Four days of riding..

Well, as the year approaches an end, thank goodness, it's time to think of 09.. As for training, I actually started on Monday and so far so good.. I did a 1 hour ride on my cross bike Monday and a MTB ride with Eric N. last night.. Today I will rest and recover from the last three days of riding..

I'm off the rest of the week and going to M'ville through Sunday.. While there, I've got some great rides picked out.. I plan on riding my road bike Thurs./Sat. and the cross bike on Fri./Sun. Should be a really good block of riding.. Thurs. route is a 30 mile loop with some killer hills, with the cross route being a good dirt road route that is about 5 miles, but it's a good circuit, with one really long hill that is pretty much all sand.. So, cross your fingers and let's hope the IT band holds out.. I've been stretching all week and have a new tube of Icy Hot!!

My goals for the new year are to lose some wt., I'd really like to drop down to 170 and of course go into cross season in much better shape next year with my goal to do the USGP in Ohio in October.. I'm also thinking of doing just the Bs next year in the Ga. series.. Should be interesting..

Happy New Year everyone!!

Anyone know..

How to post videos?  Here's a great one!!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNVKeDfQuOk

A little rain to make it complete..

So, I got up this morning expecting to find fog and drizzel, but to my surprise it was SUNNY!!  Ah, SUN I've missed you so..  I quickly got up, got ready and was off to meet the group..  Having a half a pack of oatmeal isn't a good way to prepare for a ride, but it was better than nothing..  Great route picked out today and by the time I got home I had 53 miles..  

Leg felt good, but I used about half a thing of icy hot, it's still hot now even after a shower..  We'll see how Tuesday goes, that'll be the day the pain would normally set in.  I stretched real good before the ride and after, so I hope to be good to go..  Should get in two really good rides on Thurs. and Friday in M'ville..  I hope it doesn't rain anymore so I can go ride the dirt road loop there..  

Great ride today though, I felt comfortable the whole ride and managed for the most part to keep the HR in check..

Zolder World Cup

Zolder World Cup
Originally uploaded by Estebon Buncier

You just have to wonder what the team kit looks like that goes with this bike...

Weather..

Anyone ever notice when you get time off of work the weather sucks?  I did three hours on the FATS Forest Service roads and am whiped out!  That's some great riding without even touching the trails..  It was a good work out, but the IT band is telling me about it today..  I've been stretching and doing the roller.  I can't let that thing creep back up on me or life will totally suck!!  Last time it got bad I could only ride for 45 min. at a time and that was spinning lightly..  Totally sucked.

Hope to do the group ride tomorrow although the weather looks like it could be a crap ride..  Of course Monday it'll probably be sunny and beautiful..  

Anyone ever look at facebook?  WOW, now that's a cool site..  I feel like I've reunited with half of my high school class and friends from college..  

Diegem is tomorrow, be interesting to see if Page races..  Dude's gotta be hating life right now, but hopefully everything will clear it self out..  Hopefully it'll be on the internet..

Sven Nys

Sven Nys
Originally uploaded by Enirel

If I could only have his legs for one race...

Nice roads..

IMGP3074
Originally uploaded by MollyCameron

Just imagine miles and miles of this.. Video courtesy of Molly...

Video from Molly in Belgium..

Our local cyclocross scene.
Originally uploaded by MollyCameron

This is funny.. Wish I was in Belgium.. NOT FREAKING AUGUSTA!!

Windy day = GREAT ride...

Great day for a ride..  Windy, cloudy, sprinkly, and sunny..  Robert and I decided to bag FATS and go out to Ft. Gordon..  I think it was a good call.. I'm sure the trails were wet and I like to think those guys at SORBA would appreciate our respecting trail use common sense..  

We decided to do the big loop and decide from there..  We did the first one and with a nod of the head quickly took the split to the left as not to think to much about our decision..  We chose correctly, at least that was what I was hoping..  Robert was riding strong and I felt like was holding my own..  Robert did a mtb ride the day before with Dan and Jake, so I'm sure he was a little tired, but he wasn't showing it today..

Overall a great ride..  Wind was really rough, but we both rode with no drafting as to get the best work out possible and we did!!  We're  doing the same ride Wed. if anyone is interested..  Two big loops, no compromises!  

           Robert tightening up the shoes getting ready to dish out some pain.. 

