Wednesday Night World Championship mountain bike races

I have been going, on and off, to the weekly Wednesday Night World Championship race series since it started this year. It has been my main source of training this year as I have struggled to find time to ride I figure if I just race like a bat out of hell every few Wednesday nights it will work. Running up to the 24 hour race back in May I raced almost every Wednesday night. Then my Achilles tendon started to flare up and with all of the big races I had planned this summer I did not want to further injure myself so I stopped going. I race in the Sport category and usually I get passed, towards the end of the race, by the expert/pro racers that use Wednesday night as a training race. I have only finished one race this summer in which I did not get passed by the faster expert racers. I flatted out in one race convincing me to "go tubeless" and typically come in mid pack in the Sports. Well this week I raced FLAT OUT and gave it everything I had. I had swapped my Black Sheep over from a front suspension geared mountain bike that I used in all of my long endurance races to it's fully rigid singlespeed configuration.

Now Wick, of Stiff Wick Productions, the master-mind behind the WNWC races puts on a fun race at a place that can tend to offer the same boring terrain all of the time. Wick mixes up and changes the course, to include direction, area of the park, and terrain features, every week. Sometimes it is a fast some what flat fast course other times it can be long and hilly. Each race typically lasts about an hour long, ranges from 5 to 9 laps, and varies in distance between 8 to 12 miles long. I typically run in the RED from the get go averaging about 170 to 180 beats per minute and maxing out my heart rate in the high 190's or so. I really need to be able to race at this same intensity, but with my heart rate staying down in "zone 2" or about 146 to 157 bpm.

I am telling you all of this because last Wednesday night on THE hottest day of the year, 97 deg F in Seattle in record setting!!, I actually was able to out last and out race all of the other Sport class racers to win my category!!! This was a first for me and I truly felt like I was redlining the entire time I averaged 180 bpm maxed at 193 bpm rode 10 miles in 50 minutes! I did get passed by the experts on my second to last lap but it as a flat fast rough course and I knew they would catch me. What made the race "win" even sweeter was the fact I was racing on my singlespeed!! The race series does not count for anything and is just for "fun" but it has been fun to watch my progress and rejuvenate my interest in mountain bike racing all over again.

If the weather is nice out, not cold or rainy, I like to invite Christie and Abigael along to watch and play in the dirt outside for a change. The race regularly snakes through the "spectator" area / parking area. This allows the family and spectators to catch a glimpse of the racers and give Abigael a chance to say "Go Daddy Go!!" as I ride through huffing and puffing.

Over the next year I plan to put so more focus on my training and actually do some! I just recently had a full Metabolic Test done at Real Rehab PT. This will give me a good base line to gauge my fitness as I work on my fitness over the next year. The test measured my max heart rate 186 bpm, max power output in watts (425 watts after 13 minutes which I held for about 3.5 minutes!!), set up my 5 heart rate zones, my VO2 Max 54 ml/kg/min, my fat/carb kcal usage and most importantly my lactic acid threshold heart rate 177 bpm. I am meeting with Erik Moen, Corpore Sano, in a few weeks to setup a training/coaching plan, incorporating this info, that I can use to get my butt back in shape since my leg injury and to accomplish/smash my goals for 2008!! I plan to, no I WILL, finish the CCP100 next year if that is the only thing I do in 2008!!

I also found out that I DO have a small tear in the Labrum cartilage in my right shoulder, also know as a SLAP tear, that is what has been causing me pain. SLAP is short for Superior Labrum from Anterior to Posterior. The tear is small in the 12 o'clock position in the Labrum cartilage. I should be able to rehab it through PT but, surgery is an option down the road... I have also been given a prescription for some massage therapy, SWEET!!

Cascade Cream Puff (73 miles out of a) 100 miler

WARNING VERY LONG POST: but totally worth reading!! Sorry this took so long!!

Pictures to be added soon!! link at bottom of post...

This weekend I traveled down to Westfir/Oakridge, OR for the Cascade Cream Puff 100 mile mountain bike race. I left Tacoma Saturday at 11:30 and arrived rather quickly at 4pm. I set about picking up my registration packet and setting up my gear before the mandatory 6pom riders meeting. I ended up bumping into Mike Ripley and Carl from Corvallis, OR and set up camp next to them. Mike hosted the Test of Endurance 50 back in early June. Around 6pm all of the racers, about 120 plus family and volunteers, gathered in the Westfir School cafeteria to eat an amazing meal and then talk about race particulars. Around 8pm we finally started drawing for raffle prizes. Amazingly enough my number was picked shortly after starting the raffle, winning a sweet pair of Ergon grips! I was able to slip out and finish getting my race stuff situated due to the race starting at 5:15 am Sunday morning!!!

I slept "OK" in the rental tent. Due to the move I could not find our tent in the many boxes we have yet to unpack. I slept pretty close to the port-a-potty and people kept letting the door slam shut all night, next time pack ear plugs!! I was awake when my alarm went off at 3:45 am, giving me enough time to get dressed and go eat breakfast between 4 and 4:45. Let me tell you it was WAY too early! We had to roll out of camp for the 2 mile ride to the start line by no later than 5 am.

Once we got to the red cover bridge we had to check-in by race number and name in order to officially start the race. Running a few minutes behind we were off on a neutral roll out at 5:20 am down the paved road until we hit the base of the dirt fire road climb and the race was ON! Well at least it was for the fast racers, for me I started at the back of the pack just so 121 riders would not have to pass me by as I set in on my snails pace. I rode the climb with about 10 or 12 of the same people all the way up to Aid station #2. It was 11.2 miles from the red covered bridge to Aid #2 and we gained about 4000 feet of elevation! I spent about 15 or 20 minutes catching my breath and replenishing my liquid food supply, Hammer Nutrition MMmm good, stocking up on energy bars, and stripping off the early morning layers. I had an ice chest brought up to Aid #2 within it I had most of my water bottles pre-prepped. I also had some extra clothes and essentials should I need them. It was then that I realized that my gel flask full up mixed up Perpetuem paste had completely emptied out into the bottom of the ice chest! YUCK! What a mess, luckily my extra clothes were in a plastic bag and everything else was mostly unaffected. It still took extra time to wash some of the goop off and refill my hydration pack. As I was leaving Aid #2 I heard someone yell out "Bacon on the right" in response to all of the volunteers yelling "Water, gel, food, and sports drink on your left!". I said something to the effect of "I love bacon!!" and the next thing I knew I had my picture taken with a strip of bacon hanging out. I was soon back on the bike, munching away on my bacon strip, and pedaling my way up to Aid #3, more uphill fireroad. I got to a high point and called Christie around 7 am, waking her up, to say hi since I did not get any signal down in the campground. I told her I would call again later when I got a good signal.

