The Dog Days Of Summer

I have settled into a pretty decent riding routine that adds up to about 125 miles per week. This routine includes two, 20 to 30 mile rides each week at Wilson, one dirt road ride around Great Bend and two long road bike rides. Nothing beats a good single track ride but I have grown to really enjoy my solo road bike rides. Give me some hot weather, my ipod loaded with "Linkin Park" tunes along with the quite country roads around Great Bend and I can go 40 miles pretty easily. Those road bike rides are also a great stress reliever. My weekend rides at Wilson have also been great because Linda has really started to enjoy riding that trail. We even did a recent night ride up there. It has been great watching her technical skills improve over the past several months.

The race schedule will get pretty busy in August and September with the racing frenzy kicking off on July 25th at the Sunflower Games in Topeka. On August 1st we will be back in the Topeka area for the Crocodile Rock Race at Lake Perry. August 14th is R.I.M. (Rapture in Misery), a 12 hour race at Crowder Lake near Trenton, MO. August 28th is the always great "Cruise The Blues" race held up at Doug Palen's farm near Tipton, KS. September 12th is the "Tour De Lizard" race at Camp Horizon outside of Ark City, KS. September 18 is the KC Cup at Swope Park in Kansas City and Sept. 26th is the Red Dirt Race at Draper in Oklahoma City. Looking further out into early October is the greatest race of them all, the "24 Hours of Moab" outside of Moab, Utah on October 9th and 10th.

In addition to all of these rides, on August 6th will be a challenging ride for sure. Around a dozen of us are headed out to Colorado and we will be riding the "Ring The Peak" trail, http://fotp.com/ringthepeak/index.html . This is a series of trails which climbs up Pikes Peak, over the continental divide, across the secluded western side of the peak and back down the mountain. The trail head starts at 6400' and we will climb to 11,400' and spend 3 days riding and camping. It will be a challenge and also a great experience for all of us riding in the backwoods with the bears and mountain lions.

Well I am off for a dirt road ride, until next time, stay "Clipped in and Crankin".

Mother Nature Isn't So Fancy

This weekend was suppose to be the Crocodile Rock race at Perry Lake. Well once again mother nature had different plans. Heavy rains on Saturday washed out the event. I was already in the area attending some meetings and when I arrived at the race venue around 1:00 on Saturday the race coordinator, Lyle Reidy, along with Jim Cummings were tearing the tents down. You could see the pain in Lyle's face because he had to postpone the event. There is a ton of things to put together for one of these MTB races and it is always a shame when they have to be postponed. But, he had no choice. I immediately called LJ to get her turned around and luckily she had only made it to Ellsworth.
I pulled out of Topeka and headed west down I-70. Since I had all my gear and still lots of daylight I was thinking about heading to Wilson to get in a ride. As I passed the Wamego exit I remembered a trail called Fancy Creek. I had always wanted to ride Fancy but until now had never been in that area with my gear and some extra time. I wasn't sure exactly where it was so I called Steve Dutton. Steve has ridden about every MTB trail in Kansas and he gave me directions to the trail head.


The trail head is actually very easy to find and it is located just outside of Randolph at the extreme northern tip of Tuttle Creek Reservoir. Even though it is pretty secluded, the signage makes it very easy to find. After getting geared up I headed off on a counter-clock wise loop. Steve had mentioned that clockwise was easier and counter-clockwise was much more of a workout. Fancy is most definitely a great skill building trail. It is loaded with small to medium sized smoothed out rocks, lots of tree roots, short steep climbs and about 90% is heavily wooded. It is a trail that requires alot of balance and skill. As is usually the case, since this was my first time on the trail, that first lap was pretty slow going and not much fun. However the second lap was much better and I ended the day with a clockwise lap that was much faster and much more enjoyable. Total mileage for this ride was 3 laps for 17 miles and it is a trail that I plan to return to again whenever I am in the area.


Not sure what the make-up date for the Crocodile Rock race is yet. But I have three races coming up that are all endurance races. The Flint Hills Death Ride, R.I.M. (Rapture in Misery) and Cruise the Blues all are very long races so I plan on really stepping up my long distance rides over the next 30 days in preparation for these events.

You can double click the title of this blog post for the Garmin link to this trail. Until next time, stay "Clipped in and Crankin".

The Canyon Experience

Well it has been 2 weeks since we competed in the "24 Hours in the Canyon" race so I thought I better get an update posted. Going into the race I was pretty excited because I knew we had a great team. Steve Dutton, Jon Shank, Bill Clinesmith and myself made up the "Kansas 29ers". So here is the race scoop.