Me responding the pain dishing...  I suck at climbing... 

Fueling with for lap 2

Obviously before the beating started..

The days steed..  Heavy, but will pay off in the long run...

Now this is a monitor

Tired legs...

Not much going on this week, so I've had some time to ride..  I did Tues and Thur. SS bike on my 1 hour loop..  Legs were pretty tired from Tuesday, then Wed. I went out to Ft. Gordon and did 37 miles...  Thursday legs were dead, but I got the whole work out in..  Didn't ride today and won't tomorrow..  Hope to go to FATS on Sunday..  Need to get in some off road miles to get ready for Southern Cross..  

Hope I can go out there twice next week..

Cut, It's a wrap..

Let's hope we see more of this next year!!  

Jake warming up in Blairsville...

Kyle climbing in Blairsville..

John Allison killing out out of the "circle of death" in Conyers..

Kyle hitting the barriers in Dallas..

The dynamic duo..  

Dan, the rider formally known as ____,  climbing in Rome..  

Kyle, Dan and Jake cking out the goods trying to decide if they've got enough crap..  

The Wii wiz..  Genoveve (I can't spell) is a Wii and Pokeman machine!!    

Well, the season is finally really over..  I think most of us really didn't know what to do today..  It's usually that way right after the season ends..  It's the first Sunday in eight weeks that we weren't getting ready for race day at 8:00 am or waking up in a strange bed that isn't nearly as comfortable as the one we have at home..  I for one was up and riding at 8:30 in the slush at Bartram Trail getting ready for my next big event that will come up in January..  I hope it's good weather, because this morning riding in the wet and cold sucked...  I can't imagine doing it for 3+ hours, 1.5 hours was long enough for me today..  

We had our season end party tonight..  I think everyone had fun..  Kyle and I gave Chad a jersey as a going away present and we all enjoyed just visiting..  It's funny, you go to practice and to the races week in and week out, but you never really get to know the people you bond with until the season is over.. 

Thanks for coming over everyone..  Michele and I enjoyed having you over and Ian's so worn out he practically passed out when put in the bed..  

Have a happy and safe holiday season..  

Till next year..

The withdrawal begins..

Here's to you guys, thanks for a great season..  Can't wait till next year!!   
Chris with Loose Nuts hooking me up with a vital feed during the race..  PBR actually goes down pretty good when your heart rate is at 177 bpm..  Thanks guys, you made the year and races the much more entertaining!!  (Photo provided by Ben of Loose Nuts)  

So it's Tuesday night and no practice..  So, to settle into the "no practice" zone I went for a ride on the SS bike..  I've got to ramp up endurance now to get ready for the Southern Cross race in Ellijay next month..  I've got about six to seven weeks to get ready to get ready for a 60 mile cross race!  What was I thinking???

So back to Sunday..  Ben posted on the comments that we rock, but put an address of fotos that won't work.. Ben, please post the link again..  I need those fotos..  

Here's a few pics from Sunday.. 

Team party this Sunday, so that should be fun..  What will we do the next Sunday though.. Hmm..  Dirt road ride anyone????  Hell no Kyle we ain't riding at 6:30!!!  

Last race of the season and I was so feeling like crap..  It's amazing what a little cold can do to you in just three days..  
Our new comer Chad getting on the podium for his last race of the season and probably last Ga. race..   I told Kyle at our last practice that I bet Chad would podium before the series was over..  He was putting 110% efforts in at every practice to learn as much as possible and make the most of his time..   Chad came to us via California via the military and  heads back next week to sunny and I'm sure warmer California....  Thanks for joining us Chad, it was fun having you around and you'll be missed..  
Super B on top and in charge!  Next year should be REALLY interesting..  I'm confident she'll still be on that podium...
Bob, you are the man..  Guy has serious calf injury two weeks ago, comes back to take the series' final race..  Good luck at nationals and I'll see you in January for Southern Cross..

Matt pushing it up the run up..  That leader jersey looks nice..  How many of those did you get Matt?
The boys sucking down some cold ones after the race..  Thanks to Loose Nuts for sharing the brew, I have to admit, taking a beer feed works a lot better than you would think..  I highly recommend it..  
Ah, soaking in the tub the night before the race...  30 degrees outside, 104 degrees in the tub!!  Don't worry, we did a "hand check" every few minutes..  Probably should've done a "foot check", but we won't talk about that..

