Monday, December 28, 2009

Viva Vegas and Yuma
















In the travel mode lately to the south west from the west coast. It is good to be one spot for a few days even if it be Yuma. Did I say the ridding here just sucks like the worst roads in Montana and the flat est spot for miles with lots of traffic.Why well the folks are here and some very nice biker types to hang with but will be heading to Tucson soon.





I have only biked once here in four days and due to the unlike of the terrain that be all for the next for days .





There are many great spots in the south west to ride bit note to the file this isn't one of them so steer clear or pass fast.





Jingle Day was less than exciting hopefully for some that wasn't the case . I wished for a few more blue days than I 've bean seeing.





Vegas was interesting and talk about the bling the night is something around there/ Here or there just to enjoy and take it all in most have walked 9 miles around the strip and i have never seen so many restaurants,nice shwankie ones. You can even gamble in some of the rest rooms, most be Vegas.










Take care ALL AND STAY WARM....ML

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Movin on threw Cally and Nevada
















Bean on and around the road ways,from Oregon coast line into Cally coast line and oh my up and down and lots of turns with a house on wheels behind it gets to be a little much. I cruised into I-5 by Sacromento a day later on the criuse on mostly flat interstate camenced and I was in. Around Paterson Cal. I found this very view like canyon up to Rains Park,it gose on over towards Sant Jose .It had some maybe 8 to 12 percent grade turning me blue a couple of times. Mostly down hill from te top so all was good. I even got shower,electricity,and cable at a RV lot,life is good. next day off down the road for about 150 miles and I just had to pull over and ride from Kettle man city on a road to Pose Robels with more climbing and head wind so after a hour out it took last than a hour back. After a quick bite on down the road till 11:00 at night around Barstow. next day on into Vegas of all places but I am here to tellye there is some very good riding with sholder.I went out by Red Rock Canyon,what a nice area to ride to and with a 13 mile loop in the park area. you can loop back to vegas theway you come or around for a loop. I'm told Mt. Charelston and Valley of Fire are some great road rides to. Mt.Biken up in the Red Rock is soposed to rock to.





So the today was windy city like all day and now into the night,I'll just gamble or maybe not.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Bend nationals and beyond
















Well now It's bean a couple of days away from bloggege. It is nice to stay in contact this way and find out what everyone else is blog gen about.





My week was very eventfull with travelling over to Bend with great blue bird views and the white stuff to focus in on. I rolled into Bend a day before my nat race and road the snow packed and very slick tecky course. So many spots to figure out and get them into the wattage and reaction plan with out over thinking it when racing. That sorta works but just from one day the course got even slip pier so doing the run up mounted wasn't working for me and some of the off cambered things took out the best riders.





When I lined up at the start i got front roll call up for being on the podium last year, that is so sweet especially on real technical day with just singe track being the run. I got the hole shot tell the first corner were eventual winner and 24 time national champ Paul Curley passed me. I hung on for a lap and was then passed by last year champ Gary Thacker. I hung in and even went by him for a trade off once then he got on the serious side of winning and off he went with me starting to really feal this throw down effort with no back off. I rode behind losing just a bit here and there for a while then that reality bug of shut down mode went to work on my body and mind. Bottom line to go red line this caliber of riders takes some serious preparation.





I've got the hart and desire but like I 've always rolled I'm a little lasy on prep,dam me. It really showed half way and three quarters in I just kept fad ding some enough that 4th place went by then 5th. Finally I got rolling some again and went into a lame chase mode getting by for 4th then seeing 3rd about80 meters up into the last lap and all the sudden up the run or ride if you could hill I was closing but not enough then down the hill on the flat and pavement there he was witha couple of lapped riders in both are ways. in pure excitement spastic mode I missed gears in disbelief I was catching him before the last turn and 100 meters to the finish. He got by the lapped rider before the turn I didn't,so around this distraction and big hard chase to the line coming up a bike length short for 3rd.





I left everything out on the course with no excesses other then letting it go and put up or shut if I think and want to do better.





The ace was so cool to be a part of and to have Montana homies and others yelling for me all over the course helped so much so thanks all. it was a pleasure cheering on our peeps and new friends in their races. Great experience for all in and around I would recommend highly coming to watch or be a part of next year. Merry Christmas Alllllllll.......

Monday, December 7, 2009

Coastal Beauty











Sun on the coast is rock star especially in Oregon the color and beauty are something I would never get tired of.
Sense I was in this area like half a million years ago there has bean a lot of growth. Places like Seaside,netuarts,cape lookout,cape mirrors with the light house and the octopus tree and oh ye hay stake in cannon beach are still there. This and a lotmore are so pleasing to look at in ah.
I slacked this weekend with no racing and it felt good. I've kinda put my self into sinus sick zone from push en lately and the cold weather ridding last week so I'm tryin to get back on track and have something for the nats cross race this Thursday for me. It seems to easy to not train enough or over train and getting sick is a real easy part of the excitement straight at ye nervousness to do good. Now I just let it happen and leave it all out on the course and be happy with what ever comes of it.




