the seated climb

some views from the bike

2012-02-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

Getting those miles in...

Chem trails

2012-01-29T16:07:00.001-08:00

Hope you got your tin foil hats on!

Hard Travelin'

2012-01-25T12:10:00.001-08:00

I thought you knowd

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

peculiar prowl gravel grinder

2012-01-16T17:02:00.000-08:00

Sunday was the first ride ride I hosted for GGG, It was A great ride, on a beautiful day, with some good fellas. The route was top notch, in my humble opinion, it offered a good variety of scenery and terrain, plus a few adventurous bridge crossings. Plenty of short steep hills, but not so much that it felt too hilly. Our group of 11 riders rode the entire course together, minus the 2 that had to get back early, there were good dynamics in the group resulting in a good ride for all. The only downside was an absolutely crippling head wind that fought us the whole way to Drexel, but pushed us all the way back to Peculiar.
bridge out #1

waiting on a train

bridge out #2

Dave, strong man of the day

Casey's pizza, the corner stone of any nutritious diet

Sunset

2012-01-16T13:22:00.001-08:00

Lookin west from coldwater rd.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Peculiar Prowl

2012-01-11T23:34:00.000-08:00

Growing up one of my best friend's dad would tell us stories of being a biker in a gang called the Peculiar Prowlers. On choppers with whiskey keg sissy bars and stretched forks they ruled the mean streets of Peculiar, Mo. He was quite a character, some to look up to...well maybe? So when it came time for me to host a ride for the gravel grinder series I though I'd pay a little tribute to former biker Jack Shifley, and name it in honor of his once notorious, forever infamous band of brothers, The Peculiar Prowlers.

The 58 mile loop from Peculiar to Drexel and back will offer a Casey's stop in drexel, the half way point. There will also be a bail out option of a shorter loop. The course is moderately hilly, and there should be a few different paces going on out there, so everyone can ride as they feel. With some good weather and some good riders we might just have the making's of a pretty good ride.

We will start Sunday morning at 9:00 from the country mart in Peculiar, Mo. It's the first right after you exit 71. I will provide maps and cue sheets. A map of the route, and more details can be found here.

here are a few pictures from the route, or of roads somewhere in the vicinity.

cliff hanger

2012-01-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

took this video from All Hail the Black Market. It's totally stressful to watch, but totally awesome at the same time.

It also seems that my P.R. person is finally getting it done, getting my ugly mug on the cover of a magazine.

stick a fork in me

2012-01-01T12:38:00.000-08:00

Cross off the old year

You know it's bad when the last race of the year is harder than the first. I guess that's what not training for three weeks, eating a bunch of junk food around the holidays, and pulling a muscle playing indoor soccer will get you. Even with my lungs hurting, legs feeling as flat as they ever had, and puking my guts out in front of the whole crowd it was a good send off for this year's cross season.

I couldn't decide which of these photos from Choung I liked better so I posted both. One I look like a mad dog and the other, well what can you say about that except where is that arm coming from?

Great ride this morning from union station, free espresso shot was where it's at.

Halycon, whatever the hell that is, Holiday Gravel Grinder

2011-12-19T10:15:00.000-08:00

This past Sat. was Shoffner's 2nd annual Halycon Holiday Gravel Grinder. It was 20 degrees warmer and half as windy as last year, plus donuts and coffee courtesy of Dan Hughes and Sunflower Outdoor. But somehow only half as many riders showed up for this 40 or 60 mile gravel loop south of Lawrence via Baldwin and Wellsville. It was great ride with ideal conditions and all the elements of a good gravel ride like barbed wire crossings, unfinished highways and a small town Casey'stop.

