One of the hardest rides of my life

Back in June Bjet and I joined teammates Mott Sauce and Big Ring Pike for an epic journey. We rode to Pike's Dad's house in Louisville following Underground Railroad routes.

Wow, it was really cool to go point to point. I typically just ride a big loop. The ride was pretty tough, we hit some headwinds before taking a lunch break in Madison, Indiana. The winds were killing my neck, back and triceps. Then a bit more wind and rollers kicked my ass towards the end of the ride. I wigged out and got so flustered that I could no longer hold I wheel — I stepped off my bike and threw it... Yeah, not pretty.

I hope I was just not recovered from Mohican and 12 Hours of Capitol View. I was really whooped.

On a side note, I would love to turn this into a multi-day trip. Madison is a cool little college town, and Louisville is always fun.

Tokyo Driftin!

 I took my Jamis up to BioWheels for it's first tune up in maybe two years! Man, a bunch of stuff was loose and my cables haven't been replaced in about 3 years!

Bob and Nate helped me fix it all up. I would get things kind of in place then they would come in and finely tune it.

Bob redid my brakes, now they really grab on the attack. They used to be all mushy! Well, I kind of forgot about the new brake set up on lap 2 of the Hyde Park Blast and I started skidding on the 180 turn around the Square! I even unclipped like it was a cyclocross race, I kept it upright!

Race reports to come! What a fun weekend in Madeira and Hyde Park!

The Price of Immortality

The hangtags at BioWheels have photos of all the legends of the team. No picture of me...yet. What is it going to take? I got some wins and podiums last year? I'm off the shave the legs and get out the baby oil. This is going to be my year.

Races #84 & 85: Cat 1 Upgrade with Cat 6 Skills

Cool news, someone at USA Cycling likes me and upgraded my XC license to a Cat 1 Expert. Sweet.

Race #78: Ver-Sales, Is that how you say it?
I love Versailles. We have ridden there more than any other trail this year, it was much drier than East Fork so it was our second home court this year.

But I could not wake up that morning! I think I had some kind of groggy allergy attack, and we barely made it to the race on time. So no warm up and I am now one of the most crowded starting lines in my short XC career. DINO does a great job of promoting a great series with a pretty large turnout, and a very competitive Pro and Elite field.

My start was pretty decent. The only problem was that I still wasn't awake for 3/4 of the first lap. I couldn't corner the bike or react to anything quickly. So I went backwards! Finally I woke up and teammate Karwash let me ride his wheel for awhile. He pretty much taught me how to ride a bike again.

So I just tried to start picking off riders on the second and third laps. My fitness was pretty decent and I wasn't overheating too bad. I was better than last year and half the sport racers DID NOT pass me. Awesome! Actually I was still waaaaay faster than last year, I knocked 13 minutes off my time! That feels good. I like progress — I'm still not a perfect bike-handler but I am getting much better. Teammates Foxy came in just ahead of me and Karwash just behind,



Race #79: Battle on Mount Mother
Whoa, another race from yesteryear! I haven't seen a XC race at Harbin Park since the early 2000s. Brings back memories of being a tubby lad cheering on my girlfriend as she disappeared into the woods for awhile.

This was a smaller "local" race and I was really hoping for a podium. Sometimes success is an angry monkey that won't get off your back until it sucks all the fun out of everything. Now I just can't be happy to finish a race without going home in an ambulance — I have to podium?! Ugh. Well I did my best. The race got off to a pretty fast start. Stephen Huddle was revvin his engine, all full of piss and vinegar after finishing his time trial from Canada to Mexico. Marty was just behind and I got third into the woods. Suddenly Stephen had a mechanical and pulled off and I was second, with Brent and teammate Matt Fox on my wheel. I was trying really hard to keep Marty in sight but I must have blown up a little and crashed when my brain ran out of oxygen.

So I got back up and chased. I caught Brent and Foxy at the end of the first lap and attacked to get back into second place. I went to reach down for my bottles and guess what? They're gone — I guess they were too scared to hitch a ride with me after the crash.

So on lap 2 I stopped where I crashed and looked for my bottles. Brent attacked and Foxy passed. Back in fourth place again. I could only find one bottle and it was hot out. Luckily Bridget threw a cooler next to the start/finish line. So at the beginning of lap 3 I stopped to fill my bottle. Curses! I was losing time.

