Cyclocross !!

What is cyclocross and where did it come from? Allow me just copy and paste some content from Wikipedia-
"There are many stories about the origins of cyclo-cross. One is that European road racers in the early 1900s would race each other to the next town over from them and that they were allowed to cut through farmer's fields, over fences or take any other shortcuts in order to make it to the next town first. This was sometimes called steeple chase as the only visible landmark in the next town was often the steeple. This was a way for them to stay in shape during the winter months and put a twist on road racing. In addition, riding off road in more difficult conditions than smooth pavement increased the intensity at which the cyclists were riding and improved their on-the-road bike handling abilities. Forced running sections, or portage, were incorporated to help deliver warm blood to the feet and toes, as well as exercise other groups of muscles. Daniel Gousseau of France is credited as having inspired the first cyclo-cross races and organizing the first French National Championship in 1902. Géo Lefèvre, the originator of the idea for the Tour de France, also played a key role in the early days of the sport."
Basically we race on dirt, grass, sand, mud whatever in 2 miles laps for about 60 minutes. We race on bikes that are pretty much road bile with slighty fatter tires and different brakes. The races also involve obstacles that we have to get off our bikes and jump over, or super steep hills or steps to carry your bike up. It is also synonmous with mud, sand, and rain. Pictures from epic races have the riders covered in mud with only the whites of their eyes visible. It's pretty much awesome!


So I was growing restless not racing something and I've always wanted to try cyclocross. Unfortunatley my car broke down a month ago and it took away all of my cyclocross bike money. I sat depressed in my house for a month and then realized with some slight modification my fixie commuter bike could be converted into a single speed cyclocross machine. I flipped the hub to the freewheel side, because keeping it fixed would not be a good idea. I am currently running a 46t X 18t combo until my 42t chainring comes in. I put some knobby tires on it which fit my frame because I run 700c wheels on a frame designed for 27" wheels. I also installed some brakes, which also seemed like the safe thing to do. So my spray painted black steel steed was now ready to race.

Last weekend I raced out in Folsom. The practice laps went great. I got to practice my dismounts and mounts. I was wishing I had the 42t chainring but it was managable in the tougher gearing and only made me faster if I could keep it up. Also I didn't have my rear brake yet. At the start line I throw down a little too hard and my chain popped off, I put it back on, and because I was upset I threw another 1000watt pedal stroke and popped my chain off again. So I'm 30 ft. from the start and I'm already 4 minutes back. I pushed hard and pulled back half the field and took 6th. I think I could've been in the top 3 if not for my chain mishap. All in all an awesome time!!

This Sunday there is a race in Sacramento in Discovery Park, just across the river from downtown. So if you find yourself enjoying a day at the park watching one of the most popular spectator sports in Europe come on down. races start at 9:30, but Keith will be racing with the badasses at 11am and I'll be racing the singlespeed class at 2pm. You can find more info at http://www.sacramentocx.com/!

Taking a break, hanging out in a lab and joining DBC

About three weeks ago was the last race i did. My body told me that is was the last race I should do for awhile due to the thorough butt-kicking I took! We all reach that point and it was time to get off the bike for a little bit. I went home, visited my family and spent my birthday in Michigan. Enjoying a lazy week.

When I came back I went to Sac State to volunteer for a study one of my roommate's classmates was doing. Not being a masters student myself I don't fully understand what the study is about but saw it as a good way to enjoy some free testing, and it sounded fun. First I did a VO2 max and VO2 submax test, Then I spend two weeks spending 3 hours a day in an altitude chamber. Every other day I did between 4 to 7 windgates before I went in the chamber. What are windgates? Well they suck, thats what they are. They involve doing 30 second sprints with a massive amount of resistance then a 4 minute cool down in between. The first session I nearly threw up!! You go as hard as you can for what feels like the longest 30 seconds ever, then you get to do it again 4 minutes later, and again 4 minutes after that, one day doing 7 straight windgates! I complain but it was kind of fun at the same time taking yourself to that pain level and fighting through it. Usually I took a exhausted nap in the altitude chamber afterwards or I watched Flight of the Concords episodes on my laptop.  After two weeks of that we retest my VO2 max and my submax to see how it changed. It's been neat to be involved and look forward to learn more about how different training exercises affect my fitness level.

In other news, last night Chris Hopkins and I drove to Davis to go to a Davis Bike Club race team meeting. After hearing some people talk and meeting some people on the team we joined.  I know Keith enjoys racing for DBC and I think there is a group of Cat 4's that can work together and support each other's goals during next season. This will be the first time I've raced for a team on the road bike and will have a lot to learn. But I look forward to having people to train with and learn from. So next year I will be racing on the road with a DBC team kit on. We will have to wait and see but hopefully I also get re-picked up by GT and get to continue to fly the GT colors on the mountain bike.

Overall this has been an amazing season, I won a lot of races, some of which were total surprises! Now it is time to start prep for next year. Time to hit the weights and get in some base mileage. I think I'm also going to flip the hub on the old fixie, put some nobby tires on it and make it into a singlespeed CX bike too have fun at a couple of cyclocross races!

2010 GT Bikes on New and Improved Website!!

Happened to notice that GT's website has been redesigned and updated with the 2010 bikes. Some things are still funky like the bike within the category are alphabetical instead of being by price. The new bikes are looking awesome though! I want the new Zaskar with the SRAM XX kit, check it out.

