The Lucas Bee-Log

Images: KC Sprints: Lincoln.

2010-01-20T16:01:00.002-06:00

Goldsprints: Who knew riding stationary rollers in a bar establishment could be a good idea. If excruciating bursts of pain are your idea of fun, that is. So yes, I was all about it. Such intensity sure brings out the best in people's faces.

It's simple really: Take a fixed gear bike, lock down the fork (sans wheel), put it on some rollers with sensors that are hooked up to a computer. Then go as hard as you can for a virtual 500 meters. Simple. Right?

To my own surprise, I found myself rather savvy in the sprints even though most of us know I am not a sprinter. But then again, it's all about pain and pushing yourself to the limits. I couldn't see anything past the stem on my bike, so it was more of a personal race than anything else. Perhaps if I would have looked up, I would have placed higher.

Thanks to KC Sprints and the Lincoln Crew -- good meeting all of you fellow bike goons. I look forward to seeing you all again in Omaha for another set of Goldsprints in the future. But for now, here is a gallery of images I shot when not pedaling my brains out.

Image Gallery

2010...

2010-01-15T21:38:00.003-06:00

It's time to be aggressive. A new year, another wrinkle. Time to step into a new pair of pants - another hole in the belt? Another notch in the totem pole?

Eve

2009-12-24T17:18:00.003-06:00

A special thanks to my good friend Jesse for fixing my trusty red frame. He used his welding skills to repair the crack and now it's bomber and scarred. Just a bit of clear coat on it and it's done. No reason to hide it's battle damage. Also awesome: Cats. But not as awesome as sharks.

Burr

2009-12-08T23:10:00.003-06:00

Lincoln Cyclocross

2009-11-30T16:50:00.003-06:00

I just realized that I buried all the climbing I shot in CO earlier this month... I will get back to that. (Grumble)

I Had another chance to get out and shoot cyclocross two weekends ago in Lincoln. There was no muddy, but the course was awesome. It offered plenty of opportunities to play around with this camera thing, but I was still having mixed luck with my PocketWizards - much better than last time though. I had gone to a camera store to see if I could get some help, but of course, they worked perfectly while in the store.

I have been getting a good feeling of what it takes and what I need to shoot racing - this helps me stay focused and not waste any time or energy. The one thing I wish I had was a higher powered ring flash or perhaps one more flash to fill from the front of the compositions I set up. It'd definitely be another wrench in the engine, but it's tough to get more than 1 or 2 frames in of a subject before they move out of the lighting zone. A soft, frontal light would aid in providing better coverage. The F STOP Satori is still the best choice for carrying it all and I find using tripods as light stands to be much more beneficial. The problem with standard lighting stands is they only work on flat surfaces. Cross racing is anything but flat and not being able to adjust leg lengths makes attempting to use them mad wack.

*** Here's a gallery with my favorites from the Lincoln Cyclocross race.

I narrowed it down substancially and I will post the rest if people are interested. There'd be some fun images for print since it's basically like I am setting up an action photo booth on the course.

It seems that every 'Cross race I shoot I decide to not bring my bike to get around. My buddy Chris and I kick ourselves every time for not bringing out our two wheeled friends to mobile around on. It's kinda ironic because if I am not shooting bike racing, I specifically pack my bag to be completely functional and secure while riding.

The blue bag is a soft box and shoot-through umbrella. I was doing a bit of product photography for my friend James, the brains behind Spokiz sunglasses. He is a huge cycling fan so it only makes sense to go to his studio to take pictures via bike!

Been some time

2009-11-23T16:03:00.002-06:00

I had my first weekend at home this month. I've been busy, been out of town. Many days (read not enough) in Colorado. More to come.

I've been shopping. I hope this thing works on cats.

Went to Cali to see mother.

Drinking coffee and diving into some fine art.

Wasted time or time well spent

Practice looking soooo good.

Go Motion Via the Rocky Mountains

2009-11-02T22:07:00.004-06:00

Galleries::

Go Motion: Breckenridge

Go Motion: Boulder

The Thursday before Halloween found me up super early getting ready for a turbo trip with Go Motion (GoMo to the hip and trendy) to Colorado for some photography and general good times with the fried chicken loving band (no really, they love that stuff). It ends up, the good times came with buckets of snow, ice and road closures. Getting trapped in a blizzard wasn't exactly part of the fun, but it definitely was hard to avoid.

The trip was supposed to be simple. Drive to Breckenridge, sleep, head to Boulder and play another concert that night. The shows were premiers for a snowboard movie that GoMo had music in. Even better, they were sponsored by Pabst Beer. -- Add some icy snow, and a van pulling a trailer and you get a 15+ hour trip to Breck. Mapquest puts it at just over 9 hours. Even the mountains, which were supposed be clear, had plenty of snow and ice on the roads.

With the interstate closed, we could either sit in the van and wait or take small roads into Denver. We chose the latter because, hey, forward progress is still progress. Right?

Visibility was around 100 yards at some times and I cannot count the amount of times we almost got stuck.

Fast forward, We get there, Go Motion plays, It's cold as shit. Neal, Go Motion's sound man, a la W.E.R.D (his DJ pseudonym) rocks a solid set and we eat chicken strips at the bar until 3 or later. We tail it to Frisco where Sarah's (a good friend of Luke and I) cabin and I think I eventually get to bed at 5.

Back up sometime after 8 or so like a dufus (dang internal clock) I packed into Sarah's car and we headed back to the Front Range. She dropped me off at Man Camp, aka Adam's place, aka Pimpin and Crimpin headquarters where I just caught Andrew before he jumped into the shower. Chill.