That's a wrap

2011-12-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

Cross season is winding down locally. It has been A good season and I had a lot of fun. I rode some pretty good races and some not so good. I'm pleased with how this season played out. My fitness and riding developed well. I even got a few podium finishes. There are still three more series 60 races I plan on racing, but regular training is out. From here it's gravel rides and trying to lose some weight to get ready for road season.

jingle cross

2011-11-28T20:46:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was Jingle Cross Rock. It was to be the main focus of this year's cross season. After two days of racing and two really piss poor results I was discouraged and I needed the right motivation, some words that would point me in the right direction for Sunday's race.

Did it help? Went from 47th & 42nd to 17th (in a feild half the size as the earlier two).

I'm still giving credit to Goodman.

Actually it was a great weekend of racing, and despite my poor results I had a great time. I'm not sure if it was nerves or Mt. Krumpet's craggy peak but wasn't until Sunday that I felt like I was riding as I should. Either way I will be back next year, and ready for that damn hill.

the good, the bad, and the ugly

2011-11-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

Rescue Rad Cross Race Report

This past weekend was the second fill in race. Sunday's course was pretty simular to the previous rad cross course. A good thing. This course had all the elements, off cambers, sand, short climbs, flowy turns, power , aand recovery. Mark knows how to put together a good course!

I raced 3/4 and had a pretty good race. Got a lucky break early in the second lap as I got a good line around a pile up in the sand. From there it got a little ugly. I tripped on one of the barriers and ate it pretty hard, but didn't lose any spots. I felt pretty good for the next few laps, only to hook my bars on one of the posts on a short, tight uphill turn. It was one of the stangest crashes I've experenced. It threw me around 180 degrees, and after I hit the ground some part of the bike managed to hit me in the head. All of this with one pedal clipped in, and best of all I didn't lose any spots.

From here the rest of the race was business as usual The gap up to nick in front of me was too much for me to close, so I made sure the rider back

didn't get too close and finshed 6th on the day. I was happy. It had been fun racing in the cold and the fitness seems as good as I can expect.

I'm super excited for Jingle Cross this weekend and I found a video for a different type of racing I can throw in this week end. Space bikes at Planetr X, a family fun center in Cedar Rapids, are some sort of bicyle and amusement park ride hybrid.

check it out here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn7CSxbx4-o

An unfortunate set of circumstances

2011-11-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

360 / Blvd cups:

This weekend kicked off the series 60 CX series with Saturday's 360 cup and Sunday's Blvd. cup. Two great races with good sized fields on both days. Even though both races were held at the same venue each race had a different course and it's own distinct feel.

360 cup had a pretty mean climb and a few downhill off camber turns that were pretty tough, but short barriers and some good recovery sections made for a pretty fast course that was a lot of fun. The race was pretty uneventful, after long hard effort of pulling Chuong, trying to keep a gap on Joe, chuong attacked me to which I had no response, I ended with 15th on the day. It isn't the best result, but I'm ok with it.

Blvd. cup was also a fast and fun course with minimal climbing and an out and back roller coaster section of technical off camber turns. This race didn't go quite as well. I lined up in a decent spot right behind Joe, but as we took off and I tried to follow and my lane was closed out. I was forced to hit the brakes pull back then swing wide around the other riders, resulting in a pretty piss poor start. I felt pretty good and was able to move up fairly well. I made it up to 8th position and was riding pretty strong when things got a little messy. After coming out of the sand pit I heard the announcer say last lap for everyone on course. I thought to my self that seems quick, but I hadn't been paying attention to the lap counter myself ( biggest mistake). Thinking it was once around the ball field and a sprint to the line I dropped the hammer and begun to empty the tank, problem was I rolled my rear tire and went down on a tight S turn. As I jumped up and started riding I realized there was a bad rubbing against the frame, and as Joe went around me I decided to sit up and limp across the line ( there was a pretty big gap and I knew I wouldn't lose any spots). When I get to the line and pull up to address my wheel issue the officials say

one to go. Mark Kern then added "hey John your not done yet" I quickly pop the tire back on as 3 or 4 riders go whizzing by. With adrenaline now pumping through my veins I mounted my come back effort, which only got me around one rider before I rolled the tire again on one of the off camber turns. After that the come back effort was all but gone. I hung in for 13th place, kind of seemed appropriate.

