one dent, one dislocation, a few PBR's

I hopped on my bike this morning and was quickly reminded of an on-trail mishap from Saturday. Ouch. A small section on the Red Dot trail from here on out will be known as "top tube alley". My bruised undercarrige will fade in a couple of days...the dent in my bike however will not. Glenn quickly reminded me his nickname for me is "the bike destroyer".

I had been out riding since 10am and eaten all the food in my pockets, almost out of water, and was heading home when I passed Jess and Tal on their way meet Glenn and his friend Dave for a spin through red dot and Gordon. Sure why not. I've only been out for 6 hours..what's a couple more.

We were moving through red dot quickly, staying together pretty well. It's a technical single track with small climbs..you can get pretty beat up if your thinking about something other than riding. Well..maybe I was thinking about the choirs I should be doing at home when both feet popped out of the peds on a slippery rocky down hill section. Ended up riding it out on my top tube. Applied some brake, took hold of the reigns and got back in control. "Whew that was fun". With Tal right behind he saw me flailing around like I was riding a bull. Funny till I noticed that I had come down on my top tube so hard my freekin pelvic bone put a sizable dent in my shiny new bike? Sort of crazy. My bruise will heal..the bike..probably not. I should look into a tool to roll dents out.
Shortly after my tt ride, Dave (who is a doctor) dislocated his ankle while falling backwards off his bike. Jess witnessed the injury and the unnatural position of Dave's foot. Thankfully Dave was ok after the shock of popping his foot back into the correct place...I didn't feel so bad about my little dent. Dave made it out safe, ice and a prescription of PBR while playing flip it was the therapy. Good going Dr Dave.

Just found this about using dry ice to pull out dents on cars...now just need some dry ice. I'll let you know how it goes.


Remove Car Dents With A Dry Ice Block Www.mastrik.com - video powered by Metacafe

Turns out it was my Ischial Tuberosity (#3 on the photo) that made contact.
I'll take the dent over breaking that part of my body...doesnt look like an easy fix.
Tomorrow I'll try the dry ice trick on the dent...

pain or more pain?...more pain please.

Ever so firmly I sit perched on the fence of indecisiveness, dramatically wavering from one side to the other. On one side we have gears, and for a moment that sounds like a great idea. That (in theory) allow swift and smooth ascents possible, expediting movement across flat sections, (not that there are very many flat sections in Costa Rica)...Foolishly I'm prematurely thinking about the final and cruel 25k of rail bed I guess and how I'd wish for a swift end at that point. Can't put the cart before the horse here Andy.
Gears will undoubtedly complicate matters while also making the race more bearable and some climbs possible where a single gear is useless at times. But do gears make me faster? is the real question. I switched over to a single gear a couple months ago and the simplicity actually made me faster on climbs but I've never been faced with a 10 or 20 mile hill climb before...Roger and I need to go to Mt Washington and see if the Auto road is passable via 32x20. Do they allow bikes on the auto road to train? prolly not...hmmm I wonder. Harvey would know that...
The simple question is can my knees take the abuse of four days and 30,000 ft of climbing on a single gear or should I sign up for a double knee replacement surgery now.
I certainly don't want the aggravation of skipping, crunching, unneeded stress and maintenance post race that gears will bring to the equation. Costa Rica mud = non fuctional gears. Hell, Tim Dougherty tore that race apart last year, and Dicky keeps coming back for another helping of abuse. I think I heard Topher is going south to Costa Rica again this November...and from what I've read he hasn't had a double knee replacement yet, now I wonder if he's riding a rigid fork again this time?. Doug's is going down with his SS. My friend and fellow Bostonian Tom is feeling the same way I am...or I was.
OK. Single speed it is. The fence has been removed.