Andrew and I made it to Boulder and cruised Pearl Street for the afternoon. We topped the afternoon off at Centro before heading to Movement. Movement is Boulder's newest climbing gym and it's a lead climber's dream with a healthy dose of bouldering for good measure. It also sports a dedicated training area, spin classes, yoga classes and weight room. They did this up right on the green level too with 80% of their energy coming from solar power. Word has it that the large facility had a 18$ power bill last month. That's Boss.

Go Motion played another good show on Friday then to my surprise, decided it'd be best to drive back to Omaha that night. We ended up leaving about 4 in the morning. I slept like a princess in a van on the way home.

Too Kinky for My Liking

2009-11-02T20:50:00.005-06:00

If I could compare my first ride on the new Felt FC frame to a sexual experience, I'd definitely shudder at the thought of it, or need to seek counseling.

So started out, I snapped my chain about 5 blocks from home. The first time I stood on the pedals I peeled what must have had to been the link that was used to put the chain on the new frame. (Upon later inspection, that was it, sure enough) Luckily I had a spare quick-link and I popped the bad one and put on the link and was back on my way only with only minor frustration.

About the time I missed my first turn off my cue sheet, I noticed mad-whack... wait, I hadn't even got to my cue sheet yet. That's right! I got lost when I still thought I knew my way. Anyway -- Whenever I would turn over my pedals with much force, my chain would pop violently. I popped off my bike and threw it in a makeshift tree (bike) stand. Staring quizzically for some time, I figured out that the quick-link was ramping up on to the teeth above the current gear, i.e. the link was too wide for the 10 speed cassette. Great.

So yeah, now I have made the wrong turn and I am on a gravel road on 23c tires on a brand new carbon road frame. Sweet. Reluctant (read stubborn) to turn around I just went faster. Paralleling I-29 I could see a road going up into the hills across the way. Shit, why not. I jumped a fence and ran across the interstate. After a few more miles, I found pavement -- right at the top of Louis and Clark (I know some of you know where this is. And it'd be a good way to get to L&C via Omaha. As long as you don't mind playing chicken with 18 wheelers on the interstate.

Finding myself on track and knowing where I was on my cue sheet I followed it. At least I followed it for a turn or two before I spaced out long enough to miss another turn. Awesome. No sweat. I knew all roads there basically end on Highway 6. And after some good hills, I ended up there. I was able to find the right ratios where the chain wouldn't skip, but I still wanted to take care of it, so I whipped out the trusty Palm Pre and found Xtreme Wheels on the map. Go.

Blaine at Xtreme Wheels hooked me up with a fresh 10 speed link no charge and had no problem letting me do it myself - he said he could tell that I knew what I was doing before I told him I was a half-assed mechanic at the Trek Store. It's always good to find good people in the biz.

New pin in place, I was back on the road but contemplating whether to go down to the Bellevue bridge or swing back up on the BOB down town. I opted for the BOB going on time and had made it to Manawa when for some reason I decided to check my phone. Of course it wasn't there. So back to Xtreme Wheels I went. Sure enough, there it was on the work bench. If I had gone down to Bellevue, I probably wouldn't have checked for my phone and that would have sucked more due to the now driving North wind.

Back on the road, with all my crap, I rode back into Omaha. I was cold, tired, frustrated, embarrassed, but still grinning inside. And just like doing the horizontal polka with a poor dancing partner; I still enjoyed it, had a good time, beat myself up good, and wanted more when I was done. The first time is never perfect, but this one got way too kinky for my liking. It's gonna be an interesting relationship for sure.

Norfolk Cyclocross

2009-10-26T13:29:00.002-05:00

So there I was, sitting in a lawn chair, in the back of a speeding van, drinking coffee. Just me, the chair, a blue bristled broom and Mark's CX bike.

I hitched a ride in the Sprinter to hightail it up to Norfolk for the day. None of the rear seats were in it, so I sat in a lawn chair Mark provided. Fast forward a few hours.

The rain was spitting on arrival at Skyview. But the precip eventually fizzled out and the day turned dandy. There would be no epic muddy cross photos this weekend. I scoured the course and with some assistance found the what seemed to be the best spots to capture the essense of the race.

I again ran into trouble with my Pocketwizards not firing, but made the best out of the situation. I mainly used a Canon 580ex hooked Quantum pack that was being fired remotely via Pocketwizard. The I had a SB80DX on slave providing any necessary fill. -- It ends up being a crap shoot with the Pocketwizards. I don't know whether it's a cable issue or the remotes them selves. If I didn't know better, I'd think they only work line of sight. Which is contrary to their 1600ft range max and ability to transmit to each through/around obstacles. Unfortunately that does not seem to be the case with mine.

Whether it's my own smarts, or dumb luck, my chosen exposure without the flashes is conveniently still bright enough for the images to be used without the aid of artificial lighting. That works out.

Enough babbling.

:::::: Photo Highlights

:::::: Full Gallery

Platte River Dirt Pedaling

2009-10-21T21:47:00.004-05:00

Ever since I was a boy, I always wanted to be a Goodfella.

(Restart)

I have always wanted to get out and shoot some mountain biking photography. I don't know why I just finally got around to it, but I did yesterday while out at Platte River with Paul. He was in town, just having finished XC Nationals for his college racing team and my schedule was open.

It dawned on me that I had not rode out there for probably 4 or more years. And while riding, I came to find out that the last time I had rode there, I had ridden everything backwards. Oh, I'd never seen any of the rock sections of the trails too. Neat!

