SIMONSTER BLOG

45 and Pure Sun in February?

2012-02-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

What's with this weather we're having up here in Michigan? I remember shoveling snow piles as tall as my head this time last year at the end of my driveway, just as the plow truck so graciously pushed it right back into my driveway. I've had quite a few battles with her, Mother Nature that is. We're not exactly the best of friends. I guess I'm lucky I still have all my fingers and toes, cause the frost bite's never been THAT bad. I think all Michigan cyclists kind of feel the same way if you've lived here long enough.

I don't know what she's up to handing out dry, sunny, 45 degree days in February, but I'm scared. I'm scared about what she has brewing for us in March, or even April. Or did winter just somehow miraculously pass us by? Maybe old man winter got sick of her bossing him around and he retreated to the heated garage and now she's taking it out on her pets the Lion and the Lamb. Or maybe it was my purchase of that fancy indoor spin bike that guaranteed this weather were having. I just hope old man winter doesn't come storming out of the heated garage all pissed off ready to reclaim his territory. I don't know, but I'm living it up while I can. Hell, I might even ride to work and back this week! Woohoo!

The "Wonder Ifs"

2012-01-31T04:57:00.000-08:00

I wonder if I didn't drink so much. I wonder if I weighed less. I wonder if I rested more. I wonder if I trained with more intensity. I wonder if I trained more hrs. I wonder if I had a pro contract and didn't have to work. I wonder if I would have started racing at a younger age. I wonder if my bike was lighter. I wonder if I wore blue socks instead of black... and the list goes on and on.

I've been at this for over 10 years now, and while I think I have answers for most of those "wonder ifs", the dreams still haunt me, at least for another year. Well, I'm 32 years old now. It's right in that age catagory where experience meets the limits of a young adults physiology. And let's face it, the dream of doing this racing gig full time went up in smoke somewhere in my 20's. But the dream of the "perfect race" still holds a coveted spot in my heart and I still haven't convinced myself I've gotton there yet.

With that being said, 2012 is the year I settle all my wonder ifs. That's the goal. I want to be at peace with this cycling stuff at some point in my life. Some day I'd like to be a guy that enjoys a slow pace group ride, or shows up to the local race series with the winter beer belly still in tact. But this year, THIS YEAR, I'm going to accept all the mandatory requirements to survive on this planet and refuse to let them be "excuses." At the end of the day, I'm happy with the choices I've made so far. I mean, you can't be a pro forever. It's nice to have a career in place and the finances squared away. Something I'm proud to say I've managed to work in tandem with this whole cycling thing.

But I'm convinced you don't need to have a full time pro contract to compete and win against the pro's in the sport of mountain biking in the United States. Sure it makes it easier, but only a handful have the luxury, and I'm not going to let it be an "excuse". So at least I have an answer for that big "wonder if." But what about all the others? Well I guess I can't answer them all, but there are still a few left within my power to answer this year, and hopefully that's enough to satisfy my hunger for the perfect race. Hope to see you out there at the races answering all your "wonder ifs", and hopefully one day I'll be happy to just enjoy that slow group ride on a nice warm sunny day.

The Season Ending and the Season Beginning

2011-12-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

So Iceman came and went and proved to be the season finale for me just like every year. This year was a cap to a successful comeback from the neck injury. Everything about the race was great! The weather was awesome, the race went smooth, and the post race sunset on the season was a blast. The cheers at the start line were awesome! It was a really cool moment for me standing there as all my fellow comrades clapped and cheered for my return. I’ll never forget it. It makes me realize how many close friends I’ve made over the years because of this sport. Cranking out mile after mile, hour after hour, with so many different people has given me the opportunity to develop and maintain so many close relationships. If I can take anything away from this sport, it would be the friendships. I hope to get to know many more of you out there on the roads in the coming years.

With that being said, the racing season for next year is already taking shape. Looks like all the sponsors will be back for 2012. I’ll still be rocking the Notubes wheels. If you haven’t heard of these fantastic race wheels, you’ve been living in a cave, which I suppose I can understand if you’re a pro cyclist. Anyways, they’re all over the podiums and they make great products. Rochester Bike Shop is supporting again as well, so get down to RBS in downtown Rochester for all your cycling needs. They’re great people and will bend over backwards to take care of you. Also on board again is CPA Crossings to support with the entry fees. Bryan Smith and his colleagues started this company on their own blood and sweat. I’ve had a chance to ride with Bryan on a couple of occasions and he’s a no bullshit straight shooter stand up kind of guy who’s definitely not afraid to push himself on the bike. So spread the word about this great company and the wonderful support they are providing for the team! Mucho appreciation! And of course we can’t forget the Trek 29ers. The new Superfly is straight up race ready out of the box rocking the top-o-the-line SRAM XX kit. Hopefully that’s what I’ll be on next year (hint hint).

The training has been going really well. I swooped up a killer new toy. It’s a Cycleops 300 Pro indoor spin bike. This baby comes power tap equipped with all the bells and whistles. I’ve gotten on it a few times and run a few tests. Very humbling experience looking at the power numbers right in front of you. Hopefully training with power is going to really help boost the fitness. It’s great to have something like this permanently setup in the basement so it’s ready to just hop and go. I’m still running a ton of stairs just about every day on my lunch break. It’s helping to keep the winter padding on the waist to a minimum. On the weekends I’ve just been cranking out the miles on the dirt rds to keep my endurance up. Other than that, nothing all that special for this time of year.

The 2012 schedule is shaping up. Looks like a another run at the NUE series, and I’m really taking interest in this new UltraCX series as well. The timing of the two series looks to work out perfectly. I’m also going to try my luck at the Leadville lottery again this year as well, but if I don’t make it, there’s plenty of other very cool options. Then of course there will be the fall run-up to the Iceman. So I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and getting ready for a power packed winter of training. Hope to see you out on the roads!

Getting Back in the Groove

2011-11-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

It’s been about 2 months since the accident and things are going pretty well. The neck is still a little bit stiff and the muscles in my back get sore occasionally, but other than that, I feel pretty much back to normal. I got clearance from the doctors that I could go back to my normal reckless behavior early in October. I think they were pretty surprised to see how quickly things healed. I know I was. So with 4 weeks out till Iceman, I decided I was going to make a run at gaining back as much fitness as possible before November 5th. What better way to get fitness fast than to race race race! That and a whole lot of stair running on my lunch break.

First weekend back to racing saw me up North at the beautiful Crystal Mountain Resort for the Peak to Peak. This race is really taking off. The attention to detail and Tad’s willingness to take the advice of the participants to heart has really been the fuel that keeps this race growing. The bottom line is that he really sees the participants as customers. Anyways, the start went well, but as soon as we hit the singletrack, I panicked. I couldn’t get off the brakes and gaps were opening up everywhere. The legs locked up with lactic acid and the lungs filled up with phlegm. I decided to lay back and work my way back into the race. Sure enough I was able to recover and I kept the hammer down and was able to pick up a nice 11th place in a deep field for my first race back. Props to the Wisco guys who dominated. It definitely helps bring up the level of competition having them come over to this side of the pond.

During the week, I was keeping up with my stair running and I could feel the lungs coming back ever so slowly. On the weekends I decided to start hitting up these CX races since the next two weekends were on Saturdays, which leaves Sundays open for a longer ride to work on a little endurance. Definitely not a big fan of the Sunday races. The Mad Anthony CX went OK. The downtown Detroit vibe was really cool and refreshing. Again, the fast start blew my legs and lungs out of the water, and then it was a struggle to recover and try to regain some spots. I think I ended up 12th? Not too bad in the A class on the mountain bike. I’ll chalk it up as a good workout. Sunday I hit the dirt rds with Greg Kuhn and Sven. We hammered out 45 miles and I could tell the legs were feeling better.

I’d continue my stair running during the week, but this week I added in a 50lb vest. Needless to say everything was sore for a good 2 days after. I decided to try my luck at the Vets Park CX. The plan was to see how it went Saturday, and then make a decision about whether to race Sunday or not. Saturday didn’t go all that well. Every time I hit the barriers and the run-up, the guy directly in front of me would become out of site! That’s how bad I was at getting on and off the bike. Still I finished in the mid pack somewhere on the mountain bike, so I guess that’s not too bad. Another great workout, but I wasn’t feeling too motivated to come back to that mess again on Sunday and take another flogging on the slip and slide. So I decided Greg and I would go out and get in another 45 miler. We did some awesome V02 intervals and I was pretty smashed by the time I got home. I was happy about the decision.

This week I went out Tuesday with Sven and rode the trail to get a feel for the rigid fork. Next few days will just be recovery rides. No stairs this week. So there ya have it… the Simonster Iceman 4 week training plan. Hope it’s enough to at least fake it at the front for a while. I’m super pumped about the race this year. Having a more relaxed approach and putting less pressure on myself is a nice change of pace. Looking forward to hanging out and partying with all my crazy bike riding friends! It’s going to be a blast.

The Shenandoah Saga

2011-09-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

So here we are in Sept at the Shenandoah 100 after a hard season of 100 mile mountain bike racing. I was sitting 3rd in the points, however I had just received word that Josh Tostado placed 3rd at Park City. This meant I needed 2nd to reclaim 3rd in the overall points, quite a challenge knowing Christian and Jeff were out to kill each other and the pace was going to be all out. Shenandoah is one of my favorite courses. It’s like a Tour De France mountain stage on dirt guaranteed to make you scream for mercy. The race started quickly as usual. The XC guys were at the front pushing the pace hard up the first climb. I decided to just hang onto the back and not get too excited as the pack always seems to re-group on the descent. Sure enough we were all back together before heading out onto Tilfman Rd.

Things would begin to split up as we made our way up the next climb at Briery Branch. I kept a steady pace and I knew what my ability was on this climb since I pre-rode it the day before. Christian and Jeff flew up the hill followed by Sam Koerber and another local rider Kevin Carter. I let them go and focused on staying with the others as they passed one by one. We formed a group on the descent, but the group of 4 off the front were gone. We worked together somewhat for a little while on the roads until we reached Hanky’s. Sven Buaman, just off the plane from Germany, pushed the pace until it was down to just him and me at the top. Sven and I would continue together on the descent. We were working really well together and I knew if we could keep it up, we had a chance to regain the positions we lost. Up and over the next singletrack climb and onto the soul crusher, Sven and I were pretty much locked in step. By the top of the Soul Crusher, we had picked up Kevin Carter and we were bearing down on Sam in 3rd. I decided I was going to really push the pace on the descent and make the big effort to separate from Sven and go after Sam. The Chestnut descent comes off a 4000ft peak and in just a few miles, takes you all the way down to 2000ft, so this isn't your average roller. It's a full on downhill singletrack descent worthy of a downhill rig in some sections. The Superfly 100 was so smooth on the descent, it allowed for speeds far greater than I was used to on the hardtail. A quick little crash near the top should have been a warning that I was getting tired but I gathered myself quickly and was back to tearing down the mountain at warp speed.

I’d love to tell you that I kept riding at warp speed and caught Sam, then blasted up the return to Hanky’s and caught Jeff, placing 2nd and taking back my 3rd place in the points… but what was about to happen was the most horrifying experience on a bike I can ever remember.

So I’m flying down this descent. Not sure how fast I was going, but maybe 25mph??? I was barely on the brakes. I could feel my arms getting tired and pumped. Even my fingers were fatiguing from hanging onto the grips. Then just as I was coming around a sweeping corner I began to lose control of the bike. It was a steep section of singletrack with lots of big jagged rocks. I knew I was going down and I knew it was going to hurt. Then SMASH! As I tried to tuck and roll to the right, I went head first into a tree. My body flung around and I came to a stop lying on the side of the trail. My arms were up in the air like a praying mantis. I could barely move my legs. I was gasping for breath. I think Kevin was the first to stop, then Sven stopped. Sven decided to stay with me, giving up his shot at the podium. Thanks Sven, I owe you one buddy. Kevin carried on to let first aid know I was in serious trouble at the next aid station.

“Mike, you need to lay down, you have big cut on your neck.” Sven kept saying this over and over. I could tell he was extremely concerned. We laid there for a while as rider after rider passed. I kept telling him I was OK and I kept trying to get up. But something was definitely wrong. I had double vision and blood was dripping down my chest. I wrapped my jersey around my neck. I had no idea how bad this cut really was and I didn’t even notice the 5” long laceration on my forearm. I think I hit my helmet so hard that the chin strap drove right into my neck cutting it wide open. There's nothing like getting gashed wide open with a lycra strap. At that point, all I wanted to do was get off the mountain and down to my wife at the aid station. I even got back on the bike and started rolling down the hill again. But I was losing too much blood and the double vision came back quickly and I had to stop. Just then, one of the first aid girls got to me. She kept me company and got me to sit down on a log and wait for the evacuation crew to show up. About 30min later, they finally got there on the 4 wheeler and loaded me onto a stretcher. It was very slow go to get me the rest of the way out of the woods. I didn’t want to come out of the woods in a stretcher, and I was actually a little embarrassed about it. I knew my wife Mitch was going to freak. It also brings up the question as to how well prepared the NUE promoters are for this sort of situation. We all love to sign those waivers, but at some level, the overall safety for these events needs to be consistently provided for. But that’s a whole other bag of worms. I was just happy someone came and got me out of there. I just laid there looking at the sky as frantic helpers tried to figure out what to do with me. Next thing I know I’m in a helicopter on the way to the trauma center in Charlottesville as the hospital in Harrisonburg wasn’t going to be able to handle my injuries.

They gave me a good looking over and asked me all sorts of questions. I was actually thinking they would just sew me up that night and send me home… but as the E.R. doctor was on the way out of the door, she said, “I wouldn’t make any plans for the next few days.” I began to feel a little scared. They quickly moved me onto X-rays and CT-scans of the top half of my body. The news came back that I had 3 fractured vertebrae in my neck, a fracture in the base of my skull, and two fractured vertebrae in my back. The laceration on my neck was so deep, it had exposed both my jugular and carotid arteries. My heart sunk. Would I ever be able to ride again? Did I need surgery? The doc then gave me the good news that I was extremely lucky. She said the fractures were non-displaced, meaning that the bones were more or less just cracked and stayed in place. Most likely I’d just be in a C-brace for 6 weeks and they’d heel just like any other sort of bone break. She also gave me the good news that they were going to be able to stitch my neck and arm bedside and it wouldn’t require surgery… only pain killers and local anesthetic. “You must have had an angel there with you,” she said. “If the cut had gone any deeper, they wouldn’t have gotten to you time. If the fracture on the base of your skull was any larger, you could have been completely paralyzed and stopped breathing. I can't believe you have no damage to your nerves whatsoever” I didn’t know what to say. I just sort of brushed it off and chuckled at her. But the reality was that it hadn’t quite hit me as to what just happened.

