Mandatory end of the year post

Here's the mandatory end of the year post about my 2009 race schedule, team, and thanks to 2008 sponsors.

I will be racing for Wake Racing out of Athens, GA. I'm not sure yet what the sponsors are 100% but here are the ones I know:
I'll be riding Niner frames, XO drivetrain, I-9 wheels, Hayes brakes, WTB tires and saddles, Thompson posts and stems, ergon grips and packs, Cane Creek 110 headsets, Manitou forks, Crank Brothers pedals, and Louis Garneau clothing and helmets. I'll post more on that when I know everything.
Should be a real solid group of racers- don't know all of them yet but looking forward to racing with Chris Janizewski, Shey Linder and the others.

My 2009 schedule will be 10-11 XC races ( mainly SERC series ), XC National Championships in CO, 4-5 12 Hr races, 24 Hr National Championships in AZ, and a couple of 100 milers ( prob. Fool's Gold in Dahlonega,GA and Shenendoah 100 in VA ). I'll fill in w/ road races whenever else I can. I'd like to take care of unfinished business at Master's Nationals in KY if time off permits.

Thanks to my 2008 Sponsors- been with these guys a long time- Cane Creek and Maxxis. These companies have provided me with some of the best equipment out there and I am very thankfull for that. I will fortunately be riding Cane Creek again but due to WTB sponsoring the team, I will have to say farewell to Maxxis tires. Gonna miss em'

Everyone have a great 2009!
DH

12/31/08

Tenderized

Man I'm sore. It's been awhile since I've ridden moto that hard. Usually out there with Alex and waiting from time to time. Rode pretty hard for 3 hrs. Feels like I've been doing lunges for that long. Pecs are sore too from pulling up on the bars. Wambaw is nothing but 3-4 foot woops in tight trees- hard to let it rip. You have to muscle the bike around alot. Doesn't help that I shoulder checked a tree @ 35mph. Anyways- hope to feel more mobile tomorrow so I can get a good ride in.
Later-
DH

Wambaw

I wanted to get in a good ride today. Didn't feel like riding the road bike. Tired of Marrington so the MTB is out. Oh yeah- I've got the Kawasaki. Almost forgot about that. Loaded up the trailer and moto and was soon off for Francis Marion National Forest. Pulled up at the Wambaw Swamp ORV area and was pleased to see that the normal deep, powdery sand was soaking wet. That means good traction instead of slippery mess that is tough to ride. I wasn't dissapointed- the trail conditions were great- moist sand with some mud puddles every now and then. Got caught in a torrential downpour about 9 miles in. That didn't last too long and soon everything dried up. Got in a couple of laps on the 20 mile North Loop, packed up and rolled on home for a shower and some food.

Later-

DH

No White Christmas Here!

The temp. hit 80 degrees yesterday- or so I heard. Had a nice Christmas day, still get awakened at 6 AM the two children in my house. Opened presents by the time the sun was up. Had Alex's new DRUM SET assembled shortly and we were jammin' out. Liza had a late lunch planned so Alex and I went to the skate park. He skates and I brought the bike. It got so hot while we were there that the shirts came off. Christmas and I am riding shirtless. Pretty rediculous. Pulled an unintentional 360 on the quarter pipe but managed to land it. I'm not sure, but I think I ran over my leg too. It was a pretty close call and we were both getting tired so we headed back home for a terrific Christmas dinner.
After gaining 10 pounds we loaded up and went to the beach for awhile to work off lunch. Home by 3pm then a movie-thon till bedtime closed out the day.

Got out for 55 miles this morning early, then just hanging out today. Getting packed up to head off to Dahlonega, GA to visit w/ my family this weekend. Takin' the mountain bike- hoping to get by Bull Mtn. for some good trails- I'm about to lose my mind riding the same old stuff here. I'll get some good pictures and let you know how the trip turns out.
Later-
DH

Busted

I just thought the cat was dehydrated all the time. He has a water dish the size of a pool. Now I know what's up. I saw him head for the bathroom and stalked up on him Discovery Channel style and here's the evidence. No wonder his breath smells so bad!

DH

Just Another Mega Monday

Got out for another long one today. Pretty much the same route as last mon. but with an extra out and back to check out Lake Moultrie. The "trail" heads NW from there another 27 miles- gonna have to save that for another trip. Changed the route slightly to get around some very wet sections too. Beautiful day out- sunny, 55 deg., and low wind ( a tailwind the last 30 miles this week!) Got in a tad more mileage than last week but knocked 45 mins. off to get back home under 7 hrs. Felt pretty strong today after taking 2 1/2 hrs. to finally get rolling!

Later-DH

More ride pictures

More ride pictures. The picture that looks like nothing but woods and leaves is actually the trail. I swear some parts of that trail have not been used in years. You really have to watch the blazes.

Stickers

Guess what? The election is over. Personal accountability has been done away with. Everybody is going to get bailed out of debt.

Take the Obama or McCain stickers off your cars!!!

We all know who you support- we know who won.

