tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8162800912860741632012-01-28T18:36:47.462-05:00"Lilac rain, unbroken chain Song of the Saw-Whet owl Out on the mountain it'll drive you insane Listening to the winds howl" - Grateful DeadGregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.comBlogger821100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-63760549304936253832012-01-28T18:08:00.005-05:002012-01-28T18:36:47.472-05:00

The Dirty Dozen (DD)was an event I had been thinking of for several years, and this was going to be the year. The problem was was that I hadn't been riding very much in November. Not the kind of lead up needed to do the DD. Though I still wanted to give it a try as a lot of the hills were ones I grew up around.The DD is held each year in Pittsburgh around Thanksgiving. This year, over 300

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-31062763731626582242011-07-01T17:33:00.003-04:002011-07-01T17:44:54.571-04:00

4th place sport/masters - 1:57 - 14.6 milesThe Fat Tire Festival is the second in the Bike the Wild race series. I missed the first race of the series while I was at Mohican, so I can't get lost this year and drop a race.The course this year was almost the exact same course as last year. Some rain the night before made the trail a bit muddy and the rocks quite slick. This year they've broken

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-91359159820826015232011-06-07T21:23:00.010-04:002011-07-04T10:13:27.713-04:00

Mohican 100k - 11 hours 8 minutesWell, at least I now know that I could ride a 12 hour solo though I absolutely have no plans to do that.It's an interesting thing to think about, why do I pay to challenge and torture myself? Well I had a lot of hours to ponder that question during Mohican. The recap of the 100k follows. It's mostly just for me to record the details, but maybe others racing

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-2506394887927174532011-05-24T13:00:00.004-04:002011-05-24T13:20:43.142-04:00

Less than two weeks to the Mohican 100. To update things, here's what's been happening. I decided not to go to the normal WVMBA xc races I usually do in the spring. Two reasons really. One - I've been concentrating on longer sustained rides for Mohican. Two - rain, rain, and more rain. I really had no energy to drive a couple of hours to race in the mud.So what have I been doing? On the

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-33759405125692195022011-04-17T20:31:00.003-04:002011-04-17T20:37:11.128-04:00

Well the training for the Mohican 100 continues. There's been so much rain (insert ark joke here) that I've been mostly putting in road miles. I think I've been on the mountain bike twice so far. The picture above was a training ride two weeks ago, rode out to prospect and back. Took about five hours and 56 miles; not bad for April. I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-80122576048046136642011-03-21T21:46:00.005-04:002011-03-23T11:57:20.444-04:00

I meant to do this back in January, but just plain forgot. I wanted to write down some memories and thoughts about the last year when it comes to riding. Last winter started with good base miles (slacked off on the intervals though) and before I knew it was I kicking off the race season at Big Bear as usual. Rode pretty strong. 24 Hours of Big Bear was canceled, so instead I went way down

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-31670726951797867972011-03-14T22:18:00.002-04:002011-03-14T22:23:01.222-04:00

So I did it. I signed up for my first 100 mile mountain bike race. Or to be more precise, mountain bike ride. I signed up to do the Mohican 100. My only goal, to finish. Two and a half years ago I did a 100 mile road ride. Didn't think I could pull that off, but I did. Now, I fear, a much harder goal to accomplish. I've started to train a bit more seriously, but the weather here is really

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-74944405006180239822010-11-09T20:05:00.002-05:002010-11-09T20:21:04.902-05:00

Moraine - 11th Masters - 7th overall for series - 2:00Almost forgot to write this up. Got to Moraine, and it was a beautiful fall day. I knew that I would finish in 7th place in the series as long as I finished. That took a lot of the pressure off. I decided I would ride a strong ride, but try to enjoy the day and the trails.The experts started, and about five minutes later the rest of

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-65220961332143793102010-10-21T14:36:00.004-04:002010-10-23T19:47:57.711-04:00

Photo by Mike BriggsNorth Park Time trail - #14th Masters - :35.51Over 200 people? Yep, over 200 people showed up for the inaugural North Park time trial. Earlier in the week, I pre-rode the course, and on my single speed I clocked a time of 38 minutes. So on Sunday, I knew the pace would have to be high for the entire course if I wanted to get any points for the race series.Mark and I

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-18071463735529368432010-10-12T05:10:00.005-04:002010-10-12T14:44:11.921-04:00

