19.7 Lbs.

Is this the lightest bike of all the GT Dirt Coalition riders???

I have my Carbon Zaskar at 19.7 lbs. !!!!!

I am a Dirt Coalition rider who really likes his GT Zaskar!!! You will never, ever hear me complain about this bike!

I built the bike up with a incredible group of components and I am very much getting into a great groove when riding it.

My position on the bike feels perfect. It has taken lots of fine tuning to dial it in just right, but all the work has made it a perfect fit!

Now it is time to train & race, and simply have fun on the awesome ride......

CCCX XC #8 5/30/09

I had a great turnout for my CCCX XC #8 race. I designed a really difficult course which tested every rider who competed. There was 3 very steep climbs riders had to hit multiple times, and this really taxed the riders as the racing went on. The DH sections were fast and filled with lots of twisting single track.

It was a great day of MTB racing.

DiLuca

DiLuca attacking.....
and attacking again....

I like the way DiLuca has raced this years Giro. DiLuca is one of my favorite riders and it has been awesome to watch him throw it down when the going gets tough. Menchov may be the winner of the Tour of Italy this year, and his ride was incredible the way he hung on to DiLuca's attacks. However DiLuca was the show for this Giro and his riding inspires me!

RACING

This past weekend was some serious racing for me....

On Saturday I did 2 Crit. races in Fresno and finished 3rd in both races. I made the winning break in the Masters 1/2/3 race and finished 3rd. In the Pro 1/2/3 race I played a team role and covered my team mates break, and still managed to finish 3rd place.

Then on Sunday I did the Auburn Crit. near Sacramento. It was a awesome course with some demanding sections, such as a good hill to test fitness and strength and a good DH section to test downhill skills. I made the winning group of 12 riders who stayed together until the end. On the last lap it was full on race warfare. I finished 6th and was happy for this as I was out of position going into the last lap having missed the lap card count down. I was at the very back of the group not even knowing it was the last lap until we went through the finish area. It was a brutally fast race every time up the hill, so I was happy to make the winning group and move up at the very end to claim 6th place. I was pretty sore from the 2 hard races the day before, which made my result even better.

Then on Monday I did the Memorial Day Crit. near San Jose. I almost won the Masters 1/2/3 race. I came into the final sprint in 3rd place, but got pushed all the way against the curb and had to make up ground. In the end I was 4th place, with 3rd place only 2 inches ahead of me via the finish video footage.

In the Pro 1/2/3 race I was just trying to make it to the end. There was 100 riders and the action was pretty hectic. In the end I had perfect position for the final dash to the line, but was completely swarmed by the sprinters and went from 6th place to 15th right on the line. I did win money in Fresno & both races at the Memorial Day Crit. 15th in the pro 1/2/3 race was the final cash payout spot!

Best of all my solid finishes on the weekend qualified myself for a upgrade on the Road race scene. I am now ranked as a Cat. 2 on the Road!! I had this as a goal for the year, but I knew it would be very difficult to attain as the Road races are really hard to place high in.

Yet I managed to place well many times, thus earning my upgrade to a Cat. 2.

Tour of Italy

The leaders of the Tour on a 7 hour stage that finished up the brutal climb of Monte Patrano. It was no pack finish at the top of that mountain....
Armstrong is definitely finding some form.....

The top two riders overall DiLuca and Menchov have waged quite a battle in Italy....

It has been some amazing racing in Italy for the big guns of Road Racing. The "queen stage" of the race went down Monday and it was amazing to see the strongest guys test each other on such difficult terrain.

I really am amazed by the narrow roads they race on. And the mountains are incredible & really bring out the best in the most talented riders in the world.

Menchov is stellar and appears to be on his way to the overall win! DiLuca was my early pic, and he has been the most animated of all the riders! It is too bad Levi had a bad day, but it was awesome to see Armstrong get better and better as the race has progressed.

The winner for the past stage, Carlos Sastre, had a time of over 7 hours for the victory on the day.....

Truly some epic racing in Italy.

Recovery Ride

This is a shot of the lead group heading toward the climb section of Laguna Seca Raceway with 2 laps to go, I am slotted in 4th position in the group.....

