K-Blogg

757CX Gear

2011-08-26T22:05:00.001-04:00

Happy Holidays

2009-12-19T06:07:00.002-05:00

Krampus

We all know what happens to the "nice" kids...
But what about us naughty ones???
This I found very interesting

2010 news

2009-12-15T18:08:00.000-05:00

Coming soon

I Love Habaneros

2009-08-09T17:26:00.000-04:00

GamJams Review Recovery Drinks

2009-07-30T12:52:00.000-04:00

Beer glorious Beer!
That's what I use... Shocker I know.
But after a good (or bad) race or ride what's better than a nice cold beer or three?
And it really doesn't matter what kind. Times are tough and I aint rollin so on weekly rides I generally drink the working mans classic PBR. But every once in awhile, its good to get a more high end brew.

Andy (of fat frogs) uses phos gen as shown in pic below. And I've heard of quite a few others that use it as well.

An un named source uses endurox r4 mixed with gatorade. Sounds like a bit much to me but this is all preferential remember.
I used to and I know of a lot of people who use the endurox r4 recovery drink and speak very highly of its benefits.

I've seen choco milk being used and sometimes it makes me want some.

it usually takes me a while before I can eat real food post ride/race but when I can I prefer mexican food.

Mark over at www.runriderace.com always orders pizza and that always hits the spot.

And let's not forget or look past the good ol fasion soda pop. Namely coca cola and or sunkist!

That's all I got for now. Feel free to chime in with yours in the comments section.

Thx for clicking...

Critical Mass Cowbell

2009-07-30T06:40:00.001-04:00

Test

2009-07-05T21:59:00.000-04:00

Wattage Carriage!

2009-07-05T21:50:00.000-04:00

Amphib Assault

2009-06-13T19:47:00.002-04:00

People have axed, "where's the Blog?" I say Facebook killed the Blog!

It's true but I have kept this thing afloat and I will try to throw some fun stuff up from time to time.

Today was the amphib assault crit put on by my team.

At first the weather was typical for this race with the sun and heat, but the wind was non existent. Until the freaky black clouds rolled in dumping giant droplets of rain down on us.

I must admit, it made my race so much more fun. Otherwise it would have been boring.

I had a pretty good time doing a roadie event which I haven't been doing much of this year. Been having a blast going back to my roots in the dirt! It was a great workout and hopefully put some speed in the legz. I enjoyed watching all of the other races.

Here's a few of my pics!

Some other pics can be found here Mike Parks Picasa

and here Bob & BJ's SmugMug

From the makers of my fave beer in a can...

2009-03-10T20:50:00.001-04:00

What the What???

2009-02-26T20:39:00.003-05:00

I thought there was only one bully on that team... Here's Rob D getting bullied outta the way by none other than a teammate Geno! I almost spit my coffee out when I saw this. Geno, Rob, please chime in and tell us what's up. Speak on it!

These fine photos and many others come courtesy of Kevin Dillard

I freakin Love the roadie season

Snowball Crit #1

2009-02-24T22:00:00.001-05:00

I've never been more excited for a Snowball Crit...
Not to say that I have crazy form or anything (that's not the case at all).
I always try to support the VBV crew, which this year was the 10th edition of the Snowball. I will be missing #2 due to a MTB race.
The weather was typical of a lot of cross races i've done this past season so for me the cold, rain, and wind didn't bother me so much. I made sure I was there early, put the tent up, got dressed, put the embrocation on, and hit the trainer. Got to the start line wearing lots of clothes and peeled them off just before the actual start (just like a cx race).
I have been treating this time of year as my off season but I still wanna whoop it up on the road. After an un fulfilled cx season due to injuries and weddings---I feel like I have some angst to take out on the road this spring. So after some good miles on the road, i'm eager to see what I come up with...
It's always good to get the first race under the belt and with no problems. I got to see who is riding well, and who is not. I was one person out there and the attacks were a plenty. I was glad to play agressively and didn't get put in the hurt locker. I missed a move or two, but i'm okay with that. I'm out there to do work, and have fun! Oh, and I got a $10 preme which got me a few post race brews at hometown heroes!
I didn't see a crash all day, which is a great sign...
I would like to thank Mike P, Mike C, Lynn, and Art for breaking down camp and putting my bike on the car all while the wind went wild and the snow was coming at us sideways.
Only the tough kids showed up to race, so there was no drama to speak of...

And thanks to Cindy for bringing me a special homebrew called "4 Dog Ale" made by the Dazzler and Creedance! That shizat was tight!!! The dawg wants more! panting...

Park's Pics

Bob&BJ's Pics

results

VBV-Blog

is IronCross detrimental to a successful CX season???

2009-02-23T22:40:00.000-05:00

Your thoughts...

And advice...

Please

Thanks

(EDIT--added after 7 comments)
So basically Training and Racing to do well at Ironcross can slow the start of a very short CX season. We do a bunch of 60 milers in New Kent County leading up to IC. It's good base for CX, but I think the zip is lacking...
So I think this year I will still do those rides because they're great, but I will throw in traditional CX efforts throughout the week in order to be more CX race ready. I've done all but one Ironcross and don't see myself missing it in the future... I mean, I did it last year with a broken neck, and the year before with a big ol hematoma on the hip! This year I think I will try and ride it rather than race it because I want to put more effort into my 09 CX season. Each year it becomes more and more of what I want to do.
Another big ride is the SM100!!! I have done 5 editions of an available 10 and want to continue doing them. There's nothing like it. I don't train for that one at all and tend to use that one 100miler as my CX base training camp!!! It's just a really fun weekend in the mtn with great peeps and it's hardly a race for someone posting times like me and more of an epic ride...
So I really appreciate all the feedback, it's been very helpfull in my decision/plan making...
I want to focus on the Mabra CX races and a few MAC's in the killer B fields. Starting positions are key and they do call ups so doing well in the first races is key.
Feel free to continue commenting on this topic and wht i've added...
Thanx--Kevin

Billy Cross 09----- WOW!!!!

2009-01-26T19:31:00.001-05:00

Karting!!! (So Fun)

2009-01-25T08:22:00.000-05:00

GamJams Reviews: Handlebar Tape

2009-01-22T17:28:00.003-05:00

I have this Cinelli stars and bars tape hanging in the garage for someday when i'm a national champ at something... OK, I barely wrote that sentence without spitting all over poor lappy toppy! We'll call this an ice breaker. This tape i'll bet is tricky to wrap, and i've seen a few people using it and the colors have faded badly. That stinks because it's really nice looking.

Now on to the show;
When I picked up the Sram Rival groupo last year I wanted to get fancy red hood covers so I had Contes Va Beach order them up for me. I was informed that they come in a kit with bartape as well. I went with all red obviously. I didn't know at the time that Sram had any bar tape offerings so I was a bit leary of what I was getting into. But you know how these things go, "oh it's my fave bar tape in the world"! It's true, I'm impressed with it and it has become my fave. It holds up really well, doesn't hold onto a lot of dirt and grime like others do. I'm a fan of no glove riding when the situations allow it ( I try and race with gloves for the crash factor). This tape feels really good on the bare hands, and it doesn't get too slippery when wet. So when you're sprinting to the finish line and doing a bike throw, you won't do it literally!
The day I realized this unique feature was the first time riding this setup in a summer downpour. Riding with no gloves and I gotta tell ya, it felt great! Not spongy at all nor slick. For that alone, I am sold. It wraps really well and adds a nice touch to your Sram get up!

And as a bonus I give you Bontrager Buzzkills! They retail at your local BikeBeats for $9.99.

They're advertised to cancel road vibrations in the handlebar acting as a dampener. I used them on my Cross bike two years ago and have to be honest with you--- I didn't notice a difference. But, for some reason I have two more sets and I will try again. I think these would be better tested on a roadie only because CX'ers don't give a damn about no dampening!!!!!

So sorry for the lack of typical content with the K-Blogg as of late. With the current but short off season, and facebook, it's just not happening. But once we start doing some drama crits with the drama filled roadies you bet we'll be chock full of... Cuz here in the k-blogg----"we love drama"!

xoxo

Alley Cat----Lock U Up!

2009-01-10T21:41:00.004-05:00

Holeshot FotoByWes!

Wes and his crew are doing good things for those in need in Norfolk! This was my first alley cat and I enjoyed it so much!
We formed teams at the start and I went with my peeps Dr. Park and Lynn and we had no intentions of being competitive at all. I was the weak link of the bunch riding the pink passion cruiser and on the way to check point two into the headwind I was like "i might have to meet up with you guys at the Tap House". But my mates agreed to slow down a bit and keep us together. It wasn't long before we had a tail wind and we were doing pretty good so I kept at it. I was just along for the ride, taking pics, looking pretty and I did the mandatory tire change at the last check point.
As we rolled up to the Tap House for the finish we saw Dinsey and Adam waiting for the 2cnd place team(us) to come in. From there we told battle stories and welcomed the rest of the participants as we had Belgium beers (except for me PBR) and chilli cheese fries!

