bikesandbeer

The Mountain Bike Gods Must Be Angry...

2009-07-06T14:19:00.003-05:00

I have to start by talking about Rachael's birthday. For years I have been trying to get reservation's at Gilmores, an upscale restaurant in West Chester. This year it finally happened, and I have to say it was worth the wait. The food was spectacular, through in great service and a nice atmosphere, and you have a very nice night out.

Saturday I went for a short ride to try and loosen the legs a little before the Long Pine Classic, I felt pretty good and even through in a couple of efforts.

Later that night we went to a nice Fourth of July celebration, good food and good fireworks.

Yesterday was the Long Pine Classic race in Michaux. This is a new event put on by Fast Forward Racing. Not an endurance race, but anytime I can ride Michaux and only do 1 lap, I am there. Since this was a cross country race, a the start was pretty fast. Being on a single speed and running a conservative gear, I was quickly spit out the back. It wasn't before the course went up and I started to reel in a lot of people. The most amazing thing, was I felt pretty damn good.

I had to work around quite a few people,and at one point I tried to pass by going over a big log, it would have been fine except for the big rock that I stoved my wheel into. Over the bars I went, not a big deal, or so I thought. Turns out I managed to taco my rear brake rotor, it was so bad that I had to stop and try to straighten it, which was near impossible with out a wrench. I got it so the wheel would kind of turn and took off again. I managed to catch a bunch of people a second time and was still feeling good, when I noticed my back tire felt squishy. I stopped through in a cO2, and went again. Half mile later my tire was flat again. Now I had to stop and put a tube in. By this time I had lost well over half an hour, and had decided to just ride and enjoy the trails. Lucky for me Mike Yarnell was in the same boat, so we rode the rest of the course together. I think we came in just under 3 hours.

The boys at Fast Forward Racing did an awesome job. Zach was very organized and I thought things ran smoothly. Props to Larry Camp for laying out what I thought was one of the best Michaux courses I've done. By no means was it easy, with 3600' of climbing in 23 miles, but it was a lot of fun.

Next up is another trip to Michaux, for the Curse of Dark Hollow in two weeks. Still not sure if I am doing the 40 miler or the 20 miler, I guess I will figure it out soon.

Cheers,

Buddy

Taking Advantage...

2009-06-28T16:40:00.005-05:00

With every job there are some advantages and disadvantages. My current job has many disadvantages, it's hot, dirty and the pay isn't that great, but it also has it's advantages, the works not real hard, I have lots of paid holidays, and Rachael and I can ride the train for free. Since she had a very rare weekend off we decided to take advantage of the latter. We made our way the the Wilmington station and headed down to DC for the day. The ride down was nice, that is until we had to take the Metro. Hot and crowded, enough said.

While in DC we hit the Air and Space museum.

I thought the drone planes were bad ass.

After fighting through those crowds we both needed something to eat. Easier said than done. We finally found a cafe in a museum and had a couple of dried out cold grilled chicken sandwiches, which cost an arm and a leg.

Next up we decided on the American History Museum. Again it was crowded, and hard to get to any of the exhibits.

Archie Bunkers Chair, classic...

By now we were both ready to head home. We fought our way onto the Metro one last time and made our way to the Amtrak station. Since I am an employee and Racheal is my spouse, we have I.D. badges, we just walked up the the Acela line, flashed the badge, and we were on our way home in style.

It was amazing how much faster that train is, we were back in Wilmington in 1:05. Since we were a bit early we decided to head to Buckley's for a bight to eat, Les and Kathleen joined us.

Today was a 4 park ride with a twist, we rode from Rotten Bob's place. We had a nice big group which included Keith aka Bobby's boy, Les, Rob, Nick, Michigan Matt, Ben, Leo, and Jay. Good loop, but I wasn't feeling it. In fact lately, my legs have felt pretty heavy, and I don't seem to have any speed, or power. I know I don't need time off, since it rained every day in June almost, but I am at a loss.

Oh Well, there is always beer.

Cheers,

Buddy

Is That What I think It Is...