Mitch, bless her heart, stayed by my side as they stitched me up and sent me off to the ICU. The next day, I was released from ICU. From there, I was on flat bed rest until the trauma team decided I was OK to release. Ryan O’Dell, founder of the NUE, stopped by and chatted with me for a while to get the story out to the press and let everyone know I was going to be OK. I was sort of in and out of it as whatever pain medicine they had me on, kept me pretty whacky, but I’m glad it did. Laying flat on your back for 3 days is like torture. Mitch slept in the room with me all 3 nights and made sure the nurses took care of me. She called all my friends to spread the news that I was going to be alright. Being laid up in a hospital is a terrible experience and I have nothing but sympathy for anyone that has to go through it. The doctors in the University of Virginia trauma center did a fantastic job putting me back together and I’m very grateful to have had such a good team working on me. Finally I was released, but dreading the 10hr drive home. Thanks to my father in law Dan O’Dea who soldiered out the 10hr drive solo through some of the worst downpours I’ve ever traveled in. I believe they even evacuated part of the highway the flooding was getting so bad.

Anyways, I made it home, and have begun the recovery process. It’s hard to believe I’m back here in my cubical when only 2 weeks ago I was almost killed in a bicycle accident. I'm sure this accident has left an impression with a lot of the NUE racers. Even the pro's make mistakes, and an accident like this is just a second away from hapenning out there when we're pushing the limits so far. It's something that's always in the back of my mind, but I've always tried to ignore it and just made the assumption that it wouldn't happen to me... but it did, and I was lucky. Makes me double take how I feel about racing. I mean I work a desk job, but I still need to be able to make it to work on Monday. But I think bicycle racing is in my blood. I still love this sport and I’m not not quite ready to give it up. It actually feels good to get back to normal. I have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon in a couple weeks to check up on the bones, but so far so good. Thanks for reading!

Stony Creek XC

2011-08-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

It's been 10 years of racing now, and I can't remember one of those years not including at least one trip over to the local trails at Stony Creek for a race. My training has swung full gear into high intensity mode lately to get ready for the fall season of shorter races. Mitch has gotton really good on the scooter and we're like a team out there on the dirt rds. However my body is still adapting. The workouts are really intense and I always want to quit at least once before we're halfway through.

There was plenty of crazy fast talent present for our local XC series race. Christian Tanguy, Mark Parmelee, and Greg Kuhn to name a few. We took off and a group of 5 of us were riding together. Kuhn, Tanguy, Parmelee, J. Whitbrot, and me. By the end of lap 2, it was down to just me, Tanguy, and Parmelee. During lap 4, Christian made a super charge through the roller coaster and got a gap on Mark and I. Without my full suspension Superfly 100, I wouldn't have made back to his wheel on the rough singletrack. It was down to just him and me as we made our way out the pines. I was feeling pretty gased from Christians's roller coaster effort, and just couldn't seem to fully recover. Christian rolled away at the end of lap 4. I was doing everything I could to try and recover and keep my tempo up. Finally Mark caught me about halfway through lap 5. The legs were feeling better, but still not 100%. I punched it a couple times, but Mark was right on me. We both rolled into the finish and I just sort of rolled in behind him. Didn't have much left for a sprint. Congrats to Christian and Mark who both rode strong races. It was a fun race, and a really good workout. I think my finishing time was 2-1/2hrs! That's a pretty long XC race.

Stony Creek seemed like the perfect fitness topper for next weekend at Shenandoah, the NUE series finale! I'm currently tied for 3rd place in the points, so it will all shake down by then end of this weekend between SH100 and Park City P2P. I'll take it easy on the intervals this week and give the body a little time to rest and adapt. Hopefully I can continue my streak on the NUE podiums! Thanks for reading.

Ore to Shore 2011

2011-08-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

Ore to Shore is a race that’s become near and dear to me over the years. Marquette is a beautiful place. The town atmosphere is relaxing and low key. I’d actually like to take a trip there sometime without the added stress of the race. The course has always been a good one for me, and my fitness is usually topped out this time of year. But for some reason, my legs just didn’t quite have that explosive power this year. Seems the better I get at racing the 100 milers, the more I struggle at the high speed point to points. Go figure. Perhaps next year I'll make the lottery into Leadville.

The action got started right away and as usual I went to the front for the loge hill ascent. However this time, Cole House came ripping by, as well as a few others. I was able to latch on as we crested the top of the hill. The group was huge. I looked back and I couldn’t even see the end of the train. I should have known right then and there, that with so many strong riders, any attacks were going to be futile. The attacks came periodically and I just tried to stay near the front. I was the first into the power line climbs and tried to push the pace, but I just didn’t seem to have enough strength. At one point I got gapped off the back when I bobbled in a sand put. However, Mike Anderson, Bryan Eppen and I were able to chase back on.

We hit the long road section and I decided to give it all I had on the last hill before it turned to dirt. I attacked hard, opened a little gap, but it wasn’t sticking. I tried again when we hit the downhill two track, but it just wasn’t happening. Shortly after Brian Matter pushed the pace and I was hurting. Finally Mike Phillips made one big push and I was off the back. I was paying for my attacks from earlier. I was content with just coasting in from there, but I latched onto Brian Eppen and Mike Anderson and borrowed their motivation to push to the finish ending up in 8th place.

I was kind of surprised I wasn’t able to hang in there for the sprint at the end. Normally the downhill run in at Ore to Shore is gravy for me. However, my training has been heavily geared around the 100 milers this year and I spent a lot of time focusing on riding more efficiently. The sporadic full power surges were a shock to my legs which have been trained for more steady long efforts. I won’t chalk it up as a complete loss though. It’s good to get a dose of that every once and a while, but I’m afraid the truth is my body has been converted to handle more endurance type events, and I’m not sure I can do much about it in such a short time frame before Chequamegon.

Therefore I’m switching my efforts back to endurance and focusing on the NUE season finale at Shenandoah 100 and…. Marathon Nationals! I’m super pumped about heading out to Oregon for the first time. I’m actually not too sad about missing Chequamegon. The start of that race has just gotten way too out of control. I mean I love any kind of bike racing, but I swear I fear for my life in the first 3 miles of that race! It's not safe at all. It’s a relief knowing I won’t have to roll the dice again this year on that start. I’d love to see the pro’s start at Rosie’s Field, but until then, I’ll pass.

Congrats to Brian Matter on the win, and perhaps by the time Iceman rolls around I’ll be able to get the leg speed up and make it to the finish with a chance. Thanks for reading and get ready for fall season of MTB racing. I’m pumped!

Wilderness 101

2011-07-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, me and the Wilderness 101 course haven’t gotten along since we met years ago. Flat tires, broken wheels, broken chains, ripped derailleurs… you name it, this course eats bicycles. Needless to say, in 2011, it was time to settle the score. My bike was dialed and I came prepared with a new level of endurance and full heat acclimation.

The pace was fast right from the opening climb. Roger Aspholm pulled most of the way up and made all of our legs burn before we had a chance to warm up. There was a large group of us moving right along all the way to the first aid station where Drew Edsall attacked up the climb pushed the pace. His attacks were hard, and they continued all the way up the following climb until a group of 7 formed; Jeff Schalk, Christain Tanguy, Chris Beck, Drew Edsall, Roger Aspholm, Brandon Draugalis, and myself. We traded pulls and kept the pace high all the way up to aid station 2.

The big climb after aid #2 is where it all went down. It’s the biggest climb on the course and would take us almost 30 minutes to ascend. Christian went to the front, followed by Jeff. I lined up behind the two and knew it was only a matter of time before the attacks would start. It’s right where I wanted to be. The legs were still feeling good. Soon after, Christian pushed the pace and it was evident that his and Jeff’s power to weight ratios were slightly above mine, as well as Rogers. Instead of completely blowing up, I backed off and went into my own rhythm all the way to the top. Shortly after Brandon bridged up to me on the downhill. He and I worked together till we reached the next big climb on Sager Lake. I was able to break away from Brandon and bridge up to Roger on the climb. Once we reached the lumpy single-track at the top, I was able to break away from Roger. From this point on, I put my head down and pretty much rode solo in 3rd all the way to finish in 6:48.

Overall, I was pretty happy I didn’t have any crashes or mechanicals. I rode conservative on the downhills. I’ve learned the hard way you can’t always go careening into baby head rock gardens at 30mph with a 20lb plastic bicycle. I was also happy I had a clean shot at matching up against Christian and Jeff. It was my best effort. I couldn’t have done anything more on that day. It was all I had. The long steep climbs are something I’m going to have to continue to work on. I think I’ve definitely improved a ton this year. It’s taken several years and lots of hard lessons to hone the NUE skills, however I’ve managed to convert myself from a point to point hard man to somewhat of an endurance specialist. It’s August now and I’m not really counting on any major leaps in my NUE fitness before the season finale at Shenandoah. The tricky part now will be quickly converting myself back to a point to point hard man before the first Triple Crown. Congrats to Jeff Schalk for taking the win. It's going to be an interesting battle at Shenandoah to see who will take the 2011 series! I hope I have a front row seat to see the show.

Thanks for reading… now go out and ride that bike!

Lumberjack 100 2011

2011-06-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

It's summertime in Northern Michigan... a perfect time and place for a mountain bike race. The sun was out, and temps were mild. I was really looking forward to this years edition of the Lumberjack 100. The competition seems to get tougher each year, as well as the course speeds. We're now racing a full 100 miles, and it's awesome to see everyone upping their game and pushing the sport to new levels.

The rollout in the beginning got going pretty quickly. I found myself burried 20 deep going into the singletrack but I quickly made my way to the front. There were lots of sticks covering the course and I tip toed my way around paranoid one of those bastards would end up in my wheel or drivetrain. I stayed near the front 3 positions most of the first lap and followed Robert "the rabbit" Marion. He kept the pace nice and steady for us as we naviagted the twisty singletrack. For most of the first lap, there was a train of riders. I'm not even sure how far back it went, but all the usual suspects were there, including a few new names which is always welcome.

I blasted through the feed zone and head out for lap two. We all stayed together until Christian put in a long attack on the Road Monkey section, which is a flattish lumpy section of twisty trail that beats riders into submission. I stayed glued to Jeff Schalks wheel and tried to remain as smooth as possible. By the end of Christians attack, it was down to 5 of us, Brent Prenzlow, Jeff Schalk, Christian Tanguy, Derrik Graham, and me. The pace sort of chilled out as Jeff took over for a while.

We blew through the aid station one more time and head out for the 3rd lap. My exchange was so fast thanks to my wife Michelle, and my in-laws, Dan and Sandy, that I found myself with a little gap. Shortly after Jeff and Christian bridged up and the game set match was on. I pulled over and let Christian go by. He immediately upped the pace and we saw Jeff struggling a bit. Christian just kept hammering until it was down to just the two of us heading into road monkey again. I was hanging in there, and the legs were doing it, but it was tough. Christian was on a mission. I stopped for split second to remove a stick in my wheel. I quickly bridged, but I was red lining. Christian kept the hammer down through the twisty trees like a joy stick. I seemed to be OK, but unfortunately you need to steer your bike as well as pedal it in mountain biking and it was right then where I clipped a tree and went down. I knew that it was over.

I quickly recovered and got back on the bike. I kept the pace up and avoided my typical meltdown. I thought for sure I had 2nd wrapped up, then sure enough, Jeff came rolling up on me with about 5 miles to go. Rat farts! I knew I had another battle on my hands. I was pushing the pace on the hills and I was struggling. He actually tangled up with a lapped rider at one point, which enabled me to recover a little bit. It came down to the final climb and Jeff punched it and dropped me, but I still had a little fight left in me. I dug super deep and thought, "if I could just catch him, I'd have a shot for the sprint." But Jeff held me off and we both crossed the line completely smashed and in the red.

I have to admit, I was a little bummed, but I'm happy with the race. I think it was my best NUE performance yet. I've never been able to stay with Jeff to the finish, so I think this was a breakthrough race. I feel like I'm getting more consistant and I've almost got the 100 mile gas tank developed. Congrats to Christain Tanguy for the win, and thanks to all the sponsors that help me out. The Trek 29er ran great! The notubes wheels and tires were the ticket and the SRAM components popped out the shifts flawlessly. Next up is Wilderness101, where I hope to keep the fitness rolling. Thanks for reading.

Mohican 100 2011 NUE Stop #3

2011-06-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe this was my 5th Mohican 100 and every one of them was just as hard as the other. This year was no different. The action got going right away with the $200 prime just ½ mile into the race. I made my way to the front and decided the $200 was at least worth the effort. After the un-godly steep paved climb, it came down to me and Robert Marion, in which he just edged me out. Dang! My lungs were burning, it was a full out effort. Ouch! Good thing we had a gap on the field and I was able to recover before heading into the singletrack. I launched from the left side of the group and pushed hard to be first into the shoot. This is one of the knarliest sections of trail in the whole race with steep off camber descents and I didn’t want to get in trouble. Soon after, Josh Tostado came ripping by. He was on rails going down the hills, and must have been holding onto a tow rope going up the hills! I prepared myself for the dis-mount of the early hike-a-bike, but Josh just started riding up it! So I followed and we cleaned the whole hike-a-bike. I thought “wow, that’s two bullets out of the magazine already. The last 25 miles is going to be misery.” A group of 5 developed. It was Schalk, me, Tanguy, Draugelis, and Tostado.

