24 hours anyone?

2011-05-04T13:55:00.001-07:00

We started a new blog about our home addition. This blog will stay more with the endurance cycling/running theme. To check in on us go to: http://carpenterschallenge.blogspot.com/ Things are changing daily.

Ride on!

2011-04-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

We've been busy getting the house ready for its addition. The first thing we need to do is remove trees and then get bids on the foundation work. Tomorrow a friend that has a tree removal company is coming over with a crew to help us clear out the area we'll need for the addition.This friend has been very supportive of my endurance cycling. When we were starting out he helped make sure the team could continue to race competitively and for that we're grateful. To make room for removing the trees and get a good idea of a bid on foundation we needed to remove some deck. Here are a couple of before shots.

...and the after...

Just another view of the destruction.

We ended to taking off an area about 4' X 12'. Finn is working hard to get trees ready for removal.

As far as training...it's been mostly running with a bit of trainer mixed in. This time of year I'm pretty slammed with work so training always been sparse at best.

Hammer on!

2011-04-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

We opened the third show of the season this weekend. We dabbled with the Bard and had a fun time doing it. Since it was a show weekend that meant that we had some time during the day on Saturday. I managed to get in a marathon on the way down to Palm Springs, where we played for the day. About a third of it was on trails. Half way down a 3/4 mile stretch of tight single track I came across some fresh mountain lion tracks. How fresh I could not tell maybe from the night before but likely from that morning as they were on top of fresh bike tire tracks. It was still dusk which is another good sign they they weren't too old. I had a decision to make I could continue the direction I was going and follow the tracks or I could turn around and hopefully increase the odds that I would not run across any big cats. I decided to continue down the trail but not before picking up a few rocks. Now one of the reasons I got into cycling and running is because as a kid I couldn't throw or catch, which eliminates a lot of sports. If I came across a lion I'd never be able to hit it so I guess my thinking was as I was throwing rocks around the lion maybe I would scare up something else that would attract its attention. In the end I didn't get the chance to find out.

2011-04-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since my last entry. Big 'stuff' has been going on with the CA Carpenters. We've made some decisions and it looks like we're going to go through with a major project Bonnie and I have wanted to do for some time. Together along with the help of a few talented friends we are going to put on an addition to our home. Our friend David designed the addition and will be helping with the construction process. Some former and current students along with the occasional friends, family and neighbors will be helping with the actual construction. Our hope is to have it in a 'livable' state when school starts up in September. Here is a look at some of the drawings.

Because of the scope and magnitude of this project my racing is taking a bit of a backseat. I really want to enjoy this process with Bonnie and the others working with us. I know I could not do that if I was fretting about not getting out for rides and runs. Yep, I said runs. Along with the addition to out home am adding running to my racing. My goal is to compete in the Death Vally Cup. To do that I need to race in three 100 mile running races before I qualify for the Badwater 135. With that I need to keep my cycling resume up as well to be considered for the 508. That makes this a very long term goal.

As you might guess this blog will take on a different sort of flavor. I'll be talking about a different kind of hammering, but I think that's o.k. A good life is a balanced one.

Hammer on!

2010-12-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

With rain falling nonstop for nearly the past week there is not a lot to report. All my riding has been on a trainer. I've got out for a few runs, but nothing serious. I'm getting a little cabin fever. Up in the high country it's been snowing. If I can get up there without getting too wet it could be a lot of fun.

I think we all kind of knew it but yesterday it was confirmed. Bonnie is a bit of an endurance athlete too. She goes to Town Hall to work out at a Jazzersize class most days. She found out that after she pulls yet another two-a-day today (she is doing today's first work out as I write this) she will have gone to class 200 time this year. Keep in mind that we are out of town for nearly 4 months out of the year. Way to go Bonn!

Ride on!

2010-12-07T15:37:00.000-08:00

Nobody but me and the girls on the trails this morning. The weather has been great so morning runs have been warm, maybe too warm. This past weekend I was able to put in a good run. I hit trails through May Valley down to Hurkey Creek. Then I picked up the hwy in Garner Valley to Paradise Corners. From this shot you can sort of make out the hwy I'm headed for. That 'cloud' is smoke from a prescribed burn.

Bonnie and Finn picked me up and we had some holiday fun down in Palm Desert. Speaking of Holiday fun the house is decked out. Figures, decorate for the holidays and it gets warm, sorry Taylor. Ya gotta love this time of year. Eric and I got out for a ride yesterday. It was a lot of fun, long over due, and too short. I hope we can get out at least one more time before he heads back to Big Bear.

Ride on!

2010-11-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

The seasons are changing out here in CA. This time of year I switch from outdoor spinning to indoor. Because of this change my view goes from this:
To this:

I also switch from N.P.R. downloads to dvds and old race coverage of the Tour and Ironman.

We had a week off for Thanksgiving. Taylor our niece came out for a visit so we were off the hill a bunch doing all things SoCal. I didn't get a lot of time to train but when I did it was mostly spent on the trails running. With a snow it's a little tricky but that just means using some different muscle groups to avoid slipping. I got my new Petzl Myo headlamp last week. I look forward to putting it to the test with some night runs this week. I went with the belt pack to keep the weight off my head and extend the battery life.

Ride on!

2010-11-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

Finn and the girls and I hit the trails this morning. I thought it might be good for us to get out before the snow starts to fly this weekend. Yep, I said snow. And you know why it's going to snow? Because our niece Taylor is coming from Wisconsin for a visit and every time someone from Wisconsin comes out for a visit they bring their weather with them.
Having a Dad that likes to do endurance events Finn has learned the value of rest.

Ride on!

2010-11-12T09:55:00.001-08:00

Man it gets dark quick now a days. I thought I would ride home last night but no lights meant driving, rats. I guess I should just have lights with me when I leave in the morning. The flip side is it's pretty light by 6 a.m. and relatively warm by 8. The nights are getting pretty cool, we've have fires just about every night this week. I gotta admit I do better with running when it's cold then I do biking. This weekend Eric and I are hoping to get a good ride in down in La Quinta. Maybe we'll head up the mountain for bit of a work out. Whatever we decide it'll be fun.

Ride on!

2010-11-10T12:11:00.001-08:00

Well the show closed, we've had our first production meeting for the next show, Eurydice, Grandma is on her way home, and off season is over. Work is slowing down a bit so now I can think about next season and start training again. As usual nothing too serious. Just spinning and running. I think I'll concentrate more on running up through the first of the year. Last year I was on a bike a lot so I think this will be good cross training. I'm tempted to sign up for 12 hours of Temecula this weekend just to see what a month of goofing around does to a body. Well better run, and I mean that. I have class in about an hour and a half and if I want to get some trail time in I gotta run.

Ride on!

2010-11-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

It's show time again so that means Grandma is in town to take care of us. Finn and I went down to San Diego last week to pick her up, as well as some lighting equipment. While waiting for her flight to come in we killed some time at Seaside Village.

This week is tech week so not a lot of time to hit the trails. Me and the girls have been getting some runs in, but nothing serious. We come across some new trails around campus that I'm excited to try on a bike. It can probably go without saying, but not a lot of time for blogging, gotta run.

Ride on!

2010-10-19T13:55:00.001-07:00

I think we're fully recovered from the 508. I'm not on the bike much but I've been running and hiking. Yesterday I ran with a weighted backpack and felt good. Bonnie has caught up with the class she is taking and this week we finally are totally cleaned up from all of the 'stuff' around the bike room that we used for the race. Bonnie got inspired and really did a 'service master' type cleaning. It just goes to show you that even though the race is done the work isn't. Have I mentioned I have the best pit boss?

So far the first couple of weeks of the off season have been good, and it couldn't happen at a better time. We are busy with school and the first show of the season, as well as Bonnie needing to put the finishing touches on that class I mentioned earlier. Right now I'm enjoying cross training, and spending some much needed down time with the family, and friends. Thursday I'm slotted to go for a hike good friend who is visiting from Alaska. It is really good to see her, it's been too long since she was by for a visit. Though I haven't been riding much that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about the next challenge. Eric, the crew member who did all of the slow driving for the 508, has this loop he'd like to try. It goes from Big Bear to Palm Springs, to Idyllwild to Banning, and back up to Big Bear. It's about 240 miles and lots of climbing. We're going to try it some time before the snow flies.

Ride on!

2010-10-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

We finally took on the 508 this past weekend. Brad and I have been talking about this one for years. Usually when we were walking some techie part of a 24 hour mt. bike race. Here's how it went down.

We picked up Grandma from Ontario Wednesday night. She came to town to take care of Finn while we were out pushing limits. Thursday we picked up my sister Shannon in Palm Springs. It was good to have her back on the crew again, she been doing this for years with us. Friday we packed up the rental van. Our good friend Eric round out the crew. He's raced 24s, but this was his first time crewing with us. He swung by and we headed out to Santa Clarita. Once we got there we got together with Brad and his crew and set up the support vehicles and bikes for the race. This meant putting on signage and lights.
Saturday morning Brad and I rode over to the start. Our crews met up there, wished us luck, which we needed, and took off for the first place we could use support. This is what it looked like 24 miles into the race.

Our first 100 miles went off with out a hitch. Our crews were leap frogging with us. Brad and I were feeling good. Then it happened...about 115 miles into it Brad had a mechanical. While climbing a long grade somehow his rear derailleur got caught up in his rear wheel sheering the hanger and part of the derailleur itself. Thoughts of his race being over flooded our minds. I took off and let my crew know what had happened. They then alerted Brads crew. After Brad's bad luck with the mechanical, it was all good. The race director happened to not be far behind and he was able to get in touch with a team that had and extra bike that Brad could use. My crew was able to run into some locals that knew of a bike shop that was relatively near by. That shop had the one derailleur Brad needed. Sean, our good friend and expert mechanic got Brad's bike up and running and before long Brad was back on his bike. All together Brad lost about 2 hours. It was good to see the spirit of the cycling community in action. It was also impressive to see Brad pull out of a bad situation. It would have been really easy for him to fall into a funck, but he didn't. He is one of the strongest racers I know. The rest of the race when off without a hitch. I didn't get to see Brad again until the finish line Sunday evening. Bonnie Shannon and Eric were spot on. Every time I needed something they were there. Always positive, supportive, and encouraging. This is a tough race. They needed to drive behind me at speeds between 5 and 40, a lot of it below 10. I don't know about you but a few hours in a car is usually enough for me. They spent 31.5 hours in a car. I know at times they would have rather been on the bike then in the car. I'm truly blessed to have these people in my life.