Till next time!!      

DALLAS: THE FINALE!!

Loose Nuts team bike...  
Men's B podium.. 
Single Speed Podium
Dude, when you come out of retirement, you're supposed to shave your legs!

Kyle in the early going in the Master's race..

Kyle and Robert discussing the chill in the air and Melissa telling Becca about freak show she missed the night before with four white guys in a hot tub..  

Wow, it just seems like yesterday we were getting ready to start the season and today it's over..

   What a GREAT year we have all had..  This is only our 2nd year as a team and we rocked the house!!  2nd place in BOTH team categories, TWO 1st place series category overall wins,  Becca in the women's Bs, Matt in the men's Bs.  TWO second place category wins, John in the men's Cs,  Kyle in the SS and a lot of podium positions..  We were on multiple podiums EVERY weekend!!  WHAT A HUGE YEAR!!  All I can say is we will be one of the most talked about teams coming in to next year and are going to have our hands full with so many riders moving up a category..  But that is a positive thing..  

Hat's off the Phelan clan for their one two punch in the B and C races,  Matt for his dominance in the B category and to Kyle for his dedication in the SS category..  Many of us have had HUGE performances and at least one of us come out of retirement ;)...  I don't know where to start except to say thank you all for making this the best season ever..

You guys all rocked the house through the lows and the highs you stuck together as a team and all pitched in to help each other, whether it was helping someone set up their bike, letting them borrow parts, clothes, whatever..  Everyone pitched in..  If a teammate was having a bad day, you guys encouraged them to hang in there..  If a teammate was injured, you offered your support..  Even if a teammate needed a buck, you didn't hesitate to offer up one or two..  (I forgot my ck book today and didn't think I had enough cash, Jake quickly and selflessly offered to pay my entry)  You don't see that on many teams, if any!  That's what makes us a unique group..  Everyone lends each other a hand...  I've had more than one person notice and mention this to me..  To me, this is what being on a team and having a team is all about...  TEAMWORK!!

I'll post a race report probably tomorrow night..  If you have any pictures, please email them to me, I only have a few..  

The curse..

You know how when every thing seems to be going well and you say..  "wow, first cross season I haven't gotten sick during."  Famous last words..  So, I've been fighting a cold all week and yesterday it finally got me down.  So, I've been in the bed since 9 last night, eating zinc like it's candy hoping for a miracle..  Looks like I'll be a spectator this weekend/team photographer/ supporter..  

Lesson learned..  never comment on your health during cross season!  

Till next time!!  

Mud and running..

 Jake getting ready for his next wrestling match at Ft. Yargo..

     Kyle finally on the podium..  Shey looks way to enthused...  

The crew..

       Matt hammering at Conyers 2  

                             Spanky totally focused..  

Okay, so I know you are all going to be disappointed, but this is going to be a quickie..  I'm sick, my kitchen is torn to heck and I gotta get ready to go out of town for work tomorrow..  So, here's the down and dirty..

We did good...  Okay, just kidding, we did real good..  Conyers no. 2 was just that..  A race filled with no. 2 all over the place..  Probably the hardest race I've ever done..  The course was hard as it is, but add to that about 2 inches of rain and you've got one heck of a mess..  The team did well however, with Becca making an awesome comeback to win her race, John pretty much doing the same to get 3rd again, Kyle getting 3rd in the SS race and Spanky getting 6th in the B race..  Matt put on a show of force in the B race while Robert dabbled here and there and got 16th..  This was Robert's first weekend back to racing and he did it balls out!  He did three races, something I couldn't quite pull off.. Robert, you da man!!

I had an okay race, but during the SS race, I broke my chain tensioner and my chain went in the wheel, so to insure points, I ran the whole freaking course..  Sorry to those I snapped at near the finish, I can get a little testy sometimes, especially when I've just run two miles carrying a broken bike in the rain, I'm pissed about the bike, my result sucks, my hamstring is killing me and someone's yelling at me telling me to "go"..   I'm working on curbing my explicit vocabulary..  :)  

I think everyone had a good time and we're hoping to have a lot of fun for the final..  Dallas always serves up a lot of pain..  Due to illness though, I'm not making any promises.  I'm just going to give 100% in the B race and call it a year..  