2009-06-24T20:11:00.003-05:00

While riding yesterday I came upon a curious sight. I was making my way back to the lot to meet up with Wes when I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. I slowed down to try and see what it was. The creature was pretty shy, so I stayed very still and tried to remain out of sight. After a few moments the creature became a little more comfortable and decided to reveal itself. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Suddenly the shy creature was not so shy. As I watched it slowly came out of the water and I saw it in all its glory. It was the most beautiful Big Brown Beaver I ever saw. I am pretty sure this Big Brown Beaver was looking for wood. Then, it saw me and just like that, was gone. I have to say it was a great Beaver shot though.

I then met up with Wes and later Jeb. The ride was pretty fast and after almost 3 hours I was done. Great ride though. Thanks to L Webb for providing dinner after.

Time for bed, 4:15 comes way too early.
Cheers,
Buddy

Riding the Road...

2009-06-21T17:36:00.002-05:00

Due to the excessive amount of rain our area has had, trail riding is out of the question. There for I am relegated to the road. I have been trying to make the best of it by changing up some of my usual loops. I hate to admit it, but I have enjoyed my road riding lately.

Today was a good example. I met up with Slik Rik, and later we picked up K Man. My plan was the hill loop. I haven't been feeling great so this could have been a bad idea. Turns out I felt OK, we managed to keep the pace steady, since this was supposed to be a non-hammerfest ride. It may not have been a hammerfest, but it certainly wasn't a walk in the park.

I am hoping for a couple of dry days so maybe I can hit the trails again. Fingers crossed.

Cheers,
Buddy

The Stoopid Not Quite 50...

2009-06-15T14:48:00.004-05:00

I made my way to State College Saturday for the Stoopid 50. I was lucky enough to be staying with Wes' parents, who are just awesome people. I got there around 2ish and decided to hit Tussey ridge for a little ride.

The trails and the view were awesome. I even hooked up with Jeff Schalk and Anna on the ridge.

After a good ride, some awesome home made lasagna, and a good nights sleep, I was ready to go.

I started pretty slow up the road climb, which made riding the ridge difficult. I was stuck behind a group of people that were having a tough time in the rocks. After some frustrating sections I finally managed to get some open space in front of me and I let it rip. At the bottom of the descent I saw a guy who had crashed and was in pretty bad shape. I stopped to see how he was. I got him off to the side, and as comfortable as possible, then continued on hoping to see a marshall along the way.

It wasn't long until things started falling apart. My legs were not feeling good and my stomach wasn't very happy either. I made it to the aid station, drank a beer, ate bunch of food and carried on. I saw Wes' dad on the road and gave a quick wave. I kept expecting to feel better, but it went the opposite way.

I was on a section of the course that had 2 way traffic and was thinking of calling it a day there. Instead I kept going. I was no longer having fun, I was just suffering, so I decided to pull the plug when I hit the aid station again. I'm glad I did, there was nothing but fire road left, but there were 3 big climbs that I just didn't have in me. Lucky for me Wes' dad was at the aid station with a cooler of beer. Unfortunately my stomach was so jacked up I couldn't enjoy one. I can't thank the Shempf's enough for all they did for me this weekend.

In the end I did 36 miles in just under 4.5 hours with 4219 feet of climbing. Nothing to be happy about, but it is what it is.

I think I will drown my sorrows with a few of these tonight.

Cheers,

Buddy

Off to Race...

2009-06-12T16:58:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I am off to State College for the Stoopid 50. I haven't raced since my collapse at Cohutta, so I am not sure what to expect. I've felt OK the few times I've been able to ride, but who knows. I do know I am looking forward to it, I also know the course may be harder than the previous years, but that's OK too.

The single speed is shined up and ready to go, I just hope I am as well. The weather around here lately has been less than ideal for riding. Very humid with storms constantly rolling through. I did manage a couple of short road rides this week, but that's it. For now it's beer, Racer 5 IPA, and dinner, followed by a movie, and I get to enjoy it all with Rachael.

Hoping for a good race report
Cheers,
Buddy

Finally, Sunny Skies...