So I saw Foxy in the woods ahead of me. I counted from where he passed until I got there... 70 seconds. That's a lot to make up. So I buckled down and told myself that I do the Time Trials here all the time — I gotta do a TT lap. So I did. I gunned it, my riding was smooth. I knew where to exert myself and where to recover. I caught Foxy near the end of the lap. I felt awesome.

He mentioned Brent was ahead and I should go get him. I could do 2 things here: 1) Ride like a Hero and See if I can Epicly Pull in Second Place or 2) Ride conservative and try to poach Foxy at the line for my precious podium. I always go for option 1. The sky is the limit right?

So I kept gunning it. And Foxy stayed with me. Unfortunately I think I "burned too many matches" earlier in the race and I was running out of steam. So just before Mt Mother I pulled aside and let Matt pass because I knew he had it and I was a pedaling pile of dookie. I could have been a jerk and held my spot, but I was done and I feared a strong rider coming from behind and knocking BioWheels completely off the podium. Good thing I let him pass, I barely made it up the hill and I felt a touch of a cramp coming on.

So the epic finish. I had to claw back another deficit. And I did. I caught Foxy on that long technical climb at the end of the lap. But Foxy showed his class and years of skill as a rider and gained about 10 seconds on a descent. The end of the race was a like a Classic Roubaix or a Cyclocross race. We were sprinting the last third of a mile. It was bad-ass! I couldn't pull him in and he got third, but the crowd got some excitement! Mountain bike races are rarely that close. After feeling a smidge burned out on riding that week, it felt great to have adrenaline coursing through my veins and to be part of an epic duel.

It was nice to see Foxy up there and Marty was back on the top step! Sweet.

Miles and Smiles

From 2009 Cycling Yearbook

I was sick all last week. I got an Easter bug and it had me wiped out, plus the constant rain here (it rained almost everyday, no kidding) forced me to take a real recovery week.

So Saturday I decided to go out like an idiot and whoop myself. I rode Route 8W and took all the side hills. It was crazy, there has been so much rain that the roads were closed because landslides were tearing away parts of the road. I rode down Amsterdam and it was like that, KY-20 was closed too. I saw Rod Vesper at a UDF (this message brought to you by...) on the top of Tanner. I forgot to buy a coke (foreshadowing?). I went down to Route 8 and was about to ride home when I saw Tony F and Pat K. I had to turn around! Plus the other direction was a tailwind!

We had a blast talking, sprinting up the rollers. But then I cracked. My climbing muscles were fatigued and I got dropped on every climb. I would have to TT on all the flat to catch back up. And then I bonked on top of the fatigue! Pat and Tony are in great shape, it was so fun to ride with them again. They were nice enough to nurse me back to the bridge. I think they gave each other a high-five and shouted "Kentucky!" when I left. Score one for Dixie.

Sunday I asked for second helpings. After watching the leaders of the Flying Pig marathon, Bjet and I met up with Joe and Rachel for another ride on Route 8W. I nearly turned around for home because I was feeling like garbage. But after a few hours of spinning and great conversation I was feeling 70% better. I was a total wanker on a climb up to Finke's Goetta and attacked. But Joe grabbed my wheel. I tried again and Joe laughed as he spanked me. Sweeeeeeet. Too bad there were no Goetta sandwhiches ready.

On the way home Bjet and I were still looking for more Mohican miles so we were going to hit the bike path. We bumped into Mike S. and he was looking fresh. Just the kickstart I needed! I love Mike (he's a new addition to BioWheels hurray!) and some more great conversation was had. We turned up Kuglar and I think I started crying once we hit the upper steep sections! I was on the ropes again and dropped. We rode Spooky Hollow and Blome too, it was great to have the challenge because I am going to have to get used to climbing with tired legs during the Mohican 100.

The photo above is an actual Holga, I was on the back of a paceline a couple years ago and couldn't resist snapping a pic...

Prima Vera!

Spring is almost fully here, and last weekend it felt like summer. The leg warmers are off and it's time to work on the tan. I also shaved off the last of my winter hibernation fur.

