Y.I.R.

2007 is almost over....as I begin to make plans for the 2008 season I have to look back one last time....the reason why you ask? Everyone knows the results....I reflect back every season to determine what went wrong....when I trained too much when I trained too litte. When I raced too much and when I didn't race enough. Most importantly in my opinion is the race that got away that will give me motivation for the entire year. This year I can think of 2.....Sheboygan WORS and Chequamegon. Two races that I had the fitness to win, but for different reasons I didn't make the top step of the podium. I will use that knowledge to fuel the fire for motivation and those races next season. I already used the fire from Sheboygan to win the Iceman, but losing that race will motivate me for a long time to come. Every year it seems there is a race that gets away....back in 98 I was winning Iceman attacked off the front. but I was young....I was afraid to be winning...I backed off then finished 4th in a 5 man sprint....in 2003 I was attacking in Iceman and broke a chain...Tristan ended up winning...I used the fire to come back and win in 2004. Another race that really gets me is my 2nd place at the Road State Championships 3 or 4 years ago. I was in a group of 3 made a tactical error and lost the sprint by a mm. I need something to motivate me as this will be my 15th season racing.

2007 was a great season and I feel I am getting faster and faster....baby steps in the right direction. Triple Crown races - 2nd - 2nd - 1st. 4 out of 5 WCA CX wins. 2 out of 3 WORS Marathon Wins.

2008 will be another exciting year. I am going to put more of a focus on the CX scene and hopefully go race some cross in Europe....it looks too fun to pass on and I'm not getting any younger. A little less on the WORS scene and a little more training. A month long training camp in Tucson is in the making for the month of March. Hopefully a little more action on the road early on...maybe a Tour of the Gila or some longer road races.

With a new team sponsorship I am very excited about 2008....Happy New Year

Santa

Santa was good to us this year!



























Watch for Gerta the Green Machine at the races in 2008!

The neighbor also dropped off a bike the other day....lucky!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

I hope everyone enjoys the Holiday Season with Family & Friends

Rosco says the same.............

Mountain Biking Rulz

Athens Christmas Vacation w/ the Griswalds.....



Sometimes I think my dad could be Clark W.....check out this photo from our Christmas morning in Athens

Rosco made the trip too!

Our trip south was awesome. The relaxing vacation I needed after I long season of racing. I take time off of work pretty often, but it is to go pound myself into the ground at a bike race and come back to work Monday more tired than when I left. It was nice to get away a not worry about training and racing.

We spent our time eating good food, going to the movies, and I even helped my dad with his Kayak. I was thinking about Doug and his chairs in this photo.
























We mixed sawdust into an apoxy to form a peanut butter like consistency for seal the seams...after that we laid a fiber glass cloth sheet over the seems to waterproof the bottom of the boat. It was pretty fun. We also watched some football and even hooked up with the gang at Athens Bicycle to ride some of the best MTB Trails in the country. I almost forgot what real MTBing was like after racing WORS and riding the trails in Sheboygan all the time. The trails in Athens are superb and definitely worth the 9 hour drive!























After my interview with Skyler I was inspired to show of the Mullett.....I better stick to bike racing rather than modeling!

Interview with a model!

I'm down in Athen's OH visiting my parents for Christmas and had a little time to catch up with an old friend...

From Hometown to Hollywood:

Interview w/ X-Pro Mountain Biker Skyler Reeves

B - What’s New?

S - Hey Brian!! What the hell is going on? Its been cool reading your blog all the time lately, reminds me of many great times we had in the Midwest on our bicycles. Things are good out here in Cali for me, just opened a new lounge in West Hollywood. I have opened many bars/nightclubs/restaurants out here but this one has meant a little more because I have been a lot closer to the nitty-gritty of starting a new business.

B- When was the last time you rode a bike?

S - Bueller…..Bueller…. Bueller….

B- What was your last race and how did you finish?

S -My last race must have been where-ever the finals were in 2001, I think. Maybe Mt. Snow?... or was it the Tour De Dewey in Boulder?? To be honest I have no idea, the last half of the last year of my racing career I wasn’t exactly, um, focused.

B- What was your best result in your career as a racer?

