wow - it's been a while....

i guess this day in age, social media has taken over blogs. there was a time when i updated this space every time i raced...that was in 2013! LOL!! 

things have changed - my questions is do people read blogs? is anyone reading this?

just for fun, let's recap #CXNats18, mainly so i can remember the details but also in case someone is interested in how things went down. i like breaking things into bullets with simple details to describe the situation so let's keep with that for now. but first to set the stage....

in 2016 i took some time away from racing to reevaluate some things and to reset my headspace including several parts of my life. And even though one of the things i wanted to get away from was the "stress" that racing added to my life, i actually found that that it left a void in things. if you are married - have kids - have a real job - train and race bikes and want to all of them well - then you know the stress it can cause. i found that upfront communication and balance is a winning combination. so after careful evaluation of how everything fit into place and many discussions with the fam, kids too, i decided i wanted to go after #CXNats18 and laid out a plan with my coach and wife on how to make it all work in harmony.

in 2017, i used the entire year to rebuild and regain the fitness i lost in 2016 - i raced a few mtn bike races and then a healthy cross season with marginal results. but after the year was over, i knew my motivation was high and the 2018 year was going to be fun one. i designed a small spring racing schedule just to keep things interesting and to have something to work for while i trained in the cold months. but as the days got longer, i just rode. i trained hard all year putting in one of my largest training years, recording over 9500 miles and 600hrs of ride time. and just for good measure, i started using a Stages Power Meter to train. so the plan was set...lots of training and a full cx season with nats in December.

The season was slated to start September 30th with the first MagicCross and run through Dec 14th at Cross Nats and things pretty much went to plan. I had two major A races - Nats of course but i also really wanted to win the AL State Championship, which i did!

So Nats recap...

Wednesday the 12th:
- drive up and arrive late to Bike and Bed - AWESOME place!
- forecast keeps changing - looks like 50-80% chance of rain...I just knew it's going to rain
- one back up bike and a great one man pit team with Davis Yarbrough (rockstar) (i've never pitted or executed a bike change in 7yrs of cx racing)
- fitness is ok...strong but not overly fresh due to a maybe too hard of a late season rebuild

Pre Ride the 13th 
- Thursday - course was money! tacky dirt and 100% rideable.
- laughing while i rode!
- hot lap = 8:36 with tons of traffic
- i was feeling really good and was ready!

Friday the 14th - RACE day
- rained all night and forecasted to rain all day
- warmed up well - 50min with 4 solid efforts to open up.
- rain started to fall 10min before the start...steady rain with occasional semi heavy rainfall.
- crap grid position - row 8, 65th call up out of 80 racers - worse starting position ever at nats
- start was hot - i found some space immediately on the outside in the grass and was able to motor up past several people
- first lap through the sand i rode it clean and passed more people

- EXCITED - i got pretty happy at this point - i was passing without too much effort and was feeling good...


- the longest off camber descent on lap one was fun - hard - slippery and crazy but manageable
- first hill which led to the first off camber was a runner...
- the technical descent was crazy but manageable on lap one 

- the plunge was fun...
- but the long off camber along the bottom was brutal - i realized a major mistake here...too much psi in the tires was costly!
- i actually rode most of the longer back climb...on lap 1

- the rain really started to fall in laps 2-5 making all the above mentioned mostly unrideable.
- lap 2 i took a new bike

- lap 3 i took a new bike...i rode the crux lap 3-5 because the breaks were just so much better
- my lap times were consistently 10:30 laps 2-5 with lap one @ 9:35 being my fastest.
- my shoes were not set up for muddy runs...neither were my legs!
- i think i made it up as highest as 24 but then got passed back throughout the race during the running.

all in all the season was a success but nats was a flop in my opinion. so many things to replay and learn from...like....PSI in tires when it's muddy. Gaining more points beforehand. Building a stronger core. Work on technical skills. Be a faster runner.

2018 is a wrap and the 2019 season is already in development. stick around and maybe i will blog better? #doubtit

Peace!

JD

MORCS Clear Creek Challenge XC

2013 marks my latest start to the racing season since i began racing in early 2000! There are multiple reasons for such a late start, but i guess they are all just part of life! My time continues to be absorbed by travel due to work, WORK, and family duties. So, after missing the first two races that i had put on my schedule because of work and bad weather, i finally got lucky with both and had a chance to sneak over to Oxford, MS and race there second race of the newly formed MORCS.

A couple things to note...

• This was a true test for me as i really have no clue as to how my fitness is. I know I'm getting stronger based on my workout numbers but you never know how things will play out when you're going full gas for 2+hrs.
• I was also on a loaner bike that i had never been on until Saturday before the race. Jonathan @ Cahaba Cycles hooked me up with his own Santa Cruz Highball 29er carbon hardtail for the race since my race bike is injured.

The weather for the weekend was perfect with sunny skies and warm temps. Clear Creek Rec Area has great campgrounds with clean bathrooms, so it was an easy decision to camp and be right by the race start. With everything in full bloom, the green on the trees is a brilliant emerald green and really is beautiful to be surrounded by while in the woods.


Race day morning greeted us with cool temps and a very laid back vibe. after an lite breakfast of granola and milk along as a cup (or two) of coffee, we slowly broke down camp and got ready for the race. After i was dressed and spinning around warming up, i thought about what my plan was for the race. I knew the compo was slim and that really, Andrew Sorey was probably the fastest guy on the line. He's also young and i know he is always wanting to beat me, so i knew he would try and set the pace early and gap me. So, my plan was to let him do just that...lead the first lap and if my legs were able to respond after lap 1, I would put some work in on the 2nd lap. Each lap was 13 miles, so longer laps than normal but we were only doing 2, so overall the race was shorter than normal! (thank goodness) I warmed up for about 25min with a few openers and toed the line with about 10min to spare.