In the end I certainly have nothing to complain about. Sure I would have liked to have had better results, but I'm still happy with how my fitness is developing, and I'm riding pretty confidently over all. Plus I did have a lot of fun racing, hanging out with friends and drinking good beer in the beautiful fall weather.

shadows grow so long before my eyes

2011-10-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

Great weekend of riding!

Sat got in 50 miles of gravel with KCBC and some other fellow riders. It was a beautiful, brisk fall morning. The sun sits so low in the sky this time of year that it provides the softest light and throws nice long shadows.

Sun was Boss Cross 3 on the most fun cyclocross course I've ever had the pleasure of riding. The BMX section really made me feel like a kid again. The course did have some god awful bumpy sections, but I was having way too much fun to mind those. I finished 8th in the cat 3 race and was happy with that, mostly because I felt like I rode to my potential for the first time this season, but also because I finally got the better of Joe.

Joules Cross

2011-10-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

Due to some scheduling issues and a sick kid at home I was only able to sneak in one race at this weekends Joules cross.

I raced masters 30+ first thing Sat morning. The weather was perfect, and the course was fun if not bumpy. As a bonus I was able to land a spot on the podium. Granted there was only 8 in our Field and Adam Mills had some type of mechanical. Still it was a fun race and going home with a prize makes it that much better.

cross out cancer

2011-10-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

Raced Cross Out Cancer this past Sunday. It was A good day of cross racing. The course was pretty similar to last years, but somehow seemed less bumpy. This year's course had a lot of pedaling as well, not a lot of recovery. It did flow really well though, and was a good course over all.

I raced twice getting 13th in the masters 35+ and 11th in the cat 3. I felt pretty tired by the end of the second race, but overall pretty pleased.

a tale of two races

2011-10-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Boss Cross #1 & #2

I was looking forward to these races all week for a few reasons. One, Joe and Jeremy are good guys that put on good races. Two I figured a 60 minute race would be suit me well. And three I raced pretty well here last year and figured I should be able to again this year. Well some of that came to be. I picked up a cold early in the week, but wasn't too worried. It hadn't kept me from training and the worst of the symptoms was a runny nose and some mild congestion. Saturday morning I felt pretty good, still optimistic with just a few sniffles. The plan was to mix a cocktail of pseudoephedrine and heed, to open me up and give a little boost. Warming up I could breath fine and felt good, that is until I went to shift up into my low gear and pulled the cable out of the rear der. I had a minor freak out knowing that we were only 10 minutes before the start. I hauled ass to my truck to get the bike back together. At the truck Clay Wells offered me his bike. It was a noble offer but I was able to get my bike running with just enough time to rush over to the start line and take a spot almost all the way in the back, not all the way after I snaked Mark Horn's spot ( he would easily pass me within the first lap). As the race started I got a good break, everyone seemed to shift to the right and I being on the left got a nice open line that put me in the top ten after the holeshot. As the race wore on I felt just alright. The long runs through the sand were killing me, but the cocktail was doing it's job, I could breathe... kind of. With three laps to go I puked up the cocktail. Still I was able to hang on for 9th place. I was happy with that.

Sunday didn't go nearly as well, even though I felt better before the race. I got a bad start, way in the back. I was able to move up a hand full of spots, with a shove from Lyles. Within a few laps it was clear I didn't have it in the tank, and I couldn't get enough air in my lungs. With 4 to go I checked out. I finished the rest of the race at the best pace I could muster, but there was no race in it.

In the end it was a real up and down weekend, and that's fine. I'm still really pumped about cross season, and looking forward to the rest of the season.

I also have to give it up to Brett Coppage for floating me $25 to get my registration on Saturday.