S - Well, I remember being particularly proud of finishing the Red Zinger, the road race that went from Boulder to Breckenridge, I think I was top 20 and there were over 200 starters and very few finishers. As far as pro mountain biking I think I was top twenty a few times. It is funny going back and trying to remember because what seemed so important at the time has all blended together. The important times I remember as I look back on it now were the extra long and hard training rides, car rides to races, the camaraderie that you build with fellow racers.

B - What was your first race?
S - I’m gonna have to say Addison Oaks. I think I was 12, and if I remember correctly Jeff Buerman drove us to that race, and it was super muddy. I think I still have the t-shirt..

B - What was your first bike?
S - Well, my first real mountain bike was definitely the Peugot, it was grey and black, and had “shocks.” Then I got the Nishiki which I remember well, and I think my Dad still has it!

B - How is the pay in the modeling world compared to that of a pro cyclist?
S - Well its actually kind of similar in some ways. Meaning that you might not make any money for a while and then you might have a good week and make a killing.

B - What was your favorite modeling shoot? Can you provide a photo?
S - I got to travel to a lot of cool places, Sun Valley, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and even Paris. But I never really enjoyed shooting, just traveling and meeting interesting characters in that business. And no, no photo will be provided thank you very much.

File Photo provided as Skyler was not willing to provide his fav...

B - Can you do a quick comparison of the “talent” on the norba scene compared to the modeling scene?
S - Wow, there are SO many ways I can interpret that question! As far as actual talent, as in being a talented person who works hard and has skills, Im gonna have to say that the norba scene wins hands down. As far as other talent, what do you think?

B - Will we ever see you in spandex again?
S - Only on Tuesdays and Sundays here in West Hollywood, and if that tape ever gets out…..

B - Anything you would like to say to the old school mtb gang?
S - I truly miss all of you guys. So so so many great memories. From Thursday night rides on the “Poto” to rebuilding our bikes in Jeff Beurmans Basement, to traveling the country eating “gravel” and getting flat tires, to living in Colorado and going on endless training rides in the most beautiful scenery there is, all of it will always be looked back on as some of the best times of my life. And to those of you still doing it; you know you’re crazy right?!

It's Like That!

My inspiration.....

Can anyone name this mullet sporting superstar from the 80's/90's?

I got the cut on Saturday...too bad my camera is heading to Kansas City without me....

I bought I disposable for Sunday's Packers game....it is being developed at Walgreens as we speak!

Laying Low

Haven't touched the bike since last Sunday....still feel pretty blown out....it was really busy here this morning....andrea was on call 2 nights last week....the pager blasted at 1:45am last night....she refers to it as "we" are on call....the thing sounds like pearl harbor reincarnated....going here tomorrow......really pumped.....thinking about waxing the skis....more snow is on the way....selling a bike or two for some friends...picture of the week....mmm...the off season!

Silver Bells

State CX Championships -

Hales Corner, WI -

Snow, Mud, Rain, Wind -

What more could you want for the CX Grand finale in WI? I could have asked for a little more power in the legs, but it didn't happen. I was going for the 3-peat, but Marko rode away from me on Lap 1. Starting lap 2 he had about a 10 second gap. I started taking some risks on the corners and went down. Lap 4 I went down again really hard on the pavement, but by then Marko was long gone. I finished off the last 2 laps with the super fans cheering me on to a Silver medal. I had some bad dreams last night from the super fans screams "Mario" "Frenchie" "Mustache Ride?"

I even grew a Mustache before the race in a feeble attempt to intimidate the darkness.....it obviously didn't work so i shaved it off last night....the mullet will follow soon....

Andrea raced her first Pro Womens cross race on the Merlin....I think the wide mtb tires were slow in the mud....I even think the XL 34c Hutchinson's on my XO2 were pretty wide....she needed a few Sparks hand ups...but she finished.

Elicia had a solid ride in her first sloppy CX race finishing with a Bronze Medal while sick...watch out for E- in Kansas!

Anodized Archives

That's Me! Merlin Ti 1995






















And that's my ride from 1996

From The Rear

Starting in the rear is not that cool. I guess the main reason I went to Iowa is so I won't have to start in the rear ever again! Mission accomplished in gaining UCI points on both days of racing.

Tristan and I arrived Fri night after scoring some free bread at a Panera like place in Beloit. It was a pretty good score. Saturday morning was breakfast at the Village Inn. Multigrain Banana Pancakes with some fresh Strawberries mmmmm.