The new cyclocross bikes are on there but won't be available till the end of the season. The Carbon Force, an all mountain bike looks really sweet, there is an aluminum model as well. Looks like all the bikes were updated with at least a new paint job. There are also a couple more Road Bike and Women's specific bike options available from them. The 2010 line looks good!

I won the Solo Championship of 12 Hours of Humboldt

Saturday I did my first ever 12 hour solo endurance race. My first race ever was a endurance race, the 24 hours of Moab, but as a 4 man team and it was the infamous flash flood year where they cancelled the race in the middle of the night. I had some friends who were going to do it but cancelled about a week before the race, but I was already too excited to bail so I signed up for the race just two days before it anyway. So my first long race had less than ideal situations. I had no support crew. It's a 5 hour drive, and I had to work the day before. Lastly I had no idea what I was doing. Ever the optimist I didn't care, I was excited, and looked forward to it being a learning experience.

I bought a bunch of random food and packed the car Thursday night and went to work Friday morning. I left Sacramento at 5pm and arrived in Arcata, Ca about 11pm. I found the race site then parked down the street and slept in the back of the car. I slept horribly and had mosquitoes visit in the night.

I woke up around 6am and went to the race site. Started talking to other early risers and made some friends who in the end saved my day. Deanna, whose husband, Jason, was racing on a two person team with his buddy Gavin, volunteered to help feed and water me throughout the race. I was also helped by the wife of another rider. The two of them are the reason I won. Another example of how amazing the mountain bike community is. So I set up my EZup, bike stand and tools, then laid out my food. What do you eat during a 12 hour race? I have no idea so I brought everything. Of course I had Gu, Clif Blocks, Nectar bars. But I also brought chocolate donuts, bagels, PB&J, turkey, bananas, clementines, and trail mix. I knew I needed to eat about every 45 minutes, no more then 300 calories but no less then 150. I also put down a bottle of water every lap. Some bottles were Perpetuem or HEED. I also took endurolyte capsules every hour or so. Nutrition is super important and I knew I had to keep eating and drinking even when chewing seemed a chore.

The race is 8am to 8pm and you have to finish your last lap by 8pm. The course is 7.6 miles with 1,600 feet of climbing. We rolled out the start with the race organizer Vic. He bailed as soon as we hit a head wall of a climb. I stayed out front and just rode fast. I didn't ride very conservatively. I rode my first three laps at about a 40 minute pace, then slowed down to about a 50 minute pace for the next 4 or 5 laps. The course was beautiful, nothing really technical. The trails were smooth, but a lot of quick turns and switchbacks. There was a lot of climbing, most of it on fire roads, but always followed by amazing single track though redwood forests. Tinker Juarez talks about this as one of his favorite courses.

After about 6 hours of riding this amazing course I came by my tent and actually stopped. Deanna gave me some food and told me I was in 4th place overall. I was like cool! I asked her if anyone in my class was ahead of me. She said no, only teams were ahead of me, I was in first place overall the solo riders!!! I was stoked, and immediately got on my bike to defend my lead. I did have a couple of slow laps, and it became hard to eat real food. I did realize that clementines tasted like magic! It was awesome.

My climbing definitely slowed as the day went by, but the other riders out there were encouraging. There was a guy on a unicycle doing it solo and it was awesome. He was definitely the races most popular guy. All the riders were very supportive, every time I rode through the pits people cheered, it was a great time. I thought I might be able to get in 14 laps but came up a little short and did 13 laps, 99 miles, 21,000 feet of climbing in 11 hours 18 minutes. This put me as the fastest solo rider at the race by about 30 minutes and I was only beat by 4 teams!

Overall it was awesome experience, I have tons of stories from this race. It was also a great realization that I'm apparently good at these endurance races. This win caught me by surprise and is the one I'm most proud of so far this year.

GT Demo Tour in California

Stop by and try out one of GT's 2010 Zaskar, Marathon or Force carbon bikes. Everyone who tries a bike gets some SWAG. That's right, we are giving you stuff just to ride our bikes! Don't forget to bring a helmet, shoes, pedals and some ID. Anyone under 18 needs to bring a parent as well so they can sign your life away.

August 30
Consumer Demo Day
Nisene Marks Parking lot (Behind the Aptos Post Office)
500 Cathedral Dr
Aptos, CA 95003

This is just annouced so isn't on the calendar on the GT Demo Team website, but info and other dates are at this site- http://www.experiencegt.com/index.html

First Place at Howell Mountain Challenge Mountain Bike Race!!

I woke up early this morning to make the two hour drive to Napa Valley. I drove past a lot of the wineries I visited with my Mom a couple months ago. Took a right after St Helena and headed up the mountains on the east side of the Valley. I got to the course early, turns out Dean Meyer, another GT rider was also there to race. We set up both our tents and I went to warm up on the course. I had just enough time to get in a lap, which is 10 miles. This could have turned out to be a mistake because the course had a lot more climbing than I thought and was forced to work a little too hard for a warm up.