Josh continued to push the pace in the singletrack, and at one point I had to let him go, but bridged back later on. We blew through aid #1 and I grabbed two bottles. One managed to leap out of my cage. Shit, better turn around and go get it. For the next 20min or so, I dug super deep to bridge back up right before we hit the 2nd and 3rd hike-a-bike… bullets number 3 and 4. I was definitely in the red, but it was good enough to hang on as we head out onto the roads. Legs were feeling a little wobbly, but I recovered before we got to Mohican Wilderness. I attacked to be first into the singletrack, shortly after I heard yelling. Dam! I made a wrong turn and had to hike back up to the intersection. Chase chase chase, whew, I made it back on. A quick bottle grab at aid #3 and we were back on the trail. I noticed Josh was struggling a bit. We traded pulls and were working together pretty well as we made our way back out onto the roads. Jeff rolled to the front and began pushing the pace up the next climb. I followed and noticed we had a tiny gap over the others. I made my way around Jeff and put in an attack of my own (bullet 5). I was able to pull out Christian and Jeff. Shortly after I attacked again on the following dirt rd rollers and whittled it down to just Jeff Schalk and I.

We traded pulls and distanced ourselves on the horse buggy trail. Jeff was taking tremendous pulls that had me in my 39-11 (bullet 6)! I would pull through occasionally to give him a break, but I was starting to feel the fatigue. It’s a long uphill grade on the buggy trail, and there was no way to really recover. We pulled through aid #4. At this point, I was just content with sitting on Jeff’s wheel as long as possible to keep gaining time on the others. I finally popped as the mid day sun began to beat on us and Jeff rolled away like a runaway freight train. I was out of bullets and my magazine apparently only holds 6 bullets. He knew he had it and knowing it was going to fuel him all the way to the finish.

I began to ride very slow. The heat was oppressive, but I’d been in these situations before. I knew if I didn’t stop and just kept the bike moving, I had a chance to hang onto 2nd. So I relied on my training and experience to get me through. I stuck to my nutrition plan and actually stopped to get extra water which helped bring me back to life in the final singletrack section. Wait, just plain water helps? Who knew. I was glad it was over, and I was happy with my race! No crashes, and no mechanicals! Woohoo!

Thanks to my wife Michelle for the support, and to all the sponsors. It really makes getting on the podium a whole hell of a lot easier. Next up is Lumberjack in just under 2 weeks. Lets pray for some cooler temps this time around! See you there.

Mohican/Lumberjack Setup

2011-05-31T12:29:00.000-07:00

Superfly Hardtail Frame 1250 2.76
REBA XX fork 1700 3.75
Ergon GX1 125 0.28
Truvativ World Cup bar 161 0.35
Bontrager X Lite Stem 120mm 135 0.30
Cane Creek Headset w/spacers 100 0.22
XX Shifters 183 0.40
Der. Cable W/housing 100 0.22
XX Brakes 600 1.32
ZTR Race Gold Wh eels 1350 2.98
XX 11-36 Cassette 225 0.50
XX R. Der. 181 0.40
Kenda Small Block 8's 2.1" 1180 2.60
Bontrager Evoke RXL Saddle 165 0.36
Truvativ World Cup seatpost 225 0.50
Gary Fisher Seat Collar 60 0.13
Eggbeater 3 pedals 278 0.61
XX Cranks 39/28 w/BB90 690 1.52
XX chain 250 0.55
Stans Sealant 100 0.22
XO Fr Der. 100 0.22
Notubes Skewers 100 0.22
King Bottle Cages 100 0.22
Totals 9358 20.63

Rider Height 6'-2"
Rider Weight 80 kg

Cohutta 100 2011

2011-05-02T06:31:00.000-07:00

The first 100 miler of the year treated us with fantastic weather and pristine trail conditions. I have to be honest, after my performances at Barry Roubaix and Paris Ancaster, I was beginning to have doubts about my aggressive training plan this year. However, between Barry Roubaix and the weekdays leading up to Cohutta, I had managed to whittle 10lbs off my chubby winterized frame. It’s the leanest I’ve been in a long time. In my training, I could feel the difference on the climbs. It felt as if I was riding up the hills, rather than wrestling up the hills, so I knew the weight loss certainly wouldn’t hinder me at Cohutta with all the climbing involved.

We start up this 3 mile long paved road climb. The legs were feeling pretty good, the brisk morning mountain air was nipping at my ears and hands, but it warmed up quickly. A group of 8 emerged at the front as Chris Peariso pushed the pace on the 2nd half of the singletrack. We had, me, Chris Peariso, Jeff Schalk, Thomas Turner, Robert Marion, Andy Johnston, Chris Beck, and Christian Tanguy.

As we head out onto the fire roads, Patrick Mossler bridged up and joined our group, a mystery rider I wasn’t familiar with. There always seems to be one or two of them at each NUE. My legs were feeling good, so I tried a few moves off the front. Perhaps they’d let a large sized man off the front before the climbs… but no luck. Jeff would pull me back each time while the others sat on. We blew through aid station 2 and dropped a few off the group as we hit the steeper climbs. The course sort of undulates between aid 2 and 3. As we approached aid 3, Christain took a couple hard digs off the front which were covered by Schalk and I. We rolled into aid 3 and I got a quick hand-up and continued to push on. It was the only feed I took the entire race. I had maybe 30s on the others. On a short steep climb just after aid 3, Christian broke away from Beck and Schalk and got to within maybe 10s of my wheel, with 30s over Chris Beck and Jeff Schalk. I was pressing the pace on the long descent and holding off Christian, then the dreaded hiss started. Dam! I immediately went to work on fixing the flat as Christian went by, then soon after Jeff and Chris slipped by. But before anyone else caught up, I had the tire fixed and was off in pursuit.

I got to within 3min of Jeff and Chris before I hit the final 3 climbs in the last 20 miles, then the chase was pretty much over. I buried my head and pushed on a steady pace all the way to the end to finish up in 4th. Other than the tire, which was a bummer, it was a clean race and I was pleased with the performance. The form is good, and I still have another 5lbs I think I can shave off my carcass before Mohican and Lumberjack. Congrats goes out to fellow Michigan rider Christian Tanguy for a strong ride. It’s kind of ironic that he and I only live 10 miles from each other. The Superfly was a great tool for the job. The new frame is a big improvement over the first generations. The Ergon grips kept my hands happy the whole 7hrs, and the Notubes Crest 29er wheels stayed TRUE to their reputation as FAST wheels. Thanks for reading!

Paris to Ancaster 2011

2011-04-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

I wasn't quite sure what to expect for this race. It's like a whole different scene over in Canada that I'm totally not familiar with. I knew Mike Garrigan and Semaus McGrath, but other than that, I was pretty clueless with whom was on the start line, but apparently I still had enough credibility for a front row call up which was nice. Thanks! The wind was whipping like crazy! I heard reports of gusts up to 50mph, which was a tailwind for us most of the day. The start went pretty well. I kept my nose out of the wind, and was able to stay right near the front. I still need more practice with this technique though. Comming from mountain biking, it's all about getting to the front and staying there. However in road racing, the tactics are way different and I have to admit, it's something I've struggled with over the years, especially when it's really windy. We hit the rocky two track off the rail trail, and I was right in the mix. It was hard, but my legs were doing it. With the tailwind, the group was absolutely flying along... much faster than my 39x11 would let me go. I'd bridge on the trail sections, but whenever we hit the road, I was struggling with proper positioning in the cross winds. I got caught out in the wind a couple times and would continue to get spit out the back of groups. Finally I got the hang of it and hung onto a little group in about 25th position or so. We rode together most of the race until we hit the mud slides. Finally! A place where I could use the MTB to my advantage. I ripped down the two mud slides and dropped my group. On the way to the finish I was able to snatch up a few more spots finishing 19th overall. I was pretty pleased. I got what I wanted out of the race which was a really hard race effort. I just came off another big week of hrs, so I'm happy I had enough zip in my legs to finish the race strong. If I really wanted to hang up front however, I would have been on a CX bike. My training has been quite different since I started doing 100 mile MTB races too. 5 years ago, I would've been doing short, more intense rides with lots of intervals. However I find I need quite a large base of miles to stick a 100 miler all the way to the end. The long hrs take away from my speed somewhat, but I think it's a wise trade off. I mean most of these 100 milers are going 7-8hrs with over 10,000ft of climbing. The extra miles help trim me down to size and improve my climbing efficiency immensly. It's a tricky blend being able to do well in a 100 miler, then turn around and stick it in a short fast gravel grinder. Perhaps I'll save my speed training for later in the season when the focus turns towards the tripple crown. Lets hope I can make that plan work. Next up is Cohutta in good old Ducktown TN in less than 2 weeks time. I'm looking forward to it. Thanks to the Naishy mate for driving last weekend and thanks to RBS for the sweet new kit. Oh! and thanks to Don Cumming for the ride back to Paris! Don even played frogger on the 403 to retrieve Naishy's wheel after it blew off the roof rack! Not even a scratch on the Notubes wheel... so you can run and tell that! Homeboy.

Barry Roubaix 2011

2011-03-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

Wow how this race has grown in just 3 short years! Over 1000 people entered!!! Rick Plight must be doing something right, and I believe he is. I won this race 2 years ago and I thought the terrain suited me well, so after skipping last year, I thought I'd give it another run.

We woke up to morning temps in the teens. After training all winter in MI, I thought great! Everyone will be stunned by the cold temps and I'll feel right at home. My new RBS kit came equip'd with all the cold weather trim. No prob... Well needless to say, the cold temps didn't bother anyone. We rolled out nuetral with ol' Ward Wilson at the helm with the trusty KTM. Yes, he managed to get it started one more time for us. Once we hit the dirt, the pace quickly escalated, but it was manageable. We hung a right onto the pavement and I knew Sager Lake was coming up. I rolled up the right side of the road and took the holeshot into Sager Lake.

I immediately went into red, and after that, Graham and Anderson danced around me leaving me gasping for air. I thought, OK, we'll deal with the early attacks here, then it will all come back together... sure sure. But the pace didn't seem to let up. We hit the hills just after Sager Lake and I couldn't recover. The roads were dialed. They were almost like pavement. I probably could have rode a road bike. I had to let the front group go. Meanwhile, my seat rails managed to self destruct. My bike was spewing out pieces of titanium tubing all over the road on Sager Lake. Bahh!

I struggled for a bit and decided to wait for the next group. The nose of my saddle was about 1" too low and my back and knee's were starting to cramp. Double Bahh! I would hang with what I think was the 3rd group for a while. My legs felt terrible, every hill hurt, and I just didn't seem to have it. I decided to pull the plug going into the 2nd lap rather than risking another 35 miles without a seat. I think it was a good call.

I think this year was the year for the CX bike. Seemed like these guys were zipping back and forth with no problems. I found myself pedaling on the downhills to keep up with the guys on CX bikes coasting. My training has been going pretty good. Been getting in lots of miles, and I did a lot of cross training. Perhaps I'm just missing a little bit of intensity in my legs? Were the CX bikes that much faster? Was my seat issue a big deal? Was I tired from all the miles I've been putting in? Am I just getting too old? Am I missing something in my diet? Was I dehyrated? Did I tie my left shoe first? Did I forget my rabbits foot? It'll drive a cyclist crazy, but these are all questions I'll have to sort out in the coming weeks. The good thing is that it's still early and these early season races give you a chance to see what you missed in the off-season. I think I've got better races in me for sure.

Congrats to my fellow compratiots who finished on the podium. Next up is Paris Ancaster. Hopefully I'll have things a little more dialed in by then. Thanks for reading, and if you missed the Barry Roubaix, make sure its on your calendar next year!

A little glimpse...

2011-03-04T15:42:00.000-08:00

into the joys of training in Michigan winters. As some of you know, I work 9hr days and have every other Friday off work. This was my short week, so I had my eye on the weather and it kept getting worse all week! I knew pulling off a hundo in the conditions they were calling for was going to take every trick in the book.

I thought I had it nailed. I swapped my tires and laid out all my clothes on Thurs night... I even filled up my Wingnut and stashed it in the fridge. I went to bed feeling ready for whatever mother nature had in store. Sure enough when I woke up, I found a 1/4" layer of ice covering everything... the only thing I wasn't prepared for. Bahh! I thought it was over for a minute. Then I remembered about the old Kenda Klondike CX tires I had hanging in the garage. The perfect tire for the job. I think Mitch was preparing to go into work late, but when she heard me tearing the tire rack down out in the garage, she quickly made her escape. Even Buddy and Tigger ran and hid behind the couch. I think everyone was still traumatized from the last tire swap. The animals had Stans juice in their fur for weeks after an unexpected blowout!

A couple bloody knuckles and about 6 oz of dish soap later, I had the Klondikes seated up and I was out the door by 9am. It didn't occur to me till I got a few miles down the road that these tires didn't roll very fast. It felt like I was riding on velcro but it was nice on the ice. Studs along with the 11 lbs of Gatorade strapped to my back and single speed bike had my legs burning instantly. I quickly realized pulling off a hundo was going to be tough.

I had a tailwind pushing me out to sea. I decided to roll one of my trusty old century loops up to Columbiaville. It's a nice loop with minimal traffic, and it's all pavement. The country scenery of old farms and small towns keeps my mind fresh and interested. I rolled into Columbiaville at mile 50. The rain was on and off, and by now all of the ice was melted and roads were just wet. Good thing I had the studs... ugh. I flipped and head South into the headwind. My legs were starting to get stagnant and the little aches and pains were creeping in, especially my back. There's a few bailout points along the route to cut the hundo short, however I wasn't going to let the demons win today. I was pulling this off even if it would kill me.

I pulled into the "hell of Elba" and cringed at the headwind. This is a 10 mile section of the route with endless rollers that escalate back to Hadley. I knew if I could get thru Elba, I'd pull it off. Sure enough, I silenced the inner demons and pressed on to finish out the full century loop in just under 6-1/2hrs. Not too shabby for a single speed bike and studded tires. I stepped into the house completely exhausted greeted my old pal Buddy. I slammed my recovery drink, hopped into a hot shower... and began preparing to do it all over the next day.

Keep up the motivation! Spring will be here soon!

Winter Update - 2011

2011-01-25T12:55:00.000-08:00

Well, hope everyone had a happy new year and is ready to start working hard towards the 2011 race season! Every year I think back to the long winter rides we do and I always wonder how the hell we pull it off. 10 degree's, snow, ice, wind, it sounds awful. But there's something about it that makes training outside through the winter so peaceful, maybe even enjoyable. I always love the little battles with mother nature. Seems I've always got a little trick up my sleeve to offset what she's got planned for the weekend to thwart my training... even if it requires a little duck tape and a late night.