I finally got to Aid #3 and plowed on through into my first taste of singletrack! I was riding with two other riders, an older dad 57 yo!, Frank, his 26 yo son was also racing and a former pro/team manager, Brent, that had not been on the bike in over three years! Both of these guys were kinda hurt'n so it was nice to just ride along with out feeling pressured to push the envelope. In hind sight I may have kept my heart rate down where it needed to be but I slowly, with out realizing, ate up my time to finish the full 100 miles. Before leaving Aid #3 the volunteers stopped me to gawk over the Black Sheep, they said it was the best looking bike present at the race (THANKS!!), and ask a few questions. I got to talking about my leg and the accident and pretty soon I off down the trail to hoots of "Go Black Sheep Go!!" After the amazing ride through the Jedi trail post Aid #3 I swung through Aid #2 on my way down to Aid #1 and finishing lap 1. I was determined, with as slow as I was riding, to take as many pictures as I could during the ride. I got some amazing shots but it too worked to slow me down overall. As Brent and I started the downhill singletrack neither one of us really realized how much downhill we were in for!! By the time we hit the half way point our brakes were smoking and our triceps where on fire!!

When we both hit Aid #1 around 10 am and Brent called it quits and DNF'ed. I checked in and continued down the trail that bordered the river all alone. They said it was chock full of poison oak but I didn't see much because I was moving trying to make up some time on my own for the first time since the start of the race. Soon enough I was climbing the steep fireroad. At least the first 3 miles, which were the steepest, were some what shaded. Beyond the mid way oasis it was nothing but mean, hot sun beating you about the head and shoulders. I slowed down alot up this part of the climb. My back really started to tighten up and ache, partly due to the 4.5 hour drive the day before and partly due to "sleeping" on a foam mattress in a tent the night prior. I got off and walked a bit just to stretch out my back and when I remounted I moved my hydration pack from my back to my front, fastening my sternum and waist straps behind me to keep it on. Boy let me tell you it was like taking a weight off my back!! I popped into Aid #2 again before I knew it! My legs felt GREAT I had not had a single twinge of a cramp all day so far, but I was very close to over heating!! Let me tell you how amazing this race was run! EVERY time I came into an aid station, especially Aid #2, I was overwhelmed with volunteers trying to help me out! A cold water spray bottle was in my face immediately and the cold water towel on my neck did the job of cooling me down!! I replenished my Hammer Nutrion bottles and water supply and set out for Aid #3. I gave Christie a call and talked for a few minutes on the way. I was also passed by the top two riders as I came into Aid #3. on their third lap! I was warm when I got to Aid #3 but I had them douse the towel on my neck and all was right in my world. When I came back into Aid #3 after the short loop we only had to do on Laps 1 and 2 they made me sit down and take a rest. I was coming up on 2pm and they told me the time cut-off for being able to leave Aid #3 to finish Lap #3 was 6:15pm. That gave four and a quarter hours to basically do a lap form Aid #3 and back. Four and a quarter was totally do able! I set out with a renewed since of purpose, I damn well wanted to finish all 104 miles and get my hat!

Well that started to wane as I road from Aid #3 to Aid #2. I hit Aid #2 around 3 pm and came to the realization that I still had over 10 0r 12 miles of serious downhill singletrack, then the three roller coaster miles along the river, and then the brutal 9 mile climb to Aid #2 and another 5 miles to Aid #3 BEFORE 6:15pm!!! As I rolled into Aid #2 I knew it just wasn't going to happen for me this year. I sure as hell did NOT want to ride all the way back up to Aid #3 just to get told that I could not go on and I was being pulled. So I walked over to the "Team Bacon Strip / Vulture Cycles flock" and ordered up a sweet,and rich dark homebrew beer and grabbed a few real food Subway sandwiches from the stacks of food the volunteers had for us, sat down and didn't move for about an hour! Around 4pm I decided I had better start my decent back down to Aid #1 to finish lap 2 and officially DNF (Did Not Finish). I could tell that my bike handling skillz had rapidly diminished and it turned into more of a hang on for dear life ballz out run downhill!!

When I crossed the finish line I was disappointed with my performance. I rode straight through without stopping, just want to get back to the campground and take a shower. Scott, the organizer, ran over to get my number and hand me a finisher's hat and I sadly snapped "I DNF'ed only got two laps, my number is M33!!" Scott said sorry and probably something else but I was already turned around and cranking out the final two miles back to camp. I am soooo sorry for snapping at you Scott! I was mad at myself for dinking around on the course and eating up my time to finish. My legs felt great and I had plenty of energy left, I just flat ran out of time. I crossed the line at Aid #1 at 5:06pm with almost 12 hours on course, here are the overall results for the race.

When I got back to camp I immediately showered in the School gym with Technu. Scott actually brought Technu on board as a sponsor! I then received my 20 minute professional massage form one of about 6 or 7 masseuses. Then dinner spread was great! I ate dinner and talked with Scott's wife Donna who massively helped with the race organization!!

Overall this was HANDS DOWN the best hosted, most well run race I have EVER attended!! Yes, the entry fee is steep, $222, but well worth EVERY penny!! I do plan to be back next year, as I can now pre-register as a veteran racer! Not a single person I talked to had any complaints. I may not have walked away with the ultimate finisher hat but I got a t-shirt, socks, three or four good quality water bottles, an awsome race, useable raffle schwag, free camping with showers and porcelain! Amazing singletrack, views to die for on course, a professional post-race massage, enough food to choke a horse, total support out on the course, and a feeling of having accomplished something (or at least most of) that only a handful of people get to do each year!!

I crashed out in my tent that night and woke up late the next morning!! Sorer than I have been in a long time!! My poor prostrate took one hell of a beating!! I went into Oakridge to have breakfast with the few people left in town. It was nice to just chat and throw ideas at Scott. I apologized for snapping at the finish and he said no prob like water off a ducks back.... I also learned that the folks that feed me bacon on my first lap were from AZ and the have a team called, "Team Bacon Strip"!!! Go figure!

This is the MTBR.com post for the 2007 CCP100 it has some great post race reviews of the
race!!
Most of my pictures are on my Flickr here!

We have a new cyclist in the family!!!

Abigael is just rocking the pink bike ever since she has had a flat level place to ride regularly!!! It won't be to far off before she is out at the track racing against me!!! I really hope that she enjoys riding her bike as much as I do!! I pray it will be something that we can share together!! The video is about 5 minutes long but well worth the watch....




