Until next year...

On Wednesday, about 95% of Tranquility was covered by wonderful snow-pack. Unfortunately, I don't think that is the case anymore. It was an excellent way to close out 2010. Here's to all the upcoming adventures of 2011.
Happy New Year!

This changes everything....

Why have I been training so hard? All I needed was a Bicycle Bungee!
Leadville, here I come!

Free Hugs

Hey guys, I think we should go check this out....

Cycle-ball World Championship

I want to welcome back to Omaha the two members of Team Goathead that just competed in the UCI Cycle-ball 2010 World Cup in Kagoshima, Japan. They ended up losing in the finals, but simply making it that far is an amazing accomplishment for two guys from Omaha. Well done gentleman! I expect a full write up on the experience as soon as you are done with all of your media engagements.

Way Back Home

Danny MacAskill's newest riding video was posted a week ago and it already has 2 million views. He's pretty good at what he does.

You're chasing syndicated mediocrity

If the GoatHeads ran a TV news show:

People are Awesome

This is pretty cool. I just wish they would have left out the fake ones. We could have replaced them with some Goathead helmet cam.

Movie: Love the Beast

I happened across the movie "Love the Beast" by Eric Bana on Netflix the other day, and thought it would be a great movie to recommend on on this site. No, it has nothing to do with bicycles or even tricycles, but it does have to do with wheels. While it appears like a gear-head movie, its really about passion and friends. A good movie for a non-riding day.

Goathead World Downhill Championships

First of all, everyone should head out to Lewis and Clark and check out the new trail section added on Sunday by the good folks at THOR. The Professor and I were privileged to be 2 of the first riders to put rubber on dirt. Once it gets packed down, it will be a very good and somewhat challenging section. Thanks, THOR!

Now to video from the recent Goathead World Downhill Championships. The rules were simple. You had to wear neon, and at no time could you actually be in control of your bike.

Potential to suck

As much as I like the idea of a movie about professional mountain bikers, this looks like it will be absolutely terrible..... Even with a cameo from Jeremiah Bishop

Pity

I feel bad for anyone that didn't go for a ride today.

You're right!!!!!

I found your bike....

Hey Jon, Remember that Raleigh that got stolen from your backyard a few years ago?...... I think I found it.

Goat Semen

This is, without a doubt, a vehicle you don't want to get in an accident with.

Lightsaber Strikes Back

Pixels

Pixels from Patrick JEAN on Vimeo.

Tear Down

I propose at the major next race, Team Goathead stop at the most populated aid station and perform the Army tear down drill with our steeds:

This should help.......

Chasing Mediocrity at Dakota Five-0

As the official photog/paparazzi for the Goathead team (ie, too slow to race), I had a blast experiencing my first Dakota Five-0. Hanging out with good friends, seeing the majesty of the wonder called Wall Drug, learning about Bumpin Buffalos, and getting to be a part of the Five-0 scene made for a very memorable weekend.

I had a great time chasing down my guys at each station, seeing the comradery, and even just cheering on each rider that went by on the path. If you're not racing, the next best thing is supporting those who are. I would love to do it again.

Some additional pics are below. Make sure you hit the Full Screen button.

Wall Drug

 

Spearfish Fish Hatchery

 

Starting Line

 

Aid Station #2

 

Near Aid Station #3

 

Bacon Station

 

Finish Line

 

Award Ceremony

Adventures in Mediocrity

For years, Team Goathead has existed among the upper echelon of mediocrity, and we're perfectly okay with that. Jon's write up was a great recap of the race, but I would simply describe it as a perfectly mediocre race weekend. We all came in around 6 hours which barely puts us in the top half of the 500 person field. None of us ride with expectations of excellence. We ride because we love sharing epic experiences with great friends. Admittedly, some of us have gotten more serious about riding over the years. I never thought I would race wearing lycra, I never thought I would work at a bike shop and I never thought I would put more miles on my bike in a week than I do in my car. But the real objective in all of this "seriousness" is just so that the adventures can be more and more epic. Somebody already threw out the idea of 24 hours of Moab and I've already started thinking about how to train for the Exterra Triathlon.
Honestly, I'm very satisfied with my race time, but my favorite part of the race was seeing JC at every aid station and seeing The Professor and JA come across the finish line together. In a few weeks the race will be a blur, but I will definitely remember the "Jewnado", The "gay/Ukrainian hotel" and "boating euphemisms" for a long time.
Just anther mediocre adventure with good friends.
Here's some photographic evidence to attest to the mediocrity.....