I raced in cat2 19-34 class. We did two 10 miles laps. There was a lot of us at the start, and one thing about mountain bike racing is you don't want to get caught behind the pack once the singletrack starts. The start was uphill off the line on pavement and then narrowed into a dirt path. I made sure I was lined up at the front on the start line and then hammered up the hill and reached the singletrack first. I could feel some lactic acid build up from this effort making me nervous about my extra long warm up. I got passed by someone in a different age group but kept my own pace. The group stayed behind me till we hit some uphill singletrack switchbacks in the first 1/3 of the first lap and then I left them and never saw anyone from my class again. (Podium pic taken a little late, no worries Rachel)

The course was amazing. Lots of singletrack with switchbacks both uphill and down and some double track flats or slight downhills to motor down. Cool little tech sections were scattered about too. The course threw about half a dozen tough climbs at you that were just long enough to hate them... a lot, glad I'm not Cat 1 like Dean who had to race three laps. One of which had to be walked it was so steep and loose. Also at the end of the laps was a huge set of rocky rollers with the crest and trough of all three of them being about a story and half tall deep and both sides being super steep. It was a course that changed terrain quickly and you had to look ahead to make sure you were in the right gear. The other plus was it was on a college campus and they opened the showers for us, which was nice after the dusty hot ride we had, thankfully most of the course was shaded!

Riding the last half of the first lap and beginning of second lap was lonely and its tough to push yourself and stay focused sometimes when your riding alone. It was nice to start catching some of the slower Cat 1 guys it makes you ride faster when you have someone to catch. On the last long climb before the end of the last lap there was a young kid laying on the side of the trail with a bunch of other riders. He didn't look like he crashed but instead heat exhaustion or heat stroke. We could hear emergency services coming up the fire road, one of which almost got stuck on those rocky rollers I described.

I took the turn off for the finish line and rode around the track through the finish line arms up in the air. I have been working on my climbing and this race tested both that and my endurance. I have a lot more work still but I know I can get better. Overall it was one of the best courses I've ever ridden, it was a great course for the carbon hardtail climbing machine that is the Zaskar.

In the picture below is Dean, in his GT shirt, Chris, in green who took second in his class, and I've done some road races with, and Justin, a young kid racing his first race. Justin picked a tough course to make his first race. He was worried about walking parts of the course and riding with the other riders. But he finished! which was a great feat for him. He was tired but enjoyed himself, who knows this kids may get addicted like the rest of us and come back three or four years from now and destroy us all on the race course. Keep riding Justin, cause mountain bike racing is fun!

Auburn Trifecta - Make sure you're prepared when you divert down a mystery trail

I got out for a nice long ride yesterday. I had the day off and I packed my jersey with food and carried three water bottles. It's nice to do one extra long ride a week. I parked at the trail head of the Stagecoach trail. I rode that down to the confluence and then I started the Clementine Loop and climbed up. Once at the top, instead of finishing the Clementine Loop, I got on the connector trail and hooked up with the Forresthill Divide Loop. Once I finished that entire loop, which is one of my favorite rides by itself, I went down the rest of the Clementine Loop. This would be a lot more fun on a big travel bike with all the jumps that have been built there. Once at the bottom of the confluence again I climbed up stagecoach but went up the super steep section just under the Forresthill Bridge. It was so steep I had to kiss my handlebars to keep from doing a wheelie and falling over backwards. then I hooked up with the Mossy Oak trail which brought me back to Stagecoach. Then I got on the Manzanita trail and I must have missed a turn and ended up further away from my car at some ranger station and had to ride up the road to get back to my car. So my extra long ride full of climbs become even longer with more climbing. But I made it back to my car before I was too delirious. All these trails can be found on motionbased.com or most NorCal mountain bike guide books.

So lesson learned, don't take mystery trail unless you have time & water for a possible adventure. Also make sure Burt Reynolds is around with a bow just in case you hear some banjo pickin'

Timpani Crit- Let's Keep the Rubber Side Down

Today I woke up and drove two hours to Santa Clara for my first Cat 4 crit. It was definitely a learning experience. Cat 5 crits are usually limited to 50 riders, Cat 4 is usually 100 and I would say there was about 70ish there. So it was a big group that would stay together through this non-technical course of four corners. I was going to hang back and see how things went. It was horrible, the group was going into turns on the inside and pushing way outside on the exit instead of a outside-inside-outside line. This was causing major slow downs and pressing people way outside at every turn so crashes were inevitable. The first crash came on the outside of the first turn I heard it behind me. After three or four laps and they had to neutralized the race, basically make us cruise slowly around the course, while the biggest fire truck ever responded to one of the down riders from that first crash. It was so bad they actually stopped us entirely after 4 or 5 neutral laps. After the paramedics left with the rider they were able to re-open the course and start the race with the "9" lap to go card up.

After one lap around they rang the prime bell, I bridged up to the front easily and thought I'd go for it, but nobody was really acting like it was a prime lap. I found myself all the way in the front at the last turn with nobody being aggressive at all so I thought maybe the bell was from a fan on the side of the road and this wasn't a prime lap, that is when two guys sprinted by and I felt like an idiot.

Then half way though the second to last lap and tire blew up two or three riders behind me and you could hear somebody go down hard. With only one lap to go they couldn't stop the race. I got up into the front 15 and was looking good when on the backside straightway I mis-shifted and lost my position. Also where people were sketchy in Cat 5 due to inexperience it seemed like people in Cat 4 are sketchy with overconfidence. When I was trying to bridge back to the front people were shoving themselves into places where there wasn't room. I guess I'm going to have to get used to more shoulder bumping in the final turns that didn't happen in Cat 5. Sitting in an OK position before the final turn leading into the finish line two riders went down right in front of me. I slammed my brakes, went left, missing them and waited for someone to crash into me but it didn't come. But at almost a complete stop people went by around me and any chance of a decent finish was gone.

