a event. Race times are kept like nowhere else I have raced. Well done!

(race meeting)

Hoppe and I did the 12hour duo, the hippy and Bradbob did the 6hour duo. JP, Gary M. and J Smikahl did the12 hour 3man.

(Did ya get it out, BradB?)

My personal hero, the Hippy started his day off with a pre ride of some of the course and found out that the first section of downhill was slick. We were just getting our gear together as he comes riding back to the tent covered in mud and blood. He went down hard before the race even started. Going to be a long day..

The race started with a lemans start like it always does, but a bit nicer than last year. It is usually an uphill start, but with all the mamby pambys complaining Doug Long decided to change things up.

Hoppe had me start the race because his old man knees can’t handle any running. I had a pretty nice start, took off and got to my bike and was in the top 15. We hit a portion of long double track/ mowed field that took us to the single track and the pace was not that bad at this point. Once we hit the single track the carnage began.

Once we hit the first rocky/root covered downhill I shall now call the Hippy tumbling area there were folks off the trail everywhere.. It was pretty nasty, especially once people have been riding over the area and covered the rocks and roots with mud from their tires. It was a little sketchy getting through those sections on the first lap with traffic all around you. Once we hit some smooth single track the pace picked up and people started flying…

The first couple of laps were not that bad.. I did not feel great, but not that bad either. Hoppe was turning out some pretty consistent/fast laps.

It was about the 3rd lap that the cramps started to show up and we would have to fight them for the rest of the day. That mixed in with a mixture of prepetuim that was making me feel bloated and hard to eat made the 6 hour mark quite unpleasant.

We had quite a competition going with the eventual 2nd place team. Hoppy would go out and come back in first place, I would go out and lose it. I was in survival mode at this point, was pretty deep into the hurt locker at this point. The cramps were manageable as long as you could keep pedaling, as soon as you mess up and have to put a foot down or anything your whole leg would seize up..

Throughout the race I was having stomach issues which was making it very difficult to take in calories. Each break it would take me the entire 50min to force down anything I could. A banana, clif bar, part of a sandwich. Its really hard to force yourself to eat in these situations.

My only respite between laps was this faucet that me and several other overheated riders found to cool yourself off.

(as pictured here)

My 5th lap out there became one that I will never forget. I felt a little better that the last because there was a cool breeze and it was finally cooling down. However about 1/3 of the way into my lap I got that, dude, something aint right feeling in my stomach. Great, its bad enough that we have a head to head battle going on, I have to ride this lap having to take a crap. Well, a couple of miles down the track, things were not getting much better. Even a couple more miles down, I was walking my bike up some of the climbs at this point when the inevitable hit me. Hard.. I was going to crap my bike shorts… So here I am in the middle of a race, 2nd place guy is hammering it to catch up with me and I am here taking a crap in the woods. I don’t think I have ever in my life, EVER, done this..

Somehow I managed to finish the lap (ironically, it wasn’t even my worst lap of the day) and b-line it to the porta-bathroom where I spent the next 15min.. So a lesson learned that powders and gels eventually take its toll on your stomach…

In between this lap I said the hell with taking anymore of that crap and choked down a cliff bar with a coke. You know what? Was the best I had felt in 6 hours… Took off for my 6th lap with the lights on and felt pretty darn good. Good enough to hold off 2nd place for good. Handed it off to Hoppe with a 5 (ish) min lead and he came back and the long day had finally come to a close and we took 1st place in the 12 duo by 10 min…

Hell of a day….

Nutrition …

2010-08-13T12:36:00.003-06:00

Ran across this supplement company, Infinit Nutrition.. Pretty cool idea, probably been around for a while and I am just finding out about it... Like most things...

Anyway, I find it cool because you can mix your own formula to put into your watter bottle.. Right now I use hammer products (used to use a carb blend from GNC but my stomach can't handle too much sugar) and EAS protein and other assortments from GNC. So basically I have to buy One Carb blend, one Electrolyte, a different protein, amino acids, etc... etc... and mix and match them myself...
This company does it for you, you choose how much Carbs-Calories-Electrolytes-Protein-Amino Acids-even Caffeine.. They mix it and put it for you.. So now I can buy one tub instead of 3...

