results

Upon further review, it was discovered that the mechanical problem at the race was in fact a broken brake pad. One pad decided to just fall off and take the piston with it. Probably shouldn't have waited three years to replace them. Anyways, ended up 9th outta 18 and had a great time anyways. You can check everybody else out and the full results here. Not to mention I made the Heartland website. Check out the name drop here. No pictures yet, buta night ride is in the works for this Saturday, so I'll be sure to get some shots and get 'em up here!

Back in the saddle!

Well, the final XC Heartland race was today. First and foremost these guys do a phenomenal job. Without them, there would be virtually no racing in the Midwest. So big ol' thanks to these fella's.

What to say...it was a hot one. Luckily, I don't feel the heat is a problem for me. I usually work outdoors all summer and the AC still hasn't come on this year. Don't plan on it anytime soon either. This was also my first race since the DK. Matt had me paranoid after thinking I might be over training. I haven't been sleeping well lately and apparently that's a big sign of workin' it a bit too hard. Even so, I felt good at the race. I had my business socks on and it was business time! Unfortunately, my bike was not ready for business. I still am not really sure what happened, but there were some major rear brake malfunctions on the first lap. I probably bent something, but I'll investigate that later. After stopping a couple of times to take the wheel off and see if I could get the brake to either work or stop making noise, I had dropped to last place. I decided to forget the wheel and forged on. I picked off a few people and decided to stop again after the first lap. I fiddled with the wheel one last time and thought about just quitting. But, I figured I paid the money I might as well ride. Plus, the best water girl in the world (Thanks Crystal!) told me Garret was only a couple of minutes ahead of me. That was pretty encouraging. The next two laps went pretty well, I didn't know who I was passing or what place I was in. I just kept cranking away. I caught Garret, he had some mechanical issues as well and ended the day after his second lap. I checked the scores afterwards and I think I ended up 7th. But, I could have somehow read wrong, I'll have official scores soon.

But, I do know that Bobby finished 2nd place by only 5 seconds. Jim got 2nd place, Randy finished 3rd in the Sport class! Moving on up, that sandbagger oughtta be expert by now. Brendan got third just behind Bobby. I'm not sure how Jeff finished, but I know he didn't get last. Having fun is all that matters. Enough with the rambling I hope you get the picture. Should have pictures and full results linked soon!

DK 200

I guess I can finally give my thoughts on the most grueling bike event I've done to date. In case you don't know the scoop: It's 200 miles. It's one day. It's some of the worst gravel and minimum maintenance roads Kansas has to offer. Not to mention the hills. But, I'm not going to go into the ol' 'Kansas ain't flat' rant that all Kansas bikers are quick to proclaim. (Even though it isn't flat.) And unfortunately I can't throw the wind into the mix. Kanza means 'people of the south wind'. You should now assume that Kansas is typically windy. Not to mention the threat of tennis ball sized hail, which we were fortunate enough to miss. Hopefully the picture is shaping up in your mind that these were not the ideal conditions to be riding your bike. (Although not the absolute worst either)

The High Gear squad was out in near full force with 6 of us donning the red and black. Gotta represent the High Gear. (Located at 504 commercial, downtown Emporia!) Everyone was feeling good going into 100 miles, but unfortunately this was a 200 mile race. Matt did his best to beat the curse, but there's no arguing with the body. For the third straight year some tummy turmoil ended his ride just short of the finish. Garret attempted to fight through some early cramps and ventured out for the third leg. But, after being subdued by Mush Rush hill he decided to call it quits at mile 150.

Timzilla was not to be denied this year and despite being a homeless man, with little more than the clothes on his back and a bike, finished 3rd for the second straight year. Jim was able to stay close behind and finish a strong 4th. Mad Mike, the engine that led the charge for most of the day, churned his way to an 11th place finish. Arguably he could have finished a tad higher, but 200 miles was not enough for this man. He decided to take a scenic detour and add 15 miles to the total. Then there was myself. After three flat tires deflated my resolve (There was much waiting because being the fool I am I was very unprepared. Thanks to those that assisted!) I questioned whether or not I would finish. However, a well timed sign of encouragement got me to the third checkpoint. And since I had gone that far I didn't see why I should quit there. With water in the bottles, food in the belly, and a bit of air slowly leaking out of the rear tire, I made my final push for the finish. I would like to have said it was all down hill from there, but in reality, it was exactly the opposite. But, not to be denied and with much appreciation for all that supported me during the day, I crossed the line.

15 hours and 32 minutes will take a toll on the body. After consuming 288 ounces of water and who knows how many calories I was still 6 pounds lighter and had quite the hangover. There was nothing left to do, but go to bed. They've heard it before, but a huge thanks to the Heartland guys that make these races happen. Keep 'em comin'!

Full results

p.s. A special thanks to my fan club! You guys inspire me to always do better then my best, Love ya!

AHH!

This can't be happening! We're only two days away from DK time and I got a cough creepin' up. In addition I'm feeling pretty fatigued. Hopefully that's just from the long day. I think Garret must have unleashed a virus on me when I was over at his place. He's very sneaky like that. Not to mention I'm on orders to not wear any contacts for a while. (Apparently wearing contacts for up to 6 months at a time is frowned upon in the optometry world) However, I can't very well ride the thing blind, so the lenses will be going in. Hopefully I don't have eye problems. This is a bad time for the ol' body to be falling apart. Maybe I can get it pulled back together by Saturday.

Pics from last weekend

Missed a few, so here are some more.

Matt on the start line
Steph waiting to kick butt
Dusty waiting for the start
Me waiting for the sport start
Matt taking the hole shot. What a stud.
Dusty in 2nd
Look at the face. Determination!
Cam in the new gear and on the new bike
Jim Cummins carving downhill
Dusty roundin' a bend near the finish
Jim getting ready to duck into the trails
Matt lookin' blurry from the tremendous speed

Power of Persuasion

Apparently I have a new found power of persuasion. I was really in race mood this past weekend, but no one else from the Emporia area felt like making the drive. I decided to call Dandy Randy, knowing that barring some sort of hospital visit, he would be down for a race. With him on board it was just a matter of time before Matt and Steph would succumb to the peer pressure. I think they had a good time, even though Matt wasn't feeling it in the legs and had to drop out and Steph got herself sick racing to a 2nd place finish. Randy and I both finished 2nd also, Dusty took 4th, and Jim rounded out a 3rd place finish for the High Gear squad. Cam also placed 2nd on a geared 26er. I know, it's hard to believe. Moral of the story is that St. Jo has some amazing trails that are well worth the drive.

Also, if you're within striking distance of Camp Alexander (Emporia) then make the trip. Matt, Steph, and myself worked until the lights went out last night to get the trails in riding condition. Enjoy!

Was that Neal McDonough?

If anything the trip out West was worth it just to meet a movie star. But, the racing was great also. The trails were amazing and the weather finally decided to cooperate for a race. Bobby and myself went out on Saturday to do the Hill Climb and the short track, as well as get some early camping in. I had a good day on Saturday winning both events and getting some awesome prizes. (thanks Doug!) Bobby tore up the short track and got a win in his first mtb race! Sunday didn't fare to well for the campers, but Matt, Garret, Dusty, and Randy showed up fresh and ready to go. No pictures up yet, but I know plenty were taken. I'll get the link up when I find 'em.