After a few laps of Paul taking it easy on me, we went back to the car and I grabbed my F-Stop pack full of gear. Riding with 35 pounds on my back is something I have grown accustomed to, but it's even harder riding trails and steel inclines. England (Me) Prevailed. Lighting for speed and exposure is a challenge, but overcast conditions played heavily to my favor and I took some decent stuff for the first time out.

I wanted to keep this short, so I will stop there. The gallery is only about a 1/4th of the images I edited down to. I guess I will post the rest later?

::::: The Off Road Gallery ::::::

Props to Paul for playing mountain biker for me. Go Mars Hill! Home of the fighting Martians! Darirsly Fesadia Garampadilla! (That's their war cry)

Chrome and Coffee (Beer)

2009-10-21T21:46:00.001-05:00

The ever so cool, ever so tank-like, and ever so functional Chrome Bags brought itself to Omaha with the large thanks going to the good guys at Bike Masters for setting it up. We met at the always good Blue Line, but I didn't have a lick of coffee. I think I drank a diminishing drip of it for about 4 hours earlier in the day, so I figured I should steer clear and find beer. The crowd was full of pedal power and I didn't see a crying eye in the bunch.

The 2010 product line was shown, questions were answered, and raffles were raffled.

This guy I know (me) was there and took a couple of pretty pointless pictures. But without hesitation, I post them for the good of the good. Yay!

Images from Chrome and Coffee

2009 24hhh

2009-10-04T17:26:00.005-05:00

One week ago today I was enjoying the autumnal temperatures of a quiet evening at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch. The rock, healing, after it's beating by worn hands and Stealth rubber for the last 24 hours solid; the chalk dust still settling- debris of a painful one-day war with gravity.

Now, 37 gigabytes of pixelicious images later I bring my gallery of the (Offical Website) 2009 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell. As any previous year, I have mixed feelings with my outcome of capture. But as Andy Chasteen says every year, "This one was the best one yet." I'll just have to agree with the guy, I mean, did you see his hair cut. That's legit.

This year proved to be very special for it's own particular reasons: from the fatigued dead points captured in 1/4000th of a second during the pristine sun drenched daytime, to watching time slow into star trails. Her majesty, the night sky, romantically danced above sandstone walls during 25 minute exposures embraced among the crystal twinkling eyes and kisses from lips of the chilled night. I enjoyed it as if it was a dream, struggling for control and only hoping to remember all that has happened before I have to wake up and return to life.

I felt the fight between the desire for it to last forever, and the want for it to end. And now that it is over? I can only dream about going back, wondering how I could ever want the event to untie it's knots and coil up for another year. I can only dream as I scroll through images of tenuous positions, vivid smiles, and blurred movement. I can only dream of going back to the rock, the chime of hardware and the flip of my shutter trying in desperation to capture all that is Hell.

Enjoy

:: 2009 24HHH Galleries

Ascending Fixed Lines: Vulnerable to the Core

2009-10-02T11:40:00.003-05:00

Last year right before the 24HHH comp I purchased an 8mm static line for ascending, photographing, and getting myself around during the comp. The only problem was the rope was too short and I found myself having to to multiple raps or down climbing in order to get off cliffs.

So this year, in order to better prep myself, I ordered a spool of 9mm Static from Mammut. I cut it into a 70m and a 30m rope. This, I figured would be ideal for just about anything I would encounter. the 70m could get me down from anything and the 30m would work well for fixing single lines to shoot.

I really wanted to shoot Love Slave during the comp, so in the later evening, I scrambled some low 5th class and fixed the 30m to a tree and rapped over the edge to set up for the next climber to do the route.

I was satisfied with the position, the rope was on a rolling edge with not sharp angles. I set up a strobe on a stand that I would trigger remotely via Pocket Wizards.

I started jugging with a set of Jumars and a single aider. The route is only about 30 feet tall but I while ascending the rope, I noticed some heavy fraying up above. Thinking it was just fuzz, I continued to jug to where I wanted to be and shoot the climber on the route as he sent the climb. Looking up again at where the rope was running over the rock, now closer, I could tell that things were not looking great on the rope. I decided to not wait for someone else to come along to climb the route and tried to determine if I should rappel down then go around and climb back up to get my gear or just finish ascending.

Figuring that I was already 25 feet off the ground in some questionable situation, I said F-It and slowly finished ascending the rope and got my weight off of it. -- I mean why not, the rope didn't snap yet, right?

I definitely didn't like what I found upon unweighting the rope. With only 30 feet of jugging, the rope had completely worth through the sheath with the core exposed all the way around. Yay!

Mammut Performance Static 9mm

So my question is this: What was my error?? OR Mammut sheaths only tough enough for grade school dodge ball or perhaps a feisty makeout session on a gravel parking lot? What gives?

Setting up over a rolling edge on the line? Was it a problem with my ascending rig? Does God like to play mind games with me? In the thought of rigging, the only thing I could think of was since I was using only one aider step, was I bouncing more than I should have been - of course causing more rubbing? - I have been in very similar situations with my 8mm line, and the outcome is much better with almost no sign of wear on the rope.

Well, since I didn't fall yet, and I was still on a cliff; I used the line to rappel back to the bottom anyway! I accepted failure and possibilities cataclysm earlier in the day - so why not.

I am questioning whether I should use the good 70m line I have left. I know Mammut makes some killer equipment, but rubbing to the core on a 9mm line in 30 feet isn't exactly making me want to rub bellies.

Images from my week at Horseshoe and 24HHH to follow soon.

NSRRC: The Birth of (Wrong) Turning into CAT 3

2009-09-20T13:53:00.004-05:00

Nebraska State Road Racing Championships. My first CAT3 race. Oh boy.

