Boss Cross #4

Our series finale was this past Saturday and things went great. The course was absolutely perfect, and I was fortunate enough to hear that from dozens of racers throughout the day. Final series points are posted up on the blog, as are a few notes about the races and next season. I want to give a big shout out to Josh Stamper, Andrew Slater, and Zach Dubas for their hard work in tearing the course down. Josh is putting on a guaranteed great event this coming weekend in Manhattan, and asked to use our equipment for his event. Our agreement was that the bad goat team would be in charge of course tear down in exchange for all of our stakes and cones. It's a bummer that only 3 of them showed up. Jeremy and I both told our beautiful ladies that we would actually be home at a decent hour instead of breaking down the course for 3+ hours. So, after our things were gathered and our strings were tied we took off. Sorry to leave you guys hanging, but that's part of putting on a bike race. Hopefully you can go out and support their team and club at their race next weekend!
More good things to come.

TI version 6! I'm in!

April 24-25 2010. Hopefully things go better than last year!

2010 Schedule (tentative)

So I am officially registered for Ironman Florida 2010!
As I said earlier, this would be the deciding race in my 2010 schedule. So at this point in time my 2010 race schedule is as follows:

12/31 and 1/3 Series 60 cross races
2/13 Psycho Wyco 50k trail run
3/28 Ouachita Challenge
4/11 Brew to Brew solo 44 mile run
4/24-25 Transiowa
5/8 Rock Creek 1/2 marathon
6/5 Dirty Kanza 200
7/10 Psycho Psummer 50k
7/25 Rock Creek night 20 mile race
8/8 Ironman Boulder 70.3
8/14 Leadville 100 mtb (upon accepted application)
11/6 Ironman Florida

That's the plan at this point in time. I'll be doing as many road races and local mtb races as I can between now and then. Somehow in between the races I have to run 2 shops and come April manage 2 kids! It looks to be a fun year!

HPT Cross and Moots

I finally got my Moots cross bike built up yesterday just in time for the Heartland Park Topeka Race. I got a late start out to the race, which was once again top notch, and got changed and registered. I've come to realize that I'm not nearly as fit as I was this time last year. I know that I would be battling out for a win in the cat 3 field, but since I upgraded to a 2, I have to battle it out for last place in the 1/2 field. It's not much fun watching 15 guys ride away from me, and despite my efforts I can't hang on. On a happier note, the new bike rode great! Everything felt really smooth on it, and the handling was spot on. I need to make a couple minor adjustments today, but it will be ready to go for the next race. I'll get some pictures up very soon.

So...Ironman Florida was yesterday. That means that registration opens today at noon for the 2010 race. It sold out in 6 minutes online last year. I'm gonna throw my hat in the ring for it and see what happens. My entire 2010 race schedule will be dependent on if I get in or not. I'll get my tentative race schedule up here very soon, but it will be guaranteed to include dk200 a little bit of road racing, and some ultra runs.

72 and Sunny!

So, it's been a very busy few days. Saturday's Boss Cross #3 went very well. The weather was perfect, the crowds were good. The whole race went off without a hitch. I can't wait to race this Saturday night in Topeka at Heartland Park. I raced very well there last year to a strong 2nd place, but I expect things will be a little different in the 1/2 field.

I've spent the last 2 days in beautiful San Diego, Ca at the Haro Bikes Dealer Summit, a hands on intimate sales meeting with everyone at Haro. It's been really cool to see what goes on inside a small company like this. I flew out here Monday morning along with 5 other dealers from across the country (Florida, Phoenix, Cincinnati, Seattle, and small town Tennessee). There's only about 12 employees on the inside of Haro, including marketing, design, and sales, so the 1 on 1 personal touch that they were able to give us was great.

Basically, we were wined and dined, then drilled on how they can improve their company, bikes, and vision. They are looking to the dealers on ways to improve their 2011 and beyond bikes, and what they need to do to get their bikes in the hands of the consumers.

We stayed in a nice little beach front hotel in Carlsbad where Haro is headquartered, and we were within walking distance to all the restaurants, and about 100 meters from the water...life is rough.

