One more arrow for the quiver!!

It was a hard fought negotiation but I now own a Rocky Mountain Solo CX. It is the entry level bike (good compromise on my part) and comes with groovy red bar tape.

After watching my friends at a Tuesday night cross race I had to have one. Everyone was so excited to be there and was having so much painful fun. Thanks to Keith for putting the order n quickly and even getting his wife Leslie to deliver it to my door. This was Friday Oct. 16, there was a race the next day but I had to much work to wrap up, the bike stayed in the box crying to be let out.

Saturday night I started putting it together. All went well except the front brake. Why would anyone build a 90 degree angle into a brake cable?? After visiting Lonn for some CX insight I had not put on the brake guide and did so Sunday morning. Just in time for my 1 pm start, in Open Men no less. Reid Cummings gave me a quick rehash on how to shoulder the bike, Andy Holmwood couldn't stand my long brake wire and proceeded to take me back to his car to fix it, 10 minutes before the start of the race.

How did it go you may ask??? Well.....too much fun! The Kid and my brother came just to watch a guy who has done almost nothing for a month go full tilt for an hour. My full tilt was only about half tilt and there was some residual wine in the system. I found myself in DFL. I fought up to 2DFL and held that spot. My goal was now not to get lapped. That didn't happen. Ryan Hopping came up on me near the end of lap 9 with 2 to go and was going to "kindly" let me stay in front for another lap. That didn't happen either. After trying to hold off the King of Cross I slowed just before the start of the up hill and got out of his way.

What happened in the interim:

1/found out that I can actually ride a CX bike

2/ Still have no idea how to run with one

3/ Can get on and off CX bike fast, used to wiping out on mtb

4/ battled with Keith Baley, in the sand, sprinting uphill, yelling yahoo as loud as we could

Ii had so much fun I went to the Tuesday night race and smiled the whole time. Things felt better and I could feel a little "snap" in the legs.

It's good to ride for fun again.

Oh ya, indoor cycling classes start this week.

Why I like Bikes!!!! In Pics

Did she recover???

Always smiling, until grumpy!

Hanging with the Dawgs!

Great Friends!

SWEEEEEETTTTT! Good to know all that hard work was worth it!!

One off the life check list!!

Why I like Bikes!!!! In Pics

Nic and Dee at The 2009 BCBR. ( Cute girls on bikes)



2009 Cape Crew piled into the van. (going international with friends)



Lisa and Alana at the 2008 BCBR (sweet taste of completion)




The kid and I rolling to the bar after Holly and Colin's wedding! Yes, we are doubling!

No DD here!



With the boys in flagstaff!
Pure Fun!!




Good Beers!

Why I road trip.

XC8-Bow80, Ying and Yang

I apoligise that I have no pictures of these two races as everyone was racing. I am sure you will agree that pics make it way more fun. I'll try to track some down.

So how do theses races compare to each other./ This year that would be like comparing the complex taste of a good wine and an anvil. What are you talking about?

XC8-a great little race in Jumping Pound Provincial Prak, Sask. Yes, Sask. the course takes you up their ski hill and then winds its way all around a river valley that ends at a dammed lake. The course is tight with some amazing single track. The hills are punchy and 2 or 3 are exposed.

The weather this year-HOT, DAM HOT! 34 degrees someone said. For 8 hours???? I knew it was going to be a race of survival so tried to get on the nutrition game early. Didn't work out quite that well as I also didn't want to lose sight of my main competitor Craig Stappler. He has a fast start I wanted to keep him in sight. He won the hill climb and got a free ride later in the race to the top of the hill. Lucky bum.

4 hours in it was Craig and I riding together out front. It remained that way for the whole race. With Pat Humeney taking 3rd on a single speed!! Lots of tactics came into play. I tried to stay out of sight and make my stops fast. The heat was getting to me mid race and I had to take in extra calories and water. I started to feel better in the last laps and went for it on the last one as I was past last year in the last lap.

Lots of people didn't finish the race due to the heat or modified their laps taking rests and sat in the shade for a bit. SMART. It was not the day to push beyond. Too hot and to much of a change from our otherwise cool summer.


Bow 80-the worst 7 hours of weather in Sept.

Alana and I camped out the night before to save the drive and have our camper at the finish line. It works out great and this is the second year we have done it.

