Here and there

On my commute to work today a coyote jumped out of the bushes and ran in front of me for about 15 seconds before jumping back in. It was a big one, I struggled trying to pull the camera out but he was gone before I could even turn it on. Then half a mile down the path ( I was on the bike and hike path) a deer jumps out and scared the crap out of me. It was 6 am and every critter was starting to move, lots of birds and rabbits, beautiful day indeed.

Never made it to the Wayne Ultra race yesterday. Training just wasn't there, for the last two weeks I only rode to work 3 times plus the spinning classes. That just wasn't enough for a race as hard as that. My teammate Brett did it and said it was a hard race. All my training now is geard towards Off Road Assault on Mount Mitchell in North Carolina. which I already paid the $100 entry fee, I'm not missing this one.

Spent the weekend working on the picket fence I took it appart last year in September or October when the willow came down and broke a couple of sections. Had it all painted and fixed but never put it up. I almost quit before I started, I couldn't figure out the angles and measurements and was getting agravated at myself.

Sat down for a minute just looking at it and it was just like a revelation, finished that side and started on another 4 sections, scrape, paint and put together again since I take all the sections completely appart. Who knows how long this is going to last, I don't work fast or steady, I work in spurts.

Went out for a couple of rides with the other 3 horsemen, the Rain Ride in Indiana is coming, 160 miles in one day under a relentless sun.

As usual, always smiling

They are not smiling, they are masking the pain.

Riding behind Steve is like having a wall in fron t of you. I hardly pedaled.

Weekend at Bernies, er Javis

Spent the weekend visting my son who works as a Physical Therapist in Columbus.
We stayed in Grove City and apparently the city is making all the new developments that are springing up every where put in bike paths. I rode for 40 minutes each day all over the place.
It was very nice. On one side of the road you have a subdivision and on the other you have farmland, or a golf course.
Saturday we went to German Village for lunch at Thurmonds. This place has been there since 1954 and it used to be the local watering hole. The place only sits about 30-50 people but it's always packed we waited for over 45 minutes. The hamburgers are huge. I have to go back.
There was a baseball tournament in town and it looked like all the teams stayed at our hotel.
Kids and adults walking and talking loud until late at night. That's ok I got up at 6am on Saturday and slammed the stairs door a few times pay back always comes.
Overall we spent a nice weekend with the kids.
Bill one of my sons roomates works as a correction officer and Saturday night decided to spray himself with mace to see how it felt. I'll leave it all to your imagination all I will say is that he jumped in the shower clothes and all. What were you thinking?


My wife, my daughter Jeny and my son's girlfriend, Sarah.


The family with the two of them as usual making faces, never grow up. I'm going to stop posting pictures of myself, darn I look beat up, and all I had was two Guiness beers, the only beer I drink once in a while.

Like I said, never grow up, stay the same.

RAAM, race across America

The race across America is about to start and this year there's a two person team from Cleveland Hts competing. RAAM is a race were the fastest rider (s) across the country wins. Wich means very little rest. Some of the top solo riders ride for over 30-40 hours before stopping to take a nap. A good crew is imperative, without it you may not even want to start.
Anyway here's the link so you can follow their progress across this great nation.
Team Reaching Heights

Sunday in June

Sunday the "Ho" Tom and I went to Burton to ride the Sunday in June ride better known as the horse crap 100 because of the number of road mines that you have to slalom around. This is due to the large Amish community that lives in that area. I took a couple of pictures of the horse buggies but none of them because they don't like to be photograph and since I'm such a nice guy I didn't want to be rude.
We met up with Jim and his friend and started the ride on the yellow loop of aproximately 27 miles. We came back to the start finish refilled the bottles and went out on the orange loop. This loop was about 35 miles and a bit more hillier than the first one. The green loop was about 40 miles and it started out with some really rough roads because of the horses and the grooves on the road from the carriage wheels. After a few miles of that the rest of the roads were great.
In all the "HO" and I finished 100.8 miles in 5:29. We didn't ride hard but didn't have an easy ride either. Jim and his friend came in a little after us.
We changed ate some pasta and headed to Joe's house for some bbq chicken and sausage. But before that it was a dip in the pool and the hot tub. Overall we had a great day of riding the temp was in the 70's and the company was good.
Tomorrow I'm commuting to work and then headed to Columbus for the weekend to visit my son. Next week I'm hoping the weather cooperates and I can ride to work Monday-Wednesday and then Taper andtake it easy until Saturday when I head down to Marietta for the Wayne Ultra mtb race.
Later

And you know were the mailman can put the bills.