First cross race of the year

2011-09-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

Manions Cross was my first race of the year, and it was the most fun I've had on my bike in a while. The Manions course just gets better and better, this year it was hard, but not the I want to shoot myself in the face hard, but still fun enough to keep you wanting more. The venue is definitely one of the best, certainly the most picturesque, especially on a perfect fall day.

The race went pretty well. I raced 3/4 and finished right in the middle. The start was a little congested and I didn't get a great start, in fact I was pretty far back. However the pace back there wasn't crippling, so when things opened up I was able to move up pretty well. Early in my 2nd lap I ate it pretty hard over the handle bars as a rut in the middle of a turn that ate my front wheel. And then soon after that I rolled my tire on one of the off camber turns, apparently 30 psi is too low for tubulars. These weren't devastating issues, but put me too far back to get a great result. I still felt like I rode decent and overall was pretty pleased with the first race of year. I am looking forward to a great cross season.

Fleeting experence

2011-09-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gone for a ride with friends on a beautiful fall day. Maybe ride to Lawrence with a stop at Free State for a stout and a burger. and on the way back you come around a turn and look up and notice the sky is an exceptional shade of blue, the sun isn't an overwhelming oppressor and the tree line beyond the yellowing field of soy seemed abnormally stunning. One of those ideal moments on the bike. Then you think I should take a photo and try to capture a slice of this moment. And after you have that pic just can't quite translate the emotion, even comes across as dull.

Well here are a few of those pics

CX practice

2011-08-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

Anyone up for some cross practice?

Trying to get some people together to do some cross training on a fun little course in Penn Valley Park. The course will offer some good off camber stuff, winding turns, a mean run up, and barriers courtesy of KCBC. I was thinking a few short races, 15 & 20 mins. If this sounds good show up at the base of the Liberty Memorial (south side) this Wednesday by 6:00.

Tell all your friends!

gravel worlds

2011-08-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

Despite a real lack of form I headed up to Lincoln last weekend for Gravel Worlds. Even if I couldn't race it I could still enjoy a ride in the country with some good company, and that's just what I did. The first half I pushed a descent pace riding with Eric Finks and a few others. Leaving checkpoint 2 I hooked up with single speeders Aaron Gammel and Janna Vavra, both fellow TI v7 finishers, and rode it all the way in with them. The weather was ideal, relatively cool and overcast. The only problem was the trip up Friday night. I was to drive up Friday night with John Welsh after I got done at work. We left John's house at 11, 2 hours after I planned. Then when highway 29 was closed due to flooding we got routed to the wrong side of the river, forcing us to go all the way to Omaha. In the end we arrived 2 hours before the race started, sleeping for one of those hours had us starting a 150 mile gravel road race loopy and sleep deprived. All's well that ends well

Northern Michigan

2011-08-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

Spent the last week in Harbor Springs, Mi. with the family. It was a great vacation with some top notch riding thrown in.

Farmhouse meltdown

2011-07-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

Showers Pass Veleau saddle bag water system I won at DK. This thing is pretty cool, holds 44oz of water and is really convenient. only down side is limited space for supplies.

Brain, Mark, and Craig

refuel

dry dock

Sat was my second attempt at Joe Fox's Farmhouse classic. This year was pretty similar to last. A great ride, challenging course, great setting, lots of good food, and lots of good people. The ride was also pretty similar to last year with me falling apart half way through. This year I was in the lead group with Mark Cole and Curt Shelman 50 miles in, thinking about a podium finish, when the wheels fell completely off. By mile 60 I could barley keep the pedals turning as I was so dehydrated and overheated. I stopped at a farmhouse to hose off to cool down. There I watched a bunch of riders pass by and carry off any hopes of a podium finish with them. Mile 70 had gas station services where I ate, drank, and sat on the curb waiting for a group I could ride with. Not only was I in bad shape, but I didn't have a cue sheet since I had foolishly passed on a second que sheet at the first check point when we hurried through trying to maintain our lead. It wasn't long before tall Brian, Mark, Craig, and another rider pulled in. I had ridden gravel with these guys a number of times and knew they would be a good group to finish with.

