Dave Hall All the Time

Rudolph's Rampage

2011-12-19T07:31:00.002-05:00

Finally broke the Harbison Curse. Never had a remotely good day for the last 12-13 years of races there. Had a good one yesterday though. Good ( for December ) legs and luck added up for another win. Final race of the year. Can't complain- think I did 24 or 25 races and won 8 of them. I'll take it! Looking forward to a great holiday seson and next year!
Later-
DH

WBL #1 This Sunday

2011-12-05T10:42:00.003-05:00

Charleston WBL #1 this Sunday. Same as the last 2 yrs- 19-21mph nice and steady double paceline. 3 to 3 1/2 hrs loop, one store stop. Leaving from the downtown Bicycle Shoppe at 9:30 am. Park there or ride over for more miles. Here we go!

Tires in a hole

2011-12-04T09:11:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the 3rd sick day in a row for me. Didn't sleep Friday night at all. Couldn't breathe and couldn't stop coughing. So...it was movie night. Bad Jean Claude VanDame movie night. I was suppose to show up Sat am at 9 to help the Waccamaw Trail Blazers build new trails but after being sick and awake going on 30 hrs I decided that I would be better off laying on the couch.
After a shower however, I felt a little better and figured that a little movement should loosen things up. Got out to the trail head to meet Marshall and was pleased when we had 10 or so people show up. The new trail area looked promising with a decent amount of elevation change and good dirt ( a surprise on the coast! ). The big problems we were looking to take care of were the multiple huge tractor tires we had to haul out of the swamp up a 30 foot near vertical wall and the tons of buried junk all over the place. Those tires were heavy! Everyone worked hard and we made short work of everything though. Ended up finding 6 x 250lb tractor tires filled with terribly stinky mud, 5 house radiators, a buried chain link fence, a trailer chassis, tons of wood and scrap metal, and bags upon bags of trash.
It was satisfying work and good to get to know some of the other mountain bike riders in the area. We got a nasty area cleaned out and ready to go and I'm looking forward to riding some new trails shortly!
And now I'm back on the couch and can barely move. Time for some sleep.
DH

New Whip

2011-12-02T13:08:00.002-05:00

Here's some pictures of the new road bike. I've been on it a week or so and am very happy with it. Super stiff and responsive with a smooth ride. Accelerates like a rocket. D. Lee did a great job on the paint! Exactly what I had in mind. I'll post a full review when I get more miles on it.
DH

Day 2

2011-12-01T12:48:00.002-05:00

All I can think about is how bad the soles of my feet are hurting. Every step on the hard pavement sends a shockwave through my feet, around my ankles, and up my shins. I'm tired, my toes and feet hurt from pushing into the front of my boots. I have a stabbing pain in my left shoulder and at the base of my skull when I look to the left. On top of that, it's dark, it's freezing, I left Alex behild a mile ago, and I still have more to walk. However, as I look back over my shoulder I can see the last bit of daylight fading over Pilot Mtn. to the west and feel content with the effort we put out today.
The day dawned crisp and clear. After a surprisingly restful night, I awoke ready to roll. Relaxing in the warmth of my sleeping bag, I wiggled my toes and flexed my legs. Feeling my muscles contract and loosen I could feel no soreness or stiffness in the legs and knew it would be a good day. Quickly we dressed, cooked, pumped water, and rolled out. While it was still pretty cold out, we warmed up quickly and shed layers within 15 minutes. The next few miles from Butter Gap to Gloucester Gap went by quickly as we settled into a good rythm. We both are feeling good and I know we'll cover some decent mileage today.
We are planning on camping on Farlow Gap trail just past the first waterfall. I remember a good campsite there from the times I've ridden past on a bike. We'll make it there for sure. Up next however, is the monster ascent up over Pilot Mtn. A monster climb it proves to be too. The further we go up, the steeper it gets. Switchback after switchback we climb. Looking out over the adjacent ridges I know we are gaining alot of elevation quickly. The view at the top should be great! Finally I pop out of a Rotodendron tunnel and am in the sunlight on the rocky summit of Pilot Mountain. The 360 degree views are indeed incredible. We are higher than anything else that side of the parkway. After a few minutes, Alex makes it up, we eat lunch, and take pictures. Looking at the map we can tell that we are way ahead of schedule and can probably make it back down to the river off of Daniel Ridge trail and a great campsite. That will leave us with a shorter walk tomorrow!
Down we go. Down off of Pilot Mtn, down Farlow Gap. Seems like we were going downhill forever. As rocky as Farlow is and as hard as it is to ride on a bike, I think it's actually harder to walk down! While still making good time, we are starting to get fatigued from sliding around on the heavy leaves and unstable rocks. I am having to wait a little longer for Alex to catch up as well. I know his feet are hurting from the downhill. Soon though, we cross the last creek and I know we'll soon turn onto Daniel Ridge Trail and be at the river in no time.
The sun has dropped behind the high ridges surrounding us as we descend. I can see the golden, warm sunlight above us on the higher ridges but it is starting to get cold in the shadows where we are. Soon, we are at the river. Alex is tired and hurting so we opt for the first campsite we see. Glad to be done for the day, we drop our packs and set to making camp. I get my tent set up quicker than Alex and start clearing out the fire ring and getting firewood ready for the cold night. That's when some problems start to manifest themselves. Apparently, this deep in the valley doesn't get much sunlight and I'm having a hard time finding any organic matter that isn't soaking wet. Looks like a fire will be out of the question. Gonna be a long, cold night. The ground proves to be not as comfortable as it appeared on earlier inspection either. Rocks, rocks, and more rocks under the wet leaves. Not a terrible problem until Alex discovers that his air mattress has a quarter sized hole in it and won't inflate. This will mean that in addition to sleeping on rocks, he will lose valuable warmth as well.
After a short consideration of our situation, I propose a plan. There was a little daylight left so we decided to go for the car back at the Fish Hatchery. I figured that Alex just needed to make it the 1/2 mile to the road, layer up more clothes and wait for me. I'd hike back to the Hatchery, get the van, come get him, go get Mexican food, and drop in on Robert for a place to crash. So, we pack up quickly, racing the nighttime and put the hammer down. We make it back to FS475 as it gets dark. I keep walking and soon leave Alex behind to wait near Cove Creek. Davidson River Trail is my last obstacle and passes quick enough. Fortunately, I didn't start to hurt till I got to the pavement. I got back to the Hatchery, walk unnoticed through a Sheriff's roadblock and get the van. I have to stop and hand over my license and proof of insurance the second time through though. Soon, I make it back to Cove Creek and pick up Alex.
Dinner was great and Robert's house was warm ending a long day and another great trip.
DH

Walking

2011-11-18T16:58:00.002-05:00

Alex and I went for a backpacking trip during my time off the bike. We wanted a tough hike but something semi-close by. Pisgah it was. The weekend before I had raced the Double Darefor two days up there. It would be kinda cool to see some of the trails I rode by foot. Having hiked everything on the Waynesville side of the parkway on previous trips we decided to change it up and leave from the Fish Hatchery this time. We would be heading up over John Rock to Cat Gap and the Art Loeb trail where we would head toward Butter Gap for the night. We made quick work of John Rock ( wishing I'd done the 2 checkpoint bonus hike up there in the Double Dare!) and were eating a snack on the back side of Cedar Rock in no time. With about an hour of so of good light left we headed up the trail to Butter Gap Shelter for the night. I have been through Butter Gap many times on the bike but never dropped over the ridge to the shelter. What a great campsite! Flattish, close to water, a permanent bear cable with pulleys and haul lines, and a killer view of Cedar Rock. We caught the last rays of the sun high above us on the rock. The shelter is in need of work with over 1/2 of it rotting away, and the cold wind was blowing straight into the open front. The decision was soon made to break out the tents instead of sleeping there. After setting up camp and cooking dinner of Raemen Noodles and Vegetable Beef stew, we set to getting a fire going. I like hiking during the winter as you don't get as sweaty as the summer. However, you need to carry more gear to stay warm and the 12-13 hr long nights are a bummer. During summer you can hike till 9 PM, eat, then go right to bed. Wintertime requires finding something to do for the hrs between dusk and bedtime. Hence, a good fire was necessary tonight! Problem was- it had rained very heavily the night before and all that morning. Everything was still damp. It took awhile and all my skills(and a fortunate wind) but soon we had a rather smoky fire going. An hour later after drying wood near the fire, we had a roaring fire going. Hanging by the fire and burning anything dry that could be found brought us to bedtime surprisingly quick. After letting the fire die out, we headed of to our tents under an extremely bright moon.
Day 2 next time!
DH

Preparation for Impending Pain and Suffering

2011-10-27T16:25:00.007-04:00

Back in Myrtle Beach for the day. Took the day off the bike to get squared away for the weekend. See...Brad signed us up for a little race called the Double Dare this weekend. No matter how bad things look Brad knows that if he registers us, gets a hotel, and gets the time off then I'm in. All he needs to do is call me up and say we're going. He knows that I'm game for anything ridiculously hard, I won't crack, and that he's the one that has to bring his A game for us to win. It's worked well for us the last two years as we've never lost a race when we've teamed up. This one will be a tall order to pull off though. Yeah, we've got a lot written in the "Pro" category, but there are an equal amount of problems listed in the " con " category. Gonna be freezing cold at night and there's going to be plenty of very strong guys there!
We'll see how the math works out by Sunday night!
If you haven't heard of the Double Dare, I'll explain the gist of it for you: It's smack in the middle of Pisgah National Forest. It is a 2 person team competition- You have to stay together the entire race. It starts at Noon this Saturday. At the start the organiser will announce 10 checkpoints throughout Western North Carolina and say GO. No route/ course, no SAG, no support, and most paved roads are off limits. You have to get back to the start before Midnight after trying to reach all 10 checkpoints. You're 1 second late and they don't count. Hardly any team will get all 10. There is a special test at midnight for time bonuses.
6AM it starts all over until 6 PM Sunday night. The team with the most combined checkpoints in the least amount of time wins. Looks like just under 100 miles a day in Pisgah separated by a 6 hr break. This is going to be particularly awesome Sunday morning when we wake up at 5:30 AM to race off in 32 degree weather in the dark. After riding 12 hrs the day before. And not really sleeping. The only thing I'm wondering is why are we stopping at all? Let's call it a 30 hr. race and let it rip! I'm really looking forward to miles and miles of Pisgah. The singletrack levels in my life have been a little too low lately and I need to restock!
Anyways- I'm all finished up packing the mandatory gear onto my bike and into my bags and ready to roll. Going to a haunted house tonight, rolling back to Charleston to pick up Brad in the morning and we are Pisgah inbound.
Stay tuned for a race report sometime next week. Probably not Monday or Tuesday as I'll be completely destroyed for awhile after this one!
DH

Recovery

2011-10-24T22:21:00.002-04:00

What a great weekend! Got some riding in- road and dirt, watched Liza run the Myrtle Beach 1/2 Marathon and completed my first painting since 06. I've started numerous painings but get distracted easily by things on two wheels. Painted this one from one of the photos I took Monday night. I think I'll call it " Night Ride". Anyways- beautiful weather and I'm feeling very rested. Looking forward to alot of miles of dirt in Pisgah this weekend at the Double Dare! Looks like clear skies, highs in the low 60's, and lows in the mid 30's. Lock and load!
DH

Night Ride

2011-10-21T14:17:00.002-04:00

Here's some Charleston scenes from my night ride Monday. I have some clearer shots but like the blurry ones better!
DH

Tools of the trade

2011-05-06T12:28:00.002-04:00

You know it's gonna be a beast of a workout when you're looking at all of this to get you through a couple of hours on the rollers. Got me two DVDs too.
DH

2011

2011-02-15T21:05:00.002-05:00

Hasn't been much to write about lately. All healed up from last September's accident. More than healed up to tell the truth. The time off has done wonders for me. I'm pain free for the 1st time in probably 3 years and the motivation to train and race is higher than ever.I've lost 10lbs. and I'm going on 7 weeks of solid training now. In the last 2 years it's been hard to put together more than 2 consistent weeks. We'll see if it's all going to pan out soon enough with 12 hrs. of Santos this Saturday. For the 1st time I'm racing as a 2 man team instead of solo. Hoping to avoid burying myself early in the year I think this is the way to go. With some big races coming up I want to be strong all year.
I'm on 2 new teams now- Momentum Racing off road and ABRC (Asheville Bicycle Racing Club)on the road. Both of thse teams appear to be very competitive this year.I'm looking forward to road racing more this year. I miss crits and have a schedule full of them.
I will be moving again in a few months as well. Liza was promoted in January to a District Manager...............of the Grand Strand District. Hello Myrtle Beach. It's a huge step up for her so that's good even if I don't know what I'll do there!
Anyways- I'll post again with a write up after Santos. With 75-78 degrees and sunny on the forecast- it can't be bad!
DH Out.