Today it was 3 hours easy riding- just spinning the legs on the road bike. I have dug pretty deep over the past few days, so it was nice to just ride steady tempo with out putting down any power at all, just spinning the legs at a high cadence. After the XC race on Saturday, the DH race on Sunday, the Ft Ord Circuit race on Tuesday, and the Laguna Seca Raceway Circuit race on Wednesday, I felt pretty tapped from racing so hard. So I really enjoyed a easy ride today!

Tomorrow I will stay off the bike and try to get some recovery in the legs and body, as this weekend I have Criterium races on Saturday, Sunday, and Memorial Day Monday.

I am just looking to put myself in a place to do something special in the races.

I want to be in the thick of the action!

Road Racing

Tuesday and Wednesday's Road races were full of action. I was lucky to be riding spot on for both days. In the crunch time of both races I was able to attack and make the decisive move to get into winning breaks. Both days were amazing for me, and I was able to hit the most difficult parts of the courses with something extra that made the difference in the winning break aways. It was a great feeling to ride at a high level, and I know I will get better and keep improving!........I HOPE!

5 races In 7 days

GT's got my back......

I have a very challenging race schedule ahead.....

Starting Tuesday I will have 5 races in 7 days.

It all starts with the Tuesday night Circuit Race. Then the next day is a 6 lap Circuit race held on the famed Laguna Seca Raceway track. The Laguna Seca Raceway is a great place to hold a bike race, and the elevation gain each lap is sure to test all who compete. Saturday is the Palm Bluffs Criterium in Fresno. Which is followed by the Auburn Criterium near Sacramento. Which is then followed by the SugarCRM Memorial Day Criterium near San Jose.

My form is progressing in a positive direction, so I hope to compete at a high level in these events.

DH RACE

I delivered one of my best DH rides of 2009 on Sunday. Racing DH the day after a Cross Country race is never optimal. My legs have less snap and I can feel the fatigue in my body.

But on this day I delivered a solid race run, after riding a hard XC race the day before. When I crossed the finish line I was told I was 2nd fastest out of all the riders in attendance. There were about 150 riders competing and I was 2nd fastest overall. When the final results were posted I lost the overall by 1/2 a second!

.5 seconds~

There was hand timing at the finish, so 1/2 a second is basically a tie, only I came out on the short end of the tie!

The course was super fun and it was a great feeling to race to a strong DH result.

Cross Country Race

This particular course had some very fun section to ride fast on....
The final podium, a strong group of 35+ Expert racers.....

It was a awesome day for a MTB race.....

The heat took its toll on everyone.....

Luckily many sections of the race were contested under the sweet shade of the local oak trees.....

I led out the group at the start.....

On Saturday I had a XC race, and it was super fun, and a real test of bike and pilot.

The temperature was in the 90's.

The trail I selected for the race was new for my CCCX Series and it was full of challenging sections.

I got in a 3 man break on the first lap, and we established a gap on the rest of the field. But I faded to 5th place half way through the race. Then I managed to fight back and work my way into a battle for 2nd place. It seemed the riders ahead of me struggled in the heat. It came down to the last mile of the race where I lost contact up the final hill with the rider I was contesting 2nd place with.

In the end I dug deep and claimed 3rd place on the day. I race to win, however sometimes just hanging in there during a race and passing people in the later stages of the event is as rewarding as a run away win.

I can feel my form improving, and I know I will have some good rides very soon!~

Italy

I fully appreciate when it gets really tough and it comes down to difficult sections of the race and it is only the strongest guys, and they start attacking each other.....
The under 23 World Road champion from 2005, and the Tour of Georgia winner, delivers the goods on stage 8 solo....

If your going solo for a stage win, you must be a true stud and you must work so very hard.....

There are loads of riders chasing, trying to work for the team leader....

With so much at stake, teams will dig deep to pull riders back so the teams best placed G.C. rider can have a shot at the stage win....

I fully dig the action from the Tour of Italy. So much drama and so many amazing riders having at each other. It only makes me want to race more!

Weekend MTB Racing~

At the last CCCX DH event I won the Single Speed division, the Hardtail division, and the Chainless division. 3 wins in one day is extra sweet, and I hope to back those wins up with a good ride at this Sunday's DH event, but first I will be on the start line for CCCX XC #7 at 1 p.m. on Saturday....

