TWO 4 TWO

Another Chequamegon FAT Tire Fest in the books. Here is my take on the race....



I was having one of those days...I felt very little pain...my preparation was spot on....and I just missed out on the victory. The Trek Top Fuel was flawless and is still in my opinion the best bike to ride for stop 2 of the Triple Crown.



The start was the same as always....got yelled at but managed to back it in and claim my spot on the front row.



















I lined up next to Lemond who was scary to say the least. Big crashes on the pavement and in Rosies. First of the favorites to be gone was Simonson. His bad luck at Chequammy continues...




















A group of 12 established on the Birkie....No Jesse, No Tristan, No Tandem



Hwy OO- I was more than Comfy in the group...Jesse & Marko had bridged, Doug was gone.


























Firetower- The group was set - Tilford, Jesse, Jeff Hall, Cole House, Woodruff, T. Brown, Myself, Marko, Chris P, Mike P, Ian Stanford, Bill Stolte...I followed T Brown up the climb...maybe a mistake watching him struggle on the cross bike w/ cross gears and skinny tires while a small gap opened, but I wasn't worried and followed T Brown as he closed the gap on the descent. Woodruff flats in the descent.

























Birkie - T Brown gave it one good dig on the cross bike, but it didn't happen. I thought to myself, "What would Doug do in this situation..." So I attacked....Tilford was on my wheel and said we had a gap...he pulled through...I looked back...the gap was closed...I gave it one more shot...another gap, but again it was short lived.



Finish - I made two mistakes at the 07 Chequammy....heading into the Telemark trail with 2 miles to go....Jesse, Tilford, Cole, Travis and Myself...not sure who was behind me...the rollers, the gap...Cole opens it up and I watch Jesse and Tilford ride away as I struggle to get around T. Brown and Cole....I bridge to Tilford who says, "Go Brian I'm blown" I look up see Jesse...pedal hard...last climb....catching him...too late...happy with 2nd. Should have been on Jesse's wheel as he was the man to beat.




















Andrea rocked the race also....22nd overall 6th in age and 17 minutes faster than her last Chequammy....she also climbed the Seely Firetower for the first time ever!





























UP NORTH HAVING FUN!!! - From the man himself -

"Year of the single speed?: Arguably the year of the hair or better yet the mullet. With Matters inspiration both Marko and captain tandem threw down a mean waterfall. In respect for the Northwoods these were the boys who truly shined. To you I raise my blaze orange podium hat!"

























What about the year of Jesse "LALONDO"...Doug had his in 03....I had mine in 04....so hats off to Jesse for this amazing 07 season.


Wisco Worlds by the numbers - Here or play me here -


2nd mistake of the race....the advertising, the marketing, the BLUE BUNNY??? Never skip over Ben & Jerry's when it comes time to Triple Crown race prep...


























Thanks to all who have helped throughout the year...PCW, TREK, Hyundai, OAKLEY, Crank Bros

Thanks to all who come and spectate, cheer, and take awesome pictures.

CHEQ POST RACE

2nd Place!

I was pretty happy and had a great race.....

Jesse took the victory!

check out itiming for full results....

ps stay tuned for the best mullet picture yet!

Fat Tire Time

A quick History of my Chequamegon

















2003 3rd place...blown out of the water by Swanson! Happy to be on the podium!





















2004 1st place! How did I beat Tilford when he was so far ahead of me in this picture.

























2005 7th place - The Tandem - The Train - The Pain





















2006 4th Place - I was really bummed to miss the podium after Jeff rode away from us at the end.

2007?

Grassy Turns

Yep another version of Sunburst Showdown is in the books. I didn't have the greatest race in the world, but not the worst either. After an OK start I was mentally ready to give 'er up the climb on Lap 2. I did, no problems, but then on the easy part of the lap I fell asleep. I let a 2 second gap turn into a 7 second gap, Marko finally went around me and I couldn't respond. Mike went around me and if it wasn't for a big push from Tristan I might have finished 30th. I pushed through a little pain, but I was riding in no mans land. 5 in front of me and a group of 3 or 4 chasing. On Lap 4 I couldn't see the leaders, but I saw Chris P with his big smile getting closer and closer. Something in my head flipped the switch and I started racing again. I was able to real back and passs Mike P and if the course had been another 1/4 mile I would have had to outsprint Tristan. Travis almost got his first ever WORS victory, but came up a bike length shy. Congrat's to Jesse who won his 6th straight WORS race and locked up the overall. What an Animal!




