Saturday, October 31, 2009
Something New Worth Checking Out
This could be the coolest off-season tool. Take a look at the video to get a better idea of how fun this looks.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Northwest Challenge XC
I headed down to Diamond Lake Resort today with Cloninger to do the Northwest Challenge XC race. This is the last mtb race of the season for Oregon. We arrived at the Resort about 9:20am for the 10am start. Cloninger was making his return to racing after spending 4 months up in Alaska working on a project for work. He was foaming at the mouth to open up the legs/lungs and feel the "pain" of racing again. Not a bad showing for his return (4th place). We quickly registered and suited up and had enough time for a 10 min spin for our warm-up.
The race paralleled the lake early with some undulating singletrack and then headed up Mt. Bailey for some leg burning climbs. By the time we reached the high point it was time for some well-rewarded fast descending (very similar to the 12 Hours of Willamette DH section but shorter).
The course was 28 miles with roughly 4,000ft of elevation gain. After polishing off a gallon of ice cream this past week I wasn't sure how the body would feel under duress. I jumped out to the early lead after a confused turn within the first 100 yards. I was joined by Van Plews about 20 min. later and we stayed together for the next 6 miles. Half way up the climb on Mt. Bailey Plews began to open a gap. I stayed a consistent 2 min. behind all the way to the finish for 2nd place.
Pretty low-key event with roughly 50 racers total. Within minutes after finishing, ferocious winds and rain began to fall putting a damper on the post-race festivities. Good times for early Sept. racing.
The race paralleled the lake early with some undulating singletrack and then headed up Mt. Bailey for some leg burning climbs. By the time we reached the high point it was time for some well-rewarded fast descending (very similar to the 12 Hours of Willamette DH section but shorter).
The course was 28 miles with roughly 4,000ft of elevation gain. After polishing off a gallon of ice cream this past week I wasn't sure how the body would feel under duress. I jumped out to the early lead after a confused turn within the first 100 yards. I was joined by Van Plews about 20 min. later and we stayed together for the next 6 miles. Half way up the climb on Mt. Bailey Plews began to open a gap. I stayed a consistent 2 min. behind all the way to the finish for 2nd place.
Pretty low-key event with roughly 50 racers total. Within minutes after finishing, ferocious winds and rain began to fall putting a damper on the post-race festivities. Good times for early Sept. racing.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
High Cascades 100
Wow it's been a long time since the last post. Lots and lots of non-bike related things been going on the past 1.5 months. A combination of some more medical issues and starting a new job have consumed a significant portion of my time lately.
Since the 8 Hours of Independence race in July, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to race in the 1st Annual High Cascades 100 race held in Bend. Mike Ripley (Mudslinger Events) puts on some of the most epic events I've competed in throughout the country, and considering the race was going to be held in my back yard, how could I not. Fortunately, things began to fall into place and I was able to focus on the event and get in some good training efforts with Bruce Rogers. Thanks for motivating me Bruce.
The High Cascades 100 race is soon going to be an "A" race for many ultra-endurance junkies. Considering the location (beautiful Bend, OR), time of year (August in Central Oregon...nuf said), and difficulty (102 miles, 11,000 ft of climbing) this has to be listed on the "must-do" race list. The event took place on Aug 23rd this year but is supposed to be moved back to Aug 9th for 2010. Check the website for more info Mudslinger Events.
The race drew some strong riders for it's first year. Topping the list was Chris Sheppard. Doesn't matter the type of race he is always going to be a favorite. Also in attendance were "Fuzzy" (SS stud) and Evan Plews. I think there were close to 80 racers total (women/men).
Race began up near Mt. Bachelor at 6:15am with chilly temps hovering in the high 30's. That's right, 30's in late August. Right from the gun Sheppard laid down the hammer through the dusty trails. Within 10 minutes a group of 6 of us joined a paceline on the service road. On a few descents it was like riding with your eyes closed...literally. With the soft sand/dust terrain the trail was invisible. The first 45 miles consisted of lots of sand and lava rocks. Having the proper tire selection was a key factor; my choices were the Continental Race King 2.0 (rear) and Continental Mountain King 2.2 (front). I opted for the ProTection series over the UST tubeless to save weight and they provide more durability than the Supersonic series. The tires were great! No problems through the rough rocks.
photo complimentary of Oregon Velo
By the time I reached the first Aid Station I was in 4th place with 2 riders lose behind me. The climbs up Edison Lava Trail and Kwolh Butte were the most technical sections on the course. Lots of steep climbs with many sharp rocks lining the trails. The only rider who I saw have any trouble was Fuzzy, who sliced a tire. Riding a 29" Niner singlespeed I'm not sure how he fixed it, but he was able to continue and still finish 3rd overall. The guy can fly.
photo complimentary of Oregon Velo
After navigating my way through the rock garden it was on to the Swampy Loops (18.5 mile loop completed twice). This part of the trail will have you smiling for nearly 14 miles. Lots of fast, technical singletrack with a 4 mile climb up South Fork. By midway through the second loop I was 30 minutes behind Sheppard.
