Badge of Courage - 5/20/07

Last Sunday started out like a normal race day. Woke up, coffee, loaded bike and gear, warm up laps, etc..... However, the 2nd lap at the Falls City Firecracker didn't go as expected.

Fast, faster, bump, endo, airborne, and then laying on my back grasping my shoulder. Thanks to some friends, I got a ride to the Dallas ER. Denise didn't totally freak when I called her (probably because I was at least able to call myself).

Yes, my string of never breaking a bone still stands - only tearing joints!!! "AC shoulder separation - go see an orthopedic" was what the Dallas ER doctor said.

Wasn't too painful as long as I kept still. Actually, the most painful part was getting off my stinky bike jersey on Sunday evening (no way I could cut the Beaver jersey).

Called the orthopedic on Monday AM and after 10 minutes of hold music, finally got the message that Mondays are "high call volume". Finally drove to the "walk-in" clinic and found out that I didn't qualify since I went to the ER (it was probably worth it since my helmet had at least 3 cracks - a new addition to the "saved my life" shrine).

Finally got to the orthopedic today. Sure enough, grade 2 AC shoulder separation, click here to read all the gory details. Sounds like it is a very common sports injury, especially for cycling. Good news, no surgery. Bad news, I'll be doing physical therapy for ~12 weeks (nothing worse that a cute doctor gal making you cry in pain each week). Making progress already - I can button my own shirt again.

The gal rolling me to the x-ray room put it in perspective well..... "at least you were having fun, alot of people get injured at work."

That's right - a tough day having fun always beat working!!!

I'm thinking about cross season already!!!!

Spring Thaw, Ashland OR - 5/6/07

Good times in Ashland, Oregon over the weekend. You can't go wrong with moutain biking, Japanese Spa , and Shakespeare (OK, we went to a more modern play). Denise and I had a great time.

The course worked out to be about 28 miles. First 12 miles straight up the road out of the local park. Totaled about 3300 feet of climbing. The last 5 miles or so was some most excellent single track (the stuff Ashland is know for).

I maintained a good hard pace for the entire uphill without bonking at the end, so I was very happy with that. Lost about 10 places on the downhill. My official excuse: must of been the locals.

Denise and I even went on a ride "together". Jacksonville and back turned out to be about 34 miles round trip.

Definitely need to plan to do this next year.

Commuting to Work

There is finally a break in the rains in Portland area. Therefore, it's time for us fair weather bike commuters to start hit the streets.

My commute from Wilsonville to Beaverton is 19 miles and takes about 1hr-20min each way. There's a great gym at work to take a shower, so I pack my gear on car days.

Some key benefits...
1) Great way to get miles on the bike. I shoot for 2 times per week, so that's ~80 miles of riding.
2) Save gas. However, it's not the economics - I don't pack a lunch when I ride, so the money I save each day (~$6.50) is spent on buying lunch.
3) Great way to lose weight by burning extra calories.
4) Doesn't cut into family time. Got to go to work anyway!!!

Give it a try. Once you do it a couple times, you resolve all the excuses.

Mudslinger - 4/22/07

I had to skip out on one of the annual campouts with the guys to make it to this years Mudslinger. I've been doing it off and on since highschool, so it's a fun local race.

The race started with a good long uphill on logging roads up to the top. It rained pretty good the day before, so the singletrack downhills were good and slippery. I was finally getting my balance for the slip down after the 1st lap. Started to rain for at the end for a wet finish. 3000 feet of climbing over 22 miles - not a bad Sunday stroll.

My results weren't stellar, but it was fun. My buddy Evan (who I used to ride with) captured 1st place in the PRO division (yes, he is a mountain bike stud).

Here's a photo from the event and the heat-monitor printout (gray peaks are elevation). I'm smiling since I'm finally going downhill!!!!

Hornings Hideout - 3/25/07

Wow, what a mud-fest. I knew it was going to be alittle sloppy when I drove in and the redneck in front of me had to stop to lock in his hubs to get his truck to the parking lot. That's expected this early in the year.

I got there early to pre-ride the circuit. It wasn't too bad since not many people had rode it yet. Well, that changed quickly after the first lap. Luckily, they reduced the number of laps for all. It took a almost 2 hours to slug out 10 miles. Alot of pushing involved.


Mudslinger is on April 22nd!!!!!!!!

Death Ride and Others 2007

Beware of what you wish. That's what I thought this week when I found out I was one of 2800 lucky souls to participate in the Death Ride.

Well, I was looking for a good goal to set for the season. This should get me motivated when I'm riding that trainer at 5am in the garage during these dark rainy days in Oregon. Here's a link to the course map that I hung on the wall for inspiration: Death Ride Map.

Talking about schedules. Here's the schedule I'm planning for this year.....

