Low Pressure High Speed

We are married!!!

2010-11-11T09:17:00.003-05:00

On October 30^th,2010, Lindsay and me were married on the summit of Max Patch at 4,616’ elevation along the Appalachian Trail in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina. Our wedding exceeded anthing Lindsay or I could dream up!

Helping children learn about and to mountain bike

2010-10-02T17:16:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to help some younger riders experience mountain biking out at Ft. Benjamin Harrison State Park. The park is beautiful and www.HMBA.org is working hard to make beautiful singletrack for all ability levels. Over this weekend we had children of all ages borrow HMBA’s mountain bikes with support from BGI Fitness. Many of the kids could not stop smiling from ear to ear and yes a few were less than amused once they got onto the trail. Heck, it is intimidating for anyone on their first time of riding a bench cut trail on the side of a ridge and going up and down and over rocks. J Truthfully I didn’t realize though how many kids have never mountain biked and I feel this need to encourage and promote parents to take them out to our numerous beautiful places to ride. If anyone is reading this and wants recommendations of where to ride, please reach out and I am sure I can help you locate a park that is near you and for your ability level. Oh yea, a few kids mentioned their interest in cyclocross which I was complete floored in a good way!

Nothing but love for you all and all

2010-10-02T17:05:00.000-04:00

Been winding things down since my awesome mountain bike race season is finished and want to share a few things with you all. First, I hope you health, life and friendships are flourishing. Secondly, I could not be more grateful for all my soon to be wife, friends, family, team, coach, mentor and competitors support this season. I had one major goal this year and that was to earn a Cat1 upgrade utilizing DINO Series point system. To receive your upgrade in Cat2, you must finish the season in the top 3 overall positions which I successfully did with the help of all those mentioned above. So what is next? Simple, ride as much as I feel like, race cyclocross in my new higher category and enjoy a few things that a reduced training load can afford. Did I mention this is the nicest time of year in my opinion to rail singletrack? Well it is and hope you are doing the same.

7th and final XC mountain bike of DINO series

2010-09-01T17:00:00.000-04:00

Southeastway Park DINO race is the 7th and final mountain bike race of the IN state series. It’s a new race course as our Hoosier Mountain Bike Association www.hmba.org began cutting singletrack there this year. The park itself has many uses and some of the trails are tri-use which means, hikers, bikers and horses. I did some trail recon the weekend before with a couple good friends of mine so I had a good idea of how the race would flow. I decided to not race the 6th DINO race to help let my lower back issue heal so I could finish the season with my guns blazing and without the fear of aggravating it more. The 2 weeks leading up to the race I felt rested and fast with the elasticity you want to feel in your legs prior to a race. This would be potentially my last cat 2 race ever because my if you place in the top 3 overall for cat 2 you have earned a mandatory upgrade to cat 1. Going into the race I was 3rd in the overall state point standings and the 3 of our totals were all close. Needless to say, this added a layer of pressure on my results that I needed to hold 3rd place ranking or to go for the overall win. To make the race even more awesome, Lindsay, Greg, Lauren and Matt came out to swing cowbells and cheer us on. Since Greg and Lauren raced the running event yesterday they knew the top of the big climb would be the place to watch this race unfold and they made their way to the top before the start.

As we toed the line and we knew this was going to be fast and hot as hell since it was already in the 90s. As the siren signaled us to take off we started down a narrow gravel like road that was super dusty and loose. In typical fashion a few racers who should not have tried to take the lead did and then we dropped them about a 3/4’s of a mile down the road leading to the singletrack. As we entered the woods I was in the 5th slot behind a younger guy who bobbled the first few technical sections and I knew I need to attack fast so he did not take me out. Now the race was between me and my main competitors as we hammered through the first lap. This lap as in all the races is very fast and sketchy because are nerves are firing and we are going as fast as possible until we find our rhythms. This course offered a lot of diversity since it would go to singletrack, horse trails, river trails, open fields, gravel, river trail, sand and one sizable technical climb. Before the this climb there was several moderate climbs to get us up out of the woods away from the river to begin ascending. The climb itself was littered with tree roots and ruts making the line each racer chooses very important to maintain their momentum. About half way up of the 1st of 3 times we will climb this beast I heard the cowbells getting louder which meant the summit was getting closer. By the time I got to the top, I could not get air into my lungs fast enough before descending back down the opposite side, but having my fiancé and friends up there cheering me on motivated me like no other.