2009-06-07T15:39:00.004-05:00

After a solid week of rain it was nice to see the sun this weekend. Which also meant getting back on the bike. Yesterday was on the road, I hooked up with Mike, K Man, Kirk for nice loop. Barring a few asshole drivers it was very pleasant ride, 62 miles in under 3.5 hours, not too bad.

Last night we made our way to PRG for some climbing then went here for dinner. We met up with Nick and his buddy Jonathan for some tasty beverages.

I was a little tired after yesterday's ride and festivities, so I wasn't expecting much from my ride today. I met up with Todd for a tour around Fair Hill, the trails were in pretty good shape, that is until the thousands of horses we saw have there way with them. Neither of us had a whole lot of spunk today, but we still had a good ride.

Later in the afternoon I did some of this...

I even caught a couple:

Now it is time for beer a nice dinner with my beautiful wife.

Cheers,
Buddy

Well Blow Me Down...

2009-06-04T15:19:00.002-05:00

I got a message from Frank Maguire that he was going to be in town on Tuesday and wanted to ride White Clay. I am always happy to show people around our trails, so we set up a meeting place and time. Turns out Frank got held up in State College, which turned out to be a good thing, and was running late. It worked out that we could catch the TNT ride. In the mean time a vicious storm blew through the area. Lots of rain and wind. The trails had been dry so I figured they would be fine.

The trails were fine, but there was another issue. It seems the small storm cell was packing 75 mph winds which blew over every other tree in the park. I have seen damage after hurricanes and the damage paled in comparison. We spent more time trying to get around or over fallen trees, we even had to turn around a couple of times. I felt kind of bad that Frank didn't get a good ride in, but what little trail we were able to ride was kind of fun.

I know chainsaws will be busy in the next few days, if it ever stops raining that is.

I guess its all Fair Hill for a while.
Cheers,
Buddy

Ride Or Race...

2009-06-01T18:49:00.002-05:00

My choices for Sunday were, go to Iron Hill and do the 4 hour endurance race, that's 4 hours around the same 5 mile loop. Go to Iron Hill and do the expert race, that started at 2:00 PM. Or meet up with Matt and the boys for a 4 park ride. I think you know what choice I made. We had a great group roll out of Matt's, Les, Kurtee, Michigan Matt, and myself. We picked up Marc, Bike Line Rich and Leo a little later.

As always, it was a great ride, we changed it up a bit by hitting White Clay first. We are usually pretty cooked by the time we get there, so we don't do much of loop, just enough to make it a 4 parker. This may have been the Best 4 Park ride ever. It wasn't our longest, but it was a great loop. followed by beers, and burgers.

Things are pretty quiet now, not in a bad way. I'm just hoping they get things sorted for the Stoopid 50 in 2 weeks.

Cheers,
Buddy

It's Festival Time...

2009-05-26T14:32:00.004-05:00

This past holiday weekend was the Shenandoah IMBA Festival. I was pretty excited to head down and ride some of the sweetest trails and not be racing.

Todd scored us a sweet campsite. Joining him was Kurtee, Matt and Rob. I got down there a couple of hours later with Amy.

Once we were set up it was time to ride. Friday's ride was a shuttle run up Reddish Knob. After boring everybody with the story of the time I rode my road bike up Reddish, and setting up the shuttle back to the top, it was time to ride. Part of the trail is in the SM100, but the top part is not. It was pretty damn sweet, a couple of little kickers to make you work, otherwise it was all down hill. What a great way to start the weekend. After a night of beers and trash talking it was time to crash. I didn't sleep well, mainly because of the Whippoorwill, with out a doubt the most obnoxious bird on the planet, just ask anyone there.

After pancakes and bacon we kitted up for the huge ride, Dowells Draft and Braleys Pond, both these trails are in the SM100 so I was excited about this ride. This day was a boat load of fun, but it hurt. The first climb was really brutal, then it got pretty hot. But, I wasn't racing so it didn't matter. I was shattered at the end none the less. So much so I wasn't sure what to expect the next day. Plus my stomach was a little jacked up.