A Sunday in . . .

For two years, the racing faction of Team Goathead has planned on returning to the Dakota 5 0. Unlike 2008, we did a much better job of training. JA, Lumpy, and myself put in more than a few 40+ mile rides. Would this make a difference? We also made some changes to: equipment, nutrition, and race strategy (only stopping at aid stations 2 &4).

So we got up on Sunday morning and WOW, it was cold!!! After getting warm (somewhat) we rode over to the start line. Two questions were about to be answered. Would we all improve upon the fastest time from 2 years ago (6hr. 20 min) and who would be crowned Goathead National Champion? As we rolled out of town none of us were in too big of a hurry. There was lots of dirt and climbing left. As we rode onto the first dirt road of the day, all three of us were together. As we entered the single track, I tucked in behind Lumpy, with JA about 30 spots back. Things were going according to plan. We had decided to not worry about passing too many people until we got close to aid station 1. Lumpy and I were rolling along smoothly and were in a nice little group. We were busy riding back and forth across the creek when my day hit the first bump and would be changed for the next 45+ miles.

As we crossed the creek and were about to head up a steep uphill, a fellow rider crashed. I lost a little momentum trying to avoid him and had to down shift to make it up the hill. However my chain got stuck between my chain ring and chain stay. I got it out and started riding again, however my rear der was jumping all over the place. This doesn’t sound good. I jumped off my bike to inspect it and saw a bent chain link – bummer. Only thing to do is take it out and put chain back together. About this time JA sees me and pulls over to lend a hand. WHAT A TEAMATE/FRIEND!!!

I get rolling and eventually catch JA and we set about trying to re-connect with LUMPY. We rolled through aid station 1 and saw a friendly face (thanks JC). One by one, JA and I are passing people and possibly inching closer to Lumpy. As I arrive at aid station 2 it is time to refuel. There is a little gap between JA and myself, but nothing that can’ t be closed in the upcoming miles. As I leave aide station 2, I begin to think the chain issue will be just a minor blip in my day. However, halfway between stations 2 and 3 it breaks again!!!! First thought is, there will be no sub 6 hr ride and NO catching Lumpy. He has been strong all year and I cannot overcome two mechanicals. Just as I am ready to re-attach the chain, JA pulls up and AGAIN helps me. Okay, so my original goals are shot - let’s just get to the finish as fast as we can.

As planned there was no stopping at aid station 3 and I headed off towards #4 and some hard hard climbing before the finish. After a quick stop @ 4 I head towards the infamous bacon station. No time to stop for God’s gift (bacon!!!), because sub 6 hrs is still possible!!! About .5 mile from the bacon station it happens again!!!! I have snapped a link. Come on, can’t a guy catch a break?!?!?! Knowing JC is about 800 yards behind me I entertain thoughts of walking back to him and catching a ride back to town. However, as JA stops (AGAIN) to help, he lets me know that DNFing is NOT an option. But this chain break seems to be worse than the previous one. That is when course angels, Ron and Aubrey, stop and give me a quick link. They weren’t racing, they were just patrolling the course to help people finish – thanks!!!

Okay, no sub 6 hours for sure, but maybe a PR? As I entered the out/back section of the course I could tell it was going to be CLOSE. As I left the single track and looked down the road I saw JA in the distance. Perhaps he and I could finish together!!! I did my best to impersonate Lumpy and tried to descend as fast as I could. Just as we left the dirt and hit pavement I caught my teammate. We rode to the finishing line together – 6 hr 12 min. We both set PRs!!!

