He went deeper into black
Deeper into white.
He could see the stars shine
Like nails in the night.
Exit - U2
Exit - U2
Monday, July 14, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
A month full of randomness
I have said before that I am glad that phones have cameras. This way I know what I did!
Ethan spent a week camping in WVa with Shelly's folks. Shelly and I planned to get away for a couple days of kayaking with Brock staying at my folks. The weather conspired against that plan, but not wanting to disappoint Brock or Grandpa, we headed out for some inside type of fun. First stop was the Harvest Moon Cafe in Canal Winchester. This place is worth the stop with good food/drinks and nice atmosphere with brick and black pipe interior. From there we hit up Iron Pony, REI, Jeni's Ice Cream, Trader Joe's before heading back to Athens for supper (and some World Cup soccer) at Jackie O's. Fun day to get away. As an aside, I picked up a pair of TCX Track boots for dual sport riding. Lot's cheaper than a broken foot.
Speaking of, with a dual sport camping ride planned in a few weeks, I picked up some Michelin T63 tires for the KTM to replace the worn out Sahara's that are on it. Should make a great dirt road/trail tire.
The following week we decided to pack up a tent and take Brock camping. The weather forecast for Davis, WVa looked great with highs in the mid 70's and lows in the 50's with fair skies. We got in to Thomas, WVa and to the Tip Top coffee shop in time for lunch and to watch the USMNT versus Germany cup game. From there we set up camp, checked out Blackwater Falls, the Blackwater River valley views, the Dry Fork River, some pizza from Siriani's, playground time in Canaan Valley and back to camp in time for a fire and marshmallows. Brock was great and slept like a rock. We even had a woodcock hanging around in the camp. Up the next morning around 5am to make coffee while Brock slept in. We stopped at the Laurel Valley wind turbine installation after breakfast and before having a Hellbender Burrito for lunch. After that, we headed back home, watching the temperature rise 10 degrees plus humidity as we dropped out of the mountains.
With that, June ended with the passing of a great man, Chad Vanco, a coworker who was fighting cancer. At only 42 years old with a wife and two kids, it was a tough loss. I watched the USMNT game versus Belgium at Jackie O's with a few other folks! We celebrated 21 years since our first date. Got to take a short trail ride with Ethan. From there, I have just torn stuff up. Ethan broke the chain on his TTR. My MASI road frame is being replaced (under warranty) as the bottom race for the headset bearing came loose from the frame. The generator quit generating on the old Sportster. And yesterday my final drive belt broke on my Buell on my way home from work. Thankfully it wasn't in the construction area I just came out of when it happened and dad was able to pick me up. Also found a bad rear wheel bearing when I took it apart (most likely related). And lastly, a good friend lost his job. I need a bike ride...
Ethan spent a week camping in WVa with Shelly's folks. Shelly and I planned to get away for a couple days of kayaking with Brock staying at my folks. The weather conspired against that plan, but not wanting to disappoint Brock or Grandpa, we headed out for some inside type of fun. First stop was the Harvest Moon Cafe in Canal Winchester. This place is worth the stop with good food/drinks and nice atmosphere with brick and black pipe interior. From there we hit up Iron Pony, REI, Jeni's Ice Cream, Trader Joe's before heading back to Athens for supper (and some World Cup soccer) at Jackie O's. Fun day to get away. As an aside, I picked up a pair of TCX Track boots for dual sport riding. Lot's cheaper than a broken foot.
Speaking of, with a dual sport camping ride planned in a few weeks, I picked up some Michelin T63 tires for the KTM to replace the worn out Sahara's that are on it. Should make a great dirt road/trail tire.
