First 12 hr done !

I headed up to 12 hrs of Gears for my first 12hr race of the year and things turned out pretty good,but I was hoping for a atleast a 3rd place spot.The course was fast and only 4-1/2 miles long so you could do a few laps before you needed anything from your pit.I would compare the course with the main loop of Jubilee,wide open trails with plenty of room to pass the only singletrack was short and up hill before it it dumped you out to some pine trees.

I started out the first lap getting to know the course and seeing what lines to take and getting warmed up.I knew right off this was going to be fast with alot of laps when I seen the killer downhills getting up to 27 mph ( three of them) and the climbs weren't hard at all,( wide open and nothing bigger than Jubilee).Ther was nothing technical at all ! I was in my big ring for over half of the course and some of you know I'm not a big ring guy.

I didn't stop for my first pit until I had 40 miles in, but was taking handoffs from Cindy and I was feeling good and strong,after that first pit I would pit every 2 laps.Most of my pit time was 15 seconds the most was a couple of 30 second stops.

Most laps were in the 22 to 28 min. range,after I was in the 12 to 20 laps I need to stay in my comfort zone and pace myself more,the legs were getting heavy and the mental part was kicking in ( Why was I doing this ? It hurts ! I don't feel good !)
Once you get pass that crap you start looking for for some faster laps.

My inner thigh did cramp into the the 5th hr going up one of the hills ,but I worked it out and it only lasted for around a min.and that was the only time I had a problem I took it as sign to slow it down alittle on the climbs.

Going into the 10 the hr. I started to feel strong again and picked up my pace knowing others might be getting tired,my last three laps I push real hard and had some good times hoping to catch or not get passed by anyone.I was pushing to get two more laps in at 7:11pm and came in at 7:37pm but left everthing I had in me on that lap and didn't go back out for a 27th lap.I see now it wouldn't had moved me up in the standing so I'm ok with it.

Cindy was great and always ready for the handoffs and keep track of all my food and drinks ! Thanks Honey !

I lived on Hammer Heed and Substained Energy, Apple Gel,Cold apple sauce,and for my last 4 laps Red Bull.My new NRS was great I have a few adjustments I need to make but I loved it,My new Sun Rims were great and Intense Tires were perfect and Six Six One gloves and helmet did their job.

Yes my but is sore ! Recovery ride tomorrw !

NRS has a new home

Jeff's NRS has made it's way to Trivoli for a new home and a owner who won't be has skilled on the trails and not ridden as hard I'm sure, but I can't wait to get it in the woods.

I'll get it put together Friday night and ride Jubilee Saturday before I go to Danville Sunday for PAMBA# 2.

I feel ok,but I don't know if my training is on target or not.For the last few years all my traing was just get out and ride the trails as hard as you can or get as many laps as the race your about to do.That's how I gauged my fitness and I don't have any idea what my fitness is like right now,am I ready ? we'll see this weekend! hopefully on my new NRS.

See ya !

Training on Target

This week has been pretty good!I feel better when I get my rides in and the lifting goes as planned.I hit the trails Sunday for some hill intervals,and this week it was back on the road bike for some flat intvals and a good long spin day yesterday 3-1/4 hrs. after work.

Next Sunday will be my first XC race down in Danville,Il PAMBA #2,a long 30 miles course.

I'll start loading up on Hammer Products Monday and thru-out the week.

Hopefully Wife will talk to me by then ! Huh Midz !


See Ya !

Yeah I'm here !

I'm still riding but everything has hit me at once ! Grass mowing is getting to be a pain in the ass already ! 13hr work days still suck ! Training is kicking up with more intervals and longer endurance rides,I wanted to race this weekend but it's not going to happen. There was a race in Iowa and Indiana but I'll wait till the Kickapoo race, then the next week I'll get my first 12 hr race.

I always get online and check a few things but I don't take the time to post on here! Reading about others is more interesting....To bad about the Trans-Iowa race ! I would have been better if it was cold ! I hope next year I'll get Matt to join me to suffer across Iowa !

Midz ! love ya like a brother dude !


See ya !