After getting to bed Friday (Saturday) after midnight, I awoke at 5. While waking up, I blinked once, and it was 22 minutes later! I ate a hearty breakfast, loaded the car and grabbed coffee to drive to Branched Oak. Nervous, excited, and tired; I drove out, very distracted by my thoughts, actually missing one turn and driving through the median to get back on track!

The low lying fog I encountered upon leaving the interstate was very pretty and while heading North, I gazed into the rising sun, catching heavenly compositions while not veering off the road. I passed by a country road and knew I could pass up the moment no longer.

Flipping another b!tch, I sped back to the gravel road, slammed on the brakes, and whipped out my camera and tripod. This gallery is what I captured.

This is that gallery I mentioned above.

Those that deal with photography know that exposing for the sky and foreground of something as high contrast as a sunrise can be difficult. These images are a mixture of proper exposure edited in post production and HDR images. High Dynamic Range images are a mixture of 3 or more images bracketed together, each specifically shot to capture the highlights, shadows and midranges of an image. If you have seen them before, you will be able to tell which ones are HDR images - Or can you? Out of the set, only 2 of the images are HDRs, the rest are exposure techniques in post production. The images actually do the sunrise justice too.

Moving on, I arrived at the race venue after missing yet another turn. I was early. Which is good for me. I was able to hang out, set all my stuff up and stretch out before the race. The majority arrived later and numbers ended up being pretty good for the event. Roll out started at 9 AM.

With the 2 mile roll out, moods were light and smiles were abundant. Talent was saturated with the pack with what seemed only a few key people missing from the group. It was gonna be a good race - or at least I thought it would be at this point.

Our pace was easy going with only a moderate attack to start out with on the KOM (King of the Mountain) checkpoint. We meandered around the 11.2 mile loop, steadily paced. I was feeling a bit antsy with the pace and there were a few attacks here and there, but they were always drawn back or settled in.

I needed to burn in my legs in so starting from mid-pack, I pushed away (you can't call it a sprint, but it had some speed - its kinda what I do) and took to myself for the next hill climb. No one followed, no one cared. Punks. I just kept my heart rate below 190 while chugging up the hill, it felt good, and I wasn't angered by my lone-wolf move. Earning my pretty much worthless KOM points, I coasted and slow pedaled until the peloton caught back up to me. That seemed to take many minutes.

Some time soon after this, a guy in a Monkey Wrench kit took off before the feed zone and no one followed. This is until Kevin Limpach (Midwest Cycling) launched after him. Had I noticed, I may have gone, but I didn't. They stayed way out through the next KOM and then I got stupid again and did a hard pull off the front for many minutes, practically the entire North side I think. I reeled the two of them in, and everyone else stayed on my wheel.

While recovering, Tim Farnham (Bissell Pro Cycling Team) launched off the front and that would be the last time we would see him with the rest of us. A few times we'd work together to bring him back, but our soon fizzled and he was gone for good. Tim's younger brother (Matt Farnham Team Chaos) was also there to throw water on our fire as well -- like a good brother would do (props).

Throwing one more lap in there, all was uneventful up to the final few miles. I was well cooked by this point, and could feel I would have to push myself to keep it up for another lap. Greg Shimonek (Midwest Cycling) jumped off the front and began putting distance on us. I was riding behind the Ciclismo boys and since they were CAT1s, and Shim was a 3, they did nothing about it. Kevin was there too, and since they were on the same team he did nothing about it. I think one of the Ciclismo riders kinda looked around and glanced back at me. I did nothing.

Then I jumped on it. Full rocking sprint then sat in the saddle red-lining up to Shim. We started up an incline and I went by him, as he locked in behind my wheel. He came around me as we crested the hill and we were off. I did what I could do best -- do what Shim told me to. It took me a few minutes for my heart rate to come back down as we settled into our pace.

Rounding the final corner, I had found my rhythm and I knew it'd be killer, but I could hold on for another lap. And I looked up the long hill that was the KOM climb.

"Right turn here!" Shim yelled through the wind.

"What? No... We still have another lap" I yelled back.... "Really? Are you sure?"

"Why would I lie to you? Do you want me to turn first?" -- I breathed a sigh of relief as I leaned into the turn and we headed back in toward the finish line two miles away. I looked back to see how we were doing. There was no one in sight. Another sigh of relief. If I would have been there alone, I would have gone straight *(A problem with both my counting abilities, and the race officiates). That would have been my last, and biggest wrong turn of the day, er, lack of turn.

A couple more hills and we turned into the home stretch. I lead into the corner, pretty much exhausted. My chest hurt from breathing and I tried to focus on some energy. Eyeballing the finish line beyond the trees I already knew how this would end. If Shim is ever on your wheel going into a sprint, there is a very very good chance he will beat you. We have ridden together long enough to know how we each worked...

I kicked my burners on full throttle (probably too early) and he wound up after my small gap. I countered his closeness with a few quick moves, but he was just waiting to pounce. As I figured he came around me and beat me to the line. I shot him in the back with my finger as I crossed the line. Damn that was fun!

Race over, nuf said. We had enough time to coast out, turn around and watch the rest of the guys sprint for 4th. 72 miles in three hours and some minutes change.

Thanks for the ride gentlemen. It was fun.

Dakota Five Zero. The myth. The legend. The lies. The lust.

2009-09-18T10:52:00.002-05:00

The Image Gallery

Labor day weekend found me in Spearfish for the Dakota 50. A 50 mile mountain bike race which I have wanted to partake in for a few years now. Traveling by SPRINTER, 6 of us made the jaunt from Omaha, meeting the Monkey Wrench/ War Axe crew at the camp site. We came in a day early to enjoy ourselves and do a smidgen of pre-riding. Our crew consisted of Mark, Anne, Roxy, Ryan, and Larry.