There were a lot of views like this.

We had great weather the first day. Nice temps, and good cloud cover.

Bonnie and Eric sending me on my way down to Death Valley.

We caught the climb up Towns Pass just as the sun was setting, it was beautiful. This is were the crew started following right behind me. They would do this the rest of the race.

After Towns Pass it was dark and we were headed to Badwater. Strangely enough we hit our high temps of the race though this stretch, mid 90's. The night went well. I had a little stomach stuff going on but nothing serious. I had no idea but we were in the hunt for the podium as of sun up. After the Baker time station there is a long 21 mile climb. This come after we've put in 385 miles. It hurt but the sky was incredible, so it kind of took my mind off of it.

The rest of the race was a grind. A lot of climbing, and wind. It took us 8.5 hours to cover the last 120+miles. I got a treat just before Amboy. Gary showed up to cheer us on. It was good to see another friend out there. He too was positive and energetic, I picked up on some of that energy. After climbing out of Amboy I got another treat. Danial and Margret were there to cheer us on as well. It was great, just what we needed. We rolled over the finish line in about 31.5 hours. Both Bonnie and Brad thought we could do it in around 32 or so. I thought they were nuts, I was hoping for 36ish. Once again I need to trust my wife, when will I learn.

I was spent. My Knee was really bothering me. I think it set in during the climb out of Baker. I'm still limping around on it today.

We had a great race. These guys are the best. Notice Shannon is already sleeping. I think Eric is too but I can't tell with the glasses. Bonnie is the only one that looks alert. She got to do the rest of the driving that day.

Brad didn't have the race he was hoping for, but that just makes you want to come back and do it next year. We both learned a lot and accomplished our first and main goal of finishing.

We ended our weekend at our friends house in Joshua tree. They have a couple of dome homes that they rent out. It was the prefect place to recover. If you ever need a place to stay in J tree just do a search for 'Joshua tree dome home' you won't be disappointed.

Ride on!

2010-09-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

Bonnie's been working hard getting all of the race info compiled and in one place. Once again, Brad and I will be in good hands. For those of you who don't know, instead of using numbers to identify racers in the Furnace Creek 508 totems are used. I'm a Crap and Brad is a Pygmy Hippo. I picked mine, Brad kind of was assigned his. It's a long story.

Ride on!

2010-09-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Fall. Out here in Ca we just got hit with Fall 2010 and it feels like it. Finn and I got the wood burner set for a fire should we need one. For the first time since we've bee back from WI we have our windows closed. I wonder what conditions will be like in to weeks as we ride through Death Valley. My guess is a lot of hot and a bunch of cold. Brad and I are putting the final touches on prep work for the 508. Bonnie compiled a great reference book for the team. It has the route, official rules, check list...I think we both felt a bit better after we did some research about what we were getting into. This is a big race, we'll be stretching ourselves and knowledge is power.

Ride on!

2010-09-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a good solid ride. About 75 miles and 4,500' of climbing. I think this will be the last substantial ride I have time for before the race. Which is fine seeing as it's about 2.5 weeks away. Logistically things are coming together. Grandma is flying out to take care of Finn. Lights for the car have been delivered. Brad is going to take care of crew car signage, I have the tubeless tires mounted on the bike as well as a new computer. I usually use a Garmin Edge 305 but the battery life is only 12 hours and I'll need a lot more time then that. The hotel at the start and the house at the finish are all taken care of so I guess now all we have to do is race. I have a feeling it'll be here before we know it.

On a different note all the students have arrived and are auditioning for class placement. Tomorrow we put them in classes and have some fun stuff to do around campus before classes start on Wednesday. Finn and I get to lead a hike while Bonnie will be kicking it at Jazzersize.

Ride on!

2010-09-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

We don't quite have the beautiful natural water features out here in C like we do in WI...
But the riding is just as scenic.

We been back for about a week and a half, I've had some good rides with friends as well as on my own. It's been good to get some hard climbing in. With school picking up I think the plan is to just maintain the fitness I have for the 508 which is a little less then a month away.

Ride on!

2010-08-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

It goes by so quick. It seems like just yesterday we were headed back to WI for the summer. This past week we made our pilgrimage back to SoCal. We had some great stops along the way, enjoying warm summer nights with a full moon rising. We'll miss everyone back in WI but we are looking forward to meeting our new students and catching up with returning students. Over the years I've really grown to love the changing of our seasons. It feels so good to get off the hill and back to my roots for the holidays and summers. But it also is good to come back to a place of our own.

Enough reflection, let's talk bikes. I wrapped up the summer with a long ride. I met Brad early in the morning, each of us with about 20 mile in. We then tacked on another 45 before we met up with Rachel. From there we rode all over Kettle and up into Delefield, hitting the Lapham climb twice (Rachel's idea, ouch). Yesterday I got out for my fist road ride ever in Idyllwild. The altitude and grade were apparent. In 35 mile I climbed 4,000'. Today I'll get a short ride in as well as a long over due hike with Gary and Cool Hand. I'm looking forward to my usual Saturday morning hike with Finn and the girls, a tradition I just love.

Ride on!

2010-08-11T04:34:00.000-07:00

You gotta love summer, we had another great weekend. Bonnie and I flew out to Colorado for a wedding on Friday. This is the first trip we've taken without dogs or Finn since he was born. The celebration took place in Evergreen, which is just west of Denver. The wedding was a lot of fun and it was good to see friends from back in CA, as well as folks we haven't seen in years. We also got the chance to have breakfast with a current student of ours. All in all it was a great weekend. We missed Finn and the girls but it was good to have sometime to ourselves. Thanks for taking care of the family while we were out of town Grandma.

Here is a shot of the view outside of the cabin we stayed at. We were at an elevation of nearly 9,000' and it felt like it when I went of runs.

We spent Saturday morning exploring Mt. Evans. Its the highest paved road in the U.S. just over 14,200'. We could really feel the elevation here. There was a lot of cyclists making their way up the mountain. I'm pretty sure this is something I have to try, both cycling and running...maybe in the same day.

We got back late Monday night so I didn't get back on the bike until yesterday. Just a couple of hours around the area. Today I hope to get out for a bit longer. Friday it looks like Brad and I are going to put in a long day, I hope I can hang with him.

Ride on!

2010-08-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

Good news is from what I can tell Sean did great at 24/9, bad news, as you might have guessed, we weren't there to witness it. Carpenter family has been spreading the flu bug around. So far I've been able to miss it but Bonnie and Finn have not had such luck. I guess that what happens when you get a bunch of people together with new germs.

We came back from the lake, (the Carpenter family summer get away) Monday morning. The plan was for me to ride back up Tuesday and back down on Wednesday. Feeling good Tuesday morning I headed out at about 3:00 a.m. The ride was nice and rather uneventful with the exception of almost being T-boned by a deer. I was in the aero position when out of the corner of my eye I see this deer bolting across a soy bean field. Quickly I sit up and hit the brakes, just missing out on a collision. This was the closest I've ever been to a deer. I got up to the lake in about 11 hours and started the r.r. as I wasn't sure how I would feel he next morning and I had to do it all over again. Wednesday morning I was up at about 1:30 and out the door about a half hour later. Once again all things when pretty smooth. The only time I felt really uncomfortable was when I was in a casino at 3:15 in the morning looking for a bubbler to fill my bottles. Can you believe there are folks up at that hours gambling? I guess they were saying some type of things about me. I got back to Waukesha around 1:30. Overall the rides went well. I just had one mechanical in 400 mile and it was the saddle bag, the bike was fine the entire way.

I think this is the biggest mileage week I had since riding back to Wisconsin, from California a few years ago. It is nice to get some big miles in before we fly to Colorado for the weekend, where I won't be cycling at all, however I am packing running shoes.

On a final note...Way to go Sean, sorry we couldn't be there.

Ride on!

2010-07-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

We've been getting hit with a lot of rain this past week. Finn is diggin' the new water features in the yard. More of my miles have been spent on the trainer than I would have liked. I did get out for a nice ride this morning for about four hours. I love getting in a solid ride before the day starts. It makes everything else just feel more laid back. Next weekend is the 24 hour race up in Wausau. For the first time in a few years I will not be racing, instead team Carpenter will be crewing for Sean. He has crewed with us in the past and now it's our turn to return the favor. It'll be strange not racing, but I'm looking forward to the new point of view.

Ride on!

2010-07-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

What a great time of year if you're a cycling fun. Each morning I wake up and watch the 3 hour coverage of the previous evening's Tour coverage in about an hour 45. Then after walking the dogs and getting some breakfast Finn and I head out to that days stage of Super Week. For those of you that don't know Super Week is actually two weeks of road racing throughout southeastern Wisconsin and the Chicago area. After enjoying a morning of live racing I get Finn back in time for his nap and head out of a ride for a couple of hours.

Here's Fin putting his own touch on cheering for the racers...harmonica instead of cowbell.
Ride on!

2010-07-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

Just another day riding in Waukesha county. Rural roads, small streams and lakes, no surprise I grew up loving cycling in this area.

Ride on and on!

2010-07-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was great. I got my first long ride in on the road bike and it felt nice. The trip was about 200 miles with 5,000' of climbing. Conditions were prefect, nice tailwind, light traffic, and moderate temps. To be honest it was a little too nice, it didn't even feel like training.