Next lap the 5 of us in the lead group jostled and attacked each other on sections we thought we could gap or escape the pack. None of our attacks were successful and we continued racing in close proximity of each other. On the 3rd lap I am sure each one of us had plotted out our moves and mine was to get to the base of the climb first and drop the group on the way up. As we began climbing out of the woods several attacks took place and I countered the main one. This counter may have been my demise as we hit the gravel climb leading to the big one, my right leg ceased up completely with full on cramps. I stopped dead on the climb and watched my competitors grind up to the top. I immediately grabbed at my jersey pocket to take electrolyte pills and began chewing them. These cramps were the worst kind as they hurt like hell and you cannot move without the intensity increasing. At this point I could not even pull my leg over my top tube to get off my bike because it was locked straight and the pain was increasing. At this point the next group of racers began passing me and asking me if I was ok and all I could do was shout back was words of encouragement and asked to them and to tell my fiancé and friends at the top that I cramped out of the race. At this point all I wanted to do was get off the trail and out of the woods. A spectator came down to help me, but there was nothing he could do and I really appreciated the gesture. I was locked onto my bike somewhere between 8 and 10 minutes which seemed much longer at the time until the cramping began to subside and I was able to get off my bike and walk next to it. As I got to the top of the gravel climb I could see a large group of spectators standing near the base of the bigger climb and all that went through my head screw getting a DNF. If I had to limp my way throughout the rest of the course and finish dead effin last, so be it. I picked up my bike and began running the technical climb and as I neared the top I could hear the cowbells ringing away so got back on my steed and slowly pedaled it up the rest of the way. The remaining course was a short downhill and some singletrack which lead out to the finish line. My friends who came out to support me were standing along the orange barrier fences and I gave them high fives as I approached the finishing arch and completed my last XC race of the season! I love racing mountain bikes for all the reasons one can imagine, but mostly because if you put effort forth, it gives you so much in return.

Thank you to my beautiful fiancé, team manager, coach, awesome sponsors and all my friends who inspire and encourage me.

DINO season finale and championship mountain bike race this Sunday

2010-08-27T11:19:00.000-04:00

And then my 24 hour race is on tap next! Stay tuned....

Cyclocross means time to transform into a cycling ninja

2010-08-19T08:43:00.002-04:00

Ver-sahy, but here in Indiana we call it Ver-sales. Versailles Race

2010-07-27T10:32:00.001-04:00

Versailles is a beautiful park with plenty of elevation change along with some really stellar trails down in southeastern Indiana. This was the site of my worst physiological breakdown ever in my 1.5 year racing career last July with full leg/body cramping. Moving beyond that, I knew this year would be different for many reasons because my training, nutrition and race experience are light years over last year. This is a largely contested race being so close to 3 other states and in my category, 74 competitors toed the line. I read a stat the other day from Bloomington Velo-news that said 80% of those in a race think they can win. Whether that is true or not, I am sure it is close because why else would you spend your hard earned cash to race laps as fast as you can while others are trying to pass you along thin strips of dirt, hanging over steep ridges? The race started out fast with a 300 yard dead straight sprint down a grass/tree hall way.

I sprinted into the woods in the 9th or 10th slot looking for my rhythm as I trailed my competitors at the front. Several minutes into the start, the trail took a sharp left turn, up and over a fire road where spectators lined both sides of the tape yelling and ringing cowbells. My front tire slid hard to right, I unhooked my left foot from the pedal to control my sideways slide, bobbled and caught myself before plowing over the fans closest to me. That cost me one spot, an adrenaline rush and pushed me farther back from my competitors. After 20 minutes of racing I needed to start attacking now because I was losing site to the lead group at the front and after 30 more minutes of pedaling my butt off, I caught the 3th and 4th place racers. By this time, my tank was on E and most of my fight had been spent trying to catch these guys, closing the deal was not feeling likely. For the remainder of the race several others attacked me, but only one succeeded and I finished 6th place overall out of a huge field. Winning or losing or sliding out in front of fans are just some of the things that make racing mountain bikes rad! That’s right, RAD!

Point to Point Racing Brown County Indiana

2010-07-20T13:25:00.002-04:00

Point to point racing is an awesome format where instead of racing real fast in circles :) you race from point A to point B and the fastest racer wins. Very simple until you add the climbing, rocks, skinny singletrack, technical sections and strong competitors.

This race started in a mass format for each of the 3 categories which made for an important launch off the starting line to be in the lead group heading onto BC’s Pine Loop trail. I rolled into the woods in the 5th slot trailing most of the guys who have been winning and I’ve been racing all season long. My strategy was to maintain my position until we got to the 1st of the 2 major climbs along the route. I was confident these are where I could attack and begin jockeying for position before we get to the technical sections which is another area I knew was cut out for me. Leading up to the Aynes Loop climb our group was attacked by a strong racer and he gapped us while the race leader was still well up part of the climb and we could not see him. After this attacker’s gap started to build, I knew I need to reel him in or we may not see him again. After surging upwards and grabbing onto his wheel we found the leader 2/3rds of the way up the climb and drilled past him. Once you get to the top, it’s time to go down which is when you should be recovering from you climbing efforts, but in mountain biking, it takes a tremendous amount of power to manage all the sharp off camber turns, rocks and roots when gravity is pulling you.

