Tri the Podium

Honors

2011-05-14T12:16:00.002-05:00

Getting to the end of the semester, we had an opportunity to take some sweet photos of the club in campus woods, as you can see from my new look. We also got school finished up and all the banquets happening. Last night I was inducted into the honors society of Phi Kappa Phi. It was a great honor to have the opportunity to be invited into the society. Only the top ten percent of seniors are invited, and top 7.5 percent of the finishing juniors.

Get Postin'

2011-05-14T11:33:00.005-05:00

I did Fat Tire Fest last weekend, and while it was an excellently run race, I didn't perform quite like I wanted to. I pulled out the Podium for the hill climb on Saturday's hill climb to take second behind Shad Shriner the pro. That was a good feeling, but I probably gave too much. Sunday I chose to ride sport, as the single speed class was stacked with the most riders of any class. I rode the Top Fuel. Initially, I took out fast enough to lead all the sports, but couldn't hold them off very long. I let a couple of the 30-39 age group go by, and one of my age from K-State. I stayed on his wheel until the first technical section, some new stuff before tower hill, where he fobbled and I went around him. The race course has increased to 20 miles of hard single track. I pushed pretty hard, but just didn't seem to have very much energy.

I saw a great performance going down by Steve Dutton out on the course. He went on to have a better time than a ton of the sport class. I ended up second of the age group, but felt that I could and should have done much better. All in all a great weekend of camaraderie and riding. Great to see all the Great Bendites again.

The weekend before that I raced with a college com padre at the Bonebender up at Lake Clinton in Lawrence. I had never been to the trail before and really enjoyed riding the Top Fuel on the rocks and roots. I had some tire trouble and flatted two out of the three laps that I rode, but the first lap I did was fun. I posted a 55 minute lap time on that lap, which was around 10 minutes back from the leaders. Not too shabby on my first lap on a new trail. I feel that I could have done much better without having to change tires and dodge slow riders. One of the best parts of that race was having Lelan there to encourage and cheer the Emporia riders on. He was out with a recently broken collarbone, but decided to be a part of the race anyway.

Lelan took this photo as I was running up the final climb to finish my first lap.

The day before Bonebender, I travelled up to Lincoln, Nebraska for a collegiate road race. It was a 28 mile, two lap course around a lake. I was racing Cat 5 with the beginners and planned to go for the win. How oblivious to road racing am I? I followed every wheel that jumped and by lap two, I didn't have much left in the tank for the attacks. So, when there was a group of 15 that went across the dam (where there is no place to hide in a draft), I was caught out alone. I was then in a desperate attempt to catch them for the remainder of the lap, mostly headwind, and was unable to do so. There was a mechanical that took two out of the group, and two more were dropped that I caught. I ended up ninth, pushing clear till the end trying to catch anybody that sat up. So for beginners, road racers are no slouches. I took ninth out of 27.

Back to class

2011-04-11T16:23:00.003-05:00

Its funny how returning to class after the biggest weekend can really be a challange. The ESU Multisport club went down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the Collegiate Triathlon Nationals this weekend, and let me tell you, it was the biggest event I've ever been to. Jenna and I were basically in awe all weekend that we were able to compete at such an event. We had a couple of guys from the club go down with us, and had a great time. We will have photos and maybe even some video of the experience up soon. Let me just tell you that going up against all the big universities in the nation was a bit intimidating. Yale, Duke, Baylor, Cal Tech, A&M, Florida, Michigan, Colorado State, and Maryland were some of the big names that showed up. Every state in the union sent more than 1200 athletes to compete in the nationals. So when more than 600 men toed the line to start, I was just hoping to break the top 500.

You can see me on the left of the photo (this photo taken from the usatriathlon.org photo gallery) I was pleased with the results that I posted: Tied for 400th out of 595 male finishers. It was an awesome day for everyone, Jenna posted 327th out of 400 females, and the two guys placed 214th and 220th out of 350 competitors. Looking at the speed of some of these athletes is mind boggling, in fact, at least 50 of the women athletes came in with a faster time than I did. At least it gives me something to work towards, if I was as fast as the fastest woman, I would would be in great shape. The fastest guy bested my time by more than 35 minutes. It's just amazing what these kids can do.

Overall, though, I am very content with the performance that I gave. I am still sore two days after the event, and I am still gaining on my goals this year. This was just an awesome stepping stone that I can say that I have completed.

The people that I talk to everyday don't understand the hugeness of the event and don't quite get that there are people out there striving to be great in this way. So it's a bit strange just going to class and not blurting out how great of a time that I had.

Perry Road Race

2011-03-21T10:12:00.008-05:00

I thought that I would try a non-collegiate road race before stacking up against my peers, and to get some good training for the upcoming season. I went up to Lake Perry for the Dam Road Race. This is the last of their three week series. Here is a great photo of me at the start:

Here's another of the same thing:

Climbing up the hill to the finish line on lap three of six, three laps to go.

Here's another on the hill, working to stay with the group. Just after this, I would realize that I would not be able to stay with the lead group and drop back to a chase group.

Here is where I would stay for the last few laps, and eventually finishing. I would hide behind the big guys during the lap and climb the hill faster than them each time, eventually beating them to the finish.

Its just some great photography!

I finished 10th out of 31 racers. Not a bad start to the year, considering my 40 year old bike, and that most of these guys are in the best shape of their season. I just wish I could have hung on to the group of faster guys rather than having to 'sprint' ahead of these big guys. We'll see what happens next Sunday at the K-State collegiate criterium race.