Grove City cyclocross - 15th - Masters - :58.45And then it rained some more. That was the theme for Grove City. Rain, rain, and more rain. Pulled into the parking lot and got dressed for the rain, but at least it was cold.Did a short warm up and then went and watched the experts finish their race. They were covered with mud, front and back. Soon enough we were lining up for our race. The

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-79147921303234180102010-09-28T21:33:00.002-04:002010-09-28T21:50:32.302-04:00

Photo: Fred JordanBrady's Run - 13th place - Masters - 1:14Master's category getting pretty big now. I remember years back, there would be only like five us that might do the whole series. Now the category has really grown. The downside? Master is an open division. So quite often I'm racing with guys that are in master's expert division in the WVMBA series. I really don't have a chance.Be

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-3047934050769605692010-09-28T21:20:00.003-04:002010-09-28T21:31:14.849-04:00

Photo - Mike BriggsBavington - 17th place Masters - :57 minutesMost riders I've seen at Bavington. Weather was perfect, though a bit hot by my time. Bavington is a time trial, which I like except for the waiting part. But with me racing the day before, the wait gave me time to get a really good warm up. Sooner than I expected, I was off. I rode super solid, but had not spark in the legs at

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-78071687753539300992010-09-25T08:07:00.004-04:002011-05-13T16:57:14.875-04:00

18th place Masters - 1:57Overall 11th in the 36-49 division.What to do, what to do. The last race in the Bike the Wilds series was Saturday, and the first race of the Month of Mud series began on Sunday. Which should I pick? I know that I don't recover well, and doing two races in two days would mean I wouldn't do well in either. So what did I do? Yeah, chose to do both races anyway. My

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-9856154982670474112010-08-18T15:05:00.004-04:002010-08-30T06:16:42.365-04:00

Bike the Wilds point series - 18.5 miles - 3:22 (you read that right)9th place mastersTwo Mile Run marked the fourth race in the Bike the Wilds point series. The training I did for this one? Went on vacation for two weeks, came back home got in two lack-luster rides in the ridiculous humidity we've been having, and ate a lot. Not a training regimen I would recommend to the timid. Oh yeah,

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-33147445119068369932010-08-02T11:34:00.002-04:002010-08-02T11:50:49.329-04:00

15 miles (too many) and a DNF (more on this in a bit)This was the third race in the Bike the Wilds race series. The race was to be about 12 miles long - but not the way I race.I pulled in to the lot and talked to a couple of guys that had raced the course before. They said lots of climbing, and they were absolutely right. Lined up in the town of Rural Valley, and off we went right on time.

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-38223837374573065672010-06-23T20:52:00.002-04:002010-06-23T21:08:23.052-04:00

16th place - 1:53 - 14.5 miles - Second race of Bike the Wilds race seriesFatty would be proud of me - a solid mid-pack finish!!!Drove two hours north to try out the second race of the Bike the Wild series - The Fat Tire Challenge. Easy drive, easy parking. I got me and the bike ready, did a quick warm up, and soon the experts were off racing. I had 10 minutes before the sport racers took off.

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-9741687214867541182010-06-22T19:50:00.003-04:002010-06-22T20:20:49.051-04:00

24 Hours of Creek to Peak - race recap - 2nd place sportA place on the podium. You'd think I'd be excited, but not really. 24 Hours of Big Bear was canceled this year. I wasn't sure what race to do that weekend, until I got in touch with Jeff. His team was looking for someone to fill a spot, so I decided it was fate.Packed up all of my stuff, why that takes so long I don't know, and headed

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-41732802651041913562010-06-06T20:33:00.003-04:002010-06-17T22:38:16.168-04:00

2:22 - 14.4 miles - 9TH place - 36-49 year divisionLast time I raced Dash for Cash, it was three years ago, and it totally wrecked me - physically and mentally. So it was with some trepidation that I headed back for another dose.It rained for several days before the race, and a huge rainstorm was coming in from the west on the day of the race. I registered, warmed up, then lined up to start.

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-66818911671301650662010-04-23T10:15:00.004-04:002010-04-23T12:28:11.854-04:00

5th place Masters - 1:47 - 14.4 milesOh sweet relief! I had so much fun at this race - what a nice change. For the last several years I've had chronic back pain from a pinched nerve. I've tried everything, physical therapy, weights, anti-inflammatories, yoga, professional bike fits, and nothing has worked. Always at some point in the race, the pressure on the nerve becomes so bad that I

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-3664556246555505352010-04-19T21:24:00.002-04:002010-04-19T21:31:46.110-04:00

Riding the new North Park skinny on Dr. J. Awesome trail, and it's keeps getting better.

