How
I got started mountain biking & How I got started racing mountain
bikes.
.....I have had a road bike for decades. I own a Puch Pathfinder road
bike which I bought from The Bicycle Shop in Muskegon in 1978 (photo).
I rode this bike as major transportation all through college as well
as summer long rides (such as the time I rode from my house in Muskegon
to Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, then to my girlfriend's cottage on Lake
Michigan then back home via Scenic Drive and North Muskegon. Road riding
was big sport then and would fade until Lance brought it back these
past seven years.
.....In April, 1998 I decided I needed a new bike and went to Village
Bike Shop in Grand Rapids intending to buy a new road bike for about
$600.00. I ended up buying an $850.00 Giant ATX750 mountainbike for
$750.00 ! It was a cro-moly frame, front shock and foot cages on the
pedals (which I was familiar with as my Puch had cages). I started riding
trails in the Grand Rapids area and joined the MMBA when I heard about
that organization. My first trail ride was at Cannonsburg Game Area.
The second trail I ever rode was Ionia Rec Area. After that came other
trails in the area such as Yankee Springs and Fort Custer.
In June of 1998, I saw a flyer in the bike shop about a race at Robinette's
Orchard. That sounded like fun so I showed up and signed up and DIED
on the first lap! Jeez was that tough. I was so very out of shape and
left in the dust by the competitors. I went to the promoter desk after
the first of two laps and dropped out. He nearly laughed at me.
.....I determined to get in better shape. My employment had a fitness
center and I began using that regularly, running the treadmill and lifting
weights. I cut back on beer consumption and began to eat more better-
resuming a vegetarian/vegan diet again. By spring 1999 I was ready to
try racing again and kicked off my racing career with the 1999 Yankee
Springs Time. I have been doing some type of racing ever since.
.....Brenden began riding trails with me on his 16-inch bike in 1998
also. He had a Trek Mountain Lion ten speed kids mountain bike. By summer
1999, he moved up to a 20-inch Bianchi Wildcat mountain bike as he turned
ten years old. He had been doing the kids races at the mountain bike
race events, but we arrived at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills that
afternoon too late and missed the kid's race. I told Brenden I knew
he could do the trail- he'd been riding it with me the day before anyway.
So I signed him up for the 14&under category and he has been racing
ever since.
My mountain bikes: Two Cannondale Rush 600 and a Cannondale Cyclocross-6
More on bike seasons below...........
Here's a link from the MMBA SW Chapter on WWMT-TV
Here's a link to a video Joni and I did with WOTV Gerry Barnaby
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2010
My tentative schedule for 2011.
03/26/11
Barry Roubaix
04/30/11 Cohutta 100
06/18/11 Lumberjack 100
07/09/11 Boyne
07/30/10 Wilderness 100 (tentative pending decision to do Ithaca)
07/31/11 Ithaca 6/12 Hour
08/13/11 Ore2Shore
08/20/10 Fool's Gold 100
09/04/11 Shenendoah 100
09/25/11 Pando
11/05/11 Iceman
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2010
Goals
for 2010
1. increase VO2Max- Results- in 2011 I need to re-take the
VO2max test
2. complete four 100 milers- Results- - completed two, DNFd
two due to weather
3. beat my Barry-Roubaix time- finish in less than 2 hours- Results-
- beat my last year's time by 15 minutes
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My 2009 mountain bike racing schedule and goals
Goals
for 2009
1. Complete Lumberjack 100- successful- did it less than 12 hours
as well
2. Race
La Ruta- did not enter this event
3. increase speed and endurance- 50/50, endurance is fine, speed is
questionable
My racing schedule for 2009
Barry
Roubaix Killer Gravel Road Race 3/28/09 25th
of 29, 2hrs/9min
12 Hours of Addison Oaks - race cancelled
24 Hours of Boyne - solo 8 laps, 75 miles, 2rd
place
Lumberjack-100 6/20/09- success 11hrs:45min
12 Hours of Ithaca 7/18/09- injury shortened
event
Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic beat my best
time previously with a 2009 finish of 3:39
12 Hours of Pando 8/15/09- raced solo-FIRST
PLACE! 22 laps
12 HOURS of Drummond Island 8/29/09- did not
race
12 Hours of Hanson Hills 9/12/09 - did not race
Pando Challenge CrossCountry Race - fifth place
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My 2008 mountain
bike racing schedule
FOUR
goals for 2008
1. finish the Lumberjack 100 (in 2005&2006- only two 25 mile laps
before bonking, 2007 completed 75 miles)
2. Race the 12 Hours of Cranky Monkey in Quantico Va USMC base
in June Gave up this idea due to expenses
3. Shoot for first place in FunPromotions Endurance Series
4. Ore to Shore- reduce time to less than 3.5 Hours
5. La
Ruta de la Conquistedors?