 

 

Once the gun went off, things went exactly how i expected. Andrew went hard and took the hole shot.I slotted in behind him and stayed tight on his wheel. we quickly created a gap on the rest of the cat 1's and continued to distance ourselves from them. we were going hard but i was very comfy with the pace and just tried to stay steady in my efforts. Andrew is tall and pretty powerful and was really pushing the pace on some of the flatter sections of the trail but every time things went uphill, i would quickly roll right up on his wheel. As we quickly railed the super sweet flowing trails of Clear Creek i started to thing about how I wanted lap 2 to go.

as we came through the transition area Andrew pulled off the front to grab his feed, i rolled through to the front. i didn't accelerate though and kept the pace the same. we were together as we entered the woods for the second time and were rolling fast. on the first climb, i punched it just a tad to see what would happen and immediately got a 5 sec gap. i decided to increase the tempo just a bit and within in 5min of steady riding, Andrew was out of sight. I knew i had the gas to keep it going and just rode. Things were pretty uneventful after that and i would ride solo for the rest of the race to take my first W of the year.













I love the unique awards from races these days!

A couple highlights for me...
1. I loved the Santa Cruz Highball!! very nimble and snappy in tight trails and climbed great!
2. After a couple months of consistent training, my fitness is starting to return and that's very rewarding to see. Thanks Coach!
3. This is my first XC win in quite a long time and it felt great to stand atop the podium again!
4. The Clear Creek trails are super fun! They were very well built and flow great!

US Cup/SERC 3 Conyers, GA

well this race went better than Tsali, so i would say mission accomplished. build up for the last 3 weeks was good and i have had some solid workouts including a tune up race last SUnday. i wasnt worried about results as much as i was hoping for some good legs and a solid performance.

Saturday started a little later than normal due to me wanting to watch Carter play his baseball game but by 1p local time, I had swapped cars with George, picked Jerry up, and were headed east. We drove straight to the course and suited up for a quick pre ride. the plan was an ez loop to loosen up the legs and then a second loop with a few hard efforts thrown in for good measure. the course was a blast. lots of variety...start was a wide open, long straight away which brought you into the first flowing sections of trails. the trail were so much fun to ride..smooth and fast with lots of hard packed sections. after about 4miles of flowing stuff, the course popped you out on a flat field section that brought you back close to the parking lot and dropped you under a bridge and on to the granite rock. this was the hardest part of the course and where i would lose contact with both groups i rode with. HARD! fun...but hard to race on.

starting time is always a little stressful

Sunday came fast and brought some killer weather with it. a little rain fell at night but didnt mess anything up. after a short warm up, i lined up with a good sized and strong group of wanna be pro's. i knew i had to race hard but be smart and not blow up. the gun went off and we were rolling. thankfully the start wasnt that fast and i was able to slot in the woods about 10th place. i was riding the singletrack much faster than a few guys in front of me, so i passed them as quickly as possible and keep my pace high. i bridged up to the lead group and stayed with them until the granite section.

dangling on chase group...Omar was way off the front by this time



Getting gaped on rock

i rode hard but lost about :20 and would roll solo thru lap one. i was joined by a couple other racers as i entered the woods and we would roll together for the next 2 laps. i felt comfy with these guys and knew that these are the guys i should be racing with. unfortunately, i was dropping a little on each climb and knew i would struggle on the last lap. i would get gaped a lil on the granite section and would actually end of rolling the entire 4th lap solo. i was hurting and was starting to fade pretty fast and couldnt have been more happy to see the end of the race. i loved to course and thought it would be a good race for me. I had a more steady and consistent performance and was glad to see some ok lap times. the results wasnt great but better. the compo seems to have gotten much more stiff and dudes are just riding fast! love it...



Cat 1 30-39 podium...i wanna get back there



Swayback

race day started early for me but i enjoy these mornings. LARGE cup of coffee, loud 90's grunge, sunroof open, and zero traffic to deal with. the temps were perfect and i no trouble on the drive.

once at the venue there were lots of familiar faces. mostly birmingham folks these days. i used to race with a totally different group of guys, but it's cool. after i got suckered in to buying a shirt and dropping $55 to enter and get a shirt that doesn't really fit, i was kit'd up and ready to start the warm up. rode with chad for a few minutes on the trails and then headed out on the roads to finish the warm up.

the race was fun...i entered the woods 4th behind Scott, Chad, and Omar and was feeling fine. the pace was high and i was just glad to following a wheel because i didnt pre ride. I would soon get around Scott and was bridging up to the leaders when i smacked my handle bar on a tree..it didnt know me off but it jacked my bars up. i thought for a second i could ride with them but i knew after 10-20seconds that wasnt happening. as i pulled over to straighten them Jerry passed me. i was back on my bike pretty fast and bridged up to jerry. i was content to sit behind him and follow his wheel through the first lap. he held a solid pace and i doubt i would have been any faster solo. i took the lead heading into the woods on lap two and he stayed right with me...then all of a sudden he wasn't. i slowed for a min and looked back and tried to get a glimpse of him but saw nothing. i would really settle into a steady rhythm for the rest of lap two. as i exited the lap and headed over to my bottle there was all sorts of freaking chaos...first a finished racer was heading backwards through the start/finish area and coming right at me, next there were all sorts of people sitting around my bottles...and as i rolled up, dogging the racer, this lady grabs my bottle and jumps away from where im trying to come to...i had to yell...hey, that's my bottle!...she then handed it to me...after a stressful transition into lap 3 i was starting to feel a little tired. i popped a gel and heading into the woods. not 5min into the lap my so hard fought for bottle EJECTED out...again! not much more happened after that...i finished the lap very parched and was glad to be done. the legs were tired and the lower back was a tad tender too!i rode out on the road for a nice 15min cool down and then called it.