Till I get a chance to update again..  

Rumors, Weather, and I got a big ASS!!

 I love this pic!  "Hi, I'm Becca (Super B) and I'm ready to kick some ass!"

  

Junk in the trunk!!!

Now tell me you can't see the whole alphabet going across that thing!!  

Ian making sure the oxygen mask works for Sunday's triple hitter!!  That's right, I registered for them all!!  

Will Mr. Woldring make an appearance?  My money is it!! 

 

Rumor 1;  I got a call the other day from Mr. Woldring..  Seems he may be going to join in the fun this weekend in Conyers..  Let's hope so, it'd be good to see him get out there and see what he's been missing all year..

Rumor 2;  I spoke with Jim tonight and this is going to be a tough course!!  It's wet already before the rain, so now it's REALLY going to be wet..  Word to the wise..  Don't wear that white jersey, it's gonna get dirty!

 Rumor 3; Brett and his son Conner are going to race this weekend..  Yes, finally Mr. Barrier, (Brett can run a set of barriers faster than anyone I've seen!) is going to come out in the elements and join in the fun..  (Brett, you can't use the weather as an excuse, it's cross!)  

 Rumor 4;  I'm going to do three (3) races..  Yes, I've registered for masters, SS and B's..  Should be interesting..  This is how Kyle explained it to me "see, you use the masters as your warm up, do the SS all out, then cool down during the B race"  Yeah right, how about this, "I race like mad all three races, then fall over from exhaustion."

Weather;  So, it's supposed to rain all day tomorrow and Sat. night..  I just hope it turns out cloudy only on Sunday with a chill, not no full on rain and bitter cold..  I've become a wuss in my older age and just can't handle it like I used to..

I was flipping through some fotos tonight of some of the races and guys..  Why didn't you tell me my ass was so big!  The hell with ACC, you could spell the whole thing out across my ass.. I mean you could go ABCDEFGHI and on with the whole alphabet..  All I know is that I gotta shed some ass!  So much for taking Ian to McDonalds in the morning, we're having FRUIT!!

 

See you Sunday!!  

I did it.. Well, almost..

 Cold day in Hamme Zogge!  Jonathon Page running the steps..  I love steps!!
                         Coming out of the pits..  

Photos courtesy of Bettini Photo

As I sat down to lunch today I thought (must use self control)  Well I'm proud to announce that I did it..  well, till M brought out the apple pie AND the whipped creme..  DOH!!  That's okay, I did go for a ride this afternoon to burn off those (extra) calories..  :)  I rode my SS and I'm wondering how I'm going to pull of this Sunday's quest to do three races..  I mean, that's a lot of racing and the B race starts right after the SS race...  That's an hour and five minutes of racing!  As it stands now, I'm planning on doing them all..  I just wonder how hard that SS race is going to be and if I'm trying to turn too big a gear..  I'm running a 42x19..  The course is supposed to be flat and fast.. I know Dallas is tough, so I decided I would do it in Conyers instead of trying it in Dallas.. 

Here's a couple pics from last weeks Super Prestige race in Hamme Zogge, Belgium...  Great race and I highly recomment you ck out the highlights at www.crosstube.net  

Hope to so take it easy tomorrow..  No shopping for me, interesting thing I did see today was at 12:30, there were people already camped out at Best Buy..  Come on people get a life, what's worth spending your Thanksgiving sitting on a sidewalk in front of a retail store?

Till next time...  

Turkey and Bikes..

               Ready to make her debut in the SS class!! 
             John and Chris neck and neck..  (notice the differences in these set ups..)  Photo courtesy of Loose Nuts cycling team..

So Thanksgiving his here and it's time to do what we all love to do..  EAT!!  I'm headed to my ma in laws to chow down, but will try to control myself as I know this gorging will not help my results on Sunday..

Speaking of Sunday, Conyers race 2 is coming up and we're hoping for a another good weekend of racing..  Some questions:  Will Super B be able to handle those young rebels from Athens? Will JP be able to handle the other young rebels from Athens that are riding on of all things, FIXED GEAR BIKES?  What's up with that!!  I mean, you gotta see these guys rides, not exactly what you'd expect to see at a cross race..  But hey, obviously it works for them..  I bet if they were on geared bikes they'd be really giving the B leaders a run for their money..  Can The Kid get back control of the B race and retain that jersey?  Lastly, will I beable to step a way from the dessert table?  (Probably not, Michele did and apple pie and there is ice cream as well)  :) 

My goal this weekend is to do three races..  Yeah, I whimped out and didn't go the NC to race there, but I figure Conyers is going to be the best place to break out the SS that I've thrown together.. So, we'll see what happens... 

