24 Hour Burn Race- Wilkesboro!

Roanoke Cycling Organization / Team El Toreo was well represented!
Team 1- Paula, Adam, Skip, and me

Team 2- Warren, Dave, Jen, and Laura

Team Support- Jannie, Moe, and three dogs! The start!

My first lap...(Saturday 12:40 P.M.)
Last lap (Sunday 10 something)

Thought Diary

Friday- 10:00 P.M. - Excited! I am ready to go! I don't want to sleep.

Saturday- 6:00 A.M. Slept four hours. Let's get this thing started! I am pumped!

12:00 P.M.- One lap run. Finally!

12:45 P.M. First lap- A few more roots than expected.

3:42 P.M. Second lap- Feels great! I want to keep going! I can ride all day!

7:37 P.M. Third lap- Too many rookie mistakes! I had a hard time changing lenses on glasses. I was not at the line on time. A few minutes into the lap. No timing chip. Back to camp to get it! Stopped to pull out gloves from back pocket. This story goes on...

Sunday- 1:00 A.M. I love night riding. I wish I would stop yawning while riding. The rain actually feels good. I'm seeing aliens hiding in the woods.

2:00 - 7:00 A.M. - sick dog/ no sleep

7:00-8:00 A.M. Sleep! Yes!

10:45 A.M. (last lap)- I am miserable! I want this lap to end now! I can not sit on the seat! This is not fun! I am selling my bike and all equipment on Ebay! I never want to ride again. I am finished for good! This is no way to spend a holiday weekend!

Monday- 8:00 A.M. When does preregistration open for next year's 24 Hour Burn?

Warrior Creek Revisited

This past weekend I had the opportunity to ride the incredible Warrior Creek loop again in Wilkesboro. I rode hard but stopped for a few pics.

A smiling face! Pure heaven! A bar in case you get thirsty!
some great scenery!

Bam! Madden Retires!

I love John Madden. I am hoping he will come out of retirement like everyone else. Maybe to try something new. Heck! I would love for him to join Phil, Paul, and Bob to commentate the Tour De France!

I

Recovery= Greenway

WilkesBERMO! Six Hours of Warrior Creek- Singlespeed Heaven!

The course- Excellent! About ten miles of fast flowing singletrack with a tons of wicked berms!

The team- Chip and Skip (alternating laps)The waiting!

The transition! Swap the microchip bracelet.

A scary looking group!

Summary- The race itself seemed to be well-organized! This course was phenomenal. Singlespeed heaven! There were some beautiful sections that hugged the lake. There were lots of fun sections that contained berm after berm after berm. It had an amusement park feel. It's rare to find 10 plus miles of singletrack that flows like this. It's easy to see why there was such a huge turnout! I am going back!

2009 Puppy Love

This year's silent auction consisted of over 200 incredible displays throughout the ballroom and hallways of Hotel Roanoke. The coolest of all was, of course, the cycling display.

Custom jersey created and donated by Roanoke Cycling Organization! SWEET!

Cardinal Bicycles donated a Giant mountain bike!

Two helmets, two jerseys and a super cool basket- donated by RCO!

2009 Adult League Football Champions!!!

My cross training this offseason consisted of this. It's six on six / 100 yards. I was pretty tried after each game.

When You're Not On The Bike...

and need to listen to some tunes, check these boys out!

These are the critically acclaimed powered bookshelf speakers from Audioengine. No need for a bulky receiver. Just hook up your iPod or Mp3 player, and you'll be blown away! Oh yeah, they are LOUD!

Training Starts Today!

Now that weekends are free again, I can start riding again. I am not sure which races I'll do, but there is one thing I do know. My training is going to include some fast spinning drills. I did this last year, for the first time ever, and it seemed to make a difference.