I woke at 5:50 to the sound of rain on the roof. We knew it was coming but it didn't call for that bad of a day. It continued to rain until the start and well into the race. Some people drove out to the start saw it was rainging and turned right around and drove home. There were a lot of DNS. The race started well but it was drizzling. Most people were okay until being exposed to the SNOW on top of Jumping Pound Ridge. Toes and fingers took the worst of it and went numb. Mine were numb since the start but that is typical for me. If you have seen how long my arms are my fingers are a long way from my heart. It was snowing, sideways. The temperature down on the road was 1 degree. It was down right nasty. Kudos to anyone who even started.

Last year I got a flat on Cox hill that cost me lots of positions so I went tubeless this year to not have that happen again. Guess what?? It did anyway. Have you ever tried changing a tire in the mud and snow and not being able to feel your fingers? Difficult. I got the tired repaired and it lasted until the top of Cox when it went again. Jon Nutbrown threw me another tube and many competitors asked if I was good. I got a tube in and started down it lasted 7:45 by my GPS and it was done. There was something wrong with my wheel that was causing the flats. I was doing good at the time of the first flat. My core was warm, I was gaining positions, the hardest climbs were over, and the Tom Snow section is a strenght for me. Alas, it was not to be. I was now cold and had a broken wheel.

I did not finish, DNF, my first race, ever, in my whole life.

I have ridden through a lot of things but it just wasn't going to happen. This race meant a lot too. I had wanted to do well in it this year with all the flats last year. I had pre-ridden many of the sections over the summer and had even done the whole loop with the "fast guys" weeks ago. I had to beat Craig or place right behind him to win the Enduro Series. He went on to get 4th and take the series. Great Job Dude!

They called the race when they realised that things were on the line of getting out of control. People were stopped at the bottomeof Cox Hill and directed to the awaiting buses to be taken back. A back up plan that has not been used in 10 years. Thanks for thinking of it that long ago Bow.

Alana was a rockstar. In typical faashion she just kept going and going. She made the cut off grabbed a garbage bag to wear for warmth and was the only female finisher. She is the "Queen of Kananaskis" and now has 3 belt buckles. One is will be a huge glittery gold one. Well done!!!!!!

Now the season is done. I have a home reno to wrap up and have enjoyed the lack of pressure this week. Spin class starts up in a month and I plan on doing lazy rides and suppport for all the cross racers. You know take your jacket, wash your bike, drink your beer.

I dont' know what to do for the next bit but I am sure I will find something to do.

TransRockies 2009

Mical and Jeff Visit the TransRockies

Day minus 1
Rest Well!! didn't and felt it. I should know better than that. Gosh!!!!

Day Zero

Mical and her parents, Brenda and Dave, picked me up Saturday morning for our ride out to Panorama. The minivan was loaded down. Great job of packing Dave! We got there with lots of time and could watch the registration line from our hotel room. I tired to catch up on rest but was busy laughing with my crazy partner.

The registration was pretty slick. Only took 20 minutes or so. Far better than the BCBR 3 hours!!!! but not as fast as the blazing Cape Epic 5 minutes.

Mical-Hey let's go for a small ride to move the legs

Jeff-sounds good

Mical-you know I have not gone on a ride in 2 months without being rained on

Jeff-look at the sky we will be fine

20 minutes later

Jeff-F*&# it's cold when you get rained on (trust me lots of foreshadowing here)

Mical-it's okay I am used to it

Dining tips at Pano-go to the buffet. It was $30 but the restaurant we went was slow, expensive and poor with a capital P!

Day 1

After doing well in the BCBR Mical and I knew we should start near the front and get good positioning. It was supposed to be a "neutral start" but there ain't nothing neutral about Day 1 and the Rocky boys. After the first uphill there was a a spilt and Mical and I were in the lead group. I am glad we had 7 days of fast start practice for this.

recipe for Day 1:

-start with 1 hour uphill

-add moderate single track with great views

-mix in scree slope down hill-best accomplished by running down

-lots of yahooing and yipping for effect

-bake it along gravel road with healthy sprinkle of sharp rocks

-settle in for 10 minutes of tire repairs

-Crank to finish

Your end results should be big smiles, good challenge and your first ever stage victory!!!! Ewwww I can't wait to see what colour jersey we get.

Baby Blue-Very nice!!!

Day 2-

What a great breakfast. A hot line- pancakes, eggs, bacon and a cold line- oatmeal, granola, and yogurt. Hello all other races all we want is good food and sleep, a kick ass course is good too.

Before the start of Day 2 with our friends the Sergio and Ettori, the Italians. Pretty excited to be wearing a leaders jersey and in the front row.

Day 2 took us from K2 Ranch to Nipika. It had the most climbing of the race, 2835m and was only 72.2 km long. 3 big climbs in the day and the infamous hike a bike. Mical and I rocked the dh and had Jon Firth for company for the first 1/2 of the race. The hike a bike was not all that bad and the newly cut French Connection DH was a blast. Before heading down Bear Creek we were in a narrow valley and you could tell you were way back in the back country.

