Design Physics Racing

BTS # 13

2012-02-07T20:23:00.001-05:00

No much to say about tonight's ride. Perfect weather with an awesome sunset to top it off. I met up with Jason and Mason for a quick spin. Ran into Tyler along the trail as well. It was a good ride.

Snapped a couple pics, one of the Springhill meeting spot where nobody was waiting for us.

Tyler rolling Forest Hill so fast my camera could hardly catch it.

The sunset was awesome!! Can't catch it with the camera very well.

2012 VA Super Bowl Ride

2012-02-06T21:04:00.012-05:00

During the week leading up to this storied event it seemed like half the team was going to make the ride. Countless emails flooded my in-box with declarations of intent and chaotic plans for a rag tag train of DP riders to caravan to the Briery Branch Community Center.

For most it was not to be. The night before the ride my email in-box was filled with declarations of doubt.

Luckily, one other intrepid rider would join me. Toddy G and I had a blast riding in some increadible scenery. Pictures can be worth more than words, I'll let them do the talking

It had to be done...

2012-02-06T20:11:00.001-05:00

After the slew of 'I'm Out' emails that came across this weekend, the scales were tipped towards DP representation at the Super Bowl Ride gaining a few extra points. After serious deliberation, the final verdict is points times (1.5). So we now have a new BTS leader in Plassmido. Toddy G also made a big jump up the leaderboard. Look to the right for this week's rides.

Happy Birthday Euro D!

2012-02-03T13:19:00.003-05:00

Feel free to smack Euro Dave on the ass next time you see him! I am sure he is younger than 90% of the people on the team...

Euro D is so cool that he does not even have to look where he is going!

BTS #9: (EDIT - Fill in the blank) Bags

2012-02-02T12:33:00.000-05:00

So we commenced on what has become the normal West Creek routine, pretty slow first lap followed by a few more spirited laps. We ran into a bunch of cycling traffic on the parkway this evening, with some (EDIT - riders who even make Euro Dave's riding style look good) thrown in for good measure. I'm not sure of the reason, but these roadies thought it was fun to suck our wheel for a while, pass the group, then wait and do it again. I remain confused by these roadie games...

Despite this annoyance, we were not going to let these guys mess up the night as the weather was perfect. The group was just looking for a nice chill pace and I think we achieved that (with a few spirited sprints as the only exceptions). Industry Nine wheels seemed to be the topic of discussion among the group tonight. It is going to be sweet when we start fitting these to our bikes. Nice group of 6 of us made the ride, here is a pic of my view most of the evening:

The group included:

Fish
Plassmania
Sonya
Todd
Shannon
Me

Looking forward to getting back on the mountain bikes this weekend. Should be awesome!!

BTS Title Chase

2012-01-31T21:02:00.003-05:00

We are now up to 25 team members (28 counting regulars Mason, Emily & Jesse) who are competing in the BTS Series. This is exactly why we have the series, to get everyone out there riding. Sunday was great to see so many riders and so many in DP kits was just icing on the cake. Be on the lookout for some premes coming up, I think I hear the bell ringing for one now...

BTS #7

2012-01-30T08:24:00.007-05:00

It was with with a sense of impending woe that I set forth for BTS #7. I have been fighting off this sinus infection for weeks now, and as much as I need the exercise and the weather was near perfect, the sheer amount of over the counter drugs that I had ingested hours ago in hopes of being able to breath, had me seeing double and on the verge of passing out.
I arrived early in hopes that I could get a quick spin in to clear the cobwebs, but alas I was not early enough...

Kylan rolled up and the pre-ride palaver began. Roger pulled in dressed as a civilian, which elicited comments from both Kylan and I, but like Clark Kent, Roger ducked into his and car and in a flash emerged as Sattler Man!

Next Plassman arrived, and I while I was pulling the last of my crap together hoping to soon pull my self together, I over hear Plassman tell his war tale from the previous days ride. I couldn't quite hear it, but it sounded horrific.
I had to go investigate...
And let me be the first to say- Bravo! It certainly put my ill feelings in perspective! So I put my nuts back on and got ready to ride!

At this point there were all kinds of riders suited up and ready to go- 11 or 12 I think. We rolled out to towards Forest Hill to meet up with Jason and Mason.

Considering how long a train of riders we had and how many hikers were on the trails, we all kept a decent pace and stayed pretty smooth.
The trails were in great shape, a couple of wet low spots, but other than that it was a great day to ride.
We hit all of JRPS, rolled back towards Dogwood Dell and then opted to try the fresh trails the RA.MORE cut in there.
Other than being fresh and soft, I think these new trails are going to be a lot of fun. I am not sure we found all that was in there, it seemed pretty short...

If I remember correctly, the group ride consisted of:

Me
Roger
Kylan
Jeff P
Jeff F
Jesse
Emily
Sonya
Shannon
Byron
John
Jimmy F
Jason H
Mason
And another Jason maybe?

The after party was at Moshi Moshi
How I love me some Saki!

Hh- out

Bonus BTS Sunday

2012-01-22T21:30:00.002-05:00

Since the weather conditions were nothing short of unbearable today with the 33 degree temperatures and mist I am going to award BTS points to everyone who braved the elements and went out to ride. It was nasty out there for sure. Kudos to everyone who made it out - you just earned yourself 50 points! Keep on the bikes, you never know when the bonus BTS points will be dished up.

With the number of runners out yesterday, I added 50 points to your totals as well. Trainers and installing dishwashers will not be considered point worthy activities...

Holy Fruit 66...

2012-01-20T11:48:00.000-05:00

This just showed up at my place today - let me know if you are interested in purchasing a case.

We have the best sponsors!!!

BTS #3

2012-01-19T21:14:00.000-05:00

It was a duel of the Jason's tonight as Broussard made his way out to Powhite. I thought for a minute there I might be picking up double points, but preferred the company. we rolled around the trails for just over and hour with Mason in tow. It was a warm 40 degrees and we met up with three other riders who Jason B knew. Good times out on the trails. See you all in a two weeks, I am in New York all next week.

Kicking It Off: BTS #1

2012-01-18T08:41:00.002-05:00

Paul and I kicked off the BTS series on Tuesday with a traditional Run/Ride/Run. It didn't seem right to be kicking off the winter riding series with temperatures over 50* with no winter riding gear needed. I can remember last season's BTS events having to worry about frozen bottles on almost every ride; this was not a concern last night. I was more concerned with being over dressed with just a thin baselayer on.

The pace this night was more social then anything. Buttermilk was damp making the rocks very slick and sketchy. Coming down the rocky chute under the Nickel Bridge was interesting to say the least with both front and rear tires skidding the entire way down. The lights were clicked on once I reached North Bank, which was surprisingly dry. There is something about riding at night, the trail that was once familiar is now much different. This carries over to trail running at night as well. I have grown tired of running on the road, but trail running has renewed my interest.

The event was rather uneventfull with just Paul and I making it out so no photos were taken. Hopefully BTS #2 tonight at West Creek will draw more riders. The temperature should be just about right for a BTS ride hovering just under 40*. Winter riding gear will be essential.

2nd Annual BTS Series

2012-01-16T16:40:00.002-05:00

Back in full effect starting this week. Ride schedule will be posted to the right.

Good luck to everyone - have some fun - suffer as much as possible - come into the season ready to race.

There will be some swanky prizes given away at random and to the top 3 point snatchers.

There is a 100% chance rules will change so Toddy G does not walk away with top honors again... Be on the lookout for Euro Dave, a couple of these rules were written just for him.

Points:
30 - MTB Ride
25 - Run/Ride
20 - Road Ride

Bonus Points:
5 - BTS write up on blog
5 - Pics included in write up
10 - Raining
10 - Night
10 - over 5 DP riders
15 - MTB ride >30 miles
15 - Road ride >50 miles
20 - over 10 DP riders
20 - Temps below freezing
20 - Snowing
25 - chance gathering of 5 or more DP riders on trails
50 - Over 15 DP riders
50 - Pre-sesaon race (frozen Cross, Monster Cross, Southern Cross)
DOUBLE POINTS - only one to show up at any event
TBD - Epic Rides (super bowl ride, pantani ride, etc.)

Demerit Points:
(-50) Riding on muddy trails
(-50) Crashing teammate on road
(-10) Not wearing a DP kit (for those who have them)

DPR Kicking it at the 2012 50/50

2012-01-05T22:31:00.005-05:00

David and I showed up to represent Design Physics Racing at the 2012 50/50 ride. A sizable group was on hand for the start of the ride and the usual suspects prepared for the start. As usual, Metro arrived fashionably late and in style. I also had a chance to catch up with some friends from the Richmond Velo Sports team.

Before long, we were off. The leaders blasted through the stop sign onto River Road and this set the tone for traffic violations for the majority of intersections encountered during the ride. When rolling with this motley crew, you are on your own for checking for a safe crossings!

Soon we bypassed almost all JRP single track and the route took us through Carytown to Broad street. We rode close by Damon's house and I thought we should have given him a hooligans wakeup at 7:30am. No rest for the wicked eh?

Before long we had chugged along through a bunch of very questionable railway areas, and then surprised a guard standing near the Richmond convention center as we fractured into several groups heading towards Church Hill. Soon we were passing the Haines residence and it occurred to me that we could kidnap Tom and force him on the ride. Alas, it was not to be.

After assaulting Church Hill and several super sketchy "pirate trails" we ended up near the port of Richmond and were soon skirting legality by riding some gravel roads around a huge rock quarry.

Then eventually we rode a mix of paved roads and ended up on a "gravel road" next to a military base or something. This is where some MP's yelled at some riders to "get across the creek" that I had just soaked my shoes in. Per the Rooster's request to "get those DP guys on the front" I pulled a good bit and then handed it over to the Velo Sports Guys and JMAC.

Miles later and after a lunch stop, we finally were riding gravel at Pocohontas. I got a flat and was promptly dropped. So I fixed my flat, and then was glad to see David coming back for me. We got separated from the group for the riding of all the colored trails. When we rode lake view 1-2-3, David put his stamp of authority by pulling away from all the fast guys and waiting for us at the trail head.

We regrouped and re-hydrated and noted how the day was quickly leaving us. Soon we would all take long pulls on Courthouse RD all the way back to Richmond. I fell off the back of one group when my legs finally started bonking. Then I picked up Metro, who rode with me until in his own words declared… "Honey Plassman, you are too small to draft!" and he rode off to get some fuel, err... beer.

With my legs shot and the day going quick, I headed back to the start/finish hosted by Brandy and Travis. I finished a long day with some awesome post ride snacks and beer. What a way to ring in the new year.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T16:06:00.001-05:00

Wishing everyone a little Christmas cheer this holiday season. Hopefully all your two wheeled dreams will come true!

End of Year Party

2011-12-22T11:12:00.002-05:00

Getting this one out a little late...

We had a great turnout for the end of the year gathering at Rowletts. We had a handful of new members as well - getting a chance to hang out while off the bikes. Plassman had put together a killer video from the year of riding and it was playing on a loop. Pretty cool for sure. This years party was a door prize bonanza with new members walking away with most of the loot. There were a couple of $50 gift cards compliments of Design Physics & Rowletts. Giant threw in a helmet & fruit 66 threw in a couple of cases of drinks. I think we also gave away a few stem caps. Comfort once again donated our food for the event - they have been a great sponsor. Thanks to everyone for coming out. Look for something in February to kick off 2012.

Cold Weather riding Tips

2011-12-14T21:23:00.002-05:00

Clothing
- dress in layers that you can add and remove as needed

suggested layers & options
- base layer tech tee shirt & jersey
- shorts with enough frontal protection from the cold
- arm warmers, leg warmers
- head band, also bring skull cap that covers ears as option
- base layer thin socks, smart wool type outer socks
- winter cycling shoes, or neoprene outer shoe booties
- glove liners, spring gloves (thicker than summer, but not as thick as winter)
- bring winter gloves as option if below 35
- wind breaker jacket
- vest with vented back

- use clear lenses on your riding glasses, tinted lenses tend make the trail harder to see because everything is already leafy brown

1 pair toe warmers that don't require air to activate (toastie toes brand...)
- these can be a real ride saver, I place on top of toes over base sock and under thick sock
1 pair of hand warmers
- place these on top of hand over base layer glove liner and under gloves

CamelBack or equivalent
- great to stow the gear you are not wearing
- does not freeze as quickly as bottles, but you need to drink often to keep hose from freezing, if it does stick it under you jersy and it will thaw

Bike and Gear
- now more than ever, keep your bike in good working order
- cary at least 1 tube, tire lever, patch kit, and a pump
(recently in the mountains I double pinch flatted and had 1 extra tube and had to patch the other, otherwise it would have been a cold 3 mile hike out)
- chain tool and quick link
- multi tool
- bring your cell phone, but dont count on it in the mountains (tell someone the route you are riding and when you should return)

Tips
- make sure to keep your core and your knees warm
- heavy gloves will soak quickly with sweat unless its real cold (~below 35) , instead, layer glove liners and spring gloves instead
- get dressed in your bike clothes before you leave the house
- vest and arm warmers give you a lot more options than a winbreaker over just a jersey
- you should be a little chilly just standing around, if you are warm standing around you will likely overheat on the bike
- shoes should not constrict your feet, this limits blood flow and may reduce air trapped by socks decreasing insulation
- don't forget to hydrate, you can get fooled into not drinking enough because it's cold
- if you are stopping for any lenght of time, throw on your windbreaker
- cary a emergency foil blanket, espcially if in the mountains
- be carefull not to get caught out in the cold at night, especially in the mountains
- do not ride alone in the mountains in the winter, and don't ride when hunters are hunting (Walnut Creek and Douthat don't usually allow hunting)
- road riding is typically a lot colder than trail riding in the same temps
- pay special attention to have the right layer options when it's going to be less than 35

Stijl Team Bike Build Night

2011-11-30T10:12:00.003-05:00

Well here it is after all this time-
Enjoy :)

Do It... Do It

2011-11-24T18:24:00.001-05:00

Virginia Cup Off Road Duathlon Recap

2011-11-21T12:06:00.001-05:00

Time for the start!!

When I packed up for this race I brought everything but the kitchen sink. It has been pretty cool lately, so I figured today would be much of the same. Boy was I wrong!! The day turned out to be perfect for a duathlon. The problem with this sort of event in November is that you will overheat quickly in the clothing required to race your bike for an hour. Boy was I wrong on the weather; it turned out to be an awesome day! Almost as soon as I showed up, I started taking layers off trying to find the perfect combination.

Joe and Jim transitioning onto their bikes.