The sunburst course was so fast I felt like my brain was smashed to the back of my head.

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Speaking of Grassy Turns....racing at Sunburst is the perfect transition for cross season. I am slowly getting the new bike dialed...here are a few secret photos.

I'm still not sure what cross race will be first on the schedule...Thinking about Michigan UCI now that WORS overall is out of the question.

Or maybe some WCA and a trip to CINCI to visit mom and dad.

Before I start too much cross season planning I have to focus on this #2.

WORK

Yep, Back at it and working hard...updating the blog. The weekend was awesome. It started with a great cyclocross practice on Sat. 4 hour solo training ride on Sunday w/ cross tires, and 4 hours on Monday with a small group. The group ride was cool, I don't do too many of them because of the erratic speeds, but this time it was nice and steady. I was on the cross bike w/ road tires and just set a nice tempo at the front of the group with Tristan the entire time. I think the rest of the group was content with just sitting in and enjoying some secret training roads in Sheboygan county. Overall the weekend should be some excellent prep for cheq fat tire.

We have been working on a new Bike N Ski website so you should check it out...kind of based it off of the Athens Bike website becuase those guys rock...this weekend is another WORS race time to rest up...then go fast...also maybe time for another old school update...stay tuned

Aahhhhhhh

It's been pretty nice to relax all week and not have to think about racing. In fact all I have to think about is what I am going to do when I have two days in a row off from work. That hasn't happened in a long time. The last 5 weeks were tough racing every weekend and I'm finally feeling recovered. I built up the new XO2 Thursday and was out yesterday doing a little cross practice. I have been able to commute to work 2X this week and it was awesome. Mad props for this theory

Today we had every Bike N Ski employee commute via bike to work~!

After work we are all headed to Evergreen Park for the first official cross practice....it's that time of the year so get ready for some barriers.

Killing It...

Feeling the pain today? I am ...after a brutally hard, physically demanding race I am happy to be back home and not at work. Luckily after the race we had a 40 minute drive back to the cabin in Eagle River. It was awesome to not have to sit in the car for 3.5 hours after such a hard race. We cooked up some grub and watched the Steelers pre-season game. It was perfect.





















The race was close to perfect also except for those darn crickets. Jesse and I kept hearing these crickets out on the course. It was a little weird....he said something about his brakes...I really couldn't hear him...after the race my rear wheel/brake would explain those funny noises.

I thought I was going to have a rough race after 5 racing weekends in a row. Last weekend at WORS cup I was coming unraveled right before I flatted. The fatigue of 24-9, WORS, then Ore To Shore had set in...then my dog got in a fight and got his ass kicked, Andrea was out of town, and I was busy at work. More than anything I was freaking about the dog. I didn't want him to die while Andrea was on vacation and I had to sign the death waiver as he went under for his stitches and he had to get a drain for the puncture wound on his chest.



























Anyway it was a crazy week...after WORS Cup it was time for some relaxation and prep for the marathon. One long ride with Tristan, Spiro, and Erich Ponath and lots of rest and good sleep was the ticket. Plus it was nice to have Andrea back home.

The race started fast with Mike Phillips killing the lead out. I knew I had 3 miles to the singletrack so I just sat in on the road leadout. I went into the 1st singletrack about 7th or 8th. Slowly moved up to Lalondo's wheel where I remained the majority of the race. We settled in with Mike in charge and Marko dangling in 4th. By the end of the lap Marko made contact and the 4 of us rolled out for lap 2. Jesse took the lead in the singletrack and he thought we were laughing at him while watching him bounce off all the bumps. Really we were dropping Mike who may have started way too hard. Then it was 3...Jesse continued to pull on lap 3 through the majority of the lapped traffic. Lap 4 it was on...I thought I had a chance to win, but the lack of fluids had my legs in full cramp starting the last lap. I pushed through the pain, but had no water the entire last lap. I went to the front as much as possible, but Jesse seemed to feel no pain. In some spots I felt I could ride faster, but I think his fitness was superior at the end of the day. I finished 13 seconds back and Marko was another 20 behind me...with his hands torn back. I hope he can recover enough to hold the bars for SSWC. 2nd place was enough to win the inaugaral WORS Marathon Point Series.






















