Tuesday

I love racin on Tuesday. It is a training crit but it is still a race no doubt. After missing last week and likely skipping the next Tuesday while recovering from Dirty Kanza I was eager to go hard last night. It was different mix of guys this week which kept it interesting. I sat in for a few laps, but soon enough made a dig with Tom P. We did not get far, but when we got caught I popped off the front trying to get someone to go with me, there were no takers that time. A lap later Phil Gronniger and I went on the move and that got every ones attention. In attendance was Phil Mann, two time collegiate national champ, he kept that pace high, and looked really strong. A five man break formed, 2 Phils, Myself, teammate David Heduk, and Trek's Fuzzy. We slowed down once we got away, but the attacks were hard inside the last 5 laps. Phil and Phil were the instigators. It was all I could do to chase. Heduk made a nice move in the final corner and got a gap but could not quite hold it to the line. I finished forth and Phil Mann won. Good stuff.

Time to sharpen up mentally for Saturday, 200 miles of bad roads, and likely poor weather. I am ready for it.

TT PAIN

I am horrible at time trials. 6.2 miles as fast as I can is not very fast. The tailwind start had me frustrated spinning out my compact 50x11, but then I found out that really did not matter because I had no power into the wind anyway.

I thought it would be interesting to do a 10k on pavement this weekend, before 200 miles of dirt next weekend. I wish I was better at this short stuff rather than all day in saddle. Oh well.

6 days of dirt

I had to make up for so much road riding time the past few months and take advantage of dry trails for a change.

6 days of KC singletrack
friday at Shawnee Mission
saturday at Blue River
sunday St. Joe
monday back at Blue River
tuesday at Landahl
wednesday back at Shawnee Mission

6 awesome days of riding to help steep myself in the ways of the Stumjumper. I have a new camera picked out so hopefully I will go buy it by the end of the weekend and can start making this blogging thing fun again.

It is wet today, so back to the road bike, hey that will be kinda fun

kcdirtbikeracing underway

This weekend was the reason I live here in Kansas City. The Heartland Race Series finally had a smile of a day and we all got to line up and take off. St. Joe was beautiful, Amber and I were goggle'y eyed driving through town past all the old mansions looking stately. The trails were smack dab in town, and a local singlespeed hitman informed me that St. Joe has 40 miles of singletrack in the city limits. I pre-road the course a lap and a half, It was all big ring singletrack even though it seemed a little tight at first. I was racing one of Bike Source's Stumpjumper FSR test bikes. I probably did not need 5 inch's of travel for the rockless course, but I was having a riot bombing through the little G-outs and catching air wherever possible. The crazy bike rides incredibly well and climbs amazingly for all that travel.

We had a great expert turnout, and it seemed everyone had fresh legs and good form. My main man Matt Brown took the hole shot and led for the first few miles. When we popped out into a feild I past Plummer and Matt and built a little lead. Steve Jarrett of Omaha was dangling behind me, and I probably had 10 or 15 seconds after the first lap. I had a failure to communicate with my hand up man and missed getting a bottle headed out for lap two. Quad cramps started twinging half way around, I was slowing down on the climbs trying not to have the legs fully seize. Steve caught me right as we were starting lap 3. I got a bottle and started nursing it down. It took a couple of miles for the cramps to subside, but then I started having fun again. It was to late to make a move up so I just rode and held of the other chasers. It was a fun day and it was great to be out in the dirt with all my friends. I can't wait for June 8th at Landahl, see ya then.

Bust a 360

Back in my BMX riding daze I used to endlessly try and whip around lame little 360's but always ended up at best a little over 200 and wrecking havoc on my wheels. Today was my first full 360. 360 Racing is my new team, and I made my inaugural effort out on the Tuesday Tarmac. If success is judged by losing your peripheral vision and blowing up hardcore, than it was a raging success. My legs were missing a little pop early in the race and when Heduk made a huge effort I wasn't there to thank him. Later in the race the 360 mafia was upping the pace on the front keeping Tilford and the rest of the Heartland Racers under 10 seconds we could not keep the organization to reel in the last bit. It was a great time and I am looking forward to lots of fun, and LOTS of cross eyed agony in the years to come. Here's to tomorrow.

Lake Wilson

The Kansas Fat Tire Festival was yet again a wonderful weekend. After dodging Tornadoes last year, mother nature treated us to about as ideal conditions as you can ask for. Amber and I pitched in a hand at the GB Bike shop on Friday to help get everything in motion. The plan was to ride the river trails that evening but limb snapping wind deterred me from the trails. Saturday's events were the usual suffering fun. I attempted the hill climb 3 times trying to break the 2 minute barrier. No go, 2:07 was all I could muster even with a fatty tail wind blowing up my pipe. The short track race felt a lot easier than past years, all the criterium racing seems to be helping, and a longer descent gives you a lot more recovery time.

Amber and I stayed the night at the Midland hotel, a renovated old limestone Inn in Wilson, KS. It is always a unique experience, I recommend it to anyone looking for a fun weekend. Sunday we were upn' at em, I got charged up sitting in the old building sipping coffee and watching the trains charge through town. The weather was immaculate, a nice breeze cooled you down or pushed you uphill. I raced my Dad's bike. It is another Podium frame built by my Uncle. My Dad had a pretty Posh build kit on it and the bike just destroyed the trail. Top end steel, top end parts, and you are going to have some top end speed. Since the course is always changing it is hard to know how my times stacked up to previous years, I know I felt faster than ever, and had plenty of juice to turn on speed in the last 4 miles. Pretty good smiling was had by me.

Notable destroyers were Elizabeth Heal smoking nearly everyone there men and women. Danny Reimer charging a beginner W on a Surly Pugsley. Steve Dutton crushing all those who dared sign up for the Sport category, and Dodge Nily, although sidelined with a broken arm, would have smoked 3/4 of the racers at the age of 10. Remember you read that name here first.

Sorry no Pics, My camera gave up over the weekend. I will bring a few over when they get posted on my Dad's website.