Joe, killing it!

Matt and Jeff opted for the more sane duo

This was the first race ever on the mountain bike trails at Pocahontas State Park. I’m fortunate enough to call these my home trails and usually ride my bike to the trailhead. I contemplated doing this on race day, but quickly decided not to as I knew I needed to bring stuff for transition and the air was a bit brisk for the quick spin to the park. Joe Fish is such a badass that he opted to ride his Giant the 8 or so miles from his house to the event. As these are the home trails to Joe as well, I felt like we had a bit of an advantage over the rest of the field.

Finishing up

Once I arrived and started setting up my transition area, I started seeing other Design Physics racers. It was awesome to have such a nice turnout at this final event of the Virginia Off Road Series. In total, Design Physics had 9 racers and one spectator!! It was a pretty awesome feeling to have this much support at an event, especially a duathlon.

In short, the race went down like this, Joe Fish killed everyone!! I knew I would need to put some major time on Joe during the running sections as he would be faster then me on the bike. When Joe hung with me on the first run, I knew it was his race to win. The bike section was very fun with lots of leaves all over the trail. I passed the few guys that had beaten me on the first run within the first mile or so and settled into a rhythm that I was able to maintain over the course. I kept expecting my legs to recover from the run, but it never really happened so I couldn’t make up any time on Joe. I felt terrible by the time the second run was over and I was just happy to be finished. Not a great day for me, but a great day for Design Physics Racing. What an awesome way to finish off the season.

All in all, we filled many of the podiums:

Joe Fish- 1^st solo men

David Reid- 2^nd solo men

Kate Fisher- 3^rd solo women

Team Juaneza and Plassman- 3^rd duo men

Paul Leeger- 3^rd 35-39 men

Jim Fisher- 1^st 40-44 men

Lisa Stover- 1^st 30-34 women

In addition John Leino competed on a team and Damon came out to show is support. Thanks guys!

Got to RunRideRace for complete results.

18 Hours Flashback

2011-11-07T21:40:00.037-05:00

-24
It’s Saturday morning and I’m awake. The work week is over and I’ve left all my preparation for the race until the morning before. First, food. Oatmeal seems right. Then to preparation. Bike maintenance: Check. Gear: Check. Wait, do I have everything I need? Crap, I need all my camping gear. It’s been sitting in a corner of the basement for about a decade. Yep, there’s the tent and sleeping bag – hope all the tent poles are still in that bag. Fire: Check. Forecast calls for near freezing temperatures tonight and a fire is a must. Double Crap, my ‘Great Ball of Fire’ backyard fire pit will never fit into the Swede. That thing is 3’ in diameter. I’m calling Kylan, he’s got an Explorer and that will definitely hold this thing. Ring Ring – No answer. Eff. Got to have my fire. Maybe if I disassemble the fire pit it will fit. Yes, that worked. Whew, I just blew like 50 calories doing that – I should have done all this the week before, but there was no time…

-21
I’m in the car headed to the race. Man, I’m hungry – oatmeal didn’t cut it. Off to Palani Drive to get a breakfast burrito, the one with eggs, sausage, and potatoes. And a coffee. Driving down Patterson, I’m rocking out to the Zounds, my new favorite punk band. Life is good – I’m really looking forward to this now.

-20
Camp is set up. Jason is here with Mason and a proper awesome pop up tent. We’re set up on the hill overlooking the start line. It’s perfect. Jim Fisher has been here since last Tuesday pre-riding. Steve Tolley is set up, ready to ride this thing solo, and legend has it that Jennie Belt will show up to race solo women’s. I can’t even fathom such efforts. Paul and Kylan show up and we decide on the rotation. First Kylan, then me, then Paul, then Francine (I’ve begged to be able to do a daylight lap, and that will be my only chance.) Maybe we should each do two laps? Minimize the hot to cold shock of it all. The Director Sportif says no.

-19
Pre race meeting. Man, why do they keep mentioning this one sponsor who does IT stuff? We need to get back to the base camp and get ready! Did he just say the course is a slopfest?

-18
Start gate: Kylan is at the line; Jennie, Steve, Mason, and Jim are there too. Ed Jones rolls out the prologue and they’re off. Back to camp to get ready for my lap.

-17
Geared up and ready to go at the start line. Kylan rocked out an awesome first lap – easily among the first 10 or 15 to get across. No sign of our competition yet, so we’re already doing well. Kylan passes me the baton, and I struggle to get it into my jersey pocket. What is this crazy Velcro crap on this thing – I can’t get it off my glove. Am I crashing? Yep, right at the start line, I’ve crashed trying to put the baton into my jersey pocket. No one can claim I’m sandbagging in Beginner class this year now after seeing this pedestrian display of racing. I get up, brush it off and I’m on the course racing! Yes, the trails are wet to say the least. The mud has the consistency of tile mastic. I’m already using granny just to power through some of this terrain. Deeper into the course, the trail dries up, and I maintain some good speed. As always, the mile makers are hurling motivational phrases at me that I know I will want to rip down later in the race. I pass the camp, dive into the last bit of singletrack, and finish my lap. 51 minutes – not bad!

-16
I’m steaming. I get back to the camp to rest and prep before my next lap, and I’m so covered with sweat, that as I stand in front of the camp fire, the sweat steams off me and my kit. Paul’s out on course, and now I’m trying to figure out the best way to recover the 900 calories that my computer just told me I left lying on the trail.

-15
What up Matt Juaneza! Did you totally just show up and bring us pizza? You the man! Paul’s back from his first lap – lungs are killing him from a chest cold he’s been nursing all week hoping to recover from. He’s hurting. Francine is out on course – first all night lap.

-14
Standings update – somehow we’ve lost the lead. Chris McMillan has done two pretty fast laps and we’re behind by 10 or so minutes. They’re doing double laps and we start to question our tactics. Going into the race, we feared his team would give us a serious challenge as he’s paired up with Donna Miller and some ASR folks. Morale starts to decline. We’re running out of firewood and are wondering if we shouldn’t just do a few laps, hang by the fire for the rest of the night, and drink a few beers. Yes, that would be good… shouldn’t we do that? Francine is back – Kylan rolls out. Time for me to get ready, I guess.

-13
First night lap. Hey look at that, I took the baton and didn’t crash. Course is still wet, but now it’s dark and I haven’t ridden a night ride since sometime last spring. Just like that, the first root gets me and I feel that familiar shwooop of losing traction and losing balance as the back end of the bike goes all over the trail. I recover without falling, but realize that this is going to be hard. I’m now looking for every root, every line. Where can I keep speed? I try desperately to crank hard on the fire roads and flats that I know are safe, but some sections are relentlessly dangerous with the roots. I get back to the start line and I’ve made it, but this time it took me 60 minutes. Man, that won’t be good enough.

-12
What up Joe Fish! Did you totally just show up and bring us pizza? You the man! Am I hallucinating? Nope, that’s Joe. He’s saying something about the fact that HoneyPlassman is going to have to race expert next season and he’s going to have to kick his ass. HoneyPlassman don’t care I think to myself…

-11
Paul’s back – Francine is out. I’m eating. Someone I don’t know is here by my fire and I’m worried that I won’t be able to reap the full benefit of its radiant heat if I have to share it. It is so cold, I’m certain I’m not going to do any more laps. Hell no. What’s the point, the other team has us, and we might as well get warm in our tents. Who is this person stealing my heat? I suspect enemy team tactics and repeatedly give him the stink eye.

-10
Francine is back, Kylan is out. I’m next. No, it can’t be me next. I eat a banana and play some Angry Birds with Paul. Someone says the temperature is in the 20’s. Well, that means I should put on everything I own for the next lap.

-9
I’m on course with WAY TOO MUCH clothing. I stop to take a bunch of it off. Whew. Actually I’m feeling pretty good all of a sudden. Fear of roots has subsided; I’m in the zone zooming down the singletrack. I’ve passed several people even. I pass the camp and yell ‘Where’s Paul?’ He’s not expecting me this early – I’ve had a good lap! I’m inspired to go even faster for the last half mile. At the start line, Paul is there to congratulate me. ‘Nice lap man!’

-8
Mid race results are up on the board. We’re winning! By 30 minutes even. Holy crap, we could win this. The knowledge is not enough though. I’m back to the camp and really start to feel the fatigue. I tell Kylan I’m going to lay down in my tent for awhile, which I do.

-5
My phone rings. It’s Paul. Go away Paul, I’m sleeping – sort of. Ok, Ok, it’s my lap next, fine. How did you get my number anyway? I’m up, into the cold wet kit, and ready. I’m at the starting line waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Everyone is suffering now – Paul tells me he can’t do another lap. He just can’t breathe. Something about me doing a double lap he says to me – I assume he’s either gone insane or just trying to bump up my mental game. Kylan comes in covered in sweat, and I’m on the course now for lap 4. Wow, am I ever suffering. On a new section of trail, I notice some lively decorations and a circa 1977 tape player booming out the beach boys on repeat; however, the battery is wearing out, and it’s so out of tune that I suddenly realize I must be in a David Lynch movie. I pass our camp and ride in to see what the plan is before I finish my lap. Paul is out – plan is to chill a bit and figure it out. Not good. I finish off the lap and check the score. We’re ahead by a lap and a few minutes, so we’re doing well, but if we drop the ball, it will be our race to lose. I head back to the camp to say as much.

-4
Our plan – Francine will go out in a few minutes, much to her dismay. She has to work tomorrow… I mean today! We’re sitting by the fire and someone jokes that we should just hang for an hour and go swipe the baton for a free lap since I’ve brought it back with me to the camp. I immediately start singing ‘Free-laps, don’t do it, when you want to go to it’ to the tune of Relax by Duran Duran. Kylan actually thinks this is funny. Somehow, Francine finds the motivation to go out again and does another amazing lap. I sit by the fire with my head bobbing in and out of sleep and eat one of Paul’s spicy meatballs. Nope, shouldn’t have done that.

-3
Kylans’ last lap – 5 for him. Sun starts to come up. Jason, Mason, and Jim wake up and come join the campfire. ‘Did you melt your helmet dude?’ Yeah, I was trying to dry it off. Are we ahead? Do I have to do another lap?

-2
Waiting for Kylan at the start line, people all over the camp are just waking up. I’ve not slept and I look at them not understanding what I’m seeing. Is that some dude’s mom in her house coat? Kylan shows up and I go for lap number 5. I’ve got nothing left. I stop at one obstacle, get off my bike and take a drink of water. I’m walking up the steepest hills. I see no one on the course and I’m wondering if I’ll even finish the lap before the time expires. I’m riding by our camp and no one is there...

-1
… but then I’m at the start line and the whole team is there waiting for me! We’ve won! We’ve destroyed them in fact. 17 laps to 15. Jason wants me to do a wheelie (but given my earlier start line antics, I decline.) The waves of euphoria come over me as it sinks in and I see how happy everyone else is. We never gave up and we won.

-0
I really have very little recollection of anything past this point. We’re at the post race breakfast and awards ceremony and I see that Jennie’s won solo women. She’s presented with a non ironical, non novelty check for $500 and is made to wear some sort of Bass Pro Shop looking camo baseball cap. That is awesome. Tolley takes second in his division. Mason takes first in Juniors! We’re on the stage next, shaking hands and nodding heads. The group breaks and somehow I actually drive myself home. That should not be allowed. I’m at home and sleep for something around 15 hours, wake up, and go to work. Where did my weekend go?

Trick or Treat

2011-10-29T08:05:00.000-04:00

TREAT!

Just in time for the cooler weather - Jackets & Vests are in.

Halloween RED eyes - TRICK

Toms' backside - TRICK or TREAT?

Diggin It

2011-10-22T13:56:00.000-04:00

Weather is great, trails are in perfect condition, how better to spend your day then riding right? Well, Damon, my son and I decided to give a bit back this morning. We cross trained a bit by swinging Pulaski's and McLeod's around for a couple hours around Pocahontas State Park.

Yeah, maybe not the most glorious way to get a workout in, but it was a good time and I like the feel of accomplishment. Now is the time of year to get out to the trails and help maintain them. If you haven't made it out this year, try to find some way to give back. The DP Racing team has logged over 100 hours of trail work this season in and around Richmond. The VORS Paydirt program is really paying dividends for the trails around Virginia.

2011 Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race

2011-10-12T21:12:00.052-04:00

The dust has settled and I've finally had a chance to write about my 2011 Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race adveture. This post is long, but I think you will find it's worth the read. Enjoy!

The Journey Begins
Clearing skies provided for a stunning fall driving through the mountains of VA, TN, and NC. The Mazda 3 was packed to the gills with enough gear to survive 2 stage races and a nuclear winter. I spilled coffee in my lap and got mad for a bit and then smiled with the realization that this was going to be a great week.

As the evening arrived, Asheville came into view and I checked in to my room just in time to ramble downtown for some dinner and a coffee. I was pleased to find things were not crowded and got a table at the "Early Girl Eatery" and ordered a very tasty Shrimp and Grits and local IPA.

Afterwards, I meandered through town in search of hot java and found a cup black as night and strong as sin.

Walking around town at dusk provided some very nice views, and I headed back to my room for a solid slumber with memories of Pisgah past flowing through my mind. In 2009 I raced the inaugural Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race. That year the weather kept it interesting with 40deg temps, rain, and even snow. As I went to sleep I got cold and cramped just thinking about those truly difficult days in the saddle. Then the warmth of the great memories from that year’s race put me at ease.

Re-acquainting with Brevard and Pisgah
Monday morning greeted me pleasantly with serene views of the sleepy fog draped mountains surrounding Asheville. During the drive to Brevard the weather got a bit spotty as clouds and misty rain made it’s way eastbound and down. Familiar sights welcomed me to Brevard as I made my way past the entrance to the Pisgah Forest and stopped in at Sycamore Cycles and caught up with local speed merchant Wes Dickson.

Cruising around town to get the lay of the land was where I spotted a race banner downtown and scoped out several places to eat. After some pretty good pizza I header over to the Pisgah forest to pre-ride the Black Mountain descent we would end on each day.

Let’s get this started
The Brevard Music Center hosted the pre-race dinner/race briefing and packet pick up. We all enjoyed some really good local food, wine, and New Belgium beer on tap. Todd Branham, the race director, welcomed everyone and gave a great overview presentation of the next 5 days of racing. Anticipation started coursing through my veins and I awaited the incredible riding experience that awaited us all.