Plus your going to need a different mix of this and that for traditional XC, endurance XC, recovery formulas, cold riding, hot weather riding, etc.....

(Shameless plug to show we can pimp products if they want to throw a sponsorship our way to support our habits)

Why in the hell do I need this you ask? The Hippy might wonder why in the world you would want calories? Hoppe might be wondering why in the hell you would want protein? I only weigh 150lbs, a stick of beef jerky fulfills my protein requirements for the entire week..

With RIM tomorrow, this gives the perfect example... With an endurance race like that your going to need different nutritional requirements than a regular XC race. Your legs run out of Glycogen every hour/ hour 1/2, which is about the length of a traditional XC race. RIM is a different animal entirely, you have got to refuel with calories and carbs like a regular race but after hour 3,4,5,6 etc... you will need to add protein plus some amino acids so your body does not cannibalize itself for fuel. (breaking down lean muscle for fuel)..Its going to be rather hot, so you are going to need to add a sh** ton of electrolytes... (minus the hippy, your going to cramp even if we tie a salt block around your neck and ride with a camelpack of IV)

Now I am no rocket doctor, so some of my info might not be 100% as I understand it, but I think I am on the money, close enough anyway...

Just something to think about, regardless, nutrition is something you should read up on... Prob one of the most important aspects to racing..Especially endurance racing...

Has anyone tried this Product? If not what do you use and find effective????
Good luck tomorrow, ladies and gents!!

Hey Hoppe,

Snap into a Slim Jim!!!

Countdown to RIM!!

2010-08-09T08:43:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite races of the year! If you have never been, I highly suggest that you go... Doug Long always has a wonderful route and the Heartland boys and girls are organized.. Its on of the most well ran races I have been to...

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

9:30am Race Day Biking registration opens.
11:30am Registration closes.
11:45am Racer meeting.
Noon And they're off! Rapture in Misery 6/12 is underway. Both races start
6:00pm 6 HR Finishing Racers begin to log-off the course.. Awards ceremony will begin apx. at 7:15pm.
12:00am 12 HR Finishing Racers begin to log-off the course. Awards ceremony will begin apx. at 1:15am.

6 HR CLASSES/FEES
Solo Male ($45)
29 and under
30-39
40+
Solo Female ($45)
Duo Open (any combination of 2 riders) ($35 per rider)

12 HR CLASSES/FEES
Solo Male ($55)
29 and under
30-39
40+
Solo Female ($55)
Duo Open (any combination of 2 riders) ($45 per rider)
3 Person COED (must have one female) ($45 per rider)
3 Person Fun (beginner/sport level riders) ($45 per rider)
3 Person Supa Fast (sport/expert lever riders) ($45 per rider)
*All entry fees include $3 USA Cycling rider insurance surcharge.

Parkway Blast Saturday - Honey Run Trail Story

2010-08-05T18:40:00.004-06:00

I know this blog is for MTB, but for those willing to get out and sweat a little this Saturday, 8/7 you could have some fun. It's the Parkway Blast, starting at Krug Park at 8AM. Three distances involved ranging from 22, 35 or 60 miles.

Here's a website to check out more about it, along with two of the routes available:

http://www.mapmyride.com/event/united-states/missouri/united-states/538127436324741834

Now I know JDoug won't want to be caught out there on a skinny tired bike, but it's not all that bad and promises to be a nice and sweaty day at 96 degrees for a high. Good chance to see some other bikers you don't see a lot. What I have been seeing is more roadies doing the MTB thing here and there too so maybe some good recruits to help with trail maintenance. I know I should be putting my chainsaw where my mouth is myself.

On another note, I was down at Lake of the Ozarks about two weeks ago and had the chance to checkout the Honey Run Trail that I saw in a brochure at OZ Bikes down at Lake Ozark. Stopped by to talk to the owner there and he told me about building those trails with the help of the IMBA folks. So I checked it out.

Now for my disclaimer. I'm far from a respectable MTB rider, but I do enjoy it. The PR on the trail was that it seemed all downhill from the start so the gurus didn't like it much. I don't remember the specifics on distance, but it's comprised of something like a 3 mile connector trail and then a basic route of another 3 miles off the connector. You can take both of those and then take the second route off the end of the connector for something like 7 miles. More hills and whatnot on the second route. To get back where you started you have to ride the trail backward as each ends on a county road in the middle of nowhere.