The following week we decided to pack up a tent and take Brock camping. The weather forecast for Davis, WVa looked great with highs in the mid 70's and lows in the 50's with fair skies. We got in to Thomas, WVa and to the Tip Top coffee shop in time for lunch and to watch the USMNT versus Germany cup game. From there we set up camp, checked out Blackwater Falls, the Blackwater River valley views, the Dry Fork River, some pizza from Siriani's, playground time in Canaan Valley and back to camp in time for a fire and marshmallows. Brock was great and slept like a rock. We even had a woodcock hanging around in the camp. Up the next morning around 5am to make coffee while Brock slept in. We stopped at the Laurel Valley wind turbine installation after breakfast and before having a Hellbender Burrito for lunch. After that, we headed back home, watching the temperature rise 10 degrees plus humidity as we dropped out of the mountains.
With that, June ended with the passing of a great man, Chad Vanco, a coworker who was fighting cancer. At only 42 years old with a wife and two kids, it was a tough loss. I watched the USMNT game versus Belgium at Jackie O's with a few other folks! We celebrated 21 years since our first date. Got to take a short trail ride with Ethan. From there, I have just torn stuff up. Ethan broke the chain on his TTR. My MASI road frame is being replaced (under warranty) as the bottom race for the headset bearing came loose from the frame. The generator quit generating on the old Sportster. And yesterday my final drive belt broke on my Buell on my way home from work. Thankfully it wasn't in the construction area I just came out of when it happened and dad was able to pick me up. Also found a bad rear wheel bearing when I took it apart (most likely related). And lastly, a good friend lost his job. I need a bike ride...
Monday, June 9, 2014
Ultra
Last time I wrote, I was contemplating the Wayne Ultra. This race seems to happen every year on the same weekend as Brock and Michael's birthday. I tried to plan around those this year and manage the race. After a long day getting ready for parties, the party itself, and the cleanup to follow I was completely wasted. I overslept the following morning (of the race) and decided to let it go again this year. Sadly it was the best weather I can remember for the event too. When racing (and the required training) are pushed lower and lower on the priorities list, it is really hard to prepare for an ultra distance event. It is what it is. Maybe next year.
Ethan has grown so much much and now is officially moving on to high school. This also means he has outgrown the PW80 dirt bike. This spring I sold an old youth four wheeler (from my youth kind of old) and his PW80 so we could afford to pick up something more his size. Enter the Yamaha TTR125L. Great little trail bike for him to learn on. A friend at work knew somebody, which was better than the craigslist surfing. For example, messages about a used DRZ125:
Me: When might be a good time to come look at your DRZ?
Seller: Umm not sure yet I'm fishin right now and I don't know when I'll be back.
Apparently he never got back.
I also am replacing my old Honda XL500S (contact me if you are interested in it), replacing it with a used KTM 640. That KTM vibrates as much as my old Harley, makes me feel right at home. And now I can ride-the-world (or at least ride it to work which is about where my world ends most days). Got to take a road trip with a good friend to pick it up. Been a long time since I did that and it was a good day.
Other happenings have included the dismantling of our tree house. I built it for the older boys, before Brock was ever a possibility. The tree had grown so much it was breaking the deck and mounting support. I tried to take the house down to keep as a play house for Brock. Things didn't work out thought when a temporary brace broke, sending the house to the ground. At least nobody was hurt and the house it rebuild-able. Bonus: Brock loves where I moved the slide. Of course the same day I also broke my tractor blade trying to fix the driveway (again) following the down pours from the week before.
I'll make a plug for Shade Winery here. We sneaked away from my folks while they had the boys to sit on the deck with a glass of wine on a great Sunday afternoon. Super people, great atmosphere. You should go.
Ethan has grown so much much and now is officially moving on to high school. This also means he has outgrown the PW80 dirt bike. This spring I sold an old youth four wheeler (from my youth kind of old) and his PW80 so we could afford to pick up something more his size. Enter the Yamaha TTR125L. Great little trail bike for him to learn on. A friend at work knew somebody, which was better than the craigslist surfing. For example, messages about a used DRZ125:
Me: When might be a good time to come look at your DRZ?
Seller: Umm not sure yet I'm fishin right now and I don't know when I'll be back.
Apparently he never got back.