(And yes Abigael ended up with my temper, sorry folks! I will try to work with her to improve that!)

The Move...

Today we moved the BULK of our stuff into the new blue house.... and we will be moving in for the rest of 2007 and 2008 it seems!! We had the help of very good friends, THANK YOU GOES OUT TO ALL THAT HELPED!!! Boxes boxes boxes everywhere.......

GRADES!!!

SO here are my final grades for the entire year!!! The last two, Spring quarter, are this quarters grades...

TERM     COURSE ID         -------- TITLE --------       GRADE      CREDITS  
FA 06    ANP   213         ANATOMY & PHYSIO I             3.4          5.0   
        MAT   085         ALGEBRA II                     4.0          5.0   
        NTR   150         HUMAN NUTRITION                2.3          5.0   
                                                                            
Qtrly:     Gpa Cr  15.0  Cr Earn  15.0  P/S Cr   0.0  Grpts   48.5  GPA 3.23 
                                                                            
WTR07    ANP   214         HUMAN ANAT & PHYSIO II         2.8          5.0   
        CHE   101         FUND OF INORGANIC CHEM         3.7          5.0   
        MAT   098         INTER ALGEBRA                  3.9          5.0   
                                                                            
Qtrly:     Gpa Cr  15.0  Cr Earn  15.0  P/S Cr   0.0  Grpts   52.0  GPA 3.47 
                                                                            
SPR07    BIO   280         MICROBIOLOGY                   3.4          5.0   
        PSY   206         S-DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCH          4.0          5.0   
                                                                            
Qtrly:     Gpa Cr  10.0  Cr Earn  10.0  P/S Cr   0.0  Grpts   37.0  GPA 3.70   
                                                                            
Cum:       Gpa Cr  40.0  Cr Earn  40.0  P/S Cr   0.0  Grpts  137.5  GPA 3.44 
Clvl:      Gpa Cr  30.0  Cr Earn  30.0  P/S Cr   0.0  Grpts   98.0  GPA 3.27   

Not to shabby, huh!! How do ya like them apples?? I am now officially done with all of my nursing prerequisites. I still have a few classes I can take that are needed for most nursing programs like a higher math class, organic chemistry, and/or a sociology course. But I can now apply to nursing programs. Since we are now moving down to Tacoma that kinda takes Shoreline Community College out of the running and puts Seattle Central Community College at quite a commute. Tacoma Community College has what looks to be a quality Nursing Program! TCC is not to far from the house about 5.5 miles about the same distance that SCCC was from our apartment in Magnolia. The unique thing that TCC has to offer with their Nursing program is a part-time program that spreads the usual 6 quarter at 12 hours a quarter out to 12 quarters and 6 hour per quarter! This may allow me to get started while I raise the new baby and Abigael. I plan to take the next year to year and a half off so I can stay at home with the kids and give the baby the same quality of attention that Abigael was able to have of me as a baby. When the baby reaches the age of 18 months I will be able to sign him or her up for the school run day care at TCC similar to what Abigael has been attending for the past three quarters at SCCC. I will then be able to turn my focus of Nursing full time and hopefully I will be able to attend the full time program and get my RN inside 2 years!!!

I also got the Seattle Fire Department application in the mail. There is a chance I might be able to retake the EMT class this fall so I can renew my certification! I placed 72 on the list this go-round of testing. I will go through the motions and we'll see what happens??

Home Owners!!!

We now have keys in hand and we are officially home owners now!!! We are in debt up to our ears for the rest of our lives!! Many thanks go out to our realtor, Debra Truelove with Coldwell Banker Bain and our loan officer, Mike Manthey with Landover Mortgage. We would also would like to thank our Parents, Todd with Immaculate Home Inspection Inc, USAA, the seller, and everyone that is going to help us move next weekend!! Ha! We will be moving into the "Blue House", as Abigael calls it, over the weekend!



On another note I went to a sports medicine Doctor today, Dr. Christian Peterson. I had x-rays taken of my left leg and ankle and of my right shoulder. Most people would ask why my shoulder?? Well when I was down in San Jose back in March with Julian I made a little trip over the handlebars while out on the trail. I landed with my right arm above my head while I augered into the ground with my elbow. After my O.T.B. experience I ended up with an extremely sore right shoulder and arm that I couldn't even raise over my head! I toughed it out and slowly my shoulder got a little better, but it still ached and became very sore when I rode my mountain bike for any length of time. The Doc determined that I might have a tear in my connective tissue. So to help with the pain in my left Achilles tendon and my right shoulder he gave my a cortisone shot in my ass! I am going to have an MRI done of my shoulder on Friday to find any damage in my shoulder.

South Junett Street

Our appraisal went through!! The house appraised at $230,000!! We are set to sign paperwork on Friday and we close escrow on Tuesday by 9pm!! We will start moving next week and our goal is to be free and clear of the apartment by the end of the month!!! WOW what an awesome step in our lives!! Tacoma here we come!!! Thanks to all that have helped us out through this process! More to come as we move.....

50 miles of MUD!!!!

My Results:

Sport 19-39 Men
11th Brandon Lockwood Viking Sport Seattle 7:14:07
Overall
106th Brandon Lockwood Viking Sport Seattle 7:14:07

I found some photos of me on the oregonvelo.com site
I would like to maybe get some prints, which pics should I get??
Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 or Pic 4

This weekend I drove down to Blodgett,OR just west of Corvallis for the Test of Endurance 50 mountain bike race. I arrived Sat. at 5pm just in time to pick up my registration packet. I met Mike Ripley, the race promoter and all around nice guy, and then followed him up to Blodgett school where the race was going to start from Sunday morning at 9am. The camping was a little further up the road at Blodgett Cafe. The had some food specials for the races which included a lasagna dinner with salad and hot marrionberry pie with ice cream!! I ate dinner with Doug Walsh and his Trans Rockies partner Brett Foster both from the Seattle area. Nat Pellman and his girlfriend also came down from Seattle. A bunch of out of town racers camped out in the Cafe's grassed field, THANKS! Mike had a bluegrass band perform and a keg of Mirror Pond beer! I spent a fitful night's sleep in the back of the Subaru waking up with the sunrise at 6:00am. The Cafe had a wonderful all you can eat breakfast of eggs, pancakes, fruit, cereal, and coffee for only $5!!! I then started getting my stuff prepped for the race, fill the hydration pack and mix the water bottles with Hammer Heed and Perpetuem. Then I drove over to the school for the start of the race and was greeted by a couple hundred people. They were buzzing around getting ready for the 8:45 start for the Singlespeeders and the 9am start for the geared racers!! There were about 30 singlespeed racers and around a 100 geared racers.