The next major climb was up to Hesitation Point which is an awesome view of the park when you get to the top. Now we were on the 2nd major climb and it was my time to attack the leader which I did. The climb switches back and forth so when you are ascending you can see those who are below you. Under me was two other competitors who had made it past the last racer I attacked and they could see me right above them. At this point in the race, my body tells me to let off the gas and bring my heart rate back down to a manageable level, but with these other racers coming after me there was no time. I crested the climb and dropped into the roller coaster part of Walnut trail where the technical section going to start soon. Here is where it gets dicey because you are on a thin ribbon of dirt trail that hugs a ridge so on your right side it is straight down in many spots and very steep in all the others. Now on a normal ride, no sweat pick your line and navigate the rocks and roll through. Not at a race pace do they feel at all smooth, your body and bike are bouncing all around trying keep the rubber on the trail. This was the first technical trail test for my new Team Scalpel and she did not disappoint one bit. As a matter of fact, she took these hits and kept my momentum moving forward for the entire technical section, “clean” is what we mtb’ers call a ride when you don’t touch your foot down at all. The rest of the race the closest 2 competitors where grinding it out as they chased me and it was my race to lose. Not today was anyone going to catch me. I took 1st place overall and my smile was as long as the trail! Racing mountain bikes rocks.

Thanks to my fiancee, my coach, my team manager, Cannondale, Cycleops and my dog.

3 Races in 1 Awesome 4th of July Weekend!

2010-07-05T17:01:00.042-04:00

Musckatatuck Park hosts 3 mountain bike races over the July 4th weekend down in North Vernon, IN. Last year the race conditions were a totally different story because while we camped the day before, it rained nonstop for 10 hours. This year was the exact opposite with beautiful cyan skies and high temperatures. This made the trail conditions perfect and extremely fast, but not too dusty. On Saturday I raced both the short track race and the downhill. The short track race was a 30 minute high intensity race where the race official displays a timing clock and when it hits 30 minutes he signals to the racers 1 lap remaining and those at the front of the pack then fight it out to the finish. My results could not have been any better as I won the race by a small margin of time. Next up was the downhill race which like it sounds downhill. Each racer gets 2 runs and the smallest sum of time wins. 3rd place for me in the downhill race.

Day 2 of racing was the main XC event and brought out a large field of 74 regional competitors for my category as we toed the line to rip 3 laps as fast as we could. The starting gun went off and we sprinted the next 200 yards to the start of the singletrack. I rode myself into the #2 slot entering the woods with the rest of the heat right on my wheel.

The first several miles of race start are always sketchy because we are all riding on nerves trying to avoid getting dropped behind the leaders. I noticed my front wheel bouncing through turns and over the rock transitions until I realized I had my Lefty lock out. (suspension turned off) I held my 2nd place position for the first lap until I let another racer do the work for the next lap.

By the time the begain rounding the loop for the 3rd time I could feel the pain of racing at this pace and it was causing my power to fade along with small bike handling mistakes that come with fatigue. One of the trails technical sections took us down under a dark bridge, through a rocky creek, up a muddy bank, up slippery roots, up to slimy rocks and up a steep technical climb.

My front wheel slid out on the tree roots and stopped my momentum giving the competitors behind me a chance to pass. Instead of letting this happen, I took off running next to my bike and through my leg over the seat mid air and landed on my saddle right in the path of the slimy rocks going up the steep climb and cleanly made it to the top. Thank you cyclocross skills!

The rest of this lap I changed positions a few times with my other competitors who also were at the front as we fought for the lead. I crossed the finish in 5th place in my category to see my financee and chief waiting for me across the line.

I rode a short cool down with a friend and found a water spigot about 4 ft off the ground which I turned on full blast while sitting under it, exactly what I needed to cool down after this race! Seriously, racing bikes is awesome.

Thanks to my finacee, my friend Pat Hirschfeld (awesome photos http://www.hirschphotos.com/) and Team Manager, Coach and all my sponsors!

Big weekend of racing on tap

2010-06-29T21:22:00.002-04:00

Short track race Saturday
Downhill race Saturday
XC race Sunday

WHOOHOOOOO!

U.S. Cup Qualifier Race in French Lick

2010-06-20T22:10:00.004-04:00

French Lick is a huge resort in the middle of nowhere, southern Indiana style. Lindsay and me planed to make it a weekend and enjoy a well deserved getaway. The night before we left while we were checking on our reservations, we asked if they were cool if we brought Chief and to our surprise they said sure, bring him down!

French Lick resort came up with a grand idea to build singletrack out their back door as a way to draw more visitors. They accomplished this with gusto and had my all time favorite trail designer/guru carve out sizable and pristine single track that is not commonly seen in Indiana nor in any of our neighboring states. Alex laid this singletrack down with his signature style that encompasses every component you want pedal your low pressurized steed through beautiful thick woods. From his perfectly angled berms, using natural rock features as obstacles/course, weaving you through trees yet still being gaze ahead to plot your next line, rolling under/next to natural caves, hitting hard turns through all seeper waterfalls, mossy rocks you see in epic mountain bike photos, chicanes carving through trailer home sized boulders, climbs that require granny’s granny gear and yet making the flow seem natural from revolution #1. Did I mention his ability to make you feel like you are Steve Peat shredding the downhills?