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-48536518560752790762010-02-06T13:30:00.011-05:002010-02-06T13:38:57.075-05:00

Some random pictures from the snowstorm...

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-21519015628093598032009-12-16T20:10:00.003-05:002010-04-26T12:05:37.747-04:00

Well, it's the end of the season and I realized I really didn't wrap-up my last two races in the Month of Mud series. To be honest, not too much to summarize. This was probably my worst fall season. I actually had a good bit of fitness this year, but I ran in to a lot of odd stuff this fall. So first up, Brady's Run.October 11 - Brady's Run State Park - 11th place Master - 1:26Garmin Connect

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-4459122256137052522009-09-26T21:35:00.003-04:002009-09-26T21:59:15.107-04:00

18th place Masters - 53.56This could be titled The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Arrive at Bavington to perfect weather. Trails were dry, and the finishing times would be low. This year the Masters went before Sport, so I hardly had to wait around. Bavington is always interesting because it's a time trial format.I took off, and felt solid. I wasn't sure how I'd feel. I've done more riding

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-25534737702018879802009-08-30T14:55:00.008-04:002009-09-19T17:24:25.702-04:00

(pictures will coming soon, also a warning: this is a really, really long post. you have my permission to skim)100 miles at the Livestrong Challenge in Philly. Did I really sign up to do a 100 mile road ride? I'm at heart a mountain biker, what was I thinking?Sometime over the summer, Mark mentioned to me that he had signed up for the Lance Armstrong Foundations's Livestrong Challenge. I

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-92174624141190520312009-07-29T11:08:00.002-04:002009-07-29T11:31:54.218-04:00

Valley Falls - 1:47 - 14 miles - 4th place master's sportTwo weeks off the bike while on vacation, a couple of short rides, and then I found myself driving down to a WVMBA race with 1,700 ft. of climbing. Not the kind of race preparation that I would've planned.I arrived at Valley Falls State Park, WV early, parked, and made my way to register. From the beginning things looked well-organized.

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-77517611479522155142009-07-11T16:48:00.002-04:002009-07-11T17:05:21.571-04:00

I awoke and thought about the nightmare I had just had, realizing it was not a nightmare but my night lap I had just been reliving. Within the first 100 yards of my night lap, I had fallen about 10 times. Somewhere during that lap, I had decided to give up racing, I couldn't imagine why I raced for average results, I couldn't imagine why I paid for the privilege of suffering. When I came to

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-42011375879105878892009-06-22T08:23:00.003-04:002009-06-22T08:53:11.902-04:00

Time is a funny thing. It does just the opposite of what you want it to do. Four hours never went so fast, before I knew it, it was my time for my second lap. I went out around 9:00 with my Dionette on my helmet and Jamie's HID on the handlebars - lights wouldn't be a problem. But traction would be. Once night settled in, a layer of dew covered all rock surfaces - and at Big Bear there are a

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-88908100174981268632009-06-15T22:38:00.004-04:002009-06-16T20:11:53.070-04:00

If it's not one thing, it's another. But I'll get to that later. Not sure if I like the actual riding in 24 hour races, or if it's the preparation, planning, and just hanging out with friends that I like.Anyway, I had enough gear for a three week epic, unfortunately I was going to be gone for only three days. Arrived at Big Bear, WV on Friday around 2:00 and was amazed by the number of people

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-74976576259404675852009-04-26T21:50:00.000-04:002009-04-26T21:51:35.813-04:00

Tour of Turkey crash - or - why I'll never road race

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-29734010121075425172009-04-20T20:02:00.004-04:002009-04-21T22:03:59.559-04:00

1:34 - 12.9 miles - 12th place MastersFifth place last year, 12th this year, but I feel better about my finish this year. Dave and I pulled into BB early and Dave decided to do a last minute tire switch. Braver than me, but it turned out he picked the right tires - it had looked like rain but we were hoping it would hold off.We warmed up a bit, and then watched the experts start. This year the

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-16794126792320631312009-02-24T20:20:00.002-05:002009-02-24T20:23:27.592-05:00

I can't believe what people will do. I'm glad I taped this as I couldn't believe what I saw. If that baby is real, it needs to be taken away from what I'm guessing is the father. Sorry for the poor quality, video didn't cooperate.