I also am replacing my old Honda XL500S (contact me if you are interested in it), replacing it with a used KTM 640. That KTM vibrates as much as my old Harley, makes me feel right at home. And now I can ride-the-world (or at least ride it to work which is about where my world ends most days). Got to take a road trip with a good friend to pick it up. Been a long time since I did that and it was a good day.
Other happenings have included the dismantling of our tree house. I built it for the older boys, before Brock was ever a possibility. The tree had grown so much it was breaking the deck and mounting support. I tried to take the house down to keep as a play house for Brock. Things didn't work out thought when a temporary brace broke, sending the house to the ground. At least nobody was hurt and the house it rebuild-able. Bonus: Brock loves where I moved the slide. Of course the same day I also broke my tractor blade trying to fix the driveway (again) following the down pours from the week before.
Monday, May 5, 2014
May the Fourth be with you.
"Riding a singlespeed is the closest to Jedi anyone can get on a bike." - Heather Irmiger (Women's Single Speed World Champ)
Yesterday was May the Fourth. All the Star Wars references seem appropriate with the above quote as I headed to Scioto Trails State Park to race with OMBC. I had not ridden here before but only heard that there were three large climbs and that the course was fairly non-technical. I thought to myself, great, this could lean towards my strengths. So, I packed up the truck and headed toward Chilicothe, arriving in time to register, change, and relax before the start. I did a short warm up after chatting with a gentleman and his 11 year old son who was riding in the junior class. I was going to ride over this log pile, but then I saw the painted sign (STAY OFF PILE).
Back to the start. Ryan asked how many expert single speed riders there were. Turns out, only two of us, so of course we got bumped into the open expert class (the fastest group of riders there). No big deal, I wasn't expecting to place, but rather was there as a warm up to the up coming Wayne Ultra in two weeks. He sent us off and down the dirt airport (logging) road to the start of the first single track section. This worked out well and the geared riders got through the first bottle neck so I was able to ride it with a clear trail. Other than pinning my heart rate a little higher than I wanted, the first single track section went well. The trail then crosses a creek and out into the open field followed by another creek crossing with a crazy steep drop into the creak bottom. From there we climbed. And climbed. And climbed up the forest access road. The grade isn't terrible but it was climbing for nearly 3 miles with about 3/4 mile at 6%. OK, even on my single speed, I can ride this three times I thought. Finally at the top and a very nice volunteer points me into the woods.
Straight down. From here until I drop out onto the airport road again the trail is either straight up or straight down except for a short section of road about mid way. Crazy steep, no, stupid steep if you are on a single speed, made even worse by the constant giant water bars and horse hoof beat trails. I hit the bottom, through the creek, and the second climb looks like it is about to fall over on me. One half mile at 12%. I am walking. A few of the riders are pedaling their way up, there must be something wrong with them though. Finally made it to the top with my calves burning (stiff XC shoes may be good for pedal efficiency, but not much for hiking). Some ridge top trail and more forest road follows until we are back in the woods for some more brake smoking, water bar hopping trail to another creek crossing and climb. Another half mile, 11% climb (walk) followed by a rolling ridge of water bars and another super steep down and onto some multi-use (horse) trail before popping out onto the road.
Lap one done. 61 minutes.
Over the next lap, I intentionally slowed. I was already at the back of the expert field and had a few of the sport class rides catch me. I knew what was coming and that I needed to make three laps. I was able to get some GU gel down, but the electrolyte mix in my Osprey pack wasn't going down well. Thankfully, the course worker had some bottled water which I pounded as I started down toward climb 3.
Lap two done. 69 minutes.