The course itself features just about every type of riding style you'd wish to shade a stick at. Pristine single-track, fast double track, technical downhills, fire roads, gravel roads, and what have you. All will be very interesting on a single speed hard tail.

More on that - After proper consulting and swindling of friends, I had a whip for the race. The special edition Fisher Superfly single speed geared 34x20, and complete with glow in the dark grips. This is a very special bike and I fell in love with it before I even left Omaha. I had some hesitation beings it is a 29 inch wheeled rig. That issue quickly resolved itself since this bike is as cool as a gang of ninjas riding sharks. I am sold on the 29er format.

Fast forward to race morning.

After a proper send off by Smokey the Bear, 400 riders left town on a 'neutral' roll out. We exit town and the race officially starts as soon as our wheels hit the gravel. The geared warriors take of and I begin cranking up to speed and begin passing the hoards. I planned on getting ahead of everyone I could before entering the single track so I pushed it, finding out later that I had about 12 guys on my wheel motivated by my strong pull.

I was eyeing where I was and the peeps around me. There was one group way up the road, John Mylrie (Fuzzy) from Niner out there alone and the rest of us. Dejay Birtch was beside me. I gave him a fist bump and said "Good Luck." I settled in for some fun.

The pace was pretty chill rolling thru the first section, and I calmly sat in and patiently followed. Upon the first short, steep climb, all the geared riders clicked down to their low gears, and I jumped off to follow. Since I was still fresh, I picked up my bike and ran passed a half dozen people chugging up the hill and jumped back on at the top. I hit it hard 'til I hit the next group of riders.

One group of riders held Dejay from Niner and Colin McKernan (both on single speeds) one more guy on a geared bike. I knew this would be a good group to roll with for awhile. Then Dejay crashed going over a log pile and the 3 of us rode on as he complained about crushing valuable items located in the crotchal region. Eventually I dropped the other guys and rode on to the next bunch.

This was the general way it went. Riding with others until they could yield to me, usually on hill climbs. I was pretty much alone most of the race, which is awesome, and not at the same time. Taking a drink from Perry the director of the Five-O, I pressed on looking forward.

Riding comfortable and alone I eventually caught the jersey of Fuzzy zipping thru the trees. That was my motivation for many miles to come. He was at the top of a climb, when I was at the bottom. I took his keys for when to dismount and when to crank through the climbs. He stayed a steady distance from me until we hit our first rough descending sections. He could kill it with ease as I gingerly picked my lines with greenhorn grins. I would push hard up the climbs to regain position.

Refilling at the 2nd Aid Station, I find I am sitting 2nd single speed and 8th overall. I excitedly take off on the heels of the other riders. -- Things only get worse from here.

I somehow lose tension on my chain and have to stop multiple times to put it back on. To make it worse, I lost my multi-tool so I can't fix it. That mixed with long downhills I start losing time. Getting to the final aid station, I forget to think about getting my tension fixed and push on. Cussing minutes later when I figure out that I forgot. I see Fuzzy for the last time as I dismount for another hike-a-bike hill climb.

I am feeling all the long, high speed descending by this point. Arms are shot from holding myself up and fatigue has set in. The fact that I don't spend much time on a mountain bike becomes pretty vivid. Cramping, numbness, and dirt mix in. It's still not enough to wipe shit eating grin from my face. - WIth the amount of cow manure we ride in, it's not far off the truth.

Remembering the elevation topo and the realizing the amount of walking I am doing, I can tell I am finishing up the toughest climbs of the race. That means only one thing...

Hobo Camp: Home of the PBR and Bacon Station. I was dead tired, but I still managed to get down 3/4 a beer and clutch a piece of bacon in my hand - but I couldn't eat it. Just too thrashed. Colin McKernan passed me as I downed half an oatmeal cream pie and began to pedal on.

Scree. Evil, evil scree. So much of the ride was a blur. This section's blur included two falls within a 100 or so feet. The second one put me in the trees and bashed my ankle good enough for it to still be swollen enough to hide the right side of my ankle.

With one last fire road climb, I entered the final miles of single track, back tracking the beginning of the race. It takes all my effort to keep speed up and push through the constant cramps and heavy fatigue. About 3/4 mile from the single track exit, I lose it and toss myself off my bike.

Upon impact with dirt, rock, and flora; my entire body up seizes up in one big stinking cramp. I don't know how long I was down, but the thought of not being able to get up crossed my mind. Barely being able to bend my legs, I couldn't walk. I managed to throw my leg over my rig. - Low and behold, I can't walk, but I can still pedal. That was probably one of the most awesome feelings ever. Muscle memory at it's finest right there.

I exit the trail, and fly down the gravel back into town. On one final paved hill climb I look down at my legs while turning over the pedals. My muscles are firing and cramping and just going disco crazy. My skin is wavy and striated as the muscles beneath them tighten and loosen with wild abandon.

Spinning my brains out on the small gear ratio, I bend over the handle bars and let my hands hang as I cross the finish line in 4 hours 8 minutes and 47 seconds. That was about 12 minutes behind Sir Fuzzy. Which means he is a descending king! And that's why they pay him the big bucks -- or at least give him bikes.

Talent: It shows in the picture. I can't open my eyes and I am laying in a stream trying to survive. And he is wearing a purple shirt and smiling. I don't even have a shirt.

