Author Archives: gnccamateurs

With winter in full swing here now (perma-snow on the ground and low daytime temps) I’ve switched to my winter routine.  Some spend their winters engaging the winter conditions by skiing or snowshoeing or watching Packer games but I try my damnedest to carry on with fair weather stuff.

I put a new top end in the 300.  The piston was the origin and the rings had 36 hours on them. All said the engine has 86.5 hours on it.  The old piston seemed like it was in good shape but it rattled in the cylinder when I inserted it when everything was apart.  The new piston (also a Vertex, just like OE) was stamped with a B and it fit much tighter than the old one.  When I fired it up afterwards I was stoked with how tight everything sounded.

I mounted up my makeshift studded tires in case there’s an hour I can do a few turns on the short lap around my property.  There are not enough studs in the tires to ride on a lake – although I would like to do that again – but they work reasonably well on the frozen dirt at my place.  The rocky soil here as taken the edges off the screw crowns and a few screws are missing all together but it’s still riding.  OMA promoter and legendary hard man Bill Gusse would call me a Sally for studding up.  I’ll try not to let that hurt my feelings.

And we have enough snow to let the snowmobile trails open.  It’s been years since that’s happened.  I take advantage of the trails with early morning weekend runs or bike rides. Usually the trails are hard from a cold night and there’s not traffic at that time.  I have an unpopular theory that snowmobilers only use the trails to get from bar to bar.  There’s little chance they will be on the trails at 7am on a Saturday or Sunday morning after a night of drinking.  That’s why the trails are so peaceful for me.  It’s also a good workout.

First off, the weather.  That’s because I’m American and my international friends claim that all Americans do is talk about the weather.  It’s been mostly dry and warm.  Dry enough to continue riding road bikes outside and warm enough not to have to cover every inch of exposed skin.  I’ve also ridden my GasGas 315r a few times.  That’s almost as enjoyable as ripping singletrack on my KTM but not quite.  No complaints; riding a dirt bike in Wisconsin anytime after November 1 is always a bonus.

I went to Africa on a work trip.  The gap between the haves and the have nots in Africa is wide.  There are poor people in America but most have a place to get a meal, whether their pride will let them or not.  The poor in Africa have literally nothing but second-hand clothes and hope.  Despite what they lacked they have big smiles and an appreciation for life.

I’ve tried to help a few local racers out with a training plan.  Who knows if I’ll actually do them any good but if nothing else they now have a little structure to work from.  They have big ambitions, freedom, and a great race series to challenge them.  All the ingredients are there.  Wish I could join them but watching them work through hard times and celebrate event the smallest of victories will be satisfying enough.

The local WIXC race calendar has been published.  15 races!

Training, or whatever you want to call it, is almost upon me.  I need a goal to work towards or else I just spin my wheels and lose motivation.  The WIXC series might jump start my enthusiasm and get me mapping out a weekly and monthly schedule.  No need to start that until January, tho, or I’ll be fit on March 1 and have no where to put it to use.

Joe sent out a thanks letter to all the people and can businesses that have helped over the years.  Without them our racing would be much more expensive and not nearly as successful.  We very much appreciate their support, guidance, and expertise.  Thanks to Vesrah Brakes, Kenda, Victory Circle Graphix, Maxima Racing Oils, Bell Helmets, Moose Racing, Clockwork, Oakley, Fun Mart Cycle Center, Sudco, and Honey Stinger.

See you at the races!

The thing about regular activities is that the more often you do them the higher the risk of something going wrong.  It’s was only a matter of time before I fell off my motorcycle and got hurt.  Yesterday was the day; my time had come.

I had been chasing a handling issue after Saturday’s race and made a single change to the bike before Sunday’s race.  I rode the changed bike on a short section of course before the start and felt a little uneasy about it but not enough to send me back to the pit for corrections.  Disregarding my thoughts was a mistake.

At the start I let it roll and was third to the first turn behind the usual speedy kids.  Shortly after an opening salvo of sandy jumps we raced down a long, grassy, lumpy straight.  Much to my dismay the front of my bike was all over the place – far worse than at the end of the race the day before – so my confidence was immediately shot to hell.  My pace dropped and my mind was off in space thinking about how hard the bike was to ride, what the later parts of today’s race would be like when I was tired, and how could I have made such a massively wrong assessment of the handling dilemma from yesterday.

