A Fine Day At The Park~

It was a splendid day to shred the trails..... It was awesome to have the GT Demo program on site.....

It was such a beautiful day at Toro Park and a perfect day to test ride one of the many stellar 2009 GT Bicycles....

My CCCX DH Series went off this Saturday at Toro Park & it was quite a showing for GT Bicycles on the day. 180 racers went at the course and all of them had a look at the GT Bicycles that were there thanks to the Demo program.

The GT Demo Experience made a great impression and provided all the racers a chance to see and test ride the 2009 GT Bicycles. From what I heard from the many riders who took the opportunity to test ride the feedback was super positive. Everyone seemed to really notice that GT Bicycles was for real and on the cutting edge of technology for 2009.

The GT Dirt Coalition tent was there to greet riders at registration for the days racing. And I made sure that everyone checked out my carbon ZASKAR during my Hardtail division race. Many people really dig the bike and are really stoked for me to be sponsored by GT Bicycles.

All in all, it was a beautiful day for riding the dirt. Being on the bike gliding down the super fun trails of Toro Park was the best way to spend the day before EASTER!

So Much To Do, So Little Time~

Wednesday I was involved in organizing the first open track twilight program for cyclists at Laguna Seca Raceway. It was a perfect day for this event as there was beautiful blue sky, and the moon even made a appearance with a early moon rise as the sun was setting. The riding took place between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

With the Sea Otter Classic just a week away now, for the second half of the cycling program I wanted to do a full on practice race on the Criterium course I recommended for the new Crit. race they will have at this years Sea Otter.

The turn out was great for the first twilight cycling session. We had 85 riders and I made sure to place my GT DIRT COALITION tent at registration, so everyone had a look at the cool DIRT COALITION easy up team tent.

The practice race went really well, and the course is pretty fun to race on. The turns are very tight, so during the actual Crit. next week position will be key for success. The pavement is extra plush on track, so railing the turns was awesome. The feeling of the tires griping the track was quite the sensation when turning at full speed.

The practice race was 40 minutes- winner take all. I tried a solo breakaway with five laps to go but was reeled in by the group. Then on the last lap I had to chase down a local rider who made a bid for the win. I had 200 meters to go and it looked like the rider was going to get to the finish before me. But I pulled him back after a brutally hard sprint with only about 20 yards before the finish line. As I passed the rider and came to the finish line it looked for sure as if I was going to be the winner. However right on the line, my local road race team mate snuck his front wheel over the line ahead of me with a bike throw~ and relegated me to second place by a mere 4 inches!

I was a little bummed after doing all the chasing of the break away guy, to be out done right on the line by my buddy. But at least our local CCCX road team claimed first & second on the day. I organized a sweet Mazda Raceway racing jacket for the winner of the Crit., and I was so close to getting the apparel but was denied by a team mate. In the end the raceway staff presented me my very own Mazda Raceway jacket for all of my effort in organizing the open track day for everyone!! That was awfully kind of them!

It seemed all the riders had fun! This is what I wanted most of all.......... for everyone to enjoy the time on the world famous race track riding their bicycles!

Working Over The Sea Otter Dual Slalom

I forced myself to spin the legs for 30 minutes today at lunch in between digging berms from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. basically non stop.....
This is the result of getting big blisters on my hands from working a shovel hard for hour after hour building epic sized berms. The best riders in the world simply tearing up my course in front of the media and spectators. I take pride in building parallel courses that when photographed properly produce outstanding photos......

One of my favorite shots of my slalom course. A friend, World Champion Gunn Rite Dahle, going solo off the front on her way to the Sea Otter Classic Short track win in brutal muddy conditions. My slalom is a very cool back drop and the shape of my berms and jumps really look sweet behind the World Champion Gunn Rite. The green grass and blue sky make the photo complete. It is hard to tell from this photo how brutal the short track race was that year with thick mud making for quite a battle on course for the world class pro fields....

I spent 9 hours today working on the Sea Otter Classic Dual Slalom. I went through 3 different sets of helpers. Each time my volunteers would help for a couple hours of digging and building jumps and berms, then get tired and quit. It is hard work so I can not blame them, and most of my helpers are young guys who think building jumps are fun, but I work them hard and after a few hours they are toasted. Thankfully I had 3 different groups come out to the course today and spend a few hours working the course over. I focused on the rhythm section after the third set of giant berms. I extended this section and added a extra berm leading to the road gap jump.