Atypical Wednesday

4:55pm on Wednesday and the sun is threatening to duck out of sight. Just one more quick stop at the Alaska Airlines ticket counter and I can get suited up and ready to roll. 5:05pm and I race to the bowels of terminal B to dress in what I'm hoping is a couple of dry layers that I hung hours earlier...no such luck. Still wet, bummer. Hope no one gets close enough to detect that I have a slight aroma kick'in.
Now time to escape. I stand my road bike on it's rear wheel and manipulate the bike around office furniture and out into the hall. Now feeling exposed in the hall wearing my nija kit. I try to make a quick get-away down to the first of two security doors. My rear hub clicking gives me away. The five people in the inflight office see me roll by and come into the hall to check out freak boy in his spandex suit. I hate that, but love it at the same time...but mostly hate it.
We say a quick goodbye and I turn to swipe my card and lay my fingerprint down on the sensor. The door clicks, green light, I roll. Under the bag belts and snake through the bag room trying not to get run over by a rampy in a tug. I punch the keys at the final door and I'm thru to the public side. Just one more encounter with two girls in the baggage office as I take a sec to secure my ID in my jersey pocket and glide to the lobby and out the double doors to the cool autumn air.
5:15pm, I'm free. In a low gear, I give a couple of kicks past Terminal C. Feeling good, ready to race the available sunlight for an hour to the north shore. Oh wait...my helmet! is back in my office!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I took the long way to work yesterday morning, poking around the cobblestone streets and brownstone neighborhoods of East Boston near the Mystic river. The gravity of Boston's cityscape sprouting from the ocean pulled me here so I took it's picture with my low quality camera phone. Under the Tobin Bridge, looking up to the massive structure as rusty flakes floated down like snow as traffic buzzed on two decks and six lanes within. And then the oddest sight.. looking to my right, upriver at a park I didn't know existed under the Tobin Bridge. A cobblestone way lined with Federalist granite and brick structures dotting the Charles river from the age of George Washington and Sam Adams.


And this tree, absolutely the oldest I've ever seen. Like a monstrous three armed serpent muscling it's way through the earth has got to be older than the bridge that stands above it. Oh well, enough history. Got to get to work.

Opportunity knocks but once

Someone has got to open the door...I did, and behind it I find my friend Roger Mercaldi with an offer I could not let slip away,

Dear Racer-Companion / Estimado Corredor-Acompañante:

- You are officially in LA RUTA 2007, thanks for join us for the adventure of a life time. If you have any questions feel free in asking.
- Usted esta inscrito oficialmente en LA RUTA 2007, gracias por unirse a nosotros en la aventura de su vida. Si tiene alguna pregunta, no dude en realizarla.This is the year of La Ruta de los Conquistadores for me. This was an easier decision knowing I'd have four trusted friends to share the slog and suffering. There's plenty of red mud and volcano ascending to go around! Reenie + Thom Greene, Harry Precourt and Roger Mercaldi (among many other familiar faces). I can't tell if it's nervousness, fear or excitement that's making me shake in my chair right now, could be an abundance of caffeine...Decisions need to be nailed down about equipment choice, gears or no gears? I am leaning to my Single Speed but will ready the geared bike in case my common sense gets the better of me. Holy Cow! I'm going to Costa Rica!

Kahuna!

I live here, I ride here, so do the rest of these people..but it takes a Kahuna ride to bring out everybody simultaneously.

Prerequisites for the annual Kahuna ride;

Large hang-over...check
lots of riders, seventy seven to be exact...check
heavy, fully suspended bicycle...check
lots of sugary snacks for fuel...check
6.5 hours of technical trails...check
well then, let's ride!

Brad and Thom P got the tough guy award for their equipment choices.
Thom being a die-hard SS rider and Brad went 'hard in the front yard on his 29'er.
George was good enough to loan me his Wraith for Kahuna '07.
An exceptional machine for rough terrain and drop offs. Constructed of all steel, slack head angle, single pivot design with a unified rear triangle. Game on!
With it's stout steel frame the Wraith proved to be an efficient pedal'er and allot of fun, fully able to ride out of many precarious situations (ie, it saved my ass a few times).