After the race we relaxed under a big ole shade tree on Joe's sister's family's beautiful farm, ate pulled pork, cookies, and all sorts of goodies and shared in the fellowship of the gravel. It was a great way to end a great day.

sunflower state games

2011-07-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

crit

road race

The Sunflower games were the last road races I was planning on doing before taking some down time to rest up for cross season. Feeling pretty tired all week I was looking forward to next weeks slow down, but after riding reasonably well at TNW and then on Wed's Spin pizza ride, I felt optimistic about these races. Sat was the the crit, as well as my birthday, and I felt pretty good on the way up to Topeka. The race was windy and during the first half of the race I felt OK, but as the race worn on energy levels dropped and I let too much a gap open as I could not match the acceleration out of the first turn. With the winds and no legs I was dropped with 3 to go. It was a hard pill to swallow.

Despite oversleeping and getting to the race minutes before the start, Sat's road race went much better. I had good day, enjoying taking pulls and sitting in and taking hand ups and even went off the front for second. I finished up with a pretty piss poor sprint. As I narrowly avoided a really ugly crash I though to myself - I have a lot to learn about setting myself up for the final run in of these things - all in good time. Either way it was fun and I ended up with a decent middle pack finish.

Tour of Lawrence

2011-07-05T22:17:00.001-07:00

Sat. was really hard. despite a pretty poor result I really enjoyed this race. the course was different from any of the other races I have done this year. Sram neutral car on course was a bonus. I was dropped about a lap and a half into the race, but found a good group of 5 or 6 riders to work with, and share the misery, for the remainder of the race.

Sun, was also hard. It rained right up to the start leaving the course scattered with puddles and slick spots, resulting in 7 crashes. The pace was hard for me for the first 4 or 5 Laps as I dangled off the back. Eventually I was able to maintain contact with the group long enough to catch my breath a little. I then found a few good lines through a few of the corners and began trying to work my way up. I got a few good breaks when riders went down in front of me, allowing me to manage a mid pack finish. In the end I felt lucky to get the result I got, but that counts too.

I really enjoyed this race, especially the professional/ big time feel of the whole thing. As well as seeing friends in from out of state. Looking forward to next year.

4th of July

2011-07-04T22:04:00.001-07:00

recovery ride

2011-06-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

my daughter Olivia and I took a nice ride to the Liberty Memorial. Great recovery spin plus she had a ball, kept asking me if she can go on a group ride with me... soon enough.

Tour of KC

2011-06-26T22:01:00.001-07:00

Sat - bad, got dropped with about 9 to go. gutted it out solo while questioning my abilities. at least I didn't get lapped by the field or break anything.

Sun - better, rode much more confidently. able to stay with the group entire race even took a brief pull. back of the pack finish never felt so good.

father's day ride

2011-06-19T22:12:00.000-07:00

Birmingham rd

abandoned road

Missouri river

Missouri City
wildflower

father's day ride out to Missouri city to see if it was to suffer the same fate as in '93. water was high, but no danger of flooding the town.

found a few abandoned roads and had a great ride.

commuting

2011-06-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

A good portion of us at the restaurant have been riding to work.

need to get a rack.

should have known better... KC Cup

2011-06-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

Thursday night, on a whim, I decided I would enter the KC Cup mountain bike race. I don't ride my mtb very often, and it's evident in it's condition, and in my overall lack of skills. My bike wasn't in great shape with a blown out fork an no real rear brake to speak of, so teammate Tim Greene offered to let me ride his Turner. I jumped at the chance, as I had never rode a full suspension bike. After a quick warm up I knew I was in for some fun.