Steve Dutton and I rolled out of Great Bend around noon on Friday and headed down to Larned to pick up Jon Shank. After loading his gear into the race trailer we motored toward Dodge City. In Dodge we hooked up with Bill Clinesmith and snatched up his gear. Bill would be coming down to the Canyon on Saturday morning to join us for the race. After a fuel stop in beautiful Booker, Texas (where we could see the end of the earth) we rolled on towards Amarillo for a final stop before arriving at the race venue around 8:00. Our plan was to get a campsite secured and get a pre-ride in on Friday night. But, we were running abit behind schedule and running out of daylight.

None of us had ever been to Palo Duro Canyon so we didn't no what to expect. As we entered the main gate to the canyon I will admit we were not impressed. But, after driving another mile it was almost like we had landed in a different world. We topped a rise in the road and then began a steep, winding plunge to the canyon floor. This decent is as dramatic as anything you will find even in Colorado. It is a 900' vertical drop from the canyon rim to the canyon floor. Palo Duro is the second largest canyon in the US behind the Grand Canyon. The terrain also changes dramatically from a dry sagebrush covered flatland to a lush tree and brush covered valley with a small river flowing throughout. After following the road for what seemed like an hour, we found our way to Juniper camping area where the competitive race teams would be stationed. Unfortunately, as we drove through the campsites, we found that all the spots were pretty much taken. So we pulled into a less than desirable spot, unhooked the trailer and marked the area with some yellow tape. We then quickly dawned our riding gear, checked our bikes and prepared to take that pre-ride. However, just as we began to hit the trail, one of the race directors informed us that we could not park in the area we were in. So, we had to hook up the trailer and move everything to a spot which they had found for us. Once relocating, we were off to ride the trail. Our pre-ride quickly tuned into a night ride and to our dismay, the exact course for the race had still not been marked. So, after getting lost in the darkness, our 9 mile pre-ride ended up being a 13 mile pre-ride. As we pulled out of the canyon and headed to the motel, we still were not exactly sure what tomorrow's race would bring.

After a restless night of sleep, Saturday morning and race day came quickly. The gates to the canyon opened at 8:00 am and we were in line there at 7:30. After descending to the campsite, we began the process of assembling the pop-up canopies, organizing the pit area and doing some final tune-ups on the bikes. Once all those tasks were complete, it was time to establish the position each of us would race in. We all agreed Bill would be our best choice to lead off the race but since he would not be arriving until just before the start, that would not be possible. So, the decision was made that Steve would lead us off, followed by Jon, and then either myself or Bill, depending on his arrival time. With everything now in place, I made a quick tour of the campsites to scout out the other teams. There were a number of impressive pit areas and it was obvious that the competition would be tough and it would be a challenging race. As I returned to out pit area, it was about 10:00 am and much to my surprise, Bill had arrived. This was perfect because that meant he could now be our lead rider which would put us in the best position to challenge for the title.

As the noon start of the race drew closer, it was time for the riders meeting. We all gathered near the camp entrance as the race director outlined the rules and answered questions. The start/finish area was very tight so the first lap would include a 1/4 mile of paved road which would allow the riders to spread out before funneling into the narrow single track. As the siren sounded the start of the race, Bill quickly sprinted out with the lead pack and would maintain that position as they entered the single track. Bill is an outstanding racer and even though he had never ridden this trail, he was not the least bit intimidated. The trail was a 9 mile loop and knowing it was very fast and not real technical, I had anticipated Bill's laps would be around 35-40 minutes. At 12:30, Steve was positioned at the starting line awaiting Bill's arrival and just as predicted, Bill came in at just over 40 minutes which included the extra mile or so of run-out. Bill and Steve exchanged timing chips and Steve was off on his first lap. Team Kordestani was in 2nd just 15 seconds back, Team Access was in 3rd at just over 3 minutes back and the Four Strangers were in 4th place, a full 8 minutes back. You can already see the battle that was developing between our team and Team Kordestani. Steve would finish his first lap in 41:35 with Jon finishing in 41:24. All three of my team mates had turned really fast and uneventful laps and as Jon passed the timing chip to me I was off on my inaugural lap. The trail really set up nicely for me. The cliffside portion of the trail was very fast with long gradual climbs. After reaching lighthouse rock, the trail became much more twisty with short steep climbs. All of the descents were not real technical but the trail was littered with numerous jagged rocks in varying sizes and shapes as well as deep ruts that really kept you on your toes. Other than encountering afew slow riders, my first lap was pretty smooth and I finished in a respectable time of just under 46 minutes which is about what I had anticipated.