Jeff and Ken also enjoyed the day aboard a Wraith.
Jeff was very stylish with his color coordinated black diamond rig.In short, the kahuna is the anti-race.
fun with friends
go full throttle
stop and share stories
and chug grape soda
I wonder if the north shore of Boston is known in the bike industry as a hot bed of destruction and a frame company's worst nightmare.

pool is open

Vermont 50, a pivotal 3 miles

This is one of the most beautiful races in New England, if not the entire country. Numerous times during this difficult ride racers are rewarded with 360 degree views of Vermont's hilly panorama. Rising above it all, lush gentle green whale backs surface through wispy white fluff. Fog burning off as rays of sun sear the morning haze while dull gray blue horizon grows to a deep Sapphire as the day is born. Drink it in and feel the reward of a fucking spectacular day. The last time I got into this race (2003 or 04) it rained all day. It doesn't get better than this year my friends, commence mother nature.

Photo credit, Ride Junkie!

I am peering off into the distance as I crest the highest point in the race at mile 22. I take a lone second to soak it in for a fleeting moment and store in an earmarked folder in my noggin, I have no camera aboard to capture this view. As I look to where the fence once stood the hurdle is no longer. I enjoyed hopping the fence in years past, then smelling the eggs cooking at aid 4, hearing Jimmy Buffet tunes and gorging on food. No fence, and no Buffet singing this year. Silent supporters starred motionless. I don't think they were fully awake yet, it seems that we were among some of the first 600 people to roll thru. Thom Parson's silhouette is climbing aboard his two wheeled rocket and dives down the slope. I am filling my bottles and stripping a layer as Thom rolls out of sight. It's for the best. I need to race my own pace. He is a climbing machine and my strength lies with a different stride.
I whisk past my good friend Jeff Whittingham, he is crouched in the high ferns shooting pictures with a DSLR and he yells, "3rd SS, 20 seconds!" That's the lead Thom has on me, and I know Brian Lyster has a couple minute lead on Thom, and his lead will grow, as will Thom's. I am satisfied with what I've got, "now just keep it together Andy" I tell myself. "Hold it fast, fight, get pissed." Twenty five formidable miles to go. Tear it up!
And that's pretty much as it went. Good hard earned memories and a few cold beers for desert.
Results here. Timing is screwed up and somehow put Thom in 136th place...he should be 6th overall, 2nd Single Speed. I grabbed 12th overall, 3rd SS'er at 4:47.
Thanks for the good times everyone that put this one on. Big Thanks to Jeff Whittingham for the support and photos, Race director Mike Silverman, Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, and all the people at the many aid stations.
Update, scroll to the bottom..they also have me as a DNF #361. Maybe I had an out of body experience?

Greg, Me and Thom after finishing...no dirt? We look as clean as roadies after 50 miles of Vermont roads and single track!

Bolton Bill

Bill sent along some pictures of his weekend at Bolton Valley.
I liked this one the best, I call it Bolton Bus Bill meets Saturday Night Fever.
Stayin alive, staying alive...

Here is a short video clip

don't worry the second guy is OK

looks worse than it seems?? (says Bill)

Oh, now I remember why I got AWAY from freeriding

Thanks for passing along William.

---Point the arrow --->

The following post is directed to the many cycling junkies out there that suffer with stabbing lower back pain DURING long races and adhesions the size of concord grapes in the shoulder area RESULTING from hours in a crunched position on the saddle.
I was given some very effective advice from Betty. Now that the MTB season is almost over I'll share this info with my competition :) (I mean my friends) This advice is not so much about pain relief but pain avoidance. I call it "point the arrow".
The longer the race, the more time spent in the pain box. I have made the mistake in longer races by hurting myself with bad race posture. Crunched into a ball after hours of climbing, curving my spine, Abdomen & obliques tightened, clenching the bars with knuckles glowing white, gritting teeth, squeezing facial muscles, squinting eyes...(sounds like fun huh MOM?)
Point the arrow is simple but I didn't quite figure it out untill Betty explained it in a very simple way...so I'll share her advice and it might help you too.
When standing against a wall with eyes pointed straight in front of you, take your hand and touch the very top of your head. This is the point of your arrow.
Back to your bike...It's hour five of a 100 mile race, you are suffering half way up on a huge slope. Instead of crunching into a ball and tightening up --point the arrow-->...turn your pelvis, lengthen and straighten your back. Imagine that you must break into the earth's atmosphere with just one point of your body and this is the very top of your head. NOT down low but at a comfortable upright postion. crazy talk? Try it.
Pelvis--back--neck--head--> aligned. Now point the arrow. Don't bend your neck but look with your eyes. Head in line, stomach muscles now release because you are lengthening your spine and straightening not crouched over. Blood flow improves to your core, breathing greatly improves, overall stress level dramatically drops, release facial muscles, now the hands...bend the elbows and release pressure from the palms.
Fun level returns. Pain subsides. Drop the hammer.
VT50 report to come... yes I did allot of arrow pointing.