The rest of the weekend was spent boating, jet skiing, fishing and just general fun with my family. Finn caught his first fish, and grandpa was there to help. Sunday was a big day not only for our country but my family as another Carpenter took to the starting line. Cait, my brother's daughter, competed in a local triathlon. It's a small low key event that draws some pretty serious folks as well as a lot of people just out for a good time. I was able to ride along with her during the bike portion and her sister ran along with her to the end. Next year it sounds like Cait's brother and sister might compete as well. How cool would that be? Watch out Steve and Connie, a good tri bike will cost you $2,000. Too bad your kids aren't all the same size.

Here is a shot of Cait and her friend that got her into tri before the race.

Here is Cait just after she finished. She should be proud, it looks like she pushed hard.

This next week I think I'll slip back into a routine again. I'll probably get more spinning in as the Tour has started. Not only that but we are in that time of year where T-storms are predicted daily.

Ride on!

2010-07-01T02:20:00.000-07:00

I've been starting to settle into a routine and managing to get two to three hours in on the bike a day. Tomorrow I'll get my first long ride of the summer in. We are headed up to Boulder lake for the holiday weekend. If all goes well it'll be about 180 mile day. The only bad thing is I'll be missing out on a ride with teammate Brad, Sean, who built up my bike last week, and Rachele who is training hard for Ironman Wisconsin. It's probably best, at my fitness level right now I'd be slowing them down.

Ride on!

2010-06-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

Summer time and the livin' is sausage...really. Well yes! Good news, road bike is up and running thanks to Sean and Johnny Sprockets. We are on our way to the 508.
Ride on!

2010-06-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

Aahhh, it's good to be riding around lake country again.

Ride on!

2010-06-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

Mom and Pancho Villa got the garden in. Now let's hope the deer and the rain cooperate. If so, we'll have quite a harvest. As you can see we are back in WI. After a fun trip across country we are back were it all started. This morning I got up early and put in some good time on the trainer. I'll spend the week on the trainer and Song. Friday I head down to Chicago where Sean and I will build up the road bike. Speaking of Sean, he raced the Lumberjack today, I hope he had a blast. While coming cross country I was keeping a close eye on the RAAM. I was following Paul Carpenter pretty close as he is a professor and the university where I got my M.F.A. and for simple reasons...we share the same last name. He had to pull out early do to things that the RAAM will cook up. I hope to get in touch with him once the dust settles. When I was thinking of doing the RAW he was a great help, and I know I could use his sage advice for the 508.

Ride on!

2010-06-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

This has been what riding has been like lately.
Nothing too hard, and usually with friends. I been working with past members of biking club so we try to get out on the trails around campus when we have time. Tomorrow we are headed down to Hurkey creek to do a lap. It should be fun, I haven't ridden out there since last fall. This weekend we'll be running the Idyllwild 10k. Running club thought it would be a fun way to end the year and I couldn't agree more. We'll run the race, get cleaned up, head over to graduation, and then...SUMMER!

An update on the road bike. I won't be going with a Siren. Things are really taking off at Siren which means time is tight. I need to get on a road bike as soon as summer starts and there just isn't room in the line up to pump out a road bike. And let's face it Siren is after all a company that builds and designs great mountain bikes, and only once in a great while pumps out a road bike, time permitting. I got a great deal from Bear Valley Bikes over in Big Bear. Eric will be dropping it off later this week. Then the plan is once we get back to Wisconsin, head down to Chicago and have a good friend, who works at Johnny Sprockets, finish building the bike up and have me fitted. Then pack on the miles.

Ride on!

2010-05-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

I got out for a ride with one of or former students who is on campus helping out with end of the year shows. He has been working with us for the past month but this is only the second time we've been out for a ride. That doesn't seem right. We hung around campus hit mostly trails off the hub. Only two more weeks and then I can get out a bunch more!

Ride on!

2010-05-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

Guess which musical we closed yesterday...

"25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is the last show of our season. It was well received by the public and a good show to end the year with. We had our graduating design student design the lights and a former student design the set. Both did a fine job. I enjoyed working with both and hope to do so again in the future.

Because of late nights, training has suffered. I've come to the understanding that true training will not pick up again until summer, which is two weeks away. It's not ideal but I'm good with that. This is just the rest I need before I start to pack on the miles it will take to be in shape for the 508.

I suppose it's a good thing I'm busy since the weather is being rather unseasonal. It's been pretty chilly here on the hill and yesterday it snowed off and on all day. Graduation, which takes place in the outdoor amphitheater, is only 12 days away. A day that we're usually thinking about hydration, now we're considering what layers to sport under those robes.

Ride on!

2010-05-16T05:15:00.000-07:00

I needed to head down to San Diego for light equipment so the girls and I took advantage. It started out with a sunrise hike along the way...
and then some time at the beach. I though I'd get a picture of something other then Chance and Lucy romping around in the surf.

Training has been light this past week, i think it'll stay that way until school is over for the year. We are already dreaming of summer, trying to figure out which way we should go to get back to WI. Thinking about friends and family we miss so much, and reminiscing about the places and roads I started my love of the bike on.

But before all of that here are shows to be done. We start tech week for the final mainstage show of our season. We have guest set designer, another one of our former students. He is doing a great job and it's fun working with him again. Also worth noting the light designer is a current student. He gets put to the test today at first tech, I can't wait to see his design in action. The person who designed the second show of the season is back designing in the dance department. Also very good to have him back on the hill. The only bad part is the three of us have only managed to get out for one ride. We have got to work on this. On of them is from Big Bear, home of the mountain stage of this years Tour of CA. The stage almost goes right past his house. If we didn't have a show on the day of the mt. stage we'd be staying at his place for sure. Oh well, watching stage racing on T.V. while sitting on your trainer is better for you.

Ride on!

2010-05-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

First time on a horse.

Ride on!

2010-05-05T10:33:00.001-07:00

Got out for a ride yesterday morning. We had some stuff we had to take care of in Hemet. Bonnie and Finn drove down and I hit some single track and then the fire road down. Good for a couple of hours in the saddle.
The Yucca are marching all over the landscape

Something to think about when I cut back on running and riding.

The girls and I got out for a ran this morning on the way to school. Nothing like the smell of wet dog in the office. I think Chance will be a shop dog today.

Things are really picking up here at work. Again I'll need to be happy to just maintain my fitness.

Ride on!

2010-05-02T16:13:00.000-07:00

Finn and I started our day with a hike with the girls. After that we headed to Hurkey Creek to watch the Idyllwild Spring Challenge. It looked well attended and Finn enjoyed cheering the racers as they passed.

After a couple of hours at Hurkey it was time to get Finn home for a nap and for me to go for a ride. I thought hitting Rouse Ridge down to Hemet and back up would be good. A view from Rouse Ridge looking back at Lake Hemet.

About 11 miles up the ridge I spotted some mt. lion tracks. Of course you only find these when you're working your tail off to go 3 miles and hour.

A look at what I got to descend after a little 12 miles of mostly climbing. It wouldn't be a spring ride without at least one snake encounter.

We're now off to see Mary in the Divide movie.

Ride on!

2010-04-26T13:31:00.001-07:00

Cause
Effect

Because I almost immediately sheared off my derailleur hanger the long ride I was hoping for turned into a long trail run.

Ride on!

2010-04-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Finn and I go out for a hike Friday morning. We stayed mostly on control roads as the trails were covered in snow.
We opened the third show of the season Friday evening. The kids did great and we could not be happier with the student who designed the set. Only qualified students get the chance to design a mainstage production and he sure has proven himself. Since we got nailed with snow again while Grandma has been out for a visit we decided to head down to the dessert for some fun in the sun. I rode down on my Trauco. Here is shot looking back at our mountain just after the hwy crosses the Pacific Crest Trail. Won't be long and we should start to see them dropping into Idyllwild for some much needed r.r.

I had some time so I sliced off a bit of the Palms to Pines trail on my way down.

Beaver tail is in bloom all the way down.

Update on trail conditions of the T.T. course as of this morning...Great! There are some small seasonal streams but nothing to worry about. It should be a fun weekend!

Ride on!

2010-04-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

SoCal? In late April?

You ever wake up and think, 'It's good not to be that duck on the pond'? BUURRRR

So this would have been the weekend of the spring edition of the 24 Hours of Adrenalin at Hurkey Creek. But like so many big chain 24's it's been cancelled. How cool would it have been to be racing in the snow? Well maybe next year. But what is going on the is the Idyllwild Spring Challenge, and unless something crazy happens it should be great conditions. http://www.idyllwildcycling.com/ By then the snow will have slowly melted into the ground giving us prefect trail conditions. If that doesn't get you up here thing about how cool it is that you could be supporting World Bicycle Relief while enjoying the San Jacinto Mountains. For details check out the online registration page.

Ride on!

2010-04-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of training in the past few days. Just out for runs and short rides when I can.
Had to pick up some lighting equipment in San Diego so that mean some fun at the beach.
A Crab at dog beach? This guys is either brave or totally unaware.

I was on duty this weekend. I got out to the point a couple of times to make sure the kids weren't being kids. I have a feeling if I went to high school here I'd spend many sunsets looking over this view.

On the way back down Southridge, Lucy had to find every patch of snow to cool down.

A bunch of rain is supposed to hit over the next few days so I guess most of my fun will be spent on the trainer. I don't mind running in the rain so maybe a couple of trail runs too.

Ride on!

2010-04-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post while I can. Finn is sleeping and Bonnie is in San Diego picking up Grandma from the airport. It's getting to be show time again so she is back in town to take care of us. So far this week I've been able to keep up some good training, thanks to a sleepless nigh last night. Too much on my mind so I got up did an hours worth of sound editing and then started spinning, and spinning, and spinning. It felt good to have a bunch of miles in before anyone was a wake. I believe that's called invisible training. Yesterday the girls and I had to do a lumber run so we stopped off a the south fork trail on the way home for a run. As you can see the south fork is flowing.