So I jumped on the trail from a small trailhead where you can park about 5 cars. First impression was that it was pretty grown up with weeds so the trail might be a little rough. When I started though what I liked was the mature forest and a pretty tight track. Not having biked outside SJ, I haven't experienced much in the way of rocks before and there were a few here and there on top of the ridge.

About a 1/2 mile in I was charging down a little hill and just about plowed into a massive tree down. Didn't think much about it so went around the tree. Little further along and another - and another - and another - and another. So either a big windstorm had hit or something.

Then I started to cross some creeks on some steep little downhills, very loose rock, with turns on the uphill (don't like those!). A lot of these crossings were pretty washed out and my confidence, that was already low, ebbed a bit more.

Then a big black cloud came in and it started to rain. So I decided not to re-ride the connector trail back to the start. Instead, I tried to remember the site map and turned to the right on the county road to get back to the car. It seemed that I was mostly veering toward the road so that should be the way back - good reasoning? No.

So as I'm going along looking for the car (my wife and youngest daughter were there walking the trail), I'm starting to think that things aren't looking so good. Brain surgeon that I am, I check the odometer and I've gone 5 miles so far with no sign of happy life. Unhappy life, in the form of biting and snapping dogs, are keeping me moving. All the while the skies are dumping major water down.

So as this county road turns from rock into mud, I'm starting to think that either I'll run into U.S. 54 or will hit the Lake soon. Then I start thinking about just looking for a cross street and that I'll call my wife on the cell phone to save me. We've got OnStar so my fevered mind figures that she could relay that to them and she could find me. Never see another street intersect though. Just trees, hills, mud, and dogs.

I'm 8 miles from the end of the trail and still am not seeing anything encouraging and then spy pavement on the horizon. So I pedal on and hope this is a good sign. 12 miles from the trail I start to hear trucks and round the bend to see the waterpark on U.S. 54. At that point I realize I'm 24 miles from the trail head and my car (as traveled on paved roads). But at least I have a landmark and can call the wife to pick me up.

I call her and she says she was starting to get worried as I had been gone longer than I said I would. Then I tell her I'm 24 miles away and could she pick me up. "No problem", she says, but then says "how did you end up there?" I tell her the story and then she says, "I was looking at the state park map and if you'd turned left at the county road, it would have been about 1 1/2 miles back to the trailhead. Didn't you know that?"

She picks me up and I go back to OZ Bikes that afternoon for a spare tube. The guy there asks me about the ride and I told him that the trail was pretty much trashed. I asked about whether there'd been a storm in the last week or so.

He answered that he hadn't had time to do any maintenance and that his volunteer group vaporized so it was him or nobody. As to recent storms, he said nothing bad. He said that it only gets maintenance about once a year and that trees do tend to fall in the forrest. They do indeed.

So four lessons learned:

1. Honey Run Trail is nice but needs lots of maintenance so I wouldn't recommend lugging your bike down there as it's probably not ridable. Hope they get some volunteers as that poor guy at the bike shop can only do so much.

2. Ask about the condition of a trail before you head out - not after.

3. I have no sense of direction.

4. If I'm not a moron I'm not far from it.

Don’t THINK just RIDE!!!

2010-08-05T08:54:00.000-06:00

Those of you who know me well might say that I could be a tad… Well, how do I say it… OCD about bike racing…Now most of the time (according to your prospective) this is a huge attribute when it comes to training, etc.. I have a drive to constantly want to get faster, a speed freak if you will.. Now my wife is the “other” prospective that thinks I am nuts, but that is another topic altogether.
This last weekend as you probably know was Crocodile Rock MTB Race at Perry Lake. This is where my OCD bit me straight in the arse! We get there early which I like to do, I would rather piddle around than pull a Lansen and show up 20 min before start time. During the pre lap I find out that it’s a rather flat course, basically just one little climb at the end. This does not suit how I like to ride, I tend to do better when there is a bunch of climbing like out at Krug. Soooo…. I decide to break the number #1 rule (because I am ocd) DON’T CHANGE YOUR BIKE SETUP RIGHT BEFORE A RACE!!!