After all of that mind swill, I put my head down and decided I would not lose a lap to the leaders today.  I would finish on the same lap as the winner and come in a solid 3rd.

About 12 minutes into that opening lap I clipped a tree with the right side of my bars, swapped to the left, hit another tree, and flipped over the bars to have the front wheel land on my right shoulder and my right hip land on a clump of roots.  I was instantly in pain and my right leg was tingling.  My right toe was hurting and my foot felt red hot.

I assessed the damage by wiggling my toes.  That was a good sign because I was fearing the worst with the electric jolts going down the back of my leg.  Nerve related was all I could think of and since I could move I rolled off the trail to get out of the way.  That didn’t do much for other racers though because my bike was laying in the middle of the trail and I didn’t have the oomph to pick it up.

Almost the entire field of 60+ riders had passed by when I finally got back on the bike and rode to the ambulance.  The EMT told me my hip was in place and gave me some ice.  I took of my stinky boot there in the back of the bus to see that my toe was starting to bruise.  We iced that, too, but that didn’t help with the pain.  Pretty certain I’ve fractured my big toe.

I’m happy I didn’t do more damage.  Crashes happen so fast.  Even when you think you are prepared to avert the worst stuff there’s not really any way to avoid some stuff.  I’m bummed that I DNF’d but glad to be mobile enough to get the kids off to school and go to work this morning.

It will be interesting to see what my psyche is like the next time I enter a grove of mature trees at speed.  Might take me a while to do that without some recollection.  I’ll work on it.

Congrats to Joe.  He finessed his way through the race for a class win and 10th overall with a malfunctioning fuel system.  He rode around a bike problem by changing his riding style.  Nice work.

The physical damage done.

My blog centers around my motorcycle lifestyle but because my life doesn’t center around motorcycles there are long spells without motorcycle races.  This is one of those spells.

If my week unfolded perfectly, which it does about half the time, I’d feel like I did something moto related every day.  A week where I did a hard road bicycle ride, technical mountain bike ride, gym workout, stretch, swam, ate healthy meals, and got solid sleep and I’d feel like I could enjoy racing a motorcycle the following weekend.

But work and family have slowly eaten away at the number of race weekends I can get to. Although my fitness is pretty good – because I can still train enough – I don’t get the opportunities to race much.  Then the issue is that I have no practice racing and spend the first half of a race finding my mojo and speed before finally clicking and enjoying myself.

I can no long race to win. I’m too old and race too infrequently for that.  But I still enjoy the challenge of riding hard, making few mistakes, honing race craft, and tuning my motorcycle.  I’m proud to say that I’ve finished every off-road race I’ve ever entered and my first was in May of 2005.

There’s a double race weekend coming up.  I’ve tried hard to get my speed up since I raced last time and I’m eager to see if I’ve made any improvement.  I’m motivated to stay a little closer to the front of the race where the young bucks are.  Stay tuned.

Some shots from the past few days. And check out the video on Joe’s most recent post.

New chapter: Riding new KTMs in January. Happy geezers.

Wheels swap, snap some photos, dress up, and RIDE.

Over the moon with how this thing looks. Now I need to learn how to ride it.

Joe carved a short loop in the sand flats so we could catch some simple action shots. Fun stuff.

Sand is fun.

Joe's favorite right hander on the course he laid out.

Day is done.

New stuff is always energizing for me.  Today I received a box from Victory Circle Graphix with a slew of decals in it.  This is our new look and a new chapter in our new team.  I’m stoked.  Thanks big time to AJ at VCG.

We’ve had a few grey and damp Wisconsin days recently. The feel on that kind of day marks the end of the moto riding season for me. Winter is near.

My shoulder is great. I’ve been doing pretty demanding and tiring yard work and not feeling too badly afterwards, despite not spending any recent time in the gym, pool, moto, or bike.  I’m neglected my PT so I could not complain if my shoulder was bothering me.

I’ve got that 9 hour race in the Southeast on my radar and have mapped out a training program to prepare for it over the next few months. No moto riding between now and then but I’m not headed to the 9hr to win; I’m going there to enjoy the warm weather and ride with a smile.