This weekend Siren is headed to Sea Otter. Brendan and Mary will be there flying the colors and talking Divide. If you are there be sure to check out the screening the the documentary about the race. I got to see a preview and it's a well made file about a great adventure. I plan on getting a copy to watch while spinning and dreaming.

Ride on!

2010-04-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend I got in a great hike with Gary and Cool Hand. We went down to the Indian Canyons near Palm Springs. I also got a history lesson, from one of its key players. I won't go into great detail but back in the early 80's developers wanted to use this land for condos and a golf course (just what this area needs). Gary was one of just a few people to head up and unite several groups to stop this from happening. Now it is preserved and set aside as Indian land, very cool.

Here is a shot looking back on our mountain. You just see the storm peeking over the top. As I understand it it was cold and cloudy all day back home, we enjoyed sunshine and 80s.

Looking down on Palm Canyon

One of many oasis.

It was a lot of fun with one exception. As we were hiking along we saw bike tracks on trails where bikes should never be. This really gives mt. bikers a bad name, and it's dangerous. Mt. bikes are fast, quite and scare the heck out of horses, and hikers. Poaching trails just sucks.

Ride on, the right trails!

2010-04-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

The girls have been getting a little stir-crazy so we got out for a good run this morning. We shot up Deer Springs trail. We found our camera, but not before we bought a new on so you'll be seeing more pictures. This is a view from a spot just off the trail.
We're still seeing patches of snow at 6300'.

This week training has been o.k. A lot of spinning, partly because of weather, partly because of time. This weekend Gary and I are planning on hiking the Indian Canyons down in Palm Springs. If all goes well I'll ride down and meet him.

Ride on!

2010-04-04T06:02:00.000-07:00

Hey we're wrapping up spring break today. It's been a good break and we're looking forward to seeing the kids again. It's a cool time of year because college acceptances start rolling in. One of our Designers spend some time in Liverpool over break checking out L.I.P.A. Another of our Stage Managers spent a big chunk of her break out east looking into a few of the great schools over there. It's bitter sweet to watch our students make these life decisions and move on to the next phase of their lives. What's really great is getting to work with your former students after they've gone off to that next phase. This last quarter of the year we'll be working with Trevor, who just graduated from CalArts last spring. He'll be working on the last mainstage as well as helping out around campus with all that happens in the closing months.

I better talk a little cycling before Finn gets up...I was a little behind where I wanted to be before break but since then I've made up some of my deficit. I think over the next couple of months I should be happy to maintain and not worry about gaining much. Work is going to be crazy, and when all is said and done I will be too. We made some decisions on the road bike. Since we are having trouble coming up with a rear end Siren is going to build me an aluminum bike for the summer and fab the carbon bike so it is ready when I get back in September. This should move things along and get me riding is a new position soon. For the last day of break I might ride back up from Hemet and go hiking with Gray. I already go my spinning in so I'm good there.

Happy Easter, or good Sunday to ya, or both,
Ride on!

2010-03-31T14:17:00.000-07:00

So far spring break has been good for riding. Monday I got in 100 miles. Yesterday I got in some spinning and Gary and I got out for a hike. Today I got in some good climbing, about 4,000'. I'll top that off with some spinning after the girls and I get out for a run before the rain and snow start falling. I'm getting most of my miles in on my new Trauco. I really like it. It's great on the road and it climbs like a goat. It feels smooth on the single track as well. I'm using a rigid fork on it and I really like that on the climbs. I was a little apprehensive about it on the techie single track but it preforms quite well. I've got to do a little more work but the is to be expected. I'm really thinking about using this bike with slicks for the 508. I mean I haven't been on a road bike for about 5 or 6 years now. All of my riding is done on a mt. bike. Even when I rode my bike from CA to WI a few years back I did it on a full suspension mt. bike. Since I don't know any better, maybe it's the way to go.

Ride on!

2010-03-26T11:21:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick update:
- We're on spring break
- We just got back from 5 days in Phoenix with Grandma and Grandpa
- Spring training
- National parks
- General fun
- Time on the road on the Trauco...Thinking about just riding this bike for the 508.
- We have our list of home projects
- Planning a camping trip some time next week
- Looking forward to fun with Bonnie and Finn
- Ride lots

Ride on!

2010-03-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

I got the new Trauco built up last night. Snapped a shot of it this morning in the yard and then Finn and I got out for a ride.

Ride on!

2010-03-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm knid of an endurance junky. I like the idea of push one's limits, finding out how far they can go, discovering there is always a little more in there to give. Today the Iditarod dog sled race will see its 2010 winner cross under the burled arch in Nome this afternoon. I've been watching even closer this year as one of it's best known racers, and father to one of our students is racing for the last time. Jeff King has won he race four times, an accomplishment only a hand full of racers can claim. It looks like the man who has won the Iditarod the past there years will be winning for a fourth, joining Jeff in this elite club. All of my viewing has been on line and I'm hoping either discovery or Versus will cover the race like they have in the past. And speaking of Versus I have it back again! Just yesterday Directv picked it up again. I got to watch the last stage of Paris Nice. Just in time for the spring classics.

So it sounds like all I've been doing is sitting around watching other people race. O.K. that's partly true, but I can do that and spin at the same time. Better run, I've got to meet Bonn and Finn at school in about an hour and Lucy and I want to squeeze as much trail running in as we can.

Ride on!

2010-03-11T18:04:00.000-08:00

Been hitting the trails the past couple of days, just running. All of my riding has been on the trainer. This week I've been able to get up before Finn and put in some saddle time. With day light savings coming up I should be able to get some more time on the trails after work. In the winter I tend to run on the road at night, it's just faster when it's dark. Tomorrow morning Gary and I are going to hike the loop trail. A hike with him is long over due.

This week I plan on building up my new Siren Trauco. This will be the bike I race at the Julian Death March. It's seems a few of us from Idyllwild will be heading down the take on the challenge of the March. Last year it truly was a Death March. I think the course is pretty similar to last year so I'll know what I'm getting into.

Ride on!

2010-03-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

I'm back among the living. It took longer then I hoped but I kicked that chest cold. I wrapped up three hours of spinning and I feel great. We got more snow and rain this weekend so riding outside isn't too attractive. I started building up my new Trauco, but ran into some complications so that too is taking a bit longer then I hoped. I'm not worried, it'll be ready for the Death March. This week I think I'll get back on track as far as training, now that I'm healthy again. Only two more weeks until spring break, and we are looking forward to it. We are headed to AZ for some fun with my parents, and a little road riding on my new bike. I always enjoy riding in different towns, it's a great way to get to know a place. I've come to find that most places aren't too different from each other. It's all kind of comfortable, which seems pretty reasonable, I mean who doesn't want to be comfortable?

Ride on!

2010-02-28T15:17:00.000-08:00

Started out strong this week and ended weak. A chest cold worked its way into my system and knock me on my can yesterday. Just walking up stairs with Finn in my arms left me winded. I told Bonnie it felt like I was on my second to last lap of a 24 hour race. It took everything I had to get an hour of spinning in yesterday. Today I think I'll just take off. I'll see how I feel tomorrow, I should be able to at least get some light spinning in.

Stopped over at Siren home office yesterday. I got a look at my new Trauco. Its decal/paint scheme looks a lot like my Song's WBR/Siren team theme. White with red decals, this bike will be prefect for races like the Julian Death March, or Trans Wisconsin. I think this scheme is what we're going to do with the road bike as well. Speaking of which fab starts this week. All parts should be trickling as the week goes on. I would think by the end of the week it should just be a matter of putting it all together. Now if the weather will just cooperate, we got some snow yesterday. I thought this was SoCal.

Ride on!

2010-02-23T15:44:00.000-08:00

Got some good news late last week. Looks like we'll be racing the Furnace Creek 508 in October. This news was mixed with some more good news and some bad. Teammate Brad also got in, however our former student and good friend Eric did not. Maybe we can talk Eric into helping out on the crew, he would definitely be an asset.

In other news I think we've wrapped up all of the planning for the road bike. Brendan and I got together Sunday and hammered out the specifics. Orders are being made this week and fab should start next week. I'm also looking forward to getting my new full 29er built up. The frame is all done I just need to find the time to slap some parts on it.

Training has been more of the same, spin early, run later, hike in between. These are images of me, Finn and the girls out for our weekly Saturday morning hike.

Ride on!

2010-02-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

The full Red group showed up today. This bike is going to be sweeeet! Wait a minute, where's the granny? and what's with all of those teeth on the big ring?

Ride on!

2010-02-16T15:39:00.000-08:00

I had a chance to do some looking around last night on line and came across this: http://www.transwisconsin.com/ Thanks Scott. Might be something to consider?

2010-02-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

Another week another blog update. This week went by quick, with a lot of highlights. First of all Finn got to meet Alex. It will be cool watching these two grow up. And if I thought this week when by fast, I can only imagine how fast these guys will grow up.
I got a package on Thursday. Sean sent my wheels from Johnny Sprockets in Chicago. These will be the foundation of the new Siren road bike. I know very little about road bikes but as I understand it tubeless systems are new to the scene. I'll be very excited to give them a whirl. This week Brendan is going to be working on getting the frame built up so I could be riding it in another week or so. I can't wait!

This weekend we did something different. Instead of hanging out in the desert near Oracle AZ we enjoyed Bonnie's birthday in a more conventional way. Yep, we didn't race Old Pueblo this year. Things weren't lining up to make this race happen so we decided to stay home and have some time to just be together...it was great! It also gave me some time to work on another cycling goal. I got my application in to race the Furnace Creek 508. http://www.the508.com/ Check it out it's a very cool event. I find out Friday if we are in or not, so keep your fingers crossed.

Ride on!

2010-02-08T16:13:00.000-08:00

Well we had to let grandma go this morning, that meant the girls and I go some time at the beach after dropping Grandma off at the San Diego Airport. It was great having her out here for such an extended visit. We couldn't manage work and the Chicago trip without her. We sure are lucky that she is willing to come out and take care of us.