As we started our second rotation, the temperature was really starting to heat up. The humidity was also pretty high and there was very little breeze. To say it was HOT was an understatement and little did we know it was only going to get hotter.
I had grabbed a water hose and spray nozzle from the garage before we left thinking we could use it to wash off the bikes. Little did I know that this hose would probably be the most important thing we had on Saturday afternoon. There was a faucet right next to our pit area and after every lap we would just sit under that hose and let the water rain down on us.
This really allowed us to cool down much quicker and we need quick cool downs considering the temperature was between 105 and 110 degrees. The trail was mostly headp-packed red clay so the sun was really radiating off the trail and onto the riders. There were several large thermometers scattered around the course and at one point they were reading 120 degrees. Since all of us were turning pretty fast laps, we really only had about 75 minutes of good rest time before we had to start gearing up again. We all did 3 laps in the extreme heat and we were most definitely glad to see the sun drop down behind the canyon rim.

The race utilized electronic chip timing which enabled us to keep track our times and position in the race. Just as we thought it would, it become a three team race and 6 hours in we were battling Team Kordestani for first with Team Access still in third but slipping further back. We were 10 minutes out of first.

As night began to fall, our strategy was for each of us to do back to back laps. This would allow for much more rest time for each of us and since we had really good light set-ups it would also allow us to hopefully make up some time. As miserable as the conditions has been that afternoon, the night conditions were completely opposite. Many of the race teams had really backed off their ride time so the trail had very little traffic. The temperature had dropped back into the 60's and at times it even felt alittle cool. The trail was extremely fast and all of us were really flying around the course. Last October, when I did the 24 Hours of Moab, I only had a single Stella light. It is a decent light but it doesn't even come close to the two Ameba's that I now have. My bar light is a 510 lumen flood and my helmet light is a 510 lumen spot and they make it almost like riding in full sunlight. The confidence you get from good lighting really helps you go much faster at night and in fact my fastest lap of the event was a night lap. Let me tell ya, night racing is a real blast.

As the sun came up, Sunday morning. Each of us were experiencing some minor stomach issues and cramping but surprisingly we all felt pretty good and none of us had any major mechanical issues or crashes, other than my run-in with a porcupine. During the night we were able to really put some distance between ourselves and Team Access. But, Team Kordestani had really turned some great times and they had also doubled up on laps as we did. Their lead had grown to about 30 minutes. Kordestani is the top local team and Palo Duro is their home trail. They ride the Canyon as much as we ride Wilson so obviously this gave them a huge advantage. Plus, the fact that they had air conditioned trailers, cooks, bike mechanics and other support staff also gave them a leg up on us and the other teams. That being said, we were really giving them a battle and it would go down to the very end.

As each of us finished our Sunday morning laps and as the time got closer to the noon finish, it became apparent we were not going to catch Kordestani. They had built a 35 minute lead on us and when Jon came in just before the 11:30 cut-off there was no need for me to go out. We were not going to catch them and our lead over the third place team had exploded to over 2 hours. We were guaranteed 2nd place and just in case I had went out for another lap Kordestani had a rider waiting to go also.

So, it was over. As we packed up the gear, several of the Kordestani team members came down to see just who these guys from Kansas were. We had really pushed them the entire race and they were appreciative of our efforts as we were of theirs. Jon had brought a scale and each of us jumped on to check our weights. The four of us had lost a total 34 pounds during the race and that was even after we had consumed almost 4 cases of bottled water and countless ounces of energy drink. We pulled out of the Canyon with our 2nd place awards, some great stories to tell and a new found respect for Palo Duro. It was a tremendous race and one we look forward to again next year. Until next time, stay "Clipped in and Crankin".

Headed to the Canyon

Well, tomorrow morning we are headed down to Canyon, Texas to race in the "24 Hours in the Canyon". This event is held at the Palo Duro Canyon State Park which is about 30 miles south of Amarillo. The is the second largest canyon in the United States behind the Grand Canyon.

