Racing South of the Border

I ventured south of the Michigan border this weekend into enemy territory (OSU Buckeyes) to do a race I have wanted to try for several years, the Big Valley race at Camp Manatoc in the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. The course is at a Boy Scout camp and is only open to bikes the one weekend of the year. The fact that it is less than 30 minutes from my parent's house makes it even better.

I arrived at the course on Saturday afternoon to preride and pick up my registration materials. The area had received a lot of rain overnight and I could see the bikes coming off the course were muddy. I decided to do the preride on the singlespeed to save the wear on the drive trains of the geared bikes. I also had the SS set up with mud tires.

The start of the course wandered through the camp on the roads and two track before entering the singletrack. At first the trails were dry but soon I came to the first wet and rooty downhill. Other riders were standing around figuring out the best line. I decided to just walk it, a decision I would make many more times during my ride.

The trails were not build for bikes but for hiking; many of the sections were straight up or straight down hills with a narrow bridge across a creek at the bottom. Other sections were long stretches of roots and off camber corners, up and down. In other words, technical and fun if it was dry, but slick and slow when wet. But other sections of the course were very fast, flowing sections of singletrack or open road so there was a chance to get some speed.

When I go to my parents the first thing I did was to change the gearing on the SS to make it a little easier to handle the steep hills. I figured if I was going to be riding in the mud I wanted to make it a little easier. Before going to bed I checked on the internet and people were saying the the course had really dried out later in the day. With no rain in the forecast I figured I would be able to use a geared bike instead. But I changed the rear tire on the SS to a slightly less knobby one in case I wanted to use it on the geared bike.

Sunday morning it was very cloudy and cool but no rain. My race didn't start until 1:00 in the afternoon so I had plenty of time to hang out at my parents. But about 10:00 am, the time the Beginners were to start, it began to rain. At first it was a light mist but then became harder with occasional hard showers. I figured I was back to the SS.

I left for the race and was surprised that as I got close to the race site the roads became drier. At the course there was very little evidence of rain and it was still fairly dry. I pulled out the Scalpel and then it started to sprinkle with what looked like more coming. Back in the van went the Scalpel and out came the geared F29 with slightly knobbier tires. I went out for a ride to warm up and check out the singletrack. I was pleased to find that it really had dried and the point that everything I had walked yesterday I was now able to ride.

About 20 minutes before the start of the race it started to rain again, this time a little harder. I dashed back to the van to swap wheels from the SS. Of course that also meant I had to put the cassette on the back as well. I wish I had kept track how many times the bikes were in and out of the van. Anyone around me that was watching must have thought I was nuts. Sometimes so many choices is not a good thing.

We had a large class and were the last to go off. Of course I didn't know anyone but at the start it didn't take long to find out who the local fast guys were. I missed the clip in and got away a little behind, about 10th but soon worked may way up to 5th and then 4th. When we got to one of the open hills I managed to pass two more and sat in 2nd. It didn't take us long before we started running into back markers in the singletrack from the earlier classes. Many times we would get stuck on the uphills and be forced off our bikes.

In one of these sections I heard a lot of shouting in front of me and assumed someone was upset with another rider but soon I realized they were yelling about bees. At that point I looked down at my left wrist to see a bee hanging on, stinging me. I brushed it off and continued; I heard later that others received quite a few stings. I saw one guy throw down his bike and rip his helmet off as he was getting stung. Thank goodness for the screen mesh in the front of the Uvex helmet to keep the bees out.

It was during the mad scramble up the hills that second and third passed me as they ran around the other riders. I didn't make the right moves and I lost them. Later in the lap I caught back up the third place rider and passed him. I didn't see him behind me but then somehow he was back, like a bad penny.

I stayed on his tail until we had an open uphill again and I put down the power to make the pass. I could tell he was not able to respond and I kept the power on as long as I could to try to get out of his line of sight. About this time I started to hear a pinging noise in may back wheel every so often. I couldn't really place it but thought it might be the derailleur or a broken spoke. I looked back but the wheel seemed to be straight so I pressed on, but the noise was making me wonder if I would soon have a problem.

I was relieved to see the final section of uphill switchbacks before the finish. I thought that maybe the derailleur was hitting the wheel in the larger cogs so I shifted down to try and save it. It made the climb a little more of a struggle but I just wanted the bike to survive. I ended up crossing the line to hang on to third. After the race I checked the bike and sure enough, I had a broken spoke on the rear wheel. This was the first spoke I have ever broken where it broke in the middle, not at the head or nipple. I can't figure that one out unless something got caught in the spoke.

The race was fun, definitely a type of trail that I don't get to ride in Michigan. I'm not sure I would want to do it in the rain but plan on keeping it on the list for next year. For those of us in the Detroit area the drive is about the same as going to Boyne. And for the same entry fee I got a t-shirt, a chance to enter a raffle, free energy drinks after the race and a huge burrito from Chipotle.

Thanks to my Mom and Dad for coming out to the race and providing dinner and a place to sleep. As the ad goes, "priceless".

0% = 100%

So why is it that when I looked at the weather forecast and radar this morning before starting my ride I didn't see any rain at all? Yet after an hour into the ride I was soaked? I guess I didn't look at the right weather web site or should have been better prepared, just in case. I ended up cutting short my planned long ride; soaked to the core my legs and arms were starting to turn purple. I wonder how many people have suffered from hypothermia in August?

Earlier in the week I added a new dimension to my training, trail running. I really, really hate running but with the cyclocross season around the corner I figure I ought to put in some time on foot; even now it is a little late to start but better than not at all. I was really sore from the effort for a day.

Yesterday I put in a hard effort on the bike for a few hours then followed it up with a run. I have a 5k course laid out up at LOHS that will be the course we will use for our fall running race. It uses all of the singletrack so it is a very hilly course with lots of twists and turns as well. It makes running a lot more interesting.

Earlier in the morning yesterday Sandy and I went down to Eastern Market, as much for the fruit and vegetables as to browse the antique shop. Sandy had her eve on a couple of vintage hats which we purchased for her birthday. We bought a few other items as well. I ended up using the money I had set aside to go to the races today but buying things for her was much more satisfying.

Next weekend I have preregistered for a MTB race down in Ohio. The race is only about 20 minutes or so from my parents' house. I have wanted to do this race for some time now but the schedule never worked out. The race is at a Boy Scout camp that is only open for riding one weekend out of the year. I'm looking forward to racing someplace new.

Another one of those "seemed like a good idea at the time"

I hadn't had a lot of riding time lately with all the other stuff going on so I had planned a longer ride for today. I just wanted to make sure to get out the door fairly early to beat the heat as much as possible. Even though I had just finished getting over being ill on Friday I figured a long ride would be fine; I seemed to handle Thursday's ride without any problems.

I wanted to do a ride similar to one that I used to do that took in most of the trails in my immediate area. This time I decided to go with my SS and changed the gearing to a little harder than I used in the race last week since there would be some road sections and the trails were dry.

