BC

Quick update...
Having a good time here in BC. Weather is good and the trails are great. More single track than last year. Been suffering on the climbs a bit but keep pushing on. I keep telling Alex he knows what it's like to race coed. Infected wisdom tooth has now cleared, eating solid food without trouble which is great. Still keeping it packed! Bike is working great, new 40T ring rules!
Yesterday was the full gamit of emotions as we got in a good rythmn only to get lost for 10 minutes. Got the vibe back later in the race. Attitude is everything here!

Early morning tomorrow (4:30) with 2 ferry transfers before race start! Not even half done yet and feeling the beat down, got to love it!
no time for pics

Seattle's Wed night Worlds

After finding a local dentist to help out with my dry socket and re-stock my packing supplies before heading to BC, I caught a ride with Russell Stevenson to the local Wednesday night MTB race at South Sea Tac.


twisty fast 1 track!

burgers after, thanks Russ (2nd at Test of Metal last weekend)

The Local MTB scene is thriving in every corner !

Emv blue and skillz practice

The wisdom tooth thing was a disaster, it's funny how a little tooth can cause such big problems. Anyway,it seems to be getting better just in time, only a few more days of antibiotics.

The monavie convention was a mad house over the weekend and with the team in town I barely had time to breath.

Highlights include:

-Green/purple--> blue/grey transformation

-Pyrotechnics

-Rosie's bbq food

-Eva playing mom to her new house guest Conrad (JB's 5 month old)

-All day photos shoot for a couple hours of photo's

-Fine tuning bike fit with Tom from Wobblenaught, that's a lengthy post itself.

-Hangin with the crew!

Now I am in Seattle for a work conference on the Amputee System of Care before making my way to BC this weekend for the stage race.

I checked out the Urban MTB park under the I-5 freeway this evening, you won't believe this thing...

BC prep

switchback practice!

Stan's testing?

Bike position tweaks are feeling pretty good and my teeter-totter skills are dialed!

#32 is gone

Emergency wisdom tooth extraction today capped of a fine week in the pain cave. I have never been so happy to go to the dentist. He could have charged me anything and I would have gladly paid. Surely the worst is behind me now, I just got to heal up the crater in my mouth.

After having monavie and yogurt for lunch I needed something a little heartier for dinner, Ice Cream did the trick!

Team's in town for the Monavie convention so hopefully my jaw heals up and I can shred some trails. Also watch for the new bikes and kits this weekend, looking good!

freedom starts here...

She doesn't know it yet but today was a life altering milestone.



more pics here

the roadrunner

This morning while I was riding down the hill out of my neighborhood to work I came across a large coyote walking down the left side of the road. This is not unusual fo rthe neighborhood and slowed down as I passed. I was surprised he did not bolt into the scrub oak as I got close and was excited to get a closer look. About 50 ft after passing him I slowed down and turned around just in time to watch him wind up his sprint in my direction. Being on a steep grade it was easy for me quickly accelerate down the road only to watch him accelerate into a full speed chase.

I have encountered dozens of coyotes in my neighborhood and have never known them to be aggressive so I was a little shocked by this guys attitude.

After a couple hundred feet of high speed down hill I decided to take a left turn onto another road to see how committed he was, sure enough he made the turn and kept on coming. This road levels out and I noticed he was slowing down a little so I slowed down, came to a stop about 100 feet from where he stopped and we stared each other down. As our eyes met I could tell he meant business and noticed he was fairly mangy and looked like he had gone a few rounds with some big local dogs. I decided to see how bold he was and sprinted the cannondale scalpel straight at him, for a minute I got a little worried as he did not budge until I was maybe 20 feet from T-boning him. He then flipped around and ran up the road another couple hundred feet before stopping.

This guy was holding his ground and I had no choice but to turn and head for work.
He's still out there roaming emigration oaks...

soaked

Rain is not that cold when your sitting in a river of melted snow!

Mohican 100

Who would have guessed such cool trails exist in Ohio.






The dynamics of a 100 mile race are tons of fun, everything from equipment, nutrition, tactics, pacing, route, and fitness need careful consideration. I was generally pleased with how I managed all the variables and only botched up the route for about a 10 minute loss. I think I am most excited about how I didn't let it get to me to bad, a positive attitude is critical for such an event and getting off course is the easiest way to loose focus.

Nutrition wise I was dialed. 2 (80 oz) hydration packs full of mango carborocket requiring only one feed zone stop. Nibbled on chomps and blocks every 15-30 minutes and had a bottle of water on the bike for cleansing the palate. In the end some Little Debbie oatmeal creme pies would have been nice but by then I was turning the big ring on fatty acids.

My Left hip gave me some trouble at the end but it always does, that's what happens when it has been ripped out of socket.

I would have liked to go under 7 hours but the detour foiled my hopes, at least the endurance seems to be good.

The 4 am wake up travel day after the race was by far the hardest part of the weekend!