Racing then Restin

Coaching has been great and with race season in full swing I've been busy.  Trying to balance my training, coaching, sponsorship for cross season, and being a full time mechanic is fun, but its challenging and definitely takes up a lot of time!  Especially when the last week of training was big...real big.

My last week of training was pretty tough.  I was shooting for 22 or 23 hours of solid riding.  Add on top of that the core workouts, the yoga, and the heat...yep the heat.  On Tuesday and Wednesday w/ some big hours on the schedule it was scorching.  I was already a little fatigued from Jr. Mtb Camp and racing the Keewenaw Chain Drive.  The heat did me in...I got too dehydrated and my body shut down.  I had to take Thursday and Friday completely off the bike....kind of ruined my plans for finishing big...but as a coach I know things don't always go to plan and you have to adapt.  So I did...I waited till my body was recovered and feeling good and then got back down to business.  Sunday was a solid 3 hours and with a change in schedule a new opportunity presented itself.  TOAD was in my backyard.  An 80 mile road race!

Driving the break w/ John Murphy -
photo credit - Karl

So I pinned on the numbers and went out and had a blast racing with the best guys in the country.  I worked really hard the first half of the race to get in the break...and I made it.  Towards the end I was hurting, but so was everyone else.  I didn't like my chance in the sprint...so I went for the suicide attack with 3k's to go.  I got caught with about 1k to go and ended up last out of the guys in the break....but I went for it!!!

After the race I cruised around for another 20 miles or so to make it 100 on the day.  Then I went out and put the nail in the coffin on Tuesday with a solo 5 hour ride.  By the end I was smashed and ready for a break.







I enjoyed watching the TOAD crit in Sheboygan from the sidelines.  I built up my new secret weapon thanks to Bontrager and Shimano!

I started up with a new client coaching.  I read a book.  I cleaned some bikes.  Andrea, Oscor the In-Laws and I went for a birthday picnic down by the lake.  Just living it up and getting ready for the next phase of training...until then I'll be cold chillin'!

My recliner just got sweeter!!!

Jr. Camp & Chain Drive

It's been a while since the last update, but its been busy and time has been flying.  I'm almost done with base miles and that means the season is just around the corner!

First off - Jr. Mtb Camp.  Part of the Michigan Tech University youth camp programs and still the best week of the year.  It is awesome any time you go to the UP.  They have amazing trails, an awesome laid back mtb atmosphere, and add on top of that being able to give back a little to the kids and have fun with them ripping up the mountains....it can't get any better.  Here is a highlight video I made after 4 days of riding.



Watch more video of Brian Matter on cyclingdirt.org

What makes the weekend even cooler is the Keewenaw Chain Drive.  Its the perfect opportunity to let the juniors go out and practice some of the new skills, and then tell war stories afterwards!  The race itself is really cool.  It starts off in downtown Houghton and rolls across the draw bridge to the Keewenaw Peninsula.  The race gets going with a $50 KOM prime at the top of Cemetary Hill.  Its pretty brutal and this year I had to battle it out with roadie superstar Ryan Baumann.  I might have beat him by a half bike length.

After the KOM the race gets right to it with some pretty good singletrack....Tyler G and I soon separated ourselves from the group and were racing mano y mano for the win.  Tyler pulled the first half - I pulled the second half and started ramping the pace with 6 miles to go.  I bobbled through a river crossing with 2 miles to go and Tyler attacked.  I bridged up to him and then waited for a big sprint.  I had sprinted here before and I was pretty confident I could get the win!

 A couple more days of training big and maybe a TOAD race - then its interval time!

Deja Vu

WORS #3 is in the books and it coulnd't have been more exactly oppostite of last year than it really was.  Last year I suffered, I got dropped, I was scared, I suffered and I won the sprint.  This year totally different.

It started off with a much needed rest week.  After losing Rosco and a hard training week I was smashed and really really looking forward to a rest week.  We even took it up another notch and mid week cruised up to Eagle River for some ultimate relaxation.

Sunday morning we took a short 2:00 drive from Eagle Rive to Wausau to get ready for round #3.  I arrived to the familiar venue to hear the stories of all the course changes, the new start, the rock garden....

The only thing that really concerned me was the different start.  Much much shorter, so I wanted to get to the front and check it out right away.  The full contingent of contenders were present and I knew positioning would be critical with all the two track - dispersed between the singletrack sections.  I felt like I led through the majority of the first lap.  I wasn't afraid of being aggressive and I wanted the riders in 5 - 10th to experience the full yo-yo effect.

