The Race Is On!

The 4th annual Augusta Cross Coalition is on..  Oct. 25th at Lake Olmstead Park.  If you'd be interested in being a sponsor and participating in the great event..  Please contact me: Ross Douglas @ mosovich@comast.net  

We're back!

JT taking home the trophy and a little cash! 

I ran the steps and this is what Drew made me out to be!  Now only if I can do this during cross season!  

Well boys and girls that time of year is rapidly approaching...  CROSS SEASON..  

Yes, I know, it's 97 degrees outside with 99% humidity, but come on, you know you're ready to suffer!

Speaking of which..  JT and I have been representing ACC at the Canal Crown series that Drew and Dustin have been putting on at the canal trail..  I highly recommend you come out and support the cause and test to see where your fitness is..  So far it's been a lot of fun..  Next race is Aug. 6th at the trail..  So far JT is cleaning house, so someone needs to come give him a challenge..  

Sortie secteur # 27

Sortie secteur # 27
Originally uploaded by sdvti

Wouldn't this be fun.. ONLY 26 more sectors to go!

Martijn Maaskant - Paris Roubaix

Martijn Maaskant - Paris Roubaix
Originally uploaded by Garmin Slipstream Pro Cycling Team

I'd love to be here!!

Long time no type..

William

Me showing off the ACC colors at FATS

Ian and I at the Giant Demo day.. 

 

Yeah, I know, it's been a while..  With nothing going on much cross wise, it kinda gets hard to come up with stuff..  

Update..  New baby..  William, Ian is now 3 and life is good..  

If you haven't been by Andy's lately, drop by, shop looks awesome with new floors..  If you're looking to get a new MTB, ck out the Anthem..  I got and X2 and LOVE it..  I mean SWEET.. 

IT band is getting better and I hope to be doing long rides soon..  Like REAL soon..   Don't forget..  The DAM ride is coming up April 19th..  This is a good cause we should all try to support..  

Also, PLEASE volunteer for one of the work days that SORBA puts on..  It is great exposure for us as a team/club..  I've done about 10 hours of work at the canal trail and it is awesome, and have done one 4 hour work party at FATS with those guys, it's fun and you really get to see what kind of work goes into our local trails....  Yeah, I could've been riding those 14 hours, but I did something to make our local cycling scene a better place for all..   They have a mission and it's great helping out..   Trust me, you'll be tired when you're done, but you'll be so glad you gave something back for the cause..  I know I did!   

Blah Blah Blah...

Well, it's that time of the year, the "blahs"..  Yes, as par for the course I've over done it a bit and now am sidelined with the old IT band syndrome..  Perfect timing I guess with new baby and such..  Hope to be back on the bike soon though as I'm really getting out of shape fast..  Did half hour on the rollers tonight, stretched a good bit afterward and hope that will help..  

Classics season is upon us and I can't wait for the biggies..  Reading Will's journal tonight on velonews just gets me super pumped..  What a life those guys get to live..  I'd just like to experience it once..  Oh well, maybe in the next life, of course with my luck, I'll be a NY taxi cab driver who likes to eat hot dogs..

Till next time!  

Southern Cross=Mission Accomplished!

The view from the top of the mtn..  It was worth it.. I guess..  

Lucky no. 23, it's Ian's b-day no.  Notice how clean I look.. 

Gonna be a wet day..  This was taken before it started raining..  

Too many miles of this 

and this..  Super soft mud with nothing hard around it makes the climbing that much more enjoyable..  I was smiling the whole time though!!

The run up..  Ah, you almost needed a rope, I climbed it on my knees.  No kidding!

Afterward of course the sun came out!!  What's that all about..  

I have to admit I was a nervous wreck Friday night knowing that Saturday would either be good, or suck REALLY bad..  After talking with some guys Sat. morning at Hardees, I knew I would be okay..  Seemed they hadn't gotten any of the info about the race except the initial one that had directions..  They didn't know it was "in the mountains"..  

So I get there, get registered and it starts raining..  Not a good sign, it had rained most of the night, so I knew it would be wet, but I hate starting off riding wet..  So we gather around and are warned of a couple of things..  A. bears, B. a rabid raccoon that had chased one of the guys trying to mark the course, C. due to lack of a 4wd vehicle the day before, some of the course wasn't marked yet, but they were trying to get to that area then by borrowing a jeep..  "A jeep?" one of the guys asked.  "yes, a jeep, there is snow and ice on top of the mtn" came the reply..  That's when I knew I had the correct bike!  My trusty Giant XTC..

A few days before I was warned NOT to bring a cross bike, the gearing would be too big and the roads were trashed due to snow and ice melting..  Sure enough, I think the only thing dry I rode on all day was the paved road..  

I got a good start I guess, but then had to stop after about two miles to adjust my front brake..  The housing broke and the pads wouldn't get off the rim..  Once fixed, sort of, I was on my way, alone..  I quickly caught up to a group of guys I'd share most of the day with..  

After about an hour or more, my computer I guess had too much mud in it, we hit the bottom of the endless hill..  I never knew a road could go up so long in Ga.  We climbed for I know over two hours..  NUTS!!!  This is when I REALLY knew I'd made the correct bike choice.  At mile no. 18, there was a supply drop where you could change out your bottles or anything you had brought..  I had put in two new bottles and four GUs..  This was about 2/3rds up the climb..  As I take off a guy drives by and says, "there's a big bear around the bend, becareful"..  Great, my legs are going fast, I'm still climbing and now a big bear is going to chase me..  Well, fortunately I didn't see the bear, but the climbing got a lot more steeper..  I reluctantly dropped to the granny gear and passed some guys that were walking..  Yes, walking..  

Once to the top, which seemed to take another eternity, the descent arrived..  This was supposed to be seven miles of heaven.. Instead, due to the snow melting, it was four miles of pain from the cold air on your wet face from the spray, and three miles of heaven once you got below the clouds and warmer air..  

I reached the finish in just under four hours, catching two guys within the last three miles..  One said to me something I like this: "dude, I'm so done, I can't even feel my legs"  Thing his, he still had to do the cross course portion, which I won't comment on..  

So, all in all, a great day..  I was totally pumped with how it went..  I got 32nd out of 57 starters. The event I thought was well organized and planned out..  I hope they do more of them, I'll surely sign up!  

 

Something everyone should try next year for sure..

Till next time!