It was a success to stay rubber side down at this race. I am proud at how comfortable I was with the large group, and could easily bridge back up if I wanted. But I will have to get used to a fast and crowded finishing lap if i want to place. I am excited to be racing on dirt next week at Howell Mountain Challenge, if you crash mountain biking it's usually your own fault and pavement is not involved and mountain bike racing is way more fun!

Why Tubeless Mountain Bike Tires?

So I finally put my tubeless tires on. This has been a year of mechanicals for me both dirt and road so I thought I'd minimize one of them. I pinch flatted in three mountain bike races this year, one of which I just had to cruise in for the win. But pinch flats don't care what place your in. So do tubeless really prevent flats, what are the reasons for running tubeless tires and how do they work?

Tubeless means just that, there isn't a tube to hold the air in you tires. Similar to a car tire. Rims have to be set up specifically for tubeless, or have to use a conversion kit. Basically there can be no holes in the rim for air to escape. In a typical rim there are holes in the rim for installing spokes. My rims are solid so no holes for air to escape except for where the tube valve normally sticks out. How do you fill that hole you say? With a special valve to put air in the tire, but with a rubber plug that seals the inside of the rim and a screw and o-ring that seals the outside of the rim and tightens it to be air tight. (sorry if the photos are blurry they are from my iphone) But here is what the inside of the rim and the air valve looks like.

Now the tire. There is a difference between a tubeless tire and a non-tubeless. The tires will say that on the packaging or your local shop will know. A tubeless specific tire is a bit thicker to prevent flats and loss of air through the sidewalls, and the bead (the ridge around the inner circle of the tire) that hooks

into the rim has a better seal to also prevent air loss. So once you pick out your tires based on terrain, bike use, etc. put it on you wheel. Check to see if the tire is directional. usually if you see some sort of arrow shape in the tread. Your tire should roll in the direction of that arrow or there is sometimes a mark on the side of the tire. Try to use tire levers as little as possible with tubeless tires to prevent damaging the bead which could break the air seal there. Get one side on and start to put on the other side and leave about 8 inches unhooked and open. We are going to use this open area to pour in the tire sealant. Hang you wheel on something with that opening at the bottom.

What is this sealant? Well you don't have to use it but it helps seal the tire and rims but also prevent flats once you're riding them. I used Stan's, but there is a variety of product out there. Stan's is by far the most popular and its what we sell at REI. So you get you bottle of Stan's and shake it upside down to get all the thick goo near the lid for when you pour. ( you may make a mess like me) The amount you put in depends on tire size and how much you're concerned with weight, the info is one the bottle of sealant. But pour the recommended amount of sealant (which looks like pancake mix) into the open area you left by not fully installing the tire. Then you carefully finish installing the tire, being sure to keep the wheel perpendicular to the ground so the sealant doesn't pour out. Once again try to do this without a lever but sometimes new tires are tight so be gentle with a lever is you use one so you don't tear the bead. With the tire fully installed you'll need a air compressor next. An air compressor is needed because it puts air in so quickly it does not have a chance to escape while the tire pressure is low and the tire bead isn't sealed. Fill the tire almost full with the compressor and then fill the tire the rest of the way to the max pressure with a floor pump. Be ready for some snaps from the tire, sometimes loud ones. That noise is the tire fitting into the rim. Once it's up to pressure inspect the tire to make sure its not about to come off the rim (if it is immediately let out some air!) or if the tire isn't fully seated in the rim (this will look like the tire is too deep into the rim). Usually there is a little rubber line around the tire next to the rim just follow that line to see if its the same distance away from the rim around the whole tire on both sides. Now rotate and shake your tire to spread the sealant and Bam! your tubeless!

Now why did I do this? Yes it's installation is a little more difficult and messy, and sometimes air disappears over night (use sealant). But here are the advantages;

Eliminates pinch flats, the most common reason for flats while mountain biking. Won't stops thorns or glass though. Only a solid rubber tire would do that, which is a bit heavy :)

Ability to run lower tire pressure which means more traction, and a big plus for a more plush ride for those of us who ride hardtails. Recommend 30-38psi, which is about 10psi less than non-tubeless.

Theoretically lower rolling friction, but only computer's can feel this

Bring your old fashioned tube on rides though. If you happen to get a flat the easiest way to fix it on trail is to put in a tube then diagnose what happened when you get home. So better traction up hills and around corners, no pinch flats. Sounds good to me. Here's to good rest of the season!

GT's Force 1.0 is reviewed on cyclingnews.com

Check out the awesome review the GT Force 1.0 got on my favorite cycling website, cyclingnews.com! It got 4.5/5 jerseys from their expert review staff. We carry GT Force line at my REI shop and I have to admit it is also a real good looking bike which utilizes their I-drive system. Speaking of new bikes to buy. I was riding a fun downhill shuttle near Yosemite called "007" The danger of this trail is motorbikes are also allowed. While killing it! going down this awesome trail I came around one corner while a motorbike came around the other and we ran into each other wheel to wheel! I came out alright, but my frame took some damage! (check out below) I guess I'll have to replace it with a new GT Bike!

Raod Racing update, ungraded to Cat 4!

