Mileage Wars

Nothing like a good old fashioned mileage war to keep us motivated as the winter season draws near. I had a good week going with all the commuting I did over the week. Rumor had it that Robert Herriman held the working mans weekly milage record at 488 miles. We both decided to make a run for it over the weekend in a little gentlemans bet. 65 miles on Saturday, and another 65 on Sunday had me at 500 miles by noon with a bonky Herriman in tow. He left my house and headed home with 40 miles on the day and roughly 415 for the week. I had done it! I stole the title! I thought Herriman didn't have a chance. I topped His bottles off with Gatorade and stuffed a GU in his jersey and sent him on his way. Little did I know I awakened the milage beast from depths of Mordor.

Later that night as it was dark and nearing bed time, I got a text message. It was Herriman! He was still out riding! It read, "481 for the week so far. Gonna put the lights on and push for a few more miles. The ZYM revived me." He ended up with 505 miles for the week and took back the record. Oh yeah... did I mention Herriman is 49 yrs old. The guy is a milage machine. Incredible.

Off Season at the Simonsters

That's A Wrap

Well... Iceman didn't quite go as planned. I put a lot into the preperation and I felt ready. I had good legs and I even got off the front in the first section of singletrack. Then to my demise I was burried too deep going into Tornado Alley and watched the front group of 6 roll away into the distance. I should have known better than to be so far back. I put in a pretty hard chase for a few minutes, then pulled the plug. Mentally defeated I rolled along just barely pushing the pedals till I pulled off the course at Williamsburg Rd. In a split second I went from thinking about where I was going to put in an attack to thinking, oh crap my race is over. Looking back, I should have pressed on, but the truth is I expected to be in that front group and anything less was a huge disappointment and embassment for me. It was one of those all or nothing races. I didn't even carry a tube with me.

Ahhh well. It's time to kik back and relax for a while. I have a big year planned for 2010 and much more hard work and preperation ahead of me. I'll certainly be fired up and motivated come April. You can't win em all, but you can always give your best.

18 Lbs Flat

Pullin out all the stops...

Back 2 Back Peak 2 Peak

Back again for the Peak to Peak fall classic. This year the race grew with almost 500 racers in attendance. This race has a little bit for everyone. Fast technical downhills, long flat power sections, lung busting climbs, and not to mention a beer tent. Nice! Endoman promotions did a great job with the venue and with bringing in tough competition.

The first lap went out with a bang as Anderson attacked like a maniac about half way through which pulled out me and Derek Graham... very similar to last year. Derek pounded away at the pedals up the back side of the ski hill on lap one. We would trade pulls all the way to the middle of lap three where Derek and Anderson got tangled up with a lapped racer. I steered around the tangle and kept moving on. Anderson bridged shortly, which left just the two of us to duke it out on the last lap.

It came down to the final ascent up the ski hill on the final lap where I distanced myself from Anderson on the early slopes, and kept a little gap over the top. I kept the pressure on through the downhill and rolled in for the win!

Getting the win feels great coming into the final weeks of the Iceman preperations. It was a long race at just over 2-1/2 hrs, so I think that may have played to my benefit.

Thanks goes out to Endoman promotions for putting on another great event to add to the fall classics in Michigan. The legs are coming around and I'm feeling good for the final show down of the year at Iceman. I cant wait!

Countdown to P2P

Peak to Peak is this weekend! Been looking forward to this one. Rumor has it that Pro's are doing 4 loops for a ball busting 44 miles. Get yur camelbacks ready... it should be a fun one.

"The" Chequamegon

Made the voyage up to Northern Wisconson for round two of the Midwest Triple Crown last weekend. There's always that one race that just never seems to go your way, and for me, it's the Chequamegon. However this year, I cant complain. The weather was absolutely perfect, the course was dry and fast, and I finally made it thru the roll out in tact!

Things seemed to start off just as I would have liked as I sat 3rd wheel thru Rosies field. As soon as we hit the rollers on the birkie trail, I could feel myself struggling. I managed to hang onto the pace until it slowed down on the dirt roads where everyone took a breather. It wasn't long before we hit the birkie trail again, and the attacks came hard. I hung on till my head was spinning, but eventually lost contact before we crossed CR-00. From there on out, I went into survival mode to get to the finish. A group finally caught up with me including fellow Michigander Joe Brew-Champ-Ski as we turned up Seeley fire tower hill. We stayed together right until the end where I managed to save a final attack to the finish to end up 15th.