I decide that the course is too flat to race a smaller gear in the Cat 2’s and put a 16t on my bike 45 min before the race starts. AND my partners in crime did not stop this insanity either! Well the 16t is smaller than the 18t which put some play in my chain. I was a bit worried about it, but I had a chain tensioner on it so I thought what the hell, just run it beeoch.. After we started the race, during the first section of rocks/tree roots I was hearing a hell of a lot of chain slap, now being on a single speed , I immediately knew I had made a remarkably stupid decision. The start actually went well, right off the start I was 3 back, then Denny w/ 360 (riding like a mad man) passed me and we shortly after saw one of the top 2 on the side fixing a flat. Game on right? Nope… I threw my damn chain just like I knew I was going to.. Put it back on and there was know one around so I hammered my way along.. Threw it again… This time two guys passed me.. Put it back on hammered again, and caught up with them.. Threw it again! At this point you can imagine the obscenities I was shouting at the top of my lungs! I knew top 3 was out of the question right then and there, the course as too fast to catch anyone with any serious time on you.. So this is how the first two laps went for me… And yes it does get worse…

Last lap about 1/3 the way through, I am going 150% to try and limit the damage when I caught the chain half on and half off the front chainring and bent the sob.. So now not only do I know what a colossal of an idiot I am, I have all kinds of time to think about it while I am walking my bike out of the woods while seeing EVERYONE pass me… I think my favorite comment was by one of the experts “bummer dude”…

It even gets better, after about ½ mile of walking I figure its going to take me an hour or so to hoof it out. So I put the bike down find the nearest rock and pound the damn front chainring into submission. Got it to where I could do about 2/3 of a pedal stroke without tossing the chain. So here I am pumping my right leg ½ pedal strokes to get out of there. Even caught up with a guy… Huh... Ended the day DFL!! By some miracle I am still retaining 1st in the UFD series, go figure…
Results for Crock Rock here...

Crocodile Rock Race Report

2010-08-02T14:47:00.002-06:00

Headed down to Perry Lake Sunday with Roger Ptomey and Darrel Williams to do the Crocodile Rock MTB race that Lyle Riedy was hosting. Jim Spellman, Brad Riley, Jason Douglas and the Water Doctor boys also were there so St. Joseph had a good showing.
The event was extremely well run and the course was rocky but still very fast.
I entered the Cat 1 old man group (40-49) which turned out to be the largest group for the Cat 1's... approx. 9 or 10 guys.
They split our category into two groups at the start. We took off second after the 19-29 and 30-39 groups.
I was probably 5th or 6th entering the single track. Ended up getting passed by several guys as I was not riding aggressive enough at the start. I eventually started to work my way up but ran into a bit of a snag trying to pass Chris Locke. We hooked handlebars as I was trying to get past him and we both ended up going down. Chris was not happy and had a few choice words (of course I appologized several times). Anyway, we both got going and he eventually let me by.
In the process several guys, including Doug Long, passed us. I caught back up to Doug and rode out the rest of the lap behind as he was going at a pretty good clip and taking good lines.
On the second lap Doug let me by and I eventually worked my way past a few guys and caught up to Brian Duff. I followed Brian for a ways and eventually passed him only to have him pass me back as I was getting another bottle going through the feed zone (big thanks to Roger P for the bottle hand off!)
I followed Brian for the entire 3rd lap and let him set the pace. As we came through the feed zone he was taking a bottle and I passed him there.
About a half a mile or so into the lap there is a short switchback climb. I accelerated up this section and got a little gap on Brian. From there on out I just tryed to be smooth over the rocks and keep the pace high enough to stay in front of Brian.
I ended up finishing in 4th place but found out I was only 10 seconds out of third (wish I had known that before I finished)
Fitness level is a little off here lately but I was satisified with the outcome and the race was an absolute blast with the rocky sections... Not much climbing but still very fun to ride.
Also, Jim Spellman layed down a second place finish in his race so congrats to him.
Good times and a big thanks to Lyle Riedy and his crew for putting on a great event!
Hope to see you guys at RIM
CH

This is what you need!

2010-07-28T16:56:00.001-06:00

No stink'n chain to mess with!