College

2011-03-02T13:31:00.002-06:00

A lot has been going on since I posted last. We are in a new semester of school and I am loving every minute of it. My class schedule rocks and I get most of my afternoons open for riding and doing homework (not in that order). I am still coaching the local swim club. The multisport club at the university is doing some major events this spring, including several weekends of road racing and collegiate triathlon Nationals. It's big-time now. Jenna and I are the only triathletes in Kansas that will be competing in the nationals event, but we have a couple other guys going to compete in a parallel sprint-distance tri. Our new jerseys, bibs, and jackets came in. I'll try to get a picture of the crew up soon, but the apparel is awesome. Thanks Pactimo (company that made the jerseys).

I've been training using power now for a couple years, but I am just now able to download the information to a computer and analyze the data. I recently posted an eight minute test to find my threshold limit. And now I can use that information to train off of. This will easily be my best season because of the knowledge and experience going into the training. So look forward to some positive race results from these collegiate races.

New Bike?

2010-10-09T19:59:00.002-05:00

I have ridden the Trek a couple of times on the rough trails of eastern Kansas. And the verdict is in. It is a totally different animal than the twenty niners that I'm used to. The first and most dramatic difference to me is the descending. It is very confidence inspiring on a technical downhill, and makes it easier to stay over the back of the bike. I'm not sure if its just the size of the bike or the length of the stem, but I am able to descend off the back of the saddle much easier. I like it. I think I'm going to try setting up the 29 with the same feel, shortening and raising the handlebars. Its that good.

The trails that I've ridden, Camp Alexander and the Melvern trails, are some rock havin' bump-fests. The Trek dually rides them well, I haven't taken both bikes out to say which I like better, but its definitely ridable. I felt that I actually had fun at Alexander, something I don't think I have ever had.

As far as climbing goes, since the bike has gears, this just increases the difference between it and anything I'm used to. I feel like I can mash a big gear up hills or I can spin up with a high cadence, both feel pretty fast. I don't think that the suspension soaks up too much energy. If anything, I'd say the overall (through ups and downs) energy output is less and the times are the same or faster. I'm still trying to get used to everything, though.

We race at Melvern tomorrow, so that should show how I stack up in the expert catagory... Something else that I've never done.
I'll try to get a pic of me on the new bike up on this thing.

Summer recap

2010-05-30T14:51:00.005-05:00

I found this bit of information in a non-posted post earlier this summer:

Well, I guess that short bit of good weather was spring, bring on the heat. So, like Erik Benjamin, I've been making my last efforts to get in shape for the DK. Uh, not quite as rigorous as Monkey man, but I've been outside alot getting used to the heat and hunidity. I've also been concentrating on getting enoug rest. On the one ride that I did go on, I happened to strike a dog in the roadway. Yes, I said I hit a labrador! First time to fall on a road bike just in time to be bruised for the big race. This weekend, I'm going to forget about training and go ride my bike on the river trailss because it feels good, not because I need some time in the saddle. I'm trying to bring back the pleasure of pedalling.

That seems like forever ago. I went on to ride in the DK, not finish, but I rode a century. I felt horrible afterward. I think maybe I'll take a year off from trying to murder myself.

I think the next time I rode my bike was almost two months later at Cruise the Blues. I had a great time up at the Palen farm once again. My cycling efforts were in the tank, and (not because of Jenna) Jenna and I turned out a second, rather than winning the class like we did last year. It was quite a windy day and the sneaky heat came on late. It just made for a tough day. Great to see all my friends in the G to the B (Great Bend), and I won a brand new bike! It's a Red Line with a one-by-eight configuration. And now it's for sale.

I went down to Ark City trails a couple of weeks later and had the worst showing I think I could have. I did finish, but 5th out of five single speeders. I just got way to far out of shape. Plus that trail is a killer if you aren't ready for it. Lots of rocks and some solid drop-offs make for a technical ditty.

A week later we (Jenna went) booked it to Kansas City for the premier trail at Swope Park. The showin's was in effect in the single speed class, with 10 to 12 riders standing together at the start line. I had actually been on a bike since the Arc City race and felt more confident on the trail. I pulled off a fourth place, but only had a minute on fifth and sixth place riders.

John Wagner loaned me his Trek Top Fuel from 2005? and I am planning a way to own it. It would make a comfy marathon bike for next year.

I am deep within the semester at ESU once again and find myself with much less time on my hands than I ever would have imagined. But I still get the ESU multisport and Cycling Club together on fridays for a group ride.

Big Post

2010-05-09T07:52:00.008-05:00

I had a birthday this week, the big two eight. It was very eventfull, and now that the week is over, I think I'll have more time to keep up some regular blogging. It was my last week of class, and I do have two finals this week, but I'm not stressed at all. So, to catch up, I'll put up some photos. Jenna made me a, from scratch, strawberry cake, had some special order, dark chocolate numbers made, and threw on tons of candles. De-lish.We celebrated by going to the senior center, here in Emporia, and playing bingo with Jenna's mom and grandma. It's not something that I want to do everyday, but it was fun. I didn't win anything.I also helped Bobby Wintle roof his house a bit, and was on a roof on the day of my birthday. He was greatfull and fed me some awesome salmon, broccoli and noodle salad. His father-in-law had come to help, and brought some home-made carrot cake, so we put a candle on my piece and they sang to me. It was the best impromptu party I've had, although short, as we had all been up for a long time trying to get their roof finished. We finished up on friday and went to Casa Ramos, a mexican eatery, for the celebration of a new roof. They bought me dinner again for helping out. They are some of the best people on Earth.