Not quite the finish I was looking for, but not too shabbly considering there were 9 former Chequamegon champions in attendance, as well as some other national and world caliber riders. No crashes, no mechanicals, and a solid start. Not sure what it is about this race that makes it so difficult for me. Perhaps it's the hills? the pace? I don't know. That's something I'll have to talk over with the old timer.

I do know I had a great time with these guys celebrating our survival of the rollout and sharing stories about our race. Congrats to Brian Matter who seems to be on track for completing the triple crown... however I've got 48 days to get myself into racing shape. Better start laying off those Ultimate Burgers and pints of Belgian Wheat!

Final NUE Points

Well... the NUE series is complete and if my calculations are correct, it looks like I'll be holding onto my 4th place! My goal was a top 5, so I'm pretty pleased. Congrats goes out to the other Michiganders Christian Tanguy and Greg Kuhn. Christian finished an amazing 2nd, and Greg is well within the top 10. Not bad for a group of privateers from Michigan getting out there and showing the USA we can hang.

Moto-vated

Secret Training. Chequamegon simulation program 1.0.

NUE Stop #5 Wilderness 101

Sometimes just getting to the finish line of a race is a challenge. I swear the Wilderness 101 had it out for me this year. Michelle and I headed down to State Colleg PA early Friday morning with high hopes of bettering my 6th place finish at Breck 100 for the NUE points series. W101 is one of the rockier more technical courses in the series. Add 2” of rain the day before, and you’ve got slippery rocks and nasty mud. The race started out at the typical 7AM. A neutral rollout till we get to the first climb, then the pace immediately went up. We blasted up the first climb, and low and behold, there was an entire peloton behind us of maybe 20 riders, including all of the favorites. It stayed like this for a while until we passed aid station 1. My legs were feeling great, so I decided to try a little attack up the rocky ascent. Soon before the top, we had it whittled down to the top contenders. We rounded the summit, and began the fast rocky descent. This is where the first mechanical happened. Flat tire. All my efforts were for nothing as I watched rider after rider fly by. I fixed the tire and I was off in pursuit of the leaders. I had worked myself all the way back up to 9th at aid 2 and as I was nearing aid station 4 I had 7th. Things were going good and I was getting myself back into the race. Then at the top of the singletrack climb, I broke my chain. It took me forever to fix it. I finally got it fixed, only to rip my derailleur hanger off on the following descent. At that point I figured my race was over. I was starting to lose motivation, but I quickly got to work on the single speed conversion. I had to stop a few times, and bum a spare link from Ron Sanborn, but eventually I got the chain line just right. Rolling into aid 4, I really thought long and hard about quitting as Michelle was there with the van ready to go. But a lingering motivation to finish kept me moving forward. I finished the last 25 miles on a converted single speed and even managed to pick off a few more spots. Overall I was happy I toughed it out and decided to finish the race. Goal #1 at every one of these 100 milers is to just finish, and I’m happy to at least have accomplished that goal. Next up is Ore to Shore… the first round of the Midwest Triple Crown. I’m PUMPED!

NUE Stop #4 Breck 100

Well... after a tough race at Boyne, I felt I was prepared to take on Breckenridge... at least I thought I was. This was my first trip ever to Colorado and the Breck 100 was the perfect way to experience a full sampling of what mountain biking in Colorado is all about. It was worth every penny Michelle and I spent to get out there, including the $175 fee (one way) to bring the bike on the airplane... ouch! Here we are on top of Loveland Pass.

There's no words to describe how beautiful Colorado is, you just have to experience it. The weather was perfect and the trails were dialed.

I was blown away by the scenary, as well as by how tough the mountain biking is. The Breck 100 is easily the hardest hundred on the circuit, and with no acclimation to the altitude, it was almost a suicide mission! I wasn't really sure what to expect with the altitude and all.

The start was a neutral roll out, but as soon as we hit the base of the mountain, Schalk and Tostado ramped it up and left a wake of gasping racers... including me. I quickly hunkered into a rythem and pushed my way up Wheeler Pass. As we near the top, the trail gets a little sketchy. One slip of your balance and you could go rolling head over heels 1000's of feet down the mountain! Comming down Wheeler is some of the knarliest mountain bike trail I've ever ridden. My brakes were squeeling! After we descended, we hit this slightly downhill paved bike path. I wound out my 38-11 and caught back up to 3rd place. I'd sit with a group until the end of the 1st loop.