Starting lap 2 a few attacks that I didn't really respond too because I was on the front all of Lap 1.  Into the first singletrack Tristan jumped and got a good gap.  The remaining portions of Lap 2 Nathan and I worked hard to bring Tristan back.

Lap 3 was a tough one...Nathan was jamming the singletrack sections on the verge of control.  My left hamstring cramped on the climb in the middle of the lap.  Luckily I could shake it out on the long two track descent.

Starting Lap 4 I think we were all pretty tired.  We rolled pretty slow all the way to the first climb.  I glanced back and I saw Mark and Corey coming up and decided to attack.  I figured we were all hurting the same so might as well go for it....I think right after Nathan flatted/crashed into Tristan.  Tristan bridged up to me and then it was the two of us....

Wausau Sprint 2011

Wausau Sprint 2012

This year I wanted to lead out the sprint...not sure why as it was the wrong decision with the result that I wasn't really looking for....

After the race the real party started...A 5 hour drive to Decorah, IA.  A night at the Bluff's Inn and a new friend first thing Monday morning.  Another rescue Boston Terrier.  He was found as a stray a month ago, lived in a shelter for 15 days, until his time was up.  Luckily the Northeast Iowa Rescue Association saved him and put him up for adoption.  15 days later he was ours.  Welcome to the family OSCOR!

OSCOR - after 2 days

Rosco in 2006

I think they would have been pretty good buddies.

A Man's Best Friend

Rosco loved sunny days.  He would play Kong in the back yard until I was exhausted.  In his prime he would never get tired.  He would come in the house, drink some water, barf on the carpet, and then sleep in the sunshine!  I miss him.

4 weeks ago Rosco had a major seizure on a Monday morning.  Tuesday he was diagnosed with brain cancer. It was the start to the hardest month of my life.  We did everything we could to keep him happy during that last month.  He died Saturday morning May 19th.  It was a sunny day.

It has been pretty quiet around the house this past week without him.  He had a big presence for such a little guy.  Snorting, farting, and always playing Kong.

Our first family portrait!

Rosco was rescued from a puppy mill.  He had a rough go at things for the first year or two.  He lived in 5 different homes until we found him in March of 2003.  Andrea drove through a blizzard to get him and from then on everything was great.  We were lucky.  Andrea and I did everything we could to make his life the best.

Rosco was the best partner in crime I could ever ask for.  He sent me off with a big kiss before every bike ride.  He was the first to come running when I got home.  He spent countless hours chewing his Kong while I would ride the trainer.  He couldn't control his excitement when I would bring the wash bucket in for some soap and water because it was time to clean bikes.  He loved it when the UPS man came to the door w/ new bike parts at the start of each season because it meant a trip to the basement to work on bikes.  He was always waiting for me when I would get home from a weekend at the races.  He loved taking naps with me after hard training days.  He was my faithful companion.

Rosco always loved going for a ride in the car.  Whether it was a trip to the beach, to the cabin, or across the country!  He would get so pumped.  Our last trip to Tuscon was the best.  When we arrived we took him for a walk to play Kong and even though we hadn't been there for a year he knew exactly what was about to happen and as we got closer he started pulling at the end of his leash.  He was so smart.  He ripped it up that first day in Tucson.

He always loved an adventure and never ever looked back.  Well buddy, I hope you are enjoying your new adventure.  Your mommy and your daddy miss you.

Our last family photo.

Rosco was a good boy.  I'll remember him every day of my life.  He was my best friend.

Crystal Clear & Cloudy

Well things have been pretty challenging this month....I kind of feel like I have been walking around in the clouds, not sleeping enough, training hard, and then trying to race on top of it all.  I just finished a really hard 3 weeks of training and it took all my energy just to get my hours in....so now that I'm done and taking a break I can finally do a little update on the last race weekend.

 It started out with the worst possible thing in the world.  Saturday morning at 5am Rosco left us for good.  It was the worst morning in my life.  Unfortunately I was committed to do a Expert Level Race Clinic that same day in Rhinelander.  I thought about bailing, but I had a job to do....

So with a huge question mark I left for the north woods of WI.  I did the race clinic and I think it turned out good and then did one more lap on the course.  It was nice to just go and ride.  I was lucky to find a little peace of mind by spending the night at the cabin in Eagle River where Rosco loved to hang out.  It was perfect weather and he would have loved it....

With a heavy heart I took to the start line for WORS #2.  Luckily Don messed with me a little bit on the start line and it put a smile on my face and changed my attitude about the race.  I was mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted, but somehow I came away with win number two.