The election has been over for a month.
Guess I'm gonna have to start removing stickers from vehicles ninja style.
That's all I have to say about that.
Later-
DH

117.48

Long ride today. Did a loop that has always been in my head- decided yesterday that I would give it a go. Left my house in James Island @ 8:00 AM and headed west to Monks Corner. Then up to Bonneau where the Swamp Fox passage of the Palmetto trail starts. 45 miles later, I was in Awendaw on Hwy 17. Back to the house from there. Crosswinds for the 45 miles to Monks Corner, tailwinds on the trail where it didn't matter, and 26-29 mph dead on headwind the last 40 miles. Felt fine for 90 miles or so. By mile 95 I had had it with the headwind- I'd been in it for almost 20 miles and was getting tired and hungry. Finally got back to civilization and made a stop for some cookies and a coke. With the exception of averaging 3 mph over the Ravanel bridge, the rest of the ride was fine. Ended up with 7 1/2 hrs. and 117ish miles. Not bad, legs were great for the most part, neck and back are fine, and I never really hurt at all physically. ( The mental beating I took in the wind was another story! ) Time for a shower and some rest- I'm sure I'll be hungry soon too ( a double quarter lb. cheeseburger is going through my head right now). Hopefully Liza will be home soon and make us something good to eat so I can avoid the Golden Arches!

Later-

DH

Triple Option

Wow. 409 rushing yards against UGA. Ya knew the triple option was coming. Giving up multiple 60 yd. touchdowns. Stings doesn't it?
Go Jackets!

Bike improvements

Got out to the trails again today for 45ish miles. Nice, sunny day with 50 deg. temps and no wind. My rig is running great now since I made a few crucial upgrades. Gone is the aluminum switchblade fork- in it's place is the carbon version. Waayy smoother ride now and I think it is a tad lighter if that means anything. Ditched the Thompson seatpost too ( not because it is a bad post- still the best out there for most bikes!) and replaced it with a Bontrager XXX carbon variety- again, much smoother although prob. heavier- see how things even out! Last on the list was to can the BMX grips and replace them with a pair of green Ergon GX-1 grips. Those grips are great! I've been trying to get a pair for the last year but none of my distributors have had 'em in stock. Worth the wait. I've had problems with my two outside fingers and 1/2 my hand going numb about an hour into a ride since 12 hrs. of Santos this year. Once I got the angle right (critical) the grips worked great- I've got in two four hr. rides in the last 3 days with no hand problems! Anyways- the bike is riding great now- almost can't tell it is rigid until I get on the gas and it moves! Now- have to find some good wheels for it- the stockers came off a tractor trailer I think.
Anybody have any suggestions for hydration packs- let me know- My hydrapack is getting on my last nerve. It would be great to have something that keeps the water in until I need to use it instead of resembling a cropduster spraying down the trail (and me). Something with straps that one could adjust while riding would be great too!
Later-
DH

Today's ride

Got in 50+ solid miles today on the mountain bike. 60-63 deg. and sunny made for a good day! Here's some pictures-

The camera is back in action!

Lost my download cable for my camera so I haven't been able to get any new pictures up. I have also lost my belt and my leg warmers somewhere in the move. I found the cable this morning so I'm up and running there. Now- if I can just find the belt everything will be fine.

Anyways- here are some pictures from the Savannah Cyclocross race and one I took while road riding up in Asheville a couple of weeks ago.

Headed out now for 4-5 hrs on the mountain bike for some tempo effort. I'll get some pics up of that as well.

Later-

DH

Tuesday

Winter is finally starting to show up here. 42 deg. today and awfully windy. Tomorrow morning it is suppose to be 28 degrees (gasp!) People are gonna freak out here. They will probably run out and buy up all the bread, water, and fire logs that they can find. They can't handle any kind of weather change down here. Hurricanes, cold snaps, and heaven forbid snow. I remember in 2002 a flurry was reported and everything shut down. People got into wrecks on I-26 and 526 out of principle I guess. Bizzare.

Anyways-
Got in a good 3 hr. tempo MTB ride at Marrington today, despite the conditions. It was still sunny out so it couldn't be that bad! The legs felt good and wasn't very hard to knock out some mileage. Have a new carbon fork on order for the rig. Can't wait to get that as my hands were done in again today by the roots. Man that place is rough. Got to ride some new trails too- once finished and worn in , they will be the best by far in Charleston. The new trails have a surprising ammount of elevation change, some rocks, a couple of creek crossings, and something new to the area that I have identified as a "bench cut singletrack".
Anyways- figure I should go ride em' as much as I can to help wear them in.

Got to see a crew of guys turning a swamp into a lake out there too. 3 huge boats destroying everything in the water. They had huge blades spinning at the bow that were chopping everything to oblivion. Muddy water , mud, logs, and bushes were flying 20 feet into the air. Never seen anything like it. There were other boats as well, they had conveyor belts and paddle wheels. Those guys were picking up the destroyed gunk and loading it into dump trucks up on a dike. Never noticed how big that swamp was until it turned into a muddy lake. Guess they will dredge it some too then that will be that!
I need a nap-
Later-
DH

Long overdue update

I guess I've got alot of catching up to do. Here's what I've been up to in Oct. and Nov.:
1. Cyclocross race in Savannah Oct 19th- Raced the singlespeed race first on my Gary Fisher Rig w/ 700c disc wheels. Was way undergeared and had a hard time on the flats- there were alot, but managed to get 3rd. Geared up a couple of teeth for the Pro race next and rode much better. Finished mid pack @ 15th.