Till next time!

  

4 Out of 7 Ain't To Bad!!!

Anyone else notice how much Kyle smiles when he's running the barriers?  That's just sick!
                    John and his gang of misfits..  
                     Becca and her arch rival..  
    Matt airing out the boys and taking his place on the podium...

  "Yeah guys, this roller thing is great..  Just don't move this truck..  "    

So, this weekend the team headed over to Ft. Yargo for the Georgia Cross State Championships..  Since I whimped out of the NC races, I decided to shack up with my friends Adam and Nancy in Athens..  (BTW:  If you think Nancy's brownies rock, Nancy's got the best hot chocolate in the SE hands down!)  I got the Ft. Yargo Sat. afternoon and rode the course some with Adam, Shey, John and Spanky..  Course was typical Yargo, kinda rough, good sand and marbles in some of the corners..  Good course and I like the fact that Dan doesn't change it up, but keeps it consistant..

 

First race of the day was us old guys..  Slightly chilly, but not too bad..  Brian decided to join Kyle and I for our masters adventure, but unfortunately for Brian, his last name is Culpepper and he took the roll of Mr. NL (Mike Culpepper aka: No Luck) and flatted 100 meters after the start..  Anyway, all he missed was a bunch of guys with rockets tied to their asses, because all I saw was vapor from where I was at..  SUPER fast race from the start, I totally blew up where Brian flatted..  It was nuts!!  Congrats Brady on taking the win.. I was 12th and Kyle was 9th..  Good showing..

Next up was JP, staying consistant as he has been all year,  he was 3rd after battling it out with the young guns from Athens, these guys and gals know how to have fun at a cross race.  Ck out their flickr site and you'll see..  (Hey guys, were you both on fixies or SS?  That disc wheel rocks!) Great race especially since he really took a dive in "Marble Alley"..  Chad put in a great 4th place and after watching him at practice tonight, he and JP could really put a hurting on those boys in the Dallas race..  Brian managed to survive the start of this race finishing 12th with Jake pulling in 27th.

.

Super B put on a great show in the women's B race giving Mary a run for her money and ditching the competition all over the course.. I joked with the girls about beating up on Becca, but didn't expect them to literally take a dive,  poor girls looked like they got eaten alive by the marbles, although they did seem fine after a few beers..  (BTW: I was really looking forward to that beer feed you guys teased me with)  Spanky's wife joined Becca in the race and "I think" had more fun that she's willing to admit..  We just have to encourage her to use that right shifter.. :)  Honestly, it won't hurt..   (Thanks for joining us Melissa hope you will come play again) 

 

In the SS race Kyle put a hurting on Shey, (well actually made Shey work real hard) to come in 3rd place.  I'm gonna join Kyle next week to see what all the fun is that I'm missing..  Supposedly it's so much fun that my toes will curl!  We'll see..

The B race was our final of the day..  This is the race I feel more comfortable in..  My results don't really show it, but at least here I'm not in no mans land the whole race and have other people to ride with, not just ride past me..  I got 29th while The Kid put on a good show finishing a rock solid 2nd and my little buddy Spanky coming in 12th..  From what I hear, the front group was all together and Matt just put the hammer down and it exploded.. 

 

All in all, a great weekend, kinda expensive, we killed two sets of carbon wheels, one of us is probably facing shoulder surgery, but it was fun.  Right now we're 2nd in the combined and 3rd in the overall..  We've got two riders leading their categories, Becca and Matt, so right now with 2 races to go we are rocking..  The teams that are around us are all older teams with very experienced riders, so for this to be our second year shows we're kickass!  Out of 7 podiums, we were on 4 of them..  

Next week is Conyers..  To the competition:  Eat baby eat, you know you want to just keep on eating that pumpkin pie and turkey leg!!  Jim has promised an exciting course with something for everyone except moutain bikers, so we should all do well I hope!!  

Till next time!!