Bike Factory Racing Team

2011-10-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

2010-11-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

Quiet around here, eh?

Check out what's going on over there instead.

Change

2010-11-04T14:04:00.000-07:00

Some revisions to the world as I know it:

1) The governing body of the Blue Ridge Cyclocross Cup decided that the series is completed, wrapped up, game over, at the precise moment that Queen City took second and the Foof was relegated to the back of the bus. Finals, cancelled, due to a lack of fitness. I'd move to file a complaint, but let's be honest, facing Queen City and Rocktown on their turf, down 30 points, and more than likely too lazy to race on a Sunday in November anyway, we are dead to rights. So in case you were planning on it (you weren't), don't show up on Sunday for finals. Let's move on.

2) Fall is sorta sliding away now, and the population of Rallysville must ease back into base training, muddy gravel road rides, and the kind of weather that makes you want to put your head down and climb something tall a few times. Oh hell yes, it's early for that, but it's coming. Find yourself a hardtail.

3) Rumors, and other unsubstantiated unsubstantialness abound. They're all true. And wouldn't you know it, the world keeps on spinning anyway.

These and other news stories, at 11. Keep it in the red, and stay tuned.

Paranormal and onward

2010-10-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

Another Paranormal came and went on Saturday night, probably the best one ever.

I won't go into a lot of detail. If you were there, you know. If you weren't there, you missed out - come next year.

But I will comment briefly on the nature of 130+ racers, many of them wearing elaborate, drivetrain-snagging costumes, all lighting it up off the startline into a 180-degree hairpin at outright dangerous speeds, and I'll say this - Everyone LOVED it.

Coolest thing to happen in my yard, maybe ever.

thankfully, someone thought to take pictures to prove it. Dangerous, crowded corner. All smiles.

"On your left, please. I'm on my way to plunder villages and rape women and children. "

This was, hands down, the fastest I've ever seen a man in a red flannel tutu ride a fixie on singletrack.

eventual women's winner, Laura Hamm, smiled big and then threw down 8 monster laps. And she did it all in a dress. In your face, bitches.

Kev29er taking the off-camber, caveman holeshot

at first, I thought "hey, someone dressed up as Markley." False alarm. It was just Captain America.

Outside of the party atmosphere and the luscious dirt conditions from just the right amount of recent rain, maybe the best thing was the racing. A couple of really close ones. Results are up (or soon to be up) at www.crcparanormal.com.

But why stop at 10 PM? The danger lasted long into the night with unattended bonfires, microbrews mixed with bourbon, howling at the moon and the like. Well done.

The letdown, however, was The Foof's dismal performance at the final regular-season BRCX race in Queen City. We sucked, basically failing to show up in any meaningful way, and the home team slid into second behind the mighty Cutters. But don't despair - revenge is nigh! Finals, conveniently will be November 7th at Massanutten, the very day after the 6 pak invitational DH finals in the GW. Beat that weekend rally with a stick, if you can (you can't.)

Knowledge:
The BRCX Cup - http://www.blueridgecyclocrosscup.com
6 Pack - http://www.bikemag.com/features/onlineexclusive/six-pack-invitational/

Number plates with Jesus on them? Blasphemy aside, I think Jesus would be very, very pleased to be a part of the Six Pack.

It's for the candy, kids. Might as well dress up a little. May your Halloween Weekend be haunted by the wickedest of skinnytrack.

Tuesday Crosstastic...and then the Paranormal

2010-10-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

The Rocktown #2 postrace buffet. what 40 pounds of ribs looks like.

Well let's get crosstastic again. Tuesday, at the Cville Gardens.

http://www.blueridgecyclocrosscup.com/
It's bush league crossy crossness with, dare I speculate, vehicle traffic AND some autumn gardening? Nothing says safety like getting real hazy-anaerobe-vision while trying to dodge hapless yuppy sharecroppers and their subarus. God help us. The Fooftown fearless leader, Bruce Almighty, seems to think we'll be just fine. Nevermind that he's a veteran of some dangerous alleycat shenanigans with the scars to prove it, I'm in.

Moving on, by Wednesday the focus will then shift to the Paranormal.
www.crcparanormal.com
The course is downright silky right now. Come get some on Saturday, 4 - 10 PM. Kids race at 3. Tailgating to commence sometime mid-morning.

A threat to the duo podium, and also what 40 pounds of ribs looks like

Today though, before any of that foolishness commences, I've got to get serious for a second and say how awesome it is to have a beautiful, loving, understanding, nurturing, supportive, HOT wife that can rally, who wants to go ride on our anniversary for an hour before getting some Cuban steak and a microbrew and maybe watch some football.
this lady

Whatever I did in a past life that the world deemed, "yeah, OK, that was nice of him, let's give him the works next time around" must have been pretty freaking spectacular.

I am humbled by your awesomeness. And your ability to pick Monday Night Football games better than I can. But mostly your awesomeness.

2 years today. Rally.

It's Monday, sports fans. Go find that person that makes you happy and go ride something with them that makes you giggle.

Do something that matters

2010-10-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

Let's start with what's important.

The world is run by the people that show up. Do something important:
http://savenorthfork.blogspot.com/

It's a little sobering to think about the freedom to ride this masterpiece over in West-By-God-Virginia being taken from we, the people. But it's a very real possibility.

Saving our access there could get tough. Really, the problem is focus. People are interested, but aligning the scattered parties in the right direction against the right enemy (not just wilderness designation, but oil drilling, etc) is difficult when you think about just who those parties are. Cyclists, hikers, mountain men - we are a wild, scattered bunch; and the disorganization can oftentimes be misconstrued with being the point itself.

It is NOT the point.
http://savenorthfork.blogspot.com/
Show up. The rest might just work itself out.

Speaking of focus, I saw a good bit of it out at the farm this weekend. Good hands came together, and the Paranormal course is absolutely dialed. Eric Moore showed up and rallied 6 laps, testing to see if he's got what it takes to win duo next Sat (he does, but DOES his teammate?) And my lady went and cranked out 20 miles on the road (on foot, mind you) prepping for the Richmond Marathon.
See, focus.

This is what focus looks like after 20 miles of pounding pavement.

On a less focused note, The Mighty Foof is getting a good clock cleaning these days in the Blue Ridge Cyclocross Cup. Rocktown is running away with the thing, and the Foof is actually in danger of falling behind the black sheep of the family, Queen City.
Shenanigan scorekeeping aside, we really haven't shown up in the biggest way possible just yet. But there are signs of improvement, namely Bruce Almighty putting Nick Waite away at the line in Staunton last week and stealing an almost-deserved 2nd place. Nice. Tomorrow, it's supertuesday over in Rocktown, one last chance to stick it to them on their home turf.

Bring it.

photo credits to whoever this guy is...http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c198/DUALRESPONSE1731/2010cyclocross%20series%20-%20rocktown/
And sweet Jesus that's a big picture of Fawley. But he's got talent that you just can't shrink.

In closing, I snapped this photo on the way out of Asheville last weekend, and I felt it summarized some things nicely, although I'm not sure what.

But don't forget your endurolytes.

The Silky Big Boy 2000

2010-10-04T10:42:00.001-07:00

Most of you guys that ride with me know that I'm a trailwork fanatic. I'm often distracted mid-ride to pimp some trail, cut a downed tree, carve a turn a little finer, etc. So I carry a big saw - the Silky Big Boy.

Here's a sample of the Big Boy in action. It will cut ANYTHING. And oftentimes the places I ride are so remote that carrying a chainsaw to most of the deadfall is impossible. So having a saw small enough to fit in my pack but still highly capable is a real convenience.

Since I'm at risk of sounding like an advertisement for Silky Saws, let me lace some profanity in here to really drive my point home in the most secular way:

This fucking saw will cut through a goddamn refrigerator.

Now that you know Silky isn't paying for this, we can continue. Although, let's be honest, the minute Silky is ready to sponsor trailwork and trailworkers, and they stick about 30 of these monsters in the mail to us, I will happily remove or edit that phrasing to better fit their specific marketing environment, whatever that may be.

On with the story.

Well, sadly, after a long summer of some real abuse, my Big Boy 2000 broke last week. The blade actually split where the smallest tooth meets the handle (probably the weakest point.) In the future, I now know to avoid wielding my expensive folding saw like a bush machete. But this time out I pretty much assumed I was out of luck.

With no real expectations, I emailed Sherrill Tree down in North Carolina to see if they had a replacement policy.

I got this in response:
Subject: RE: Broke my Big Boy 2000
Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 13:26:51 -0400
From: idemaio@SHERRILLTREE.com

David,

I will be sending a replacement Big Boy 2000 blade today, no charge and no freight. Please accept this replacement for your trouble with the Silky saw.

We appreciate your business and your good words about Silky products.

Regards,

Irene DeMaio

Customer Service Manager

SherrillTree

200 Seneca Road

Greensboro, NC 27406

Yeah, no questions asked replacement policy. They didn't even make me pay to ship it. Kick ass. Trail pimping to recommence this weekend.

Speaking of things that kick ass in North Carolina, this just in...
PISGAH KICKS ASS.
As of Friday, I've ridden Black Mountain as an out and back. The out and back are separated by 6 years and 6 months. Both ways pretty much rocked my socks.

Cunningham doing a little trudging to get to the action.

same spot, going the other way, 6 years ago and 6 months ago. Nice i-drive you ninny.

It's been a good year already. And on that subject of riding far away places and the once-mighty GT brand, I thought I'd put this picture up as a little parting shot.
Moore Fun in Fruita, Colorado, 2004ish. My addiction to the madhouse descent off of that Mesa, coupled with mankinds' inability to make a durable, aluminum full suspension bike in 2003, are probably the main two reasons that bike was reduced to scrap metal shortly after this photo was taken. But what a ride down.

Go stick it to something tall, Kids. Take your saw.

Fall

2010-09-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

Riding around in crunchy leaves for a few hours today seems to have dosed me with insomnia instead of sweet dreams. The fall does that to me sometimes. It's the best season, no questions, and it's hard to get it all in sometimes.

Take for example, Foofville's attendance at race # 1 at the BRCC. Unable to find the venue in time due to a tight schedule, we put up only 80 points versus Rocktown's 790. Lame.

Despite the gross margin of error it's anyone's game in disorga-cross, and there's still time for a reckoning. So outside of staying up all night with the full moon to try to fit more things into these glorious 3 months, one might also try SHOWING UP to the next event, here at the Rancho Relaxo at 6 PM on Tuesday, 9.28. Details here: www.blueridgecyclocrosscup.com

What next though? Well, how about a road trip to Asheville with Kev29er and C-ham to see the big man himself, Papa Nolan? That much is a no-brainer. But how many rides will be cut short by the after-affects of the mighty Ninja?

Testing to commence on this subject in exactly one week.

One of the best parts about fall? The glorious conclusion, 7 days of riding in Sedona like a blaze of glory, before coming home and hunkering down for winter.
get some

That's about all. Again, show up on Tuesday. Race, spectate, and bring a beverage. Or just bring a beverage and mill about aimlessly for a while, we'll count you for points anyway.

Disorga-cross

2010-09-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

That's right, the kind of Cyclocross that's so disorganized you can barely find the race.

OR IS IT?

http://blueridgecyclocrosscup.com/

That looks dangerously close to being an official series. Like it or not, get your game face on Fooftown.