I moved up to a higher category which is Cat-2 OPEN for this race and reserved to those on the cusp of earning a Cat-1 and the fastest of the fastest in this category. I pulled up the starting line with familiar faces and unfamiliar ones all racing for their own goals and perhaps an invitation to the U.S. Cup in Bonillo, CA. The gun sounded and we took off through a golf course marked with tape through some pine trees over the road and up to our first test, climbing the singletrack for several miles. I was 6th place entering the forest behind those who have been dominating cat-2 open this year. We were ripping up the first climb at a steady pace and entered the most technical section about 15 minutes in dropping into a beautiful thin dirt ribbon hugging the side of a steep Indiana mountain side. Because the night before it rained something fierce, the gravity and oil like slickness was pulling us to the left off the super slippery thin little dirt strip. After about 20 minutes I felt comfortable with the pace and wanted to test myself and made my first attack which I took the high side through the forest and awkwardly landed back on the trail. For the next 10 minutes I knew I could do it again several more times with the next 3 riders in front of me. This course does not give you much room to pass so each one has to be done precisely at the right time so you don’t wreck yourself of the wreck racer being passed. I moved into the 3rd slot after attacking up a peanut buttery like consistency while climbing and needed recover for a few moments. Instead I decided to push on chasing the #2 racer and drove myself well into the don’t go there zone. Here is where it gets fuzzy, I attacked a few more racers and could not be sure what category they were racing to I pressed on while finding my rhythm. This is where it gets fun, me vs. the trail and I was feeling good, real good. After 58 minutes of racing I rounded my first lap where all the fans were standing and shooting photos while yelling encouragement as I blazed by them.

I saw my fiancée and Chief right as I carved the turn shooting me back up the climb we began on. On the way up more photographers and fans were yelling and I was smiling ear to ear. About 30 minutes goes by and I began see my competitors gaiing on me and knew I had to keep ripping along as fast as my legs would go without blowing up because there was still a lot of singletrack between me and the finish line. With about 15 more minutes of singletrak to slay, my friend Ryan Preske who entered the woods in the 7th slot had caught me. What a race he had ridden to have attacked all the same riders and closed what I had thought was a couple minute gap. We knew right at the point where the downhill section began this would likely be a mano y mano sprint finish. We ripped down the last muddy shoot out on to the road and onto the golf course section that would lead us to the finish line and one of us to victory. I hit the course turf first and Ryan directly on my wheel. I shifted into my sprinting gear preparing to kick like branded bull as so did Ryan. About 100 yards to the finish line Ryan had had more left in his tank and outsprinted me to the line and through his hands high in the air. I crossed right after him, damn near collapsed off my bike from exhaustion and pain that comes with racing for almost 2 hours and there we have it. My friend gets 1st and me 2nd, could not got any better unless.. well of course.  Ryan earned that win as I earned my 2nd place with full satisfaction of every ounce of effort vaporized in one heck of a race. We both moved up to cat-2 open at this race and have a feeling this won’t be the last race we battle it out or where we are competing for a top spot.

I love racing bikes!

Brown County State Park mountain bike race

2010-06-10T17:11:00.001-04:00

Those of you who know me can attest how deep the singletrack in BCSP runs through my veins. These trails are the absolute best the Midwest has to offer which I don't say lightly and brings out a large competitive field of mountain bike racers. Because of my love for BCSP it has been at the top of my list of races I wanted to win this year. I know the trails inside, out, light and at night spending countless hours riding, building and fixing. Went through my normal routine of registration, jitters, number attaching, hydrating, pressurizing and warming up to make sure I would be ready for my 12:08 start time. For my fiancé, brother, Chief and me, we could not have gotten better race weather, low 70’s and cyan filled skies.

I toed the line with a large group of cat 2 racers as we gazed up the ultra steep paved double hill climb that is tough enough just to drive your car up. The start of this race will make or break you because with a pitch this steep your heart hits the redline almost immediately and it’s easy to blow yourself up. Our gun goes off and I am the first to the base of the climb shifting my gears down quickly on my new XX drive train and begin a high cadence motor to the top. Momentarily 7 or so other racers pass me by as the grind up the hill as I remind myself half of them will be toast between the top of this one and the next major climb that leads us to the singletrack. At the crest I could see 2 other racers had broken away and were about 30 or so seconds ahead of me, but I remained patient to let my lungs and legs stop burning before I started to bridge the gap. Lindsay, my lil bro and Chief are on the top of the 1st hill taking pictures of the torturous start as Chief barks out his encouraging walrus like sounding voice. By the time we are half way to the next hill I’ve caught the break and am in the 3rd slot and knew I was strong enough to overtake the two leaders before dropping into the singletrack. I attacked them at the crest and then rolled onto the dirt in the #1 spot. We ripped it down into a valley while I lead the lead pack through the twisty turns and stream beds. In moments there were racers from the heat that started 2 minutes before ours and I need to get by these guys as cleanly as possible because there is a lot of racing left. About 20 minutes in a Scottish racer and me had broken away from the grupetto and I was unsuccessful dropping him off my wheel. He stayed there for about hour and seemed to keep up with my pace fine.