Sunflower State Games, Topeka

2010-07-27T16:03:00.000-06:00

Turned out to be a great day for racing, and on a surprisingly nice course. Its not what I thought it was going to be when we arrived. Randy and I pulled up and there was know one around, I mean know one. We asked some folks in their cars if they knew where a mtb race was being held and they had no clue. We eventually found out that we were in the right spot, but I initially thought this was going to be a cluster f*#k of a race! Once they got everything up and running it all went pretty smooth. We parked next to JP Brocket and fam, at registration saw Travis and Garrett from Ethos.

Took off on a pre lap(ish) and much to my dismay found that the start consisted of ½ mile or so of gravel walking trail. So right from the get go I knew riding my single speed with zero spinning ability I was going to have to work hard to catch up with the leaders right from the start.

The start went off like I knew it would, spinning like crazy while folks were whizzing by me in their large rings. At the end of the walking trail I finally got onto an area that leveled the playing field a little. Was about 12 back until then when I worked my way back to the top 5 before hitting the single track. From then it was the same story, I did really well on the single track and then lost 100/150 yards on the walking trail. Had one little mechanical and had to deal with my rear wheel (not sold on horizontal dropouts) but that really did not take up too much time.

Second lap I took it a little easy and wanted to finish strong. Tony riding directly in front of me had the same idea however. I charged on him once I got out of the walking trail heading out on the third lap. He saw me coming for him and put on the gas. I kept expecting to see him on some of the switchbacks but never did. I headed out to the home stretch out in a field where I finally saw him and a little too far for me to catch him before the finish. Took 3rd by 20+ seconds.

I would really like to beeoch and complain that I could have done much better if the ½ mile of gravel walking trail was not there. But John from Cow Town won my Cat 2 race on a single speed and Garrett from Ethos flippen KILLED it on his.

All in all it was a great day for racing and I am also stoked that the Hippy got back on the bike and racing! First race since bonebender for him. Did well, hope he had fun!

I will post some pics if I can find them… Results are here…..

One more of Jens! Had to post...

2010-07-27T06:57:00.001-06:00

Click Here......

Will post about Sunflower State Game in a bit... Randy and I went down and raced it on Sunday...

“Oh no, I don’t need YOU!”

2010-07-23T08:17:00.001-06:00

Jens Voigt is my Favorate Pro Roadie Alive!!

(New York Times) While Lance Armstrong’s attempt to win Tuesday’s stage of the Tour de France at the age of 38 stole the headlines, Jens Voigt, a German support rider on a rival team who is one day older than the former champion, won praise from many cycling fans just for refusing to quit the race.

Voigt, who rides in support of a teammate who currently stands in second place in the overall standings, Andy Schleck, had to go to extraordinary lengths to finish Tuesday’s stage after his front tire “exploded” and he crashed while descending a mountain in the Pyrenees at more than 40 miles per hour. His bike was shattered and his body bloodied.
In a post on Bicycling magazine’s Web site, written after his various injuries were eventually diagnosed, Voigt explained: “About the only place that feels good right now is my right ankle. The rest of me is all road rash. Plus I’ve got five stitches in my left elbow and then there are some ribs that are not in the right place! I may have to get X-rays, but I hate X-rays (the radiation), and plus, if I’ve got a fractured rib, what can anyone do about it?”
He added that after his crash, he was confronted by the Tour’s dreaded “broom wagon,” which sweeps up riders who decide to abandon the race along the road when the going gets really tough. He refused to get in, despite no longer having a bike to ride.

Voigt explained how he got back in the race:

The worst thing of all was that I almost got forced out of the Tour for a second year in a row. The problem was that the first team car was behind Andy Schleck, and the second had decided to go up ahead to hand out water bottles at the foot of the next climb. As a result I had no bike, because mine was shattered.
So then the broom wagon pulled up and was like, “Do you want to just get in?” And I said, “Oh no, I don’t need YOU!” But there I am with blood spurting out my left elbow and no bike. Finally, the race organizers got me a bike, but it was this little yellow junior bike. It was way too small for me and even had old-fashioned toe-clip pedals. But that is the only way I could get down the mountain, so I had to ride it for like 15-20 kilometers until I finally got to a team car with my bike.

