First MTB Ride of 2014

It was cold today!

I know, I know...Its a little pathetic that it has taken me this long to get a ride in for the first time this year. I have a decent reason. Before my deployment I rode up at Raystown Lake and trashed my bike. I just finally got it on the stand in at EPBC to get it up and ride-able again. Brian and I, mostly him were able to throw it together for the ride today even though it still needs some work.

Brian EPBC

We had a decent group today for our ride. We rode at the Frederick Watershed...many of the trails were new to me and mostly all-mountain/ downhill trails. I am not too good at super technical rocks and natural obstacles. I am pretty efficient with a little technical mixed into cross-country riding but these trails were rough! The first 3 miles felt like 10 but overall the trails were in good condition and the ride was awesome! Today we climbed 2,000+ feet over 12 miles and my legs were done! I am looking forward to many more great rides this year! I hope I can get better at the very extreme technical trails. I think a lot of it is in my head! Oh and it was COLD today as well, you can see that in the photo... 

Post ride...brake lines need trimmed

Greenbrier Challenge 2012

This past weekend I had the privilege to ride in the 9th annual Greenbrier Challenge put on by the Potomac Velo Club. This race really is a challenge. This course is only a 5 mile loop but there is close to 700ft of elevation gain in the first mile and a half of the race loop. There are some awesome sections to this course as well, rock gardens, roots, climbs, downhills, and even some open sprinting to the finish line. The venue is also amazing. The Greenbrier State Park has a beautiful lake as well as a beach and wonderful camp sites. The course starts and finishes right on the lake.

My main goals for this race were to beat my times from last year and do a little better in my category then I did last year as well. I am proud to say that I accomplished both of those goals. Last year I did a 44 minute lap then a 50 minute lap. I entered in the same category as last year, Cat3 19-29, which had more entries this year then last. Our group went off at 10 am and I have to say I was not ready!

When that whistle blew I tried not to over do it right off due to the climbs right out of the gate but excitement got the better of me and on the second climb I got overheated. I was pushing up this climb and watched more then half of my field catch up and pass me. I was really discouraged with myself. When I looked down at my Garmin Edge 200 on my first lap I noticed that I was coming in right at 40 minutes and hit my nice lap feature on the device and hammered for the second lap. I felt like I was doing everything better on the second lap besides climbing. I made better time on the few climbs that I always make but the monster climb a mile one kicked my butt. I ended my second lap at 44 minutes which awarded me the 12 spot out of 18.

All in all it was a great race at a great mountain biking trail in Maryland. I was also able to leave there knowing that I accomplished what I set out to do... (I feel like I could have done better, but the will be next year for that!) 

Just a side note, my buddy Brian Patton raced this race as well and I am proud to report that he is the Maryland State Champion for the Cat 1 Pro men 30-34. He raced an awesome race and won in the end even with mechanical issues! Awesome man, when you go pro remember me, I would love to wrench on your bikes, or even wash them for you at your races...haha!



*Sorry there aren't more pictures, I was all by myself for this race, none of my buddies made it out for this one!

First Upgrade To The Flash...

One of the things that I wanted to do right away to the Flash was to drop the 44T chainring on the front, add a bashgaurd and run it as a 2X10. Seeing as I already had a Sram X-9 2X10 set in my garage all I needed was a bashguard. Brian over at EP/BC ordered me an awesome bashguard and that was it, after a shifter and front derailleur change I was set! Here is a pic! I am pretty happy with the bike and its performance. I also got all this done just a day before my first of only two races that i am doing this season. Very soon I will do a write-up about the first race, the Greenbrier Challenge and in a few days i have the other race to be followed by a post.

Itch Has Been Scratched...

Well as I had said before the itch for a new bike and a 29'er got the better of me this year. I have been wanting a 29'er for a few years now but wasn't really ready to make the jump. I have been looking and researching as well as riding many different styles, and brands of 29'ers. As many of you may know I work part time down at EP/BC and they carry many brands and my decision came down to three bikes, the Cannondale Flash alloy series, the Specialized Stumpjumpers, or a Breezer Lightning. I had rode many of these bikes and decided to go with the Cannondale Flash 2...

Picture taken right when I brought her home...

I choose this bike for the way it felt mostly but I also like the styling of the bike as well. Cannondale doesn't go overboard on the designs of their bikes and I like that, I like the clean lines on the bike, nothing crazy about it. Oh...the Lefty fork was also a bike selling feature! That fork is awesome, not only is it unique looking it is light, stiff, and responsive. I got this in a medium frame and that is just perfect for me. I am not sure of the actual weight of the bike, I still need to weight it soon but this sucker is so much lighter then any other bike I own besides my roadie.

After the big climb at Greenbrier waiting for Rapsack to catch up!

Pic by the lake at Greenbrier

Pic from my commute home after 12:30 am...

I have only took it out once on the trail so far and commuted to work one night and did some XC type riding on the grounds of the base were I work. I only have 14.5 miles on her so far and I am itching for more. So far this bike rides like a dream, I climb faster and descend faster as well. I think this bike will make me a better rider and I can't wait to ride it more!

Setup:
Frame: Flash 29'er Medium
Fork: Lefty OPI
Tires: Schwalbe Rapid Robs 2.2
Wheels: Sun Ringle Infernos
Hubs: Formula rear, Lefty front
Shifters: Sram X-7 (I have X-9 to swap out)
FD: Sram X-7 3X10 (I have X-9 2X10 to swap out)
RD: Sram X-9
Crankset: Sram S1400, 3X10 44/33/22 (I have X-9 2X10 chainrings to swap out)
Brakes: Elixer 3's

Post ride pic at Greenbrier! Again waiting on Rapsack HaHa!