finished 3rd overall/2nd in age group. small race but the top 2 guys are strong so i feel ok about things. after 2 solid weeks of workouts i think things are really heading in the right direction.

progress?

after tsali i needed to go back to the drawing board for the training plan. coach and i decided to push out 2 solid weeks of rides with a nice mixture of short endurance rides, rides with high end intervals, recovery rides, tempo rides, and a couple long endurance rides to keep the aerobic fitness up.

we decided to race this weekends AL state race at Swayback for a hard workout. this will be a first time I've ever raced the day after a 3hr endurance ride. should be interesting.

the bike is starting to really feel normal under me. i have become more comfy on it and feel it's FAST. i know strava isn't for everyone but it helps me keep tabs on my own personal best ride times over certain sections. so i try and do intervals over the same sections...and over the last few weeks, i have set several PR's out on the trails and roads. love it!!

with a training race tomorrow and then 2 US Cups in the following 3 weeks, race season is really in full effect. it's time to put the babies to bed and rev up the engine. i would really like to get up on a US Cup podium this year and really hope to be in some solid fitness come Bump N Grind and HooHaa...bout 6 weeks to go!

US Cup/SERC @ Tsali, NC "knobscorcher"

when i laid out my schedule, i wasn't not real sure what my fitness would be like...racing all winter really had put some uncertainties in my mind as to how i would bounce back after a full cx season vs doing my normal transition/base/build up. which is why i scheduled my first xc race to be in April, not March like normal. good thing i did!! i also wasn't aware that i was going to be off the bike for 9 days because of work and family vaca in the 2 weeks leading up the race. i had a few days on the bike before the race but i guess it wasn't enough.

Saturday i drove up early and had plenty of time to take our time on the way up and when we got to tsali. I drove up with David and we were both planning on doing the 4mile TT but also wanted to get a full loop in as the warm up. we turned the lap at a moderate pace with a few openers. the course was great. fast and fun! after the loop, we refueled and went to the start line for the TT. it was fast and painful. i felt slow and finished slow. way off pace in my opinion. all in all, i was glad it was over and ready to clean up, eat, and hit the sack.

Sunday was an early wake up call...6a...5a my time...and eat fast, drink coffee, drop the kids off, twice, and head out the door by 7a to make it to the venue by 7:30..for once, because David was with me, we were on time. we had plenty of time!! i used the TT course for my warm up which was great, but i could just tell i wasn't moving fast and didn't feel fresh. before long it was that time....

in bullets...
* GO....ok start and slotted in about 8th place going into the woods.
* FAST pace line through woods. made it over the first climb with group
* 2nd climb to overlook, the pace picked up, and the group blew apart
* i got dropped...then crashed on the downhill trying to catch up
* struggled on the small climbs all day
* 2nd lap went better...caught a few guys who also blew up
* battled with 2 fella for position until the last mile...
* started to cramp on last punch in the nuts climb with water bars
* I crashed on the last creek crossing and they attacked me
* the harder i pushed to bridge up, the more i cramped
* finished 12th...worse xc finish in 3 years...OUCH!

overall the weekend was great and I'm glad i got the first race over with. now time to train and try and get these legs strong and the cardio pumping.

March is over...

wow, march went by fast! work, train, work, vacation, train, work...whats wrong that list...no racing...i need racing in there to make me happy!

for the first time in years, my racing schedule didn't start in March. Partly because of work and vacation but also because of cross season not ending until Jan 28th. I really wanted a few months of staying home on the weekends and just training around town. I love my bikes and love to ride and sometimes racing can take that love away because it's all about specifics. i took this extra time to really pile on some volume and just enjoy the rides. i logged in some of my heaviest weeks of training ever and hope that it pays off in the later part of the season.

plus i got a new bike, thanks to Orbea, and wanted to make sure i had plenty of time to get it dialed in and become familiar with and comfy on it. Considering both the hardtail and big wheels are new to me I thought it would be smart to have some solid training on it before racing it.


Now...I'm back from vacation and it's all about the mtb! this weekend will mark my first stab at the xc front in 2012 at the Knobscorcher which is part of the US East Cup/SERC series. i love these races and this venue because it's truly what real xc racing is all about. the fitness is still up in the air but thats why this weekend will be a great test, to see where I'm at and what i need to do to get back at the level i want to be at for this year.

Southern Cross report

well....this isn't exactly what i wanted to be writing but it is what it is...

the build up for this race, even though the race was not a priority in any way, was still pretty solid. i knew what kinda of terrain to expect having raced here for Fools Gold 50 mtb race and seeing other racers ride profiles, i knew climbing would be on the agenda in a major way. so for the last few weekends, i spent some time climbing on the cx bike hoping it would help. and overall i felt like it did and that i was coming into this event with some ok fitness...being late February.

the travel over Friday night was fine, no issue what so ever. However,the pre-race dinner was not...while it was tasty, the hibachi stir fry was not only a tad bit on the salty side, it also stuck with me all night and into the next morning, it made me feel extremely bloated. So much so that on Saturday morning, when i should have been eating a large and in charge breakfast, i wasn't really hungry at all! i maybe ate one egg and a one piece of bread...not ideal for a 50+miles in the mountains of GA. Mistake #1...take away....never eat hibachi the night before a big race

my race day warm up....well, there wasn't a race day warm up...more like I tooled around for 10min before the start...not ideal and obviously not what i had planned on...mistake #2