Perfect vacation

Another week gone by

The week went well, managed to commute to work 3 times this week. Almost 13 hours on the bike and I still have Saturday to go. Didn't get any close calls this week. All week long it was supposed to thunder and showers almost everyday. I decided to ride anyway and packed my rain gear in my backpack Monday and Wednesday. Not a single drop fell on me. I wish all weeks were like this week. All 3 days my legs felt great in the morning and afternoon. Wednesday ride I forgot I had a spinning class at 6:30 and rode to work and as soon as I got there I realized it. I left an hour earlier and made it with plenty of time to get the music ready. That added another 45 minutes for the day. Tuesday did some more yard work and Thursday it was just a very light weights day. Tomorrow I have two spinning classes some more yard work and in the afternoon we are going to a graduation party were I know I'll stuff my face with food. I think most people gain weight in the summer instead of the cold months. Between the picnics, weddings, graduation parties and summer bbq's, that's a lot of food, but it's gooooooood. Last year I was watching my weight all the time and I don't know if it had someting to do with the anemia and the walking pneumonia I got; this time around am still watching I don't gain unnecessary weight but I'm not holding back. I eat what I want but in moderation. The more weight you gain the more weight you have to carry up the hills. Anyway I do feel stronger with a couple more pounds specially on my mountain bike. And no, is not extra padding.
Sunday the Tour of the Four Horsemen starts with the Sunday in June ride. Pictures to come.
We are doing the century ride and I already warned everybody that we cannot go inside the building after the first 65 miles, the smell of food will keep you in there.



Tools of the trade


Things I see during my rides. An American Eagle carving on a tree stump.
I'll take a better picture next time I ride by it.



Was on my last mile when right in front of me mother duck and ducklings in tow cross in front of me. Kind of dark, I couldn't get my camera out in time. I should have waited until they got back under the sun. I'm sure I'll see them again.


Foggy commute on Wednesday morning

Much better in the afternoon

Reagan Park

Opted to go to Reagan Park in Medina and ride my mtb instead of riding the road. Put in 2 1/2 good hours. Did one lap at almost full gas and an easy one. Summer hours start Monday at work and I'll be riding to work more often, at least 3 times a week. That'll give me between 12-16 hrs of riding in 3 days depending on what route I decide to take home in the afternoon.
I think I'll go back to Reagan for another couple of hours of easy riding. This is a great place, close to everything and the city wants you to come and ride. What a difference, can't say the same thing about the Cleveland Metroparks. Camba has been trying to get them to open some trails for riding and are treated very rudely by the administration. There's only about 3 miles of open trails for mtb's in Cleveland and that's because Camba built the trail themselves. These organization offers their services for free and the Metroparks do not take advantage of it.
In Medina the city doesn't spen the resources on the trail because it is taken care of by the people that ride it. Thanks to Larry, Dustin Clouse and many others for all the hours that they put in there keeping the trails in top shape.
Sorry for the camera movement on the video but is hard to ride with on hand and hold the camera with the other on the trail. I need to get a helmet cam, hmmmmm.

Week in review

After Mohican I took Sunday off to rest and do yard work ( it still sucks). Monday I wanted a good couple of hours recovery ride and went to do the Valley City loop with the "HO". On our way back we are riding single file and this *&^lady passes us so close that the hair in my arm felt the static from the car, one more inch and she would have hit me. I yell what the h... are you doing, why did you do that? She stops and starts f..ing me up and down. The "HO" said I called her a B... but I don't even remember. She threatens to call the cops and I told her I have a phone too and proceeded to call the cops. After a while waiting at a really bad place on the road I decided is time to move out of there and we ride further up and stop at a driveway while she drives past us turns around and flips me off, what am I to do, I just smiled and blew her a kiss.
Needless to say, the cops never showed up. I think they did called my phone but I was talking to my wife and didn't get the call.
Tuesday I went to the gym to do the weights and my spinning class. Wednesday I just hit the weights again. Thursday morning it ws weights and the last spinning class on Tue and Thur. for tha summer. In the evening the "HO" and I went for a ride down to the valley and we didn't ride too hard but we didn't ride slow either. Did a couple of good intervals going uphill on Snowville and another road that I can't remember the name right now. Today I came home changed and rode down to the rec for the 6pm spinning class. After the class I decided to ride down to the park and take the long way home via the park bike path to W130th. Nice easy ride, I even had time for pictures. Below I posted all the pictures I've been meaning to post for the last few weeks.
Tomorrow is a 3 hour ride on the road bike and maybe Reagan park Sunday afternoon