3/25/07: Horning's HideOut
4/22/07: MudSlinger MTB
5/5/07: Spring Thaw MTB
5/20/07: Falls City Firecracker MTB
6/10/07: Test of Endurance MTB
6/23/07: Tour De Blast Road
7/14/07: DeathRide Road
8/4/07: 12HRS at Willamette Pass MTB
10/07 to 11/07: CrossCrusade

Should be a good season.

Torque Wrenches

So, I was installing the cleats on my new Shimano M225 shoes (Christmas present to me) and I did it again - stripped the darn hex screw. I thought I'd learned my lesson from 2 years ago. Added a new tool to the toolset after a trip to the local hardware store: screw extractor.

Anyway, I've been looking for a torque wrench ever since. Well of course the boys at Park Tool have the perfect tool, but you need to spend $80 to get both wrenches for the full range of in-lbs.

I did a google search, for torque wrenches. About 5 places down on the list is: TORK-GRIP, The Ultimate Torque Wrench For The Bicyclist. This link is definitely worth the read. Actually, this guy has quite a few humorous inventions for the cyclist.

Anyway, I chatted with my co-workers for some ideas (these guys have hobbies like machining and reworking old oscilloscopes - yes, we're a bunch of nerds at Tek). The Park Tool beam wrench is only as accurate as your steady hand, so we're thinking the dial-n-click wrench that we use at work. We'll those cost a small fortune at most places.

Well, my buddy knows a good low cost tool store. Yes, it's MIC stuff - made in China, but he says he's been happy with the stuff he's bought. Located in Salem. So, for about $40, I'll be totally set. I'll give them a try and report back.

Small Torque Wrench

Big Torque Wrench

Cold Feet but No Rain

Went for a ride with the Portland Velo folks on Saturday. 28F out, but a least it wasn't raining. Did 38 miles and my feet were FREEZING at the end. Couldn't feel a thing. Which brings up the topic of cold feet.

I actually went to GI Joes on Friday in preparation for this chilly event. However, they SOLD out of foot warmer inserts. Bought some battery heated socks. However, gave up on that idea when I put them on with the D size battery hanging on the side of my calf (didn't think it was the best thing for spinning pedals. So, my feet FROZE on Saturday and it's my new mission.

Today, I went back to GI Joes to return my battery socks. I came across some Little Hotties hand warmers that came with a free toe warmers. It was only $5, so I figured I'd give these toe warmers a try. I'll report back after this weekends ride. Looks like you can buy a case online at their website. Hope they work out!!!!!!!!

Goals for 2007

In bike riding, I don't think New Year's resolutions are applicable. However, setting goals are very applicable and important. I just finished my last ride of 2006 and the 38 degree weather got me thinking about sunny summer days and things I want to accomplish. So, here are the things I going to committ to. Of course, having a 4 year old will probably throw a monkey wrench into some of this plans, but it's good to have a list to aim for.

• Elevation Goal: 150,000 feet in the year. I'll still use my Polar altimeter to track this. I know there are those fancy GPS models, but I'm still happy with my Polar (and getting my $300 worth of good use).
• Mountain Biking... A least 3 races this year. I'm planning to focus on this more than the century rides. Alittle competition is good for cross training.
• Test of Endurance... Complete the 12 hour solo again (miss last year). In the 2005, this was the hardest and most awesome bike ride I've ever completed.
• Death Ride..... I'm going to do it this year. No free trip to Hawaii with Denise, so no more good excuses. Registration opens Jan 1 and they do a lottery selection of 2800 riders on March 1st, so let me know if you to road trip with me and sign up.
• RAMROD.... I'll sign up again and hope I get picked. This is an epic NW ride.
• Torture 10k... I've skipped this one the past couple years. No more excuses.
• TransRockies.... Sign up on November 1st!!! This looks epic - need to do before the big 40.
• Cross Racing.... Upgrade to Masters C class and finish in the top 25.

Big Time Cross in Portland - 11/19/06

The "big dogs" came to Portland for the USGP series final race. The race was out at Hillsboro stadium and the weather was PERFECT for a cross race (rain and ALOT of mud).

I was recovering from a cold I had all week, so no racing for me. However, I couldn't miss a chance to see the big boys and girls ride. My cross buddies Neal and Evan did brave the elements and survived the slug through the mud.

It was amazing how much better these national guys/gals were. They opened up some serious gaps between them and the top riders from Oregon.

Chris Horner (raced in the Tour de France, lives in Bend OR, rides Specialized like me - however, a nicer bike) was there. I actually got to chat with him after he pulled up next to me as I was watching at the start line. He made a point that he was just doing this for "fun". How cool is that!!! Here he is slugging in the mud.