The DH was very technical and crazy in spots. Mical chicked 3 teams on the way down and only one caught us on the road into Nipika. There was one deep bog that claimed more than one cyclist near the end. I stepped into it and sank to mid thigh!

As it was really wet and there was a fair share of hiking i developed chafe high on my butt. At the finish line all I could think about was getting out of my chamois. I had my first real interview and had to stand very still so as not to grimace on film. Once I got my towel I was good and proceeded to change my seat, a fancy white one-thanks Dave.

Day 3

Nipika Time Trial- 44 km 11oo m vertical

It rained in the morning, cleared for a bit, then RAINED for our start and most of the rest our race. The course was slick and slow. We started good and fast but had to reel it back in when we realised how much energy we were putting out and the risk of injury or mechanical. The course was good and had neat challenges, like the almost vertical, slick, hike a bike. Crazy Larry set up his balloon alley and the views were incredible. We extended our lead and now had 3 leaders jerseys.

Day 4

107 km long and 1980m vertical

We had another good start and were riding with the leading men for some time. We dangled for a bit then were on our own. We had a great pace going and were 4th overall at the top of the first climb. Down to the road were we picked up Peter the Englishman and were trying to set a good tempo. It was 40 km to the finish on road and help appeared to be on the way. Brain and Ryan from Bow were close behind us and trying to close the gap. Now for the famous Schmoo race motto " It's not wether you win our lose, it if you beat your friends". I saw them coming but made them work to catch us. When they finally did we tried to organise a pace line but the rain, puddles, and tire ruts made it too hard to keep it together. There were 8 of us but after teh first sustained climb it was back to Mical, myself and Peter. We knew we were riding good when we saw the 2nd place team, the Portuguese. I stepped up the pace and helped Mical over the top of the hills to maintain our momentum. The course ended with a drag race down the last 2km and if it wasn't for the corner into the finish Mical and I probably would have got 3rd overall on the day. As it was we beat most of the support there and ate big at the food table.

Cold, Wet, and Hungry. Mical with Brain, Dax and Thane ( our Colorado buddies)

Day 5

Whiteswan to Elkford

Mical's rain dance continues in earnest. WTF! As i was not cold enuf yesterday riding the road. I started in 2 tops arm warmers and knee warmers. Still cold all day.

We had another good start but broke a chain early into the climb. Mical's Dura-race chain was really hard to break and was almost the teams first "conflict". I was trying to break the chain without damaging it when the the Belgians, Xavier and Mieke, came up and passed us.

Mical-just break the chain

Jeff- I'm trying

Mical- come on

Jeff gives blank look and more zest=chain breaks.

A quick link on and we were back riding. We made a good effort to catch them and sit on their wheels for a minute. the plans was to stay there until the down hill but Mical gave me "the Lance look" and attacked. I followed and assisted around the next switch back. Mical's motto is out of sight out of mind. We settled in and put some good time into them. Unfortunately, the middle section was so flat, boring and lonely that we saw the Belgians at add 3 before the last big climb. It spurred us on to the top and there were lots of very steep hiking sections that worked in our favour. The steepest was 28.7%. We made 14 minutes in 90 minutes of racing. Coming into Elkford was so cold and I was shivering on the bike. We crossed the finish line and I made straight for the hot showers a hair away from being hypothermic.

What A Good Support Team Does-

Food at finish

Washes bikes

Keeps things light

What an Exceptional Support Team Does-

As above

Washes clothes

Wrenches bikes

Dries clothes in car

Allows you to nap in their nice dry tent.

Day 6

Elkford to Crownest Pass

101km, 2647 m Vertical

Check out the profile and pay attention to the last 3 "bumps"

http://www.transrockies.com/trc/pdfs/ProfileArtS6.pdf

How to describe this day???? The one thought that got me thru the day was "they must be shortening the day cause this is just nasty". They didn't but by the time I figured this out I was too close to stop and Mical was all jazzed and positive about the last section.

Mical and I saw more then one team have troubles. The days are long and hard and with no

Here is the start:



The day was long, cold, and hard!! That is about it. It was raining so hard at one time I could not see. I just kept riding on the grey parts and avoided the green parts. Mical could barely see me and I was right in front of her. The down pour was so much greater than the mud coming up that I was riding a clean bike. Merino wool undershirt, jersey, vest, plastic rain jacket, leggings=still cold.