When the race started Mike Ripley rolled everyone out pacing the first mile in one big mass rolling start and then he pulled off and the race was on!! I quickly slipped to the back of the pack as the trail started to climb right out of the gate. I prefer to ride alone or with as few people as possible and I knew if I was closer to the front I would get caught up in racer mode and blow-up very fast. I had 50 miles to ride and I did not want to wither out in the first ten or so. I felt strong, my legs felt good and my Achilles was not bothering me. As the race progressed the rain came down and the course got muddy. As more and more racers crossed trough the new freshly cut singletrack it started to become mush. After 130 or so bikes ride the single track it is not single track anymore. The mud was slick and plentiful. It was mostly clay and very sticky!! I looked forward to the fire road for a chance to spin the mud off of my bike. Very fast I packed on an extra ten pounds of mud upon my bike and person. It coated my water bottles and globed up my tires. I must speak VERY highly of the Michelin AT XC 29 tire I was running in the rear. It shed mud like crazy!! It may have had small knobs but they cleared the mud so fast that the tire was able to find purchase in all but the thickest of the mud. I was able to ride up and through most section that other people could not ride. I was running a Kenda Nevegal in the front and was greatful for it width and corning knobs! The only down side was that it did not shed the mud as easily and it did a hell of a job packing mud up into the fork cross brace. I never washed out and endo'ed I did wash out a few times but was able to keep myself from going down. Towards the end of the first 25 mile lap I was following a racer down a crazy red clay muddy down hill when his front wheel washed out and over the bars he went smashing his hip into a rock and instantly cramping up. I stopped to help as well as about 5 other riders that I had been riding with on again off again. I helped the guy work out his cramp and then I stayed behind to ride the guy out while the other went on to tell the aid station. After about a mile or so he went down again and decided to walk it out. At that point he told me to ride on and realizing that I was eating up my time and momentum I left him to walk out on his own. I took short 10 minute or so breaks at the aid stations where I was able to eat food, replenish water bottles, and wipe off my glasses.


At the half way point I knew I was cold, sore, tired, and NOT GOING TO QUIT!!! At least two other riders decided to call their race off at Aid #1 while I was there. I personally couldn't believe that after 26 grueling miles one would quit without getting pulled by the race officials for being outside of the time to finish. I was right on order with completing within 6 hours (I didn't realize how much I would slow down on my second lap!) having finished the first lap just outside 3 hours. The second lap was a very lonely lap for me. I rode for a very long time before a lone female rider passed me on one of the grueling uphill climbs. We proceeded to trade back and forth for the rest of the lap, I would pass her on the downhills and on the single track and she would pass me on the hills. At one point during the long fast downhill fire road on the backside of the course I reached a max speed of 35.8 MPH!!! Mind you this was on wet fire road where my glasses were completely covered in mud and water essentially leaving scream downhill blind!! When I finally hit the last Aid station (#1) I knew I only had to ride 1 more mile and I had a GREAT sense of accomplishment! I didn't quit even when my Achilles was screaming, or the mud was packing on so bad the bike weighed 20lbs more, or even when I started to get a cramp in my right thigh (the only good leg I have!!) I powered through to finish!

On the order of equipment my bike performed FLAWLESSLY!! The best decision I made was to add a 22 tooth chainring and front derailleur to my bike. Despite the amount of mud that packed around my bottom bracket and front drivetrain the front derailleur shifted without fail EVERY time I pushed the shifter!! I did encounter chain suck once, mid way through the second lap, when shifting up to my 32 tooth chainring but it was quickly rectified with a good yank and never happened again. I had to bang the mud off numerous times and if I had known I might have brought some fenders?? But I am convinced that James Bleakley built me a bike for the ages!! I just wish my body had held up as well as my bike did. My knees are sore, every muscle in my body is in a knot, my left Achilles is on fire, and I have a nice bruise on my right hip and forearm from a mudslide/crash right into a tree on lap one!! But I am pretty sure I will be ready for the Cascade Cream Puff 100 miler in a month???.... I have a Dr.'s appointment next week with Dr. Christian Peterson, a Viking Sport teammate and sports medicine doc that my PT Erik Moen recommended I go see!!

Junett St??

So we put in a new offer on a house last week. IT WAS ACCEPTED!! On Wednesday morning we had our home inspection and right now we are just waiting for all of the inspections to be completed and the final home inspection repairs to be finalized and then the inspection can be signed off on. We received our Title Insurance commitment today! If all goes well with the appraisal we are scheduled to close on the 19th of June!!! I can't believe we are going to be home owners!! The house is in the Edison neighborhood of South Tacoma. There are a few elementary schools within walking distance, a nice clean neighborhood and a big yard with TWO detached garages!!! Here are a few pictures and I am going to try to upload some videos we took!

24 HOURS OF PAIN...

Finish Line!!

MORE PHOTOS HERE

Hello adoring fans....

On Friday we went out to the race site and setup our campsite. Eric lent us his family sized tent, his 10x10 pop up canopy, and his folding table. I went out for pre-ride of the course while Christie and Abigael walked around and took in the circus that is 24 hour mountain bike racing. When I got back I picked up my race packet and timing chip. We taped off an area, battened down the hatches and went to Eric's house to eat dinner and sleep in a warm dry place. We had dinner with Eric, his new girlfriend Melissa, and Jason and Emily Kinley.

Our fun little camping/pit area

My first 24 hour race ended Sunday at 12pm with me in 26th outta 30 places. I completed 8 laps for a total of 117.6 miles and a totals "wheels rolling" time of 10 hours and 48 minutes. I did complete one of my goals for this race which was riding at least 100 miles. What I did not complete was riding 100 "CONSECUTIVE" miles (in prep for the Cream Puff). Now to talk about the reason why I did not complete said goal...

Coming in to the pits after my first lap!