In between the Prairie City races and in the break after I've been getting some races in on the road bike. This included Leesville Gap Road Race that i wish I had my GT Zaskar for because half the course was dirt or potholes. A flat ended that race for me but I had success in the crits. After a bunch of top 10 finished I won the Lodi Crit July 6th and then won the Colavita Grand Prix and the Berkeley Bike Club Crit the weekend after. This gave me 12 races and enough to upgrade to Cat 4. I hope to gain enough points to move up to Cat 3 by the end of the year so I can start building points in that Category next spring.

Prairie City Series Champion!

so even with flats in the last two races of the Prairie city race season, I held onto my season point lead and won the Expert 25-34 Class in this 12 race series. It was a great time but I'm ready for a break in the mountain bike season. I think the next race on dirt will be Howell Mtn. on Aug 9th!

Prairies City Race #10

2^nd place last night, I swear every time I start beating one guy another one comes along and ruins everything J. Two of us rode away and separated ourselves from the pack. Last week this same guy kept with me through the third lap. This week he didn’t crack and on the fourth lap he made a sweet pass going through a sandy section in a group of riders we had caught. This separation was enough for him to get away for the rest of the lap and take the race. He took a risk and it paid off, it was a good race. Luckily I’ve been the most consistent all season and have all but locked up the season points win. Also my team should win the season competition as well. Although there may be some drama with Keith’s placing last night.

Keith won, but for some reason he’s placed last on the result page. There is a possibility this is a punishment for aggressive passing. Problem is this is a race, a race with some very fast and talented people mixed with some cautious and unsure people and with 400 people out there on a 3.5 mile course it can be crowded. It is the responsibility of the race organizers to design a course that is friendly to all racers fast and slow, skilled and un-skilled. It is also their responsibility to hear both sides of the story. I understand we want to make it fun for all but at what point does it make it worthless for the expert/expert plus riders to even be competitive. There are races where I’ll lose by less than 15 seconds. I could lose even more time than that waiting in line to pass a bunch of beginner riders “safely” so some times I have to take risks to pass in situations that endanger myself but won’t endanger them. But that still upsets some people. For those within your own class/skill level you need to recognize this is mountain bike racing not some crit where you can ride side by side. Get out of the way or ride faster. If your behind a rider they can choose their line and its your responsibility to follow safely and not cry if you felt you got cut off.

This is in no way a dig at beginner racers. I applaud and promote all skill levels of riders to come race. This is the basis of the GT Dirt Coalition team. I just hope that everyone can be more understanding, and that includes the faster racers as well as the beginners and the race organizers. Mountain bike racing is fun, don't let the few negative nancy's ruin it.

Finally a win at Prairie City!!

With a third place three weeks ago and second two weeks ago with a crash that ripped my GT team jersey I was ready for a week off from Prairie City. I finally got a road bike in the beginning of May and decided to get some crits in. I did the Folsom Crit on Sat. May 23 and got 6th and the Aubrun Crit the next day where I took 4th. Then on the Golden State crit on Sat 30th were I got 5th. Not bad considering those are three of the 7 rides I've done on a road bike in a couple months. Also I had my jersey repaired for $14 at a tailor down the street. It was like new. So I felt confident coming into Prairie City Race 9. The first lap I felt stiff for some reason, but here was a four way split at the beginning of the course. I was the only one to choose far left which was the fastest (thanks for showing me that on the last practice lap Keith). Some guy I don't remember seeing out at Prairie City before caught and kept with me till about half way through the second lap. This week I was driven to not be caught on the 4th and last lap and the climbs on the course were perfect for me to power up. So I began the last lap with the tenacity I usually do in the first lap to separate myself. I didn't get caught this time!! I won by almost a minute. This win was a relief. Also three weeks into the team competition Team Q st. Coalition has a solid lead in the three man team competition. Jen and Keith both got third last night. Keith crashed and still pulled back that placing! 

Also check out the crash in the crit I did last Saturday. I'm in the bottom picture with the grey, red and black jersey and white helmet and glasses watching it go down! The guy in the red long sleeve that's upside down in that picture came back and took third!

Poison Oak and how sweet it is!!

On Easter Sunday I went mountain biking with a bunch of friends on the Forrest Hill Divide Loop. Already Poison Oak was rampant and oily looking on the trail. Forrest Hill is known for it plethora of poison oak and as long as you stay on the trail you should be fine. Prairie City on the other hand isn’t known for any vegetation at all. So when a couple of people I race with and I all got poison oak on our right arm it was an unpleasant surprise. When we showed up to the race last night we saw the calling card of week 5 on many people’s right arm. Good times for all! So I thought I talk about poison oak.

Appearance

It’s a three leaf ground shrub that can also grown up trees. It is green in the spring but will turn red also. When it’s really bad it looks greasy. Check out the pictures.

 

Effects

 

The plants when touched leave a poison residue called urushiol. The more irritated the plant gets the more oily poison residue it excretes. So when 400 racers do 5 laps or more including their practice laps the poison oak plant is mad enough to give it to every one. This poison creates a red rash and bumps on the skin that is itchy, generally the more you itch it the worse and wider spread it will get. It usually takes 4 or 5 days to show up but can take longer. Some people react worse than others getting nasty blisters and oozing while it spreads all over quickly. It is not contagious to other people; the allergic reaction can only come from the plant not people’s rashes.

