MO State SS Champs

Last Saturday Ira and I hit Hwy 44 up to St. James for the UFD MO State Single Speed Champs.  Neither of us even knew St. James had single track, but turns out there is around 8 miles of single track well hidden on the southeast corner of town. 

There was little expectation leading into this; it was just great having Ira back and any day on the bike is a better one than not.  Decent turnout with some fast guys on hand and some fun solid promoters (Eric and Dan from Route 66 Bikes).  Temps were nice and cool for the 3 lap (7 miles per) 21 mile race.

After a lite warmup it was time to go.  Fast start on open gravel roads for about 1/2 mile before hitting the single track.  Oh, turns out the single track was tight, twisty, and tight (did I mention tight?).  This was not so good for me as I need it a little more open with pedaling and not so much handling, but it was what is was so we are going.  Hit the single track around 4th or 5th with Ira right on my tail.  After the first lap I was 5th and feeling like I rode way about my head actually flowing pretty well on the tight stuff.  2nd lap starts and quickly three guys fly by and I jumped on the back holding on for dear life.  The leader gaped the rest and dangled off the front about 20-30 seconds (we could see him from time to time as the trail doubled back).  A DJR (or DRJ, not sure the team name) guy leading our trio was killing it, but I was able to dangle on the back.  We hit a end of the lap (about a 1/4 mile gravel road) and the DJR blows (felt bad as he was killing it) and the Team Segal guy and I get a gap.  I stopped at the beginning of the last lap to grab a new bottle (and a gel) while the Segal guy took off.  I chased and 1/2 thru caught and dropped the Segal guy.  Rode well the rest of the lap and nabbed 6th at 1 hour 51 minutes.  The 5th and 4th place guy were less than 1 minute ahead, but the front 3 were gone...  Ira rode well getting 9th not to far back.

Much like the couple marathon races I felt better as the race progressed, but the concentration was the most intense I've had in a race for some time due to the tight single track.  Had a lot of fun, but with the rising temps of summer that was probably my last mtb event of '12.  Mission accomplished for this season as my handling is the best it's ever been and my fitness for longer events was solid without overly taxing my body.



This just might be one of my all time favorite 'editing' jobs I've done; I love this shot!

With that said I'm now looking for a month of crit/circuit races on the road to get a little leg speed going.  This weekend is Tulsa Tough and as of now I'm doing both days in the Masters field.  In a couple weeks is Tour of KC (with one of my favorite courses at Longview CC Saturday and a routine crit on Sunday) which dropped from three days to two and then Tour of Lawrence with the 'monster' circuit on KU's campus Saturday and a routine crit on Sunday.  Having no interval session with my HR above 165 (threshold is 184) I am looking to 'hang on' at each of these and simple improve form (i.e. results/placings will not happen). 

After that it's a couple weeks laying low then building to 'the season' in mid-September.

On the home front not much shaking and sometimes that's just fine with me.  My blackberries are killing it and so far Deb's whipped up a couple awesome cobbles (there would be more if I would quit snacking so much).

Crawdad Kermesse

Thursday Ian reached his goal and was recognized for three years of straight A's.  The school gave the handful of kids who achieved this a large candy bar (huh?), but I held to my promise made a couple years back and we got him the latest Kobe VII basketball shoes.  So proud of his accomplishment! 

Friday I spent the morning with the little guy's Kindergarten class at their Field Day.  Exhausting, but fun for all.  He was super stoked I was there and even more happy when Deb showed up for the 2nd half of the event.   

Headed down to Harrison, AR Saturday morning to make my '12 road debut at the Crawdad Kermesse.  On paper it looked like a challenging 3.8mile loop and it didn't disappoint.  Chad and crew put together a great loop and a well run event in coordination with Crawdad Days, a big carnival type event with tons of stuff going on for two days. 

Got down early enough to jump on the course for a couple loops while the 4/5 race was going on.  200 meters from the start/finish was a 1k climb that was steady and not too taxing, but after the top and a quick drop there was a 20% 'roller' (not too long, but zapping to the legs) followed with a false flat, after that it was a fun descent back to the bottom with a handful of high speed turns (fun!).  Little warm early on, but with a 9:30am start it wasn't much of a factor.

Rolled up to the line and found a pretty small field, but not short on quality.  Steve Tilford was in my Masters race; guess he was looking for some extra race miles after his shoulder separation, along with a couple other top masters racers.  Our race had 7 loops for around 26.5 miles or so.