2nd loop was a real lung buster. I distanced myself from the group and I was alone in 3rd all the way to the top of the first climb. Then... I flatted. Thought the Stans would seal it, but not luck. I stopped and threw in a tube, while I watched all my hard work on the climb dwindle as a few riders passed me. Soon after on the descent, I took a wrong turn losing 10 minutes. Loop 2 was the hardest with two tough steep climbs.

Going into the feed zone for the 3rd loop had me surprised. 4th and 5th were also in the feed zone. Michelle and I quickly traded camelbacks and I was out before the other two sitting in 4th. It wasn't long before the fatigue really began to set in and I couldn't hold the pace up the climb to Boreas Pass Rd. It was extremely steep in sections and I was starting to fall apart. The rest of the 3rd loop I spent alone except for the section of dirt rd before the final ascent up Boreas Pass were I rode with 5th for a short time, but eventually ended up finishing at 9hrs 49 min in 6th place. Apparently I won the 19-29 age group, but didn't realize this until we got home Sunday. Oh well.

Overall, it was a long tough day in the saddle. 10hrs and over 13,000ft of climbing, all over 9500ft of elevation maxing out at 12500ft. Not to mention the singletrack was pretty buff. I'm glad I did it though and it will help toughen me up for the rest of the NUE series races. Next on the schedule is Wilderness101 in Coburn Pennsylvania. I suffered pretty badly there last year. Hopefully this year I'll a little better prepared.

New Weapon

I'm very fortunate to get to test one of the first Superfly 100's off the production line. So far so good. This bike rocks! 22 lbs as it's setup right now... for a full suspension 29er! I'll give it a good shake down at the Boyne Marathon this weekend, then it's off to Breckenridge for the 4th stop of the NUE Series.

NUE Stop #3 - The Lumberjack100

Four 25 mile laps of Northern Michigan singletrack is no small challenge. Me, and 299 others would find that out this past Saturday. My wife Michelle, my mother and father in-law, and I made the voyage up to the Manistee National forest in style as we piled into the luxurious motorhome. The weather was fair, and the rain we had the night before the race actually helped the trail conditions. Missing this year was the epic "swamp", but I was OK with that.

After the long roll up Udell Hills rd, we found the start line, and after a long roll down Udell Hills Rd, I found myself tucked in 3rd wheel right behind Jeff Schalk going up the first climb. My legs felt great and everything was going smooth on the 1st lap. Chris Eatough made a move at the end of the 1st lap and the group of 4 of us was brought out. Jeff Schalk, Chris Eatough, Christian Tanguy, and I would ride together for the entire 2nd lap. It was very humid, and temps were rising, but I was still riding strong. Then at the end of the outter 17 mile loop, I could feel that something just wasn't right. We hit the hill at the start of the 3rd lap, and just like that, the power shut off. My engine was overheating. I just wasn't wasn't prepared for that kind of heat and humidity!

So there I was, 50 miles into the race, all by myself to hang onto 4th position. The entire 3rd lap was a struggle. I went through the four stages of acceptance. Stage 1 is where you try to tell yourself you can bridge back up and recover after the climb. Once you realize you can't recover, stage 2 of anger and frustration settle in. After you calm down, you enter stage 3. Here you'll battle with just pulling the plug. Stage 3 is the worst part of a 100 mile race. You have to fight mental defeat, while at the same time, the fatigue hits you as you realize you're only just over half way thru. I struggled to the aid station to see my father in law Dan with an ice cold towel and my wife Michelle with fresh nutrtion. They didn't even flinch and like clockwork I found myself back out for lap #4 with new motivation. I had reached stage 4... accepting the fact that I still had a chance to take a solid 4th place and keep my good points standing in the NUE series and that I was going to fight for it to the end.

Everything was going good and I was trying to stay smooth and positive. Then the inevitable happened. Derek Graham came rolling up on my wheel. I slowed down, let him pass, then got straight back onto his wheel. I just thought I would stay with him as long as I could. Low and behold I took a few sips of Coke, and I was able to battle with him over the climbs near the end of lap 4. I managed to distance myself and roll in for 4th at 7hrs 17min. Even though I didn't get the spot on the podium I wanted, the race was a success. I silenced the inner demons on lap 3 and rallied to finish strong... not to mention I didn't crash, have any mechanicals, nor make any mistakes. My Superfly ran F L A W L E S S L Y!

I "think" that puts me in 3rd place for the NUE series after three stops. Things are going well for 2009 so far. Not sure what's in store for July yet. I'll have to get with old Art and see what he has planned. Big thanks goes out to my in-laws for the great support!