Saturday, we packed up early and drove up to St. Joseph, MO with Randy for the next in our mountain bike series.It was kind of chilli before the race started, all the non-riders were wearing coats and scarves. The riders new that they would warm up a ton on the trail, so shorts and short-sleeves was all that was needed. Here's one of Garret and I before the race started. Notice how happy he is, he wouldn't smile that big until we hit a BBQ place in KC after the race. He tried to finish last in his catagory, as there were some big names at the race.Still before the race start:Getting some announcements:The race started on pavement at the bottom of a long climb, this allowed those that warmed up to catch a lead. Myself and the guy behind me were single speeds, he would eventually pass me in lap one... this was his home trail (he was faster than me too).The race was very hilly, always climbing or descending. There were more switchbacks than I've ever seen. It was all ribbony hardpack, a great combo for me, but others thought it needed to be more technical. Seven miles of single track that led us out to a mowed, grassy noll where the start and finish (with spectators) would be. Jenna got one of me going out for lap 2, still in second place and feeling good.After half of lap two, I started to wear down. John Wagner caught up to me in the last couple of miles, and easily scooted by me. There was another single speeder behind him that passed me just before exiting the trail to the noll, and I just didn't have it in me to catch him. So I got fourth out of four riders. Not such a good showing for High Gear, but I was glad that I was ahead for that long.

Jenna was ultra supportive, just like she was at the Fat Tire fest a couple of weeks ago. Here she is supporting the shop that put on the whole shindig: Golden Belt Bicycle Company, on the bottom of the jersey, Podium Cycles is emblazed, which is the company that makes ultra sweet, steel-framed, custom mountain bikes. This is a pic I could have put in last week, Jed thought I was pretty rough looking after the race and snapped a photo: And here's a picture of my best buddy Randy (my roomate). He doesn't keep a blog, so I thought that I would include him in some of this stuff.

Here's another picture from the inside of the cabin that he built from sticks.

Well, that's alot. Thanks for looking.

Fat Tire

2010-05-02T23:44:00.001-05:00

I'm claiming the award for fastest post after a race. It was a great day for mtbing. High Gear made a great showing thanks to Aaron smashing the expert field. We had the biggest unified team there,as seen by this beautiful photo:

I really didn't want to be racing today, but thirty minutes into the race I started feeling better (even though I had let the older riders pass). I turned out an ok lap at 1 hour 50 mins. It got me a third place and a prize, not a bad day of riding for being depressed this morning.

I'm actually riding in the passenger seat typing this post into my new cell phone, it has internet and other good stuff. Like photos of me:

Race Results

2010-04-14T17:49:00.002-05:00

I rode a couple of races since my last post: The Ouachita Challenge in Arkansas, and the Lawrence River Mountain Bike Challenge. I placed 151st at the 65 mile true mountain bike race of the Ouachita mountains. My knee had frozen up a bit and was killing me to the point that I rode 20-25 miles with mainly my right leg. It was a painful race, one for the books.
The small and smooth 4.4 mile loop of the Lawrence river trail was a 180 from the Arkansas race. It was soo fast. I placed 2nd out of 4 single speeders. I know Randy and my lungs were burning after that high intensity spin.

I also had the opportunity to get my VO2 max tested by G Cat. I came out with a 54 or so, it is a very specific science to get those numbers. I would have to have G explain it to you.

Looks like a triathlon this sunday. I think good things will happen swimming and biking, not so much running.

The Shack

2010-03-01T10:38:00.004-06:00

I've had quite the cold these past few days, so I have cancelled all riding arrangements to stay here at the cabin (). It's not so bad, but I feel like I'm shorting myself some training before the race this coming weekend. It's gonna hurt... bad. I just hope my nose works by then.

...and I helped!

2010-02-23T22:17:00.002-06:00

Box of Brown Rice: $3.00 x .2 (about 1/8 of box) = .60
Bag of mixed greens: $2.60 x .5 = $1.30
One serving (Oriental flavor) Ramen Noodles = $0.14

Healthy and satisfying... Priceless

Busy, busy

2010-02-23T11:49:00.003-06:00

I've been pretty busy, lately. With creating a student, multi-sport, organization, breaking my trainer and working at my new job.
A little lifting:

Making the ESU paper:

And going to Jenna's house (after swimming):

I'll be heading down to Lawton, Ok for the Hills of Hell Mtb race it 50-60 weather.

The Beauty of Taco Bell

2010-02-09T16:53:00.002-06:00

As a college student that once had a great paying job, I had forgotten how cheep (and good) Taco Bell can be.

Also, I have mixed feelings about this coming spring. On one hand, the closer we get to summer, the less money I have left in reserve, and without a job right now, it's looking grim. On the other, I am eager to get riding outdoors. Also, Randy (roomate), is letting me start my own trail system on his land. Nothing like the idea of sweet trail out your backdoor.

Amazing how people respond to you.

2010-01-31T18:02:00.004-06:00

I had Jenna come over while I was training yesterday, so she got a couple of pics of me on the trainer. Normal people probably don't care what I look like on a trainer, but you like pictures.
I was on there for three hours (ten minute breaks between each hour, but pedalled for three hours), so she had boredom and time to take the photos. I spun out 51.4 miles and averaged under 17 mph. My heart beat was around 156 most of the time while my legs put out an average 200 watts (before the cooldown). I don't know if that means anything to everyone, but someone will appreciate it... err

Just playing around here, I don't train in the drops.

Back to work!

And today we rode outside in the snow, and had a blast. I rode for 1.25 hours and had a 153 average heart rate. I am on track for my best year. I love college.

One step ahead

2010-01-24T22:57:00.007-06:00

To begin: this is what happens with a few months off from activity and all productivity.In other news: I got the race machine built, although I have yet to ride it. It looks like some thing that could stir a bit of dust in the face of competitors, I suppose that relies heavily on me, though....

On to Training! This is a photo from the Big Cat (Garret Seacat) on the dam of John Redmond Reservoir, somewhere near Birlington, Ks. It was a bit breazy on this elevated, two mile stretch of level road. It is a good view of my calf...

And here, the photo includes all but 'G'. I'm on the right, Tim Moen pulling. Scotty O'mare, left, is putting the hurt on us.