I think this years course is going to be extra special.

My deadline is coming very soon with the project and the Sea Otter Classic is starting to take control of the Laguna Seca Raceway this week.

I am exhausted from the hard labor!! Yet when I see the best riders in the world styling down the slalom and show-boating their skills as if they were kids in a candy store, it makes all my hard work worthwhile!!!

CCCX Series- Monterey 4/04/09

Having too much fun ripping the downhill sections....
Me & the ZASKAR were tested by a very fast course....
Top 5 Experts....

Bloody knee and elbow, covered in dust, but still pedaling....

Single track trails were the order of the day....

I decided to lead out the group and get the hole shot at the start.....

It was a picture perfect day for a cross country race this past Saturday in Monterey. I felt much more comfortable on the GT ZASKAR, and after some testing during the week I seem to have my seat height near proper position. During the race I was on the lead early and my legs felt much better then the initial race on my new ride.

The GT ZASKAR is one tough bike~!!

I had two hard crashes as I was chasing the leader, both times sliding out after losing my front end on a high speed off camber hard packed turn. I ended up with a road rash on my knee and elbow & covered in dust.... but the GT ZASKAR came out of the slide outs with out a scratch!! The bike is super tough and I was expecting at least a few marks on the brand new ride, but the bike still looks absolutely perfect.

In the end I faded to 5th place in the race. The crashes came at very inopportune times and certainly set me back. It seemed that without the crashes I would have contested for the win.

On a good note, I felt really good on the climbs and my legs were turning over well and I felt much more comfortable on the team bike. My position seems to be just about right, now if I could just keep from crashing I might have a chance at the result I desire!!

Recovery Ride

Just messing around in Monterey on the ZASKAR....
I had to mix in some uphill work on my ride....

I am definitely getting more comfortable on my new bike....

I pumped out a really easy ride today looking over the route for this weekends XC race in Ft Ord. I picked out a course that is really fast with some really fun turns.

Then I went to the Laguna Seca Raceway and did a quick spin up some of the hills near the famed "corkscrew" turn of the race track.

After my ride I did some work on the Sea Otter Classic Dual Slalom. The course is coming along well, but there is never enough time to do all that I want to do. The course is big and it takes hours and hours just to add obstacles or make changes to the course. I think the riders will really like this years version!

I am slowly becoming comfortable on the GT ZASKAR. Each ride I am getting into the groove on the bike and I am pleased with my progress on getting in the best position for pedaling on the new GT machine.

Victory For The Boys....

I enjoy racing Cyclocross. I especially like to bunny-hop the boards, and use some of my jumping skills when the others have to get off and dismount.....

The Tuesday night Road workout went off again tonight and it was a beautiful day for going at it on the bike against the local teams. There was a steady wind in the long straight toward the finish and this made for interesting tactics in the group. Tonight my legs were working good, however on the first lap I did notice my heart rate jump a bit from the first attacks. Then I settled down and noticed I was pedaling a bit smoother then the other riders. So I kept launching attacks on the group up the climb portions of the Road Circuit. After 3 laps it was down to 8 guys and 3 of them were part of my CCCX group, all sporting the CCCX Series jersey. On lap four I went solo, had a gap, but it was too far to go alone so I sat up. Then on the final lap I shot off again, I know the other guys were ready for my attack but I did it anyways. I had a solid gap but I looked back and two of the guys from the other teams represented were pulling the rest up to me with everything they had. The problem for them is they were pulling up my boys in the CCCX jersey's. They caught me with about 600 yards to go to the finish. So my boys immediately launch a counter move, roll off the front and take it to the line for the win! It was perfect team tactics, and I was more then happy to set the others up with constant attacking. I felt really strong going up the hills, and it was nice to claim the cash pay out I put up for the workout and share it among my guys!!

CCCX XC #4 3/29/09

My first XC race in the GT Dirt Coalition team kit and on board the GT Carbon ZASKAR was quite a ride.......

The race course was super challenging with some steep climbs and railing downhills. I must say that the team bike was amazing in all aspects of handling, comfort, durability, and speed. The bike is responsive on the climbs and solid & stable on the downhills. Plain and simple it is pure fun to race on.