2. Bought a house on Oct 24th and moved in that weekend. We had a good group and moved the whole house in 3 hours flat. Pretty impressive. The new house rocks! I think- all I pay attention to is the garage. The garage rocks! Tons of room for many bikes and motorcycles.

3. Work

4. Riding about 16 hrs a week now, gym work for the last 7 weeks. Feeling pretty strong.

5. Trip to NC to "race" the Swank 65 Mtb race in Brevard. 40 ish miles of technical terrain. Took the singlespeed rigid rig instead of suspension and gears. Didn't regret it. ( regreted it for about 5 min climbing up to Farlow Gap ) Race went well. I had decided that I would keep my HR under 175 since it is winter and I should be doing base training. Raced in cutt-off Dickie's to remind me to not get too serious. Managed to stay under 170 hr and have fun for the most part. The best part was passing all the full suspension walkers down Farlow. Rode that section better than ever, only dismounting for a couple of creeks at the bottom of the steep stuff and one 10-15 foot drop into a creek. Thanks to the 29" wheels rolling over everything! Anyways- Never red lined it, had fun, and rode well to finish 18th out of 150. I'll take it for now.

Later-
DH

Fall is starting to show up.

The weather is finally starting to get nice. 60's in the mornings and mid to high 70's by the afternoon. I am so ready for summer to be gone. Should be nice out until Dec. now. I hope so, I've got alot of miles to ride from now until January! Speaking of that, I'm feeling much better now. The soreness has all gone away and the legs are starting to feel good- getting alot of power out of them at low levels of intensity. Added more weight to my gym workouts yesterday and ran a much longer loop last night than normal. I think I'm gonna push it longer on tomorrow's run as well. Got one of my new bikes up and running this weekend. Brad and I got up to Marrington Plantation for a couple of hours of trail riding. I have to bump up the gearing on my bike- already ditched the stock setup and still need a taller gear. The race bike will need an even taller one when it comes in. So goes the fun of singlespeeds- looking forward to a different setup every race. Anyways- the bike rode well- 29'er w/ a rigid fork feels nearly as comfy as a 26 w/ a suspension fork. I spent all last year on the Yeti w/ a rigid fork and enjoyed it so these new bikes will be cake to ride. I'll end up with 2 Fox 29 suspension forks to sell if anyone is interested!
I need to go to work now-
Later-
DH

I've been crippled!

Started my training for 2009 this Monday. Doing about 8-10 hrs. a week on the bike w/ weights and running added in as well. I'll ditch the running in about 6 weeks, then the base training begins. This will carry on until Feb culminating with about 25 hrs. a week. Then switch to a 9 week build period so I peak when I want to and wreak havoc when appropriate( schedule is decided but will not be revealed yet).
Anyways-
Back to the crippling- started weights and as always- overdid it the first time and now I can barely move around. I can run and ride but any movement requiring muscles other than those used for that don't function very well. Even hurts to sit down on the throne. That is slowly going away. I have a gym workout tomorrow that will hurt, but the soreness should be gone after that.
Got to go- DH

News, News, News.

There's been alot going on lately. We are buying a new house here on James Island. It has a big garage for bikes and motorcycles. I think the rest of the house is nice too but really only paid attention to the garage.

Teamed up with Robert last weekend to win the 2 man class at the 12 Hrs. of Dauset. Great weekend, great course, and great competition. I rode my singlespeed as we were just going down there for "fun". However, we grabbed the lead from the KHS guys 3 hrs. in. It wasn't about fun anymore as we steadily built on our lead to end up lapping the field and setting a new 2 man team lap record at Dauset. Robert rode very well and everything went as smooth as you could ask for.

I will be racing for the Lowcountry Volkswagen team for 2009. They are well funded and have good support so I made the decision to ride with them. I have a ton of work to do there, organization, coaching, motivating, and finding some more 1/2 riders is on the top of the list for me. Not to mention getting that heinous uniform redesigned. I can't race in something that resembles used toilet paper.