OK, enough about bike pain, how bout some bike hotties from interbike '07???

A favorite race this weekend

This weekend I'll be visiting an old friend that I haven't seen in four years. This is the friend that spawned my obsession with pain and discomfort many years ago. Forced me recognize the importance of nutrition and was the impetus to train in order to overcome leg cramps and endless climbs. This friend.. VT50. Looking forward to it, bittersweet because it's the final mountain bike race for me this year. I am a lucky guy indeed. It's going to be a memorable reunion I hope.
On the Igleheart news front: There's a great Boston Globe article about Christopher, his passion for providing two wheeled vehicles to the world, hand made, one at a time. Don't know why the scowl on my face...maybe cause I had a flat? Can't remember...And yes, we called each other before this ride to be sure we were color coordinated.

Per a phone conversation with curious George earlier today I was reminded that I've been neglecting my blog audience, sorry. As for the kitchen project.. almost wrapped up. Maybe by Thanksgiving we'll be truly done. The punch list is dwindling but lingering none the less. Here's a before and after of what Lesli and I have been doing at home.

Hard to believe that it's the same room, or that we didn't do it sooner.

Gus helped too, and boy he's tired.

And this was just dropped off by the mail man...
In our hasty departure from the Great Glen 24 hour race we didn't have the opportunity to stand on the podium next to our worthy opponents. Mary has sent on the medal and trophy. Thank you. Funny, this is the second reminder of that race this week. Wednesday I was teamed up with Jon Bernhard for "Madison" drills at ECV 'cross practice. Jon was a driving force on the MTB Mind team that we battled with for 24 hours. We both laughed, now on the same team for a short time Wednesday.

Double Hoo'na and 29'er Review

The air was crisp, clear and a bit chilly but I didn't go for the tights quite yet. I did opt for the long sleeves and glad to have them. Sunday's high temp for Boston was in the low sixties. The best of riding conditions in my opinion. Rain on Saturday flattened out the trails and dust was at a minimum. Glen Cook, Jon Stanwood and myself rode from the hood to Gordon and points north on a modified double K that would take us 6+ hours to complete. Two Planned Sags along our route where I stashed a gallon of water and fruit the previous night.

Whoops, next time I'll put the bananas in an animal-proof box and not just tie them to a tree in a plastic shopping bag!

Multiple choice; choose the best answer...
(a) Glen helping John place his bike on the other side of the guard rail
(b) two riders having a closer look at the rear wheel
or
(c) Glenn using the guard rail to bend back John's big ring!





The view from atop Red Rock, visibility was ~30 miles

Now for a quick review on my Igleheart 29'er Single Speed.

I can now write an informative review on my new ride now that I've had some longer rides on my new Favorite bike. I've started to sell off my 26 inch components and am hooked on the 29 inch wheels. This thing rocks on the rocks! The larger wheels fill in gaps that 26 inch wheels get stuck in...bottom line is that 29'ers run smoother over the rough and seem more stable.