After dinner my house mates and I stopped at a grocery for essentials: coffee, beer, pasta, laundry detergent, pickles...We returned to the house we rented, Grandma’s House, and got acquainted as we prepared for the 1st stage. Somehow I got a massive headache (beer or low pressure weather system?) and I tried to go to sleep as it thundered and rained outside. Day 1 was going to be wet!

Stage 1 – White Squirrel Loop
Following a long restless night, I woke up at 6:45am and joined the rest of the crew for breakfast in Granny’s kitchen. After a double serving of oatmeal and a splash of coffee, I got my bottles and drop bags ready for the day. Rob, Montana, Brad and myself road a bicycle path to the Pisgah Forest for about 2 miles from Gammy's house and arrived at the race start/finish sufficiently warmed up. Garth and Claire rolled over in the V-Dub and shuttled our drop bags for us. Thanks Garth! A damp and chilly morning greeted us and the reasonably paced start on the pavement was welcome. At the top of the first climb the trail started with a fast and buff single track chute. This gave way to Squirrel Gap, a trail that is pretty technical with a narrow cut and often not much else. Lots of rock features and tons of roots were made more difficult by the fresh rain and very slippery mud. A good bit of gravel took us back to the ridgeline for Black Mountain and soon I was facing a seemingly unending set of rock stairs and switch backs that led to about 3 false summits. A very technical rocky and rutted descent finally leveled out and I was relived to see the next trail head for the final hike to the last descent of Black Mountain. This descent is a real hoot and I smiled all the way down to the finish.

We all soaked in the surprisingly cold stream across the street and then headed back to the house where the daily ritual of stage racing began: bike wash and service, cleaning ourselves up, refueling with food and IPA, and heading into town for the awards and happy hour.

Upon returning home, I prepared drops for the next day, processed some video, and updated my blog with the best ramblings I could manage.

Rock Star Status Confirmed
Following a hamburger and fries massacre, I roamed downtown Brevard with Rob, Montana, and Brad. We noticed signs in many store fronts welcoming race families into their shops. Just then a lovely young hostess at a restaurant came outside and greeted us and asked about the day’s stage in the race. She explained that she is on the mountain bike team at Brevard College and was eager to hear how we enjoyed riding Squirrel Gap. Down the road a bit, we wandered by a bakery and were bummed that it had just closed at 5:00pm hoping to score some coffee and snacks. As we longingly looked in the window another lovely young lady saw us and motioned for us to hold on for a moment. She burst out of the bakery and inquired if we were bike racers. Why yes we are. She cheerfully handed us a fresh loaf of bread! Awesome! A bit later, while fellow racers enjoyed the happy hour, I walked a few blocks to a café to get my fix. The barista was another very nice young lady who asked me all about the stage race and how I was doing while preparing a double espresso with cream. Surely these were an exceptional series of events and I was very flattered with all the attention. How awesome is it to be a mountain bike rock star for a day?

The town of Brevard really rallied together for this bike race and provided an exceptionally welcoming town to return to after every stage of the race. A mountain biker could get used to this.

Stage 2 – Land of Waterfalls Loop
Rousing myself from a unsteady slumber and shoveling oatmeal into my mouth was a wee bit harder the second day. Our gang of 4 pedaled along the bike path with lifting fog and a warm sun greeting us. When we arrived at the start area, our bikes were loaded onto a moving truck and racers climbed onto a pair of "trolley" buses for a tour through Brevard as well as transport to the start for stage 2.

The tour through Brevard gave a city spokesperson a chance to give us some history and to showcase the progress Brevard after losing a major industrial employer. The trolley ride was a bit awkward, but it was cool to get a local's perspective. At one point an angry wasp landed on a lady's back and Birdman nearly gave her a beating trying to kill the thing. Luckily someone in the back of the bus snatched it out of the air like a 4th degree black belt and ended the drama. When we got to the race start area, one of the trucks with bikes had gotten delayed. While waiting, I
had a chance to talk bikes with Adam Craig as he asked my about my Anthem 29er. Soon, the race would start in a field with a Lemans start and jumpy racers.

And they’re off! Ascending the climb to Farlow gap is done via a long, very long, 9 miles of undulating fire road. At the top I put it in the big ring and started to work my way back through the field that bested me on the climb. Farlow Gap proved to be one of the most technical and treacherous descents I've done in a while. I managed to ride about 85% of it before common sense took over and I ran, hopped, and slid down a few section of super knarl. The remainder of the day was filled with fast, retired road-bed single track, river side trails, monster hike-a-bikes, and some demanding descents. I was really relieved to finish as my back was aching. It was not my best day for pedaling but I maintained my position just off the podium for Open Men (under 40) in 4th place.

That night I was happy to wash up in a real shower, cleaned my bike in a bit of a mental fog, and enjoyed the cooking of my
housemates. It was a tough day and we all were glad we had a "short" XC style stage the next day that started later in the morning.

Stage 3 - Carl Schenck Loop
Breakfast was pleasant this morning and we were not as rushed as the previous two days. I rolled with Garth and Claire in the V-Dub out to the start finish about 15 miles away in the forest. When we got there it was awesome to find Izzy's coffee shop truck with some java compliments of Izzy. I knew it would be good coffee when I noticed his sticker "Death before Decaf". It was indeed a great cup.

A fast fire-road climb started the day and I was with the lead group for most of the climb during some close quarters racing. I found myself sandwiched between Sam Koerber and other fast guys as we chased down Garth who had taken off after the lead out car like a greyhound. There was a noisy raucous from the pack as we passed by Garth who had flatted. That really sucked for his start.

Once it got steeper, I faded off the back for a bit, but then caught the back of the lead group on the first descent. It was full on Plassmania as I diced my way through some of the fast folks, even though I knew they would likely over take me on the next climb. However, riding with folks at this level, passing amongst racers is rarely and issue and every body knows how to trade paint with no drama. A great selection fast, flowing trails and one long brutal climb filled the rest of the day and I was smashed at the finish of this shorter, “easy” day. We rolled back to the crib, picked up some grub, and finished the day destroyed from 25 miles and 3200 ft of truly intense, technical, mountain XC racing.

Right Tool for the Job – Giant Anthem x29er
My race bike this year rocks! The Anthem x29er I got from Rowlett’s Bicycle at the beginning of the season has carried me to many an XC race podium and helped me knock an hour off of my 100miler times. I was pretty confident that it would be great in the Pisgah Stage Race. I was not disappointed. No matter how certain the terrain got, my Anthem let me bomb through it at warp speed with supreme confidence. On the road, in gravel sections, and through flowing single track my trusty Giant rolled along with supreme efficiency. It’s a great race bike that can step up when you have to send it.

Stage 4 – Promised Land Loop
Todd Branham explained that this was likely the hardest day of racing in the Pisgah Stage Race with 39 miles and 8,000ft of climbing. The day began by heading into the start/finish the opposite direction of most days with a climb up Black Mountain’s single track. On the top section of Black Mountain the rutted and drop filled downhill from day 2 challenged our ascent back up. Montana had had a flat and later came storming by me on his single speed, really impressive climbing power and skill. At the top we turned onto a ridge line descent that undulated up and down through a jungle of laurel and thorn bushes. The trail was getting reclaimed by this tangle and I had to make a leap of faith on my bombing run where I could barely see the trail for the jungle as I flew down blinded by adrenaline and enthusiasm.

After the thrilling first major descent, the day continued with some pleasant single track climbing and riverside trails. Another long granny gear climbed finally submitted to reveal a thrilling descent. At last, the last major climb of the day started at the horse stables and gave way to the familiar descent down Black Mountain to complete an incredible day of mountain cycling.

Stage 5 - Transylvania Loop
A cold morning greeted us with temps in the forties and clearing fog. The "man" was waiting at the start/finish to lead the racers out on a police escort down the highway towards the day’s first gravel offerings. I pushed to stay with the lead group as we climbed out of Brevard on the highway and enjoyed heading out surrounded by racers that had become familiar over the last four days. It was fun to chase Gerry Phlug down on a quick breakaway with Jeremiah Bishop. We turned left onto Turkey Pen road and eventually the 1st single track climb that was followed by a great descent, really fast, leafy, and lots of drops that ended with crossing a stream (small river) 7 times in 40ish temps. Then, the real work began with a long climb up the sides of Laurel Mountain to the top where the Pilot Rock descent started. After this nerve racking rocky descent, more fire road awaited and a steep single track climb gave way to the descent down Avery Creek that was off the chart. One more lengthy gravel climb and I was busy finishing the last run down Black Mountain with a huge grin as I continued bombing towards the finish.

Rolling across the finish on the last stage was sublime. 5 days of incredible riding completed the most seamless stage race yet for me. No flats or mechanicals, no crashes, and no real problems with cramping, bonking, fueling, or hydration. What a great week of racing! I finished 4th Open Men in the overall cumulative time.

“Grandmas Gang”
Last time I raced this event I camped by myself at the Davidson River Campground. It was cold, lonely, and added an extra degree of difficulty to the event. This year I stayed with an awesome group of racers in a house we rented near the race start, "Grandmas House". My 6 housemates included Garth Prosser, Claire Garcia-Webb, Rob Lochner, Montana Miller, Brad Schmalzer, and Thom Parsons. The experience of stage racing with a cool group of folks is a big part of why I like these events. Each one of us contributed to the richness of the weeks events with humor, camaraderie, and our own perspectives. Everyone shared in the common struggles and triumphs gained from each days challenge. All of us attacked, endured, suffered, and ultimately conquered the very demanding riding of Pisgah. The 6 racers in the house earned two 1st places, two 3rd places, and two 4th places. Not too shabby for the clan shacking up at Grammas.

Thom Parsons enhanced our racing experience with his perspective as a video journalist covering the event for www.cyclingdirt.org with in race footage and post race interviews. Every day he trekked into the field to gather footage and every night Tom worked long hours to edit and upload tons of great videos.

Closing Time
The awards dinner and party was money. Plenty of food, drink, entertainment and friends. I really enjoyed watching all my competitors take their rightful place on the podium, although my heart ached a bit knowing I was not too far off from 3rd place. There was plenty of entertainment for race families including: several kids races, a pie eating contest, and local vendors selling extra food for folks to devour. A local funk band, The Fishticks, rocked the house until we all shut the place down late into the night.

All good things must come to an end, and so it was on Sunday as I packed up my car and hung out with Garth at the bike shop while Claire boxed up her bike for shipment to MOAB. Garth and I went across the parking lot to check the local papers. The Transylvania Times had a cover shot and story about the race. I bought a paper and was surprised when I turned to the main story page to see a photo of myself looking back. We headed back to the house and cooked the remaining eggs and veggies into a final meal before going home.

I bid my housemates goodbye and started on the road back to Richmond with bittersweet feelings. Leaving a stage race is one of the tough things you have to do. Returning to the every day after such a demanding and rewarding experience is never easy. I looked forward to telling my Design Physics race team friends all about my adventures. Knowing that I would not be living the stage race experience with my fellow racers and room mates any more made me wish there were 5 more days of mountain roads, Pisgah single track, and mountain biking with the best.

Cheers!

Team Banner

2011-10-12T15:43:00.001-04:00

The team banner making its debut at TAKMB.

Cadence taking a break from the trails

Let me know if you need it for an event.

Cyclocross Season Underway

2011-10-09T21:23:00.000-04:00

It is that time of year again when the skinny knobbies come out! Here are a few shots of Sonya & Jim rocking it out cyclocross style. Of course I have to throw in a few pictures of Mason...

Mason at Forest Hill

Sonya - Frogs on the Farm - Barrier practice is paying off!

Sonya working the 'Barrier of Death'.

Mason using the MTB skills.

Greg is a PRO!!!

Greg could have sat down for a cup of tea and still won on this day.

Mason going all Moto GP on the cyclocross bike.

Jimmy Fisher 'Eye of the Tiger'

It has been a fun start to the season, let's get some more DP kits out there.

IMBA TAKMB Day!

2011-10-04T13:29:00.000-04:00

A great time Saturday 10/1/11 at the IMBA TAKMB (take a kid mountain biking) event at Pocahontas State Park. Organized by IMBA, REI, and "Friends of Pocahontas" and with great food from Mrs. Marshall's in Carytown, it was a really fun event. And Joel from REI got plenty of work tuning up and fixing bikes and all the kids enjoyed having a bottle provided by Rowlett's.

The number of kids far surpassed last year (the first year the even was held at PSP); 65 had pre-registered! Eight Design Physics members came out to volunteer: Jason Hopkins, Mason Hopkins (honorary member), Sonya Gagnon, David Reid, Tom Haines, Joe Fish, Nolan Felts, and Kylan Shirley. That along with a few Luna Chix made it a busy day, taking groups out, going back to "base camp", taking another group out, etc.

The kids seemed to have a great time; some opted for just the fire road, some would venture onto some single track for a cut-through back to the fireroads, and some did the whole box-turtle green trail.

Two stories that stuck in my mind- one was of a teenage boy who came out last year and had said he was scared of the red trail but this year when asked he said "Oh yeah I do the red trail all the time". Another of two girls aged 7 and 9 who rode up to Mason in the morning and asked if racing was fun and said they wanted to be "racers". When the groups were going out they wouldn't go until Mason went so they could go with her. What we do with the kids really makes a difference and could affect their futures.

Oh and the teeter-totter was a big hit with the kids!

Thanks to David Reid for encouraging us to volunteer for this event.

More pictures can be found here.

FORD #2

2011-09-25T16:01:00.001-04:00

FORD #2 was awesome this year. The weather finally cooperated, and the trails were in great condition. Seems like this is rare as it is the norm for the trails to be wet and/or muddy.

Two of the DP crew rolled into the Quarry trails with high hopes of bringing in some VORS points. I was not aware that Matt Juaneza was going to make the event, but decided at the last minute to participate in the beginner field after missing the Stamped the day before. We discussed before the event that neither of us had really done much running this season, but I assured Matt that this race is usually won on the mountain bike. This proved to be a normal FORD with Konrad really mixing in some tough climbs with the mountain bike portion of the event. Matt and I both felt pretty good as he was rocking the Giant Anthem and I on my Stijl.

Matt and I took full advantage of the mountain bike portion allowing us to win both of our races. Matt won the beginner course and I took the advanced distance win. I have been close to winning before, but this was the first time I was able to snatch victory! It felt good.

SM100 : Part 2

2011-09-06T23:59:00.004-04:00

The 2011 SM100 provided me the chance to test my senior year skills in my 4th annual ride in this awesome event.

While racing the Wilderness 101 was about a month ago and I was able to take an hour off my previous best 100 miler time (9:53) with a finish time of 8:48. Naturally I was anxious to see how well I would do in this year's SM100 where my best time so far has been 10:07. I've been having a break though season racing the local XC circuits so I was equally curious to see how everything would pay off...