That's all for now- gotta go to work-

Later-DH

Happy day after Labor Day

Got up to the mountains again for the second weekend in a row. Robert's birthday party was the excuse this time. Liza and I drove up early Sun. morning ( well- Liza drove, I slept the whole way ). Hung out for a few minutes when we got there, then Robert and I got ready for a ride around 12:30. Beautiful weather and milder temps. added up to a good ride forecast. Robert's surprise party was at 5:30 and I had instructions to keep him out until then. It was suggested that we leave later to make sure we didn't get home to early, but I figured being home to early would be the least of our worries where we were headed.
We headed out of Fletcher over to North Mills River, picked up FR5000 and started climbing. Got up to Spencer Branch Trail pretty quick and shortly descended Trace Ridge. I found out on Trace Ridge that I probably need to bleed my front brake as it faded all the way to the bar and did nothing. Fortunately I had two- one for the each of ya.
After a quick stop for more water we headed up Yellow Gap Rd. for a nice climb. Then up Laurel Mountain for some more climbing. That trail is in great condition right now, the downhills are a little washed out but the rest of it is perfect.
Saw a bear at Good Enuff Gap. Never seen one move that fast but he was haulin'!
Robert didn't see him as he had just crashed and had a leg cramp at the same time. He was in a spot of bother and couldn't enjoy the wildlife at present.
Topped out at Pilot Rock after a bit. A long bit. The hike a bike was surprisingly enjoyable to me- must be the running I've been doing over the last few weeks. Usually I hate that section. Pilot Rock was good as well, although it has apparently seen a ton of use this summer- very washed out and rough today. Not the condition I am use to seeing that trail in. After an uneventful descent I was ready to get back to the gravel road. The last couple of minutes were starting to test my fatigue and pain tolerances. The rigid fork I'm on and the fading front brake had me worked over by the time it was done. My shoulders were cramping from absorbing the impacts and my hands really didn't work anymore. Still a great descent though.
Robert showed up a few minutes later commenting on how perfectly he nailed the switchbacks and rock gardens on the way down. Not one mistake where he had to unclip to put a foot down. Never got on the bike, so he didn't have to get off at all. Walked a perfect line in the technical stuff. Better safe than sorry on your birthday.
Got back about 6:30, overshooting my time goal but allowing everyone to get to the party before the surprise entrance. Good party with some very much needed good food. Got to catch up with almost all of the Brevard crew and had a great time.
Drove back home yesterday and cleaned out my bike stuff in the garage. Need to get up some money to race with so I found a bunch of stuff to sell on e-bay. I need to get rid of stuff anyways because we should be moving into another house soon. Later- DH

Goodbye Velo-News

Dear Velo News-
I regret to inform you that I need to cancel my subscription. While your magazine is the best racing oriented mag out there and I enjoy it very much, the last cover was the last straw. When Lance was racing, 95% of all covers were dedicated entirely to him ( apparently the only important thing in bicycle racing ). OK- I can see past that. Then this last cover. Lance gets 2nd in Leadville. Dave Wiens has won the last 6 straight Leadville 100s. Last year he beat Floyd Landis, this year Lance. Dominating the race. Lance gets the cover. What's next? I got it- next year how about this one: Chistian Van deVelde wins the Tour de France, Lance gets a new riding lawnmower- Nothin' but a 10//2 jersey on John Deere green all over that cover! Give the race winner a blurb in the Hot or Not section. Rediculous. If I see lance in a current bike racing magazine again I think I'm gonna' puke.
DH

Weekend Report

Arrived home last night from a 3 day backpacking trip in Shining Rock Wilderness up in Pisgah National Forest, NC. Alex and I had a great trip. Started a little rough- we started hiking at 10 pm friday night and made it to the top of Black Balsam (6,240 ft) at the same exact time as an enormous wind and rain storm. (Wouldn't be a trip of mine without fine weather!) After fighting the wind, rain, and tent we finally had a somewhat dry and safe shelter to hole up in until daylight when we could get off that mountaintop. The night was pretty rough, with the tent getting pushed down on top of us and the constant wind and rain it felt like a jet engine on top of us. Sleep eventually came however, and we woke at 9am to calmer wind. Visibility was still 3 feet as we were still in the clouds.

Cooked breakfast, got packed , and got out of there. As we descended, the weather improved and the day turned out beautiful. Made it out to Shining Rock for lunch and a nap. 3 times on the way there I got stopped to give directions and answer questions. Do I look like mapquest to you? After telling the last guy directions twice and orienting his map rightside up we were on our way for awhile. Looped back on Ivestor Gap trail, then on to Graveyard Ridge, then down into Graveyard Fields for the night. Found a great campsite by the river and got set up. I think we were about 20 feet from where I last camped up there with my dad in 2001. Hiked downriver to the falls where alex jumped off a huge rock into the water. Once. Too cold, lets go eat.

Cooked dinner, made a fire, and Alex went to bed at 8pm. He would not move again until 8am. I messed with the fire till around 10 then turned in myself to a much nicer night than the last one. Woke up at 8am, cooked, packed, and we were out of there by 9:15. Beautiful morning as we headed up and out of Graveyard Fields. The hordes of blueberry pickers were already descending as we made our escape. Had a great hike up the Mtns. to Sea trail, back to Black Balsam Road by 11:00. In the car and on the way to Cieleto Lindo for some much needed Mexican food immediately. Overall a great trip and we are already planning another. DH Out.

It's in the air

Rainy morning. Took out the trash and when I came back into the garage something caught my eye. My stack of tires was against the back wall. On top of those tires were all my cyclocross tubulars. My deep carbon race wheels were leaning conspicuously against the pile of Tufos. "No more road racing on the schedule" I thought to myself. Pulled off the road tires and on went the CX tires in all their red, black, and yellow glory. Much better. Those wheels look so good with the proper tires mounted up.
30 days till go time.
Just have to find a bike first. No one ever has them available until cross season is almost over. Every year, same story. You'd think the bike manufacturers would figure out what they are making the bikes for and when they will be used.