I'm very excited to get back to my family and the shop though. Spinning at the Parkville store starts thursday evening, so I've got to get some workouts in order. Apparently my fork came in for my Moots cross bike, so I'll have plenty of fun stuff to do when I get back to the shop.

rainy day

It rained most of the day today, much like it has the better part of October. I had some time to for final preparations for this Saturday's Boss Cross #3, get some stuff done at the Liberty store, and hang out with Levi while Kathy ran some evening errands. This weekend's race looks like it could be a muddy one, but I doubt it will anything as bad as last years race. Barring another 3+ inches of rain tomorrow the entire course will be ridable.

I'm working on an excel spreadsheet to get full results posted for the Boss Cross series so we can let people know where they stand. I'll have results from the first two races and series points posted at the race on Saturday.

If you've never been to a cross race, A: wake up, and B: Come check it out.
Platte Ridge Park is a gem of a park developed and maintained by Platte County. The race is easy to get to, it's supposed to be 55 and sunny, and I can guarantee good times and mediocre food.

I hope to see all of you out there supporting the sport.

Rock Creek 15 mile trail run

So apparently I've got the running bug again. I put in over 70 miles in less than two weeks (in only 4 runs!). I've been trying not to neglect my many bikes, but it's so easy just to go for a run. This past weekend I did the Rock Creek heavy half marathon at Lake Perry. It was somewhere between 14 and 15 miles, but I like to round up!
It was a really cool event. Super relaxed, kind of reminded me of a cross race. I started out at a pace that I thought I could maintain for 2+ hours. There was a 50k running at the same time, so I knew they would be pacing themselves, so I fell in w/ a couple pretty good groups. There were 3 aid stations spaced at mile 4.2, 8.8, and 11.3. Nice volunteers and some good snacks. I hadn't been running on the trails in 5 years since I did a trail half marathon in Florida some time back. It did a number on my ankles, calves and knees, but I recovered pretty quickly. I ran right at a 2:30 flat. Not a screaming fast pace, but w/ nearly 1500 feet of climbing and a heavy bed of wet leaves on the ground, I was pleased.
There will be some more running races in my near future. First the Gobbler grind (I'm leaning toward the half at this point in time), then this little beauty out a WY CO park. I don't know if I'll be ready for a 50k trail run by February, but I figure I can at least knock out a 20 miler.
I've got a few cross races between now and then to do, and maybe even a trip up to Lincoln on the Saturday before the half.
This weekend is Boss Cross #3. I'll get some more info on here in the next couple days. Soon I will post my 2010 racing Calendar (barring any major catastrophes).
Until next time.

Kansas City Marathon

So it's been a good 2 1/2 years since my last marathon, but I thought I'd give it a try anyways. In all these years I hadn't done the KC marathon. So after 5 solid weeks of training (I managed two 15 mile runs), I showed up ready to run. I knew it would hurt, but I didn't know it would be that bad. As always, the first few miles felt fine, not too fast, and I had a nice group to chat with. I realized it was a little quicker than I could maintain at around mile 6 so I backed it off. I ran with another group until about mile 13 then had to back it off even more for fear of a dnf. By mile 19 my run had become a very painful amble. At one point in time I was actually on pace for a 3:20 (albeit 10 minutes slower than my pr), but by this time I was barely limping along at 9:00 minute miles. I saw my dad out on the course on his new Moots (check em out!) around mile 22 for a nice pick-me-up. Then I saw Kathy and Levi about a mile later. Kathy ran with me for a mile and it was everything I had just to try to keep up with her while she was pushing Levi.
The last few miles hurt like no run ever has. I've done 10 marathons in 7 different states and this was by far my worst; 3.47:57. Nothing a little training can't help for the next one.
Tonight I'm gonna go spin my legs out at a little local cross race...we'll see how that goes.
Until next time (which won't be so long, I promise!)

Cross is the new Black!