Mix it up
-----------
I switched up a few of standard tactics this year and I think most of them paid off.

1) Riding my awesome Anthem 29er cross country race bike instead of a lightweight trail bike (Big thanks to Giant Bicycles and Rowletts for their team support)
2) Sleeping in a bed the night before the race, good quality sleep
3) Made a point to focus on eating some solid fuel along with Perpetuem and Enduralytes
4) Run a consistent pace, but grab on and rotate in pace lines whenever possible

How it all panned out
---------------------
I was able to start with the lead group and hang on to Joe Fish's wheel (and dust) for the pavement and 1st fire road. Then I was able to power a good strong pace up the climb to the radio tower. One thing I noticed was that pretty much everyone was riding the rocks, not as fast as I wanted, but not giving up and hiking right off the bat either. I was able to gain a lot of places here, but made a point to keep things a bit moderated to avoid a sidewall tear as well as risking a sketchy pass on the riders through the last section.

I got on Tillman and tried to find a pace line to hook onto. Soon, a train passed me and I spun up to speed to find my place in the line. The train rolled strong all the way to the Lynn trail climb and I was in a good position riding behind the top 2 pro women as we started the ascent. I was able to keep it rolling well and gain a lot of positions up the entire climb. I was really stoked that the conga line I’ve experienced in previous years was not present with the ~9 hour group I was hanging with. On Wolf Ridge I was able to real in many of the folks who left me on the first climb. I can't say enough about how fast the Anthem 29er lets me rip the down hills. Near the bottom I caught up with Eric Schofield and we ripped down the rest of wolf ridge. Eric and I popped out on Tillman. One of the volunteers said there were about 17 riders in front of us, it was really cool to hear.

After Aid 2, I hung onto a group Eric was leading up the climb of Hanky mountain. Then, I focused on fueling and motoring along the fire road up the climb to the summit of Hankey. I was really glad to get to the top and started attacking the rollers leading to Dowels Draft. Once at Dowels, I gained about ten spots on the loose descent and short rocky climb that begins Dowels Draft. At Aid 3 at the bottom I fumbled my plastic bag containing my Perpetuem and realized I need a better system as about 1/4 of it coated my bike and right leg, yuck.

As I started the road section on Rt. 250, I noticed my right leg cramping and was glad I could form a 2 person pace line with Vicki Barclay, the top women’s finisher at the Wilderness 101. We each took turns with some pretty tough pulls and then picked up about 3 more riders as we made our way to the climb at Bridge Hollow. As I climbed up, the fueling I did on the road section really paid off and I gained a lot of positions on this tricky climb. Then I dropped into my favorite descent in the race and continued gaining a lot of ground until I nicked my sidewall. Dang! I tried to fix the tubeless and then tossed in a tube and lamented the 10 minutes or so I had jut lost.

On the next stretch from Aid 4 to Aid 5 I was able to work with more riders all the way to the death climb. I was relieved when I finally saw Woody Elliot welcoming us to Aid 5. A quick gulp of coke an water exchange and I was on my way. I downed 1/2 of my gel flask and was pleasantly surprised with the energy I had working my way to the drop in for Chestnut Ridge. I believe I was able to regain position on everyone who passed me during the climb. Chestnut is always thrilling to descend and I pushed my body to keep up with appetite for speed on the way down. Near the bottom I had to sneak around an ATV where a medical team was hauling somebody out on a back board, Yikes! I hope that rider is OK.

Aid 6 gave me the opportunity to get some more coke and gels for the final assault on Hankey Mtn. I struggled to put on a smile as I passed a group of Red Bull girls who were cheering us on. Relief is what I felt when I finished the final descent to the fire road leading back into the finish. When I ran into Eric Schofield on the final gravel section I was glad to have some good company on the way home. Eric grabbed onto my wheel and we steamrolled all the way to the finish!

At the finish, I was happy to see 9:10 on the board. I banged the gong and realized I had taken about an hour of my best SM100 time.

SM100: Part 1

2011-09-06T22:03:00.000-04:00

It all seems like such a blur looking back on the race, and most of the week leading up to the race. The race was stressful for me since I really designed my entire season to peak at the SM100 and this was my first time attempting a 100 mile race. Of course, all the stress drifted away as soon as I left the Stokesville Campground. I found myself jockeying for position trying to keep the wheel of my team mates Plassman and Fish.

Seemed like as soon as we hit the first gravel climb things quickly started to change. The peloton that was the asphalt and fire road dissipated quickly to a select few. It was at this time that I said goodbye to Plassman and set my sights on getting up this climb quick enough to ride the entire cookie trail, and more importantly the Lynne trail. Fortunately I had pre-ridden this section many times and knew exactly what was coming and how hard I could go. I made it up the Lynne and down Wolf Ridge pretty quickly, just like the pre-rides, in fact I may have done it a bit to quickly. When I finally reached Tillman fire road, one of the volunteers told me I was 16 minutes back from the leader, that was way faster then I planned on! Unfortunately I had also lost my bottle of Infinit Nutrition that was to be the basis of my nutrition for the event. Fish was kind enough to give me some of his water after our group caught him coming down Tillman.

Once into Aid 2, I quickly downed a bottle of Heed and took the next bottle of Infinit from my drop bag in hopes this would somewhat offset the bottle I had lost. Next up was Hankey mountain and one of the sweetest downhills in the state, Dowels Draft. Aid 3 came and went and I was able to find another awesome train of guys to get to Ramsey's Draft. I downed half of my ProBar on this road section which really helped to make me feel better. The climb up Bridge Hollow was very difficult for me this day. I bobbled several sections I had never had issues with before and even fell down the hill after my rear tire slipped on some of the slick roots. Aid 4 could not have come soon enough. I was cramping after the climb so I found some endurolytes, downed another bottle of Heed, and headed down "shit road" to the base of the death climb. Fish was talking about dropping, but I convinced him to carry on. Fish and I road mainly by ourselves down shit road where I was able to take down the rest of my ProBar. Favorite quote of the day came on this road when a guy we passed said "how much longer is the climb?" Hahaha...the climb had not yet even started as he would quickly find out once we go to West Virginia.

Aid 5 was like a mirage. It really is the best aid station. I downed several brownies, grabbed a handful of M&M's, had my chain lubed by the awesome mechanics, then headed out to finish the climb. This was by far my longest stop. Chestnut was tough but I did manage to pass several people on the downhill. This has always been the weakest part of my riding so it felt good to pass a few guys. Again, the pre-rides really paid off here along with the guidance offered by Fish and Plassman of course. Aid 6 was an even nicer site. For some reason I thought I would have to climb the road a bit to get to it, but the new location of this aid is just as your coming out of the woods. I snapped a spoke on the death climb, so I had it clipped off before hitting the road for the final 12 miles. It was while I was waiting for the mechanic that I realized I had not had a bike issue all day. I had been stressed all week about getting a flat (as I flatted during my last pre-ride) and the Stijl bike was awesome soaking up far more bumps then a hardtail should having spot on geometry leaving my back pain free.!

The final climb up Hankey went well. I managed to stay out of my granny gear and was really making some time. The campground seemed so close that I could taste the beer by this point. We pre-rode this section the day before to spin out the legs so I knew exactly what was coming. It was an awesome feeling to drop into the camp ground, something you really have to experience to know.

At the beginning of the season my goal was a sub 11 hour. After a few races, I set a new goal of sub 10 hours. I don't carry a clock or any kind of electronics so I really had no idea what my time was, so I found it hard to believe when I turned the corner and saw the clock reading 8:59:33. This totally blew away my expectations. This time was good enough to finish 42nd, again blowing away my goal of top 100.

I can't thank my team mates enough. I could not have performed this well without the training partners Fish and Plassman. I also came to the realization during this race that I wasn't a terrible descender, it is just the Fish and Plassman have incredible skill heading down those super rocky technical descents that make up so much of this course. What a great day on the trails!! Everybody raves about how great the volunteers are at this event and they are not joking, these volunteers make the event!!

The team posted some strong results in this race on a day when many didn't finish due to the heat and humidity:

Joe Fish- 8:46
David Reid: 8:59
Jeff Plassman: 9:10
Paul Leeger: 12:15

Pre-riding for the Hundred

2011-08-25T21:01:00.011-04:00

The last 2 weekends we have been pre-riding sections of the SM100 course. Jason and I spent one Saturday chasing Paul.

And this past Sunday, Joe, David, Tom H. and Metro joined me for some more shredding in the GW.

The Gravel road leading up to the 1st climb is flowing nice after some recent re-grading.

Climbing up the Lynn trail can make you very tired and hungry! However, this years trail work on Wolf Ridge is definantly awesome.

Tom pounded out the miles all day long.

Joe and I had a blast bombing down Chesnut after the death climb.

Group RIde

2011-08-18T08:16:00.000-04:00

What started as a simple email from Euro Dave (looking for a second ride of the day since he is a bachelor this week) quickly turned into a proliferation of DP kits on the trails. Joe, Plassmania, Roger, Big Leeg, Kylan, Euro Dave & myself all joined in for a quick loop of the JRPS. We met up at Tredegar with people coming from all directions. Amy Coleman got swept up by the DP train coming in from the bark park and rode until her stop at Forest Hill. I think that once we got into Forest Hill, the bullet train that is Plassmania took the lead and it was go time. We ran into macaroni and his trio on the trails, but it was a quick (very quick) passing. We regrouped at the exit of the trails and slowed Jeff down by sitting around and talking for 10 minutes... then we let him go down the wrong trail so that Kylan could lead us back over the nickel bridge. KYLAN GETS DEMERIT POINTS FOR NOT WEARING HIS KIT ON THE TEAM RIDE!!! At that point we dropped off Roger, Joe, Jeff & Euro D at their stop. Big Leeg led us back to Tredegar where Kylan rode up the hill, Big Leeg rode back across the Isle towards FHP and I locked out my fork and put in a few solid intervals on my way back to Rocketts. Great ride guys - let's do it again next week.

Like sharks preying - I can smell singletrack...

7 car DP train rolling the Nickel

Hilbert #3... It's a HOT one!

2011-08-10T21:17:00.007-04:00

Ahhh… Hilbert #3. It’s the point of the year where you sadly realize that mountain biking season is a little over the half way point. It’s also the point of the year where you look at the weather online and sulk at the 99 degree days forecasted with 90% humidity and heat indices of 105+ as was the case with this race.

Packing up the truck that morning didn’t seem so bad. I was actually thinking it was a pretty good day for a race. That is until I got to the race site. Driving to Hilbert, I had the AC blasting like everyone else and was pretty excited to be out there. When I arrive and open my door to get out, everything in my car almost immediately starts to build condensation. That’s when I realize it’s just going to be a miserable day on course… Riding enduro races is always a tough test. Even tougher when conditions are this extreme and it’s only your third time doing it. I was just hoping I was ready mentally for this as I was physically.

It was a pretty thin field as it is usually by this point in the year when there are multiple outdoor events going on the same day. Lining up at the start I see a lot of the usual faces and a few new, like Mason Hopkins, daughter of fearless leader Jason Hopkins and Adam Croft. A kid who at 11 years old can beat the pants off the majority off adults who enter these races, an always humbling experience.

I started the race with a pretty relaxed pace, settling in behind some of the slower riders. Once I felt more warmed up, I politely passed them and began to settle in a pretty decent grove pulling about 40 minute laps. Throughout the race I found that I had to force myself to hydrate because it was so hot and humid outside. As the race went on I began noticing more and more people begin to fizzle out, most likely from not hydrating in the extreme heat. 4 hours and 5 minutes later I finished up my 6^th lap. At that point I had to decide if I had enough for a 7^th lap. Considering that I was feeling somewhat nauseous during my 6^th lap, I decided to call it at that point. I was pretty proud of myself considering the conditions of the race.

All in all, the team did pretty well! David Reid wrapped up another enduro win, pulling 9 laps in 4 hours and 37 minutes. Big Leeg took 5^th place with 7 laps. Jeff took the overall win in Sport Men with Jim in a close 2^nd overall. Dave Ezzell took 5^th in class and Nolan Felts took 4^th in class. I took 7^th place enduro with the 6 laps that rolled out. With those results, the team racked up 510 points in the VORS points series and managed to put a little distance between us and the 3^rd place team. Not too shabby!

2011 24 Hours of Booty

2011-08-10T16:43:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to thank everyone who supported our ride. Together, Mason and I raised $750 for charity and got to do a lot of riding. We were on pace to finish right at 200 miles when Mason started to get a headache. We still rocked out 150 miles. Mason hit the wall at midnight - so we grabbed a few slices of pizza before heading to the tent for some sleep. I had a grand plan of waking up at 4am and riding again since we knew the day was going to be 98 degrees. It worked for three laps - which mason said were the hardest of the whole event - before we headed back for some more rest. We had a leisurely morning and breakfast before getting back on the bike for a few more hours. Monica and Joni came a couple of hours later and scored some swag from Bob Roll. Rumor has it that Bob & Joni had quite the conversation. Here are a couple of shots from our 24 hours. Thanks again for your support.

Just before the start.

Easy riding.

This guy can make a mean pizza, too!

Mason always smiles after riding.

Rolling back to the car.

2011 Wilderness 101

2011-08-01T22:42:00.023-04:00

Joe and I packed up the Mazda and made our way to Pennsylvania for an east coast classic, the Wilderness 101. Driving through Virginia, the temps were hot and bounced off an even hundred, just like the race. This year’s 101 would be a bit hot for sure.

Pre-riding the evening before the race gave me chance to revisit the final abandoned train tunnel that is about 1 mile from the finish. Years of decay have yielded a nice carpeting of rocks with a few choice chunky bits right in the middle where it’s dark and wet. A re-purposed train trestle bridge leading up to the tunnel has very narrow railings that challenged many riders.

The paced road section leading out of town is a great warm up and gets the blood flowing without too much drama. The moderate grade up the 1st climb is enjoyable and gives me a chance to find my groove. Then, pulling some trains and hopping onto others is a great way to keep your speed up during the 1st 20 miles of gravel.

The Romans created cobbled highways that today have weathered into lumpy paths that seem to swallow the wheels of lesser vehicles. The 1st section of single track is a snaking ride that seems to have more cantaloupe sized rocks than dirt. Glad to have my Wagon wheels for sure! In the middle, there is a nice little techy section with a couple of small bridges and a rock garden with cheering fans waiting for the carnage.

Long climbs are rewarded with extended sections of very straight single track chutes that you can ride with no brakes like a cruise missile! Whoooosh!!!