NUE Stop #2 Mohican 100

Stop #2 on the NUE calendar brought us to downtown Loudonville Ohio. Close to 400 people came out to tackle the hilly back country course which has everything from white knuckle singletrack, to epic hike-a-bikes, and even an Amish buggy trail. The weather was absolutely perfect with sunny skies and mild temps... although the competion wasn't so mild. Former Olympians, former world champions, and current and former national champions. It was a stacked field with high caliber mountain bikers.

The start rolled off rather quickly due to the $200 prime at the town outskirts. Jeff Schalk went for it, and I was close on his heels to make sure his sprint didn't turn into a full on solo breakaway. Hey, it's Jeff Schalk, if he gets away, you're likely never to see him again. We quickly re-grouped and I was sure to be right near the front before we hit the first section of singletrack right behind Jeremiah Bishop. He lead for the first 25 mile section of singletrack, and I made sure to stay glued to his rear wheel as well. The pace was fast and Jeremiah was cleaning the downhills like he was on rails constantly forcing me to bridge on the climbs. I hung tough and stuck with the leaders.

When we hit the long run-up near the end of the singletrack, I decided to go for an attack of my own! It lasted till the top of the next "horse pucky" climb/run where we all re-grouped before heading out onto the roads. Once we hit the roads, the road tactics were in full swing. I took my turns on the front and the big wheels and tires enabled me to pull the group along at warp speed whenever we went downhill.

The singletrack came and went, as well as the short punchy climbs, but the group was not breaking up! Finally as we all rolled into the final 5 miles of singletrack, things broke up. Schalk was the first one into the singletrack after a bar banging attack with Bishop. I sat 3rd as I watched Bishop carefully pick his moment to strike. He went around Jeff on the right side and that was the last we saw of him. With the pace quickening as Jeff chased, Tinker and Brandon lost contact which left just me, Jeff, and Christian. I slightly bobbled on the rocks, and Jeff was gone. Soon after, Christian got around me, as I bobbled again. The fatigue was setting in, but I pressed on thru the singletrack and finished 4th overall.

It was a break through race for me making it to the end strong with the leaders, and contending for the win. Last year it seemed like a struggle just to finish and I'm very pleased with how things turned out. Next up is LUMBERJACK100!!! It should be a good one!

100 Miler #1... Cohutta

I was a little worried when I read the forecast for Ducktown TN this past weekend for the Cohutta 100. Sunny and a high of 85! Sounds like really nice weather, but the problem is I've been riding in 40 degree temps for the past 6 weeks. This race was to be the big focus for the spring. Bike setup below. She sits at 21 lbs even. It's a fast bike!

The race drew over 300 racers willing to take on the brutal 100 mile MTB course with roughly 12,000ft of climbing. Needless to say it was going to be a tough day in the saddle.

The start sends you up a 3 mile long paved climb which strings things out nicely. I was the first one into the trail head, but by the time we got to the singletrack, I was sitting 6th wheel tucked in right behind Jeremiah Bishop. The pace was fast through the first 18 miles of singletrack. The front group slowly started to whittle itself down.

Once we got onto the mountain roads, the pace seemed to let up... right until we got to aid station 2 at mile 36. This is where Jeff Schalk rolled thru and put the hammer down. Jeremiah Bishop went after him, then Sam Koerber. Chris Beck, Chris Peariso, and I were content to set tempo and work together. I took a few hard digs on the long climb up to mile 55 where Chris Peariso ended up losing contact due to some mechanical trouble. Chris Beck and I ended up catching and passing Sam, and we were working together all the way up to aid 4 where Chris Eatough eventually bridged up. The three of us worked together for about 15 miles until Chris Beck attacked on the last fire rd climb. It was too much for me and I had to let him go. Soon after Chris Eatough passed and dropped me. I was spent, but I was content with rolling in for 5th spot.

Overall, I'm really satisfied with my performance. I accomplished a big goal of mine, which was to finish an NUE race in under 7 hrs (6:45!) The bike worked awesome in which I had zero mechanicals. I think I've finally got my nutrition dialed in too. Next on the calendar is Mohican 100. A little closer to home this time... I'll keep ya posted!

1. Jeff Schalk

2. Jeremiah Bishop

3. Chris Beck

4. Chris Eatough

5. Mike Simonson

6. Josh Tostado

7. Sam Koerber

Paris to Ancaster Report

So the Brewchamp, my wife Michelle, and I all piled into the NEW Brewchamp pontoon machaine (AKA Dodge minivan) this past Saturday morning and headed over to Canadia for the first early season test of strength. The Paris Ancaster spring classic has grown every year since my first run down the course in 2006. Over 1800 people lined up with pro's like Canadian National CX champ Michael Garrigan and top USA CX star Jeremy Powers. We stayed in downtown Hamilton and had a nice relaxing Saturday evening to prepare us for the fight to ensue in the morning.