Barry Wicks is a fellow that grew up in Corvallis and is now racing the national mountain bike and cross scene. I chatted with him while he was warming up on the trainer about Cornvalley. I think he likes the sunny weather in CA now ("big time" must be going to his head). His teammate, Ryan Trebon, and him are called the twin towers because they are about 6'-5" and skinny as a rail. They also kicked butt (Ryan won the series).

Here's a article in Velonews about the race (note the hot tub photo - only in PDX - way cool): VeloNews

Way cool awards party afterwards. Congrats to my buddy Evan who placed with the A crew.

Until next September - cheers to CrossCrusade.

Estacada Cross (Cross Crusade #6) - 11/12/06

Luke and Denise joined me again as I traveled to the fine town of Estacada for the Cross Crusade .



It's kinda off the beaten path, but that's probably a necessary thing for a cross race.

Weather turned out great. The rain and the big predicted storm held back. However, it's been raining the past week, so the course was nice, muddy, and slick.

The course wined through the park. There weren't any hill climbs or steep nasty sections to run up. They set out a section of 4 smaller logs which were great for a bunny hop (took a couple laps to nail down the technique). There was a nasty off-camber turn that required a dismounted run otherwise you'd slide down the hill. Overall, a nice fast muddy "stroll" through the park.

I did have one slippery corner close encounter with the mud. Went in alittle to fast. Luckily, it was a nice soft landing. Did scrape my scabbing knee (that was finally healing from the 1st race). Noticed a couple holes in my favorite $150 bike shorts when I got home - another LESSON LEARNED.






Wow, this photo makes me look really fast. I think it's my favorite.






No "computer enhancement", of course.


Well, this is probably the final cross race for me this year. It's so sad that it's coming to an end. Good thing the Crusade Party next week has free beer and a raffle for free cool stuff - can't miss that.

Spooky Cross (Cross Crusade #4) - 10/29/06

What a weekend - Beavers beat #3 USC and a great day for Spooky cross. Can't ask for a better weekend. In honor of the Beavs, I made a last minute costume change to Captain Upset. It was a hit for the spectators and it got me $5 off my entry fee. There were some killer costumes out there. I still can't figure out how the girl in the blow up Sumo outfit got over the barriers.

It turned out to be a nice sunny cool morning. The course was great. Reminded me more of a mountain bike course, but you don't ever jump over a COFFIN in a mountain bike race. There were some technical turns in the trees. I kept the speed down in the corners for recovery (learned that one in Hillsboro after 4 crashes). There were a few straight away hill climbs to max out the lungs and pass the slackers.

An extra bonus was FREE beer at the keg stop along the course. I decided to pass during the laps since it was on the dark side. However, it hit the spot after the race was done. I mean, you can't find a better time on a bike than a cyclocross race.

Denise and Luke joined me at the race. They took some great photos below. What a great way to spend a 12th wedding anniversary day (not sure if that's what she had in mind).

Catching the Competition

GIT- R - DONE

My Favorite Fan

Cross Crusade #2 - 10/15/06

The weather was perfect for cross on the 2nd Cross Crusade event. Plenty of rain to slicken up the playing field. No-more sunny summer stroll in the park. It was time to get wet, muddy, and exhausted.

I placed myself to earn a free six-pack of Mac's in the first race (landed on the lucky number 7 with 17th), so I was geared up to perform. Unfortunately, my bike handling skills on the new steed were alittle lacking in prowness. By the 3rd or 4th crash around a muddy slick corner, I realized that a conservative appoarch in the muddy corners would save me time.

Denise and Luke showed up part way through the race. They captured a few photos of the effort shown below.

Some lessons learned....

1. It takes a lot longer time to crash and recover than to take it slower in the muddy corners/gravel.
2. I guess it's a good thing when the doc gives you alittle something and says "normally I tell people to suck it up and don't worry about it, but your's is really looking infected". Guess I better shave my legs after all.
3. The free beer prize sure tastes good later that day.

31st out of ~105 folks in the rookie class. I'll take it.

Putting down the hammer

Negotiating the "six-pack" barriers

Muddy with a big grin

Luke is wondering "what is dad doing?"

Cross Crusade #1 - 10/1/06

The first cross race of the season was at Alpenrose for the Cross Crusade. http://www.crosscrusade.com/

It was also my first race with the Specialized TriCross bike that I'd been using for commuting this year. Wow, what an improvement over a retro 90s converted moutainbike I used last year. It worked like a champ.

The weather was beautiful (not really appropriate for a true cross race. The course was lots of fun through the Alpenrose area - up some stairs, up the velodrome side, and a lap in the velodrome.

Finished up at 17th in the rookie class. The extra bonus - the lucky number was 7, so I won a six-pack of Macs.

I put together alittle setup in the backyard to get some practice (here's a photo).