I have heard they put on an outstanding race and it is suppose to be extremely competative with great teams coming in from all over Texas and New Mexico. I am pretty stoked about our team, which is called the Kansas 29ers. The 4 man team includes, Bill Clinesmith, Steve Dutton, Jon Shank and myself. It is a 9 mile loop and the temps are expected to be around 100 during the day so our bodies will definately be tested. The race starts at Noon on Saturday and ends at Noon on Sunday.

If we are able to get cell coverage in the Canyon we will be posting updates on Facebook as well as Twitter. You can follow our tweets at either MikeJohnsonMTB or Pedalstroker, which is Jon Shank. You can view the race web site at www.24hoursinthecanyon.org and also click on the title of this blog to view a video of the canyon. It is really awesome!

Thats all for now, I will be posting a post race report early next week. Until then, stay "Clipped In and Crankin".

That Roman Nose Thing

Well its been one week since the Roman Nose race and thought I better get something posted concerning the outcome. Considering all the rain in that area just afew days prior to the race, the trail was in pretty good shape.

Linda went off in the Cat 3 group at 9:00 am to do a single 8 mile lap. Her confidence and technical skills are really improving and this trail sets up nicely for her. The first half mile of the course is on asphalt and leads you to the bottom of a steep climb and another 1/2 mile of fast jeep trail. LJ is really fast of the start and this type of terrain is exactly what she needs. She had built a nice lead and quickly progressed across the dam and into the single track. LJ was able to maintain her position through Inspiration Point but shortly after departing that area she had a chain issue. It was not a serious problem and one that can fixed very quickly. However, I have failed to give her any instructions on how to make these types of simple repairs. So, what should have taken 15 seconds to fix
ended up taking her 4 minutes. During this time, the second place rider that she had built a good lead on, was able to close the gap and move out to what would be an insurmountable margin for Linda to overcome. LJ ended up winning her age group and and finishing 2nd overall in in women's Cat 3. Linda was happy with her finish but it was disappointing because she would have likely been 1st overall had it not been for those mechanical problems. Oh well, that's all part of racing.

As for me, I had set a goal of 90 minutes to finish my two laps and I was able to beat that time. However, that was not good enough for a top 5 finish. The Cat 2 class in the Tour De Dirt Race Series is extremely competitive and loaded with really good riders. Just the slightest mistake will cost you dearly. I made that mistake early on after crossing the damn and heading up into the single track. Their was a temporary river flowing through that area and I had some issues navigating through the water. I dropped from 2nd to 9th and was never able to regain much of that lost ground. Oh well, live and learn.

After recovering for afew days I was able to get in an awesome ride at Wilson on Thursday. LJ and I are headed back up there on Monday morning. I have some big racing events coming up in June and I will discuss these in detail on my next post.

Until then, "Stay Clipped In and Crankin".

Crankin Away

(Below) LJ and I at Roman Nose and Inspiration Point


As I write this post, Linda and I are crashing in beautiful Watonga, OK. We made the 3 hour drive down today to pre-ride the Roman Nose trail in preparation for tomorrow's race. Roman Nose is one of my favorite trails and we always top off a night here with a great meal from the Noble House.

Considering this area has had about 2 inches of rain in the past 10 days, the trail is in pretty good shape. There are some areas of mud and some deep running water. But that will just make the race abit more challenging. The Cat 2 class that I am competing in will ride 14 miles. My class is extremely competitive with a large number of very talented racers so I am not expecting a real high finish. But, my goal is to just go faster than last years race. Linda will be competing here also and she is pretty stoked for the event. This is her first time to ride here and she did pretty well on her pre-ride lap today. This is a great trail and it reminds me alot of Lake Wilson.

(Below) The Wilson group ride and LJ's first ride down Stego drop


Speaking of Lake Wilson, a group of us had a great evening ride there this past Tuesday. Doug Chambers has been wanting to get some pictures of riders on the trail and the evening light was perfect for that. Sandy Gilmore-McMullen went with us and it was a good night for her and Linda because they were both able to overcome their fear of the in-famous Stegosaurus drop. The evening was topped off with some great burgers cooked by Chef Chambers.

Well that's all for now, be looking for a Roman Nose race report in the next few days. Until next time, stay "Clipped In and Crankin".

The Thrill of Victory

Well this is my first post since the fabulous Wilson Fat Tire Race. As usual Doug Chambers puts on an outstanding event and it brings out most of the top riders in Kansas. There were 100 racers total and in addition to all the local riders, there were large groups from the Wichita area, from Emporia and also from Kansas City. One of the great things about mountain biking is being around all the great people.

In this blog installment, I will concentrate on the race results of my lovely wife Linda (also know as LJ).