Anyways-
Heading to Pisgah this weekend for a 3 day backpacking trip up at Graveyard Fields with Alex. Should be fun. Come back Sun. then no holds barred preparation for cyclocross domination this fall. What I mean by "domination" is don't come in last every race.
Later-
DH

Friday Morning MTB Necessity

Got up this morning, loaded the megavan, and rolled up the the Weapons Station for some MTB riding @ Marrington. Looking forward to a nice mellow ride to stretch the legs out after my travels, I was not prepared for what would happen next.
Got to the trails, got dressed, got out the new Yeti and rode over to the message board to start my ride. Someone had written lap times down on the board. Hmm- times and names, looks a little like a results list. No reason for that out here, if you want to compare times and such you need to go to a race, not the local trails. Maybe I'd actaully see some Charleston guys at races then. The damage was done however. Whatever part of the brain it is that controls my personality saw " results list" and clicked to race mode.
Like I said, I was not looking for a hard ride today, but I got one anyways. Pushed it pretty hard for the lap. Not full on race pace, but hard enough. The new Yeti is much stiffer than the old one. Coupled with my switchblade fork and the plethora of roots, it took me awhile to get in a rythm. After riding that Fuel it felt like I was on a jackhammer. Smoothed out and settled down after 20 mins. or so and started really rolling. Felt good to hammer for a reason.
Took 15 mins. off of the previously posted time. Not my fastest lap but solid none the less. Don't know who put the time up but hopefully someone will come along and kill my time. Then I'll have a reason to ride harder next time. Or not. I prefer to bring out the A game at races, not the weekday MTB ride.
Maybe I need to get a race going at Marrington again so that those lap times will count for something. Think anyone would show up?
DH

Overdue update

There has been a ton going on as of late. Just got back from the Trek Bicycles dealer show in Madison, WI. Spent a few days up there in seminars, checking out the 2009 product line, and riding the 09 bikes. The whole line looks great. Some of the stuff they were spouting was hooey however. Got in about 80 miles or so on various mountain bikes from Trek and Gary Fisher on Tues. The Fisher Superfly was my favorite until I rode the Top Fuel 9.9 . Best mountain bike I've ever been on. By a lot. I hate saying that. I've never said that the bike is what makes you go fast, but this bike WILL make anyone faster. Trek has created an un-level playing feild for riders on this bike. I've ridden all the designs out there and they are all fast. Until now. After some suspension adjustments, that bike was incredible. I was going to do one lap on it but ended up doing 4 laps and skipping the road demo completely. I had already ridden 4 hrs and was getting tired but after I got on the Fuel my lap times were getting faster and faster. The bike begs to be hammered harder every time. Got to get one. All I have to do is "find " $7000.

Anyways-
Got back home late last night after a horrible day of airline travel. New bike came in on the UPS truck when I got to work. Was built shortly thereafter and the Yeti is ready to roll. Now just have to make it through another long day of work and the weekend will be here.
Later- DH

Keep on Keepin' On

Rode home in the dark tonight. Got off at 8:30, suited up, and rolled home. I like riding in the night. Sure, it's nerve wracking on the busier roads but when you get to the quiet stuff, bike lanes, or the bridge it is very enjoyable. Feels weird riding in the dark when it is 85 deg. out. Night riding is usually a winter activity since it is dark after work and the only option. I get off of work when it is dark so I have no option. Had a headwind tonight so I was riding a little slower than usual. You get to see alot more activity at night from the bike than you would in a car. Ride through the hood in the dark and you would be surprised how much foot and bicycle traffic there is. There are more people hanging out on the steps than in the houses. The blue lights from the police cars are startling they are so bright. You would be amazed also at the number of bats that exist around here. Tons of bats.
After a detour passing cars down King Street ( I like checking out the lights and people out at night ) I headed on home. The connecter was eerily quiet as the headwind changed to a tailwind on the Harborview exit ramp. Going downhill combined with the wind shift caused a huge increase in speed propelling me quickly to the safety of the bike lane across the bridge. The tide was in as water was on the road and I could smell the sweet stench of pluff mud as I completed my journey home.
The house was quiet when I arrived and dinner was waiting on the stove. Now for a shower and some sleep. Gotta get back on the bike at 7am, ride to work and do it all over again tomorow.
Later- DH

A week of beat downs

Man- what a rough week I've had. Started last friday with a terrible ride at Marrington. Riding a borrowed bike, I was going through all the usual setup problems with the suspension and positioning. Not to mention the trail was VERY dry and sandy. Not a good combination with euro style ( backwards) routed brakes. Augered in on a step down double when I tried to scrub speed in a sandy turn with the front brake ( suppose to be rear). After dusting myself off, I got on with it and eventually got my setup close.
Drove to Brevard the next day and dropped Alex off at the skatepark for a few hours. Ran by Sycamore to chat with Wes and headed for the Fish Hatchery for some riding. Pulled up in the parking lot and ran inyo the woods for a pee. The sweet smell of deep dark dirt and forest greeted me and I knew it would be a good day. Got in about an hour and fourty minutes ( 2 laps on Caney Bottom) of great riding. Best ride in 3 weeks ( the count still continues ). Got the bike dialed and headed off to pick up Alex. We immediately drove back into the forest to the river to go swimming. That done we headed to dinner, hung out with Kent and Mary, and set up camp. After a campfire and marshmallows we called it a night.