I've had some fun rides with the team this week. Last Sunday was the BioWheels Lobster Bake where the team rode the Sunflower Revolution route and ended up dehydrating and wilting, a melted pile of red flesh on the side of the road. Bjet and I headed out for more miles after the group ride and we did some hills around Downtown.



Tuesday night was the battle of the local blogs. Joe Biker from The Best Bike Blog Ever invited me for a whoopin on the hill up to Devou park in Covington. It's long(ish — by Cincinnati standards) with a gradient that allows you to go pretty fast with a few kick ups at the end to try to make you vomit. It's pretty similar to Kuglar Mill.

Devou Hill Repeat Times (4/12/2011)
6:49 (Penis battle)
6:37 (I was trying to spin up that bastard at 100 rpms)
6:53 (Ugh 1)
6:43 (Joe took over and tried to power hammer up it)
6:47 (Not too shabby, another shared effort on the front)
7:01 (Ugh, I don't care, can we go home now)

Race #73: Jimmy & Nates' Death March to the Core of Evil

Yesterday 8 members of the BioWheels/Reece-Campbell team converged on the Hoosier National Forest to compete in Sub 9's Death March. The premise of the Death March is simple and brilliant — there are 9 cemetaries in the Hoosier Forest, the first team of 2 cyclists to connect all the dots via trails, gravel forest roads and roads on whatever type of bike are the winners.

Jaden and Joe mulled over maps for the week leading into the event. They came up with a very solid course that should deliver us to the finish line with very good times. Also, we planned to ride as a team — a CX team time trial! This put a lot of added pressure on a lot of us, I've always liked off-road bike racing because every rider competes for themselves — because I worry that a poor performance or a crash by myself could potentially hurt the teams' time or worse hurt another team member.


So the start was pretty fast and furious and our 8 riders were spread all over the place! We were really gunning it! I turned myself inside out to pace some of my teammates up to the front Bio-riders. When we made contact I pulled to the left for a break and for the first time ever I physically vomited from the effort! I think Bjet's homemade blueberry wheat muffin that I ate 10 MINUTES before the start may have been a bad idea!

We were together for only a few minutes when the Karwash/Collier BioTeam South duo got a flat! We chose not to wait as the first cemetery was just ahead and they might be able to catch up there. But we didn't see them and perhaps the flat was worse than expected. After about an hour of hard riding Ole Gersy was starting to look fatiqued — an illness had plagued for the previous week and he wasn't his speedy typical self. The Mott/Gers duo had to bail. Then there were only 4! And only a short time later Joe got a flat as well! The gravel roads were taking their toll on our bikes and our bodies.


One of my favorite things about competition is that I believe it reveals the unlimited potential of humankind. Racing has transformed me as a person and has helped me overcome my fears and inhibitions. I am pretty scared of heights, being near a railing or the thought of falling can actually paralyze me! I have been to Paris twice and have not yet been on top of the Eiffel Tower and I DNF'd a climb to the top of Gaudi's Sograda Familia in Barcelona. So it was required that both team members climb a fire tower and have their pictures taken. I sucked it up and got through it! The old structure swayed and creaked but the view from the top was worth it! Here I come Eiffel!


Mott rejoined at the the Fire Tower — he would be along for a fun ride, just tagging along and not taking pulls. And speaking of unlimited potential: Karwash and Collier caught back up to us looking fresh and fast. As a team we hit the lovely trails to hit Callahan cemetary. Man, the trails were really beautiful! I can't wait to ride there again.

I just drank my last drop of water with 15 miles to go. I was low on calories and hydration and worried I wouldn't make it to the end. Suddenly Sub 9's Ron Burgundy van pulls up filled with beer, water and Clif Bars! Thanks to them I didn't wither away out there!


So we were probably only a few miles from the finish. Jaden got a cramp and had to slow up for a sec. THERE WAS BLOOD IN THE WATER. We mentioned when does it become uncivil, when do we race for the best sub-team times. But part of me wanted to roll in as a united front with Jaden & Joe getting the best placing as a thanks for the organizational brilliance. On a hill just before the end Nate and Karwash were going for King of the Hill bragging rights. As a lark I gunned it to come from behind — and suddenly this was perceived as an attack. Nate and I were suddenly pitted against Karwash/Collier. We chugged up the hills and it appeared that we had dropped them. But the day's efforts had taken their toll and as we crawled up the final hill Karwash and Collier rejoined and we took it into the camp with a sprint finish! Karwash and Collier took it at the line! Perhaps it was a bit unclassy to attack the homies that we owe a debt of gratitude — I see some untimely mechanicals in my future!