 

Treatment

 

If you know you touched some poison oak immediately wash that area with cold water or if you have it a product called Tecnu. This will usually eliminate the chance of getting the rash. We carry poison oak cleaners at REI. Now most of us don’t get the luxury of knowing we touched some poison oak because we’re riding our mountain bike too fast to see more than green blurs on the side of the trial. So when you do realize you have poison oak rash you just need to not itch it. To help with the itch soak it in cool water. Don’t use oily lotions because you want it to dry out, instead use calamine lotions or antihistamine sprays. If it gets really bad go to your doctor and get some corticosteroid pills and duct tape you hands together so you can’t itch it. Also try to avoid really hot showers and take luke warm showers. As long as you leave it alone it will be gone in a week or two.

Prairie City Race #6

Another Wednesday night spent mountain bike racing! The course was short this week with three mile laps on some interesting bumpy and technical riding with short climbs. I was a bit overheated after the first practice lap but felt better after a couple more. So this course was a great course for me. Once the race started I had separated myself by the end of the first lap. I continued to build a lead but, at the end of the third lap I got a flat. I was severely disappointed to say the least. I felt I had the race win in the bag and then there was no air in my rear tire. I want to thank the mother and two little girls who were there watching their dad race for the moral support while I fixed the flat. I finished the race rather than DNFing it. My season point total will take a hit because of my placing. Maybe this and the fact that the team competition starts next week will motivate me to start getting some first places. Jen and Keith both won again so at least my teammates did awesome!

Prairie City Race #5 and IMBA's Ales and Trails

It's already Wednesday night again! After two days off from work, Wednesday morning was a tiring day at REI. We have a huge sale starting this weekend. I was tired by the end of my shift and didn't have high expectations for the race. We packed up and got to the course. We got in three practice laps, and I felt a lot better. The course had two short steep climbs and the rest was a big ring fast course. I took a sizable gap on everyone and led out the first three laps. i was caught on the fourth lap by a rider that hasn't been out since the first week. I rode just behind him the fourth lap hoping to sprint at the end and take the win. I did a test sprint 3/4 a way through the lap after the hills hoping he would drop but he didn't. With about 150 yards to go he jumped and I couldn't retake him. So second place again for me. I'm a little bummed because I felt I had a sizable enough led to ride away with the win. Training needs to be better, I can't just race on Wednesday and ride to work the rest of the week. Keith got run over but somebody on a wideopen straight away and got a nice hip wound and elbow scrap and still took second. Jen detroyed everyone in Women's expert. In two weeks starts the Team Competition. The three of us will make up Team Q St Coalition! I did get to talk about the GT Dirt Coalition and an IMBA event happening this weekend over the intercom and that was pretty cool. The IMBA event this weekend is the Ales and Trails fundraiser in Marin County. 8 brewers, BBQ, Pro riders clinics, and demo bikes. It is an awesome time. Buy tickets online to save some money www.alesandtrails.net Click on the flyer to see it larger;

Sea Otter 2009!!

Sea otter was a blast! After Wednesday night’s race I came home and packed. Four days of sleeping in a tent, mountain biking and looking at cool bike parts was ahead of me. Rich, Hopkins, Evan and I left the next morning with two cars packed to the brim. The drive is long, but now where near as long as some of the people coming to the race. We got there and the tone was set. This race/expo is confusing and nobody knows anything beyond there little volunteer responsibility. Oh well, it made it comical not frustrating. Hopkins signed up for the Cat 5 road race and circuit race, I signed up for the cat 2 XC race. We got resisted for races and our camp site circled back around the Laguna Seca race track. (Yes the one with the “Corkscrew”) and found out or campsite was a RV parking spot that was smaller than we imagined. No worries we had brought 

big tents and double up occupancy. This is where I endorse the REI Base Camp 6, tall enough to stand in and big enough to fit two World War II era cots with a camp table between them. The nights were cold and windy, and the days hot to super hot. I learned how to better pack for next year. Down Jackets are a must. The first night we ate our dinner in our tent. 

On Friday I pre-rode the XC course. It is a good 19 miles course, filled with fun single track, sandy descents, some long climbs and a short steep one. Friday was also Hopkins’ road race. Rich, Evan, and I decided to go on a leisurely mtb ride and come back and watch Hopkins finish. Instead we got lost and pretty rode the course. We did bring some Coors Lights and cheered on some Beginner racers that were competing. That was fun. It definitely sucked that I put in 40 miles of mtb riding the day before my race though. 

My XC race was Saturday at 8am; Hopkins’ Circuit race was immediately after my start. We woke up to fog and cold. I put on a long sleeve base layer, ate half a bagel and a banana and rode to the start. Warming up on the race track was drenching us the fog was so thick. My race group went off at 8:20am. I had shed my base layer before the start. The GT Golden Bike 

Cheerleaders gave us some inspiration and we were off! These guys were fast! We had two crashes in the first mile and a half. I keep within the top ten for the first four or five miles when on a bumpy decent my chain fell off to the outside. When I pedaled it back on the chain twisted and would no longer go through the gears. Rendering the bike impossible to pedal. I walked the nearest aid station, but they had no chain tool. I don’t generally carry one for races. If your chain breaks you not going to win, but I was a long way from the finish line and I want to ride back. I took their leatherman tools and bent back my chain knowing it was a matter of time till it broke. When it did I walked along the trail asking for a chain tool. Lucky for me someone gave me one and then went back to racing. This is where I don’t endorse Shimano chains. Reusing old pins is a nightmare, with SRAM I can just carry a powerlink and trust it. With my chain I took out the twisted section, and re-pushed in a chain pin to put it back together. My chain broke two more times after that. So for the last 8 miles or so I had limited gearing, but I was riding and smiling. I crossed the finish line riding hard and still didn’t take last place! 

