Foxy

Hotness for your mountain bike

Early

Crack of 4 AM

Keep Your Bills, I Want Change

Same story, different day. A couple hours of sleep, some attempt at riding, and then surviving the rest of the day with the new baby. Seems like things are slowly coming out of the woods and we're ready for any change in the current less than optimal routine.

Not feeling as haggard as I was earlier in the week. It's tough to recover from a race with only 2-3 hours of sleep at night. Looking forward to the day I can saw some logs for at least 7 hours in a row. I'd even take five or six hours at this time.

As the weekend approaches I'd like to wish my Visenka team and Seven Devo Squad good luck racing!

Learning the Trails

Today my friend Mark and I went out to ride some trails. He recently got a new bike and is getting back into the sport. He's addicted and has been riding a lot lately so I figured that showing him more of the local trails would lead to good times.

Bikes?
Check.
Water?
Check.
Singletrack induced smile?
Check.

Not XC

It's not xc but it still looks like fun:

Photo Essay: Post Race Spin

When in doubt: Jump over it

Hot, Toasty, XC Action

Tom and I headed down for round 2 of the TBF Race Series. It was 100 degrees as the race started. It was fast and everyone settled in as we hit the singletrack. It's been quite sometime since I put in any intensity so what better way than to jump into the fire. I rode the first lap with my friend Pat and we slowly moved up overall. We would end up riding the entire race together. It was smoking hot and muggy on certain sections of the course and I burned through my bottles quickly. Luckily they were giving out neutral bottle feeds every lap. The legs were giving hints of cramping and before I knew it I was out of water on the final lap. The legs cramped on the final steep climb and I lost the spot I had just gained. I had no choice but to shift low and spin in finishing 2nd for the day (6th overall) 15 seconds back in Cat 1. Pat won his Cat 1 class and Tom ended up third in his age group for Cat1. Great race and a lot of fun.

German Designed Indonesian Rubber

Thanks to my Adam for link to this video

Morning Singletrack Fix

Yesterday was a great day on the bike despite not riding on dirt. It was the first time I went on an actual bike ride with my little girl. Prior to this day she would ride and I would just walk with her. She must have been closet training because she's fast now and we just rolled along both on two wheels.

This AM got out with Nick. He was in Super D mode and we had a blast. Thanks for the ride Nick...I'm tired but getting our morning fix of singletrack makes for a great start to the day.

Blur: Week in Review

This past week was rather challenging. Running on minimal sleep trying to do a lot of things is not optimal.

Maximum sleep hours at night this week: 3
Minimum sleep hours at night this week: 1

Somehow the body is getting used to it. Every ride has been turning into a session in the pain cave (Bear was right there with me). The edges blur and darken. Then it sets in. Brain tells body to keep moving. Legs refuse. Same story different day.

Still there are things to learn and many agendas were revealed at the expense of others this week. Some refuse to learn, grow, or help one another. That is the opposite of how I operate.

Top priority last week was to see how Brandon's race went. He had a first lap crash, gave it his all, and finished 15th. Excellent result for his first year in Cat 1 juniors 15-16. Congratulations Brandon on a tough race. When you finish your rest week we'll go rip some singletrack.

Here are the typical morning shots that you may find redundant:

The new kits are in. They turned out well but there are some small changes to make. Couple of shots below from the rim.

Time to get things back together. What better way than to start off with a burrito the size of your arm?

US Nats Live

Visit beta.cyclingdirt.org for more Videos

Final Prep for US Nats

Headed out for a ride this morning with Brandon and his father, Tom. They are a lot of fun to ride with. Brandon is headed to Colorado for US mtb Nats this week. I've had the pleasure and honor to coach and train with this outstanding young man. No matter the outcome I am really proud of Brandon's dedication to the sport he loves. Good luck in your race Brandon and when you get back be ready to go rip some singletrack.

Time Lapse: Early Burn

Another day, another ACOD ride. This one began solo with the headphones. Rolled onto the dirt at a hair before 5 and it was quite dark (the new moon is tomorrow). Met up with Bear, Brandon, and Tom at 6:30 and continued riding. Brandon has been training hard to get ready for the US Mountain Bike Championships and today confirmed he was right on track. He was cruising uphill no handed telling me stories while I was maxed out, seeing double, and thinking of food the entire time.

5:15 AM

5:20 AM

5:35 AM

5:40 AM

5:45 AM

5:50 AM

5:52 AM

7:30 AM

7:31 AM

8:30 AM

Sola 29er: First Impressions

After getting a little trail time in, the new Sola is one rad machine. This 29er is night and day superior to the off the shelf 29er I had previously. Neil did an awesome job putting the numbers together for the optimal ride. The frame is compliant and ready for the long haul. Steering is laser precise and had no issues negotiating 180 degree tight singletrack switchbacks.....which impressed me immensely (this was a problematic area on previous 29ers owned). Still dialing in the fit which is almost spot on...just off by a few mm's. The other areas of concern are parts pick.....so there may be some slightly used parts for sale soon. 

Introducing the new steed to ACOD rides this week. Thunderstorms were in the forecast and the clouds made for some spectacular views. Makes me think: Does it get better riding trails than this?

The only other early morning risers out on the trails. Got a little rain as well but nothing significant.

I'm a dog person but am glad that BLM put up these signs on their trails. I was attacked by a dog on BLM trails when I stopped and let a couple and their three dogs by and they knowingly knew their 100+ pound rottweiler of death was not trained. Since then there have been dogs jumping on me and their owners telling me "It's okay, he won't hurt you, he's friendly." Heard that one before. Wouldn't it just be common courtesy to prevent your dog from jumping up on a stranger? As a dog owner (our lab was trained and socialized) I always kept our dog away from others just out of respect for others' existence. Enough with the soap box....

Heading home.

And on to other important things like determining the optimal ratio of Nutella to peanut butter on breakfast......and teaching someone to swim.