No way that happens if JA doesn’t stop 3 times and help out a brother. Oh, what ever happened to Lumpy? He only took about 2 hours off his time and finished in 5hr. 40 min. Congrats bro, very nice riding!! Again, JC it was great to see a friendly face out on the course.

Remembering Moab

11 days and counting

Here is a picture I stole off the Ridge Riders blog. I think this is part of the new section of trail they've put in since last year.
The other day I was out at Lewis and Clark with the Professor and J.A. We did 6 laps. It was intended to kinda test where we were fitness wise. I think we all passed, but it's still no substitute for 50 miles in the rugged, Black Hills. I remember I was finishing up a climb (what's left of Mt. Neverest) and my legs were burning, my heart was pounding out of my chest, and I was thinking, "this is exactly how I'm going to feel for most of the 5-0, except it will be on mile 12 and I'll have 38 more to go".

I can't wait!

Give Blood. Give Life.

This is what happens when you give kids soda....

Two Wrongs.....

I had this for lunch today

Weekend re-cap

Great weekend for riding/training this week. Although it was hot, I was able to hit both Swanson and Jewell for multiple laps. Two years ago I spent too much time at Tranquility and felt un-prepared for the single track of the 5 0. So hitting both these parks in a single weekend is a part of a different training strategy. Hopefully this will help me shave 2 minutes off my time.
Both days J.C. braved the heat and joined me. Seeing a lot of him on the trail this year is great after scarce sitings last year.
As you can see below - only a few more days to place you bets on who will take home the Goathead National Championship.

Close enough for a countdown....

Not much else to add

Jon's write up pretty much sums up the weekend. A lightning quick assault on the front range that resulted in sore legs and not many pictures. Here's what I do have.....

Lumpy and Mrs. Lumpy at Echo Lake


The top of Mt. Evans



The best Men's Wearhouse has to offer



T-rev and Mrs. T-rev



The payoff

Colorado 2010

Lumpy did all the riding. The Prof and I just stood around and posed.

Front Range 2010

Lumpy, JA, and myself spent 48 hours in Colorado this week. For the first time in long time, we spent all of our time in the front range. Only rode one new trail. On Saturday, JA and myself headed out at 5:00 AM and by about 2:30 PM we were at Lair O'the Bear. WHAT A TRAIL. It is about 12 miles long (6 out and 6 back). However 1.5 miles in the trail you start a climb that is roughly 3.5 miles long. That was GREAT!! The trail is just incredible. On the way down there was very little steering involved, it just FLOWED so great.
On Sunday we met up with Lumpy and headed to Evergreen to ride the trail named 3 sisters. The trail starts at about 7,000 ft. and has 1,900 ft. of climbing. There is about a 4.5 mile climb on this ride. In the PM we headed to Chimney Gulch (new to Goathead Nation). The plan was to ride this trail up Lookout Mtn. and then head over to APEX and ride down. First part of the plan went great!!! Chimney Gulch is an EXCELLENT climb. When we got to Apex the first of a bad next hour started. First, the Enchanted Forest is one way on certain days. We couldn't ride it. Then, about halfway down we found another one way section and had to start climbing again. We then started to hear thunder (not good). As the weather looked to be getting worse Lumpy flatted. About that time the weather went from bad to worse. JA and I eventually made our way down the trail and headed towards the car (we would drive back and pick up Lumpy). Then the heavens opened up. That was a wet ride.
We got up early on Monday and headed for one last ride (48 hours and 4 trails). Usually Dakota Ridge is our first ride and this time it was our last. What a great way to end a quick trip to CO. Oh, and ask Lumpy about where to get quality tubes.

For Lumpy

Spotted in Georgia a few miles away from my brother's house:






I'm just sayin...

Goals are rare, celebrate them.

This is from Iceland's Premier division.