Today I am feeling some good pain from the cramping of the legs. My back is hurting and I woke up at 5:00am this morning because I couldn't lay still anymore. I Love this stuff...Thanks to all the sponsors...PCW, TREK, Oakley, Crank Bros, Hyundai, and thanks to WORS and the Rhineland crew for a great race. ps....gotta love the Steelers hyperlink

WORS

Another one in the books...with rain in the forecast and a new venue I wasn't sure which bike to race. Top Fuel 9.9 or Elite 9.9 I ended up with the Elite 9.9 on the start line.





















I figured it would climb better and handle the mud a little better. I had a good start and filed into the woods just ahead of T. Brown. 1/4 of the way into the lap the lead group of 5 was set with Chris P. dangling on and off.



















The 9.9 was a good choice in the end but a flat tire derailed my efforts in the middle of the 3rd lap. I was starting to feel the pain and Jesse was already out of sight when it happened. The tire change was smooth except for the nut on the tubeless valve core. The thing was impossible to get off in the mud. Soon I was chasing solo and caught Jesrin with 1 lap to go. I ran out of juice and finished 9th on the day.

No racing on Sunday which bummed me out after staying in Wautoma Super 8 Saturday night. It seemed that everyone was bailing on day 2 and I might have had a shot at the top 5 in the GC and was looking forward to some redemption from the flat. The race was cancelled though and might be rescheduled at a later date.

At least I got to go home and hang out with Andrea who had just arrived home from a week long back pack trip in Cali.

PROJECT M

Went to Trek WORLD yesterday with Mike Verhagen....it was a blast.

Did some really cool things, took a tour of the factory, did some demo rides on the new Fuel EX and the Superfly, and saw a ton of friends.

Here is Pete from Athens Bicycle and myself.

The coolest part of any Trek event is listening to John Burke speak. His motivation to be the best always has you walking away striving for more. This time around it wasn't all about the products, but it was all about the people. The people of the world.

1 World. 2 Wheels. The Trek Commitment.

It's all about getting more people to ride bikes. Which makes people healthier, makes for less traffic, less congestion, and less pollution. Simple, yet brillilant. When the speech was over it was time to head over the the fields for the annual kick ball tournament. Normally Trek has charter busses to transports all the dealers from location to location. This time there was over 1,000 Trek Lime bikes with helmets, and front and rear lights. It was the biggest group ride of my life. All around the streets of Madison making a big statement.

We had a ton of fun testing the full capabilities of the Lime

Who can name this guy with too much skill and not enough common sense?

They even had Hula Girls....Mike and I unfortunately had to go home early.

Ore To Shore

2nd place in the 07 version of the Ore To Shore....Minutes before the race on the warm up I had a 3 inch nail directly in the top of my rear tire and it was clicking my frame. I had no idea what it was. After stoppiong and discovering the nail I was pretty bummed. The Stans sealed the hole, but I wasn't confident it would hold for another 48 miles. I went back to the car and Scott KJ gave me a tube. Thanks Scott. The race started and we were off. Last year I was in bad position at the bottom of the luge climb...this year I was up and over no problem with Doug Swanson and Mike Simonson. The three of us had the gap and the race was set.

























One little bobble 8 miles into the race on the power line climb was enough to let Simonson get a gap. After running a few feet I was back on my bike and Simonson was drilling it...I got by Doug and slowly bridged back to Simonson it took a while and it was painful, but I made it. Then I was attcked by a mtn lion. It was crazy. The thing flew at my from a cliff ten feet above my head. It was silent and all the sudden I was on the ground. I could feel its breath, but my helmet saved me. I remembered the Tarzan books I read a few years back and went for the jugular. After a 2 minute struggle it ran off and I was back on the bike jacked with adrenalin and started to chase again. Then there was this huge bear... Anyway that would have been cool but here is what really happened. Less than two seconds after contact Simonson was on the power and I was gone....from then on it was a 35 or 40 mile individual time trial. I would have tried harder to bridge to Mike again, but his wife kept telling me whoppers out on the course...like he wasn't even trying and he is 15 minutes ahead of you!!! At least she made me laugh out there when I was scared about being attacked by another wild animal. It was a little lonely out there, but I was happy to finish 2nd. Here I am telling the reporter from the Mining Journal about the Mtn Lion...for some reason he didn't print it in the story.




































Each ten miles Mike was putting 1 minute on me and finished around 4 minutes up. Mike Anderson was 3rd. He is the guy who I battled with in the mtb race of SuperiorBF last year. Russ Tiles finished 4th and the Tandem was a non factor with another flat. Full Results here. Sara KJ won the womens race. Good job again Sara. Here is the GPS and here is the map in motion....it screwed up a little in the beginning for some reason. For more pictures check out mqtphoto or here. Then there was the after party...but that's another story and another post for another day....yes it's true Simonson can play the drums...