My call up was last row....bummer....I actually had a good start in Saturdays race and made it to the top 12 by the end of 1 lap. Unfortunately the lead five were out of sight by the time I made it up the the group. I did all I could to bridge up the Bergman midway through the race. I made contact but went to hard and couldn't hold his wheel. Finished 8th.


























Here is a picture of the bike shattering descent that was part of day 1. Day 2's race had us running up the bike shattering descent. I was able to hop the barriers at the bottom and pedal up in the pre-ride, but never attempted to ride in the race because I was in a group of about 6 the majority of the race.


























My start on day 2 was horrible and it took me about 2.5 or 3 laps to catch the group of 7th - 12th. I sat on recovered and went by them gapping them over the log barriers but the next long dragstrip I had 6 guys on my wheel into the headwind and I knew I wasn't bridging the huge gap to 6th place. I sprinted for 7th but didn't have the gas after the slow start. Finished 9th.

I was dissapointed that they didn't do call ups different on Sundays race. There was only 4 guys with UCI points and with so many different ability levels in one race they should have gone by UCI points and then results from the previous days racing....with a front row start I think I could have scored a top 5....but oh well.

Highlight of the race: taking money out of Hollywood's rear on the Mt. Krumpet run up.
Quote of the weekend, Marko "You never know where Hollywood's ass has been."
The secret tip of the weekend...Hy-Vee Grocery Store...a great place for breakfast and post race pizza...Mmmmmm

Happy Thanksgiving

GO PACK GO



GO PACK GO







I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving. Just in time for the holiday season here is the secret new bike set-up! Peace on Earth! Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, and Let it get muddy in IOWA!

























How's that for old school? ~Ringle~

WCA RULES

Angel Park CX:

Saturday Night 1:00am, after going to bed at 9:00pm, I was up with the head in the toilet...body temp felt like 110 degrees and I was dizzy as can be. Back to bed...

Sunday morning still not feeling the greatest...something wrong with the stomach....lots of trips to el bano. Some pepto bismol and a walk around the hood with Rosco for some fresh air and I was feeling better.

I almost bailed on the race, but I'm glad I didn't....A quick 2 hour drive with lots of blaze orange scenery and we arrived at Angel Park (one of the better WI cx courses).

The parking lot was full of fast racers...I was pumped that some competition showed up from MN and from IA. Maybe it was the $180 First Place prize money.

I took the wholeshot and made it safely around the first lap. K. Refsnider soon took over to set the temp for the next lap or 2....then it was Bergmans turn and the gap opened when Refsnider went down.





























I followed Bergman watching his lines and looking for some weakness. Coulnd't find it though and then I almost lost it.... As we were approaching the beer tent we lapped a rider....Bergman went by him pretty close and I think it scared him....the guy started going down and pushed me about 15 feet off of my line and almost took me out as he hit the ground. I thought he was going to lean on me and keep it upright, but he went down and I pulled the sweet save. Soon after Marko took charge.

I followed in 3rd for the next few laps again waiting to make my move but worried I was running out of time.

With 3 to go I went to the front in the technical section and gapped Bergman. It was enough so I continued to accelerate hard out of the corners and ride smooth. I was worried about Marko on the last run up but managed to stay ahead of him.

The last half lap was pretty fast and hard to pass....I kep it upright and came in just ahead of Marko for the win. Next up YMCA Turkey Trot? Jingle Cross? State CX? One day at a time at this point in the season! Thanks to Mad Cross for the photos.

Rain and 40

It's Good when the guys from the Midwest can get a little love. I have raced all over the country and the Midwest Talent Pool is huge and the respect is pretty much zero. Major props have to go out to Don and the Triple Crown race promoters.


For more Iceman stuff you can check out the video of the race here or some official race photos at David Ditzler Photos.











Doesn't that set up look crazy? After riding that 29" front wheel I'm not sure if I will be able to go back to a 26"???? At least I won't have to worry about it for a while because it's back to cross for the rest of the season. Here is a picture of the ride....





















