Are you ready?

You're chasing Peter

With all the snow and rainy weather so far this year, several of us took up another great way to stay on top of things.

WHY????

Your friend asks, "Wanna go for a bike ride?"
You say, "sure".
Your friend says, "Wanna ride for 12 hours, taking turns riding each hour?"
You say, "uuh, sure"
Your friend says, "how about we start at six in the evening and end at six in the morning?"
You say, "uuuuuhhhh, I guess".
You friend then says, "oh, how about we pay to do this?"
You say, "are you crazy?!?!?!?"

For the second year in a row, the Goatheads sent a group to the 12 hour race put on by Angry Cow Adventures. This year the course was flat. Maybe not as flat as Manawa, but closer to that than Swanson. Also, the temps were well above freezing, unlike last year.
We decdided to take two lap shifts, which meant about 50 minutes of riding per shift. This seemed to be a good strategy. We were able to "red line" it for most of that time. Starting at 4:00 am we went to one lap shifts for one final push to the finish line.
Due to slick conditions and not knowing the course, all three of us took a tumble at some time during the evening. I got two flats, the last one at 5:45 AM. Knowing it wouldn't change our standings, I just cut corners and didn't finish that lap.
We finished with 27 laps - good enough for 2nd place.

A Goathead Life

Let's see..... What's been going on...... Well, I ordered a new bike. It should be in in a couple of weeks. It looks similar, if not identical to this



In the mean time, I've been trying to ride. The Professor and I went to Lewis and Clark on Sunday. Big thanks to all the trail builders that put in the reroute. Although the chute is now gone, it's still a sweet trail and the new entrance is actually fun, not as fun as the chute, but still fun.

I didn't ride as much as I would have liked this last winter, but I'm feeling good about where I am for this point in the season. A commitment to bike commuting has helped, but also 3 months of P90X has paid off. Anyone that is thinking about doing it, should. Especially as an off season routine. It's a good mix of cardio and strength training. I won't gross you out with my before picture, but I will show you my after picture.



The 12 hour race @ Wagon Train is in a week and a half. Like a mutating virus, Team Goathead has multiplied and split. We are now planing on having two teams in the race. Look out, we're on the verge of a global pandemic.

I don't have any pictures from my biking in Colorado, but I do have a picture of T-Rev doing what he does best. I have a picture of myself on the same lip, but in that one I'm flailing my arms like a little girl, so I'll just post T-Rev.

I just found my wife's Mothers Day gift....

Who's in?

May is almost here.You know what that means - 12 hours @ Branchd Oak. Except this year is at Wagon Train Rec. Area. Only a few teams answered our challenge last year and some of them cheated. For intance, Team Lucas only had one rider. Do you know how much easier it is to keep riding lap after lap as opposed to stopping after two laps and resting for an hour, then start riding again. I wouldn't have thought riding solo would have been easier but it had to have been - how else do you explain team Lucas beating us by two laps.
There are rumors that we are sending a couple two man teams - that should make things interesting.

Ya ever feel like you're just way out of your league?

Best I can do

I don't have any pictures from my Colorado trip, so this is all you get.

It's go time

There have been various reports of a Goathead riding here or there over the past two weeks. But they have always been alone and not in a group. That changed Sunday!!! JA, JC, and myself met up at Swanson for a few laps. Nothing beats a great group ride. It was JA's second trail ride in 2 days. JC and I were also on our second ride of the week. Lumpy does trump our ride with a lap at Dakota Ridge on Saturday.
It appears that the A-train is out of commission for awhile. Bad crash at Tranquility. I think in the past few years he has busted his lip and his frame while riding there. He shoudl find a new place to ride. Heal up bro and see you on the dirt soon.

It's Thursday

My First Dirt Ride for 2010

I hit Tranquility last Saturday. Beautiful weather even with the wind, and the course was smooth riding. Lots of people had the same idea. Kind of weird at the end to have the 30 yards of utility road turned private property, but whatever.

Overall, for my first dirt ride of the year, I was definitely happy with the day. I plan to get out more than last year, so looking forward to many more.

Was he surprised by this outcome?

The final nail in the coffin costs $149

Q: How do you know when a sub culture is dead?

A: When Walmart is on board

Unconventional but effective

The 2k10 season is barely underway, but it's been obvious to everyone that JA, the Professor and myself have been doing some serious work on the bike. You're probably wondering how we came out of winter so fit....... Well, it was our unconventional off season training methods that are really paying dividends.

FINALLY

Because a)global warming caused a long snow cover and b)I wimped out from commuting to work this winter - yesterday was the first time I rode my bike since December. Way behind on miles, Lumpy and I rode from North O to Crescent, IA. Okay so to a lot of people 34+ miles isn't super long. However, when the Goatheads first started we might start with 1 lap at Swanson (in May) or a 10 miler on the Keystone.
Yesterday HURT!!! There was a hill about 4.5 miles outside of Crescent that made me wish I had an FX and not my Soho S. After that, Lumpy and I put on a two man time trial clinic into Crescent. Lumpy has the computer, not me, but we must have hit at least 15 mph. Had we had a TT helmet and a skin suit we might have cracked 17 mph. All I know is that our drafting skills are AWESOME!! The ride back to his house went better, except having to climb up Burt St.
This is Spring Break at GU so I am hoping to put some miles in this week. Afterall whenever I race my annual Psycowpath event I want to be in shape so I don't do anything stupid - like crash at the beginning of the race.

Oh, the real highlight from yesterday were the two bald eagles we saw near L & C. Lumpy claims one of them had a baby kangaroo in its mouth.

# 500

I've been waiting for this day for months..... The 500th post on MTB Goatheads.
This is obviously a momentous occasion. Since the beginning, I've always had big plans for #500. Should I share a video displaying our mediocre riding skills? Should I relive some of our great triumphs from the past few years? Should I preview things to come on the blog? Should I talk about the blog in ways that reveal my overinflated sense of self-importance? Should I tell a story that's only funny to me but makes everyone else uncomfortable?...... No, there will be time for all of that in the future. Today, you will get a centaur using a port-o-potty.

Jr. Goatheads

The official shirt for the Jr. Goathead program

Which multi-tool is best for removing squirrel?

Reminder

I was reminded of two important facts of life this morning on my commute into work...... Ice is slick, and concrete is hard.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Have you seen this?

OK GO has out-done themselves... Again
The first version of their video of the song "This Too Shall Pass" Featured the Notre Dame Marching Band.

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.

As cool as that was, they felt the need to raise the bar.