Thanks again to Jaden and Joe for orchestra the BioTeam's diabolical plot. It was so fun to race as a team and I really think with a few tweaks and streamlining we're gonna tear up next year's race. The results aren't posted yet but I think all of us are in the top 15, not bad out of 98 teams!

Great job Sub 9, brilliant race with a beautiful course! Thanks to the Ron Burgundy van I made it to the end.

RESULTS:
10th Place:
BIOWHEELS/REECE-CAMPBELL RACING TEAM SOUTH (Karwisch/Collier)
Total Time: 04:29:00; with Time Bonuses: 01:14:00

11th Place:
BIOWHEELS/REECE-CAMPBELL RACING TEAM #3 (Nate and Me)
Total Time: 04:29:02; with Time Bonuses: 01:14:02

12th Place:
BIOWHEELS/REECE-CAMPBELL RACING TEAM #1 (Jaden & Joe)
Total Time: 04:30:00; with Time Bonuses: 01:15:00

Miles and miles

Last weekend I had a great time getting a ton of miles in rolling along on beautiful country roads East of Cincinnati and South into Kentucky. Saturday and Sunday I rode 137 relaxing, scenic miles in 9.5 hours filled with fun teammate banter.

Races #57 & 58: Back of the Line Mister!

UCI3 #1: Darkhorse Racing's Cyclo*Stampede
I was dreading this race. The weekend before I sprained my right calf muscle and thought I wasn't going to be able to race. But thanks to some great therapy from Dr Yost and Dr Brodeur from Norwood Chiropractic and an easy rest week I felt miraculously recovered! I was still scared of a re-injury so I woke up early and bike commuted to the race with leg warmers and compression socks on to get my legs flushed and warmed-up.

Totally didn't hear my call up on the starting line! My name was announced earlier than I thought and I ended up back row and that was fine. I was a little scared to push that right calf. So we set off in a whirlwind of buzzing nobby tires on asphalt. I got stuck behind a pile up at the end of the first off-camber section but I stayed calm and just kept pedaling keeping my nose clear of wrecks.

Well, it was a tough course and everybody was suffering. But I still found it quite fun and my legs actually felt great so I started passing! I probably started in 70-sumthin place and by the end of the last lap I was fighting for 21st. But I pushed my luck trying to keep my speed up and slid out in a dusty corner. I lost the spot to the guy just behind me but kept it together to come in 22nd. I had a really blast and was pretty disappointed in another bad start but excited about my strong finish.

So I helped out at a course crossing for the pro races and spent the next two hours with my jaw dropped watching how it is really done. Bjet crushed it in a tough field of Women. She looked really strong on the hilly course. Blown away Trebon popped Jpow on the uphill run and was impressed with the Tree Farm finishing 1 & 2.

UCI3 #3 United Dairy Farmers BioWheels Harbin Park Worlds
I felt horrible after not getting much sleep helping set up the race course. My head was pounding and I didn't feel like racing. I was still proud to be part of one of the largest and most well-run Cat 1 UCI races in the mid-west. It's like being a wedding planner for the dreams of a thousand weekend warriors!

On the startline I lined up but immediately felt like picking my bike up and walking to the side and waving goodbye to everyone. But I said "shut up headache" and went off in another blur of motion with over 150 racers. It was another day where I started from the back line.

But today was worse than Friday, I pretty much kept going backwards for a few laps. I tried to accomplish little goals to keep me going: ride the uphill sandpit, ride the roots, sprint through the sand. This is kind of cheesy but the fans really push me to excel beyond what I thought I could do. Just know there are people screaming at me kept me motivated and I wanted to entertain them. Thanks to Jdog Roosen the Mountain Biking Queen and superglam sunglass homie Ryan for keeping me going. I felt lame sucking in front of them during the first few laps! The good blood flowed to my brain and I finally woke up! I started passing again. You can tell from my lap times that I woke up halfway through the race: 02:44 (prologue), 9:36, 9:29, 9:14, 9:02, and 9:08.