Frequently, I stuffed my cheeks like a chipmunk to keep the motor running. Energy drinks and a sip at the "Beer Station" kept me cool.

The climbs got bigger and the trails got certain as we ripped down some serious single-track. Old school east coast riding provides really challenging rock features and lets you know how close you are to cramping up.

The last big descent down Panther Hollow nearly rattled the teeth out of my head and I gave it a sharp cussing, Panther don't care.

A splash of Coke at the last aid station was the perfect set up for the final stab of a climb that leads up and down to the deceptively pleasant sounding "Fisherman’s Path" that makes up the last bit of single track. It's more of a rock-n-roll hike a bike. I was able to ride out the last section and put a nice gap on some fellow racers. The "path" would have the last laugh as my calf locked on the rails to trail leading to the final tunnel. A dozen awkward pedals later and my right leg was turning circles instead of squares...soon I was cooking with gas again and steamed my way to the finish.

Joe and I had some great results:

Joe - 7:47 (20th place - open men - out of 189)
Jeff - 8:48 (61st place - open men)

Joe was truly smokin and I set a new personal best, I'm really stoked on the Wilderness 101!

Dirty Dawg...

2011-07-24T11:44:00.012-04:00

Damon and I headed out for this race. I signed up last year, but wasn't able to go due to a sick child. I got my redemption this year and EastCoasters put on a great event. This race was highlighted by the awesome temperatures we experienced. When we finally arrived at the race start, the thermometer on the car read 74*, what a huge change from the 100*+ that has been Richmond weather over the past week or so.

Of course, the weather remained in our minds as we unloaded the car. Menacing clouds seemed to be moving over the course. Around lap 3 the rain set in. It would rain on and off for most of the remainder of the race making the course slick in spots with one climb becoming un-ridable for much of the race. My drivetrain and Stijl bike worked flawlessly all day long despite all the mud.

The course was pretty nicely laid out. After hearing some horror stories about the course from last year soon after we arrived, we were treated to a nice mixture of singletrack, doubletrack, and fire roads. In short, there were two screaming fast downhills split with 3 major climbs, with one climb being around 1 mile of the 5.7 miles course. The downhills were awesome and got much faster as the race went on and the lines were established.

Pic to the left is of Damon in the last 100 yards battling for position. Damon, licking his chops waiting for the opportunity to blow by, which he did just before the start/finish.

With all the rain, the course got very muddy with some sections almost swamp like. The bikes, as well as riders, were a mess!!

I finished in first for solo men, although second overall as one singlespeed racer was really flying all day long. I came within a few minutes of him, but just couldn't catch him. Damon had an admirable effort for his first enduro event. He kept spinning the cranks all day long, which is far more then I can say for most of the field.

Battle at Burke Farm

2011-07-17T21:55:00.019-04:00

Design Physics Racing wins the day at Burke Farm Battle!

The team had a strong showing on Saturday at Burke Farm.
Joe, David E., Damon, Matt, and myself were on hand to dice up it.

The course was a fun mix of rocky undulating single track, fast flowing buff grass double track, and a mountainous expert section with some awesome rock gardens.

Preriding the course with Joe would pay off well for me once the race started. The mixture of singletrack and double track provided a good opportunity to go out extra hard in the singletrack knowing you could recover (some) in the doubletrack.

Racers had to deal with some angry yellow jackets on the course. I got stung in the lip on the pre-ride and many racers I talked to got stung some where during the race.

The race was well organized and there were a lot of great volunteers helping out. We all got to enjoy pizza, sodas, and some brews.

We had some great results:
- Joe : 1st overall expert (fastest man there)
- Jeff : 1st overall sport men

Damon, David, and Matt finished strong after a throwing down some solid laps on the course.

Hilbert #2...almost like home

2011-07-11T20:03:00.004-04:00

It is a nice feeling to pull up to the race course and it feels like home again. That was exactly how the feeling has become at Hilbert. You know just what to expect, and even know the best lines around the trails. Jeff and I were able to sneak out to the trails on Thursday for a quick spin around. This bit of recon really paid off.

The team showed up in full force, as normal with Hilbert races. The podiums were full of Design Physics/ Stijl racers as well with Joe 2nd Expert, Jeff 1st Sport, Sonya 2nd Sport, Nolan 3rd Beginner, and myself 2nd Enduro all hitting the the steps. Full results found here: RunRideRace.

Another great race put on my Mark. Trails could not have been in better condition! Super fast and sticky. Thanks to Sonya for all the pictures.

24 Hours of Booty

2011-06-16T13:39:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, Mason & I will once again be riding in the 24 Hours of Booty. You can find our homepage HERE. Check it out and pitch in some dinero. Any amount is appreciated.

I want to thank Roger Sattler for being the first one to step up.

...Jason

Fat 5 Enduro Report

2011-06-13T21:50:00.006-04:00

Well, I think I should have read the rules to the Fat 5 before arriving at the event. Found out at the starting line that this race was actually 5 hours and 55 minutes, plus a lap. Geeze, so that made this race that I thought was going to be 5 hours closer to 7!!

Anyway, I didn't let that affect me. I knew I had enough drinks mixed for 6 hours, and I could just use water for the final lap. So 8:30 rolled around, and off we went. Small field for sure with around 15 solo racers. The area had received a horrible storm the day before (that apparently Jason got stuck in during a pre-ride with Mason) so the roots were very slippery. Made the field stick pretty close for the first couple of miles as everyone seemed very worried about falling. I was hoping to grab the wheel of a local rider and find the line around the course. I jumped the wheel of the leader and hung on for the first couple of miles. He was painfully slow, seemingly afraid of every turn. This wasn't going to last so I passed him and off I went. I was able to hang onto the lead for the rest of the day without seeing another competitor and lapping most of the field.The course started to dry out after a few laps, and the speed on the downhills really picked up! The course was super fast with tons of very fun trails. I kept trying to find out how far I was in the lead for a while, but then stopped even worrying about it and just kept pounding out the laps. The Stijl performed perfectly all day long for me and I'm really digging the 2x10 XTR.

Big thanks to Kenny Palmer and Mountain Junkies for putting on this event. The event was very cool and I hope to go back next year, hopefully with a few of my teammates. It felt great to win again, hasn't happened for me in a while.

Yeah, I was pretty darn tired by the end of the race. Jason snagged this quick photo just after the finish line.

2011 Hoo Ha

2011-06-06T07:45:00.002-04:00

Another great race for the team. We had 10 people racing and we had 4 podium finishes. Thanks to everyone who came out, it was a lot of fun. Jim took advantage of the team room and we rode the course on saturday. It was great seeing Nolan pull up with four guys and four bikes inside his yukon. Mason said it looked like a clown van with all of them piling out. Then Tom & Sonya pulled in next to Nolan. Lisa and jennie followed with Matt rounding out the team. Jennie's pedals were still on her other bike, fotunately Nolan rides the same ones and raced in the morning, so a little teamwork kept Jennie from having to race on platform pedals. Matt spent the day trying to take people out while on course and was the talk of the town after the races. Damon could barely walk, much less step up on the podium after the rocks failed to properly cushion his fall. Jeff was unstoppable again and showed off his climbing/descending skills to eveyone behind him. Jim took the overall in his age group. Nolan finished 4th in his class, Sonya took a 3rd along with some nice cuts & scrapes on the ankles. Tom rocked out a solid couple of laps and looked like he wanted to go out for a thrd. I think Kylan also scored a top 5 in his class. A great showing by the team. We all took advantage of a tent that was not being used and it made a huge difference being out of the sun all day. People were coming by, hanging out and sharing in deep fried oreos...

Starting the day off with Damon & Nolan.

Jim just stoked to be representing DP. Maybe it was the Qdoba burrito from the night before.

No one saw this view of Jeff all day.

Lisa running it in!

The team taking advantage of the shade.

Damon with a solid 2nd - after a hard crash.

Sonya following it up with a 3rd.

Jeff - getting paid.

Jim also bringing home the glory for DPR.

Watching Cycling Does Not Get Much Better

2011-05-22T13:15:00.000-04:00

What a great morning when you can wake up at 5:45am to catch the Dalby Forest World Cup which overlapped into the 8am start of the Giro.

FORD #1

2011-05-21T16:14:00.003-04:00

Leeger, Ezzel, Lisa and I headed up to conquer the FORD. I know we are a mountain biking team, but several of us enjoy running as well so a duatholon is only natural. We have been training by doing a psuedo duo using both Forest Hill, for running, and the full JRPS loop to mimic the FORD course.

I have to say, I did a quick run to warm up a bit before the start and I really wasn't feeling it. My legs felt heavy, no doubt the hibachi from last night was not the best choice. Nevertheless, I started out strong and led the field coming down the first fire road. I have learned in the past that you need to stay out front here if you want to do well. Two people had past me by the time we entered the woods, I felt like this was good enough. I knew the bike is where it would really get interesting anyway.

Once on the bike, I really felt like I had pushed it to hard. I felt a bonk coming on. I had passed some guys and was now sitting in second place. The leader was nowhere in sight. I settled down to a nice spin, grabbed some water, and was feeling much better after a few minutes. The bike portion of this race was very hard! With the tight singletrack, wet roots, and a bit of mud here and there, it kept things interesting.

One cool thing about this course is that you can see just how far ahead, or behind your competition you are. Heading back to transition, I saw that the leader was quite a ways ahead of the field. After transition, I saw the third place guy was a nice ways behind me as well. After the top three, there was a huge gap to fourth. I was really feeling this second run, but was relieved to know I would finally get a podium at this race which has eluded me thus far.

At the finish, I was second!! Felt great being that the conditions were so tough and the mountain bike portion had been cut short. This is normally my strength in past FORD's.

The whole team had a great race. Leeger finished with a strong 6th, and first in class. Lisa finished 1st for women. Not sure how Ezzel finished, but he wasn't to far behind Leeger so no doubt he finished well. It was a strong showing for sure.

2011 Urban Assault

2011-05-15T12:12:00.001-04:00

It was another great turnout for the Urban Assault. The team was very well represented with 14 riders racing. As I was standing out at the entrance/exit to Forest Hill, I overheard a few people commenting on the team and the number of people we had racing. It is nice to see and hear how we represent the sport.

We also had some great results:

Jeff - 1st Sport (30-39), 1st overall Sport

Damon - 1st Beginner (30-39), 1st overall Beginner

Joe - 2nd Expert (19-29)

Dave E - 2nd Sport (40+)

Nolan - 3rd Beginner (30-39)

Jim - 3rd Sport (40+)

Sonya - 4th Sport Women

Kylan - 4th Sport (19-29)

Tom R - 5th Expert (40+)

Paul - 6th Sport (30-39)

Matt - 9th Sport (19-29)

Lisa - 10th Sport Women

Waiting for the race to start.

Jennie defending her title until she broke a spoke...

Sport Men

So many rider they were coming and going!

Paulito - one of the few to ride the drop.

New member - Jim Fisher

Congrats to the entire team, we had a great showing!

2011 12 Hours of Lodi

2011-05-09T14:28:00.000-04:00

Not a strong turnout, but some great results!

Paul Leeger - 1st Place Solo
Steve Tolley - 2nd Place Vet Solo

Paul & Steve showed up to race this past weekend at Lodi. They started out with solid lap times and never let up. It was great seeing them roll out together on the start and then finish together in the end. Steve had some tire issues that set him back a little, but did not deter him - even after he had to come back into the pits to fix a flat after riding a mile up the trail. Here are some shots of the two in action.

Steve must have known what the future held for him right from the start.

Paul in full control.

Tolley hunting down Paulito early on.

I brought the team bike and it got rave reviews from everyone. I never did get a chance to ride it, but that is another post to come shortly... All in all a good day for the team. I still cannot believe that both Steve and paul drove back to Richmond that night.

RIP WOUTER WEYLANDT

2011-05-09T13:03:00.001-04:00

Sad news in the cycling community today. Thoughts and prayers with his family & friends.

The Builds

2011-05-05T14:36:00.002-04:00

Here are a few choice bits from the Martin Shoot.

The Man

2011-05-05T07:04:00.000-04:00

A special thanks to mi buen amigo Roger for sharing his mechanico skills las night. The new bikes are pretty sick. Muchas Gracias bro - pork tacos are on me Friday!

build-off 2011

2011-05-01T08:10:00.002-04:00

For all those planning on attending the build-off scheduled for this Wednesday, please get me your headsets, seat collars, seat posts, and BB's. I want to install these on your frames myself so it will be done right and will expediate the process.

Hh

Ferry–Roubaix

2011-04-20T23:32:00.006-04:00

Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France near the Belgian frontier. Famous for rough terrain and cobblestones (setts), it is one of the 'Monuments' or Classics of the European calendar. It has been called the Hell of the North, and a Sunday in Hell.

Ferry–Roubaix is a one-day extended tour through central VA crossing the James via a drawbridge and ferry with a unofficial race after the Robaix sign is passed in the Chickahominy swamp, totaling ~125 miles. Famous for rough launguage, 40 ounces, the James Town Ferry, and gravel stones (shetts), it is an 'Homage un Coq' or a Classique of the Virginia calendar. It has been called the annual two wheeled wander through the Shires of Kent and Surrey and York, the Counties of Prince George and King James and King Charles, The Burg of King William and his queen Mary per the Rooster.

“When hurt is the only thing that will ease the pain, that is Ferry-Roubaix.”
A quote from the great Rooster himself, Fantastique!

Bonjour
The day started early at the Haines Châteaux as we loaded our vélocipède à deux roués into Le Truck using a fine wedging plank of pin.

We were soon en route to the spring residence of le coq some 37 kilomètres east. A fine country breakfast of bacon and moufflets awaited the hungry participants. Garcon, Coffee!

From New Kent to Charles City County
The morning air was still pretty cold as we began the day rolling through the country side. Like any good European roadway, we negotiated two carrousel manège on our way to the Benjamin Harris Bridge across the mighty James. A state trooper was waiting at one roundabout and waited to megaphone Toddy G with “single file”.

I found my inner road bike roots and soon settled into the peloton for a few good pulls. I guess DNA from French ancestors on my mother’s side of the family can’t be denied.

Toddy G reaches for a snack, perhaps a croissant?

Our first river crossing loomed in the distance as we approached the Benjamin Harris drawbridge. The steel mesh grate of the vertical lifting span induced a space/time warp captured by my camera obscura!

South of the River
Upon reaching route 10 we stopped at a filing station. Many a rider took advantage of the chance to dispose of fluids and refill. A 650 milli litre bottle of Miller was rumored to make an appearance. And oui, er…, we were off!