I left about 8:00 this morning and hit the first few trails but within about an hour and a half I began to feel really light headed and had to stop to catch my breath. I almost turned around to head home but instead decided to just back off some and see what developed. The pattern seemed to continue for most of the ride, especially as the day heated up. About every 1.5 hours of so I would end up at one of the trailheads and stop to pour some water over my head and let the cobwebs clear. At Bloomer I sat and watched the Velodrome races for a while.

I was still pedaling OK but the heart rate was higher than normal, I think due to the heat. I was glad when I finally made it home after over 5.5 hours of actual riding and was able to recover in the air conditioning. I didn't seem to suffer any lingering effects as far as I can tell but I'm glad I had decided not to race this weekend.

For the record I managed to ride all or part of 11 different trails. The Polly Ann, Orion Oaks, LOHS, Bald Mountain South, Bald Mountain North, Addison Oaks, Stony Creek, Macomb Orchard Trail, Clinton River Trail, Bloomer, and the Paint Creek Trail. I don't think I was ever much farther than nine or ten miles from the house as the crow flies.

I think I will do the ride again but later this fall when the temperatures are cooler. And when the cider mills are open :-)

Dreamin' of Cruizin'

This weekend is the Woodward Dream Cruise, the annual celebration of the automobile in Detroit, especially the vintage cars of the 50's, 60's and 70's. Each year the event draws 30-40,000 old and custom cars out to Woodward Avenue, the original cruising highway. In fact, just this week the street celebrated its 100'th anniversary of having the first concrete mile of road in the US. It has been estimated that over one million people come out to watch or participate.

Sandy and I don't go every year and in years past we were fortunate to know someone who put on a picnic the day of the cruise so we had a home base to partake of the festivities. Since then we have only gone a couple of times, last year we happened to hit it on the tail end of the Friday night before the cruise. This year we stopped in on Saturday afternoon after first heading into the Motor City.

The temperatures were in the low 90's by the time we arrived; the crowds were down this year and we had no problem finding a parking spot right next to Woodward. The heat keeps a lot of vintage cars off of the road since the stop and go traffic tends to make lots of them overheat. Instead they are parked in various lots along Woodward so you can get a good look at them up close.

We couldn't decide which cars we liked the best if we were to own one but Sandy had her eyes on the older Corvettes and other muscle cars with the big engines. We also liked the older 'rods and decided that we would need a car of each type, depending on the type of cruising we wanted to do that day.

We stopped to admire one 1961 Vette and Sandy posed for a picture in front of it. The owner happened to be sitting close by and told her to go ahead an sit in it. That made her day! We talked to him for some time and he told us a lot about the car and that even though he was from Montreal, he has always been a Redwings fan and would drive from Montreal to Detroit to watch the Wings play at the old Olympia and then drive back home.

Earlier in the day we had gone down to Eastern Market, one of our favorite spots to spend a Saturday. We didn't really need much in the way of produce but always enjoy the sights and smells of the market and small businesses surrounding the area. We spent some time in one of the antique stores and found an oak chest/bureau that once refinished should be the perfect companion piece to the cabinet I refinished before we moved to Michigan.

After we left the market we went up the road a few blocks to the Pierogi Fiestival at the Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic Church. The church offered pierogi and chicken dinners, all home made including the deserts. We enjoyed our meals while listening to the polka band. In addition to the food the festival offered games and raffles. We took a look inside the 116 year years old church and were amazed at the splendor and detail. It is simply gorgeous inside and reminded us of the pictures you see of the great churches of Europe. We were glad that we decided to include the festival on our itinerary.

I think tomorrow I will get out on the bike for a long ride before it gets too warm. I'm not sure if I will race next weekend but I have already signed up for one two weeks from now down in Ohio that is only about a half hour drive from my parents. I always wanted to try the race but the timing never worked out.

Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic Church













Woodward Dream Cruise





1923 Hearse

The visit

Jason, Emily, Oliver and Isabel arrived last Tuesday afternoon and stayed until this past Monday before driving back to Indianapolis to catch a flight back to Spokane. We had been looking forward to their visit since we had not seen them in person since January. At that time Isabel was barely two months old. We had been able to chat with them on video over the internet but to actually see them again was terrific.

The entire family looks healthy and it was fun to have the grand kids around for the week. Oliver is very active and now starting to say a lot of words, or at least try to. Of course that meant we men had to be on our best behavior when he was in earshot. Isabel looks just like a doll, with the curly hair and big blue eyes she could be a model for some toy maker.

The first night they were here we enjoyed egg rolls that Sandy had prepared and lounged around just watching the kids. On Wednesday Jason and I went for a bike ride and later in the evening Robin and Shari came over to visit. They are great friends of the family and hold a special place in our hearts.

We were fortunate to have my parents able to make the drive up from outside of Cleveland to spend some time. They got to see Oliver last year about this time and were looking forward to seeing him again as well as their first ever great grand daughter. They arrived on Thursday and took us out to dinner. Afterward we had a birthday celebration for my dad who just turned 85.

Jason and Emily made breakfast for all of us on Friday; Jason likes to cook crepes and they were delicious. Later in the day we went over to Trader Joe's to sample the wine, shop, and just relax. Back at home Sandy was watching Oliver who was helping her make truffles for my mom. For dinner I barbecued salmon on cedar planks that always seems to be a hit.

Saturday was the mountain bike race at the school and it just poured down rain, greatly reducing the turnout. Jason was doing the timing for the race using the equipment of the company he does timing jobs for back home. My parents came up to watch the start of the race before heading back to Ohio. Unfortunately they didn't get to see too much as they stayed in the car due to the rain.

Sandy and I babysat on Saturday evening so Jason and Emily could have a night out. Even though it was a long time ago that our kids were little, I can still remember how special it was to have a night out by ourselves. But this time we got to play the grandparent role and spoil the kids.

Somewhere around 2:00 in the morning on Sunday the power went out; there had been some big storms come up on Saturday evening. Sunday was supposed to be one of the hottest days of the year but I hauled out the generator and got it going so I could plug in the fridge and some fans. Sandy made us french toast with homemade bread outside using the camp stove. Later we decide to go to the mall and cool off when the power did not seem likely to come on soon. Unfortunately we had to cancel a planned get together of some of Jason and Emily's friends.

I wasn't feeling well and because we had driven in two cars, I came home and went to bed. Jason and family shopped some more and then went to visit one of their friends before coming back later that evening. I pretty much stayed in bed the whole evening, night, and most of the next morning. That was not exactly the way I wanted to spend my last day with the family.

All too soon it was time for them to leave but first they wanted to go to a restaurant for a couple of drinks. I think part of it was to use the alcohol to help make the goodbyes easier. I still wasn't up to it so said my goodbyes at the house and watched them drive away. I could have used a few drinks myself by this point.

So, here it is a few days later and it is still hard to adjust to them being gone. We were so torn last fall about whether or not to take a job out west and be closer to them or stay here. Seeing them again initially makes us think I made a mistake. But I have to sit back and realize that there were, and still are, valid reasons for staying here. But is is still so tempting to move closer if possible.