It will be CCCX XC #7 for me on Saturday. The course is awesome and I will for sure try my hardest to race strong! It will be 30 miles of fast single track trail riding, I am so in for that!

On Sunday it will be CCCX DH #5. The course is really good, full of high speed sections and some steep trails where it is fun to let er' rip!~

It will be some serious MTB racing this weekend!

GIRO

One of these dudes will win the Giro....
Horner looks super lean and is on some serious form, and I would be very surprised if the super strong Levi Leipheimer did not win the entire Tour...

DiLuca driving the pace in front of Basso & Leipheimer, these guys inspire.....

Go fast or go home.....

The big guns stepped up at the Italian Tour today. It was a difficult hill climb finish and by the end of the day the contenders had to show some of their game. Watching the Grand Tours, and the best riders in the world, really motivates me to ride my bike and race hard.

During the day I marked the DH course for the CCCX race this Sunday. I also cut a new portion of trail, with the help of 2 workers, and it is steep and fun! I added a jump in the middle of the new section of trail just to give the racers a chance to get some air time.

Tuesday Circuit race

DiLuca wins the first stage contested in the hills of Italy. He is one of my picks for a good Giro de Italia, however tomorrow will be a big shake up as the riders face some serious climbing. I still think Levi & Astana will deliver the goods in the end.....
I like to ride the mountains and Italy has some of the best roads in the high hills.....

I always try to improve my climbing, and watching the Pro Tour riders go at each other on the big mountains makes for thrilling action....

It was a small but very fast group tonight at the Circuit Race workout in Ft Ord. There was lots of wind which always makes the group ride interesting. The fast pace whittled the pack down to 5 riders for the final 2 laps. On the last lap, on the steepest hill, with about 1/2 lap to go I did a huge flyer trying to go solo to the finish line. That is about 6 minutes full on, with the strongest guys chasing me and working together to bring me back. I did get a big gap, but after 5 minutes solo they chased me down and it ended in a group sprint.

Needless to say I was a little tapped of energy for the sprint after just sprinting solo for 5 minutes into a head wind trying to be a hero and win the thing alone.

It was a great workout for sure!

Jumping

Pulling tricks is rad......
There is a special feeling just floating in the air while jumping on the Mountain Bike.....

Going big is part of the thrill.....

I just like to do any kind of jump I can find.....

I worked all day weed eating the parking area for the race I am promoting this coming weekend. It took what seemed like forever to chop down the staging area and I am still not done after 8 hours basically non stop.

At the end of the day I hit the local jumps for about a 30 minute session! I started out cycling as a jumper and Dual Slalom racer, and it is always nice to hit the jumps and have fun getting some air time.

Check out this video link.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDiAUeO6gkM&feature=rec-HM-fresh+div

Watching stuff like this always makes me want to go bigger and step up and work on my jumps more and more....

Weekend Riding~

Saturday I had a very strong finish in a field that was stacked with strong Road riders from Northern California. In this photo I was solo off the front.....
Sunday I spent 2 hours on my Zaskar trying to line up a really fun course for everyone at the CCCX XC race #7 coming up next weekend.....

Saturday it was the Joseph Mendes Criterium in the Bay Area. I felt ready to race and have been feeling good sensations on my Road Bike. The field was stacked again for a Nor-Cal Crit, and all the heavy hitters were in attendance. Over 85 starters on the line.

The race was very fast paced and there was much action off the front. In the end I worked hard to get a solid finish. The competition was very strong and making a good result was not easy. I battled aggressive when it mattered most and on the line I was 5th place!

This was a very good result for me, as the 4 riders who were ahead of me are all legends of the Road Race scene here in Northern California. I was very pleased to be on the podium with 4 of the best Road Racers in this region. The pace was very fast, it was a hard race, and my confidence is growing to ride even better. I know I can improve!!

I did Mt Diablo as a cool down Saturday afternoon. That mountain is awesome, the views while riding are amazing. Even if I was super tired pedaling up the hill and rode at a snails pace, it was extra special riding back down! All in all I rode for 5 hours 30 minutes and 75 miles total, a good Saturday in the saddle.