With the final 12 miles on tight freshly groomed singletrack trails (Funner, Tiddlywinks...don't ask me they named these) I just tried to ride smooth and not lose any time. The last 4 miles seemed to take an eternity though. Every time I would look down at my cyclometer to see how much farther I had ridden it was a mental blow. I'd ride .3 miles and think it was more like 1 mile. Once I could see the parking lot at Wanoga Snow Park I could breath a sigh of relief. I crossed the finish line in 9:26 in 2nd place nearly 50 minutes behind Sheppard who finished in 8:37 for the win.
.JPG)
photo complimentary of Barb Bohmbecker
Since the 8 Hours of Independence race in July, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to race in the 1st Annual High Cascades 100 race held in Bend. Mike Ripley (Mudslinger Events) puts on some of the most epic events I've competed in throughout the country, and considering the race was going to be held in my back yard, how could I not. Fortunately, things began to fall into place and I was able to focus on the event and get in some good training efforts with Bruce Rogers. Thanks for motivating me Bruce.
The High Cascades 100 race is soon going to be an "A" race for many ultra-endurance junkies. Considering the location (beautiful Bend, OR), time of year (August in Central Oregon...nuf said), and difficulty (102 miles, 11,000 ft of climbing) this has to be listed on the "must-do" race list. The event took place on Aug 23rd this year but is supposed to be moved back to Aug 9th for 2010. Check the website for more info Mudslinger Events.
The race drew some strong riders for it's first year. Topping the list was Chris Sheppard. Doesn't matter the type of race he is always going to be a favorite. Also in attendance were "Fuzzy" (SS stud) and Evan Plews. I think there were close to 80 racers total (women/men).
Race began up near Mt. Bachelor at 6:15am with chilly temps hovering in the high 30's. That's right, 30's in late August. Right from the gun Sheppard laid down the hammer through the dusty trails. Within 10 minutes a group of 6 of us joined a paceline on the service road. On a few descents it was like riding with your eyes closed...literally. With the soft sand/dust terrain the trail was invisible. The first 45 miles consisted of lots of sand and lava rocks. Having the proper tire selection was a key factor; my choices were the Continental Race King 2.0 (rear) and Continental Mountain King 2.2 (front). I opted for the ProTection series over the UST tubeless to save weight and they provide more durability than the Supersonic series. The tires were great! No problems through the rough rocks.
photo complimentary of Oregon Velo
By the time I reached the first Aid Station I was in 4th place with 2 riders lose behind me. The climbs up Edison Lava Trail and Kwolh Butte were the most technical sections on the course. Lots of steep climbs with many sharp rocks lining the trails. The only rider who I saw have any trouble was Fuzzy, who sliced a tire. Riding a 29" Niner singlespeed I'm not sure how he fixed it, but he was able to continue and still finish 3rd overall. The guy can fly.
photo complimentary of Oregon Velo
After navigating my way through the rock garden it was on to the Swampy Loops (18.5 mile loop completed twice). This part of the trail will have you smiling for nearly 14 miles. Lots of fast, technical singletrack with a 4 mile climb up South Fork. By midway through the second loop I was 30 minutes behind Sheppard.
With the final 12 miles on tight freshly groomed singletrack trails (Funner, Tiddlywinks...don't ask me they named these) I just tried to ride smooth and not lose any time. The last 4 miles seemed to take an eternity though. Every time I would look down at my cyclometer to see how much farther I had ridden it was a mental blow. I'd ride .3 miles and think it was more like 1 mile. Once I could see the parking lot at Wanoga Snow Park I could breath a sigh of relief. I crossed the finish line in 9:26 in 2nd place nearly 50 minutes behind Sheppard who finished in 8:37 for the win.
.JPG)
photo complimentary of Barb Bohmbecker
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Testing the Legs Again
After several weeks of recovering from the parotid gland surgery on June 10th, I had to test my legs and endurance at the first annual 8-Hours of Independence race near Philomath, OR.