History of the Triple Crown

The Triple Crown. Three intense mass start point to point races in the midwest. Ore To Shore, Chequamegon, & The Iceman. Marquette, MI - Cable, WI - Traverse City, MI. 48 miles, 40 miles, 28miles. Each race is shorter, but seemingly harder. I have competed in 20 of the point to point races. Officially the Triple Crown has only been around since 2000. This weekend will be the 8th edition of the Ore To Shore. Blogger trivia??? Who created the Triple Crown? Was it me? Chequamegon started in 1983, Iceman started in 1990, and Ore To Shore in 2000. Since the beginning of these races there has been Tour Champions, World Champions, Olympic Athletes, and multiple National Champions.





Here are some impressive Triple Crown Stats...





4 x consecutive Iceman winner Cecilia Potts


3 x consecutive Iceman winner Elise Harrington


3 x consecutive Chequamegon winner Steve Tilford


3 x consecutive Ore To Shore winner Derek Prechtl


4 x Iceman winner Kelli Emmet


3 x Iceman winner Scott Quiring


3 x Iceman winner Steve Tilford





Here are the few elite riders who have managed to pull victories in 2 out of the 3 races





2006 Mike Simonson - Ore To Shore & Iceman


1999 Scott Quiring - Chequamegon & Iceman


1993 Gene Oberpillar - Chequamegon & Iceman


2001 Steve Tilford - Chequamegon & Iceman


2002 Steve Tilford - Chequamegon & Iceman


1995 Jeff Hall Chequamegon & 2003 Ore To Shore


1999 Kyia Malenkovich Chequamegon & 2002 Ore To Shore


2006 Sara Kylander Johnson Ore To Shore & Chequamegon





side note - Sara Kylander Johnson was the first rider who had a chance to win the Triple Crown since I won all three races in 2004 and the Triple Crown was born....she finished 2nd at the Iceman.





Does anyone have the legs to pull it off in 07?

Strawberry Mocha Frappaccino's!

This picture of Drankus definately made me think of the tragic gasoline fight in Zoolander....

Here is Tim's best Blue Steel...

More Racing

This weekend was the Alterra WORS race in Milwaukee. I was 3rd. First lap I felt really good playing it smart getting to know the course and trying not to crash in the slippery sections. I was following Mike the local legend who I figured knew the hot lines better than anyone else.































Starting lap 2 Jesse powered up the climb with his singlespeed and I thought to myself...I should go with him...no it's too early and too hot. Looking back I should have done it as Jesse killed it the rest of the race and won by 2:00 minutes. After Lap 2 I decided to go and dropped Mike and Marko. I was feeling good. Marko was back with me starting lap 4 and I knew it was going to be hard to shake him. I tried on the slight downhill, but then got some crap stuck in my rear der.

I tried again in the last singletrack, but too many lapped riders. Marko brought the pain on the last climb. I was watching him go harder and harder and was smiling to myself thinking wow that must hurt. I hopefully saved enough gas for the big one this weekend up in Marquette. Still blown away that Creepy and Darkness go so fast with 1 gear. Imagine if Darkness cut a mullet...he might even then have the power to beat Jesse.