Powered by hops and barley, Metro pulled many a mile in fine form. The tour took us through pleasant country roads nestled between the river and le voie publique, known to locals as route 10.

Stopping at a corner store in Surry let every one replenish supplies, gator aid, water, snacks, a 22oz of Modelo, and a bottle of Sam.

Ferry tale
After an extended tour of the fine lands of the south side we arrived at the landing of the namesake of the tour. Ahoy! The Ferry awaits, let us embarque on the good ship Pocohontas!

The peloton weaved past all the awaiting cars and motorcycles.

Whoa, says those motorcyclist, Plassman don’t care.

On the Ferry bicyclist are first in…last out.

We had to lash our bikes to the sides of the vessel…

And then a hike a bike, Ferry style…

Colonial Route Panoramique
Once off the ferry, we skirted the James river on our way to Colonial Williamsburg via the Colonial Parkway. The parkway surface was characterized as “rattling your tater hole” by one of our fine participants. The unmarked pavement is made of rounded "river gravel" set in a concrete-mix, providing an unusual earth tone color.

Café and entrés
After pausing on a bridge to collect our rank and file, we made our way to café Aromas. The venue was a bit of a zoo on a truly nice Sunday afternoon of this spring.

A sweaty bunch of cyclist get a little extra elbow room in a café full of typical colonial tourist. Whoa… says a girl waiting for her latte, as I ask the barista to fill my water bottles. Plassman don’t care.

Rough Road Ahead
The peloton rolled out of Williamsburg and headed for York River park. We approached the entrance to Camp Perry and peeled off to the left down a causeway that would turn out to be a bit douteux.

The recent spring thunderstorms had blown down a ton of debris into the shoulder we were riding on. Making matters worse were numerous folds in the asphalt shoulder. Pretty soon the riding became nasty ass as we bounced on sticks, pine cones, and pavement cracks. Mountain bike skills kicked in and it was not so bad, just smack that road right back.

We turned off pavement for our first gravel road section that took us to the York River. One sharp right hand corner tested the bike handling skills of many. We blazed by some startled folks who were on mountain bikes. Once we got to the river, Scottie D caught me and led the charge. A surprise drainage culvert came up way too fast and required me to bunny hop into the transition and catch some air on the way out.

On to Roubaix
The tour stopped at a sign that would have you think we were in France. A motley crew indeed!

And so it begins!
After 80 miles of touring and a few more miles of pavement, we arrived at the gravel road that signified the start of the unofficial 40+ mile race. I was feeling pretty spry as we hit the gravel and I jumped on it. Tom Haines joined chase and the Rooster was hot on my tail.

I put in a nice hard effort and shook most of the Peleton, but Tom was steadily pulling a gap on me. We were riding our road bikes on the gravel faster than can stand the test of common sense.

Transitioning back to road, Mr. Haines lit the engine that turned him into a cruise missile. I struggled to keep him in sight, but he steadily pulled away. Tom and I were out front with no one in sight from the rear. Some seriously strong winds were sapping the juice out of both of us, each of us riding separately in our own breakaways.

Other riders were wiser and teamed up to pace line. Eventually I would get overtaken about 2/3 of the way to the end. Tom remained in the lead and would have been the 1st to finish were it not for a round about directional faux pas. He came in second by seconds.

I was glad to find the finish a few riders, and a few minutes later. My legs were officially french roasted. The rest of the cyclist all put in strong finishes and we celebrated with a fine spread of open faced sandwiches and excellent home brew.

A special thanks to the Rooster and Scottie D for hosting the event and marking the course

Cheers, Jeff.

~ Fini ~

Sneak Peak

2011-04-16T09:17:00.000-04:00

It looks like the team bikes are almost ready to be delivered. It will be great seeing them debut at the MMM next month. Enjoy the sneak peak.

Camp Hilbert #1

2011-04-13T12:08:00.012-04:00

It was a dark, cold morning and a bone-chilling mist crept through the forest.
Once again, the DPR clan set out early in search of dragons to slay. This time the battle would be on the clan's home turf...

syke.

This is just going to be a regular non-fiction race write-up.
Or rather, my rookie-racer write-up.

Damon and I pulled in to Camp Hilbert Sunday morning at about 8 am for Hilbert Race #1. David Reid must have gotten there at 6am for some warm-up laps or something because he had the very first parking spot.
This was my first race of the season, first race with Design Physics, and the first actual xc race i'd done since i was probably 15 years old. So I walked around nervously for the hour leading up to the race trying to act like I knew what was about to go down.

The Enduro racers started at 9, and the under 35 Sport class starting siren went off at 9:02. Not really knowing how my legs were going to hold up, or what my strategy should be, I figured I might as well start strong and made my way towards the front before we hit the woods. I think i was in the top 12 or so once we were on the singletrack and we immediately hit the back end of the Enduro riders. The first lap was pretty much chaos from there on out. I kept leapfrogging places with a few different guys as we passed the enduro riders. I couldn't believe that i hadn't seen any crashes yet with all the full speed, through the bushes and over logs passing that was going on, when i hear some kind of cougar yowling from around the next bend. Actually a younger guy, maybe 13 or 14, was hugging a tree and his bike was 10 feet down the trail. Two guys stopped to help him, so I kept going. I never heard what happened, so i hope he was ok.

As the field stretched out and the passing died down, I ended up riding almost the entire second lap by myself. Eventually I spotted another Design Physics jersey up ahead and caught up to Paul, who I'm pretty sure was whistling Madonna's 'Like a Virgin.' He was pootling along, I guess it's hard to whistle and ride fast, so I stuck with him and caught my breath for a few minutes. I felt like i had pushed it pretty hard up to that point and was a little worried about burning out. Despite slowing down for a minute, the second lap turned out to be my fastest.

Making the turn onto the third lap, I saw that a guy with a Carytown Bike Company jersey was coming up behind me. I did my best to hold him off for almost the entire lap. I even crashed hard on that gnarly pile of roots down along the creek and managed to stay out of sight. Toward the end I caught up to some guys that, based on their pace, were riding enduro, and I kept trying to find the legs to pass them, but just didn't have the guts for it. I wish I had bit down and made the move though, because with not much more than a mile left, Carytown passed all of us and made me feel like a pansy.

I finished just in time to see some of the other classes start and almost get run over by Jeff going for the hole-shot into the woods. Despite feeling pretty burned at the end of the ride, I know I could have given it a little more, especially on that last lap, and I'm really looking forward to knowing a little more about myself next race.

Post-race, Hinmaton was flipping burgers with his phone, Roger was flopping cheese with both hands and Jason was counting cash like Young Money. The burgers, dogs, pasta salad, cookies, etc. were really excellent. Thanks to all those that contributed to the feast. All the other race attendees definitely appreciated it too, the grill crew could harldy keep up with demand.

It seemed like almost the whole team hung around till all the events were over, drinking beer, chowing on burgers and talking about bikes, races, gnarly crashes, excuses for being slow, and how long its taking to get those dang Stijl frames done.

Everyone that was out there get's a huge high-five because Design Physics|Stijl Racing has now bumped up to second place overall in the VORS standings.
Nolan, Damon, Jeff and Joe all finished second in their respective classes. A lot of top ten finishes for the rest of the team as well.
Official results are here: http://www.runriderace.com/chrs-1-results-2011/

There a ton of photos on RunRideRace's flickr (High fives to RunRideRace for such a great event too!)
and on the facebookz: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Virginia-Off-Road-Series/229702229900

A Dragon's Tale

2011-04-05T01:49:00.013-04:00

Epic – A journey where the task is grand, the outcome difficult to predict, and surviving may be in question.

2011 Dragon's Tale MTB Race
The journey started early for the DPR clan. My cursed rooster roused me with a shrill heckle a few winks shy of 4:00am. I managed to rouse my humors with a bowl of porridge and a sip of java as black as the sky.

Three would be dragon slayers loaded the good ship Haines at Ashland road and we embarked for the mountain lair of the Dragon. A quick stop near the cross roads of Mount Zion gave a chance to raise full sail.

Our Journey would soon take us through the majestic mountain pass of Afton, still awash in shades of purple from the suns first yawn.

We made our path down the Shenandoah Valley and found our way to the old village of New Castle. The narrow waterways alongst Craig’s Creek afforded many a glimpse of the Dragons lair. The day would soon be upon us and each member of the clan prepared to battle the Dragon.

Sir Todd prepares his trusty goblet with sustenance.

Sir Tom queries: What manner of shield would fare best against the beast? Me thinks full gauntlets for mine arms.

We were joined by many other Virginia clans of the knob tire to do battle with the beast in the rocky velodrome of North Mountain.

Then a surprise member of the DPR clan joined our ranks. Twas Jennie that smiled upon us making our clan the full count of four.

The sage Chris Scott leads the charge from atop his horseless carriage. Thar be the Dragon!

And so it began as we followed the charge to the foothills of the beast.

The battle was joined as we left the road for cobbles. Soon we were flogging our velocipedes at full gallop and began fording the icy waters of Craig’s Creek. We crossed the rapids a full count of a man’s toes on one soaked foot.

Soon our assault began with the ascent of the Grouse Trail to the lair of the dragon. During the ascent, I gazed upon Sir Tom who showed a fine display climbing. Upon summit we landed on the tail of the slumbering beast only to make our way back down the mountain for a fresh assault. This day, Tom would unleash a terrible fury on the Dragon and I would not see him again until the quest was finished.

Once more up the Grouse Trail to climb the dragons back. For the second ascent I was joined by Sir Todd. Soon he would slip from my sight in another fine display of cycling.

I roosted a vile switchback that lead to the spine of the beast. Just then, my legs fell victim to some sort witchcraft! They temporarily became possessed by some daemon and refused my bidding. I quenched my thirst using my trusty drinking vessel.

While riding the spine I happened upon Sir Todd who had been nipped by the dragon on the arm. The hind wheel of his velocipede suffered a bite as well, ripping its intestine.

Riding the dragons back seemed to rouse the beast and it soon reared up mountainous shoulder blades we would have to scale.

Soon my legs fell victim to devilry once more. Todd tended to me for a few minutes and led the charge up the next vile and crusty shoulder. I believe he may have heard the daemons whimper from my legs as I struggled to climb. I told Sir Todd to leave me to my fate. Only after I stiffly protested his Aid did I lose sight of him once more.
I scampered and struggled up the rest of the Dragons back only receiving relief when I could mount my trusty velocipede and gallop down the trail. Finally I was getting off the back of the great beast!

A stroke of luck, I happened upon a band of merry folk at Stone Coal Gap who had food and drink. I ate and drank the share of two men!

The final attack on the Dragon started with another climb that led me to Lick Branch Trail on top of the head of the beast. I raced down between dragon eyes and made a final climb up it’s nose on Ferrier Trail.

I smiled as I laid waste to the last of the beast! Then I enjoyed the blessings of the sweet descent to the valley floor!

Back at the camp I met with Todd, Tom, and Jennie for roasted beast and glasses of mead.

After a fine showing from all Dragon Slayers in the DPR clan we headed back to the midlands of Richmond. Arriving home at 10pm ensured a sleep as sound as that of the Dragon.

The result of our grand adventure can be found scribed here

2011 Ride the Ridge

2011-03-28T09:47:00.001-04:00

Five of us headed out to the Blue Ridge School for the 5th annual Ride the Ridge. As you can see, the four racers and myself (to document and ride w/Mason). With the weather forecast, we were definitely expecting some epic conditions on course.

The drive west was pertty white as we were coming through Louisa. The snow was coming down and it was starting to cover everything.

We stopped for some breakfast at Bodos - although it ended slowing up Jeff a little bit during the race. Tom picked up a dozen bagels to go. He told us they were for his wife, but he ended up eating at least half of them after the race!

Getting ready for an 11am start.

Mason checking her time as she crosses the line.

After the pre-ride on friday and having Tom & Todd pass her on the backside of the course, Mason decided that she needed to beat them to the finish on race day. Sure they rode twice the distance, but you have to set some goals. She did end up beating them back to the finish, but Jeff was close behind us and I missed him coming across the line... It was great to hear that both Todd & Tom were a little worried about Mason because they had not caught her on the second lap. They thought she might have dropped out, but she just applied a little more pressure to the pedals and did some power walking through all the rocks. So Jeff was a minute or two behind us and then came Todd followed by Tom. I think we ended up with a 3-4-5 finish. Whit rocked it out again back on his home turf putting 10 minutes on second place - great ride.

Toddy G had a pain filled day.

Tom coming in shortly after Todd.

All smiles after a great day of racing.

Our sweet setup with coffee & hot cocoa.

Getting ready to roll.

How can it not be a great day when it ends like this - Tom with his pants down not even looking at the road, a bag of mixed vegetables and Todd steering??? Yeah, it was a great day!

TEAM FIESTA

2011-03-24T18:09:00.000-04:00

Last night a great time was had by all. We gathered at Craig & Nolan's office here at Rocketts Landing. The event was catered by none other than our favorite restaurant COMFORT. Everyone was crowding the table once we busted open the meat loaf, mash potatoes, mac & cheese and green beans. It was rocking. I think our team collectively got slower by the time the party was over.

As you can see, Tom was not shy about loading up his plate. We had people throwing away their plates just so they would not go back for thirds. The food really was ridiculous. A big shout out to Jason Alley and his staff for hooking us up with a silly amount of food.

The real reason for the party was to pass out the new kits, courtesy of VOMAX. We also handed out POWER BALANCE bracelets to everyone - a nice new sponsor pickup this year. PROBAR is also one of our new sponsors and we had a variety of bars cut up for the team to try. BYEKYLE also threw in red straps for everyone. After three hours of good times, the last of the crowd made their way out the door and we called it a night. I think that had to be the best team party yet.

Race Results for 2011

2011-03-23T22:16:00.003-04:00

I'm going to try and keep the race results current for 2011. Check out what I have so far.

As always, if you do anything outside of VORS please let me know about it. I will try to monitor who has attended the VORS events and keep those up to date.

One last step before paint!

2011-03-17T14:14:00.003-04:00

The only thing left are the braze-ons!

The painter is picking them up on Monday (keep your fingers crossed)

Shootout on Anglers Ridge

2011-03-14T21:49:00.016-04:00

What a great way to kick off the season!! With perfect weather, and huge attendance, it was without a doubt an awesome time.

Four members of the team made the 3 hour drive down to Danville. Tom H. decided to head down the night before while Joe, Jeff and myself decided to head down in the morning. I think Tom had the right idea as it made for a very long day.