A photo from the Archives

2010-12-06T15:06:00.000-05:00

2010-2011 WBL #1

2010-12-03T18:11:00.002-05:00

Come on out for the 1st WBL of 2010! The Bicycle Shoppe in Mt. Pleasant at 9 AM Dec 12th. 4 hr Tour de Monck's Corner is the route. 18-20 mph avg, one store stop, possibly some hardpack dirt, be ready for anything! See ya there-
DH

Dahlonega

2010-10-27T10:48:00.002-04:00

I almost forgot to post pictures from the weekend. Alex and I drove to my parent's house in Dahlonega,GA last Friday afternoon. The plan was to visit and do some hiking. Saturday we got up early, grabbed some sandwiches and headed for the Appalachian Trail. After dropping my Dad's car at Woody Gap, we drove over to Neel's Gap to hike the 11 miles back. The parking was out of control even early in the morning. With such a beautiful weekend on tap there were tons of people out. Long story short- we had a great hike on an awesome day. The ribs were OK and the legs were fine. Very glad to have made the trip up. So here's some pics:

Irreplaceable

2010-10-25T20:34:00.003-04:00

Probably the worst picture ever of either of us. I think we both just woke up. Rest in peace Big Cat. You'll be missed.

New Wheels!

2010-10-21T21:50:00.002-04:00

Some Stan's wheels were waiting on my doorstep when I got home today! Supersweet and much lighter than my I-9s. Can't wait to ride.

Doldrums

2010-10-11T20:36:00.002-04:00

I'm still here. Still hurt. Still bored. It's been a little over two weeks since I the vehicular assault and I'm going nuts. I have a ton more mobility now, almost back to normal. The pain is still the same as the day after though. From what I hear, that's the way it will be for awhile. Oh yeah- I almost forgot, I had to go back to the ER 2 weekends ago due to inability to breathe. Turns out that I have six broken ribs not two. Again- don't go to MUSC. The doc.was impressed that I ran out of pain meds. 4 days prior and only came beck then. My lung has returned to full volume and is still bruised but recovering nicely. The ribs will just take time. Nothing I can do about that.
I did get out for a ride this Saturday though. 3 miles around the neighborhood on the mtb. Got on the bike very gently and started riding with Liza. She upped the pace on me prompting a "counterattack" at 12mph. As I passed I tried to put the nail in the coffin and sprint away. Wrong answer captain! As I stood up and put weight on my arms, I also loaded up the upper body and the ribs screamed curse words to my brain. Not a good idea. So, as I got sick to the stomach from the pain, I got passed back and just had to deal with it. After a few minutes I was done so we headed back home.
Anyways, I have two to four weeks left of recovery- I'm thinking two though. I have been busy however working the details out for next year. Change is afoot and I'll know more soon.
Stay tuned- DH

Rest Period

2010-09-26T12:29:00.002-04:00

So...No more bike racing for awhile. No Cross but I might be OK for the Swank in November, then the 24 hr.Charleston race. Riding my motorcycle home from work Thursday night a girl decided to ignore the fact of oncoming traffic (me) was definitely oncoming and turned left into me. 8th time I've been taken out on 2 wheels. Anyways- I was in sight of the turn into my neighborhood so I wasn't moving fast greatly reducing the damage. After a quick, unnecessarily bumpy trip in the ambulance we arrived. "We" meaning me and the demon paramedics. I thought I was going to choke to death due to the neck brace installation and knew I was in big trouble when I saw the driver was a woman. After alternating between full gas and screeching halts sliding me around we finally made it to the MUSC Trauma Center where we would remain for eternity. I had managed to work my unneeded neck brace loose and could breathe again by this point and the adrenaline was wearing off allowing me to take stock of the situation. I was pleased that for the first time after being hit I had no apparent head or neck injuries ( those motorcycle helmets are waaay better than bicycle helmets.) and hardly any road rash. The entire left side of my body however was killing me. There was no position that I could wiggle around to to aleviate the rapidly increasing pain. I would lay around on my gurney for quite some time before Liza was allowed in and a nurse showed up.
Finally a nurse came in and gave me a couple of shots easing the pain and allowing me to lay still. After many rounds of painful X-rays, a cat scan, a ton of redundant questions and prodding, and eight hours time wasted that I'll never get back, dressing myself and attempting to leave ( I could have walked out and they wouln't have noticed),the doctor came in. Prognosis- broken ribs and a collapsed lung. It was recommended that I spend the night and get X-rays of the lung in the morning. No way. I told him I didn't think that was necessary and I should go home. He gave us some time to think about it and came back an hour later. It occurred to him that we'd been there 8 hrs already so he sent me for a more up to date x-ray to check on the lung and released me.
4-8 weeks recovery is predicted but I'll be up in no time. The next time I get hurt I'm willing to bleed out before I go to MUSC again. Terrible. I know hospitals and that place was by far the worst ever. I was the only patient there for most of the time and still got crummy service. So I figure if MUSC world time is 4-8 weeks recovery, a normal person's time is more accurately 2-4.
I'll be up and around in no time. Later-DH

Awesome commercial

2010-09-12T14:25:00.001-04:00

5 days

2010-08-31T21:03:00.002-04:00

5 more days till football. Finally.This sat. at 1:00 Georgia Tech will put 50 points up on South Carolina State. What an opener. Guess every top 20 school does it though. Confidence booster. They'll need it with alot of top 20 teams coming up. Gonna do all I can to get to a home game in ATL this fall. The drought of football over the last many months has me jonesin' for some action. Can't wait- I'm off this weekend. Gonna ride then watch football all day. The Tech game is probably not going to be on TV so I'll have to watch it on la computadora. You have to do what ya have to do. Anyways-bring on Fall!DH

Duo W.

2010-08-30T08:42:00.003-04:00

Brad and I headed up to Charlotte Friday night for the River's Edge Marathon. We got to the hotel around 1:15 or so and got to bed at 2am. After a not so good night of non-sleep we felt less than stellar. The hotel breakfast proved without a doubt why it was free to add to my growing discomfort. We loaded up and headed to the race, arriving an hour or so ahead of the start. It was decided that since the holeshot was so important here that I would start. Yay. Feeling less than enthusiastic I tried to warm up as best as I could. The start came up really quick and I rode up the road to line up. I didn't get the holeshot, but 2nd wheel into the woods was good enough. 4 hrs and 3 minutes later Brad finished his 2 laps and we won. After an unwelcome, rapid decrease in my front tire pressure five minutes into the 1st lap put me down 15 guys, things were looking grim. I finally got rolling good at the end of the lap, passing a few more guys. The 2nd lap saw everyone but me slow down by several minutes. My 2nd lap was 4 sec. faster than the first and strong enough to put us up on 2nd place by a minute. Brad then rolled out our fastest lap and we never looked back. I think we got the W by 4 min or so. Not a terrible day, I managed to hold it together despite feeling terrible and riding like I had never been on a bike the 1st lap. Overall I have to say this was a great event, good course,well attended, and very well run. I'd like to return next year for a repeat. If you haven't been to the U.S. National Whitewater Center- check it out, it's pretty cool. Later-DH

Fool's Gold Part 2

2010-08-25T07:33:00.003-04:00

I left off with the start of the race so here we go. We headed up the gravel road climb to Cooper Gap, 4 miles or so to the top of the ridge, then another 7 miles across the ridge gradually climbing. I was on the front of the race riding tempo. Three guys were up the road with another dangling in no-man's land. By the time we past the Ranger Camp, there were only 10 or so guys left in my group. Only a mile in and the other 250 people that started with us were gone. Up and up we rode into the increasing rain. I backed off a tad approaching the steeper sections before the top and came onto the ridge in around 11th or 12 place. Feeling better up there I opened the throttle and rolled it pretty hard across the ridge immediately dropping 4 guys and catching another group of 3. Soon I caught Jeremy and told him to get on my wheel as we hit it really hard across the top- we could rest on the downhill. Soon we had moved into 3rd and 4th place and left everyone else for good.
The downhill coming off the ridge was gnarly. 40mph in the pouring rain! We passed a ton of the 100 milers here and shot onto Turner Creek Trail at full speed. It became quickly evident that we couldn't ride that trail at full speed as nasty as it was. Red clay and roots made for a slippery situation so we dialed it down to a conservative pace and pushed on. Soon we made it to the Bull Mountain Loop 20 miles in. Aid Station #2 had nothing but water at this point so I stopped to fill up both my bottles. Rain continued to fall as the conditions were deteriorating. Jeremy left before I did so I was pushing on solo now. After a long climb up a gravel road that felt like quicksand I made it onto the trail up Bear Hair Trail for the technical climb to the top. After some pushing I made it to the descent. Rain was pouring down now and there was a good 8-12 inches of water cascading down the trail. I hammered pretty hard down Bull Mtn. My brakes started fading here so I stopped using them in an effort to save the pads for later. Some sections I was going way too fast and out of control but managed to pull it off. I started aiming for puddles and mudholes to scrub speed without using the brakes. Soon I was done with the loop and at Aid Station #3. After another bottle fill (4 bottles so far) and some chain lube I was ready to roll. The scene there was not good. I saw probably 50 people scattered around, standing, working on bikes, confused looking people, all covered head to toe in red clay. After weaving through the piles of muddy bikes laying around I was rolling again. 18 miles to go.
After some quick, really muddy singletrack, I was back on gravel for awhile. I rolled up the gravel at a good pace, glad that my legs were still feeling good and that I could push it a bit. Soon, the left hander onto the next loop of trail came. I almost blew the turn as my brakes were really starting to lose effectiveness now. That loop of trail went by much quicker than I remembered from last year and I found myself at the next Aid station. 10 miles to go, and it was looking like I would finish in under 5 hrs. now for sure. I didn't stop here and rolled on to start the Black Creek trail. I had been dreading this part the whole race. It's a cool trail but has a ton of steep up and down and I remembered a lot of clay last year.It was sure to be destroyed this year. I was right. I almost died 10 times on that loop with the combination of no brakes, slippery clay, and steep hills. Soon enough though I was approaching the end of the loop. I had caught Jeremy on a climb near the end of that loop. He had less brakes than I did and was dragging a foot on his tire to slow down.
After a quick stop for a coke at Aid #5 I pushed on, passing the 2nd place guy as well. 5 miles to go as I rode through a steadily climbing double track section. It seemed as if the rain was done now. Soon, the turn onto the last section of trail approached. With less than 2 miles to go I knew the end was near. I had a few close calls but was out of the trail and descending the gravel road into the Ranger Camp quick enough. Picking up speed on the gravel I became worried as I remembered a creek coming up. I had no brakes and hit the creek crossing at fullspeed. Last year it was only a foot or so deep. Not so this time I thought as my bike stopped and I hastily "dismounted" into the creek that was uptomy waist. My bike was floating away and I quickly grabbed it and got out of the creek. At least I was clean for the first time in 4 1/2 hrs! Anyways- down the hill I went knowing I'd be done in 2 min. or so. I barely made the turn off the road onto the trail down to the 4-H camp. Again, no brakes led me to hit the turn full speed and launch up into the woods at 100 miles and hour. After regaining control just in time to blow another turn I was ready to be done. Soon I was exiting the woods and riding between cabins entering the finish area. One creek crossing to go and I'd be done. After swimming in the last creek, I was taking no chances with this one and dismounted. The Ukrainian judge gave me poor marks but I didn't care. I was done. 2nd place at the end of an epic day for everyone. I went straight back into the creek to wash off and clean the bike. I think I just now got 100% clean. Later-DH

24 Hrs. of Charleston

2010-08-24T18:59:00.002-04:00

Save the date! Nov 20-21st, 2010. Charleston, SC. I'm putting on an urban 24 Hr. race. The Faster Mustache 24 hr in Atlanta last year was the coolest race I've ever done. It is not happening anymore so a few of us down here in Charleston decided to carry on the theme. We still have great weather in late Nov. here. So.... stay tuned for more info, we are gathering sponsors quickly and working out the details. Website to come with full info very soon.