24 - Pain

Not only does the Pain last for 24 Hours, but it gets better...for another 4 days after the race it is fatigue in the legs and really sleepy in the brain. After the race I went for a Subway(last year I had 24-9 of Subway 6" sub after each lap) and could hardly get the words out of my mouth while ordering. This year I actually thought about a menu before I was driving to the race. Bagels, lunch meat, vanillia pudding, pretzels, bananas, and lots of water. Karl and I rolled out of Sheboygan at 7:00am to arrive in Wausau in perfect fashion 5 minutes before Darkness was making his mad dash away from the finish line. After he split we rolled the PCW car over to the Trek area and started unloading. It was pretty nice to be in with the Trek guys with all the necessary tools, bike stands, tents, and chairs you need for a 24 hour race. Soon after getting unpacked I was setting up my 8 - 10 man tent. It's all about the operating room. One Deluxe Luxury Therma Rest, One Sleeping Bag, and 7 PCW Kits. After getting situated I had time for a bagel and then it was off for Lap 1. No pre-ride, I figured 24 hours to get to know the course. It was sweet...somehow they managed to link together about every sweet singletrack I have ever ridden in Wausau...After my first lap we had a 4 minute gap over the Velo Rochester Team from MN. Jesse was busting out some incredible lap times. The next 20 hours kind of blurred together. I remember Doug looking dilarious singing lots of Beach Boys songs, I remember Karl giving Marko shit for not smiling, and I remember thinking Jesse did another really fast lap. My night laps went really well...1:03 and 1:03 consistent and smooth. I was happy to see the morning sun on my 5th lap as I started out 25 seconds from lapping the 2nd place team. Soon after the first single track I had caught and lapped the rider from MN. The next 4 laps for our team were basically victory laps. I had the last leg and rode a conservative 1:10 lap. I was pretty happy to be finished and even more happy to pull on a 2nd Stars and Stripes. Thanks to everyone who helped along the way. Next up is Alterra WORS in Milwaukee. Todays ride went really good and I'm ready to do battle w/ 3 national champs this weekend. Racing in Wisco rules! Getting the mental game on for O2S!

One other thing that was pretty sweet. There was this mysterious Pizza in the Trek Team tent when I arrived to the race. 24 hours later John Poz ran over with that frantic look on his face. He said, "Does anyone know where I can get some pizza, Chris Eatough is dying for some pizza?" We gave him the box and he ran away pumped as a kid in a candy store.

24 - 9

24 Hours of 9 Mile.....24 more hours of pain after the brutal effort...it started like this and one of the many good things that happened was I was not the one doing a 500 meter dash in cycling shoes.

The team consisted of Marko, Jesse, and Doug...we killed it for 24 hours

Marko preparing for the night....

Crazy Karl getting the lights set

Doug feeling the Big Hurt after lap 6

Myself getting ready for lap 6

Chris Shaw Trek Team Manager & Duece

Blown out team support after 24 hours

The podium...

The prestige of the Matt Kenseth Nascar Pez Dispensor award

The crew and a huge thanks to the Trek Crew, Karl Hendickse, and the ladies who helped us out all night long....Happy Anniversary to Doug and Anne

PS - Congratulations to A. Matter official winner of the Bike N Ski Tour De France Points Competition!!!!!!!!

Super Weak!

I did it, proof is in the pudding on the fron page of the sports section in the Sheboygan Press. Enough to make a show for the home crowd for about 40 minutes before the torrential rains came and I pulled the plug. After the race I did have to ask myself was that worth buying a USCF license and a $37 entry fee? The race pretty much confirmed why I like mtbing a lot better than crit racing. The coolest part of the race was medical control at the finish line. We'll see if anything crazy comes up....Bergman won it last night and he was busted for EPO a few years back....he also swiped a pair of wheels from me at the Waterloo road race when I was up the road he bridged to me and the two of us rode away from the field....later on he attacked me twice my speed to take the victory and the wheels while on the juice. It's OK though I'm still using my Trek Team Duffle Bag that I won for 2nd place. The race was a perfect warm up for the weekend. Hopefully a good update will follow....

DAMN DANE

I Like the mtb'ers but this is getting crazy.....

More points calculations to come soon....

Needles and Narc's

After the big tour scandal a lot has chagned in the BNS TDF Points.......



























There has been no disqualifacations in our competition as of now. Although I thought about the disqualifaction of Justin N. as he pretty much fully relied on Astana for his picks. I had regained the lead until Rasmussen lost the KOM jersey today...bummer I need something good to happen because I am slipping down the ranks as the riders approach France.

Tomorrow I am going to test out my left hand cornering ability in the Sheboygan Superweek race, and then Karl H and I are going back up to Wausau for more "Caffeine and Nicotine"
Looking forward to another 24 hour suffer fest w/ little to no sleep. We'll see what sort of competition shows up....

Firefly Lk

Camping was awesome...relaxing yet able to get in some killer training rides. We came home a day early to go down to Waukesha and watch Elicia do a Superweek race...no ER! It was a killer stage a the Tour de France today. Lots of excitement and lots of GC shake ups....A.Matter is still holding a slim lead over Justin Nagode. Dittrich and ER are tied for 3rd and I am in 4th. We'll see what happens after the Pyrennes. Congrats to Mike Phillips for winning the Stars and Stripes....hopefully we (Darkness, Jesse, and Doug) can do the same next weekend in Wausau. Tomorrow I am out for a 4 hour training ride and then back to work to see what sort of havoc took place at Bike N Ski while I was gone???