This is Darren in Australia starting the T-Ford.

The T on the road. Beautiful car. Right hand driving.


I'm always smiling.


Riding down the bikeway


Horse Shoe Pond

The wife and I went for a little hiking at Horse Shoe Pond in Peninsula.

Fixing Ken's chain at Mohican a week before the race. Yep, it was cold.

Getting ready to ride


Horse Shoe Pond

Mohican race report

Yesterday I lined up with 400 other racers for the start of the Mohican 100 races in Loudonville Ohio. The start was right on Main Street going west and up a long climb to spread the pack. The siren went off and I settled into a comfortable pace without red lining at the beginning, I didn't want to burn too many matches in the first mile. We rounded the first corner and headed to the first section of single track I sprinted ahead of a bunch of riders that were going too slow. My team mate Steve told me that as soon as I saw or smelled the pig farm to try to get ahead of as many riders as possible before hitting the single track. In retrospect I probably should have gone all out and then try to settle into a comfortable pace, it was a long snake or riders I was following. I must have entered the single track somewhere in the top 150 riders. In what has become a habit when I race the mountain bike, I fell 3 times within the first 5 miles. The first time I hit a wet root while I was leaning on a turn and went down hard but was able to get up quickly without anybody passing me. The second time I was very close to the rider in front of me following his line when he took the wrong line but was able to correct himself, I wasn't fast enough and hit a tree stump (big one) with my right pedal and went down harder than the first time. I hit the stem with my stomach and lost a bit of air. Still I was able to mount up as fast as I went down. But then the noise started, when I fell the front derrailleur got bent and the chain was rubbing and making a terrible loud noise. I rode a few miles like that because I didn't want to loose any more time, finally I had to stop to make repairs and it was another few minutes. Didn't get it fully straight but it wasn't making as much noise. Through out the next 15 miles or so of single track through the state forest I played a game of cat and mouse , chase, catch, rest, pass. Made it through the first aid station took a quick pit stop and took off, 14 miles to the next station. Made the mistake of not filling one of my empty bottles and rode the last 3 miles to aid station 2 without any liquids. Made it to station two and downed one full bottle of water while one of the volunteers went to get my drop bag. Pulled out my hammer stuff re-filled my bottles, two on the bike one in my back pocket and took off, in and out in less than 3 minutes, 12 miles to the next aid station where I decided to have my second drop bag. This section had mostly gravel and paved roads but the hills where long and steep. I fought cramps after the first aid station when I lost all my endurolytes somewhere in the trail and didn't notice until I reached for them. Everytime there was a hike a bike section I was begging for any type of electrolytes from the other riders and was lucky enough to find a few riders with extras, I even took 3 Ibuprofens from one of the single speed racers. The electrolytes helped but once you start cramping is like they are always present every time you try to push it. The way I fight cramps is hitting the area with my nuckles until it alleviates the cramp. It works, try it sometime. Made it to aid station 5 and only had 6 more miles to go. Took a few more endurolytes from one of the volunteers own stach and took off, caught another two riders, rode behind them for a few seconds to catch my breath and then passed them. 4 miles of the state forest single track that we had rode in the morning but this time in reverse. rode those 4 miles like the devil was chasing me but it was just a racer from Indianapolis, enough to give me insentive not to let him pass me which he said he tried a couuple of times but that I was going too fast to pass. When I race I'm a totally different person, I take more chances and ride stuf that sometimes I dismount and walk it. We made it to the bike path together and thought it was over when we took a turn and started going up the same trail we had come down in the morning. This is where he couldn't push it anymore, it was the last hike a bike section (too steep to ride) I threw the bike over my shoulders and practically ran up so he couldn't follow. I passed a few more racers that had very little gas left and made it to the finish line in what appeared to be 6:28 and second place in the masters 50+ division. I was happy to say the least, my goal was sub-7 hours and top 5 in the 50+. Decided to go back home and take a shower rest and go back to the awards presentation at 7pm. Showed up to the awards and to my surprise they had changed my time to 6:46 and 3rd place. I asked the promoter and he said the times had been adjusted. I'm not one to make a scene and start and argument and decided just to go home and send the promoter an e-mail asking why were the times adjusted and hope that he answers. As soon as I hit the line I was loooking for the time clock but they didn't have one so I asked my time and I was told 6:28. My bike computer says 6:26 and I figured I lost a few minutes on the hike a bike sections but not over 20 minutes. I've talked to several people that have done the race and they all have the same complaint, no timing clock and there's always some type of controversy with this race.
Overall I had a lot of fun doing the race and felt good most of the race other than a few miles after aid station 1 where I started feeling fatigued as the race went on the stronger I felt.
I was surprised as how many people just hung around the aid stations wasting time. I was in and out no waste of time, did what I needed to do and that was it. My Team mate Steve finished second overall in the 100K race in the open division. I think Ross finished in the top 10. Denny Stevenson aka Bruce finished as one of the top single speeders.
Later.