Check Wes's Blog for all the deets but what it boils down to is all the cash we generated today goes to getting the working class in Norfolk who commute to work on bikes some nifty U-Locks. Thanks also goes out to Mike Shipp who is offering a killer deal to Wes on the Locks!

Be sure and come out to the next one. I had more of a workout than I expected...

DR. Park tracked us on his gps thingy here

GamJams Reviews : Best Cycling Gift Received This Year

2009-01-08T19:11:00.002-05:00

My best cycling gift of the year comes to me via Crazy Hosang!

This stuff is sooooo HOT! I used it for this CX season and loved it. It's the gift that keeps giving...
I have the Hot and Extra Hot

Thanks Crazy!

Sorry Mr. May for being late the last two entries

GamJams Review : Winter Tights

2009-01-02T16:57:00.004-05:00

I never used to ride in the frigid cold, I would sweat it out in a spin class preferably behind a bouncing thong!!!
Gym time is a big part of my routine, but nothing compares to actual miles on the road. And riding near the beach when it's cold, damp, and windy can be brutal.
The only thing I've found that works for me is Assos! The jacket is called AirJack, and the bib tights are called AirBlock, together they make one helluva winter riding suit. I feel like a futuristic rock star when I put it on. It's too much for CX racing, and MTBiking because you generate too much heat, but it's perfect for road riding. It's never too cold to ride if you have this setup hanging in your closet. It costs a LOT of money, but in this case I will say with certainty "it's worth it"!
On the back of the tag it reads "have a nice ride", I like that. It should say "stay fuego"!

In the above photo fromKevin Dillard I'm sweating pretty badly during Tech CX up in Blacksburg when it was stoopid cold. It was the only way for me to survive that race in those conditions. It's ashame that I love CX so much but hate the cold.

Stay warm out there!

Sexy Pic

2008-12-26T19:52:00.001-05:00

Listen closely to Paul in the short video. I thought I was taking pics, but hit video by mistake... Funny stuff!

GamJams Reviews: Trainers and Rollers - CycleOps Fluid

2008-12-11T19:35:00.003-05:00

It takes a LOT to get me on the trainer!

I mainly use it as a pre race warm up, especially for cross season.

I will also use it in a group session.

This past Tuesday we had a select group at Atlantic Performance Training facility thanks to Joshua and the Virginia Beach Wheelmen. This was really cool! We were all hooked up with heart rate straps and our stats were displayed on a screen ahead of us on the wall. We were instructed to get into specific zones and hold it for specific times. I didn't know we were being recorded but it was super cool to see the graphs at the end of the session.

This is the only trainer I've had but I really do like it! It's very quiet, smooth and easy to setup. I've seen other people using other brands, and lets just say that I'm glad I have the CycleOps Fluid 2! Another great addition is the front wheel block which essentially makes your bike level as you'd be while riding on the road.

I think I saw a travel bag or case for these units at the shop. That would be great as they tend to be big, heavy, and awkward.

Some assembly is required

If you're in the market for a good trainer, This one gets the nod from K-Blogg!

A good view of the front wheel block, and the sweat that I dropped like it was HOT on Tuesday night!

Have a great weekend everybody!

Chris Horner @ Bike Beat Hilltop Va Beach

2008-12-10T15:18:00.002-05:00

After a most excellent trainer session with the Wheelmen at Atlantic Performance Training center, a few of us hurried a little further towards the ocean to catch the tail end of Chris Horner meet and greet! I will include the trainer session in Fridays post.

I have known Dave Wilson for a long time and it was great to catch up with him. His shops and staff are always top notch. It was also great to say a quick hey to everyone there, it was a nice reunion of sorts.

I'd like to thank everyone involved in bringing Chris to this area to give us his amazing takes on the pro peleton!

I showed up more than fashionably late and wearing a shirt I didn't expect to be wearing in public. As Chris was talking to my Goonz on how to make it to the big leagues, he couldn't help but stare at my "mullets rock" t-shirt! Too funny!

Best of luck to Chris, Astana, and my Goonz!

CX Finals Weekend 08

2008-12-08T19:40:00.000-05:00

Can you say "cold and windy"???

2008-12-08T07:50:00.001-05:00

Thanks for the photo Chad... More to come!

GamJams Review Winter Training Tires (Assortment)

2008-12-04T18:17:00.008-05:00

The first tire we'll look at here is the Vittoria Cross XG Pro. These are currently rolling on my multi use Velocity rims. I use them as my pit wheels/tires and for weekly training rides. They have a really cool silver tread and black sidewall. I just recently used these on the infamous Saturday morning Contes ride at the beach. I pumped them up to 60psi and they rolled rather nicely, and I never got dropped by the roadies! So, they roll very well on the road although by looking at the tread pattern, you'd think the opposite.

With this tread pattern, you can run the tire in either direction depending on what you're looking for. If you go with the middle arrows pointing forward, you will have the go fast option. I go that way in the front and run it the other way in the rear for traction.
Just lastnight I used these tires on our Wednesday night ride from the Norfolk Contes to Ipswich (trails) and back. It's a varied suburban ride with lots of road and bridges and some killer trails right in the middle of the ride. I failed to check my psi before the ride and did it with the 60 I had from Saturday. That was great on the road sections, but kind of a rough ride in the highly technical trails. I was bouncing off of the roots, and losing traction on turns. I wouldn't say this is the tires fault. You shouldn't be in the trails running that high of a psi!!!

The Specialized All Condition Pro tires have been used by me for just about a year. I picked them up last year as my winter road tire. Due to budget restraints I kept using them all year!!! They match my Slingshot CX bike so well that I think thats the main reason for the purchase.

Anyway, they seem to roll very well in all conditions and in severe cornering they have some very tiny knobs for added traction. They work most excellent in the rain! I had one incident where I cornered hard and fast in a parking lot and slid out on my hip for like 20 feet but I chalk that up to that particular parking lot being slick as hell when wet! (It was my good hip!)

As you can see theres still some life in them. I've noticed a bit of cracking forming like dry rot in the tires which I'm not too happy about. But I don't recall any flats while using them. They come in all kinds of color combos that will more than likely match what you've got.

Vittoria Cross XN Pro ---Both Vittorias were reccomended by Daniel Dalton. These I must say are the funnest most versatile tire I have! At home in any terrain, and suprisingly well in all of them. I've used these on Danbo's famous Ironcross training rides up in New Kent county which is chock full of varied content from road, crush and run, to dirt. These tires rock! They're not Ironcross worthy in my book though. And be careful with these, they wear out rather quickly on the road...

What review wouldn't be complete without talking about my tried and true race tires? The Tufo tubulars have done me right for the past 3 seasons (cx that is). No clincher even comes close to the feel of a tubular. I typically run these at 25 to 30 psi which provides me with a form of suspension and wicked traction with no chance of pinch flatting. This current season, I decided to glue the tires on myself. I found it to be very easy and take note of the clean glue job.

Whatever brand you go with cross tires, tubulars are the way to go! I use tubulars as road race tires too. All on Ksyrium SL's

The tried and true Maxxis Raze! These are my all time favorite corss tire period! I got these just before they were released here in the states from the Maxxis team truck at Wissahickon. They put a lot of work in the design of these tires. The row of knobs along the center line allow you to roll un interupted and the more aggressive knobs along the side ensure that off camber sections and turns will be slip free. This is the ultimate Ironcross tire, and all around CX tire. Works very well on and off road.
These are worn down more than 50% but are still riding really well. I'm not a big fan of buying semi-slicks when my half worn tires can be my semi slicks. I will be buying replacements of these for the next season.

These are my first cross tires. The Maxxis Locust. They work great on the road with those 6-pack blocks of knobs. But when things get wet watch out, they load up like crazy and don't shed the mud at all. I think the Raze model evolved from these.
And that wraps up my winter tire review. I was gonna just do the road tire, but thought that cross tires are used during the winter too so why not. Hope you enjoy it, and feel free to ask questions if you have any. And check GamJams atleast every week for all things cycling!

My Trashmore CX pics

2008-12-02T18:48:00.000-05:00

Trashmore CX 08

2008-12-01T06:31:00.000-05:00

VA STATE CX Championships!

2008-11-25T22:20:00.000-05:00

VA State CX Champs Registration

Cmon down to the Beach this weekend to play on the mounts of trash to see who will be crowned State CX Champs in each respective category!