The race format for Wilson had the Cat 3 racers going off at 10:00 am and doing a shorter 10 mile course. This would be perfect for me since I didn't start until 12:15. So, I was able to follow LJ around the trail giving her moral support and snapping afew pics. This is another thing that makes Wilson a great race venue, you can venture out to numerous spots and follow your favorite riders. I am very proud of Linda! She has really been training hard for Wilson and this was just her second solo race. She also did the Camp Alexander race last year and we have done Cruise the Blues several time as a team.

I had encouraged LJ to start towards the front because I knew she could ride all the early technical rock sections and I didn't want her to get caught behind the hike-a-bikers in that area. As is turned out, this was the right move for her as she was able to cruise through that area and really get off to a good start. Linda made it up "Tower Hill" and across the first road crossing without any problems. She crossed the road and navigated the "Roller coaster Section" in good time. Up "5 Mile Hill", down through the "Marina Section" and on to the cut-off. Up "Cabin Hill", down past the park office and into the super fast finishing section. LJ made it through her race without any major issues and finished 1st in her class with a very respectable time of 1:08:30

It is very gratifying for me to watch how far LJ has come in the past year and now she is enjoying the fruits of her labor. Her improvement has been outstanding and she will only become a better rider as she acquires more technical skills. For me, I might enjoy watching her race more than racing myself.

I will post again in a day or two with the results of my race at Wilson. Until then, "Stay Clipped In and Crankin".

(LEFT) LJ getting pre-race info
(BELOW) LJ and Sandy-Gilmore McMullen before the race

Expectations

Well its been almost 2 weeks since the Wilson Fat Tire Race. To say I was pretty pumped for this event is a understatement. Local trail knowledge is always an advantage, especially on a trail as challenging as Wilson and I know those 17 miles of trail like the back of my hand. Also adding to my expectations was the fact that I had rode a personal best lap of 1:42:45 the weekend before during a race tempo practice lap. So, needless to say I had set my bar pretty high.

As we lined up for the race, I had made the decision to start up front and stay with the lead group at least through the first technical section. We bolted out of the start and down the 1/4 mile of asphalt road towards the trail. The mass of racers had done a nice job of spreading out and we funneled into the tight singletrack without any problems and I was right where I wanted to be near the front. The pace was pretty fast and I hitched on the rear derailer of Brad Smith as we approached the first tight rocky section. Things were looking good for us until we encountered the one thing that every racer dreads, a rider that will not let you pass. Brad yelled out several times that he wanted to pass but this guy would not give an inch. Finally, after several attempts, Brad was able to find a slightly wider spot in the trail that allowed him to squeeze by. My attempt to pass also met with the same results but as we reached the first of the rocks I was able to take a different line and get around this rider. Unfortunately for me, Brad and the lead pack were long gone.

I settled into a good steady pace and was able to navigate up tower hill and through the rock garden without any problems. As we went past the second road crossing I felt good and my time was right on schedule. The next area is my favorite part of the trail and I call it the rollercoaster section. As you cross the road, there is an immediate steep downhill drop that ends in a sharp right had turn and from there this section is full of short climbs, sharp turns and afew jumps and boulders mixed in. I navigated Stegosaurus drop and Pine drop without any issues and headed past the Wilson Park office. After a short stair step climb and then the fast decent towards the third road crossing I began to navigate around the Marina section. At around mile eight, Steve Dutton and Dave Nily passed me and it was at this point I began to feel my pace had slowed just abit but I still felt pretty good.

I continued on towards the bridge and I noticed my time was definitely no longer on target. I was running about 1 minute slower than I needed to be. As I entered the newest technical section, Jeff Zook had pulled up behind and I slowed to allow him to pass. Around mile 11, I pulled even with a rider who was slowly walking his bike up a short climb. It was Brad, he had started to cramp up and was in pretty bad shape. Since there was nothing I could do for him I continued on towards the bridge. As I passed under the bridge I began to really sense my legs were feeling dead and after reaching the top of another short steep climb at the 14 mile mark it hit me, CRAMPS! They started in my left hip and quickly moved down that leg and then very quickly both legs were on fire. I coasted down the hill and when I came to a stop I was not able to turn my ankles to get unclipped from the pedals so I just fell over narrowly missing a cactus bed. After what seemed like forever, I was able to get unclipped and pull myself up to a kneeling position. This was my first ever experience with cramps and let me tell you the pain is excruciating. After slowly walking several hundred yards, the pain eased enough to allow me to get back on the bike. As I headed towards Cabin Hill, needless to say I was very concerned that the cramps would return. But, to my surprise they did not and I was able to finish the race.