Cross practice in Sheboygan has been going strong every Thursday. We moved the time back to 3:30 PM now that it is getting dark earlier. This past week was another classic. Bill "Street Player" flats within .5 seconds of dropping in to Vollrath Park. It gets dark way to fast and we only bust out 5 or 6 laps of a really good course. After it is too dark to see we decide to do some sprints across the bottom of the park. After a few it was again too dark to see so we drop the bikes and do some hill sprints on foot. After 2 sprints up the hill Bill "the Puker" Street was at it again....mumbling something about a cheeseburger in between heaves. The first time I met Street he was spewing in here.

It was as classic as the bunny hop session at Evergreen Park last year when Bill "Air" Street continually punded his shoulder/bike/head into the ground and released "HuuuH" after "Huuh" when trying to clear the 12" barriers.

Tomorrow is Sun Prairie Cross. We'll see what happens. I put some new brakes on the rear in case it gets muddy. With a lot of time off the bike this week I was able to clear out the closets and put some stuff for SALE.

Time to go get in a warm up ride....Rain and 40...perfect for Cyclocross!

ICEMAN!

What a weekend.....Hi Score Pacman arcade at the pizza place, Packers win, Steelers win, and I got win #2 at the Iceman.

I'll start from the beginning.....


Andrea, Tristan and I roll out in the Hyundai and arrive in Traverse City, MI at 4:30pm Friday Night. A quick preview of the last 8 miles of the course, an awesome dinner with my dad at Travino's, and an excellent nights sleep at the Grand Traverse Resort.


Saturday Morning: Some coffee, a bagel and a morning conversation with Ned "THE LUNG" Overend. Andrea went for a run out on the golf course while my dad and I put down some French Toast and then rested up for the 2:30 pm start. It's always hard waiting around until late afternoon to race.


THE BIKE SETUP


Trek 6.9 With a last minute tip from the single speed world champ I decided to do something a little different. Last year I ran a rigid fork at the Iceman and suffered a little on the descents. This year I decided to go big and ran a 29" Bontrager Race X Lite up front on the Elite 9.9 with a 26" Switchblade fork. With a 2 X 9 Drive and a Fast Fred rubber in the back along with the 4 Ti Crank Brothbers Egg Beaters the bike weighed in at 19.5 lbs. The 29er up front rolled good through the sand and allowed me to descend full speed ahead.


The Start:






















What a front row! World / Norba Champion, Olympian /Norba Champion, and 4 Iceman Champions. 2nd row also pretty impressive with multiple National Champions.


Before I knew it we were off.....I got the wholeshot....turned left through the fence and let the Monster do his thing....I settled in for a few 30 mph plus pulls behing JHK and Mike.


The next 15 miles were a blur...everyone was riding smooth Mike and Jeremy controlled the race....I took a few pulls in the first 5 miles just to stay in the game. It was a while befor I could look back and see the lead group was down to 6 riders. Mike, Jeremy, Myself, Tristan, Jesse, and Ned. Williamsburg road came faster than normal with the perfect trail conditions.

The early move....somewhere around mile 17 or 18 I felt good....on one of the climbs I found some extra power and let loose the first attack of the race.....I stayed away for a couple of minutes....as soon as I was caught Tristan countered and I instantly got a huge smile on my face....I had visions of attacking for the next 11 miles on every hill of the Vasa.

As soon as Tristan was caught I let another one rip and got a huge gap instantly. I put my head down turned right on the Vasa and went into TT mode. Over the next 11 miles a lot of thoughts went through my head. A lot of what if's, a lot of flashbacks of cramping at Sheboygan, but the heavy chase behind me mostly kept me occupied. Check out the GPS around mile 17.5 and you can see my HR spike just before the right hander onto the VASA Trail. The group closed the inital 30 second gap down to arounf 5 seconds on a few climbs and I kept telling myself "your bike is really light" " don't death grip the bar" "recover on the descents" but the occasional "i hope i don't cramp" I hope I don't crash" I hope I don't flat" "JHK and The Monster trading pulls I better go back and sit in" Continued to invade my brain until I saw Steve Brown at the 1K red flag. He called me an animal or something like that....I relaxed and enjoyed the finish my with hands in the air!






















One of the best parts approaching the line was knowing my Dad and Andrea were there waiting for me. I wish my mom could of been there....but that gives me some motivation for the future. Did a quick interview for the Traverse City Record Eagle before making it over to the podium. Full Results from the local newspaper here.


You can watch the race here or you can watch the finish on You Tube.


