Fool's Gold

2010-08-23T07:52:00.003-04:00

What an awesome weekend I had. Drove up to Dahlonega on Thursday to pre-ride the Fool's Gold course in the rain. As I headed up the first climb the rain stopped, the sky looked better and I thought it would clear and dry out. It didn't. I rode the gravel climb and descent then headed down Turner Creek trail into an expanse of peanut butter. When I popped out back on the forest road I had decided to cut the trail sections out of my pre-ride since they were in such bad condition. I then headed backwards on the course and back up to the ridgetop, back across, then down Cooper Gap Rd. to where my car was parked past the 4H camp. After a quick swim in the creek to wash off ( not to be the last!) I headed into town to catch up with my parents.

Friday was a great day, sunny again and not too hot. I got out for awhile on some quiet roads for another good ride. When I got back and cleaned up my Mother and I drove over to Hiawassee to see my grandparents for lunch. My Uncle and Cousin stopped by as well. We had a great lunch and visited as long as we could, but too soon it was time to go home. When we got back to Dahlonega, I rode up to Wheelworks and picked up my registration packet, came home and went to a great Italian dinner with my parents. After dinner and a quick walk around the square, we headed home, I got everything ready to go for my 5:30 am wakeup and hit the sack.

I was awakened earlier than I wanted to be by some very severe sounding thunderstorms. I got so excited that I could barely get back to sleep. I have been waiting all year for muddy race! Anyways- I woke up at 5:30, got ready, and was out the door by 5:45. I arrived at the camp the same time as last year- a little after 6 and was suprised that the parking was almost gone. There must have been twice the turnout this year. I got the megavan parked, got changed, and headed off to take care of the most important part of the race preparation.

The line at the bathroom was very long. After a painstaking wait, I was able to drop a little weight. Now I could mosey on over to the start line and relax till it was time to ride straight up a hill for an hour. Soon, the 100 mile race started. Those guys took off and I was a little sad to be doing the 50 miler this year instead of the 100. It wouldn't make a difference in the long run however. When the 100 milers had rolled out, the 50s swarmed thestart line. Jeremy and I ended up front row right in the middle. Perfect. After a look around I was very glad to be there as all I could see was people behind me. There must have been 300 back there. After a quick strategy talk with Jeremy where we discussed getting the holeshot, then making a left back to our cars and going home, we were getting the 30 second countdown. Everybody got real quiet as the tension rapidly built waiting for the start. I was counting in my head like I always do waiting to jump on one instead of go. After 30 seconds Eddie shouted 10 seconds and everyone flinched a little. Then GO. I got a good start with Jeremy right behind me to avoid the chaos as the bottleneck started behind us. And full race report willhave to wait until tomorrow- I have to go ride now! Later-DH

Today's Ride

2010-08-12T18:02:00.003-04:00

Got a good one in today. Rolled out with Aaron from the Shoppe this morning headed for Goose Creek and some off road at Marrington Plantation. Got up there and onto dirt in about an hour. Things went well for most of the first lap until I crashed for some bizzare reason while going uphill. When I crashed my bike somehow landed on the back of my heel and broke the valve stem off. So now I have a flat on top of rolling around on the ground.

Anyways- We managed to finish up the trails and make it back to town as it was hitting 98 degrees. Just in time before it got really hot. We ended up with 4 hrs and 56miles in. A cold shower and a Burrito later it was time to hit the couch for a nap!

"Action" Photos from the weekend

2010-08-11T07:34:00.004-04:00

Drove up to Fontana,NC this past weekend for the final round of the Southeast Regional Mountain Bike Series. After breaking some bike parts (and then crashing immediately because of said parts breaking) the day before I was less than enthusiastic. Robert was kind enough to let me borrow his bike so at least I could ride. Getting use to a 26 inch wheeled bike in the middle of the race was entertaining, but I finally got it together and didn't feel like I was going to kill myself by the end of the 2nd lap. The legs were a different story as my largeness and lack of training would catch up to me on the steep gravel and pavement climbs. Anyways- ended up finally finishing in 12th, jumping in the river, then driving home. DH

Good times

2010-07-30T22:55:00.002-04:00

I had an incredible ride tonight. Really liking the new cx bike. Rode to work this morning in Mt. P. Got off at 7 pm. I was more than ready to roll out of work. Looking forward to a headwind on the way home, I was less than enthused. However, by the time I got to Patriot's Point I was feeling pretty good and really digging the Solo CXR and the 38 X 14T gear. So.. I hit up the trails by the golf course for a bit. I ended up out on the marsh overlooking Sullivan's Island and the downtown peninsula just in time for a pretty cool sunset. A surprisingly cool breeze was blowing despite the hellish weather we've had lately. I soaked it in for awhile then rolled out. By the time I got over the bridge and downtown I didn't want to stop riding. Liza was out at a baby shower and Alex was out with some friends for awhile. I had some time so I rode. And rode. And rode. I got home a little after 10pm. I ended up riding all over the Metro Charleston area. I rode for no reason other than I liked it and I didn't feel like stopping. Usually I have a purpose for riding, but not tonight. Tonight was about enjoying riding the bike. I may end up worn out tomorrow morning but so what. Go out and ride folks. Nothing beats it! DH

New Toy

2010-07-28T09:12:00.003-04:00

I just recieved my new cross bike. This summer has been so terrible that I'm doing everything I can to hurry up and get to fall. Even if it's all in my head. Fired up for cyclocross already, and long mountain rides. Anyways- got the bike in, stripped it down, and now it is rolling just the way I like it. Some deep carbon tubular wheels would be nice. Fortunately ( or unfortunately) I've still got awhile till I need race wheels. Anyways- Here's some pics, I'll write a review after I get it dirty. Later-

ORAMM "Race" Report

2010-07-26T08:55:00.002-04:00

ORAMM: Ran too small a gear, got behind a ton of people on the flat road out of town, passed 25% 0f the field on Kitsuma, crashed with a spectacular cartwheel, got up and passed another 25% of the field, drive side bottom bracket bearing seized and stopped turning, went home. From the looks of the people I saw DNFing and finishing over the next 5 hrs, I got off easy. The heat was pretty spectacular, even in my picturesque lounging spot by the creek. I got to see some pretty rough looking people on bikes. Hope it's not as hot next year, cause now I have to come back. Wasn't planning on it but I can't leave it hanging with a big fat DNF.
Later-DH

The Second Half of Summer

2010-07-23T08:07:00.002-04:00

Not much going on here, trying to get some sort of momentum going for the 2nd half of the year. Finally getting some solid training in with a couple of big weeks now I've lost 11 lbs. Feeling better all around! It's a good thing with the upcoming race schedule. I've got what appears to be an epic battle at ORAMM shaping up this weekend, Fool's Gold 100 next month, then the monster Trans North Georgia on Sept 4th. Cyclocross starts 2 weeks later. I did get my new cross bike in last week. I'm in the process of building it up. I am racing on a Rocky Mountain CXR Team bike. It's all white so it must be fast! I'll post pictures and a review when I get some miles on it.
Back to TNGA. The process of preparing for this race occupies some of every day. There is so much to do before Sept. I am trying to sort my gear and figure what to carry. I am studying maps and cue sheets. I am also trying to decide on racing the singlespeed or gears. Rigid or suspension? Tarp, tent, or hammock? The list never ends. I have a shakedown weekend planned early in August to help me figure things out.
Changing the subject a bit- here's a retail story from work yesterday:

Customer: I need to pay off the balance on a bike.

Me: Sure! Which bike?

Customer: blah blah

Me: Here's the paperwork, Kevin will grab the bike and I'll meet you at the register to settle up.

Customer: How much is it? ( preparing to write a check)

Me: I'm sorry sir, we don't take checks. Do you have another form of payment?

Customer: This is the only way I can pay.

Me: Doesn't that check come from a bank account?

Customer: Yes but I don't have a debit card.

Me: That's fine, why don't you go to the bank where you deposited the money into that account and withdraw some to come pay me?

At this point I see the wheels are not turning anymore as the customer looks very confused. I am staring to think we are at an impass when the customer speaks again.

Customer: Can I use your phone? I need to call my mother. ( and I'm 30 years old.)

Me: Sure, no problem, here you go.

Long story short- Mom gives me her credit card info, bike is paid, and off he goes. Checks. The only reason checks should be used is between businesses and payroll.

Anyways- I need to go work on my bike now. I have to change to a 24 X 23 T setup for ORAMM if I don't want to walk on Curtis Creek Sunday. Just kidding. However, I may( for the first time ever) drop the 34T for a 32T. I feel like a wimp thinking about it though. The lowest I've ever run is a 34 X 21. That was fine out west last summer and I think the 19 was the 2nd lowest gear I used all year. Nah- I'll stick with the 34X 21. I shouldn't have a problem in NC.
Later-
DH

Bahamas Pictures

2010-06-10T10:15:00.001-04:00

Oops

2010-05-27T14:47:00.004-04:00

Wow- talk about losing the message in translation. Good job Nissan- perfect timing with the current "Floydgate" situation! "Discover the science behind legendary performance" Yep. Might want to change that ad.

On to more important matters....4 more days and I get to hop a plane to the Bahamas w/ Liza!

Made my day-DH

R&R

2010-05-10T08:20:00.002-04:00

Time for a little break. My right shoulder still hurts from when I separated it last March. I can't figure when it happened but now my left shoulder is in more pain than the right! Maybe it got jealous or sympathetic? Who knows. I did have a crash at FATS well over a month ago where I landed on the left shoulder but it felt fine for a couple of weeks. Now it's getting worse. As if that wasn't enough, my left knee is inflamed and killing me. I also have a hangnail. I know how the knee happened. I installed some new Shimano pedals on the Niner. Had to ditch the crank bros. Got sick of rebuilding them. Anyways- I don't think I installed my cleat where it should have been. It seems like all I want to do is ride around on the mtb lately- with the increase in mileage and the misaligned cleat- I think it caused the hangnail...or the knee issue. I can't bend it very well now.
Sooo.. I will skip the SERC race this weekend and 12 hrs. of Tsali the next. After that Liza and I are headed to the Bahamas for a week for our 8th anniversary. If you want to rob my house- stop on by! Better not- we have 2 police officers house sitting for the week.( really!) Liza's sister and brother in law are gonna come down for a vacation in Charleston while we are gone. Works out great! Sorry to dissapoint you if you were hoping to score some Niners!
After that I should'nt feel like a cripple anymore and will be back in action soon. The plans for the rest of the year have changed a little though. I'm still doing the rest of the SERC series, ORAMM, Fool's Gold, and a couple of 12 hr races; however, the big one will be Trans North Georgia in Sept. Really looking forward to that. Nathan and I are teaming up again and it should be a good time! Gotta go work on bikes now-DH out.

SC St. Crit

2010-04-19T12:29:00.001-04:00

Over the hump

2010-04-12T08:24:00.002-04:00

Things have been a bit disorderly for me lately. Ever since I returned from Rouge Roubaix, I've been sick, unmotivated to train, or too busy to get any consistent riding in. I've gained a little too much weight for my liking and feel really out of shape. The plan for this past week was a backpacking trip on the Art Loeb Trail with Alex for spring break. However, he hurt his foot so that was off. I had the time off, so I rode. Brad and I went to FATS in Augusta on Thursday for a great ride and great ammounts of pollen. Yellow dirt. Yellow sweat. Yellow clouds blowing in the wind. Great trails and a hard ride down, we headed home. Friday I drove to Asheville, hung out at Cane Creek all afternoon ( and put a suspension fork on the Air 9), made ride arrangements for Saturday, and got in a good road ride with Robert. After a terrific dinner at Apollo Flame I hit the sack and slept like a rock.
Saturday morning I woke up, showered, and headed up to Mr. Petes to meet the guys. Gary and his Friend, Paul, Jeremy, and some industry guys were there so we rolled out. N. Mills was the destination and we were soon there. A bit of Darwinism shed the WTB guy as he followed the wrong car to Brevard instead. The second industry guy was shed after 5 minutes and a stick in the derailleur on Laurel Mtn. With the baggage gone we rolled out for 4 hrs or so. The bike was working great, I had good legs, and we were ripping the downhills following Paul on the Niner WFO. Good stuff. Got back to Robert's, napped, we ate Mexican, messed around with motorcycles, and hit the sack.
On the schedule for Sunday was the SERC xc race at Tsali. This one I was dreading. It's been awhile since I raced an XC and my current state of fitness had me hoping for a ride slightly north of embarrassing. Anyways- after arriving, I parked, grabbed my bag and rode off to find the team trailer. Hung out with Bill a bit, registered, and got ready to race. Feeling optimistic after a good warm up I headed to the start line. Or the back row of the start line. Guess I rolled up a little late. There were 30 or so in the Pro class and I had the back row all to myself. Great way to start the race. The gun finally goes off and we drill it to the singletrack. I pass a few guys and have to back off and try to get into a rythm. Before I know it the first 18 mile lap is over and I'm over halfway done with the second lap. When you are use to racing 12 hr races, I guess a 2hr XC race goes quick! I had steadily been passing guys here and there and the finish came quick- ended up 19th. The legs felt tired but not a whole lot different than when I started. I actually felt pretty fresh after the race. I could get use to this again- I don't feel like a car crash victim like I normally do after a race.
Anyways- I'm relieved to have gotten that over with. Now I know what I need to do to get back to XC racing. After 24 Hrs. of Big Bear was cancelled, my whole program has changed. Building for that all winter has left me with a ton of endurance and muscular strength, but nooooo speed. I have to get that going, it takes me about a week to accelerate out of a corner! Give me a month- speed comes quick.
I did find out that the Left loop at Tsali has more sapling pine trees growing/ crowding the trail than any other spot on the planet. I didn't pay attention during the race, but when I showered afterward I found that I was covered with scratches on my arms and legs. Just an observation.
Off to ride now- have to keep the momentum going! DH

Another Rainy Day Off

2010-03-17T18:07:00.005-04:00

The rain is falling pretty hard outside now. This has been the pattern on my days off this winter! Things are looking up each week though with better weather. Had some nice early morning off road rides this week and am looking forward to another one tomorrow. My general sickness and/or beating myself half to death on the bike for the last 3 weeks has been letting up as I feel recovered now. I haven't felt "normal" in a month but feel pretty good now and am looking forward to training hard. Training for what I'm not sure as my "A" priority race this year was cancelled. No 24 hr Nationals in WV. They are moved back to Moab, UT. Too far away and too crummy a course to entice me to race. I think I'll race more XC now and focus on the Pisgah Stage Race in Sept. I should have done that one last year and as a bonus it is now 5 days long!