Everyone put out the max they could on this windy day. We all took turns at being the limper. It was quite the struggle to keep up at times, then the energy just seemed to flow in. At the end, I put forth a burning effort to claim the sprint to city limits. I knew the only way was to use my big ring advantage, as I was the only rider on an actual road bike. Good to be finished with the first century of the year.

Today, was a huge rest day, as I struggled for time to spin. I will have to 'wake' the legs first thing in the morning. But for now... sleep.

News Cluster

2010-01-20T17:07:00.005-06:00

This was taken last summer before the DK on a training ride. I was feeling pretty good until we stopped here, then Garret had to nurse me like I had a life-threatening illness.

I forgot to mention that I had signed up for the Dirty this year. I am very excited to be in Emporia, where local weekend rides are around 75 miles in length. What a perfect training ground for a year on the team.

I would like to announce that I plan to become a teacher in the next few years. I am telling you only because I would like you to remember this when posting replies and comments. I will have to hide all vulgar language and inappropriate comments from my blog and Facebook, so keep the bad words to yourself.

I was unable to attend the Wilson Blanket series race this sunday, as it was moved to Dodge City. I did convince my parents to meet me with my Mtn Bike, So it will be up and running soon.

Next Race: Jan 31; East River Loop (Blanket Series), Great Bend, Kansas.

And, so...

2010-01-12T23:20:00.004-06:00

I'm getting settled in nicely, here in my new town of Emporia. I have been searching for a job, and getting a few trainer workouts in. More than I can say for the last three months. Feeling good, and looking forward to the Wilson, blanket series race, this weekend.

Last year turned out to be bitter cold. I think we'll have better luck this year. Also Doug had us do two laps of a three-mile, eastern bit. It turned out to be a 45 minute suffer fest with Tanner Marshall leading the way. Can't wait to see all my old compadres from GB on the trail.

Change of Pace

2010-01-06T10:48:00.002-06:00

Well, I just got moved across the state. I quit my job and cancelled my apartment. I had my family come help me move all my boxes from extreme western Kansas to the Eastern side. I moved in with one of the cyclists on the new team. That's big news in itself, but we'll get to that. Randy hand built a log cabin out of town, and needed a roommate, so I offered to settle in. So now I live in a fantastic 'Colorado' cabin, right here in Kansas. I'll try to get a photo of it, as it will knock your socks off.
Anyway, I am going back to school, because work wasn't doin' it for me. I feel like I could benifit from a little human interaction.
Before I moved, I had announced to the Emporia bike shop that I would be in town come spring, and they offered me a position on their ten, now eleven, man team. This will be the first opportunity I've had to be sponsored. The list of sponsors is at the right. I will be on a '08 Gary Fisher, Ferrous (similar to the one that I rode last summer) for the remainder of 'Oh 10'.
Jenna (girlfriend) is super-excited that I'm now living in her hometown (as am I), and we have seen much more of each other this week. She has been helping me unpack and feeding me when necessary. My support blanket has expanded exponentially, with my parents backing me emotionally and maybe financially in the future, and my friends on the team offering so much. It seems to be falling into place nicely.
I am elated to be here and to have all this going on. Anything would have been better than sitting behind the windsheild as it were, but this has already been a blessing.

Alexander and RIM

2009-08-19T21:13:00.003-05:00

It's been a while. Camp Alexander race in Emporia wasn't very good. I was riding a very nice bike that belongs to Steve, but I didn't bring my A game. John Wagner brought his. At the start, Lelan (race director) asked me if I would like to start with the other groups, I said no. That put John and myself and the line alone. I passed him before we got to the single track to slow him down, and it stuck until we started lap two. He flew by and I never saw him again. I was all over the place. It was also very hot. But second out of two still places for a prize.

Rapture in Misery, located at Crowder State Park, Trenton, MO, was a blast of a race. This Race gives me more and more reason to continue racing single speed. It was a very hilly course, and I did have trouble choosing the right gear, but as the rain began... so did my pursuit of victory. I found that I had more traction and control over the other racers, and although it was the last lap, brought the team up one place, to fourth. One place out of the medals, but a great race for some weekenders with attitude.

Training in the West

2009-07-15T22:42:00.004-05:00

Well, I put some time into getting used to the borrowed bike. It will really be pleasent to ride a bike so much like mine for the race this weekend. I rode several laps at Camp Alexander both days this weekend. I did poke the back tire once, the stans sealed it pretty fast though, sorry Steve.

This week, I am travelling the abyss of western Kansas. I did bring my rickety road bike, and have found a couple of evenings free for rides lasting 1.5 hours. Monday, I logged 27 miles, and today 30. Both days have had some wind, as is customary for this region, and I wouldn't expect anything less. I actually plan my route around which direction the wind blows.

Monday, with the east wind, I headed east. Taking it easy through town is kind of a warm up, then the highway is the place to pound the pedals. I went east about 10 miles to a vacant (and I mean vacant) blacktop heading south, handled the crosswinds out and back and returned west into town, topping out at 35 mph or so. This was a true out and back, no mistaking the average 19.7 mph as the real deal. I did not take any supplements on this ride, only H2O.