I raced the marathon class. My game plan was to ride steady and hope to real in tired riders as the race wore on, I hoped my endurance could offset my poor handling skills. heading into the single track I sat about mid way, but was passed by 6 or 7 riders. At the double track up hill I was able to pass back most of the riders, only to get passed back again on RIM's slippery rocks. By the second lap I had fallen pretty far back, I was having a lot of fun, but was moving at a pretty slow pace. As I was coming out of the woods to finish up my second lap I popped of a little root and when I landed I heard a terrible grinding noise. I looked down to see the seat tube snapped clean just above the BB. Holy shit, I though, every time I ride trails I break something on my bike this time it's somebody else's frame. Well that was the end of my race, two laps broken and a broken frame. Still it was fun while it lasted just wish I could have gotten a little more of a workout.

the ride of my life

2011-06-08T17:05:00.000-07:00

Dirty Kanza race report:

Dirty Kanza has become so much to me that it's hard to pick a place to start. It is more than a race through some of the most beautiful country around. It has fostered my love of gravel riding. And gave me the satisfaction of achieving such lofty goals, as well as giving me new challenges to work towards. Many friendships have been developed while training for and racing in this event. Plus it is unique in allowing my family to have an essential role, and contribute to the race experience. In all DK is more than the sum of these parts. In it's essence it is a combination of dust, sweat, heart, and guts that coaxes the very best out of me.

The game plan for this year's race was different than lasts. This year I was actually going to try to race it. I rode Trans Iowa just to finish and was successful, so this race was about as fast as a time as I could get, and hopefully a top ten finish. To do this I had to gamble on a few things, all carbon cyclocross frame, light weight cross tires, minimal water weight, ect.. The BH carbon cross frame was actually a pretty safe bet. I have been riding it since march and have become quite fond of it, it's stiff, light, and fits me well. Additionally I was confident that it could handle any bits of rouge gravel being thrown around. Ritchey Speed max pro folding cross tires were my choice for tires, I thought long and hard about tires and ended up with these mainly because they were light, fast, and I was pretty familiar with them. For water I wangled an old water bottle cage to my saddle bag using velcro straps, allowing me to for go the camelback. Ultimately these gambles did not pay off, none of which were catastrophic but 4 flat tires was kind of a pain, and I did end up using the camelback from checkpoint #1 on.

The race it self went really well, I especially enjoyed the start, 200+ riders hammering through rough rocky roads tyring to find the best line. By mile 30 the lead group had been thinned down to about 25 and on a particularly steep hill I got spit out the back. I still had a few guys around to work with, so getting to the first checkpoint was no problem. By mile 50 I felt kind of off, but managed to keep moving forward. By mile 70 I had found my rhythm, and was able to ride strong the the final 130 miles. I felt good enough that 10 -15 minutes was all the time I needed at the checkpoints, which was essential to my game plan. I was also fortunate enough to be out in front of the thunderstorm far enough that I all the weather I got was some wind and a few minutes of rain, not even enough to wash the dirt from my legs. The sun was still up when I crossed the line with a time of 14 hours 21 minutes for 5th place in open mens, 6th place overall.

It was a great day of gravel road racing that I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of. Thanks in large part to my wife and kids, not only for their support on race day, but during the months of training. I also have to give it up to my coach Gina, who developed my fitness, confidence, and made sure I was showing up on race day in the best condition possible.

poachin'

2011-05-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

dismount

barrier

high water

skyline view

poached some gravel lines with the rasta rider,
with only limited amounts of harassment.
despite the warning nobody shot at us.

great to be on the bike for what was probably the nicest day of the year so far

ready for the taper

2011-05-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

ideal country road

waves of wheat

should of brought my tackle

suspension foot bridge

cowboys

Last big ride before DK, wish I could say it went better.

I got my mind right, but the legs just were not on board.