Anyways- I couldn't bear to get on the trainer again so I kept busy around the house today- or should I say the garage. Liza got me a model railroad starter set for christmas after a visit to the hobby shop and some reminiscing of my childhood. I need something to take my mind off of riding bikes so this worked out great. Not one to do things in a small way, I have been adding on to my trains since the day I got them. I finally got the layout built up and running the way I want today. Here's some pictures of the results. Still needs some landscaping and buildings, I'll get there in due time.

Well- got to go- I probably should get on the trainer after all! DH

The St. Francisville Fiasco

2010-03-09T17:33:00.003-05:00

Nathan, Joachim, and I drove to Louisiana this past weekend to race in the Rouge Roubaix road race. It is suppose to be a really hard 102 mile road race with steep climbs, bad roads, and miles of dirt and gravel. I continue to find ways to mentally and physically beat myself into the ground so of course I was in! We left on friday and after 14 hrs. in the car we arrived in the middle of nowhere north of Baton Rouge known as St. Francisville.

In order to save time and spare you the whole story, here are some observations from the weekend:

1. Alligator tastes pretty good.

2. 30% of the roads in Louisiana and Mississippi are dirt, 50% are crap, and 20% are nice. By 20% I mean I-20 and I-10. I don't know what the tax dollars in these states pay for- it's not the roads. With tough competition from SC for worst state educations, I don't think taxes pay for the schools there either!

3. There is very beautiful countryside there.

4. LSU's cycling club has the worst, most horrible cycling kit in existence in the history of cycling. On that note, I'm glad I don't have to see anymore purple outfits worn by the fans of LSU either. Had enough of that. The whole state is purple and yellow.

5. If a Shimano Di2 electronic drivetrain equipped bike is packed in a car driving for 14 hrs with something touching the shift lever, the battery will go dead.

6. You can ghetto charge a Di2 battery by stripping the wires on a cellphone charger, inserting them into the battery, and plugging it into the wall.

7. Rouge Roubaix is the hardest road race I've ever done.

8. It feels weird and just a little creepy when someone tries to buy drugs from you at 11pm at a gas station in Pensacola, FL.

9. Nathan and Joachim did very well, and none of us flatted or crashed.

10. We drove straight home through the night after the race, arriving at 6:30 AM. The sunrise from the connecter was beautiful.

11.McDonalds will sell you a Mc Flurry at 2 AM.

Later-DH

This Post is Brought to you by the letter W.

2010-02-22T21:08:00.005-05:00

W for win or for weak? A little of both. I was more than a little worried headed to Florida Friday morning. The painful chest and cough I had developed on Wed. was getting more persisitant and I had taken Wed. off from riding due to crummy feeling legs. However, I was signed up and everybody was fired up to go. So I went. Robert, Joel, and I left around 6AM on Fri. morning so we could get a good spot to set up camp on the course. We got down to Bellview around 12:30 and got set up in the same spot as last year. Worked fine then so why change anything right? We got 2 1/2 hrs. in on the course and called it a day. Same course as last year. I ran a 34 X 17T last year and although it felt a little tough, decided to run it again this year. The legs were OK pre-riding, I took one lap easy, then did a hot lap to open up the legs. After this, the legs were good but the lungs were crap, with a painful cough and headache. I was worried.
We got dinner at the same Mexican Joint as always, then groceries ( with lots of TheraFlu and Vitamin C) and headed back to camp. After a steaming cup of TheraFlu I headed off to sleep. Or so I thought. There were of course some Idiots raising Hell all night keeping everyone awake. I think one of my competitors must have stayed in a motel and had his buddies stay up all night to keep people awake. After much yelling from other people, the jerks finally quieted down and I got some much needed sleep.
I awoke to my teammates Bill and Jeremy hollering at me about 8AM to get up and bring the pain. I had the pain alright- just all over myself. I felt terrible. So I went and hollered some things at the guys that were loud last night. They looked at me and quickly turned away as everyone in our area now hated them. I planned on putting ants in their sleeping bags on Sat. night. After a breakfast of more TheraFlu and oatmeal I started to feel better. I slowly got ready and before I knew it it was time to drop off my bike in the transition area and head to the start line. I was lacking the energy to stand at the start so I sat on a rock wanting to sleep until the stat line got busy. I lined up and we were off.
I had a decent run, got into the trail in around 15th. Moving up past the prerequisite guys that run really fast then blow up 5 min. in, I found myself in the top 10, in 1st solo. I stayed here for a few hours, then started feeling really bad. The sickness was catching up- my lungs were killing me, my headache made me think my eyes were going to fall out, and I couldn't focus very well with my eyes. I started making dumb mistakes. The 34 X 17 was feeling way taller than last year. I pulled into the pit after the 5th lap and decided that I was doing more damage to myself than it was worth. However, I was still in 1st by a large margin. After hacking up some quarter sized phlegm, I grabbed a coke and rolled out for one more easy lap. It was a fast one. As were the next 5 laps. I had begun to feel a little better. With a steady diet of Perpetum and TheraFlu, I lapped 2nd place halfway through. I have a theory as to why I "felt better". It's all about balance of pain. In the beginning my head and lungs were hurting from being sick while my legs felt fine. Unbalanced pain. So I noticed the pain and dwelled on it. Toward the middle, the rest of my body caught up with the lungs and head and then everything hurt. Balanced pain. I could then concentrate on riding. Everything was fine. I was now 1 1/2 laps up on 2nd Singlespeed and 5th overall. I could have stopped early but decided to put the exclamation point on it ( and I wanted to go over 120 miles) so I rolled out for a last lap. With that done, it was over. Team Cafe:ine (formerly known as Team Terrapin) had won SS Solo 12 Hr (me), 2 man Team 12 Hr (Bill and Jeremy), and Sport Solo 12Hr.(Andrew). Congrats to Joel as well for pulling out a 5th in his first ever solo 12 hr!Not bad for the first race of the year. Now- to get well then get some much needed training in. After collapsing by the fire for awhile, I got changed, we all got our awards, and we rolled out to find a hotel.
Although I had a sub standard ride, a win is a win and I'll take it. Next up- Rouge Roubaix on March 7th. That one should be epic and I'm looking forward to it.
Later-DH

Niner Air 9 Carbon Review

2010-02-17T19:38:00.002-05:00

I have a couple hundred miles on the bike now and it's clear that some precautions need to be made. The Air 9 is so stiff and light that my reaction time can't keep up. Any input on the pedals results in instantaneous highway speed acceleration. It's like the powerband on a YZ250 kicking in. Fortunately, the handling is razor sharp so any control issues at high speed are handled with ease. Nevertheless I have decided that more protection is needed if I have an altercation at top speed. Therefore, I'll only be riding this baby with my motorcross gear on from now on.

All jokes aside- this bike is really impressing me. The faster I go, the faster the bike wants to be pushed. I'll have a long distance review to post after this weekend's 12 hr. I should be very aquainted with it by then!

Later-DH

That's right

2010-02-17T12:50:00.000-05:00

Snowball's Chance in Hell

2010-02-17T07:47:00.004-05:00

We got snow here Friday night. Snow at the beach- never thought I'd see that. This winter has been the worst winter I can remember. The winters were milder when I lived in Brevard! The wind hasn't dropped under 10mph for at least 3 months. We normally are over 60 degrees now and have had several days in the high 70's. We haven't been out of the 40's for the most part. Sure we've had a couple of 50's- with 30 mph wind all day! I wonder if we'll have a milder summer this year? Hope so! Yeah, yeah- I know- quit being a crybaby- there are guys that can't even ride their bikes till April. Yes, but they made a choice to live in Wisconsin, or Michigan, or wherever in the far reach of retardia they live. I live here for the mild winter and year round riding. Anyways, looking for good weather this weekend as I head down to Ocala, FL for the 12 Hrs of Santos. Always one of my favorite races and I always do well there. I'm looking to repeat last year's win. We'll see how it goes- I haven't been riding anywhere near as well as last year, but ya never know what will happen on race day. I've had some of my best days when I thought I had crummy legs and some of my worst days when the legs felt good! That's the funny thing about bike racing- you never know how you are gonna ride till you are in the race.

Anyways- I'm going to ride a ton of laps on a fun course in sunny warm weather on a new bike so I can't complain! I can't wait to see how the new Niner Air 9 Carbon rides over 12 Hrs. I have an idea- and it involves the chiropractor on Monday but we'll see. Regardless, the bike is blazing fast and will be tempting me to push it faster.

Here's some pics from the ride on Sat: Snow on my palm tree, one of the better SC drivers ( probably happened after the snow was off the roads!), and Coleman boulevard approaching Shem Creek.

Later-DH

More weekend pics.

2010-02-10T17:36:00.001-05:00

Escaped Charleston for a bit.

2010-02-10T17:00:00.003-05:00

Alex and I got away from the monotony of the Charleston winter for a bit last weekend. Plan A was to drive up to Fletcher Friday night, stay with the Watkins and go Backpacking the rest of the weekend. Yeah- we knew there would be a ton of snow left from the last 6 month's terrible weather up there and were prepared to handle it. We'd been out in the snow before and were not worried. We woke up Sat morning and headed to Brevard, then up 215 to the Parkway. The plan was to park in one of the pull offs on 215 on the Waynesville side of the ridge. We would then hike up the Mtns. to Sea trail up to Graveyard Fields, Black Balsam, and then Sam's Knob- camping somewhere in between. However, there were no pull offs. 215 was still snowy but passable. The plows had piled all the snow 2-3 feet high in the parking areas though. So...with nowhere to park we retreated back to Brevard for lunch. It was then decided that we would do a dayhike up Looking Glass Rock, go back to the Watkin's for dinner, then go to the Indoor Winter Motorcross at the WNC Ag Center.

The hike was great- tough, but good. The bottom half of the trail was shin deep powdery snow. The top half was crap. The last 1/2 miles to the top was all ice. Blowndown and broken trees were everywhere and what wasn't down was hanging down in the trail. We had to go over, around, and under so many trees and bushes that we were beginning to wonder if the hike was worth the effort. Finally we made it to the top, descended a tad to the rock face, and an incredible view. The snow made the landscape beautiful- you could see every bit of terrain, forest road, and tree. The pics. do it no justice. Long story short- we made it down in less than half the time it took to ascend-much better when you are not postholing back down!

The Motorcross was awesome as well and didn't disappoint. WNC culture was well represented in the stands. We spotted an elusive 8" Rat Tail on a kid but were not quick enough to snap some photographic evidence. After asphyxiation from the fumes occurred in a few hours we left for the house and some sleep. Alex must have been delirious and suggested the $4.99 all you can eat pancakes at IHOP. We must have all had temporary mental retardation and decided that it was a great idea. Off we go.