I can appreciate what my parents, and parents the world over, have gone through as their kids grow up and move out or away. I know when our family was young it was an adventure to move and while hard, we were still together. This is a whole different ballgame. I like the idea of those communities or cultures where the kids live in the house next door or just down the road. Of course ask me that again when the grand kids are in their teens.

Jason and Emily are doing a great job raising their growing family and make us proud. Whatever their plans are in the coming years they can count on our support. I just hope that someday we can all be closer to them.

And now some pictures from the week.

Oliver liked the truck.


Uncle Greg


Blowing bubbles


Helping? Grandpa


The lifeguard


Isabel liked her truck also


Helping daddy make crepes


Great Grandpa


Great Grandma


Outdoor cafe, courtesy of the power outage

How to save on your electric bill

A quick tip on how to cut down on your electric bill; just use DTE Energy for your electrical needs. As often as we seem to lose power it's a sure fire way to trim your bill.

The power went out early Sunday morning around 2:00 am on what would be one of the hottest days of the year and didn't come back on until after 4:00 in the afternoon. but then went back off three hours later to finally come back on again about 1:00 this afternoon. In all the places we've lived and even growing up I don't ever remember losing power as many times as we have since moving to Michigan.

We bought a used generator a few years ago but don't have it hooked to the main circuit but instead just run a few cords to the refrigerator and to power a few lights. Practically everyone in the neighborhood has generators now. But after this recent outage I'm considering one of those units that runs on natural gas and automatically comes on in the event of a power failure.

They call me Noah

I had the reputation for a while of being responsible for rain to occur whenever I would race. I thought I had managed to break that streak when we were rain free for all of our school races this spring but lately I seem to be resorting to my old ways. Last week the 12 hour race was shortened due to a threat of rain and then today, after weeks of almost drought conditions, it started to pour a few hours before our race and continued for almost nine straight hours. I know we needed the rain but c'mon, couldn't it have waited one more day?

We had a small turnout as expected but the rain didn't dampen the enthusiasm of those who showed up. In spite of the rain the trails held up well, probably because they were concrete hard to start with. Only a few sections started to get soft but even the sections with standing water were solid underneath.

We ended up canceling the Beginner races that were to start later in the afternoon; those Beginners who preregistered can get a refund or credit for the next race which will be on October 24th to benefit the Food Bank.

Thanks to Cycletherapy and Jet's for sponsoring the race and to the school for the hosting the races. Also to Zachary Brehm for driving over from Pittsburgh to make the race part of his weekend plans.

Results are posted here: Milliseconds Timing The DNF's do not appear in the results.

Older guys kick butt!

Yesterday I raced the 12 hour race at Stony but as part of a four man team; this was only the second time I have done a team endurance event in all the years I have raced. In fact, my introduction to endurance racing was the other time I competed on a team but that race got cut short by two hours due to torrential rains. So guess what? This race was also cut short due to the threat of a storm. I see a pattern here.

Two weeks ago I was riding with Bernie Wendel, one of my Cannondale Midwest team members and we started talking about the then upcoming race at Stony and maybe doing it as a team. We recruited Shawn Schaffert from the team as well and started looking for a fourth. We checked with a few other team members, both male and female but did not find any other takers. Fortunately we recruited Mark Parmalee, one of the faster riders in the state even though he does ride a different brand of bike. :-( Mark went with me to the Paris/Ancaster race earlier this year.

We entered the Veteran 35+ category where the average age has to be 35. Our average age was 40 with me on the high side at 53 and Mark at 27. Mark's youth and speed was our secret weapon. We set up our rotation to have Mark start first, myself second, than Shawn followed by Bernie. We would adjust later in the race if necessary. With a four man rotation it meant each rider would have over a two hour wait between laps. Each time out was almost an all out effort; the time between causes the legs to stiffen up.

Mark started off the race by posting a super hot lap, coming in well ahead of the next riders and sending me off with no one close behind. I felt pretty good after the initial hard effort out of the gate and settled into a good pace. I was cruising along one section of gravel two track and blew right past a turn and kept going, not realizing I was not off course since I was actually still on the course but for a section that shouldn't have come until later in the race. I got to the top of a big hill about 15 minutes later and realized I had missed a section. I had to go back and do the section I missed to not cheat and make my lap count. My mistake ended up adding about seven minutes to my lap. And all those teams that were behind me were now in front.

I pulled into the team hand off area and told Shawn what to watch for on the course markings. I was upset that I had missed the turn and cost our team valuable time. It was my fault but this promoter has never been one that is liberal with the course markings.

Shawn came in with a great time and Bernie went out next on his singlespeed and was soon back in with a time matching Shawn's. We were still behind the first place team as they were also turning fast laps. We were confident that Mark would pull back some time and when he came back to the finish we now had a lead that we would never relinquish.

I managed to stay on course my second time around but my lap was slightly slower than Shawn's and Bernie's first lap. Shawn came back next in an almost identical time as his first lap and then Bernie was next and went out on a geared bike. His lap time was also slightly slower than his first. After Mark went out for lap three the second place team came in shortly after only 30 seconds back.

We decided that we would have Mark do two laps back to back; of course we decided this while he was out riding. Shawn rode up to the top of the last climb so he could tell Mark of the decision. It was kind of rotten as this was so close to the finish and you thought you were almost done for the lap. Mark was a trooper and got a fresh bottle that we had for him at the finish line and went back out.

This time when he came in I was ready and back on my 29'er that I rode for my first lap. I wasn't sure how my legs would respond after sitting around again and being asked to put in a third TT type effort. I was surprised that I came back in with my fastest time yet, on par with Shawn's and Bernie's first laps. I also found out that we had a pretty good lead on the second place team and they didn't gain any while I was out.

Shawn turned close to the same lap time as the first two times out and then Bernie went on the SS again. His lap was also back to close to his first lap time. I guess our time between laps didn't slow us down too much, it was probably more the mental aspect of having to get out of the chair and get back on the bike.

We had made a decision that after my lap Mark would go back out to see if he could get in before 8:00 to allow us to complete a final lap. But while Mark was out they announced that due to a major storm coming at us they were ending the race as of 6:30 and that no one else would be allowed to start another lap. In effect, as long as Mark didn't have a problem while on the trail we would have won our class.

Mark came in at 6:35 after putting in a heroic effort to turn a fast time so that we would be able to squeeze in two more laps. All was not in vain though as our team not only won our class, but we were the top team overall, including the Open Advanced and the Elite money class. For some old guys we were were pretty fast, and it helped to have a younger, faster guy to give us some breathing room. But all of us held our own against some pretty good competition.

Riding on a team in an endurance event is far harder than doing it solo. The requirement to go out each lap and ride as hard as you can after sitting around is tough. I would rather sit and go my own pace for 12 hours anytime. So why is it we were talking about a team again in October for the Addison 12 hour? only time will tell.

Jason and family arrive this Tuesday. We haven't seen them since January and are looking forward to the week they will be here. Both Sandy and I took vacation so we could spend the maximum amount of time possible with them. It will be a busy week as my parent come for a few days, other friends drop by to say hello, and the Lake Orion High School race is this Saturday. Whew! But it will all be worth it. I'm sure lots of photos to come.