If you haven't heard yet, I'm changing up the sponsors just a little bit this yr. Instead of the Trek 29er Crew, the primary sponsor will be Rochester Bike Shop. They're located in downtown Rochester MI. Check them out! However I'll still be flying the Trek 29er colors, most likely on their super sweet superfly hardtail. Notubes is also back on board taking care of my wheels/sealant/tire needs. Thanks guys, the support goes a long way in this day and age!

And who couldn't forget ol' Coach Art. He's still working with me for 2011 as well. Now that football season is almost over, I'm sure he's glad he won't be recieving anymore belligerent phone calls... well maybe one more if Green Bay ends up winning. Bahh! The training has been going along steady and I'm keeping up with my routine. I should be ready to rip come spring time.

Well thats it for now. For those of you braving the elements, try to keep the rubber side down and most importantly KEEP THE HARD WORK UP! It'll pay off in the spring, I promise.

That's a Wrap!

2010-11-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

Thursday Nov 4th 2010
Pre-rode the entire course. Legs feel good. Course is super dialed. Bike is dialed.

Friday Nov 5th 2010
Rode from Williamsburg to the finish. 2 inches of snow overnight has me thinking the course is going to get sketchy.

Saturday Nov 6th 2010
8AM – Slept well. The cabin in Grayling is relaxing. Wolfed down 3 huge whole wheat pancakes. Dan O’Dea makes the best pancakes.
11AM-One more pancake down the hatch. Drinking water like a fish. The nerves are building. We sit in the cabin waiting in anticipation. Got a phone call from some of the early finishers. Course sounds like it’s holding up.
12:30PM- We leave in route to the start. I’m totally focused. Everything has been planned and rehearsed. I feel relaxed yet excited. I hop on the bike for a 30min warm-up. Course seems fine. 2:30PM- I line up at the start and get called up to the front. It’s a huge moment for me to stand there on the front line with the superstars of Mountain Biking in the United States. The only guy we’re missing is Lance Armstrong. Lots of hard work and sacrifice to get here. I feel proud.
2:31PM- The countdown starts. My heart is pumping, my legs are primed. 5-4-3-2-1 I rip off the start line. I know taking the hole shot isn’t the best idea, but I do it anyways. I couldn’t stop my body. I may never have the opportunity again. It seems fitting someone from Michigan leads it out.
2:35PM-It’s a full out scrum as we hit the dirt. Bikes and bodies everywhere. It’s fast, really fast, but my legs are doing it. I stand on the pedals and I move up thru the carnage.
2:50PM-We hit Tornado Alley. I’m the first one in and I lead the train thru the twisty singletrack. My course recon is paying off.
3PM- We hit the next section of singletrack. I’m still on the front. I let up and let Tristan go by. The course has turned into total peanut butter. We’re sliding everywhere. He pushes the pace hard and I focus intensely to stay with him. A couple more guys get around me including Todd Wells, Jeremiah Bishop, and Sam Schultz, but I emerge with the group as we head back onto the two track.
3:15PM- I’m totally stoked at this point. Everything is going to plan. I make the front group and I can take a break and sit on as we navigate down Sand Lake Road.
3:16PM-I go from totally stoked to a fit of rage as I drop my chain. I’m in full on panic mode as I try to un-wedge the chain from the crank. I finally get it out, but the chain is skipping from all the mud packed into the cassette. I try my best, but I’m totally deflated as I limp along doing my best to try and take spots back.
3:30PM- I arrive at the Williamsburg Road crossing. The drivetrain is so packed up, I can’t find a gear that works. People pass me in groups of 5. I stand on the trail with Mitch and my in-laws ready to throw in the towel. Mitch already knew it was over when she saw the front group fly by without me, but I don’t think she had the heart to tell everyone else. Dan begins pushing the bike. I can tell my family is bummed and I can barely look at them in the eye. I decide I need to try and finish anyways. I grab cup after cup of water at the aid station and rinse the drivetrain clean. I think I pulled an entire pine cone out of the cassette. The bike works now and I’m off. All the 100 milers have honed my trail side engineering skills.
4PM- I’m moving thru the field. I don’t know why I’m even trying at this point, but it’s fun and I continue to crank away on the pedals.
4:10PM- I roll up on some riding buddies. First it’s Dan K, Chris Peariso, then Scott Stewart, my old time home boy from Oxford. We’re having fun. I take it up a notch and attack him. Elbows start flying, bars are banging. We come into the final shoot. The crowd is screaming like we’re racing for the win. I open up my sprint and we decide to give them a show. Scott tries to come around the inside. I feel his handlebar touch my leg and I know we’re in trouble. Bam! We go down. I get up instantly and run for the finish line. Scott’s sprinting. It’s close. I cross the line and realize I’ve been struck in the groin with my seat in the crash. I’m in extreme pain as I go to the ground with my family watching in agony. What the hell am I doing? Why do I do this to myself? The hours, the sacrifice, it all seems like such a waste at this moment. This kinda shit happens all too often. But I love the sport. I love everything about it. The dream never dies, not even in a dodgy sprint for 28th and you find yourself rolling on the ground covered in mud and your own bike kicks you in the nutz. That’s how much I love this sport.
4:30PM- The pain in my groin subsides. I don’t need to go to the hospital, I’m fine. I clean up and work my way over to the Kuhnhen beer tent.
4:50PM- My good buddy Don pours me an 8% IPA. A couple of these bad boys and I’m challenging Rob Selle to a squat off and other random human feats of strength.
5:00PM- I’m dropping love bombs on everyone and speaking to my buddy Adam in a British accent.
8:00PM- We show up at the bar. It’s within walking distance to our hotel. Is this good or bad? Dang we’re here early.
9:00PM- Deep conversation with Randy Laprarie about being cold and hungry. I tell Danny Klein I love him.
10:00PM- We’re organizing a ride for tomorrow morning. This isn’t gonna happen in a million years.
1:00PM- I run into Brent Bookwalter in the bathroom. I squat him 10 times. We take our shirts off and flex in the mirror. That’s the last thing I recall.

It’s been a great season. I feel so fortunate to even be able to compete in this sport at this level. Thanks goes to all my sponsors, Notubes, Trek, and SRAM, and to all the people that helped and inspired. Congrats to Brian Matter for stealing the show. He is hands down the man to watch at these races. I’ll take a short break now, and begin my preparation for spring 2011. Thanks for reading, and keep the rubber side down over the winter!

It's Almost Time!

2010-10-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

Iceman is just around the corner, then the 2010 season will officially be wrapped. Managed to keep the legs turning over through October by getting out to two great events in Northern Michigan for a couple race tune ups, the Crybaby Classic, and the Peak to Peak. If you didn't get a chance to partake in these two events this year, you really missed out.

The Cybaby is a super fast course with enough climbing to well... make you cry. These guys did a great job with this event this year, as well as putting together a killer course. Mike Anderson throttled it super hard on the Crybaby climb, and that's all it took. That saw me seeing stars and almost rolling backwards while trying to recover from the all out V02max effort. I'd eventually work my way back to 3rd by the end, but it was after a hard effort on the last lap to get ahead of Chad Wells and Cameron Walters. Great event. We had an awesome time.

Two weekends later, we were back up North to take on the Peak to Peak. I'd won it the past two years, so needless to say I had a target on my back. The first lap went well... until we reached the equalizer climb at the end of the lap. This climb just to seems to grind on and on. You turn one corner thinking you're almost to the top, only to turn another corner staring at another pitch. I attacked at the bottom, which proved to be a mistake as it left me struggling on the upper slopes. It was the mighty Manderson again who managed to pop me before the top with a strong Derek Graham in tow. I battled with Chad Wells the rest of the race and managed to get away after Chad bobbled a tricky little corner to finish on the short box. Another wonderful event put on by Endoman Promotions which seems to get better and better each year. The weather was awesome, the course was dialed, and competition was hot!

Two races under my belt and a few more tune-ups should see me in good shape to take on the season finale. There's no doubt Manderson and Graham will both be going strong, as well as the other dozen top gun pro's coming from all around the country including both the past US Olympic MTB athletes. The start line will be loaded with talent. Wish me luck!

The Chequamegon 2010

2010-09-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the late post. This past weekend was round two of the Midwest Tripple Crown, the Chequamegon. Every year I seem to do great in round one at Ore to Shore, and every year I show up in Hayward WI with hopes of pulling off something special at Chequamegon. This year was more or less the same.

The Chequamegon is a difficult race. Not only are the constant up and down hills relentless, but you’ve also got to be quite a crafty bike rider. Knowledge and understanding of the course and the flow of the lead pack are crucial… especially at the start. Unfortunately, this is where I made my mistake. The pack of 1500 amateurs rolls down HWY 71 at warp speeds with the aid of a draft from a 4 wheeler. This year there was a tailwind which aided the speeds.

A lot of things go through my mind during this frantic scrum. Is someone going to bite it right in front of me doing 40mph? Will I be hurled to the pavement as a wheel crosses up with mine? Will I die? Will I break my neck? How bad will my road rash be? How much repair will my bike need after 1500 people roll over it? All these things roam around in my head as I attempt to risk life and limb to be in the top ten as we hit Rosies Field. One must ask themselves… is it really worth it? Apparently I didn’t think so this year as I let 200 people beat me to Rosies Field.

I had good legs though. I felt strong. I immediately went to work and started passing people. I came within 10s of the lead group, but just couldn’t seem to close the gap down. I was frustrated and wanted to quit right as we crossed HWY 00 at mile 15. I knew I wouldn’t be racing for the win. I quickly slowed up and formed a chase group. We worked together pretty well. The course was wet and you had to be careful to get around the mud puddles. My motivation was pretty low and I didn’t really feel like racing anymore.

However, people out on the course would periodically shout out our positions. I heard 19th, then I heard 15th, then I heard 13th. I started getting excited again at a shot for the top 10. Sure enough we picked up a few stragglers and the stage was set for a top 10 finish. I attacked as hard as I could coming into the last XC ski trail. I looked back and I instantly had a gap. I was lucky enough to even pick off Marko, and Chris Peariso right near the line. I apologize for that. I rolled in 9th, my best Cheq 40 finish ever. Even better was Michigan’s own Mike Anderson who ended up 4th. He also coincidentally traveled to the race with us. Last time I teach a young kid the tricks of the trade J No worries though, I’m proud of him. He deserved it.

Now I’m more motivated than ever to get out there and make one more push to November, then the season will officially be over. Beer and football, here I come… but first I have to get through Iceman! I can’t wait. It’s going to be a blast!

Shenandoah 100 NUE Series Final

2010-09-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

Wow… it’s hard to believe it’s September already and the final NUE 100 miler is in the books. I started training for the season in December, and it’s been going full on for 9 months… and still going. The Shenandoah 100 brought out some tough competition as well as a tough course. The weather was picture perfect and Chris Scott did an amazing job preparing the event.
I knew I had 3rd place wrapped up in the series, so my goal for this race was to have a solid finish with no mechanicals or crashes, and I almost pulled it off. I barely made the start, well actually I didn’t, but managed to jump into the group right as they crossed the iron bridge. Whoops! 6:30AM start!? We made our way up the first climb and I was sitting 4th wheel and feeling good.

Then, as we hit the steep section of the climb, Christian Tanguy was pushing the pace a little too hard for my liking as he eventually went on to win the race. Congrats to Christian, he was having an amazing day. There always seems to be a moment in a race where you make a decision about how bad you want to stay with the front group. I can’t say I didn’t want to be there, because I did, but there just felt like some sort of disconnect between my brain and my legs. I just flat out couldn’t push myself deep into the pain cave this time and I watched the leaders ride away.
I still kept it steady and was riding within myself. I joined up with a group including Tim Dickey, Chris Eatough, and Sven Neilson. We made our way up the 2nd steep singletrack climb. I was chugging right along, then snap! The chain unraveled and fell to the ground. It really took the wind out of my sails. I almost felt like pulling the plug, but Chris Eatough gave me his powerlink and encouraged me to continue. Thanks Chris! It was a pretty quick fix, but by the time I had it fixed, over 50 racers had passed me. I got to work and did the best I could to work my way through the conga line up the rest of the singletrack climb.

The descent off the mountain was pretty rough, and with the sun in our eyes, it was hard to see the trail. I must have passed 10 guys fixing flats and what not. All the downhills on the course were really rough this year, and it was really taking its toll on me. I opted for the hardtail this time, but wishing I had the full sus. I wanted to push harder on the descents, but I felt paranoid about a bad crash, or another mechanical, so I just kept gingerly picking my way down the hills.
The rest of the race, I would sort of leap frog from one group to the next. I’d push hard on the roads and the climbs, and then take it easy on the descents to make sure my bike and I would finish. Before I knew it, I was sitting in 8th just as I crested the soul crusher climb at around mile 75. I’d continue to keep the tempo up the final climb and roll in for 8th overall. Not too shabby. Barring the chain issue, it was a good performance considering where I’m at in the season. I’m glad the 100 milers are over! One more and I’m not sure my body could take it. Making the drive home to Michigan after a 100 mile race and the podium presentation is a true test of metal to one’s ability to endure great pain and suffering. We didn’t get home till 6AM! Ouch! A 26hr day.

Overall, I finished 3rd in the NUE points series which is one spot better than last year! Woohoo! I couldn’t have done it without all the great support from my sponsors Trek29, Notubes, and SRAM, and most importantly of all, my wife Mitch, who takes the brunt of a lot of the behind the scenes work. Next up is the queen of all road trips… Chequamegon. Wisconson seems so close, but yet it’s so far away. Time to rest up and rally for the push to the end of the season in November. See you out there!

Fool's Gold Mud-hundred

2010-08-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

This weekends mission took us deep into the Appalachian mountains of Northern Georgia to a town called Dahlonega for the Fool’s Gold 100. It’s two 50 mile laps of fire roads and technical singletrack with lots of climbing. Rain during the night meant the trails were gonna be a muddy mess, and there was more rain in the forecast. I was kind of relieved it was going to rain, because I’d rather deal with rain than super warm and humid temps. It’s just that 4” of rain was probably a little much. I decided to ride the hardtail setup 1x10, which I think was a good decision. Other than completely toasting my brake pads, I didn’t have one mechanical issue, not even a missed shift, which is quite miraculous given my reputation of completely destroying mountain bikes.