Mens Single Speed
1. John Mylrie 3:55’26” - This was 3rd place overall. Sick!
2. Dejay Birtch 4:05’20”
3. Colin McKernan 4:06’01”
4. Lucas Marshall 4:08’47”
5. Mark Savery 4:15’10” - This guy is the bomb

I am covered in dirt, blood, and crap. I can barely walk and my ankle is immobile... But I still got that grin. And within hours of finishing, and a few beers, I want to do it all again.

Mark's Post

Roxy's Post via Trek's Women Who Ride.

Group photo time!

Shoe Fetish...

2009-09-01T12:13:00.004-05:00

My liking is usually it's reserved for pumps, flashy colors, strappy shoes, and high heels. A good set of ankles and some hot shoes shoes - One of my favorite things about wedding photography. It's sad that the shoes are hidden by the dress most of the day.

I usually reserve the shoe fetish for my eyes only, but when a really good deal comes along, I can't pass up the hot performance gains of high end full-soled stiff as hell carbon fiber, heat moldable pro-level cycling shoes. Sure, they aren't sexy or fashionable (in most peeps eyes). They actually make me look like I belong on a space station. But holy guacamole, they feel good and transfer power in a very businesslike fashion. Oh boy oh boy oh boy. They are my bicycle dancing shoes.

Plus, my mountain shoes smell like cat urine from racing in the rain.

Last weekend found me at the Big Creek Road Race outside of Des Moines. Perfect temperatures and just enough wind to notice made for a fun race day. I signed up for CAT4 but wish I would have opted for 3s. As it would end up, I spent too much time trying to get the stronger riders out on a breakaway, but in the end it proved to be futile.

With about 1.5 laps left (8 laps, About 6+ mile a lap) suddenly all these riders came out of the woodwork to race. Very annoying. I had spent too much energy fooling around, trying to not get bored with the race earlier. On the last lap, I sat in and kept my heart rate as low as I could (Mid-140s) while still staying within 10 places of the leader. A mile left, things picked up. I felt fine, but could tell I was fatigued. There was a box that marked the Quarter Mile mark from the finish. Nearing the end I had a small opening in front of me and I took it, flying off the front I broke away with no one on my wheels when I checked between my legs.

Big Creek RR

Time Trial Earlier this Summer

Unfortunately, I was too far out. I misjudged my position and knew I could not hold my pace. After some language that is only fit for late-night stand up comedy, I slowed down and rested for a brief second.

Catching sprinters rolling up the left side (this was supposed to be a double line enforced race) I crunched down on my pedals again and gave it everything I had left. Managed to sit-sprint it into 5th. There wasn't a way I would have been able to stand up. Kinda blew it.

On that note, that's the definite end of 4s road racing for me.

XTerra & New Heights on Concrete

2009-08-21T14:48:00.004-05:00

Small Image Gallery

Last weekend kicked off with rain. Lots of rain. Rain for 5 hours. This is generally an O.K. thing, but when it stops raining only a few hours before an off-road triathlon - this is not an O.K. thing. I was already sleeping out in a tent out at Branched Oak with ear plugs and an eye cover on so there's no skipping on the race due to weather.

Of course it did bring the temps low enough to allow the use of wetsuits, and it wasn't an issue on the run.

Cycling on water saturated trails is a big no no in my book. The first 5 mile section was fine, but as soon as we hit the inner two 5 mile loops, it was no doubt the most muddy conditions I had ever ridden in.

I was sitting 4th, switching leads with two guys from CO. Upon entering the loops, they cut part of the course and I dropped quite a ways back. We were all sliding about and it didn't take long for me to catch them, then lose them, then pass them, then get passed. With the trails as muddy as they were, there was no real descending. I felt like I was climbing the entire time and it was tough work. Must be carrying about an extra 6 pounds of weight in mud on my bike.

As I know others did, I fell countless times, but I would pop right back up. It felt like riding in snow - something I have gotten used to, but it was nice to have the gear options. The Trek Top Fuel once again excelled in a situation and after the first lap, during a lower key part of the course the three of us were rolling together through grass paths. Before reentering the slop trough, we had to slow down and get marked for our lap completion and I sped past the other two at this point.

This would be the last time I see the two until turning around on the run. The second mud lap of the bike was no better, but it felt more comfortable. Lapping the other competitors was a chore, but not as bad as I figured.

transitioned and started running. I was told that I was over 4 minutes behind the leader. Struggling to find a rhythm I took it easy for awhile. By the grace of some littering SOB, I found an unopened water bottle - I think this ended up being a life saver. I kept up a good pace, pushed the hills, and ended up under a minute behind the leader crossing the finish line. I never once saw him, so I had no idea how close I was to him. Oh well.

I have some gripes about how the race was finished up, but I will skip that shit because it's not that important. I will say that entering a race for 75 bucks, and it being a big name like XTerra, you'd expect a little more than nothing for second place. I had fun though, that's what is important and got a good chance to really make myself suffer.

************************************

On Sunday I finally had the opportunity to climb at the Silos. 90 feet of straight vertical. After not climbing for many months, I am really looking forward to getting back into it after switching my concentration during the summer.

James pumping out on a 5.9.

Ketchup

2009-08-11T13:12:00.002-05:00

Another race weekend down. Tour of KC was last weekend. Two Crits, one hot weekend. Good times.

A special thanks for the Webb family for putting me up and handing out large dishes of hospitality over the weekend. It made for a cushy ride between races. Heck, the races were pretty cushy too.

Race 1 went down in down town KC (the Kansas one). And the other featured the Overland Park area. The racing was 65+ competitors deep in each and fairly competitive. Four turns in KC and 7 in Overland Park. Without getting deep into details, it was pretty typical me out front way too much, but I was only trying to create breaks. Every time I did. The break consisted of me and some people but as soon as I wasn't pulling, the pace would slack enough that the peloton would catch back up. So...