Just made plans to attend A1. Looking forward to that season starting, too.

Sitting on a makeshift bed slash bench seat thing – dubbed “the couch” – in the back of 2010 D16 AA champ Mat Herrington’s van. Joe is here too. We’re headed to Crawfordsville, IN for the Ironman GNCC.

I’m not racing because I’m still on the mend. I wish I was because I’ve had good races at this place. It’s going to be good watching the race – might give perspective and be educating. I’ll be cheering for Joe and Josh Strang.

Saturday, 6:36am

It’s early on race day.  We set up camp and the pit yesterday afternoon in suppressing heat.  I don’t know what the temperature was but everyone on our crew complained about it multiple times.  Our pit is at the far end of pit row and about ¼ mile from our camper.  Joe and I are the only ones up at this hour.  The others are doing what they can to sleep.  The sun has come up and it’s starting to bake again.  Generators from the neighboring campsite are puttering away.  I need to get some breakfast in me before we go bicycle the opening mile of the course.  Race starts at 10am today and ends at 10am tomorrow morning.

Our pit

Hydration for the next 24+ hours is going to be essential.  I’ve been drinking like mad but been pretty careful about what I drink.  I was turned on to a mix called specialdrinkmix.com that helps your body store water on the cellular level.  Before I started using SDM I was doing just water and had to pee so often that it was annoying and, unbeknownst to me, not doing me any good.  Since drinking SDM I’ve feeling a little plump.  I’ve been measuring my hydration level by peeing on a chem stick.  The stick measures water’s specific gravity so the more water that’s in your urine, the better hydrated you are.  So far so good but I don’t expect to stay hydrated for long.  It’s just too hot.

Off to check out the course and then eat breaky.

9:29

Just did tire pressure (11f, 10r) on my Kenda Millvilles, gassed up, new lenses in the Oakleys, and got dressed.  Sitting in the camp talking shop.  Noah is here helping us out.  He knows Mark Junge from road racing at various tracks around the country.  Its awesome to have Noah here.  Thanks, man.

The start line is a chalk line that funnels into ever narrowing ribbon .  The ribbon ends at the woods and then the trail shoots up the hill above timing and scoring.  We’ll do a short loop then join the normal course about 3 minutes into the race.  I didn’t go any farther than that in my recon.  It will eyeopening from then on.

I’m ready.  Not nervous but excited.  My thumb is a little sore from the tumble I took weeks ago but I don’t expect it to slow me down.  I’ve been drinking a bunch and the stick says I’m hydrated.  Up to me (my head) now.

The starting line with my umbrella girl, Joe. My video camera didn't work. Bummer.

11:59

Just did the first stint.  Blew the start and was the last person to leave the line.  Worked my way past riders but followed some guys off course and got lost.  Dumb.  Super dusty so passing was dangerous.  Figured I would be in 15^th in class but came across in 8^th.  Course is one-line and a diverse combination of beach sand, moist woods, open fields and road, double track, and ups and downs.  It will get rough.  Did 4 laps and had moved up to 2^nd in class.

3:11

Bike is running badly and the rear is kicking.  Noah made some adjustments so I’ll see how she does from here.  It is so awesome to get off the bike and have someone take it from you to do the work.  The course is beat now.  Some new lines opening up.  Joe did his stint and kept us in 4^th.  I moved us back up to 3^rd but that’s all we’ll get. The front guys are way out there.  Beside, its not about the race; its about the experience.

My hands are not blistered but they are tired.  My shoulders are tired but by low back is good.  Just changed my clothes so I feel refreshed.  It is hot.  Put new liners in my Bell helmets, grabbed some new goggles, ate a turkey and cheese sandwich, drank a bunch of chocolate milk and sat to write this.  I have 20 minutes until Joe is due back in.  Time passes fast when I’m off the bike.

Noah Mitchell did an incredible job during our race. We could not have done it without him.

5:34

Slowing down some but somehow we are in the lead.  Rough and dusty like I’ve rarely seen. Some chafing on my right underarm and top of my ass crack. That’s from the gritty dust that get in your clothes, I suppose.  Hands are still in one peice.  Top of my head is tender like the helmets are rubbing it. Brave Soldier on my head could solve that?