Right from the gun, Powers took the wholeshot and I went straight onto his wheel. From there we hit a long section of uneventful rail trail. As soon as I could see the arrows pointing us off the rail trail, I came to the front and was the first one onto the loose dirt rd climb. I attacked hard! My effort pulled out Michael Garrigan and Jeremy Powers. Soon after, Powers came to the front and I was seeing stars trying to hang onto his wheel. The three of us were off the front for a little while, but I just couldn't seem to recover. I was gased... BIG TIME! So I decided to return to the much larger chase group in an attempt to recover. We eventually caught Powers and Garrigan. From there on out the group would swell and string out over and over again as the attacks would go into the BRUTAL headwinds and crosswinds, which I probably sucked too much of yo-yo'ing on and off the back. The pace surges proved to be too much for me to handle and I eventually fell off the back of the group. I chased hard though and didn't give up.

To my surprise I was able to gather up a few straglers and form a good group. We continued to pick off straglers one by one until we made it to the deadly mud slides. I was first going to each of them and both times I was able to get a gap... which didn't really stick. I came into the final punch to the line with one guy left from the group. I took a good hard dig and made the push to line for 6th.

Not too bad considering the competition this year. It was a fun weekend. Tim Farrar did an excellent job as always. I would highly recomend this race to everyone. Powers is no doubt incredibly strong as he won the day, and it was good for me to get out there and stretch myself against such strong riders to prepare myself for this weekends first NUE show down... COHUTTA!

Full results are posted HERE

P2A Battle Ax

Bike Parts For Sale

See something you like? Shoot me an email. mikesimonson at hotmail dot com.

Trek 69er. Full XT/Bontrager XXX-Lite W/XTR Pedals and Carbon XXX-Lite stem. Rock Shox REBA fork. $2000 or best offer.

SOLD: 2009 Bontrager X-Lite TLR 29er wheels. 160mm discs included. Tires not included. $450 or best offer.

SOLD: Alpha Q Carbon CX Fork. Brand new in box. $400 or best offer.

Brand new tires. 26" Kenda Nevegel 2.1" DTC and 26" Bontrager Dry X TLR 2.1" $20 each tire.

First Race - First W - Barry Roubaix

A 62 mile dirt road race with 4500 ft of climbing was an awefully ambitious choice for the first race of the year, but I was happy I made the decision to drive out to Middleville, MI for the 1st running of the Barry Roubaix. The course was a real leg buster... literally as I'm sitting here with two very sore legs! The weather was great despite the dreadful forecast we had all week. It was a good turnout of about 300 people with some hammerheads from road scene like Derek Graham and Michael Cook.


The start was pretty low key as Johny Meyers lead it out. About 2 miles in we hit a gnarly section of two track on Sager Rd. I took one look at the rocks and sand of the mile long section of road and decided this was the place to take advantage of my Superfly 29er bike choice with the new XR1 tires. I attacked hard and didn't look back till I turned the off Sager Rd. To my surprise, I didn't see anyone! I decided to bury my head and commit 100%. From there on, it was 59 miles of hammer time to the finish for the win in 3hours and 11 min.

Rick Plite threw down a slam dunk on this event. Great course, timely results, nice swag prizes... and a very cool plaque for the winners. Thanks goes out to Mike Shrift (Trek/Fisher) and Travis Ott (Fisher) for hooking me up with a great bike. Another big thanks goes out to Mike B. from NoTubes.com for rushing me a set ZTR Race 29er wheels just in time for race day! Next up is another great Spring Classic over in Canada... Paris Ancaster. Stay tuned!

We're Close

Spring is almost here! We're so close. The rds are drying out and it's almost time to start commuting to work and back. Training is going well. I seem to have dodged the latest flu bug and I'm staying healthy. For the last 3 years in a row, I've gotton sick in the Spring. It's usually in April sometime right when the weather is changing. So I guess one of my biggest early season goals is just not getting sick! Hope eveyone else is staying healthy and getting ready for this

Similarity

This out of Michael Barrys diary posted on Velonews about Tour of Qatar. I couldn't describe a Chequamegon start any better.