Post Stage Interview with Jens...

Another note/reminder.. Race this Sunday! Weather permitting anyway...

Nationals/Tour/Support Group....

2010-07-19T14:51:00.001-06:00

A midwest racer that some of you might know, Cameron Chambers, had a hell of a showing out at nationals. He has raced around the midwest for a while now, usually can be seen as a blur while passing you. Took 2nd at Nationals out in CO in Single Speed. BadAss, this one is... Read his Post at Stumpjumper Trail Crew. What a feeling that would be, I can only imagine.

If you were watching the Tour today, you will see that there is a new leader in yellow. Following his attack of Schleck while he had a mechanical. His chain fell off/locked up and Contador took advantage. What a douche. Here is a video of the action. (Warning, video contains douchbaggery, viewer discretion is advised)

Pictured here in fine finger banging douch form. The finger bang? Really?

Hope you got some good riding in this weekend. Unfortunately for me, my legs are dead. Think I have finally pushed it too far. Its crazy, was putting in personal best lap times out at Krug a week are so ago. But last two rides my heart rate skyrockets with every climb. I am supposed to be getting faster not slower. So, after some serious consultation from my friends. Wait, they don't claim me... After some consultation from fellow mtb enthusiasts it is decided that I need some recoup time.... Which is actually quite hard to do, its been one day and I am going to test the legs out this eve, I have no control over this decision... Is there a bike withdraw support group or something?

Who is going to race in Topeka this Sunday besides me? Sunflower State Games, July 25...

Little of this, little of that...

2010-07-16T14:52:00.004-06:00

JP and GMapes from Shores Sports raced out at Nationals, heard it was brutal climbing and competition...
The Pros and Single Speed races are this weekend... Watch it live here...

In case you haven't heard, there is another little race going on. Pretty exciting s**t (being on pavement and all)...
Some cool pics summarising the first half here... Also check out Pave (on the blog roll)if you want some great insight...
I love this picture and stage... Simply Awesome!

That's about it.. Don't think I am making it to Perry this weekend, but will hit up Krug tomorrow morning. Give the legs a nice thrashing then recover a bit next week and gear up for the Sunflower state Games in Topeka...

Also, we have had some thunderstorms recently, let us know if there is any trouble spots on the trials from trees falling... Better yet, find one, move it....

Racing, etc...

2010-07-14T08:56:00.007-06:00

Have been waiting to post to see if I can't get some race results/Pics up and going.
This is all I can find so far..

But nothing is posted that I can find. I know Hoppe headed down to Springfield to race in a Fat Tire Series XC race last Sunday.
Also Nick and Larry (Sounds like a sitcome couple, anyway) went up to Hopkins and get their rodie on.. I bet there are some other Joetown folks up there also. Jav and Rusty, prob more..
Post something if you know where we can pull up any info..

Also, a huge good luck to everyone going to Nationals!! I think its tomorrow... JP and GMapes from Shores Sports are there, Tim King from Smithville is there. Not sure about other local riders...

Other races coming up are:
Sunflower State Games, Topeka KS, July 25th!

Crocodile Rock, Perry Lake State Park, Perry KS, Aug 1st! (Raindate)

Thinking about trying to get out to Perry Lake this weekend to pre-ride the single track to get a little familuar with it. Anyone else interested? Need to see if I have any takers before I try and get it approved with the wifey....

Courtesy of Drunk Cyclist….

2010-07-09T15:33:00.002-06:00

Cat Fight!
Posted on July 9, 2010 by Flodizzle
Categories: Rants, Tour de France

Wow, sparks and tempers were flaring after today’s stage! Nothing screams “Lil Bitch” more than a couple cyclists clad in lycra and funny shoes tussling in public. And to make matters worse, Quick Step rider Carlos Barredo used a spare wheel to aid in his bitch slapping. You wanna kick dude’s ass? First take off your tap dancing shoes, then step up, square up and clock the fugger right in the grill. Or better yet, grab his trachea and squeeze that shit like you’re juicing an orange. Otherwise, go ice your nuts and chill. That reminds me….who was that dude on the National scene a few years back who purportedly picked up a 2×4 post race to finish a fight?