Rode from the house to lake annette, which could easily be the setting for the next Rob Zombie horror flick, part kitchy 50's lake resort part trailer park, soaked in LSD and topped with meth.

words don't do it justice.

looks like rain

2011-05-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

stacked stone

power house Jim Rank

Joe, Ivy, Wes

John Welsh pondering DK and the flint hills

Ivy

Jeremy

DK Warm Up

Skies looked as if they could open up at any minute, but luckily they never did as I was barely dressed warm enough for the 50 degree day.

It ended up being a great group of guys enjoying a great ride. That is except for Jason, whose ride was cut short in less than a hour after going through all his and riding partner Frank's spare tubes.

In fact all of us had at least one flat with the exception of the 3 of us that were riding Schwalbes.

new tattoo

2011-05-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

first session of a new tattoo project

by artist Mark Galloway.

5 hours outlining about 90% of the tattoo extending from the back of my knees to the top of my shoulders.

I realize it's not bike related, but I'm really excited about this one and had to show it off.

all in the family

2011-05-09T22:05:00.000-07:00

windy

Tommy

old red barn

sheltered road

4 time

A good ride in the country with my brother

fair bit of headwind, seems to be the norm as of late

back in the saddle again

2011-05-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

It's good to be back into regular training,

and to be on the bike for the magic momnent when evening overtakes the day.

rode hard and put away wet

2011-04-27T00:47:00.000-07:00

Trans Iowa V7 recap

Last October in a moment of confidence, or ignorance, I decided I would sign up for Trans Iowa V7. I wasn't sure if I was capable of riding the 320+ mile course in one continuous, unsupported effort, but no better way to test your mettle than trial by fire. So I signed up, trained like hell and showed up in Grinnell, Iowa to race what could be the most physical challenge of my life. What follows is my story.

Friday night was the mandatory racer meeting and sign in at the Grinnell steak house, one of those kitchy cook your own meat restaurants, of which I'm a fan. After signing in, greeting familiar faces, and consuming the largest steak I could find in the cooler we filed into a meeting room. Guitar Ted gave us a once over of the rules, course conditions, as well as hand had out our race numbers, that came in the form of Buddhist prayer flags and inform us of the documentary film crew that was to be on course filming. The shin dig was fun but soon it was back to the room to make final decisions on what to wear and how much food to carry ect. Sarah surprised me with a little good luck charm, a Madonna del Ghisallo medal, the patron saint of cycling. I pinned it on my camelback along with my prayer flag thinking I'm not a religious man, but it can't hurt. When the alarm rang at 3:00 AM I felt my first streaks of fear, not the mix of anxiety and excitement that had been rolling threw my guts for the last 5 days, but real what the hell am I about to do fear. Luckily I was able to fend off those feelings and replace them with hurrying to get ready to make it downtown for the 4 A.M. start time.

The start was good, a thick blanket of fog quickly cleared up revealing a beautiful starry spring night. The roads were fast but wet and mud was flying everywhere, giving everyone healthy splattering grit. Through this I was able maintain a decent spot in the lead group, I even offered a few brief pulls. By the time we reached the first checkpoint at the 53 mile mark my drive train sounded as if it could explode at any minute from all the mud and gunk thrown up form the road. I felt good as I feverishly checked in, tried to clean out my drive train, and refill my water bottles. The vibe at the checkpoint was hectic at best. I tried to spit out a few clever thoughts to the film crew about savoring the moment, all 30 hours of them, but I'm sure it came out as a jumbled mess.

The leaders were quick to head out, so I latched on to a small group and headed out a few minutes after the lead group of three took off. The pace was fast and I was consequently spit out out the back about 5 miles out, and was strung out between two small groups. This is were I resolved to ride my own ride and settle into a pace I could maintain for 24 more hours. It was sunny, warming up and I had a long stretch of tailwind, I was content and confident.