Saturday night the boys helped out with the pot luck dinner. Rob and Peaches turned out some damn good fries.

Sunday was the Southern Traverse. This was a trail I have never been on, so I was hoping the legs would be OK. After a few detours we pulled into the parking area. The ride started with a nice 3-4 mile road climb, a good warm up for the much steeper trail we turned onto, that went on for a few miles. But soon the grade eased up and we were moving pretty good. Bike Line Rich and Matt were setting a pretty stiff pace, that had dangling a little, but after a short regroup I felt a lot better. I have to say this was my favorite ride of the weekend, my legs came around and the trail was unbelievable. It rolled up and down, but never got real steep again. One more stop for a beer then off we went. I was feeling pretty good so I took off, I didn't hear about Rob's flat. After a couple of little climbs the trail turned down, and was the fastest piece of single track I have ever ridden. So much so that I blew by the look out, I couldn't help it, I was having way too much fun to stop. After we were all together again we had a 15 mile road ride back the the cars. It was nice rolling scenic road through the valley. At one point we picked up a tail wind, so I put my head down and took advantage. Kurtee jumped on my wheel and we were off. I have to say I kind of enjoyed the ride back, not as much as the trail though.

I was really looking forward to dinner and beer, since I was feeling better than the night before.

We all agreed to not ride Monday, but to hit the road early and hope to beat traffic. Which worked out. I have to say I haven't had that much fun camping and riding in a while, maybe ever. there were plenty of laughs, most at jokes that you had to be there to appreciate. There should be some pretty interesting pictures and video here in the near future. I may have to give up racing and hit the festival tour.

Cheers,
Buddy

Headed To Virginia...

2009-05-21T20:27:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow morning I am off to the IMBA festival in Shenandoah. I am soo looking forward to riding for 4 days with no kind of race pressure. It is all about riding some sweet trail with some good people, and drinking plenty of fluids, I do still have to stay hydrated.

Plenty of pictures and stories to follow.

Nave a nice holiday weekend.

Cheers,
Buddy

Still Not There...

2009-05-17T18:41:00.002-05:00

I can't tell if it is lack of motivation or the weather, but I am having a tough time getting back on track. I am hoping that the IMBA festival down at Shenandoah this weekend will jump start things for me. It should be a great time. I did manage a couple of good rides this week, but I really need to get out more. Yesterday was a great ride from Marc's place, nice group along with a slightly spirited pace, made for a good time.

For the second weekend in a row Rachael and I have made it to the movies, then to Victory for dinner, a winning combination if I ever heard. Last week it was Wolverine, we both loved it. This week it was Star Trek, another great movie. The only thing I don't get is why some people clap at the end of a movie. I mean its not like the cast is there to accept this appreciation. Call me crazy, but I think its silly.

Hopefully I have a bit more to write about soon,
Cheers,
Buddy

I Can See Clearly Now, The Rain Is Gone...

2009-05-10T12:14:00.003-05:00

After what seemed like an eternity, it seems the rains have finally stopped. In a way it was good thing because it forced me to stay off the bike for a while. Now I feel rested and ready to go. Yesterday there was a road race in my neighborhood, I didn't rave but I rode out to the race and did a lap of the course and watched. Plus I got to see lots of people I hadn't seen in a while. It was a good time.

Today I planned a road ride around here. I'm sure the trails were probably in good shape, but I wanted the miles and some good hills. I was joined by Rotten cousin Bob, Jay Prudente and John Miller. I had a loop in mind, and we managed to hit just about every good hill around here. It was a great ride and I got a great work out. I'm actually hurting a little, but in a good way. I plan to be back on the trails next week. Not sure what race is next, I want to hit up something since French Creek was postponed, but what?

I'm sure something good will pop up.

Cheers,
Buddy

Will It Ever End...