As we rounded the first lap of the race he attacked me in a valley and I jumped on his wheel for the next few minutes. At this point we have passed around 16 racers from earlier heats including the open wave that started 4 minutes before us. We crossed one of the larger creeks as I stayed close to him until we were near the base of the Aynes Hill climb when I dropped the hammer and attacked him. He again was right on my wheel as we climbed up Aynes and about 50 yards from the crest on a rooted section he attacked me again and pushed me off the low side into a fallen tree. I remounted and used some newly acquired anger to try to bridge the gap this caused between us of about 40 yards. This steep downhill section of the trail is hard to gain ground because you not able to pedal much because the gravity is plenty. I could still see my race “mate” down the trail as he passed another open class racer and then it was my turn. I nearly destroyed myself trying to catch him and then felt the catastrophe beginning. My inner quadriceps spindle began to twist locking up my right leg in all out cramp as I watched my hip flexor push out nearly an inch from my hipbone?!?! I stopped in excruciating pain and tried like hell to stretch or move my leg again which cost me several minutes on the side of the trail and taking more electrolyte pills. I began soft pedaling as the last 4 racers I worked my ass off to pass rode by me clearly knowing something was wrong. I kept moving forward and used a few less evasive pedaling techniques and tried not to lose any more ground. After a few more bouts of these cramps, they subsided and was nearing the end of the race.

Approaching the finish line a mud bog popped up around a turn that I splashed though and then wove my way through the organge fence and stereo blasting techno. My family was there to greet me and I could not have felt more fortunate that after this battle they were standing right in front of me. After the excruciating cramping session, I still placed 2nd place which was hard fought and well earned. Did I mention I love racing mountain bikes?

Post race and a bit dirty

Yes the sky behind us is real!

2010 Team Scalpel

2010-05-30T16:58:00.002-04:00

Highly advanced racing weapon of choice. Cannondale delivered my 2010 Team Scalpel to Spinzone Cycling up in Granger, IN who is one of my sponsors who helps me with my high-end equipment to race at this level. My bike showed up minutes after I arrived and the Spinzone team was eager to help me as I built her up to be race ready. If you are up in that area, these guys know their stuff. Did I mention they build the finest cycling rollers all in house? SprortCraft

Eagle Creek Contemporary Criterium

2010-05-17T17:08:00.003-04:00

Last weekend took a lot of self pushing to get myself to race on a large paved cheese grater. Pavement and me historically have not been friends, but on Sunday we called a truce and rolled it out. It was inevitable since I am spending 5-6 days a week on my road machine training for mountain bike racing. Yes I agree, it seems a bit odd to train on road bike, but in reality its because my training is more specific with precise physiological goals in mind. This type of race is a closed circuit about a 1.5 miles long that we raced in a counter clockwise direction. The duration is 60 minutes and on the last lap the promoter rings a bell and everyone who is in the lead group has one more lap of a chance to get to the front to sprint out the finish.

My awesome fiancee and my mom came out to watch me which definitely helped me feel safer if I needed to be scraped up off the pavement. The start of this race is much different than that of a mountain bike race because there is no small opening to the woods that you need to get to before your competitors. Instead it's a smoother take off, but still quick with all 56 racers looking to begin in the top third going into the first 50 degree turn. This style of racing requires more strategy and a very acute sense of when the group or individual begins to surge faster. Drafting is key on the road because the person who is leading the peloton is typically using 30% more energy than those in their draft or "on their wheel." Throughout this race the leader changed frequently as so did my position in the peloton. I counted myself going from the back end of the pack to the front about 6 times throughout the race.

I enjoyed the on and off pace that changed every few moments being able to know exactly where we stood in relationship to the race leader.

I felt good the entire race and once I got more accustomed to making turns with 4 riders wide my nerves were settled into learning as much as I could.

The final lap bell rang loud as we crossed the start line and I was in the middle of the pack as everyone surged forward. I muscled up through the climbs and gained a few positions closer to the leader, but at this point in the race I would have needed to be to the top 10 to have a chance to sprint for a place on the podium. Nearing the finish line I gave it another kick, picked off a few other racers and finished with the pack. Mission accomplished: Raced on the cheese grater, learned a lot very fast, realize the importance of having friends in the race and you better be near the front when that bell rings. We averaged 24 mph.

Giro stage #7 winner World Champion Cadel Evans

2010-05-17T16:27:00.002-04:00

Former mountain bike champion also might I add

Winona Lake DINO Race

2010-05-03T22:53:00.006-04:00

Winona Lake’s singletrack is stellar, well built and maintained with endearing care. The trail is windy with tight twisty roots, sharp climbs/descents and when wet becomes one of the most technical trails we race. Our forecast did not look promising, but the rain that started a day earlier had stopped once we got into Warsaw on Saturday around 9:45am. This is one of my favorite races because our close (Warsaw native) friends drive down from Chicago with their children, they visit the grand-parents and come see the race. Before the race started a few of my racer friends who had tested the trail said there was rock garden that would cause issues and predicted a lot of racers will have to run their bikes through rather than take a risk of crashing. Prior to my warm up (below), curiosity got me and I tested it out this rock garden section of trail and sure enough it was going to put the hurt on some folks.

The race started out with a long 200 yard grass sprint to 180 degree turn and then a few hundred more yards of grass into the woods and onto the Winona Lake singletrack.

I got the jump on the start and led my competitors around the turn and into the woods.