After missing a few turns I ended up with a group of about 10. We were a random assortment of riders that seemed to have a good dynamic, and we would stay together for the what would be the majority of the race. The rest of the afternoon past by with mile after mile of ideal gravel roads and muddy unrideable B roads through the hills and farm lands of rural Iowa. I was in hog heaven, getting the Trans Iowa experience that I came for. While on this stretch the film crew got lots of footage of us, I even managed a few shameless close ups. We rolled into checkpoint two at mile 177 shortly after the sun went down and about 2 hours before the cut off time, this is where the real challenge began.

As the night wore on the affects of sleep deprivation mixed with exhaustion created a difficult mind frame, something I think everyone in our group was experiencing. The pace began to slow and the stops became more frequent, talking was almost none existent as everybody stared blankly down the spotlit road. Soon the hardest challenge just to keep my eyes open. I would sprint a hill to get my heart rate up and a blast of energy only to nod off on the downhill, waking as I started to swerve. I tried to talk to any of my companions about anything I could, just to try to stay awake, I even told the old Mcdunna nails joke (it was Easter by this point). After a few hallucinations and a couple more nods the sun finally started to rise for second time this race. With the sun came the realization that we had slowed down so much that if we stayed at our current pace we would finish with only a few minutes before the 2:00 cut off time.After a long set a big rollers I had opened a pretty good gap, I stopped to let 2 other riders from our group catch up and there I suggested we take off to ensure we make it in before the cut off time, the other riders agreed and off we went.

The three of us pushed on the last 70 miles at a pace that would easily get us to the finish line before the cut off. During this time we deiced we would ride in together not attempting any attacks on each other, reaffirming the gentile roots of our sport. As the last few miles ticked by the realization that I was going to be Trans Iowa a finisher was filling me with euphoria. Although when I finally crossed the finish line for 7th place in 32 hours 13 minutes, after hugging my family and shaking the hands of race organizers, Guitar Ted and David Pals, all I could get out was "I'm really tired." So we returned to the hotel for quick shower and hot tub before Sarah drove us home.

In the end I felt elated, I felt proud, and mostly I felt like A dragon slayer who had just killed the baddest beast in the land.

Cell unit

2011-04-20T15:05:00.001-07:00

Test shot

Sent from Yahoo! Mail on
Android

getting my mind right

2011-04-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

this church had me thinking it would be fun to put on an old fashion steeplechase

bald eagle and it's nest

fast section of pavement

country roads take me home

wildflowers

mixed plate hold the ham for beef

riverside to weston half gravel half pavement lots of big rollers

getting focused for the upcomming challenge

downhill from here

2011-04-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

green room at 7AM no hookers or blow to be found

clouds finally broke

over the edge

tough ride today my heart just wasn't in it.

managed to get in some good efforts on some big hills, but other than that it was phoned in.

wasn't a total wash I did get a little face time on fox 4... for whoever is watching at 7:30 saturday morning

spring training

2011-04-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

daffodils

off the beaten path

farm road

It seems as if spring is really here, it's made for some really pleasant trainig rides.

Against the Wind

2011-04-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

no where to hide

don't like snakes

new cross frame

water crossing

110 mile loop out of Archie, Mo. wind was in my face all day.

it was a hard one, but the last big day before Trans Iowa.

training ride

2011-04-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

the road goes on forever...

and the suburbs never end.

80 mile loop through shawnee and southern Joco. Riding in the suburbs may lack scenery, but makes up for it with uptight drivers and texting soccer moms.

TNW

2011-04-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

First night of TNW. Needed to get back on the horse after Saturday's crash. Confidence was wavering, but in the end it was restored.

Sunset was reassuring

Really windy gravel ride

2011-04-05T00:57:00.000-07:00

as soon as I stepped out of the car I knew it was going to be a battle

changing a flat

town pump Foster, Mo.

smooth B road

95 mile gravel loop from Drexel via Foster and Adrain. It was one of the windiest days I've ever ridden. When the wind was in your face it was hell, but at your back it was heaven.

Despite the wind it was a beatiful early spring day to be on the bike.