i showed up to the start with plenty of time to get a good position in the front of the 300 strong group. And actually did ok through the cross course in the beginning of the race. It wasn't as tuff as i expected and found myself out on the roads much faster than i anticipated. Unfortunately, my heart rate was up much higher than i wanted it to be...even though the legs felt good...so what to do? i tried to settle down quickly and find a pace that was comfy, and i did. we hit the first dirt section and i could still see the lead group up in front...great! i was feeling good and we were flying. As we dropped down one of the first rutted up sections of dirt road i had both my bottle ejected out of their bottle carriers...nice! what to do? a few seconds went by and i decided to stop and go back and get them...mistake #3!!!! for so many reasons...fist, i should have just gone on and figured a way out with out them. Not having anything to drink for the first several miles wouldn't have been the worse thing. Second, as i ran back to find the bottles, a cyclist crashed hard right in where i was, and i knew her, Elizabeth from TN. I had to stop...I just wouldn't have felt right, picking my bottles up and leaving her alone. so i stood by her and waived other racers around. finally i helped pick her up and slide her out of the way...made sure she was ok, and waited for he husband to get there before i left her side. (karma i hope pays me back) i kinda figured that my race was over at that point. BUT...i decided like an idiot to chase back as best i could. i hammered up the climb...catching tons of riders and burring all my matches at the same time. as i crested the climb and got to the first ad station, i was hot and pulled my knee warmers off and grabbed my other bottle that i had sent up...mistake #4...as i continued to climb, i immediately knew that i was going to be cold and shouldn't have taken the knee warmers off. i tried to settle down some and find a high but sustainable pace...didn't really work out...i would continued to burn matches for no reason. then, stop number 2(mistake #5...karma please)...as i went around a corner, i noticed Jerry was pulled off because of a mechanical issue. i tried to help...i wasn't thinking clearly nor provided any help to him...basically just wasted more time and allowed myself to get cold by standing on top of the mtn. after several minutes of trying to figure things out, i told him to go back to the aid station and get a ride back. sucked for him big time as he was obviously riding really strong. i got back on my bike and continued to push on...but by this time, i had mentally given up. Really one of the first times i really ever have giving up mid race. so i settled into a pretty laid back z2 pace and just was riding. then...mistake #6 and #7...flat...fix it, get back on ride for like 10min and flat again...thank goodness i had two spare tubes and co2's with me, or else i might have cried like Adam Myerson. (even though it wasnt a good day for me and there was no "making the group")so after two tube changes, my mood was somber and low...and by this time, i was watching people pass me who, no offence, had zero chance of even keeping up with me during a race. it was heart breaking and a cruel slap of reality that when the shit hits the fan, it really stinks all over. after the last grunt of a climb it was nice to hit the long, fast descend back home. i passed lots of folks coming off the mtn and just rode back in with not much effort.

after the race, i wasn't in the mood for much more than eating and getting back home. i decided not to stay for the after party mainly because i didn't feel like reliving my horrid race experience to a bunch of guys who didn't really care about how shitty my day was. Southern Cross 2012 was the most odd day i have ever had while racing. i guess the only semi/sorta positive thing to take away from this is my actual ride time of 3:45(not that special in itself, i know)...ya see, i keep the auto pause feature on my garmin, which means the timer only records while I'm actually moving. and even though my goal time was 3:30 or less, i wasn't too far off...after basically quiting mid way through the race, i still had an ok ride time for 50miles and 6k of climbing.

the event was great! all the racers were cool and very strong! the weather was perfect for the most part. the course was epic. the results blew chunks for me...dont care what they are!

last weekend of southern x build up

working only makes me realize how much a love riding bikes.

with southern cross coming up this weekend the focus over the past few weeks have been adding in some volume while keeping a little intensity mixed in just to keep the high end fitness sharp. this fall was unique in the fact that i raced all winter therefore really neglected my base training. where as all of the last several years i have always taken off a few weeks, had a bit of a transition, then jumped in the base training for about 3 months...this year is totally different. there really hasn't been a base season...i raced my last cx race on Jan 29th...first endurance race is Feb 25th(simply a training race)...first xc race is April 1st...also a first for to start my xc season to start so late. normally i start in early March...this was done on purpose though! i wanted some time off racing and some to build...and that's what i have been doing!

this past weekend had me all excited to ride...i was feeling good and the family was out of town leaving me to train and recover like i wanted to. mother nature would interrupt me just a bit but we worked it out...

Saturday's plan was 3-3:30hr ride @ ez to endurance pace. Jerry decided to join me and with rain on the horizon we decided to head out early to beat it's arrival. the route was more rolling hills than anything just so we could keep the effort control ed. BUT i did decide to go try out one new hill before the ride really got underway. the climb up to red mtn park fire tower was the first goal...and it did not disappoint. very steep and rewarding once at the top. after we crest the top, we turned around and rolled on. The rest of the ride seemed to fly by. before i knew it, we had rolled Ruffner, John Rodgers, 78, and were out on 119 heading to Baily Rd..i love that climb, and on to sicard, pumphouse, overton, and back to homewood. just a great ride! temps were perfect, jerry was riding strong, and the legs felt great. ended up with lil under 4hrs of ride time.

Sunday had huge potential for me...but mother nature was bound and determined to keep me off the bike for the full 5hrs that i had planned. the plan was 5hrs out in the Talledega National Forest with the emphasis on Mt. CHeaha repeats. i have been wanting to do this ride for a long time but because it takes an hour each way to drive and the ride itself is long, i needed lots of free time...this weekend was perfect..except for the rain. it rained all morning and was cold but i was bound and determined to not let that stop me. i headed out there about and was rolling by 1p. it was great! the rain had stopped and there was zero traffic! there was no visibility either but that's ok, i was training not sight seeing. the first 12miles are all rolling hills building up to the base of the Mt. Cheaha. on my first accent, i flatted right at the top, worried about flatting again and not having another tube, i just fixed and moved on. after the first crest, i rode down the south side of the mtn to lake howard and turned around there...back up was a sweet cat 2 climb at 6.1miles and about 1400ft of climbing! after the second crest, i dropped back down to Adam's GAp and turned around there for the 3rd time up...the legs were starting to hurt and it was getting cold...avg temp was 42..and going up was no problem, it was flying down at 40mph that made the air a tad chilly. after the 3rd climb, i decided to head back. it was a fantastic ride and im already looking forward to doing it again. all in all, i got 52miles with 6200 ft of climbing all in 3:30.

week ended up with 15hrs of riding and some tired legs. this week is a semi taper week and then we launch a new build phase for 2 more weeks until work and Disney take over for 2 weeks. ILDS!