So off we go and the group stayed together up with 1k climb and then Steve and two others rolled off on the 20%'er and I had to make a decision then and there (note I felt pretty good at the time, but not too far from my limit):  dig into the red to bridge across and hope to hang on Tilford's group for as long as possible potentially blowing up or let them go and race within myself and see how it goes racing for 4th... easy choice so I watch them roll off.

Leading the group toward the 5th lap - seperation time!

At the end of lap 1 I was with three others with a decent gap to those behind and 30 seconds behind the leading three.  Up the climb for lap 2 and I surge a bit and immediately open a gap; not wanting to ride five more laps alone I eased up and cruised the next three laps with the small group.  On lap 5 I went to the front and set a pretty hard pace up the 1k climb and quickly had separation.  I pressed on the rest of the lap, saw no chasers in sight, pushed the 6th lap hard, was able to cruise the last, and get 4th (nice payout of $120).  Hindsight I think 'what if I would have tried to go with Tilford's group' as I felt really good, but the reality is I did the right choice at the time.  Turns out the 1st and 2nd place guys in my race ended up 2nd and 3rd in the Pro/1/2 race...

With the temps starting to rise and only 1 (maybe 2) mtb race(s) left that interest me I feel pretty good heading into some upcoming circuit/crit races seeing how I have yet to begin 'intensity' in my training week.  Looking at SS MTB Champs on June 2nd, then Tour of KC and Lawrence in June. 

After the drive home I loaded up the crew and went to Ira's to celebrate his graduation (PT Doctoral) with some BBQ and laughs.  Dale, Nate, and I went together and got him a flask w/bike cage and on the back says "Doctor Brown's Magical Cyclocross Elixir"; look for it this fall.

Saturday Jake took off for a 2 1/2 week mission trip to northern Canada working with the Agibiwa tribes.  God is (always has) working in his life and it's great to witness.  Before he took off we spent a portion of Friday night working the slackline.  Getting better every time, but still so far off of even 'good'.  Both Ian and D like working it also, but mostly we love when Deb gives it a go.

In the evening Ian took Deb to a SGF Cardinals game so D and I popped up a tent in the backyard and had a little outing of our own.  Woke up in the morning to overly loud birds around 6:15 (way too early).  After Sunday school I worked on a little flower box project until it was time to hit the road with Nate, Dale, and Ira for a couple hours.  Fun ride on a great evening.  Wrapped it all up with the Spurs taking down LA Clippers - perfect!

New MWI Partner for '12/'13 'Cross

Got received word ..kuat.. (racks and so much more) have come aboard the My Wife Inc. (MWI) 'cross circus as a partner for the '12/'13 'cross season.  This is awesome news as not only are their products top shelf, but the folks there are huge cycling supporters (and do'ers) and all around great people. 

This fall and winter drop by the MWI Compound, browse the rack demo's on the ..kuat.. team trailer, sip your favorite beverage from the tap (if that's your kind of thing), snag the world's best after-race-cupcakes, and hang out with cyclingdirts "Best Cyclocross Team (based on fun and not results) of '11".  We don't bite so don't be shy and drop in. 

Check out THIS (www.kuatracks.com) for more information on their company and products.  Now it's time to get Luke, Aaron, and their crew on 'cross bikes and teach them the ways' of the sickness!

Greensfelder MTB - Lemonade from Lemons



Yesterday, as everyone knows, was Mother's Day.  Just want to lead this off with how much I love and appreciate mine; top shelf she is. 

Now on to Deb:  For those who have the privilege to know her more than in passing, you understand how incredibly blessed I am to have her in my kid's life and for those of you who don't know her, well, get to know her.  She cares and loves my boys (all three of them) like little I've seen from anyone else and it floors me sometimes at her deep natural desire to provide healthy structured unconditional love.  She embodies and exhibits effortless qualities I imagine Christ did while he was among us.  The way she embraces our little guy as one of her natural kids speaks volumes to me daily.  Thanks so much for letting me be part of your life...  

This past weekend packed up the crew Friday evening for a quick drive to STL for the following day's mtb race.  Was hoping to get into town early enough to catch the P/1 MOPRO race, but after a late start from Bolivar just couldn't make it.  Bummer as Huff took the win.