You'll also see the official debut of the coveted and anticipated 757.CX kits!

Don't forget your COWBELLS

Bring the kids, there will be a small kids race for free! And theres a nice playground for them to be entertained.
*****Just Announced---- Raffle prizes just acquired from Contes Newport News!
A 2009 Specialized Tricross Pro frameset. This is in the form of a voucher so no matter what size you need, you will get!
Also a $150 set of lights!
I hope other local shops will see this and try to ante up.

Our raffle donations go to Meredith Nichols
We will also be doing a ride from Trashmore on New Years Day from Trashmore and passing the helmet. For more details on the specifics of that special ride click on over to Danbo's blog.

Tech Cross

2008-11-25T20:34:00.003-05:00

This Saturday night pic is from rogues racing flickr

The campus of Va Tech is beautiful! Our race was just across from the football stadium. Reid Beloni and the whole volunteer staff did a great job all weekend in running a weekend full of quality cross racing. I will mark my calendar to do this next year, and I suggest you do too!

All of these gems are credited to Kevin Dillard of Demoncats.com
Sunday was unbelievably cold and I really was not into racing but I was there and went for a ride with a number pinned on my side. Wearing assos suit is good and warm, too warm! And at cx race pace, it becomes apparent real quick. But at least I wasn't cold!
The course was run the opposite direction of the previous evening. The wind was sick both days.

Urban CX

2008-11-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

I will start by saying "mission accomplished"! I got my ASS handed to me twice yesterday on a very technical, long, hilly, and well thought out course that kept me very focused and on my toes.
The weather was perfect.
I first raced the masters 123 which had 19 starters. I did one pre ride lap and was not confident with my technical skills that were needed but I figured with a conservative start, they would come. And with two to go, the skills kicked in and I started riding better and more aggressive. I'm happy with my placing although I could have done better I placed where I should have... I'm used to racing in fields where towards the end of the race, racers are bonking, crashing, or other reasons that bring higher placings to me. But at this level, I'm not finding that to be. It's really cool and exciting to be fighting tooth and nail for mid-pack finishes.

I had a chance to settle down for an hour before my next race while the fast ladies put on a show. I was definately leary of my next race but gave er a go anyway.

The 123 race had 15 starters and I knew I needed at least 10th to make some cash so that was very motivating. They started much faster than the masters race and I was smart not to try and match that pace or i'd be done early. I found my place and just tried to maintain. I had 8th locked in for a while till Steven Black came from nowhere and wouldn't let me ride with him. So 9th it was. It was nice to finally have the course dialed in and to ride at the speed my legs wanted to go. I was happy to rub elbows with some really fast dudes and be pushed to higher limits than i'm used to. I feel like I will be better from it.

Thx to all who cheered me on out there! You have no idea how much that fueled me to motor on. Especially in race #2!
Thx to everyone who made the event happen! Everything was great!

A lot of my peeps raced really well, and that was good to see...

I'm not sure what's next.

All these pics are courtesy of Ruth Stornetta and her gallery of pics from the masters 123 and 123 races can be found here---Urban Cx pics from Ruth

some press,
velonews

c-ville news

Caveat

2008-11-08T22:44:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here in c-ville anticipating not only one ass whoopin, but two!
You see, tomorrow I am registered for two of the fastest races regionally.
And I say "bring it"! Kick my ass, make me better, stronger, faster, and stuff! I haven't raced since Granogue, and due to the weather this past week, I've been off the bike for a week. I have been in the gym all week though. I love the gym---im hooked! Its just a fling as I can't commit to it.
Today was a killer ride on the CX bike wreaking havoc on the Saturday morning roadie ride. We detoured through seashore state park for some off road fun. But I'm feeling kinda sore from it.

So when you see the results and hear the stories from tomorrows race, just know that I'm here for fun and good hard training! Its not often I can get in a caliber field yet in a small setting.

Goodnight

impromptu cx this saturday!

2008-11-06T20:31:00.001-05:00

Tidewater Challenge

2008-11-06T19:31:00.003-05:00

Is very Challenging!

When you take a few years off from this race, you forget just how hard it can be.

I love this race because Steve puts on a top notch event at the amateur level. The course is always very well groomed,and I get to see people I haven't seen in like forever!
I enjoyed watching the early races and cheering folks on, especially those enduro freaks! In doing so, I failed to ride around and or get my warm up on (ooops).

On my first lap of the race (exp vet) I spun out on a slick root climb, and toppled over. Not too terrible, but my group rode away. I dug pretty deep and caught back on and tried to be competitive but I quickly found that I wasn't hitting on much. I was just cruising along and the fun actually stopped, and so did I. It's all good, I will be back next year and I will be more prepared. I was happy to quickly change and get back to spectating mode. I was proud of a lot of my peeps who did really well!

This pic is from Carlos' wife Onya, good to see ya'll out there! This is me getting outta there thinking next year will be better.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T07:45:00.000-04:00

broken leg (ouch)

2008-10-29T12:40:00.000-04:00

CX Practice Sessions are done

2008-10-29T08:58:00.000-04:00

The last session of Trashmore CX practice went down last night.
There were only 5 of us out there when conditions simulated the most ideal cross weather without rain. It was about 50 degrees with winds gusting to 26mph. That and the very bumpy terrain caused for quite the session.
Everybody showed up at the newly appointed time of 5:15pm (due to lack of sunlight) and ready to roll. The barriers were brought out and we came up with a plan of just knocking out as many laps as we could or wanted to till it got dark. The most laps I've ever done in a row during practice was 3. But on this night I ended up doing 5! I wanted to quit after 2, but somehow fought the demons and kept going and at a decent clip. I stopped once after 3 to take a layer of but it was only a few seconds. Everybody agreed that it was the hardest they'd ever experienced there. The wind was insane!
Afterwards, some of us ran a big lap around the park, and threw in some big hill repeats.

I certainly hope a lot of you benefited from these practice runs. I enjoy having people to workout with and push me to not lallygag!

Any ideas on what to do for Tuesday evenings?

Speaking of evenings, see you all at the norfolk contes 6pm for the wed night ride to, thru, and from ipswich on cx bikes (or mtb).

And don't forget all about bikes (7:30pm) chesapeake on cx bikes (or mtb) for another great group ride.

All rides will require front light beam, tail light, and of course a helmet. Post ride beer is always nice and graciously accepted.

See you out there!

October Beard Contest (update)

2008-10-28T12:01:00.003-04:00

It seems as though we are at a tie for first place! I thought I'd walk away with this one but my boy Mean Dean is giving me a run for my lunch! We have like the same beards. There's still some time, so I will be hitting the gym hard because when I grunt I feel like the beard grows!
And if that doesn't work I will just beat his ASS and shave him!
B A M N! which means By Any Means Necessary!

Whirlwind...

2008-10-28T11:53:00.001-04:00

So I joined Facebook this weekend, and things have been insane ever since! Been outta HS for almost 20yrs and making connections with the old school Jersey peeps is a lot of fun!
Bear with me during these times, I'll be back soon

21st Annual Tidewater Mountain Bike Challenge!

2008-10-25T23:04:00.002-04:00

I am really looking forward to some good ol fashioned MTBikin yo!

Tidewater Challenge Blog

www.cyclingcaptured.com

2008-10-20T23:05:00.004-04:00

Granogue pics i took

2008-10-20T19:06:00.002-04:00

Link to the album

What an exciting sprint for third!

2008-10-20T11:59:00.003-04:00

After Trebon, and Powers came through, the crowd had great expectations for who would get third... National champ TJ up against local fave and MTB phenom JB.

JB claims to have been "pinched" but I would chalk it up to road tactics and experience.

Either way it was very exciting! I am very impressed with Jeremiah really mixing it up with the top CX'ers, thats no easy task. All while bunny hopping the barriers!

Take a good look at the faces in the crowd...

Can you find Crazy??? Happy Birthday Crazy Mike Hosang!

Granogue

2008-10-19T20:54:00.003-04:00

all pics are from Chad
Chad's flickr

The Kids of 757.CX!

2008-10-18T23:47:00.002-04:00

Took T Kranes and Elliot with us to Granogue today! Their first cross race had them pretty stoked. They struggled a bit but had a great time and are looking for more. I think theres great potential in them. They got to rock the limited edition prototype skinsuits today.

chillin wit my G00NZ!

2008-10-18T23:45:00.000-04:00

Virginia Beach CycloCross Winter Endurance Challenge!

2008-10-16T14:01:00.001-04:00

iron bound!

2008-10-11T13:24:00.000-04:00

On the road up to PA for the 6th edition of Americas longest cross race!

I got the clearance from the Doc last Sunday to resume hard riding and to do this race.