Hey,
I've pretty much been inactive over the last couple months, but that is about to change. Cross season is upon us, and I'll have a lot to talk about here in the next couple months, as everyone knows Cross is the new Black!
This weekend is the first and second Boss Cross Races of the year. Killer venue down at English Landing Park in downtown Parkville.
here is the link for pre-registration. Starting position will be based upon registration order...so sign up early if you wanna win!
BC Schedule
Boss Cross #1 - 10/3/09 - English Landing Park, Parkville, MO
Boss Cross #2 - 10/4/09 - English Landing Park, Parkville, MO
Boss Cross #3 - 10/31/09 - Platte Ridge Park, Platte City, MO
Boss Cross #4 - 12/5/09 - Barry-Platte Park, Kansas City, MO

Race Schedule:

10:00 A.M. Men 35+, 45+, 55+ 45 min
10:00 A.M. Women Open (1-4) 45 min
11:00 A.M. Women Cat 4 30 min
11:00 A.M. Junior 30 min
11:00 A.M. Single Speed (M &W) 30 min
12:00 P.M. Men Cat 4 30 min
1:00 P.M. Men Cat 3/4 45 min
2:00 P.M. Men Cat 1/2/3 60 min

See you Saturday. More to come!

Farmhouse Classic recap

We ended up with perfect weather for the Farmhouse Classic on Saturday July 18th. What a great way to spend my Birthday! 30 of us toed the line at the start of the ride. Everyone would go on to finish, 15 did the 105ish miler, and 15 did the 62 miler. The roads were tougher than most people imagined...hopefully I didn't scare anyone away from next years event. I rode the first half of the 62 miler at the tail end of the lead group (Peter, Gersib, Cornbread, Waller, Troy and Matt T) and rode back in with mike fox, KC local Chris Thomas and the great Alison Stamper.

Peter Krause pulled out first place with a sprint finish. The remaining podium spots went to Troy Krause, Corey Godfrey, Matt Tillinghast, and John Waller. I want to thank everyone who came out and enjoyed this fine ride. Here's some links to some great blogs from our fellow gravel cyclists.

Stamper, Cornbread, Gersib, Troy. These guys should keep you plenty entertained. Until I get pics off my camera...safe riding.

Katy Trail ride

Tomorrow I will be attempting to ride the Katy Trail in one day.  225 miles in one day will be a new long for me.  Should be interesting.  Relatively flat, but fighting a steady E wind all day.  The plan is to leave the house around 4:45am, be to the trail head in Clinton shortly after 6:00 and be on the trail by 6:15.  I'm not exactly sure how long it will take me, but I have a loaded bike, with plenty of food, water, tools, parts, and music.  225 miles is a long time to think...hopefully I'll have some good stories when I finish.

Farmhouse Classic Saturday July 18th

July 18th is my 26th Birthday.  For the past several years I have taken the day off work and ridden a century.  It's been a great way to spend my day.   This year I've decided to invite my friends along and take the century to the gravel roads in northwest Missouri.  

I'll be hosting the first annual Farmhouse Classic from our farm in Lathrop MO (nw corner of 248th and Mule Barn Rd).  It will be a fun and free 100 mile gravel ride with two well supported aid stations stocked with various goodies.  

The ride will start around 9:00am (exact start time to be posted soon).  Breakfast will be served around 7:30, with the grill starting up in the afternoon.  There will be camping available both Friday and Saturday night.  Bring your friends, bring you bike and plan on having a good time.

Keep and eye on www.farmhouseclassic.blogspot.com for further details.  

Dirty Kanza Race Report

Dirty Kanza has been done for over a week, and I almost feel fully recovered, although I still have no interest in doing a long ride.  But here goes a long race report.

Friday 4:30: leave the Parkville shop with Peter (eventual 5th place finisher and 19 year old bad ass), to go pick up Folendore at his lakeside cabin in Lone Star.  6:30: arrive in Emporia in time for the pre-race meeting, get some swag, talk to old friends, and realize there are a lot of new faces this year.  Got a decent nights sleep, and actually had a bed to myself.

