Super D at Blue Mt

Yesterday while the rest of our team and the Mikes were probably playing follow the leader through smooth lush turf grass and jumping through sand boxes on their tippy toes,(although fun, i'll never understand cyclocross) i decided to thrown my hat into the ring of downhill. It was the last race of Blue mt vertical earth series in palmerton, pa. The specific discipline was super D which is a more gradual race course with an occasional flat spot or even small climb in the course. I like to go into these things with a pre excuse why i didn't win so i road to the race and decided to race my cannondale f29 instead of the perp which was down at the time and was built specifically for events like this.
I left the house at 8 and started my bike commute. By 915 i arrived and was well warmed up so i got in two high speed practice runs. At 11 we met up top and waited for our one minute interval start. I was waiting a bit back and heard somebody in a sarcastic tone" i cant believe somebody is racing with a lefty down this thing." Of course that somebody was me and that somebody also beat him by two minutes. Two minutes in a downhill course is like and hour in XC. My run was totally smooth thanks to big wheels and a big gear, except in the last 300yrds my chain got real stuck and i had to coast to the finish. I think i made up 30sec on the slight "climb" in the beginning compared to the big suspension bikes. I ended up 4th , 2seconds off of third with a time of 6:47. I was stoked when i looked at the timing board where most of the times were in the 7's and 8's.
I got to watch dual slalom event which is a blast. Got to see JaydeJesus , who taught me a thing or two about bike handling, have a really smooth run. You really need big ones for that event.
A good buddy of mine showed up and we did downhill runs till 5. Oh what fun. Despite my calves getting a workout from the hardtail , that bike was real fun on that mountain. I think Blue is open for free riding for a few more weekend. Go check it out.
It was either that i was bonking , or the rain that started, or my scenic route home that got me back at 7:00 and starving.
I was hoping for a podium pic but this will have to do. Good friend of mine , Chris Tollota(who may be possibly the smoothest rider ever), Dakota, and i after my run. I think i had fun. I'm smiling.

The not so GREEN cross schedule

Since Robbie is way tougher than I, he may feel free to race GREEN this year. I on the other hand will continue to help Big Oil and drive to the MAC and PA series events.
That being said this past weekend opened up the MAC series at Nittany Croos in T-town. Mr. Yozell and I picked up where we left off last year at PA states. The VisitPA.com cross juggernaut was off on full swing dominating the front of the Elite Masters race. Immediately we make the group of five and proceed to drive the group. With Mike Y. riding extremely well it was a matter of us driving the pace and getting Mike to the front at the end.
With some strong team riding and incredible technical skills Mike Y was able to win the first event of the season by outsprinting our breakaway group of five. I came in a decent 4th. It had to be a cool sight to see "The Mikes" driving the front of the race.
More to come on day 2 of the MAC opening weekend. A little hint, a certain Mike who won on Saturday, may very well have won AGAIN on Sunday.
Thanks to our great sponsors. The new Northwave shoes were awesome, stiff, yet easy to run in. Tha Cannondale CAAD9 cross bikes are extremely stiff, and ride so smoothly. Without the support of all of our sponsors, especially VisitPA.com, we would not be able to do what we love.
Thank you.
Mike H

http://www.cyclingcaptured.com/2009-Cycling-Season/Cyclocross/Nittany-Lion-Cross-1315/9707725_5MDNa#658737825_Rkjuw

the green calender

So every year about this time i get sick of driving. Hundreds of miles for work every week followed by hours in the car for races on the weekend. Well, not this fall. I have come up with the brilliant idea to plan my cross season with races close(well maybe) to my crib. i figure if i publicly post it, i'll be more inclined to stick to it. So here it is, the tentative calender.

9/26 Super D at blue mtn (palmerton, pa) ok, not cross , but crazy fun
10/11 Ironcross - i think i'll drive to this one
10/18 Wiss cross (philly area) bout 70 miles each way
10/25 Mahwah cross (northern jersey) this one will hurt, 80 miles each way
11/8 spring mount cross 35 miles each way
11/14 west windsor , nj cross (56 miles each way)
12/5 p-burg cross (a pleasant 10 miles away)

disclaimer: to the young impressionable readers. Doing something silly like this will not help you get stronger. it may in fact burn you out. i just don't know any better. stay tuned for some good bonking stories!!!

2010 team tattoo

Fresh ink to celebrate the end of XC season even though i was one spot off of my top 5 NUE series goal. i heard Nancy is getting her entire arm done like this. should be sick!!!