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-61629866831578645122009-02-22T20:04:00.001-05:002009-02-22T20:05:33.029-05:00

Well, the U.S. fans are quite interesting to say the least. Make sure you are not eating while you view this.

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-69770806625338160462009-02-21T19:27:00.003-05:002009-02-21T19:47:48.983-05:00

So last year I was on vacation watching Tour de France each afternoon. I remember thinking how much better the U.S. coverage of a bike race would be than the coverage of the Tour de France. I would now like to retract that statement.I've watched all of the Tour of California on Versus this week, and I have not been impressed. Some of their mistakes I can understand. The weather can't be

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-25756630276002257232009-02-16T19:49:00.002-05:002009-02-16T19:57:09.020-05:00

Well, I'm trying to be a bit more organized in my training this year. Last year I rode a lot, but nothing very organized and the race results showed it. Very average, and even a DNF.So the idea this winter is each week to do one long ride, one of intervals, and one of "sweet spot" riding if I can. So yesterday was my long ride day.I went to Connellsville and rode to Ohio Pyle. Couldn't

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-65236601782975157952009-02-14T20:02:00.006-05:002009-02-18T17:44:30.619-05:00

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-57460374336356799332009-02-08T20:25:00.002-05:002009-02-08T20:45:27.952-05:00

Lake MXZ302 Winter Cycling Shoe - 2008After having my feet feeling like frozen block of ice the last three winters, I decided I was serious about riding in the winter and needed some real winter cycling shoes.I got together my extra cash, realized I needed more and got what I could from under the couch cushions and sent away for some Lake winter cycling shoes. Well, these things weren't going to

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-17001367387614679742009-02-05T22:21:00.001-05:002009-02-05T22:22:59.500-05:00

Gave me goose bumps listening to the pilot talking with air traffic control as they were headed to a landing in the Hudson.Embedded video from CNN Video

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-33298458618752964552009-01-31T20:48:00.005-05:002009-01-31T20:56:10.196-05:00

Snow too deep to ride in woods, too much snow on side of the roads for the road bike. So, grabbed the snowshoes it hit the local park. It was great to be in the woods all alone. Some old boot tracks for a bit, but the farther I got the less there were, till finally none but mine and the deer tracks.Haven't really had a lot of deep snow the last couple of years, so the snowshoes have gone

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-50622641405294221262009-01-18T13:21:00.004-05:002009-01-30T20:00:26.791-05:00

Ok, I may be a bit late, but I've been reading a lot of blogs that list the best and worst of last year. And as it's still January, I'm going to list out my best and worst anyway.Best race - the WVMBA race at MountwoodWhere I finished didn't make this my best race, but how I raced it made it one I won't forget. Compared to the year before, this past year's race had me NOT cramping so horribly

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-45809379955169041752008-12-27T20:51:00.004-05:002009-01-03T11:12:36.043-05:00

Always held early in December, and always looked forward to by the locals (and a bunch of not so local riders). The Punk Bike Enduro race/ride is held by the Dirt Rag gang. If you've never ready Dirt Rag, well, I don't know what's wrong with you.The Punks all gather at a local fire hall, where we'll be led out to the local trails. Posts say we leave promptly at 11:00, but because I'm now a

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-33213293450972938072008-12-24T14:40:00.003-05:002008-12-24T14:52:40.368-05:00

Granny Gear announces this year's 24 hour races. Well, I found my motivation for this winter's training rides. I really love the 24 hours of Big Bear. The race course is awesome; it has a little bit of everything. Big downhills, rock gardens, winding singletrack through pine forests. A big downside is the cost versus what you get in return. My perspective, if you don't have a good race, you

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-56175544055696353842008-12-05T17:55:00.008-05:002008-12-05T18:11:01.831-05:00

“The glaring sun was about to expose me for the fraud I was. I wasn’t an athlete like the down-bundled Euros, and I wasn’t a real Alaskan like the owners of those snowmobiles. The men at the Knik Bar and said it all between a couple swigs of beer. A girl like me didn’t belong in a race like this.”I really enjoy reading blogs, but to be honest they all blend together after a while. Then one