The location of the crack in my neck is not in a criticle area. Its still pretty stiff and sore and stuff.

I've had 3 weeks of inconsistant riding and I lost some good form but I feel lucky to be alive. I felt pretty good on todays roadie ride. Its always fun rockin the house with full on cross bikes.

I also somehow escaped sickness that like everybody has right now. 2 of the 4 people in this very vehicle are quite ill... Young Mark and I need some SARS masks.

So, all that being said; this will be my 5th IC and its all about good times with my 757 peeps. And I will bring what I've got, roll the dice, and see what my time is.

More later, I gotta make sure sick ass Crazy don't fall asleep.

Remembering...

2008-10-01T22:25:00.002-04:00

This is how I remember Him, helping me up as a youngster to blow out some birthday candles.

And yucking it up at a cousin's wedding. We had great times, he raised me, He will live on through me there's no doubt about that!!! They (Grams & Gramps) are gone but they will remain in our (those that knew them & and were touched by them) hearts and lives forever...

He nicknamed me a long time ago as "google" and he always would say "google ol buddy" and something wise and witty. And whenever I heard that, I was sure to listen up!

Take care ol Buddy, tell Dot we say "Hey"!

I'm off to N.J tomorrow morn...

I'm on a New Team!!!!!

2008-09-30T11:50:00.003-04:00

By Default

I don't know how to say this without freaking a lot of people out, but I have recently joined the ranks of Team Brokeneck!
That's right, after a week and a half of hardcore riding, and neck/shoulder pain I decided to get some x-rays and validate my theory that something aint right. The doc pointed out a crack in front of the C6 vertebrae.
So I have some excellent drugs, and some taking er easy to do. Don't wanna screw up IronCross!

In other news a true legend in my life has passed on. I got the call last night that my Gramps who's been suffering for a while died yesterday. I am comforted by the fact that I said my goodbyes to him the last time I saw him, the suffering is done, and he is with the love of his life who passed on earlier this year. Its one thing to expect it, its another for it to be real. These two were like parents to me, and i've gotten so much from them. So a Jersey trip is in order later on this week!

What a week indeed...

Pre- IronCross Ride

2008-09-29T06:34:00.002-04:00

If you're doing ironcross and you never do one of these rides, well, it's just gonna hurt that much more. It's our best simulation and a great introduction to those who will be going for their first time, or even considering...
You can adjust your outputs in sections because we always regroup or you'll get very lost.
New Kent is a great area, and provides an awesome riding experience with its rolling hills, and lots of unpaved roads.
We would never ever manage without our tour guide/ride leader Danbo! Thanks again bro for putting together another 60 ish mile 3 1/2 hour tour.
I've never seen so many flat tires!!! I was part of the few, the proud, the no flat crew!
The weather was whats often referred to and a fave of mine "mixed bag". With partly cloudy to sunny skies, very humid, mild winds then over to ominous clouds, rain, and thunder.
Thanks to Mike and Jerry for pushing me inside out, and beyond my limits every chance we had! And everyone else for joining in the fun.

weird...

2008-09-29T06:32:00.000-04:00

what a week!

2008-09-22T17:00:00.004-04:00

I just keep wrecking myself...
I sometimes wonder if my head is magnetized to the ground.

We kicked off our Tuesday CX training sessions at Trashmore and we had a nice small group who was eager to learn. We went over everything lightly hoping that some of it sticks. It's a lot to take in all at once, but if you do a little homework and keep coming back, the improvements will show. We did 3 laps of our mock course at a good training clip and boy did it hurt. We finished up with barrier drills where I made quite the fool of myself. As the group was circled around chatting I rolled up to the first barrier with my hands on the tops (away from the brakes) and my right cleat wouldn't release from the pedal. As a last ditch effort I lifted the front wheel to try and bunny hop my way out of it but was going too slow. I ended up raking my left shin on the barrier and landed on my butt. The pain up and down my shin hurt just a bit more than my pride! The next day I bought some new pedals and cleats (thx contes).

Tomorrow will be session #2 of CX training starting at 6pm. If youre interested in running prior to class for extra credit let me know...

Thursday was the All About Bikes night ride in Chesapeake which is very close to my house and has a mix of on and off road and it just totally suits the cross bike. Also a great bunch of people show up for the ride and post ride fun! This ride was good and fast, I had a great workout and was stoked to race the mtb in c-ville. But on the way home in the arboretum, i took a spill and landed head first in a 6 to 8 foot ditch. I was wearing a backpack because 5 of us meet up an hour prior to the ride to do some much needed trail maintenance, so I packed a change of clothes and stuff. So just before the crash I ran up the stairs and remounted cross style but the weight of the pack kept my momentum going to the right and i quickly veered off to the right. As I lay at the bottom on my back near the water, my light eerily facing up and it was very quiet. I couldn't lift my head or arms but I could turn my head and move my hands. That was very scary, but after about 30 mins of remaining calm i was able to claw my way outta there and bring it home in limp mode. I found little to no marks on me but I was sore as hell. I still feel the burns from the backpack straps on my shoulders. So the pain is where my shoulder blades come together and in my neck.

Below is a great pic of where it all went down. I went back the next day to put some light on it.

Below is Mugs mowin stuff down. He really wanted a chain saw and to break stuff and other things I just can't mention... Mugs, Baker, Nick, Albe, and I made quick work of a temporary trail re-route. This is my helmet that I didn't noice was broke till the next morning! I have never broken a helmet before...
I thought this was just a classic place for me to pose for a pic at the blue ridge school drama shop. I think I could ace that class!

So I had to fight the demons and figure out if I would make the trip up to c-ville for the off road omnium. I went, I was tight, but toughed it out and rode a little light to ensure no crashes but that was really hard due to the technicality of all three courses. Big ups to my host house for putting us up. We didn't even break anything.

Thanks to the Tevendales and everyone else involved in making this great race happen. I met a lot of really cool people and was reminded why I love mountain biking first.
The race details and results can be found on the Bike Factory Racing Blog
It was a lot of fun, and I will definately look for it again next year and you should too!

enjoy your coffee, i will blog soon...

2008-09-19T06:46:00.000-04:00

grab your balls because we're going bowling!

2008-09-15T06:33:00.000-04:00

Shenandoah Mountain 100

2008-09-06T09:46:00.006-04:00

Almost a week late...
I must say I've been reading and viewing everyone elses blogs and photo galleries on the SM-100. I'm very impressed with how blogged this event is. But anyway, as most of you bloggers know, the more you wait, the harder it gets to post. I'm going with bloggers block!

We rolled up there early saturday morning and got there in the afternoon to tent city. Our usual spot was full so we were freakin out a bit. Found a nice spot near the pavillion. Good to be close to the food and beer, but you're also near the late night partying too. That's ok, the rain shut it down early saturday night, and sunday night, who cares?

This is my 4th go at the 100, and I really enjoy it more and more each time. I also try real hard to better my times with each attempt. I had a goal of under 11hrs this go, but fell short by clicking in at 11:07. Its all good because I know what I need to do; get a Pivot Mach Four MTB and work on the climbing. Everything else rocked, but some of the latter climbs after the big long one, I just couldn't do.

Despite being the only peeps from Tripower or anyone from the beach, we had a great time. Met a lot of new people as well as seeing some regulars. Having the girls volunteer aid station 2 really helped the event and made them feel more a part of the race.

I got to ride with Tom Gillespie for a lot of the first half of the race till he pulled away. We were rollin pretty good, but I felt the burn coming so I had to turn the heat down a notch.

I met a lot of people from the Arlington Contes who just loved our jerseys! I rode some with a guy who manages the shop who was suffering with his back on the big climb. He says I helped him up the climb, and I said no one would ever believe that!

I rode a lot with a lot of DCMTB/City Bikes peeps. We were rockin the roads and fire roads, that was a blast!

Mike Phillips and wife were there, she worked aid station#4. They let us borrow a pump for our air mattresses, our pump was brand new and needed like a 12 hr charge. Thx Guys!

Mike was riding well and passed me early, I saw him later on with a broken chain that I guess he couldn't repair.

I met and rode with single speeder Ryan Delaney who was cool as hell and very encouraging

mountaintouring is where it all begins... Every year they step it up to make it better than the last. Can't believe this was the tenth!!! Some people have done them all. It was really nice that a cake was presented to Chris for the anniversary. Even nicer that he gave it up to the volunteers at their meeting. Chris, see you at some cross races, and your crew on super bowl weekend!