The awards ceremony was pretty cool. Jeff and Ann Buerman (above with my dad) from Pinckney, MI run Michigan Youth Cycling and basically intorduced me to racing. Jeff raised over $2,000 in scholarship money to give to the fastest Jr. racers and asked my on stage to help present the awards. Congrats to Sara and Mike for bringing home the Schoalrship $$$$.


























Then we loaded up the Ice Trophy and headed to the post race party! It was pretty sweet....arm wrestling, beer drinkning, and lots of air guitar....we even hit up the infamous "Argasm" party bus.
























Thanks to all who made the Iceman happen. Thanks to PCW for supporting me throughout the long season. Thanks to Momentum Endurance for great coaching advice. Thanks to Oakley for keeping the eyes protected from the constant sand spray. Even Bigger thanks to Tristan for throwing down some attacks and making the other 2 guys pull....wish you made the podiyum with me. Biggest Thanks to Andrea...she's the best!

Heavy Hitters

The big names are nothing new to the Iceman - Tinker won it 10 years ago!

+ Marko, Ned, and Rad Ross, Simonson - Adam, Travis = Stiff Competition

I love the big races....lets hope the legs show up and the bike stays together!~

Secret Training

I couldn't decide what to do over the weekend...race? rest? train?

I opted for the combo of rest and train then Andrea and I drove north until we could find next weekends race conditions. Found some cool MTB trails to ride.

Then Sunday morning with fresh snow on the ground did some super secret intervals guaranteed to make you go fast. The workout comes from the Jon Mesko - "Two Week Get Fast Training Program" It was 30 degrees and heavy snow fall when I set off for Interval #1. By the end of the one hour workout I was frozen and really wet. A good prep of how to dress for the Iceman although weather.com is showing a mild weather forecast.

The drive home was spent listening to the Packers pull off another victory. Steelers on MNF!

Back to the Big Show

It's been a while since my last trip to a "big" race.... It was good to see some old friends, go to a new place, and get in some fast racing....

I'm sure by now everyone knows the results....29th on Sat and 30th on Sun. Nothing spectacular, but not bad starting from the smoking section. Here are a few sweet photos that my mom and dad took during Sundays race.

A Run Up

Chasing Tonkin up the Green Monster

Race Notables: I was close to Best of the Rest both days. I moved up 30 positions on Sunday. Most Aggresive rider was awarded to Canadian X Doper Chris Sheppard who moved up 15 positions. Fellow Wisco racer Bjorn Selander moved up 47 spots to finish in the top 20 and 4th in the U-23 categoory. Tristan passed up Doug in the ranks and gained the title of the Prairie Schooner. He was also referrenced as the KOM....but I'm not so sure about that one???

Racing is hard work so we had to balance the weekend by having some fun...and LOU-VULL is a great place to do just that...



Home of the Louisville Slugger Bat Factory


































Home of Cassius Clay

































Home of the Churchill Downs Museum & the Kentucky Derby





















Then I saw "IT"....and the rest of the weekend I was thinking about this...

Thanks to all the sponsors, props to Jason from Crank Brothers who was out there ripping it up and had a great ride on Sunday, Thanks to BOB from Planet Bike, and Mom & Dad for driving 4 hours to watch the race.

Ya'll come back now.

BLOWN OUT - oLD SkOoL

CYCLOCROSS: I looked it up in the dictionary and it said, "The Art of Dealing w/ Being Blown Out"

The picture above hurt. The 4 days after the race hurt. I am still hurting today and I'm going to Kentucky tomorrow.

Fortunately I have lots of practice being blown out.

Warp back to 1997 Haystack Campground Mt. Snow Vermont World Cup

Friday Night: 11:00PM

World Famouse Nude Crit......lots of people showing up to the campground....confusion....

Nude Crit is Saturday night???

1000's of people (remember this is 97 Mtbing was cool then)

We need to party anyway right?

We build a fire in the parking lot....build a ramp....lots of beer....next thing you know we are on the local radio station....police show up for crowd control.....

Then this happens at about midnight...





















Ramp looks pretty safe doesn't it....

Jon "Tons of Fun" Mesko was the first to go big.....

I took his advice when thinking about KY....

This was what we looked like after the WORLD CUP the next day...





















Can you say blown out? Nap time....

Needless to say we did it again the Sat. night at the real Nude Crit, pictures might be to inappropriate to post....sorry.