Now I am only looking forward to more races and more fun times riding and training on the incredible GT ZASKAR.

I am so thankful that the next race is coming up this Saturday in Ft Ord. This will give me more time to get in the groove with my new super race machine from GT!

NICE~

The GT Carbon ZASKAR is awesome~

The GT Dirt Coalition easy up tent is top of the line~

Thanks to GT & I.M.B.A. for putting together such a great program.

Being a part of the GT Dirt Coalition is very exciting and now it is time to ride hard and have fun doing it!!

Tuesday Night Throw Down~

The road circuit practice went off tonight and there was some serious throwing down of bike race warfare going on. The group topped out at about 40 riders. It seems my cash payout for the win idea creates a stir among the riders during the week. So for this session all the local teams were represented with seemingly all of their riders. There were also 2 wild card riders, both road professionals, who showed up after hearing of this road race practice affair. Both of the out of town guys seemed to be the strongest as the laps ticked by on the circuit race. They were together off the front on a break during lap 3. The field seemed to not able to bring them back. So on the hill section I did a huge flyer to get across as these two guys seemed to be on another level then the locals. I just barely bridged the gap and as I looked back the field behind me shattered to pieces. All I could do was hang on as the out of town guys kept driving the pace and hitting speeds that were ridiculous on some of the flat sections of the course. All I could do was hang on!

In the end I came off on the last hill section of the course. My heart rate was near 200 B.P.M., and my legs felt like they were going to explode. The two dudes rode me off their wheel and went on to finish 1-2. But I was the last local rider to make contact with them on lap 3, and then hang on until I got popped off.

This is the type of workout that I really wanted by adding money to the practice session to spice things up. And this is the type of workout that will make me a better rider for sure!!! No pain- No gain!

CCCX DH #2 TORO PARK 3/22/09

Digging in near the finish line.....
1st Overall Single Speed Division.....

Hanging on during the drop in section of the course.....

I had over 200 DH racers come out to my CCCX event on Sunday. There were some seriously fast talent out on the course. Rain the night before the race made the track super sweet and traction was as good as it gets after a steady rain watered down the dirt perfectly.

I was stoked to win the Single Speed Division. This was my first win while wearing the GT Dirt Coalition jersey. I really liked the course and hit my run almost perfect.

I felt really lucky there was no rain on race day to bring down the fun atmosphere of the event. Rain makes for some interesting racing, but sunshine makes things a lot easier on everyone.

Next Sunday is the Toro XC race and I have picked out a classic route for the racers. The weather forecast looks really good and I think it will be one of the biggest turnouts for a XC race at Toro.

Saturday Morning Ride

I felt pretty good on the Saturday morning ride. I was first to the top of the climb, while posting my fastest time up the hill this year, a 12:52. Then I won the final sprint along the ocean. It felt good to wake up early and be riding by 7 A.m.

Weekend Action

Here I am getting the hole-shot at the start of CCCX XC #3. On the day rider #437 took the win and I had to settle for 2nd place......

I set the course today for the CCCX DH race #2. I really like this course and the route is extra fun for me to ride. I did some work building up 2 of the berms near the top of the course, and now they are massive. I know all the riders will like bigger berms in those corners. They are calling for rain on Sat. night and Sun. morning. This could make for some serious action at the DH race.

Friday I will ride for maybe 1 hour 30 minutes just to get some spinning of the legs in. Saturday I will get up early and take part in our Sat. morning group ride. This ride starts at 7 a.m. and usually is very well attended. The ride has some good climbs in it that can break things up, and there is also a few good sprint points.

Then it will be DH racing on Sunday.

Working The Sea Otter Dual Slalom

One of my favorite parts of the Sea Otter Classic is working the microphone and interviewing the world's best gravity racers. Here I am mixing it up with World Cup Champion & the 2008 winner Greg Minnar and World Cup Champion Steve Peat. It seems all the Pro's are pretty cool to me and it is rad to watch them rip up my slalom course....
Me deep in the berm on my way to qualifying #1 on the blue course...

Berms and jumps make up the fun of my Slalom course. I just like to ride it again and again and again....

It was six hours of using my commercial sized Huskavarna weed eater today on the Sea Otter Classic Dual Slalom course. Just cutting down the grass and cleaning up the vegetation on the course to make it look sweet seems to take forever.