Sunday:
Got up way too early and drove to Fontana. Pre- rode the course, changed tires, and got ready to race. Took off at the start and that was about the fastest I went all day. 2 mins. of fury. Rode like poop and had one of my most pathetic races to date. In the other side of the glass, however, was the fact that the trail was great and I love riding there. Anyways- rolled in for 11th and last place in the Pro class. Should have been closer to 5th but it's over now so I'll shut up about it.
Drove down to the river, went swimming at the bottom of Fontana Dam and drove home.

Tuesday:
Went riding at Marrington again. Trying to lick the wounds from the weekend I was headed out to nail down some fast laps. On my second lap I was feeling good and riding smokin' fast. Compressed the suspension in a dip as I was pedaling- Left crankarm digs into a pile of rocks and I go 20 mph to zero in .0005 seconds right on my head. Laid there for awhile ( after the bike flew up in the air, then down on my back ). Gathered my wits and did a damage assessment. Pretty bruised up and sore due to hitting the ground harder than I can remember doing since Albany. A couple of small cuts and scrapes, busted helmet, Deep bruises on my thigh, kidney area, and calf. A fat sprained ankle finished everything off. Limped on out and rode back to the car to go to work.

I was sore yesterday, but much better now. The bruises are continuing to get nastier as more blood comes to the skin. Maybe I'll post some pics of those for ya'.

Next up- GA Cup in Elberton- We're off to that tomorrow. 20 Mile Team Time Trial Sat. AM, Crit PM and 90 mile Road Race on Sun. I'll try to stay off the ground and post a positive race report next! DH

I'm gonna get to race my bike this weekend!

Gonna go to Fontana Village, NC this weekend and race a mountain bike. It's been almost a year since I've done a cross country race. Broke my Yeti a couple of weeks ago and haven't received the replacement frame yet. I am fortunate to have good friends that let me borrow bikes. Nathan set me up on his Giant NRS for this weekend. I have 2 days to get use to it but I'll be OK. Don't know why but I am super excited to race, but 2 hrs. of self inflicted pain sounds great for some reason. Maybe I'm so excited because I haven't had my MTB for 3 weeks now and have been deprived of dirt. I live in a pavement world here in Charleston and have been using pretty much the same routes for the last month now. I need to get off road ASAP. Gonna race the FL state mtb series this fall and winter. Turns out most of those races are relatively close to me and since FL has some of the best riding around I'm gonna do that instead of spending tons on gas and freezing at cyclocross events all winter. It'll be 70-80 and sunny through Dec. down there so that makes the decision easier. Miami in Nov. sounds pretty good.
Anyways- the weekend plan is to go to Brevard on Sat for a long ride and then camping Sat. night. Head over to Fontana Sun. morning and turn myself inside out. No expectations- no clue of fitness with the lack of riding/ excessive work to get the new store up. Gonna show up, race as hard as I can and have a great time on one of my favorite trails around. Kinda funny that I'll be going from a fully rigid aluminum bike to a full suspension carbon rig. I'm interested to see how it goes. Hopefully the race will be long so all the endurance training this year will pay off. If I could just find some speed somewhere I'll be alright. Maybe I'll find some in time. We'll see! DH

Consistency

Finally starting to get some consistency down as far as work, riding, and diet. I have a schedule figured out now and am ready to roll. Most of my weekly training will take place on the way to work and back. It's a 22 mile commute one way so I should get in alot of miles regardless of wether I try to or not.
Yesterday was a good one. Left the house at 7:00, got in 2 1/2 hrs @ 239 watts. Worked 10:00 to 8:oopm. Got on the bike @ 8:20 and headed home. Called in an order to Yo Buritto for food and rolled by to pick it up. Sat at the bar in spandex while I paid and waited for my food. Ate, then headed home. Almost the whole ride home was in the dark, good thing I've got lots of lights.
Everything was going great till I made it to Calhoun St. downtown. Heard some glass crunch as I weaved through between a car and a dumpster. One mile later- front flat. No problem except my spare tube had a hole too. Bummer.
Whip out the phone, call Liza and wait for a ride. Game over. Thankfully, Liza had come home from Sonoma a few hours earlier or I'd have had a harder time getting a ride.
While I waited I noticed that it was quite hot and humid out still, something I'm not use to while riding with the lights on. That's normally a winter endeavor.
I also noticed the large ammount of people out on bikes at 9:30 at night. Must have seen 10 or 12 during my 10 min. wait.
Anyways- I'll give it another go seeing as I work till 8 again tonight. Let's see if I can make it home without any problems tonight. DH

