Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Fontana Race/ Training camp Day 1

Here are some random pics. The race was tough and hot. I ended up 32 which was good- I didn't have big expectations coming out of winter and my quads cramped up and I had to shut it down. Otherwise I felt OK. 110 pros on the start line = chaos but its great to see so many people out racing.

We got in a sweet ride in Vegas yesterday- complete with Bart riding a horse! I wish I could get the video up of his equestrian talents...






McGyver bike fix...








Saturday, March 28, 2009

socal

This is my first time in socal. I'm down in Fontana, CA. for the first PRO XCT race of the season. So far I have seen:

-the ontario airport
-the marriott fairfield Inn
- a good mexican restaurant
- more semis/pallets/warehouses than i ever thought could exist in one place. this is one serious trucking hub.
- some really big mountains that i wasn't expecting
- lots of green grass and sun
- 80 degree temps
- some really steep loose climbs on the xc cousre
- a short lap with tons of single track and limited passing
- over 100 pros on the start list
- bib number 96 on my bike (hmmm,hope that's not related to call up. if it is, oh well)
- a really cool scene and lots of people at the venue


well that's pretty much it so far. tomorrow should be hot and dusty, quite a change from snowy utah. i'm just hoping for a decent placing then looking forward to some serious riding up in vegas and st. goerge on the way home.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Pearl Izumi Octane Shoes

OK I know what you are thinking but I am not just writing this because I am a Pearl Izumi rep. I got my hands on the new Octane series road and mountain shoes last week and they are awesome. Pearl's shoes have been a little inconsistent over the years and even as a rep I couldn't always wear them. With a new focus and shoe design team the new ones are worlds apart and fit great. These both have a unidirectional carbon fiber sole and are super light- the road shoe weighs 199 grams in a M's 43! Anyway, it's going to take some time but hopefully we can get some traction in footwear again, these shoes rule.







Thursday, March 19, 2009

New colors for 09

It should be no surprise to my limited readership (and thank you for faking interest) that I am going to be racing on the Monavie-Cannondale team this year. Now its really out there


I am super excited about the race schedule and can't wait to ride in some of the epic races we have on tap. It should be great to partner up with Bart for the team events. Hopefully I can keep up, and draw off his years of experience. Its going to be awesome to have the camaraderie and support of a team. It doesn't hurt when everyone on the team is a super solid person and a few are good friends already. I've always just done the solo thing, though last year Brandon and I held it down for Rocky Mtn. together.

Big thanks to Matt O and Bart for getting me on the program. I'm looking forward to a killer year on the juice!

Hopefully some good race and adventure stories will spice up my blog this summer...

Friday, March 13, 2009

insert drool here



Here's the progression of my road bike ownership:

1996-2001: Specialized Allez touring bike . Total beater. Like 600 retail I think.

2005-2007: Felt F something with an Ultegra build. Two sizes too small, I rode it sparingly.

2007-2008: Cross bike with 28c road tires and heavy wheels. Worked sweet I thought.

2009: Cannondale Super Six. Dura Ace build with Ksyrium Premium wheels. Holy s&%t its a ripper. Unreal how good it feels. This has given road riding a whole new dimension. I've been missing out all this time huh?

Makes me want to go out and get spanked on the road. The only problem is if I did decide to do a road race I'd need to race Cat V. For those of you unfamiliar with road categories (Dad) that's like beginner class on the mountain side. Oh well, I've got plenty of off road racing on tap this summer to keep me busy.

Gotta finish up some work so I can get out and ride...

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Monday, March 9, 2009

20 minutes

20 minutes really isn't a long time... unless you are comparing your race times from one year to another.

Went down to St. George for the first MTB race of the year this past weekend and somehow rode 20 minutes faster. So I am wondering how this is possible...

- Could be the fact that they had to cut two corners on the course, but this wasn't a huge time savings and didn't save more than 30 seconds per lap.

- It was 20 degrees cooler this year. Maybe good for a few minutes.

- I was wearing a Mona Vie skin suit. There's 10 at least.

- I was on a Scalpel. Nuff said.

- I have been touring with Bart and Jared. Aahh, now we are on to something.

Anyway, I was pretty stoked to make that much of an improvement without being on the bike much this winter and avoiding the trainer/rollers completely. I have been on the bike about the same as last year with two trips down south and an effort to get out once a week on the cross bike when it wasn't dumping or smoggy. I also decided to do all intensity training on snow and leave the bike to low intensity with a focus on my pedal stroke and efficiency. I'd push a bigger gear at a lower cadence, do 1 legged pedaling drills. etc. but was careful never to do any hard or intense riding.