When I pre-rode the course Friday night I noticed a slight strain/pain in my left Achilles tendon (heel) but I just put it off as soreness from the previous weeks pain which turned out to be a huge knot in my left calf muscle. I came back to Eric Ewing's house and iced it all evening. On Saturday it still felt tight so I stretched as best as I could and put "Icy/Hot" on the sore heel, thanks to the RCR boys!! The race started at noon with a LeMans (running) style start. I had no idea the run was up a hill and through the woods and then back to the bikes!!! It was not the best way to start a race when I have a hard time walking let alone running and the jog put me in the pain hole right off the bat! I should have just walked the "run" but I jogged and I don't think it did my Achilles any good because as soon as I started riding I could feel pain in my heel. I found a sweet spot with out stretch it or straining my heel and rode on. I completed my first 14.7 mile lap in about 1:13 with a 20 minute transition I went back out for lap number two and then I was going to take a break during the heat of the day. I should have stopped with one lap under my belt. The heat hit me like a 2x4 and I started cramping worse than I have ever cramped before! I didn't think I would make it back to our pit/camp area and when I did I fell into the chair knowing I had just complete one of the longest 14.7 miles of my life!! I just sat there and drank water and swallowed Hammer Nutrition Endurolyte pills, downed bottle after bottle of Hammer Heed, iced my screaming ankle/heel, and took a nap. Christie, my AWESOME pit crew, was outstanding with her support!! She fetched fresh water, filled/mixed bottles of electrolights, got ice for me, and entertain the kid!! She is the best support crew I could have asked for!! After about 3 1/2 to 4 hours I felt like a human being again instead of a human (dried-up) bean! So I decided to give it a go again around 6:30pm.

Yes, I rode the entire race on a fully RIGID Mt Bike!!!

This time out I felt great, hydrated, and strong. Although my heel still hurt like crazy I knew I could ride on and push through the pain. I turned on my light system from AY UP! lights and BOY WAS I AMAZED!!! I had more than enough light at night. The LED system out shown all lights except the craziest HID "stadium" lights that were more than too much light! I would recommend the Ay Up! light system to anyone looking for a light weight LONG lasting bright lighting system. I raced the entire race with my lights already mounted on my helmet and bike, that is how light they are!!! I completed three laps from about 6:30 till about 10:30 with small pit stops to refill Heed bottles, hydration bladders, and re-lube the chain n' wipe down the bike. After coming in from 44.2 miles I needed to eat food! I decided to wait (no more pizza was left) for the midnight chicken wing feed and after eating I got sleepy and realized that if I went out for another lap it would be unsafe, so I went to sleep! I really regret not getting out on the trail more that night! It was not too cold and the conditions were perfect for night riding... Oh well next year!!

Abigael, Christie, and I feel asleep on the big inflatable mattress in the tent together and my alarm went off at 3am and I promptly fell back asleep and then woke up in a start at 4:30am! Oh crap! an hour and a half?!! I had really wished to get up in time to ride at least one more night lap, to give the Ay Up!s at least one more lap, and then catch the sunrise at 5 am. Oh well! I got up and got ready to go. I left the made up water bottle of Heed on the table as well as any gels and food. My ASS hurt so bad when I sat back down on my saddle I thought I would wake the entire camp with a scream of pain!! But I got comfortable and soon all was well again in the nether regions... I was able to watch the sunrise while out on the trail! I came back to the "pit" and my crew was still asleep so I pitted myself and went out for lap number 7.

While I was out riding all I could think about was the pancake breakfast that was going on back at camp and was I going to miss it??!!! I had wanted pizza earlier that night and they had run out by the time I got in from my laps!! I had no way to contact Christie or Eric to tell them to save me a plate! When I came back to the pit again the family was awake and I was screaming for pancakes!! I rushed Christie and Abigael down to eat fresh hot blueberry pancakes! We ate pancakes with Jason and Emily Kinsley (from Hammer Nutrition) and Eric. I decided to attempt an eighth lap and rode off into the quickly warming up morning. While out on the 8th and final lap the heat turned up and I knew I was, D-U-N, done! I also felt a sharp shooting pain in my left heel/Achilles tendon right at the start of the lap and made the call to continue on and it soon passed to a dull ache.

Throughout the race I received TONS of support and help from the boys in the Viking Sport (raced as Team Speedy Reedy) camp and the Recycled Cycles camp. Ryan Vanderloop, fellow Viking Sport teammate, was riding on a 4 person team and helped with ankle support... And of course there is "the bianchi" master mechanic and athletic supporter!!! Thanks guys for everything!! I do believe the hoots and hollers as I started my laps kept me going as well as the J.B.!!!!

I also met quite a few people at the race. Doug Walsh is from the Seattle area and he is a fellow 29er rider! He ripped up the course in the Men's Solo and placed 7th! Francis (Fran) Bach is from Colorado and he and his girlfriend drove all the way to Spokane to do this race. I kept telling myself he looked familiar and then it hit me! I briefly met Fran and his twin brother in Colorado at the 24 hr Kona Global series race I helped Eric time in Winterpark last September. Fran was racing in the Men's Solo Singlespeed division and did rather well. He also has a Black Sheep Ti MTB I took a picture to show the difference between his 26" wheel and my 29" wheel! Our neighbors across the race course where Moishe (Mo) and Lindsay Lettvin and there daughter Amelia. Abigael and Amelia became fast friend s despite the 18 month age gap and played like crazy in the dirt! Mo raced in the Men's Solo Singlespeed div as well. Mo did well until he developed some narly blisters on his hands and then called his race placing 6th! Jason and Emily Kinsley mentioned about are old friends of Eric's from Spokane. Jason reps for Hammer Nutrion and his wife Emily, woh is 20 weeks pregnant, does as well. Jason raced in the Men's Solo Singlespeed and was kicking ass until he ran into some health issues and had to pull out placing 7th in the singlespeed div. I had met Jason once before at the same 24 hr race in Colorado as I met Fran.

Two Black Sheep Ti Highlights
My geared 29er on the left and Fran's painted singlespeed 26er on the right

UGH!

So for some reason (I think Abigael gave it to me) I have come down with a horrible cold!! I had the chills and aches last night and despite Tylenol I had a fever of 101.4F and when I woke up this morning my temp was 101.6F!!!!! I haven't thrown up or had diarrhea just the miserable achy fever. Abigael had it on Sunday all day and was fine by the evening so I am praying this will go away before we leave tomorrow for Spokane!! I have one last PT session before I leave for the 24 hour MT Bike race. I received a kick ass phone call yesterday from Scott Taylor the promoter of the Cascade Cream Puff 100, I AM IN!! Here is the email I got today:

"Congratulations, your in!

You are registered for the CCP.

Eventually you will see your name on the official site as a registered racer.

Please use the CCP website for contact: scott@cascadecreampuff.com . I'm spamming everyone because individual e-mails take so much time.

I'm looking forward to meeting each of you this July.

More to come later.

Scott"

I hope I am not in over my head with that one! My goal is to just finish!!! (PS More prayers needed for that one too!!) Unfortunately I can't even begin to think about riding a bike right now as my body rejects itself!