Bad Week For Riding

I can't let this kind of week happen any more ! I didn't get on my bike until today since Sundays ride.Work and mowing yards took all my time and then I get depressed about not training ! I had a chance yesterday to get a hour ride or run after work,but I went to bed early and got a whole 6 hrs of sleep.I jumped on the NRS this afternoon and rode my trails for an hour with 30 mins of hill intervals and I'll get a good 4 to 5 hr road ride with Midz tomorrow.

My schedule has changed again and it looks like I'll be doing more of the PAMBA races instead of so many 12 hr races.I'll get two 12 hr races and I might get the Proctor road race in this year July 1st ! Hey Matt are you going to make this race ?

I still don't feel real strong on the trails and I know my traning at this pace I'm not going until later in the season,I need to remember I'm training for 24 - 9 race.

It looks like a new bike for this year isn't going to happen, to many things have gone south for me all at once.$2500 for a new lawn tractor and now a new engine for my comercial mower another $800.If I new this was going to happen I wouldn't have sold my Razorback, but what can I do ? I'll just keep my head up! I have my health !

See ya !

No Show for Slvan Island

I had to pass on PAMBA's first race of the year and will miss a few more I'm sure.The expert class was starting way to late for me and I didn't want to do sport since I've been Expert a couple years.I called my couch and he said I was better off getting a long training ride in at home so I hit R.I.Trail for 4-1/4 hrs.

Looks like Matt is going to fit right in the Expert level, I use to be able to beat him on his bad days, I know with all the road riding he does it has made him a faster racer.Now if we can get Tony off the trail a couple days a week and on the road he would do the same.

My training is the same this month Lift wieghts,ride on the road in heart rate zones,plus two day's a week of intervals.

I hit Indy today for the 1st time this year,legs felt like stones since I'm coming off of a lift day and intervals from yesterday.


Bed time !! See ya !

Quick ride

On the RockIsland Trail after work thia afternoon,2-1/2 hrs in my spin zone workout. I forgot my food and had only one bottle of drink so I kinda petered out at the end and came in a little weak, not a good thing to do right before a race.I could have and should have stoped at Caseys and grabed something, but I didn' want to stop.

I'll take Friday off for sure and get a small ride in Saturday to keep the legs fresh,I don't know about tomorrow.

See Ya !

Friday night and not in bed !

So this is how the better half lives ! I'm not in bed at 5:oopm ! Nice !

I did get on my spinner for 1-1/2 hrs and will hit the hills for some intervals in the morning.

My routine has been a push day then spin day followed by a lifting day and on two day's a week i've been spinning and lifting.The weights and reps are greek to me ! I'm use to bodybuilding not this 20 to 30 reps and light weights.

It would be nice to get in the woods before the first race of the season, but that might not happen.Oh well ! It'll be a fun race not to serious ! My first real race will be in May at Sugar Creek in Ferryville WI. 12 hr

See ya !

Worked my last Saturday

At least for awhile ! Next week when I get off work on Friday,there will be no more rushing home,eating,showering and going to bed at 5:00 pm to get up at 10:00pm for work Saturday.It'll be nice to wake up early to get a ride in and not be tired from work.

I received my new training schedule for April and like I said before, the intervals are getting kicked up and I'm going to try and get some 4 or 5 hr rides in.

Midz did his first run this morning down on the riverfront 26.32 Good job Prez.

I just got off the spinner,I spent 2-1/4 hrs on it and did 4 -5 min. standing intervals.I brought it upstaires so I could look out the slider into the woods and wish I was out there!!

Union meeting tomorrow at 10:00am and I hope to get a ride in after the meeting at Rock Island Trail or the roads in the area.

See ya !

Staying inside today

The snow hit hard yesterday with 8 inches out here in Trivoli and around 5 in Peoria.
The 2nd day of Spring and everybody wants to hit the woods, but not this year.The training schedule I'm on is realy for the road there is no way I could keep my heart rate in the zones I need.

We had a PAMBA meeting Monday night, we have a lot of work to get done again this year.We also had cup cakes for my 45th B-day witch is on the first day of spring!



The gang was chowing down on some God Father's Pizza before and during the meeting

A couple pic's from a few weeks ago !