Lap 1 was absolutely brutal and was pure shock to my system...I was doing everything I could to hang on the wheel of Mike P for the first half lap.  I took over half way through the lap and tried to slow the pace a bit to something more manageable, only to be attacked heading out for lap 2 by 'the new guy'.

Jesse caught Joe Maloney by the end of the lead out starting lap 2 and then set a good pace.  I was relieved to follow Jesse, somebody who could rip some singletrack, in a smooth, fast, easy manner.  Then the wind picked up, it got dark, and started to rain, I went to the front and went hard!  Jesse told me to keep going - we had a gap.  At the end of the lap it was down to 3.

Nathan took over Lap 3 and the pace was not to my liking.  It hurt again.  I thought I was done for, but hung on.  At one point in time Jesse looked at me with a familiar face and told me that his 36:16 gear used to be easier to push!  I had to smile to myself.  I took over the second half of lap 3 and kept the pace high, but I felt like I had no rhythm or couldn't go hard...I thought it was lights out...




Starting lap 4 I sat in going down 3/4 of the road, but then it was my turn to pull.  No challenge to enter the singletrack so I kept it steady.  As we continued on during the last lap I felt more rain and weather coming in...I also sensed the end of the race near.  I knew everyone was hurting and I knew I had a chance for the win.  I went with the same plan as last year...go hard, then go harder, and finally go really hard.  It worked and I got win number #2.  It was brutal...I finished with a wave of emotion, I missed my dog.  It was no doubt the hardest race of my life due to the circumstances.  I had to go do a 30 minute cool down on the road in the pouring rain and take a little time to myself.

The best part of the weekend was the stop at Duck's in Crandon.  If you are ever there go and get the Ducks Deluxe Burger...mmmmm!

too much?

All of the sudden I feel like I have a lot to say!

First off just finished up a super hard 3 days of training.  4 + hours each day...I'm hurting, but I've got some killer tunes on the radio right now mustering up the last of my energy(see below).

I've been using Strava as my motivation....so if you live in Sheboygan go out and get yourself some KOM's.  I think I've hit every ride in a 45 mile radius from Sheboygan.

Next up is a trip to Rhinelander Saturday morning for a Expert Level Race clinic and a pre-ride of the course and then WORS #2.  You can still register for the clinic if you are fast....8 hours till registration closes.

OK now to the good stuff...I'm pretty sure I'm not going to keep riding the Cronus for training...Its awesome for base miles, super comfortable, smooth, all you really want...except the 46 tooth big ring.  It's just going to be a little small when in 6 weeks time I start up with some intervals.  So this is on my radar!

Trek Domane - should be even smoother than the Cronus CX!

My good buddy Stevie P from MI was kind enough to give me his bike when I was in town for Barry Roubaix!!!!  It was an exact replica of my very first MTN Bike!  It also gave me the motivation for the Trek Project One paint scheme!

I upgraded to a Rock Shox Mag 21!

Thanks Stevie!

So the inspiration and energy from this blog post definitely comes from the passing of Donna Summer.  I guess she died of cancer according the the net.  Too many people dying of cancer lately :(  Our good friend Bill Peterson also recently passed after a battle with lung cancer and of course Rosco is not doing so hot...

We used to rip it up to the Queen of Disco's music back in the day!  Good Times!  Good Times!  On this particular night I remember getting ready to walk out the back door.  Lou asked us if we had any money.  Skyler and I looked at each other smiled and then I pulled a dollar out of my pocket!  Lou laughed called us bums and we were on our way!

Mixed Feelings

WORS #1 is in the books.  First race of the year and first win of the year!  I am pretty pumped that the training is going good, but the week leading up to the race was one of the hardest yet.  Our dog Rosco had a seizure last Monday morning and we had to take him to the emergency vet at 4:30am.  Tuesday he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and he is not doing well.  It was a very emotional week and very hard to even walk out the door to head to Iola.  Luckily the med's he's on have reduced the swelling in his head just enough that he has moments of being the old Rosco, playing Kong and causing trouble!  He was doing well Sunday morning so Andrea opted to skip the race and stay home w/ Rosco and I headed out for a muddy mess....I knew Rosco would have had a blast...he used to love to play in the mud!

Rosco playing Kong & gettin' muddy in Eagle River 2006!

I honestly didn't think Iola was going to get that muddy so I was more concerned about the brand new tires I had just mounted on my bike not holding air.  The front tire was solid, but the rear was down to 15 psi Sunday morning after being at 40psi Saturday night.  I brought Andrea's bike along just in case thinking maybe I would just swap rear wheels.