This member of the Spanish press got a little too aggressive with his questions about EPO use on Team Goathead.

watch here

EXPECTATIONS

So in about one month, we go back to Spearfish. Because of a re-route it will be impossible to measure myself against my old time (6hr. 20 min.). So I am hoping to avoid any/all of the following (experienced by at least one goathead last time): leg cramps, mental breakdowns, vomiting, thoughts of retirement, or attempts to eat beef jerky mid race.
How has training gone? I have run less this year than last time. Tradittionally the more I have run the better I climb. Good thing the 5-0 is pretty flat. I have more miles in, but probably the same amount of dirt time. HOWEVER, some of my rode miles have included pulling Ella in the Burley - I am thinking that will make the widow maker a walk in the park. This time around I have longer one day rides in as well.
How are my partners in crime doing? Although he is my good friend, I can't tell if P90X is good training or Lumpy's code for this. J.A.'s miles may or may not be down. However, I think he will draw upon his years of experience a pull out a good ride (and believe me, he has YEARS and YEARS of experience).
Don't tell J.C. we tricked him into going. We told him to go with us as our photographer, HOWEVER yesterday I registered him in the race.

Oh, and before I sign off . . . the A-train made his dirt debut last Sunday. Austin, it was great seeing you at Tranq. last Sunday.

50 Tyson...... Remix!

Can anyone tell me where 50 Tyson is from? ......... or possibly how old he is? I'm a huge fan. You're about to become one.

T-rev's getting married

(T-rev 1994)

Despite everyone's prediction that T-rev would never get married, he's actually doing it........ To a real girl....... She's actually really cool. Seriously, I never saw this coming.
To celebrate this momentous event, I'm heading to Denver where I'll rendezvous with other Goatheads for some Rocky Mountain trail action. I suppose I'll go to the wedding too, but there's no reason to talk about that here. After all this isn't a blog for sappy stories about best friends, it's a blog devoted to mediocre mountain bike adventures and next weekend, we'll be in the upper echelon of mediocrity.
We're planing on riding all the usual trails around Denver, but we are also considering Devils Backbone by Loveland. Has any of our 7 readers ever been there?
Hopefully we'll have pictures and stories to post soon.

Trouble at the Roundabound

In a few weeks, I will be driving to Spearfish, SD along with three other GoatHeads who will be doing something called the FIVE-OH. I guess it's a 500 yard short track in a tight circle. They must go around a few times. Should be pretty sweet! I was told my job is to hand them Propel every 250 yards to keep them refreshed. Looking forward to kicking back in a lawn chair and watching them go round and round.

 

My other job is to drive to and from SD, but I'm a little nervous about that. My GPS has been acting up…

 

 

Mathiessen State Park

If you ever find yourself in Chicago with nothing to do, You can always make the 1 hour drive to Mathiessen State Park. I was there with my family and my mountain bike this weekend. It took me a couple of days to figure out the trails, but once I did I found a 5 mile loop with great views and a ton of climbing. It reminded me of Platte, but with more elevation changes and more sunflower fields.



On a totally unrelated note, I want to thank this guy for giving me a ride home from work last week.......

Cycling Tips

Cardboard Warfare

When I was a kid, me and my friends would use a jigsaw to make rubber band guns out of plywood. This takes it to a new level.

Starting to come together

With the year end goal of the Dakota 50 less than 2 months away, training is more important then ever. The last 10 days have been GREAT!!! The last weekend in June I got back to back hard MTB rides. Saturday @ Swanson and Sunday @ Tranquility. Last Wednesday JA and I hit Jewell and put in four solid laps. Then, last Sautrday, Lumpy/JA/ and myself went to Platte and put some good miles in. The 50 course has changed, so I can't really improve my time. HOWEVER, I do want to finish stonger than 2 years ago.
To top off the last 10 days, Lumpy and I went 68 on the rode yesterday. Rode on one of the flatest and straightest roads as we left DeSoto Bend. I felt like I was on a treadmill.

I have a confession

I said I was doing P90X just so you wouldn't laugh at me, but the truth is, the key to my fitness plan is actually Country Hip-Hop Dancing........ Don't judge me.