The berms are really coming into form, and they are simply giant! It is very hard work putting this course together for the world's best Dual Slalom racers. Yet, it is very rewarding for me when it is all finished and the package is complete. I can look up at my work admiring the symmetry of the turns and jumps built directly into the Laguna Seca raceway terrain. It is 'DeFiebre Hill".

Monday-Tuesday

I love to race Cyclocross, one of my favorite disciplines of cycling for sure. Here I am chasing the leaders up a hill at the famous Manzanita Cross race...

Monday I did 2 hours of easy riding just to get the legs working slightly after the hard race on Sunday. I felt a little tired, but I knew a calm spin with some tempo climbing would help my recovery.

Tonight we had the Tuesday Circuit race practice session. With the cash payout for the winner going on, the group doubled in size from last week. There must have been nearly 30 riders taking part. I felt really good and on lap 2 my planned attack made the deciding break away. Things worked out perfect for my attack as the speed was high going into the climb portion of the route. So I drilled it and told two other strong riders from different teams to follow me. Sure enough it worked and we joined my team mate and another rider who had about a ten second gap on the field when I attacked and the break was settled. Two riders made it across chasing my move, so it was 7 of us gone off the front. All the teams were represented and most of the really strong guys were present.

In the end I watched out for attacks from Team Joselyn's who had 4 riders in the move. The attacks never came, but they did drive the pace all the way to the line. This only helped me and my team mate as we had the best sprints anyways. In the end we went 1-2 for the finishing order and claimed the money for the 2nd week in a row.

Also I have really been putting time in building the Sea Otter Classic Dual Slalom. The course is coming along extra good!

Another interesting item is I am working with the Laguna Seca Raceway to host a open race track night once a month for cyclists. The race track and the County managers envision a community day for cycling on the famed raceway, and local clubs will host the event once a month starting in April. This is good news for cycling on the Monterey peninsula, and having the County realize the benefits of cycling for the community will only help in future activities taking place on County controlled land. I also hope that new riders and people who are just getting interested in cycling can take advantage of this opportunity and simply get out and ride!

CCCX XC #3 3/15/09 @ Ft Ord- Monterey

Me doing the race thing......

It was a perfect day for Mountain Bike racing this past Sunday at the CCCX XC race #3. The race route was really good, and the hill climb portions I added to the design of the course really took their toll on the racers. The added climbing made for some great action and tested every ones strength and endurance.

Personally, I attacked early in my race just to see who was willing to throw it down early. One rider, Alex Rousch, followed me and the two of us gapped the others. Alex kept the pressure on and I lost contact with him after one lap. He was the race winner on the day. I then was riding solo with a strong group of four riders working together to chase me. A few times the gap was only 10 seconds, however I worked as hard as possible to keep a gap on the chasers and try to frustrate their effort to get on terms with me. This worked and after three laps I had dropped the chasers by over a minute and then worked hard to get to the finish. In the end I was 2nd place.

I tried to hit every hill as hard as I could, and overall it was a extremely hard race. I do feel digging deep and hitting out as hard as possible up the hills will help me in future events.

Keeping Busy~

The Sea Otter Classic Dual Slalom- this photo says a lot, 2 riders battling side by side virtually even on course, in front of a large crowd, on a amazing course, at a huge cycling festival.....
The worlds best MTB racers go at it on my Slalom....

I have been keeping very bust lately. I started to build the Sea Otter Classic Dual Slalom. This is one of my favorite things to do! I love building big berms and jumps and being creative with the design of a Dual Slalom. It is a big project and takes up a large amount of my time. But it is very rewarding when I watch all the racers go off on it during the Sea Otter Classic.

Tuesday night was the first practice race I do with the local road group on the Ft Ord Circuit course. I had one team mate there, and I told him I will keep attacking to soften up the group and make the group chase me constantly. Then he can pimp the sprint. I kept my promise and kept attacking, and was in a 2 man break for about 5 miles. But the group chased us down, and after that they chased all of my attacks right away. Then my team mate took the sprint easy. It was nice to claim the first win of the practice races for my squad, and me and my team mate shared the first place money, which I was the one to put up for the win in the first place!!!