I arrived at Iola and it was pretty great!  It was like coming home from a long vacation.  I was happy to be back on the race scene.  Friends, coaching clients, Jr. Mtb campers, and competition!  I registered and took a quick look at the course and was pretty surprised at the amount of mud.

Back at the car I wasn't confident with my back tire losing air, nor was I confident with my front tire choice that was holding air....so when in doubt just ride your wife's bike....

Yep it was just easier to swap pedals and take to the start line on an old school (2011 Top Fuel 9.9) bike that was a size too small!  The smaller bike handled awesome in the mud and the beefy Bontrager XR2's were just the ticket!

Don yelled GO and we were off.  Shriver took off from the 3rd row and I was pretty surprised to see Mark Lalonde coming out of retirement and passing me on the first climb from the 5th row!  A little stumble from Shriver and Mark and I got a gap...I think Mark was in shock that with a bit of running, some skills, and just a little hard pedaling we were gapping everybody on the first lap.

The initial shock of race pace hurt me, but I settled down pretty fast.  I was feeling good on the bike and knew I wanted to be at the front.  The group came back together starting lap 2 so I went to the front and went hard for 10 minutes and was alone the rest of the race.  Then I just started having fun and ripping the descents and sliding the bike through the singletrack.  Maybe a little too much fun though as I burped my front tire - stylin too much on some jumps and had to finish the last lap cautiously on 15 psi...good for the flat muddy sections not good for the cornering.

Final thoughts from the race....again it was awesome to get the first race jitters out of the way and come home with a WIN.  I didn't realize this until this morning, but my brand new Bontrager RXL shoes were amazing.  You know a brand new pair of shoes is good when you don't even think about them during a race...plus with all that running I learned they are going to be killer come cross season!

  

Coches Corner: it was a toss up this weekend for my coach's pick of the week...so its a tie.  Congrats to Bill Street for 3rd overall in Comp and congrats to Mike Carney 2nd age group in Sport!  Last weeks coaches Corner was another tie  Congrats to Corey Stelljes who won the Joe Martin Stage 1 TT and to Tom Payn for a 2nd place at the Pontiac Lake TT. 

check please

Well the first Base period is over.  3 weeks of perfect training.  It's the most focused I have ever been.  I am in a super good routine and really pumped for the season.  I finished the phase off last Sunday with a solid 4 hour ride at just over 20mph!  Usually its not until June until I can pull something like that off....maybe it was the wind, but I think it was more my legs!

 I have been feeling good on the bike.  The Cronus is treating me good.  My position feels great.  My feet feel great with my new Bill Peterson PowerPlus insoles and my new XXX Bontrager road shoes.  I'm eating good, I'm sleeping good!

If all goes well this weekend will be the first test of the fitness at Iola.  Its always a big question mark after riding strictly endurance miles, but last year I fared pretty good, and this year I feel better than last.

Another reason to be pumped!  A new super lightweight PowerTap wheelset.  Thanks to my friends at Cycleops & HED wheels I just got a Speedy Delivery of a killer new Ardennes wheelset laced up to a brand new G3 hub.  I might just have to do some TOAD racing!

Sea Otter '02

A decade ago(sounds cool) I was on the best form of my life!  It was 2002, Andrea and I had just moved into our first house together in Tucson, I was working a super easy job answering 411 info calls for Verizon at a call center from 2pm - 6pm Mon-Sat, and training was going really good.

ready for a good weekend!

I had raced at the Sea Otter classic as a pro the last 3 years in a row and the results were consistently getting better and better.  I knew the Sea Otter was a big race with lots of tough competition, but with the start on the Laguna Seca I knew everyone had an equal chance at getting a good jump.

Andrea and I made the drive from Tucson and stayed in Cambria, CA.  The next morning we woke up and had an awesome drive up the coast and arrived in Monterrey...ready for stage 1.  The Fatboy Crit.  10 years later I don't remember the race at all, but according to the training diary I was in the second group???

The next day was the Time Trial...I was 32nd  then the Short Track on Saturday...24th not bad...

10th or so wheel around the first corner in a purple/yellow Hayes jersey

The XC was what I was really gunning for though....and I finally had that good start I was hoping for...in the top 10 at the top of the raceway and into the dirt.  Ready to suffer for 2 big laps.  The only part of the race I really remember was early on passing JHK and Wells on a climb, and then on the final climb I was going up with a group of 5 including Travis Brown.  He kept telling me to slow down...so I did.....experienced veteran mentally out does the young gun.....I also remember passing Andrea who was doing the one lap race as she was on her final climb also.  Travis dropped me on the downhill and onto the track and then finished 15th.  I was 17th.  2nd American.  I was pumped and to this day still feel it was one of the best rides of my career.  Check out the names that use to show up to the Sea Otter...now its just Canada vs USA.