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-8925387220739843402008-11-23T07:56:00.003-05:002008-11-23T08:06:42.858-05:00

So what do you do when fall race season is over? When you've hardly ridden in two weeks? When the temperature plummets and the snow falls? You enter a cyclocross race, that's what you do.If all goes as planned, I've decided to race this local cyclocross race in Murraysville. I'm admittedly not a cyclocross racer, but the couple I've tried I really liked. Now, I don't know how much I enjoyed

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-75177457933779376792008-11-15T11:37:00.005-05:002008-11-15T11:49:30.803-05:00

Shakespeare's words came to me as I sit here on this dreary, rainy day. I vainly grasp the hope that fall will last longer, that there will be a few more days I can steal away from the onset of winter. Alas, I know it's a fruitless endeavor. But then reading some other blogs and forums, I saw the thing that will get me through the rides in the single digits, the icy slush finding that one bit

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-38049716675556114252008-11-12T10:01:00.003-05:002008-11-12T11:57:14.675-05:00

First, the color really does not match my dos niner, but then again I admire function over form. I was hoping to review the Fox fork and how it differed from my Reba, but a mechanical changed this a bit.On our weekly Wednesday night ride, I ran over some punji stick that punctured my rear tire but good. Why when people snip small saplings do they leave a perfectly shaped spear-like remnant?

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-44656017184624695842008-11-06T19:28:00.003-05:002008-11-06T19:32:26.922-05:00

I'm not usually in to watching videos of guys doing big jumps. They all look the same after a while, but for the last couple of years I've been addicted to watching the Red Bull Rampage.More so, I really like the behind the scenes kind of stuff. This video shows one of the riders prepping a big gap. Pretty impressive. Then while you're at superhumanmag.com make sure to watch the Red Bull

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-75009479382884234362008-11-04T20:09:00.002-05:002008-11-04T20:13:23.345-05:00

Santa Claus, better known as the UPS man, knocked on my door tonight, and what did I find? Yep, a new Fox Fork F29 for the dos niner. Can't wait to get this thing on and put it through its paces. I'm going from 80mm Reba to the 100mm Fox. From all I hear, I should really like the extra travel and the stiffness of the Fox. I'll give you my review in a couple of weeks.

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-32755497201913098872008-11-01T09:16:00.004-04:002008-11-01T10:02:08.845-04:00

So how does Lance train for his comeback for the Tour de France? He races his mountainbike of course.If you haven't seen this video of the Leadville 100, well, you should...Leadville 100That video makes me want to get out and try a 100 mile race. Then I realized my lack of genetic ability, my extra weight, and my lack of any real training may hold me back a bit.Then I came across this video of

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-34295909190756375482008-10-27T16:13:00.005-04:002008-10-28T09:47:51.733-04:00

The skies they were ashen and sober;The leaves they were crisped and sere--The leaves they were withering and sere;It was night in the lonesome OctoberOf my most immemorial year:-Edgar A. PoeDid you ever have one of those days where you felt as if your legs had endless energy? Where those killer hills seemed somehow smaller? Where you normally stop your ride, but this time felt like doing it all

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-90055357784340379682008-10-12T19:15:00.000-04:002008-10-20T19:22:29.216-04:00

11th place Masters - 9th overall in the seriesLast race of the season, and I should've just stayed home. The Wednesday prior I started coming down with some virus that's going around. By Saturday, I was starting to feel a little bit better. Sunday, I thought I might be okay. That is until I hit the first hill of the race.We all took off from Davis Hollow Marina at Moraine. The course was slightly

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-78251500071757084422008-10-05T19:19:00.000-04:002008-10-23T20:50:37.439-04:00

Time 47:46 - 14 th MastersDeja vu, well sort of...Month of Mud race, but instead of the normal cross country race this is a cyclocross race. I've learned to really like these races, and I'm considering getting a cross bike. Anyway...Off we go. The course is like last year, we start on pavement, up a hill to the obstacles, down into some "singletrack" on the ball fields and finally back to

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-38519248038902986812008-09-28T19:23:00.000-04:002008-10-20T19:24:26.369-04:00

1:27.35 - 9th place MastersCurrently 11th place overall.more to come...