The calm before the storm down in the dungeon

The main crew! nobody wants to come and play

As far as training goes I have the rest of the month hitting the base and weight's then I'm sure I'll get in to some major interval's and hill trainng.I'm on a 9 day schedule with no day's off the bike and three day's a week of high rep weight lifting.
I was on the spinner ths morning for 2-1/2 hrs and I'm heading back down in a few min. for some lifting.By the way my weight is down to 170 right on target and not losing it to fast ! Thanks to two salads a day and my Natural Peanut Butter !

See ya !

I'm to busy !

Monday - work -train
Tuesday - work on house -train
Wednesday-work overtime -train
Thursday -work way to long - eat sleep
Friday - work way to long -eat sleep
Saturday - work - train
Sunday - ? - train

Next week - pay attention to wife and kids !

Dog still loves me !!!

Started a new program

First day on the new schedule ,I hit the road for 2-1/2 hrs and I hope to get the same tomorrow.Some of us helped Stauby move today I couldn't make it to his new house I hope to soon.

Monday will be another spin day in the dungeon Midz should make it I don't know if anyone else will.

See ya !

Cyclist Killed Last Week

A 47 year old man was killed while riding his road bike in Northern Peoria County last week.He was training for his secound season as a triathlete,he left behind a wife and kids and like I have so many times told them he would be right back and four hours later with a knock on their door their lives were changed forever.

One of the bad parts of driving a truck for 10 hours a day is you have the time to over think things that are in your life good and bad.When the story broke about the accident I spent the next two day's at work thinking of my own mortality and passion for riding. I started to road ride for the training in XC races. After years of only trail riding I finally learned the rewards of training on the road. I didn't even think of how dangerous it could be until the first few times cars didn't give me any room and missed me by what seemed like inches. I started to think about how much money I have spent on bikes, races, traveling to races, and nutrition.. and the worse the thought of the sheriff or a preist knocking on my front door to tell Cindy and the kids that I have been killed while on a training ride that I don't have to be doing. Was this really worth it?

So Saturday, I went on a late road ride around 4pm, on my regular quick 25 mile loop. I might see four or five cars and never have any problems and while I was enjoying riding by myself, I couldn't help but think why I had a passion for riding.

12 years ago some guys from the gym talked me into buying a mountain bike to go riding with them. I bought a Trek 930 and went to Jubilee State Park for my first trail ride... I wasn't in the woods 10 mins when my childhood came rushing back to me!

When I think about how old I was when I started riding bikes in the woods back in '71 or '71. I grew up on Tower Rd, just 15 miles from where I live now. It was a dead end road with eighteen houses on it, nine on one side and nine on the other with woods at the end. The kids on Tower Rd spent sun up to sun down in the woods, taking only enough time to go home and eat. Our main reason to be in the woods was building trails to ride our Stingrays on and build cabins to hang out in.We would get our dad's rake's and shovel's and any wood we could find to build our trail's and cabin's.The trailbuilding was just clearing the leaves and deadfall enough to make a path for our bikes.
Then the races would start and what a blast we had ! it wasn't radical but we had
some great races.On the day's we didn't race we would just hang out in the woods on our bike's, just sitting on our bikes while talking or killing time on a hot summer day or staying in the shade of the trees was cool enough.Is this where my passion for riding came from? I don't know but when I rode Jubilee for the first time 12 years ago I was back in 1971 and smiling like a kid again !

My thought's were also of Cindy and the kid's,we have a blast riding.Cindy and I are looking forward to putting in some long miles on the tandem this year and traveling to races and seeing some friends we have made along the way.Do I have a passion for riding ? or a passion for staying active as I get older ?

As I was about to finish my ride Saturday my last thoughts were of all the friend's Iv'e made because of my bike.Some close friends Midz,Thaller brother's and Stauby the PAMBA crew and the guy's I talk to on the blog's.I can't count the people at all the races !! I have an old childhood friend who built and rode the trail's with me on Tower road."Bob" has started to race and our friendship has been rekindled after years of raising our family's and being to busy to vist each other !

I hung up my bike in the garage Saturday... looked out to the sun that I just beat home and thought"I can't wait to ride tomorrow"

Time to step up the training !