Brew Moon

Quick update from the Brew Moon Coffee House in Eagle River...we are on the way to the Firefly Lake campground for the week after a crazy party last night....After the Wors Marathon victory yesterday we celebrated big time at Perkins...then we drove North to the cabin....unpacked and went to the Hideaway Bar.....first time I closed down the bar in a while.... we put a few drinks back watched and the tour with the locals....

After the big GC shakeup yesterday it still looks like A. Matter is in the lead of the BNS points competition as she is the only one who chose Rasmussen to finish in the top 5 overall...we'll see if he can finish it out...

Thanks to PCW Trek Hyundai Crank Bros Oakley Momentum Endurance and Don E. & WORS and special thanks to Chloe and Scott KJ for the feeds in the long race...

2 YEARS!

I can't believe it has been 2 years since Andrea and I tied the knot...We decided to spend the weekend up north to celebrate. Eagle River and the Hildebrand cabin is becoming one of my favorite places in the world. We had an awesome weekend....relaxing, eating good food, and mingling with the locals at the Hideway(the local tavern). Last time I was there was during the Pittsburgh Steelers Superbowl run. This time it was to watch the Tour. Unfortunately after Stage 1 I lost the lead in the BNS points competition to Andrea. She picked McEwen and I had Hushovd. After todays stage 4 I slipped yet another position although a lot will change in the Green Jersey Competition. Here are the current standings.

A. Matter - 12 points



M. Verhagen - 8 Points



B. Matter - 6 Points



A. Biwan - 6 Points



Justin N - 5 Points



Bill Street - 4 Points



T. Wagner - 4 Points



E. Hildebrand - 3 Points



Josh N. - 2 Points



D. Dittrich - 2 Points



Rob Boldt - 2 Points




After a week off of the bike it was good to get rocking again Tuesday and Wednesday with some solid efforts. I hit some really high HR numbers and feel really fresh. We'll see how things go this weekend in Suamico.

BNS TDF Update

Current Point Leader calling Cancellara for Victory w/ 4 Points

Rob Boldt Late Entry - also has 1 point

THE TOUR

I figured with the Tour De France on the horizon I should take a rest week....So after Eau Claire it has been pretty much chill. Now after so much rest it's time for vacation. Off to Eagle River after work today! Here is what went down last week....




























We started Monday night w/ some in house surgery...NURSE MOM and ER Hildebrand were at it again....no passing out this time though...bummer




























We followed that up w/ Beavis & Butthead Do America...



4th of July started w/ a cruise to Bike N Ski to pick up the LIME bikes so we could check out the Parade in style...then it was over to the bike corrall to put in some volunteer time and safeguard some of Sheboygan's finest bicycles. A classic 4th of July cookout w/ corn on the cob, watermelon, grilled chicken...mmmmmm































We also went out to see some of Sheboygan's finest in action at the Fireworks Display....Dudeism was at the top of the food chain that night at Shooting Park....classic quote of the night..."Low IQ + PBR + Firworks = Trouble" As the firework tipped on its side pointed right at our group and exploded ino our ear drums, it was time to move to a new location.


Now it's time for the TOUR and the BIKE N SKI Points Competition.....8 or 9 of us have picked riders in the Tour in these catergories....Top 3 in Prolouge, Top 5 Overall, Top 3 Green, Top 3 Polka, Top White, w/ stage 13 and 19 being the tie breaker....what's on the line is pictured below!

It's on and I'm hoping the MTB'ers do me good....off to Eagle River! FFFLLLLOOOOYYYYDDD!

Mullet Update

Fireworks?

This picture I was flying...then,

yes I blew up like a firework yesterday at the Firecracker in Eau Claire. I consciously made the decision after lap 1 as I was starting to feel the pain that I was going to go for it no matter what. Mike Phillips singlehandedly caused me to explode like there was no tomorrow. I tried to respond to Jesse as he attacked me like it was Lance Armstrong vs my little sister....and I don't even have a little sister. I thought maybe chill for a while and latch onto the 2nd group....that worked for about a half lap and then it was over....no power, no fluids, and no chance of survival...it was full detonation. I did what I could to ride the last two laps...but it was really slow going on the climbs....and there wasn't really even any climbs out there....So I finished. After the race Tim and I went out to dinner with a friend from High School who lives in Hudson....it was pretty cool to get bike racing off of my mind for an hour after the rough race.