Bad idea. An hour and a half later and 40+ pancakes heavier we all left for the house feeling less than stellar. Surprisingly, I slept well on my basketball stomach.

After a late start and hanging around the house we decided it was time to head for Charleston. Not without eating at 5 guys burgers first though! After the tour of Restaurants in the Asheville area was done, we were off- East bound and Down. We made it home in 3 1/2 hrs and headed straight to a friend's for the SuperBowl. And more food.

Testing the new bike

2010-01-30T16:07:00.003-05:00

I'm going stir crazy. It's raining so hard here, as is the case anytime I get a new bike. So I had to ride indoors. Went down the stairs and the bike was much smoother than I thought it would be. Can't wait to get outside and ride. I may put a huge gear on and take it to the road group ride tomorrow just to ride it! That should tick some roadies off! ****Notice my sweet helmet. Safety first!***

Later-

Niner Air 9 Carbon

2010-01-29T19:13:00.003-05:00

Finally something exciting to post about! Check out my new race bike. Production versions to follow soon hopefully- keep checking the Niner website. Got to go but I'll give a full report soon!

WBL # 2

2009-11-19T17:02:00.002-05:00

WBL #2 this Sun. From the Shoppe in Mt. P. 9 AM. Last week was good and everyone had a good day. 3 hr, 56 miles- good stuff. Not many takers on the free water but as always- all the water you care to drink if you show up! One day we may switch to other beverages but folks are broke these days so water it is for now! Oh yea- we have free air too. All you can breathe.
So come drink water- breathe- and ride some!
Later-
DH

Winter Bike League Tomorrow

2009-11-14T10:26:00.004-05:00

Don't forget people- Winter Bike League tomorrow. 3 hrs, - suppose to be sunny and 60s-70s out. Come out and get some participation points. Prizes in Feb after the finale. Should be a good ride- I've had a ton of people ( for Charleston) that have committed to coming. Don't miss out!

DH

Line up people!

2009-11-12T17:56:00.004-05:00

Had to pinch this from another blog. Can't take credit for it but good stuff none the less. Illustrates retail and human beings in general.

Cool Photos

2009-10-27T14:01:00.002-04:00

Dual Sport ride with Joel Part 1

2009-10-26T16:01:00.004-04:00

Joel and I headed out this morning for a ride on our motorcycles. We headed North through Francis Marion National Forest on fire roads up to McClellanville for fuel. North on 17 towards Georgetown put us at the Santee River. From here we headed inland up the river to Jamestown for lunch. Along the way I got stuck 3 times, Joel got stuck very badly once. We explored many dirt roads, trails, and gas/power lines along the way for a great day out in normally bad weather.

When I got home, there was actually mud inside my clothes and helmet. Yeah- it was fun. DH

Dual Sport Ride with Joel Part 2

2009-10-26T15:51:00.002-04:00

It took us an hour to free Joel's KLX from the hole it was buried in. Ended up with the rear wheel completely submerged. I ended up stuck knee high in the quicksand as well. Good stuff.

First Winter Bike League ride

2009-10-25T16:07:00.003-04:00

The first Winter Bike League ride is Sun. Nov 15th. It will look like this.
Details HERE.
Hope to see everybody there!
DH

Quick Update

2009-10-06T07:37:00.003-04:00

I'm tired so I'll write more later. Here is a summery of my weekend though:
Fri morning Aaron and I drove to Jackson, GA for the 12 Hrs. of Dauset race. Got there, set up the pit area and went out for a pre-ride. Noticed that my bars were moving and after some investigation found that I had broken my stem faceplate. Nice. Got a lap in anyways, made a phone call and had a new stem on the way. Stayed with family and ate at the mega Chinese Buffet. After a trip to Wal-Mart for supplies and people watching we hit the sack.
The race start went well, got the holeshot and rode off. Got passed bu some 6 hr and team guys but passed them back by the 3rd lap to lead again. Flatted. Rode 3 different front wheels. Didn't crash this race! Anyways- lapped 2nd place 8 hrs. in and was running 2nd overall out of all solos and teams. So........I got to stop an hour and a half early because it was mathematically impossible to get caught. Got in 13 laps @ 10 miles each. Could have easily done 14 but didn't need to and with the Helen 12 hr. this weekend played it safe.
Got to go-DH

Coasting

2009-09-28T08:20:00.004-04:00

Coasting-
That's what I've got on tap for the next 12 days. 2 more races ( both 12 hrs.) then a few weeks off. I'm not going to gain any fitness in 12 days, nor lose any of the type of fitness I need for the last race so I'm forced to enjoy myself for the remainder of the " season". I've been doing a lot of sleeping lately - I'm talking about championship style sleeping here too- 10 hrs. a night. I got in almost 12 hrs of sleep last Monday night! I usually can't sleep well so I'm really fired up about this. With all this extra time sleeping I'm surprised to find myself still riding the same amount (16ish hrs) a week. The weather is improving now. This past weekend was great, got in 4 hrs Saturday in the cool misty air. Felt really strong and I hope that carries over to Dauset this Sat. Met up with a group ride of CBC guys on Sunday. Rolled out to Kiawah with about 20-25 of them nice and easy. A little too easy to be a beneficial ride but a good day none the less. Split off on the way back and knocked out another hour by myself for another good day.
Now all I need to do is get a little riding in during the weekdays- maybe one hard day a week, knock out the two 12 hr. races on the weekends and I'm done for awhile. I have 3 weeks off the bike scheduled after that. I noticed the other day that I need a break- I'm getting kinda beat up and still not fully healed from March's crash. Or August's crash at Fool's Gold. Somehow got both shoulders in one year! Time for hiking, camping, motorcycle trips, household projects, and living like a normal person . Just long enough to remind myself that I'm not a normal person and I need to start training for 2010 and the big developments ( to be revealed soon enough!) it holds.
Anyways-
I need to get back to thinking about doing nothing for awhile.
DH out

Really?

2009-09-24T12:25:00.002-04:00

False Start

2009-09-18T09:30:00.003-04:00

Now I'm not going to Dauset. The promoters have decided to postpone the race until Oct. 3rd. Bummer. Good thing I had the car loaded but had not rolled out when Mike texted me about it. Got scared off by the rain. Oh well- more recovery time for me before October. This does mean that I'll have to race 2 12 hrs back to back then- Dauset and Helen. Oh well- guess I'll go fix some bikes.
DH

Rain Dance

2009-09-18T08:07:00.002-04:00

I'm headed off to Jackson, GA in a few minutes for the 12 hrs. of Dauset. While I'm still a little tired from last weekend's effort, I decided to go. I like that race. It just got better- the Weather channel is calling for rain all weekend! I am glad to hear that-takes the emphasis off of speed a bit and swings it back to technical ability, experience, and mental toughness. Racing in the rain will crack some people. The key is to accept the fact that you'll go slower and it will be harder. Everyone is slower and working harder. It's easy to feel like everyone else is going regular speed while you are the only one fighting the conditions. Truth is- everyone is hating it. The racers that accept that fact do fine, the ones that don't get frustrated and have meltdowns.
Mechanicals should play a part as well in the mud. Fortunately, I've got the bike for the job! My singlespeed Niner SIR9 has yet to give me a drivetrain issue and won't this weekend either. The simplicity of the singlespeed is an advantage in the mud. My brake pads on the other hand may wear out-that's my biggest worry. Oh yeah- and the fact that I raced for 24 hrs less than a week ago. I feel ok now but 8 hrs in? Who knows- this is uncharted territory for me. May end up curled up in a field asleep like my first 12 hr.
Anyways- I'm off- DH

Faster Mustache Stats

2009-09-15T08:26:00.004-04:00

After an excessively long write up last night- I realized that I didn't mention any of the statistics from the race. If you are interested in this stuff, here it is:

According to my PowerTap:
21:56:05 hrs moving time ( not counting red lights, getting pulled by the po-po, or pitting. Also 43 min short of 24 hr due to not having to do a 33rd lap.)

381.69 miles

Appx 20,000 feet of climbing

13,317 KiloJoules

Averaged 172 watts, 1082 watts max

16.4 mph avg speed, 34.8 max

Still can't feel my right pinky finger or left big toe. My right forearm really hurts now. From shifting gears?

Anyways-
DH

Faster Mustache 24hr

2009-09-14T20:36:00.007-04:00

What had happened was..............

Today was interesting. Slept like a rock last night. This was my first 24 hr solo race so I didn't know how my body would react from it. I've done probably 15 12 hr races and only slept well after one. Slept like a dead person last night though. Woke up this morning feeling decent, had lost seven pounds but wasn't as sore as I thought I would be. Legs were stiff and I was tired but that was it. I was worried about my hands after seeing pictures from Eddie O'dea's race write-up last year and double wrapped my bars. That did the trick and my booty was ok due to my trusty Brooks Team Pro saddle. I even rode across town today to meet Liza for lunch. I didn't set any records on the way but I did envision being in worse shape. All my fatigue related problems were of the mental variety. I did some dumb stuff and zoned out for large blocks of time. I even built a bike, wrapped the bars, and realized I hadn't put one brake cable on it! That's gonna work well. I also needed to cut a fork, a normally routine procedure but today it took at least 30 minutes. I stood staring at it thoroughly confused as to what I should do for 10 minutes.

Anyways-
Race Report-
First off- I'll say that it was a great race. From the promoter, the participants, the whole idea of a race like that, and especially the competition! That race was way too close for a 24 hr and everyone rode their hearts out.
On to the race- High Noon Lemans start went well as I didn't break a cleat on my shoe and made it through the Chaos to the bike. Got rolling and spotted Nathan. We made our way up front to take advantage of the faster guys. That was a task in itself as it was pure chaos-flying through Atlanta at 25-30 mph, running lights, and dodging traffic with a hundred other insane people.
Soon the bike traffic thinned and Nathan and I got into a rythm. We had averaged over 20 mph the first lap and needed to back it down a bit if we were to finish the race. For the next 8-9 hrs thats what we did-nice and steady, trying different routes seeking the best way around town. We finally found a good option by using 14th street instead of the hill on 10th. Did this for 10 laps and the shallower hill really saved our legs for the later laps.

Around 9pm I got a call from Andy Johnston telling me that my name wasn't showing up on the online race tracker website. Big Problem. Next lap we pitted and went to see what was wrong. Somehow, Nathan and I had switched cards- probably when getting ready( they were both on the table beside each other- smart!) and mine had stopped working. Soo....every lap counted for Nathan was actually me and my name only showed 2 laps. Race officials said no problem- keep swiping the good card since we were wheel to wheel the whole race and we'd fix it in the morning. Having raced for a long time I was uneasy about this and hoped for the best. The officials knew we were working together and had not left each other's side so all was ok. I was stressed none the less worrying that one of us would crack, then what would we do? I guess the stronger guy would take the card and keep going.

Sometime late at night officials gave us the word that we were in a three way battle for the lead with Eddie O'dea. The mood at our camp went from " let's go do a 24 hr race and see how we do" to full gas game on. We switched back to the 10th street route then as it was faster. It hurt way more but we were in it now so it was time to suffer. We were all 3 riding blazing lap times finally meeting up on the course a few times around 3 or 4 am. Eddie put in a blazing attack that I never saw coming and that we couldn't react to. We slowly pulled it back though, just in time for another attack. They were impressive attacks and I figured that he was checking us out to see what we had so we stayed calm. Eddie has a ton more experience than I do so I was a little worried about the last 7-8 hrs as I didn't know what to expect. I knew he'd be coming on strong.