Gwadz was there, and I have yet to meet him, but i'm a bigtime fan and loyal reader of his blog! He went the hell off with numerous posts on the sm-100! He even attempted to write a hundred thoughts about it but fell short at 60 and left it open for us to chime in to finish. In that 100 list is links to i think everyones blog and photo gallery. Good Job, and look fwd to meeting ya in person!

cyclingnews has the race report, various pics, and broken down results

Bob's Photo Gallery Got to meet Bob at the camp. Cool guy who takes cool shots and supports his son! Cool last name too...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonathan Bruck Photography

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Camp Horvath!

Aid Station#2 Where the Horvath Ladies did work! The oranges were a must at every stop.
Ryan McKinney going back to his roots and hitting the dirt. His first crack at the 100 was most impressive! A well deserved pint glass free of charge for you my friend.
I got 4 of these bad boys now!!!!

We'll be back!!!

Saturday

2008-08-23T19:54:00.003-04:00

Up early for the Contes Va Beach ride. Great ride as usual, spent a lot of time off the front, in the wind doing ironcross type efforts. Rode the Slingshot for the first time in a while and she felt good and fast (just how I like em)! Had the worst cramp ever towards the end in the left calf. Some of my peeps had to witness it, that sucked, but they seemed very concerned so that was nice. Worked it out and rejoined.

Had some good times at bucks. This wonderful young lady kept bringing out the samples and we were taking! She must have come out like five times. We did some serious damage.

Going mountain biking tomorrow at Freedom, so looking forward to it! The more I ride on the dirt, the less tolerance I have for roadies! Trying to do something to prepare for the SM100.

Went out on a re-con mission for a possibly very exciting cross race venue! My fingers are crossed bigtime...

"i'm a toolbag"

2008-08-20T21:40:00.001-04:00

This is a breakdown of a comment from phillip which I did not approve. Instead, I'm making him famous by giving him a seperate post on the k-blogg! Enjoi

dude your a toolbag
Really? Is this how I'm being approached? Really?
This made me "PMP"

you didnt even see it happen!
Neither did the officials!

Tyler almost took himself and gene down.
So, did you see it?

why would you make such a big deal about something that you didnt even see happen??
You must be new around here... Was it really "such a big deal?"

tyler didnt make it into a big deal, gener didnt make it into a big deal, he simple told the refs which was what he should have done.
I'm not a big fan of ratting people out over some nonsense
Not a fan of Rats or Weasels, or Boy Models for that matter

What gives you the right to place yourself into something that in nooooo wayy even remotly involves you.
What gives me the right? Don't you know who I am, and where I'm from? Don't you see where you are? You're on the freakin K-blogg son! You just a squirrel lookin for a nut! Did I invite you or anyone else to come here? I'm glad you and everyone else is here, but understand that this is my world and I run the show here!
You don't see me blowin up your Facebook do you?

why would you even make comments about gene rollin keith down, your not on our team, it doesnt concern you..
It's just an observation guy! And BTW, I have always turned down invites to any team that gene is a part of... Do you take steroids? Cuz I'm feelin a lot of rage going on here.
And when you get back to school, find a tutor or somethin to help you out with your writing skills or lack there of.

18 hrs is a long time!

2008-08-20T20:41:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we did the 18hrs of scouts honor in Goochland VA.
This is the first time i've done this race, but i've always heard good things, and i found out that their all true.
We came up with our team just two weeks prior to racing, and everyone was clear that fun was the priority.
Our team consisted of Lynn, Jerry, Mugler, and Myself. Mugler came up with the name Four Horsemen with Babydoll in reference to the old school wrestling superstars.
He gets so into it, and we all found that very entertaining.
He came up with the WWF belt freshly engraved specially for this race for the fastest midnight lap for anyone on our team. Jerry took both fastest day and night laps. I tried my best but came up just over a minute slower every time. Except when he used his cross bike for a lap.
These guys know how to do it right, everything was brought.
The course was super nice, and fast 9.5 miles of rolly, tight, and twisty singletrack.
I'm very proud of our team who rode very well every lap and maintained a positive attitude throughout.
We were camped next to our friends of All About Bikes--Baker, Shawn (Budha), Joe, and Cryin Bryan. We changed their name to team turmoil during the night.
Hats off to those solo and mixed teams, thats a lot of work! I want to try it someday. Hopefully this helps to prepare me for the SM one hundo!
Wes was out there filming, riding, and shooting, so expect some good media from that.
Thanks to all who put this race on, and the fine folks of runriderace for handling the timing!

Keith gets Owned!

2008-08-18T17:45:00.001-04:00

Most of the water boys are good peeps, Keith included. So this is all in good fun when I say Keith gets owned. It's been discussed that Keith doesn't wear the team kits at the local races, and that he may even be done with the natures pearl. Well next race our team photographer Liz snapped a fresh shot of Capn Keith in full blown Le Bleu. Look how new and white that stuff appears. It's not my business of inner team turmoil, I'm just sayin what I see cuz thats what I do's.
I must say I really like how the Gene team has totally backed him in the comment section. That shows great team work, and I'm glad to have done something to make that apparent. You're welcome!
Stay tuned for a break down of Pretty Boy's comment that deserves a posting and stuff!

photo creditLiz

Season Premeir Tonight!

2008-08-18T17:42:00.001-04:00

Get your DVR's right, The Hills season 4 starts tonight 10pm MTV!
More drama than the K-blogg

OMG, the scoop on PMP!

2008-08-18T10:04:00.001-04:00

Here's the scoop on PMP.

The term was first used by an Italian merchant marine trapped on a freighter stranded on a sand bar. For hours and hours, the sailor tireless sent out the international distress signal. Dit-Dit-Dit. Dash-Dash-Dash. Dit-Dit-Dit. All to avail. Nothing. Not a peep from any other ships.

For nearly 24 hours, this brave stood his post, downing innumerable expressos. One after the other. These puppies made Starbucks look like Kool-Aid. Finally, with his bladder beyond the bursting point, my uncle, Nicolo Sciocchetti, cut loose right there on deck. Whew! It was nasty.

He disappered into his cabin and in a matter of minutes was back on deck with a fresh pair of britches. He immediately sent out this message.

Dit-Dash-Dash-Dit. Dash-Dash. Dit-Dash-Dash-Dit. PMP

Pissed my pants.

He remained stedfast for 3 more days. Finally, with no more clean pants remaining, Nicolo did the only thing he could do. He abandoned ship, sacrificing his life to the depths of the sea. That's when he discovered that he was in only 3 feet of water.

Legend has it that Nicolo never changed pants again. When people inquired of his far-away stare, all he ever replied was, "PMP."

thx talkingattached

Your Opinions Please?

2008-08-15T11:56:00.005-04:00

This wed night was the last edition of the HOS training series at the all too familiar sports plex. The weather agreed with us after threatening to dump on us. I had many peeps doing the anti rain dance all over the place (thx).
I had T Kranes with me with a hodge podge bike thrown together by the big wick nasty.
We had some issues getting his jr gearing to work but wyclef skratened it out like a pro.
This race had 41 starters which is a most excellent turnout and good to see. Thanks to VBV and East coast bikes for their parts in making this happen for us.
So the race went really well. everyone was very attentive and chased down every move that went forward. Big ups to all the chicks hangin tough in the race! It was nice to meet Kim who's new to the area from Hotlanta. Everybody be nice and holla at her when you see her.
So I tried to stay near the front and make sure we had somebody in any of the many move attempts.
With 2 or 3 to go I see Gener getting back in the race as we're single file flying across the start/finish area, and I thought that was odd because no race has free laps with that few to go. Turns out that Bully gon Snitcho was touched on the hip by Tyler who btw is barely 130lbs and what, 16yrs old? So Gene pulls out of the race and tells the officials what happened and they somehow managed to pull Tyler out of the race. The finish was nice and smooth despite the drama that was ensuing. During the last two laps I watched in awe as Gener who illegally re entered the race got to the front and chased a team member Keith down who was away on a solo mission.
Afterwards Danielle came over to talk with Tyler and he handled himself very professionally and with respect. I let her know how ridiculous I thought the situation was and found out that Gene re entering the race was unathurized. Cmon, these fine ref's are donating their time to us so that we can race for cheap! They don't need to deal with that BS. And aren't you an official yourself???
Funny how after the race he was nowhere to be found... He was also a no show at the Thursday night great bridge ride which Tyler and I attended. I was hoping to get his side of the story, but doubt that will ever happen
Why am I calling this person out?
I have been nice lately leaving him alone and kind of ignoring his antics. Heck I even invited him and his fam to our party saturday!
And I will continue with what i've been doing but bitch's need to be called out!
We all ride and race in tight quarters and sometimes instead of calling your where abouts you have to put your hand on somebody's hip to let em know exactly where you are. It's actually the safest way to do it.
A lot of times I have found that bullies are at their worst when they feel bullied...
Every region needs a Villian, and boy do we have one! It's entertaining at best.

