an afternoon game

yesterday, i got the opportunity through work to catch an afternoon indians baseball game. great weather and great game - indians took the win.

ritchey breakaway frame and box are in 'da house of the goat.

speaking of the 'goat, you have to read Speedgoat Chris's Tour de France Prediction on the speedgoat blog. totally hillarious.

and, let's keep our fingers crossed for dan the man - he may be a homeowner this week.

sologoat out

morning rides

waking up at 6:30am for work seems impossible to the extent it is a miracle if i get up by 7.

but if i have to get on the bike by 5, i am up at 4:30am no problems.

this week on the bike is pretty much the same as last, except more hours in the saddle. another week off from racing and then maybe i'll hit up some of the local mid-week training races in the area and then some shorter distance mountain bike events leading up to 24 hour nationals.

in ohio area news, the ohio valley cross series event schedule is now posted - 5 events with UCI points. hoping to score some points to push my start position at nationals further towards that front row.

in bike news, medium mamasita's are like gold right now. i've got chris at speedgoat pulling some magic out of his hat to see if we can hook a brotha' up with one.

and, the kewl ritchey breakaway cross frame. probably the best out of the box solution for the traveling cyclist. been eyeing one up recently, then finally pulled the trigger. should be a no brainer pick for my work related trips...

with that, gotta ride.

sologoat out

time at the office

this week is hectic - i am either working, riding, eating or sleeping.. and with a very nice bonus coming up for me at the end of the week, this is no week to slack off... not only do i need to feed my bike habit but i also need new gutters...



road riding has been going great the last few weeks - and it actually felt odd to be at home last weekend and not racing somewhere. it gave me time to debate on how to setup the cross moots frame i have sitting at speedgoat.



and it also gave me some time to test out the tifosi dolomite's that shannon from tifosi optics sent me out. watch for the full review up on the speedgoat blog in a few days - i've already came up with the blog title entry:

"the dolomite's are DY-NO-MITE!"

sorry, bad jokes were inherited from my father...

sologoat out

saturday morning coffee

sure tastes good. a little starbucks french roast this AM. i'm such a snob about my coffee, that i make a full pot of coffee in the morning and take it with me in thermos to work. clients classically have very bad tasting coffee, so bring your own.

which brings up my favorite coffee quote from my wobblenaught guru buddy jim:
'creamer makes a good coffee bad and a bad coffee good...'

'nuff said.

in other randomness, not mucho going on this weekend other then some decently long rides at a high pace. going to take a few weekends off from racing to catch up on some house type work and maybe start up some local mid-week road racing to bring up the leg speed.

then, at some point, hit up speedgoat to finally build up the moots cross frame... of which, some parts of the carbon variety showed up yesterday. hmmm.... i'm thinking the carbon spooky canti brakes may match up with the alpha q carbon very nicely...

with that, gotta load up the nano and get some miles in...

sologoat out

a pic and an update

ahh... the lumberjack... amazing how dusty dirt just sticks to you.

in other news...

product coming in from TIFOSI OPTICS that will have me looking like a rock star and also from ALPHA Q. i'll be running ALPHA Q stem/post/fork this cross season.

if you haven't checked out their new CX20 cross fork, you should. it's hella light and hella fast - it's so fast, it actually came to my door even before alpha q sent it to me.

ya, it's that fast.

with that, it's a weekday and i need to get to work.

sologoat out

godspeed to Benjamin Pritchard

while i did not know him, this past weekend we lost a fellow 24 hour rider.

PINK BIKE write up here

gone, but not forgotten

sologoat out

six days and 100 miles later - long version

this past saturday was the lumberjack 100.



not to be confused with lumberjacks in a lumberjack contest...



or a room full of drunk lumberjacks...



pace was going to be hot - all the top contenders were here, with tinker a no show as i guess he is moving and was closing on his new house this weekend...

with only 6 days having passed since big bear, my intent was to get to the finish. 3rd lap would break a lot of riders as the heat rolls in, so my goal was to ride steady and to keep the heart rate at a resonable rate.

last year, my heart rate went over 220 - the heat was soaring and i was fatigued. didn't want that to happen again.



gun went off, so did most of the top riders. i rode steady in the top 25.

almost at the end of lap 1, the first little power climbs came. i was in a group of about 15 riders, and was the 2nd in line.

the first rider surged up the climb, i went with him. the pack of 15 was now down to 2.

i was with a quiring rider who was riding a rigid 29er and we were rolling pretty fast through the single track. riders were coming back to us and we were dropping them immediately.

mike k, josh tostado, ross c, jerry p... we were soon in the top 10.

the miles were ripping by, soon we neared the end of the 2nd lap - my pace setter had a mechanical (ended up bending a hanger) and i rode on...

lap 3, the heat sets in, just as expected. the clouds roll out and the sun is a beating down on us. at the begining of the 3rd lap, i roll by shey.