The New Store is Open

The new store opened today. It went very well despite no advertising or signage. Thankfully I have tomorrow off. I need it. Put in 70 hrs this week culminating in a 13 hr day yesterday to get things done in time. That's alot of bikes. I need to ride, been working so much and standing on concrete that I'm just absolutely worked over right now. Couple that with not really riding in 2 weeks and I feel all out of whack. Quality of life is not great right now. Should improve over the next few weeks though. Still gonna have to work alot as we need another mechanic on staff- anyone interested? Good pay and sunny beaches!
Anyways- got to get some sleep now- might actually get to ride tomorrow!
DH

How Not to Win the National Championships

Race Report:

Hard race, with no huge team representation, it was complete chaos. Attack after attack after attack went up the road. No cooperation to chase let several large breaks stay out for awhile. I tried not to work but had to do something with 10 laps to go and 12 guys up the road. Chased hard for 3 laps then others contributed bringing the break back by 5 to go. 2 to go the pace ramped up and the jockeying began. Last lap I was top 8-10, came inside w/ 2 turns to go to move up to 4th wheel heading into the last turn w/ 250 meters to go. Perfect. First 2 guys would fade in the headwind and I would charge around the 3rd guy to win the National Title.

Unless the guy in third wheel skips a pedal, highsides into my front wheel, and my fork snaps in half. On the ground at 42 mph. Again. Get up and walk in with 1/2 of my bike in each hand after some "words of encouragement" to the offending bonehead. I'm fine- only 2 quarter sized spots of road rash?! I actually still ended up on the results in 22nd place. Not many people left by the finish of that one if I walked in at 22nd. What hurts the worst however is knowing the win was right there in my hand. Then it was gone. I have 364 days to stew on it though! DH

Made it

Made it up here to KY. Well, Indiana actually- we're at a KOA just across the river. 6 hr. drive yesterday was not bad at all. Stopped at Norris Dam, TN for a ride. Pretty cool area and a beautiful day kept us riding for 2 1/2 hrs or so- 40+ miles. The legs are starting to feel pretty good again. After an invigorating soak in the river, we got back in the megavan and headed north.
The KOA is pretty cool, had to drive through the ghetto to get there. We crossed "the tracks", however and everything was good. Had some great food downtown, caught a 4th of July festival w/ some live music, then packed it in for some sleep.
Rain is pouring down right now but the weather forecast is for a nice day. The plan is to hang out till the rain stops then get 3-4 hrs. in. I think if we head north up the river we'll find some good roads.
Got to eat breakfast now. DH

Forgot Something

Just remembered that I haven't "officially" announced my change in employment. Last day at Charleston Bicycle Company was June 30th, I start my new job when I get back from Nationals on the 8th. I will be the mechanic for the new Trek concept store opening this month in Mount Pleasant. The store is going to be first class ( by far the best shop Charleston has ever seen ) and the $ and benefits were too good to pass up. Kinda sold out as the atmosphere will probably not be what we had at CBC but the chance to go to the next level came up so I took it.
Lost my spot on the CBC team as well, hence the new sponsor Sycamore Cycles ( thanks Wes!).
Anyways- looking forward to getting that store started up, I've started from the ground up in a shop before and that is pretty fun. Gonna have about a billion bikes waiting to be built when I get back, so I've got to get some rest. Later- DH

Final Preparations

Just finished packing up for KY. We are leaving in the AM, driving to Knoxville, riding, then on up to Louisville. Had a good couple of days up here. Robert and I met up w/ Kent yesterday and the 3 of us got a good ride in at DuPont. Had to cut it short due to a Robert flat, Kent crash, and I cracked my frame. Good ride till then though, a beautiful day out and perfect trail conditions. By the way- the new stuff( to me ) on Burnt Mtn. is so much better. So we packed up and rolled into Brevard for some double cheeseburgers and tater tots at Daggie's.
We then caught the Wed. night crit at the Mellodrome, got some Moe's then hit the sack.
Got in an easy AM ride today. The legs were junk so we scrapped the motorpacing and rode motorcycles all afternoon. Picked up a jersey from my new sponsor- Sycamore Cycles, and rode up to Weaverville to watch Robert's son @ BMX practice.
Hit the parkway on the bikes at dusk for a nice ride and got back here around 8pm for too much pizza. Now I'm just sitting here like the Goodyear Blimp.
Hope to get in a good ride tomorrow, maybe the legs will feel better, then on to Nationals.
DH

Bound for Kentucky

I'm in Asheville right now. Got up here yesterday, hung out at Cane Creek for awhile then rolled out with Robert to the Etowah group ride. The weather is great up here. Sunny and 70-75 degrees makes for an enjoyable ride. The Etowah ride was good, the usual suspects were present as well as some unusual individuals as well. That ride has gotten much better since I have moved with a smoother feel to it. It used to be all herky jerky but last night was steady with a nice solid pace. My legs were kinda funky feeling from the drive up but not too bad. Didn't get anywhere near redlined but did put down a few good leadouts for the sprints. Ended up with a pretty fast ride. We got in a little over 3 hrs with a 21+ mph avg. Not bad with the hills.