Recap of the end Jan....and some Feb too?

funny how easy it is to let a few weeks slip by without really even noticing.

to wrap up Bamacross...one word...awesome!
the set up was like this...i was sitting in 2nd place overall. i had to beat my teammate, Omar and hold off Lackey to maintain my place. i had amanda's bday party the night before and was up late drinking brews...not my normal race prep.
the last race of the year was in Gadsden, AL at a new venue. it had been rumored that the course was short, fast, and dry...it was short...but the course was slow because there were several areas of thick muddy grassy sections. im not complaining though, i had a blast. i stayed conservative off the start but immediately found myself in the lead group and then shortly after that, solo in 2nd place. nothing would change after that until the end of the race. my best finish in a 1/2 race and a proper way to finish strong.

Now it's time for mountain bike build up time!

first weekend of February was the training camp Coach Drew and i had been working on for about a month. i had been looking for a way to get some one on one time with Drew and also a way to just to meet him. we decided to put together a simple 3 to 4 day training camp with 3-6 mtb guys looking for some volume and technical advice for rocky trails and host it at Oak Mtn. the weekend was perfect. just a lil wet but mild temps and great trail conditions. a strong group of 4 like minded riders joined forces and hammered out some great miles. all and all the week netted me almost 18hrs of riding.

with southern cross coming up and the mtb still in the shop(for 5 weeks now, waiting on one part)i needed some off road miles with climbing, so i headed out to Oak Mtn. plan was to meet up with some BiCi fellas but as usually i was running late and missed the start. the plan was lots of climbs. solid workout overall. flats...two...downhills with rox...no fun on cx bike...cold weather...dress appropriately...fuel correctly...equals workout done.

another solid week of training with about 11hrs of riding. considering i battled a cold all week and took two days off and two others were only an hour, im happy!

bamacross 9...brookside mudder

Brookside....what else can you say but perfect place for cross racing. the terrain is so varied with all sorts of natural options for cross. each race has been different and all have been fun. I will say for the record, i liked the 1st race the best!

Today was the 9th race of the series and I'm thinking I'm in the running for 3rd place overall in the 1-2's. I say I'm thinking because i don't know...nor will i worry about it. i will race the next and last race like all others...go hard and do the best i can..results will work themselves out. plus, i am sort of transitioning over to mtb season and having been doing a lil more volume with less intensity since the last race over a month ago so it's no surprise that the engine ran low towards the end of the race.

Quick recap...the race was muddy. very muddy! i was hopeful but the mud would be a major equalizer throughout. there were about 11 of us in the 1-2's. The first lap was chaos... WIll missed a pedal on the gun, then missed a turn before it was marked, Omar snapped a chain, Andrew(new to the 1-2's)took a flier in the first muddy section, and overall the field was blown apart because of the mud. i would find myself in 4th coming through the start/finish. I immediately went around Boyd and bridged up to the top 2 riders. we would ride together for the next few laps while our bikes got more and more muddy. at some point, i bobbled a bit in the mud and fell off the wheel of the leaders. that would end up haunting me at the end of the race. Lackey, the #2 guy and the closest to me in the points, would stay on Will's wheel and get a free ride for a couple laps while i had to work and fight solo. by the snd to last lap, i had pulled all but :05sec back and really though i would take him....but i never could close it down and rolled through the finish about that same distance back. fired up about the results, about my fitness, and equipment....but really would have been stoked to get 2nd. Ahhhh....

little housekeeping

just needed some freshing up on the blog info...

In honor of the contest i won on the Orbea Facebook page for the muddest pic, i thought i would change my header pic out and showcase another pic from that race...and reminise for a sec...this race was the 2nd or 3rd SERC race in 2009 when i was shooting for the overall. Anyway, this race was a mudfest with simply horrid conditions...cold, very wet, peanut butter mud everywhere, and unrideable climbs that had to be run. I flourished! i was able to stay upright and have zero issues on the bike. i rode away from Andy Johnston and bridged up to Craig Evens, who got dq'd which was also a first, and took the win! it was huge to me!!

I also added the early draft of the mtb schedule for 2012. there are some races that might be added during the year. I will also add a cx schedule later.

Another change are some pics below...i raced for two teams this year one, Red Mtn Wheelman for road and mtb and then Team Momentum for cross. i wanted to get both jerseys on the site until i get some more offical type of representation. I have other companys support me like BBC, Orbea Bikes, Schwalbe Tires, Feedback Sports with Squirt Lube, and Revolution Cycles. None are huge major sponsors but they all help me accomplish my goals and for that i thanks them all!!

Another huge hope for me this year is my new relationship with Coach Drew Edsall. I expect big things working with him this year. I plan to follow his plan to a "T" and trust in his program. More to come on this!!!

Rapha 500

i love social media and i love that most cyclist are mostly dorks about riding data and Strava has brought the best of these worlds together for me. Check it out if you haven't already.

Anyway, they have "Challenges" that they host along with a sponsors that establish a goal and then help track the data from any and ever rider who is on Strava and who wants to join. The Rapha500 is the second challenge i have partaken in. the first was during Thanksgiving and the goal was to burn 5000cal during the 4 or 5 day weekend. i had a good shot at it, but got a stomach bug that Saturday and couldnt ride Sat or Sun which killer my shot.