Turning back the pages to the times I love best

The title is one of the lines from Gordon Lightfoot's song, Carefree Highway. I thought it was an appropriate blog title since Sandy and I went to see Gordon in concert at Meadowbrook this past Thursday evening. What makes the line even more meaningful is that Sandy and I went to see Gordon in concert on one of our first few dates, back in Cleveland in 1977. The theater back then was in the round and we had close to front row seats.

This time I got an offer through Chrysler for discounted lawn tickets and I thought it would be great to see him again after all these years. I took the day off work so Sandy and I could spend it together. The weather forecast was not promising so in the morning I stopped by the box office and upgraded to pavilion seats. I was surprised that I was able to get center aisle seats, about 20 rows back. Maybe not so surprising since Gordon's popularity probably peaked about 30 years ago.

The night turned out to be a pleasant one and no rain came down during the concert. But the seats we had were definitely a good investment as we had perfect viewing. Gordon's voice still had the familiar sound, just not quite as rich. Of course at age 71 it is to be expected. But I must admit he looks all of his age. The band members were the same ones we had seen 32 years ago except they added a keyboard player. All in all it was great night and it took us back to our courting days. Only this time I didn't have to drop her off at her parents. ;-)

I spent most of my riding this week at a slower price as my knee started to heal. I checked out the Stony TT course on Thursday and Friday in case I decided to enter the race on Sunday. I packed the van last night with the bikes and gear in anticipation of racing. I went over to STony early this morning so I could check out the course conditions from yesterday's rain and also check how my knee was doing.

Initially the knee felt good and the course was also in great shape. As I was riding I added a little more power to the pedal stroke and could tell that I was not yet at 100% on the knee. I headed back to start area and decided to not sign up for the race, waiting until next week to try again. The promoter had raised the price for this race above the normal entry fee and combined with a race that should only take about 50 minutes, I couldn't see paying to race at 85% strength.

Next week is a 6/12 hour race and again at Stony Creek, this time put on by a different promoter. There will be four different MTB races there this year and so far I've missed the first two. Then the week after is the Saturday race at LOHS. And Jason's family will be here!

Renewed my membership in the OTB club

The picture pretty much sums up the endurance race I attempted yesterday, the Ithaca 6/12 hour. OTB stands for Over The Bars. I decided two days before to do the race and also to ride in the singlespeed class; I had not raced the SS yet this year. Ithaca is a great SS course as it is fairly tight and twisty with very little elevation change.

I had planned on doing a prerace lap to get a feel for the course but decided to just wait for the race itself. With a planned six hours and laps usually in the mid twenty minute range I would have plenty of time to learn the course. Chris Werth had done a lap earlier and told me the course was pretty fast and he thought it was better than when we run it in the opposite direction. I decided to switch the gearing on my bike to set it up for a little more speed.

At the start I lined up with two of my riding buddies, Mark and Wayne, also in the six hour SS class and we sized up the remaining competition. One rider I knew and was fairly confident that he would start out fast but fade in the later hours, the other I didn't know at all. Mark and Wayne are fast as they usually only ride SS's. I had done quite a bit of riding leading up to the race since I hadn't originally planned on racing. I wasn't sure how my legs would respond.

We rolled out at the start and the younger rider I knew, Brendan, jumped in front. I was a couple of riders back and content to sit back with Mark and Wayne a few more riders in back of me. One of the few climbs we encountered fairly early in the race had some roots on it and Brendan slipped his back wheel causing him to crash. A couple of us went around him but it wasn't long before he was right on my tail.

It seemed like we carried on a conversation for most of the first lap as I was content to not push much but occasionally push the speed in the open sections, forcing Brendan to chase me. With my taller gearing I was able to generate a higher top speed. I also made a few passes of other riders where I knew Brendan would have to wait before he was also able to pass. My plan was to have him chase me and wear out early. I could tell he was working hard as I would open up a small gap and then slow up. I didn't want to maintain a high pace as it was still early in the race.

Brendan began having problems with his chain coming off and eventually he faded and I was alone to race my own pace. I was feeling very good and surprised how comfortable I felt. After the fourth lap I was calculating that I should be able to get in at least 15 laps with no problem, and maybe even 17 laps if pushed it near the end. All I needed to do was stay steady as I was gaining an advantage of about 10-15 seconds per lap on second place.

But as soon I was starting to feeling comfortable is when disaster struck on the fifth lap. I came up a short rise with some speed and out into the open where the course immediately turned right and went back into the woods on a slight downhill. Unfortunately there was also a little dip as you started down and my weight was too far forward from the climb and turn and the front end dropped into the dip. The back did a flip, sending me over the bars and crashing hard.

I got back up, sorted myself out and noticed that both my kneecaps were bloody, the right one really seeping and I could see white underneath. Still having a lot of adrenaline from the race and the crash I pushed on to finish the lap but the knees were starting to ache. It took me a while to notice that my handlebar had been rotated back from the impact.

On the completion of the lap I headed over to promoter's trailer looking for some first aid. He rummaged around and found the antiseptic and bandages. We cleaned the wounds as best we could and then tried to tape a bandage on. The knee is not a very easy place to bandage.

I rode into my pit to put some duct tape around my knee in an attempt to hold the dressing in place and also to change the rear wheel to one with an easier gear since I was having trouble pedaling. After changing the wheel I started to go back out but had to turn around when I realized I had forgotten to fix the bars. Finally I started another lap but by this time I had long ago given up the lead to probably everyone else. The initial pedaling was painful but OK as long as I didn't press too hard. I completed the lap and figured I would try another.

It was on my seventh lap that the adrenaline must have worn off and the pain set in. The bandage was off my knee by the end of the first go round and blood was still oozing down the leg. I decided to pack it in after only three hours of my race. I have races planned for the next three weekends so there was no sense making things worse now.

On the ride home my knee really started to stiffen up. I was afraid that someone was going to have to carry me out of the car when I got home. While driving I noticed that I had some abrasions on my forehead caused by my helmet and glasses during the crash. Once home, for the rest of the evening i couldn't really bend my right knee at all.

This morning the knee was feeling better as I had taken quite a few Hammer Tissue Rejuvenator capsules which seemed to help. I went out for a short ride to keep the knee active and I could pedal, just not with any force on the right leg. The small hills became a left leg only cycling drill. I can't remember the last time I had a ride with as low a heart rate average as this ride.

Next week is the Stony time trial and I hope to be recovered in time for that. Training this week might be a little off but time will tell.

On a positive note we found out that Jason and family will be back in town the first week in August. We look forward to seeing all of them again. Especially since we have only seen our granddaughter back in January.

CCNA

CCNA from the Wikipedia listing:

CCNA is the acronym for the Cisco Certified Network Associate certification from Cisco. In speech and in writing, this certification is properly referred to by the initials CCNA rather than the full name.