Race started at 6:00am Saturday with a mass start neutral roll out to the edge of Emporia.  The gravel started like it has every year, fast and furious.  I told myself to stay near the front as not to encounter any shady riders like I did at Trans Iowa.  However, I found myself in the middle of the pack, but surrounded by guys I had was used to riding with.  The pace continued to rise as the group got smaller and smaller.  Before long it was down to 5.  Myself, Mike Marchand, Troy Krause, Corey Godfrey (top 4 finishers) and Dan Hughes who would've been right up there had a nasty crash around mile 125 not taken him out of the race.  We rode away from the rest of the group around mile 25 and really laid the hammer down, rolling at 30+ until we turned into the headwind.  It was soon apparent that this group was not going to get caught.  We even took time to wrangle some loose cattle that were in the road.  A few of us were running various tubeless set ups that did not like the flint rock, so we stopped a couple times to re-seal tires and such.  At about mile 35 I had a major flat.  I put a 1 inch slice in the sidewall of my rear tire.  The others rode on as I tried to fix it.  I put a tire boot in it, along with a powerbar wrapper, turned the tire around and put it back on the rim with a new tube.  As I was pumping up the tube I broke the old corroded valve stem in half, so I had to throw another tube in.  By the time this was all over, I had lost about 20 places.  I spent the next 25 miles riding my own pace, but slowly reeling in riders in front of me.  I could tell guys were already starting to suffer in the heat and wind, but I was feeling really good.  I rolled into the first check, mile 61 in 15th or so place.  Took a quick stop, refueled, chatted with some guys I had met along the way, and kept going. 

I passed probably 5 people at the check point just by making it a quickie.  I rolled out of town and up a long paved climb that felt like it was going forever.  I took this chance to call Kathy and Levi to see how they were doing back in KC.  They were laying by the pool at Grandma and Grandpa's house!  I came down the hill and through the little ghost town of Elmwood.  Towns like this amaze me.  No sign of people, no dogs, just a few random houses and some vacant old buildings.  As I was rolling out of Elmwood and toward the next stretch of gravel I came across Skip Cronin, he too had been distracted by a phone call and was ready to attack the next stretch of course.  We hooked up and rode together for quite a while.  He was riding a single speed, so his pace kept me in check and from burning myself up too early.  We started riding together at about mile 70 and rode strong until about mile 130.  The pace was solid and the company was good...I don't care what anyone says about you, you're an alright guy Skip!  

We came into the midway checkpoint at mile 103 in 6th and 7th place, still feeling strong.  We hung out for about 25-30 minutes.  Ate some solid foods, drumsticks, and refilled water bottles.  We took off before anyone else could pass us.  The next 38 miles were terribly rough.  The temps continued to climb to the mid 90's, and the hills continued in front of us.  We encountered a stretch of road called Little Egypt.  It was the nastiest section of rock and "road" known to man.  It featured 3 gnarly descents followed by 3 super steep climbs.  Halfway down the first decent there was a washed out section with a rut that decided it was going to eat my front wheel.  I'm not sure how I stayed on the bike, nor how Skip and I didn't crash into each other, but I made it out alive with only a flat tire.  We stopped under a shade tree and took a breather as I fixed the flat.  Once we got rolling we encountered about 10 miles of rollers that didn't seem to let up.  Skip was really starting to suffer and pay the toll of little sleep and dehydration.  We stopped once just to get out of the sun.  About mile 130 we came across a beautiful old stone barn along with an old stone farm house at the bend in the road.  It didn't appear as if anyone was home so we strolled to the back of the house and found a water spigot.  It was in the shade, and the cool water and slightly cooler temps made it feel like an oasis!  Skip was hurting big time, and not very responsive.  We took in as much water as we could hold, and I flagged down a car that just happened to drive by.  It turns out the lady was here with a couple other racers and was just driving around checking out he scenery that the Flint Hills has to offer.  She said she would wait for Skip to snap out of it and would drive him to the next check point in Alma at mile 142.  I continued on, as we had already been resting for over 30 minutes.  It amazed me that no other riders passed us in that whole time.  I know that everyone was suffering that day.  

The next 12 miles I felt great, I was able to get up out of the saddle on the climbs and keep my legs moving.  I think that long break got me refreshed for what was to come.

About 7 miles outside of Alma we cut across ks18.  I looked at the map and saw we were a short couple miles way, but then cut back northwest to hit some sweet gravel rollers.  I was coming up over a roller when I heard a car coming toward me.  I've always been known to stray to the middle or even left side on gravel roads, so I scooted over the the right pretty quick...this car sounded like it was approaching me fast.  Right as I crested the hill the car came zipping past me.  It had a roof rack on top and from the looks of the driver, I believe they were off to rescue an abandoned rider.  On closer inspection it appeared that it was Mrs. Mathias.  Off to the rescue of either her son or husband, both very strong riders who had been beaten by the heat of the day.