3/4's of the way through the lap and i am suffering - jerry catches back up to me and he is rolling fast (ends up 6th).

at the begining miles of the 4th lap, my pace setter catches back up to me and we start rolling again. it feels good to start riding at a higher pace. once we get to the final steep climbs of the day, i drop off his pace. my feet were burning - much respect for the rider i had been setting my pace off for 70'ish miles.

overall, felt great all things considered.

shawn came in 5th - didn't check yet, but he's in the top 2-3 riders for the overall series so far.

lumberjack - see you next year.

sologoat out.

other write ups:

mtbr results

lumberjack100 write up and results

six days and 100 miles later

lumberjack short version - long version up tomorrow.

pace was fast, i settled in a medium/high tempo pace. was trying to keep the heart rate under 180. average for the first 6 hours was at 160.

chris e took off, had a slight mechanical at the begining and then rode home for the win.

two michigan guys came in 3rd/4th - samuelson? was one of them..

harlan came in at 4th.

shawn adams came in fifth.

a quiring rider came in 6th.

i came in an amazing 10th place - 5 places higher then last year, and roughly 45 minutes faster.

i went out slower then last year, but came in faster.

longer version with pics up tomorrow - for now, gotta run.

sologoat out

on the road again

off to the lumberjack 100.

sure to be a "slow" race - chris, josh, tinker, harlan... i've heard that the first 75 miles are supposed to be neutral and a slow pace.

NOT.

there's going to be a few cans of whoop azz opened up tomorrow, to say the least. look for stupid fast lap times.

in bike setup news...

i'm rolling light - i have now converted asylum #1 to tubeless. first wheel was somewhat of a pain, then i watched the video again on notubes.com and the next went on no problem. very cool light setup. can't swait to see how the run at the lumberjack as it's a very good course to try them out on.

gotta run - heading out with shawn adams and he's probably wondering why i am posting to the blog and not driving towards his house.

sologoat out.

more pics from big bear

coming from my man justin. ah, the chaos of the le mans style start.



i''ve actually seen some f-1 race car starts where the race car drivers start in pit row...



with the engines off and the driver out of the car.



they have to start behind the wall where the "pit crew" is. gun goes off, they jump over the wall, into the car...



buckle up, then hit the gas...

if only they could race for 24 hours...

sologoat out.

more big bear updates

check out: JEFF KERKOVE'S BLOG for a few pics

or check out jeff's big bear pics here

and check out a few pics from Justin at Princeton Tec. full update on his site coming soon.

yesterday's drive back was pretty uneventful, and it actually felt odd that i didn't ride my bike. i'll be back on the bike today for a light spin.

body held up great - the new ergon gloves worked fantastic. overall, the best shape my hands have ever been in 2 days after a race. just last year, it would of been a miracle that i could even open up a bottle of soda two days later...

with that, gotta run.

sologoat out

24 hours of big bear write up

2nd 24 - 2nd second place. damn.



ernesto sponsors princeton tech and ergon were on scene - big weekend for both. needless to say, i think you'll be seeing a lot of riders running both products.



run was chaotic as usual - this year i didn't get any elbows to the ribs, so that was a bonus.



this year, we did a little prologue lap - worked out really well to string it out.



steve and i had another rider in tow, we were the first three in the wooods and we had a good gap on the next group of riders.



steve set a high pace and soon we were in a small group of 5 riders. once clear of the main pack of riders, steve backed off the pace. i hammmered on - i was the first rider to complete the first lap.



i led for a straight 14'ish hours - then i had a bad lap. steve capitalized on my upset tummy.



that 20 minute gap he got on one lap was enough - by the time the race was over, he held on for the win.



thanks to ergon and jeff for setting me up with their new line of gloves - gotta try them out of you run the grips. i ran both the short and the long finger gloves the entire race - no blisters, hells ya. watch for the review up soon.

also, thanks to justin and the gang from princeton tec. only 1 battery change the entire race. the burn times on the batteries are just amazing.

thanks to all those that cheered me on - seems like i had a lot of fans out there.

with that, i need to get some much needed rest.

sologoat out.

last post before the next 24

new wheels came in, time to test them out. 1500 grams.



new jeresey's in too, new logo. if you haven't checked out the speedgoat site, check out the new layout which will eventually get incorporated into the new speedgoat clothing kit.

Jeff Kerkove got some pics up from todays ride, headed out with steve, dan the man, and jeff. beatifull day, but not for long. rain rolled in later today. morgantown was hit hard, big bear got some rain, but not as much.

that's it - gotta run. sorry, not much to update on tonight. next post, sunday afternoon.

sologoat out

big bear update 1

this week has been a crazy one work wise, ride wise, life in general wise. it's nice to be in WV.



ah, the chaos has begun - the packing. when i first started racing enduro, i freaked out about what to pack. 7 years later, i still freak out - so i bring everything and anything.



and as i pack more, the pit crew packs more too. last race brought out the new hella quite super powered generator.

this race - a tent big enough to fit something like 12 people, and some crazy chair that actually folds out like a lazy boy.