Today, I made a bit of a loop. A sweet one at that. North East wind. I headed north east with no warm up. Two or three miles later, I took a shot of syrup, and turned straight north for the cross wind pedal mashing. After 5 miles of that, I thought the black top would end and I would have to turn back, but, alas. I left turn put the wind almost directly behind me. Bliss was mine. I think I was turning 27 mph before I found a big downhill. I cranked on them things, saw 400+ watts and 40.5 mph. I didn't know the old girl had it in her. That bike surprises me all the time. Anyway, a couple of miles later I hit the highway I should have taken back to town. But I pressed on, west that is, farther from town again, with the sun fading behind some clouds near the horizon. Not that it bothered me now, but I would soon lose daylight, and navigating Garden City at night could be its own adventure. I didn't drop below 26 on that straight and very flat road, maybe 6 miles farther west. Then the turn south found an indirect cross wind, still turning 24-25 mph to Holcomb, just west of Garden City. Now the pain. Dead head wind for 4-5 miles. I kept an eye on my watts, because the have a tendancy to drop into the wind. I kept 17. Crazy that the wind at your back and wind in your face is a 10 mph difference. When I hit town the sun was gone and the cars had their lights on, I figured that I would take the back roads away from the heavy stuff. I remembered that GC has a paved walking trail so I found that, and rode safely back to the hotel.
My legs still burn from the 21.4 mph average of the training portion of the ride. 25 miles in 1 hour and 10 minutes is harder than I worked for the DK, I think. Average wattage: 241

2009-07-09T10:03:00.002-05:00

It may seem crazy, but I'm out of shape compared to all these dudes. This was the '09 Larned 4th-of -July triathlon. The three fella's on the left, and one on the right, all kicked my tail. Shows you that age is a nasty thing (and sloth).

Some other news: My podium is back at the factory getting some necessary strength additions. So a good friend of mine, Steve Dutton, is letting me borrow his Gary Fisher Ferrous and wheels. It was a big stinker to notice the Podium flaw at the beginning of a big, biking weekend. Steve and I had gone down to Roman Nose Resort State Park, at Watonga, OK. Lap two of what could have been 7 or 8, we found the issue. So we began tagging off on Steve's bike (gears AND suspension). It felt weird to say the least. But now that I'm back on a single speed rigid, I feel more at home. I plan to be in Emporia this weekend, and ride it as much as the trails and locals allow.

D. K.

2009-06-25T12:58:00.002-05:00

I feel like Garret, having a blog site and blogging once a year.

Dirty Kanza had me very nervous, I got butterflies weeks before the race. I couldn't sleep the night before (even though I hear that's normal, it's never happened to me), and was the lightest, and cleanest, I've been for years. Garret(t) made some sweet egg-filled pita pockets for breakfast and we headed for the start line. As we started, I could already tell it was going to be a whale of a day, as we travelled south we hit the wind. Forty miles later, we finally turned north(ish) to get away from the direct head-wind. We still had to put high effort into the west as the wind was relentless, but north was at least tollerable. I found Steve and Liz Heal within a few miles of the first checkpoint, and took the time to chat with them.

At the first checkpoint, I was already famished for a day of cycling, so I spread out in the shade of a big tree (something I hadn't seen for 61 miles). I took my sweet time getting the water refilled and the pain killer meds taken. I watched Steve and Liz speed away, no hard feelings there, those two would live to finish the race. As I left the checkpoint, I lolly-gagged for quite some time, fiddled with my headphones and just tried to regain some strength. At mile 71, I resorted to napping under another shade tree along-side the road. I would wave at the passing cyclists to let them know that I was still alive.

After 30 minutes or so, I remounted and trudged on. I came upon some dudes from Tennessee not ten minutes later. They were friends that had travelled together, and were resting for a rider in there group. They recognized me as the roadside-sleeper. We continued as a group at a descently slow pace, until we were ten miles from the 100 mile checkpoint. At which point, I left them, as they were going to continue waiting on their wasted compadre. I was running a little low on water, as we had just experienced the peak temp for the day, and the wind wasn't cooling in any way. Rolling into midway, I felt better than I had all day. So, upon arrival, when I heard that there wasn't a single Emporia rider still on the course, I was a bit dissappointed. I was so looking forward to riding with someone I knew for additional suffering.

Jenna and her parents cheered me on as I downed some Subway and coaxed a rider from Iowa to press on. Which we did. We rode ten miles, rested for ten minutes, and repeated the process. Until we arrived in Alma, Ks.

It was closing in on the cutoff, and 9 o'clock, when I decided not to kill myself anymore. Luckily, I had prearranged for Jenna to be there with my pickup. So that made the decision easier. They told us there, that only 20 riders, out of the original 85, had left the checkpoint and attempted to finish. The two fellas that I was riding with and myself, were officially the last to come into the final checkpoint.

The sky darkened quickly as we drove back to E-town, which took a full hour by car. I couldn't imagine what I would have morfed into if I had attempted the ride. At the finish line, Jim Cummins (race coordinator) shared enthusiasm and concern, as he had only seen two riders finish the race. It would end up that 15 of the 85 starters would cross the line. It was encouraging to hear that only three single-speeders had travelled farther than me on the course. My friends and support crew (Jenna) made it clear that they were proud of my attempt. I wish to thank them all, including Jim and Joel.

Weeks later, I have still been shy to jump back on the bike. I ran a 5 mile race in Salina the following weekend, and did well: 53:11 equal to 7.02 minutes/mile. Steve Dutton and I are headed down to Roman Nose (the sweetest Oklahoma trail that lives) this weekend.

Prepare!

2009-05-24T10:08:00.004-05:00

Well... nose to the grindstone, you might say. I've been building up to the big race (NEXT WEEKEND!). My training peaked a couple weeks ago, when Garret the Fuzz man Seacat and I went out for 89 miles. There was some suffering on my part when I mixed simple and complex sugars (big cramps). We finished in the rain, after many futile attempts to go south, only to be stiffled by the flooding.
This weekend we logged thirty or so, 17+ mpg average should be a speed building ride. I know that I could never pedal that hard during the race. In fact, my plan is to gear down one cog. I'll be pushing a 38:17 ratio for the day. They say the hills are packed to the gills. I might be in for a doosy. I've gotten myself into a nervous wreck already. But I feel way more prepared for the race than in years passed. Hopefully I can continue to say that as the years roll on.
I'll let you know how it goes.