The first two weeks post-op were spent resting and recovering and doing some very easy spinning. Just last week I was starting to ramp things up again, heading out on a local 4.5 hour group road ride up and over Mt. Bachelor. After that ride I felt confident that I hadn't lost much in my endurance as I still felt pretty fresh at the end of the ride. The two days later joined the local "hammerfest" ride to test my speed/strength. The hammerfest ride is a 1.5 hour road ride that is essentially a race; actually faster than a race because the pace never lets up and the goal is to drop as many riders as possible. The honor was given to Mike Larsen today who dropped the hammer early on his TT bike. Not having done much high-end riding on the road I could tell my legs were lacking the power. By the 45min mark I couldn't hold the pace of the front group and dropped back in the second group. About 5 of us slowly chased knowing that the last 6 or so miles are climbing. I figured I could maintain a steady pace and attack on the climb and catch the leaders. Felt good on the final climbs, picking off several lead group riders, and almost catching the lead riders. Another solid ride on the bike that gave me confidence to compete in the 8 Hours of Independence race this weekend.
The race course was 6.5 miles with 1100 ft. of climbing per lap. The course consisted of some rolling terrain early then some super fast winding descents, followed by a long technical steep climb. One of the factors to be considered for the event was the temperature. With highs nearing 96 degrees, cramps were sure to play into effect.
Nearly 60 riders toed the line to start what I am sure will become a popular event in years to come. Mike Ripley keeps pouring out stellar events that suites the Beginner to Pro. The race started at 10AM and was to finish at 6PM. No laps finishing after 6PM would be counted. Logistics always play a role in the multi-lap format races. I set the pace early riding conservatively due to the heat. By 15 min. into the first lap I found myself riding alone. Lap times were pretty short as I finished my first lap in 36 min. By the halfway point I had a 12 min. lead on Chris Brandt. I maintained the lead at right around 10 min. for the remaining 2.5 hours. By 4:30PM I started to feel the effects of the heat as my legs began to cramp a little. I had just finished my 10th lap, grabbed my fuel and headed back out for what I thought might be my last lap. At this point my lap times had slowed to about 42 min. and still had about a 6min. lead. During this lap I was suffering more cramps and noticed my energy getting zapped. I crossed the finish at 5:12PM.
So now the logistics come into play. Trying to do the math and gauge how far back Chris was I waited for a few minutes. I figured if he didn't show by 5:20PM that there would be no need for me to head out for another lap. Well he turned in a pretty hot lap and came thru at 5:16PM. He was going out for his final lap and I had to as well. Fighting leg cramps the entire lap I knew I wouldn't be able to beat him on this lap, so I had to hope that he would finish after 6PM. As it turned out he crossed the line at 5:52PM and I came across at 5:59PM. Each of us rode 12 laps totaling 13,200 ft. of climbing for the full 8 hours, and a total of 78 miles.
Comparing this race to the first two 100-mile races I have done this season, I would rank this one above the others in the technical climbing category.
It's frustrating to lose the race on the final lap but I have to congratulate Chris for his efforts.
Here is a race report from the race director Mike:
"Race Summary: Hot…….and cool in the shade on this 1st 8 Hrs of Independence. 60 Riders lined up to battle it out on a fast and somewhat technical course that provided some steep ups and fast and flowing sections of trails. Riders from Pheonix, Davis CA, and BC lined up to battle some of Oregons local Hot shots. From the start Sloane Anderson (PureEnergy-ProAir/HF) took a 2 minute first lap advantage and from then took the pace higher to separate himself from Chris Brandt (Team Dirt) and Mike and Andy Traslin (Steed Cycle Pennywise) from BC by up to 12 minutes. Laps went by at a sub 40 minute pace for most of the day with Anderson holding off Brant by up to 12 minutes, with Chris upping his lead on Third Place Mike Traslin by 10 minutes by lap 9. Lap 11 at after 4pm Andersons pace slowed and at the lap point at 5:14 with Sloane at the lap point the guessing game started as to how much time he had given back to Brandt and would either of them have enough to finish before 6pm to make the last lap count. 2 minutes Later Chris Brandt came Charging through exclaiming ” Are we we still racing or What! ” The battle was on….first for Brant to beat Anderson on the last lap and second to finish by 6pm in order to win the race. At 5:51 Chris Brandt crossed the Finish line to Win his first Pro event with 12 Laps to Sloane Andersons 12 at 5:58 and Mike Traslin in Third and Andy Traslin in 4th in the Pro Field".