Starting in the dark just like we ended the day.

The boys at SVMBA put on an incredible event just like last year. The course is very well marked and littered with volunteers. Not that I would think anybody would cheat, but it is refreshing to see racer numbers being documented as you ride the trail just to make sure you don't cut the trail. Many encouraging and enthusiastic volunteers made the experience even more enjoyable.

Joe and Jeff both race XC, expert and sport respectively. Both fields were some of the largest we will see all year. Joe said he started with 70 people (pro and expert combined) while the sport class here is always large. Tom and I raced enduro along with 30 or so others.

Tom rocking out the start

This was my first enduro race so I wasn't sure
what I would need. As you can see, I erred on the side of caution and brought everything. Tons of food, water, and some tools. Of course Tom and I were one of the few enduro competitors that didn't have an easy up tent. We will know better next time (we need to get a team tent).

The race started out fairly slow. I could tell there was some tension as I witnessed a wreck not even a mile into the enduro race. I was right behind it, but luckily escaped without any issues. Tom and I rode most of the first lap together at about mid pack. I felt very strong for the first 3 laps, but the fourth made me really start to feel the steep, short climbs that was the real backbone of these trails. Of course these climbs were quickly rewarded with some very sweet downhills! There was some technical sections thrown in here and there but the majority of the course was some very smooth and flowy singletrack. Nice for sure.

My goal was to complete 5 laps so I was pretty stoked to look at the clock after lap 4 and realize that I had plenty of time for 2 more laps. I took a nice long break after lap 4 to make sure I was hydrated and eat a bit in preparation for lap 5 and 6. Was able to get down 12 oz of water, 1/2 a ProBar and a Stinger Waffle. I'm glad I took this time as it really paid off with no cramping and enough energy to actually pass somebody on my final lap. Tom finished strong as well with 5 laps complete.

Quick pick rolling transition and starting new laps.

In the end, Joe and Jeff both got 3rd in their respective classes. Strong for both of these guys for sure as we have come to expect. I finished 9th and Tom finished 13th in enduro. Lots of strong racers at this event for sure. We will only get stronger from here. Looks like the off season training is starting to pay off already.

Yeah, it was muddy...and I was tired. Big thanks to our pit crew as well.

Pays to Play (P2P #1)

2011-03-06T14:27:00.001-05:00

BTS #1 might have been winner take all, but the prizes do not stop there. P2P #1 is in full effect.

I asked Joni to pick a number between 1 & 9 and asked Mason to pick a number between 10 & 19. The number correlated to your position in the BTS standings after ditching Toddy G. It looks like:

Tom Richeson can thank Joni next time he sees her.

Jennie Belt can thank Mason.

What will you be thanking them for? You will be thanking them for free pain and suffering! Your entries have just been covered for Ride the Ridge. Just show up and race.

Contact Jason for the fine print - entries cannot be transferred - there is no cash value - must be racing to redeem - must finish the race - cannot finish in last place - must beat Mason's lap time - wheelie across finish line mandatory

...thanks for playing!

Once again do not forget to thank Haines Construction & Design Physics for sponsoring P2P #1

Winner Winner COMFORT Dinner!

2011-03-06T14:11:00.000-05:00

We have a winner!

TODDY G rocked out the most BTS points and will be taking home a free team jacket and dinner for two at our favorite restaurant Comfort.

First of all I would like to thank everyone for participating in the first Bag the Schwag. We had 20 team members come out for at least one of the group rides. The turn out was great and the riding was even better. The top of my list would have to be the Superbowl Ride - that one was a lot of fun. We hit close to ten different locations in our twenty rides. There were a few surprises thrown in along the way but we knew once he had the lead (and after promising to take his wife to dinner) Toddy G was not going to relinquish it. I hope everyone had a good time, look for the next BTS Series coming soon.

Please take some time to thank our sponsors for this event:

Stop in and grab a bite to eat, the food is great and they are awesome in their support of the team.

Also thank Haines Construction & Design Physics for ponying up the free jacket.

Good Job Todd, I think you might be a marked man next time around!

West Creek Is Getting Old...

2011-03-02T20:44:00.004-05:00

Can't wait for daylight savings time. Jeff and I hit West Creek tonight and man, it is getting boring! We did a couple of extended loops out Patterson, then looping back in to Capital One using an obscure side road (with the guidance of Frank Yeager), but even that just isn't doing it. The pace was quite high as we got into a group of roadies once we got back to West Creek. Just what I was looking for with the first race coming up this weekend (register now if you haven't already). Good thing I ate a Pro Bar before the ride as my lunch was a bit light.

Bring on daylight savings so we can hit up some of those sweet country roads in Goochland. Maybe sneak in some singletrack after work.

And what is this...Jeff showed up with another new ride?? About time you got a road bike Jeff. And for the rest of you boys, no more dropping Jeff. Watch out, its hammer time and Jeff is now a roadie!!
So what do you think Jeff will show up with next week? Cross bike?? Think he will go hipster and get a single speed with Velocity rims or something?

2011 Southern Cross

2011-02-28T20:36:00.002-05:00

With the kids on mid winter break and family down in Georgia, no other excuse was needed to head out and participate in the 2011 edition of Southern Cross. What was supposed to be a junior race for Mason, with her grandparents, great grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles being able to come out and support/watch her, turned out to be something different altogether. We got an email from the promoter stating that the 30 minute junior race was cancelled due to lack of participants. They were kind enough to offer Mason an upgrade to the 'Citizen Race' - a toned down version of the full 50 mile cross race. So after a few emails back and forth with the promoter, it was decided that I would chaperon Mason on the 30 mile course. So we went from a 30 minute race to a 30 mile race!

Just before heading to the start line - all Smiles!

We ended up getting a little turned around heading out to the race, but stopped in town at the local coffee shop and actually ran into a guy who worked at the winery where the race was being held. He pointed us in the right direction and off we went. We definitely cut it a lot closer than I normally like to, but it took us about 30 minutes longer to reach the venue than I thought. With a quick walk through the registration line, we got ready, rode up the hill to the start and were greeted with the following.

There were a couple hundred starters

Yeah, there were a lot of starters at the race. Mason rolled into place without me while I took a few pictures. I then took my place next to her in order to 'chaperon' her on the ride. She is like an old pro on the line. As soon as the first wave (50 milers) went off, Mason eased her way right up to the front of the group.

Ready to CLIMB

We left the line along with about 50 other riders doing the Citizen's Race. Mason jumped right in and was rolling with everyone else, making some sweet passes along the way. There was one steep drop with a culvert at the bottom that I was praying she would not take a digger on. She rolled it, got a little squirly coming out, but still hit it at speed and made it through. It was off through the winery and we were somewhere around the top 20 making some sweet passes on steep little ups which were somewhat slick. Having the mountain bikes helped through the starting sections for sure. Then we hit the forced run up. It was pretty damn steep. I told Mason that I was going to ride it, she said she was going to walk. The guy next to her chuckled at her response. Either that or that fact that I said that I was going to ride up. I might have been the only person in the 30 mile race to ride up the hill. Everyone was tripping out. I do not think anyone believed someone could ride it because no one moved out of my way as I was calling out 'on your right'. Seriously, no one even remotely stepped out of the way. The Stijl 29er was laying it down. Well, being that Mason is only 11, her strength is not quite on par with adults, so she got passed by the entire field by the time she reached to top of the run up. The only bonus was that is allowed me to be congratulated quite a few times on my accomplishment of climbing the hill. Little to no consolation for Mason, though.

Started on the road...

We were off to the road that linked to the dirt. We rode for a few miles before we actually hit the dirt. We knew at this point we were trailing everyone. It got hot quick and we took a break to peel off the warm layers.

Quickly turned to dirt - and warmed up!

Heading up the road

The climb up the road was long and it got really steep at the end. Mason is a billy goat, though. She only walked about 300 yards of the entire 30 miles. I have no doubt that she did not do the most walking that day. We had a solid hour of climbing, which was a first for Mason. She rolled in the middle chainring for the majority of the day and only dipped into the granny for the steepest portions of the ride.

This looks deceptively flat in the picture

Once we hit the top of the big climb, there were a series of rollers that had us smiling from ear to ear. The climbs started to seem shorter and shorter after the 'big climb'. Then we started to hit some big descents - again, a first for Mason. She was rolling right on my wheel the entire way down. We did catch on guy on the way down and made our first downhill pass! We were about to catch a group of about 7 people when I looked back and no more Mason. The washboard road was taking its toll and Mason had to back off. At the end of a few descents, Mason would ride up next to me and exclaim how much fun she was having. The last 6 miles were on the road and there were a lot of ups and downs. We rode back into the winery and came up to one sick run up. It was twice as long and steeper than the first one! The Stijl did not let me down, after huffing it up the ridiculous bank, I proceeded to ride that beast. I think it took Mason 5 minutes to climb it, pushing her bike. She actually had to shoulder the Anthem in order to get up the first part of the 'run up'. We made our way back through the winery on the CX course, which was reverse of when we started. The start was a lot of fun because it was all downhill - yeah, that means all uphill on the way back! The cool part was that Mason rode all of it minus one short steep portion - mostly because she had to pee so bad that she stopped right there and hit the woods for a quick nature break. It was quite amusing since we were literally 3 minutes from the finish line. Monica and Joni were waiting for us as we rode up towards the finish. It was cool when Monica said that she had been watching everyone walk the last part of the course only to see us come up riding the entire thing! Mason is a billy goat for sure. It must not have been too bad, because she was all smiles at the end of the day. When I asked her if she would do it again her response was - "not today". If it fits our schedule, we will be back foregoing the junior race and heading straight for the real deal.

It must not have been too bad - all SMILES again!

I always say that the cycling community is great and this event proved to be no different. Eddie & Namrita O'Dea of 55 Nine Performance were both extremely nice and accommodating in upgrading Mason to the adult race. The event was well run and we had no issues at all. There were a ton of people encouraging Mason along the way and some that took the time at the end of the day to find and congratulate her on a great ride. It is that kind of support in the cycling community that helps develop future riders. Mason was by far the youngest one out there, but everyone she ran into made her feel welcome. She also accomplished her goal of finishing ahead of at least one person. If it were not for the nature break, it very well could have been two. We had a great time and I can say with confidence that Mason's perspective on riding is forever changed - for the better.

On a side note, I would like to thank Hinmaton for making my ride possible. Since Mason has inherited my Giant and the team bikes are in the works, I am sans a ride. I now have about 40 hours on his bike. Thanks again Hinmaton!

BTS #19

2011-02-27T19:09:00.002-05:00

What an awesome day for a ride!! It was nice to see so many team members make it out. It was me, Jeff, Tom H., Paul, Damon, Kylan, and of course Steve. Big thanks to Steve for hosting us and ensuring we didn't get lost. All those crazy letters...

We ended up doing a few laps of the park and never made it over to York. The new section, called the "D" loop, is the newest trail and probably the most difficult from an aerobic standpoint. Much like the rest of the park, all climbs are short. This trail has a few tight switchbacks thrown in for good measure though.

Thanks to all that showed up. Had a great time. We need to schedule another team ride at Freedom before to long.

BTS 18

2011-02-25T20:13:00.001-05:00

Pulled into the direct buy lot at 5:31. As I was pulling in Jeffro was rolling out tryin' to snatch up some quadruple points. He pointed his finger at me and said "no! you can't ride tonight!"

Needless to say I didn't heed his command. We rolled out together in the light rain, and in spite of the weather had a good time. Jeff and I have become pretty tight riding and racing buds over the past year, so it seemed only fitting to end this cockamaimy points scoring week out together in the rain. We were the only ones dedicated(or stupid) enough to be out there on bicycles. Good riddance double points week!!!

BTS #17

2011-02-24T13:10:00.001-05:00

Twas another chilly night at Westcreek for David Reid, Todd, and myself. But, we all noticed how much longer the days are getting and the thoughts of warmer weather and riding somewhere other than West Creek took some of the cold sting away.

All of these BTS training rides are making for some strong DP racers. We discussed how awesome it is that so many of the folks on the team are making it out to one BTS event or another.

BTS# 15

2011-02-21T20:47:00.004-05:00

Seems as though the double points week is already bringing out a few extra riders. Good stuff for sure. Todd, Jeff, Paul and I made it out for a nice ride at Powhite. The wind was certainly blowing the cold air in, but the rain held off and it never got to cold on us.

Look at the new bling to hit the trail for the inaugural ride. Sweet bike Jeff!!

Oh, and Jeff wants to know who the heck this Euro D guy is that has incredible shot up the BTS standings??

BTS Bonus Ride #1

2011-02-19T10:34:00.001-05:00

Went out yesterday for a ride with Craig, Nolan & Euro Dave (David R), hitting up the downtown trails. Two hours later we picked up Tom Haines and as we headed out northbank, we ran into Jennie! Although we had dropped off Craig & Nolan, having 6 people representing DPR on the trails together cannot go unrewarded. So for everyone that showed up on the trails yesterday for the downtown ride, you get an extra 30 points! I ended up riding four hours with Euro Dave - my legs were stinging by the end of the day.

Look at next weeks updated ride list. Being two weeks out from the first race, next weeks rides will count for double points. There will also be a ride everyday next week. If you show up and are the only one at the ride then you get double "double" points. This contest is not ever yet. Toddy G is going to have to work to maintain his lead. 100 points on the line tomorrow. Points will be awarded on the length of time you are doing trail work and the length of time you ride. Just figure 20 points an hour with possible bonus points for staying longer than 5 hours.

Also remember to thank our sponsors of the first BTS Series:
Comfort for providing dinner for two.
Design Physics & Haines Construction for covering the free team jacket.

Nice Weather for BTS #13

2011-02-16T20:34:00.003-05:00

Nice to see some new faces out tonight along with some of the regulars. Matt J., Todd, Sonya, Tom R., Jeff and me made it out tonight. We were greated with nice temperatures and very little wind. Can't ask for much more then that in February.

Overheard Todd saying that his wife has already picked out what she wants at Comfort and Jeff was mumbling something about already feeling warm from a nice new jacket.

Pantini ride

2011-02-14T05:59:00.002-05:00

Right now the pain is still too vivid in my mind to wright anything but a negative blog. I'm hoping Foghorn will get me some pictures later this week. I'll post something then.

In short we all started and finished without getting lost. The pace was hard out of the gate. the climbs were crazy hard. Pretty much a full day in the hurt locker, but it's all good!!!