It's always a blast running and playing along the Ocean. I have to admit being a Midwestern boy it's always a little surreal going from snow and cold to sharing a beach with surfers. This morning it was business as usual. Up before Finn for and hour or so of spinning. I didn't get much else in with the exception of goofing around with the dogs. Tomorrow I'll do the same and maybe get some time running the trails. Looks like another storm is on the way so the trails are still off limits for the bike. Snow level for this one should be around 3,500' so no rain for us.

Ride on!

2010-02-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last post and a lot has happened. To quickly sum it up we've been to Chicago and back with our Seniors. It was their annual audition trip. We got together with Brad and Sean as well. I also have my new wheelset for the road bike on its way to CA, thanks Sean. Brendan and Mary had their baby boy and everyone is healthy. How cool is that? This weekend is the winter Orchestra concert so I'll be busy with that. I think after the weekend I'll get back to training with some regularity. I'm hoping to be on the road bike in the next couple of weeks, but for now I'll be happy with spinning. I really can't hit the trails as we are getting several inches of rain over the next couple of days. I don't mind running in the rain but riding isn't as fun. I can't get past all of the bike clean up I'll have to do once I get home. Well better run, the trails are calling.

Ride on!

2010-01-25T12:07:00.000-08:00

Some fun in the sun!

We finally got our snow. After a week of rain it turned to snow Friday. We ended up getting a little better then a foot. Big Bear, in the mountain rage just north of us got about 4.5 feet. Finn and I hiked Saturday with the girls. He soon realized that being 3 feet tall it's hard to hike when the snow covers a third of your body. Wanting to get out of the stuff we headed down to Palm Springs for the day and enjoyed some warmer temps. Sunday Lucy and I got out for a 2 hour hike on our way to school. No riding the past couple of days.

No trail running today, just hiking.

I have to cross a lot more of these on the way to work.

It hard to believe that 13 million people live within 100 miles of our mountain, yet one can still be very alone. In the snow you can make out some tracks that have been covered with snow. The tracks are from Lucy and me when we ran through on Friday. Don't get me wrong, this weekend all of SoCal came out to play, it's just that they all stayed in the easy to find snow fun spots around town.

I hope to get back to spinning in the morning before Finn gets up. I'd like to get some good mileage in before we head to Chicago this weekend.

Ride on!

2010-01-21T17:17:00.000-08:00

We've been crazy busy with the show. I don't know if I've mentioned it but we have a guest set designer for this production. It's the first one Bonnie hasn't done in our nearly 12 years out here. The designer is a former student and good friend. He is the only student I've had that has taken on the challenge of competing in a 24 hour mountain bike race. He killed it a few years back with 16 laps when he was only 17 years old. The other day he kicked my butt on a road ride, this guys is strong. Not only is this guy a strong rider but an exceptional designer. He didn't just ride when he was a student here, he also managed to be voted the Academy's outstanding artist his Senior year, not too shabby. It's been fun working with him again but we didn't get nearly enough time to ride. Next time. It's also been a little strange not working with Bonnie. Ya know I probably haven't said it but I miss working with her. With our new positions at school we done see each other nearly as much. She is coming to the preview tonight, I'll be curious to see what she thinks. Although she may not make it. We are supposed to get a bunch of snow tonight, somewhere between 1 and 2 feet. I might be walking home.

On a biking note, looks like things are coming along on the road bike. Materials are being figured out and if all goes well we'll be slapping parts on it as soon as I get back from Chicago. Speaking of Chicago I get to check out the new wheelset we'll be going with. Sean at Johnny Sprockets has recommended the Fulcrum tubeless system. I've checked them out on line and they seem like a great wheelset for what I want to do. Things are also shaping up for a new ride that I'll be able to showcase at Old Pueblo. Brad, my teammate will also be flashing his new steed. Now we have no excuses.

Better run, we've got a bunch of little stuff to do before preview.

Ride on!

2010-01-14T12:38:00.000-08:00

Wrapped up break with a fun evening. Brendan and Mary came over and made pizza. Not only did we enjoy the food and company but an excellent cycling movie to boot. Despite being busy with work training has been going well. I've got in to the routine of getting up before Finn for a spin. So far it seems to be working. I get most of my training done before the day starts and then anything else I can get is bonus. So far that's meant a three mile run home each night after work. Next week training will be difficult at best. Most nights I won't get home until after 10. If you know me, I'm usually in bed by 10. This will make getting up early questionable. I don't want to sacrifice health by skimping on sleep. If this is my biggest problem I guess I'm doing alright.

Before break was over I was able to do a bit of research on the RAW. I've been in touch with the guy who won it in '08. It's kind of funny, he and I share the same last name, and he is a professor at NIU, where Bonnie and I did our MFA's. Looks like we'll get to meet him this summer as he is going to take on the RAAM. On the bike front Brendan and I talked a bit about it the other night. It sounds like it's going to be something pretty special, but what would you expect from Siren?

Ride on!

2010-01-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

I got some good miles in today. Started with a little bit of spinning before Finn and I got out with Chance and Lucy for our Saturday morning hike. Who should we run into but Brendan and Dave out for another epic. Check out the Siren shop blog for the details, I know I will. This afternoon I hit the trails. I shot up to Pine Cove and then down to Hemet. The turned around and came back up. Ended up climbing around 5,000'. That's like climbing 1/6th of the way up Everest...once.

We've had some very mild temps here. It was about 65 in Idyllwild so I would think it was around 75 down in Hemet. As you can see there is still some spotty snow in the high country. Nothing like the weather we just left, lots of snow and temps in the single digits. Buuurrr.
My first ride of the year also can with my first snake of the year. Spotted this guy at 3,700'.

I hope to get out for some more good miles tomorrow. I also need to head into school and get my head around the show.

Ride on!

2010-01-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

The girls and I got in a short hike just before the sun set. You gotta love the outdoors on a crisp late afternoon.
It's been all running and hiking for the past few weeks, but I'll be back on the bike soon.

Ride on!

2010-01-05T12:13:00.001-08:00

Holiday season is finally coming to a close. It's been great seeing friends and family back in WI. Finn got to spend a bunch of time with his cousins from both sides of the family. We missed out on getting together with some friends but I sure we can take care of that in Feb. when we come back for the Unified auditions in Chicago. We ate like crazy, I think my new years resolution will be to, in general, consume less. I feel like after the past couple of weeks I should be o.k. not to eat again until half way through February.

During this break I've had some time to get things in order for RAW. Logistics will be the trick here. I'm really glad we decided to do the RAW this year and tackle the RAAM the year after. There is so much to think about and consider. I'm a commutation major with an emphasis in theory so one of the first things I think about with this race is the number of people involved, per team. From what I understand most solos have at least two crews of no less than 2 people. This means at lest 5 people including the rider, that's a lot of relationships. With that many people the cost starts to add up pretty quick too. Maybe my resolution will help with this. I think I'll consider these races my birthday/Christmas/Father's day gifts for the next several years.

Something I'm excited about with this race is it's something we've never done. I've got that feeling like I had early on in my 24 hour career. I don't know what's going to happen, or how we'll deal with it. If history is any indicator we'll figure it out on the fly like we always do. My training will be different too, more time on the road and trainer and less on the trail. Although to be honest most of my training already take place on the trainer just because it's convenient.

Wow this post got a lot longer than I anticipated. I guess when I get to thinking 'out loud' I can ramble.

Ride on!

2009-12-28T07:09:00.000-08:00

The girls and I have been enjoying some fun in the snow. In the summer this area is too overgrown to hike in. It always make for a good loop in the winter.
These two love playing 'hunt and be hunted'.

More fun on the trails.

Ride on!

2009-12-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

Finn got his first bike. And not just any bike, it's a Siren. Now he's not just part of the team but he's a rider too.

'Is that for me?'
'Is this where I put my feet? Papa you know it's missing the pedals, right?'

One of many more to come. I mean let's face it I'm almost 40 and I'm still falling off my bike.

No worries, we just get right back on.

Sweet ride. Once again Siren has brought more happiness to the world.

Ride on!

2009-12-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

We've been enjoying the outdoors. We got out for a hike in the morning. We just did a loop that takes us through the the state park that is across the street from us. I also got some spinning in. Last night was the winter orchestra concert. Once again the kids did great! After we wrapped up I got to get in one more run before calling it a night.

Here's a shot of Lucy cooling off, she is such a Hot Dog.
Chance, making sure all is well with us before she takes off again.

Finn and I looking for birds and squirles.

Ride on!

2009-12-10T06:51:00.000-08:00

I got this link from a friend in England. Kind of fun to think about.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8392451.stm

Ride on!

2009-12-08T15:49:00.000-08:00

Hey winter hit hard yesterday. This morning running into school was a chore. What usually takes me about a half hour to do took twice that today. It'll get me in shape for running back in WI. I understand they are in the throws of a good winter storm as a write this.

Looks like Finn's X-mas present is coming a long nicely. It's been to powdercoat and back, now it's time for assembly. I don't know if he'll get to ride it outside much with all of the snow. Next bike in line for the Carpenter family is that new Siren road bike. We order parts for it this week, and I've been getting some advice about wheelsets. It's a good thing I know people who know things. I am totally lost when it come to road bikes.

Ride on!

2009-12-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

Finn turns two today. It's true what they say, the time flies by. My best advice is to try to stop and take it in every chance you get. Don't be in too big a hurry...don't always be looking ahead, enjoy where you are. Sounds like the advice of a guy who's been on the trainer as of late.

Ride on! (But stop some times too)

2009-11-28T13:18:00.000-08:00

A change in the weather. Yesterday I got a bunch of miles in hiking and running. I took this shot on my way back to town after getting a hike in with Gary and Cool hand. As you can see the clouds were starting to build.
We woke up this morning to our first snow of the season.

