On the cannon...right. Wait. What?

I always ask the same questions of myself after a race.
1 how'd you do?
2 was it fun?
3 would you do it again?
So this past weekend was a southern mountainbike blow out. We drove down to Birmingham to see the outlaws and do some riding. More on Saturday later. Everybody wants the Stoney Lonesome report.

If you've ever been to a restraunt on opening night, sometimes your steak isn't right. If the staff is awesome and evrything else is done well you know they'll get it sorted.

Tracy McKay, promoter of the event nailed 99% of what needed to happen.
Staff was amazing. Helpful, pleasant and just what you need.
The race started LeMans style. I'm sure I was the only one laughing as we walked away from our bikes and down a steep muddy hill. Thank you karma for the fast payback from short track.

The next thing is a cannon firing over our heads and we took off running. I'm loving this. I use my meager crossin skills and mount the bike and am in 8th or 9th place overall. Its a small race, there's only a handful of experts so I'm past the first corner prolly 5th in the sports.
Then we hit the creek crossing. Straight down we jump into thigh high water. Straight up climbing to get out the other side. Crazy shit, but that's what makes a race. Character, we'll call it.
The awesome start was followed by some climbs that had me dismounting and running the SS29er. No worries, it was all in the plan.
Problem was, the course marking was dodgy at best. Wrong turns and reclimbing the same hills made for a lot of confused riders stopping mid race and asking each other where we were.
I re crossed the creek after doing 10miles of the 8 mile first lap and bailed. I had no idea how I'd gotten back and folks were calling it.
This has potential to be a really cool and really fast race.
Hats off to Tracy for recognizing this and getting it together for the next edition.
So my questions, right?
Howd I do? Good start, no finish.
Was it fun? Hell yes it was. It was a day racing my mountain bike w all manner of ridiculocity around me. I'm good with that.
Would I put this back on the calender? If I lived closer I'd definitely do it. I won't commit to anything on next years schedule but the folks that ran this deserve to get another shot.
More on the weekend later, including evil-jack riding singletrack for the first time. Let's just say there were tears and there was determination. Good comes from days like this. It was amazing to see him get the hang of it. Maybe he'll teach me....

Israeli Metal? Israeli Metal

Wilderness loop invasive species under attack by Olmsted

3 Words... no, no wait, we didnt do it this time. See the real story below.
Wilderness loop invasive species under attack by Olmsted
check it out on the KYMBA website

MTB Race News Interview W Adam Craig

This is just a link to an awesome interview w Adam Craig SSCX National Champion, MTB BadAss and Rally Car dood. Read and enjoy. This is a great site-check it often(mtbracenews not us) LINK!!!

Wait, You Let Lemmy Drive?

As the boys and I start to plan our various trips to races like Stoney Lonesome(appropriately, just me) Sub 9 Death March w Poncho Van Zandt and BRX with too many of you I needed a good road trip/driving video. This one has Lemmy driving a limo. Its not that different than last years journey to Michigan. Picture Dug as the guy in the yellow shorts.

Old 97's-Champaign Illinois

I went to Headliners to see the Old 97's w the Papist and Faticus last night. Damn thats a good show. Qunitissential bar band.
"And if I die fearing god and painfully employed"
well parts of that at least.
Also a Bon Voyage to Drew from On Your Left as he makes the pilgramage to Austin for NAHBS. Im expecting lotsa pictures to drool and dream about.
What do we think this years big trend is?

Oh and thanks to the papal one for pointing out that wherever we stay for BRX, I'll be negatively affecting their employment statistics.
It's good to have friends.

Stoney Lonesome Update. Race Day Approaches-giggity, giggity

The Cannon is ready,



Now, for the update:
2/21/2011
MOST importantly - RIDERS PACKET will be sent via email on Wednesday.
I rode the trail the other day and instead of mud and soup, the course was remarkably, smooth and HARD PACKED. No need for mudders today!
The 1st / 2nd creek crossing, ( its the same goin and coming ) will pose as a definite obstacle, its about thigh deep with steep muddy embankment back onto the trail
I have taped about 75% of the trail and will resume taping the unknown on Wednesday & Friday before the race
RACERS MEETING - Sunday 8:10 AM SHARP!
RED BIKE COFFEE will be supplying plenty of the umber liquid from heaven as well as stoking up the AWARDS. Word is they will be coming to the race with coffee in tow.
I have confirmation from several riders that they will DEFINITELY BE HERE but waiting to register on RACE DAY
T-shirts ordered through JRAG
Division updates
EXPERT - XTERRA CHAMPION Casey Fannin will be using STONY LONESOME as a warm up for his season, Lori Goldweber is said to be coming up, as well as Travis Sherman, Brian Toone and Joe Vacca to line up head to head
SPORT - Looks like these guys are going to put on a show. Entry into this division is increasing everyday
BEGINNER - Trophies 3 deep for sure will be required...
HIGHSCHOOL - we have our first High School rider, probably smoke everyone - no pressure Josh
Thats all for now... grab your buddies, grab your bike, come race with us!

First Mubarek, then me and now Ghaddafi?