On another note we made an offer on another house last night. This house is located at S Junett St. Tacoma, WA. There is a brand new elementary school with a middle school attached 4 blocks north at the end of S Junett St. and another Elementary school located a few blocks south. The yard is nice and big fully fenced in with four big fruit bearing trees, apple, plum, pear, and cherry. There are two detached garages in the back one could be used as a Brandon bike shed!! The house itself is about 1300 sft 3+ bedroom 1.5 bath built in 1908 (yes old but updated). There are many neat nooks and crannies with wood floors in the front room and dining room. There is a big bedroom up stairs with a bonus room that runs the length of the house that could be a play room/guest room/office/family room... The price was right at $209,999 and the neighbors had nothing but good things to say about the neighborhood.

I just got a call from our best friend Wes Duncan from NC that his baby boy Samuel was born around 3am Tuesday morning!! He was 21" long and over 9lbs with a FULL head of hair (Wes said they had to comb it for his newborn picture!!) . God bless Wes, Crystal, and their new baby boy Samuel! Crystal was in labor for over 19 hours and the boy was almost a week late!!

Our crazy week...

So this past week included an amazing birthday party for our now big THREE year old Abigael, hosting family and friends for said birthday party, looking at houses down in Tacoma, finding "THE" house, placing an offer in less than 12 hours on said house, waiting two days only to find out that we got beat out by a cash only offer!, and working out an extremely sharp pain in my left Achilles tendon! So we are totally drained! Unfortunately we are back to the drawing board looking for a house. We are going back down to Tacoma tonight to look at a few more houses. (May have found one??? S. Junett St) We were VERY disappointed to find out we did not get our offer accepted. The house had it all! The yard was to die for, it backed up to a park and was at the end of a dead end street. I don't think the hard part is finding the right house it is finding the right house in the right neighborhood!! With two young kids we really need to find the house that has a great big yard and is in a safe 'n not very busy place. This was the house we place the offer on 6139 S Ainswoth Ave. The leg is feeling SOOoooo much better after Dr. John at my PT office worked over my leg and found a huge knot in my calf. I feel great, a little sore still, but feeling like I can race this weekend in Spokane at the 24 hour race. I wanted to THANK both of our parents for helping not only us out with the buying of our house but for investing in Abigael's and the baby's future!

First night back on the track at Marymoor Velodrome!!

Last night was the first night of pre-season racing for the 2007 track racing season at Marymoor Velodrome. This was also my first night back on a track bike since my accident on August 5th, 2005. It was also the first time I have had a chance to ride my new DeSalvo Custom Cycles track bike. During pre-season racing there are three catergories; A (Cat. 1-3), B (Cat 3-4), and C's (Cat 4-5's and some women). There were no Cat C's so they gave the Cat. 4's a chance to race for upgrade points! I self-seeded into the Cat. B race, consisting of a few top juniors and a few Cat. 3's, there were 5 total racers for the night in the B's. The A's were a bigger field but consiting mostly of Cat. 1/2's and way beyond my intry level coming back into racing. Since it was a big deal for me to be back on the track racing in over a season and a half Christie and the whole family came out to watch me race. Since it is Abigael's birthday weekend all of our North Carolina and Los Angeles relatives are in town. Jose and Sharon were also out at the track with Jose racing in the Cat. 4's and Sharon on Arlo duty. The Cat. B's raced a 10 lap scratch race, a 3x3 points race, and finally a 4x5 points race. Overall I felt strong and healthy on the bike. I was able to arrive early enough to get registered and warm-up on the track for about 30 minutes. During the 10-lap scratch race, which consists of riding for 9-laps and the getting the bell with one lap to go and sprinting for 1st thru 4th place, one of the juniors took off the front and stayed out front to take first while I threw down the mad sprint for 2nd place. In the 3x3 race, which is a sprint every 3-laps for points 3, 2, and 1 three sprints total, I took the first sprint and came third in the second sprint and blew up trying for the third sprint. And finally in the 4x5 points race, which is the same as the 3x3 just four sprints every 5-laps for 20 laps total, I took the first sprint, came in second in the second sprint, and came in second in the final sprint. I felt like I could recover faster from my sprints than I used to be able to and could hang onto the pack easier than in the past. I know I only race with four other racers and it will be different when I am racing fellow Cat. 3's but man it felt SOOoooo good to be back on the track. In the end I found out that I won the Cat. B omnium for the night with a total of 15 points!!! WOW I can't believe that talk about a self confidence boost!! Of course pre-season racing does not count for anything (no upgrade points) but it is great training and will help me re-familliarize myself with the track. Christie had her camera out and took a ton (143) of pictures of me, Jose, and the family. She took some really great action shots! I also got to meet one of my Viking Sport Seattle teammates, Richard Juntunen, he was seeded in the A's so we couldn't race together but I believe he is a Cat. 3 so we will be racing together through the season! The one major bummer I learned last night is that due to turnout the MVA changed to catergories this year so that there are no more Master A and B's there is only a Master's 35+ catergory on Wednesday now, I am racing age 34 this year, so I will only be able to race Cat. 3's on Friday nights. I had planned to concentrate on rebuilding my legs and racing ability in the Master B's as opposed to racing against the younger healthy Cat. 3's.... Oh Well!! Thank you to all that came out and cheered me on last night it ment the world to me! I saw Matt Bianchi and his girlfriend Jodi, Sharon and Jose, and even Bernie Hayden came out to watch as well as all of my in-laws and my dad and uncle!! I foresee amazing things for this year's racing season!! Watch out 3's here I come and I can still spin it up in turn three!!!

Gone ridin' with my daddy!

Saturday started off early picking up my friend Sean Wellnitz and packing the kid, bikes and food in the car and heading east. We arrived at the Cedar Creek trail head at 9:15am. By the time we got everything setup, hooked up, packed and situated we were finally on the trail by 9:50am later than I wanted but glad to be riding none the less. Abigael was having a blast riding along in the sidecar trailer and of course after about 3 miles she had to go potty. Now I have avoided letting her go potty in the woods just because if she knows she can it would be the only way she would want to go, but when ya gotta go ya gotta go!! She only had to tinkle and soon we were off again. Abigael sang and looked out and generally had a very good time. At mile 10 we finally made it to one of the "primitive" campsites on the trail and gave Abigael a chance to get out and stretch her legs and go potty in a proper (very clean!!) pit toilet. We took a few minute break and let Abigael run around and play in the gravel. Sean was feeling great considering he was riding my only other mountain bike a fully rigid steel single speed 29er the Raleigh XXIX. Sean was having a blast and loving his first ever MTB ride! We gave Abigael the choice to keep riding up the hill (towards the tunnel @ 8.5 more miles) or turn back to the car (for a 20 mile total) she said, "Keep riding up the hill!" So we loaded up and kept plugging away east. About mile 13 or 14 I started feel really weak and very hungry so I downed a Hammer gel and a water bottle of Perpetuem (liquid calories!!) and it got me through the rest of the way up to the tunnel. Abigael proceeded to nod off from the avalanche shed to the tunnel in a bouncy uncomfortable looking slumber! As we approached the avalanche shed, about 1.5 mile before the tunnel, I told Sean how far we were away and he took off like a rocket. He is very strong on the bike thanks to riding the urban assualt bike to work everyday!! When we got to the tunnel we met a few mt bikers coming out of the tunnel and they said the east end was still locked and the road still snowed in so Sean and I decided not to add 4.5 miles thru the tunnel and back to our trip and we sat down for lunch. W ate lunch from about 12:45 till about 1:30. We had a small smorgishborg of food from PBJs to bananas, almonds to Oreos, and a little flask Crown for Sean and I. Abigael ate some lunch and ran around throwing rocks into the trail side stream. We topped out at 19.1 miles and before we left I took Abigael about 500 meters into the tunnel and she loved it!! On the way back Abigael sang and talked to me.