2009-05-05T15:18:00.003-05:00

It seems our area has been stuck in one big cloudy, rainy mess for a while now. This did not bode well for us at Granogue. The race conditions were brutal, from a promoter's stand point, it was a nightmare, but some how it all worked out. I heard a lot of people say they had fun despite the wet muddy conditions. Plus we had a pretty good turn out considering the weather. I am always amazed at how well this machine runs, no matter what gets thrown at it. I am just happy to be involved. There are plenty of stories out there about the event. You can go here to see some cool video.

The best part was we were able to help Sam raise over $3200.00 for HERA.

I know we will be out there in the coming weeks, trying to repair some of the damage, but I think it was all worth it.

Cheers,
Buddy

Cohutta 100, God, Guns, and Fireworks...

2009-04-27T15:04:00.008-05:00

Fresh off my first race of the year I made my way to Coppertown Tennessee for my second The Cohutta 100. I originally picked this race because it was early in the year, and it would be nice and cool in the mountains of Tennessee and Georgia. I registered early, secured a nice cabin for Blair, John W, Elk and myself. Early in the week they were calling for a high of 81, well that turned into 90. Anyone that has ever read my ramblings knows I don't like the heat.I still had a moderate goal of finishing in under 10:00 hours. We got to the venue and headed out for a little ride. After a 3 mile road climb we hit some awesome flowing single track. We rode the first 14 or so miles of the course and were all excited about the race.

The start was at the National Whitewater Center, home of the 1996 Olympics, it was a pretty cool scene.

After our pre ride and a dip in the river we made our way to our home for the weekend. The cabin was remotely located on top of a nice vista, with what had to be the steepest dirt road drive I have ever been on.

After some pasta and a beverage, it was off to bed, the race started the next morning at 7:00 am.

I am not going to get into major details, but I will hit a few. The start went pretty well, I was in the top 50 or so going into the single track. I had a nice flow going and small train enjoying my pace. We hit one of the only flat sections of the coarse and a few geared guys went by. It didn't take long to catch them on the first real climb of the race up a nice piece of trail.

A few miles later we hit the fire roads, and there we stayed for 70 miles. Like I said, my goal was under 10 hours. I was cruising along pretty good, drinking, eating and popping endurolites. Then about 30 or 40 miles in I felt the onset of cramps. I took on more water and more e lites, it wasn't enough. I rolled into aid station 3 cramping pretty bad. The guys there were unbelievable, they worked on my legs and took care of the cramps. Plus they had hot dogs and baked potatoes, sooo good. I rolled out of there feeling like a new man.

At mile 55 I was on pace to be under 9 hours, but it wasn't long after that the cramps came back and came back worse. Every time I tried to put a little power into the pedals my legs just locked up. Then soon after that my stomach became a little disgruntled. Things were falling apart rapidly. I was no longer riding I was just trying to survive and finish.

I suffered, for a long while but I finished. I wasn't too happy with my 10:28 time, but I was happy that I finished.

It was a very well run event, and I want to thank all the volunteers, especially the guys at aid station 3, The promoters, and all the people extending a word of encouragement along the way. It was a great weekend, despite the lack of results for me. Blair had a great ride, under 8 hours with a major flat. John took 3rd in the masters, and Elk came in under 8 hours. As much as I loved the scenery, and the company, I'm not sure if I will be back next year. It is a long drive for 20 miles of trail, 70 miles of fire road, and 10 miles of trail. I'll know better once the pain goes away. As for the title of the blog, all we saw the whole ride down was Churces, crosses, gun shops and fireworks stores, seems like an combonation to me.

Time for rest, and beer.

Cheers,

Buddy

Bakers Dozen...

2009-04-20T18:40:00.004-05:00

I have done quite a few team endurance races, most of them with Marc and Matt, so when Marc mentioned getting the band back together I was pretty excited. I loved the course and the venue, plus it was a 3 man team instead of the 2 man death march.

We made our way to Leesburg and the idea of winning on our minds. The competition was pretty stiff, but I thought we were up to it. With our formula and support network, we usually have a slight edge.

The plan was simple, we each do 2-3 sets of double laps, then switch to singles. Of course the was our undoing. We all thought it was a good plan, the problem was our second laps were a few minutes slower than the first, so we kind of dug ourselves a hole. Despite every effort from all 3 of us we just couldn't dig our way out. Even though we came a bit shy of our goal, I was happy and proud of all our efforts. I know every one of us left it all out there.