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-67467171265040447072008-09-21T19:25:00.000-04:002008-10-20T19:25:27.880-04:00

55:35 - 13th place Masters

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-14202226468318381162008-09-12T19:25:00.000-04:002008-10-20T19:26:28.965-04:00

Rattling Creek Single Trackers hold the annual Bash north of Harrisburg in the Weiser State Park. This year four of us made the trip from Pittsburgh to the Bash. Mark who used to live in the area told us this was a must-do kind of weekend. I'd have to say after surviving the weekend, that he was right on. Arrived Friday afternoon, just in time for the rain. Set up tents and canopys with Mark's

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-35599926732856647922008-06-06T19:27:00.000-04:002008-10-22T21:43:03.357-04:00

If you look real close, you can see Tinker in the picture above."It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it ws the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-48897027569614735192008-05-25T19:32:00.000-04:002008-10-20T19:33:02.502-04:00

The Perfect StormorA Dummies Guide to a DNFThe White Oak race was the culmination of every little thing that could go wrong. Any one of the events, when taken separately, was a minor inconvenience. Together, they created the perfect storm of misery.Let me list my many mistakes:not quite over my chest congestionrode the day before the race - was an easy ride but my recovery time is not goodstayed

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-61804969460057475472008-05-11T19:33:00.000-04:002008-10-21T17:39:16.064-04:00

Henry Clay - 2:16 - 6th place master's sport - 17 milesMud, rain, lightning, more rain, and oh yeah, mud. That pretty much summarizes what I remember about this race held at Cooper's Rock, WV. Dave and I rode and got registered. While getting ready it started to rain and was windy enough to actually be somewhat cold. By the time we lined up for the start, the sun decided to poke its head out -

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-63882928202977960682008-04-20T19:34:00.000-04:002008-10-21T17:38:22.634-04:00

Big Bear - 1:39.57 - 7th place master's sport - 13 miles My favorite race of the year. Arrived at Big Bear and registered, ran into a new racer Bob. We jumped on the bikes to warm up a bit, and ran into Dave from last year's Month of Mud on his new Hi Fi. Left them to do a few all out efforts as a warm up and got to the riders' meeting late. This would prove to be a problem. We lined up and off

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-44829749693981970112008-04-13T19:35:00.000-04:002008-10-21T17:47:01.878-04:00

Challenge at Mountwood - WVMBA - 2:26 - 10th place master's sport - 16 milesDeja vu all over againJust like last year, the drive down was scattered rain. Only oddity, stopped on way down at a rest area and came across some guy washing something in the urinal. Couldn't see what it was, maybe luckily. Got out of there quickly.Registered, warmed up, start moved back to 12:30 but I anticipated that.

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-13404863540553664092008-03-01T19:37:00.000-05:002008-10-20T19:37:58.483-04:00

Winter Training I've only had to ride inside this winter four times. And each time I hated it!!! But luckily this winter has been cold but not too much snow. Even when we get snow, it tends to melt pretty quickly. Not been on the mountain bike too much, but out on the road bike a bunch. Really don't trust the cars on the roads. At least when I'm in the woods, the trees can't veer at me as they

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-8537299230227380862007-10-14T19:39:00.000-04:002008-10-20T19:56:52.017-04:00

5th place Masters - 4th place Masters in series - 1:41.36We met near the marina on this morning, the last race of the month of mud series. We lined up to begin, and I awaited the announcement of the leaders, who would then move themselves up to the front of the pack to have the "pole position." And what a surprise it was to me that I heard my name called! I guess they must have called up those

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-20079388083380167332007-10-07T19:40:00.000-04:002008-10-20T19:41:21.347-04:00

6th place Masters - 1:28.44A quick note before I get into the report. Last year I did the course in 1:35. This year I shaved off seven minutes. It doesn't sound like a lot, but trust me even one minute in a race can be hard to make up. And now back to the story...

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-50095614124049742162007-09-30T19:41:00.000-04:002008-10-20T19:42:11.278-04:00

8th place masters - 4 laps at 47.42Last year Grove City was my first attempt at a cyclocross. Didn't go very well, here's a hint, a heavy full-suspension bike does not make a good cyclocross bike. Last year I did three laps in 45 minutes, was lapped by a sport rider and had to end my race there.This year, I hoped that the 29er would be a much better bike. Got to Grove City early and had a really

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-72453229949008494772007-09-23T19:42:00.000-04:002008-10-20T19:42:58.421-04:00