All of us quality despots seem to be losing our gigs these days. For those of you who've been spared the ad-nauseum details on my last few rides, lets just use the term "differently-employed", shall we?
What do you say when you lose a job that you used to love but have grown to not love?
If you're me, you say its time to ride....actually I put hanging out w evel-jack, kidA and the domestic-goddess/employed person in the house as my first and most important role. Lets not kid ourselves, over the years theyve put up with some bizarre and erratic work hours that swung from never-home to "would you please get up, you're killing the grass" levels of hanging around.
So I have some time on my hands to enjoy my family and train like never before. I actually could have a spring where Im in a shape. Any shape other than oblong will be good.
If I dont sound as bitter as most folks in this position, its because I have friends with things going on that put day jobs into perspective-such as this post
Kinda makes a few weeks off work seem like not a bad thing, right?
'Zactly.
So I have several Gravel-Road races coming up such as the Sub-9 Death March, Barry-Roubaix and even a mtb race in Birmingham, the Stoney Lonesome XC.
Training for those events has been fun and something to focus on. This Saturdays' ride thru JMF(not sure what the J stands for, but you can translate the other 2 right?)was a great barometer of how fit Im not.
“It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired-you quit when the gorilla is tired.” Thanks Mr Strauss, but this go-rilla is knackered/shattered/dog-ass-tired. This mornings pre-work(for zack) mountain bike ride was just icing on the cake. It always seems a little like cheating when I've been doing big miles on the road bike and then get to play on the mtb.
We rode our first furly of the year this past week and I got the most training hours in that I've seen in a long time, so we'll see if it translates to a faster me or one that just bitches more about being tired.
Place your bets.
More to come and lots of Stoney Lonesome updates to follow.

I've been sitting here waiting for this to exist

Apparently I'll be sitting here for a bit longer, but this looks like it should have my name on it in a "carlaseum" kinda way.
I saw this on Mahokey's facebook and no mention on www.xxcmag.com

more to come chirren, more to come

Stolen From Mud and Cowbells

This is amazing photography from Chris Millman. Classic Flandrian folks.
Check it here.

And now for something totally different

It's been a while since any sort of 513 update has made its way over here to LTP. So I thought I would bore all 11 readers of this blog with some mundane ramblings.

Somehow I let Segal convince me that doing the Sub 9 Death March was a good idea.
What's more insane is I somehow convinced Jason Cox to be my partner in this endeavor. Currently there are 6 teams made up of Rogue Racing Project team members with at least one more and possibly up to 4 more teams to come. The bulk of the rest of the pre-registered riders are OVCX regulars so the normal hilarity will ensue. If you have not registered yet, go here now and do it. I expect Matt S. & Gary L. to do well in this early season race. I have been eating ice cream and drinking beer. Matt, on the other hand, has been doing things that result in this:
That's a drive train caked full of ice and snow. Gary's racing goal this summer is 800 race miles so I assume he will show up in "form".

If old man Winter would kindly march his ass out of my life I would be much appreciative. The rest of my summer plans are starting to take shape. So far my Summer "race" schedule looks like so:

• March 12 - Sub9 Death March - see above
• June 11th - Haw Ridge 8 hour MTB race. www.tncupmtb.com I am super pumped for this; never ridden here, race sounds fun as hell, and more than a few Cincy area teams and riders are talking about it.
  
• July 10th - East Fork State Park OMBC XC Race
• August 7th - Race for Relief 6 hour race at John Bryan State Park - Need to defend our 3rd place Duo finish last year
• September 11th - 24 hours of DINO @ Versailles State Park - most likely 6 hour solo version for me.
  
• OVCX in the Fall - Cat 3 this year. I am terrified. They all have huge quads, tattoos, and fine embrocations.
  

Some how I seem to have become an endurance MTB racer... well, at least I have become a guy who enters endurance mountain bike races. I guess what I do can be classified as racing by definition if not by results. Looking forward to see all my friends and fellow racers, old and new.

That's about all I got for now. More to come as I actually start to "train" and "race" this year.

JG

Das Pro Und The Rookie

Das Pro Und The Rookie

Hey Winter!!!

yeah, you with the typewriter.

Im so done with this back and forth between thundersnow and almost decent weather. One day we'll have near 40's and the next its snowpacalypse all over again. Thouroghly freaking done with this.
Of course the warm days occur when Im busy so Ive been out riding on a damn small number of them. Lucky for me I have a decent pit crew for after, so the bikes arent all nasty.
He gets paid in oreaos and cheezits, which may explain my winter conditioning, or as the koala-chick calls it "winter-ass" or WAS-winter ass syndrome.
It really does make you appreciate a sunny day, few as they've been.



But with the gravel road races looming such as Sub 9 Death March and BRX, I have been paying a lot of attention to my beloved Igleheart- Mrs Green.

Now she wont be wearing those new hoops in the gravel, but Ive learned my lesson about not having my equipment dialed before cross starts, so Im getting it all done now.
Stop laughing. I know that I'll be making more changes, I just dont want to admit it....yet. Like you arent. Soon we'll race on the gravel and then the mtb season which means Short Track. Lots to look forward to, once we get thru the muck ahead.

Ride the Divide Tonight

Thats right baby, come on out to see the real deal. KYMBA fundraiser @ Cyclers Cafe and then trudge down to the Baxter to see Ride the Divide to get inspired or to feel like that 5 hr training ride was a cute start.
Bring it!