A slightly longer wheelbase aids in out of the saddle climbing and high speed descents. My Igleheart 29'er likes to attack rocky climbs and loose conditions and really digs in. As a new comer to one gear riding I can tell you that attacking climbs is a big part of the ss riding style, especially where I live. Small technical ascents and rocky descents is what we've got here on the north shore of Boston...and glad to have 'em. I notice a huge improvement on traction in general while standing on climbs. The bigger wheel up front allows for better descending characteristics and although the Reba that I've chosen only provides 3 inches of travel up front this bike handles downhills with ease.

With a downside to everything, a 29 inch wheel is most likely weaker than a 26 inch wheel and more susceptible to warping. For this reason I don't think that many 29'er down hill bikes will be roaring down the face of whistler any time soon but you never know.

Another trait I've noticed is directly due to the lower top tube of the frame on this bike. Not only does it's position provide for better clearance but makes for a stiffer bike laterally. This is important because (from my own brief experience) SS riding involves more lateral torque on the frame as you twist, pull and stomp the pedals to the top of climbs.

I am having a absurdly large time with this new bike and can't wait for another ride. Thanks again to Christopher Igleheart. You done good!

I stashed sag #2 under a pile of rocks in B+T's...provided a safe haven for vital replenishment :)

Missouri was friendly to my neighbors

The tour of Missouri was kind to Jesse and Tim

but more like the tour of Misery for Huff

Brad Huffs bike (Slipstream-Chipotle) was determined to get to the finish line with or without him

Tim Johnson (Healthnet) comes to the front to help bring back the break

Jesse Anthony Kodak/Sierra Nevada comes to help teammate Dominic Rollin with the 3rd place

Fourth placed overall Dominque Rollin (Kodak Gallery-Sierra Nevada) and third placed David Cañada (Saunier Duval-Prodir) only one second ahead. After Rollin won the first intermediate sprint just ahead of Cañada, it was down to the finish sprint. "With one kilometre to go I had two team-mates left with me and I jumped at a good moment," said Rollin. "They did an amazing job to keep me up there. Jesse [Anthony] dropped me off with 300 metres to go and it may have been a little too soon but it worked out perfect. I am happy with my accomplishment here."

Shenandoah Mountain 100

Get Pumped!

I was stoked to be on a single gear for this years Shenandoah 100. More out of curiosity and to try something new. The opportunity came last week when vicious cycles finished up the paint job on my Igleheart 29 Single Speed..."send it overnight!" Which they did and my frame arrived Wednesday morning and was built Wednesday evening at the Shop.

I woke early the following morning and threw my leg over the top tube for the first time and tore around my local trails for an hour. Instantly noticed the improved traction of the over sized 29x2.25 tires and the gear felt right at 32x18...but what the hell did I know about that.. having never been stuck in one gear. I looked forward to riding all day on this new ride with no ambition of a podium finish, it just kinda happened :)

Go Hard in the front yard Ramponi!

Jeff and I were camped with some fellow Bostonians, Karen Potter, Jeff Gilman, IF's Lloyd Graves, and Mike Ramponi. Here's Ramponi and his vintage 1988 "top banana" jersey. Quite a statement about cycling as the fountain of youth, the jersey still fits after all these years. This long time ss'er has been "hard in the front yard!" for the better part of 20 years and still rockin. Mike turned in a 6th place in SS this year at SM100. Floyd was a class act, hanging around for hours post race, enjoying conversation with fellow mtb'ers and drinking his share of old dominion Sunday night. Swamper and Buck tried to feed him some good'ol West Virginia whiskey after we kicked many kegs. Landis sipped from the shot glass but turned down his rock star opportunity.
There's a great story on Cycling news of how the race unfolded and how Harlan Price and Jeff Schalk took on Floyd Landis, and about Sue Haywood totally destroyed her course record.