12th place masters - :56.27 One of my favorite race sites. Mark and I got to the course early, registered, and then went for a ride. Mark had never been to Bavington, so as a warmup we rode probably about six miles of the course. Slight changes had been made to the course from the year before. Most of the changes were slight except for somewhere near the middle they put in a new steep, short

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-26074169680064101212007-09-16T19:43:00.000-04:002008-10-20T19:44:20.095-04:00

4 laps 10 miles 9th place Masters - 53.09 The last two years I race in beginners, this year I've decided it's time to move up to Masters, now that I'm the ancient age of 45. Now I used to think Master's racers would be slower as they are older, but as I've found out from the spring races, that is NOT the case. They are just racers who are a little older. In fact when I looked at the MoM races

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-17270092428039072812007-09-08T19:44:00.000-04:002008-10-21T17:41:29.289-04:00

Approx. 12 miles - 2nd place Master's class - 1:13Arrived and registered. Warmed up for about 15 minutes; arrived at the starting line. It had rained a bit in the morning, but it hadn't rained for over a week. I wasn't worried about the trails, but thought the rocks might be slick.And off we go. My thought was to stay in the front half of the pack off the start line. The first two miles is gravel

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-88959590747032365962007-08-11T19:45:00.000-04:002008-10-21T17:48:07.687-04:00

I picked up my new race bike!! It's a Salsa Dos Niner. I bought it through Speegoat. A great experience all around with them. Picked a small frame, and picked all of the components. The bike came in at 23.5 pounds!! This is great as a 29er is usually a little heavier anyway. Compare this to my GF Cake at 29.5 pounds.Took it for two short rides in horrible humidity, but didn't get a real feel for

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-58101420612660178362007-06-09T19:47:00.000-04:002008-10-21T17:44:56.800-04:00

Big Bear (BB) was my first ever 24 hour race, and I hope not my last. We tried to get a group together for BB, but we couldn't find enough willing. So I posted on BB message boards for a team. I got several offers, mostly from younger sport teams. That was tempting, but I didn't want to be on a real competitive team for my first year. Then I got contacted by team Bike Me out of Maryland. Their

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-13858492302361521642007-06-02T19:48:00.000-04:002008-10-20T19:49:15.379-04:00

Approximately a 14 mile race completed in maybe 2:40This race made Henry Clay seem like it was paved. Oh, but I get ahead of myself. The course was not too far from home, which was a nice change. Arrived early enough to see the runners take off. They would run the same course as the mountain bikers. I can't imagine running 14-18 miles over rocks. Met up with Rob, Brad, Tim, Lynn, and some others.

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-10061803713798512712007-05-06T19:50:00.000-04:002008-10-21T17:40:12.637-04:00

11th place Sport Masters - 1:56 - 15.25 mileI had done a lot of rock climbing at Cooper's Rock State Park years ago, so I was looking forward to this race last year, but I wasn't able to make it. This year, my schedule worked out.For this race, I had gotten the air out of my brake lines, got these great rotor tools called Drumstix which trued my rotors really nicely, and the swelling in my knee

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-71871162581364161092007-04-22T19:51:00.000-04:002008-10-21T17:37:20.680-04:00

13th place Sport Masters - 1:55.06 - 15.5 milesThe Wednesday before the race, I take a leisurely road ride. I hit some gravel on the side of the road and my bike is swept out from under me. My left leg goes down by reflex and I feel my knee twist on impact. Unbelievable.I was able to pedal home with some pain. Knee swelled up, as I knew it would. All this training over the winter, and I sprain my

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-76444191901240607342007-04-15T19:52:00.000-04:002008-10-21T17:47:32.308-04:00

3:04 - 17 miles - 13th placeSo a northeaster decides to blow it's way up through West Virginia, and dump loads of rain for days on Parkersburg. For some unknown reason, I wake up on the morning of the race and decide to go anyway.After a three hour drive, I arrive at Mountwood Park. During the last part of the drive, the rain started again. It was 45 degrees, cold, rainy, miserable - the perfect

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-55589833056164363572006-10-29T19:53:00.000-05:002008-10-21T17:45:33.820-04:00

Final Month of Mud race - Seven Springs - snow covered trails, turning to slush and mud -1:33.58 11th place beginner - 4th place beginner in overall series ;) Almost didn't go to this race. The day before it snowed at home. Though it melted, I knew that at 7 Springs, with its altitude, the snow wouldn't have melted. After much interal discussion, I realized I didn't really have a good reason not