Great Race Screwed Up Finish

Went to Mid-Ohio today for a race around the race course at 5pm. 12 laps 33 miles and change.

Average speed 21.8, Max speed 39.1, Average cadence 92. The first lap was a fast one then the pace settled a little bit. As usual I didn't get comfortable until around lap number 5. The first 4 laps were painful and my body kept telling me to fake a cramp and pull out. I know myself well so I just keep fighting with my body until it just snaps into race mode. After lap 5 I started feeling good and was able to acelarate with no problems. There's no flat ground there, even the start finish is a false flat. The rest of the laps it was just the same with some guys trying to jump but were quickly chased down. We go by the start finish and the race promoter yell two laps to go, after we started going up the longest grade one rider jumps and gets a gap. I was boxed in in the middle of the pack and couldn't chase, nobody chased for that matter. We go around for what should have been the last lap, coming around the last turn another rider jumps and gets a gap, my friend Rick quickly jumps and I follow, we close the gap and now is just a matter of who's going to take 2,3, and 4 since we had a good gap on the pack. Rick and I outsprint the other rider for what should have been second and third and then we hear the bell lap. The promoter screwed up when he told us 2 laps to go when it was actually 3. I'm half wasted the pack quickly closes in swallows me and spat me off the back. I fought hard to stay with the pack and managed to move up to about a third back of the leaders, I'm thinking I still have a chance for a good sprint. All of the sudden one of the inexperienced riders in the group starts to take the turn at over 35 miles and hour goes too wide and bumps another rider on the hip which looses control of the bike, clamps on the brakes flies into the air with the bike flying higher than him and goes down right in front of me. I had to slow down or hit him while he was laying down on the tarmac and that was it, the pack accelarated I tried to chase but I used too much energy on the sprint that never was. Check the videos and you'll hear Rick yelling at the promoter about how many laps where left.

There where two accidents, the other one a rider took his eyes of the wheel in front of him and overlapped it, went down and took a couple more down with him.

Too many riders with very little racing experience tonight, all over the course overlapping wheels and making everybody nervous. I had to yell at two of them that almost took me down when they crossed from one side of the pack to the other. After the second time I told him that if he did it again I was going to taking him down myself. Never saw him in front of me again. Sometimes you have to be like that or risk going down and braking a bone or getting road rash.

By the way the rider that went down hard broke his collarbone. Too bad he rides for the University of Cincinnati cycling team.

Overall even with the sprint that never was I had a good workout. This is my last hard workout

before the Mohican mtb race.

Thanks to my daughter for taking the pictures and video, she'll do better next time now that she's done it once. Even the wife made it to the race tonight which was nice to see her there.

Butt Butter anyone?

What is he smiling at?

The real finish


The sprint that never was.