Somehow we got a 20 min gap on the next couple of laps. Everthing looked good, the sun was coming up and we were still rolling good. Then we had some problems. First, Nathan ran into the back of me and crashed while I was slowing to check an intersection for traffic. He was ok and we kept rolling- the both of us much more alert. Then, I broke a spoke in my front wheel 3 miles out from the pit. I had 28c tires on and they barely cleared the fork as it was. The wheel was so far out of true that I couldn't turn it by hand because it was hitting the fork leg. I called in to the pit and Robert had a wheel waiting but I had to get there first. I was worried because the tire was rubbing so hard that it was starting to smell and I thought it would catch on fire. Nathan told me to squirt it with my bottle- the tire sizzled and steam/ smoke came off it! I'd repeat this every minute or so to keep things ok and we made it back soon. Another problem with this was instead of doing 170-200 watts to get down the road it took 270-300. This would have implications later.
We lost 5 or 6 minutes again when Nathan had to make a poopy stop. Soon we got our rythym back and rolled on with Eddie scary close.
Then I cracked. Bad. We lost 8-9 minutes that lap with me barely making it back. I told Nathan to think about leaving me as Eddie was coming hard and I was too slow. I was totally done and having a hard time functioning. Nathan wouldn't leave though. Robert made me a sandwich and I devoured it. Nathan prodded me onto my bike and I reluctantly rolled out for what I presumed would be my last lap-22 hrs. in and blown.
The opposite happened though. I felt much better the next lap, then we turned one of our fastest laps of the race after that. I actually started to feel stronger as the time ticked by! As we rolled out for what we thought was our last lap we started to do the math in our head. Nathan told me he thought we'd have to do 2 more. I really didn't want to do 2 more but he was right, if we didn't slow up we'd have to go back out. Eddie was really close and I figured he'd probably have some motivational help out there from other local racers so we had to stay on the gas. So we did. The finish time was between 11:30 and 12:00. This means that a lap finished after 12:00 didn't count and you couldn't start a lap if you came in after 11:30. We got back at 11:17:30 and rolled out for the 33rd lap. We stopped around the corner from the start where you could see incoming riders and waited. If we didn't see Eddie coming in the next 5 minutes or so it would be impossible for him to squeeze in another and we'd win. If he did show up we'd see him and have a couple of minutes head start and be out of there. If we held him off we'd win. If we got caught we'd sit on and not work so none of us would make the time cut and we'd win by virtue of the last completed lap. Fortunately for us the time cut came and the race was over so we rolled back for 1st and 1st I guess! We rolled across the finish line together and told them we didn't care who they put as first, it didn't matter to us.
It was a good effort and a good learning experience. I learned alot about myself- especially how bad my Nurition was for this race. The next 24 I'll be much better prepared. Robert did a great job in the pit for us and had everything we asked for and some stuff we didn't even know we wanted. However, we wasted too much time. I'll need to get a more efficient pit system going- we wasted over an hour pitting and that helped to make the race too close for comfort.
Anyways-
Great race and I'm lookin forward to the next one!
DH

Breakfast Of Champions

2009-09-01T09:23:00.001-04:00

That's right- gotta fuel up for a big ride today. Two bowls of these bad boys will do the trick!

DH out

Upcoming

2009-08-31T08:22:00.003-04:00

Wow- September is going to be filled with a lot of miles on the bike. After a solid week of training this week I have the Faster Moustache 24 Hr race next week, the 12 hrs of Dausett the next, Beaufort Omnium the next, then cross season starts in TN with a double header in the MSG series, 12 hrs of Unicoi the following weekend, Granogue and Wissakickon UCI cross races, NC cross series opening weekend, then finally a weekend of no racing!
I'm really looking forward to the FM 24 Hr race in Atlanta. I've never heard of an urban 24 hr race. It will be really interesting to see how the city changes over a 24 hr period. This will be a good first 24 hr solo for me too. If it turns out that I'm terrible at riding my bike for more than 12 hrs ( I know I'm good for at least 12!), at least I won't be stuck out in the woods all blown to pieces. I know plenty of people in downtown ATL- I'll ride my bike to their house, knock on the door, grab a shower, and go to bed. So if you live in ATL- please leave a light on for me like Tom Bodett over at the Red Roof Inn- I may be stopping by.
All nonsense aside though- that will be a fun race and a good learning experience. I am planning on a big solo 24 hr next year and this will give me somewhat of an idea of what to expect. Looks like there will be 6 checkpoints/ aid stations on a 12 mile loop so it will be easier to break the race down into smaller segments to focus on. I'll focus on small chunks- like making it from the pulled pork checkpoint to the pizza checkpoint and so on.
I'm going to ride my road bike with double bar wrap, some 700 X 25c gatorskin tires, and possibly convert it to a single speed. I find it much better to do these long races on the single. All you need to concentrate on is pedaling ( and with one gear- the lap times are very consistent- harder to blow up). I don't know yet what saddle I will use- I suspect that will be an issue. I've never had saddle problems in 12 hr races but offroad I'm constantly changing my position on the saddle if not standing up a good bit of time. I'm kind of worried about the ammount of time seated in the saddle that I'm going to deal with being on the road. Maybe my Brooks? Never had a problem there!
Anyways- The weekend after this race I'll do 12 hrs of Dauset. I was planning on doing a 2 man team. However, my teammate Robert got hit by a car and is still feeling the effects of that. So..... I'll probably do it solo. No prob- I think that is actually easier than the 2 man format. We did that last year and won it but man it was tough to go all out for 2 laps, rest, then do it over. That was rougher on my body than doing a solo.
36 hrs of racing in 2 weekends. Not smart but I'm going to give it a go. Don't try this at home kids!
I'll let you know how it goes!
DH

Backpacking #3

2009-08-27T21:14:00.002-04:00

Backpacking Trip #2

2009-08-27T21:05:00.002-04:00

More CO Pics- Rocky Mtn. Natnl. Park Backpacking -Part 1

2009-08-27T20:52:00.007-04:00

Left Bear Lake for a couple day backpacking trip. Lots of beautiful high alpine scenery, some snow, rockfields, lakes, and tons of mosquitos. The $3 bug spray Liza picked up turned out to be the best purchase of the whole western trip! Spent the night at ove 10,000 feet up at Spruce Lake. It was a beautiful, pristine lake that was tough to get to and a nice night as no one else was there.

Gonna hurt ALL winter now!

2009-08-20T19:41:00.004-04:00

Ordered my new CX frame and some parts today. I have a sweet Salsa Scandium frame w/ an Alpha Q fork. Already have a parts kit, so I need to find some deep carbon race wheels and get some Tufos and I'm off! I haven't raced a full cross season in a few years and am excited for this one. Last year I rode a singlespeed 29er, the year before I raced on a Surly Cross Check. Not bad bikes but a bit off from the race bikes I rode in the past. This year's bike should turn out to be a rocket ship. Don't be surprised if I only run one gear at certain races though!
Planning on hitting up the NC series, NC winter cup, Mid atlantic UCI series, and maybe a race or two in the GA and TN series. If I'm not completely thrashed by mid-Dec.................maybe a trip to Portland for Nationals. A very faint maybe!
Anyways- gotta go- DH

XC National Championships Pics.

2009-08-19T11:06:00.003-04:00

Sol Vista Ski area. A place I'll hopefully never return to. They cut the trails the week of the race and they were absolute crap. The first day I rode them they were fun........2 days later- hub deep ruts with 2 foot tall braking bumps. Don't get me wrong- the Amateur XC course was good further out- nice singletrack and fairly technical. The Pro loop was junk however. As usual. That was probably the last USA Cycling National event I'll ever do. Why pay $80 for that crap when the NUE series, Gone Riding, and other promoters have much more economical events with better courses. Anyways- here's the pics.DH

Pike's Peak

2009-08-19T09:37:00.004-04:00

Drove up Pike's Peak, ate "High Altitude 14,000 ft Special Recipe Best Ever Only Place Available Donuts". They lived up to their billing. Able to talk trash and back it up- that's why I liked these donuts. Did some bouldering and noticed it was late so we drove back down. We were forced to stop for awhile by the park service brake check station half way down. 560 degrees was the temp. on the brakes. I had the Megavan in the lowest gear possible but when it wants to go it's hard to reign in. I wasn't about to apologize or make excuses for pure unadulterated speed so we parked the Megavan and went climbing around some more. Got the green light again after 20 mins. or so and we took off again, soon to be in Boulder for the night.

Colorado Springs

2009-08-19T07:52:00.001-04:00

Cheyenne Mtn Park for some riding then up to Pikes Peak.

The Promised Colorado Pictures

2009-08-19T07:45:00.002-04:00

These are from the way out. SERC Race in AL, then the drive across Kanasas into a pretty cool storm, then we were in CO Springs.

FG100

2009-08-18T07:57:00.002-04:00

Here's a picture of a fool at Fool's Gold 100 last Saturday. I'll get a full race report up as soon as I figure out how to accurately describe the whole situation. My brain is still tired from the race. Condensed report: Rode fast- crashed hard 30 miles in-did $1000 worth of damage to my bike- rode 70 miles with my right pedal flopping in the crankarm- blew up 6 1/2 hrs in on Bull Mtn. and lost 2 spots to end up 5th singlespeed and I think 12th overall. I'm really sore and beat up still from the crash but I'll be OK in a couple of more days-DH OUT

Weekend prep

2009-08-12T21:11:00.003-04:00

I'm slowly getting all my preperations done for the weekend. Finally fixed that irritating creak in my eccentric on the niner. I've been resting alot and doing shorter rides this week. I've found in the past that I do really well in endurance races when I've ridden little in the week prior to the event. After 2 weeks in the 20+ hr range w/ over 400 miles each I was ready for the rest. Did 5 1/2 hrs. last Sunday and felt like I hadn't even ridden. Of course I slept 11 1/2 hrs that night and 10 the next night. Guess I needed the rest! I've been just cruising around on the singlespeed this week mainly. I think I'll probably try to get in at least 3 hrs. tomorrow and open things up. Leaving at 6:30 friday morning with Joel for the drive up to Dahlonega. Should be there by lunch, ride some of the singletrack sections of Fool's Gold, and pick up our packets. 7:00 AM on Sat we roll out! Should be fun- tough, but fun.I'll try to get some pictures up for the weekend. Still need to get some CO pictures up!
Later-
DH

SERC # 10 race report

2009-08-04T20:56:00.002-04:00

Alex and I drove up to Fontana Village, NC last Saturday morning for the final round of the Southeast Regional Series. I found the course technical enough for my liking and the climbing not bad at all. To make matters even better I had good legs and it rained all night.
We awoke to rain and an absolutely disgusting course. I was delighted as I love racing in the mud. The worse it is the better I ride.
Started towards the back of the group and rode a mellow pace for the first climb. I started to pick it up on the second climb and passed a couple of guys. The technical downhill went fine, and I pinned it pretty hard to pass another guy on the steep gravel climb. Rode the last downhill conservatively and had a little gap over 7th place at the end of the first lap. Rode conservatively up the first half of the climb as 7th place was burying himself to catch me. He made contact mid way up and I immediately attacked him and rode off. Soon after I caught 5th, then 4th, had 3rd place in sight and was closing fast and feeling strong while watching others suffer and have trouble with the mud. Only one lap to go.
The one inch tear in my tire sidewall put an abrupt end to all that.
I repaired the tear with a gel pack and aired it up the best I could dropping back to sixth place in the process. It was amazing how blown apart the race was by then. Repairs done I rolled out to try to make up time. Five minutes later I got my second flat and was forced to abandon. The walk back out was rough but the silver lining was that I got back before the race was over and made it to the hose first to wash off. Clean bike and body, we loaded up and drove home. I hate DNFing but am enthusiastic that my legs are good right now. Looking forward to the next event- Fool's Gold 100 in Dahlonega, GA next weekend. Good trails, good event, and I'll get to see my parents! Should be fun.
DH out.

Back from Colorado

2009-07-31T21:32:00.002-04:00

Had a great trip to CO. Started in AL with the S.E. Regional #9 @ Mt. Cheeaha. Raced the SS in the Pro race. Not many guys and I got 5th. Felt strong but was overgeared so the low turnout helped me out. Had a swim at the cliffside pool with awesome views and headed for AR for the night............................................

Long story short- Colorado Springs, Boulder, Denver, Denver Airport x 5, Granby, Winter Park, Nationals- had some problems but finished strong to get 16th, Denver, Ft. Collins, Backpacking @ Rocky Mtn. National Park- some of the most beautiful high altitude backpacking I have done, bears, elk, snake, Ft. Collins- New Belgium, Fat Tire, 1554, Trippel, Yetis, Colorado Springs, Back to Charleston.

Really too much to write about but great trails ( riding and on foot ) Beautiful scenery, lots of sights, great resturaunts, and plenty of time in the megavan.

Too bad I can't get the camera to download right.

More Pics to come............

DH out

Cowbell

2009-06-23T21:13:00.006-04:00

Well- the Cowbell melted on Saturday. It was so hot- truthfully the most suffering I've ever put myself through on a bike. Hands down. I went into this race with no expectations as I've only been training for two weeks after being off for two and a half months. I was feeling good but you really never know how you're gonna hold up until you get that trial by fire known as racing.

Got up at 4 AM on Saturday and drove to Charlotte for the 10 AM start. Facing 60 ish miles and 97-98 degree forecast I made sure my cooler was well stocked with fluids and ice. Got there in time to get my number on, get suited up, get my pit set up, and say hi to a few people. I decided to skip the shuttle and ride to the start- good call as my legs needed some loosening up from the drive.