BFR scores 4 for 4 at FORD

2010-09-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our riders at the Fredericksburg Off-Road Duathlon on Saturday September 11. Jenny L, Danielle, Shawn, and I lined up for a somewhat chilly 9am start that soon turned into a heated affair against some fast runners, talented teams, and tough competition from some locals and out-of-staters. Course conditions were primo with dry, dusty trails that were a bit on the technical side for the quarry, with both the run and ride capped off by a wet trip through the culvert under I-95. Shawn was off to a good start and ran well on both runs sandwiched around a very strong bike leg; not sure where it was but he took a digger on the run and got a little trail rash; the effort was worth second overall. Jenny opted for the shorter-distance race and finished strongly with an age-group win and second overall if my recollection is correct. Danielle finished the first run hot on my heels and held strong for second overall in the longer-distance course. I felt like my run was pretty good even though I was mid-pack or so on the first run; the cooler temps and reduced humidity made my runs less of a suffer-fest. My ride went well, and I tried to hold off runners on the last leg but got caught by a few including the dude who streaked past me to push me down to third in my age group by a mere 5 seconds. Oh, well, it was a blast.

Great job, teammates!

Blue Ridge Cyclocross Cup

2010-09-09T07:37:00.001-07:00

In the world of underground cross racing, there are underground races and then there is the Blue Ridge Cross Cup.

http://blueridgecyclocrosscup.com/

Tuesday, 9/14, the Foof will fight the axis of evil, the Rocktown/Queen City alliance, once again for world cyclocross domination. Past that, the details get a little sketchy.

Where: Somewhere in Rocktown
When: Sometime after work on Tuesday

The lack of organization is the point, as I understand it.

Check the website sometime Monday afternoon to get the details. Maybe go for a jog over the weekend. Scrape the 10 month old mud from your cross tires. Prepare to bring the cup back to where it belongs.

This just in...

2010-09-08T08:31:00.001-07:00

Colorado kicks ass.

Super D

2010-08-31T06:14:00.000-07:00

Bruce Almighty, the Mighty Bruce, called this in: "The Super D is tonight. 6:30 PM, you know where."

That announcement is a lot of things all at once. Late. Cryptic. Perfect.
God forbid you actually use this blog to get news of some sort and you don't know where this is going down, then you better axe somebody.

See you at the gate.

Super Muddy D?

2010-08-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

With no confirmed start list, no registration, and no officiating body, it's tough at this point (1:30 on Tuesday) to notify the seedy underworld of local racing that the Super D is postponed due to rain. That's if it were actually postponed, which would require someone in charge to postpone it, which would require both someone actually being in charge and it actually existing at all. Which, officially, there is not and it does not respectively.

So.

It's 1:30. It's been raining for 18 hours. Don't do anything dumb.

What a $6,000 pillow looks like, or how the 18 Hours on the Farm went

2010-08-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

The thing is, after 18 hours of racing, you'd HAPPILY pay $6,000 for a pillow. Even a titanium one that was stuck in 34x19 all damn night.

Some other good napping pictures, because apparently that's most of what I managed to photograph this weekend.

What a really good wrench looks like after an 18 hour race.

You'll notice the slight sunburn, insect bites, and full REM sleep while sitting upright at the awards ceremony. All good indicators of a mechanic who poured himself 100% into his racers for 18 hours and has now come to a grinding halt.

And sometimes, just coming home turns out to be all the rest you really needed. Shannon rallied. She also crashed. She also shook it off, rallied some more, endured some nasty wet roots, and brought home some victory cash.

As you can see, Bailey loves cash.

Some further thoughts...

This just in: in case you hadn't noticed them blurring by you on the race course for the last year or so, Gordon Wadsworth and Jay Catlett are freaking fast. I feel this photograph represents pretty much how the men's duo race went the entire day.

Shawn re-affirmed himself as the solo racer to beat at the 18 hours on the farm. After a 2nd place finish last year, he came back loaded for bear and fully prepared to pee on himself if necessary to win out there.
He won.
He smelled like pee in the photo below.

I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

Fast Joe Fish attacked hard down the stretch, relentlessly, even after some setbacks during the night which he could have avoided if he weren't such a damn fine gentleman. Watch out for him at Stokesville in two weeks - he's strong, and the Karma pendulum is about to swing back his way.

In a notable sub-plot, the summer of Toph concluded with a spectacular flurry of mostly unnecessary rallying, much like it began and progressed all summer.
The Toph rode the fastest double lap on file to barely make it in under the 10 AM gun and claim 3rd in co-ed 4 person, nearly 3 laps up on the competition and still 45 minutes back from second. And yet, despite the futility, it's the rally that really counts anyway - and that was one for the Summer of Toph record book.

Other big winnna's...

And on and on...

Plus, I'm told that Jazzy Geoff Keenan rallied in multi-sport, hardman style and brought home the serious bacon at the Walnut Creek Xterra. Other near-podium stories there as well? I'll leave those for someone else to tell.

What I will tell you is this: The Super D is on like Donkey Kong. Seriously, Donkey Kong is coming and everything. 6:30 PM tomorrow night. The location? I can't tell you that. But ask around, search the underground, troll the dirty underbelly of Charlottesville bush league racing in the right place, and you'll find it.

Thereafter, I'm told that a trip to the 12th street taphouse will be necessary to ease those aching bones. Hopefully, all bones will ache, but remain mostly unexposed to the elements. If not, the scheduled taphouse stop will have to be pushed back until after an Emergency room stop.

Any questions, ask the person in charge, whomever that may be, if you can find them.

Until Wednesday, then.

Endurance Racing

2010-08-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

Someone who doesn't know me very well asked me the other day why I was into endurance racing. Seems like a miserable thing to put yourself through.

I couldn't really come up with any reasons to do it, only that when you go to an endurance race as a spectator and you see it actually happening, it occurs to you that you'd like to do it too. Mostly, if you look around at all the pain people are putting themselves through, you actually see a lot of smiling, laughing, and generally having a good time. It defies logic in a lot of ways.

For fun, I thought I'd put up some pictures of that fun.

The 24 hours of Moab.

The 24 hours of Winter Park

18 hours on the farm

The Paranormal

Camp Hilbert Enduro

The Burn 24

In every one of those pictures, I can pretty much recall that exact moment. Riding, having a good time, enjoying being on my bike for a long damn time. And as I was putting those pictures up there, something occurred to me...they're all taken during daylight.

Because it gets dark, and it really starts to hurt a lot, and I don't remember many night laps but for the most part, they're hard and they suck a little.

And when the sun comes up, you look like this sometimes:

Ouch.

You just gotta hope that all that pain you put yourself through during the night pays off, and when it gets light again, you're somewhere near the front and still moving forward. The memory of all that pain during the night fades away quickly, like a bad dream.

I am one of the few lucky enough to get to race with family. Shannon, though a self-proclaimed runner who is dabbling in mountain biking, has started to full-on rally. Riding with your wife is cool. Racing with your wife is even cooler. This is a real question she asked me, "Is running 12 miles on Saturday morning before the 18 hour race really a bad idea?"

And of course, Shawn is pretty freaking great at this stuff. Lots of experience, a huge engine, and the sort of stubbornness that it takes to successfully put yourself through that kind of pain for a long time. And yet, he's been through the worst of it enough times to still have some humility and fear it a little too. So when the 18 hours on the farm rolls around on Saturday, I've got him picked for that $500. The real payoff, though, is getting to pass him in the wee hours of the morning and slap his ass one time, real hard, because it's a rare occurrence to be riding with him when he can't catch me. So I've got to take advantage. What are brothers for.

Photo, circa 1981 or so. Shawn, as you might imagine, is pulling the sled. I am the good looking one in the Planter's Peanuts stocking cap. I only wish we could still go that fast.

Good luck everybody at the 18. Don't forget to rally a little bit while you're out there.

August is upon us

2010-08-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

A little August update:

Rumors of my death are unsubstantiated and incorrect. I've been in Ontario. But not before racing the Wilderness 101 in absolutely primo conditions. Pennsylvania, my new favorite place to ride.

Let's get down to business:

First, the call has been made for the annual Super D Brownie Crit.

From: davidtevendale To: james.gist; brucewtj2; jeremy.senn; danielo.mail
Subject: Super D Brownie Crit
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:36:48 -0400

Super D Champions of Yesteryear - August is upon us, and with it, the annual super d brownie crit. By tradition, as reigning champion, Bruce Almighty gets his pick of location and date. If he fails to perform, former champ James "super d" Gist is allowed the privilege. And failing that, one time super-stud Jeremy Senn, whose whereabouts are largely unknown, will be offered the chance to pick a location and date.

Failing all of that, Danny O, last year's runner up, whilst not an actual champion, will be allowed to make the holy call. Rally the troops. If we're going to use BRS again, sometime in the next two weeks is a must.
Let me know.
Dave T.

As a follow up to this, sadly, it appears Jeremy Senn's whereabouts truly are unknown, as his email address got bounced back to me as "This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification. Delivery to the following recipients failed. And he's not that fast anymore anyway." Sad.

Moving on, all of us who have been following the summer of Toph will be simply thrilled by what we got in the BFR mailbag:
"SUMMER OF MOTHER FUCKING TOPH!!!"

It would appear the good people of Idaho may have overserved our boy by a glass of chardonnay or two. But he seems otherwise healthy.

Moving on, I decided to cut Bender's ears off.

It's not like he had that much to listen to anyway. There are really only two words he can hear, "Ball" and "Rally." Everything else is insignificant.

And that's a good way to live.

Last but not least, longtime fastguy, Fooftown all-rounder, and 5 time keg-wearing paranormal champion , Iron Mike Walling, has been gunned down by this deadbeat economy in this hellish year of our lord, 2010, and is being forced to move to Cleveland.

(for gods sake, if someone has a better picture of iron mike, send it to me and I'll replace this disgrace of a photo with something that really shows his softer side. if he has a softer side.)

You heard me, Cleveland. His memorial will be held this evening here at the farm, which most of you in the know already know. His ashes will be jettisoned via rocket-fueled space cannon into orbit, or perhaps the pond, and we'll all be allowed the opportunity to say a few words in memorium.

That's the news, kids. See you when I see you.

BRS to Walnut

2010-07-23T05:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, the inaugural Blue Ridge School to Walnut Creek ride went down. 10 starters, 3 finishers. 70% attrition. Nice. In reality, it's not that hard...maybe 50 miles or so of mixed singletrack and road. But given that the route passes THROUGH TOWN, it's a little too easy to jump out and head home about an hour from the finish.

Some pictures:

Best Store Stop Ever

Does it look just a little bit like those dudes are thinking about loading Jay Dicharry up in the back of their truck and taking him home to feed the gimp?

Summer of Toph, dude. Sumer of Toph.

More Whistler

2010-07-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

In Whistler, danger lurks around every corner.

Or, it just prances around out in the middle of the trail with its cubs. Either way.

Some other photos:

Maybe the best thing about riding the in-town XC loop in Whistler? The trail names:
Gee, I like your pants
Why Johnny Can't Read
Pinocchio's Future

This just in...

2010-07-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

Whistler kicks ass.

Photo Worthiness

2010-06-06T18:53:00.002-07:00

I never claim to be a great photographer, but in the past week I have captured some images worth sharing.

First and foremost, it doesn't take much to be able to catch a painted water turtle out of water. Just about any elite-level predator can do that (of which Bailey is the best of the best). But it takes real tenacity to bark at said turtle for a solid hour and a half as it slowly inches its way across the yard.

What I pulled out of my back pocket at the end of Sunday's stage last weekend at the Giro De Ville.
Not a great day. And yet, the greatest of days. And still, today, I am waterborne parasite free. It's hard to complain when you're in Montebello.

Some Preddy Singletrack construction, and some Pretty Singletrack. don't try this at home, kids. but a 2000 pound machine on a steep sideslope is nicely offset by a 200 lb ballast. helmets mandatory. keep hands and feet inside the car at all times. etc.