That gave me enough info.

Last lap. Sprint first hill. Rail corner. Hit second set of hills harder. Push through the flat then turn it all out 200+ before the final turn. Ended up winning by many seconds.

The next day, after other failed attempts to form a break-away. I decided that it'd have to come down to the last lap. Unfortunately, with three laps left, going into turn 6 (the fastest one on the course - maxed out at 33mph) a rider pedaled (the act of your pedal hitting the ground causing your wheels to slide out from under) right beside me. I managed to lock up my brakes and put my foot down to avoid him. At least 2 others riders went down, one of them went to the hospital and sheered his frame through.

This kinda killed my attack idea. It took me almost a full lap to catch up only to hit the same corner again where riders were still sprawled on the ground. We were forced to slow basically causing a full group for the last lap. I managed to kick everyone off pace but one guy that wanted to break with me 6 laps to go but we decided it was gonna kill us to try.

He got me in the sprint, but it was necessary in order to not end the race in a CF of other riders. - It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if that would have went down.

A good couple of races all in all.

XTerra Triathlon this weekend (shooting a wedding immediately after that). Black Squirrel Tri the following weekend. After that? Dakota 5-0? Nebraska Championship Road Race? Sioux Falls Crit? Who knows.

** Images from the Races. Mostly CAT3s and Pro/1/2. Shooting cycling has flustered me into the orbit of desires for long telephoto lenses and faster shutter speeds. My current equipment does not come close to doing what I would like it to. Not to mention trying to pull double duty of racing and 'working.'

I hope this returns me to the world of blog.

A quick catch up on races since last post:

NE State TT Champ yadda yadda - 1st CAT4

TNT Duathlon - 2nd

Omaha Cycling Weekend

TT - 1st CAT4

Crit - 2nd CAT4

Road Race - 2nd CAT4

RAGBRAI - We are all winners at RAGBRAI

CSG Tri - 8th

Tour of KC Twilight Crit - 1st CAT4

Overland Park Crit - 2nd CAT4

Might be forgetting a race in the midst?

Not since June? Really?

2009-08-03T08:42:00.001-05:00

Norfolk Under the Sea Racing

2009-06-10T12:49:00.003-05:00

CAT 1/2/3 images from the crit. Nothing too special. I was busy shivering to bits and suffering from soggy bottoms.

Race recap: It rained. A lot. It was real good times. Things got wet. I received cases of Monster energy drink for the 2 primes. They are trying to destroy my kidneys.

A TT and a Duathlon next weekend.

Today's Run

2009-06-08T12:09:00.003-05:00

For those who don't know about Omaha's hills: Grab a tissue and join me.

Capital Criterium Post & Images

2009-06-01T10:46:00.003-05:00

Finally, a change to race my road bike! The Capital Criterium (Results)was last weekend in Lincoln. Without beating into it too much, it was a really fun time. 8 turns within a .7 mile loop.

I was all smiles out of the gate, getting a feeling for the roads and the other riders. A few laps in, the first prime lap was called and I went off the front, won the prime, and kept on going. I don't know how many laps this lasted, but I put 11 seconds between me and the group at one point. This eventually faded and I fell back into the group. (This was a lot of fun, but a lot of wasted energy.)

Once I fell back into the pack and crossed the starting line, another prime lap was called. I didn't do anything until a few turns in and then I peeled out and jumped ahead for another prime win. I then slowed back down into the group.

Attacks were made, and the pace quickened as we ran out of laps. On bell lap, I took off two turns in. I was tired and didn't hit my lines right, but I still had a good gap on the group. Coming into the final stretch into the head wind I started to burn out and definitely was not in the right gear. Rider Vaughn Pierce shot like a rocket with a super sprint to beat me by a wheel. It was awesome! Props to him for kicking it so dang hard!

All in all, not a bad way to make some cash with a giant piece of plastic between my legs.

Now, I felt like I was going fast when I was racing, but watching the Pro/1/2/3 was just sick. They were burning it up out there. I hobbled around and took photos of them. Nice job to everyone for good, clean racing all day.

Pro 1/2/3 Series Images (Sorry if the images are loading slow, I wasn't too happy with my server when I previewed these.)

Racing on Generosity

2009-05-19T00:44:00.003-05:00

If it wasn't for not posting for months, I probably wouldn't post on the race, but I've got nothing better...

Borrowed sub-25 pound carbon fiber full suspension race bike. Check.

Borrowed race lights turning night into day. Check

Someone willing (read stupid enough) to race for 12 hours. Check.

There's a lot that goes into racing a bike for 12 hours over night. The main thing is the bike (Duh), and the other thing is lights (Yup). When you can convince a friend to let him let you borrow his top breed race bike, and have other friends let you borrow their race lights the only thing left to do is pedal. And pedal and pedal and pedal.

Without doing more than tuning the suspension to my weight, and adjusting the seat height, I did nothing to the bike -- and after 12 hours, I've never felt better when getting off of a bike post race. Rad.

Intake
12 pre-filled bottles with energy supplement drink
8 GU shots
3 bananas
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
Peanut Butter and Cheese Sandwiches
Salty Nut rolls
Salty cashews
1 Starbucks Double shot
1 Packet of Instant Mashed Potatoes
(I wish I would have had some fried chicken.)

* Ends up I still burned under 10,000 calories from what an exercise counter says online. BS!