She knew when to cover up with her blanket and when to just hang out. She "tried" to color some with her water safe coloring pads, but no luck there though too bumpy. She desperately wanted to collect some rocks (the rocks over the trestles were reddish/pink) for her mommy and daddy so we stopped to get a few of those. She marveled at the waterfalls and loved looking down at the raging glacial flows under the super high trestles!! When we arrived back at the car we had ridden for 38 miles and almost 3 and a half hours of ride time!! Abigael and Sean both held up like champs.
Saturday night, actually Sunday morning, I got up at 1am and drove out to Woodinville to meet Kevin Axt and a few other mt. bikers to do a night ride and be on the trail when the time and date met a momentous occasion, at 02:03:04 05/06/07!!! The one and only time it would ever do this!! Pretty cool and as Kevin watch alarm sounded we snapped a few pics and continued riding. We put in 5.1 tight twist single track night miles in about 56 minutes and at 3am I headed home. On a "bright" note my Ay Up! lights performed BEAUTIFULLY and they were just as bright as the HID lights a few of the other guys had!! I am totally sold and even the guys were impressed!! (Pictures ARE HERE!!!!!)
Sunday morning we got up and went down to Tacoma and met our Realtor, Debra Truelove, to look at a few houses. Most of the houses were a disappointment and we realized it would take some research and time to find the right one!! But on a positive note we received pre-approval from USAA bank for a $250,000 home loan!!! So we are on our way to finding a home of our own!!!
I also found out that I have a 50/50 chance of getting into the Cascade Cream Puff 100 in July. The "Puff" as it's known is one of the toughest hundies around and the only hundie in the Pacific Northwest. I feel like I am ready to attempt this race even though I will be riding to complete vs. racing it! I will have the 24hr race and the 50 mile Test of Endurance under my belt before the Puff to determine whether I will be fit enough and physically able to complete/compete in the Puff!!

Feelin good

I raced the Wednesday Night World Championship mtb race last night and had a blast! It was raining, muddy, and cold but a total blast!! I once again raced sport class but this time I did NOT get passed/lapped by the expert racers like I have in the past. I have slowly been feeling better and better during my races. I started out slow and soon realized, after everyone passed me going into the single track, that my legs felt good and lungs didn't feel like they were going to explode! So I started picking people off one by one slowly coming up from the rear passing tons of other sport racers in the corners or on the straighter faster parts of the course. I soon fell in behind another racer and followed him through lap number 4 and 5 and when I heard we had one lap to go I made my move and left him in my dust (mud) and finished in 56 min 59 sec 10.2 miles averaged 11.7 MPH!! I even got a complement from Dale Knapp one of the local (old timer) pros. After the race I started talking with a few people again about hosting an endurance event in Washington state. Dale said it needed to be done and I even perked Wick's (Stiff Wick Productions) interest as the promoter.... Stay tuned!

On another totally cool note I received my new lighting system yesterday from Ay Up! lighting based out of Australia. First immediate impression came when I picked up the package and it weighed next to nothing! Wow upon opening the box I was over whelmed with the contents the Andrew, the owner, included. A handful of promotional Ay Up! bracelets and then the kit! All neatly rolled up. The kit unfurled to reveal two light heads, one blue ano the other gunmetal ano, FOUR mini lupps batteries with neoprene carry cases, TWO lupra lupps larger batteries and cases, handlebar mount, helmet mount, charger, 110v ac adaptor, a 12v car dc adaptor, extension connector, and this is all rolled up in a burrito like neoprene sausage about 3 1/2 in around and 12 in long!! More review to come as well as pictures!! I will really put it to the test during the upcoming 24hr race in Spokane.

Mountain bike training, SIR!!!

Today I went out to Rattlesnake Lake at exit 32 off I-90 to ride the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. The JWP trail is an old converted rail-trail that runs the length of the Iron Horse State Park. It atcually runs over 75 plus miles to the east side as part of a state long trail system. Today I rode up to the Snoqualmie Pass to the Snoqualmie tunnel before I could not go any further due to the road being fully snowed in still. The trail, being an old railroad grade, has an ever gentle uphill climb. With a total elevation gain of 1620 feet in 20 miles. I was able to ride thru the tunnel, 2.4 miles, only to find it locked at the east end, as well as the snow in the road.

I took a few pictures before I came back through the tunnel. There were some picnic tables in the sun on the west side of the tunnel. I sat and ate lunch and soaked up the sun and the views!! I then turned around and rode downhill. The trail has some beautiful old tresles that span some impressive sights! I only had one flat and I saw a few more people out on the way down than I saw on the way up. My total milage for the day was 42.3 miles! It took me about 3hr 23min of wheels spinning ride time. There are very few places to get long "dirt" miles on one's mountain bike in the Seattle area. I figured since I am planning to do two 24 hr races and a 50 mile endurance race I should start getting in shape!!

11th place ain't to bad....

Glorious day for a mountain bike race!!!

Sunday I raced my first "official" cross-country mountain bike race since July 2005. I know I have raced a few Wednesday night races but they are merely for fun and training. I lined up with about 23 Sport class 30-39 year old racers around 1:30pm and promptly tried to explode my heart out of my chest. We rode four laps of the course for a total of just about 20 miles of 97% single track trail. I completed the race in 1:48:29.1 55 and my heart rate averaged 175 bpm the entire race!!! The day was warm and perfect for a mountain bike race!!!

Jose riding a singlespeed fully rigid 29er!!!