Going into my last lap, which was the last lap of the race, Marc told me some one was chasing hard, I needed one more hot lap. I moaned and groaned then took off. The legs came around a little and a found a nice rhythm. Then I noticed a light behind me and closing. I muttered a few choice words, gritted my teeth and gave a little more. I passed a few people and kind of lost track of the chaser, but not for long. The rider was about 30-40 seconds back, and every once in a while would close the gap a bit. I lost track of where I was on the course, I just kept pushing. Then I saw the river and I knew it was only a couple of miles to the finish and there was no way I was going to let this guy catch me. Finally I came out of the woods with only half a mile to go, I didn't dare let up. Once I saw the finish I looked back and breathed a sigh of relief, I had held them off. A few seconds later the chaser came in, I let out a, " are you kidding me" It was Chris, who was racing for Tom on a team not in my class. We shared a laugh, and went back to camp for a much needed beer.

4th place was still pretty damn good out of 60 some teams, plus it was a shit load of fun racing with Marc and Matt again. Something tells me, not for the last time either.

I want to Thank Tom and Jimbo for there tireless support, we couldn't have done it with out them.

Now I just have to shake this cold before Cohutta on Saturday.

Cheers,
Buddy

Holy Cow...

2009-04-16T20:10:00.002-05:00

I have spent way too many hours riding the road since I got into the sport of cycling. I prefer the trails and the woods. Sometimes you just have to hit the road though. Don't get me wrong I have had some great road rides, hell I've even done a few road races. But I digress, while on some of these road rides I have been hit by cars, almost hit by cars and chased by dogs. Today was a really strange one. I was out on the road for a little spin after work. I was almost home and saw something running out of the corner of my eye. Turns out a calf, or baby cow was giving chase. I didn't know what to think, I kind of just laughed. It had to be one of the funniest things I've seen. Lucky for me the calf lost interest pretty fast, and I was safe.

Now I have to get to bed, early to work, then straight to Bakers Dozen, read a nice write up here.

Cheers,
Buddy

Rocks, Beer, and Bear...

2009-04-12T12:53:00.005-05:00

I have been an electrician for 21 years, and I have never had off Good Friday. Until this year, my new job has lots of paid holidays, I guess it make up for the less money. This Friday I went With Les to French Creek, joining us was Marc and Jeb. The trails were in pristine shape, and we damn near rode them all.

After screaming down Millers Point it was Miller Time.

It may have been the best French Creek ride ever. Les continued his brilliant thinking by suggesting Victory for lunch, after a good bit of arm twisting I was on board. Nothing like good wings, OK food, and awesome beer, Wild Devil on tap, MMMMMMMMMMMM.

Yesterday it rained all day so no riding. Last night was climbing, unfortunately Rachael is waiting on some foals so she couldn't make it. The rest of us went to the Half Moon, the wild game burger was Bear, by far the most distinct if all there wild game flavors and one of my favorites. Wash it down with some Nugget Nectar, and all is well.

Today I wasn't sure what ride I was going to do, until Les called. I met him for a ride at Brandywine. The trails were surprisingly dry considering all the rain we had. The highlight of the ride, hell the highlight of my year was cleaning the trail we affectionately call The Rocky Death Climb. Not I only did I make it for the first time ever, I have never even come close before. The best part is Les cleaned it too, this is a very rare occasion, I don't think there has been a ride where two people cleaned this trail, let alone both on single speeds. I don't care if I ever clean it again, at least I did once.

Happy Easter

Cheers,

Buddy

Yet Another Use For Dental Floss...

2009-04-06T05:57:00.002-05:00

This was supposed to be a moderate week on the bike, but when the opportunity to ride Jim Thorpe came up I had to jump on it. Besides, the Cohutta 100 is less that 3 weeks away. I met up with Elk and Les and we made our way to JT, where we picked up the Dutch Eagle. Elk had a 7 hour ride in mind, I was looking forward to see if I am even close to ready for the Cohutta or not. Elk and Dean made sure we hit all the good trails yesterday. We covered 3 mountains, in our time out there, we suffered a few tire inflation problems and a bent chain ring, but nothing to serious.