Today officially starts the indoor trainer season. I kicked it off while watching the 2008 RAAM. Other hits I'll enjoy during this time will be, Montezuma's Revenge 2005, and 2006, several tour's de France, and a few spring classics, a couple of adventure races. Oh, and sprinkle in a few old Packer games.

Break is coming to a close, it's been fun and busy. Things didn't go as planned, for one we still don't have our truck. We are now in a nice 2009 Tundra but it doesn't have four wheel drive so our trip to get groceries was scrapped, again. Our frig looks like it does when we get back from summer. What did go as planned was our Thanksgiving day. We spent it with some great friends that host a Thanksgivingpalooza. About 40 to 60 people attend, depending on the year. The amazing thing is we all sit and eat at the same time. We first met this family when their son came to our school as a Freshmen. Wow time flies! We when to his wedding this past spring. It's times like these that being a teacher really pays off. To see your former students growing into people you can look up to. It doesn't get much better than that.

O.K. let's talk bikes. Siren is working on Finn's first bike it is going to be so cool! I can't wait. Bonnie has already told me I'm getting a little too excited about it. Once Santa comes I'll have pictures. Let's just say we are skipping the training wheels.

Ride on!

2009-11-19T15:29:00.000-08:00

What do you think of the new car?

Finn Loves it!

O.K. the truck is in for a bit of work and this is what hey gave us...just like a truck right? One more day and it break time. We get a week off for Thanksgiving. Finn and I took Bonnie down to the airport yesterday. She is back in Wisconsin for a few days. This morning I figured I'd get up early and spin. Only got an hour in and Finn was ready for action. He is sleeping pretty head now so he's making up for lost zzzz's. I'll try it again tomorrow morning and we'll see what happens.

Brendan and I have been talking RAAM bike. The next step is to see what we'll build it up with, and how he'll design the frame. It's getting exciting!

Ride on!

2009-11-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

The show went well. The kids did a great job and I heard many well deserved complements being showered on them. Now it's time to get be to the regular schedule, sort of. I'll start getting my morning spin beginning Wednesday. Tomorrow I have to take grandma to the San Diego airport and hopefully squeeze in a bike fitting. Then I guess the regular schedule will be effect for almost a week, until Bonnie leaves town to adjudicate the Wisconsin State One Act Festival. Then Finn will dictate the schedule. Ya know come to think of it what is the regular schedule? I mean things are always popping up. It would be a dull existence if they didn't. Speaking of which I'm off to a production meeting for the next show, we don't mess around here.

The girls and I got out for a hike this morning, I know where's Chance? She didn't want her picture taken I guess.

2009-11-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

Another opening, another show! Yep that's right we open tonight. If you're in town and lookin' to take in a little Irish comedy show starts at 7:30 sharp. It's been a long week but worth it. The set looks great, the kids did an outstanding job on it. Looking at the set you can't believe that just weeks ago some of the kids didn't even know how to use a tape measure.

With the show opening that means it's time to get back on the bike. Don't get me wrong I've enjoyed all of the running and hiking I've been doing but it's time to make sure I still know how to put in some long saddle time. Tomorrow we are headed down to Palm Springs to soak up some sun and hang out. The plan is for me to leave a couple hours ahead of everybody else on my bike and meet them down there. I'm really looking forward to it, the last day off Bonnie or I had was the weekend of Moab.

This week I'm hoping to get a bike fitting in. Now that we've got some time Brendan and I can start figuring out this new rode bike. I'm really excited about moving in his new direction. Kind of like when I first started going 24s.

Ride on!

2009-10-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

Hey Grandma is in CA as I write this. Bonnie went down to San Diego to pick her up, Finn is sleeping so I got some spinning in. I managed to get in a couple of hours even though I probably should have stopped after one and got some work done. But Bonnie and Grandma aren't due back up the hill for another couple of hours so I'll take care of business then. Things definitely get a lot easier when Grandma gets to town. It's great that she can come out every time we have a main stage production. I don't know what we'd if we didn't have the help.

As far as training it looks like I'll continue to goof around until after the show closes. I'm gong to try to set up a bike fitting a couple days after we close. I gotta get moving on a road bike if I'm going to have the time to train on it.

Well better knock out some sound for the show. I need to build a 10 minute thunderstorm that's apparent but doesn't upstage the action , with the exception of the opening of the show where the sound should motivate the opening entrance...I'm I giving too much away? I digress.

Ride on!

2009-10-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

I thought I might put up a quick post since I have the time at the moment, and I don't know when I will again. This weekend is the San Jacinto enduro. Won't be able to ride it because of work but I'm looking forward to the stories I'm sure will come out of it. I've been working on getting the bikes cleaned up from Moab. The front brake on my Song is giving me some trouble, good thing I really don't have time to ride it. We open a studio show tonight. We got to tech it yesterday, I think it should be well received, it's very entertaining.

On the Wisconsin front, good news from my brothers family. Taylor, my niece who helped crew at 9 mile, shot her first deer. Way to go Taylor! Hard to believe she's already old enough o hunt.

No real plans to start training regular again until after the mainstage show closes the second weekend in November. I'll just goof around until then. I guess if I really look at it that's kind of what I do year round. But let's face it, it's just riding bikes, it should be complicated. Which reminds me, If you're in town next weekend, unicycling club starts. Sunday morning at 10, be there.

Ride on!

2009-10-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Recovery is going well. No real time on the bike, just commuting and spinning. I got in some running yesterday and this morning. But for the most part I'm just taking it easy. This is a good time to slow down on training as work is really picking up. We are in the thick of it in the scene shop. Next week we have a studio show that goes up Wed. and then the orchestra concert is this the weekend after that.

This weekend the plan is to stick around. It'll be a good time to get the bikes cleaned up and take care of some stuff around the house. Ahh the off season. Ride when it fits in, cross train all the time, do it because it's fun, not because you should.

Ride on! or whatever trips your trigger!

2009-10-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! We wrapped up the season in Moab, the last race in the 24 hour national points series. At the start of the race Brad was in third and we wanted to make sure he held on to it. Chris and I were in fifth and sixth, if we could move up a place each that would be great, but brad was the focus.

We headed out of town on Thursday morning. Didn't get as far as we hoped, we ended up spending the night in St. George Utah. We found out the Senior games are held there the first two weeks in October each year. I told Bonnie not to be surprised if we are back in St. George in 30 years or so. We rolled into Moab Friday afternoon and made our first stop at the poison spider for a couple for things I needed to pick up. Then we headed into town for lunch and who do we run into...the rest of the team on their way out of the restaurant. We come up with a plan and parted ways. Now would be a good time to let you know who was all involved in our weekend of fun. Four of us were racing. Brad, Chris, Charly (friend of Chris), and myself. The crew that total rocked it was Todd (Brad's bro. in law), Sean (chief mechanic), Kim ( Chris' wife) Kate (Chris' daughter) Bonnie and Finn.

Friday afternoon we set up our pit. The other racers and Todd prerode the course. After getting things set it was time for packet pick up, dinner, shopping, and sleep. Saturday morning we woke to very pleasant conditions and lucky for us they stayed that way the entire race. No wind, mild temps. and an awesome moon Saturday night.

The race started and things were going as planned. Brad and I rode together, not pushing too hard. I have heard just terrible things about this course, and many of my friends who are strong racers have dropped out of this race because it is so long and difficult. I was happy to take it easy and see how things panned out. Lap two we ran into Chris. He was having some troubles and wanted to work on them alone and assured us he'd be fine, so we passed him. Unfortunately Chris did not have the race he was hopping for. The next couple of laps went along pretty uneventful. On our fourth laps I suffered a mechanical like I've never seen. As we were descending a steep fast down hill I go to grab my rear brake and I hear a noise and then no brakes. I hit my front brake and flip into so very soft sand. Brad stopped and we assessed the damage. My rear roter was missing all but one screw. The one screw that was left ripped off the hub. We limped it in making sure I didn't do anything to damage my hub any further. Sean switch out he rear wheel on my back up bike and we were off and running. By the way this is the only mechanical Brad and I had the entire race. Our Siren Songs held up great.

The rest of the race went like so many. Lap times got longer, we got slower, the crew stayed ready and willing and able every time we hit the pit. We had a little bit of excitement when Brad lost his lights...on two different laps. When the sun came up we were able to trudge out two more laps to finish with 13. We did it, we finished Moab!

Now came the wait for awards. And we waited. But it was worth it. Brad didn't keep his third place for the series, he moved up to second! Way to go Brad! He had a great season we are all proud.

Here is a shot of our pit before the race.
Don't we all look nice and relaxed before the fun starts.

These were my weapons of choice to take on the dreaded beast call 24 hours of Moab.

This is the guy that took care of all of our bikes, 8 total, throughout the race.

Here Brad and I are as we come in for the last time. What a ride!

So that it the 2009 season is over and I'm looking forward to goofing around. A huge thank you goes out o Bonnie and Finn for all of their understanding, support, and love. I could not have this lifestyle without them. Thanks to Siren Bicycles for dependable, fast, and comfortable bikes. My new Song SL was just the bike for this season. I could spend the rest of this entry thanking everybody but I think I'll just do that in person. Stay tuned we have big plans for next season, brad and I have some different ideas as far as endurance racing is concerned...

2009-10-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

All of Bonnie's softball games were in the morning so we headed off the hill to run some errands in the afternoon. The plan was after we were done she would drop me off and I'd run home. Well things popped up as they will and with the days getting shorter I ran out of time. Plan B was for me to get up early this morning and go for a long run.

I didn't get out too early, about 6:30. Finn woke up early so I hung with him to give Mom a little more sack time. She still has more softball today so she needs her rest. Did I mention that she played three games before noon yesterday!

It was cool this morning. As I started up the control road to the South Ridge trail head the sun was coming up. This shot is fuzzy but it's a look west where the clouds are still below the hill.

As you can see still sunny on my way down to May Valley.

Came across this little guy trying to get warm in the morning sunshine, I was doing the same.