I left the aerobic training aspect to chasing Dynafit equipped Bart and Jared up skin tracks on my split board. That had me plenty pinned on numerous occasions. All in all I am happy with the results, as while I was by no means on peak race form on Saturday I did ride a heck of a lot faster and enjoyed myself the whole time.

I had some minor technical difficulties with the legs last lap and my quads totally locked up. As much as I want to blame it on the fact that Sammi was eating a peanut butter sandwich instead of handing me a bottle before the 4th lap, I think my cycling muscles just aren't used to riding that hard for so long yet and just ran short on energy. My quads were locking up pretty good on all the little standing moves in the last wash climb and Rob was drilling it. That was the end of me, and him and Bart were left to fight it out. I rolled in 25 seconds back. Props to Bart for the win and Rob for pushing the pace up the climb every lap. Watch out U23's, Rob is on fire. He's going to blow it up this year.

So I was pleased to ride with the lead group for three and a half laps as opposed 200 yards like last year. With some time on the bike in the next few weeks/months I'll hopefully be able to build on that and get the biking legs going. I actually felt really good on Sunday and we put in a sweet four hour ride.

Also of note:

- The Scalpel rips and I got it pretty dialed fit wise by race time by riding the same little section of shoreline every day it was warm last week.

- I apparently had some sort of a chest cold last week. I sort of felt it during the week and then got a crazy lung burn on the first lap, and sparing the details coughed up some serious mucus over the next 24 hours. Maybe it was residual smog...

- Due to a mechanical issue I couldn't get a warm up spin in on Friday so in an effort to loosen the legs a little I rallied a Schwinn cruiser around the neighborhood.

- Thanks to Sammi and her parents for letting a bunch of bike racers invade their house for a weekend. Good times.

Some green and purple jerseys out on the trail


New trail: Rim Rock. Already good, going to be really good soon and has potential to loop in to Stucki, though I have no idea who owns the land in between.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Sellin' Stuff

Bike part blowout. E-mail me @ asg433@yahoo.com or give me a call @ 801-699-6074 if interested. I can take pics if needed, just let me know.

- 2008 Fox F100 RLC fork. 100mm travel. Needs new seals but otherwise perfect.

- Crank Brothers Joplin R adjustable seat post. 30.9. New.

- 2 Fizik Aliante XM Mtb saddles. White, used 1 season.

- 1 set 2008 Shimano XTR dual control shift/brake levers with hoses, calipers and rotors. Hoses are connected full and bled. Derailleurs optional. Used 1/2 season.

- XTR mid cage rear derailleur. Reverse pull, used 1/2 season.

- XTR top pull Front derailleur, used 1/2 season.

- XTR Cassette, used 1/2 season

- 2008 XTR cranks/chainrings/bb. Used 1/2 season.

- SRAM hollow pin chain, used 1/2 season.

- FSA OS 150 alloy stem. 110 mm with carbon face plate, 6 degree rise. Fits 31.8 oversized bars.

- 1 Fizik Vitesse HP women's saddle. Used once.

- 2008 Rocky Mountain Vertex Team scandium hardtail frame. 18 inch. Used 1 season. With or without FSA Orbits Pro headset.

- 2007 Raliegh 29er rigid single speed bike. Medium. Upgraded to Avid Juicy 7's and Thomnpson Elite post.

- Crank Brothers Multi 19 tool. New.

- Crank Brothers Multi 17 tool, new.

- Crank Brothers Multi 10 tool, new.

- Crank Brothers Quattro fixed cleats, new.

- Crank Brothers Quattro 3-hole cleats, new.

- Crank Brothers speed lever, new.

- Crank Brothers Power Pump Ultra, new.

- Crank Brothers Candy 2Ti pedals, white, new.

- Crank Brothers Mallet 2 pedals, silver, new.

- Crank Brothers Smarty pedals, black, new.

- Crank Brothers Quattro SL pedals, new.

- Crank Brothers 50/50 pedal kit. New, included 2 color options: silver/bk and gold/bk.

That's what I have for now, maybe more to come if I uncover some more stuff...

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Lots to post, little time

Bart put together a killer backcountry ski trip to the Tornak Hut north of Ketchum, ID. 3 nights 4 days. Super good time.

Getting ready


Hiking with a 50 pound pack is about as fun as it sounds








The view from my bed


Bart and Matt wrestle over the queen bunk... actually this was a chiropractic adjustment.




Stowe represent!


the hut



Clear skies


aaaah sauna




Ever fall on your back in 20 inches of powder with a 50 pound pack on?


One false step...


The day after we got back my parents and sister came to town for a few nights. Hannah and Ned played on my moto






We skied Deer Valley








Joan getting her ski legs back under her after a few years... she had a few crashes.



Serious



Not so serious



On the gondi