The difference is a simple matter of before and after. The race for trailwork grunt of the year is heating up, and the results are simply luscious.

And last but not least, we ran up on this fatty on the Jeep Road right below Bald Mtn today. He went from 3.5 feet of snake crossing the doubletrack to a compact coil of muscle, venom, and fury in the blink of an eye.

Brownie Crit this week? Options abound, and the people demand a rally.
Danny O. said something about a hill climb up the nasty steepness called Brokenback.
And Blue Ridge School is hosting a Wed ride anyway. Does the Super-D loom on the horizon? Will Cunningham even have a functional ride by Wednesday? Or how about a sampling of the short track that SVBC built over at Massanutten? The call is out for some wheels to break that in on Wednesday before the pros get here for the Hoo-Ha.

Stay tuned for details.
Keep it narrow, but keep it dirty.

Quick BURN 24hr Report

2010-05-31T04:38:00.000-07:00

Ellen, Scott, and Mike are back home and resting. I really should be sleeping after only 1.5 hours sleep Saturday, but for some odd reason I'm up and semi-coherent. The rest of the BFR crew got in a comfy stay at the Wilkesboro hotel room.

Great times again, despite the monsoon Friday night. We got the race compound set up literally next to the start line around 4pm Friday. Rains rolled in around 7pm and left water standing in the campground and popups demolished, but our stuff held out.

Race day saw us get stuff laid out and ready to roll, and the course was actually decent by go time--a little gooey in places to make for painful climbing through peanut-butter mud, a little slick on some of the bermed corners, but definitely rideable. Biggest pleasant surprise to me was that the mud really only stayed at trail level and did not kick up into brakes or drivetrain, so parts didn't get trashed.

Record number of racers, and the increased fields were mostly 5-person teams, so there were always fast people working their way around the course. Danny and Jay on one duo team, Mike and Scott on another duo team, Shawn solo, and Danielle, Ellen, and Marcus on a 3-person team.

Not too much bike carnage: multiple tire changes searching for the optimum tread/pressure, some broken saddles and spokes, and lots of literal pains in the butts of our racers' tails.

We delivered in spades: double-digit laps including everyone on the Angel team doing night laps for Marcus and the Angels, a win for Mike and the author as duo team Off Constantly, second for Jay and Danny in duo, and a second for Shawn.

Great job, teammates! I had a blast and was so glad to spend the weekend with you.

Have fun this weekend

2010-05-27T07:35:00.001-07:00

Whatever you do this weekend, The Burn, The Giro, mow the lawn, or just slob and dribble on the couch...

do it with a little glee.

Shan, pre Cincinnati Marathon

But don't fool yourself into thinking it's all fun and games. I went back and dug this up - a little race recap from The Burn 24, 2008.
________________________________________________________

To call racing The Burn 24 Hour Mountain Bike Event the next logical step for anyone might seem like a contradiction of terms. Logic doesn’t account for much in the sub culture of mountain bikers who stay up all night racing for 24 hours by themselves. Nonetheless, The Burn 24 was really just that for my brother, Shawn: the next endurance race in a line of endurance races that seemed to fit together in order of ascending difficulty, building upwards in such a deviously easy way that might suggest the sky is the limit. But the sky is not the limit. Or so it didn’t appear to be at 1 AM on Sunday morning, the day before Memorial Day.

Moths sputtered around the lights we had hung in our pit, our trailer situated right beside the course where Shawn could stop and refuel every lap as he came through the transition area. Cicadas moaned on the wooded hill above Jason and me, Shawn’s pit crew, as we swapped bikes for him every other time he came through to head out on his next lap. Clean gears and fresh bottles seemed to help him, at least mentally, as he trudged around the 7.5 mile course that had seemed so fun and easy 12 hours ago. It gets strangely quiet at a 24 hour race around this time of night despite the hundreds of people occupying this makeshift tent city outside of Wilkesboro, NC. The hum of generators was punctuated by the occasional gear shift as racers continued to go out on their laps into the cold and darkness. Shawn came in from his 15th lap on the bermed, rollercoaster course and limped his way through the transition area to our pit. He looked completely beaten. Shelled, they like to say. He was shocked by the difficulty of trying to race a mountain bike for 24 hours in a row.

It all seems simple enough. Get on your bike. Ride around an 8 mile course that starts and ends at your tent. Eat something. Repeat as many times as you can in 24 hours.

“I still think 30 laps or so might take it,” I remind Shawn, as he eases into his chair. We’d calculated this a hundred times in the past week, how many laps it would take to win. 30 laps would mean something like 225 hard mountain bike miles within 24 hours.

“I need a minute,” the past 13 hours of racing had chased all the blood from his head, and his face had turned the color of a bone. He looked skinny in a bad way. He’d taken only one other break, a brief 10 minutes in the pits around 10 PM while Jason had wrenched on his bike and I’d plied him with pop tarts and cool water. He’d come away from that pit stop dazed, but he looked relatively together still, maybe even better than the few laps before where nausea and fatigue had been wearing him down around the track. But his next lap took nearly 1 hour, then he turned a 1:05. Steadily, his progression around the course was slowing while his condition worsened. He came in from lap 17, almost completely blown. He was dejected, ““They’re just better than me,” he murmured.

Not much better, but yes, maybe he was right. At that point, his chances of making up 3 laps on seasoned endurance racers like Santa Cruz Syndicate’s Mark Hendershot were growing small. It was cold. He was exhausted and only marginally lucid. I did my best to reason with him, “No, they went out hard. They’ll fold. Keep riding your race and good things will happen.”

It amazed me how fast the frontrunners had gone out through the 80 degree sun when the gun went off at noon. Hendershot, in particular, was cool and collected, steadily churning out 45 minute laps past nightfall, laps that I thought were sure to break him eventually. But they didn’t, and Hendershot rode on while Shawn paced himself back to 7th place in the large solo division, just trying to keep moving.

The evolution of an endurance athlete who is hooked on this kind of racing can be a rapid progression. A few years ago, Shawn and I raced the Shenendoah Mountain 100, a hundred mile mountain bike race through some of the best trails in the George Washington National Forest outside of Harrisonburg, Virginia. We finished together, at 10 hours and 50 minutes and change. I liked it, felt like maybe it was the sort of thing I would do again if I really felt strong. Shawn was hooked, and he wanted more.

Much more. Last year, Shawn raced 4 different 100 mile events. At the Cohutta 100 down in Tennessee, he placed 34th, only 1:30 behind the winner, Trek’s Chris Eatough. If Shawn had needed additional encouragement, that would have done it – but he didn’t need it. Thankfully so, because later in the season he crashed or cramped out of 3 other 100 milers. Undeterred, he placed well at a 50-miler Endurance race in West Virginia, and then he took 2nd at The Paranormal, a 6 hour local event in Earlysville.

The stage was nearly set. Shawn was logging hundreds of miles per week, riding at night, getting daily feedback from a coach online. The endurance bug had bitten him hard. Then the 18 hours on the Farm got delayed from August until November, and on a bitter cold night in early November, for 18 hours, Shawn raced and won the solo category there in Goochland.

We talked about it on his last lap at the Farm, 16 hours into a cold race with the sun now finally out and the temperature climbing. “I’ve got more to give,” he assessed.

24 hour racing was the only logical next step.

Eddie O’dea, race director of The Burn 24 and an accomplished racer himself (He won the 24 hours of Conyers solo category this year the week before The Burn 24), gave me his perspective on this progression, “I used to think a solo 12 hour race was crazy back when I raced cross country. Then after I competed in a 12 hour, I thought a 24 hour was just nuts....then I raced one (well 10 now). Now I don't know what's next, but whatever it is I want to keep pushing my limits.”

Eddie definitely knows a thing or two about putting on a great endurance race, as The Burn 24 has become one of the most popular endurance races in the Southeast. “The Dark Mountain trails are some of the best in the country. The Brushy Mountain Cycling Club does a fantastic job building and maintaining these trails, and it's an honor to be able to host the BURN 24 here as well as help support the BMCC.”

Asking around the event, there was a general consensus about The Burn being the premiere 24 Hour event in the Southeast. Registration prices are lower at The Burn than many other 24 Hour events, free BURN energy drink and post-race barbeque, and a fun atmosphere gives most participants all they’d need to return. But the course itself is even better, and as one racer could only describe it, “out of control.” 90% singletrack. 20 or so gigantic berms. 35 and 40 mph speeds were regularly clocked by riders with odometers as they whizzed around the 7.5 mile track in as little as 35 minutes, despite the 800+ feet of climbing. That’s fast on paper. It’s faster in person. For more information on the Dark Mountain trail system, visit http://www.bmcc.us/.

Eddie explains the appeal of his event further, “This is a grassroots event at heart, and I have tried to hold true to that experience while providing all the amenities that you would find at a world class event.” And it shows. Where Conyers only had 6 participants in their men’s solo race, The Burn 24 ended up with close to 50. Maybe that’s a testament to a really great race, but maybe more so it’s just an honor for an all around good guy who puts it on. “I really enjoy directing,” Eddie confirms. “It's as hard as racing, but a little different. It's very rewarding to create a positive experience for so many riders.”

“Positive experience” is not how I would have described what Shawn was going through at 3:50 AM. He’d been gone for over an hour, and Jason was pacing back and forth in front of our pit. The rattle and metallic grind of other racers shifting into bigger gears as they accelerated out past our tent started giving me the idea that maybe he’d had a mechanical. 3:55 AM, maybe his lights are out. I mentally count back the hours to the last time we changed batteries, and I struggle with the math. 3:58, our buddy Mike comes through the transition, leading the Open Duo category with Scott like they did last year, like they do every year, and I run to him and ask him if he’s seen Shawn.

“Yeah, he’s right down by the lake,” Mike confirms. “He looked awful when I came around him.”

Right at 4 AM, I see Shawn’s HID’s crest the hill into the transition slowly, like an old man into an elevator. He eases over to the pit, and slumps into a chair with his feet up. “I need a minute,” he slowly breathes.

The good news at this point is that he’s 16 hours into the race, and he deserves to be tired. The bad news is that he’s got 8 hours to go still, a big race by itself, and with his position he’s poised to either break into the top 5 or slide away into the teens. He can’t afford a rest.

He’s nauseous, barely holding down anything to eat now, and I check his water bottle from the last lap and he’s barely touched it. I’ve raced with him for years and never seen him in this much pain, and as his brother it’s difficult to know what to do. Should we help him up and stuff him back on the saddle? Allow him a brief rest and hope he’s better for it? His head keeps lolling back and hitting the back of his chair, and his helmet has fallen off. Jason and I opt to give him a minute. Two minutes. Ten minutes later, and despite the blankets we’ve piled on top of him he’s visibly shaking from the cold. The temperature has fallen down into the low 50’s, and he’s drenched from racing all night and now frozen in place. He knows he’s got to get changed, and he’s got to do it quickly before his body burns too much energy trying to keep warm.

It’s not the passage of time you’re fighting at this hour of the night – the tick of the clock is actually your best friend, a drop in the bucket towards finishing. The enemy, instead, is the inability to keep going. Shawn looks right on the verge. I jump into the trailer to get his next set of clothes, and I’m worried we’re looking at the end of the race for him. He’s mentally beaten, physically exhausted, and without any real hope to catch the leaders. What else is there to drive him on?

I turn around with his clothes, and to my surprise he’s on his feet, climbing into the trailer behind me. He’s shaking badly now, very cold. He strips, leaning against the wall of the trailer for stability, and he looks down where we laid his sleeping bag out for him before the race started in case he might need it. He stares at it.

