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.

Back In Black!

My steel Olmo road bike spec'd with Campagnolo had some major rust problems, so I decided to have it sandblasted and repainted. It was a grey to blue fade, and now it's black with gray decals.

It's 5:30 P.M. and Dark...No Problem!

I just picked up the new Light and Motion Seca 700 Race light. This LED throws out an amazing 700 lumens! The old Vista Nightstick system that I was using just a few years ago is no match for this!

Switch!

After using several Creative Mp3 players the last few years I have made the switch back to iPod. I now use the iPod Classic for home and the smaller Nano for biking. The cover flow feature is amazing!

Good News!

Surgery will not be necessary after all. The cast has been replaced with a walking boot. In two weeks I should be able to swim and do some easy spinning . I can't wait!!!

Update

I opted not to have surgery...

but the x-rays from yesterday showed that surgery will most likely be needed. The fibula is not staying in place which is probably due to stretched or torn ligaments.

I guess I'll be getting a subscription to Netflix...

Bikes Aren't Just For Riding / Racks Aren't Just For Transporting Bikes!

I was a little over a mile into the Connector Trail at the Cove on Tuesday when my front tire hit a slippery section and washed out. Instinctively, I unclipped my right foot to catch myself. At this point I was on the bike sliding sideways down the embankment. My right foot slammed hard into a rock, and I thought I heard a crack over the sounds blasting from my Mp3 player.









I could not put any pressure on my leg and knew that I needed to get this checked out. Praying that I would have reception I reached for my cell phone and called Ron G. He called Michel from Cafe Michel who just happened to be a couple of miles from the Cove. I was able to get back to the parking lot on my own. I used my Niner as a crutch and hopped on my left leg up the hilly sections and slowly rode the the downhill parts while clipping in my left foot only. Michel took me to the emergency room. Warren S. and Ron went back later that night to get my truck and bike. Thanks guys!









X-rays showed that I broke my fibula in two. I am in the process of making a decision to have surgery or letting it heal with a cast.

Bike racks aren't just for transporting bikes!

Man Caves!

Ahhhh! Man caves! If you don't have one, you want one. You know that place where you can go to "vent" and "open up." That place where no scented candles or potpourri can be found. Everything from old autographed Redskin memorabilia to framed photos of M.J. in his prime to photos of present stars like LaDainian Thompson and Maria Sharapova can be found in mine. Here are a couple of cycling items displayed in my cave.

Seven fingers!

2005!

Team El Toreo signed this jersey back in 2006!

Lordy Lordy!

Look who's forty! Happy B-day to the funniest guy I have ever met!

Fat Tire Frenzy -Brief/Long Summary

Cruising down 460 with Ron G.

Brief Summary- OUUUUUUUCH (seven u's) This race hurt!























Longer Summary- OUUUUUUUUUUUCH! (eleven u's) This race hurt!

2008 Southside Scramble

Place- Danville, VA.

Weather conditions- perfect for racing!



This was my first race on a singlespeed, and I found out quickly that this was going to be a super fast race. It wasn't long before we were passing some of the Expert class. I witnessed two hammering riders in my class go down within the first mile and a half.


The riders in front were already getting separation on the flat fire road section.


Early on in the race my hands were soaked with sweat which made it extremely difficult on hold the handlebars. It felt like there was Crisco on my handlebars. It took everything I had to keep my hands on the bars, so I had to slow down a little bit. I guess I'll wear gloves next time.


I hit one section of roots and somehow my entire body was thrown forward. My midsection ended up on my handlebars. My face was about two inches from my front tire. I was lucky not to wipe out at this point.



I settled in and was fairly consistent for the first 11 miles. I felt pretty good. I was hitting the turns well and making it up the short climbs without too much trouble. Then it happened. Cramps! Both quads and my right hamstring said, "Goodbye! We're done!" My back was hurting like it never has before. I was history. I wasn't sure I was going to finish. For the last three miles I had to walk most of the steep sections and gently pedal the flats.


Overall, I loved the race- Great course with no laps! There is nothing like pushing yourself to the limit! What doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger!



Here's a short video of the Singlespeeders on the first section of singletrack. Warren S. leads out the pack!

Jen's first race in the Sport Class! She walked away with some bling! Excellent job!

Chris C. on the first singletrack section (above). Warren at the finish!

Frank and Jannie checking for ticks and looking for ladybugs! Also, congrats to Paula and Adam for placing! Ron G- How many laps did you do?

Go Fly A Kite!

There were some amazing kites at this year's kite festival. One gigantic kite had over 240 panels! If you think flying a kite may be a little boring or that it does not appeal to your competitive nature, then you would love the fighter kites! They really do make these things. I'm not lying. These masterpieces are equipped with razor sharp blades to "fight" other kites. I'm not sure I'm ready for one of these yet, considering how my kite always nosedives into crowds!