This is a picture from last years Shenandoah Mountain 100 but the weather was identical this time around. Early morning start and the sun rose just in time to don my shades for an all day spin. I stood on the line with Jeff Whittingham but as soon as Chris Scott bid 475 riders farewell that was the last I saw of Jeff. The pack swallowed me like a whale shark swallows a million plankton. Perfectly ok tho. I was there to ride all day and forget about the race as I spun 180 rpm for the first five or six miles. Geared riders were off the front and I was now surrounded by some SS guys I'd yo-yo with for the next eight and a half hours. Topher Valenti, Rich Dillon, Tim Dougherty , Jason Morgan, and Benji Klimas.
I was constantly looking around for Ramponi and Buck Keich hoping to ride a portion of the race with those dudes. Buck later told me that he was slowed with a flat while negotiating a large puddle on the first fire road. As for Mike and I actually heard him from high above on the Lynn Trail switchback shouting "I get to ride my bike all day".
The climb to Brailey's I remembered all too well from last year. I was fairly comfortable on the ascent, and sat aboard eating oatmeal cookies that my wife Lesli had made. I stuffed my jersey pockets full of these tasty cookies, no wrappers to drop or fidget with and no chocolate in the cookies to melt. My fueling plan now in full effect and I was hoping it would last till aid 4 where I could refuel.

The single track descent off Braily's was my favorite part again this year. Fast was not a problem, let go of the brakes, pick a good line and don't take too many risks on the tight off-chamber single track. Throw down a turbo pedal blast every now and then. The fat tires and plush Reba fork were soaking it all in. I loved how silent the SS was. No chain slap or gears to crunch or mis-shift.(photo courtesy of Jonathan Bruck)

Aid 4 I asked the attending mechanic to tighten my pedals two clicks each as I rapidly ate 11 orange slices machine gun style. I changed up bottles and had a cpl Advil and was back aboard for the long road stretch which would have totally sucked without help.
The road stretch ends with a right turn, over the river and up to a mile & 1/2 hike-a-bike that I mostly walked. I heard someone riding behind and got out of the way...Topher laying down the power. Good ride man! as he passed. This was my low point last year but this year I seemed to be hanging tough...must be the oatmeal cookies.
About twenty minutes before hitting the climb to Shenandoah Mountain I was alone on a false flat gravel road spinning my brains out and looking up the road at a group of 5 or 6 riders. As I closed in I could identify the unmistakable turbo pedaling traits of four SS guys. At this point I still didn't realize that Tim Dougherty had mechanical trouble with his rig and was forced out of the race..but instead thought he was tearing up the race and had escaped all of us. I could see from my vantage Topher was being reeled in by Rich, Benji and Jason and I was closing in just as fast. We soon grouped along with two geared riders and rolled together in a pod three across on the gravel road that seemed to mostly dip down to Shenandoah.
This was the coolest part of the race. Everybody was resting, conserving for what was coming. Friendly conversation in the air. It was clearly the calm before the storm and we all knew it.

The right turn up Shen, Jason took off, me next. Not looking back till getting to aid 5 near the top. Dicky came by and matched Jason's level of intensity. I was still in conservation mode, pedaling while seated, laying down power but remembering the length of this cigar shaped mountain must be in the neighborhood of ten miles and figured I'd reel Rich in somewhere in between. Simply not the case. Those guys held in there for the next hour placing 1st and second. I was stoked to grab third in the single speed race. Maybe the most fun I've ever had in a race. Later I'd realize that I beat my last year's time by 21 minutes placing 27th over all. sweet. Now that 12 hour drive from New England was worth it.

craziest guy out there (on a fixed gear) Tomi McMillar
turned in a 9th in SS

Eatough and Price #1 and #2 respectively in the NUE Series

Fast women of Shenandoah

Fast men of Shenandoah

Shaping up to be a good weekend...

Got some laughs with Bill, Ant and Jarred while building up the new rig for the weekend's adventure down in Va. SM100 on a single gear is going to be a learning curve but I'll have 100 miles to figure it out.

Heading back to Stokesville Virginia for the SM100 today. Looks like the heavy hitters in the endurance series will have a guest celeb to battle with at the Shenandoah 100 this weekend. Go Harlan! A couple adjustments needed and my new bike will be ready to rip. The Stans wheels and bontrager 2.25 tires are going to be super comfy, just hope they hold air! Thanks to Christopher Igleheart for another race worthy ride. A full write up to follow on how the new 29'er single speed performs after we return.