“I’ll get a chair,” I reason with him. “You can sit down and get your gear on.” I duck out of the trailer and grab a camping chair then jump back in and put the chair behind him. He looks at the chair, looks at me, and then he stands up as straight as he can and pulls his dry socks and chamois on.

“If I sit down,” he says flatly, “I’m not getting back up.”

He’s not pitying himself and he’s not grieving how difficult this is, just stating the facts. But there’s a toughness in what he’s doing that I can’t fathom, and I realize that it’s that toughness that a 24 hour racer digs into when there’s nothing else left to give. That toughness is both a boon and a curse, because it hurts to quit but it hurts to proceed. Regardless, Shawn is digging deep for it.

Out of the trailer and back into the cold, I can’t believe he’s going to do it. He drinks a little coke and eats half a pop tart, stares blankly out across the transition area. “Give it until 8 AM,” I promise him, “This will get better.”

“I hope so,” he says. Without reason, he limps back onto his bike, clicks on his lights, and rides back into the darkness. It’s 4:30 AM Sunday morning.

Final tune up for Burn24

2010-05-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

Went for a final tune up ride tonight with Jenny, Sheila, John, and Marcus. Got to hammer some wattage and pop the legs a little as a final prep for Burn. Took the Mountain Bike even to emulate positions and everything for the weekend. Great time, great weather....awesome.

I guess everything is pretty much set for the Burn 24 hour now. Bikes are ready, body is ready. I just hope I don't end up like this guy at 3am.

-Shawn
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Johnny on Reeds.

2010-05-23T13:09:00.002-07:00

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Whebee on Reed's Gap

2010-05-23T13:09:00.001-07:00

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IMG00136.jpg

2010-05-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

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Whebee on Reed's Gap

2010-05-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

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IMG00136.jpg

2010-05-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

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Johnny on Reeds.

2010-05-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

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Burn 24 hour fleet.

2010-05-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

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24 hour race psychology

2010-05-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

I am not sure what drives me to get on a bike and ride for 24 hours solo. The personal challenge? The comraderie with fellow racers, promoters, and my pit crew? The shear effort and expendature of energy involved starts well before you ever toe the start line. Months out you mark a spot on your schedule for the year, you pedal, you run, you lift, and you stretch all year long aiming for that one crucial day. The focus from months out is tremendous.
20 weeks ago I was in Base training mode- Lots of miles, often on the Mountain Bike, often pedaling gravel and paved roads.
12 weeks ago the build phase of my training commenced, longer tempo efforts, intermittent LT efforts, basic skills work.
2 weeks ago Build ended and peaking for this event began: an emphasis was put on short hard efforts, toping off the ability to scramble up a hill. Through that time though, still long tempo efforts continued. More time was spent at LT or just below LT. Bike riding hurt more than usual.

Now, here we sit, 1 week and 1 day from the Burn 24 hour. Physically am I ready? Mentally am I prepared? Will my nutrition plan pan out? Will my tire selectionby the correct one?

My peak and training for this race will pale in comparision to what I do for the 18 hours on the farm race, that is my real focus for the year, but that does not downplay at all what goes into next Saturday and Sunday.

Over the past several years there are a few things I have learned:
1- never corner your self in with a plan that is too specific. Flexible and slightly vague seems to work better.

2- At one week out, prep all your equipment- bikes get new chains, swap cassettes if you need to. New brake pads, new tubes in the saddle packs and new tires go on and new sealant in the tires.

3- Ride EVERYTHING you will use on race day prior to the event exactly as you anticipate having it set up. Leave nothing to chance or that 'I set it up right mentality.'. Get out there and pedal and move the bike. At 3am, your whole effort can be derailed badly when your new chain suddenly has a bad quick link or you didn't notice that broken spoke in your race wheels.

4- bring along a pit crew you know and can trust. It is as important that they can joke with you at 230am when you are cramping a hamstring as it is that they can tune your suspension or gears. (Good cooking skills help also!) Marcus and Jenny get to play this role for me this year. They will have some help as well from Hugh, Erica, and anyone else unlucky enough to be in the pit at that hour when I come through somewhere between pooping and puking mentally and physically.

5- finally--have great equipment. If you are gonna be on it for 24 or more hours, have confidence in what you are gonna be on.

For me: the most reliable part of the whole thing is my people and my equipment: My Trek Top Fuels and Elite Hardtail. Equiped with Bontrager and DT Swiss componetry keep me rolling safe and efficiently through it all. Jenny and Marcus will do everything they can to keep me going mentally and physically.

So what does this all mean; I have no idea, but my bikes are prepped, My lights are charged, my food is selected, and all that is left to fail is me. So bring it on, let the games begin!

-Shawn
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IMG00128.jpg

2010-05-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

Test Run of the Burn 24 bike today. Primary rig with DT 1250 wheels, Bontrager XR1 tires 2.0 front and rear. New chain, SRAM 999 cassette and XTR shifter/ brake Dual control.

It feels fast, and I bet is under 20 lbs.
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Whetstone Ridge Pimping

2010-05-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

After copious amounts of birthday shenanigans on Saturday, I got down to the dirty work on Sunday and soldiered down to Whetstone Ridge with The Shade Pig to see if we could properly groom that big, hairy monster (Whetstone, not the Pig) in preparation for the Giro De Ville coming in two weeks.

Whetstone doesn't get a lot of love, not only because it's a big, hairy monster, but also because it's a long way to drive just to use a brusher. And it's certainly an adventure with a loaded bob trailer.

one of the few times the trailer and bike remained upright

Casualties:
Brusher Blade #1
2 tanks of gas
100% necessary small bob trailer dropout clip
Bent Heckler dropout

On the plus side, we got some work done. I wouldn't call it fully pimped trail, but it's somewhere between open and buff (as buff as Whetstone could ever be) on the Universal Scale of Trail Conditions. For those of you who don't make it down that way much (that is, everyone I know) it's really worth the drive for something different.

Of note, the Shade Pig did get to see two furry creatures which he could not identify, which might mean he just isn't good with local fauna identication, or it might mean he saw something remarkable. He says they "loped" away when they saw him. Interesting. We have no photographic or video representation.

I do have this video, however, which is probably way better than whatever grainy/hazy video The Shade Pig/Fox Mulder might have taken anyway.

Scrapertown from California is a place. on Vimeo.

Belated Birthday Ride

2010-05-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

Dave's Birthday was May 1st. Today we celebrate with a brewery ride. Not done yet though, so watch out! This photo is looking at the Blue Ridge from a brewery of the same name.
-S

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There's a new sheriff in town

2010-05-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

Clark Lavoie might have departed to enforce the law in parts South, but there's a new sheriff in town. Brianna Cunningham joined us yesterday, and she reckons there isn't enough room in this town for two sheriffs anyway.

a brief note here - I'm about 90% sure her name is Brianna, and only 50% sure that's how to spell it.

A beautiful baby. The miracle of life. It's sobering enough to keep me from remarking how tired she looks and then posting that picture of 9er at Lodi from 3 years ago. And that is pretty sobering.

Mom, Dad, Baby, and brother Gavin are all doing A-OK.

A picture is worth a thousand words......

2010-05-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

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New Bontrager Evolve Saddle!

2010-04-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

It is purdy!! Will let you know more later!

-S
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Chocolate Milk Bliss

2010-04-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Any race that has chocolate milk and water at the finish line for you is alright in my book!
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In the finish chute

2010-04-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

2 hour 13 minutes. Wow, what a hard course that was. Big climb to open that left everyone with lactate legs by the last 4 miles.

Jenny had the usual mental push moments, but rallied and came out strong in the end.
-S
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Climbing strong

2010-04-24T06:56:00.001-07:00

On da climb!!
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Race Face!!

2010-04-24T03:43:00.001-07:00

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NORD

2010-04-23T06:59:00.001-07:00

Good luck to the BFR crew taking it to the mean streets of Richmond this weekend for Duathlon Nats. Will Eric Moore, coming off of FORD victory, be able to hold off Geoff Keenan and Scott Ramsey in the NORD? Will Brock Darden manage to keep the bike upright, in one piece, and moving forward, or will sheer power output kill the deal for him again? Who else is showing up down there? Will torrential rains wash away the whole scene? Who knows - the only thing certain in that race is lots of pain. Duathlons are hard.

Speaking of pain...

"Has anyone seen my Moots?"

Bike Parking only

2010-04-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

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Ugali

2010-04-17T14:44:00.001-07:00

Cooking Ugali with the Kenyans. Ugali is Swahili for "run like hell tomorrow."

Despite the carbs, and despite how cool it was to watch these two take turns attacking a stronger runner in the 8K, they couldn't pull off the win. Still, the sprint finish was amazing to watch, and 2nd and 3rd makes for a nice podium. Congrats Paul and Henry.

Also, big up, mad congrats to BFR racer, Eric Moore, for taking down the FORD today. Get to the front and stay there - not a bad strategy.

FORD victory!

2010-04-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Eric Moore for the overall win at the Fredericksburg Off-Road Duathlon Saturday April 17. BFR showed up in good numbers with Brock Darden, Jenny Whedbee, Eric, and myself rolling in for the start in great weather conditions at the course. The initial run was flat for about a mile before singletrack and then a riverside portion before heading into transition after a fairly long 2.9 miles. Eric led the run, and Brock was close to the leaders before a snapped chain took him out (Brock, I think you've got your mechanical glitches done for the season and you'll have a good race next time). I was a few minutes back on the run and felt good on the bike and only gave up one overall spot on the run when a younger age-grouper flew past on the final straight.

Eric was a few minutes up on second, and Jenny won her age group. I had a second in my age group, so it was a good day all around.

Peace.

The People of Colorado Vs. The Bad Apple

2010-04-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

In 2003, I lived in Boulder, CO and I was poor. But I was into racing mountain bikes.

How does a poor bike racer get a bike when he's not fast enough to get a sponsorship? Unfortunately, the answer is craigslist. (for those of you who have heard the van story, this misguided craigslist experience actually precedes the Van craigslist experience.)

For a few months before Christmas that year, I'd been keeping an eye on all the classifieds, ready to pounce on the cheapest, nicest thing I could find over the winter. And I found an advertisement on craigslist, really liked the price, and I knew the bike was cool, so I bought it from a guy in Boulder for way less than it was worth. He claimed he had back problems, forcing the sale. It troubled me – despite the fact that the guy fit the bike, he seemed sketchy on a few different levels. But I ignored my gut feeling; I used cash, bought the bike, and was on my way.

The bike was fantastic. Super fast – rode great, etc. But it ate away at me, stupid conscience, that someone, somewhere was missing it.

So, after much debate, I decided to try to find out. In the end, it didn’t take much looking - sure enough, it was stolen and listed in a database of stolen bikes that I found online (www.nationalbikeregistry.com). So I called the database who put the owner in touch with me.

Strangely, the original owner (college guy) didn’t really want it back at first. He was grateful to have found the bike, but he’d already made an insurance claim and was shopping for new bikes. So basically, his insurance claim (if discovered) was void and he’d have to give the money back. So he doesn't really want it back – I keep the bike, case closed, right?

No indeed. I got some legal counsel from a friend, and because I reported the bike as "found" with the National Bike Registry, there was an official report - possibly available to police, insurance, etc. Which brought about all kinds of possibilities for insurance fraud, becoming someone's puppy in prison, etc.

The original owner of the bike thought about that, and after a while he decided in good conscience to take the situation to the Police. In the end he was really appreciative – getting his original bike back, doing the right thing, etc. He actually didn’t have enough money to buy a new bike anyway after paying the insurance deductible, so it was good for him to go the legal route.