Jose came out for his first official mtb race and what was his second mtb race ever!! He was again competing on his single speed in the Sport 40-49 year old age class. He race rather well completing 2 and a half laps before getting a flat tire that effectively took him out of the race. So he just bagged it and took pictures. Christie and Abigael came along to enjoy the day outside, take pictures and play in the dirt.

Dirt angels!!

I once again went out to hard and too fast in the first lap and promptly blew up. With my heart rate monitor alarm sounding like a time bomb ready to blow constantly I decided to back off and take it easier in the second and third laps actually dropping my HR below the alarm threshold of 175 bpm for a little while. When I came through the finish line going out for my last lap the announcer said I was in 11th place so I decided to see if I could catch number ten to nab a top ten finish. Well my last lap was pretty quiet as I only passed a few slow 20-29 year olds and a few of the 40-49 year olds that had passed me up earlier in the race but I never did catch or even see another 30-39 year old to take 11th place!! Not bad in my book!

UP, UP, UP!! Venga, Venga, Venga!! Allez, Allez, Allez!!

The other big decision I have had to make in the past week was one that took quite a bit of thought and inner turmoil as well a few restless nights. I have been involved with the AVA/Counterbalance Bicycles racing team from it's inception. I have helped to build it up to where it is today and unfortunately due to my busy life I have not and was not able to continue this year in a leadership role. The problem is I can't let lie the team when I see things that I personally don't like or actions that I feel are contrary to the original purpose of the team. So I tend, more often than not, to voice my opinion and some people don't like to here or read my opinion. Whether I am right or wrong it is still my opinion and I truly feel I have the right to make it be known, if people want to read it or hear it is their prerogative.

So I have made the decision to part ways with the team, at least for a year, so that I can detach myself from the leadership and the team can find it's direction what ever that be. Because I am coming back to racing this year from a long time down on the Disabled List I still want to have some "support" as opposed to just racing solo. I made the decision to approach my Physical Therapist Erik Moen to see if I could race for his Viking Sport Seattle club. Erik enthusiastically invited me on board and provided me with a jersey and no pressure when it came to making the decision to race for another team.

Most importantly I want it to be known that I LOVE my team, AVA/Counterbalance, and I eventually want to come back to it. I love the Counterbalance bike shop and I will continue to support it and patronize it. I love and miss my friends that I have raced with, planned events with, and still feel close to. I just came to the conclusion that I would be happier if I didn't have the temptation of wanting to "meddle" in the leadership of the team that way I can just race, heal, and have fun. I am sorry to all of my AVA/Counterbalance team members and sponsors but for right now this is what will work for me. So yes, Sunday I raced in the Viking colors and felt good, had fun, and kicked some butt in the process!

Photo courtesy of Jose Sandoval

First big decision down!

So I made the call today about the fire dept recruit class... I was told by my Captain last Saturday that I would not be allowed to be operational on shift at the end of the recruit academy in July if he did not feel I was 100% healthy. He also said that I was obviously still limping around the drill ground and that he did not want me to further injure myself while drilling in recruit school. So I had to make a MAJOR decision about whether I was going to continue training with this current recruit class or stop, pull out and get healed and then try again in 2008. Considering my last major surgery was July 6Th 2006 less than a year ago It is no wonder why my leg has been killing me after every Saturday drill session. This was one of the hardest decision I have ever had to make and it did not come easily... I will now have the chance to focus on healing, getting back in shape, and taking care of my family and soon to come new addition!! I will also be able to use my Saturdays (at least the mornings) for training and going to the gym! I plan to be 100% by the time I come back in 2008. I know I can do the job I have completed one recruit class, graduated, and made it through over 3 and a half months of a second six month long recruit school at 80%+ healthy.

Mountain bike racing, I forgot how much fun it was...

So Wednesday afternoon I finally convinced Jose to come out to race( we should also soon have Matt Messenger joining us as well!!). We met downtown around 5ish hoping to leave in time to allow Jose to race the 6:00pm beginner's race. We realized, after battling downtown traffic, that it was 5:30 and there was no way we would make it to South Seatac park before 6:00. So Jose decided to race in the sport catergory. We both got a chance to get a warm-up lap in before our race start. The course was extremely short, flat, and fast. It was more like a cyclocross course than a XC MTB course but the promoter Wick said he did this so people could conserve before the big race, Seatac Shuffle, on Sunday. Since the course was so fast, about 8 to 11 minute laps depending on your fitness level, the sports were doing 6 laps plus the half start lap. I decided to run gears for this race and I had my bike setup in a 1x9 gear configuration with a 32 tooth chainring up front and an 11-34 9speed cassette in the rear. I am SOOOOOoooo glad I decided to go back to gears for the time being!! I also had made up my mind to take this race super easy and to not start out like a rocket but hang back and just RIDE.
I started slowly about mid pack and Jose soon was in the rear on his new Redline Monocog Flite 29er singlespeed running a 32x20 and fully rigid!!! Jose said he got about 5 laps before he was passed by the experts and pulled from the race. He said he had the most fun he had ever had on a bike while racing during that race. It was also Jose's first ever true mountain bike race!!! He said he even passed a few other sport racers and did not finish DFL!!! Mean while I battled it out after realizing I felt strong and that my lungs and legs were not going to exploded from lactic acid build up!! I was actually doing quite well till I endoed (once again mom my leg is superbly ok and my bike suffered no damage as well!!) on my second to last lap and lost not only 3 or 4 placings but my momentum as well. I still finished very strong with 6 and a half laps and roughly 10:30 to 11 minute laps!! We hung out for a few minutes after the race while I frantically search for my wallet!! I found it in Jose's car where I had changed into my riding clothes!! I do plan on racing the Sport men 30-39 race on Sunday at 1:30pm where Wick said he was planning a 4 to 5 mile plus course and the sports are doing 3+ laps.
I am also planning on racing the 24 hours Round the Clock race in Spokane over Memorial day weekend solo. The whole family is going with to hang out with Eric Ewing and help support me as I race!! I still need to come up with the registration fee so I will have a few bike parts going up for sale very soon!! I will also be able to take part in the 50 mile Test of Endurance MTB race in OR on June 10th as well now that I am not in the fire recruit class anymore.

A new look...

So as you can tell I decided to give my blog a fresh new look. I feel that this layout is much more friendly and enjoyable to read (easier on the eyes). If you disagree please leave a suggestion in the comments. I have a few new changes brewing in the wings and some pretty big decisions to make in the next few weeks. Please stay tuned for some fun announcements. Good news is that I did get this quarter of school funded by worker retraining, YEAH!!!!!

<<<<<<<<<<<< I have also added a link to my Flickr photo account to the left under the links!!!