Best team money can buy????

Not sure my thoughts on that comment, but I can say it is the best team period!  If you sit back and look at the improvements everyone made from the year previous, it is amazing.  Ryan came from finishing in the teens to finishing 6th overall, Lisa moved from 4th overall upto 2nd overall, Big D went from 4th overall to 2nd overall, Michelle came from not riding to 6th overall, and along the way there was always one of us challenging for the podium spots and the win.  We are a team that feeds off the success of our teammates and will do anything for each other to make sure that season goals are met by each rider.  Not to mention we had a lot of fun along the way!!  

Today was no different.  Big D, Ryan, Michelle, and I left our house this morning and met up with Scott on the Tomorrow River Trail.  We then headed into Point and hit the Green Circle Trail, Emy J's Coffee, and then back home.  All in all a bit over 4 hours of nothing but riding bikes and having fun!  It might not help the Iceman results any but it sure was a lot of fun!!

                                                   

  

It was much needed after a week of tons of problems on the bike.  It started at the cross race last Sunday when I decided to cutomize my rear derailleur.  I left nothing but the bearing on one of the jockey wheels??  Not sure how that happened, but why does cross use road derailleurs and not MTB derailleurs?  

So then I tried to make up for it on Monday, by going for a road ride.  I got a bout 30 minutes from home and flatted.  This one was my fault though!!

Then on Wednesday I forgot my booties!  Not a good day to do that when it had a realfeel of 29 degrees, was sleeting, and the winds were blowing at 40 mph! So I improvised! NASCAR fans everywhere would of been proud of this work! 

I then finished the week with a ride from hell on Saturday.  I put new tires on, got about 15 minutes from home and cut the sidewall completely out of my new tire.  I called Michelle to come get me.  I then grabbed my spare front wheel and went back out.  This time I made it about 20 minutes from home and broke a spoke on the front wheel.  The wheel only has like 18 spokes so when it let go it wouldn't even turn between the forks!  Called for another ride and then decided that I would be better off riding the couch for the rest of the day!

I did have some fun this week.  Ryan decided to work on his bunny hopping skills while bombing through town.  Well, he needs to keep working on it cause he wrecked his powertap wheel so i built him up a new one!

Me too!

It is bad when you have set in one spot long enough for this to happen!!

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Say it's not true!

So today I woke to the freezing cold temps and had thoughts of what is to come! Winter.  I pretty much hate every aspect of it and can never figure out why I live in Wisconsin.  Something tells me this will be a struggle for years to come cause Michelle absolutely hates the heat!  I usually try every year to find someway of escapping some parts of winter, even it it comes in short weeks spent somewhere riding my bike that doesn't require an hour of getting dressed!  There is something wrong when you get back from a winter ride and you had enough clothes on to fill the washing machine!!  Not right!  Eitherway my search is still on for where to head this year. In years past I have done Arizona, California, and last year I even hit up Kentucky just cause I saw a forecast in February that said it would be in the 40s!!  I know I will be at camp again in March, but there is still January and Febuary to deal with!  The search will continue!

In the meantime, I think the only thing that is falling faster than the temps outside are my power numbers.  I must admit though, it has been nice to just go ride my bike.  The bad part is that The Iceman is really going to hurt!  In the short term, I am planning on cross on Sunday at Camrock and in a weird kind of way hoping for it to be wet?? 

Curly bar racing, dirt style?

Went cross racing this past weekend, if you want to call it racing. 

So I showed up and there were lots of people looking like they seen a ghost when they saw me there! 

Luckily Brian took me under his wing to show me the ropes.  Brian's mountain biker rules to cross racing:

1:) Yes they give you 2 numbers, but neither of them go on your bars?? What?  Yeah place them both on your back like a big wind sail.

2:) Watch out for the guy who has two different style of brakes on his bike, I didn't even know that mine did?  Never paid attention!  Guess the ones on the front are wide stance for power and the back narrow stance for aero dynamics??? Like that matters with the number sails they give you!

3:) Doesn't matter how you get over the barriers as long as you do not fall! 

4:) Not supposed to have a bottle cage on your bike! Most bikes do not even come with the mounts anymore?  Good thing there were people out there giving beer hand ups!! 

I think that covers most of them?? Anyway, my idea of racing cross is to line up in the back cause it is more fun to pass people than to get dropped by the lead group. So thats what I did.  I had worked my way up on the first lap till someone slid out in front of me and the rest of the gorup behind decided to pile into us!! Ouch!  I laid there for a second trying to decide if I wanted to get up or not, then when I did get up, I had to decide if I wanted to keep racing or not?  All these decisions!!  I decided to get up, cause you can never just pull the plug 5 minutes into a race!  So I got up and started chasing.  My chasing kept getting derailled though by my seat post slipping down for some reason?  Thinking I might of split it in the crash, but haven't looked yet? Either way on the last lap I saw Brian coming up on me.  I warned him not to lap me but I think that did nothing but fuel his fire cause all I got was a big grin!  In the end coming down the finish stretch he sprinted me like I was in 2nd place to end my race early and increase my cost per lap!  He thought he was ending my suffereing, which in hindsight, he was!  I really wanted to finish on the lead lap though, even after everything what had happened.  I think at the end of the day I finished in 13th spot, a fitting number considering my luck for the day. 

So now whats next, I think I am going to try it again this weekend?

Attacked!

Got attacked by a Wolverine, luckily not much meat on my bones so he threw me back!! That should leave a nice scar!

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Don't laugh!

Don't laugh at me today when I trip on the barriers!!

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WORS.12

WORS Race #12, Done. What an awesome season.  I counted quickly, but looks like 34 top 5 finishes, and 7 wins throughout the season!  As a team I could not ask for more and I love the way the 212/Specialized team feeds off from each others success.  There is no selfishness and the decisions are made on the fly on who has the legs and who is going.  This past weekend it was Mike.  The race before Darrin.  Mike put it best, it is a good feeling to be out front knowing that you have a teammate behind you controlling things and not chasing you down.

So onto my race.  I think most people heard Lisa announce my birthday at the start, so I really was out to have a lot of fun!  I still wanted to ride fast but the result was less of an issue this week with 5th overall already wrapped up, sorry Ryan.  Anyway, when Don said go I decided my own fate when I missed my pedal, not once, not twice, but three different times!! I settled in and just tried to remain as patient as possible and move up. At the end of the 1st lap I moved up into a group that was 4th-6th on the trail and had Mike and Darrin up front.  I then started to play around some by trying to attack and open gaps on the road sections and then holding things up in the singletrack trying to get Ryan back up and maybe get him the 5th spot on the day.  My strategy almost worked cause I did blow up Scott and Seth, but Ryan was unable to get the 5th spot with Ron having a great ride and taking the last step.  The end of the day had Mike taking the win, Darrin 2nd, me 4th, Ryan 6th. 

The girls had fun and rode hard to finish out their season with Lisa having 2nd overall wrapped up and looks like Michelle will be 7th overall for the year.  Nice work everyone. 

Now it is back to some JRA(Just riding along) Or as TSP and I put it, TITS (Time In The Saddle).  I love the part of just riding my bike!  I have always been one that likes the long 4-5 hr rides with no real purpose.  I did glue some cross tires on though and have my cross bike ready for some racing.  Might see me out??  Might not?? The only definite is Iceman, for a nice ride in the cold northern woods of Michigan followed by an awesome year end party!  Cannot wait!

ANTI training!

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