Snowshoe Race #1

One of the best trips to date - for sure! Where do I even start? How about the mud...



It was wet and slippery on Saturday when we prerode the course. Just the kind of conditions that I love. We took runs all day, taking breaks in between to relax at the bus.



That night at the campsite we returned to hear the whistle blowing on the Cass Scenic Train, which conveniently ran just behind us.



After that, we walked a mere fifty yards or so and found quite a surprise - zoo animals! When Sean and Puck initially returned from their discovery, the first thing out of Sean's mouth was "don't fucking go over there - it's a fucking tiger!" There were actually a bunch of animals - a leopard, coyotes, two bears, and ducklings - just to name a few.



The next day (race day) we headed back to the mountain in the bus while Greg took his cross bike down the mountain to Cass and then straight up again (10% grade) to meet us in the Snowshoe parking lot. That man's a machine!

After seeing the pitiful "dual-stunt course," Sean decided to race downhill instead. He and I took a quick run down the mountain to survey the conditions and soon after it was time to race. Sean went first and came in mid-pack, a very good result for his first race.



My start was after Sean's. I put in a pretty good run, making only a couple minor mistakes and having to sit once in a while to catch my breath on the fire road sections.



When I reached to finish line, Puck and Sean were sprinting down the hill to meet me. "I think you're winning" said Puck. Knowing that there were still plenty of riders to come, I had my doubts; but as we watched riders file in it started to sink in - I might have a chance of winning! I could hardly believe it - I came in first - over 15 seconds ahead of the next rider in my class! It was a dream come true.



On the way home, we stopped at the Confederate Breastworks to take in the view and unload a few bikes to do a quick bomb down the hill.



A few hours on the highway (with one tire losing its tread) and we were back in Richmond - an unbelievable weekend of fun under our belts.

Snowshoe (West Virginia)

The bus is still in the shop after an electronic malfunction, so this weekend's trip was aboard Joey's Jeep Cherokee.



We left Richmond on Friday night and arrived at Snowshoe around 12:30am. Our friend Dave let us use his condo for the weekend, but the first night we crashed at his friend Darryl's house. The next morning we grabbed the key to Dave's place and headed over to make breakfast and prepare for the mountain.

The conditions at Snowshoe are well known to be muddy, rooty, rocky, and above all - slippery. I switched my tires over to Kenda Excavators in advance, and it seemed to pay off. The rain had stopped a day before, but the ground was still treacherous. I particularly enjoy riding in mud, so I was happy, even when I did slide out from time to time.



We kept making runs on the basin side, since the western territory had only a shuttle bus and we'd gotten a relatively late start on the day. It worked out well, and we put in a decent amount of runs.







When we returned to the condo I started making phone calls to find the rest of our party, which had left Richmond on Saturday. After checking in with them, Joey cooked us a FINE meal - steaks with roasted red peppers and broccoli - delicious!



On Sunday we got an earlier start and were on the mountain by 10:30am. Our group of seven riders stuck together for awhile, then eventually we divided into our own groups to ride our personal favorites.



At lunch, we met a couple guys from Asheville and I decided to ride with them once on the Western side of the mountain.



The trails there are much longer and varied and the shuttle bus can be timed almost perfectly to pick up as soon as you reach the bottom. The guys from Asheville, Thomas and Scott, showed me some great trails. After I'd found Nick and Joey again I took them to that side to show them what we'd been missing. On the shuttle ride back to the top we ran into two of Joey's friends (originally from Staunton, VA). We decided to make one last run with them to end the day. At around 5pm we were back on the road, headed home to Richmond. It was a great practice weekend and I'm looking forward to next week's race.

Just Friends Day (Brooklyn, NY)

Lori 40, our wonderful host for the Cutthroats' latest adventure, really hit a home run with this trip.



The only overnight camping near Brooklyn, NY can be found at Floyd Bennett Field. It's about an eight-mile ride from Lori's apartment, but in true Cutthroat fashion we stretched the ride to a day-long endeavor.







When we reached the campsite, the group of over 50 people spread out and began staking claim to their respective camping domain. By nightfall we had a grill full of food and three fully stocked coolers. The laughter and constant banter didn't seem to end until morning.



The next day the majority of the campers took a trip to the beach, but a party of three - Rachel, Sean, and myself - drove to Diablo to watch the U.S. Open of Mountain Biking.



We walked up the course during the last few minutes of practice and had enough time to preview the course before the race actually began. The amateur class started and we watched it until a thunderstorm rolled in. The officials put a hold on the race, so we decided to grab some lunch in the meantime. Once the weather cleared up we headed back to the mountain. Our timing was pretty good, and the racing continued soon after we'd reached the top of the course.



The rest of the amateurs rode through and then it was onto the main attraction - the Pro Class! There were so many top names in the race, and their superior skill and speed was obvious. Sam Hill ended up the Victor with Gee Atherton and Brendan Fairclough coming in just after him.