DPR Hilbert Day

2011-02-10T19:01:00.000-05:00

February 20th @ 9am

Trail clean up and ride at Hilbert. Bring leaf blowers if you have them. You could also bring any normal trail maintenance tools. It should be mostly light cleanup. Todd will have a chainsaw just in case. Plan on arriving at 9am in order to score maximum points. We will clear the trail and then ride the rest of the day.

into the rears

2011-02-09T17:07:00.004-05:00

Here are the first of the rear triangles.

So far it is taking @ a day per frame to fit and tack the rears.

I also included a shot of the jig for mitering the stays.

Enjoy!

oh- We are looking at doing a second run of frames, so if you are interested in being a part of the "team frame" deal and you missed the first round- now is your chance.

2011 Super Bowl Ride

2011-02-09T15:05:00.000-05:00

SUPER mellow pace heading out before the climb

Sunday a few of us decided to head out and participate in the 2011 Super Bowl Ride. It was well worth the drive out. From the team, we had myself, Todd, Dennis & Tom H. We met at Rowletts and took the SWEET bus. After a couple of pit stops, we pulled up right on time... for the ride to leave. We had some fireworks planned for our arrival, but those never went off. Once we arrived, we got changed and prepped our bikes said a few hellos and then found ourselves the last ones to leave out of the lot. There was a nice little Richmond contingent that headed up the road together.

The climb went up the road before stopping to regroup prior to hitting the dirt - which eventually became ice and then snow.

Getting going again

We then made our way to the top where everyone took the opportunity to socialize. the weather at the top was fantastic - actually seemed warm.

There were 80-100 people on the ride

After hanging out at the top for a while, we decided that instead of bombing straight to the bottom, we would do a little more ridge riding to the next meadow and drop down from there. Glen Amey was our private tour guide as he had the best knowledge of the trails.

Great views just before dropping down

Once we dropped down the mountain, Dennis showed us just how sweet his bike skills are! Ride behind him for a while downhill and you will learn a lot about yourself. He is the man. Plus he took all of our great pictures for the day.

Once we made our way back down to the fire road we regrouped again and headed back to the parking lot. We were all goofing around when Glen rocked by us on his 29er doing Mach2. Tom H. started the DP train and we blew back by Glen. He jumped on and then it was on. We proceeded to paceline our way back to the cars. It was a strong finish to a SUPER ride. Todd even got chastised by 'The Man' by riding two abreast on the way back

The last time we would see everyone together...

Making some headway-

2011-02-03T11:26:00.004-05:00

Thus far, Ed and I have been able to keep a consistent pace of one front triangle completed per day. This encompasses: from grabbing the box of tubes and blueprints to having the triangle fully coped, brazed, and trued. So that means we have 4 frames 50% completed, one frame partially coped, and one last frame to pull from the box.

Bear in mind that the front triangle is the easier half... but we are still leaps further than I had estimated had we not been fortunate in getting Ed on board.

Thanks Ed!

We are still missing the specialty stays, although I hope to have them by tomorrow.

Enjoy the photos:

BTS #7...West Creek

2011-02-02T20:49:00.004-05:00

Awesome training ride tonight! With the great temperatures today, I hope everyone was able to get out. We had a good turnout for the ride tonight with me, Jason, Jeff, Tom R., Sonya, Jenny and honorary member Mason all making it out. Nice to see some new names putting their names in for the BTS giveaway.

We had Tom R. up front really pushing the pace for the majority of the ride with Plassman and me making a few pulls from time to time. I thought the wind was going to blow us all over several times, particularly down near the lake. Made for good resistance training. As one can expect, West Creek was very busy tonight!!

Took a group pic tonight as I was worried nobody would believe the huge turnout. Unfortunately it didn't turn out...sorry guys. Hopefully next week.

BTS #6

2011-02-01T19:49:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I had a nightime trail ride, and I had almost forgot just how much fun it is! I hooked up with Tom H., Todd, and David at Powhite for some HID lit goodness on BTS #6. It was pretty cool to watch the night train flow down a descent as I prepared to hitch on. These trails are pretty easy for me to remember in the daylight, but at night, I felt like the village idiot after leading us into numerous wrong turns. Lucky for me Tom H. steered me back on course. Todd, David, and Tom were nipping at my heels as we plunged back down to the bottom. Great ride and I can't wait for the next night trip to Powhite.

BTS #5

2011-01-30T15:46:00.000-05:00

Ride #5 is in the books. Tom H. put his stamp of authority on the ride today. I would say he pulled 42 of the 50 miles we rode today... and it was a steady 21-22mph the entire way. It was a good solid ride with Tom H., Tom R., Jeff & myeself. No one was up for joining me on lap two with Mason - rocking the steady 14.6 mph average. Good thing because I am not sure if I could have taken another 50 miles at Tom's pace. Tomorrow's ride is going to sting, for sure.

BTS #4

2011-01-29T18:38:00.003-05:00

As expected, BTS #4 was a rather poorly attended event. Just Jeff and I showed up for the fire road burn. With all the rain recently, even the fire roads were sloppy in parts and felt much like riding through mashed potatoes. The resistance level was crazy!

Jeff and I muddled our way around the park for around 3 hours. I had to bow out early as I felt really tired and just didn't have it today. I think Jeff got in some extra credit on this ride with a few more hours or so.

All in all a good ride for sure. Unfortunately we didn't see the 52* promised by the local weatherman, but a significant improvement in temps compared to Thursdays ride. Glad we stayed off the singletrack. Couldn't help but notice a group of 4 other riders that didn't head proper trail etiquette and had bikes covered in mud. Guess the Friends group will be cleaning this up in the spring.

You guys have fun tomorrow and I will see you Monday night.

BTS #3...In the Books!

2011-01-27T20:51:00.003-05:00

Great ride out at West Creek again tonight. Four of us made it out, the Usual Suspects as we have become on these West Creek rides. Joe, Jeff, Todd and myself. Cold, but we kicked ass with Joe really pushing the pace up on lap 3 or 4.

Take a look here...how many points do we get (temperature is in the bottom right of Joe's Garmin)?

First frame under the knife

2011-01-27T17:17:00.002-05:00

Each frames worth of tubes has been separated into it's box.

Each box includes the specified tubes, construction documents, and miter templates.

The first front triangle complete! Mitered by Ed, tacked and brazed by me.

BTS #2

2011-01-25T21:01:00.001-05:00

Duo ride last night out at Powhite. Todd & I joined up at Forest Hill and rode over to Powhite for some trail blazing. Todd was doing all of the trail blazing and I was content to sit on his wheel all night long. I was definitely feeling Sunday's ride in my legs. Todd did not let me forget - every time we started back uphill he stood up and nailed it. The leaves were slick which made for some interesting descents. Another great ride, though. I am out for Thursday's ride, hopefully we have a solid crew out at West Creek. Look for next weeks ride schedule posted soon.

Stijl Team Bikes

2011-01-25T16:40:00.002-05:00

The bikes are underway!
We have most of the design files completed; a few people need to schedule times to come in and finalize the fitment process. All the tubes are ordered and most have arrived, we are just waiting on a few tubes to arrive from Italy.
I will be updating the blog as the bikes take shape.

So, on with the BIG NEWS:

Ed Jones is stepping in to help with the team bikes!

That's all I have for now,

Hinmaton

BTS #1

2011-01-23T17:24:00.000-05:00

Ride #1 is in the books. We had Jason, Todd, Paul & Damon hit up a 52 mile loop in sub freezing temperatures........

It was a good ride with a solid winter pace. It was quite amusing when Paulito almost went Nacho Libre on his bike. I think his bike might have won at that point in time. We got passed on the way back through the battlefield, so Todd & I made the decision to bridge on, it turned out to be a pretty sweet interval since we were already over two hours into our ride. I jumped back on the front to lead the way home. Once we climbed out of Hadad's and hit Osborne again it was on. Straight into the headwind the rest of the way back to Rocketts. Todd gave me a one minute breather which is all I needed to bring it home. Nice ride, great day and 45 points.

See everyone tomorrow night.

...Jason

Bag the SCHWAG #1

2011-01-20T22:42:00.000-05:00

Yeah baby, it is time for a little pre-season throw down! Winter training with rewards.

A little DPR in house competition.

It is simple - we will be organizing 2-3 team rides a week for the next 5 weeks. One will be at West Creek, one will be downtown (road or MTB) and one will be a surprise. Points will be awarded to attending riders and there will be a staggered point system depending on the weather. The tougher the conditions (rain, snow, below freezing temperatures) the higher the point value. The member with the most points to start the season will win the following:

Dinner for 2 at COMFORT
Free Team Jacket

Point system will be emailed this weekend and weekly updates will also be given. Any ties will be settled at Hilbert #1. Whoever scores the most points for the team wins!

Good luck and have fun!

2011 Kit Design

2011-01-19T18:46:00.000-05:00

2011 Leesburg Bakers Dozen

2011-01-17T16:18:00.000-05:00

Jason Hopkins, Steve Tolley & Tom Haines representing GEEZER style!

The race sold out in like 5 minutes... 450 slots! I was logged into Bikereg right at 8pm and was registered by 8:01pm. I could not believe it when Kylan emailed me to say he logged in at 8:05 and the registration was already closed...

Joe is on the wait list, so hopefully he gets the call. I truly believe he could contend for the overall.

50.50 Scab Report

2011-01-05T21:47:00.004-05:00

Five of us started the Scab ride with little idea of where were headed, just with the knowledge that it would be a long day. We were not disappointed. Joe, Tom and myself were among the team members who showed with Casey and Brad completing the group.

Unfortunately the day started with a flat for Joe.

The morning was very overcast which made for moderate temperatures. The views over the river as we cruised down Riverside were amazing!! Nice fog over the river. I don't think my poor camera from my phone would have done these views much justice, but I did grab one quickly while Joe was fixing his flat. You can see the river in the back ground. I must say, the forecast was way off and this was a very nice time to be out on a bike.

Fortunately the snow and ice was gone from the road, but the sand and dirt left behind made us all look like we had just ridden a muddy CX race at the end of the first 50.

We met Jason back at Tom's place to change, add layers, and get some food for the second half. We lost one rider before leaving Tom's place, and another dropped 15 miles or so into the second 50. So Tom, Joe, Jason and myself finished this ride alone.

Sorry, no pics of the second half. The temps dropped dramatically and the rain moved in. Honestly, I felt like turning back and calling it a day after 20 miles or so into the second 50. I think we all shared this temptation at one point or another by the time we were done.

All in all, an awesome ride. Can't wait to do it again.

50.50 Recon

2010-12-30T22:27:00.000-05:00

Went out for a ride with David R. & Tom H. this morning to retrace the first half of last years 50.50. We even hit up Northbank while it was still frozen - it had been a while since any of us have been on that trail. There was also a good bit of snow still at Powhite, which proved to be a lot of fun. Sunday is going to be interesting...

Fun in the Snow

2010-12-29T23:02:00.000-05:00

I have had a chance to go out with Mason the last couple of days and ride around in the snow. Here she is rocking out the DP kit on her 'hand me down' bike from dad... Merry Christmas! Rumor has it she is planning on poaching the road portion of the 50.50 - I will be riding right at her pace by that point in the day.

2010-12-19T17:08:00.005-05:00

Well, Sherando was a bust due to the cold temperature and expected snow.

But Joe, Jeff and myself headed to Pocahantas to try and make the best of it. Awesome day for a ride that is for sure!! Hard to beat some frozen singletrack. Certainly an improvement over the trainer I have been wearing out lately.

The trails were in good condition for the most part, with some wet leaves, snow and even a bit of ice mixed in. While the snow wasn't real deep, it did make it a bit more difficult due to being covered by ice. We threw in some fire road as well. Made for some nice base miles since it was slow going with the same ice/snow conditions.

Overall an awesome time even though my toes were frozen and I had a flat.

Ahh..The Southern Traverse

2010-11-23T20:43:00.004-05:00

Where do I start…what an incredible day!! Joe, Jeff, Dennis and I headed to the mountains to tackle the Southern Traverse last weekend. All epic rides start super early and this one was no exception. What was an exception was riding the Sweet Bus to the mountains.

Took a little break on the way up to ensure the early morning bike strapping was working out. Everything looked to be in place so off we went.

We arrived a bit late to the trail head so we quickly got our kits on and unpacked the bikes. I was able to snag this photo of the bus at the trail head before hitting the trail. It was cool to look around and see such a large group of mountain bikers. There were 20 of us once it was all said and done with 4

members of DP Racing representing. I think it was a pretty good turnout for a chilly morning in November.

The Southern Traverse starts with a nice, mild climb up a fire road for around 3 miles. Jeff and Joe quickly made their way to the front of the pack and left the rest of us far behind.

Once we got to the top, it was nice to look around and see that most of the DP team hitting the top first.

The first real climb started when we left the fire road. As it turned out, this really separate the pack. After this several mile climb, the flowy singletrack started. It was amazing how many miles of trail they were able to string together at this elevation with relative little climbing. The trail had several sections of nice, challenging rock gardens stuffed in between moderate climbs and fast singletrack.

Of course this entire trail is put together to reach the downhill at the end. This is one sweet downhill and well worth any of the climbing we had done this day. The whole trail was covered in leave, sometimes up to a foot deep. Funny how almost the entire downhill was somewhat tacky with only a few leaves. Just made it perfect!

Sorry guys, no pics of the trail. Guess you will have to make it out on the next trip to check it out for yourself. Thanks to Jeff for snapping these photos. I was too busy enjoying myself and trying to track down Jeff and Joe to reach for the camera.

Wayne Goodman

2010-11-01T18:44:00.000-04:00

As many of you know or have read on the cycling forums, Wayne Goodman had a serious cycling injury at Forest Hill Park. Here is an excerpt from his website.

The Crash

It's the kind of thing that could happen to any of us, or the guy walking through the parking lot or the girl riding in front of you. A simple error. Nothing more. Nothing less. Only it meant everything.
From the "mouth of Wayne", he was reaching back to adjust his pack as he rode on a grassy area next to the parking lot in Forest Hill Park. His wheel found a small indentation in the grass and Wayne was ejected head-first into the small stone wall on the edge of the parking lot. He was traveling no more than 5 miles per hour.
"It was lights out for my arms and legs," he recalls. His brain wasn't hurt, thanks to a helmet and no doubt his hard head. When he was in the ambulance he started to get some sensations in his extremities, but had no movement there.
Wayne, true to form was helping someone when the accident happened. He was riding with a new mountain biker, taking him on an outing. Thankfully he got fast medical help from his companions.

Please follow along with his progress and look for more information on how the team can help. John Leino is directly involved, please forward any questions to him or the website.