The Official Guide to the World between the Wheels

Subaru Cup Pro XTC (Heart Attacks Remix-radio edit)

Last week i got a few messages inviting me to travel to WI from one of my training friends Brandon who recently joined the Team CF Team. It didnt take any time for me to answer with a yes. Plans were solidified to travel from my place on friday to Wautoma WI to pick up our race packets then crash with a few friends Carolyn (his teammate) and Sarah. Race saturday and return on sunday.

The weather was pretty good when we arrived and the pre-ride gave me a look into my first true Pro USCA race course. I was actually very impressed and excited after riding the less than 4 mile loop. Sure it was short and I hate races that go more than 3 laps (this was a 6 lap race) but i understood for spectator friendliness and to make it easy for course Marshalls to monitor any shortcutting or cheating. Each lap had a little less than 500' of climbing and everything was smooth turns, rocky, and punchy little climbs littered with switchbacks even up the open slopes. FUN!

Saturday came and Brandon was a little nervous I, on the other hand, was pretty calm. I had seen the call up sheet and I was slated second to last to be called up so I really had nowhere to go and could only lose one spot if i were to slow. We arrived at the event and I ran into a few Trek friends and was suprised to hear they had raced the Cat 1 event earlier which meant that I was in over my head! we laughed and I asked if iI would get lapped by the 3rd lap. Scott said no i'll give you 4 laps sos i felt better with that. I really just didnt want to get lapped but it was going to hard with a line up of over a dozen top Pros.

Race starts and there are people everywhere around the course and i mean everywhere! screaming, cheering, drinking, ringing cow bells! We race up a good open climb but this immediatly goes into a tight singletrack that has all of the men bottlenecked and i mean stopped waiting to "merge" into the singletrack. It felt like a summer drive on I79 into Pittsburgh, if only there were orange cones and jersey barriers along with a flashing arrowing. I watch the leaders riding a few turns ahead already. Oh well I'm just trying not to get lapped. A solid line of riders as far as i can see ahead and behind me. WOW this is a Pro Race. No quick seperations and i ride with a line of riders for the first lap before things start to thin out.

For my first two laps i climbed the switchbacks using the 28T ring but realized i was going to slow up them and switched to the 42T for the next 3 laps. The open ski slope climb was the only climb that required the smaller ring each time. I was happy with the SRAM XX drivetrain and my choice of the 11/32 cassette. Ripping off 20 mins laps felt fast but hearing the real Pros were doing 16 something had me worried they would catch me. Going into my 5 lap I got tied up with another rider on a slick little climb and was forced to dismount but doing so in a crazy way caused my right leg to cramp from the quick abnormal movement. I ran for a short bit and worked the cramp out. Remounted and rode easy for a little to make sure i was past the cramp. This was a mistake i would realize soon. Thinking i was ok with out getting lapped (which was true) i came into the start line without any leaders in site behind me and assumed i was going to get all six laps. Denied! Seems that UCI has some time rule that they enforce even at the last lap of a short course like this. Something like if you're lap time isn't within a certain time of the fastest lap then you get pulled...even when i can see the finish line 200 yards away and the leaders are still over 5 mins behind me. I mean i would be going out for a final lap and they would cross the line and be done! Successfully leaving me un-lapped for the race!

So i got pulled because of my last lap time along with many others and some of them had been pulled a lap or two before that. Oh well I still had fun fast laps and didn't get lapped so i was Happy!

I really enjoyed being on course with such talent and had many friends from Trek there cheering me on! My extended family (Chris Tricia & Maddy) was there and Maddy worked the feed zones for me while adding encouraging words such as "Go Grandpa, they are catching you". I loved it!!

With this being only the second time I had ridden the naughty twin (Superfly Elite 2011 SRAM XX & Black Reba) i was nothing less than overjoyed at how smooth she performed railing the course and only wish i could have given her the power she deserved.Freshly wrapped Race XXX lite carbon wheels with all the crisp shifting cables and SRAM components made the race an exercise in enjoyment.