OK, goofy thing Deb and I witnessed on the drive (bit disturbing so skip if you want).  Pulling into Buffalo we saw a truck being pulled over by a local policeman.  As the truck turned off the main road into a parking lot we saw why she was pulled over... she forgot that her pet dog was still leashed to her bumper and drug it who knows how far.  It was obviously dead as it's lifeless body appeared to tow behind like a gray mop.  We stopped for food on the other side of the road and watched as the owner was taken to the back, dropped to her knees and sobbed as expected in disbelief.  I've heard of this (Clark Griswold) but until now never witnessed it.  Not good...

Crashed at Deb's sister's house and the boys got a chance to play and hang out. 

Saturday morning made the 10 minute trek (that's crazy nice) to Greensfelder for the marathon mtb event.  Took the single speed and after chatting with a couple locals and folks who raced it last year they didn't discourage me to ride the SS, but figured it would be a challenge as there is some elevation changes that might be tough.  Knew I wouldn't be on the front end of the race so figured I might as well do it on the bike setup I most enjoy.

Got to catch up with some STL folks I hadn't seen since last 'cross season which is always good.  Big turnout for the marathon (53 was the report I heard) with plenty of fast kids.  The start is kind of jeep road with a slight downhill so I was screwed on the SS from the gun, but settled in to what turned out to be one of my favorite courses ever raced.  Tons of technical single track with challenging sections and crazy fun flowy stuff.  The climbs were easily manageable for the SS (32/18) except for one short section that most were not riding anyway. 

I never start super hard from the gun on 3 hr events, but here I jacked myself up be letting too many 'single track challenged' folks get in front early.  With limited places to pass and what seemed a general unwillingness to let faster riders by I settled in and rode the first loop way slower than hoped, but feeling ready to turn it up for the next ones. 

Past the start/finish line and down quite a ways and then it fell apart; no not me, but my Crank Bros Egg Beater.  Body came right off the spindle.  Turned back, rode to the road back to the start where I had my tool kit.  Grabbed a screwdriver to remove the cap, but it was stuck tight and stripped it out and couldn't get it off.  After 20 minutes of working with others it just wasn't coming off.  Just about to pack it up when a nice family lent me a Candy; well, might as well get some riding in since I was there.  Knew my buddy T Holtmann was coming up I waited for him and we headed off for his lap 3 and my 2nd.  Rode with him chatting until he let me know he was going to finish this lap and call it quits (Cedar Cross last week and Syllamo Revenge next) so I pushed on.

Riding was super good and by the end was able to snag 4 laps (literally setting out 1).  Wouldn't have been near the top, but rode well and would have like to see how I would have fared.  Oh well, it turned out a fun morning!  Super thanks to the family who lent me the pedal.

Got a chance to chat with some more folks before heading out.  I will be back time and time again as Greensfelder is awesome fun!

Hung out with the STL family for a bit before heading back to Bolivar.

Sunday morning after Sunday School we met up with my mom, dad, and my brother's family to celebrate my wonderful mom.  Grabbed some chow then hung out at a park for a bit watching the kids play. 

Sunday afternoon got the crew together (Dale, Ira, and Nate) and took a 1:45hr stroll down the Frisco.  Great having Ira back from Colorado and getting my boys together.  Looking forward to many more.

Got back and knocked out some mowing, shrub trimming, and gardening.  Snagged a couple cherries off my two-year old tree as that thing is loaded.  Hoping to get a pie in a couple weeks (if I stop snacking).  Also chowed on a couple raspberries.  My blackberries are going crazy and will have tons ready in a week or two.  Love my snack-berry plants and trees.

Speaking of trees, this morning (after waiting a month) our new 20' maple was put in the back yard.  Strategically placed it to give shade to the west-facing patio in later afternoon.  Turnout out way better than expected and by next year it's going to be great (good now, but better as it fills out).  Went in crazy fast with the auger device shown below.

Not much shaking this week outside of routine day-to day busy-ness.  Looking to make it to Harrison's Crawdad Kermesse circuit race on Saturday.  It will be my first race on skinny tires in quite some time.

What's Shaking on the Home Front

Here's a little bit of what's been going on at the Jones' casa:
Been getting plenty of quality riding in (both on the road and trails), but bailed on the Tour De Tick last weekend as the temps shot up in the lower 90's and I do not have a good history with mtb'ing in the temps when not used to it.  I jumped out early Sunday instead and got a solid 3.5hrs on the SS climbing my butt off on the backroads of Polk County.  Also skipped the Waffle Training race Tuesday as I was coaching Ian's basketball team. 

Getting a little itchy to race it looks like I am heading to STL this weekend for the Greensfelder Challenge mtb marathon race.  Expecting a loaded field and no expectation of finishing near the top as I'm cruising the single speed from now on at all events.