I can't find the results from 2002....but below is the top 88 in the GC in 1999 - check it out...some pretty big names in there even on the 2nd page.  There were 110 GC finishers and en entire 4th page of DNF's with more big names like Larsen, Gould, Fumic, Tcherkasson, Kalberer etc

Results sheet from 1999

Wish I had the results from 2002

One month later I went on to win the Cat 2 Tour of the Gila...I better start studying this old training diary!

Eagles and Horses

Its the time of the season where I just have to saddle up and get the job done.  Last weekend we went to Eagle River for a little variety and some awesome roads to train on.  It was a quick trip, but always worth it to have a relaxing weekend in the Northwoods!

Back on it yesterday for a 50+ miler with Tristan and today for a solo 60+ miler.  It was windy today.  I tried to use the old reverse psychology tactic on the fatigue level today.  Go with the wind and get as far away from home as possible.  I made it to Manitowoc and then proceeded to ride into a cold stiff headwind for almost 2 hours - bad idea.  Good thing the new Momentum Endurance clothing from LG is comfy and warm!  It was a little brutal, but mission accomplished.  Half way through Base One.

Found this ugly guy in the lake up in Eagle River anybody know what it is?

This is also the time of year where I spend a lot of time dialing in the deals with sponsors and supporters.  I'd  like to thank Bontrager for stepping up and helping out a ton this year.  The new RXXXL road shoes are awesome, anytime you can throw on a pair of shoes and just start cranking out the miles with no discomfort, you know they nailed it....gotta check them out.  I'm thankful for the continued and added support from the Trek family.  Also pumped to be in talks w/ Shimano again for the upcoming cross season and continued support w/ mtb parts.  It's sweet to be working with the best.

80 degrees in the cabin - Andrea loves it...

Last but not least, Hyundai.  Just had a meeting with the boss over at Hyundai and I'm happy to announce they are on board again for another season of racing.  They are definitely one of my biggest supporters.  Now to decide...the trusty Touring or a new Accent at 40mpg???  If you are in the market for a great car w/ a great warranty and great gas mileage let me know...I gotta guy!

Fresh Start

Just finished up w/ an awesome weekend hanging with the family and enjoying the last weekend of not "officially" training.  Things started off pretty good w/ a sweet Easter care package from the guys at Bontrager....shoe covers, gloves, a really sweet old school Bontrager cycling cap and some of the most comfortable bib shorts that I have ever ridden.  With the new array of accessories I had to go out and pedal the bike a bit this weekend! 

At the end of the ride on Saturday I swung by the new RACC / GearGrinder team managers house and picked up all my new team clothing.  Motivation to go out for a ride Sunday after an awesome Easter brunch.

Don't worry though...plenty of time over the weekend watching the Brewers, The Masters, and River Monsters!

Now its Monday...start of a new week and time to "officially" start training for the season.  First ride in the books today!  AVG HR 95, AVG Speed 11.6 & AVG Power 108.  Mission Accomplished!

The first MTB race is 4 weeks away...if you want a sweet training plan you can check this out.

I'm really excited to start this season w/ the support of my family and all my sponsors.  Check them out on the left side of the screen!

my thumbs hurt

The off-season is almost over.  The forced rest was pretty painful in many ways(not really just being dramatic for a gripping blog read)! 

First off it was just painful to not be riding a bike.  The forced rest was an evil necessity though...gotta let the body rest up and be ready to go for the season.  I did cheat a little and ride a few times this weekend.



With a little extra time on my hands I have been having fun w/ Strava.  Sometimes you need an excuse for a destination on a ride.  All Strava segments for Sheboygan county should be dialed in by the end of base period.  So far Mt. Hingham Climb, Silver Spring Climb, and my faovrity LT testing grounds the Lakeshore TT!

Also a little pain with the temps - I got soft in Tucson.  Riding bikes at 38 degrees and overcast is not quite as cool as 70 and sunny.  For that matter same goes for doing yard work...

Last but not least I spent a day ripping tubulars off of my cross wheels from last season.  No way I was going to roll one of those things off the rim.  My thumbs hurt after that one....now they are all off and most of the wheels are HEDing back to MN for some testing and then getting recycled to a Jr. program.

6 days to go and my season officially starts....yours can too if you want a top secret training plan for WORS #1 @ Iola

I also like to start the season with a clean garage!  Check out the FOR SALE page and buy something!