Sean took a ton of great photos while the pros rolled down the trail. The predominant viewing area on the trail was a huge rock garden with a pretty gnarly line. The faster riders opted to jump off the last large boulder, landing just below the final set of jagged rocks.



You can see more of Sean's photos on his flickr account.

On our way back to the campsite we picked up Darryl Nau and beer - both of which basically guarantee a good time. The last night in Floyd Bennett Field was great. Another chance to spend time with some of my very best friends.



The next morning we cleaned up, packed the bus, and headed to Richmond - another great trip on the list.

Diablo Race #1 (Vernon, NJ)

At 2am on Saturday morning, Rachel and I reached the parking lot at Diablo. We decided to just lay our sleeping bags behind the car and catch some sleep in the lot before the sun rose. With the exception of one short visit from the security guard, it was a pleasant camping spot.

Once the sun came out, we ran over to the local Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and then I started practicing the course. After a few runs I decided to play it safe on race day. I chose to run the course at a comfortable pace instead of trying to crush the entire track - which meant running the risk of going off course or wrecking.



That night we hiked up the hill and set up my tent on the edge of the woods. It was another pleasant night of camping, even with the nonstop rain and thunder storms. The next morning we threw the tent and bags into our backpacks and quickly hiked back to the parking lot - all the while getting some confused looks from some of the Diablo staff. We just acted like there was nothing strange about us emerging from the woods on the edge of their park and again headed to Dunkin to start the day.



I took a couple more practice runs that morning to check out the condition of the track and then headed to the car to run through the race in my head. At 1:45 I headed to the start box and at 2pm I was headed down the hill. I kept to my original plan - avoiding any wrecks, but still pushing the pace while staying in my comfort zone. There were a few spots that I knew I'd run faster during practice, but overall the run was what I'd hoped for. When all was said and done, I'd landed in 7th place (out of 32 racers) - not bad for my first rodeo. I've now got a good sense of my abilities and have already started visualizing ways to speed up my run next time out.



After the race on Sunday we headed to NYC to visit some friends. It was a dizzying night, stopping by four people's houses and catching up on lost time with some of my absolute favorite people. Monday morning we grabbed breakfast with my friend Darryl and again hit the road - seven hours later we were back in Richmond. It was a LONG weekend, but man was it fun! I'm [reluctantly] taking a few weeks off from racing, then the bus will be headed to Snowhoe Resort in West Virginia. I hope to get two practice weekends in before their first race on June 21st.

Diablo Preride (Vernon, NJ)

With one week to spare before the first race of the season, this trip to Diablo was a crash course in what to expect over the next few months. The bus had nine riders for the trip - Puck, Ryan, Joe, Jarrod, Chris, Nick, Sean, Joey, and myself. We met several other guys when we arrived too. In total I think there were about sixteen of us. It almost felt like we were the only ones on the mountain.



We rode together for the first few runs and then split off to ride our favorite spots. Joey and I stayed in the rocky, steep race courses and most of the other guys headed off to the jumps and stunt areas.



I think the weekend was a good warm-up for what's to come. I felt comfortable in the rocky, technical sections and I think that's where I'll be able to make some time on the rest of the competition. We'll see though - the race is next sunday!

Hidden Valley Canoeing

A week ago the temperature was 20 degrees cooler, the skies were full of rain clouds, and the wind was howling. The first trip of the summer had been planned for weeks and we were going to carry it out no matter what the circumstances. To our delight, the weather broke and the sun came out in full force for our inaugural weekend of fun in the bus. The temperatures were in the 80's and everything around us was full of life - perfect timing to say the least!



Our group for this trip consisted of 11 paddlers - Jeremy, Tristan, Michael, Peter, Barbara, Brooks, Will, Graham, Harrison, Julian, and myself. Oh yeah, Dignon came along too.



Four of us (Jeremy, Tristan, Michael, and myself) headed out on Friday afternoon and met up with Peter and Barbara near Staunton, VA. The initial paddle was short, which came in handy since it was nearly dark when we hit the water. When we reached the rest of our party at the campsite we promptly pulled out the coolers and began to celebrate the beginning of a fine trip. We all hung out by the fire until late that night, each retiring at different times as the night rolled on.



The next morning we woke up, threw together some breakfast, and then headed down the river. Our trip that day was relatively short and we reached the next campsite before noon.





We spent the remainder of the day exploring the area, fishing, and generally enjoying the abundant nature around us.



That night Jeremy grilled us a fine delicacy - cow heart! You'll have to check his facebook profile for photos of that one.



Our last day was a longer paddle, filled with some fun rapids and walk-around sections. We reached the take-out in the late afternoon and were packed up and ready to roll a couple hours later.





The drive back was as fun as the drive there, through meandering country roads and fun, twisty turns.

Viral Classic

My friend Lori 40 was in the right place at the right time during Slaughterama and caught my tallbike joust on video. It was the only event that I took part in, so I went all out.