Season Kickoff Party at Moshi Moshi

Awesome team party at Moshi Moshi. What great sponsors we have!! The prizes for the BTS series were handed out as were the kits. Man, the kits are rockin this year, huge thanks to Sattler Creative for coming up with the design. Also wanted to thank Mark from Run Ride Race, Fruit 66, Pasture, ByeKyle and Design Physics for supplying the cool BTS prizes. Also wanted to thank Giant Bicycles and Stijl Cycles for coming out to support our event. Now take a look at the pics of us having a great time, make sure you're there next time!!

2012 Southern Cross

It is hard to believe that it had been a year since we made our last trip down to Georgia when we (me & Mason) were introduced to Southern Cross.  Mason was super excited to be making the return trip and try her hand at the 50 mile course.  We loaded up the bikes and left the snow covered ground of Richmond.    

The girls played in the snow until 10pm knowing we were booking out first thing in the morning.

We did make one pit stop on the way down at Industry Nine, one of our new sponsors for 2012.  I got some new wheels for my 29er and Mason got some i25SL's for her cross bike.  Being that Mason is only 12, we left the cross bike at home and opted for her mountain bike, the Giant Anthem Advanced instead - well aware of the climbing that awaited us.

We are going to make it on time t his year!

This year we actually arrived on time and did not get turned around heading to the winery.  It was cool because at registration Namrita remembered Mason from last year.  Once we registered, we drove down to park the car and pulled up next to the default tandem winners.  They were gracious enough to take our picture and we returned the favor.

Where are your sleeves little girl???

Then we headed for the start line.  Maybe next year we will get there early enough to actually get a decent spot on the line.  We must have, once again, been one of the last five people to ride up...

End of the line for you KID!

But wait...  who do we see straight out of RVA....  METRO!  Stopped and chatted with him, never left that spot, which was good for a mid-pack start.  He was also turned into Kegman at the last run up late in the day.

Metro is a favorite at all our cross races.

Then the start was on, we were all funneled through the start chute which was like 10 feet wide.  I wanted to ride around it since I was not officially registered, just making sure Mason made her way around the course safely.  I chose not to since I figured it might freak some people out - like I was skipping the start.  We found ourselves winding through the winery in similar fashion to the previous year.  This year there was a tree down which would have been easy enough to hop over, but it would have been downright treacherous with all the people around.  As we made our way to the first run up, the hill looked crowded and I told Mason to slow a bit and create a small gap so she could shoot the bottom hill before settling in to climb rather than push.  She almost made it, put a foot down at the top of the bank and two half pedal strokes later she was riding up the hill.

This has to be my favorite picture of Mason on a bike to date.  Awesome shot Weldon!

She ended up making it around half way up before being stopped by the tufted pasture grass.  I almost ran over the camera guy on the right as I blazed a trail up the hill passing quite a few people and getting a few cheers along the way.  Unlike last year, we were not DFL by the time Mason made it to the top of the run/ride up.  We even got to ride with people on the road and take advantage of some drafting!  Then the road turned up and Mason's day started to go downhill...

So far so good...

A whole lotta climbing left...

Mason was having one of those days where she just could not get it going.  She kept saying that she knew she was going slow but there was nothing she could do about it.  Sometimes that is just how it goes.   Mason being the billy goat that she is, did ride all the way up to the aid station, though.  That was a goal set last year after she walked about 300 yards of the steepest pitch.  This year she got bucked off once, but got back on and kept riding all the way to the top.  I could not tell if it was the physical or emotional challenge that was getting to her.  I suspect it was more mental as that girl is very strong.  

Just another beautiful day riding.

Wow, I do not remember it being this difficult and by the way 'dad' stop taking pictures of me all the time...