Carb was full of dust when we made the jetting adjustment on my last off stint.  It was running better from the adjustment but now its running on.  Sticky slide maybe.  Noah is flushing it now.  That guy rocks!

Super fun course now that I know it better.  I’ve been on the bike a total of 4.5 hours.  I figure I’ll do 12 total.  It will only get harder from here.

Lights on this time out.  Joe will be back in at 6:45 so that puts me out there until after 8.  The woods will be dark by then.  Apprehensive about the lights in the dust.  Reflection back in my face will be an issue.

Liz V has been great. Big food spreads every time I get back to camp. Can’t ask for more.

Pit lane had a 10mph speed limit.

1:17

Meltdown.  I imagine the combination of the heat, the pace, our inexperience, and my tendency to get motion sick all crashed down on me at once.  The whooped out trail and limited field of vision really messed with me.  I wasn’t able to ride without feeling nausea and event tossed up everything I had in my stomach just after midnight.  I tried to do single laps with short breaks in between but couldn’t out-will the desire to upchuck.

I did manage to reduce the nausea by adjusting my lights to have a broader spread.  That way I was seeing more of the surroundings when riding down the trail.  It was an improvement but not enough to keep me on the trail.

When I pulled it in for the night we were in 3^rd and over 13 minutes down on 2^nd.  That doesn’t really matter since our goal was to finish and we can still do that.  Joe had the same vertigo sensation that I had so he went to sleep for a while.  Our pit is dark and both bikes are parked.

5:53

I’m up but barely. Hardly slept but feeling better.  My body is tired and my legs keep cramping.  I’ve got a headache and I’m feeling fuzzy.  What should I expect?

Trying to get in some instant oatmeal and I have fresh Moose gear on. That’s helping my morale.  Joe is out on course and Noah has prepped my bike so I’m ready to go when Joe is back.  I expect the trail to be completely wrecked at this point.  It will be interesting to see how the last few laps go and to see what place we are in.

I’m disappointed in myself.  I’ve been planning this event for 6 months and to be shut down but motion sickness is hard to swallow.  On the flip side, the experience has been great.  The waves of emotions I’ve go through are amazing.  I’ve endured crests of feeling like we can win to lows of how much I hate my motorcycle several times each night lap.

Sunday morning early. My hands are still in one piece and would last the entire event unscathed.

Joe takes a break early on Sunday morning.

8:35

Just did 3 laps.  Was good on the opening lap.  Felt rested and had some speed. That’s all relative at this point, however.  Laps 2 and 3 were much slower.  I know the course so I know where to go fast or where to turn but it just feels unsafe to go faster.  My body is too run down.

My stomach and headache are worse than ever.  Nothing tastes good and there’s nothing I can do about the hungover feeling.  It’s getting warm again and that’s not helping.

We are in 5^th just 18 minutes down on 4^th.  If Joe hustles on his last stint then maybe we get in 4 more laps. That might bump us up to 4^th.  Hate to be negative but at this point 10am can’t come soon enough.  A shower and bed are calling me.

Back to that rollercoaster of emotions thing.  This past stint I really missed my family.  Wanted to be with them right at that moment.  Is that because it’s home and safe and comforting and the place I’m in now is so uncomfortable?

We did it. We wanted to finish in the top 10. Done and dusted.

7:40pm Sunday

There have been a few events transpire since the end of the race (that’s why it’s 7:40pm) but I’ll go back to what I was thinking at the end of the race before talking about the afternoon.

Joe’s last 2 laps ended with enough time for me to do 2 laps before the race would end at 10, if I was up for it.  I had barfed when I putting my gear back on so that was when I realized I had a decision to make.  I was nauseous, had a headache, hadn’t eaten well, and hadn’t been able to take on fluids so going back out into the heat was a bad idea.  Crashing might be more risky if I couldn’t think clearly and if I felt bad before riding, how bad would I feel afterwards?

On the other hand I’d put a lot of preparation into getting to this race, as did Joe.  Quitting was not an option but I considered it at one point.  I may only do this race one time ever so not being able to say that I finished it would have been a regret.  While finishing was our primary objective we did lead for several hours and that’s something to be proud of.