Last weekend's scorecard

For those of you keeping track at home, here are the results of last weekend:
Sat: heat 1 JA 0
Went to Louis and Clark Saturday, after working outside all day. What the heck, 3:30pm, it's only 97 degrees give or take and a heat advisory in effect, but I should do OK. Sounds like a good time to crank out 3 or 4 laps at L& C. It didn't go too well- 1 lap and I was cooked- legs felt good, the rest of me not so much. No problem, should be able to crank it up Sunday.

Sunday: JA 1, Tranq 0/ Lumpy 1 JA 0
As the Prof already posted lap 1-3 went good but Casey decided to separate the men from the boys on lap 4, and it hurt. Lumpy is starting to scare me with how good he is doing this year. Finished the lap with decent energy left. Still a long way from being ready for the 5-0 though. 4 laps at Tranquility is a decent start but nowhere near being a good prep for the 5-0.

So what is a better 5-0 prep- a lot of laps at Swanson or Tranquility or mega miles on the road bike?

Ouch

We had so much fun two weeks ago, we decided to move Sunday Smackdown to the dirt yesterday. Lap one J.A. set a good pace. However I could tell that I would be fighting all ride just to limit my losses. On lap 2 Lumpy took over the lead and upped the tempo. He put time into me and J.A. on 2 climbs in a row. However, halfway up the 2nd climb J.A. exploded past me and caught Lumpy. They probably would have lost me for good had Lumpy not crashed going into a corner too hot. Unlucky for him, but lucky for me. Every turn of the pedal kept telling me that today was not my day. I managed to lead lap three, but was struggling to keep Lumpy and J.A. behind. As we started lap 4 Lumpy surged into the lead. Then . . . he was out of sight. He didn't attack me and Jeff, he simply threw the hammer down. Realizing a chase was futile, J.A. and myself simply finished in the main pack.
A lot of Goathead nation is asking "where are the others??" JC missed the start time but threw down a blazing lap in the middle of S.S. The A-train is still recovering from a pre-season crash that set back his training. The big question is whether J-mac will come out of retirement. He has said he will make a come back, but so far he is doing more talking than riding.
In September, Sunday Smackdown will merge with the Dakota 50. The Goathead national championship jersey will be on the line. I'm not sure what the guys in Vegas are saying but the smart money is on Mr. P90X.

Goat Bridge

H2O

Amazingly several Goatheads were able to get some dirt time in last week. However, the return of Monsoon season has closed the trails for awhile. That meant I needed to ride on pavement. My question is where do I ride when the pavemnent is covered in water?

Obligatory pics

As a follow up to the Prof's post here are the pics from the ride:

Lumpy setting up for an attack:


Prof pulling him back:


Crossing small ponds:


It was so deep in some areas the Prof picked up a leech:


Fin:

Game on

A few Goatheads plan on traveling back to Spearfsh this Labor Day weekend. Apparently we forgot how much pain we felt last time and wanted to be reminded. HOWEVER, the recent weather patterns have done a number on the local trails. I predict that Manawa won't be rideable until about the middle of August.
So JA, Lumpy, and myself went looking for a hard road ride on Sunday. In hoped of being in shape come Labor Day weekend. We have often read the post write ups about Wedesday worlds, so we thought we would have our own Wednesday worlds (but on Sunday).
As we headed to the North Omaha Airport, Lumpy set a pretty good pace. No doubt he was trying to lose JA and myself. However, his attempts were to no avail. The bunch(all three of us) re-grouped as we headed towards Boyer Chutes. After passing by the chutes the road eventually went up. Nearing the Seaside resturaunt I thought it was time to leave my companions behind. JA and Lumpy were having none of that and stayed glued to my wheel. We stayed together for the next few miles including some nice rolling hills as we got near to Lumpy's house. Then with only a couple of miles remaining JA thought it was time to see if Lumpy and I were napping. The elastc might have snapped,if it was not for a red light that slowed JA progress. In the end we finished together with Lumpy keeping his lead in the G.C.

Bacon Flapjacks

This old Aunt Jemima ad just gave me a whole new reason to wake up in the morning.

It really works!

Check out this new laundry drying rack I got......



The guy at the shop I bought it from says it also works as a mountain bike if I can find dry trails.