Post race party was awesome! I aint corn holin nuthin!

So Tyler, I am officially backing you and opening up the comments for everyones say!
This should be a good one.

Makes me want to "PMP" if you txt'rs know what that stands for lemme know. I couldn't have possibly originated where I think it has...

Welcome new readers, enjoy and stuff!

Bully gon Snitcho

2008-08-14T15:11:00.002-04:00

soooooo much more to come...

photo credodaniel gibson

It's only been a week people!!!

2008-08-10T13:20:00.006-04:00

123 race chesapeake crit (blackberry curve)

the post race keg (blackberry curve)

Crazy-Dog Inc. BobnBJ's smugmug
Pre Race Face Gilberts Picasa
Fun in the trailer Jason

I fell again... (blackberry curve)

So Liz is back in town... Liz, are you doing SM-100? I am.

I never thought i'd see this but BigWickNasty is officially on the blog o sphere! Welcome my friend! Now that you know where I live, you can be my little brother. J Dub can't say anything about it while he resides on the wrong coast (right coast represent).

My friend Jason came through town this week with his rolling showroom of hotness. We put him up for a few days, and we rode bikes, drank beer (inbibed) and just chilled. Well we were supposed to just chill, but all kinds of stuff just kept going wrong. It was unbelievable to watch as the train just kept wrecking him. I have to admit, he kept his cool and rolled with the punches. He said every time he gets some time off, this stuff happens. We really enjoyed your stay, and hope that when in the area again- we will be one of your stops.
While we rode the best damn mtb in york river state park, I took a high speed tumble which sent me flying over the bars in a very dramatic fashion! My right inner ankle is bruised and now looks like a cankle. Left knee has a few scrapes, left shoulder and back took a hard hit ripping the skin off a scar that had just recently been sunburnt. And of course the impact to the helmet opened up the hole in my head for a little blood back there. Im so glad it was in the dirt! Fortunately the bike was good to go, so I re mounted the Pivot Mach 4 and continued shredding this trail that I've ridden for many years but never with such speed and lack of effort. That says a lot about the bike. "this trail hates momentum"

Yesterday was the Chesapeake Crit which I always love because it's so close to home, 2.5 miles away to be exact. Had no idea how my form was so I decided to just race once and do the 30+. It was a great race, and a break formed right away on the back stretch of the first lap. I had zero on the warm up meter so there was no way i was attempting to join that move. Crazy got in there so I got to play in the front and disrupt the flow of the chase. I so love doing that, and it's a good workout.
hung around for a little bit to watch the other races, then had to go home and help setup for the post race party.

This Wednesday is the last training race, so lets get a huge turnout and be prepared to throwdown afterwards. I don't even want to tell you what Bill Collins wants to do...

where my stitch's at?

2008-08-02T05:57:00.002-04:00

it's been two weeks, and my head is finally sealed up! I can now get that cypriss hill song outta my head (hole in da head).
pulled the stitch's out at home (thx Sal).

Enjoy the weekend!

Ride Till Ya Bleed!

2008-07-25T06:21:00.002-04:00

Thank you all for your calls, txts, emails of concern and well wishes. It's going really well, and it feels good to have such a good network of friends that back me even when I do something very stupid!

6 days after tappin my tater, I was able to get out on a ride.

Was gonna race Wed night, but the rain wasn't havin it. So the young gunz and I went to the movies and saw Dark Knight. Wow, what a good flick! I had to see what all the hype was on the Joker. It's true, he's legit.

So the ride was nice. I initiated myself getting dropped very early on but it's cool, I had a great ride in a nice group. I was able to put out some hard efforts and recover well, and the sprint was outstanding!
The helmet was hurting my head really bad, and any big bumps went right thru my head. The bandage didn't offer too much comfort, but it shows how muh splooge i'm still emitting. It's all good, whateva!

I can't wait to have a nice lil get together here at the house tonight and talk about the upcoming cross season! Is the art of "RSVP" dead or what? (so rude)

Also looking fwd to more riding this weekend...

off the chain

2008-07-19T17:07:00.005-04:00

First of all, thanks to all the well wishers already! They have been pouring in as the news spreads...
Here is the email i composed while laying in the hospital bed for so many hours.

If I only knew the reasons I do some of the things I do...
I picked up Judy from camp and we hit DQ for some girl scout cookie blizzards
(yum) and then home. We played with Chuck for a bit and then went to the garage
for her to ride her bike and me to get mine ready for the Sat morn ride. In our
garage we have this chain hanging from the ceiling from previous owners. I would
assume it was for a punching bag or something like that. I usually can be found
swinging on it. Well today I decided to do a flip on it while hanging from it.
As I got vertical the chain let loose from the ceiling and I fell to the floor
landing on the back of my head the left shoulder. Right in front of poor Judy. I
felt my head with my hand and checked for blood and sure enough my whole palm
was red. I remained calm and grabbed a towel and applied pressure and Judy and I
headed to the hospital. I totally should have called 911. I forgot that I work
for the city and they would have been there in a second. The ER was a mess as
you can imagine, a full house. I was a mess and I didn't seem to get any sense
of urgency. I had a hard time trying to fill out the paperwork. And finally
after they wouldn't give me any time frame as to if or when I'd be seen, I left!
That's right I left. I threw my chart at the man and walked holding my head high
(with my hand of course). I went across the street to patient first where I
usually go and they freaked. They were like you need to go to the hospital like
now. I was like helloooo, been there, got the wristband, they were too busy for
me.
They cleaned me up a bit, hooked up an iv, and ekg and by then the ambulance
showed. They were like alright a city worker! They really had a good time with
me and I expect a lot of ribbing when I get back to the shop come monday. This
gave me a ride to the front of the line! Everywhere I went looked like a murder
scene as I was losing a lot of blood. I quickly got a room, and here I sit in my
hosp bed with 5 stitches in my head awaiting a cat scan. The doc was talking
about staples which would have been cool but stitches are just fine.
What a way to start the weekend.
The Judster was a real trooper for me. She broke down on me once but I told her
that she had to be strong for me because at the time I wasn't. I sent the girls
home a few hours ago as they don't need to watch me get stitched and scanned. I
hope they're up when I get outta here to pick me up!

So that's where I'm at. I feel very very lucky because initially I really felt
like I was a goner!
Try not to be stupid out there and don't hesitate to call 911, that's why there
there.
I shouldn't have driven us around like I did, but I did what I thought I needed
to do even though it was wrong. I feel like I learned from that...

I will have pictures and all that good stuff out there soon.

Peace,
Kevin

P.S---im home and restless now! All is well

The best was during the initial eval the doc turned to my wife and daughter and asked if i was always this out of it and lethargic, to which they both said "oh yes"!

I keep trying to tell ya'll that i'm hard headed, but I guess I must prove it every now and then.

Today I woke up very late to a pillow soaked in blood. My head was leaking the pretty blue stitches must not be wrapped too tight (like me). The shower was a chore, trying to be careful around the hole in my head while still trying to wash out dried and crusty blood from my hair. I think I did a pretty nice job though it took a while. We then headed for the beach where we chilled for a few hours at 77th street. The water was awesome, and the waves were kickin! It was killing me not to go fully in the water. I really enoyed the family time, and just relaxing on the beach. My dumb ass move has put me in vacation mode! Came home and made some home made organic pizzas and I had some tasty red wine. The swelling has gone down, and i feel back to my normal and witty self! A little sore in the back, shoulder, and neck, but that's too be expected.
I was looking forward to racing Bryan Park tomorrow, but theres just no way.
Good job to all who TT'd today, and good luck tomorrow!

As hairy as I am, they laughed as they stuck these ekg pads all over me! I left them on until this morning. This one placed by my heart I had to freakin cut off with scissors OUCH!

WWW.757.CX

2008-07-05T13:15:00.003-04:00

757.CX!

Check it out! A preview page is up, and i'm really excited to see this thing come to fruition! Big thanx to Marco for getting things up and running...

Stay tuned for more info

Bender

2008-06-25T06:33:00.002-04:00

The ride was awesome with one of the biggest groups of fast dudes i've ever seen there!
The after party was great and well attended as well.

Bender , you'll be missed my friend! This area needs more people like you.
Be good out there on th Left Coast, GUY!
I could go on, but i'm getting all choked up...

Tuesday Night Worlds (a special edition)

2008-06-23T13:09:00.003-04:00

Come to the Great Bridge Tuesday Night ride led by Kim for a special farewell edition. Ride starts at 6pm
Bendo has got to go, and on this night we will ride in his honor then break nachos and pitchers of beer together at a nearby Mexican establishment.
Please try and make it to this special event for a great guy, James Bender!