Two laps equal to 2 hours, 10 minutes. Just happens to be the time of the first place open expert rider. That's right, he finished all three laps in the time I spent on two. I made my turn in the trail for my final lap and it got lonely. Like, I could die out here and they wouldn't find me lonely. The third trip up the forest road climb was hard, but nothing compared to what was about to happen with climb #2. As soon as I hit the first water bar, major cramp in my left calf. I am talking, toes pointing down, how do I get off this bike, yelled out loud painful cramp. Cramp worked out, now I have to carry myself and bike up this crazy hill. It got real slow from here. I couldn't climb anything without that painful twinge in my muscle. I did my best to get all the fluids I could down, though I was not feeling dehydrated. I can also say that if John Lefelhocz had been on the back side of the trail selling a full suspension geared bike, he may very well have sold it. Climb three was a slow walk trying to keep the cramps away. Finally the top came and down the front side for the final time.
Lap three done. 76 minutes. Total race time, 3 hours, 26 minutes even. 28.8 miles, over 4200 feet of climbing. Near as I can tell I was the last to finish the men's expert field. Though, once we left the airstrip road, I never saw the other singlespeed rider. So, I guess that means I got first (Men's Expert SS), and last (Men's Open Expert).
This is one of those races that you only enjoy the day after. Not sure I would race it again on my singlespeed. But, that's racing I guess.
So, why race? This is a legitimate question I have started asking myself. Not sure I have found the answer yet though. For the prestige? It is an amateur racing series with little to gain from finishing at the top. Not that I could. With kids, jobs, family, church obligations, there is little time to effectively train to be a top contender. For the fun? Yesterday was not fun, it was pain. I certainly enjoy pushing myself, yesterday was beyond the line. For the comradery? I drove up by myself, rode by myself, watched the podiums by myself, then drove home by myself. Race myself? Yes, I can see this. I do enjoy pushing it but really can only race myself and race days always push me harder than I would on my own. Now I have to decide what to do with the Wayne Ultra.
Happy Riding you will.
Yesterday was May the Fourth. All the Star Wars references seem appropriate with the above quote as I headed to Scioto Trails State Park to race with OMBC. I had not ridden here before but only heard that there were three large climbs and that the course was fairly non-technical. I thought to myself, great, this could lean towards my strengths. So, I packed up the truck and headed toward Chilicothe, arriving in time to register, change, and relax before the start. I did a short warm up after chatting with a gentleman and his 11 year old son who was riding in the junior class. I was going to ride over this log pile, but then I saw the painted sign (STAY OFF PILE).
Back to the start. Ryan asked how many expert single speed riders there were. Turns out, only two of us, so of course we got bumped into the open expert class (the fastest group of riders there). No big deal, I wasn't expecting to place, but rather was there as a warm up to the up coming Wayne Ultra in two weeks. He sent us off and down the dirt airport (logging) road to the start of the first single track section. This worked out well and the geared riders got through the first bottle neck so I was able to ride it with a clear trail. Other than pinning my heart rate a little higher than I wanted, the first single track section went well. The trail then crosses a creek and out into the open field followed by another creek crossing with a crazy steep drop into the creak bottom. From there we climbed. And climbed. And climbed up the forest access road. The grade isn't terrible but it was climbing for nearly 3 miles with about 3/4 mile at 6%. OK, even on my single speed, I can ride this three times I thought. Finally at the top and a very nice volunteer points me into the woods.
Straight down. From here until I drop out onto the airport road again the trail is either straight up or straight down except for a short section of road about mid way. Crazy steep, no, stupid steep if you are on a single speed, made even worse by the constant giant water bars and horse hoof beat trails. I hit the bottom, through the creek, and the second climb looks like it is about to fall over on me. One half mile at 12%. I am walking. A few of the riders are pedaling their way up, there must be something wrong with them though. Finally made it to the top with my calves burning (stiff XC shoes may be good for pedal efficiency, but not much for hiking). Some ridge top trail and more forest road follows until we are back in the woods for some more brake smoking, water bar hopping trail to another creek crossing and climb. Another half mile, 11% climb (walk) followed by a rolling ridge of water bars and another super steep down and onto some multi-use (horse) trail before popping out onto the road.
Lap one done. 61 minutes.