Heading out to DuPont for a 4 hr MTB ride today, some motorpacing on Thurs, then drive up to Nationals on Friday. Looks like good weather all week as well as good riding. I'll let you know how it turns out. DH

I'm still here

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm still alive. I've been really busy lately but haven't had much constructive to say. I'll get some good posts going soon. Later- DH

Dirt Sweat and Disaster

The weekend didn't go so well. Drove a long way to "race" for 2 hrs. Pre-rode the course on Friday and loved it. Rolling, witha few steep but short hills. Twisty singletrack was very nice. By raceday it was terrible. Made a bad tire choice and paid for it. Was running fifth into the woods, feeling like I was riding easy instead of all out off the start like normal. The trail was wet, but not too bad. 4 miles in it fell apart. We came out of the singletrack onto a dirt road. I was running a 2.3 tire up front. I had also taken my rigid fork ( the one with miles of mud clearance ) off and replaced it with my suspension fork. Bad mistake. My front wheel got so clogged with mud that I couldn't even push the bike more than 10 feet without it stopping me. I had to carry my bike for the next six miles to finish the lap. At one point I had cleaned enough mud out to roll and I got on for a downhill. I made it 20 feet and the front wheel clogged so bad that it stopped and I went over the bars. Broke my derailleur hanger on that one. Was planning on trying to change tires and get something going on lap 2 till that nonsense. I was about to be lapped on my first lap when I finally got out of the woods and back to the pit area. Packed it in and went home.
Injury report: A good cut on my left knee ( slipped while walking w/ the bike)
A long cut on my right shin ( caught my fender in the endo!? )
A pretty nasty disc brake rotor burn on my right shoulder.

The drive home was long to say the least. I HATE quitting. Anyways, after that display of dominance I am no longer placed high enough in the USAC Ultraendurance series to justify traveling to the rest of the series. Therefore, my schedule will change a bit from here on out.
Stay tuned for the rest of the season. DH

Big Week Coming Up

I had a good weekend. Rode up to Southern Pines, NC this weekend for the Tour De Moore Road Race. We had good representation with Nathan, Scott, and I in the race. Looking at 70 miles in the first hot day of the year, we were loaded up with water.
The race went pretty good. We were in a constant battle with the Hincapie team and their negative racing tactics. They would get a guy up the road in a break and sit 4-5 wide across the road at 12 mph and not let anyone else past to start chasing. This is racing in it's most cowardly and most unsportsmanlike form. No one else in the race wanted to race either as the other teams succumbed to these tactics. Weak. Wouldn't want the race to come down to who is the strongest and tactically astute. That's not honorable racing. Eventually, Nathan and I worked our way to the front and started to bring the break back. It wasn't easy as the 2 guys were out of sight up the road somewhere. We spent over a lap on the front to get it done. Thankfully Scott made his way up right as we caught the break. I knew a counter-attack would happen when we caught the break. Nathan and I were wasted from chasing for so long so Scott would have to go with any attacks. Thankfully he attacked as well and 7 guys were up the road. I did what I could to slow up the field and soon had nothing to worry about. Hincapie had 2 guys in the break and soon their whole team was spread across the road slowing things to a crawl. Game over. At least we could take advantage of the lame tactics.
Long story short, one guy got dropped from the break, the remaining 6 split 3-3 but stayed away. Scott was in the 2nd half, struck a deal with the other 2 to not sprint and split the prize money. This worked out well as the other 2 were better sprinters ( he started riding away on the hills and they got scared he would attack so they wanted to bargain.)
I finished well in the field sprint so we had 2 in the money. That paid for our gas and we all went home with more dough than we came with. Worked out well. Especially since I had my doubts about finishing after chasing so hard. I was cramping pretty bad in the sprint but had something left.

Next up:
USA Crits in Walterboro on Wed night. Lots of money and Pro's to beat on me. Pain Central for this week. Gonna do the Cat 2 race before the Pro race to win some cash before I get beat on.

Then...
Dirt Sweat and Gears 12 Hr. in Fayetteville, TN on Sat. 2nd race of the USAC Ultraendurance Championship Series. I am currently tied for 4th. The goal is to ride well and move up into the top 3.
I'll let you know how it turns out! DH

Motorpacing Night

Got out with the guys for some motorpacing last night. Big crits next week to get ready for. We probably should have started motorpacing a month ago, but what the heck! Got in about 45 miles last night, mostly at 35-40mph. Some of the team had never done it so I guess it was good practice for them. I meanwhile was trying to see just how close I could get off the bumper ( fortunately we had a good road and a smooth driver or I would not do this and do not recommend anyone else do it without getting use to it first. Trained professional and whatnot.) Had a couple of tense moments where we had to come around the car in corners (cars corner way slower than the driver thinks they do!). That was fun as well. Anyway(s) we got in a couple of good hours of speedwork and headed home. Funny how you can turn over 2 gears higher on the way home ( into the wind ) than you did on the way out after that type of workout. Motorpacing "redefines" your perception of speed.
Got in another great ride this morning- a few hours in the sun makes the rest of the day go well. DH