Hopkins tired from his race came back to the camp site at the same time. We watched Levi and the pro circuit race. Then we wondered the expo with checking out all the new stuff. Being a gear head that was half the fun. We went into town that night and celebrated and watched the UFC fight. Monday morning we went to the beach at Carmel and then drove home. It was a good time and next year I will be better prepared, and will do more races. It was good to see GT represented all over that race and meet some pro riders and some fellow Dirt Coalition riders. 

Prairie City Race #3 & #4

Man I haven’t blogged in a while so I’m going to have to group some events! Prairie City Race #3 & #4 where very similar. Both courses were “big ring” courses, meaning I never shifted out of my faster chainring up front.
Race #3. I lead the first three laps with Billy hanging out behind me. There was a flurry of action in lap four and neither of us where sure if we had been passed. On the final lap Billy hammer up the last long climb and put some distance on me. The race organizations computers had been bugging so I didn’t know till about four days later I got second. It was a fun course with a couple of interesting single track ridges to ride along with no passing possible.

Race #4. This was a cool course with splits that provided faster lanes with more technical routes. In the first lap I got confused and missed a faster split and Billy saw it and took it and I never saw him again. L I rode with one of the Mad Cat riders, cool guy and I feel like an idiot for forgetting his name, for the first two laps. We rode fast and I ended up dropping him. He is getting faster; I will have to worry about him by mid-season if he keeps pushing himself during the races to stay up front. I then rode all by my lonesome till the last lap when I joined a rider from another age group. We pushed each other to the finish. I’m thankful he did too, because halfway through the last lap I could feel a presence behind me.(creepy I know, maybe when you race enough you can pick up such things) My extra sense was correct, in the last hundred yards a rider from my class had snuck up right besides me. I shifted down and hammered to the finish line securing second place. This was a fun race night, there are some epic crash pictures if you go to www.racemtb.com. Brian took most of the good crash shots.

This week I get my road bike back, with that my fitness should come back. I don’t like losing and really want first place. I have to get on a training regimen if that’s going to happen.

Prairie City Race #2

Thursday afternoon and Wednesday morning brought rain to Sacramento. I admit we only get rain like three times a year, so I can't complain too much especially since my GT buddies in the Midwest are still getting snowed on. Anyway it was all sunshine by race time leaving some mud puddles on the course. To be honest we were excited to race with the extra obstacles on the course. After three practice laps we lined up at the start line. I lined up next to a guy who had raced Sport last week and decided to upgrade to Expert. I remember last year when I did that, I was so nervous I was going to get whipped! Instead you find yourself going faster, surrounded by others you realize you can keep up. Sometimes not the whole race but you know you can be faster, and as the season goes on you will get stronger. This is why its good to train with people who are faster than you, or at least race as well. You'll find yourself get stronger and faster.

Anyway I got fifth this week, my seatpost kept dropping on me, which sucked. Oh well won't happen again. I felt stronger this week. I really like the crew of guys in our class. I see it being a competitive class this summer and I hope none of them get upgraded.

Congrats to Karen, who raced her first race this week! She has already admitted she's hooked. Keith took second again. Jen won again and will be upgrading to Expert next week. Mike Meza also won his class this week!

GT- good times! See you next week!

Weekend riding!

Fun Weekend but didn't get to Race. On Saturday I went to a bike demo set up by a local shop. It  was fun except I forgot my mtb shoes and spent the day doing laps on platform pedal with my crocs, a not so stiff "shoe." I did get to ride a bike from Brand X that I've always wanted to ride. It is supposed to be the hardtail killer, the only world champion full suspension bike. I didn't like it, the rear suspension has a weird feel if it isn't fully activated, and the front fork was spongy with the adjustment for which and the bottom of the fork. Sooo...Go GT Zaskar hardtail!! 

Sunday I was supposed to race at the Napa Valley Dirt Classic but I got called into work an overnight due to the remodel we are going through at work. I hoped to get home by 1am and get some sleep but that didn't happen and with two hours of sleep I didn't feel safe driving. I slept in and rode my fixed gear with some friends on the bike trail instead.

Today I rode Forrest Hill after work it was fun. There was some major trail work done, which turned some of the downhills into some weird tight snake turns. But it was fun, and I got a little carried away and washed out in a turn. Crashing the GT for the first time! Good times!

First race of the year, Prairie City Race Series Race #1

Alright the season has begun! Tonight was the first of 12 Wednesday night races at Prairie City. Last year I did really well in the expert class and decided to stay in that class. In the 25-34 expert class age group there appeared to be about 20 people at the start line. The course was short but fast with two climbs per lap. (the courses get longer at the sun sets later)  There was also a bit of wind.  The expert class does 4 laps, I rolled out and led after the first two, on the third lap I was dropped on a climb and lost the lead. I joined up with another guy in my class and we worked together and started to catch but on the last lap I couldn't maintain anymore and lost my partnership and was passed again midway through the last lap. So in my first race of the year I took fourth place! I'm happy with this. I know I'll get my speed back on the flats but I have hill work to do, that's where I lost my placings. My buddy Keith raced in the Expert Plus class (grassroots for Pro) and took second. Awesome job Keith! His girlfriend also dominated the women's sport class, get ready to be upgraded Jen. While hanging out at the end of the race I found two guys with some sweet old GT Zaskars, check out the pic above, the guy on the right has some sweet anodization on the cranks, stem, seat post, bar ends, and brake bar. Will post some pics from the race soon! I'm doing the Napa Valley Dirt Classic this Sunday, it is supposed to be hilly so more fun to come and one of my GT brothers from Reno will be there to race with. 