Dale and I have been knocking out the miles, Nate's been riding more, and (typed with a big grin) Ira gets back home from his last clinical (in Colorado) this weekend.  Will be nice snagging rides with everyone soon.

Last Sunday we went with some friends to a SGF Cardinals afternoon ball game.  Little hot at first, but plenty of cloud cover made for a great time.  Ian loves going to the ball park (not a huge surprise) and D had a pretty good time (hard to keep a 6yr old focused) as he and I did several trips to the outfield grass to goof around.

The little guy finished up soccer (playing really good) and is really looking forward to baseball.  Lately his main passion is kickball and it seems most evenings are spent in the backyard playing two on two two-base death matches - loads of fun.  Last week we had a couple neighbor girls over to play and we spent most of the time teaching a 5yr old to play.  Pretty interesting as I thought all kids were born knowing how to play. 

Yesterday was his latest 'court date' (he does not attend, only Deb and I from our family) and it was a bitter sweet day for all.  The official goal has moved from 're-unification' with mom to Termination of Parental Rights (and subsequently adoption).  Bitter in that it's hard to feel good about a mom and son being separated permanently, but sweet knowing we can provide a stable and healthy environment to nurture his development.  So, now its a several month process moving toward adoption...

Ian is having fun playing on his 'composite' basketball team at the courts and in local tourney's.  He is lined up for a handful of team camps (playing up with some middle school teams) and individuals ones (Evangle and Drury).  He's been getting a little one-on-one time with SBU's guard Preston Guiot; he's loving it and learning some nifty stuff.

School is wrapping up for him and it looks like I am paying up on an incentive program we put together a couple years ago.  This came about in that his Intermediate School gives kids (usually not very many make it) a 'chocolate bar' when the make it three years (3rd, 4th, and 5th grades) with straight A's and he is going to make it.  We thought the candy was pretty lame for such a good effort so I told him he could have any pair of Jordan's if he made it the 3 years.  So off to the mall we went the other day to make sure they are there when he walks off the stage and turns out he went with the Kobe VII instead of Jordan (tough decision since we are big Spurs fans and hate everything to do with the Lakers, but the shoes are sweet).

Jake is wrapping up his freshman year and can't wait to get thru finals and take a short mental break before doing it again next year.  Recently he bought a Gibbon Slackline and we have been goofing around on it here and there (actually I practice some when he's not around so I don't look so bad when we are together).  Working on the line is tough stuff, but a pretty solid core workout and I can tell my balance on the longboard is substantially better. 

He's heading to Canada right after he finishes finals on a mission trip with SBU to spread God's word/work in tribal communities of northern Canada.  He has a great heart and understands our responsibility to share with others.

For the past couple of weeks my father-in-law and I have worked to 'rebuild' our patio table.  It used to have a glass top until a huge storm destroyed it so I decided to tile it and it turned out great (little pat our Jim and my backs).  No we need to strip the chairs and refinish them.  Now contemplating 'concrete stain' the patio surface for an updated look.  Recently we bought a new grill and have a new (not new as in sapling) Maple to provide shade being put in on Monday to give shade in the evenings; so with all the 'patio investment' we will be spending plenty of meals and evenings out there.

Been knocking out tons of time on the yard, garden, and flower beds.  Deb has the garden all planted and the berries are in full bloom and soon will be pumping out the 'snack-berries'.  My cherry tree really grown a ton and has tons of fruit growing it, but recently a bunch of 'brown spots' have appeared on some leaves.  Researched it and appears there is a disease (untreatable) hitting it and hopefully it will make it thru the year and recover for next.

'12 Season Opener - OMBA CARAMBA



Chatting with Marathon winner Mark Gullet before the start

So yesterday was my season opener on the race scene and like last year the spring is pretty much about mountain biking.  I like to use this to sharpen some handling skills and use it longer events as base building intensity as top end speed is usually still a ways away. 

Saturday evening the Mercy-Kuat guys put on a short-track mtb race at Sac.  I didn't race as I am still fighting whatever cold/sickness that's hung on for close to 2 weeks now.  Turnout was pretty low, but good times were not; fun event.  I went down with Dale to watch and ended up being the Prime Master.  Cale handed me 12 primes (between the A and B races) and told me to get creative.  By evenings end most got some type of prime and it was fun for me to create races within the races.  Dale jumped in the A race and had a solid showing. 