Well we finally did make it up to the aid station, got some refills, ate a little food and went on our way.  We were immediately met by a few riders coming at us.  I was not sure if they were dropping out of the race or what.  It was a bit unnerving though.  So this is now the best part of the day for us.  We are just about to top out the climb when Mason is letting me know over and over again how cold she is.  She also informs me that she left her armwarmers in the car.  Yeah, when she aid she had her arm warmers and I said 'well then you only need your vest' it was taken as all you need is your vest so leave the arm warmers in the car.  Will not make that mistake again...  So I proceeded to give Mason my long sleeve jersey (because that is what dads do) and she gave me her vest.  Awesome trade!  So now she is nice and warm and I am riding around like Juan Luis Pedro Felipo de Juevos Epstein (yeah, sweathog Epstein) with the full on sleeveless look for the rest of the ride.  If I did not have the Verge base layer that my good friend Greg Wittwer had given me the week before, I would have really froze.  As it was, the rest of the day was pretty darn cold.  Once we had a chance to hit the descent, the day started to turn around for Mason.  We were railing it all the way down to the pavement.  It was a blast and we hit the road in the big ring and were finally nailing it trying to make up some time.  Then we started going up again, up to the aid station we had just left.  The climb was not nearly as difficult as the first climb and we knew we were home free once we hit the aid station since we covered that portion last year.  A few rollers, a couple decent pitches and some really fast downhills before hitting the pavement back to the winery.  Ahhhhhhhhhh, but I am getting ahead of myself.  About a mile from the aid station, we were greeted by the dredded sweeper car!  After a minute or two, it was decided that we would finish the climb and decide what to do at the top.  Once we got to the top, the car was already packed with no room for us so we decided to keep riding until they could come back and get us.  This worked out good since we got to go full tilt down the mountain again.  One of Mason's highlights was passing an SUV on the way down the mountain - we were screaming.  Best I can tell, we got picked up right around the 40 mile mark.  It was never a question about whether we could finish, we just did not have the legs to keep pace with the aggressive cut-off times.  At least we got to ride more while they took some other people back.  While Mason technically did not finish ahead of anyone, she did ride farther than some.  All in all it was another great day on the bike and Mason was all smiles when it was over.

How can you be happy sitting in the back of the sweeper car... really doubting whether she is my daughter... hahaha

Chillin post race at the winery.

I am still amazed at the people Mason knows through cycling.  We were hanging out waiting for food when Chris Merriam walks up and starts talking to Mason.  Seems they hung out in the pits up at Charm City Cross while Mason was with Fred Wittwer pitting for Greg.  Come to find out he also parked next to us at DCCX.  Small world when people recognize you from mid atlantic racing down in Georgia.  Of course there was Metro (aka kegman) and a couple other people who remembered Mason from last year.  It really makes her feel welcome even though she is so young.  We are already planning our trip back next year and being 13 equals not being a kid anymore.  So we will be working on our Southern Cross fitness in order to make sure we are far ahead of the sweeper car...

Thanks again to Namrita & Eddie for putting on a great event.

Special thanks to River City Womens Racing for their support of Mason as well.

Industry Nine

Last week I had the opportunity to stop by a little piece of heaven otherwise known as Industry Nine in Asheville NC.  We were on our way down to Southern Cross and it seemed like a perfect detour.  Stop by, introduce myself to one of our newest and certainly most high profile sponsor pick ups of 2012.  Shout out to Jesse Leadbetter for hooking us up with those guys!  You cannot miss the place with the Wheel Tree.

Best business sign ever.

We snuck in a back door which just might have been the front door.  The instant I opened the door, I knew we were in the right place.  Pure BLING everywhere!  A few guys chillin, making up the best wheels around.  I took a quick tour and met a few guys before making my way back to the Pot-O-Gold to take a look at my wheels.  I spied a special order getting ready to ship out...sweet!

Special delivery for Mr. Plassman!

My wheels were even sweeter than I thought they were going to be, I was super stoked.

Awesome

DOUBLE order of awesome.

Mason got a set of i25SL wheels and they are super bling, of course.  Blue hub, green nipples and they are sick light!  1200 grams of pure goodness.  It was like Christmas morning for her, smile from ear to ear.  Her cross bike is ridiculously light anyway, but now it is just plain silly.

Like Christmas morning!

Yeah - Joni took this picture...

Look up man, look up!

Bling

... and more Bling

We followed up with an obligatory trip to the Biltmore House.  As an architect I really enjoy seeing the house and grounds.  The basement is still my favorite part, I love seeing the original model of the house and some of the original drawings.  Super cool.  Plus the pool totally reminds me of the one on the Queen Mary.

A handful of days later we would be toeing the line at Southern Cross, but that is for another post.

Thanks again to Jesse for hooking us up.

Monster Cross!

Some of the Design Physics squad geared up and took to Pocahontas State Park for the inaugural Monster Cross race this past Sunday. David Reid and myself rolled up in style on our bikes to intimidate the competition. This strategy had no effect whatsoever on our opponents but the chilly ride loosened up the legs a bit and got them ready for a long day in the saddle.