I rolled into Alma around 5-5:30.  Already over 11 hours on the bike with 64 miles left.  There wasn't much going on in Alma.  Peter's dad was there, along with Skip (cars are faster than bikes), and the volunteer at check in.  I had moved my way up to 4th place by this point in the day and I wasn't going to lose it.  I cruised into the convenience store and bought more ice cream, some Slim Jims, Lays potato chips, some Gatorade, and a couple of Snickers bars.  Filled up my water bottles then went back outside to enjoy the company of the others.  After about 15 minutes race co-promoter Joel Dyke and David Neidinger rolled up.  They had opted for the shorter paved stretch into town and called it a day.  I relaxed for a few more minutes then was getting ready to roll out when Peter pulled up.  He looked terrible, but I know this kid and he is tough.  When I finally hit Eskeridge 2+ hours later at mile 164 I wasn't surprised to see Peter's dad and brother there telling me that Peter was still out there on his bike.  

The stretch from Alma to Eskeridge was brutal.  I put the ipod on and cranked out some kings of leon, mars volta, j5 and the roads still got the best of me.  I hit an all time low midway between the two towns and really suffered.  25 miles in 2 hours 10 minutes is not good!

Eskeridge was not an official checkpoint but they had a general store with a very sweet lady who was bound to take care of me.  5 half liter bottles of water, 1 pint of chocolate milk, a twix, banana, more lays chips, a cookie or two and whatever food sounded good at the time.  maybe 8 bucks.  There was a table and chairs inside with a/c and Peter's dad and brother to keep me company.  I pulled in at 7:35 and the store was closing at 8:00.  I pulled out at 8:10 and there was no sign of anyone else when I left.  I later learned that Peter and 2 others pulled in about 5 minutes after I left and the lady was kind enough to open the doors for them too.  They bought some extra water and a couple of bananas and left it on the steps with a note for other DK riders.  Hopefully it saved someones life!

I was ready for the final 41 miles and I felt good.  I was never so happy to see darkness.  But when you have been outside and on the bike for this long, the darkness can play tricks on your eyes and mind.  Rocks were looking like rabid rabbits.  Flowers were looking like goats.  And each firefly I saw was the ghost light of a rider that wasn't there.  I did see some neat things in these final 40 miles.  2 bobcats that looked at me as if I wasn't there.  A couple really big snappers.  3 frogs.  Endless # of cows, deer, and even a couple foxes.  I covered the final 40 miles in about 2 hours 50 minutes.  I felt good and smooth, and even had some power at a couple times.  But as I got closer and closer to Emporia the miles seemed to stretch on and on.  About 25 miles out there was a monstrous anvil shaped cloud that looked like it was going to descend upon Emporia and swallow up all that lived there.  It hovered, threw down some wicked bolts of lightning, but was more of a facade than a threat.  It disappeared into the darkness and I kept riding on.  I finally hit the pavement of Emporia, and I knew from years past that there were only 2 miles left.  Man I felt great, I was ready for a bunch sprint; but I took my sweet time and enjoyed my final few minutes.  I pulled into the hotel parking lot, turned my lights off, because I it was time for my photo shoot.  16:53.  205.56 miles.  4th place.  All feats to be proud of...but not good enough.  I can't wait for next year!

Dirty Kanza 200 (205.56) 4th Place!

Quick update from a very exhausting weekend. 4th Place at DK200. Total mileage was 205.56, I stayed right on course and finished strong. 96 degree weather, 25+ mph winds, and a lot of hills. 16:53 was 2 hours longer than I expected, but I am very pleased to even finish. More updates to come.

spring time musings

A lot has been going on the last couple months, and I've fallen way behind on my blogging "duties". With a lot on my mind it's time for a little catch up and a few predictions for the future.
Cycle City Bike & Running Company is up and in full force. Things have been going remarkably well, but extremely busy. The addition of running shoes, apparel, and accessories adds a whole new dynamic to the shop, but we now set ourselves completely apart from any shop in the city.
I've been able to ride quite a bit. Not a ton of miles, but enough to maintain some fitness, and hope for the best for the coming weeks. This coming weekend is Trans-Iowa. This has really been taking up the majority of my cycling related thoughts. It will be the hardest event I have ever done by far. A finish at TI is very respectable, and my 30 hour goal will make me extremely happy. I've got a beautiful new bike that rides as good as it looks. I'll get some pictures up soon.
Besides work and cycling, the element of my life that consumes me the most (in a good way!) is my family. Kathy and I are so proud of our little Levi. He is growing up so fast. Last weekend he turned 1, it's hard to believe sometimes. Kathy and I are taking a 3 day trip to Chicago in a few weeks. Just the two of us...no kid, no work, just us. I can't wait!
I'll get some pics of TI, the new bike, and the new shop on here soon, but for the time being here's some pics of Levi for you entertainment.