At the end I caught up with teammate Mott Sauce and he glued his wheel to mine and we finished strong. We came in 34th and 35th. Glad I raced! It was hard to see my main man Nate lose a potential win with a mechanical. That guy is going to crush it this year! Teammate Jaden also raced well. He also had a mechanical on Friday, I see him doing really well in the 3's this year.

Another day watching the pros. Teammate Gerry "Ole Chappy" battled for a strong finish in the Women's field with Bjet behind her. Can't wait to post the video I shot of the pro races.

Sunny Mohican pre-ride with the teammates! Unfortunately this is the last time I smiled. Slashed my tire. Then more rain and lightning! Today is going to be tough.

Finally Coming out Hibernation

I missed a week of training due to lack of motivation! This is not typical of me. But Bridget was sick and I preferred to watch TV and movies with her instead of rolling on the trainer or running outside.

So on Bridget's Birthday I started getting a sore throat. Nothing a few beers out on the town wouldn't cure! The next day I felt worse, but the sun was shining and Teri and I hit the Gears 4 Beers Triple Blue Dot route. It was quite lovely! But it hit me! I got sick and lost another half week of training. I ended up with lungs full of mucus...

Finally got back on the bike and training like a mad man. I turned the BioWheels beatdown into a 4 hour plus base mile ride. It was great to train with a team, and I am really going to become a stronger rider trying to hang with these guys.

Sunday Bridget, Teri and I rode 3.5 hours in the cold rain — just a way of saying a huge FU to our stationary trainers.

I'm running again and my focus is on another Heart Mini. Right now I'm slow and my quads ache even after a 5k.

Who wears the Spandex in this house?

Clearly it is Bridget.

Sunday we both raced Biowheel's UCI Cyclocross Race at Harbin Park. All of the luck that I had in my first race was not there from the instant the starter pistol went off (where I was fumbling to shove my water back into my jersey). I registered late and in UCI races this means you are gridded farther back on the starting line. I sat in patiently for a bit too long and attempted to re-tap the Little Fiery Bernard Hinault in my heart. My legs began to churn. I gained places. This was a race for me. I've lost the weight. I've climbed the hills. I love grass. Oh wait, I also hate sand. So my first ride through the sand wasn't so great. But I kept pushing. I begin to corner aggressively. And on an off-camber corner my pedal clips the ground and I fall over. Racers pass. Tony from Biowheels passes from the 35+ race that started behind me. I'm back up. Maybe he can be the white rabbit and I can be a greyhound? I climb. I push through the grass.

I come upon a downhill section through some trees that is followed by a blind sharp right hand turn. It was here I went a bit too fast. I came to the blind turn to find another rider who had wrecked. To avoid him I turned too sharply. I began to slide. I collided with the fallen rider as he was trying to get back up. More riders pass. I quickly get up. My chain is off. More riders pass. The chain is fixed and I am back up. I ride up through single track and begin riding downhill towards a dismount where I will shoulder my bike uphill. But my cleat gets stuck in the pedal and I go down again. I get and begin pushing my bike. I hear CLINK CLINK CLINK. I think I have a broken spoke so I stop and inspect the back wheel. I walk the bike a bit. Inspect it again. Time is passing. I realize that my chain had dropped again but perhaps my spokes are okay. On I race again.

The rest of the race I rode okay. I never made it uphill through the sand — one lap I was only a pedal stroke away. One lap my cleat come out too late before the barriers and my bike hits the barrier. At times I was strong. At times I thought I would puke. There is always another race...

Road Rash Billiter lap times
Prologue: 2:02.4
Lap 1: 11:45.1
Lap 2: 9:37.0
Lap 3: 9:39.7
Lap 4: 9:37.6
Total: 42:42.03
I finished 27th out of 46 riders. I think even if I rode more consistently and did not lose the two minutes in the first lap I still would have only placed 20th or so.

Bjet lap times
Prologue: 2:07.7
Lap 1: 9:04.1
Lap 2: 9:08.0
Lap 3: 9:01.6
Total: 29:21.58


Two fast Trekkies...