Fat Tire

2009-05-04T16:17:00.003-05:00

Totally a great weekend, pack filled with comradery and cycling gallore. I'm a little sore the day after a 15 mile single track, single speed race. Held at Lake Wilson State Park, the race had many classes, Cam took the expert class lickety split, with Mike Marshon (different age bracket) second overall. The single speed race included the victor, Jon Wagner from Salina, took me by severall minutes. Which puts me at fourth overall (unofficial). Another expert from Salina showed up just before single speeder Dave Nily from Great Bend rolled in to round off the class. I'm not sure who finished the other places.
My race started, standing beside Jon. We rolled out side by side. I entered the single track before Jon and started picking the sport class people off before the first climb. Then it was hard to tell who I was passing. I started recognizing some of the riders, that had entered the expert class. This was a big boost. I was still feeling strong and could see that I had a steady gap on Jon. As we hit the second half of the lap, I didn't see Jon anymore and was still catching experts. Bill Klinesmith and Chris Chambers were really helpfull with their encouragement as I slowly got by them. Then it seemed like smooth sailing, as I rode alone for several miles of fun stuff. I had no idea that with only 2 miles of trail left, Jon would show up close on my heals. I had just dismounted to run up a switch-back, when I looked back to see his jersey not more than 50 feet behind me. I quickly remounted the bike and chug up the rest of the hill, only to find myself gasping for air. It seemed that he had literally startled me, and now my calm pace was ruined, I tried to turn on a bit more pace as I knew it could be a fight to the finish. My chest was on FIRE. I gave him some encouraging words, holding back the anguish that I felt. He passed me 100 yards before the last pavement crossing, so when we came up to it, there was a crowd that exclamed "Wow, that's a RACE!" Next was the hill climb that we had completed the day before, but during the approach, the downhill switch-back caught me off guard. I tried to correct and get back on course, only to roll my tire and let some air out, like a fart. Jon even asked if I was alright, as I had gone down right behind him. I quickly remounted and tried to ignore the yells from the crowd, as they had seen me spill with only 1.5 to go. I climbed the hill with a very low tire, and realized quickly that there would be no finishing if I didn't get some air in there. I pulled over with choice word in my head, and popped an entire CO2 cartridge in there. Knowing I wouldn't catch him, I pedalled the last mile or so at brisk pace, bouncing my front end off of every rock and grass patch in my way. I'm tossing that tire as soon as I can. After the race there was much congratulations in the parking lot.
One of my best days in 2009, hands down. After all, I got to see all my Emporia friends. And my girlfriend is the best support crew a guy could ask for.

More... more!

2009-03-23T21:31:00.002-05:00

Since the race, I've been struggling to get in some training. I hit the river this weekend, and did a trainer session last week, but that's it. I feel as though I am missing out on some building of the muscles that grew up this winter. I'm not sure how my season will look as far as personal bests this year, but I feel like every ride makes it easier to PR, espessially when riding behind the Doug monster.

I'll be in Emporia this weekend, looking for a long ride on saturday. I'm going out into the hills whether my friends will pull me around or not. So long as they don't drop me, it should be a good time.

Racing not Writing

2009-03-10T10:07:00.002-05:00

So, a couple of events have gone by without posting: The blanket series race at the ole' forest, and Hills of Hell. I think the race at Bill's was my best this year. I didn't keep up with Doug, but almost caught him towards the end. It was very fun falling behind 200 yards and trying to real it back in. A second place finish is a victory in my eyes. 30+ riders and fun was had by all.

Hills of Hell was a whole weakend of glory, except for my finish. Doug and I drove down to Lawton, OK friday night after his shop closed. Saturday morning, we went down to breakfast to find Flynn and others from Lindsborg and central Kansas. We gathered and prerode the course to find that the course was dramatically different: 8 miles and super intense. This used to be around 14 miles or so, shocker. I felt surprisingly gracefull on a 32/17 ratio (tall for this course). I was hoping for a good day of racing. Another notable moment was at supper. 15 mtn bikers eating a formal italian meal - chaos. I love these people because out of everyone we had there, not one moment of clash or turmoil was had. Doug actually got some video of the course on the helmet cam, I'll try to find it and give a link.

The race had me quite nervous. I felt it necessary to push for a ss place finish. I really tore up the first hills. I was probably fifth overall going into singletrack. That was soon to change, I took out too fast and my heart rate pegged for too long, I was all of a sudden spent and gasping. Walking some of the hard climbs in the middle of the race (which would have been a necesity anyway) wasn't helping me recover, those climbs were... well, hell. I was just tired. I stumbled down the partial Kevinator and broke a chain climbing out of it. By then, Doug and five others had blown by. Putting a link in dropped me five spots and gave me a brake. I was able to catch a single speeder on the way to the finish, giving me third in the ss class. I finished 21st overall, not exactly spectacular. I placed 3rd in 25-29 age group. But Doug showed up towards the end of the race to bring home a first in his age group and a sixth overall, fancy. Another notable effort, was my good friend Steve Dutton with an 8th overall finish. You guys brought the goods. I'm spent, I think I may have used too much leg on the preride. Anyway, it was a hellova weekend.

A Training Event

2009-01-26T21:07:00.003-06:00

Nothin' like an 8.2 mile Wilson race to pick you up and drop you. I thought I'd been training decently for mtb racing, but apparently a trainer ride friday (with intervals), and a river trails ride saturday (short of two hours) was too much. I just felt tired and unable to keep up. Of course, I'm not a huge competitor when it comes to technical climbing and descending, but I fell off the back of the people I wanted ride with early and couldn't catch up. It was one of those days, where you can't think right after the ride. I took 4th behind

1) Tanner Marshall

2)Doug Chambers +:09

3)Dave Nily +2:

4) I was 6 mins off pace. 4 mins behind Nily

5th place was four minutes behind me, so I rode six or seven hilly miles with no motivation. And the 24 degrees was cold after the race. I think after the weekend, my legs need a rest day. My side feels good. I feel it sometimes when twisting, dancing and such. This is the side that I pulled on new years (if you don't keep up).