As for me, I was out $500 unless the cops could find the perpetrator. Which was doubtful. Which made me think hard about the choice I made - buying the bike might have been a mistake, but was I obliged to dig for the truth about its origin?

My roommate at the time, a man of questionable moral fiber, was blown away by the whole situation. He told me: if you dig up the past all you get is dirty.
“You made the choice to start with,” he said when I was trying to decide if I should find out if the bike was stolen, “there’s no point in doing the right thing now.”

I wholeheartedly disagreed, and I still do. It’s not often that life lets you make a mistake and then lingers around to give you the opportunity to man up about it and be honest and come clean. And while you can’t control the whole world, or even parts of the world, you CAN control little parts of the world for little windows of time. That’s Free Will, and outside of our personal sense of right and wrong, acting upon that sense is perhaps the only thing that makes us who we are. In whatever corner of the world I control, theft ain’t cool.

My sense of righteousness was eventually rewarded...sort of. In the Spring of 2004, The Bad Apple, a local dirtbag, drug addict, and bike thief (and the guy who'd sold me the stolen bike) was arrested in a blaze of glory. Having been too drunk to effectively mace the cop who was conducting the sting to arrest him, he had fled on foot, and was thoroughly beaten down by some of Denver's finest. Sweet.

Then the legal process started.

I'll try to keep this brief: The Bad Apple was arrested, posted bail, skipped town, was caught, brought up on other charges, incarcerated, released on work-bond, re-incarcerated for other crimes, did some hard time, and...eventually I lost track. I did, however, update my address with the Colorado judicial system every time I moved on the off chance that, eventually, this guy would be released from prison and sent back to work. A part of his restitution, as I understood it, was to pay his victims for the damages he'd caused. Unfortunately, it was quite a lot of damage. And I was pretty far down the list. But who knows?

On Monday this week, 7 years after the crime was committed, I got something in the mail from The Colorado Judicial System. The Bad Apple (whom I've chosen to leave nameless here on the off chance that he is trying to start his life again on the up and up) is apparently out of prison and back to work. And The People of Colorado vs The Bad Apple seems to have it's own bank account by which it's sending out restitution checks to his victims based upon his current earnings minus his living expenses.

The physical manifestation of our legal system's success: a check for $11.34. I'd take a picture of it and post it here, but it's got his name on it, and again, I don't want to throw the poor sack under the bus if he's finally trying to do the right thing. More to follow? Who knows. Finances aside, it doesn't really matter.

Happy Friday, good people of the world. Keep riding. Your karmic investments will be returned to you, but the equation isn't necessarily enacted all at once.

Hilbert

2010-04-15T18:28:00.001-07:00

Okay Hilbert.. that was a dirty trick. I'm not entirely sure what you did, but the GI issue wasn't fun. I still rocked and felt strong, even though the 7th and last lap. Be prepared, May is coming quickly, and you're allll mine, buddy!

-j

p.s. Now that you've had a taste of The Piv, are you trembling? Oh, there's more where that came from, you better believe it!

Camp Hilbert

2010-04-10T19:10:00.001-07:00

Okay Hilbert. I know you and I don't have a good history. There was the day with 3 flat tires on a single lap. There was that episode with the bonk at hour 3 (and the subsequent two+ hours of suffering). There was the day on the single speed, yeah, that kinda hurt. There was that horrible suffering of the attempt at going fast enough to place in sport. There was the day with the flat on the start line.. that was funny, sort of.

This year, I'm bringing THE PIVOT for it's first run at you. You've probably never met anything quite like it. It's red. It plush. It's rock solid. It's an enduro machine. It's fast. Hell, it's so fast I can't keep up with it sometimes. The Niner is coming for moral support, to spectate the Piv's dominance, and a possible backup. So don't think you can put a well-placed stick in a derailleur on the opening lap and get away with anything.

Every wheel I own has fresh Stan's. Even wheels I'm not bringing to the race. I have enough food and water packed to feed a small army for a short war, or a large army for a very short war. I double checked that I brought my shoes, helmet, chamois cream, gloves, arm/leg warmers, shorts, jersey. Heck, even the iPod is ready to rock your world; a 5 hour mix of HateBreed, Nine Inch Nails, Disturbed, and Patsy Cline (You heard me!)

Hilbert, tomorrow is war. Bring your A-game, mine is packed.

Art

2010-04-10T06:01:00.001-07:00

Pretty cool. I can't figure if it is 'art for' or 'art with function'.
Bike Rack?
Bench with out the back and seat area on it?
Pretty cool though. I really like the touch of the oversived cassette with chain rings in the top middle attached to the Trek 820.

The wings made of fork legs is cool also.
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Found in NC!!

2010-04-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

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6WC and Green's Lick

2010-04-07T17:32:00.001-07:00

It was great to see a bunch of the crew at Warrior Creek! Definitely a strong showing. Also, Scott and I just had a great ride at Bent Creek! Rode about 15 miles on the Bent Creek trails to include Green's Lick and the Explorer Loop. We followed it up with a family bbq at the house. It was awesome to see some of the old gang.

Lessons Learned

2010-04-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Any car ride with D-Whit will feel much longer than it actually is.
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Dwhit DZirkle as a Podium Girl

2010-04-03T15:27:00.001-07:00

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The outcome

2010-04-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

If the Burn 24 hour has been renamed by Jason to the 24 hours of Berms. Then I dub the Warrior Creek 6 hour as 6 hours of super berms! Wow, what an awesome, awesome course.
Results:
Duo women: Jenny and Ellen- 8th place
Solo Women: Jenny Whedbee- 13th place.
Solo Men: Shawn Tevendale 4th (5th overall)
Jay Catlet 21st
Scott Ramsey 27th place.
Danny O. 50-60's we think.
Nolan Lavoie 72nd place.

Whit was here, he annoyed Jay out of the pit and then chased him for a lap, and through his general annoyance kept our pit times pretty short. He rode part of a lap with me. It actually was nice to have him helping.

At the end, he served as a podium girl, sort of.
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BFR and WBR pit zone.

2010-04-03T06:05:00.000-07:00

Sweet.
Game on in less than an hour.

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Nolan Spotting?!?!

2010-04-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

We found this guy down here.

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Dinner Time

2010-04-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

The drive down has been interesting to say the least. The course is awesome. The company....well, let's just say I think I deserve hazard pay for this one.
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Face, meet bridge.

2010-03-31T07:46:00.001-07:00

Bridge, meet face.

Bontrager Tire Information- An XC racer view.

2010-03-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

I have had a bunch of questions on the new tire line up from Bontrager that is available. Mostly, people are asking what they might consider running in certain conditions and what to consider packing along to races and rides this season.
In an attempt to help with this, here are some recommendations: Section 1 below has a breakdown of tire usage by condition, it attempts to make sense of what a tires intended purpose is. In the section 2 at the bottom, I offer a summary of what sets of tires to buy and run based on: how many tires you are thinking of getting and under what conditions to run those tire choices.

With all of this I try to adhere to a few basic rules:
Always pick a tire with a bit heavier tread and sidewall protection than you think you might get away with.
Always run either the same tread pattern front and back, or run more tread on the front than the back.

I base it also on the absence of the Bontrager XDX's and Jones ACX that we are used to having on the bikes, as indeed, it appears Bontrager may be phasing those out. (From what I can figure out, the XDX in the 29er lineup has been replaced with the 29-3 and with the still not released 29-2. The XDX in the 26er world has not really been filled yet, the XR2 is pretty close from a traction standpoint, but I think the XR3 conspicuously missing from the lineup will be the real niche filler if/when they release it. The ACX is being replaced with the XR-4 and 29-4 tires in the two wheels sizes.)

Section 1

Smoother dry course with good flowing corners and such:
26 inch wheels:
Bontrager XR0
Bontrager XR1
Bontrager XR2 Tubeless

29 inch wheels
Bontrager 29-0
XR1 29er

The 29-0 and XR0 and XR1's are not tubeless rated or advertised tires. They have a fairly light weight side wall system that gives good casing compliance and tends to fold out of the way when rocks are encountered rather than slice through like a stiffer side wall may. As such, they are also kind of porous when it comes to getting them to seal tubeless if you try to set them up that way. The beads are actually fairly solid, so that aspect seems to hold in a tubeless setup. If you do decide to try them tubeless, consider using both Stan's and Superjuice to get a good setup. The latex based Stan's tend to create a good "permanent seal" to the sidewall porosity as the Superjuice particles clog them. But keep in mind, THEY ARE NOT MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDED FOR TUBELESS USE.
The XR-2's I have only seen at the dealer show and was very, very impressed with. It is a good cross over tire between lower rolling resistance and adequate traction for most Virginia/Maryland/NC style courses. I have a pair of these arriving this week that I may brave using at the Warrior Creek 6 hour if conditions allow. It appears to be a step up from the XDX in power and braking traction, I will be curious to see how it holds for cornering traction against the older XDX, I am thinking it will be superior in that realm as well.

Smoother course with sharp corners or slightly loose leaf litter or courses with more rocks and loose terrain:

26inch Front
Bontrager XR4
26 inch Rear
Bontrager Revolt
Bontrager FR3

29 inch Front
29-3 29 x 2.1 inch version it is the one with the angled linear knobs in the picture (note here: Bontrager rates the 29-3s as a dual position tire (front or back) it is apparent though that the 2.0 version may be a better rear tire than front, and vice versa for the 2.1's)
29-4

29 inch rear
29-3 29 x 2.0 inch version it is the one with the horizontal knobs in the picture.
FR-3 29er

All of these tires in this category are tubeless ready.
The XR4 and 29-4 are dream tires on the front. Good angled knobs with some taper to them, they tend to shed mud and dirt really well and hook up in a predator-supernatural kinda way. The sidewall casing are solid and seem to hold up really well also. In really muddy or loose conditions, they would also be awesome on the back of the bike.

The FR3's are a Free Ride style tire, super solid sidewalls and thicker tread durometer means they can take big hits from rocks and such and keep going. The center bead on them is intended to offer low rolling resistance when on solid surfaces, and when setup tubeless the tread on the sides will press into the ground on softer surfaces. I recommend the FR3's for when there are rocks or when there are periods of significantly alternating conditions Loose rocks, mud, to pavement and back again.
The Revolt and 29-3 29 x2.0 are really only rear tires in my mind, and I am not sure I would recommend either for super sharp rocky conditions. The Revolt would do OK with that if you were cautious, as it has a wider tread surface than the side walls, so effectively, the tread helps to shield the sidewalls from rocks. the 29-3 appears to be a really great tire for loose conditions, or for when the terrain is roots and such, but I would be very cautious on rocks with it.

Muddy Stuff:
26 inch
Bontrager XR4
Mud X TLR

29 inch
29-4
Mud X TLR 29

This past weekend at the BRS, I ran a 26x2.0" MudX on the back and an FR4 26 x 2.2" on the front. I was surprised with how well they both hooked up the entire time.

Section 2

So, to try and boil it down, what should I buy, and when should I run it?

If you are looking at getting 2 tires for all conditions: (budgeted minded approach, this will leave you over gunned in some conditions though)
26" crowd
Bontrager XR4 and Bontrager XR2 Tubeless

29" Crowd
29-4 front and either a FR-3 29er or 29-3 29 x 2.0 inch version for the rear.
when deciding between the FR3 or 29-3 look at what you ride the most. If rocky stuff, get the FR-3, if smoother stuff, go with the 29-3

If you are looking at getting 3 tires to cover conditions: (offers the additional option of having a lower rolling resistance pair of tires for when the terrain is smoother or dry)
26" crowd
Bontrager XR2 Tubeless Pair (front and rear) and and Bontrager XR4 to put on the front when things get looser
29" crowd
29-3 29 x 2.0 inch version, 29-3 29 x 2.1 inch version and 29-4 front for when things get looser on the course

If you are looking at getting 4 tires: Effectively gives you three viable alternatives to run: 1- smooth, dry, and fast; 2-Tacky, loamy, fast; and 3- technical, loose, challenging terrain.