However the Rapha500 came at a perfect time for me. I had the full week off work and really had only one intention while i was off work....RIDE! Ride lots! with all the cross specific workouts, short days, dance, basketball, work, oh and life...training has been quality but certainly no quantity. most i have been on the bike since September was about 8hrs in any given week. Not enough if ya ask me!

the plan....ride the 500k/310miles...in the 9 days and enjoy every minute of it. the plan was to ride it all on the cross bike with nobbies or the mtb bike. no easy miles would count. plus i love my cross bike! a quick ride break down...

Rapha 1 = 39 mile loop around bham in chilly 42degree temps to start if off.
Rapha 2 = 48 mile ride n MS with Max. easiest ride of week. leisure ride w/ breaks.
Rapha 3 = 45.5 mile loop in MS...non stop rain. tempo pace ride the full time!
Rapha 4 = 61 mile loop in MS around hills. felt good. longest ride
Rapha 5 = 40 mile loop in MS. chilled ride and just enjoyed the sunshine
Rapha 6 = 30 mile mtb ride at OM with Omar. solid workout!
Rapha 7 = 43 mile worlds loop with Jerry. mild pace in perfect weather
Rapha 8 = 25 mile mtb at OM with Momentum team. another great workout and was feeling it.

overall stats...ride time 22hrs/335.5miles/16k ft of climbing/12k cal burned.

Fun times!!

Brookside 4

It’s funny how a week can change your motivation. I went from racing in Gadsden the previous weekend, not enjoying the mud at, and not really wanting to get dirty (I know…nancy style) to racing Brookside where I knew the mud would be much worse and was really looking forward to it. You see, on the mtb, I normally relish the nasty conditions. I’m typically a lil heavier than the common mtb racer so I sink in a bit and can control the bike a lil better. Plus the trails I learned to ride on were usually muddy n nasty so it comes natural. Plus….I can easily get fired up by watching other racers and just before I left the house for Brookside, I watched the men’s World Cup in Namur which had me ready for the nasty conditions.

On to the race itself…normally I like to ride the course a time or two before the race as part of my warm up but since I had pre ridden it the night before and wanted to keep the bike as clean as possible until race time, I decided to warm up on the trainer instead. After a nice 25min controlled warm up with a few :30 openers I rolled to the start line. The 1-2 field was small with only about 9 racers with several of the usual suspects not there. After role call we got a :10 countdown. The start was fast and as expected Will took the hole shot and set a fast pace that would quickly separate him from the group. Oddly enough, I found myself sitting in 3rd wheel feeling very comfortable. Things stayed together for the most part thru the 1st lap. coming thru the 2nd lap I was able to stay on Kevin’s wheel and pull away from the rest of the field. We would ride together for the next couple laps but he eventually would gap me a bit. I was still sitting in 3rd very comfortable and was riding all the mud with pretty good form. Then with 2 laps to go, I noticed Omar, who unlike himself had falling off the pace in the beginning, was starting to get closer and closer…and even though we are on the same team, I was trying to stay away from him for that podium spot. Unfortunately, my the middle of that lap, he caught me after I had made a few mistakes. We rode together for the rest of that lap and half of the last lap but again, in the same spot, I bobbled and he got a small gap on me and went on to take the 3rd spot that I wanted so bad! Good for him though as he rode a smarter race conserving energy until the end where it matters most.

The conditions were epic…lots of mud and sand, several run ups, and some fast power sections. My biggest issue was mud build up in the pedals n cleats. I was having major issues getting back in the pedals after the sand pit and it cost me several seconds on each lap but all n all….it was a great day to be racing!!

Back at it...

Wow...life has changed since my last post. I moved to Birmingham, I'm working for a different TV station, working with a new coach, sponsored by a new shop, racing with new teams, and getting coached by Drew Edsell. Did I mention things things have changed?

On the racing side of my world....I have fallen in love with another style of racing. Cyclocross!!! I got the fever and the only cure is more cross racing! Bamacross is our local state series...local...guess I'm a local from Alabama now...but it's a 10 race series that are all mostly with in 30min of bham which has been awesome. I started off as a cat 3 due to zero experience in cx but after 4 Bamacross races and one GA cx race I had 2 W's, one 2nd, and an 18th due to tire issues. So a mandatory upgrade was forced and I moved up to the 1-2's. It's where I belonged anyway. It's been hard and the compo is stiff but I'm glad I'm there.

On the training side....a got hooked up with a new coach Drew Edsall. He's been great so far. Keeping things very dialed in and specific. It's been hard because the job and kids keep me busy and I have to keep my training very specific with short days and limited time on the bike right now. We are using HIT method and incorporating intervals in most all of my rides. Ez or hard that's all it boils down too.

The one thing I'm most excited about is the week of vacation coming up after Christmas. Coach and I have a huge block of training planned and I simply can't wait. I love riding my bike and can't wait to enjoy some heavy volume for a change.

The 2012 racing schedule is just about finalized and I'll post it up as soon as I get things laid in. At this point the first goal of the year is the newly formed East Coast Triple Crown. Love the concept and love that one of the venues is at Oak Mtn.