Salmon Falls Ride

Yesterday I drove up to Salmon Falls and got some climbing in. It was a great day, the weather was amazing. If you want a climb day from this trail its simple every time there's a fork in the trail go up. So it was another test day for the GT Zaskar Pro. The climb was long and hot but good. I felt good but I didn't climb at "race pace" so still not sure how I'll feel when I'm red lining it during my first race. At the broken glass and trash covered summit instead of turning around and going down the way I came I went down the little side trail. The entrance is up top where there's a break in the shrubbery and a old wood door on the ground. When you enter the rabbit's hole be ready for a fun little downhill in extremely tight quarters. It's important to keep your elbows in and head down, combine this with handling the bike down steep sections of the trail and you also get a couple short steep headwalls. When you get back to the main trail it's time to just lock out the fork and hammer! I almost ran into a cow and some turkeys on the way back to the car, that was a bit odd. Good times though, going out to Rockville for a mellow fun ride today.

Prairie City Race Series

The Prairie City Race series starts April 1st, which is next Wednesday! This is a 12 week Wednesday night series so there are plenty of opportunities to race! The race has been around for 14 years, it has some great competition for skilled riders and is a perfect way for beginner racers to come out and enjoy themselves and learn to race. It's also just a great excuse to mountain bike. The classes include Juniors, Beginner, Sport, Expert and Expert Plus, or Single Speed, Single Speed Women, Clydesdale, and Tandem. Each week you earn points based on your class placing. Weeks where it reaches above 100 degrees or there are ridiculous winds or it rains that week is Double Points! Mandatory class upgrades are also enforced to keep the competition fun and close.

Personally this is a great time, the whole community of the race is very supportive and fun. They do raffles just about every week. The junior series is great to encourage new riders and to bring your kids with you to your race. You shouldn't feel pressure to perform or be a great rider. The course isn't too technical and the object is to get people out on their bikes and enjoy the sport of mountain biking. It a great way for me to work off all the cookies and pizza I ate all winter! It is fun to see how quickly you progress in both fitness and race skills. I encourage you pre-register online every week to ensure your spot. I believe the field limit is 400? and it can fill up.

I'll be out there with my tent and new bike! Come race or hang out and enjoy a beer while you watch the racers come through the course!

Prairie City Race Link -Pictures and Results are also posted here after the races.

GT Dirt Coalition web site is up!

The GT Dirt Coalition web site is up! This showcases all the riders. It will be updated with our pics and race results. Go check it out! The link is on the top right of my blog under "sweet websites" or click here- http://www.gtdirtcoalition.com/Welcome.htm

My new GT Zaskar Pro is here!

I had my conference call with the GT Coalition people today and the whole time I'm jealous because most of the other people have there bikes. Then I swear the second I hang up the phone the FedEx guy is at my door. I took it to REI and built it up and then took it to Granite Bay to do some hot laps! So my first ride and review on my brand new GT Zaskar Pro is...

This bike is built for speed! The front head tube is beefy and I felt reassured placing the bike, its like a battering ram. The frame felt super solid. Usually there's a period where you have to get used to a new bike and learn to trust it. I felt comfortable right away. The frame is full carbon, and mostly full Shimano XT groupo with XTR shifters. The shifters are sweet because its set up so I can drop two gears in the rear cassette in one throw which means I can go faster quicker. The Fox remote lockout may be the greatest thing ever as well. I can lock it out and stand up and hammer, the best thing is if the trail gets rocky and uneven my hand doesn't have to leave the grip, I just bump the button with the side of my hand and the fork re-engages.

So... I'm stoked!! Sponsorship or no sponsorship I would have gotten this bike! Some guy on the trail was geeking out on it, and I was proud to show it off. I'll post some pics of me riding it this weekend!

The GT EZup is here!

I got home from work today to find my GT EZup in the living room. So like a little kid I had to set up my new toy. I will be warming up under the shade of this tent all summer. Since it reaches over 100 degrees often here in cloudless Sacramento this will be a prized possesion!

Happy St. Patricks!

Éirinn go Brách!

NorCal GT Dirt Coalition Team

Check out this acticle about those of us selected in NorCal!

http://norcalmtnbikeracing.blogspot.com/2009/03/gt-dirt-coalition-team-adds-norcal.html

I've been selected for GT's Dirt Coalition Team!

About a month ago I applied to be a part of GT's Dirt Coalition Team. It was part race experience part essay on why amateur mountain bike is important to me. I am super excited to be selected. They're supplying me with some clothes to put on my back and a machine to go really fast on. I will use this blog to share my experience with racing, training, and promoting the sport, GT, and IMBA! The season is about to begin on April 1st with the beginning of the Prairie City Race Series in Sacramento, then Sea Otter. I just got back from a back country ski trip in Colorado and have suffered a little but of frostbite in my fingers. So i promise to do a little more blogging when i regain the feeling in the fingertips of my left hand. Have tomorrow off of work and look forward to getting on the bike!