26inch
A Bontrager XR4 Bontrager XR1, Bontrager XR2 Tubeless, and a Bontrager Revolt
You run the XR1 rear and XR2 front for a very low rolling resistance setup on a super fast dry course.
The Revolt Rear and XR2 front for a low rolling resistance setup on a tacky or slightly loose course.
You run the XR2 rear and the XR4 front for a moderate rolling resistance setup on a looser or more technically challenging course.

29 inch
29-4, 29-3 29 x 2.1 inch version, (29-3 29 x 2.0 inch version or FR-3 29er), and an XR1 29er
This gives you a similar set of options as the 26 setup above
XR1 rear with 29-3x2.1 front for very low rolling resistance setup on a super fast dry course.
(29-3 x 2.0 version rear or FR-3) with the 29-3 2.1 front for a low rolling resistance setup on a tacky or slightly loose course.
(29-3 x 2.0 version rear or FR-3) with the 29-4 for a moderate rolling resistance setup on a looser or more technically challenging course.

if you have the cash, consider adding a Mud-X or additional XR4 or 29-4 for the rear to any of the above and I think you can cover 90% of all course conditions that we will ride, you would match it with the XR4 or 29-4 already in the sets.

When selecting tires, they also come in an "Expert" version and "Team Issue" version. In general the team version has a higher thread count sidewall and is a lighter weight tire. Durability and tire function should be similar between the two though.

I hope this helps and makes some sense of the Bontrager Tire line to you all. If there are any lingering questions, please send them my way and I will see what I can come up with.

-Shawn

IMG00040.jpg

2010-03-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

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IMG00039.jpg

2010-03-30T06:01:00.000-07:00

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If your forks air spring side looks like this, it is past due for an overhaul!

2010-03-30T05:39:00.000-07:00

This is from a Manitou Nixon I am working on this morning. Lots of sludge in here like the exxon valdez visited.
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Junior League.

2010-03-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

BFR is helping out today at a 'healthy lifestyles' thing for the junior league. Luckily, Dave found a ride to the event.
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Ride the Ridge

2010-03-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

Brownie crits are back, Tue/Th worlds have returned, Ride the Ridge MTB race on Sunday at BRS, and sunshine, sunshine, sunshine: Earlysville is the new California. Maybe someone will seize the opportunity and put a taco stand in Earlysville where the market used to be. Maybe have a truing stand out front, self-service style. Sell some surfboards. Not require shirt or shoes.

Or, more realistically, maybe we can just go one more year without a crazy redneck in a Chevy running a cyclist down on Earlysville Rd. I'd take that.

But let's focus. Ride the Ridge. Sunday. Online registration ends at 8 AM Friday morning, for some reason, so get your act together and get on the roster. $20, racers. It's cheap, gnarly, and purely for the glory - like your mom. Get excited about that.

Lots of bad air being spouted on the interwebs these days about health care reform. What's right, what's wrong, who should pay for it, blah blah blah. It's a very big deal. I had an idea about the state of free speech on the internet as it relates to Health Care reform, here goes:

Before you are allowed to post/tweet/instant message/flame/spout off something narcissistic/ crude/intolerant/hateful/narrow-minded or otherwise harsh on your facebook account/blog/Wiki/Voicemail/ Twitter/email or other public forum, you must first go to Blue Ridge School and ride a lap on the Ride The Ridge course. The whole thing, including bearhole, not just the short course. Then and only then will you be permitted to notify the world publicly (and yet safely veiled by the secrecy of the internet) of what the hell you think America and Americans need. This preemptive action will, by itself, solve the health care crisis; we'll have a fitter, happier, slightly bloodier, singletrack buzzed populace that no longer really needs or cares about health care (although they might need a stitch or two) but could go for a dip in the lake and a cold beer.

That's all I get, though. One thought. Hopefully by Sunday afternoon I'll have three more if all goes well, but until then I'll practice what I preach.

Let's move on.

2010-03-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Another night of fast at the teventrails, another brownie reward, another day of pleasantly sore. Here's how the numbers came out.

What fast looks like

2010-03-22T05:47:00.001-07:00

Saturday highlights, and sadly, not a single picture:

1) Meeting up with Ken Tank and FOBFR, Steve Tolley, for a 75 mile tour of all the Williamsburg local goods.
2) Watching Ken Tank push through 85 degree temps and lose 10 pounds over the course of the 7 hour ride.
3) Getting home, Ken Tank being violently ill, but hearkening back to his fraternity days and pulling the puke-and-rally card in order to make a haggard, 3-glass of water and 2 ginger-ale appearance at dinner before passing out. A rock star performance.

Sunday Highlights, what fast looks like:

1) BFR's own, Eric Moore (or at least his shoe, or maybe that of the guy next to him), zipping out of the camera frame on his way to a 1:26 finish at the Shamrock Half. You'll notice the light polls heading up the boardwalk are all skewed about 15 degrees by the great gravitational vortex being created by that kind of speed.

2) I picked a much hotter runner than Eric to accurately capture. Turns out you have to lead the runner a little with the mighty iphone camera, kind of like shooting skeet. Nice run, Shan.

Things you see and just 'need'

2010-03-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

Could this be one of them?

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Redefine: Entertainment

2010-03-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

So, as a kid, a ping-pong paddle and fire flies was what we had to carry out our desire for bug death and pseudo sparks.
Kids of today, one step up: You have a bug zapper-fly swatter-tennis racket.
Key words on the packaging, "Envoronmentally friendly unless you are a bug."
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Virginia Capital Trail near Williamsburg and Jamestown

2010-03-13T14:36:00.000-08:00

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Jamestown Island-Black Point

2010-03-13T13:41:00.000-08:00

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Double Pinch Flat Party Time

2010-03-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

When riding with deep dish rims, you have to have long valve stems on your spare tubes.
This photo is one rim with long stem in place (thanks Grif) and the other rim with standard tube in place (dooh, Shawn you knucklehead!).
Oh well, hopefully I will get the season's worth of flats out of the way now and the tire gods will spare me come racing time.
-S
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Happy Bikes

2010-03-07T14:11:00.000-08:00

After a happy ride!!
Great weather today meant it was time to have at it on the mountain bikes.

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Things that do not suck about Spring

2010-03-03T11:35:00.001-08:00

A brief pictography of things that do not suck about Spring:

What the snowmelt leaves behind

Cheap Carbs

Lodi.

Love in the air

cutting the grass

serendipitous inspiration

the forecast for the next 7 days...

And lastly, building and restoring rad trails.

May your days be turning brighter and your flowers be bloomin'.

Things that suck about Spring

2010-03-03T11:16:00.001-08:00

A brief pictography of things that suck about Spring.
swollen stream crossings

impassable trails

the annual company trip to Vegas; buffets promoted by overeager chicks wielding dangerous silverware.
note the fine print here, "blackout periods may apply." Probably a good t-shirt for Vegas.

litter on the farm singletrack, brought in by 40 mph spring winds. In this case, I'm talking about an entire goddamn kiddie pool. Double suckage points for this one: the "made in canada" emblem on the side of it on the very day after the USA gave the Gold Medal away in OT to Crosby and that bunch of goons.

campfires.

Style on Purpose

2010-02-26T05:01:00.000-08:00

I saw this motley pair of creations on the sunday dirt gravel ride while sprinting up Bleak House Rd to try to catch the lead group. Made a mental note to go back and check it out. Did so yesterday and, sweet jesus, Eureka! It's worthy of a click to enlarge that one, web surfers. I don't know who this guy is, but I like him.

Classic VW Bug? Check.
Old Steel Cannondale behemoth set up fixie? Check.

But it's the little details, like with everything, that really get the ladies.
Pink Wienman rim? Check.
Carbon seatpost? Check.
Off-kilter passenger seat, handmade wooden door flares, and wooden bumper? Check, check, and check.
It's a common misconception to think that the details are haphazard, as if thrown together by necessity or chance. But make no mistake - this is the work of a brilliant mind. This guy knows what style is, and he knows exactly how to put his giddyup together.

Cue the obscure late 70's Zeppelin. Put on a powder blue tuxedo. Imagine being about 19, picking up your high school aged prom date, casually explaining away the fact that yes - the car is partially made out of wood - and making her wait for a few minutes in the askew passenger seat before you head to dinner while you dial up a few sprints on the track to get the blood pumping.
She'd be furious, mind you. But there's something about those sinewy legs of yours pumping out turns under your jean shorts, like fine art in motion, that she can't look away from.

It's Friday. Be that guy.

The Rooster Crows

2010-02-24T06:17:00.000-08:00

Remember that 114 mile road ride the Rooster was crowing about?

C'mon...when the rooster crows, you should listen.

It's a half-marked, dirt/paved, bootleg, flatlander underground road race WITH A FERRY RIDE. Plus there's a pancake breakfast before it, and if I estimate the scope of the event correctly, heavy drinking after. I don't see any reason why not.

The Ferry-Roubaix, April 10th.

Berm Weather

2010-02-23T15:52:00.000-08:00

Good berm-building weather this week. Lots of melting snow, some rain showers, and moderate temps in the day. Lunch breaks away from the computer have been uber-fulfilling.

First thing's first, though: fill in all the places where trees fell and ripped away 10 feet of trail.
Looking better now...

Then I got down to building some berms:

Rip it.

This one is kind of interesting. A tree fell and ripped away a lot of trail right on a little corner. So I filled it in and kept going. Look a little dangerous? It is. If you come into that thing too high you'll probably lose a limb on the exposed root structure right now. Nothing a sawzall can't cure. And Bender can fly through the thing just fine. It does appear to have a temporary drainage issue though. You'd think we've had 50 inches of snow or something.

Coming off the log ride, get some speed, cross the main trail, and then yank it through the berm going left. Cash money. Note that you have to actually ride the log ride first.

Looking back up from the bottom of the trail at the same berm. I boxed in a little ramp and a landing here. Nothing too outrageous, but with a little speed you can probably go far enough to properly hurt yourself.

Maybe a few more forthcoming tomorrow and Thursday. Then Thursday night, it looks like we'll get cold enough to have a good freeze. I'm thinking frozen singletrack Friday AM at sunrise is the ticket to start the weekend. Any takers?

The Girl Scouts

2010-02-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

Those cold, heartless devils, the Girl Scouts, showed up at the door this evening. The interaction went something like this:

"Sir, would you like to buy some girl scout cookies to support our..."
"Yes."
"Ok, what kind would you like, we have..."
"ALL OF THEM."
I think she could smell the desperation, probably sees that wild, faraway look pretty often when she's out making the rounds pushing her smack, so she sold me a couple boxes and split pretty quickly. I have no idea how much money I gave her. Doesn't matter.

Someday, I aspire to have the kind of legal swing to properly bring the girl scouts up on charges for crimes against humanity, to be able to make them pay for what they've done to the good people of America. Every February, just in time for the final, dramatic throes of the winter doldrums, these kids push drugs with names like Do-See-Do and Samoa. They even SOUND fun, and it won't stop snowing, so you might as well count on throwing a few dozen down your neck and just deal with it like everyone else.

Until I do have that kind of legal swing, or at least until February is gone, pass me another box of thin mints. Let it snow.