Let's see!
My racing schedule for 2008
05/04/2008 Fort Custer
Stampede CPS
5/17/2008 6 & 12 Hours of Addison Oaks 10am – 10pm
Did not attend
05/24/2008 12 & 24 Hours of BOYNE Noon - Noon
06/01/2008 Hanson Hills CPS
06/14/2008 Lumberjack 100 NUE MTB-100 Series
06/21/2008 8 Hours of Cannonsburg 10am – 6pm
07/19/2008 6 & 12 Hours of Ithaca Noon – Midnight
08/09/2008 Ore to Shore Independent race
08/16/2008 6 & 12 Hours of PANDO Noon – Midnight
08/30/2008 6 & 12 Hours of Drummond Is Noon – Midnight
09/13/2008 12 & 24 Hours of Hanson Hills 10am – 10am
11/12/2008 La Ruta de la Conquistedors, Costa Rica
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2007 mountain bike racing schedule
Season assessment: I put on more miles this year than I likely did several of the previous years combined. I made a concerted effort to improve my climbing and endurance. I had numerous 100 mile training weeks, riding 20-30-40 miles at a time numerous times per week. I finished first in FunPromotions Endurance series the hightlight of which was my 158 miles at Drummond Island in which I had more laps than any other solo racer (and as many laps in twelve hours as the top 12Hr racer). I also took ten minutes off my time at Ore to Shore (on a course that was generally considered slower due to increased sand). My big failure was again not finishing Lumberjack.
2008 goals? Not sure yet. I do need to increase my speed (intervals and sprints), work on core body training (back and abdomen) as well as minor upper body exersizes for shoulders and biceps.
Fun Promotions Endurance
Cup Series- First Place 2007 Series Men 40-plus
05/19/2007 Saturday 12 HOURS of Addison Oaks 6th
place of 8- 87 miles, 12 laps
05/26/2007 Saturday 12 HOURS of BOYNE- 2nd
place of 2- 67 miles, 7 laps
07/21/2007 Saturday 12 HOURS of Ithaca - 3rd
place of 8- 113 miles, 23 laps
08/18/2007 Saturday 12 HOURS of PANDO 4th
place of 10, 17 laps- 76 miles
09/01/2007 Saturday 24 HOURS of Drummond Island – 1st
place, 158 miles, 24 laps, average MPH 9.8
09/16/2007 Saturday 12 HOURS of Hanson Hills - 3rd
place, 105 miles, 10 laps, average MPH 9.9
MMBA 2007 Championship
Point Series races
06/03/2007 Sunday Hanson Hills Challenge - XC MMBA CPS - 9
place of 13
07/07/2007 Saturday July 7th Boyne Challenge – Marathon XC MMBA
CPS 8th place of 10 - 34 miles 3hrs 46min
09/23/2007 Addison Oaks Fall Classic - XC Sunday 11th
place of 12- 29 miles 2hrs 8min- 4 laps (raced expert)
09/30/2007 Pando Challenge – XC Sunday 11th
of 12 racers at 2hrs08minutes, 6 laps, 24 miles
Independent events
08/12/2007 Saturday Ore to Shore Independent Time
3:53:55, 295 of 518 Racers, 244 of 414 men, 29 of 57 Men 45-49yrs
old, 12.3 mph avg
06/16/2007 Saturday
Lumberjack 100 - 75 miles (3 laps) of
100 miles (4 laps) / 9 Hours
Modified-
FOUR
goals for 2007
1. Race four 12 hour events - Completed
2. finish the Lumberjack 100 (in 2005 and 2006, I only completed two
25 mile laps before bonking) Failed- did three
laps, 75 miles
3. participate in at least three other 100 Mile races in the series
- maybe next year
4. Ore to Shore- reduce time to 3.5 hours - Did
it in 3:54, ten minutes off 2006
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2006 mountain
bike racing schedule
Three goals for 2006:
1. focus on mostly 12 hour events (completed
four of these events, plus one eight-hour race with Brenden)
2. finish the Lumberjack 100 (for the second
year- failed to finish, only completed 50 miles)
3. participate and finish the La Ruta de los Conquistedors (delay
this attempt until, hopefully, 2007)
Go to
Race Resume for results and Blog
for discussion on the events
June 4th Hanson Hills CPS race
June 17th Lumberjack 100
June
24th 8 HOURS of PANDO
July 8th - Boyne Marathon CPS race
July 29th - 12 HOURS of Ithaca
August 12th Ore to Shore
August 19th 12 HOURS of PANDO
Aug 26th Maybury Cross Country Race
September 2nd & 3rd 12 Hours HOURS of Drummond Island
September 16th - 12 HOURS of Hanson Hills
September 24th - Addison Oaks CPS race
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