Then today I set up most of the course for CCCX XC #3. This course is very good, and has a lot of climbing and fun turns I have added. This is one of the best loops I have put together out there in Ft Ord over the years, and I know the riders will like it. However, I added some climbing sections, so hopefully people will not complain that it is too hard. Personally, I really like this race route. Now is the perfect time to ride in Ft Ord..... the grass is green along the trails, the dirt is smooth from recent rains, and it is just plain fun to rip and rail all of the turns.

1st Place- TBF XC Series Final March 8 2009

After crashing extremely hard and ripping open a huge hole under my chin while leading race #2 of the TBF Series 2 weeks ago, it was very rewarding to bounce back and win race #3. I felt very strong on all of the hills and my heart rate seemed to be always over 180 beats per minute, yet I never seemed to feel as if I was going to completely blow up. My legs were pedaling smoothly and my breathing was controlled. Winning the final race allowed me to wrap up the TBF MTB Series title for the 3rd year in a row. Winning the TBF Series for 3 straight years is something special for myself. It shows my desire to race & my consistency on the TBF MTB race course they use in Folsom. The course is pretty demanding, and has some technical sections that test a riders handling skills. Plus, I always like to back up a race win with another race win, just to validate my performance.

Winning the TBF Series for 3 straight years is an achievement I am very proud of.

Intervals~

I did a series of intervals today on my road bike in Ft Ord. OUCH did that hurt! Unless I do intervals every week, it is easy to forget how much they really hurt. Now I want to do more of that kind of workout because pain creates growth in my cycling portfolio.

Today was also special as I received my confirmation on backing for eye wear from Oakley.

Now all I want is to be riding my GT ZASKAR up some sweet dirt road pushing the pace. Driving hard to get to the top so I can push the pace even harder going downhill~

Wed. Workout

This was one of my favorite wins of the Tuesday night Road Race practice session, it was a super strong group and there was lots of talk of who was the best, and in the end I was the best............

I pumped out 2 hours 30 minutes on the Road bike tonight. I just kept the pace steady and enjoyed the terrific weather at hand. Next Tuesday is the start of the local Tuesday night Road Race practice. It is a group workout on a 4.25 mile circuit of closed roads I selected in Ft Ord. The course is a real challenge as there is a lot of wind and some very good roller sections that can test ones strength and stamina. Most of the top local racers get involved in this 5 lap practice race that starts at 6 p.m.

I have decided to try and get a few local cycle related businesses to kick in a little cash for a weekly $payout$ to who ever wins the 5 lap race. This will spice things up a bit, as well as give the winner some gas money to get to the next race they take part in.

Sometimes I do amaze myself by how much I set things up for everyone to race.....

All in all I am just keeping the dream alive for myself and for others, and that is a admirable way to live my life.

Check out this cool video of the DH race I put on this past Sunday in Toro Park near Monterey.

here's the link...

http://vimeo.com/3480190

Busy MTB Weekend

CCCX XC #2- not my best day on the bike......
Elevation and beautiful trails meet rider at Toro Park......

Ft Ord single track~ a dream for a person who likes to ride MTB's............

Sweet trails ready to ride in Toro Park..........

It was one of the most busy weekends of the year for racing MTB's in Monterey. On Saturday I promoted the CCCX XC Race #2 in Ft Ord. The turn out was great and the racing was fast and furious by all. The course was really good and tested everyone well. Personally I had a bad race, but gave it a go and tried hard. I am still recovering from my hard crash last weekend, and a root canal on my tooth on Monday. Then setting up 2 different courses during the week seemed to take a big toll on me physically and mentally. In the end I was not good racing the XC on Saturday! So now I am looking forward to my next race, now that one of my most busy weeks of promoting is over.

On Sunday I had the High School race going on in Ft Ord. The Nor-Cal High School league is a huge success and they had over 400 High School racers!

Also on Sunday was the CCCX DH Race #1 of the 2009 Series. I received good feedback about the course, and I had one of the biggest number of DH racers ever for a CCCX DH Rcae. Rain started to fall half way through the timed DH runs. This really changed the course for the riders who were forced to race in the rain. But those who did race in the rain clearly had more stories to tell about their time on course!~

Hopefully the DH Series will continue to grow!

This Sunday I will be racing in Folsom in the final race of the TBF Series. I really hope to be strong and race hard for this event~

Mountain Bike racing is definitely healthy in Northern California based on the busy past weekend that I just experienced.