Bamacross 8 is this Sunday and the goal....to beat Micheal Lackey!

first combo day

well, now that the goal of the season is over and behind me...and thank the lord above that it is...i am excited about my new direction racing goals are headed. i have been racing xc for years and now, i will shift my focus to mtb endurance racing. and the road to the goals in the endurance is really what i am excited about. the goals...yeah, i am such a dork and planning fruit cake [side note, charlie just walked in here and loved on me...i love that little man] that i already have plans laid out for September...12 moths away...the main goal is mtb nationals in Bend, OR in mid September 2011. i know..it's a major goal...but i think it will be a blast. and i really think that my boy max could get himself a star's and stripes jersey.

anyway, the goal to get there is what is really got my stoked. because of my new job, the workout hours aren't nearly as flexible as then have been in the last few years..it really sux...but, because of this, i have had to adjust everything. one, i wont be able to ride near as much as i need to, to be ready for racing season by march. so, i will run a bunch...prolly build up to about 4x's a week during Dec, Jan, and Feb....once daylight savings hit, i will start riding more...but...i plan on doing several duathlon's in March and April AND doing some early season endurance stuff too...like Ouachita Challenge, Big Frog 65, Syllamo Revenge, and maybe one more somewhere..i will throw a few xc races in late in the summer to help the high end speed. It really works out perfect. just as the days are gettin longer i will have plenty of time to get all the miles in...while the days are short, i will run during the week and ride on the weekends...prolly only drop to 2 rides a week, at the least...cont go without my bike for too long!

also, doing some late seasons firsts this year...my first charity ride, MS150 in Jackson, MS, 75miles each day; Gunter's Grunt and Grind in late October which will be my first triathlon...off road run, mtb ride, paddle..cant wait. should be a blast; mid November will be my first duathlon at oak mtn..mtb ride, trail run, mtb ride!

today was my first combo workout day...rode the mtb for an hour then immediately jumped on the trail run for 25 min. felt good for taking 4 days off before today.

more details to come....

i suck at blogs

yeah, it's been while...but i have been doing the same thing. but now, i work alot more. lots has changed though. i live in birmingham. the riding is much different here...all the way around. one word to describe it..."MORE"...more riders, more hills, more groups, more TRAILS, more....it's great in that regard. It's more difficult too! the fast guys are real fast.

the road riding is great. it has taken several rides and will take many more but im starting to learn my away to a degree on the bike. i have been out many days exploring rides and looking for climbs. i want to climb better and there are plenty hills here. I have found 2 mile long climbs that gain 700ft, which is twice of hattiesburg, and where i live is right in the guts of the hills. my little local loop that i do on week days is great. it's 14 miles with one 1.5mile/650ft climb, some rollers, one long down hill and then flat back to the start. i have also hooked up with several groups. there all kinds of groups to hook up with. i have sough out the faster paced rides and more aggressive groups and have paid for it. i crashed for the first time ever in the big tuesday world ride. super fast, drop your ass, ride. the first time i went on this ride, i got gaped...bridged back, they attacked again i was smoked! got dropped and had to grab a wheel to find my way home. the 2nd time, i crashed! broke my frame and tore my legs up. ended up crashing another dude too and messed him up. i haven't been back to that ride yet. there's a great saturday morning group that rides and they are freaking fit and fast. last ride was 55 miles with 4k ft climbing at almost a 20 mph avg. i was dropped on this too by the leading trio.

i have been to all the trails around here now...4 trail systems all within 30 minutes. Oak Mtn is 15, Trusville is 20, Tannehill is 30, and the Jewish Community Center trails is a 10 min bike ride away. i love this! lots of options to ride...but oak mtn is hard to pass up every time. i got out there for 2 red loops last saturday and damn those trials are nice. i haven't really meet any mtb'ers but all in do time.

so far things are good on the bike side of my world. the other side...lots have changed...but all good. the post will be coming more often. im about to race the last xc of importance to me for quite some time. i will still race 2 MS xc races this year just to finish off the MS state champion but really will be moving towards endurance mtb races, off road duathlons, and some road racing. i think the winter will be hard for me to train like i need to to be ready my march next year so im planning on working into mbt racing form much later in the year and shoot for Fools Gold 100 and the national mtb marathon race in Bend, OR. which are both in later august and early september. perfect!! really excited for the change. much needed to keep the fitness up and motivation too!

Monte Sano for the 5th SERC

i cant believe i haven't been here to ride yet. they have a great little state park in Huntsville, which is a very cool town, that has some great trails with lots of miles to explore. this was the first time the SERC has hosted a race here and i can saw it was a great place for a race.

we decided to stay in a cabin at the park just to make things easier on race day. the cabin was a great idea, just wish it was a little larger. it was basically one room. not to mention that our jr racer, jerry...aka "mayo" woke up Saturday morning throwing up and would continue to do so for the rest of the day...no way he was racing. the forecast for the weekend sucked all week and as the weekend got closer it got worse. i wanted to at least pre ride the course while it was dry so we headed up Friday night to ride early Saturday morning. we ended up heading out about 10a and hit the trails. wow...they were awesome...lots of rock, more rock than any race course i have ever raced and i knew it was going to ruff! there wasn't much climbing but the climbing on the trails were tecky and there was a mile long road climb in the en of the course...kinda strange..it was an old abandon mtn road but it was cool. after the ride we tooled around town, grabbed some food and checked out the local bike shops.

Sunday morning greeted us with...dry skies...only 30 miles north was getting pounded with rain...but none at the park. we didn't race until 1130a so it was a restless morning to say the least. but once it was an hour out...it was go time...max and i got dressed up and ready then headed out to warm up. we did out thing for about 25 min and then headed to the line. the classes were small...I'm telling you the weather forecast scared away everyone. we had 9 in our class but with several strong riders. the gun went off and the pace was fast...i entered the woods 4th and was riding right behind sibly. things were good and i was feeling fine...then we hit the first true rocky downhill section. not sure what happened but my handling skillz didn't make the race. i was all over the place and with in minutes i bobbled and lost time, then again and got passed...i pushed hard...and bobbled more and more and more...it became comical..i actually laughed at one point right after several cuzzwords! i cut couldn't get it together all lap...and really through out the race. i came thro the 1st lap WAY back and knew it, so the plan was to ride smooth and stay steady...i would say i did that. i only last 1 min off my 1st lap time and didn't eff up much at all, maybe 3 times...the last lap was just a lap...i pushed hard, for me, but the lower back was throbbing and no one was insight. heck i raced the entire time alone..never really saw anyone until the end of the last lap...and the last lap would also bring the RAIN..and alot of it. and low and behold, just before the long road climb, i caught the 4th place rider...i couldn't believe it. i rode up to him, we exchanged pleasantries, and then i went past him...he jumped on my wheel and as we got on the pavement, i tested him...no attack, just upped my pace..and he was fading so i increased my pace a little more and dropped him. i would ride on it feeling better, back not hurting as much, and glad to be done.

story of the weekend....jerry, aka "mayo"..ended up racing after pucking all day Saturday and not eating anything...and would lead the race until he got lost...but would still end up in 3rd! His ole man, George would pull a 2nd place and my hommie max would land 3rd after almost 2 full weeks off the bike! great weekend all in all!