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-54823540159130262212006-10-08T19:59:00.000-04:002008-10-20T19:59:50.470-04:00

1:35.32 - 13th place beginner classThis was my first race last year, and to say it was muddy would be quite an understatement. This year the weather was perfect fall weather. I pulled in and saw Joe. We went out for a warm up ride; everything went well until I tried to do some short sprints. A chain link was bent, and there were 5 minutes before the race began. Tried to straighten it out, but

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-31294450777421376882006-10-01T20:00:00.000-04:002008-10-20T20:00:58.950-04:00

Time: 47:42 (3 laps) 16th place in beginner classDrove up to Grove City and parked. It was rather cold and wet, but it is called the Month of Mud. Signed in, and having never done a cyclocross rode around the course a bit and watched the experts' race. First thing I noticed was that most people had what looked like road bikes, but with slightly bigger tires and odd looking handlebars. The

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-89871738115980335192006-09-24T20:01:00.000-04:002008-10-20T20:02:11.053-04:00

Time: 1:00.50 - 11th place in beginner class Month of Mud is a local race series. About 5 or 6 races, competitive but low-key. I did the series last year and was just hoping to do better than I did then. I had not been able to make the Bavington race last year. I've ridden at Bavington, but as I was to find out I had not ridden on these specific trails. Got to the race early. It was about 60

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-85375457294615387872006-09-09T20:02:00.000-04:002008-10-20T20:03:07.933-04:00

Time 1:38 (flat tire)Last year, this was my first mountain bike race ever. This year I had a new bike (heavier but with more suspension travel) and I had ridden more than ever. I was excited to see how I would do. The week before the race I drove to Apollo to do a pre-ride. I ran into a couple that were mountain biking and asked if I could tag along. They ended up being the two race course

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-8828599964898781472006-05-29T20:03:00.000-04:002008-10-20T20:04:28.062-04:00

Deer Lakes Loop 4.76 miles - interval training 5-29-06 41 minutes (3 rests) ridetime: 35 min. avg speed 7.8 6-7-063 36:51 (3 rests) ridetime: 32 avg speed 6.59 6-13-06 34:27 (1 rest) other details not available 7-27-06 30 min. approx. (1 brief rest) - all middle chain ring!! ridetime 24:49 avg. speed 6.72 8-17-06 32:45 (2 brief rest) ridetime 31:43 avg. speed

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-44738628423388336682006-05-21T20:05:00.000-04:002008-10-20T20:05:45.715-04:00

The Tour de Lake race was in Spencer, W.V. It was a 3.5 hour drive down, but I listened to Harry Potter, and it went quickly. Arrived about an hour and a half early. Pre-rode about 4 miles of the trail to warm up. Trail seemed fairly dry in spite of the rain the last several days. The race would be 18 miles. I knew this was about 6 miles more than I was used to, and with the hills in West

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-86129745618588216142006-05-14T20:07:00.000-04:002008-10-20T20:07:39.390-04:00

This week's race was at Tomlinson Run State Park. Not far from where I used to work, Linsly Outdoor Center. Picked my bike up from the shop on the Saturday before the race. They had to fix my rear pivot, dang bike is a lot of problems. Good news, Gary Fisher will be sending me a new rear triangle! Anyway, had to test out pivot and shifting, did a quick five miles around North Park. All seemed

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-13377864302250337092006-05-01T20:08:00.000-04:002008-10-20T20:08:58.223-04:00

First mountain bike race of the season. I'd only done a handful of races last season, didn't have a lot of prior training, just riding a bunch of trails in the area. This winter was an easy one, so I was able to ride my road or mountain bike at least twice a week throughout the winter. Didn't really follow any plan, just tried to ride as much and as far as I could depending on the weather and my

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-816280091286074163.post-55531424261738143142005-08-20T20:09:00.001-04:002011-07-02T08:05:43.145-04:00

As best I can remember, the first race I did was the Tour de Strongland race in Apollo, PA. Drivetrain was screwy so it was like racing with a single speed. Then remember doing the Month of Mud Brady's Run race. Couldn't believe after the first lap that we had to actually do another lap. I think some expert racers lapped me before I finished my first lap.I'm guessing I did the rest of the

Gregg3333http://www.blogger.com/profile/11976408936354511079noreply@blogger.com0