Anyone feeling as this point like they're not going to completely suck it at Hilbert 1? As much as I'd like to believe that the 4 laps I suspect I am capable of throwing down in the 6 hour enduro would be enough to take the race, I doubt the truth in that. Even a few years ago when it seemed like 8 or 9 laps might take it down there, my current 4 lap-worthy physical fitness would only score me, say, next to last. And now, with technology advancements and a pretty stacked local scene, those of us with only a 4 lap capacity are in the hunt for the Lanterne Rouge.

But don't despair. It hit 45 degrees today out here at the Rancho Relaxo. Dirty, stick-strewn singletrack is popping out of the snow like Shaun White. I cut about 20 downed trees, dragged branches out of the trail, and I "freed" about 100 other trees that were just bogged down and frozen in place. If I'm not mistaken (and usually I am about this stuff,) I think we could ride singletrack* out here early on Sunday if we got a good freeze Saturday night.
*singletrack, by February standards, is a mix of slush, snow, mud, and dangerously icy log rides.

Let's go to the BFR mailbag. You can smell the desperation and the winter funk.

"Oh God I want to ride a bike outside in the woods."
-Amen. Double amen for 1-line emails that say what they mean. Let's move on.

"Moots Mooto X Ybb 29er 20" Single Speed W/ Sliders - $1420 No idea if it is sold. Been up for 1 week on Oodle. What do you think about a soft tail single?"
- Dude, if you don't make it to a trail soon, Visa is going to have to declare bankruptcy. But yes, a YBB Moots set up single with big wheels sounds like something I'd dig riding behind. Probably way behind.

"Dirt gravel. Sunday. Pack a lunch."
-A quick check of the weather says 49 and sunny on Sunday. I will officially be skipping church.

"The Handmade Bike Show is in Richmond next weekend, same day as Trailicious. Bring it."
-An outstanding use of gas, by my calculations, would be a road trip to The Capital City next Saturday morning, a sampling of dry singletrack God-Willing, then throwing a few thousand dollars at handmade bikes I can't afford and trails we can't live without.

Because that's what neighbors do.

Pantani Ride - Recap

2010-02-15T07:29:00.000-08:00

Sunday started clear and cold for the Pantani Ride. I checked out the back window for any sign of trouble and found 4 foot long icicles with frozen striations that made them look like elephant trunks, or maybe something straight out of fantasia. I knew it would be a good day.

It was. 8 brave souls turned out for an abbreviated Pantani Ride. Abbreviated in that we got a last minute conditions update from the 3,000 foot elevation residents that there were 2 plows and a front end loader stuck up on Simmons Gap, unable to plow, and snow drifts that could swallow a whole bike until April. Good sense, winter legs, and frozen toes prevailed, and we pre-emptively cut out the lollipop up and over the mountain and back (much to the disappointment of the hordes of international fans that had swarmed the mountain to cheer, jeer, and loop the leader's handlebar with their purses,) making for a cool 30 mile grinder on mixed pavement, dirt, and ice.

So how did it shake out?
Well, in hindsight, the Richmond contingent's intelligencia deeming studded tires to be the ticket to the top of the podium was wrong. Similarly, my counterintelligence was also faulty - that v-brakes, a frozen front derailleur, and a frame that is cracked more ways than Whitney Houston was my best chance to stay in the coveted leaders jersey - incorrect. Lastly, lighting out from the start in an anaerobic, full-tuck position with insubstantial knowledge of the course route and no map also proved to be a poor strategy. In the end, carbon fiber hardtail, early fitness, and course knowledge prevailed, and I believe Shawn got in in under 2 hours. For the rest, a grupetto formed around Mission Home, but the tenuous alliance was blown apart in the last 2 miles in a fury of flat tires, misguided sprinting, and a recalcitrant lust to be 2nd best. I believe the newly 29erfisherfied, Eric Moore, took the honors for 2nd best, and better yet, due to the real champion's disdain for the heretofore appalling lack of competition (or maybe the smell of the jersey,) Eric also claimed the coveted "maillot pistachio."

the silver bullet, defeated but at rest. will she ever rise again?

So what is next in the world of organized and disorganized bike racing?
Well, the good Mark Junkerman maintains on his website that Hilbert 1 is a go in 20 days. I believe the over-under on that is actually more like 50 days, but I like his optimism. Then, the Blue Ridge School Ride the Ridge course is purported to be March 28th - a course that notoriously oozes mud until May or June, even in a dry year. My point here? Maybe don't lace up your new drivetrain until summer.

But what's that out there at 6 PM every night now? That's daylight, folks. And daylight means brownie crits, starting again on a Wednesday soon, if we're lucky. Lucky like four leaf clovers. Lucky like the Irish. Wednesday, March 17th, St Patrick's day, 6 PM. BYOGB.

Let's Rally, O'Mally.

Pantani Ride - Saturday update

2010-02-13T13:00:00.000-08:00

Sunrays on a Saturday out here at the Rancho Relaxo today. But let's go to the Bike Factory Racing blog mailbag, shall we? Lots of folks checking in with questions regarding the status of the Pantani ride.

Cappuccino for 1, and oh by the way did you notice the FEET of snow out there?

"Is the ride still on?"
"How are the road conditions?"
"Will there be any parking at your house since your yard is snowed in?"
"Do you have any back up plans?"

No one panic. Let's take those one deep, existential question at a time.

Is the ride still on?:
Yes. Sort of. I mean, if there were a director sportif here, or any officiating body for that matter, then Dear God no, the ride would definitely be off. I rode up to the top of Fox mtn and back this afternoon, and road conditions range from mudslide to dogsled trail.

Of course, being that the Pantani ride isn't official in any way, anyway, we are certainly lacking an officiant to make that kind of call for our collective safety. So yes, the ride is still on as long as you acknowledge you are taking your life into your own frozen, white-knuckled hands. And those of any nutjob on a bike who might be riding near you at any given moment. And the countless rednecks out there drink-driving their pickups like toboggans on Fox Mountain.

How are the Road Conditions:
Look, I'll be honest, they're miserable. It took me 2 hours to get to the top of Fox and back - a trip that usually takes about an hour. The pavement connectors are a little narrow but OK, but all the dirt roads are a disaster. Presumably, this is statewide - Iron Mike checked in from Ridge Road - "If it is representative of other dirt roads in the county things will be quite difficult tomorrow. Road was either muddy or packed ice. The icy bits were very difficult to run on, don't think they were rideable unless you were running seriously studded tires." Ignore, for a moment, Iron Mike's questionable grammar (likely induced by sustained hypoxia and many, many high speed crashes), and acknowledge that the roads are bad today, perhaps worse tomorrow after they freeze tonight, and let's be honest - if Iron Mike says they might be a little squirrelly, they are probably impassable.

"Will there be any parking at your house since your yard is snowed in?"
A valid question, and something I hadn't really considered given that I get to wake up here with my car already safely parked. My yard is, indeed, snowed in, and all but the most remarkable 4wd systems will probably get out there and stay a while. But there are a few spots here and there along the driveway, and people have always been pretty creative with their parking out here anyway. If you get stuck, you'll be joining a long, proud list of drivers who have narrowly escaped the Tevenyard with their lives. But we'll figure something out*.
*anyone with a winch, bring it.

"Do you have any back up plans?"
Yes. I've got backup plans out the wazoo. Regrettably, all of them involve cold feet, lung busting pain, and lots of snow and ice, and you could argue the safety of any one against any of the others until you forgot to look where you were going and got hit by an out-of-control snowplow. So let's not do that. I will say this - we'll gather around the start line in the morning and discuss some options. I don't anticipate anyone in their right mind being on that start line anyway, so really the sky's the limit.

Let's recap:
If you're not put off by
A) Lack of safety
B) Icy, dangerously steep roadways
C) An epic parking disaster just waiting to happen
D) backup plans that will require a buddy system and a compass
Then I'll see you out here at 10.

Otherwise, I recommend the trainer.

Just don't forget what separates the breakaway from the peloton.

Pantani Ride - Wednesday Update

2010-02-10T15:08:00.000-08:00

You'd better believe it, kids. The weatherfella' called for a foot and what did we get? About three inches. Story of my life. I just love it when someone else comes up nubby besides me.

So it's a good thing this time. The sun came out today, the wind blew like hell, and all in all I feel we've finally turned the corner, at least for now, on the winter of this hellish year of our lord, 2010.

That being said, and ignoring niner's post below for now because we're keeping our eye on the prize (that prize to be disclosed momentarily), The Pantani Ride is freaking on.

Address: 551 Allen Rd, Earlysville VA 22936. Googlemapit. Get your Gameface one. Get your Giddyup in Gear. 10 AM this Sunday.

Now about that prize, I make no claim that this would make Marco Pantani proud. Anything less than a premium, extra small, silk Castelli would probably make Il Pirata roll over in his grave, but what the hell, he was the pirate and this is our ride.

I present to you, the leader's jersey.

At the start, we'll take a look at the collective assortment of who has shown up, determine who doesn't look completely tubby and shut in, and call them the leader and make them wear it.

Then, a moment of silence, mostly to apologize to the Ghost of Marco Pantani about the jersey, and we'll have at it. Upon return, whoever makes it back first, it's your jersey for the year.

Remember:
1) print the route. http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/va/rocky%20mt/846126409029586738
2) bring some serious tread, it'll be slick out there
3) Plan something nice for later in the day with your lady, fella', or whoever it is that is cool enough to let you come rally on V-day.

Up, Up, Up.

2010-02-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

Let it be known that today, the 10th of February of 2010, David Tevendale has made a verbal commitment to complete the Wilderness 101 on a Single Speed. I'll be there to witness it. Will you? July 31, 2010. State College, PA.

9er, out.

Pantani Ride - Tuesday Update

2010-02-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

Supa'Tuesday out here at the Rancho Relaxo. What's that mean?
Well, snow, for starters. As you may have guessed.
But also, let's have a Pantani ride update.

First and foremost, the level of apathy around this joint is enough to make a man turn to whiskey and not come back. Yes, it's been snowing a lot. No, conditions are not ideal for riding, even if you've got a fatty, 4 inch-tired monster rig, ice boots, and no appreciation for the feeling in your toes. But that doesn't mean we're ready to throw in the towel on the Pantani ride. Here are a few reasons this thing is on like Donkey Kong:
1) Marco would go. Think about this. Think about the reasons he did what he did and the reasons we do what we do. Painful cold, by that kind of logic, only makes the ride BETTER. The word for the day is masochism. Use it in a sentence. Be cool.
2) The rooster says he is in. I don't think I know this guy, but I feel a certain kinship, and he seems like the kind of guy who might like to crush a 114.89 mile ride sometime in early April. Wish I knew more, but I don't. Do your own research on that one.
3) After whatever happens today happens, and whatever shit from the sky falls out of the sky tomorrow, we're looking at 3 straight days of sunshine before Sunday. That should be plenty of time for the hard-working men and women of VDOT to almost completely ignore obscure gravel roads like Fox Mountain and Simmons Gap, leaving them in a state of washed-out, iced-in, near total disrepair come Sunday. All traits I find attractive in a dirt road.
4) If, for some reason, good sense trumps the need for speed on Sunday (and let's be honest, I don't think it will) we've got other options for pain. A timed run up Simmons Gap might be worthy. Singletrack here on the farm might be workable by then, opening up the possibility for a dirt crit. The sky's the limit.

So prepare accordingly. Pack all your shit in your car on Saturday. Skinny tires, fat tires, running shoes, extra socks, bottles, and a spare lung. And keep checking back here as your misery tries to convince you to stay on the couch. Sunday will still happen. Like Hiser said, you can't cancel a mountain.

Up, up, up.