CCNA certification is a first-level Cisco Career certification and indicates a foundation in and apprentice knowledge of networking. CCNA certification validates the ability to install, configure, operate, and troubleshoot medium-size routed and switched networks, including implementation and verification of connections to remote sites in a WAN. To become Cisco certified, a passing score on the 640-802 exam must be achieved.

I'm proud to say that our younger son Greg successfully passed his test today. This is not an easy test and in fact a lot of people do not pass on the first try. Greg didn't pass on his first attempt a few weeks ago, only missing by one question.

He went back to studying and retook the test today. Of course he didn't tell us he was going to do so in spite of our nagging. We came home from work today to find a nice card from him, telling us of the news and thanking us for our support. We are extremely proud of him. We all went out to the restaurant of his choice to celebrate. Greg will now start to look for an internship to put his knowledge to work.

From the western front we are waiting to see what Jason and family are working on to get back east to visit. Initially the race timing company that Jason works with was going to pay to fly them back so Jason could time a race here so the company could test out a fix to the timing program. But the company had not been getting timely payments from the race promoters so did not have the funds to send the family back.

Obviously we were disappointed but understood. Then Jason called and asked me to check into cheap airfare but had not told me what he has in mind. Perhaps nothing will come of it but we may get to see the family after all.

Today started the two week corporate shut down but our are had the option of working. Even though the plants and most users of our systems are not around we are making changes so their is testing to be done. It is kind of strange to walk around the big headquarters complex that normally has thousands of people working and for this week there are maybe a few hundred. The cafeterias, fitness center, and latte stands are closed be will survive. Next week there will be more as we prepare for the plants to start back up.

This past weekend I was all set to go up to Boyne and race but on the way home from work Friday I came to the conclusion that I didn't really want to have a 3.5 hour drive each way for this 3 or 4 hour race and end up spending close to $100 after gas, entry, and food. I decided to skip it and rode for several hours each day. One of my Cannondale Midwest team members joined me on Sunday. It was nice to have someone to ride with. Hopefully we can get more team members to join us on future rides.

I'm not sure what the next race is, it may not be until the end of the month. I may have an announcement about a new type of race for LOHS to be held this fall but I can't say anything for sure until I can get the details worked out. Hopefully soon.

LOHS Race Info Aug 8

The next race at Lake Orion High School is Saturday, Aug 8. This will be a full length race and we will even offer a money class for men and women! On-line registration is here: http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=8790 Or you can get the mail in form below.

2009 August Summer Mountain Bike Entry

It's July Already?

The year is half over and it seems to have gone by pretty fast. Not that long ago the weather was cold and rainy but for the past week the temperatures have pretty much been ideal. Summer is finally here, right on cue.

We held another race at Lake Orion High School and once again lucked out on the weather. It was rainy in the morning but while the rain threatened all afternoon, it never materialized. We had a decent turnout of students which was great to see. The trail was in good shape and the racers were treated to the longest course yet. This will be similar to the rest of the races scheduled there this year.

The three days off from work meant I got to ride for a couple of hours each morning and hit up most of the area trails at some point. I averaged about 3 hours per day; not very long but I threw in some harder efforts for training. I was usually home by noon to do whatever else was on the agenda for the day.

Sandy also had Friday off so we went shopping for the weekend meals as I planned on grilling every day. Sunday we were celebrating our younger son's birthday and he had requested tht I make the shrimp and chicken kabobs he liked. It's acutally a pretty simple dish but cleaning three pounds of shrimp takes some time.

While at one of the stores we noticed that the lawn furniture was on closeout. There really wasn't a lot left but it did get us thinking about it. In the afternoon we cheked out a few other stores for furniture and decided to mix and match table, chairs and umbrella from three different places. Now, after almost twelve years in our house, we actually have something on our patio other than a grill. We enjoyed eating outside all weekend.

Next week most of Chrysler shuts down for its first two week corporate holiday, similar to what the other auto makers have done for years. All of our plants will be down and most of the rest of the corporation will be off as well. Originally we were told to plan on taking vacation as well but now we are alloed to work instead. I plan on working most days to save the time off for later this month when Jason is supposed to come back for a few days. Hopefully the rest of the family will be able to make the trip as well.

When the moon is in the Seventh House

And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

From Age of Aquarius by the 5th Dimension

These lyrics kept running through my head during my ride on Saturday morning. It was one of those seemingly all too rare times when everything aligned just right to provide a perfect ride for how I was feeling at the time.

The week after Lumberjack I had only ridden lightly or not at all due to fatigue, heat and/or thunderstorms. Saturday morning was cool and clear and I decided to take out the singlespeed bike after changing the gearing to provide a better ratio for training.

The beauty of a singespeed is also it's detraction. If you want to go faster you pedal faster; if you come to a hill you pedal harder. Sometimes you can't pedal fast enough when going downhill and are limited to how fast your can pedal on the flats for a comfortable distance. On some ride a singlespeed is easier because you don't always have a harder gear so are forced to relax and just let it flow.

I headed out to the local trails and then the back roads and rail trails while soaking up the cool air and scenery. My legs were working in tandem with my heart rate and both were operating better than I thought they would. I headed over to watch part of the Stony Creek marathon mountain bike race.

Riders were coming through from their first laps and many of the bikes had a fair amount of mud attached to them. Some riders were also muddy from where they had apparently fallen somewhere out on the course. The promoter had elected to use a section of trail that had been wet for some time and was known to be muddy. Last year this same race cut out most of the section in somewhat similar conditions. I'm not sure why the whole section was used this time but I imagine their will be some work required to fix the damage created by the racers.

Usually when I watch a race I feel some regret at not being a participant but this time I had no regrets about not entering. I watched most of my Cannondale Midwest team members come through and then rode on toward home.

Today I was back out for a couple of hours but a little later in the day and the Zen like feeling was gone. Partially due to the warmer weather and also I was feeling a little fatigue from yesterday. But overall it was another good ride with an eye toward Tuesday's race at Lake Orion High School, weather permitting. Then the Boyne marathon in two weeks if possible.

The racing season is flying by and the new bikes will soon be announced. I have been receiving some inside scoops from our Cannondale rep attending the dealer show in UT but until things are officially announced we will just have to wait and see what is in store for 2010.

Lumberjack 100

The 5th year of the Lumberjack 100 is in the books and I am pleased to be able to report that this year I at least finished the race. If my body worked as well as my Scalpel I would have won instead of finishing seventh in my class. I am very pleased with the bike and the modification of running the slightly larger 650b wheel up front.

Robin, Shari and I left Thursday evening and spent the night at their cottage on Higgins Lake. The next morning we headed up to the race site so that we could arrive early enough to get a prime spot on the course for our pit. Having a good spot makes the lap transitions a lot faster. Shari is a pro at this by now.

After staking our claim we headed over to our rental house, or chalet, that I had reserved. I found the place on the internet and the cost was similar to what we paid last year for a hotel. The chalet had three bedrooms and slept 10. It included 1.5 baths and even had a basement with a garage door where we could bring in our bikes to work on them. In the winter I guess the place is popular for snowmobilers.