The first few climbs were short, but scorchers and up next was a sharp left turn that lead up to the rock garden. I railed that turn fast and chose my line through the cantaloupe sized rocks, shifted my weight to the rear and muscled through them clean. In moments most of the pack was back on my wheel when we dropped into the valley where the trail ran parallel with the canal. I laid down the hammer here because I knew this part of the route would lead to a bridge that crossed over the water where the trail ran parallel, back the other direction and I could see across the canal which of my competitors would be chasing me down. The next 45 minutes were a blur because I was pushing myself into my max VO2 levels (highest lactic acid producing state) to create a gap and then began catching up with and passing racers from the heat that started 2 minutes prior to ours. I slowly picked most of them off and then a few of the open class racers as I kept pushing to increase the gap between the racers chasing me down. The second lap took us back through the fans lined by officials stand and to my left was my fiancée, friends and Chief (barking away) as I pedaled back into the woods. I wanted to shout "thank you", but a bow of appreciation was all I could muster as I gasped for air.

This second lap took even more effort because I was in a no man’s land as there was no one from my heat in front of me and I did not know how close behind they were so I had to keep pushing to retain my unknown lead gap. 1 hour and 48 minutes later I heard the announcer and the crowds while pedaling through the woods and back onto the grassy finish line very relieved that my first race was successfully completed. Brian who runs DINO announced that I was recently engaged with perfect timing for Lindsay to hear over the PA!

Moments later it was confirmed that I had won the race and the crescendo of training, focus, commitment and learning had been validated.

A big loving thank you to my fiancee Lindsay who supports me in every way possible.

And thank you to my sponsors who are helping me race at this level: Team manage, brilliant coach, Cannondale, Spinzone and Cycleops!

The beginning is near!

2010-04-30T08:53:00.000-04:00

And we could not be more excited to start racing this weekend! Stay tuned for the race report coming soon!

Please allow me to introduce you to my fiancee!

2010-04-15T09:18:00.000-04:00

After a tremendous planning and harder than heck secret keeping Lindsday and me became engaged on March 27th, 2010 at 11a MST, under the most beautiful waterful in Arenal, Costa Rica.

Showtime is near

2010-03-24T09:56:00.001-04:00

I have never appreciated a 40 degree day more in my life on a bike. These warmer late winter days are rocking and so is my riding. Currently I am collecting base miles and hours riding to build up the foundation of my strength to train even harder as I get closer to my first race on May 1st. The only guys I will be truly racing against are those who road and trained hard all winter like myself. My first ride in Brown County this year was with my good friend Matt Hendey who also road throughout the winter and we knew the cold riding had paid off. Last weekend was awesome as I did road singletrack for 4 hours on BC on Friday, 2 hours on an urban assault cruise and then 4.5 hours solo on Sunday back in BC. My favorite part of early spring riding is how you can see the contours in the geography and follow the flow of the singletrack up, down, around and how far you have to go to the next ridge. How is that for awesome!

Enjoy these pictures and the one with Lindsay is her Artistically Talented classes work on display. Now she is truly awesome with these aspiring artists!

How could I keep this picture all for myself?

2010-02-23T14:21:00.001-05:00

A good friend of mine just sent this to me from my win at the Brookside Cup State Championship cyclocross race . Thanks Bob Locke!

Sharing a special dinner with you

2010-02-22T08:56:00.000-05:00

For those that know me well, I love eating duck and not many restaurants here in Indy offer it. When I was in Goose the Market last week getting some local carnivorous rations I decided to take the bull by the horn and buy my first duck breast. After scouring the net for ideas and a recipe that matched what I had in mind, I was stumped. There are hundreds if not thousands of duck recipes, but nothing hit the nail on the head with my palette so I combined several and developing our own. Last night Lindsay and me made seared duck and faux duck with a delicious wild blueberry, pinot noir, shallot and fresh thyme reduction sauce. Alongside, we roasted fresh organic Brussels sprouts and whipped up a creamy Parmesan polenta. No question about it, this was a top 10 recipe of the hundreds we have made. If you want our recipe or have question, write or call.

Training to race bikes is not for whimps

2010-02-01T11:55:00.001-05:00

The start of my riding year has been absolutely awesome and much different that any winter for me. For those of you who look outside and won't even get you mail because it is too cold outside, I feel ya. Those are the days when I can spin mindlessly on my indoor trainer or spend 45 minutes gearing up to ride in subzero conditions. It takes a combination of both riding indoor and outside or better yet, it takes what you can bear.

The reality of training to race bikes in the Midwest is you have to be flexible and open to trying new things in order to keep momentum with your training. This goes for just about everything you want to accomplish in life because change in going to happen and it is not how things are different, but rather how you react. For me, it requires pushing myself and retaining motivation when it would be much easier not to. Here is my list of what I am doing to diversify my training structure and building race fitness.

• Ride outdoors whenever possible such as yesterday's 44 mile Geist ride with 9 other great riders
• Racing indoor time trials at Marian University
• Race specific cycling classes
• Having my good friend Michael Cochard of Flexxfit help correct my muscle structures through treatments and flexibility training
• Running
• Having Frame at the Biomechanics Institute at Ball State work on my bike fit
• Learning how to visualize race goals
• Teaching myself how to use a power meter to increase my speed and strength

Yea this day was really cold 8 degrees

Chief is like the best riding partner ever becuase he only knows one answer. YES

How much gear do I wear to ride when is below freezing?