The time I spent walking had cost me 7 or 8 minutes and it showed in my finishing time. My time of 1:52:30 was still good enough for 3rd place in my class. However, for me it isn't about where I finish as much as it is about meeting my expectations. Unfortunately, I was not able to reach that bar this time but I will keep pushing forward and looking to improve.

Until next time, stay "Clipped in and Crankin".

Primed and ready

Well, the race we all look forward to in this area is just about upon us. The Wilson Fat Tire race is just 5 days away (May 2nd). This is really a top notch trail and needless to say that I am very lucky to only live 45 minutes away.

I have been able to ride Wilson numerous times over the past several weeks in preparation for this event. Linda, my cute little biker wife, has also been putting in alot of seat time. This will be her first time to race Wilson and only her second MTB race ever. She has been riding extremely well and I think she has put herself in position for a good finish.

As for me, I am primed and ready. I have never felt as comfortable on that trail as I do right now. All the new stuff that Bob put in has really turned out sweat and for those who have not ridden at Wilson in the last 6 months, you are in for a real surprise. For my last several Wilson rides, I have really turned up the intensity and pushed myself to the edge. My times have been getting increasingly faster and tonight I shattered by record time and set a new personal best. I feel very good about where I am at. I will be racing in the Cat 2 category and this category and my age class are always the most competitive from top to bottom and it usually has the most riders. It is loaded with outstanding mashers so I really don't expect to compete for a podium spot. However, for me it is all about improving and seeing just how I stack up against my peers. The Great Bend area has a large number of really good riders and spending time on the trail with these guys has made me a much better rider.

Looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend and hope we all have a safe race. Until next time, stay "Clipped In and Crankin".

Squeezing in a ride or two

Well this past 2 weeks have been full of non-biking activities. The work load at the office has really picked up and I have an increasing number of family commitments. All of this has put a dent in my free time and caused me to miss both the "Lawrence River Trail" race as well as the "Battle at the Bird" race in OKC this past weekend. But, even with everything I have going on, I have still have been able to squeeze in a ride or two on the local Ark River trail as well as Wilson. A little seat time is better than no seat time at all.

My recent rides at Wilson have focused solely on getting Linda more comfortable with the 8 mile beginner loop. She is progressing nicely as we inch closer to the Fat Tire Race held there in afew weeks. Her confidence level is getting higher and she is a much better rider than she gives herself credit for. This past Sunday we were joined on our Wilson ride by Sandy Gilmore-McMullen and Karen Copeland.

I did have abit of a set back one week ago with one of those "how did that happen moments". On one of those Wilson rides, as I headed towards the base of tower hill, I reached the first road crossing and intentionally went air born as I jumped from the trail to cross the asphalt road. Not sure how or why it happened, but when I landed, my front tire was not lined up and I went down immediately. Needless to say, the human body is not built to handle a collision with asphalt at 20 miles per hour. The helmet really saved a serious injury but unfortunately my ribs really took the brunt of the impact. Luckily, the Superfly had no major damage. As many of you know, sore ribs are not much fun.

This week finds me in Perryton, Texas doing some business so I will miss that fantastic Tuesday night river ride. I will have to really pick up the pace the end of this week to make up for the 3 days off from riding. I need to find a job that pays me to ride my mountain bike. If anyone knows of anything please let me know.

Until next time, stay "Clipped in and Crankin".

Settling In

We have really been blessed with some great riding weather the past 2 weeks. This has helped me settle in to a good solid riding routine. It has been abit windy at times but one of the nice things about our local Ark River trail is that when the wind howls you don't even notice it down on the river. During the past 2 weeks I have been able to get in 6 rides on this trail for about 130 miles total. I have also worked in 3 plus laps at Wilson for another 60 miles.

The Tuesday night river rides are pretty intense with myself, Doug Chambers, Jon Shank and Jeff Stevens. Those guys are top notch riders and it has really raised my skill level with them pushing me to the limit for 25 miles each ride. These rides usually end with about 30 minutes of night riding which is a real blast. My two new Ameoba light set-ups have really enhanced my night riding ability.

Tomorrow Linda and I are headed up to Wilson and we will focus on getting her ready for the up-coming Fat Tire race which is being held there on May 1st. We will be focusing on the Cat 3 portion of the trail since that is what she will be racing. I look forward to riding Wilson now more than ever since I have my new Superfly 100. That is one sweet ride!