Joe came in at 9:15.  I was dressed and ready to go.  It was hot.  We had a short discussion about our race position and if we had a chance of moving up.  The team behind us was 2 laps back.  Joe said we were 24 seconds behind 4^th but it was actually 24 minutes.  I mounted up and headed out.

The course was really whooped and some of the exposed hills felt like a furnace.  I held it steady and sipped from the water I had in my Camelbak.  The thought of knowing that we would finish pushed me along.  In reality it was a race with no reward other than the satisfaction of completion but I had latched on to making it happen; there was no letting go for me.

Timing and scoring showed that we were in 5^th and 13 minutes down on 4^th when I started that last lap.  The crew was standing on the side of the trail cheering me on.  That felt good.  I backed it way down on that last lap and almost completed all my day laps without a single crash but tipped over in a narrow rutted section (dammit!).  I was tired.  I didn’t have any pain other than a small blister on my thumb.  That’s amazing considering how much riding I did.

When I crossed the line at 10:07 we were only 3:58 behind 4^th.  It doesn’t matter but I wish I could have been able to pull off a 25 minute lap instead of the 30+ that I did.  I rode to the line where we had to return our transponders, shut off the bike, pulled off my helmet, and puked.

Again the heat.  While we were breaking down the pit I was a complete waste.  My vision was fuzzy, the sunlight made it hard to keep my eyes open, my stomach was uneasy, my head hurt like crazy, and I couldn’t cool down.  I sat in front of the fan with cold rags on my wrists and an ice pack on my back but that wasn’t doing the trick.  Eventually the crew got the pit shoved back into the van and I hitched a ride back over the camp.  I stayed in the van for the AC for a minute but that didn’t feel right.  Everyone else was discussing the race and I wanted to be a part of it.  When I got out I felt especially bad so I sprawled out on the outdoor carpet under the camper awning.  I must have really looked bad since Joe’s wife Liz asked if I wanted the EMTs.  I didn’t even hesitate.

They arrived and stepped up all the cooling methods we had been using: water, ice, cool rags, the fan.  I had been aware of my environment every minute of the previous 24 hours but didn’t understand how important being lucid was.  The EMT guys asked me questions about where I was and what I was doing and I could answer all of those.  He was trying to get a feel of how far gone I was but mentally I was stable.  Physically I was uncomfortable.  The EMTs called an ambulance and planned to get me to the hospital.

While laying there I was full of thoughts.  I was happy that we finished.  I was somewhat regretting having gone out for those last laps knowing that I was unstable and low on fluids.  I felt bad for not helping tear down the pit and camp.  I felt bad about putting Liz through the anguish of basically ignoring her concerns about my well being.  I image she understands that I was determined to do what I wanted, regardless of the risk and consequence, but it would have been hard for her to not speak her mind or try to stop me. I felt bad for Joe because by calling the ambulance I was delaying our drive home.  Who knew by how much.

So, now I’m in the Clanton, AL hospital.  The ambulance ride was brutal because it was on small, rough roads and I was already nauseous.  But once I got to a bed in the ER things started getting better.  They drew blood and got me hooked up to an IV of saline.  I had been suffering from paralyzing cramps in my legs, groin, and mid back since I got off the moto so they gave me a muscle relaxer.  That started working within 5 minutes.

The ER doc came back with news that my creatinine and enzymes associated with my kidneys were elevated.  I was at risk of kidney failure so they admitted me.  I was somewhat relieved but also didn’t want to stay.  I wanted to get in the van with Joe and head home to see family.

7:50 Monday morning

I’ve got 3 wires connected to my chest, an IV line in my right arm, a blood saturation monitor on my left hand, the nurse call button/TV remote, and my computer here on the bed with me.  I can’t move without something tugging or tying a knot.

I slept okay.  My head is better and I’ve been able to pee several times.  So far I’ve had 8 liters of saline dripped into my body.  I lost 8 pounds of water weight in the race.  My enzyme level is still elevated so they are saying I will need to say another day.

Joe has been hanging out waiting for news about my situation.  I appreciate that beyond words.  We have no set plan at this time because we don’t know when I will be discharged and that’s causing some issues because our work demands that we get back to the office.  To add insult to injury Joe just called to say that a leaf spring on the trailer broke.  It can’t be driven with the broken spring.