Monday, November 30, 2009

Turkey Stretch












Well then maybe a few pounds or more sense turkey day and with all the left overs greens have gone by the way side.
Have stayed on track with the fat walk on Thanks Giving cause of the monsoons.But up with the sun days after and some good rides in the books.
Saturday I got in with this Clean Air team in Corvallis. There were 5 me being the 6th. So here we just barley cross the Willamette River out of town and it's go time like race mode for the next 40 miles. Being like a nubie cause I've had no pace work sense summer I was in struggle stages here and there but actually did my pulls with some gusto. I'm in shape but not for this fortitude stuff. These fellows could go too. To top this off the next day I go to Eugene again for a cross race. I'm so fortunate also with Rich Crammer who has won all the big cross crusade races and John Wilson who is almost always 1st,2nd or 3rd state wide. We line up in the 36 degree fog shrouded day with a course much like the week before but there is more mud,more rocks,extra barriers to total 7 in a row and a Little extra stretch added to the lap.
Great pace right off the line with the guy I raced with last week taking the hole shot with US three in pursuit. Our boy Allen slid out in around the 3rd turn right in front of me,that's always a little shocker.We got around him all up right and off we went away from the rest. John and Rich can hold red line in any kind of condition and terrain the full race so I was fealling that false i was and can do this for about 2 and half laps of the 4 laps then lack of their kind of endurance put me way into pain cave and loss of con tack. Oh well I know theres more work to do.




Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Keep on biken

Still excited to ride and train most the time . There has bean a moment or two when I just wanna cruise and cruise none of this interval or push it hard stuff. Lasy sin drum taking over some. It's easy for me just to joy ride and check out the beautiful country side.
I'm that stage right now were I wanna do well at Nat's but not the work or preparation part,oh well. I did race last Sunday in Eugene,the course was pretty challenging with to sand crossings.A railroad tie stacked jump. A set of 5 steep wooden stairs. Six in a row standard barriers . A rockie patch.A steep hill run or ride section and a lot of tight turned single track muddy slick corners . It also had flat bumpy grass spots with some pavement to rest the werie legs. We had 10- 50+ plus guys with 9 35 + B dudes. The start went out fast, another 50+ dude and I got away and stay that way. We trade off and went at each other the hole race.Great speed work and brush up on the tacky muddy ridden skills. I got past this Allen guy just before the finish and held it.Was totally exhausted and wanted to fall into the wet bushes and die.Guess I didn't leave anything out there.
2 days in a row with sun rays here in Oregon wow!!! It's hard on the eyes not being used to this sun ray thing but I'll take it.
So busying around Corvallis yesterday checking out a few bike shops after a ride I run into Barry Wicks who grew up here in Corvallis. He is just hanging out and doing the cir cut and as many races in Oregon as he can and prep en for Nat's. He noted that Trebon says the Bend Nat course is a cool one but there has bean snow and predicting it for Nat's. Maybe one should have the skies in the pits instead of a bike.
All for now get stretched out soon only two days tell over eat ting time. have a good one and Happy Thanks Giving to all.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Ajustment made to Oregon
















I am liken the biken scene here more all the time especially some training during the week and the temps are usually pretty bearable. What rain ? You just get to a point were you don't notice it so much.





The colors of fall are still rocken. Still many leaves to fall slide around on once in while. Some times when trying to train in a park around town I feal like I am in a bog and going no were.





I went to a beaver game the other day. Man the pack ten has the peeps in the stadium, even haven Elvis was in the house.This guy looked the real if your keepen track how old Elvis would be now.Lots of score and fun time .





I raced the last Cross Crusade of the year Sunday. it was in Barton Park and a old rock quarry. You have to be at these hugely attended races at just the right time for a short pre ride time on the coerce and I wasn't Dammmmm. It was of corce very muddy with fast sections but lots of hidden rocks like minnie mine fields for ones tires. I'm still trying to figure out the tire pressure thing with different conditions. I was running way to low for it but didn't know till race start. I got a great start being 3 rows back with 70 riders again and move up to 4th place right off and held that with a good feal about the hole thing till when start catching some of the 100 or so 35+ guys. My group of seasoned vets went threw them like butter and I was more thick lard. So quickly I lost ground but would catch back then loose again with my legs put tin on the ache. Last lap a third of the way I hit another one those pesky rocks in a dip and have low tire simdum fast.I rode it a tird of a lap to the pits and found out others had front flats leaving with an empty cube rt,dam again. Just as Ryan the Shamono guy used to work at Open Road dude figured this oout he was on with the flat filler stuff but then a tire angel brings back a front shamono tire so on with it and finish around two and half mins. down off what might bean from 4th to 9th.Crap happens but man did I have fun most of that race.

Monday, November 9, 2009

More Crasyness
















The human Thunder Dome rocked with people haging from the bars and many more chasing races with evil things in their hands.

Go time travel and fan time
















So I bean on the road a bit lately,enjoying this and hang en with family and friends. Lots of miles with many great views especially along and above the Columbia river. It can be pretty spectacular sometimes. I left Missoula with a few more stops to make before heading back to Oregon. iireally should of stayed and raced the States in Montana sounds and looks like I missed a great venue with out monsoons and mega mud bowl at the cross crusade. After it raining an inch and half the day before and most the race day. I need to get over this fobia soon. But being a intrigued supportive fan was so entertaining. here a few shots of all the circus crusade.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

West coast fun and view
















Yes to to this that





and the other thing. i spent a few days with Danyel and family in Seattle.Great riding there and the cross scene had a great coerce at Evergreen high a place I ran state cross country in the 70's oh way back anyway the coerce was easily one of the best ever for my travels and venues.Great use of the short hills and cinder track zone.





I may ed my way back to Zoo-Town for a short visit and a stock up of bike inventory. I stopped in Vantage were the bridge crosses the Columbia and found this old grade to the north that heads up and to Elensburg what a great long extended not to steep maybe 12 miles worth of up





iImay ed it over here to the vibe of Zoo and like that. Have seen a few peeps and rode with a few and drank with a few more now it's time to buck up and head back west for the next mud fest in Portland.Got to see if the flippers are working better than last outing.Happy Trails Chow...

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Fond memories of the dry days

I was caught in Butte with a little show and not much go. I think I can master some what the mud on the coast but miss those tractiony fast dry days.