Best of '08 (a little late)

I'm going to get on a regular schedule one of these days.
I wanted to write a best-of recap for 2008, so here goes...

#5 on my list is a simple little part that can make all the difference in the world. SRAM 11-28 10 speed cassette. This gear ratio offers a sprinters gear for those cross races, and the utmost bail out gear for those 200 mile gravel grinders. The ratio is pretty solid too, with the most noticeable jump going from the 25 to 28 tooth. The cassette is SRAM compatible, but I've had good luck running it on with Shimano drive trains, even with a short cage rear derailleur. It is available as a Rival/Force version, and for the weight weinies, a SRAM Red version.

#4 on my list is an item that is often times overlooked, but without one your ride may not happen. Lights. I had two favorite new lights this year, so here there are. The Niterider MiNewt Mini-USB, packs a powerful punch in a very practical way. It is based off their rock-solid MiNewt series, but charges with a very simple USB cord. So if you run out the door in the morning and forgot to charge you light the night before you can charge it at work while checking up on Velonews.com. It is reasonably light weight, has a good run time, is inexpensive, and it's a niterider so it will continue to work. My other favorite light this year was the Blackburn Flea. When I first saw the Flea I was a little skeptical, but after testing it and using it all winter long I am totally convinced. This light is incredibly bright, front and rear. It has a very unique charging system, that charges off any standard 1.5v battery. It's one of the smallest lights out there, but puts out light brighter than many recharable lights. Lights are very important to me on my commute during the winter months, and I am 100% confident in these lights as I ride home to my family.

#3 on my list is also multiple items, but all of them are from the formidable Chris King. First off is their classic cross hubs. These beauties are new twist on their classics. Slightly taller and equal hub flanges, paired with a 19.5mm axle that runs the length of the hubs give these bad boys the ultimate in strength, stiffness and style that cyclocross demands. Next is their new Sotto Voce headsets. Muted logos add a new modern style to a reigning classic. Finally is their long-awaited Bottom Bracket. This has been in the rumor mill for years, and it's finally here! The company that has been making the best headsets and hubs for longer than I've been alive is taking that knowledge to the next most important part of the bike. Thanks!

#2 on my list is a one of my many new rides for '08, but definitely the coolest of them all... The Gary Fisher Superfly. This bike rocks! Light, stiff, responsive, reasonably comfortable. It is my first 29er, and I've gotten a good taste of the sweet kool-aid. Although I'm still more comfortable on a full suspension, especially for the longer rides, it's fun to rocket around on a 22lb mountain bike.

#1 on my list was an easy decision. 2008 was a great year for bikes, for my shops, but more importantly for my family. In April we welcomed little Levi into our lives, and as I've heard a thousand times, things will never be the same...but I couldn't be happier!

Levi's First Bike Race!
Levi With Liquigas!
6 Months!
Crawling!

Hello 2009!

I haven't posted in a good 6 weeks, so I am going to do a recap, then get ready for 2009.
We finished our Boss Cross Series, and look forward to 8 short track MTB races, and 3 more cross races in 2009. Cross Nationals went off without any major glitches. I think racers really liked the course for the most part. The professionalism and staff was awesome. My race went poorly. But after 5 days of set-up, I was happy to finish on the same lap as the leaders.
I didn't touch a bike for almost 3 full weeks after that, and took a much needed rest. It didn't come without it's repercussions. I felt extremely weak my first two races back (even though I pulled out a 2nd on New Years), and I managed to get to my heaviest I've been since before I started riding a bike. I know it's the "off-season", but my body wants to take more time off than I can allow. With one more cross race left, and only a couple months until the first major races of 2009, I need to get back with it.
My 2008 top 5 list will come shortly.
Followed by my 2009 races and goals.
Happy New Year!