Mical's bike at aid staton #3-



Us at the Finish



I believe it is not the problem but how a someone handles it that shows their true colours. The rec center's hot water tank was too small for the race=they contacted the local poola nd provided a shuttle to take racers back and forth. The weather was the worst in the races history=they bought loads of blankets to have at the finish to keept he racers warm. They made sure there was extra to eat and allowed people to sleep on the floor of the rec center. Nice work TR!!

Start of the last day

Crownest to Fernie.

Wet but no rain!!!!!!!!

We had a slow start and I kept getting a slow leak. We would send Mical up the trial and I would deal withe the tire and then cathc back on. Thanks to Jonny the englishman for his CO2!! We turned at one time and saw both Belgian teams right behind us. We gave it some gas and lucked into some Karma. I had pulled a couple of pace lines over the race and Mical's mom had gave out lots of snacks. We hit the road and oh look there are our Italian friends taking a "long drink of water". We catch up and set a furious pace down the road to the long climb of the day. We knew it we could hold them off until the top we would go 7 for 7 for stage wins. Mical said she was tired, Mical said she was not feeling "snappy". hmmm we passed 2 men's teams on the climb and stayed with our Italian friends. Could it be that we were crankin??????? Yep I think so. It doesn't get easier, you just get faster. Nice work Partner!

We got to the final climb of the day and Corey Wallace rode with us for a bit. He won the TR3 but continued on doing media coverage for a cycling website. It was nice to have his company and the climbe went fast. Near the top Craig Stappler and Ketih Bayley had set up shop and were cheering like mad. Jay and Dee had postioned themselves rith at the top of the climb and I could hear the calll of Leroy Jenkins.

Swift, smooth, satisfying single track all the way to down town.

And that was that. Our first Stage race victory. We had ridden number one for 7 days, fought the elements, competed high in the overall and realised victory.




When the dust settled we were first, the Belgian team of Xavier and Meike were second, and Alena and Dean Irvine held on for a hard fought battle for 3rd.

I took a week off the bike and went to the Heise cottage. I recovered as best I could and today I feel like gettin gback on the bike. The XC8 and the Bow 80 are left. i am not super excited jsut yet but the racers amnesia is kicking in and the emails are flying so soon I will be chomping at the bit to race again.

Hi Ho to the TR we Go!!

My Mom at the start of the last TransRockies I was in with Evan, 2005.

I am getting picked up today by Mical and her parents Dave and Brenda for our trip to the TR. Dave and Brenda did support for Mical last year and are kind enuf to do it again. They are veterans of mtb races so they know what they are doing. I have been lucky to have such great support:

Dave and B from Banff (over 5 times)

My Mom and Dad

My brother and friend Martin

My wife Alana

Jay

Sherri

Little Mikey

Team Terrascape

If you have ever been to an event of any kind they always acknowledge the support and volunteers so thanks to all my support over the years.

I am getting pretty good at packing for a stage race now. It does help when your good friend will be there as a mechanic, your partners parents ride and bake, and your partner is fully self sufficient. Here is the food I will be taking:

We are on the meal plan too so hopefully the food is better than the BCBR. I brought PBJ stuff and porridge just in case though.

It has been a tough week. Peaking is always hard on you mentally. i don't think I get enough endorphins and I start to go a little off. I set 4 new personal bests since last week in all the different energy systems and times. From a 2 hour push to a 2 min push I have bettered myself. Why do I feel so down and crappy???

One thought is the stress of wrapping up life before you go. There are always a million little things to do and you feel the pressure of getting them done. Having just finished the BCBR a month ago there has not really been enough time to get on the proactive side of life.

Combined with the focus ( as mentioned in a previous post) you put a lot of things on hold to go away for a week.

So now that I have been thru this 3 times in one year I can recognise the signs and know the cycle. Even as I sit here and write this I am in a better mood, really looking forword to riding my bike with Mical again.

My race schedule is pretty light for a bit and I will be riding for fun. After a rest period at the Manitoba lake side of course.

Wakey wakey body, eggs and bakey

It is about time I got back to it. I have been working on speed which is short intervals with lots of rest. Last weekend was taking that and putting it into a long ride.

We did the Calgary 70.3 road portion on Saturday. It is beautiful. There are some good hills but it was laid out to avoid most of the killer foothills around Calgary. We watched the Mt Vonteux stage at Jay and Dee's house in the morining then jumped in the truck to head to the Ghost River dam. Shanye is the only one doing the 70.3 but Lisa, Alana, Craig, Myself, and Alana's Sister Barb were keen to try it out. Barb is visiting from France and quite a good triathlete. It was hot and every now and then the occasional show down would happen.