We had a bunch of people from the Cycletherapy team coming up to share the place with us so the cost per night was very cheap. It was nice to have a whole house to move around in. The fact that it was only about 4.5 miles from the race was even better. After settling in on Friday I rode over to the race and did a small portion of the course.

Race day morning we got up early to get ready and get over to the race site so we could get a parking spot to unload all of our gear. The heavy overnight rain had pretty much soaked into the sandy soil which was perfect; the day before parts of the course were like riding on a beach. The rain had also left the air very humid, not so great.

My strategy this year was to just finish; I was not too confident in my preparation for this race (almost none) so I wanted to try starting out slow for once. I always say this and then go out too hard, causing me to really slow down by the end of the race.

Once the race started we had about a two mile stretch of blacktop before turning into the trail. I was content to just sit in the middle of the group and take my time. Throughout the first lap I pretty much stayed in whatever group I found myself in and didn't really try to pass. I monitored my heart rate to keep from going too hard. Many times I had to resist the urge to press as I kept thinking I could go faster than I was.

At the end of the first 25 mile lap I was actually having fun and ready to go out for the second lap. I was able to make this lap little faster than the first as there wasn't as much traffic in front of me but I still had to force myself to slow down. I could start to feel a little fatigue at the end of the lap but a third lap was never a doubt.

On the third lap I would start to feel some cramps in my legs as we were now in the middle of the day and the temperature had risen. Fortunately most of the course in in the woods and well shaded. I did walk a hill or two that I had previously ridden on the first two laps. My lap time had slowed to where it equaled the first lap.

I didn't allow myself much time in the pits before heading out for my fourth, and final lap. At this point I was definitely feeling the effort but I was confident I would at least finish. The heat was starting to make me a little dizzy at times and I had to walk a few more hills than before, pausing to let myself cool down. I was so glad to get up the final hill knowing that the last two or three miles were pretty much downhill or level.

I crossed the line with a slower time than two years ago but at least I finished. I didn't think I was even in the top ten, knowing the other competitors in the race. I was surprised that I still ended up seventh but a long way out of first. Every year the 100 milers are attracting more people and better competition. But that's the way national races should be; not just showing up and placing because you finished. It also means I have a lot of work to do if I want to get on the podium again.

It was still a great weekend with good friends and a great trail system. The full suspension bike helped to mitigate any back problems or other discomforts caused by the long time on the bike and bumpy course. I'm not sure what the next race is except we do have another race at Lake Orion High School on June 30.

Thanks again to Robin and Shari for another outstanding race support.

Our primo spot on the course


Our rental chalet for the weekend


The back, complete with deck and gas grill


The living room, plenty of room for everyone to watch satellite TV.

In the woods

It seems like I spend a lot of time in the woods. Mountain biking is my main hobby and most of my riding is done on trails that wind their way through old growth timber. I have always liked being outdoors and was lucky enough to grow up in a rural area where I could walk out my back door and go for miles through the fields, woods and rivers. At one time I even wanted to become a forest ranger.

Our house was on a 5 acre lot but it was surrounded by empty fields that backed up to the forest and the same across the street. Even as a kid I was into building trails for my mini-bike and then dirt bikes. Some things never change.

But now I have traded the motor for pedals but still love to build trails out in the woods. I have worked on most of the major trails in my immediate area, either helping lay out or install new sections or simply maintaining the existing ones. These trails include Bald Mountain, Addison Oaks, Stony Creek, Bloomer, Pontiac Lake, and Maybury. When I first got involved with the Michigan Mountain Biking Association(MMBA)I was all over the area working at the trail days. Now days I pretty much stick closer to home.

I am fortunate to have the Lake Orion High School property within a half mile from my house and that the school property is a great piece of real estate for mountain biking. The multiple elevation changes on their meadows and woods has allowed me to build quite a few sections of singletrack and to tie them all together and also access the Bald Mountain trails. The school grounds crew has been super supportive of my efforts and assisted in so many ways to help put the trails in.

This past weekend I pretty much finished up another section of trail that while not being lengthy, will provide a few neat features but took a lot of work on a couple of sections. The best part about these trails is when other people ride them and are amazed at the trails they never knew existed. As a bonus it gives me a great workout, both while building them and then as an almost private training grounds.

Those that have ridden all the sections know that my trails can give you a good technical tree avoidance as well as cardio workout due to all the climbing. The terrain does not allow for many climbs to be rolled into; it's more descend, turn, and climb. But that is what makes the most difference in racing, climbing and the ability to hold sustained efforts. The latter I still need to work on but with a ready made course less than a five minute ride from my house I can easily get in the practice.

Hopefully some of these workouts have helped me get ready for the Lumberjack 100 this weekend. I didn't fare well there last year as I pulled out after 50 miles as I didn't seem to have any energy. This will be my fourth year in a row for this race and my field looks tougher than ever. There are 32 men registered in my class; I think that is the biggest field for my group in any of the 100's I have done. I know of at least ten that could be contenders for top honors. The forecast for rain may play a factor in who survives until the end.

I am traveling with my usual pit crew of Robin and Shari. We will spend Thursday night at their cabin on Higgins Lake and then head up to the race site Friday morning. The best pit sites fill up early so we will stake our claim and then head over to our rental chalet. This place will be new to us but it is a three bedroom house that we will be sharing with some other racers that we know. The place has satellite TV, AC, gas grill, kitchen, etc. And the best part is the cost is about the same as one tiny hotel room yet this is closer to the race. Hopefully this will be a place we will want to return to every year.

Snow in June?

Although snow in June not unheard of in Michigan, this is just the fallout from the line of trees that runs along the driveway. When the wind blows it does look like it's snowing. The trees can cause quite a mess in the spring and fall since they have little leaves that are hard to pick up. The branches are also full of thorns.

È quasi ufficiale

That is Italian for "it's almost official". After numerous delays and much conjecture, it looks like the Supreme Court has refused the motion to delay the Chrysler emergence from bankruptcy. Fiat will become the major player in how we do business from now on.

I imagine that we will be put to warp speed to get the plants and systems up and running. It will be interesting to see what happens to our management structure in the coming months. Fiat Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne, and soon to be head of Chrysler as well, has some different ideas of how management should operate compared with how we have been doing business. I expect we will see an exodus within the upper corporate ranks, either by request or by choice.

For now at least we have a glimmer of a future and can get back to the task of making cars and trucks. And of course greeting the arrival of the Fiat employees that we have been preparing office space for over the last few months. And while I can stop scouring the Monster.com ads, I will still keep the link handy, just in case.

Motorized trail hazard

I am lucky to be writing this update today. Yesterday while out riding at Bald Mountain I was going through a slight downhill section that is very fast and came around a corner to see a park utility vehicle coming right at me, also travelling at a good clip. The vehicle, or gator as they are called, took up almost all of the trail, especially as the trail is partly overgrown right now.