"The race begins before it starts. To ensure we are well positioned for a furious race into a blowing wind, we line up 20 minutes before the start to get a good spot on the grid. Even though the race doesn’t officially start until we reach the zero-kilometer banner on the outskirts of town the peloton pushes and shoves behind the commissaires’ cars — which regulate the speed — for the best spots at the front. The panic borders on ridiculous; with 140 kilometers to go, and the race not yet officially started, we push each other for position as though we are in the last kilometers. "

The Classic Winter Death March

Winter Death March is the name coined to the epic dirt road loops done in the coldest months of the year. Typically we take off from Clarkston and head North to the hilly dirt roads of Northern Oakland County. It's almost like a massive set of rolling groomed trails expanding 100's of miles. All the way from White Lake to Holly and over to Metamora on down to Rochester Hills with barely any traffic. I have countless memories of exploring these roads dating back over 15 years ago. I'm not sure where I got the idea that it was OK to ride huge miles in such conditions. I seem to remember some of the earliest rides with Don Cameron and Dave Luzcynski which is where I learned the skills of extended winter riding. Through the years, I've shared agonizing winter death marches with several people and have had some memorable experiences. Like the time Brew champ and I were out and I broke my frame! I scurried home on the cracked bike, built up a new frame, and met back up with him to finish the ride. Or the time Stewy bonked 20 miles from home and was almost in tears. We stuffed him full of Snickers bars and Coca-Cola and got him back home. They're always hard and I'm always ragged at the end of my rope when I get home. Only a couple more months and we'll back on dry dirt and hopefully I can say I survived another year of Classic Winter Death Marches. Let me know if you're ready!

Winter Update

Every summer I look back on the winter and ask myself how I ever managed to slog through all those miles in the ice and snow. Well... here we are, smack dab in the ballz of Michigan winter and I seem to be tolerating it once again. I'm getting all my workouts in, and Old Joe is keeping a close eye on my progress and making sure I don't do anything stupid.

This past Sunday, I found myself riding alone up the shoulder of Orion Rd from Rochester to Lake Orion followed by that god aweful stretch up 24 to Oxford just after we got 7" of snow the night before. It was the only road clear enough to ride on. I can't imagine what people must have been thinking as they drove by. Some drivers are furious and honk in dis-belief, while I get a thumbs up and a "go Lance" from others. I often ask myself if all this slogging through the snow is necessary. Unfortunately I wasn't born with a super metabolism and I love food, so taking the winter months off isn't an option if I want to stay competitive at this level.

Besides, with the right conditions, riding in the winter can be peaceful, and even enjoyable. Must be that Finish blood in me. It does take a lot of practice though. Your bike and all your gear has to be totally dialed. The lessons can be painful, like that time I wore my camelback outisde my coat, or that other time I didn't throw in toe warmers... or worse yet, the time I didn't wear my wind proof undies!

Sure it would be nice to be riding in 70 degree temps and sunshine through a mountain valley somewhere in Spain, but there's a little bit of pride to be taken in the fact that you survived training through a Michigan winter. It makes you mentally tough. And when you find yourself in a tough race where your luck runs out and the weather isn't cooperating, you can rely on that mental toughness you built in the winter to get you to the finish line.

Back to Business

Happy New Year! Michelle and I are back from Cancun. It was awesome. I highly recomend going all inclusive.


Now after a nice breather, it's back to business. It's time to get down and dirty into preparing for the upcoming season. There's a plan for every day of the week up to my first big peek in April. It's been posted on the refrigerator to remind us...


Everything is tracked in my journal down to my weight and even the hrs I sleep each night. Old Joe will help me make the necessary adjustments to my training based on my journal and how I feel. The Simonster coffee center will become vital in the comming months.



Every Sunday, Michelle and I prepare all of my food for the entire week depending on the hrs and type of training that's in the plan. It's all measured and weighed out in detail, then approved by coach Old Joe. It saves a ton of time for those extra hrs I'll need to squeeze in during the weekdays. This weeks food choices are below minus some frozen round steaks in the freezer.



Don't forget the filtered water. Only god knows what comes out of that stuff from the tap.



Of course the mid-evil torture device for weekdays.


and turbo high def and DVR comes in handy for those days where mother nature decides we won't be riding outside.



The hoopdie ride keeps me dry and comfortable out on the roads. Single speed, rigid, full fenders, 2.3" knobbies, mechanical discs... This thing can take a lickin and keep on ticken.


Trying to compete at the pro level while holding down a full time job proves to be quite a challenge. Every little thing you can do to save a little bit of time, or make training a little more convenient helps. Hope to see you out on the roads this winter!