Transitioning to my new body

2009-12-27T21:12:00.001-05:00

I feel fat and weak. Yes, I said it over and over throughout my transition period. For those who are unfamiliar with a transition period it a break from all activity to lose some of your fitness and make you want to get back on the bike to avoid burnout. This was recommended by the highly successful cycling coach of Marian University Dean Peterson that I take 2 weeks off of ALL activity. No riding, running, lifting, core or anything in order to lose some of my fitness and create a more blank canvas to start rebuilding. In more than a half decade I have not so much ever considered something so horrible sounding until it was ordered by a professional to help me prepare for my upcoming classes at the university. During that time I spent catching up friends and the rest of my life because when racing, you are complete consumed. Quite a few things have happened over the last several weeks since I "tried" to stop racing for the year after the Indiana State Championship and I am going to highlight just a few.

• Raced the Gravel Grovel in southern Indiana. 62 mile race on the gravel roads of Hoosier National Forest mixed with singletrack and hellacious climbing. Finished on 50 miles after both legs cramped. (hope to race next year because the event is well run, awesome location and I am sure my friends will be doing it again)

• Thought for a moment to sell my new mountain bike, but did not do it. (came to my senses)

• Realized again that riding outdoors in the winter is way better than riding indoors

• Learned how to use ebay and how much of a pain in the ass it is

• Started running again and I love it. Planning on doing a marathon before I turn 40.

• Beginning a partnership with my new sponsor. Announcement coming soon and until then, take a look a few pictures that I think you will enjoy!

Indiana State Cyclocross Championship - Brookside Cup

2009-11-23T12:58:00.007-05:00

Yesterday morning I woke up unsure of how my legs would feel knowing that I utilized every bit of glucose (natural fuel) in yesterday’s race. As I looked out our window there was a nice sheet of frost on the lawn and the temp gauge read 40 degrees, which foreshadowed how slick the course would be for our 10a race. As I approached Brookside Park at 8:30a (16th and Keystone ) I could see the parking lot was full of cars and their racers who came with hopes to win the Indiana State Championship title.

I picked up my numbers from the registration table and walked out the backside of the recreation building to see the infamous multi-tiered stair case that resembled Roman ruins because the steps were crumbling into pieces. Typically at these races I use two, 1 inch steel spikes in my shoes for traction on the mud/grass sections that are too steep to ride. After one practice run up the derelict staircase I needed to remove the spikes ASAP because they felt like hockey skates on concrete.

Under the starting line arch the field was deep with quite a few competitors who didn’t race the day before bearing fresher legs.

Ahead of the start gate was Lindsay, Jeff Davis, my lil bro Mike and Chief ready to watch us race. On your marks, ready, set, go and we were off racing up a quarter mile steep paved section which levels out at the top and drop us into the soft wet grass. Like yesterdays race, it started out in an all out sprint as 4 or 5 racers surged ahead of with my top competitors boxing me in.

This lead group started out faster than what I thought they could sustain so I stayed back and let a few more pass me knowing there is typically a crash or several at the start of every race. To no surprise the lead guy bobbled through the turn and goes sideway while blocking those behind him and I saw hole on the inside line and shot through it. Next was a hard left turn over a slimy tree root that spans the width of the turn which I saw in my warm-ups and as I figured it caused a few more racers to slide out into the barricades. The field started to sort itself out (groups that form of similar paced racers) and the 2 fastest guys from yesterday’s race were in front of me again along with my friend and training partner Mike Stumpe and another talented rider from Louisville. Our blistering 1st lap pace caused enough attrition to reduce the lead group to 5 of us and the attacks started. (attacking in cycling is using all your power to surge past another rider to overtake their place) As we turned a hard left into a long straight away I was positioned close behind the leader, when I heard the fourth place racer surging to pass me on my left hand side. I jumped out of my saddle to answer his impending attack as he veared into my left side which caused his front tire spokes to tangle into my left pedal. It slammed my body hard to the right and into the leader who yelled out loudly in frustration/pain while the attacker then careened into the third place racer and went over his handlebars in what sounded like a violent crash. (he is ok and finished the race) Our lead group was now down to 4 and because our race lasts only 30 minutes every pedal stroke counts.

Throughout the next few laps, we took turns attacking and leading each other through the slippery off camber grass turns fighting for placement. On the last lap, we got to the dilapidated stair case where I knew we all would be sprinting up them to the top for position. I got there first and was now in the lead where it was my race to win or to lose. Took one last glance to my left and the two fastest racers from yesterday and my man Stumpe were on my wheel. The second to last turn was a 180 degree bend with a barrier to jump over, remount you bike before the straightway to another 180 degree turn to the right which lead out to the 200 yards strecthc to the finish line arch. The moment I hit the pavement I kicked like a horse that just got tassered all the way to the finish line to earn the state championship title with my arms extended high for victory! There is a lot to be said seeing your mom and close friends at the end of a the state championship race and I really want to thank them for coming out to cheer and support me!

Along with winning the State Championship title on Sunday, I have also won the entire cat-4 statewide cyclocross series.