I hit the brakes hard while pulling off to the right as much as I could, all the while hoping that there wasn't anything sticking up or out of the brush that I was forced into. We passed each other with inches to spare and their eyes were probably as wide as mine. The gator never really slowed down and I kept going at a slightly slower pace but my heart rate remained up for a while. I can only imagine the damage a collision with that thing would have caused. The poor bike!

I was out testing the latest change to my Scalpel. I was not satisfied with the way it handled with the 29" wheel up front. The taller front end made short, steep climbs more difficult as well as quick transitions in the corners. It was great in the straight line or downhills.

I had borrowed a 26" wheel to put on there and the bike felt a lot better but of course that is what it is designed to use. I still had the problem of a low bar to seat relationship due to the geometry of the bike but I found out that Cannondale makes a longer steerer tube. I had one of those shipped to me and now the bars and seat are relatively close in height.

Tuesday I picked up my new 650b front wheel to try on the Scalpel. This wheel size is measured at 27.5", or half way between a 26" and a 29" wheel. The size has been around for a long time but over the last couple of year it has started to make inroads in the mountain biking community. It provides some benefits of both of the other sizes but is still limited in tire selection.

I have a Stan's NoTubes 355 rim on the Lefty hub and the Pacenti Quasi-Moto tire on it for now. Schwalbe is our tire sponsor but I couldn't get their 650b tire. After two rides I am very pleased with both the bike handling and the tire. The larger wheel has slowed the handling a bit so that it feels fairly similar to the 29" bikes I have and the wheel rolls over some of the small things better. Climbing does not seem to be a problem either. I plan on doing some long rides this weekend on this bike to determine if it is the bike I will use for the Lumberjack or stick with the 29'er.

Not even Last of the Mohicans

In order to even be last you have to finish. Unfortunately I didn't, nor did my racing partner Jay Jones. Even though we didn't finish we still had a good time.

Jay and I drove to Loudonville with my regular traveling companions Shari and Robin Scurr. Shari is the consummate pit crew, having done it now for the past several years while Robin and I raced. This time Robin wasn't racing but went along for the vacation and to enjoy the racing scene from a different vantage point.

We drove down Friday afternoon and checked into the motel. I had forgotten that the motel advertised it as a get away spot to enjoy the natural setting; there were no TV or phones in the rooms. But we didn't expect to spend much time in the room anyway.

We headed over to the registration area to check in, receive our number plates, and do a short ride to stretch the legs. Jay and I rode while Robin and Shari ran some errands. After the ride we headed back to the motel where they were putting on a spaghetti dinner. We managed to get to bed before 10:00 in anticipation of the 5:15 alarm the next morning.

After stopping at McDonalds in the morning we made it down to start in plenty of time and got a prime parking spot right by the start line. In fact, right after we got there they blocked the entrance to our parking area so we pretty much had it to ourselves. Jay and I got ready and got in place with the other 400+ riders.

At the gun all the riders proceeded down the main street in town and out to the big hill that soon separated everyone into a long line. I was taking it easy since there was nothing for me to gain in a 100 mile by going out hard at the start. Other than when we finally got to the first trail section it seemed that we were with a lot of riders that didn't have very good technical skills.

The weather was the best it has ever been for this race as long as I have participated in it. The trails were also dry, a first for me. Usually rain has been a part of the race somehow. I was riding at a steady pace and enjoying the trails instead of pushing too hard like I have don in the past.

Jay got past me and disappeared up the trail. I was surprised when I came to the first checkpoint quite a bit earlier than I had last year. I think the drier trail had something to do with it. Robin and Shari were waiting for me and I felt like a pro as they quickly took care of everything I needed. They said Jay was about three minutes in front of me and I figured I would catch him once we got to the road sections since I was on a geared bike and he was on a singlespeed.

About 15 minutes after leaving the checkpoint I was surprised to see Jay walking toward me pushing his bike. His bottom bracket had gone bad and he was not able to continue the race. I gave my condolences for his bad luck and rode on.

It couldn't have been more than another 20 minutes when I heard a loud crunch by my rear wheel and felt the wheel lock up. I slammed on the brakes and looked down to see a large stick had jammed in the rear derailleur and had broken the hanger. Fortunately I was carrying a spare so I pulled the bike off to the side of the trail and bent down to examine the damage. To add injury to insult a rider came by and crashed, causing the rear of his bike to swing up and strike me on the side of the head. It rattled my cage for a while and I had to get the cobwebs cleared before working on my bike.

Try as I might I could not get the bolt out of the old hanger as rider after rider came by. I resigned myself to trying to shorten the chain to make a singlespeed out of the bike and at least ride out. I was between two aid stations in the woods and had no idea where I really was. It was either SS or push. Once I finally got the chain to stay in the cog without binding I rode, or pushed depending on the steepness, as much of the rest of the trail I could before finally deciding to try and find a way back to the start.

I recognized the state route I was crossing but wasn't sure which way was back to town. I pushed on a little farther before finally asking someone standing in their yard how to get back. Fortunately it was only about another five miles or so along fairly flat roads. The ride back was actually very scenic and I was enjoying the ride.

Once back I sat by the Cannondale tent and wondered how to get in touch with Robin and Shari who were waiting for us at another aid station. I asked the promoter to call out there so the workers could let them know. No one at the aid station answered the phone so I just had to wait.

A little while later Jay pulled up in a ranger's car. He had been helping the ranger at a road crossing and the ranger brought him back once the racers had passed. I used Jay's phone to try and reach Robin and Shari but they didn't answer. Jay and I hung around watching finishers of the shorter race come in and then we got to see the pro's finish up the 100 mile race. Normally I am still two hours or so behind them.

Cannondale was well represented as four of the top six riders were riding Cannondale bikes. And the top women was also on the Cannondale Factory Racing team. Michigan put up a good show as both second and fourth place in the Men's class went to Michigan riders.

Robin finally got the message about jay and I and they came back to the finish. All of us hing around the finish for a while soaking up the sun and talking to other racers while we enjoyed the free food and beer. We went back the hotel room to take a nap before returning for the awards.

We decided not to hang around for the prize drawing because they were taking forever and we wanted to go into town for dinner. Jason and I found a little place our first time down there and we have eaten there every year. This time we noticed that it was up for sale. The owner is looking to retire and we hope they find a buyer that can carry on the excellent food. While we were eating several of the Cannondale pros also came in to eat.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel and the bar/restaurant to see if we could catch the rest of the Redwings game. Everyone was tuned to the TV when we walked in but it was the Cavalier's game as they were losing to Orlando. We convinced the bartender to switch the TV behind the bar to the hockey game and we were able to catch the last period of the game.

Heading back this morning we all agreed that the trip was still a good time in spite of the race results. We all wanted to return next year and would try to convince others to join us so we could rent one of the cabins near the finish area. And we are talking about coming back down some time just to ride the trails.

The next race on the schedule is the Lumberjack 100. Hopefully this race goes better than Mohican.

The weather doesn't get much better in Michigan

Wow! A three day weekend and the weather was darn near perfect. Mostly sunny skies, temperatures in the mid 70's and a light breeze. For Memorial day weekend it doesn't get much better in Michigan.