Well, that's all for now. Until next time, stay "Clipped in and Crankin".

The Big Tease

This time of year Mother Nature can be a real tease. We started the week with temps in the 60's and hopes of a great weekend of riding and we end the week with snow, wind and freezing temps. In addition to the training regiment, the race season is also feeling Mother Nature's wrath. The Battle at the Bird race in Norman scheduled for today has been postponed until later in the season. I have also heard that next Sunday's race scheduled at Lawrence will be postponed and I received an email from the Roman Nose 50 last night and it is looking like they may have to postpone that race also but they will not make the call until Friday.

Well, at least we did have afew days early last week for some serious riding before the weather turned bad. Two great rides on the Ark River trail, Tuesday and Thursday night, were just what I needed. I have said it before, we are really fortunate to have this 24 mile ride right at our finger tips. Bicycle Magazine spotlighted this trail last fall and here is the link to the web article,
http://bicycling.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/569408

Tuesday night was a pretty intense 25 mile jaunt on the West side. Myself, Doug Chambers and Jon Shank headed out with about and hour of daylight remaining. Both Doug and Jon are very outstanding and experienced riders and having those two on my tail really pushed me to the max. It didn't take long to reach the water crossing and then after a short stop for some mechanical repairs we were on to the Dundee bridge where the single track ends. Going on west, a ride over the bridge puts us into a really fun area of fast double track filled with lots of tight banked turns where it is just peddle as fast as you can for several miles until we reached the diversion dam and our turn-around point. After a quick recharge with a Clif Bar and a check of the my sweet Amoeba light set-up we were off again, retracing the trail back towards town

Thursday night ended up being a "chick night". Doug and I were joined by Morgan Stevens, Sandy McMullen and my lovely wife, Linda. We pulled out of the bike shop and hit the tight twisty east loop first. This part of the trail really helps you work on your balance and tight turns. This was the first time that I had my new Superfly 100 on this section and I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier it handled than my Paragon on this type of trail. After a spin through the East Loop, we headed for the West trail. A ride through the river bank section took us across the water crossing and then onto the "pinball section". Since everyone didn't have lights, this was our turn-around point. Thursday night rides are definitely much more laid back than those on Tuesday. But, they are equally enjoyable as it is always nice to have the ladies with us.

Well, that's it for now. Hopefully the snow will melt and the trails will dry out quickly this week. I need to get afew more rides in before heading down to Watonga to do the Roman Nose 50 on the 27th. I guess we will find out on Friday if Mother Nature will let us hold the race. Until next time, "Stay Clipped In and Crankin".

Spring is in the air

Wow!!! Is it ever great to get this winter behind us. It has been awhile since we have had a "real" winter but this one will go down as one to remember. Another real positive thing is the time change kicking in which means more riding time during the week.

We kicked off the 2010 race season down at the "Hills of Hell" race in Lawton, OK on March 7th and it was most definitely a hellish event. Doug Chambers and I headed out from Great Bend on Friday night and after a stop in Wichita to pick up Cameron Chambers and Dustin Burgardt we rolled into Lawton around 12:30. After a short night of sleep, we hooked up with Steve Dutton, Jon Shank, Bill Clinesmith and Chris Chambers and headed out Saturday morning to the race venue for a pre-ride. We had heard the trail was around 22 miles in length but about an hour into the pre-ride we took a wrong turn and ended up back at the start after just 12 miles. The trail was poorly marked and it appeared that they had added alot of trail just so they could say the trail was longer. Most of the new stuff didn't really make much sense and it is obvious that the people who marked the trail didn't really have much MTB riding experience. Cameron was able to get some decent video with his new helmet cam and we headed back to the Motel to watch the action and the evening ended with our traditional Saturday night dinner at Luigi's where we filled up on pasta.

Race day started with a carbo-charged breakfast at Cracker Barrel and as we were heading back to the motel to get loaded up it started to rain. None of us were very pleased with the trail lay-out and now that it was raining we were thinking about aborting and heading north to Roman Nose or Camp Horizon for some dry riding. After afew phone calls and some discussion it was determined that Horizon looked like a good spot so Steve, Jon and Dustin headed that way while myself, Doug, Chris and Cameron went to the race venue where we would make a decision on our plans. After an hour of watching it rain we had almost decided to join the others at Horizon. But, Cameron had not said much during this time and with just a half hour before the start of the race, he made it clear he wanted to race even if the condition were not going to be good. His decision to race was just the prodding that other three of us needed and we were off to get our timing chips and to get lined up at the start line.