I watched the Dutch Eagle do one of the coolest things I have ever seen on the side of a trail. Elk had a pretty good rip in his side wall, so we stopped, booted it and rolled on. Later in the ride the rip got a little bigger and Elk pinch flatted. This is when the Dutch Eagle stepped in. This man spends a lot of time in these mountains and has learned a few tricks for fixing things, plus he carries a little of everything with him. He whips out a needle and some dental floss and sews the rip back together, throw in a boot and some duct tape and we were rolling through the rocks again with know more issues. In the future I can see a little, light, easy to carry tire repair kit in my Camelbak.

Thanks for a great ride, Bring On Bakers and Cohutta.
Cheers,
Buddy

Getting Closer...

2009-03-30T05:48:00.002-05:00

As my racing season draws near, I can't help but wonder if I will be ready. Bakers Dozen is in 3 weeks and the Cohutta 100 is in 4. I have been working hard, and feel like I should be ready, but you never know.

If Saturday was any indication, I should relax a little. A few of us organized a group to do the Icicle Metric Century, or 65 miles of nice rolling terrain. My goal for the day was to ride a steady tempo and keep our group together. It seemed to work out well. We had a strong consistent effort from everyone. Well almost everyone. After the food stop we passed a small group of guys that decided to jump in with us. Normally no big deal, except these guys, otherwise known as the Color Guard, didn't do the whole working with the rest of the group thing very well. This one clown would sit in the group, then surge over a little hill first only to drift right back to the group. Finally Paul called him out and told if he was going to go to the front he should take a pull. I was on the front at the time and the clown was riding next to me. There was a slight head wind and I don't think he was happy to be on the front. To make it worse, I may have upped the tempo a bit, because I saw him drifting back after only a few seconds on the front.

As we rolled into Landenburg, which is the hilly part of the ride, we saw a little less of these guys trying to come to the front. I guess the longer climbs were a bit too much for them. While re-grouping and waiting for a pee break, they came by us again. Paul wasted no time in letting them know they didn't belong on bikes let alone in our group.

The clown rolled by us on London Tract Rd, Leo would have none of this, and went after him. I couldn't let Leo go alone so I bridged up. We quickly dropped the clown. I Got a bit of a gap on Leo, so after I crossed 896 I turned around to meet up the the rest. Here came the clown and his buddies. I turned around and passed them again for good measure. I think they got the hint. We ended up with a 3rd flat so we didn't see them again. It was a shame because we were going to congratulate them on there win.

Lunch after was good and the convesation was stellar. Thanks to all for coming out and helping male this the best Icicle ride ever. It's a shame Peaches missed most of it...

No ride yesterday, I went to the Point to Point With Rachael. the weather was ugly in the morning, but it turned into a beautiful day. I was tempted to ride in the afternoon, but I think I hade a few too many at that point.

Cheers,
Buddy

Go Here...

2009-03-25T22:07:00.002-05:00

D Town, ouch Great ride, and awesome recovery drink. Now go here and support Sam and her cause.

Another Solid Week...

2009-03-22T15:12:00.002-05:00

I've spent a few days working at the shop, and a few days riding. It was a pretty good week to be out on the mountain bike. I actually managed just one road ride, that was really a work out. Tuesday was good, the trails were nice and tacky providing plenty of super hero traction. I met up with Rik, Jeb, Wes, and Tom for the second half of my ride, good times indeed. I blew off Thursdays work out, I just felt like crap. Saturday was another trip to Brandywine. Les led us a round another stellar loop. After a couple of recovery drinks, it was home to get ready for climbing. Climbing has been great lately, the addition of Jen and Bob has been fun. Plus I think we all have been climbing well.

Today was a romp through Fair Hill from Marc's place. A nice pace for 3 hours is always a good time. Marc put together a great loop, and even managed to keep things civilized, for the most part anyway. I think the key to a good 3+ hour mountain bike ride is a well timed beer stop.