The start of the race quickly made its way up the long fire road grind with Schalk driving the pace. I never really felt like I got into the race. I let Schalk ride away without too much of a fight. I guess I just knew it was going to be a hard day and I really just needed to focus on finishing in a solid 3rd for the NUE points series. After Schalk and Tanguy rode away, I hooked up with Harlen Price and Gerry Pflug. They drove the pace until we hit aid #1. Both of them stopped. I pushed on down the descent and shortly after Robert Marion came ripping by. I stayed with him until we hit a little tricky section of uphill singletrack we both had to run. I put some distance into him and I was feeling good. Shortly after, Harlen Price caught me, and I was content to try and ride with him and put distance on the others.

“Hey Harlen, was that aid 2?” We rolled by a blue tent, but there was nobody there. He said, “I don’t know, but we’re at mile 20 and it makes sense.” I immediately turned around and rode back up the trail to the tent. Riders had a confused look on their faces as they passed me going backwards up the trail. At the blue tent I met a volunteer with a garbage bag of bottles. I ripped through the bag, but I couldn’t find my number. I asked him where the others were at. He said, ”they’re in a truck about ½ mile down that road.” I quickly grabbed my bike and pursued the truck. I climbed into the bed of the truck and riffled through the tubs. I found my bag and I was on my way.

Once back on the course, I began to pick riders off one by one. First it was Ernesto and my home boy Dan K. Then David Wood came back to me, and finally Robert Marion. I had clawed my way back into 4th overall. At this point, it was just a battle of survival. The rain was coming down in buckets, the river crossings were knee deep, and the trails had turned into small creeks of running water. My brake pads were down to the metal and they screeched on each descent. Each time I took a drink out of my water bottle, I’d get mouth full of the grittiest dirt you can imagine. It was in my teeth, my eyes, my shorts, and my shoes. I managed to re-focused and when we hit an uphill section of singletrack, I was able to gap Robert. I continued to push on alone. The course was hard and I was beginning to feel it. Slogging through the mud just saps the energy right out of you.

I passed aid #4 with 10 miles to go and I was beginning to think the promoter was going to have to call the race at the lap. With this thought in mind, I made sure to keep the wheels turning to stay in front of the chasers. More singletrack and what seemed like an endless amount of climbing saw me at mile 50 where to my delight, the promoter said I was finished. Those last 10 miles of trail where some of the most treacherous moments in my career as a MTB’er as I went careening down the mountain with no brake pads. It was the right call to end the race. I ended up 3rd in the geared mens class, which meant I took back 3rd place in the NUE points series! I was very happy about that and it made the whole trip worth the effort regardless of the epic conditions.

Now I’ll take this next weekend off and prepare for the final NUE showdown at Shenandoah. Let’s pray for a dry course!

ORE TO SHORE 2010

2010-08-16T06:37:00.001-07:00

August in Marquette, does it get any better? I’ve won this race 3 years in a row in 06, 07, and 08, so I knew I was going to be a marked man. As I was going through the list of pre-registered riders, I pulled out about 10 names I thought had a shot at the win. It was going to be a tough race. I decided to go with the hard tail Superfly set up rigid. It was 17.5 lbs of solid. Mitch and I arrived on Thursday afternoon just in time to pre-ride the first 30 miles of the course. There were a couple surprises and I was glad I got a chance to preview them. Friday I was able to ride the last 18 miles with Jason Lummis and I was ready.
Start: The start was a bit fast and hectic. I found myself buried about 100 deep going into the railroad bed. I found a little line on the grass and quickly throttled myself to the front before we hit the Loge hill. I had a little chain issue at the base of the climb and I lost about 10 spots. It turned out to not be that big of deal although the chain problem hit me a couple times later in the race.

Sand Sector: I went to the front most of the way through the sandy two track. I didn’t want to get into trouble if someone stacked it up in a corner. Better safe than sorry.

Water Crossings: As we navigated through the two track, we rolled up onto the creek crossing. Normally this is no big deal, but this year it was deep, like swallow your whole bike deep. I knew the pallet bridge was to the right and made sure I was the first one to cross. I think we dropped a couple riders off the back there. Shortly after we hit a series of long deep mud puddles. DG drove it hard through the hub deep water, but all 8 of us made it through.

Power line Sector 1: Nathan Guerra was the first into the steep rocky pitch with me right on his heels. He and I drove the pace at the front. I was breathing hard to keep up. I knew there was a tricky little pitch in the middle, so I made sure I was the first to get to it. The line to the left was solid and I cleaned it without bobbling. We pushed on, and a group of 8 of us emerged. Me, Schouten, Matter, Lalonde, Guerra, Tanguy, TJ, and Graham.

Power line Sector 2: Things calmed down for a minute before we hit the next decisive section of the course. Nathan drove the pace up the sandy pitches and continued to push it through the lumpy mud holes, but we all stayed together.

Power line Sector 3: This includes Misery Hill, a tough loose rocky run up. I made sure to be the first to get to the base. Nathan flew around me and actually rode up a short portion at the bottom before realizing he would have to hike. Tristan Schouten quickly put his cross skills to work and had me gasping to keep pace with him. As we crested the top, we re-mounted and I put in a little attack of my own. We gapped Tanguy and Graham, and I wanted to keep the pressure on. It was all for not though as they eventually bridged back up.

Road Sector: I wasn’t sure how to handle this section. Someone has to work, but it’s beneficial to just sit on. If you’re not careful, people who mechanical’d or were dropped on Misery Hill, can bridge back up. It’s downhill to the finish and each person that latches back on will have to be dealt with in a finish line showdown. I tried a little attack, but it was quickly countered. It was more of an effort to just try and lift the pace. Tanguy took over after we crossed the bridge and did a nice job of keeping the pace up over hilly rollers.

Run into the finish: Once we get back onto the trail, it’s all downhill to the finish. I tried a little attack heading into the trail and I pushed the pace hoping someone would make a mistake. No dice, everyone was solid. Things sort of calmed down for a while once the trail leveled out and we just ran tempo. With about 10 miles to go, we hit a series of downhill pitches. I led the pace down each one and just kept hoping I could get a gap. Finally with about 8 miles to go, I snuck off the front and opened up a scant 5 second gap. I laid it on the line and went like gang busters, but I could see the group not far back. I ripped down the big sandy hill and crested Wood Chip Hill holding onto my gap. I thought I had it! My whole body was struggling. I was going flat out with everything I had, but it wasn’t enough. Just as we went under the bridge in the closing miles, they caught me. One more quick attack from TJ to shuffle the bunch, and it was going to come down to a sprint.

Sprint: As we hit the pavement, Nathan surged and TJ was glued to his wheel. I rallied with everything I had. Tristan got around me and Nathan going into the corner just as TJ got to the front and began opening up his sprint. I charged around the corner and hit the sketchy dirt. I almost clipped a hay bail! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw TJ raise his arms and I knew he had it. Tristan flew in for second. One more little push and I got around Nathan for third. Dang, that was a close one!

I was happy and it was a good performance. I had really good legs, perhaps too good, but to take third in such a close finish in this field was considered good luck in my book. Congrats to TJ as he moves on as the anointed one for the Triple Crown. After the race, Mitch and I went straight to the beach for a soak in Lake Superior. The weather was beautiful. Soon after we headed over to Presque Isle and jumped off the cliffs! It was good weekend.

Tripple Crown Time

2010-08-10T07:23:00.001-07:00

After a little tune-up at PLRA this past weekend, it's time for the underground war for the Midwest Tripple Crown to begin. Read Brian Matter's write up on the history here

NUE Stop #5 Wilderness 101

2010-08-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

I rode strong for the first 50 miles. I was feeling good and and I could tell my form had improved since the last NUE race. I hung tough on the first couple climbs and even managed to muster out a couple of attacks. The course was dry and fast, and the weather was awesome! A huge group formed and didn't whittle down till after aid #1 where I put in a good little effort on the climb.

Shortly after aid station #2, the road turns up for the hardest climb on the course. It starts out slow, then gradually gets steeper towards the top. It was down to 5 of us including Bishop, Schalk, Draugalis, Waite and me. I matched the pace set by Jeff Schalk up the lower slopes, but began to suffer. As we neared the top I had tailed off the back. I descended like a mad man and was able to bridge back up to the leaders. Bishop had suffered a flat on the descent, so that left only 4 of us. On the next climb, Nick Waite turned up the pace, and again I was off the back. Just as I crested the top of the climb, Bishop caught me. I thought, "great, the two of us can work together and bridge on the descent!"

All of a sudden I went from feeling great with a shot at the podium, to "how the hell am I gonna fix this?" Dented rim, two broken spokes and a flat tire, all in one swoop. "Dang, maybe I can fix this quick and press on for the top 10." Rider after rider passed me as I fumbled with how to get my bike working again. After my C02 blew up in my face I had to go into full on McGuyver mode. I have to thank Rob Lichtenwalner who stopped and gave me his pump.

I limped into to aid #3 and finally got my tire pumped up with enough air. I started getting back into the race and passed quite a few riders. Then on the following steep knarley descent in a moment of panic, I ran head on into a tree! I can't believe I didn't have a scratch on me. Too bad my front wheel was totally bent in half, as well as my tire. Greg Kuhn was with me. He gave me a tube and helped me fix the tire. We straightened out the rim with a little help from that same tree I ran into. Thanks Greg!

Wobble wobble wobble... the bike was riding very strange and I wasn't sure if one good lean into a corner would fold the whole bike in half. I went slow until I gained confidence the wheel would hold and got back on the gas again when I made it to the dirt rds. Just before aid #4, I suffered another flat. A cool dude on a single speed offered me up his tube, and again, Rob's pump saved the day.

I knew Mitch would be at aid #4 and it was going to be a little dis-heartening for her to see me struggling with mechanicals. She was a little upset at first and just shook her head. "All that effort you put into this and this kinda @#$% happens." I know exactly how she feels. I decide to press on and try to finish. I gained back a few spots and I had a chance to ride with Tom Parsens from the 29er crew which was cool. The last dirt rd climb of the day stung me pretty good. I was totally spent when I crossed the finish line... but I finished. 23rd overall and my best finishing time at W101 yet. Now if I can just figure out a plan with all these mechanicals.

The Perfect Number

2010-07-26T04:43:00.001-07:00

A 65 mile road race on an early Saturday morning close to home just sounded too tempting to pass up. It was the Maillot Jaune road race in Fenton MI and I'd been searching high and low for a road bike to borrow all week. It's an impressive course for Southeastern Michigan and I didn't want to miss out. The idea of riding my 29er MTB with the Cat 1/2's had been lingering as a last resort. Could I hang? The idea sounded more like a suicide mission and a sure DNF, but the workout alone would be worth the effort. I decided to try it anyways. The plan was to sit on big Ray and just survive as long as possible. I threw on my fastest set of Bontrager knobbies and prayed for the best.

So there I was, sitting on the start line with the some of fastest guys in Michigan. I'm not quite sure what they were thinking, but I assured them I was only here for the workout. We rolled off and I was quickly shuffled to the back. I was beginning to think this wasn't a very good idea. The pace surged and clumped as riders tried to get a break organized, but nothing was sticking. To my suprise, at the end of the 2nd lap I was feeling decent. In a relaxed moment in the peloton, I took a roll off the front. I actually had to go into the dirt shoulder for a moment! And that was it, the pack let me go. Riding the MTB solo off the front through the start/finish area gave me new invigoration. I could hear people saying "go Simonster"and I knew I couldn't sit up now.

Shortly after, I could see a rider storming across the gap. I slowed a bit to let him catch up. It was Greg Christian, one of Michigans strongest. He was pushing a massive gear and I latched onto his wheel. I looked back to see 2 other guys bridging the gap, and in a few moments we were a strong group of 4 riders dangling off the front. I was hanging tough, and even managed to take my pulls. But after a couple laps with the break, I was beginning to drag and I floated back to the group. Little did I know that was going to be the winning break. Maybe if I would have just sat on and relaxed, I could have survived? Ahh well, that's racing.

Things were going well back in the group. The pace slowed significantly and I was able to recover on the last lap. One more guy got off the front solo near the end. I survived a few more attacks and surges and was able to roll across the line in 13th place! I couldn't believe it! I was just hoping to sit on and make it a few laps before I got dropped. I really suprised myself by actually instigating the race and being a part of the action. What an experience.

29er mountain bikes are so light and fast these days, I'm not sure how much slower the bike may have been over a road bike. Not sure if I'll ever try a stunt like that again though. I have a feeling the roadies are going to have their eyes on me. I just might have to get a road bike. That was way too fun!

6 Hrs of Power

2010-07-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

Nabbed the solo win, and the overall at the 6hrs of power in Ellicotteville New York last weekend. Course was in great shape. Total East Coast style with lots of climbing, rocks, and roots. Wonderful event and worth the trip! I highly recommend adding it to your calendar.

Mike Simonson sits down with Simonster

2010-06-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

Mike Simonson: State your age, height, and weight.
Simonster: 30, 6ft 2in, 185lbs

Mike Simonson: State your occupation.
Simonster: Mechanical Engineer for Dept of Defense, Professional MTB racer.

Mike Simonson: State your sponsors.
Simonster: Trek/Fisher collection, Notubes, SRAM, Ergon, Wingnut

Mike Simonson: It must be tough finding time to carry out two jobs. Elaborate on the details.
Simonster: Yes, very busy. I work 7 to 4:30, then the training starts after work. We run a super tight ship. All my training and meals are planned out in advance so I get the maximum use of the training time I have. Racing and traveling is on the weekends. If there’s no race, I’ll squeeze in more training and more rest. There’s not much time for much else. Sometimes I feel like such a shitty friend when I have to deny drinks after work on a Friday, or pass on a fun weekend with friends. That’s the price you pay for being determined to carry out a dream. Sometimes you miss out on a few of life’s special moments.

Mike Simonson: You are married correct? Tell us how that works with all the racing and training.
Simonster: Yes, married for 5 yrs to my wife Michelle. She goes by Mitch to most of our friends. Mountain bike racing is sort of a selfish sport. I’m the one racing, and I’m the one on the podium. But I couldn’t do it without the help from Mitch. She helps me out tremendously. She’s my number one fan. When I do well, it’s kind of like a small victory for both of us and she feels the same happiness and joy that I do. When I don’t do well, I’m not sure who’s more upset, me or her. Sometimes I have to calm her down after a race. She sees how much I put into it. I think it exhausts her enough just helping me carry out this three ring circus day after day.