*stork

Subaru Cup Pro XTC

I will be taking some time to reflex on the largest Pro race i've ever ridden to date and will try to put those thoughts into words later this week. Wicked fast comes to my mind everytime i start thinking about it. Being on the starting line with so many big names and talent was really a little mind blowing. So much fun overall. more to come...

stork

Good reading (in my opinion)

Opinion:

a : belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge  

b : a generally held view

So I posted something stating how I felt about Moraine and it seems that someone linked it to the local trail advocates page, which in turn started a long line of "Stork Bashing" in my comments inbox. Something about how i've never built trail and it even brought out a few comments telling me to stay out of Moraine but in a not so family friendly way. Wow I say! but never fear....i do not let these negative hateful things bother me in any way. You see dear readers I pay for this site and therefore get to post photos, stories, quotes, likes and dislikes of mine because its my site and my opinion. If for some reason you disagree with my opinions then don't continue reading. Better yet shell out some dollars and start your own blog and rant & rave about riding styles, bikes, trails, log piles, rocks etc all you want. I can choose to read it or simply not click on it. 

I do not belong to the bike forums and FB pages for all these organizations for a reason. This exact reason here, people getting all hateful. You know not everyone likes everything someone else does so I don't like the flow at the park or the trials style riding and I chose to tell my reason through my Blog for people that i'm friends with to read. Basically so they can understand why it is that i don't ride a park that is very close to my house. This helps them understand why i drive to other places so often to ride.

My last post was sparked by just that very reason as I was asked by a guy in the parking lot of Moraine the very last day I rode there. You see I spend countless hours advocating Cycling and I still remember starting out riding just a few years back. However i'm not about going around getting all defensive about how much time I put in for "no pay". Maybe some people should understand the meaning of voluntarily doing something. 

All in all the great thing is all of these Parks are Public and therefore we are all welcome to ride as often as we wish and after doing so we can freely post to blogs or FB how we feel about the trails new or old. Nothing says we are required to build or maintain trails and even if we did, it doesn't make us experts at it. We are all allowed our opinions. I actually expressed mine to MY readers rather than doing so on a forum because i'm not interested in arguing with other riders who i don't know. Nor do i wish to change any of this, i have decided to use my time taking new riders out and supporting other groups this year that concentrate more on advocating riding & general good health rather than something specific like trails. I do however respect the hard work that many people put into trails but it doesn't mean I have to like the trails.

So to all the haters...get that blood pressure up by my comments, i'll be out riding & enjoying life. I'm way above the name calling so Be safe and enjoy the roads, trails or whatever you ride.

Some interesting links on Opinion

• People will Not Change their Opinion
• Wiki Definition

stork

Pungee Sticks

IMBA suggest cutting small trees inside of a new trail waist high then digging the entire root and stump out. Most commonly trail builders cut the tree level and as the ground compacts around the small tree base it becomes a hazard.

Yesterday I went out to the Local State Park (Moraine) to ride. It is an extremely technical trail but recently newer trails have been built that are less technical but are hidden within the center of the technical trails. I don't ride here very often mostly because I feel the trail system lacks flow. Its mostly rocks (which are a blast to play on or ride) and very twisty singletrack. Usually I get bored quickly by the trials style riding and the constant handlebar turning or extreme braking required when trying to ride faster into all the sharp turns. I know i know some people love this type of trail but with the lack of any straight trail or flowing turns to maintain speed I always end up feeling bored. Actually some of the best trails here still remain to be sections originally built by Chuck Greenlee. Its a place I rarely take newer riders because they get frustrated quickly even in the easier areas due to the sharp switchbacks and sometimes quick turns into difficult rocks sections or log piles without an alternate route around them. Sometimes I think people fail to realize that fast can be technical and with a trail dedicated to mountain bikers (not a shared trail) it would be more inviting to have a few straighter trail loops to encourage newer riders. I've ridden & raced many trails in many States and some were just as tight & twisty but also had flowing sections. 

Anyway its a fun place to try riding with a long history but beware of the pungee sticks that seem to be everywhere on the newer trails. They can easily take down a rider especially when they are trying to manuver the tight turns. Have fun and be safe.