Mega-Blizzard 2.0

2010-02-05T08:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I thought I'd post a Pantani ride update before Mega-Blizzard 2.0 sets in and the world as we know it all goes black. Or white, I guess. It's been a rough winter so far. And with a forecasted 20" - 28" of the heavy white stuff blowing in this weekend, there is some question about the Pantani ride being rescheduled.

Last I heard, brokenback and simmons gap were both a sheet of ice. With the storm we're having this weekend, more potential snow on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then a week of 30 degree temps before the Pantani ride, it seems inevitable that most of our route will be snow-covered, sketchy, and outright dangerous by Sunday. Moreover, singletrack options are even less likely - the farm here had just about melted out by this morning, but that dirt is now gone baby gone. See you in March, Dirt.

But reschedule? No way. Pantani day is February 14th. Something painful will go down that day, at 10 AM, starting from here on the farm. Could be anything.

So fight off the despair a bit longer. Avoid secluded hotel rooms and lots of alone time. Check back for details as the day draws near. The details will make themselves clear.

Up Up Up.

No Gifts

2010-01-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

OK, so Pantani was a doper. Took EPO. Cheated to be one of the best.

Give this one a read - a news article from back in 2000 when Pantani and Lance Armstrong blew apart the peloton going up Ventoux, eventually culminating in Lance "gifting" the stage win to Pantani at the top.
http://www.active.com/cycling/Articles/Armstrong_and_Pantani_take_a_beating_to_Ventoux.htm

Take all the names in that article. Sit them down in a room. Ask for a show of hands, "who here is not doped?'
Crickets. Except for maybe Armstrong, it's how things were.
You can watch it happen here...

Drugs beating other drugs.
That doesn't abscond Pantani of guilt, but dig a little deeper - he DID have standards.
Racing was divine, and if you look closely, at about the 1:40 mark in the video, Lance just lets him take it. He let Pantani win. For Pantani, to gift a stage win was blasphemy. Especially from Lance, a guy who had nicknamed him "elefantino" referring to his height and his ears. You can't call a guy "little elephant" and then let him win a stage on purpose. Pantani would have his revenge the following day...

Pantani let him have it out of the gates on the way to Courchevel. He rode completely outside of his ability, acknowledging that today would be his last day in the Tour De France, and just wanting to blow Lance up and show the world that Lance was still mortal, still beatable by someone, even if it would never be Pantani. Pantani rode himself into the ground, pulled the plug, and hoped Lance would fold further up the road.

Watch it happen. Lance, dydrated from chasing Pantani all day, gives up 2 minutes to Ullrich on the way up to Courchevel and nearly loses the Tour.

Pantani's erratic behavior on Ventoux that day was not something out of character. He'd rather quit a race than lose. He'd rather leave professional cycling than be Lance's pet. He'd rather die than be elefantino. And his death, like so much of his life, was marked with pain:

"For reasons that were at first unclear, he'd destroyed everything in the hotel room: the furniture, the mirrors, the plugs in the walls, not in an uncontainable anger, but in a persecutory delirium; in sheer paranoia. Apparently, to stop some alien entity from entering, he had piled the furniture against the door...
As a means of suicide, cocaine is a poor option. A heroin overdose lets you sleep to death. To kill yourself with coke, you need a lot of money, and even then, you can't be sure it will kill you. Marco probably took some time to die. It was an ugly death." -Dr Giuseppe Fortuni, Forensics Medicine, University of Bologna

Pantani Ride - details

2010-01-21T07:25:00.000-08:00

The Pantani Ride. I believe this is the 6th annual, but I've honestly lost track. Valentines Day. Sunday, February 14th, 2010. Start time - 10 AM from here on the farm.

Some moderately important notes:
1) Sure, Pantani was a road guy. Don't bring your road bike. A cross bike is questionable (although probably your fastest option if you've got the legs for it.) Mountain bikes are the norm on the network of dirt roads we'll be riding.

2) Here's the route:

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/va/rocky%20mt/846126409029586738

same as last year. Note that we'll be both coming up and going back down Simmons Gap. It's possible that some of the leaders will be going down as others are climbing - so just be smart here and watch your speed.

3) On that note, the whole course is open to cars, deer, feral pets, bigfoot, etc. Since this isn't an officially sanctioned race, or "official" at all for that matter, there will be no officials out there keeping you safe, telling you what to do, etc. It's a dirt road ride with a little friendly bravado. Treat it as such.

4) If you happen to be one of those people going up Simmons Gap when the leaders are heading back down, and you feel like maybe 2000 more feet of climbing isn't what you want to do, feel free to cheat. Fall in with the leaders, follow the route back to the farm, and maybe get yourself a sprint victory. Pantani would be proud.

5) Getting lost: totally possible - the ride is really about pushing yourself until you can't see straight. So it's possible, even likely, that you'll get dropped and then take a wrong turn. You've got some options though. Print the map linked above and bring it with you. Ride with someone who knows the course. Stay with the lead group. Bring a GPS/ Iphone/Cell phone - most of the peaks have good reception. Enjoy the moment.

6) A note about weather: it could really suck. The picture below is from a Pantani "ride" year ago.

It could also be gorgeous out, like it was last year. If it's truly bad, we'll make a hasty back up plan and execute it with a complete lack of caution. Rest assured that danger will never be far away.

7) a little more about Pantani...
Pantani has been called the most talented and exciting climber of the last twenty years. His exploits between 1994 and 2000 were nothing less than sensational. He was all aggression, and he climbed like a man possessed, throwing races into chaos with his attacking style, recklessly attacking on the most difficult climbs. More details in the links below on this page.

"...stage racing has always meant weighing up the potential of the stages to come, and riding accordingly - riding, it might be said, in the future tense. Marco had no future tense."
-Matt Rendell, The Death of Marco Pantani

Memorial to Marco Pantani - Cesanatico, Italy

Marco Pantani Museum - Cesanatico, Italy

Pantani

2010-01-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

Put the heart-shaped box of chocolates down you tubby, balding monster.

It's a common misconception to think that Valentine's day is for roses, hallmark cards, and lovey-dovey affection. And in a way I guess it is. But Marco Pantani died on February 14th, 2004.

"Who is Marco Pantani? How did he die? What does that have to do with me? blah blah blah"

Silence! Marco Pantani would not ask questions. He would simply do some amphetamines, climb aboard his bianchi, and step all over his big ring up the biggest thing he could find, race back down it, and repeat.

But, if you must know...

Who is Marco Pantani...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Pantani

How did he die?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine

What does that have to do with me? ... I do get a little narcissitically uneasy linking a blog to itself, but what the hell, it's about Pantani anyway...

http://bikefactoryracing.blogspot.com/2009/01/marco-pantani-ride-saturday-february.html

Read up. Trim down. Get your race face on. 1 month from today, The Pantani ride will enter it's 4th year.

Details to follow.

Up up up.

Our newest team member

2010-01-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

Andy-pants in uniform.
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Singletrack

2009-12-29T13:42:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about snow? The way it melts.

Singletrack. Like the snow knows it has overstayed its welcome, it prioritizes what to open first.

Gotta take full advantage of days like that.

A ribbon of tacky dirt hidden between 12 inch drifts, a good freeze, and all the action, jackson.

IMG00259.jpg

2009-12-23T13:56:00.000-08:00

Rode today at Freedom Park in Williamsburg. Great trails!! Dry for the most part and we avoided the few damp spots that were there thanks to the expert guidance of Rick Bartels.
Jenny got her first ride of over 3 miles in on the new TopFuel WSD. She flies on this thing. Kept within a minute or less of Rick and I initially and towards the end, when we would stop to check on her, she was right there with us. Wow! Great equipment and great friends!! What cycling is all about!
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Today's attempt at a ride.

2009-12-22T15:27:00.000-08:00

Bye Kyle simple strap, elegantly demonstrated in the snow.

What can two simple straps do for you?

Eric Moore--sans simple strap

Mich-Co and Shawn...after using the contents of the simple strap

Jo-Pro trying to outdo the simple strap in elegance.

The group-Pre ride-note simple straps.

Simple strap-in place, on standby.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was billed large "attack on ohill" Or somesuch thing of epic proportions and scope that it was doomed to failure. Physically, mentally, emotionally, it could never live up to all it was supposed to....especially not in these conditions. Right from the get go, it was soured by getting the 4-runner stuck in pseudo parking area. Strike 1
Then we started into the "single track" --by single, I mean, really it was that....what was normally a fire-road-wide-open descent on Ohill was a single track of hiker foot prints, a set o' cross country skis, and dog poop and yellow snow. It made for curious riding, you would get going for 5 or 10 feet, then have to make a slight steering input, and off you would go....classic stuff. We finally managed to hike a bike and sort of ride our way DOWN through a rock garden section of ohill. As Jason put it "We always climb that faster than we just descended it" Strike 2
We punched out at the bottom and decided to head over towards Reservoir road and do a out and back on that. Combined between Mich-Co running a cop off the road into the ditch and Dirty Uncle Stans non sealant failing me again, we made strike 3 happen. Tubed out we finished the ride and at the top of Ohill I got to play with rogue hoe as a shovel for a bit to get the 4-Runner unstuck.

But looking back...there is nothing else I would have rather done for the day...I got out on my bike with friends, and had some fun. Great friends and great equipment...really, that is what this is all about for me.

Oh yeah, the side theme of the day "Photos of Bye-Kyle straps in the snow" hey, he asked for it
www.byekyle.com

-Shawn

I should ride my bike

2009-12-21T18:46:00.001-08:00

but, there seems to be something keeping me from getting out the door.......

And when I do get outside, it chases me.........

ahh well, the weather should get better at some point and I can ride more.....Andy will be disappointed though...

There must be a survivor under here!

2009-12-21T09:34:00.001-08:00

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ahh, great weather for riding

2009-12-19T15:48:00.000-08:00

Winter Storm Warning--Yeah..it happened.

A few of us rallied for some snow riding today. An impromptu crit around the Carl Smith Center. Super Fun. I think Andy won....between searching for survivors in the snow drifts.
I think stability wise, Jay had the advantage on his Trek Remedy...big tires and good supple suspension kept him low to the ground and in good contact....But Hiser rocked it on the 29er Hard Tail as well. Kate went old school Canti brakes on us and showed no fear on the descents....awesome....
Jenny made snow angels and took pictures....

-Shawn

Team extracurricular activites...

2009-12-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

The racing season has wound down and now there's things to do other than ride bikes all the time. Kate Lucas promoted the inaugural Earlysville 5k Turkey Trot, and it was great to see a bunch of Bike Factory Racing folks out there running and helping. Not a bad way to justify the Thanksgiving calorie carbo-load.

http://site.charlottesvillemultisports.com/Race_Info.html

Good idea Andy

2009-11-20T11:55:00.000-08:00

Solid ride time today, I think Andy has the right idea, take a nap!
-S
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Happy New Year!!

2009-10-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

2010 arrived today, at least from a training perspective. The last month has been my transition/atrophy month. Paranormal and Tidewater Challenge unfortunatly fell in that time. Which means I went to the lines there without any training or peaking. Really, I have not trained at all since before the Twisted Tire Fall Cup I suppose.
When over the last few day I started to feel that off season dispair and depression, I knew it was time to end transition and start getting ready for the 2010 season. Adnan agreed after a few phone calls and emails.....
Today was back in the saddle, spin some watts in the endurance zone, and try to figure out how to pedal again. Good times: perfect fall weather, pretty leaves-- the perfect start to 2010 happened!
-Shawn
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2009 VORS Team Winners!

2009-10-25T18:39:00.001-07:00

Bike Factory won the team catagory for VORS!

33 candles in a cobblestone

2009-10-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, it can be done.
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