I'm baaack!!

Damn! I'm back! Did ya miss me?? Did ya know I was gone? I just looked back and realized it's been over a year since I've rambled, ranted and mused here. I'll keep this short and add more in a few days. No really!!
The last year wasn't quite up to my usual lofty standards. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but I've had better, at least in the silent sports area. I guess we all have off years. 
I did have a great Birkie. No PR, but I had fun and felt great. That was my main goal. 
I did my first ultra trail run in May. The Ice Age Trail 50K. Again, nothing spectacular, but I had fun. And I learned a lot. It won't be my last. 
My WORS season was lackluster to say the least. I'm attributing that to not enough quality training. I never put the bike in the trainer all winter, instead focusing on ultra training and the occasional bike commute. Speaking of......
That is probably the thing I am most proud of over the course of the last year. I have managed to put in at least one bike commute every month of 2012. And I will get in one more in December to make it one per month for the year. Some of the early ones were cold, windy and a bit iffy on the icy/snowy back roads, but none were regretted. 
I snuck in a last minute half marathon in October. On minimal run training I had a strong, I think, race. Considering it was my longest run since the ultra in May, I was very pleased! 
Still fine tuning my goals and events for next year. I'll write about them in a few days. 
It's nice to be back!

Sven                                        Finishing the Ice Age Trail 50K

29er Hardtail vs. 26er Full Suspension

Since I haven't been doing much riding lately, I've been thinking. And that's usually dangerous. I have been considering getting rid of my trusty Specialized Epic Expert 26er full suspension bike and moving to a 29er hard tail.

I raced a 29er hard tail last year, although it was a single speed. I really liked how it handled. Maybe it was just the simplicity of no gears. Just pedal as fast and hard as you can and try to maintain that momentum.

This year I raced the Epic. And the ride was amazing. Gears, and lots of suspension. My old body really appreciated that after some of the tougher races.

Halfway through the year I picked up a 29er hard tail. But to make a long story very short, my wife seems to have made it her own. So, I'm back to the Epic.

So why the thoughts of switching? I'm not really sure. The Epic is going on five years old, so a new bike would be nice. But, there isn't anything wrong with it. It's a great set up. Not the flashiest or lightest, but then again, I'm not the flashiest or the speediest!

Truth be told, I'm leaning heavily towards keeping the Epic and upgrading to a 2x9 setup. I rarely use that small chainring anyway. Maybe 2x10, but the 2x9 would be a little easier on the wallet and probably easier to convince the wife.

So, any opinions or thoughts? Let me know. Or maybe you're interested in a well maintained Epic?

WORS wrap up

Finally, a long season done! And I'm already looking forward to next year. That my seem like contradictory statements, but that's how I feel.Overall, I had a great year. I had a goal of finishing the year on the podium again, and I met that with a 2nd in the Sport 50-54 category. While I'm pleased with how I did, there is definitely room for improvement.I had some great races, some good and a couple that I would like to have a "do over". I had races where I felt like my bike and I were one. The force must have been with me! I had races where I wanted to leave my bike out on the course somewhere. I raced in sun, rain, hot and cold. I raced ten out of the twelve races, plus the short track and super D at Subaru Cup. I brought home a medal in 6 of those races. First and second in my age group weren't decided until the last race. That's competitive!The main thing is that I had a blast! I made some new friends and totally enjoyed myself. I know where I need to focus my off season work to try and improve for next year.I want to thank everyone who raced the series this year. And everyone who is involved in keeping this going year after year. It makes for a very busy and tiring racing season, but I wouldn't change it for anything.Now, maybe for some 'cross before the end of the year.

Photo of Sport Male 50-54 That's me on the left, along with Todd Fletcher in first and Jim Feuerstein in third. Thanks to Melissa Kennedy for the photo!

Rested and ready? I hope!

I've had a great week of riding this week. Plus I'm getting back in the swing of pushing some weights around at the gym, albeit very light weights! I'm feeling rested and ready to go, even a little antsy. The weather has been phenomenal and should hold through the weekend. The upcoming race in Sheboygan, the Wigwam MTB Challenge, is shaping up just like last year. I need a solid race, actually I need to pull out a great race. Can I do it? I'll let you know in a couple days.