It's getting close to the first PAMBA race to kick off the new races season, it should be a fun race with alot of racers. Illinois and Iowa will start the season together at Sylvan Island in Moline Ill, a short singletrack course with laps of 2.5 miles I think Experts will do 8 laps.

I've been running on most mornings aleast 2 miles to help with losing weight and hitting the weights three days a week.

Sunday I did a threshold test on the spinner to help with some new training 153 average.
Monday was a spin in the Dungeon by myself, I put on my Down cd and cranked it up !!!
This might be my new favorite cd to train with.....if you like Pantera you will like Down !

I ran this morning then worked getting Mike's bedroom remodeled I had cut a whole in the wall for a new window .........No Fun !!!!!!!!........but glad I didn't have to pay someone to do it.

I took off around 4:00pm on the road bike for a quick 1-1/2 hr ride and then get home to take Kelsi to her B-game.

Road ride Tomorrow afternoon I need to get up early and work on the House.

I need to get some tires ordered from Intense and I can now order some rims from Sun-Ringle
If anybody knows Sun- Ringle rims what would be a good disc rim I can put on my NRS for endurance racing ?

See ya !

Keep it up !

Summer is almost here and the training needs to get outside. Monday night was in the Dungeon with Staub and Midz, it looks like we might have 4 or 5 guys over next Monday.

Pantera DVD's were the main source of motivation.

Tuesday was a 3 mile run and weightlifting..........Start on remodeling son's new bedroom.

Wednesday Midz came over to the dungeon for more pain .......He's training better this year even though he's not racing but wanting to keep in shape.

I'll be ready in a couple weeks to start some hard interval training, the first PAMBA race is April 9th up in Moline,Il and the first Wems races is in May.

See ya !

Run,Run,Run !

Running is all I seem to have time for when it's the end of the week. My day's at work are 13 to 14 hr's long but, I have been getting up and running before work and getting it done.

I need to lift and do some quick spinning today a 45 min. leg speed workout then back on the spinner the next 3 day's for longer workout's.

I might be getting Saturday's off from work here in the next few week's ! That will help out with the races I want to do this year and not having to use vac. day's for a race.

See ya !

Back to work tonight

I had a couple good days of training and and it's back to work tonight.......Midz came over to the Dungeon Monday night and came back for more Tuesday morning....It looks like we might get some to come over next Monday night........I ran 4 miles this afternoon and I'll get up and run for 30 min. before work.

I'm going to look at getting some help with my training so I can get thing dialed in a little better.I'm all over the place with my training I need to get a better plan with my kind of schedule.......I'll check back in a couple days ...maybe Kerkove will have a new frame for this year !!!! I see Paddy doesn't have 24-9 race down on his schedule Bummer ! I was hoping to catch up with him and maybe Russel ! Cindy will be disappointed she had fun talking to the guys from Canada !!

See yah !

Cold again !

The weather is getting back to normal for Feb. cold and a little snow,I hit some bad roads around Pontiac Saturday on my way back from Chicago.When your trailor is full the weight gives you traction but, I'm empty on my way home and the trailor can get cut lose feal fast.

Thursday-off day
Friday-ran 25min. when I got up before work
Saturday-ran 35min. before work-30min after work and lifted
Last night- took Cindy out to eat with some friends and went down to Rythem Kitchen
Today-I had my oatmeal late so I'll spin later I need to get a couple hrs in and see if anybody can come over tomorrow night and spin .

See ya !

Yea I'm here !

I had the last 4 days off of work ,I'm back at it tonight or morning 1:00am Thursday.I lfted this morning and jumped my reps up ,I was hoping to get a run in but Not today !!........Sunday I ran on treadmill for 2 hrs....Monday was 2 hr bike ride on Rock Island Trail.....Tuesday was 2 hr spin.

Thursday will be an off day or small run......The weight isn't coming off like I hoped it would this week, I need to keep my calories under control.

I'm looking for another NRS 2 frame to transfer my K2 parts over, I want two of the same bikes for this year . I hate to give up on the Razorback it's a great singltrack race bike.

See ya !

Friday run

Not much today , Thursday was off day , Friday's are long but, I got a three mile run and some core work (abs) in.

Back in at midnight for work, spin and lift for Saturday !

_o
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(*)/(*)

See ya !!