Over the next lap, I intentionally slowed. I was already at the back of the expert field and had a few of the sport class rides catch me. I knew what was coming and that I needed to make three laps. I was able to get some GU gel down, but the electrolyte mix in my Osprey pack wasn't going down well. Thankfully, the course worker had some bottled water which I pounded as I started down toward climb 3.
Lap two done. 69 minutes.
Two laps equal to 2 hours, 10 minutes. Just happens to be the time of the first place open expert rider. That's right, he finished all three laps in the time I spent on two. I made my turn in the trail for my final lap and it got lonely. Like, I could die out here and they wouldn't find me lonely. The third trip up the forest road climb was hard, but nothing compared to what was about to happen with climb #2. As soon as I hit the first water bar, major cramp in my left calf. I am talking, toes pointing down, how do I get off this bike, yelled out loud painful cramp. Cramp worked out, now I have to carry myself and bike up this crazy hill. It got real slow from here. I couldn't climb anything without that painful twinge in my muscle. I did my best to get all the fluids I could down, though I was not feeling dehydrated. I can also say that if John Lefelhocz had been on the back side of the trail selling a full suspension geared bike, he may very well have sold it. Climb three was a slow walk trying to keep the cramps away. Finally the top came and down the front side for the final time.
Lap three done. 76 minutes. Total race time, 3 hours, 26 minutes even. 28.8 miles, over 4200 feet of climbing. Near as I can tell I was the last to finish the men's expert field. Though, once we left the airstrip road, I never saw the other singlespeed rider. So, I guess that means I got first (Men's Expert SS), and last (Men's Open Expert).
This is one of those races that you only enjoy the day after. Not sure I would race it again on my singlespeed. But, that's racing I guess.
So, why race? This is a legitimate question I have started asking myself. Not sure I have found the answer yet though. For the prestige? It is an amateur racing series with little to gain from finishing at the top. Not that I could. With kids, jobs, family, church obligations, there is little time to effectively train to be a top contender. For the fun? Yesterday was not fun, it was pain. I certainly enjoy pushing myself, yesterday was beyond the line. For the comradery? I drove up by myself, rode by myself, watched the podiums by myself, then drove home by myself. Race myself? Yes, I can see this. I do enjoy pushing it but really can only race myself and race days always push me harder than I would on my own. Now I have to decide what to do with the Wayne Ultra.
Happy Riding you will.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Spring (or is it allergy) season
Spring has finally arrived. The dogwood is blooming, the turkeys are gobbling, the carpenter bees are licking their lips at the sight of our log home, and the allergies are hitting hard. A year ago, I took a day off work to go turkey hunting and proceeded to break my foot riding the old dual sport afterwards. This year I planned to not repeat that series of events. Last Thursday I got the day off and harvested my first turkey since 2003 (IIRC). It was a great cool morning and an exciting hunt. The tom was too busy strutting his stuff for an uninterested hen to notice me crawling up the hill and popping up on him. The 870 with a 3" #6 load did its job. Not the biggest bird ever, 7/8" spurs and 8-1/2" beard, most likely a 2 year old. Beautiful bird.
Saturday I got a call to help a friend move. One of the blessings of having a giant truck! Sunday, following church and dinner with my folks, I got out for a dirt road ride of the pedaling kind. Had to spin the legs when I can, hoping to race next weekend. Happy Spring.
I followed the hunting trip up with a dual sport ride on the old Honda XL500S. Great day exploring some of the low maintenance township roads in the area.
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| Oh, that's what the dead end sign meant. |
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| Spring flowers. |
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| 2 hours of roads like this. |
Monday, April 7, 2014
Spring race season is here
Spring race season is here, in full force. However, my fitness isn't. This past weekend there were a total of 4 races that one could plan to attend. OSRS Zanesfield, Mining Country Road Race (Wilkesville), OMBC at the Wilds, and WVMBA at Mountwood. I didn't even consider the Zanesfield road race. The Wilkesville race popped up late in the planning, plus it was on a Saturday, so I penciled it in. The OMBC race is also on Saturday, but an 80 mile drive to get there. The WVMBA race is on Sunday which makes it tough to get to. So, going in to this weekend, I loosely planned to race Wilkesville.
