Bike Rampin'

This weekend at Clinton Lake

You talk about a Great weekend for riding, almost 50 degrees. My bud, Jeff Smikahl and I went up to Clinton lake to ride a few hours, it was great! I hadn't been there for a few years. Here I'm getting ready to hit the red trail, it's a rock garden, tough to get a rhythm going, but we managed it. We found the Skills park, I didn't even know they had one, It was a blast until I found out I wasn't that skilled! Lol

JP Shores wasn't with us for the ride, but when at least 2 of us 3 get together for a ride, somebody is gonna get bloody! On my 3 time over the teeter toter I thought it would be a good idea to try and pull a wheelie off of it and lost my balance going over the teeter. My helmet is all out of whack! Need to adjust the straps! LOL, I look like I'm a little out of it, I had a huge hole in my upper lip and I thought I had broken my Oakleys.


I bled all over my bike

Jeff Smikahl after cleaning the teeter totor set, He completed it like a pro!

More skills park stuff, I must say whoever built this stuff did a great job! I just wish we would have had more time to play, I will definitely be back.

My daily driver

Well a couple of weeks ago I finally completed the domestication project of my old 99 Stumpjumper. This is now my daily driver to classes and work, or whatever. Its complete with Bontrager fenders, luggage rack, flare2 tail light, light and motion seca 700 headlight, 2 lighted reflectors for the wheels, tom slick tires, a thudbuster seatpost just because I had it, and Jandd paniers. I'm gonna get a trunk for it later. This is the same bike I won the Cat 2 race at Neosho back in April when my top fuel was down with a broken rear drop-out. I do love this old bike, but hopefully I won't have to bring it out of retirement again!

This summer at XC Mtb. Nationals

I Finally got a picture of my National XC race in Colorado this Summer. I finished 10th in the Cat 2's. Team mate JP Shores made the trip also, and he placed 15th, I think. It seems like so
long ago. I miss those warm days! This race was unseasonably warm for the mountains in Colorado, at the time I was hoping for cooler weather that day. The ground was really dry and the air was thin! They started us on a 18% climb that seemed like it went on forever. I led up the climb but when we hit the highest altitude, I couldn't breath worth a darn. My lungs were burning pretty bad. I had to back off and it took me nearly the rest of the race to recover. Very disappointing, but I guess I did ok for a flat lander. Next time I won't take off so hard from the beginning. On the pre-ride I was able to ride a section with Todd Wells, he's a good dude. We chatted a little about Lance, you know small talk. LOL, then he won the national title on Saturday. He's a bad ass what's he up to this year? Two national titles? What I would give to be that talented.

training in the cold tips from Planet of the Mapes and the Jens Factor

To enlarge the Jens Factor image click on the image and then zoom it in. Jens is one tough cookie, check out his factor for how to dress for the cold.

Ok, It's officially cold as heck for riding! I'm riding a century tomorrow and its supposed to be 10 degrees when I kick it off! Holy smokes batman! Anyway, it's intimidating to start but if you dress properly it's not that horrible once you get going, at least that's what I tell myself. Tomorrow I will wear knee warmers with two pairs of tights, one long sleeve jersey with a cycling coat, two layers of shoe covers with chemical foot warmer in the shoe. I will where a pearl izumi ear warmer and a balaclava face mask and my oakley Jawbones to cover my eyes, the more you can cover the better! I will wear ski grade gloves with chemical hand warmers. To keep your bottles from freezing up I will have bottles in my pocket to rotate every half hour or so with the bottles in the cage, having bottles in your pockets will keep from freezing due to body heat.