Ryan and crew moved OMBA Caramba (Sac Trail in SGF) up to April this year as part of the United Federation of Dirt series which is much better than the heat suffer fest of last summer for those who participated.  They take the best parts (non-rough stuff) and make up a 5.56 mile loop of fun-ness.  Some light rain during the week made for just a couple muddy spots, but 95% of the course was ripping fast and tacky.  Streams were full, but not much more than normal.



Not having much top end speed and needing longer rides I chose to jump in the marathon class for 3 hrs of solid riding.  Temps were in the mid-50's and I thought was perfect for mtb'ing.  Typically these fields are some of the biggest at UFD events so I was hoping to hide out in a large field.  Turned out only 15 or so, but it was still a good field.  Mark Gullet toed the line so that pretty much meant the rest of us were racing for 2nd; that kid (even with the beard) is consistently solid at endurance races.  I was on my SS and didn't really figure it would be too much of a disadvantage (except for the long paved start and an open field decent to the finish line every lap) and even if it was I wouldn't 'gear it up' as I love the simplicity of single speed.

Like most of my endurance mtb races I try not to start off too fast, but getting into a decent pace and build on it every lap a little faster.  I spent the majority of the first couple laps in 4th place, but liked my HR and pace and knew it was only going to get better and it did.  My 3rd, 4th, and 5th laps (out of 6) were my best as I was pushing the pace more (keeping a close eye on the HR) and my flow was much better.  During this time I caught 3rd and 2nd places and was able to ride the last lap with less pressure on the pedals just making sure to run it clean.  2nd place to Mark's dominating win (expected) and I was happy with that. 

Hung around for the post-race log hop competition and awards before heading home.  Nice to only drive 30 minutes to a race.  Thanks to Ryan and crew for a great event.

Most of Saturday was spend at Bolivar's Rock Solid gym where Ian played (and I coached) his 6th/5th grade team and won the championship 51-14.  The boys played great in all three games and had a ton of fun in the process.

The little guy had a soccer game (during one of our games) and had my folks, Jake, Deb, and her mom all present.  They won pretty easily and Deb reported D played great. 

Sunday after the race D and I spent a fun afternoon playing kickball (just the two of us = worn out) at the gym and then the rest of the evening was laziness with the crew doing a bunch of nothing.  Well, except we did finish off the day with some 'hide-n-seek in the dark'; a family favorite.

So last week was Bone Bender 3/6hr race in Lawrence and I decided it was best if I skipped it as I fought (still lingering today) some kind of cold/respiratory thing.  It hit me the Monday night before the race and I took it super low key all week getting plenty of rest, but on Thursday when I went to the gym for some light basketball I had 0% energy and knew my weekend was screwed.  Bummer as I really enjoyed the event last year and was looking to get my 2012 racing started off there, but what can you do...

I took in some light riding Friday and Sunday and started to feel somewhat normal again.  This week has been better but still not good.  Tuesday I got out on the road for some hill intervals and they were ok, but nothing stellar.  I've had a pretty decent late winter/spring riding/fitness run of it and like where I am at for the most part, but until you spin the cranks at a race you never really know where you stand. 

Well this weekend is the Omba Caramba mtb race at Sac and if all goes as hoped it will be my first race of '12.  Haven't decided to race the Marathon class or the Cat 1 Masters, but I do know either way I'm riding the SS and here's why.  Yesterday I pre-rode the course (BTW its typical Sac and pretty fun) with my Trek Rig donned with gears (1st time on any single track this way) as I figured if I was going to race Cat 1 I would need it for the opening (long paved section leading to wide open downhill run into the woods) so out for three laps and I didn't enjoy it near as much as what I do on it as a SS. Matter of fact I hated it and felt a little lost.  I like the simplicity of just focusing on the trail and not running thru gears.  IMO Sac is not a place that will make much difference geared or SS (except for the start) and since I realistically understand I have little chance of a top 5 in either race (Cat 1 or Marathon) I might as well enjoy my ride while I'm out there.  I'm leaning marathon even though it will cut into my LBL viewing Sunday morning...

Saturday evening the Mercy-Kuat guys are putting on a short track event at Sac with the 'A' race going off around 6pm.  Not sure I'll make this and will have to see how the day goes.

Saturday is a busy one as Ian has three basketball games at a local tourey and the little guy has a soccer match.  Busy, but fun
On the MWI front our group/team is growing and part of the new blood includes my training partners Ira and Dale. It is so cool to have these guys on the team and look forward to seeing both don the jackalope attire. How long until 'cross starts...