Here is the course:

Course-http://www.mapmytri.com/ride/canada/ab/calgary/741668699102

The legs didn't feel good but it is funny how they will still respond when needed. I recorded a new max heart rate after Craig, Shayne and I did a 3 man break and then sprinted for the last hill. 176bpm-never thought it was possible. All the rest and speed work are allowing me to reach new goals.

Sunday was family day with the in-laws in from France so the workout was done early. Baldy then Prairie View/Chief Hector all at high tempo and/or race pace. It hurt but felt good to be back pushing for some duration. I think it will help wake up the body and, more importantly, get the mind ready for the suffering of another 7 day race.

Back at it this week and we will see how things roll Tuesday.

Mical and Jeff take on the TR

Yep, we are throwing our helmets into the TransRockies Ring.

I have convinced Mical to joining me for another 7 day stage race. We had been talking about doing it next year but we feel this is the year as all things are lining up for us.



We agree the goals will be the same and it will be more great training.

I am excited and leery at the same time. This will be my third stage race this year and it takes a lot out of you. Physically I have to keep up with all the training. Lucky for me I have a die hard training team. Mentally I have to stay focused on the race and work my life around it. At times I find the latter harder to do then the first. A million thoughts go thru my head each day:

-am I hydrated
-am I rested
-when will I work out
-will I be strong enough
-how tired will I feel
-how will I fit work in
-what if I have this cider

It starts to wear on you after a while. I know that I have a base. My goodness, if I don't believe that then I am really missing something. I will be working on speed over the next months to try to challenge some of my competitors. Lots of guys have speed and a good start I will try to get one as well. It can really set you up for a race or allow you to put some pressure on.

It seems a bit counter intuitive to train speed for a stage race but I don't think there is a doubt that I can ride my bike for endurance.

I know that I will have to rest well for the TR as it will be longer in the saddle the BCBR, but not the Cape. The one thing that I am super giddy about is riding another 7 days with Mical. She is such a great partner and friend to have on the trail. I know we will have some fun and I will be holding on for dear life on the fast descents.

My reward after this race?? 5 days at the cottage in Manitoba!!!! No bike, just a lounge chair and my nieces and nephew, and in-laws.




My neice Raelyn and I at the cottage.

Training Partners

After my week off boy did it hurt to get back on the bike and train again. It started Tuesday night at Edworthy hill with my team. We did 6 x 2 min all out efforts. Man was I in trouble. We made it to 3 before someone asked how many we were doing. I could have easily said 4 but as the Coach I had to get in the workout.

That is the best thing about a team or training partners. Once you say it you have to do it. 6 is was. Not a pretty sight to see a bunch of people gasping and wheezing "sprinting" for the orange gate of Hell/Heaven. I don't know which one to call it because it is hell to get to but heavenly because you get to stop at it. We do a staggered start on the hill so that we are all close to each other at the top. It makes for some interest "sprint" finishes.

I fins I push myself when I workout with others. This is not a new thing for anyone I am sure. It has actually been a limiter for me. I like working out on my own and with my schedule find it easier to just go when I can/want. Working out with others brings out the competitor in me and I will push beyond what I think I am capable. I normally push thru these boundaries in races but it is far more beneficial to be doing it in workouts as i get in so many tries in a week. This is new to me this year. I have sat in my basement and done Ed and Cochrane hill by myself for years. This year is a true effort to get out and hammer. Doing hills with Mical, my BCBR partner, early in the year showed that I could go beyond.

So thanks to everyone who comes out and jams with me. I appreciate it.

A week of Hedonism

I am all about sacrifice and reward. Gearing up for a March stage race then getting back and doing the same for a June stage race required a lot of focus and commitment. One of the things that kept me on track was the idea that I would take a week off after BCBR and do NOTHING.

Well that is what I did. I taught core on Monday and practiced team time trial skills with Jay and Alana on Tuesday. That was it. I was working hard on the reno but stopped for tea and a nap some days.

We went to our friends Holly and Colin's wedding on Saturday and drank a little and stayed up long enough to have last call at the Drake in Canmore. I rode the single speed on the Highline trail on Sunday with Alana, Ryan, Fazian, and Matt. Things felt great, but I should think so after that much time off and all the calories I consumed, lots of ice cream.

There was the reward. I am glad I did it. I feel good and the energy is back. The heart rate responds the was it should and I want to ride my bike again. I will be trying to get my training in by going to the crits and riding the single speed. It is time ot have some fun with my fitness level and focus back in for Provincials at the end of August. But for now....Lets's ride for fun.