Racin in the Rain

Yesterday was the Boyne Mountain XC and it was pouring for most of the race. The course is hard when dry and really hard when muddy and wet. Somehow it gets more fun the worse it gets, maybe thats a Northern thing. I do know as the mud to dry skin ratio goes up the flavor of beer and post-race food does too. That might explain why racing in the rain is fun.

To the race... I ride a singlespeed and one of the beauties is they don't break down. Mine did, and pretty violently. Starting with the Pro/Elite group I hold on for dear life through the flat, fast start. Made it through, sitting in great postion for most of the lap. I drilled it into the bottom of a climb I can clear 50% of the time when it's dry so I knew I really had to give 'er this time. I did and my chain exploded with my efforts. Damn that really hurt and I got to know my stem/bars very well. So well that they are actually imprinted across both my thighs for the next couple weeks. I had some parts in my pack and set to work fixing my chain and watching the entire Pro/Elite field pass me. Got it fixed, got back on and started to hit it. I ended up having to drop out after I realized a couple other things exploded with my chain. Ahh well. I had a nice downhill to the finish, pulled off, and hung out with my Mom who was standing in the pouring rain waiting for me to come through. She is awesome. Ended up hanging out in a downpour with Meg (she and my Mom are the best fans ever) and Moriah cheering for Uli (t-stone) and Steve who held strong and raced hard.

After the race we got lunch, beers, and hung out. I treated the rest of the day like I'd just raced 100 miles hard instead of the 10 I really did. Didn't finish but had a damn good day. Next up is Peak to Peak and ICEMAN. Gotta keep training so I don't start crying the first 100 yards of Iceman...
WB

Riding out the door

Growing up in the woods of Northern Michigan has let me ride out my front door as long as I can remember. When we were little the chase to catch my Dad was on as soon as we left the deck. It didn't stop until we got back to the same deck, muddy, out of breath, and Dad already cleaning off his bike. I think this is the main reason I love to ride so much and can't imagine ever having to load up my bike to ride. There is a rack on my car but it is normally used to get to the shop or a race, not for daily rides. Riders who live in more urban areas and have to drive to the trailhead have a lot of dedication in my book. Living right between to ski areas full of singletrack and all the road climbing you could want is the greatest training tool ever. A lot of people probably think the Mitt is not the mecca of riding and that is just fine. Out the front door I can ride singletrack for 3 hours, do 5 different century rides, and see 15 cars the entire time. Not too bad. If you are ever up this way look me up and I'll share some of it with you. When we roll back in the driveway the grill will fire up and we'll talk about how sweet we are. It's not the mountains or along the Pacific Coast but it's pretty damn fun. It doesn't matter where you ride, just how fun you make it. Tear it up. WB

USA vs. FOOD

Walk in to any public place and one thing will hit you every time, as a general population we are overweight. Not just five or ten pounds but significantly overweight. The scary thing is accepted as the norm and kids are raised not knowing any different.

The main problem is Americans don't know how to eat. We wake up and eat a pop tart followed with a carnation breakfast drink for our daily vitamins. Seriously? What happend to an egg sandwhich, cereal, homemade pancakes, oatmeal... and a good cup of coffee? Make time in your day for real food. It is more fun to make, tastes better, and you will be much happier. The scary part is this happens all day every day for most people.

We need to eat real food made in our own homes, not in somebody elses factory. There are some basic liquid staples: water, coffee, tea, wine, good beer. If you are drinking "water" that is purple and has more than one ingredient, put it down and chug a glass of tap water out of a cup, not a plastic bottle. Eating and drinking needs to be simplified. Our bodies are very complex and built to handle anything nature can throw at them. The problem now is the things we are throwing at our bodies are not from nature, they are made in labs in Midland. We are made to eat things that are grown and running around, nothing else. There is no superfood or miracle food. A nicely balanced diet is the miracle many are looking for. Eat fresh blueberries in your oatmeal, make some homemade pizza and muffins, cook eggs in the morning, fire up the grill and throw some veggies on it, eat an apple with peanut butter. DO NOT eat: packaged breakfast, fast food, food you can't trace the origin of, miracle foods or pills.

These are my basic rules of eating, it should be fun, exciting, and different everyday. Eat slowly and cook slowly. Eat REAL food all the time, it is always better for you than the new protein bar or recovery shake. Never, ever, pull through fast food unless the circumstances are dire. Eat what you want when you want but be concious of the taste, fuel it provides, and consequences. I love chocolate, ice cream, pizza, and can eat a batch of cookies in under five minutes. The key is to know what it does to your body.

The more in tune you become with your body the better your eating habits become. This is a natural process becasue you know what fuels your body the most efficienctly. Go to your local farmers market and stock up, it's cheaper and more fun. Don't drink from plastic bottles and make your own food, the end result is worth it. Remember to have a good glass of wine or beer with dinner to keep yourself in check.

WB

2009 WORLDS

Congrats to Cadel Evans! Cadel rode away with the Mens Road Race today taking the gold. This should silence some of the haters after his Tour performance. He has a bunch of World medals from MTB but this is the first Goooold. In the mens TT Cancellara destroyed people and won by 90 seconds. Damn. That is the equivalent of playing Lebron his senior year of high school when you're a freshman.

Nice work to Armstrong on the womens side. Gold and 4th to close out an amazing career.

The only worlds I'll ever make is Single Speed and that's an open entry.

Fall, Beer, and Bikes

Fall reminds me of why I ride. I spend the winter and spring training to constantly get faster and faster, often times forgetting what I'm doing in the first place. The training is fun and keeps me motivated through the winter months. Once fall rolls around though my legs and head need a serious break. This is where bikes and beer come in. I can't imagine trying to head out M119 doing 5x3 intervals or repeats on North Conway right now. Fun in the spring/summer, hell in the fall. Instead, I'm watching football and waiting for T-Stone to come over with a bike and 6-pack. Our ride might be 30 minutes or 90 minutes and I don't really care. Either way it will be a blast. I'll probably try to climb slowly and descend fast, eat shit, laugh, and drink an extra beer or two to wash it all down. Perfect.

Finally

I have been meaning to start this blog for about 2 years, now is finally the time. I was having a beer the other night with a friend of mine you know as T-Stone and we were throwing around some ideas. Twistedstone.com is a great site that is in the growing and learning phase. The goal is to promote mountain biking, get people off the couch and outside, get dirty, and have a damn good time. I'll have race reports, stories, product reviews, nutrition ideas (i learn what not to eat all the time), and some hilarious photo's. Thanks for checking in, time to get outside and go.