Once the race promoters figured out how to get 400 people organized in the starting area the race started. The start was a bit chaotic with lots of riders making their bid for the lead group. I'm not sure even the motorcycle rider leading us out knew where we were going.

Eventually we all found our way to the race course without any major incidents. The group contained some familiar faces and some unknown to me. It was encouraging to have an ally, David, in the group with me. I struggled early finding a smooth line to follow on the cross bike, kudos to the Giant's wheel, tire and tire pressure setup because I nailed some rocks, roots and even a stump while following mostly mountain bikers who just floated over any obstructions.

The main group single filed the new bridge crossing over the creek when the first major attack happened. The pace up the following climb was blistering, so much so I even had to feather the brakes around what would normally be just a slight bend on the climb. By the time the pace dropped back off I looked back and no one was there, like really no one. This is were my ally David and I parted ways. But wait who's that, it's Greg Wittwer! It's on now!

The race was super fun after that. I don't believe anyone even noticed me in the group of 12-15 and I just hung back for awhile. By around the half way point the attacks came and came hard. Most attacks came with questionable tactics from the Harley team duo. One rider would get to the front to pace then block while the other attacked. This is were I made my presence known and personally reeled in most attacks. While this all happened the group thinned out. Eventually my new found ally, Greg, disappeared.

The group now containing 7 riders blazed into the second and final lap. Both Harley team riders had tire issues shortly into the final lap and disappeared. This made me happy, it also left me alone with 4 (very fast!) mountain bikers. These four I knew all to well. But wait, who's that? It's Greg Wittwer back again! Greg, without a moments rest, attacks again. Once we reel him back I think he was ready to sit back for a while. Around this time the 6 of us got organized and formed a pretty efficient pace line to reel in the solo leader. Funny thing is I never even knew there was a solo leader 'til then. After all the attacks and pace changes I was not surprised someone could stay away, but the way we were going now he wouldn't stand much of a chance, would he?

After dropping Greg again the group continued on. We received time gaps from people along the course, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 1/2 minutes.... We were catching him, but was it fast enough? Well, I wouldn't be there to find out as I was unable to keep their wheels with less than 5 miles to the finish. The newly added rooty field section on the course was my demise. I had to take a different line than the mtb's due to roots, in addition, I got hit with a nasty head wind and could not get back on their wheels. By that time the pace was flat out, short and hard pulls by all. Slowly the group disappeared and I made my way to the finish lonely with thoughts of what could've been.

Great race!

BTS Winding Down

Check the current standings as the series is winding down.  There is some cool swag up for grabs.

The preme winners from a week ago are:
Thom Flynn
Plassmido
Joe 'PRO' Fish
Toddy G

I have a 6 pack of Fruit 66 for each of you.  Good job on getting out there and training during our brutal winter...

BTS #26, West Creek

Well what a beautiful night for a night ride, with a large Design Physics crowd.

It started off a little shaky- in the parking lot before the ride I was showing David my new Industry Nine i30 wheels. He astutely noticed the front wheel was flat as flat can be. He asked if I needed help and I said “I’ll try it”. (He was having flashbacks of that flat I had last winter in the same parking lot, where he changed my tire in 25 degree weather and froze his fingers off. ) So I struggled to get the tire over the rim for about 5 minutes then sheepishly asked him for help, again. He very nicely changed the tire. I think I owe him some cookies at this point?

So the group started off. There were:

Myself (Sonya)
David Reid
Jeff Plassman
Todd Green
Jason Broussard
Thom Flynn
Shannon Bush
Joe Fish
Jim Fisher

The group eventually settled into a single-file pace line, going at a good clip. I was struggling on the hills to keep up but was staying with them ok. Then at about 2.5 laps into the ride, an attack happened, then someone’s wheel overlapped. Todd and I backed off (well ok, maybe he did, I don’t think I could have kept up anyway). We eventually caught up to Shannon and Jim. Todd pulled off to take a phone call I think, then Jim, Shannon and I got into a nice rhythm doing a revolving paceline. That was going fine and then at the 180 degree turn after the start of lap 3, my front wheel flatted again, luckily I didn’t crash as my bike felt like it had a mind of its own. Everyone offered to help me change it which was nice, but at this point I thought I’d call it a night and look for the culprit of the flats at home in the light. Shannon nicely rode next to me as I walked back to the car.