1:17 Monday

I’m supposed to have another blood test to ensure that I’m trending in the right direction.  If I’m good then they’ll discharge me.  Joe is on his way to pick me up.

4:53 Monday

I’m out.  My enzyme count was good but I have to follow up with my primary care doctor when I get back to WI.  We’re at a Starbucks waiting for the trailer to be bolted back together.  Probably drive some tonight and finish it up tomorrow.  Whew.

My RM-Z250 was awesome. There weren't very many 250f bikes in the race so not only were we one of the few teams not on orange, we were on different equipment. Wouldn't want it any other way.

I’ve been busy getting ready for the Perry Mountain 24hr Challenge for a long time now but things have really started to ramp up the past two weeks.

The piles of gear that I want to remember to take on the trip have started to accumulate around the garage and house.  There are the usual piles of bike parts, wheels, and spare plastic that I’d talk to any woods race but there are also boxes of bike lights and chargers, generators, 10×10 tents and 120v lights and other odd camping-like items.  I also have food lists and clothing lists to remember to pack up.  Lots to do still.

My plan has always been to get all my training, packing, and bike prep done a week before the race.  That means that come departure day all I have to do is put the stuff in the van and drive.  I’m almost there.  If I get everything done by this Saturday I can spend next week resting and relaxing.  My theory is that racing 24 hours will take its toll no matter what so going in fresh is the best thing I can do.

My RM-Z250 has fresh Factory Connection suspension, fresh Kenda rubber, fresh Victory Circle Graphix, and fresh Vesrah brake pads.  The bike won’t let me down.  Pressure is on me.

I had my last day with Mary the Gymboss today.  We’ve been increasing the reps, weight and duration of the balance and power workouts these past few weeks.  I feel like I worked out hard today but I’m also feeling pretty fit.  Thanks, Upward Spiral, for elevating my confidence and abilities.

I’ve also got some good moto time in lately.  I totally played hooky from work several times and spent the day riding laps at the local mx track.  The repetitive laps get boring but they also help me stay focused.  I know the track so well that I’m trying hard to hit the same line, in the same gear every lap.  But all the jumps make me queasy after about an hour.  I have to fight a little to finish the workouts when the motion sickness sets in.

A few weeks ago I tank swapped, fell and hit my head in a soft section of the track.  My body was fine but I was immediately dizzy.  I felt sick to my stomach soon after and couldn’t safely ride.  I thought my feeling sick was from being concussed but now I know that all the jumping doesn’t help.

Anyhow, I’m feeling fit and look forward to the challenges ahead.  Thanks for reading.

scott

I’ve been spending time in Trek’s gym this past winter.  The workouts have put me to the next level.  Thanks to Mary Grinaker at Upward Sprial Fitness for the coaching, cheering, and morale boosting!

Here’s a snapshot of a recovery drill:

I’m headed to the Roubaix Challenge just like Joe is. Have to pack up my bicycle and ship it on Monday so it gets to the event in time.  I’m not as concerned about the ride as Joe seems to be.  It will be hard, I acknowledge that, but it’s entirely doable.  The distance – nearly 100 miles – is the thing I’m thinking about.  100 miles on a good day is a 5 hour ride but when you throw in some wind, rough roads, fred riders, and narrow roads the fatigue sets in a little faster.

My bike setup is stellar.  Team issue LEOPARD TREK Madone 6 series frame with Di2.  Latex tubes in big volume, stiff tires and fast aluminum wheels.  90psi.  I’ll try to take some Contour Cam footage.

The weather just won’t cooperate here in southern Wisconsin.  Opening dates for the local riding spots have been pushed back.   Feeling frustrated about not getting some riding in!

Did get to the garage last night to install a shorty lever on my Magura hydraulic clutch perch.  Pretty nifty.  I used a hanging fish scale to measure the pull force on the stock lever verses the Midwest Mountain Engineering lever.  Stock required 10lb, 11oz and the shorty was 6lbs.  Feels good.

Randy at LegendaryRandyEricksenFilms put this on-board video together of me racing in the 30+ class at the Rapid City Extreme Indoor Enduro.  Thanks Randy.

I won the race but I sure look slow.  Funny how it feels so much different than it looks.