From a rolling start, the race began. Within a solid pack we twisted our way thru the beginning of the first lap. I did a pre-race lap, but I did it backwards so it didn't matter. Eventually I could tell the group would be fading and I passed everyone I could and ended up in the front with ____ and Matt Gershib. We steam rolled the rest of the lap and ended up over a minute ahead of the rest.
About 11 PM... Asleep w/ Salted Nut Roll
The three of us continued to cruise the tracks with me struggling to keep up on the descents. I had not rode off road since probably November? 6 plus laps in, darkness set in and lights came on. I lost MG and ___ through one lap transition and pushed it to catch back up. I found ____ climbing with light trouble and he told me to push on. I found MG on the next climb and we kicked it for quite a few laps. He brought out his portable speakers and we jammed to some rocking music while whipping in the darkness.

No lying. The riding was old before midnight. Most of trails were newly cut and rough, but the traffic was making it better. As dew settled, the trails became tacky and cornering was awesome. I began playing the 'don't use your brakes at all' game while going thru the upper plains single track.

At one point, MG bonked, and I took over the push. This ended up lasting for the rest of the race. Riding alone in the darkness. 12 or so laps of solitude with only light banter between others in passing. Battling frustration and fatigue and sickenss I pedaled. Man, what a bad idea.

Branched oak has some good climbing, and some fun descents. The descents didn't ever get old. Under the enlightenment of high-output LEDs and HIDs night riding was just as fast as the day riding except that I was really flipping tired.
The 3 AM foiled mashed potato shot
In the early morning, I had the highlight of warming water next to a small grill in my empty double-shot can before one lap for my mashed potatoes. The thought of warm food kept me rolling through the lap and I looked forward to the yummy goodness. - Upon finishing the lap I found that my can had been crushed and thrown away and my mashed potatoes had to be eaten cold. )I killed three people that happened to be standing there.) Oh well. Keep on.

I never spent more than a few minutes between laps, only sitting for brief periods of time before kickin' it again. I found this idea to be really stupid, but key to staying 'in it.' If I were to stop for two long, I wouldn't have kept going. I lived for the down hills, detested the climbs, and got dizzy through the high plains.

The temperature dropped below 40 that night, and the thermal variations within the course were amazing. I am pretty sure at least one tree was haunted because it was 20 degrees colder than it's surrounding areas. I couldn't feel my feet for hours and had to borrow knickers.

I almost hit an opossum on lap and there was a field mouse on a turn on one climb that I watched get flatter and flatter as the night went on. One lap, I found another mouse eating the dead one. I thought if he was there eating his brother on the next lap, I would crush him as well. I know I'd be happy getting killed by a Top Fuel.

As the moon rose over the lake, I knew time was beginning to expire. At one point between laps I asked, "Now without telling me the actual time, can you tell me if it would be worth counting down laps yet?"

Two people immediately told me what time it was. Thanks.

I spent the rest of the time figuring how many laps I had left and knew I would fit in one more lap before the 0530 cut-off. My helmet light had gone out and I was working on changing it when MG rolled in. I panicked and thought he'd try to chase me down and I took off. I probably pulled out one of my fastest laps only to find him sleeping in his car when I finished!
Post Finish Shot
I find it funny that in solo enduro races, there is no glamour and no podium girls. Everyone is way too damned tired and podium girls need their beauty sleep.

Almost 36 hours since waking on Saturday, I still have not really been able to sleep and I walk around in a daze. It was good times -- now that it's over.

A special thanks and a small sprinkle of hate goes out to Chris (for the bike), Roxy & Ryan EB and Rafal for the equipment. I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help and I kinda despise you for your help. Just kidding. Kinda. One more shout out to Chris!

Recovering at Grandpa's.

Oh, so it ended up being 21 laps which was about 130 miles of dirt. First place solo, first place over-all. I think the highest amount of laps a team did was 19. What the heck is wrong with me!

Bishop Reflection.

2009-04-07T10:23:00.002-05:00

This morning's email: (Oh, I don't have a web connection at home right now because I am joke as a broke.)

Would you have any pictures from the Bishop trip?? If you do, would you send me a few for the web site or post them to your blog?

Thanks

Unnamed Yosemite Convict

Yeah, I've some pictures. I finally am posting them too.

After widdling the numbers down from 1500, I made my best attempt to work thru the choice few in the midst of new jobs, fiascos, training, crying, drinking, confusion and frustration. I have caught plenty of flak from the hoards about taking so long, but I am sorry. Some of us have jobs to do -- and I want to kill myself because jobs are getting the way of real work. Confused? You should be.

Thus is life or something? Sure.

So the images, they are organized, but there is still a lot of them. So spread it out and slack off. My day started with an hour on the trainer, then riding into work in 20 degree cold, then working 9-5, then running, then climbing and find dinner afterwards. Is this real life??

I somehow maxed out my laptop HD over night, and I will just chalk up that as just one more thing I need to buy!

Anyway. Enjoy the images, there's some good stuff in there I think.

The Friendly Skies: Satori Load In.

2009-03-11T13:08:00.002-05:00

Leaving on a jet plane soon. Heading to CA to see family and climb. Sacramento then to Bishop where I will meet somewhere between a dozen and 322 NE based climbers (at one time or another).

Bags packed. Ready to go. Just got to give myself a hair cut.

Here's my load in for the F-Stop Satori:

Canon 5D, Nikon SB-28 & SB-80 Speedlights, Canon 420 Speedlight, Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS, Sigma 24-70, 50mm 1.8, 15mm Fish, Pair of Pocketwizards, Apple Macbook Pro 15", Bogen Mono, Small umbrella, Wireless mouse.

More equipment in the check-on. Included the F-Stop Mala. I almost fell taking the pictures. Standing on a computer chair is not very sturdy. Apparently they swivel!

Hope to keep posting updates during the trip. Peace, love, and pedals.