US Cup/SERC/GA State Series

this past weekend was strange but loads of fun! lots of first for me on a race weekend...but not good first...first time i watched a pro crit at night in the rain, first time i hung out with Lena, first time i stood up all night the night before a race, first time i didn't eat a good dinner before a race, and...first time i didn't pre ride the course.


the combo of all those didn't help my cause out at all.



it rained all day on Saturday so i decided not to pre ride and stay clean. i still had planned to ride the trainer for a bit but opted out of that too. we went to watch the Athens twilight crit sat night and it was awesome. those dudes are so fast. anyway because it was packed out there was no quality food to be had...i ended up with a gyro and fries...not the dinner I'm used to before a race.

Sunday brought dry an sunny skies but the trails were messed up pretty good. still very ridable but nasty. and because there was no pre reg on sat, all the racers had to pre reg Sunday before the race...made for a long line and a delayed and shortened warm up. i also had to set my bottle feeders up...and made a mistake but wouldn't find out until later...at the start line i noticed our field was stacked with quality riders. i knew it was going to be a battle.



the gun went off and away we went...fast and steady...i entered the woods 4th behind Sibly, Johnston, and Alison(ba from FL)...dudes fell off me pretty quickly and soon it was just us 4 rolling together. after about half a lap were joined by Shey and he was rolling fast. about that time Sibly attacked all of us and would set a blistering pace for the rest of the first lap. we all 5 came through the finish of lap 1 together...as we entered the feed zone, i realized my mistake...my bottles were too far off the path and i had to veer way off to get my feed...and ended up crashing..in the feed zone. not only did it hurt but it was super embarrassing...wreck right in front of everyone...argh! i also lost contact with the group and had to fight hard to bridge back up...maybe too hard...and right as i got to them, i went down again...by the time i got up and back moving forward they were gone and i would never see them again.



i pushed hard but could tell the power was fading. i had only brought one gel and that had been gone since the first lap. i was now in conserve mode but stay steady. i came through the 2nd lap knowing that this last lap would be all about survival! i again had to swerve off course to get my feed and again almost wrecked again...but stayed upright. the last last lap seemed to take forever...i though i had last 10 min on the last lap but only dropped 5min off my first lap's pace, which isn't great but not too bad for as bad as i was feeling. you know you're not having fun when things are in slow motion...the races i feel great on, they fly by...this lap...drug on...and on...and on! Plus my back was killing me...not sure why...it really hasn't bothered me all season and it was in full effect Sunday. i still managed to hold on to 5th place and would still make the podium but not by much.

BTW...dude on the #2 box isnt the dude who raced us...this is the stand in...Allison is super fit and fast!

after looking at the lap times...the 3 guys behind me all had faster lap times on the 3rd lap than me...thank goodness i held on!

this week is recover and get ready for Huntsville, AL.

knobscorcher 2010

i knew this weekend was going to be better than the last race weekends...cause it was going to be dry and sunny! plus i love the course and the venue.

as for the weekend...we had a blast. Max and i drove up friday to Athens, TN and crashed at the nastiest room I've stayed in, in awhile. we woke early and finished the drive.

the Burgers always have a knack of making old course new. and this past weekend at Tasli, NC was no different. the had switched the course all up with lap 1 being 18 miles and lap 2 being 12 miles and a bunch more climbing vs. last year. we only rode the 1st lap for the pre ride..of course we took it easy and keep the effort as low as possible on the climbs and our ride time was 1:35...long!

sunday morning brought the normal race jitters as always but i love those...i think it's one of the reasons i love racn! the start was crucial...only a short sprint up hill to a tight entrance to the trails and then it was ripping fast for 3+miles=no place to pass! luckie i had the start i wanted and entered the woods 5th and we were off..smoking down the trails. a group of about 10 were all together until the first major climb and then it all blew apart and the real racing started. nathen silbley, a super fast dude, blasted off the front and andy chased followed by some dude in a blue jersey then me. sometime shortly we were all joined by Omar. it flew by me and joined the front guys, i was 5th at this point. on this course, i can almost always can pull the :20 seconds i lose on the climbs back on the downhills so i never worry to much about getting gaped on the climbs but these dudes were just as fast so i had to work hard to bridge and it took me several miles to get them even in sight. i did bridge up to the 2nd chase group which was everyone but andy...and he was gone! sibley dropped soon after that due to a leak and as that happened omar took off...i chased him and dropped the dude in the blue. i kept him in sight for a while but he slowly pulled away...and by the end of the last 1st lap he had a minute on me and the dude in the blue had caught back up with me...and i was hurting. dude in the blue would drop me on the 1st big climb and would end up putting 1:40 by the end of the race. i was passing the mid packers of the groups that started before us but i was dragging ass. what should have taken :53+/- minutes took me an hour...i was 8 min down on 1st place...i should have been 2nd! came in 4th.

oh yeah...the new kits came in and i got a tech-T along with them...rock stars baby!