Hope to see you there

Kevin

The TRUTH is DEAD!!!!!!!

2008-06-19T13:12:00.001-04:00

I can't help but feel like i played a little part in shutting that foolish nonsense down!
Rock On!

Langley

2008-06-18T20:39:00.004-04:00

As i was sitting in the living room sipping on some coffee with the morning sun shining through windows, it was good times. I was all packed up for the race at Langley put on by our good friends at Fat Frogs Racing, so the stress of packing and loading the car was non existant. I was thinking of my boy KJ because he lives pretty close to the race site so I was hoping to see him. I sent him a goofy picture i made in photo booth and within a minute he called. I told him he better show and he did. After my race we hung out and watched the rest of the action. Good to see you brotha!!! Phone tag, emails, and txt are one thing, but nothin like the real thing. Can't wait to whoop it up in Gold's gym this winter.(looks like you've been going)

Wick Nasty!

We had quite the corner going on with PBR's and Ed popping wheelies on the course! Thats DBO getting ready for his 2cnd race

I put my chair on top of this ant hole and they (ants) were not happy with me! They covered my entire shoe, and started up my leg which Wicks was happy to point out. After shaking them loose and moving my chair, they chilled and went back in their hole.

So it was a good day, it was Fathers Day as well.

I am a little nervous about the Seal Challenge i'm doing this Saturday at the Amphib Base. I haven't been running like I should. I hope some of the Velocity drills we did all winter will help out. I will let you all know how goes it this weekend.

Enjoy your Friday

Happy Father's Day!!!

2008-06-14T22:08:00.000-04:00

Who is more "GQ"???

2008-06-13T18:45:00.002-04:00

You may vote by commenting

I support Joe!

2008-06-09T17:32:00.005-04:00

Free Joe Jefferson T-shirts

Controversy @ the GBWC

2008-06-04T06:29:00.003-04:00

First of all I would like to thank all of you who made the long trek out to Great Bridge for a special ride. Second, this is Kim's ride and her birthday is Sunday so holla at a sista!

There were so many people there, and you could feel a certain buzz or excitement in the air. We started out as we normally do with a conversational pace gradually picking it up to a good steady warm up pace. While still on Long Ridge (aka the no breakaway zone) somebody on a TT bike (thats right a TT bike) jacked up the pace while riding on the far right side of the road and the wind is coming from the left. Only a handful of dudes were able to make that group.
Theres two things wrong with this. First,I said no TT bikes. Second, it was too early in the ride for that move. So therefore I DQ'd the whole first group.
That left the real action in my group. We rode very well and all shared in the pacemaking. We came into the sprint with just a handful of us and Matt attacked early with Danbo in tow. I was forced to close it with Rob D on me. Once we caught, they hesitated and I jumped. Rob D officially wins the rainbow jersey, I get silver, and Danbo gets bronze.
Afterwards we enjoyed some good clean smacktalk and beers. The weather was perfect!
Careful out there today, it's gonna be HOT!

For the record, i'm still not at a level to survive a lead group that broke early so i'm not at all saying that had I been in there I would have been able to do anything or even hang on. Just being real here, this is my hobby and I have a lot of fun with it.

Tuesday Night World Champs

2008-06-02T20:02:00.002-04:00

It's been rare lately to get the full effect of the Tuesday night Great Bridge ride with the Tuesday night training races going on. It's a great ride and no matter who shows up, it's hard and fast. With tomorrow night's training crit being cancelled due to some soccer tourneys, i'm calling all you suckas out! No TT bikes will be allowed in the A group. That rule is mainly for Josh ;-)
Bring some cold ones for the post race (er) ride wrap up.

Where:Great Bridge Cyclery

When: 6-3-08 at 6pm

Cost: FREE!!!!

taste the rainbow

Jerry Roubaix!

2008-05-26T20:53:00.003-04:00

Today was killer, memorial, and Epic!
I want to first apologize for the lack of posting, but I have been sick and not doing so much. I didn't want to bore you with the different phases of my sickness.
I planned on doing the dirty du but during one of my many coughing fits, I pulled a lower abdomen muscle and it hurt like hell and I was unable to run. Oh well, maybe next year. I did get some mtbikin in at new quarter on saturday with crazy. 4th lap bonk was really baaaaad. Getting back into riding shape is never easy!

I didn't know how much of a player i'd be in todays Billy Roubaix, but I do know the terrain and what would be needed in this self supported 70 mile on and off road ride.
It inspired me to get the Slingshot built up. With good rolling tires (size 30) I must say it was a perfect set up. With 20 miles of fire road, it was tough going with the road bikes. Danbo had no issues on the road bike side, and I had none on the cx bike side. Everyone else had some issues whether it be broke spokes, or multiple flats, but on these rides, it's to be expected. After Jimmy D flatted 3times, he became a bit gun shy on the gravel. If he had his slingshot, I think it would be his day. So it ended up being a battle for the Roubaix title between Jerr and Myself. He was riding really well, both on and off road. I knew when I couldn't shake him loose with my attacks that I started wishing a mechanical problem on him. Nah just kidding, he owned it, and deserved it hence the title Jerry Roubaix! I had resorted to trash talkin them to try to throw them off their game like "don't push too hard with that broken spoke Jerr" or "You flatted again Jimmy?" or " are you guys drinking enough? Because you're sweat has dried and crystalized on your backs"... It didn't work, but it was funny.
Jimmy took the KOM with ease.
When the ride was finally done, so were we!
It makes all those burgers, dogd, and beers go down that much easier.
Thanx DBO for putting this ride together!
Those in attendance DBO, Dinsey, Jimmy D, Jerry, Mike M, Silly, Blair, and Me
Damn it feels good to blog again!

i'm sick

2008-05-12T06:07:00.003-04:00

Not just mentally, but since coming back from Disney I picked up a nasty lil cold. Its probably all the chill I got since cutting my hair. But anyway, thats where i've been. I'm not a good "sick person".
I did manage to slog through a mtb race at camp hilbert Saturday, which was fun but slow.
Friday night was a Father Daughter Banquet at Judy's school, and We just always have the best time at them... It was our third one (my how time flies). I am so lucky to be this little angels Father and she makes me so proud!

Kevin Dillard was there doing enduro. I knew better not to do that again.

This photo is from Kevin. If you look deep in my eyes you can see that the whites aint so white, and that there is a disturbance in the force. I will be back, I know what I need to do...
I need to get some running legs back in me for the Dirty Du coming up faster than i'd like.

See you all at the Courthouse!

Splash Mountain!

2008-05-08T06:09:00.000-04:00

My Belle!

2008-05-04T20:07:00.000-04:00

on vacation

2008-04-26T08:59:00.000-04:00

The Horvaths' are flying down to sunny Fla and hopping on a boat. Not just any boat, but a Disney cruise ship! Holla!
After a few days of that, and a few islands, we're going to Disney World! Epic!
Wifey says no lappy toppy. What?
And for that reason, you may not hear much from the k-blog. So it's a vacation for all of us I guess.

Take Care Erbody!X0X0

Thats the Brakes

2008-04-20T19:57:00.002-04:00

Today was the Twisted Tire MTB race in Ashland Va and the conditions called for EPIC!
It poured all day! The 7 mile loop of singletrack was riddled with 3 inch thick muck, puddles that went from one inch to hub deep for long stretches, and lots of ups and downs to keep you on your toes, or elbows. Mike said it right when he said he now knows how salmon feel when they swim up river as we ascended the singletrack the the milky way chocolate river flowed down towards us. It was weird, but cool.
As I was riding with Roger Satler we were chatting about how we always end up riding together at poor farm, and how awesome the conditions were, and how people were dropping like flys all with brake problems. I mentioned that my brakes did not sound good at all, and that their performance was diminishing in a rather quick and untimely manner! Shortly after that, the rear brake locked up really bad. I flipped the bike over and searched my jersey pockets for a multi-tool to no avail... I was gonna take the caliper off and try to free them up but not today. My race along with many others was done! The good things were that I didn't crash once, and was riding really well, and what happened was beyond my control. I applaud all who finished!

Mike was also riding nicely and lasted a lap longer than me till his brake levers would be pulled all the way to the grips and no stoppage, so he too had to drop out.

Jerry had a nasty spill and got some nasty puncture wounds near the groinal region which required stitches.

Liz finished, Bill finished, Mark finished, Tim finished! Me, Crazy, and Jerr Bear did not!

In other racing news, BJ went down in the last turn of the last lap at the Casey Crit held today in Newport News Va. She has a slight concusion, broken collarbone, and stitched up knee! So sorry to hear that. Get well soon BJ! Everybody send her some love!!!!!!!