Mike Simonson: What’s your schedule look like? Which races are you gunning for?
Simonster: I’m gunning for any of the NUE 100 milers and a solid placing in the points series. In the fall, my focus will switch to the triple crown races, Ore to Shore, Chequamegon, and Iceman. It’s a long tough season.

Mike Simonson: Who would you consider your toughest competitors?
Simonster: In the 100 milers, of course Christian Tanguy and Jeff Schalk. For the triple crown, it’s always been Brian Matter and Tristan Schouten with Mike Anderson being the up and comer. I have a ton of respect for those guys. We all have other jobs and responsibilities, but we love the sport so much we’re still able to drive ourselves to compete at a very high level with other pro’s. These guys are loaded with passion and determination. I have respect for anyone who competes at a high level while holding down significant responsibilities outside of racing. There's so many hard hittin mo fo's out there I'm sure I'm missing.

Mike Simonson: So the 100 milers must be pretty tough to recover from. How do you recover and keep ticking out the 100 milers one after another?
Simonster: I have to give some credit to my coach Art Fleming. He keeps a very close eye on me and has taught me how to pick up on the slightest irregularities. It’s key to be able to pick up on the early warning signs of improper recovery. It’s almost a full time job. I talk to him daily. He’s one of my best friends. We take the training plan day by day, but try to keep things as consistent as possible. The only way to communicate with your body is to do things over and over consistently until it finally gets it. It’s kind of like training a puppy. It took a long time to train my body how to race 100 miles with 12,000ft of climbing.

Mike Simonson: 12,000ft of climbing is a ton of climbing. How do you manage to compete against the flyweights when you’re checking in at 85 kilo’s?
Simonster: Hey A-hole, what’s that supposed to mean? I’m fat? Seriously though, I have to turn myself inside out to hang onto a guy like Tanguy or Schalk in the mountains. I go to the deepest place I can muster sometimes. Sometimes I have enough to stick it to the end, and sometimes I don’t. I’m still working on this whole 100 miler thing. Schalk is amazing. He doesn’t seem to slow down. I can do maybe 50 or 60 miles at his pace, then I run out of gas. I’ll figure it all out eventually. It’ll take the perfect race. All I can do is keep training and keep trying to work on my weaknesses, which Art is always on top of.

Mike Simonson: Have you ever thought about doing some road racing? I’ll bet you could smash it on the road.
Simonster: I get this question a lot. I’ve spent a lot of years honing the MTB craft. It would almost be like starting over switching to the road. Plus the added headache of another bike and another race schedule. It would be like another job, which I don’t have time for. I think you need to have total focus to do well. Pick the style of racing you love the most and go after it with everything you’ve got. You need a set schedule of a few select races, then plan and dedicate your season around those few events. I find it might even take a few years to get the result you want in a selected race. Too many races screw things up for me. I’m one of those guys that likes to show up at a race ready to give my best.

Mike Simonson: Do you have the desire to race MTB’s full time?
Simonster: I wish I could, but I’m not sure there’s a contract out there that would enable me to continue to live the same lifestyle. I’d have to be one of the best. Endurance racing and festival grass roots events just don’t seem to draw the sponsorship dollars for the athletes. The good contracts come out when you’re a contender for an Olympic spot. I think that’s what most of the big sponsors are looking for. Although I have heard of a few decent contracts in the endurance realm. I’m happy with doing it the way I’m doing it. My sponsors help me out the best they can which I’m totally grateful for. I’m free to choose all the events I want to go to. Perhaps one day I could make a little money at it as a side job along with my engineering job. That would be a dream come true.

Mike Simonson: Have you ever thought about going after World Cup racing or maybe the National XC points series?
Simonster: I know that’s where the highest level is, but I don’t think there’s enough hrs in the day to compete there. Most of the XC races are out West too. It takes time to figure the courses out and to develop enough points to get a front row call up. It’s just not realistic for me. It turns into a lot of travel $$$ and too many days off work. The 100 miler series works out great! In a 3 day weekend, I can drive to 6 out of 8 in the series, and the races draw a good amount press and exposure to keep the sponsors interested. The level of competition is perfect for me too. All the 100 mile courses are worth the effort. They’re grueling, but worth the price of admission. I mean if I’m going to drive 8hrs to the mountains, I want to get a lot of riding in. The 100 milers let you do that and then some. Same with the Tripple Crown events. We always seem to get a few A-listers at Chequamegon and Iceman, so I get to see how I stack up against them. On a good day, you can collect a nice scalp if you play your cards right. It’s the perfect level of competition for me.

Mike Simonson: Name some scalps in your collection.
Simonster: I have a few I’m proud of. JHK’s for sure. Ned Overend, Tinker Jaurez, Chris Eatough, Josh Tostado and Travis Brown to name a few. I’ve looked up to these guys my entire career. It blows my mind I can even compete with these guys. Mucho respect.

Mike Simonson: Who do you train with? Whose your favorite person to train with?
Simonster: My most solid training partners have to be Robert Herriman and Greg Kuhn. When I need to get it done, these are the guys I call. Whether it’s an 8hr death march in 20 degrees or intervals up some crazy ski hill, no BS, these guys show up ready to train hard all day long and not complain once. I’m fortunate to have such great training partners… and friends. On fun days it’s always a treat when I get Jason Lummis out. That dude cracks me up all day, same with Scott Stewart too. All classy dudes.

Mike Simonson: Where do you train? Where are your favorite places to train?
Simonster: I have a ton of awesome options right from my door. The huge series of interconnected dirt roads is my favorite place. It’s actually quite impressive. I’ve been training on them for years, and I have a giant map in my head of 100’s of miles of them. I know where all the biggest hills are. Most people I train with out there have no idea where we’re going. It’s a very Zen place for me. I hope 30 years from now I can still ride them. They already feel like old friends. There are also about 6 different trail systems within riding distance too. I really don’t have a reason to train anywhere else.

Mike Simonson: What’s the craziest ride you’ve ever done?
Simonster: I do this little 7 mile dirt rd loop near my house. It has 700ft of climbing per lap. I remember we had a weekend over the winter where we had single digit temps. I did 15 laps out there for 105 miles and over 10,000ft of climbing. It took me over 9 hrs with all the snow. I was ready to die that day, but it turns out committing suicide by riding your bike is a lot more difficult than it sounds. Looking back, I don’t know what I was thinking when I did it, but I do know that if you want to be good, you’ve gotta do some sick shit sometimes. You’ve got to do some things that no one in their right mind would think of doing to try and get to the next level. It’s a day I can look back on when I have a hard race and draw strength from it. Perhaps that’s what I was thinking.

Mike Simonson: Are there any words of wisdom you could give us?
Simonster: Some favorite words of mine… persistence, determination, passion and most of all patience. That’s the beauty of bike racing. There’s always plenty of opportunities to keep trying over and over. It’s a sport which has endless opportunity to grow. You can push yourself to your utmost limit as fast or as slow as you would like.

Mike Simonson: Keep the dream alive, and luck be on your side the rest of the 2010 season.
Simonster: Thanks! I can always use a bit of good luck.

NUE Stop #3 Lumberjack 100

2010-06-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

Well... sort of OK. I'm still a little stiff and sore. 300 racers came out to Northern Michigan this past weekend to test themselves for round #3 of the NUE 100 miler series. The weather was great and the course was fast with the 3 lap format and some two track added in this year.

Once we hit the singletrack, things started to heat up as Christian took a pull up the gradual climb. Soon after, Jeff took over and continued to push the pace. Then I took a couple digs on the two track sections, followed by Derek Graham setting a blistering pace through Road Monkey. I was feeling pretty good, then that's where my luck ran out. I could feel my front tire going soft on me. For a brief moment I thought about just hitting it with the C02, but then memories from Cohutta crept in and I decided to put a tube in it. It was a pretty smooth fix, and I was off to regain as many positions as possible. Near the end of the 1st lap I rolled up on Derek Graham in which he had suffered the same fate I had. I tossed him the rest of my Big Air cannister and wished him luck.

By the end of the 1st lap, I was back into the top 5 and feeling strong riding with Bells superstar Steve "McDreamy" Dempsey. I continued to push the pace and worked my way all the way back up to 2nd place! I heard Scott Chambers yell out "Jeff's 8 minutes up, Christian's right there!" I worked my way around Christian, but there was no shaking him completely. He rose from the dead and came flying around me.

At this point I tried to ralley and make a charge, but the hard chase after the flat left me a little gassed. The heat of the mid day sun began to take its tole and I was feeling uncomfortable. I kept pushing as hard as I could just trying not to redline. Then sure enough, Derek Graham came flying by me like a torpedo on the two track near the end of the 3rd lap. I latched on for a moment, then my body decided it didn't want any part of that.

I went into total survival mode on the last few climbs. A quick glance down the trail on the last climb and I saw the Aussie bridging. I threw everything I had left into the final 2 miles and crossed the line in 4th. Not quite the place I was looking for, but it was my best effort and I'm happy. So that's a 3rd, a 2nd, and a 4th. Not looking too bad so far in the series.

A big thanks goes out to my in-laws Dan and Sandy for the awesome hospitality and volunteer work. Well done! As always, thanks to the sponsors as well. The full suspension SF100 was a real treat on the lumpy course. Next up is a couple marathon races right here in Michigan, to prepare the mid season surge for Wilderness and Fool's Gold. Thanks for reading!

NUE Stop #2 Mohican 100

2010-06-06T06:11:00.000-07:00

It was another one of those experiences where only a mountain bike race would take you. We rolled into Loudonville Ohio on Friday afternoon to our luxurious cabin at Mohican Adventures. Well actually... maybe more like a luxurious tree fort. Me, Robert Herriman, and my wife Michelle bunked with Greg Kuhn, Chris Goddard, and Greg's girlfriend Nicole. Upon arrival we were greeted by an angry wasps nest on the 2nd floor where our bunks were located. It was "epic" conditions already. The absence of screens on the windows of the 2nd floor had Robert and I hosing down the curtains with Deep Woods Off. It actually worked quite well.

The rain came and went, then came and went again overnight. I just wanted to scream at it to stop, but by morning, it wasn't going to matter how much more rain we got, the trails were going to be trashed. But it didn't matter to me. This race was on my calender since December and it was one I was looking forward to.

After the typical 4am bagels and Nutella breakfast, we prepped our things and headed for the start. The $200 prime definately made the start very fast. We hit the "wall" on our way out of town and my lungs were instantly on fire. Way way faster than I wanted to go. None the less I rolled with it and before we hit the singletrack, I was 2nd wheel. The trails were pretty slick, and the locals were ripping them. Again... way way faster than I wanted to go but I gritted my teeth and did my best to hang on.

After 10 miles or so, it came down to just me and Jeff Schalk. Jeff was moving pretty fast. I could tell his form had improved since Cohutta. The trails were sloppy and slick, but I was keeping the rubber side down. Last year I led a furocious attack up the trail run up utilizing my stair running skills I aquirred in the off season. This year however, I didn't posses those skills and Jeff was sure to eploit that. I hung tough but the run up really sapped my legs. We ripped down the super muddy water bar decent, crossed the road, then immediately hit the next hike-a-bike. I think Jeff rode most of it, which left me redlined and gasping for air. I gritted my teeth and dug as deep as I could, but that was the last time I would see him.

From here on out, I would ride by myself. I was feeling pretty cooked after redlining and I did my best to recover on the roads. By the time I got to the Mohican Wilderness, I was feeling better. I ripped through the aid station and pressed up the steep powerline climb, then back out onto the roads. Temps were starting to rise a bit as I rolled onto the buggy trail. The soggy false flat had me cursing. It was the low point of the race for me and probably the point where I gave up on any sort of chase. I knew 3rd wasn't too far behind so I just tried to move along as quickly and efficiently as possible to save 2nd place.

More roads interspersed with uphill trails and dirt rds. The true suffering really began as each steep climb was digging into me. Finally the last aid station. 6 miles to go! Grabbed a bottle just as the sky started to get really dark. I said to myself... "here we go again." The rain actually felt good and sort of revitalized me to the finish. The trails were beyond a complete mess. I hung tough for 2nd place!

Overall I'm very pleased with my performance. I could've had a total melt down, but this time I held it together. I'm starting to get the hang of how to suffer efficiently. Dare I say I actually had a little fun out there in the muck. It really is a great course and a well put together event. I'd do it all over again, no questions asked. Next up is Lumberjack. The course is actually better in the rain, so bring on the precip mother nature! She'll have to dig deep to make a mess of that course. Of course now that I said that, it'll probably be 90 and pure sun.

Stoney 12 Hr

2010-05-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

It all started out as a bright idea my training buddy Robert Herriman and I had. We figured we had a chance to top our one day mileage records in the Stoney Creek 12hr MTB race. His was 150 miles and mine was 140 miles. Besides that, it would be great to use as preperation for the upcoming back to back NUE events in June. The weather forecast looked beautiful, and Fun Promotions put together a really cool 11.5 mile course with 1000ft of climbing per lap! Fellow 29er crewer Tim Finkel also decided to join in the fun. He motivated me to work hard all the way to the finish.

A quick riders meeting and we were off. We were supposed to wait for the teams to start first, then the solo riders would go. Robert had his I-Pod turned up too loud and missed most of the meeting. He took off with the teams, so me and Tim just followed. I don't think it really made much difference in the end though. The course was fast and fun. We rode together for the first couple laps, then Tim and Robert decided to drop back and let me continue to cook myself. I wanted to ride at a 100 miler pace, then just hope to survive in the end. Throughout the day, people sort of visited me during my ride. First it was Cruise Bogedin, then my home boy Jeff Tewks hung out for a lap. On lap 13 I even got a chance to do half a lap with my coach Art

The first 100 miles went pretty quick and smooth. After that I began to struggle a bit. One minute I'd feel fine, then the next minute I'd feel aweful. I think it was my blood sugar dipping up and down as I sucked upwards of 30 ounces of Carb Pro and NUUN per lap. It was nausiating at times, but I knew I had to keep getting it down to survive. I started the last lap and decided to give it my all. Surprisingly I found some reserves left in the tank and was able to take my pace up a notch. I coasted in for the win with 14 laps and 161 miles in just under 12hrs. I was never so happy to be done with a race. I was very pleased with my performance. I never stopped for more than a minute and most of my laps times were pretty consistant. This will set me up well for the next stop on the NUE calendar... Mohican 100.