For the last few months I had been telling family, friends and myself this is my last race of the season because I need to let my body recover from great year of racing, but when you have the fire in your belly it is tough to stop. No telling what the next few weeks have in store and I am not yet certain if the book closed.

There is one very important person I really have to thank (in many other ways than right here) who is by far the sole reason for my success and who is my best friend and greatest girlfriend I could have ever imagined. Without Lindsay helping me, feeding me, being there through the ups/downs, losses, injuries, allowing me the time, coming to every race possible and supporting every aspect of my cycling passion I could not have accomplished this without her. This is truly shared success at its greatest.

1st Place Sprint Victory at Southeastway Park Cross!

2009-11-21T20:49:00.004-05:00

Lindsay, Chief and me had another great race in New Palestine, IN. This race was way bigger than I had anticipated and there were a lot of out of state racers who came to do some Indy cross. It was cool outside (43 degrees) which made for perfect conditions along with freshly dewed grass and slick mud was plentiful. The course had a ton or tight turns and 3 rows of evergreen which were used like a step ladder feeding racers through the rows. Towards the middle was a double barrier which I crashed on during warm ups. Figured better get that out of the way early because with my race lasting only 30 minutes one slip and my day could be over. The next section was a run up (which means you have to get off your bike and carry it on your back because it is too steep to ride up, picture below) which started out with a 90 degree turn into a barrier and made it even trickier to time. At the top, you had to swing your body back on your rig fast because it dropped down the other side with a swinging left hand turn through the slick stuff.

At the starting line they called us up in rows based on points and time of registration which put me in the front row dead center. The gun went off and the field surged forward as my feet searched for my pedals to clip in, but for some reason it was not working out. After fumbling with my feet for a few moments, I was now racing around 8 people back from the leader. On lap two I made ground and had passed 4 men and was sitting in fourth. Funny thing about my cross racing cat 4 is guys often push too hard at the start and can’t keep it up, but not me because I learned that lesson early on this year. Halfway through the second lap I dropped my chain and the cross gods were looking down on me as I wrapped it back on faster than usual. Ok, caught back up to the guy in 3rd and it was time for me to attack and he could not answer. Time to start bridging the gap to the leaders which took all that I had and rode their wheel until I felt recovered. Saw they both were taking the wide line around most turns and I attacked both simultaneously. They tried to answer, but my horsepower kept me leading into the final lap. They made 3 or 4 solid, but unsuccessful attempts to attack as my defense was too strong. Coming into the final straight away was 2, 200 yard straight always that led to the announcers and the fans. One of the two tried to pinch me out of the last turn, but I did not brake which forced him wide to the outside. At this point all three of us jumped out of our saddles and began to sprint, but today my legs kicked hardest through the finish line as I threw my hands in the air!

Happy Birthday Lindsay!

2009-11-14T16:03:00.001-05:00

Last night we made this to celebrate Lindsay’s birthday! What you see before you is our ratatouille w/ wild .NO roasted salmon with basil butter. Lindsay likes to describe it as French comfort food. I like to call it one of my top 5 favorite dinners in our arsenal. It is no quick feat, but we get to spend time together in our lil Sobro kitchen while these flavors come together into a finale of a firework show once it hits the plate. Shoot me a note if you want our recipe.

Rest Day #2 and my new love of my life Puttanesca!

2009-11-09T20:53:00.000-05:00

Do you know what Neapolitan women of the night are famous for making? Let me start by taking 4 ingredients of the culinary wonders of the world and quickly assembling something that makes you go "I am full however I cannot stop eating! This recipe we have is spot on, 20 min prep, 11 min cook time and you won't be disappointed. The only challenge is saving some for leftovers. Write me if you want to know the way!

Major Taylor Velodrome Cyclocross Race

2009-11-08T14:47:00.001-05:00

Woke up to a beautiful fall day knowing that my home course race will be an absolute blast. Got out to MTV around 9ish, pinned my numbers, chatted with fellow racers and geared up. Upped my tire pressure because the lack of mud and the longer road drag strip section. I have the greatest fans in the world and I figured the cooler of Fat Tires would really amp them up for the race. Lil Deer, Chief, Willy, Rhino, Landscape Jeff, JT, Julia, Fred and my mom who this was her first race! The race started on the Velodrome and led out through the fan entrance to the run up behind the stands. Came out of the gates in 4th place and knew I need to race smart today since my legs did not have their typical snap. On the second lap I tested 1st and 2nd place racers as I pinched them off through a 180 degree left hander. The next several laps were about keeping tempo and then we dropped 3rd place. Our race then turned into a true dog fight trading the lead and back and forth. I rode my competitors wheel into the last set of barriers, attacked and he answered pulling in front to the finish line. Earned a second place cat-4 open victory and was rewarded with a nice back of gear and a sweet Zipp hat.

No plan vs. Systematic training

2009-11-05T16:22:00.001-05:00

Had lunch today with a good friend who really knows his stuff. Really good insight to training plans for next season. Will be diving back into Joe Friel's bible as I start to create my goals for next season. Last years success was through luck and pure determination. This next year will be based on luck, pure determination and science!