Tour De Beach (pics)

2008-04-19T21:31:00.000-04:00

My goodbye to TT's

2008-04-17T12:02:00.004-04:00

That Hot Red C-dale will go up for sale soon (no wheels) Let the bidding begin!

Even though I'm lookin PRO, TT's have got to go! Crits, CX, and MTBikin will be where its at

Photo credos-----Momma Kranes, and the Samuels'

Langley pics (30+)

2008-04-16T19:57:00.001-04:00

Tuesday Night Lights???

2008-04-16T06:34:00.004-04:00

A--race Break formed and stuck. Bill Collins, Keith Johnson, Mike (crazy) Hosang, Lucas Harville, Jim Bender. Nice work fellas! For the field Geno Fowler came across the line with Jon Nisbet in tow.

Keeping Keck in Check at Langley

2008-04-13T21:06:00.001-04:00

With my magical powers!

I joke, I joke...

Tuesday Night World Champs ride

2008-04-08T22:59:00.003-04:00

Today was epic conditions although we didn't go epic distance or time.
Temps were in the mid 40's with some wind and the precip was in the form of a steady mist with stints of rain.
The players---Me, Bill G, Dinsey, Elliot, Lucas, T Kranes, and two others.
My face is still full of road grit.
Kranes broke off early and did some intervals.
Lucas broke a spoke within 5 miles and had to turn it around.
Then there was just 4 of us working together to make it till the end where some of us knew where the final sprint was.
Halfway into this ride and I was put in the conservative role. Which means back off on taking hard pulls, make sure to make it to the finale sprint and do work.
For this time of year its cold and wet.
Its been CX weather for like 6 months at least.
Whatever, tuesday night World Champs, will have to take back seat to the Tuesday night training crits.

Big ups to all who showed!
Big ups to all the young gunz!

Post ride Mexican food was good times!

Pure Sweet What!

2008-04-06T20:49:00.003-04:00

Pure Sweet Hell

2008-04-04T18:30:00.002-04:00

It's going down Saturday night!

CX in April??? Why the Hell not?

Come early to talk about a weekly cx training series...

Virginia Duathlon

2008-03-31T18:45:00.001-04:00

Mega-Dog took on the 2008 edition of the Virginia Duathlon (VaDu) held for the first time at this location Chippokes Plantation state park Surry Va.
We are a mixed relay team of Meaghann (runner), and the Dog (bike). I think its a perfect name.
The weather was horrible. I knew it was gonna be cold, but was unaware that precip was a factor. It started as a few flurries, then a steady sprinkling of ice which lasted for all of her first run and all of my ride. It then changed over to full on rain. A true mixed bag, I love that term!
The warm up consisted of staying warm, and dry in the car!
So she ran, I rode, she ran again- we froze.
They gave us a duck that said we got 1st place! Sweet. We got our ducks in a row and got the hell outta there!
I've ridden in rain, snow, ice (you know, mixed bag) and wind before, and colder temps. But somehow, this was the coldest ride I've ever done.
Once again, props tokalerunning crew for putting on the du in really bad conditions.
Results were posted same day...
Photos are on the way.

The Jeff Cuppers were in very similar conditions. My mates did stellar up there.
I will read every report I see cuz I back reports.

Toothy stayed poot! Life is Good.
Hip is bad, made an appointment for a looksy...

B-Day!

2008-03-31T18:44:00.000-04:00

Our baby turned 7 Saturday!

Into The Wild

2008-03-31T18:13:00.004-04:00

into the wild

A while back, a dear friend o mine sent me Eddie Vedder's solo cd of "Into The Wild".
I found it to be a fitting listen whilst running through the Arboretum.

I saw via i-tunes that the audiobook was avail so I made the purchase and began reading (er) listening...

As I was getting through the book, I saw that the movie was coming to dvd ( i know, it just keeps getting better).

Another friend gifted me the movie on i-tunes, and I watched it on the i-pod touch!

Good tunes, good book, good movie! Do it all, and in that order.

We all have our wild thoughts and whims... Why I recently had my own into the wild life altering experience. I came out unscathed and centuries the wiser. Although I don't recommend answering every call of the wild, some, you just must...
Be wild, and careful out there!

YUK!

2008-03-29T16:06:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I got a temp cap on my tooth while a fresh crown is being made.
It's been going great up untill this morning.
After completing loop one of the 3 ring circus, I felt that some quick nutrition was needed, so I ripped open a bag of clif bloks. Love those things, but their stickiness loved my temp cap which I forgot about till it pulled out! Oh, what a nasty feeling it is to roll your tongue over a stub of a tooth... (brush up kids, twice a day)
Being the badass that I am, I didn't tell anyone and put it in my jersey pocket and rolled out for loop two which was a blast! I did work, and decided to roll the tail wind back to Bucks and wrap things up. I freshened up, and grabbed a nice cozy chair before all those crazy cyclists took over the joint! It was a nice change hanging out indoors. You get to have nice one on one convo's...
After getting hold of an on call dentist, they told me to pick up some dental glue at the local pharmacy. The glue didn't work well or feel right, so I just cleaned the residual off, and popped it back in there and viola! It's in...

Anyways, I thought I'd share the excitement, and entertainment with my peeps cuz afterall, isn't that what blogs are for??? It aint always cat 3 race reports!

Speaking of Peeps, I loved Easter week because my kitchen was full of Peeps! Usually I get up so early that i'm alone for most of the time, not this week... Every morning I was greeted by about fifteen or twenty Peeps hanging out in the kitchen to which i'd say "whasssup, my Peeps"!!!
I just hurt my case here with bad toothy and sugar coated Easter candies. Oh well, you gets nothing but the truth here on the k-blogg!

Guitar Hero...

2008-03-25T06:43:00.002-04:00

Now that Velocity is over with, we saw it fit to have a little graduation party for this small group who've evolved into closer friends than we were before it started.
You get to see a lot of people in 20 sessions of the red zone...
So lastnight a few of us ran, one rode, we came back and had some food, and drinks. The kids played and watched kid stuff. The chicks talked, the dudes talked, then it was time to rock!
Thanks to Jon, and Leah for bringing guitar hero over to get the Horvaths' hooked like the rest of ya'll are ;-)
It's harder than I thought!

Happy Easter!!!

2008-03-23T21:05:00.000-04:00

VBW Smackdown!

2008-03-16T20:18:00.007-04:00

This race was put on by the Virginia Beach Wheelman who are a great bunch of guys and girls and family. They really have a great thing going on, and if it weren't for my long stint with Tri-Power, there's no doubt that I'd be rolling with this group. They make me feel like family more than any other of the organized groups out there. I wear there jersey a lot on training rides... Much respect. And dammit, nice job in putting on the race! It was a good course, and well run.
See ya'll freaks Monday night!

I did two races-----30+ (10th place)
Cat 3--------(17th)

Crazy was sick all weekend, no racing. Sucks because he's on good form!

In the Cat 3 race the young Gunz got things started right and quick with Ian, Tyler, and Bender. They caught me by suprise. By the time I saw the threat of this break on lap one, I was in no mans land trying to bridge to no avail... Good job to all in the break, and Stu for sneaking away late in the race and sticking it!
Bendo looks like a freakin giant here!

The Cat 4 finish was HOT! Look at the chick in the background with hands held high!

The Cat 3 line up. Look at all that RED!

My Gramps and I always called my Grams Darth (her name is Dorothy. So I figured I'd put a lil sum on my bike to pay tribute to her greatness... It's been a hard week, but it was great to come back home to a weekend of racing! Thank you all for the kind words and everything, we truly have a family like community here in the 757. And who doesn't have a Grandparent that they Love, Loved, Cherrish, Cherrished, and always remember?

Dismal Dash was well----DISMAL! I went backwards a few mins from last year... Wooooops. 109:and change, ouch.Results can be found here
BTW___if you need top notch electronic precise timing of your event, please contact kalerunning. They're awesome!

I will redeem myself in the VA-DU no doubt!

My Grandmother's Legacy

2008-03-13T18:05:00.002-04:00

The greatest Woman i've ever known has left us this week, but I see in each of us, a piece of her, and that makes me smile... May we all love life as she did.

We're still in Jersey, but I thought i'd post this for all to see.

Knockout Blow!

2008-03-09T19:48:00.003-04:00

The race today and all the drama that led up to it became secondary by a phonecall from my Mom on the way home from the race.

The greatest woman I have ever known has passed on today at 4:30pm!
May Dorothy Stoll my dearest Grandma rest in peace.
She and Gramps pretty much raised me as a youngen, and they've given me so much of who I am today. She's been pretty bad off the last couple of years and I expected this to happen, but o have it be official is just crazy.
For many many years she has been my best friend!
I see a lot of her in Judy, and that makes me smile...

thanks everybody...