Friday night, Ethan had a invitational track meet. The weather wasn't great with thunderstorms in the area and a pretty steady wind up to 30 mph at times. Oh, and it got colder. The high winds messed with the timing equipment at the track and made the meet go SLOW. Ethan ran 110 hurdles (the first event), the 400 (in the middle), and the last leg of the 4x400. We were out, with an active 3 year old, in the cold wind for 4 hours. I finally got home at 10:30 and didn't have any of my racing stuff or the bike ready. And I was beat. Got up Saturday morning late and tired. I decided not to race and instead, just drove down to the start and then watched the race as it came by the house on 689. It was a windy and cold race, but a very good showing for Team Athens.
Sunday afternoon I managed to get out for a hard effort ride. Only about 18 miles, but I was beat when I was done. Hopefully I can get feeling good in time for the Wayne Ultra in May.
Friday night, Ethan had a invitational track meet. The weather wasn't great with thunderstorms in the area and a pretty steady wind up to 30 mph at times. Oh, and it got colder. The high winds messed with the timing equipment at the track and made the meet go SLOW. Ethan ran 110 hurdles (the first event), the 400 (in the middle), and the last leg of the 4x400. We were out, with an active 3 year old, in the cold wind for 4 hours. I finally got home at 10:30 and didn't have any of my racing stuff or the bike ready. And I was beat. Got up Saturday morning late and tired. I decided not to race and instead, just drove down to the start and then watched the race as it came by the house on 689. It was a windy and cold race, but a very good showing for Team Athens.
Sunday afternoon I managed to get out for a hard effort ride. Only about 18 miles, but I was beat when I was done. Hopefully I can get feeling good in time for the Wayne Ultra in May.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Roadies are uptight
The Ohio Spring Race Series event hosted by Team Athens at Lake Hope was this past Sunday. As is typical for volunteer based events, there were not enough volunteers. I skipped racing to drive lead out for the morning and the afternoon sessions. I was up early and to the lake by 8:45 to get instructions for the races to start at 10. However, snow had different plans. At 9:30, they delayed the start an hour to give some snow a chance to melt off the road. In the morning I lead out the men's masters class, a 2 lap (40 mile) race. After the climb and down hill on Mine Hollow Road, the pack was down to 2 riders. Before we could get back to 278, it was down to 1. And that was my view for the remaining 30 miles, a single rider out in front, flat cranking it. It was at this moment that I realized I would be old enough to race masters next year. So much for old and slow! In the afternoon session I lead out the women's 1/2/3 race for 3 laps. Started with a total of 7 riders, 3 of them sticking it out to the end with a 2 women sprint for the finish. I stuck around to watch the end of the men's 1/2/3 group. At the finish sprint, with a full two lane wide road, one of the riders was complaining to another about "his line" then yelled at the officials that the rider should be disqualified. Honestly, it just looked like riders sprinting, as the officials thought so too. Roadies are so uptight.
All in, I drove 100 miles in my truck at about a 20 mph average speed. I am sure that I was more sore from driving for 5 hours than I would have been if I had raced.
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| A view of the lake from the registration shelter. |
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| Snow sliding off the roof of my truck, curling on the cab lights. |
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| It was at least pretty! |
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| My view for 5 hours. |
On the home front, I finished building the counter for Shelly's office. Turned out pretty decent and Shelly and very happy to have the space. I also ordered some "specials" from Revelate Designs. Specifically, a used Tangle frame bag and a demo bar harness for my upcoming (soon to be planned) bike packing trip. I will say that the Tangle was described as having "heavy use". I cleaned it in some hot water and fitted it to my d440. If this has seen heavy use, they must last forever! Very impressed with the quality of the pack.
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