Several mountain blue birds were taking advantage of this water source.

It felt good to get out for a few hours on a nice easy trail run. It's a great way to start the day. This afternoon I hope to get my bikes up and running for Moab. Bonnie is at her first game of the day right now and Finn is napping. Hopefully he'll get up in time of us to catch Bonnie's next game.

Ride on!

Go Packers!

2009-10-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

Had a light week of training. I guess we'll call it the taper before Moab. I got together with Brendan and we talked road bike. Looks like the next step is to get me fitted. I don't know why I need to be fitted for a road bike but not a mt. bike. Stuff is coming together for next weekend as well. We are all in contact with each other, ready to converge in Utah and have a blast wrapping up the season. I'm ready for some suffering and as I understand it this is the course to do it on. This weekend I'll get one more nice ride in, build up my bike and catch up on some homework. Bonnie is in a softball tournament so my plans will depend on how well the team does. Go Idyllwild Arts!

Ride on!

2009-09-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

Training was good this weekend. I got to pre-ride the San Jacinto Enduro. The plan was to get up nice and early to get a jump on the day. I rolled out of bed at 3:45 and was on the bike by 4:00. I got to the Lake Hemet Market, were all loops start and finish, around 4:30. Just a heads up, it's cold at the market at that time of day, and mind you we were having unseasonably warm weather. I guessing by mid Oct. it'll be down right frigid. I've never ridden Rouse Ridge so I think I'll need to go back and hit it again, most of my ride on Sunday was in the dark, I'll bet the views are amazing in the daylight. At the bottom I refilled my water and was headed back up to Idyllwild. At the top of the climb, at the Idyllwild Arts campus, there is another opportunity to refill water bottles. I think this loop a rider should be able to do it with just two big water bottles, but if you want to be safe a pack isn't a bad idea. With the course passing just a couple of miles from my house I decided to swing by and see Bonnie and Finn since they would be gone off the hill most of the day and I wouldn't get to see them until evening. After that I shot up to Cowbell and down to May Valley on some super fun single track. This part of the loop makes all of that climbing I did well worth it.

Loop one concludes off of Hurkey Creek and back to the Lake Hemet Market. I refueled at Hurkey Creek where the water is free, however if you want snackens then the market is the place to go. Loop two was hot this weekend. Like I said earlier I think it'll be considerably cooler in a few weeks. Nice views all along this loop.
On this loop I'd take two bottles and a pack. It's shorter then the first loop but there aren't any places to stop for water, once you're out there...you're out there. There is horse traffic on this loop so be sure to keep that in mind when coming around blind curves and always give them the right on way. The only place on the entire Enduro you might encounter hikers is on the Ramona trail. This is a fun decent with some good techy stuff to test you after a long day in the saddle.

One thing I really like about this course is it's set up to be social. Here's what I mean...there is a lot of double track and control road. Offering ample time to ride side by side taking in the beauty of the San Jacinos. Riding this course is a fun way to wrap up a good season of racing and training. So if you get a chance treat yourself to one more good hard day of mountain biking fun this season!

For more info just go to www.sirenbicycles.com look at the shop blog.

Ride on!

2009-09-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

I had a fun weekend watching the race. Bonnie dropped me off at Cowbell and I ran a few trails down through May Valley, in fact they were the trails that Brendan and I rode earlier in the week. I made it to the half way point on the course in time to see the first of the racers come through. As the racers thinned out I started to run the course in the opposite direction of the race. I just love watching a race in this way. I get some good trail running in and I see more of the action from all over the course. Bonnie and Finn met me at start/finish after I got 2.5 laps in. We hung out there to cheer on the usual suspects, folks that I 've raced over the years.

I was talking my teammate Brad this morning and have come to realize that we're never happy where we are when it comes to racing. While racing we think gosh it would be fun to just watch a race. While watching I was itching to be out there with everybody racing. Oh well I guess that's what keeps us moving forward.

Sunday I went down to watch the closing hours of the race. The winners of each cat. were pretty much set and everyone was looking spent. I stayed until about 9:30 and then headed over to the ranch for a hike with Gary and Cool Hand. The rest of the day was spent like a Sunday, some homework, football, light run with Finn and time out on deck goofing around. We ended the day wishing for one more Sunday in the week.

Ride on!

2009-09-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

I hit it early yesterday so was able to get some good miles in before work. Did a bunch of climbing too. Later in the morning I got together with Brendan for some fun down in May Valley. He was working on details for the San J. enduro so we rode some of one of the loops. It should be a fun event, if your in the area you gotta give it a try. While riding we talked about some of the cool things he has brewing at Siren. We also chatted about the RAAM bikes he is conceiving for Brad and I. Not to mention a little something in the works for Finn. Overall it was a great morning of riding that Brendan and I haven't shared in far too long.

Today I'll take what I can. I've already got some spinning in, and Finn and I will run some trails to school. But other than that maybe just some commuter miles tonight running or riding, I'll see what I feel like. Yesterday we checked out part of the Hurkey Creek 24 hour loop. They are doing a nice job of removing some of the sand so it should be a fast lap. I'm looking forward to watching the race. I just hope there are more 24 hour racers at this fall event then there were at the spring event. Best of luck to all who race!

Ride on!

2009-09-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

We're back to it again, work that is. Meetings all week, and students will be showing up all weekend long. Time has been tight so I've been getting up early and spinning. Any other riding and running I can get in throughout the day is a bonus. Luckily I've been able to sneak in runs and rides each day. Next weekend we have a local 24 hour race that I think I'm going to pass on. With Moab only about a month away I think I'll get one more long day of riding in but racing might be a bit too much.

I'm really looking forward to racing Moab. I've done a bit of riding there when we've passed through on our summer trips to and from Wisconsin and always had fun. I've never made it out to the race course so the only info I have on these trails is what I've gleaned from teammates. It sounds like it'll be brutal, I can't wait.

Ride on!

2009-09-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

number 9...number 9...number 9...

Ride on!

2009-09-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

All kinds of riding yesterday. Pulled Finn around town in the trailer, in the afternoon I spun and in the evening I hit the trails. I was supposed to ride with some friends but I was running a bit late and missed them. With a the trails fresh from the afternoon rain I was able to track them but never able to catch them. This was the first I got my new Song out on the Idyllwild trails and it felt great. Nice and nibble in the tight turns and it was just jumping over the rocky techy stuff. I gotta get it down to Hurkey and see how it rides there.

Today time will be tight so it looks like just spinning in the morning and then maybe some riding with Finn in the afternoon. We'll have to sneak in a stop at the park. This evening Gary and I are planning on a hike.

Ride on!

2009-09-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

Gary, Cool Hand and I went for a hike yesterday. It was cool to watch a storm build as the afternoon passed on. We got hit with rain as Gary was pulling the tack off the horse so timing was just about perfect. Got home to find we didn't get any rain at all, rats.

Today Finn and Bonnie are headed off the hill this afternoon so I'll get some riding in then. The trip down to see the shop didn't pan out so instead Brendan Dave and I are going to do some riding in May Valley this evening.

Hey no rain yesterday but it's falling now, gotta go!

Ride on!

2009-09-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

I hit the trails running yesterday. I put in about 14 miles with 3,000' of climbing, topped out at 8,500'. I've heard Moab is a good race for adventure racers so I guess I've been training like one.

Good news on our fire front. As of yesterday there was full containment. Today Gary and I are planning on a hike down in Mountain Center and after this post I'll enjoy a spin on the trainer. I gotta get some good training in before work starts up.

Ride on!

2009-08-31T06:46:00.000-07:00

I got that ride in down to Palm Springs. I was surprised to find that even though I went from 5,600' down to 400' there is still over 2,000' of climbing. The last few miles are all downhill and with temps around 115 it felt like I was being blasted with a giant blow dryer. Yesterday I just did a little running and a family bike ride down to the jazz fest. We ran into Brendan and Mary, I might get to see the new Siren bike shop later this week. Today I'll go for a run this morning and then a ride this afternoon. I'm still getting used to the altitude.

Ride on!

Back in CA

2009-08-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

We had a good trip back. First night we stopped at Anita Lake in Iowa. Great campgrounds nice lake. Next couple of nights were spent in Colorado. I managed to sneak in some riding here. I got to ride a bit of Loveland pass. Next night was Moab. We eyed up our condo for the race in Oct. The last nigh we camped in Oak Creek Canyon just below Flagstaff. This was the place where we started our trip back to WI back in June so it just seemed right to end the summer the way we started it. Here too I managed to squeeze in a ride.

The day after we returned, only 24 hours after we pulled into town we were greeted with a forest fire that broke out just 5 miles down the hill. As of this morning 2200 have been burned and it's only 10% contained. Gary, Cool Hand (horse), and I did a hike yesterday morning and the air quality was poor. Later in the afternoon I ran up Deersprings to Suicide Rock. The air was pretty clean up there and it felt good to do some trail running. Today we might head down to Palm Springs to get some groceries. If all goes well I'll ride down, we'll see. Fin is sleeping so time to spin.

Ride on!

2009-08-12T04:22:00.000-07:00

Where did the summer go? Time is getting tight, we are headed back to CA in about a week. I'm hoping to get together with teammates Brad and Chris before then, and maybe get a bike fitting in with Sean at Johnny Sprockets down in Chicago. The calendar is filling up like it always does just before we go. Today I might get a long ride in. It might be my last one here in WI. Now I'm a little sad. I better go spin and get over it.

Ride on!

2009-08-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

I didn't get together with Chris this weekend. The rain proved to be too much for me. I don't mind racing in the rain but I hate trashing my bike just on a training ride. I ended up running for a couple of hours in the rain and than getting together with some family friends in Madison in the afternoon. Yesterday I got up early and road to the lakefront. Got back in time to take the girls for a walk and head over to my parents house for the day. Finn got some good gma and gpa time in. It looks like I've slipped into a pattern with my training. Get up, spin, walk the girls, stroll Finn to the park, ride or run, evening walk or ride with Bonn and Finn. I love summer!