The start was chaos like I expected as we flew down the road for the 6.5 mile trip out to the course. I was fine for the most part but got dropped from the lead group while spinning at 300rpm to keep up on a downhill. Managed to pick off quite a few people whenever the road went up and by the time we reached the course I was in decent position. Fought through some traffic and was finally clear and with the leaders by the end of the first lap. Closing on DJ and Shane I was starting to figure on a good day. Wrong!

I got a bottle handup from Mike on the 2nd lap. I think it was too cold and I drank it too fast. A few minutes later I hurled it all over. The whole bottle- and whatever else was in my stomach. Not good went to worse quickly as I had to drop my bike and hold onto a tree to keep from falling over with dizziness. After a few minutes I kinda got it together and limped on feeling like my head was going to explode any second. The rest of the lap was terrible- no power and I was getting passed by everybody! Finally got back to the pits and told Mike I had to rest a bit and get my head together. Loaded up on water, drank a coke and decided to roll out slowly for the next lap- I hate DNF ing but this wasn't looking good- I'd already dropped back to ninth or tenth place.

After a slow lap I started feeling better. Laps 4-6 went as follows- Grab one bottle for drinking, one with ice to pour on me, and one gallon of water poured on me while pitting. Seemed to work. The heat was unreal- 115 degree heat index I heard- but i was managing to keep cool. My competitors were dropping left and right but my lap times were steadily decreasing as I continued on. Staying soaking wet the whole lap was working- barely. I'd roll into the pit at the end of each lap absolutely spent. Stop- mike would switch my bottles and douse me with water- then push me back out for another.

The last lap was of course the worst as I was still trying to make up lost time and pushing as hard as I could. The field sections were the worst- out in the baking sun for extended periods of time, then followed with a steep climb where cooling down was impossible. With 5 climbs in the last couple of miles I thought the end would never come. I charged hard up the last climb to the finish exhausted but elated to be finished. I ended up 3rd place, missed catching 2nd by 29 seconds. He had an eight minute lead at the start of the lap. I'll take it after all that went wrong. I've got a couple of weeks left of training, then it's time to taper for Nationals.
It's hot out there- stay hydrated-
DH

Happy Trails Steve

2009-05-21T20:44:00.004-04:00

Steve Larsen died yesterday from a heart attack during a running workout. He was 39 years old. I remember this guy absolutely dominating all the NORBA series races in the late 90s. When USA Cycling passed him over for the 2000 Olympic team ( the 2nd time in a row that the fastest guy didn't make the team ) he took it out on every racer that showed up to challenge him. Watching him race those races in person was a good thing. This dude turned into vindication incarnate as soon as the gun went off and destroyed all comers. That was the first time I'd seen anyone race for some other reason than to win. Winning seemed a foregone conclusion, the question was only by how much. A man with something to prove is very dangerous indeed. When the path of destruction ended at the end of 2000, Steve left the sport. Crushed them all and walked away. Pretty classy I think.

Anyways- Steve was an incredible athlete either on a MTB, a road bike, or in triathlons and will be missed. Godspeed Steve-

Manchester

2009-05-20T08:03:00.003-04:00

Loaded up the Megavan w/ 2 Brads and Andrew yesterday and headed North to the wonderful land of Manchester State Forest. After a few stops for junk food and a requisitioning of an awesome "Bass Fever" vanity plate (courtesy of Brad P.) we made it to Manchester.

The trail was just as good as I remembered. My bike rode well and the shoulder held up fine. I did come up with a few gripes however: 1. I rode with a few gears on my bike. Reminded me why I've been on a singlespeed- hated the gears and they are coming back off! 2. I'm out of shape. Bad. I've been riding the road bike somewhat well but when you can ride a road bike effectively you can really fake being in shape and still go fast. On a mountain bike it's black and white- you know 100% for sure when you are not fit. Anyways- to paraphrase a great song-"we've got a long way to go and a short time to get there"- time to get to work.

Yesterday turned out to be perfect weather- high 60s- low 70s and partly cloudy. The trail was in good condition, and we all rode well together. The Brads were moving out while Andrew and I were cruising in the back. We had F-16 fighter jets screaming overhead all day on mock bombing runs and dogfights- pretty cool. All in all a good day out with no incidents. I'm looking forward to getting some fitness back and some of the big summer/ fall races.

Later- I've got to go ride now, I'm done being slow! DH

Rainy day

2009-05-18T09:16:00.002-04:00

I'm trying to get motivated to ride my bike right now. I have the morning off and it's pouring rain. That means rollers. Yay. I'm so sick of the rollers. I'm really sick of not being able to have some sort of consistent training going on. The shoulder is still not healed- It's 85% but I still can't pull up on the bars. Normally, everything is fine- it's the little jerks that hurt and I still get some considerable pain when I yank on something hard or torque a bolt. Not much I can do about this being a Mechanic. Pretty much doing the 2 steps forward, 1 step back for awhile now. I guess I'll eventually get there. Can't get any leverage and still having some control issues when going hard. Hate to say it but I'm a little squirrely on the bike. Fortunately I know this and try not to endanger my fellow riders when like this. It would be nice if the other squirrels out there knew it and were not oblivious to their lack of handling skills but really- what can you do?
Anyways- rollers this morning, then the day off tomorrow. Meeting up with a couple of Brads for a day trip to Manchester SF and some decent trails. Hopefully everything will go well and I will get to ride my brand new Niner MTB ( That I've had for a month and a half but haven't been able to ride.). Manchester is a good trail system and I like riding there- they work hard to improve the trails there. Should be a good indicator of if I'm ready to ride off road again or not. Hope I'm ready- I need to get back racing soon. I've missed alot of good racing and feel bad for my team that I'm not out there- big waste of time and resources if I'm not out there. I won 2 out of 3 races before I got hurt and want ( need ) to keep that going. So.... cross your fingers- I'm going to find out where I stand tomorrow! Hopefully I'll have a good ride report to post.
Later-DH

Treasure

2009-05-08T07:00:00.002-04:00

Check out what came into the shop for some service yesterday. Fat City team bike. Circa 1995ish. I remember seeing these at the NORBA national races in 94-96. Always wanted one. Use to actually see spectators and racers at those races too. 600-800 racers in the expert waves, 120-150 in each age group. My how the times have changed!

Good Stuff-

2009-04-30T21:31:00.003-04:00

Figured out how to get a bicycle on my motorcycle this morning! Racing just got a whole lot cheaper. Working on a permanent rack though. Picking up the cargo boxes on Saturday then it's ready to roll. Later- DH

New Ride

2009-04-28T20:33:00.003-04:00

My new bike is ready to roll................as soon as the shoulder is. I can ride the road pretty well and am getting in some pretty good training. Off road however is still really painful. Hope to be back 100% by the Cowbell 12 Hr. in June.

Later-

Back on the Bike!

2009-03-30T18:11:00.002-04:00

I made it all day Sunday without pain meds or my sling. The shoulder was feeling better- still hurts but the range of motion and flexibility has improved a ton. I can do alot more and can support myself somewhat.
Today was a beautiful day so I decided to ride. Dragged a TV and my rollers out to the patio and rode for an hour. Kinda hurt to get on and off the bike and had to drink with my left hand( that's one angle my shoulder can't do yet!). Other than that everything went well- I can stand up and ride with no pain and feel much better now.
We'll see how I feel tomorrow when I get up. I plan on getting an hour a day this week, and back on the road next week. I think off roading will have to wait awhile longer though!
Anyways- good progress and I'm healing well- not too old quite yet!
Later-
DH

Time out

2009-03-23T09:19:00.002-04:00

What I had planned for this weekend:
Up at 6 AM Sat- ride 3 1/2 hrs. before work.
Work.
Drive to Macon, GA for the Georgia State XC opener.
Get my new race bike dialed in.
Race.
Come home.

"Plan B"
Up at 6 AM Sat- ride.....6:30 AM- get up off the ground and ride back home one handed.
Go to the hospital.
Get x-rays.
Get a sling to wear for a few weeks.

Long story short as I am typing with my left hand..
Seems that all the trash on the road here pulled one over on me and I got booby trapped.
A metal handle from a 5 gallon bucket seems to have hooked a spoke in my front wheel and got sucked into the wheel where it stopped dead when it hit the fork. I think I was still pedaling on the way down trying to force the obstruction through. Didn't have any Idea that was going to happed and never even got my hands off the bars. Landed square on my right elbow at a 90 degree angle to the pavement resulting in a separated shoulder. Got up, started to feel the effects of going into shock and sat down to figure out what I should do. Watched some cars pass for awhile- not one person stopped when it happened- big surprise- and decided to ride back home as Liza's phone was probably out of earshot.
My front wheel was so jammed up that I had to release the QR and kick down on it to get everything loose. One bent spoke. That wheel also survived the last vehicular assault on me as well without a scratch. Got a broken frame, fork, and a blown tube- but the wheel was spotless.
Anyways- got the wheel on and rode home one armed and going into shock. Took me alot longer than it should have but finally got there and then on to the hospital.
Remarkably, that was the fastest I've ever been through the hospital anywhere- probably about an hour from parking lot to parking lot. Diagnosis- fotunately no bones broken but my shoulder is separated. Should be OK in 3 weeks. I figure another couple of weeks after that I'll be able to race my mountain bike. Singlespeeds are not very easy to ride with a weak shoulder.
Anyways- That's it for now- I'm gonna go NOT ride my bike now. Be careful out there- freak accidents can happen anywhere!
DH

This Race Report is Brought to You by the Number 2

2009-03-17T20:26:00.002-04:00

Went up to Athens, GA to meet up with the Terrapin team and race the Dirty Spokes 6 hr. I raced Singlespeed Solo, Shey and Bill did the Open Solo, and Chris and Jeremy did the 2 man division.
Long story short- I opened the throttle on the 2nd lap and didn't look back. I got my 2nd win of the year, had the 2nd fastest lap time, started hurting bad with 2 hrs. to go, had to stop and fix a rear flat 2 times, ended up 2nd overall and 1st in my race, and had 2 flat tires when I took my bike out of the car for the 2nd time this year- 2 days later. Shey got 2nd in the solo open, Bill got 5th, and our 2 man team won. Rode well and am looking forward to my 2nd XC race of the year on the 22nd in Macon, GA.
Later-
DH

Dream Bike

2009-03-12T11:01:00.002-04:00

Motorcycle that is. As far as a bicycle goes, it doesn't matter to me. As long as the bike has 2 29" wheels and a decent ride- it'll do. This is the motorcycle to end all motorcycles as far as I'm concerned. The perfect package. All I've got to do is find $12,000!

Later-

The Darkness

2009-03-10T21:20:00.002-04:00

Had a sketchy ride home tonight. Got off work around 7:40 and hit the road. My light went out around 7:55. On Rifle Range Road between the IOP connecter snd Coleman Blvd. Pitch black. If you know this area then you already know how sketchy it is riding here in the daytime. Normally I feel safer at night. With all the lights, the cars should have no excuse for not seeing me. They normally give me a 3-4 foot larger berth than normal. Meaning 3 feet 1 inch to 4 foot 1 inch. But now I couldn't be seen as well and not at all from the front. That light didn't flicker out either, it died in about 2 mins flat after being full brightness when I left. Fortunately I still had a couple of high powered blinky lights on the back so I figured I'd be OK. I'd have to really pay attention and look ahead.
Everything ended up fine witha minimal ammount of evasive manuvering. Some spots were actually very nice when there were no cars and it was quiet and very dark. Very quiet. Fortunately, I've ridden these roads so much I didn't hit any holes and made it home in record time. I was feeling strong and for some reason in a hurry so I got home faster than ever!
Quick race recap for SERC #1 in Gainesville, FL:
Hot- Hilly course with alot of steep climbs. Went down after work on Sat w/ Liza. Got up Sun. after a decent night's sleep to a beautiful day. Made it to the race after breakfast and went to pick up my number. I had registered for the Singlespeed race but saw that no Pro's were allowed to do that race. I told on myself and got my registration changed to the pro race. That was fun on a singlespeed. I feel like I can go about as fast on a singlespeed as I can on my geared bike when I am on the right course, and geared right. Neither one of those were going on at this race! 10 mins. in I knew I was geared wrong. Not much I could do now except to run wide open till I couldn't turn the cranks over anymore. Through lap 3 1/2 I was rolling really well and moving up through the field. The flats were killing me on the first laps, by the end however, I was barely making it over the tops of the climbs, I mean I was creeping over the tops. Downhills and the rolly, technical stuff were still great though. I faded some on the last lap and a half and wound up 16th out of I think 22 that started. I rode as hard as I could and felt good doing it. That was my second XC race in a year and a half. I forgot how quickly you recover from a 2 hr race compared to the longer stuff I've been doing. I feel great now!
I'm glad I raced the Pro race instead after all. Turns out another Pro did the SS race and won by 6 mins. My lap times were the same w/ 5 laps instead of 3. We'd have had a good battle but it would have been very lopsided for the rest of the SS racers and not fair at all.
Later-
DH

Weekend Pictures

2009-03-09T14:36:00.002-04:00

Race report to follow soon!