After a quick lunch and a shower, Rachael and I made a trip to Church. Not just any church, but Beer Church. Now we are enjoying the benefits of such a trip.

Until Next Time,
Cheers,
Buddy

Rest Week My Ass...

2009-03-15T16:21:00.002-05:00

So, I have been working pretty hard this off season, hoping for a good race season. This week was a much needed rest week. I didn't ride until Wednesday, and that was an easy ride. In fact I didn't do much except eat and drink beer. by Saturday I was itching to ride, so I met up with Slick Rik and iPaul for a trip around Brandywine. The trails were in great shape and between Paul and Rik we were riding a nice loop. Not long into the ride we picked up Johnny Williams. I was feeling pretty good after not riding a whole lot all week, but I was trying to save some for today's 4 park ride. We ended yesterday with over two and a half hours of rocky single track bliss.

Matt put together a 4 park ride from his house. The promise of beer at the end brought out a nice big group. I won't try to name them all, but there were some new faces, and some old faces. I have to say I was stoked to have Marc on the ride with us. I don't get to ride with as much as I used to.

We hit Fair Hill first, Peaches was setting a pretty brisk pace early, and I wasn't feeling all that good. Things did come around for me though. I guess it was some time after the beer break when my legs woke up. I some how ended up on the front coming up Horse Jump. Let me say I hate coming up that trail, so I just wanted to get it over with. I guess I got a little carried away. Oh Well, it's nice to know some of my hard work is paying off.

We made our way to White Clay, hit up a small loop around Middle Run then made a B Line for Matt's, there was beer waiting for us after all. I have to give props to Todd for bringing some really good chicken chili, and thanks to Amy for putting up with us and also making some really good chili and rice crispy treats.

In all we rolled out 42 miles, in well under 4 hours. I hope this is a good sign leading up to the Cohutta 100.
Well I need more beer and more couch.
Cheers,
Buddy

High Heels, Thongs, and Dishes...

2009-03-08T15:24:00.002-05:00

So today closed out my first training block. It has been a pretty tough 3 weeks and I am looking forward to a much needed rest week. Thursday I met up with Peaches for an early afternoon road ride. I even talked him into joining me on efforts. Things were going fine until I twisted a link in my chain, I fixed it but no more efforts.

Friday I spent a few hours hanging out with Rik at Henrys installing a new drive train, cables and bar tape. I have to say I enjoyed hanging out and fixing my bike at the shop.

Yesterday was an easy ride. Just under 2 hours solo. The plan was to have some legs for today. Matt's step Father Charlie agreed to lead a few of us around Lancaster from the business in Oxford. I decided it would be a good idea to ride from my house to the ride, ride 3 hours around the hills of Lancaster, then ride home. Of course the ride there and back is the opposite of flat. Joining the ride today were, Jay, Rotten Bob, and Leo. As always Charlie put together a good loop, which included plenty O' climbing. We rolled back to there shop after a nice 3 hour tour, except it took me just under an hour to get there and I still had to ride home. I was pretty worked, but surprisingly made it home faster than it took me in the morning. My tally was just over 75 miles in just under 4:30 hours, did I mention the over 6000' of climbing.

So I decided it was time for a beer.

What better beer to drink than one I brewed...

Cheers,

Buddy

The Frozen Tundra...

2009-03-04T18:12:00.002-05:00

Lucky for us Mother Nature decided winter was not over yet. We got hit with snow and wind, leaving 2 inches in some places and 18 inches in others. These conditions couldn't keep a few of us out of the woods though. Matt, Todd and myself met up at Middle Run for some fun on the snow. I got there ahead of the boys to get in a workout, the trails were ridable, but it was not easy going. You had to work even on the down hills. For the most part the trails were fine, but every so often you would go from a bare spot to an 18 inch drift. Despite the slow going it was an awesome ride, and probably the last mountain bike ride for a while.

Oh Well, I guess that's why they make road bikes.

Cheers,
Buddy