NUE 2010 Stop #1 Cohutta

2010-04-26T06:02:00.001-07:00

First 100 miler of the year in the books. What a crazy race! The rollout up the 3 mile paved climb was just as fast as usual. I surged to take the wholeshot at the top, but Jeff Schalk shut me down and I took 2nd wheel going into the singletrack. Things were pretty calm as we snaked through the Tsali trail system. The dirt was a little moist from the rain overnight, but for the most part the trail was in good shape.

We continued to whittle down the front group as we head out onto the fire roads. Josh Tostado was pushing a torrid pace which left a 5 man group to duke it out. It was Schalk, Peariso, me, Tanguy, and Tostado. By the time we reached aid 3 at the top of Big Frog Mt, it was just me and Jeff left at the front. I encountered a little tire trouble on the descent, and Jeff rolled away. Thanks to a little help from Chris Peariso, I limped into aid 4 where I was able to completely fix my flat for good. I lost a couple spots and was sitting in 5th. As I continued on I was able to take back the couple spots I lost.

Then came the rain and thunder. I kept thinking they were going to call the race at aid 6 and just send us down the fire road to the finish. The lightning and rain was hitting us full throttle and I could barely see as the mud flung up onto my glasses. I finally got to aid 6, where I realized they weren't going to call the race and we were going to have to finish the full 100. Good thing my brake pads held out on my XX brakes! I pushed to the finish were I rolled in for 3rd place!

Overall I was pleased with my performance. The legs felt solid. It's 100 miles and 9 times out of 10, you're going to have something not go to plan, like a flat, a mechanical, or the dreaded bonk. Thanks goes to all the sponsors for the support. It's a good start to 2010 and there will be more good things to come! Take care and thanks for reading.

I Finally Have The Ultimate

2010-04-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

SF100 frame + Full SRAMXX kit with the tapered head tube REBA XX + Stan's Race wheelset + Crankbrothers 2ti pedals with ti axles + All the lightest Bontrager components = one light ass 29er full suspension bike! I love it! Mucho thanks to the sponsors for making this ultimate bike come to life!

Mitch check's in

2010-03-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

Mitch will be writing a few entries from time to time this season to give a little perspective from a wife's side of things. Without further ado, I introduce my wife... Mitch

You and I’ve got what it takes to make it….

Mike and I married in 2004 at Addison Oaks…the venue of the first race that I ever came to support Mike at back in 2001. Guns N Roses - Patience was the song Mike and I first danced to as a married couple, this puzzled some people as it may not be the “typical” first dance song for newlyweds, but we liked it and felt a connection to the lyrics. Looking back on it today, there is definitely some significance and connections from it to the places that our journey has taken us. Many of you are aware that the past 8 months or so have been personally difficult for us to say the least…from a cycling perspective those of you that usually enjoy hanging with Mike and I and sharing a beer or two with us at Michigan’s two biggest races the Ore to Shore and Iceman may have noticed that we were “a no show” and “a DNF.” We had not missed these two events in nearly a decade, Mike plans his season in preparation to be at his best for them; they are a major focus of the season.

Mike has often referred to me his “teammate”, in life and in terms of the support that I provide him with his cycling…we just want everyone to know that the team is ready to take on another season!

A big “thank you” to all of our family and friends that have been and continue to support us while we have been picking up the pieces and getting the wheels up!

See you at the races!

Mikal and Mitch

The Rat Race

2010-03-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Up at 4:30am, get the cycling gear on, get on the bike and pedal to work like crazy! Finish work at 4:30pm, get the gear on and pedal home like crazy! Rush rush rush. Rush everywhere to everything. Getting in the hrs and miles can prove to be quite a challenge. I'm always on the lookout for any way to save an extra 5 minutes here and there. I thought I would share a few of my time saving secrets which help me grind out the dual lifestyle.

1. I make all my meals for the whole week on Sunday, then save them in the refrigerator. It saves time, and I eat a lot more healthy this way.

2. Grocery shop and do errands on my lunch breaks... on the days I drive of course.

3. I train on a singlespeed rigid mountain bike. This cuts way down on the time I have to spend on maintenance. Save the race bike for race day.

4. I train and ride right from my door 90% of the time. Driving to the ride = waste of time, unless I get to ride Lummis and McDreamy ;-)

5. Of course my wife Michelle helps me a ton with keeping the house cleaned up, doing the laundry, and a bunch of other glorious household chores like caring for the animals and paying the bills. Thanks Mitch!

6. I also lay out all my cycling clothes and my work clothes for the entire week. All I have to do is grab them and go.

I'm sure I'm leaving out more time management stuff, but you get the idea. It's a ton of effort to find the time to eek out that last bit of performance that may be overlooked. But I guess that's why they call it a rat race.

February Update

2010-02-25T12:16:00.000-08:00

Training is going well. Getting in some good rides and staying healthy. Look down on the right side of the blog. You'll notice I updated the 2010 calendar. I'm pretty excited about hitting 6 of the 8 NUE series races and Fools Gold will be a first for me. Being on the road during the weekends and working during the week takes it's tole pretty fast, so I have to try and ration out my road trip efforts. I'm glad to see the NUE schedule is spread out pretty well. We'll see if I have one more road trip in me to hit Iron Cross in the fall. It's such an epic course and I'd love to return there and have a good race.

I'm also excited about heading to Boyne in July for the Boyne Marathon. It's one of my favorite courses and a great time to get up North and enjoy the beauty of Michigan. And of course who could forget Iceman. 2010 will be my 11th one in a row! Has it really been that long!? I'm starting to feel old. Peak to Peak is slowly growing into it's own Michigan classic and I'll be back again going for the three peat!

Not too much longer and I'll be able to start commuting on my bike again. That will be nice. As for now, I'm slowly ramping up for the Spring races on the calendar. Barry Roubaix is an instant favorite, and I'm planning on returning for another go at Paris Ancaster to prepare for the first big race in the NUE points series, Cohutta. So stay healthy and get ready to race your bike! It won't be long. See ya next post.

Stuff For Sale

2010-01-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

I have a pair of 26" Velocity VXC wheels. They're the standard 32H disc hubs. The website has a claimed weight of 2060 grams. They're brand new, never taken out of the box. $300 or best offer takes them. Great set of spair wheels to train on. They come with Skewers too. Here's a link to the website with the info. email me: mikesimonson at hotmail dot com

http://www.velocityusa.com/default.asp?contentID=522

January Update

2010-01-21T09:32:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've updated. Well, 2010 is well underway. I'm all fixed up with Gary Fisher again for 2010, as well as Notubes, and a couple new sponsors this year with SRAM and some help from Crankbrothers. With this combo, I should be able to make one of the lightest, most bad ass 29ers on the planet!

The training has been going pretty well. I got a nice block in over the holidays with little Stewy, and with the MLK holiday and my regular Friday off, I'm working on another big block this week. I switched over to the paved roads instead of my typical dirt rds as the dirt is still pretty moist with the higher temps. Art's keeping a close eye on me and trying to keep me healthy as possible. He's been a great coach, and a great friend.

Looks like Barry Roubaix will be the first race on my calendar as Southern Cross was postponed to a later date I can't make. The beird will have to grow till March now. I'm full on for the NUE races starting with Cohutta. I was also thinking about Dirt Sweat and Gears 12hr in TN too. Lots of cash there up for grabs.

On another note, I turn 30 years old this week! Egads! I always said I was going to something crazy for my 30th, but I'm not sure I have the energy for that right now. I'm still recovering from New Years... thanks to the Collins' ;-)

Well that's it for now. Stay healthy and get ready for another awesome season of mountain biking!

Mileage Wars

2009-11-23T05:59:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

That's A Wrap

2009-11-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-06T11:21:00.001-08:00

Pullin out all the stops...

Back 2 Back Peak 2 Peak

2009-10-18T15:45:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-12T16:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-16T08:37:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-09T16:23:00.000-07:00

Secret Training. Chequamegon simulation program 1.0.

NUE Stop #5 Wilderness 101

2009-08-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-20T13:09:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-10T05:15:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-22T05:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-18T05:31:00.001-07:00

Bike Parts For Sale

2009-04-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-29T05:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-04T05:21:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-05T06:38:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-02T09:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-04T09:33:00.001-08:00

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!

Christmas in Cancun

2008-12-16T10:34:00.000-08:00

Well we're off to Cancn pretty shortly here. That's right, a nice break from this god aweful winter weather here in Michigan. I can't wait! We went all out with the all inclusive package... let's just say it may take till July for my cycling season to come around after all the food and drinks are burned off. Michelle and I will be be making appearances over by the swim up bar if you need us...

I haven't really gotton into my training program for next year yet. "Old Joe" has been holding out on me... says I need rest or something. That'll be a new concept for the Simonster this year. It's easy to get wrapped up in all the all hrs and miles. So and so is doing this... this persons doing that. I think you have to really be individualized about your training. Take it day to day. Ask yourself, "what's the best thing I can do today to prepare for the season?" That's about all I have to say about that.

Here's some good Mickey/Rocky quotes to get ya in the winter training mood. If you've ever worked with a coach before, these are right on...

Mickey: You know what you are?
Rocky: No, what?
Mickey: A tomato.
Rocky: A tomato?
Mickey: Yeah, and I'm running a business here, not a goddamn soup kitchen.

Mickey: Your nose is broken.
Rocky: How does it look?
Mickey: Ah, it's an improvement.

Mickey Goldmill: I've seen wrestlers that was bigger than dinosaurs! You ever fight a dinosaur, kid?
Rocky Balboa: No, not lately.
Mickey Goldmill: They can cause a variety of damage.

29 inches, 29 years old, and 2009!

2008-12-10T05:17:00.000-08:00

So far 2009 is shaping up to be a good year. As you may allready know, Trek has decided to pull the plug on their US based teams. I had a good season with them in 2008 and now it's time to move on. It's unfortunate, but it's a part of the business. On that note, I've aquired new sponsorship for 2009. The Michigan Trek/Fisher sales rep, Mike Shrift, and Travis Ott of Gary Fisher stepped up and came through with a spot on the Fisher 29er crew. Thanks guys! I'm really excited to be switching back to the 29" wheels. I'll be 29 years old, riding on 29" wheels, in 2009. Coincidence??? Perhaps fate brought all that together.

My weapon of choice is the Superfly. 3lb carbon frame with all the Bontrager trimmings. Bontrager is also comming out with a couple new tire choices like the XR1 which will help keep the wheels turning fast!

After a 2 week layoff with a bad cold, the winter training program is underway. My wife Michelle and I joined a local gym and I have a permanent trainer setup in the basement for getting in some time after work, or on those days where it's just unberable to be outside. My favorite movies to watch are the Rocky movies, Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars... yeah I'm a nerd.

I decided to work with a coach this year which is a first. He's a local guy and most people know him as Art. Imagine trying to tell this guy you don't feel like riding today (see pic below). I think he coached Rocky Balboa at one time, but I'm not 100% sure. I'm sure that's where Rocky learned about the running the stairs. (see pic above)

I think a viewpoint outside my own head will help tremendously to help make sure I'm doing the right things at the right times. We make a good team. Here's Art after our first training session on the stairs.

I'm looking forward to another fun season of traveling and making new friends. That's all for now. Gotta get back to the daily grind. Thanks for reading!

Iceman Aftermath

2008-11-10T04:46:00.000-08:00

Well another one down and another season in the books. Wow, that flew by! This was my 9th Iceman in a row. I was pleased with 7th overall. I just didn't have the legs at the end going into the final piece of singletrack. The course was smooth and packed down which made it hard to break up. We had a group of 8 for most of the race. I took a few hard pulls and tried to make a few moves early which had me paying the price later once we crossed Williamsburg Rd. I got spit out the back, but somehow managed to claw my way back to the group. After that, it was survival mode to hang on for 7th. Overall, this is the funnest race for me all year. I've raced all over the country and I have to hand it Steve Brown. He's got the best event going in the country right now, hands down. And of course the Bells party is always a blast.

Now it's time to take a break from racing and relax before I start going to work on preperations for next year. Not sure what the plans are for Trek yet. I'd really like to stay with them for 09, but we'll see how it pans out. If anyone is looking to add a team member, feel free to contact me. I'm open to options. See you in the spring!

Pre- Iceman Update

2008-11-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

Well... it's Thursday before the Iceman. Things have been going well. I've been working with Art Flemming on a daily basis trying to squeeze out any additional fitness I may have missed over this past year. I think we made some definate improvements. I decided to forgoe the cross races, and instead, we have been motor pacing in a super secret location on the weekends. I can tell you that these are the hardest efforts I've ever done on a bicycle. It takes about 4 days to fully recover. It's intense. I've also managed to drop about 5 lbs since Chequamegon by riding to work and back everyday. I've logged well over 2000 commute miles this year, and I'm still going. That alone has made a tremendous difference.

My bike is ready, my fitness is primed, and I'm feeling healthy and ready to take on the Iceman! I can't wait! Should be a tough one this year. A stacked field along with some not so nice weather will make this race one for the books.

Peak 2 Peak

2008-10-20T09:10:00.001-07:00

There's something about racing in the fall that just gets me fired up. Maybe it's the anticipation that there's only a few races left in the season, or maybe it's just that clean crisp air. Whatever it is, Peak 2 Peak at Crystal Mountain had it this past weekend. The weather was absolutely perfect and the fall colors were peaking. Endoman promotions did a fantastic job of setting up the venue, I was impressed. They went the extra mile to make the event feel like everyone racing was important. The trail was super fun and it was a great warm up for the Iceman. Drafting seemed effective on fast flatter sections of the trail, just like the beginning of Iceman.

The start of the race quickly thinned out to 3 of us which was me, Mike Anderson, and Derek Graham on the 1st lap. I had no idea how long the last climb was, so I attacked on the bottom slopes and severly paid for it at the top where Mike Anderson slipped away with a 5 second gap. Luckily Derek and I were able to close it at the bottom. 2nd lap we traded pulls back and forth until the big climb at the end. This time I waited until the top to put in an acceleration. I got a gap, which Mike Anderson closed by the top. We lost contact with Derek on the decent, and it was down to me and Mike Anderson for the win. I took a pretty hard pull to distance ourselves from Derek. Near the end of the lap, I asked Mike to come thru. I could sense he was tired and went around him. I quickly opened up the gap and held on for the win.

I'll definately be back next year. The course is great for attracting riders from all discilpines of the sport as it seems to have something for everyone. Plus I'm also a big fan of racing on SATURDAY because it gives us a chance to still have a weekend after the race.