...Until next weekend

2009-01-05T17:16:00.002-06:00

Well, I've been training up for the next blanket series race. I've been riding trainers with Doug Chambers, a man that has a goal to win xc nationals for his age group this year. I do sprints on a track for this years tri season. Until this weekend. Sunday, I had to try my friends wood splitting maule. I pulled my left side pretty bad. I rolled on the ground for a while. Today, I went to the doctor, he gave me an anti-inflammitory 'script. I am wearing a back brace. I feel like I'm not going to be able to exercise for a few days. I kind of needed a break, but not like this. I still don't know whether I'm going to be able to work, well. I think I'll try for an easy day, tomorrow.
My biggest concern is how I will feel for the race on sunday. 20 minutes of mtn biking could be too much.

Ketchup

2008-12-06T21:16:00.003-06:00

Last week we had the first of many of the blanket series races. It was very cold. I raced bad. I have been so tied up that I haven't been on the bike, so a lot of old people beat me, namely Doug Chambers (bike shop owner and soon-to-be national champion [of his age range]) and Dave Nily (near 40 year old barber, and all around superb technical rider). What? that's a lot. My running partner, and good friend, Steve Dutton, came close to taking me at the end. I was practically weezing.
Today, Doug, Steve, and I went down to the river trails here (GB) and had such a blast. Tomorrow, I am going on a ride in Ellis, Ks. A 30ish mile loop on dirt. The Art Gallery Ride.
I am getting the gold Chris King hub on my front wheel to match my back one. Making the Podium sweeter and sweeter. I also don't want to get overexcited, but I have a black sheep fork on order. For those of you that don't know, it's sweet Ti. Mmmmm. I hope I can continue to ride and improve for this years season. I hope I'm not senselessly buying componentry that has no purpose. I want to excel at this.

Suffer the Insanity: Mayhem!

2008-07-21T19:22:00.008-05:00

This weekend, Jenna and I did the Olympic distance triathlon in Lawrence. We both did better than we thought we would, I took second in my age group (missed by less than 2 mins), and Jenna won her age.

It started at 7:30 am, in an attempt to beat some heat. We woke up at 5:30 and got there at 6. The swim was a mile or more, I was second out of the water (in my heat). The results show that I was seventh. Nevertheless, I was the first bike out of transition for the race. That's a pump u up feeling. I haven't been training on the bike much, so I had some guys pass me, all of them rode high-end tri-bikes. I think I was like 15th after the 24 mile bike route. I felt good going into the run. Then the heat hit me. It was awful. We ran around Lonestar Lake in the shade of the trees, but there wasn't a breeze one. I started getting chills about 4 miles into the 6 mile run. I knew I needed to stay hydrated. I had to walk every once in a while. It was just hot. I was trading places with the guy that won the age group, but didn't save any for the end. Second isn't bad. I just don't train hills- running or otherwise.

Jenna is such a strong swimmer. I don't think she liked her performance on the bike, or the heat on the run. But turning up first in her age group counts for something.

We were so spent that we were barely awake through lunch. Then we had to drive back to Emporia, but rolled into a gas station out of feul. That woke us up a bit.

Wear me out!

2008-07-07T08:52:00.002-05:00

The fourth of July has meant a short triathlon for the last couple years. This year, I was hoping that I had improved enough to win the thing. It's soooo short. Down and back in a pool, 10k bike and 2 mile run. I though I had a chance until I found out that a nationally ranked triathlete was there (Cody Cook). He wasn't in my age group, but I wanted it all. We took out fast in the pool, and before I knew it we were the first two out. He wooped me in the first transition, and was a quarter mile ahead starting the bike. I didn't look back to see if there was anyone behind me because I wanted to be in first. So I started mashing. By mile 2, it almost looked like I was gaining on him, this gave me confidence. I pushed myself through the turns at the state hospital, sort of a half-way mark. By the time we were coming back into town, I was on his wheel. Just before we hit a big hill just before town, I had overtaken him. Then I tore up the hill and dropped him 150 yds back. I knew I had to make a gap, 'cause the guy can run like a gazelle. I had an idea that I didn't stand a chance. I flew down the brick streets, and down the hill to the park and into transition. By the time I had put my running shoes on, he was gone. I saw him for a quarter mile, then lost him for good. I tried to keep a pace because there was a runner a quarter mile back from me. I didn't quite have the pace I wanted, because about halfway through the run, I looked back to see the runner from Garden City gaining quick. I picked up the pace up the last hill and on the last stretch, but couldn't hold him off. The guy can run for not having a runners body. I ended up Third overall, and took my age group. I could use some work on my running, then I might stand a chance against the big boys.
Jenna did well too. She got second in her age group. She had given me some encouragement in the first transition, but I was too concentrated to even reply. Sorry 'bout that. It was a tough race, both Jenna and I are built for endurance and swimming. This race didn't exactly use our advantages. So all things concidered we did excellent.
We had an excellent holiday from then on. Hanging out with my family turned out well. I learned how to make a loud bomb out of sparklers. Woohoo.

Second! No Disqualified.

2008-06-14T17:20:00.003-05:00

I attended what would have been a pretty salty triathlon this morning. It was the Topeka Tinman. I stayed in Abeline with my bro and his wife. Woke up at 4:15 to get there with plenty of time to get ready, but 10 minutes into the drive I realized that I had forgotten my wallet (a mandatory ID is needed to pickup the race packet). So even though the drive is supposed to be just over an hour long. I didn't get to the race site till 15 min before the race was scheduled to begin. No breakfast. I had many struggles to overcome befor the race even started. I eventually got in the second heat, because I didn't know my actual heat (they just wrote my name down). The swim went pretty smooth, not perfect, but we got through it. I got to the bike in second of my heat, and started passing people in heat one. I ripped it up for seven miles of the twenty mile course and ended up back at the transition. What do we do now? Run. K. I ran 7.3 miles. It's weird running as far as you just rode your bike, it takes three times longer. I knew I was out of it, but I came here for a race. As I was coming in from the run, Jenna passed me on the bike. I finished then saw her transitioning so I ran out of the T2 with her, for probably half mile or so. I had to explain that she was in a better place than I was. Then I went to cheer her on. When I saw her, she said that she had blisters on her feet. So after some encouragement, I went on to the finish line. I brought my first aid kit.