Sunday I spent some time with my Mom and tried to make it a happy Mothers day for her~

Then I did a 2 hour MTB ride looking over the next course lay out I will put together for CCCX XC#7. The course I am working on is really fun to ride, but there is an amazing amount of work to be done on the trails and the staging area. This time of year the grass and weeds in that area have grown to chest height and I must now spend 2 days at least of non stop weed clearing to make it ready for my event. This type of work people do not see, they just show up for the race and things are ready to go. Most people do not understand the difficulties of keeping trails well maintained. Just the open space parking area will take hours and hours to chop down the chest high grass that grows so tall this time of the year. It is going to be a busy week ahead for sure.

Giro de Italia

The Italian Tour is going to be extra special this year. It is the 100 year anniversary of the race, and Armstrong is there to make the race legitimate. I am so stoked to check out some of the major players going at each other.

Diluca and Pettachi for LPR, I hope DiLuca is on form....
Basso & Pellizotti will for sure attack, this is a guarantee....

Levi will for sure lead Astana & Armstrong will not disappoint, how could the greatest Tour rider ever not ride well in Italy....

Cunego is already behind a bunch after stage 1, I look for him to fight for stage wins....

The German team rides cool wheels....

Intervals~

Today it was intervals in Ft Ord. One minute full on efforts up a rising road. I use landmarks to judge my distance covered for the minute long effort. I dig as deep as possible into my effort, leaving nothing left over when finished with each interval.

Then I follow that hard effort with 2 minutes of very high cadence climbing for cool down. I keep the cadence at 105 rotations per minute, and stay seated in the saddle just spinning the legs super fast. Then I rest for 5 minutes and complete the cycle over again.

I love me some intervals!

Trail Users Group Meeting

In order to use my MTB, it is a must to have open trails to ride on.....
Working with land controllers positively is the only way to keep open space and trail networks thriving and accessible....

Ft Ord is a Mountain Bikers dream come true, but without constant work to keep trails open, the dream can easily become a nightmare....

Epic is a word that can describe the beauty and expansiveness of the FT Ord trail networks....

There is so much terrain just waiting to be developed into wonderful riding trails only if proper trail advocacy takes place....

Tonight I attended another important meeting regarding the future of the Ft Ord trails. Access and sustainability for continued trail use can only be attained for this epic region of riding if myself and other users step up and get involved.

Tonight was another step in the right direction to secure the future of so many fun MTB trails where cyclists can ride and enjoy the beautiful area of Ft Ord.

When the master plan for future development and usage was created over 15 years ago for the Army Base closure, cycling and Mtn Biking was not considered. Now the Ft Ord area that the Army is transferring over to different entities is a MTB riding paradise.

All this will be lost of we do not advocate proper trail use, construction of new trails, and develop a master plan for a interweaving, complex, and complete trail network.

Tonight the meeting was positive and contained most of the decision makers for the future of this area.

My work has only just begun~

Tuesday Night Circuit Race

After winning the past 2 editions of the Tuesday Night Circuit Race, I was hoping to pull off 3 in a row. There are many very strong riders who show up, so taking the win is never easy. One team had 8 riders who are all very accomplished cyclists.

The pace was very fast tonight and after 2 laps it was down to 7 guys. I felt really good, and one time while covering a attack up the climb my heart rate went to 202 BPM, but I still felt I was under control. Yet I am the most marked rider after winning the past 2 times out, and this would hurt me in the end.

One team had 4 guys out of the final 7. However when the accelerations would come fast and hard up the hills me and 2 other riders would always gap the other 4. Yet the other riders would chase hard and eventually catch up barely.

On the last lap it whittled down to me and the same 2 riders who appeared to be going the best. But I was marked and the other riders basically shut down the pace and waited for the sprint. I was marked out because each time I tried to get away they just grabbed on to my wheel and drafted- but refused to pull through.

In the end I was out sprinted and had to settle for just a fun day out on the bike going at it with the other local strong men of the Road. It was fun racing, even if I could not pull off 3 wins in a row for the Tuesday Night Circuit Race.