(note to any solo riders - feel free to take a break/nap at any point during the race - i've got a tent with a warm sleeping bag just for you!)



after setting up, it was ride time. trail conditions are the driest i have seen it here in years.



new section of the trail has been cut in about 1/2 way through the course - and it has a scenic overlook. saturday, this will be nothing more then a blur through my tifosi's.

sologoat otu

massive updates

woooah...

so much going on these last few days that my head is spining around and around...

going to keep this short, text post only. in random order as that is how i am feeling...

1. 17 entries in the solo field at big bear. wow. haven't seen a field this big in a long time... very cool.

2. new wheels are in, will be hitting dirt tomorrow. the dt 190/sapium/stan's wheelset are weighing in a very stupid light weight of 1500 grams. da*n, that's light.

3. maxxis tires are in. two options of 29er tires for ernesto now.

4. new sponsor to the mix - i have offically now picked up my first cross specific sponsorship from alpha q. in stupid light respect, i will be running their cx20 cross fork for my 2007 quest for uci points -- fork comes in sub 500 grams. hells ya.

5. speedgoat - another hells ya goes out to jeremy. why? the ridley's are coming, the ridley's are coming! FINALLY - a company that has an awesome cross line up (4 models available) that has a parts group that doesn't suck. and the road line up - wow, impressive. a frame with an integrated seatpost will make it difficult to fly with - unless you like to fly on the road. i'll take a chance on saying stupid light for the 3rd time this post, but it's stupid light.

with the 3 stupid lights in one post, and time running out before the team vehicle (ya, right) comes to pick me up, i must go.

sologoat out

gripped films announcement

from ken and jason at gripped films:

Big congratulations are in order for the star of 24 Solo, Chris Eatough, as he was the recipient of the Everest Award at the 2007 Teva Mountain Games this past weekend. Chris was stoked to be named Male Mountain Biker of the Year. Just goes to show you, there’s silver linings in 2nd place clouds … or something like that. We caught up with Chris at the Greenbelt weekly road crit, in Maryland and filmed his acceptance speech.

mohican update

straight from shawn adams:

went out fast, harlan and chris e were going hard, tinker was in tow. on a downhill around 20 miles in, harlan and chris got away.

shawn rode with josh tostado for about 10 miles, then josh started fading and shawn rode on. tinker faded back to shawn and eventually dnf'd.

chris e took the win, harlan got 2nd, shawn came in 3rd. chris (?) got 4th and jeffy pfluge took 5th spot. not sure who came in after that.

more coverage/pics up at Jeff Kerkove's Site.

me - i got in a ride with some good efforts on saturday - been riding past this "artwork" for several months now and i thought harlan would dig this extensive use of stencils and spraypaint.



sologoat out

up next

for ernesto is the 24 hours of big bear. should be a good time - check out the booths of sologoat sponsors princeton tec and ergon.



and, yep, the surly is still up for sale/parting out/trade.

frame is 17.5, used roughly 5-6 times max and never had disc brakes mounted - frame is perfect. most of the parts on that look new are new. wheels came off of an old bianchi bass.

trades only considered for locals, and parts must be of at least dura ace quality.

will part out - will not seperate frame/fork.


in other news, tentative race schedule for cross is being set. from the looks of things, a possible world cup coming in october, us grand prix series, mac series, ohio valley series, tailwind series..... looking to shape up to be a fun season and it is 4 months away.

and, i'll give you a number and let you guess what i'm talking about: 1500

with that - gotta roll. and - good luck to my fellow enduro freaks in ohio.

sologoat out

next race, new tires

next race on the plate...

granny gears 24 hours of big bear. as the course is right down the road from speedgoat and the fact that canaan/snowshoe was were i got my start in 24 hour racing, i consider this venue to be my "hometown course."

out of the three courses in WV (canaan, snowshoe, big bear) i would have to say that snowshoe was actually my favorite. rocks, roots and a long open climb - kind of a classic "how much can you suffer" type of course, and where i bagged my first 24 hour solo win.

we'll always have snowshoe... (extra points for naming that "modified" movie reference)

been running the Maxxis Ignitors since the begining of the year. been hooking up really in all conditions and are running around 550 grams on the scales.

now, i'm going to try out the Maxxis Crossmark tire. Little bit of a smaller profile tire and the edge tread on the tire doesn't stick out as far -- should be a better tire in muddy condtions where maybe rear spacing is an issue.

also would be a nice option for a low tech fast course - pump them up hard and roll fast.

hoping for the first rides on the new hella light wheels soon - first races will be with tubes, and then... i can't believe i am saying this...

i will go tubeless and drop approximately 100 grams of rotational weight per tire.

the consultant in me can now analyze the increase in wattage per hour, but i'll spare you the boring details.

lunch is over, gotta get back to work.

sologoat out