The trails have mostly dried up or are at least passable now. I spent the past three days on the bike for a couple of hours each day, riding a combination of back roads and trails. I was testing a few things on the bikes in preparation for next week's Mohican 100 which now looks like it should have decent weather.

I was going to get in a last hard effort yesterday at the rescheduled Bloomer XC race. I figured I would ride over to the race on my SS, race, and ride back home. While the race would be hard it should only take a little over an hour and half to complete. But once I got there I found out they were adding an extra lap to the Expert SS class so I decided to go ride somewhere else instead; it takes me a while to recover from hard efforts and I wanted to not overdo it before next weekend. I also saved $30.

This morning I joined about 15 other riders in a combination road/trail ride at an "easy pace", at least that's what the email invitation billed the ride as. It was hosted by the owner of Cycletherapy, the bike shop where I occasionally work part time. I should have known better since most of the guys/gals that showed up are also racers. The 2.5 hour ride was at times. "spirited", but always fun. I got to ride a bunch of new trails that I normally wouldn't as well as spend a great morning outside. I just wish I had left on the fat tires instead of switching to 'cross tires.

The rest of this week;s riding will be light efforts, maybe a few hard, short intervals to keep the legs from going to stale. I've not done as much training this year for Mohican, maybe legs with less hours on them will be better. We leave Friday morning to head south. I hope my new wheel comes in before then. I'm still trying to decide which bike to use.

Washed Out

Heavy rain overnight caused the postponement of the Addison Oaks 6/12 hour race for the second week in a row. I feel bad for the promoter as he has about $5,000 sunk into the event. He has rescheduled it for October 10. The Michigan race calendar is so full during the summer that this was one of the few open dates available. Hopefully a lot of people will come out in October to support him.

The storms also made the already muddy trails at Bloomer park even worse and the race for tomorrow has been postponed until next Sunday. With luck the course will be able to dry out some. I am not sure if I will race since it is only a week before the Mohican race.

Our final race at LOHS looks to be in danger of also being postponed based on the forecast for next Tuesday. We had a backup date for any rain outs and we may end up using it.

Long range forecast for the Mohican race does not look promising. Right now they are calling for rain just about every day in the week preceding the race and also on race day. I think this race is cursed as that would make four years in a row that it has rained on, or just before the race.

The postponements of race has made training even more difficult as you structure your week leading up to a race with the expectation that the race will consume a certain amount of energy. When it doesn't happen you have to try and make up for it or somehow adjust your plan. This spring has been very frustrating for both promoters and racers.

Slow to Report

I can't believe Jason finally updated his blog. He has developed a good eye for photo composition and the pictures of the kids are great.

It seems harder lately to concentrate. Several times I was going to update the blog and then put it off. It seems difficult to get some of the little things done.

A very big part of competitive athletics is the mental side. There are many book and coaches that address this subject. I believe that athletes who may be slightly inferior in skills may make up for it in mental toughness and voracity. I know this has helped me where I lack the physical attributes necessary to succeed. I think I have taken a few steps backward of late.

With everything going on at Chrysler over the last few months, heck, the last few years, it has kept many of us somewhat on edge. The uncertainty and dealing with the constant rumors and changes tend to wear on you after a while. But at least for now we still have our jobs. Although forced time off without pay may be on the horizon. I feel for those who may not have been as fortunate in the fallout.

My training has taken a hit this year in both time and intensity so I am using the recent return of the spring races at Lake Orion High School to try and get some fitness level back. But I can tell the bigger races may be a suffer fest.

The races have drawn the usual turnout, despite the fact that the first two races have not had any rain. In fact, last week the trails were almost 100% dry and it was sunny and in the low 70’s. I think it is difficult to get people out after work to race. Plus many still either don’t know about the races or may think that the course is probably some flat paths around a school.

In fact, I have been busy putting in new sections of singletrack that have added more elevation changes than before. And last year people thought there was a lot of climbing! At the last race one racer asked how I could possibly build a trail that was all uphill. Another racer commented that last week we ran the course in the reverse direction and it was all uphill then as well. They wanted to know what kind of vortex the LOHS property was in.

Last week was the scheduled 6/12 hour race at Addison Oaks. Many of the local trails have taken a long time to dry out due to all the rain we have had this spring, Addison being no exception. With heavy rains during the week preceding the race there was talk of cancelling the race. Nice weather for two days allowed the trail to somewhat dry out but would not be able to take on any more water.

Sure enough, the rains came down overnight and heavy rain a few hours before the start caused the promoter to reschedule to this weekend. A few years ago this same race caused major damage to the course that took a year of hard work to repair.

But the postponement of the race meant I could attend the demo day at Island Lake State Recreation area instead. For the past several years the event has been put on to allow people to come and ride demo bikes that are provided by dealers and bike manufactures set up at the event. Cannondale provides their big rig loaded with test bikes and the are sales rep, Jason Edinger, is also in attendance. It is a great opportunity to help represent the brand that helped me. Plus what better way to spend a rainy afternoon than hanging out with great team mates and talking bikes?

The weather has somewhat cooperated for this Saturday’s race but there is a forecast of rain and possible thunderstorms. Hopefully the rain will be short and the impact to the trail conditions kept to a minimum.

My plan is to race on Saturday if it is not pouring, I’m not sure if I will do the 6 or the 12 hour race. If I don’t race I may do the race at close by Bloomer on Sunday instead.

Next week is the last of the LOHS races and then in two weeks is the first 100 mile race for me, the Mohican 100 in Loudonville, OH. This course is probably one of my favorite 100’s even though it is also harder than some others. It has such a wide variety of trail conditions that you never really get bored, except for the long rail trail; that is kind of numbing. Maybe this year will be first in the four I will have done to not have any rain.



The Cannondale rig


Rolling some of my CFR bikes out for display at the bike demo.


The kids just keep getting cuter

Day 1 (again)

I have lost track of how many Day Ones we have gone through here at Chrysler since I started working for the company. Of course yesterday's big news was the company filing for bankruptcy and our announcement of the Fiat deal. Given the alternatives, this may end up a positive for the company but it will take some time.

In the interim there is much uncertainty about what will happen, especially since we are effectively shutting down the company for the next few months while the bankruptcy gets sorted out. Plants will be down and union members given most of the salary while off but no word yet on what the rest of us will be doing.

The plan for plant closings is more aggressive than originally announced. I was sad, but not surprised, to read that the plant that I started at will be closing next year, Twinsburg Stamping. Closing the plant had often been rumored and now that most of the assembly plants they supply will also be shuttered there was no reason to really keep it running.

Our shutdown plus the scheduled shutdown of some GM plants will have a big impact on the local economy over the next few months. GM will be the next company under the gun to complete their reorganization plan to see if they will receive additional funding. I think they have a more difficult task.

For now all I can do is wait and see how this will effect me personally and hope for the best. In addition to immediate concerns about continued employment there is also a concern about what might change to severance and retirement plans as well as other benefits. With the company in bankruptcy everything is open to change.

The upside is I may have more time to ride. But no money to race. Stay tuned.