As we were walking her bike back to the car. I heard them call out my town and name for second place. I ran up to get my medal... Sweet! We decided we should check on Jenna's results to see if she medaled. During which, found out that I was disqualified for not following the course (i followed the markings), and returned the medal because I didn't feel I earned it. Jenna took third in her age group lagitimately.

Then I went to the Olive Garden with Jenna and her family. What a great ending to a fun (but unorganized) morning.

Hi hopes

2008-06-10T22:22:00.002-05:00

I keep putting off another post because I've been wanting to write about the DK200 I participated in 3 weeks ago. I wanted to elaborate and stuff because I know the few people that actually read this and I didn't want to let you down. I didn't complete the race. There, I said it. I know you now have no need to talk to me again. But I'm proud of myself for not giving up after just half of the race. I took a little 3 hour break, then continued on with a good man, Jim Cummins. Totalling 150 miles in a day is still a feat on a single speed bike, I think. I worked hard and had fun... that's all I got.

I've been pretty busy since then, actually since the next morning. Church, lunch, snow cones, Wintle's, Lelan's, a crumby movie, 3 hour drive, 10 minutes with my parents, 20 minutes to pack, and crash. One of the best day's ever. Good people. Wish Bobby was there.
Work monday through thursday. Friday work in Colby till 9:30, drive to Great Bend, golf tournament at 11:30, leave during awards, dinner with roomy, back to parents house, hang with Dad'n Denny, crash. Sat uneventful. Sunday run 5 miles at 8, breakfast with parents, church (awesome), swim training, pack, drive to Limon Colorado, crash. Monday drive to Gillette, Wyoming. Work.

Busy

Farts and Fun

2008-05-19T08:24:00.000-05:00

I packed a lot of stuff into that weekend. Everything but my big training ride. I did get to hang with my brother and get like 12 miles of dirt in. Which is quite the event for him, but definitely classifies as an easy day in my book. I helped him with finishing the exterior of his new house this weekend. This meant that I had to pack for a river rafting trip, hang out with my parents, and somewhat avoid the party that my roomate was having friday night. I ended up driving to Great Bend from Colby from 3 to 6, packing and heading for Abilene at 9:30. Worked all day Sat on the house, had dinner in Salina and bought some new running shoes at the mall (Adidas Supernova). Made my brother watch Juno, a hilarious movie with a sixteen year old that says some pretty wacky stuff. Woke up sunday, put my cross bike tires on tubeless, which actually took an hour or so (but they are super set now), with my big bro's help. Then we warmed up some pizza only to work for a couple more hours, Ride for like an hour and a half, then I had to head down the rode toward Colby. Stopped in Liebenthal for a minute, as I have a good friend that made me a veggie hot dog and some bean dip. Got into Colby at almost 11 last night. But the fun didn't stop there. I met some friends at the Colby fun center (bowling alley) where they finished their pool game, then we decided to polish off the tokens in the arcade. We ended up getting five dollars worth of tokens to put into the Jurassic Park shootem' arcade game. It was hilarious. Went to the apartment only to sit in front of the computer to watch our favorite show, well; we watched the episodes that aren't out on TV yet (thank you YouTube). Avatar is the show, it shows on Nick, and is a wholesome anime with kids as the heros. Oh, and there is love stories gallore. Imagine three grown boys huddled around a laptop, watching a childrens show, and swooning for animated characters, and cheering on the bad guys turned good.
Got to bed at 2, woke up at 6. If it wasn't for coffee, I'd be dead right now.
I want to get a long ride in this week, today might be the only day I get a chance to, but only if my chores get done. So I'd better get to work.

Flats and Laying flat

2008-05-15T17:22:00.001-05:00

Welcome to western KS.

This week, I have ridden every day. Monday I started out on my Van Dessel for some dirt road training, even took a spare tube. Had a southeast wind, so I chose east. Rode my usual ten miles out, then just as I was ready to head back, flat. I suddenly realized that I didn't bring the 8mm allen wrench for the bolts on my King hubs. Spare tube, can't change it. I put some air in, and try to ride some more. Flat. Frustration set in. I'm riding Crow tires on the Stan's No tubes rims, so I figured I was out of latex. Openned the tire, sure enough, bone dry. I put some water in the tire and swished it around with my fingers, wound up with a milky substance. Promising, but the hard part is yet to come seating the tire back on the bead with a travel pump. Which, as it turns out, is not possible. Who knew. I broke out the cell phone and called a ditsy college girl in my Tae Kwon Do class, and she came and got me. So much for a training ride. I can't rightly ride the dk200 at the end of May with this kind of workout. I was frakin' crazy.

Tuesday, I rode the trainer while watching a movie in anime. Some vampire hunter flick. I didn't get the movie, but I did average 175 watts for over an hour. Rode for 1hr 45mins. Good training ride.

Wed, I took advantage of the National bike-to-work-week thing. Rode my old school Raleigh from where we are currently working, Seldon, to Colby (I have an apartment, and work in Colby). Over 30 miles of road mostly soft head-wind. I rode for 2 hours because my last 10 miles were tough. I flatted the front on a sticker, but it was a slow leak. I pumped it up seven times in those 10 miles. I was so spent from riding back to back days, and I didn't eat right. I think I barely made it.

That's Kansas for you.