The first two weeks post-op were spent resting and recovering and doing some very easy spinning. Just last week I was starting to ramp things up again, heading out on a local 4.5 hour group road ride up and over Mt. Bachelor. After that ride I felt confident that I hadn't lost much in my endurance as I still felt pretty fresh at the end of the ride. The two days later joined the local "hammerfest" ride to test my speed/strength. The hammerfest ride is a 1.5 hour road ride that is essentially a race; actually faster than a race because the pace never lets up and the goal is to drop as many riders as possible. The honor was given to Mike Larsen today who dropped the hammer early on his TT bike. Not having done much high-end riding on the road I could tell my legs were lacking the power. By the 45min mark I couldn't hold the pace of the front group and dropped back in the second group. About 5 of us slowly chased knowing that the last 6 or so miles are climbing. I figured I could maintain a steady pace and attack on the climb and catch the leaders. Felt good on the final climbs, picking off several lead group riders, and almost catching the lead riders. Another solid ride on the bike that gave me confidence to compete in the 8 Hours of Independence race this weekend.
The race course was 6.5 miles with 1100 ft. of climbing per lap. The course consisted of some rolling terrain early then some super fast winding descents, followed by a long technical steep climb. One of the factors to be considered for the event was the temperature. With highs nearing 96 degrees, cramps were sure to play into effect.
Nearly 60 riders toed the line to start what I am sure will become a popular event in years to come. Mike Ripley keeps pouring out stellar events that suites the Beginner to Pro. The race started at 10AM and was to finish at 6PM. No laps finishing after 6PM would be counted. Logistics always play a role in the multi-lap format races. I set the pace early riding conservatively due to the heat. By 15 min. into the first lap I found myself riding alone. Lap times were pretty short as I finished my first lap in 36 min. By the halfway point I had a 12 min. lead on Chris Brandt. I maintained the lead at right around 10 min. for the remaining 2.5 hours. By 4:30PM I started to feel the effects of the heat as my legs began to cramp a little. I had just finished my 10th lap, grabbed my fuel and headed back out for what I thought might be my last lap. At this point my lap times had slowed to about 42 min. and still had about a 6min. lead. During this lap I was suffering more cramps and noticed my energy getting zapped. I crossed the finish at 5:12PM.
So now the logistics come into play. Trying to do the math and gauge how far back Chris was I waited for a few minutes. I figured if he didn't show by 5:20PM that there would be no need for me to head out for another lap. Well he turned in a pretty hot lap and came thru at 5:16PM. He was going out for his final lap and I had to as well. Fighting leg cramps the entire lap I knew I wouldn't be able to beat him on this lap, so I had to hope that he would finish after 6PM. As it turned out he crossed the line at 5:52PM and I came across at 5:59PM. Each of us rode 12 laps totaling 13,200 ft. of climbing for the full 8 hours, and a total of 78 miles.
Comparing this race to the first two 100-mile races I have done this season, I would rank this one above the others in the technical climbing category.
It's frustrating to lose the race on the final lap but I have to congratulate Chris for his efforts.
Here is a race report from the race director Mike:
"Race Summary: Hot…….and cool in the shade on this 1st 8 Hrs of Independence. 60 Riders lined up to battle it out on a fast and somewhat technical course that provided some steep ups and fast and flowing sections of trails. Riders from Pheonix, Davis CA, and BC lined up to battle some of Oregons local Hot shots. From the start Sloane Anderson (PureEnergy-ProAir/HF) took a 2 minute first lap advantage and from then took the pace higher to separate himself from Chris Brandt (Team Dirt) and Mike and Andy Traslin (Steed Cycle Pennywise) from BC by up to 12 minutes. Laps went by at a sub 40 minute pace for most of the day with Anderson holding off Brant by up to 12 minutes, with Chris upping his lead on Third Place Mike Traslin by 10 minutes by lap 9. Lap 11 at after 4pm Andersons pace slowed and at the lap point at 5:14 with Sloane at the lap point the guessing game started as to how much time he had given back to Brandt and would either of them have enough to finish before 6pm to make the last lap count. 2 minutes Later Chris Brandt came Charging through exclaiming ” Are we we still racing or What! ” The battle was on….first for Brant to beat Anderson on the last lap and second to finish by 6pm in order to win the race. At 5:51 Chris Brandt crossed the Finish line to Win his first Pro event with 12 Laps to Sloane Andersons 12 at 5:58 and Mike Traslin in Third and Andy Traslin in 4th in the Pro Field".
Monday, June 15, 2009
Great Deals At Rudy
Take advantage of some great deals at Rudy Project. This would make a great Father's Day gift. Visit Rudy for all the info.
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