Ride on!

2009-08-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hey quick update. I know what's with summers off and no time to post...I don't know??? We're all recovered from the race. I've been mixing it up with running, riding and playing at the park. Still doing more research on the RAAM, and ramping up for Moab. I might be able to get together with Chris this weekend for a trial ride. Looking forward to getting out with Brendan and Mary when we get back to CA. As always, Go PACKERS!

Ride on!

24 Hours of 9 Mile

2009-07-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying it's always good to race with friends and family close by. Once again our pit was the best. For the first time our niece Taylor, who turned 13 on race day, stayed out for the entire race. She had a blast and we were proud to have her working the pits with us. My sister Shannon was able to make it to this race after running into trouble getting to the first two races of the season. She was the gasoline on the fire. Getting us in and out of the pits before we knew what happened. Bonnie kept it all running smooth. Every time I hit the pit I knew she'd have everything and everybody ready, and she did. Finn kept the race short for everybody by keeping them busy when they weren't getting ready for us to come in. There were other surprise members in the pits as well this year. A racer I look up to and admire didn't have a good day. Early on he had to pull out. Despite that he and his mechanic stayed the entire race and helped out team WBR-Siren. Scott and Scott were a huge help and need to take some credit for our successful race.

O.k. on to the race recap...Early on the plan was to race together if we felt of the same ability. By the time we hit the second section of single track Brad was off like a shot, or so it seemed to me. He was feeling strong at the start so I kind of changed up my plan to mimic what Scott Cole had done the year before, start out slow and steady and continue to turn out consistent laps. Maybe I would avoid some of those dark times in a race. Early in the race Brad and Chris were able to ride together which I think worked out well. About 13 or 14 hours into the race I caught up to Brad and Chris and we were able to ride together until sunrise. It was the WBR-Siren Solo Pain Train chugging down the trail. At sunrise Chris wasn't feeling right and told Brad and I to head out without him. We did and by the next lap Chris was back with us and feeling much better. I was glad to see that he was able to bounce back from whatever was getting him. After cranking out 17 laps, we all finished at about the same time.

We each had been racing on Siren Songs and they held up great. I had an issue with a crank that has been showing up with great regularity so I think it's just time to replace it. But other than that no other problems. The Song is the prefect bike for this course. It smooths out the rocks and roots. It lets you really accelerate out of the windy single track. And the big 29" wheel up front saves you when you're late in the race and you're not picking the best of lines through the techy stuff. We were each riding Kenda Small Block 8s. These tires raced fast when the course was dry and even when we got rained on for about an hour or so.

As always a special thanks goes out to Bonnie and Finn for living the lifestyle of an endurance racer with me. These races take a lot of time and sacrifice, not just on race weekend but all year long. Because of their understanding and support I'm able to put in the time and effort needed to keep us competitive. Siren Bicycles earns huge props for such a great product. It looks like three of the top five places in the National points series are riding a Siren. If you're into endurance riding and racing you need to check out these bikes. As I mentioned earlier in this post thanks to Shannon and Taylor for everything you did all weekend long. Weekends like this are what summer memories are made of. And thanks to Scott who's true love of cycling really showed through when he had to pull out of the race but yet still made sure he and his mechanic Scott did everything they could to help us have the best race we could. I know I say it all the time but good solos have great crews and the three of us that raced for WBR-Siren this past weekend had the best crew.

Here's a shot of Taylor showing off another tradition, inspirational posters made by her and her brother and sisters.

Brad as he makes his way into start/finish to secure his fourth place spot. Nice work Brad!

The WBR Siren Solo Pain Train after a good hard race...Let's hope we look this good after Moab.
Ride on!

2009-07-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

Ahh the power of Bicycles. Here is a shot as the racers come into sight during an early race in the day. Here is a shot as the racer whizz by in the last race of the day.

Finn and I have by hitting Super Week pretty hard this past week. For those who don't know Super week is actually more like Super couple of Weeks. It a series of road and crit races that take place primarily in South Eastern Wisconsin each July. It ranges from cat. 5 to pro so there is a lot of good racing to be had. I gotta tell ya every time I watch a crit. I'm so impressed with how well they all move together. I don't think I'll ever do such a race. I would be the guy everyone is mad at because I can't hold, what should be 'my line'. No I'd much rather stick with the 24 hour mountain biking where I could go an entire lap without seeing anyone. Much safer for me and the other racers.

So speaking of 24 hour racing...Things are coming together. My new rim came in yesterday, so this afternoon I made some decisions and got some tires mounted up. I'm going to start with Kenda Small Block 8 front and rear, like I've done the past two years. Then because it looks like rain is on the way and things could get sloppy, I mean it's call 9 mile swamp, I've mounted up some more aggressive tires for the slop should I need them. My fork is on it's way back from SRAM and boy did it need a lot of work. I need to get together with my teammate Brad to get the cassette off my old rim and put it on my new one. Then all systems should be go as far as bikes are concerned. We'll get all the other stuff figured out as the week goes on.

Tomorrow I think Finn and I are off to the lakefront to watch more racing, if the weather cooperates.

Ride on!

2009-07-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

I've had a good solid week of steady taper rides and runs this week. I'm going with a little different approach for this race. Because of injuries sustained during 24 Hours of Big Bear I needed to take some time off. I think this could be helpful. The theory is that I'll have fresher legs on race day, and I think there is something to it. The past couple of weeks I've been able to go for all day rides and the next day I feel like I just did a regular training ride the day before. I guess we'll find out next weekend if my thinking was right.

Ride on!

2009-07-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

Quick post, Grandma is reading Finn a bedtime story. I got another ride up north this weekend. It only took me 10.5 hours, what a difference a little wind makes. This week it's all about staying healthy, and keeping the fitness I have. Things are coming logistically. Chris is taking care of getting us a great pit. I've been in touch with Stan's about getting a new rear wheel. After 2.5 years of racing and training a rim started to crack. Not too bad considering the beating it took. You really gotta check these wheels out. I wouldn't replace it with the same rim if I didn't think it was of the highest quality. I've been in contact with my pit which is going to be awesome. The 25 of July is my nieces birthday, she has been asking for years to stay for the entire race, this year she will be. More later...Finn is sleepy and it's the All Star Game.

Ride on!

2009-07-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

So how is it that it's summer and I seem to have less time to keep up on things like blogging? This weekend I got some great training in. We all headed up north and I got to ride. 12 Hours later I was feeling good and ready for a fun weekend at the lake. Plenty of rides with all the kids, 11 in total. Good news it looks like it's going to be more of the same next week. If I go up Thursday it'll a 400+ mile week for me. It's about time! Ribs felt good, even when out of the saddle. Shannon and I went for a run on Saturday and that felt good as well. I need to start running more as Shannon I are slotted to do a marathon the second weekend in August.

Ride on!

2009-06-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

This has been my view the past few days. Wisconsin has some of the best road riding.
The ribs are coming along. I don't think I'll hit the trail for a couple of weeks yet, even some of the rough spots on the road hurt. In other news the garden is in, Summerfest was fun, and our first fish fry is less than an hour away. AAHH summer in Wisconsin. Sunday I get to take in the annual crit in downtown Waukesha. These guys are nuts. That close at those speeds...yikes.

Ride on!

2009-06-23T10:29:00.001-07:00

Hey we're back in WI. Got home a day sooner than we thought. Finn was a good traveler, and the girls were too. My ribs really stared bothering me in the fourth day. Bonnie could tell because it was affecting my mood, so I broke down and took some ibu. I hadn't taken any before because I figured the pain was a good warning for me not to move in certain ways. Well the pain was constant so it didn't matter. We had a nice treat along the way, the RAAM. Since I was a kid I can remember dreaming about this race. It just seemed so fantastic, so unbelievable, so out of reach. We got a chance to stop and talk with some crew members, and cheer a few racers on. It was amazing! Bonnie asked if I'd ever want to do it, and said 'heck yeah!' It looks like we going to give it a go. We called Brad, ya know the guy who took third at Big Bear, and asked if he was down. It looks like Siren WBR will have two racers taking a shot at some road endurance racing. Hey if Tinker can do a little cross over why can't we? Brendan at Siren is cranking up the think tank on this one. He always has such great bicycle design ideas, I can't wait to see what he comes up with for this one.

Since we've been back I got on the bike just see if I still know how to ride. I got out for an hour or so yesterday and could tell I had hurt myself. Today I'll get out for more of the same. Just easy spinning to keep my legs. I don't know if I'll get much stronger before 9 mile but I sure won't loose any fitness.

Ride on!

Quick Update

2009-06-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone that made this weekend possible:
- Bonnie and Finn for giving me the father's day gift
- Chris for getting all things logistic figured out, and building up my bike
- Siren for great bikes
- Dennis Nolan and Dillon for keeping us going
- Brad for the teamwork on the course, and the inspiration after I had to pull out
- Friends and family that watched and cheered us on from a far.

In short Chris and I had troubles that caused us to have to pull out, leaving Brad out there to take it on his own. He raced hard right to the end to get a well deserved third place. Truly inspirational.

Here is a shot of the awesome ride Siren made and Chris built up before I get it out for a lap.
Brad racing all the way to the end.

Brad where we've seen him before, and will likely see him again soon. Man, he's strong!

We're packing up and and headed to WI tomorrow morning. Friends are moving in tomorrow so we have to make the house welcoming. I had plans to ride on some of the hots spots, ya know Sedona, Durango, Colorado Springs, but with the injury I think I'll just rest on the way home and start up back in WI.

Ride on!

Summertime and the Livin' is Easy

2009-06-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

First official day of summer. Me Gary and Finn hike up to saddle junction. Hang out, head back down.

Tomorrow I head east for the race this weekend. It's going to be good to see the guys and get another 24 under my belt. Can't wait to get a leg over that new Song.

Ride on!