So on the drive home it started sprinkling, I wondered if my teammates were getting wet and getting bonus points…

2012 Pantani Ride

Once again the forecast was bleak going into the weekend. Friday weather forecasts ranged from an inch or two to half a foot. Given the steep nature of the routes gravel climbs it would be treacherous to get caught out in the mountains west of C-ville, and if you are real lucky you might get dragged out of the snow by some tooth challenged locals for 'who knaws whut'. Luckily we have a number of optimists in the RVA who like a good challenge / beat down.

If seriously long and steep climbs feed you need for pain, the Pantani ride delivers.

After the obligatory stop at Bodos for some great bagel sandwiches and coffee we made our way to the race start on route 666. David R, Toddy G and Myself exited the Mazda and got our bikes ready for some gravel and steep grades. A very civil start of the ride kicked the day off and I settled in with Todd for an honest days work.



This ride has some very nice scenery if you decide to stop concentrating on holding a wheel and enjoy the landscape.



Numerous sections of winding paved and gravel country roads compose the 1st part of the ride and allow a nice warm up for the silly steep fire roads that are in the "Lollipop" loop.

As the 1st major gravel climb tickled my quads, I heard what I thought was a bunch of dirt bikes coming up the road. That raspy thumping crack of a single four stroke has an unmistakable brraappppp! Soon, a gaggle of quad ATV riders passed me just as I made the right turn at the hill-billy hideout. I must say I was disappointed, dirt bikes are cool, ATV’s are for dorks! Anyway, I thought of how silly this climb would be on my Kawasaki and how honest it was keeping me on my Giant.

Todd and I ground out this climb and then bombed the mountain's backside on very steep fire-road descent. It was a bit quick in sections as I tucked in and hit top speed. My bike computer confirmed my suspicion that I was moving along at an honest forty plus.



At the bottom, we turned right and made our way to the start of a big, steep, climb on BrokenBack mountain road.



Eventually this part of the "lollipop" sends you back up the very steep fire-road descent that you rode earlier. It's very steep during the last few switch backs and can really give you an idea of where fitness is at.



After the big climb there is a long fast set of downhill gravel turns. As we headed south I could see the snow coming in with a gray and white fog engulfing the distant ridges.







As we pounded out the road back to the finish a few good snow flurries kept the scenery interesting. We were lucky to roll up to the Mazda just as the snow really started.






We packed everything up in a rush and got on the road just as it started to get pretty thick. Another great winter ride in the VA Mountains!

Schwalbe Racing Ralph Review

I just completed my first ride on the new Racing Ralph (26x2.25 TL PaceStar).  In one word these tires are incredible!!!

I mounted them using Stans No Tubes rim strip and sealant..  Mounting tires with a floor pump has always been hit or miss for me.  I could not get the beads seated on the new tires so I finally broke down and bought a cheap air compressor.  With the compressor they aired up on the first try.  There were hardly any pin holes to seal which is pretty amazing for a sub 500 gram tire.  Inflated to just over 20 psi in the rear and just under 20 psi in the front (according to my pump) and I was ready to roll.

The difference in the rolling resistance was obvious in the first minute.  These tires roll so fast it took me a while to get used to it.  Some of the downhills were scary fast vs what I was used to with my old tires.  It definitely took less effort to get up to speed and keep it there.

In the corners I felt like I was velcroed to the ground.  I have never ridden a tire that had so much grip.  I was railing corners at full speed that I used to slow down for.  When the trail got loose the tires would predictably break into a control-able drift.  Of camber roots....no problem.  Let it slide.  Once they hit dirt again they were stuck on the ground like glue.

With this increased confidence in the corners and  increased speed I threw down the two quickest laps on JRPS and FHP I have ever done!  Schwalbe has proven to me that sometimes you can buy speed!
  

BTS #19: WOW!

What an awesome ride today. The weather could not have been any better. After the frigid weekend, it was nice to roll a loop around JRPS dressed in nothing more then my kit and summer shoes.

I hope everyone was able to sneak out and enjoy some of the sunshine.

50 Point Week

That is right boys & girls - ALL RIDES THIS WEEK ARE 50 POINTS.  It is time to catch up on your points.  Some group rides, others any rides.  Let me know if you rode on an any ride day so I can update accordingly.

DING DING - the preme bell has rung.  Up for grabs this week is a case of Fruit 66.  The more you ride the better chance you have of winning!