Mountain bike racers- maybe the most polite athletes around

Yesterday was the shenandoah 100, my fifth and final 100 mile effort for the season. I was pleased with my four previous results which already put me in sixth (or maybe even 5th depending on the last 100 out west finishes up) for the series. i never got a chance at this hundred in previous years, usually due to a 24hr conflict so i was excited to do something new. not to mention, events that chris scott puts on never disappoint. Probably why this event was sold out. The camping was awesome, along with all the other logistics that go into a 100 mile event. Chris also keeps in mind that not all want to finish a race and eat a hamburger, so he even has boca burger options upon your finish. I'm sold.
So the race was a gradual start but within 20 minutes it turned into a normal XC pace race. The lead 7 dudes(JB, Christian, Jeffery, Sam K, Jesse, Brandon, and Chris B) were out in front quite a bit . I settled in for a lovely day spent with Gerry P, Greg Kuhn, Blair, and one more tall dude which i unfortunately forget his name. Somewhere along the way Greg got ahead and we caught up to Beck who was recovering from a nasty headache. I told him to get on the train and i started feeling real strong. We dropped Blair and his buddy. Gerry , the animal that he is, gave some monster pulls and worked with me nicely. It was great having him around for most of the day. We eventually caught Greg K and i was still feeling great. Shortly after that (about the same time Gerry shouted out that we only had one more XC race left for the day, which i had some choice words for that comment) I started cramping a bit and the grade of the 15mile climb (called the soul crusher)was getting steeper. Gerry , Beck , and Greg started pulling ahead . They were about 30-40yrds ahead and i really wanted to stay with them so i rang by bell. Now, what other sport has people like this?? They actually waited. Only in mountain biking can you find racers fighting for the top 10 in the biggest , and the most highly contested series around actually look back and pause a bit so the slacker can catch up. The cramps kept coming so i backed of eventually anyway and road my own pace for the rest of the day.
At the end , i finished 10th place feeling great with a time of 7;40. My equipment was flawless from my Cannondale Caffeine(actually of top 10, 6 riders were on Cannondale), To my ever so comfortable Deuter hydration pack. Thanks to all our team sponsors. Hope we made you proud

Hmmmm home cookin'

This past weekend I had the good fortune to go back to my old collegiate stomping grounds, Indiana, PA. I was going to Yellow Creek State Park to contest round #5 in the Mid-Atlantic XTerra series. Yellow Creek is a really cool park complete with sweet hiking and biking trails, nature centers, a swimming area with beach and power boating as well.
On the drive up I decided to take in a little more of our beautiful state, and opted for Rte 56 from Bedford to Johnstown. I travelled this route 20+ years ago going to college and still remembered parts, and was amazed by the sights and beauty. From the Johnstown Incline and War Memorial Stadium ("I don't want no stinkin' rut beer") to multiple five plus mile climbs the drive was great.
Sunday came around like the past three weeks in Western PA, rain. The already slick, greasy, water laden trails were only enhanced. About an hour before the race the ski cleared and all was good. The swim portion of the race was distinctly longer than the 800 meters advertised. Oh well, I got in a groove and swam second, third most of the leg. Into and out of transition I went and proceeded to be in the lead after about five minutes on the bike. My Cannondale 29er again worked flawlessly through the prolonged small, yes small, ring climbing. Once I hit the quick singletrack and the forest roads the big wheels just started rolling. I hit the run transition first, with the fastest bike split again. Out on to the soggy trails I went. The run felt great, even on the steep switchback climb it all felt good. With about a mile to go I could see no one was near me and I started to think i was finally going to win* (* I won in WV, but the swim was cancelled) one of these things. Out into the open and there is the finish. I ended up winning by 2:45 over some pretty good competition. The result pretty much sealed my #1 ranking for Mid-Atlantic 40+ regional champ. It also put me in a very good spot to win the National Point Series title for 40+.
Another great race came together in large part to our generous sponsors: VisitPA.com, Cannondale, Rudy Project to name a few.
Until next time.

The disease is spreading

Thinking back to the last decade i like to think of some peoples lives i have helped change for the better from quitting certain bad habits, to help learning to ride, to even losing weight to get a better quality of health. I'm not bragging here(maybe a little), just a preface to my story.
Yesterday i raced a h2h race in Jersey on the way home from the beach. Always exciting to race somewhere new which has been a theme this season. So i'm warming up and a familiar face approaches me and makes some small talk. I usually rely on Matt Miller or Motormouth Matt to fill me in on names since i have a horrible memory but i was on my own. They were nowhere in sight. Turns out it was last years 24 hours of Allamuchy solo winner Emrah Ayhan. Last year my wife, Sarah , and i raced on a tandem Cannondale Mountain bike at the same race. Point of the story is he thought the tandem thing was so cool that this year he will be entering the tandem division with his son who looks only 12 or so. How cool is that??? Makes me wonder where i'd be now in racing if my father had me riding at 12 instead of breathing second hand smoke at the Beef House . Maybe Sarah and i will see you out there. Way to be a cool father and good luck to you and your son!!!!