Hey, any one riding tomorrow morning?

Nevermind....

2010-07-08T18:17:00.001-06:00

Just got back from 2 hours on the cross bike. Felt great... It was the pizza... Forget that last post, I'm having a beer!

TaterHog is what I am…

2010-07-07T13:36:00.004-06:00

Took off on the cross bike to pedal around town. Let me tell ya, Pizza Hut for lunch is NOT fuel to the fire!!! Felt like a fat girl playing dodge ball out there, I was just getting abused by every hill out there!! I took off down the parkway and headed to Benton, those hills are not much, but had me winded a bit, at this time I realized how bad of a ride this was going to be. Took off down to King Hill and skipped Harvard and went straight to springwood. This was discouraging how hard that hill was for me when I am “supposedly” in shape. Now that this was a huge painful endeavor, I decided to punish (can’t skip a training day no matter how shitty I feel) myself and head over to Huntoon/2nd street for my diet going to crap. Man, I tell you what, its kinda remarkable what a few extra pounds can do to you..
Which brings me back to Taterhoggen… Not the kind of poundage that the hippy likes in his arse, but the poundage too many beers, pizza, burgers and frys do to you.. Dropping 20lbs has made a world of difference from last year… Going from bottom 50% of races to top 3’s in the Cat 2…
The problem I have is once I get really close to where I want to be, I slack off and go to shit.. Got into the consistent 179-181 range but lacked the discipline to go full monty and drop another 10… So the extra 5lbs that I was carrying yesterday was the difference between being on top of my gearing but being behind it… Which is not a pleasant place to be… So I am re-re-re inspired to cut the shit out of my diet and catch that F-ing Hoppy once and for all!! Besides if I am ever to race Cat 1 that is what its going to take…

$ 1,200 Carbon Frame, $750-$1,200 Wheelset, $450 Carbon Drive-train, crank, etc... $150 Carbon seatpost/handlebars
= Ass load of money to drop 6lbs off..

$0.00 eat right and ride your bike
= no money and droping 10-50lbs...

Hummmmm, let me do the math on that....
So say it with me… NO MORE CHEESEBERGERS!!

Pedle on Beeoches!!
BTW, a certian a-hole which I will leave nameless put in a 37.2 min lap at Krug...

Saturday!!

2010-07-04T08:34:00.001-06:00

Tons of people out riding Sat morning... It was awesome!! Maybe one day we will get a bit more organized...

Was a great day on the trails...

Trailwork

2010-06-27T12:53:00.002-06:00

I'm kinda tired. I guess luggin that chainsaw up and over the hills will do that to ya. Which of you peckerheads will pony up and finish Corby South? 4 of us did the remaining 14 miles of trail over the last 3 days. With all the people I see on the trails, surely some of you can manage to groom South into shape. I've said it many times but it bears repeating...if'n you have the time to ride, you have time to help with the work. Remember, trailwork is the most fun you can have without a rental car or being nekkid! The tired trail hippie

RACE AT PERRY

2010-06-26T15:18:00.002-06:00

From the Earthriders Forum.

Croc Rock NEW reschedule date. Augest 1st.
by Lyle Riedy on Fri Jun 25, 2010 9:50 pm

Aug. 1st is NEW reschedule date for Croc. Rock. You can tell I am a school teacher.
Do it over and over until it is done right. Aug. 1st is pretty open on the calender,
It is a DRY month, it is 2 weeks before RIM giving both riders and promoters a chance to recharge. After the rain out last week I went out on the trail. It was muddy,even if we ran in the mud riders would have had to carry hand saws. Many small branches and 2 full size trees down over the course. All good again. See you all Aug. 1.

Trail Report..

2010-06-22T18:40:00.004-06:00

Has anyone seen how much damage is on Corby N&S and Grilscout?

I just got back from Krug and its a freggin disaster. Took nearly 2 hours to do 1 lap and you can't even tell I did anything. Going to need some chainsaw work out there.

Going to bring my hand saw next time i am out... You can get one at any hardware store.... Ace, Lowes, etc... Folds up nicely and will fit into your camelpack...

Just when your out riding, move as much stuff as you can.. With all of us riding we can get the trails cleared out in no time if were all doing it...