WORS #11-Bear Paw Rock and Roll-Mud Fest

Well, that is one race I'm glad is over with. And I survived! Not the worst conditions I've ever raced in, but pretty damn close!
It was a bad sign for Sunday's race when I spent my bike commute back to Plover Saturday afternoon in the rain. The drive up to Bear Paw Outdoor Adventure Resort was through hit and miss showers. I was hoping I might get lucky and the rain might hold off but I knew better. That's the bad thing about having a phone with a weather app!
The Citizen racers lined up and the minute Don let out his fist GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! the skies opened up. Of course I was standing on the highest point on the course, without an umbrella, so I could get some shots of my wife and her team mates. So I was soaked before my race even began.
The rain quit for a while during the Citizen race and while I warmed up. Maybe, just maybe, I might get lucky. I knew it would be muddy, but if it held off raining, it wouldn't be TOO bad.
I lined up for the start of my Sport wave and BS'd with some of the other racers in my age group. I knew that Jim was going to go balls out at the start and fly up the opening climb. Todd would probably go by me on that climb too. After that it would be a race to the first single track section. And that's just how it played out. I couldn't even see Jim when I got to the top of the first climb. Todd had a little gap on me too. Now, to play catch up. I stayed on Todd's wheel through most of the first lap. I just couldn't get up enough speed to pass him. The single track was like trying to ride through grease, as were some of the more open sections. It was rideable, but definitely a little sketchy. Todd put a little bit of a gap on me and I just settled in to a good pace, hoping I would catch him on in the single track on lap two. As for Jim, I had no idea how far in front he was. 
It worked out just like I thought. I caught Todd part way through lap two and finally picked it up and made my pass. I felt good and kept the pace up. That's when the rain started again. And the course got even muddier! But, I kept pushing. When I passed Todd I yelled that we should work to try and catch Jim. He gave me a kind of odd look but didn't say anything. I thought maybe the mud, rain and tough course was just taking it's toll.
I pushed as hard as I could, trying to catch Jim. Where the hell was he? We both figured that he would lead out on the hill and then I'd catch up in the single track. I just figured he was having a great race. But, I thought I would at least get a glimpse of him.
I pushed hard through lap three and the rain kept coming. My only comforting thought was everyone else was putting up with the same conditions. And, the Elite class would have it even worse. My hat is off to those guys! The really had some awful conditions to race in. Anyway, I kept trying to catch my elusive quarry. But, no luck. I felt good but just couldn't reel him in. I finished in a spray of mud and rain and headed off to at least try and clean up and dry off.
When I checked the results, I was first in my age group!? What the #@!! I told my wife, "that can't be right. I never caught Jim! There must be a mistake." Todd came up and I asked him, "what happened to Jim?"
He said he crashed on the switchbacks in the first single track. That would explain the weird look when I said we should try to catch him! All that time I had been pushing hard to catch someone who wasn't really in front of me. But, it worked. It kept me pushing.
Results-1st in Sport-50-54 and 30th overall. And now 1st overall in 50-54 for the WORS series. Two points separating Todd and me with one race to go. I know what I have to do. Time to put up or shut up!
Hearty congratulations to everyone who raced at Bear Paw this year. Tough conditions and a tough course. A really big salute to the Elites. They put up with rain the entire race and still put in some great times! Way to go guys-and ladies!!
Sheboygan this Sunday. Hoping for a good result. Going to have fun no matter what!

Finished-muddy but happy!

More later. Gotta go............

Chequamegon 40

Bikes lined up at the start of the Chequamegon 40. Mine is at the other end!

It's been a little over a week since this years Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival. If my recollections and memory didn't fail me, this was number 19 for me. And it was my first 40 in about 10 years. To say I was nervous is quite an understatement. I just wasn't sure if I was ready for 40 miles on a course like Chequamegon.
I've been racing fairly well this year. The only problem is all my WORS races have been around 15 miles. I did have a 24 mile race a few weeks before Chequamegon, and did well and felt strong. But 24 miles of mostly flat ski trails is not quite like the roller coaster ride that is "the 40"!
I got to the start area around 8:00 a.m. and put my bike in the start area-behind over a thousand bikes! I knew I should have gotten there earlier if I wanted a better starting position, but I figured I had 40 miles to improve my standings. Next year I will get there a little earlier, as it took me over two and one half minutes to actually reach the start line!
After that, I had a good race. After the road roll out, I hit a bit of a bottleneck when we actually hit the trail. Again, I just took a deep breath and kept telling myself to be patient. After all, with 1900 riders, I knew I wasn't going to win-DUH! Things finally opened up and I settled in for the long ride to Telemark.
It was a perfect day for the race. Things started out chilly-34 degrees when I left the hotel-but warmed up nicely. The course was in great shape, maybe a little dry and dusty. Only a couple wet spots, and those had a way around them.
Since my number one goal was to finish, I just settled in to a hard, but what I hoped was a pace I could hold. I passed when I felt good and followed a wheel when I could. Although I had to get off and walk a portion of the Fire Tower climb, I rode strong the rest of the race-in my opinion! After the Fire Tower I think I passed more than I was passed. I finished hard and felt like I had a few more miles in me.
All in all, I am very happy with my race. Sure, I wish my time was faster, but I always want that. I raced smart, felt strong and most important enjoyed myself. My Specialized Epic worked flawlessly - no surprise. And I was surprised that my training got my through the way it did. Maybe, just maybe, I'll add some endurance next year and see if I can't knock a few minutes off my time.
Until next time, thanks for checking this out. Gotta go........

A weekend off!

I had the opportunity to race this past weekend. Actually, I had a choice of two races that kind of, sort of, fit my schedule. This all kind of fell in my lap accidentally. My normal work schedule this week would have been 11pm-7am, Wednesday off. Due to some co-workers wanting trades my schedule looked like this - 11pm-7am Monday and Tuesday. Stayed over an hour Wednesday, which remained my day off. 3pm-11pm Thursday and Friday, 7am-3pm Saturday (this was a last minute trade to help someone out!) and back to 3pm-11pm Sunday. All three shifts in one week, which I haven't done since ???? (at least 10 years) and all three jobs in my department. I squeezed in one run and five bike commutes, one on my quick change. By the end of the week I was beat. But, I still tried to finagle a trade to have Sunday off. I kind of wanted to do the WORS race in Lake Geneva, but then again, I didn't. I'm still up towards the top of the standings in my age class and every race is a couple more points. But my heart really wasn't in it. It would have been a long drive, alone, since my wife had to work. I really wasn't disappointed when the trade didn't happen.
I also could have done the trail race just done the road from me in our local State Park. There was a 10K and a 25K. I did the 25K last year. I run the trails often  and know them well. I considered getting up and doing the 10K and then going to work. I knew I didn't have the running fitness for a 25K. I figured I could put in a passable effort in the 10K.
I chose to sleep in instead. After feeling guilty about it, I know I made the right choice. I was tired, my head and heart weren't 100% behind either race and I don't think my effort would have been either. I've got the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival 40 mile off road race this Saturday, the 17th and I'd like to have a good race up there.
So, who says you can't teach an old racer new tricks. I'm learning, after 25 years of racing that skipping a race and a rest day aren't bad, they're good!!!
More down the road........or trail.