 

stork

PASSION

How true! I've learned over the years Who people really are by their conduct in and around sports. Many of them great people and sadly a few real losers.

I've also come to realize there are many more important things in life and that cycling for me is simply a part of who i am and it does not make up my full definition. It's important because i really have a PASSION for the bicycle and this shines true if you could see the many different bikes i have at any one time and how i try to incorporate the bicycle into anything i do such as shopping, vacations and day to day transportation etc. I AM much more than a racer!

So why did i title this post passion.... last week i visited Trek headquarters for a few days and within minutes of walking through the offices i could tell that many of the employees of this company have PASSION and not just for cycling. I visited with several employees and their families after business hours and all of these individuals spoke about their families with such PASSION that it somewhat made me envious.

So what is PASSION? Well for me my PASSION makes it easy and motivates me to train, ride, race and keeps me excited about getting others into cycling. For these guys their PASSION  for bikes shows in their end products and the PASSION they have for their kids and families makes them great Dads. You may argue that they are not the best, just as i am not the fastest guy, but there is no way you can tell them they are not the most passionate about their families just as you can never tell me that i am not passionate about cycling and that is what makes us all successful. PASSION brings success but its not measured in money,fame or first place rather its measured in happiness and just take a look at my smile in photos when i'm riding or racing no matter if i'm first or fifteenth.

Now i know being a father and being a rider are nowhere close to being equal but i simple felt motivated to write about PASSION after seeing so much of it in others during my visit. 

 

Stork

B Cycles found!

Madison B Cycles. We witnessed several people using these and more than a dozen folks checking them out all over town.

Trek 100 post ride report

Here comes a 14 ounce Filet which is a slice of heaven! Add to it baby carrots & asparagus and wash it down with a local Spotted Cow. Then call mom to Wire me some money.

Slow down and ride smart

Unfortunately these signs are far and few to be found. My point....be cautious when riding in unknown areas be it roads trails or single track.

Most accidents can be avoided and since there are not signs like this for us cyclists we must consider unknown roads and areas to have hazards. I write about this subject for two reason this week.

Last friday i went riding with a friend on trails up North that i haven't ridden in over a year. With springtime rains and sunny days the vegetation has grown. Add to that the high wind storms and saturated soil & many trees have the potential to fall. Our first lap through some sweet flowing single track found me riding a little conservative and i'm sure my friend was a little concerned with the moderate pace on such a fun trail. With little said at the time we continued and came back around to the same trail. However this time the speed was much higher because we had just "tested" the trail for hazards so it was game on to turn the screws. My friend (Kevin Smyth) then made a comment and i took the opportunity to explain that if i'm not racing then I'm riding a little more cautious. I mean what sense is there to rip thorough an unknown trail and hit a downed tree or over shoot a turn and end up with something broken..on me or the bike. I have nothing to prove to others during fun training rides and often opt out of the tricky log piles etc that are built in areas i do not normally ride. Its the smart thing to do.

Second reason.... On our shop road ride this week we added in a short extra section. With a pretty large group this week people were testing each other on the climbs and descents. I actually made a comment at the start of the extra loop that i was disappointed that i didn't know the roads and therefore had to "Think" a little more on the route. Truth be told i recognized the roads from previous rides last year but still stayed back closer to the ride leader (who would know the roads). Sadly a group had been screaming down the unknown route and came to a very sharp 90 ° bend & at least two guys went down and into the guardrail. Thankfully everyone is ok but road rash and bruises will be present next week as a reminder.

My advice is

• Always stay with the ride leaders or follow them when on the trails. they know the hazards, routes, turns etc.
• there is no need to prove anything when you don't know where you're going or where you are.
• save the friendly competition for safe places like routes or climbs that are familiar

Riding smart and living to ride another day uninjured is more of an accomplishment that beating me down a hill around a turn and onto the hood of a car.

 

I'm happy to say that the accident on the shop ride was just inexperience and that no one was trying to get someone hurt on either of these rides but they both made me think about reporting this and putting my thoughts into words to remind people to RIDE SMART.

 

stork