Let the Jealousy Begin!

2009-02-25T07:20:00.002-05:00

I had a talk with Mike, my MTB team director yesterday about what bikes I will be racing this year and which events I'll be doing. I'll be racing a Niner singlespeed in almost every event. It will be light blue with green I-9 wheels. Depending on the course, I'll run a Manitou fork or the new Niner carbon fork. Here's the cool part-my frame is going to glow in the dark. Really, how cool is that? Who wouldn't want a glow in the dark bike? I could go camping with it- I wouldn't ever step on it at night accidentally. If I get delirious in endurance races at night- I'll still be able to find my bike. I wonder just how glow in the dark it is? Anyways- I'll race that bad boy most races but still have access to a geared bike if I need it. I'll also have a Jet9 suspension bike to use for 24 Hr events ( Big Bear and Moab ). Looks like all I have to worry about is getting to the race and racing my bike this year. ( Did I mention it glows in the dark?) Were going to have demo Niners for people to try out too so stop by the Terrapin Trailer and try one out. Coming soon to a race near you. Gotta go ride- Later- DH

Quick update

2009-02-23T08:28:00.003-05:00

I just got back from the 12 Hours of Santos. I'm tired and sore but here's a quick update. Good weather- 70s daytime, 30s at night. Went down with Adam and Joel, Justin met us there. Good course- I had to race my rigid singlespeed making it a good bit tougher. That course was hard on the SS, rode a few laps and decided to overgear it and hope I could still turn the cranks over on the last few laps. The race went well- ended up winning the Singlespeed class by 2 laps and placing 5th overall. Not too bad- can't wait to get my geared bike with a suspension fork! Held up pretty good and rode strong. The last 3 hrs were very rough- I was barely making it up over the climbs and the downhills were beating me to pieces. I kept it rolling though and had a good finish. Same exact course as last year and I got in 15 laps on the 9 mile course instead of last year's 14 laps. I was really feeling the effort after this one. Usually I finish feeling like I could keep riding- not this time. I think it was the rigid fork and the tall gear on the climbs. My arms, back, and Delts were all cramping w/ 3 to go due to yanking up on the bars for leverage so much. Anyways- another great Gone Riding event in the books. Everyone that came with me had a good day and a good trip. Next up- S.E. Regional #1 ( If my new bike shows up!)
Later-
DH

Guess I complained enough in the last post!

2009-02-10T19:43:00.005-05:00

The sun is finally out. It's been 72 degrees and sunny the last four days. This has done wonders for my "bicycle pedaling in competition practice". ie- training. Ended up with 22 hrs and 380 miles this week. Yesterday and today were beautiful out- got in 4 hrs yesterday and a 6 hr death march w/ Mr. Lee today. We did the same loop ( for the most part ) as last week but at 235 watts avg instead of last week's 218 avg. Partly due to bumping another 15 mins. onto the tempo block I did, and partly due to the fun of running 25 mph down hardpack dirt roads, we ended up w/ 120 or so miles. Those roads were perfect today- moist and fast instead of the normal dry and sandy conditions. Francis Marion National Forest is covered with roads like that, you could ride for days up there and not do the same loops. I really need to start heading further north and do some exploring. Anyways, I've got some good tan lines now, lost a few pounds and am starting to feel real strong on the bike. I don't have any speed yet but that will come pretty fast. I can turn a big gear over forever but probably couldn't accelerate out of a wet paper bag! Plenty of time for that later- another week and a half of base training and then I get to do some real suffering!

Later-

Why won't it warm up?

2009-02-05T07:44:00.002-05:00

Man- I'm about sick of the cold. I live at the beach for goodness sakes. One or two really cold days during the winter is about the most we ever get. That's why I like it here- mild winters. 40 as the low, 60 as the high. Feels like I never left Brevard. I feel colder here than I've ever been. Seems like WNC has been colder this winter than normal too. That last trip I took to Asheville was probably the coldest I've ever been- I never remember it being that cold. Actually, it feels colder a good bit of the time due to the incessant wind ripping through here. At least it's sunny!
Shouldn't be much longer until warmer weather though- just have to make it through today and tomorrow, the weekend is suppose to get back up to the 50-60 range. Then, my trip to FL will be here before I know it. When I get back from there, it will be spring here and no more cold! I should probably quit whining now- could be raining, I'll take cold over rain any day! Have to go now- need to take 1/2 hr to get dressed for my 1 hr commute to work.
Later-
DH

Wind blast 2009 ride

2009-02-03T19:22:00.003-05:00

Man it was windy today! I left the house at 11:00 this morning hoping to get in 5 hrs. on the bike. The first hour wasn't bad, I had a pretty stiff crosswind through to the North side of Mount Pleasant. Stopped by the shop to pick up some water and shed some layers. Good timing as I had to pee so bad I rode the last 2 miles standing up.
After the short stop I pushed on North to Francis Marion Natnl. Forest and miles of quiet paved roads and tons of gravel forest roads. After the rash of flats I was ready for gravel and had installed some new tires. I was packin' 2 tubes, a patch kit, 3 CO2s, an inflator, and my frame pump taped on. ( Traditional road frames are the only ones that really work- but they don't fit on Madones without a little riggin' ) I turned left on Guerin's Bridge road and was dead on into the wind for the next 3 hours. Great. What the heck- I need to do an hour or so of Tempo so that actually worked out well. Put it on 280-300 watts and rolled. A little over an hour later I was done with that interval, ended up averaging 290 watts. Still feeling strong I hit the gravel road network for awhile, ending up at the Witherbee Ranger Station to fill up my bottles again. Somewhere along the line I heard a pop. Looking back at my rear wheel I saw no problems and kept rolling. Must have been the wind or lack of food, or fatigue that I didn't notice the broken spoke in my front wheel. Not good on an 18 spoke, paired spoke wheel. That thing was so far out of whack that it wouldn't even spin with the brake released. I managed to twist up the offending spoke pretty good, offset my brake some, and the wheel turned again. How long had that been going on? I heard it pop a ways back!
Anyways- Made it to Monk's Corner by a little over 4 hrs. in. Stopped for more water and food and got ready to finish it up back to Charleston. Only 40 some odd miles to go. I had calculated that I would get a tailwind now. Due to the incredibly competent Meteorologists at the weather channel these calculations were a little off. Another crosswind it is! At least I didn't have my nose in the headwind anymore though. Turns out that the wind wasn't bad as I made it back to Charleston in a little under 2 hrs. Crossed over the connector to James Island with a tailwind ( finally) and rolled on in right at 6 hrs of riding, 113 miles, 142 avg. HR, and a 218 watt average. Not a bad day's work. It's suppose to get really cold again tonight and tomorrow. That's fine- I think I'm scheduled for 1/2 hr or 1 hr. at the most on the rollers tomorrow morning. Nice, easy spin to clear out the junk from today. I think I'm gonna go surf the couch for awhile!
Later-
DH

Last Weekend Was Cold!

2009-01-22T20:32:00.005-05:00

I was up in Asheville for 4 days last week. Adam and I headed up Wed. after work to attend a bicycle fit class on Thursday and Friday. It was a good class and we learned alot. It was very cold however and we nearly froze to death Thursday night at Bent Creek. When Robert, Adam, and I made it to the top of Green's Lick trail my computer read 10 degrees and both my waterbottles were frozen. After a slow, freezing descent resulted in frozen tears and eyelashes we called it a night.

More class on friday, then riding after work. As it was 1 degree on the bank sign when we woke up we decided to ride indoors that night. Robert made some phone calls and got us in to use the computrainers at Asheville Velo Sports. That was fun and quickly got out of hand. We were suppose to have a nice easy spin. However, when all 3 of us got rolling, we could see each others power, speed, and position on the screen. Within 1 minute of starting it was on. I looked up and I was already at over 400 watts for the first few minutes. I tried to chill out but it was hard as everyone was trying to ride the others into the ground. What a room of idiots. Anyways, after 1/2 hr I was averaging 265 watts and decided that I had to knock it down to under 200 ASAP. That was the general consensus of everyone as we declared an uneasy truce for the rest of the ride. After dinner at Marco's Pizza we hit the sack.

Sat- got in a great 4 1/2 hr. road ride. Warmer weather and a good group with some sense made the time fly by. Legs were light and cadence high. Could have probably ridden 2 more hrs.

Sun- Another good ride at Bent Creek. Got in about 3 hrs. and rode every trail there. Saw some cool stuff-literally. Lake Powhatan was frozen solid. After some strategic rock throwing and probing we inched out on it hanging from a bridge (just in case). After we had proven that it was indeed frozen solid we walked around some and Adam even rode out on the ice on his bike. Crazy.

After that we were exhausted and headed home to warmer weather. The cold weather followed us here and it was freezing by morning. Rode home in snow flurries Tues. night. Snow at the beach. Nice. Hope it returns to the normal 60 degree winter weather soon!

5 days

2009-01-09T15:17:00.003-05:00

It's been five days now. No caffeine, carbonation, or refined sugar. I think I'm starting to get over the hump. The headaches and body pain have started to subside. I still feel as if my head is in a fog but that should clear up soon. I keep telling myself that this is a good thing. I also tell myself that this is stupid and I'll crack soon and be back to 5-6 diet cokes a day and 4-5 cookies. But right now I'm holding strong- cold turkey style. Actually, I'm working on mental toughness right now. Someone ( who will be savagely beaten ) has placed a tupperware container of Bananna nut Chocolate chip muffins on the counter near me and has been taunting me. Reminds me of the old days of Cane Creek with Wes taunting me with Oatmeal Cream pies. I could really eat one of those right now. Last time some of those were involved, it turned into a bet over me being able to eat a dozen of them. The large ones, not the 25 cent gas station variety but the costco variety. I ate em' all but had one of the worst sugar high/crashes of my life within 3 minutes of completing the challenge. Looking back- I think I almost died. Look how far off subject I am now. I should probably get a diet coke so I can focus. Oh wait. I don't drink those anymore. The plan is to dump the caffeine so that when I am racing and I drink a coke I get a bigger boost. I have become so use to caffeine now that I can no longer tell that I have had some unless I have a triple esspresso or something. I have lost five lbs. this week after cutting the sugar. That is not too bad to be without.
Anyways- I'll keep everyone updated on this struggle as I progress.
DH

75 degrees and sunny!

2009-01-05T17:52:00.002-05:00

Beautiful day out today. It was a nice change from the fog and wet conditions this past weekend gave us. Got out for 80 miles on the road bike today- nice loop, low traffic, and good legs. Got in an hour of tempo that felt like only 30 mins. When I got home and downloaded my ride I had set 3 new peak power marks. That's 4 in the last 3 days! So yeah- fitness is coming along nicely with 6 weeks left until racing starts. Gonna kick it off as usual in FL with the 12 Hrs. of Santos. Last 3 races there ( 12 Hrs. of Razorback included ) have netted me a 3rd, 4th, and 6th in the solo race. I really want to improve on that. I'm a month ahead of my usual fitness level this time of year so everything should go well. This year's race should be tough, hopefully with a deeper field than 2008. Doesn't really matter though- those races are tough enough if no one shows up- it's still 12 hrs! Can't wait. Good trails, great weather, and great people always make that weekend one of the best of the year.
Before that trip however, I have a trip to Asheville to make on the 15th-20th of Jan. I'm going to a bicycle fitting seminar to learn more about that. Should be good- I'm really starting to get into the subtleties of that. Then I'll ride the latest and greatest bikes from Fisher and Trek for 3 more days in the area before returning home to the land of zero elevation and bad pavement.
Yeah, FL. Santos. Bring it on.
Later-
DH

Mandatory end of the year post

2008-12-31T19:17:00.002-05:00

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

2008-12-31T13:26:00.001-05:00

Tenderized

2008-12-30T17:27:00.002-05:00

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

2008-12-29T16:22:00.006-05:00

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-

No White Christmas Here!

2008-12-26T17:20:00.002-05:00

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

2008-12-11T20:27:00.003-05:00

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!