Stoney Creek CX

2008-10-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

The kick-off to Iceman training has officially begun. Cyclocross is great way to get in some lung seering efforts and bring out that final edge for the end of the MTB season. This year Stoney Creek was no exception. I decided to skip the UCI race this year since they won't let me ride my MTB, so I had no prior preperation for Stoney. I hopped the barriers a couple times in warm up and I was good to go. The pace of the race was instantly uncomfortable. We hit the beach and I decided to ride it. Big mistake. I totally redlined my heart rate and completely blew up trying to get to the other side. After a bit of recovery, I worked my way back up to Tim Saari and John Card. They kept working me over on the beach every lap, until I finally copied John's method to running with the bike. What a huge improvement! John ended up having some trouble in the end which left it down to me and Tim on the final lap. I bridged up to him on the run across the beach and got around him with a ginger elbow tap. Michael Wissink and Jeff Weinart were long gone off the front and I rolled in for 3rd. It was a fun race and I can't wait to get out there for some more racing. This weekend Michelle and I are headed off to Iron Cross in Southern PA. It's a 62 mile CX race up and down 6300ft of rolling mountains. Sounds brutal... I can't wait!

Addison Oaks Fall Classic

2008-09-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

Addison Oaks is a very near and dear place to me. I got my first win there and it was also one of the first races I ever attempted in my sport level days. My wife and I also got married there! Entering the park and driving through the old weeping willows is so cool. So much work has gone into this trail in the past few years. They have done an exceptional job with the course.

I had been training pretty hard the past few weeks, so I wasn't real sure how the legs were going to feel. Joe Brzuchanski took the hole shot like he was shot out of a cannon, and I remember thinking, "this is way too fast for me today." Joe ended up with some mechanical troubles which left the pace making up to Christian and me and Kyle Stang followed. We were absolutely flying through that course and soon Christian and I were alone. Chrisitan never let up on the pace the entire race. He upped the pace at the end of the last lap and I was cooked by the time we got to line. He won the sprint and I ended up 2nd on the day. I felt pretty good about the result considering where I was in my training. No mechanicals, no crashes, and no mis-haps of any kind. In the end it was a good race.

I had a great time hanging out with Fraser Bikes guys after the race! Thanks for the beverages and brats! I'll definately be back for another race at Addison.

Chequame-crash out

2008-09-15T04:40:00.000-07:00

11th Place... My excuse... the "random tandem" crashed me out in the neutral roll-out. I raced like a mad dog to get all the way back into the top ten. It was a good workout.

The start/roll-out is an absolute hazard. 2000 people all cramming to get to the front. After getting crashed out of contention for two years in a row, I'm officially done with this race. Every year there's 1 or 2 major crashes at the start. They're not little bobbles into the soft grass either. It's head over heels doing 25 mph into the pavement. Not sure how the problem gets solved, but I guess ignoring it has been working for the last 10 years.

Stoney XC

2008-09-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the guys who came out and hung tough in the rain. Perfect prep for the next leg of the tripple crown... THE CHEQUAMEGON!

Results below:

http://www.tailwind.net/results/RESULTS-ALL-STONY%20XC-20080907.pdf

Shenandoah 100 Report

2008-09-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

This has to be one of my favorite race courses in the country. It has it all. Knarley decents and killer climbs. The race went pretty well for me. I stayed with the leaders (Eatough, Schalk, Koerber, and Beck) after the first climb and downhill. Then about halfway up the 2nd climb, Chris Beck slowly pulled away from me. He was about 20 seconds up on me at the top and I thought for sure I could bridge on the decent. That was when the first flat happened. Dang! 5 or 6 guys passed. I chased on the decent and caught fellow Michigander Greg Kuhn. We road together all the way to the next big climb. We slowly brought back 3 guys on the climb which put us 6th and 7th. I pushed pretty hard on the climb and Greg lost contact, but came flying back at the bottom of the decent. We continued together on the pavement and up to the next climb. I pushed hard and kept it in the middle ring the whole way up and Greg again lost contact. After a quick decent...sure enough, Greg bridged back up. We continued to work together all the way to the "sole crusher." I distanced myself from Greg by the time I got to the top. At that point I was pretty sure it was going to be 6th place for me as 5th was over 10 minutes up. I continued to push all the way up and over the last climb. Then... dun dun dun. I got another flat. This time it was the front. I had an extra tube, but not enough air to fill the tire. That's when Greg came rolling up and saved the day. He gave me a C02 and I was back in business. We rode to the finish together and crossed the line 6th and 7th.

I was happy with 6th. I matched my time from last year with 2 flats, so that's a good sign things are going well. I also managed to finish without going into the bonk zone. I finally think I have my nutrition plan figured out for these 100 milers. I was really proud of Greg Kuhn (my training partner) for having such a good race and a big THANKS goes out to him for hooking me up with the C02 at the end. Next up is the Chequamegon. I've got two weeks to prepare. I should be fine if I can survive the insane rollout and avoid mechanicals.

Home Course Advantage

2008-08-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

Made the big 30 minute drive yesterday out to one of favorite summer classics, Pontiac Lake XC. I consider it to be my home course. I've been riding there ever since I was 14 years old. I did my first XC race there. It was a Paul Bunyon in January I believe and it was extremely muddy. I DNF'd. A lot has changed since then. The course has undergone many changes and improvements. In my opinion, I think it's one of the most technically difficult courses in MI. It's 10 miles long and has about 760ft of climbing per lap. There's lots of fast challenging downhills and some tough steep climbs. I chose to ride the Trek Top Fuel and it proved to be the right choice because... I won! It's amazing how full suspension keeps ya so fresh on bumpy courses. Congrats to my good friend Joe Brzuchanski on the Bells MTB Team for sticking it to the end in 2nd place. He rode a good race.

This weekend is the Shenandoah 100 in Virginia. It's a beast of a course at 100 miles and 12,000ft of climbing! The first 25 will be fun, the last 25 will be grooling. It's good for me though. I gain a lot of experience and I learn a lot from riding with some the best riders in the country. After 100 miles you pretty much know what you're made of. You know your strengths, your weaknesses, and your limits as a cyclist. I recomomend everyone try one at least once.

THREE-PEAT!

2008-08-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

What a fun weekend. The 7 hr drive was worth it to experience Marquette at least one time this summer. The weather was pretty good, except for the downpour 30 min before the start, which turned out to be a blessing as the course was the best it's ever been.

How it unfolded:
The controlled roll-out suprised me. I almost ran into the back of the motorcycle. Oh well. Up and over the Luge climb with Brian Matter by my side. We pulled out a group of 6. It was Me, Matter, Swanson, Anderson, Marko, and TJ. Matter flatted in Ishpeming, then Doug went down in the puddle of death, which left the 4 of us to battle it out. Soon after, TJ attacked super hard on the power line climbs and I could tell he was feeling good. All was going well until we got to Misery Hill. Ugh. I was put into difficulty on the hike-a-bike. I chased through all the rough stuff and latched back onto the group when the trail flattened back out. After a discussion of the prize list breakdown, it was time to get down to business. From there on out it was all shadow boxing. This is the fun stuff. It's what racing is all about. We were all testing each other here and there on the little rollers. I wasn't sure who had the best legs. Finally on the long paved road section, I knew it was time to go for it and lay out all my cards. I tested them a couple times on the pavement, but nobody was willing to counter-attack. As soon as we got back onto the trail, I attacked on the downhill and got a little 10 second gap. I kept telling myself, "you can do this! Go! Go! Go!" I thought back to Iceman from last year when Brian rolled away with 10 to go and I just kept that thought in my head every time I looked back and saw TJ chasing. It was the perfect mindset as I was able to hold off TJ and roll in for the win! A little more tactical than in the past, but a win none the less. It seemed that anyone of us could have won the race out of that group of six, but a little luck with good timing and patience proved to be the key.

Next up Shenandoah, followed by "The Chequamegon." My goal is to just finish that one in my lifetime.

The Marathon

2008-06-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

I woke up to the sounds of rain on the roof last Saturday morning before the start of the Stoney Creek Marathon race in Rochester MI. I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to race in the mud, but the FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) kicked in and I had to be there. I threw on the Bontrager mud tires and the Fuel was prepped.
A blow of the whistle and we were off. Lummis took the whole shot and lead most of the lap before I took over in the singletrack. Christian went to work on lap 2 which whittled it down to just me, Christian, and Randy Laprarrie. Christian punched it hard a few times till it was just me and him. Then, he punched it one more time before we got to the uphill singletrail and he was off on his own. I thought that was the last time I’d see him, but much to my surprise I saw him on the side of trail heading into lap 3. I think he caught a flat. In the meantime I put it on Auto pilot for the rest of 4 laps and brought home the first W of the year followed by my training partner Greg Kuhn in 2nd. Nice work Greg!
It was nice to see all my friends again. I think we all suffered together with the heat, the mud, and the humidity. It made for a tough race and I was happy to finish.
From there we took the party over Keith Riege’s for some relaxation on the deck along with some good old fashioned grilling. We had a fun time well into the night and we made some new friends too.
Thanks goes out to all who support me in this mountain bike racing endeavor. I couldn’t do it without you guys!

The Commute

2008-06-20T12:01:00.001-07:00

So I accomplished something very special this week. I biked to work and back an entire work week! 19 miles both ways puts me at 38 miles a day in approximately 2hrs 15min, unless I take a deviation on my way home. I did the math on the gas savings and it comes out 27 dollars a week with gas at $4.15 a gallon. Woohoo! That buys me and Mitch a celebration dinner tonight! In a way, it almost feels like I’m getting paid to ride my bike.
It’s a great route too. It’s mostly all rail trails. I start out bright and early at 6AM as our neighborhood connects right to the Polly-Anne trail for the first couple miles. From there I take back roads down to Lake Orion where I pick up the Paint Creek trail which takes me on a scenic route all the way to Rochester. There’s a nice little connector trail which leads behind the library and over to the Clinton River trail. I head West for another few miles and the trail drops me off just a few hundred yards from my work front door.
I’ve discovered there’s a whole sub-culture of bike commuters around here and I’ve run into a few old friends. Just this morning I ran into a friend that I used to work with when I was at Chrysler.
With no showers, baby wipes and Right Guard have become very useful, and I’m sure everyone here at the office appreciates it too. Every minute of the commute is worth it though. I highly recommend bike commuting for anyone looking to save time, or money on gas. It’s a very rewarding experience.

Lumberjack 100

2008-06-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

I think the best word to describe 100 mile MTB racing is "tough", and the 2008 Lumberjack was no exception. 100 miles of pure Michigan singletrack. With this race being in my home state, I really wanted to give the full timers a run... well for at least one lap. I took the whole shot and was first to the top of Big M mountain with Jeff Schalk glued to my wheel. I continued to push the pace for the entire first lap. At one point I was all alone off the front just after the epic "swamp" section. It was the craziest thing I've ever seen on a mountain bike course! The water was up to my knees in some spots and lasted what seemed like a 1/4 mile. My efforts proved to be too much too soon as I faded after the first lap. The good thing is I felt the best I've felt all year and it's something I can build on! Another plus was I got to race on my Top Fuel for the first time. It was definately an awesome bike for the course. Thanks goes to Chris Shaw and the people at Trek for supporting me this season!

The most rewarding part of the weekend was spending time and getting know better my father in law Dan O'Dea. We left together on Thursday after work in the motorhome. I am now completely spoiled and road tripping it again in the PT Cruiser will be tough to swallow. A big THANKS goes out to Dan, and the entire O'Dea family for taking care of my every need for the entire weekend. It made a huge difference!

Two new friends of mine DJ and Fuzzy at the after party. I've got some work to do on my beard if I want to catch up.

This is me at the finish line with Rick Plite. He put on a very well promoted event and brought some stiff competition into Michigan from all over the country. WELL DONE RICK!

I had a great time racing in Michigan and it made me realize how much I miss all my racing buddies this year. It was good to see everyone again and I hope I can see everyone again soon. I'll do my best to keep everyone posted. Bye for now.

2008 Mid Season Report

2008-06-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of June and I've got a few races under my belt now. I trained more hrs in the off season than ever before. Couple that with 5 100+ mile races, three agonizing weeks of the flu, and you've got one tired bike rider... and it's only June! It's OK though. I've got tons of miles in my legs and all I need now is to back off and work on a little bit of speed for the rest of the season. My plan this year was to step it up, and try to take on some of the bigger events (NUE) with the toughest competition. So far it's been very tough. I spend most of my time trying to recover at my desk from 100 mile MTB races, and specific training during the week seems to just be a thought for now. But on the bright side, I'm 100% healthy, and haven't had any major catastrpohies this year so far. Well that's it for now. I'll keep the readers posted on the events of the next NUE dun dun dun... The Lumberjack!

Start of the Mohican100. Rigid was probably not the best decision! Ouch!

The Introduction

2008-06-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

Hello, and welcome to the Simonster Blog. I figured I would start out with a brief introduction and look into my life (for anyone who cares).

After a long period with Bells/Quiring, I switched racing teams this year and I'm now racing for the Trek Midwest Factory Team. The Bells Team was a great experience for me and Quiring makes great bikes. However, I felt this was a good opportunity to hook up with one of the most prominent professional MTB team in the United States. Oh yeah... and they happen to make great bikes as well!

Full suspension setup for longer more bumpy courses. Minus the suspension fork for right now.

69er (hu-hu) for the faster point to point races ala "The Chequamegon", O2S, or Iceman.

This is my beautiful wife Michelle. We've been married now for almost 4 years. She suuports me and my racing 100% and I couldn't do it without her. She works for Clarkston public schools and recently graduated with her masters degree in special education, (more sponsorship $$$!).

This is our home in Oxford MI. We've lived here for 3 years now. I like the location because I can ride to work on all rail trails, or head North and get away from the traffic. There's about 5 different MTB trails within riding distance from my front door.

This our dog Buddy. He's full of energy and loves to go on bike rides. We got him when he was a puppy. Seems like he's always in a good mood. Nothing bothers him.

This is our cat Tigger. He sleeps constantly. He's about the most chill cat I've ever met. He weighs 20 lbs and can be seen most of the day just as he is sitting. We don't know much about him or what he does for a living, other than he lives on our couch. He's good entertainment though and he loves to nestle in your lap.