The weather had really taken a toll on the number of riders with only around 80 of the original 125 or so riders taking a position on the line. This is a far cry from the almost 1000 racers that this race has seen in the past. After the traditional cannon shot, the race was on and we shot off the line headed for the first hill. As expected Cameron took the lead and was never really challenged. As the rain continued to fall I was surprised that the rocks really didn't get that slick. But, the mud was 6 inches deep on many parts of the trail and it was hard to tell just how deep the water was in many of the numerous creek crossing. After 2 hours on the trail, I topped the last hill and headed toward the finish.

At the finish line, I met up with Cameron, Doug and Chris. Cam won the race pretty easily, Chris ended up 12th, Doug was 13th and I crossed the line in 25th place. Considering my conditioning was not the best because of the poor training weather, I was happy with my finish. All of us agreed that we were very glad we stayed and raced even though the conditions were telling us not to. After hosing off the bikes and a quick shower, we loaded up the trailer and headed north. It ended up being a great trip, the riding may not have been the best but 3 days with the Chambers Clan is always enjoyable. Until next time, stay "Clipped in and Crankin".

Back in the Saddle again

Wow.....its been so long since my last post I actually forgot my password to log in and blog. Since Christmas my daily life has been in total chaos thanks to a major remodel here on the home front. The word, "Chaos", (derived from the Ancient Greek Χάος, Chaos) typically means a state lacking order or predictability. Man is that ever true. Trying to live in your house during this type of project is a real stress builder and will quickly put an end to your daily routine. Luckily it is complete and just in the nick of time.

The remodel project was a huge drain on my free time and that coupled with the extremely wet and cold weather really put a crimp into my training and riding. But, as the song goes, I am "Back in the Saddle Again". Lots of things have happened in my biking life since my last posting including a sweet new ride (Superfly 100) and the first racing road trip of the season (Hills of Hell). Nothing like a afew days of riding and camaraderie with Team Chambers to get everything back in focus.

I will have another post very soon updating the recent events and commenting on the 2010 season which is upon us. Until then, "Stay Clipped in and Crankin".

Frozen Water Bottles and Chili

Greetings to all in 2010! Just finished riding in the annual Golden Belt Bicycle New Years Day Bike Ride. Just a little ride that Doug Chambers puts together to help kick off the new year.

Fifteen hearty souls braved the cloudy 20 degree Kansas weather for a mountain bike ride on the Arkansas River trail at Great Bend. We headed down Main Street to the river trail and whenever I make this short trek I always think how fortunate we are to have such an awesome 30 mile trail just 5 minutes from our local bike shop.

We sprinted up the river dike and shot under the 281 highway bridge and headed out to do the "West Side" trail first. As is usually the case, once the trail dropped into the trees, the wind was gone and there were no more thoughts of how cold we were. We really were not sure what the trail conditions would be but considering all the snow we have had recently they were in great shape. There were small patches of ice and snow but the extreme cold had really firmed things up nicely and the mud was hard as concrete. The group rode at a brisk pace and we made it out about 8 miles to an area that runs north of the tree line with an open field bordering on the right. Unfortunately, the recent wind and snow had created numerous drifts in this area and we were forced to turn around. We retraced our path back to the 281 bridge then headed east to do the "East Loop".

As we headed east we were riding face first into an unusual easterly wind and we were again reminded that it was indeed January. The "East Loop" of the Ark River trail is definitely designed for the patent rider. This section has some of the most twisty and tightest trail that a rider will ever see. It is heaven to those riders who have good bike handling skills. After finishing the loop, with the wind at our backs, we headed back to the bridge and then the short ride back up Main Street to the Bike Shop. I say it again, we are very lucky to have such a sweet trail right in our backyard. This trail was featured recently in a trail blog in Bicycle Magazine. I will do blog post on this in the near future

Once we returned to the shop, we had some of Doug's famous chili waiting to warm us up. The chili and conversation is always a highlight of the ride and this year we also enjoyed some homemade cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven of Teresa Dutton.

Another successful New Years Day ride is in the books and it was indeed a great way to kick-off the 2010 bike season. We have finalized the race schedule for 2010 and I will be posting that within the next week or so.

Until then, stay "Clipped In and Crankin".