post creampuff

I figured I'd give a little race report of the Creampuff -

The fam and I headed out on Fri the 10th - set up camp that night and hung out on Sat enjoying each other and the towns of Westfir/Oakridge. Notice the great pics taken by my personal photographer/wife:

The next morning was not unlike any other early morning race prep - bunch of people shoving food down their pie hole and long lines to the can, and the pre race jitters. At this point I felt pretty good.

The race started about 5:10am - a 2 mile rolling start with a pace vehicle - then we were on our own. It was cold and damp. About 4 miles in I hit dirt, a 7 mile climb straight up. After that, pass though aid 2, on to the tiger mountain trail. A brutal trail with screaming fast descents, switch backs, hike a bikes, and a ton of mud. Approx 25 miles into the race I passed aid 3 - mandatory 1 min stop - then the 20 miles back to aid 2 - this loop was done twice.

For whatever reason the first 65 miles were brutal for me - felt nauseous - soaked to the bone - got bit by some weird forest bug though my shorts that removed a little flesh, and my spirits were just plain low. At 60 miles I was getting a little pouty and contemplated dropping out - I knew it would not get though the the contemplation phase - but it did get there.

My second time though aid 4 (between 3 and 2) I was sick of feeling sick so I shoved my face full of red vines and M&Ms - I figured I'd feel better or worse - that was the trick, and I started racing. Soon after I was at aid 2 again and I got another boost - the whole fam was there for support. A quick change from my summer to winter gloves and I was off again.

A little aid station heckling from my 14 year old.

From there to the end I felt great ~ 30 miles, - I was doing a bunch of passing and actually enjoying the ride - all the way to the finish - where I recieved my coveted finishers hat.

All things considered it was a great race and an even better vacation for the family - we spent the rest of the week exploring the Oregon coast.

Can't believe I'm posting again - and from Istanbul.

First off - my excuse sentence:


I was in Taiwan a few months back, hoping I would have this awesome bike story - I had plans to ride with this Canadian guy that lives and races in Taiwan - anyway it all fell though and there was no ride - and no awesome blog story.


About 2 months later I find myself in Portland OR - and after a bit of negotiating I find I am the proud owner of a Bike Friday Crusoe - whose previous owner bought it brand new and never rode it - that’s going to make some good stories I thought. I rode the heck out of it in Portland - several 20 mile rides and a 50.


Next thing I know - after a bunch of creative packing and weighing of luggage (to stay below the 50# limit) my Bike Friday is sitting in my hotel room in Istanbul. A week goes by - and the bike is still sitting - almost 2 go by and it is starting to gather dust. I start considering my ad for EBay - Slightly used second owner Bike Friday Pocket Crusoe.....


After a big push from my wife ("you brought it all the way there with you - you better ride it") I ventured out - by myself - not knowing the language - had no idea where I was going.... I'll let the pics talk. First ride:

The second ride:


Both rides were about 30 miles each - nothing major - but well worth it. All I can say is that this is awesome - it's a little strange riding out of your comfort zone, but well worth the reward - The BF has made to one of my bikes that I will probably never get ride of. It allows me to ride where I never imagined I would - the only regret I have is not buying one 18 months ago.

I did get a chance to ride my new studded snows, and they were awsome. I rode onto a large frozen puddle - or small frozen pond - put my cross bike in it's lowest gear and could not break the rear wheel loose - then I tried the skid test - yea it skids, but like skidding on loose hard pack dirt, very controlable.

I find myself now fantasizing about riding on ice - even though it I am about as far from freezing temps as globally possible. I am finishing up a project near Nag Hammadi, Egypt. Again - like many of my other places I've been, there are bikes here:

None that I would want to ride - especialy the way traffic is. However, I saw this little guy riding somthing that resembles what some fellow bloggers have been building (Note: picture taken while riding in horse drawn carrage):There is a lot to learn here - here is a pic of yours truly at the Luxor temple:

Egypt is yet another place Ive been (not a bad place to visit) that just makes me miss Spokane more - be home soon.

Well, I said I was going to ride to work this week and I made it Mon and Tues – the rest of the week was icy enough to get me to order Nokian hakkapeliitta 240 40C studded tires for my cross bike – hopefully I’ll get them soon enough to put em to work at least once this season.

I’m sure several people made it out riding this weekend, but I didn’t see any of them during my travels. Saturday I made it just shy of 50, it would have been 70, but I stopped a Wheel Sport East and jabbered for a while. Rode south, went to the top of Bellavista, then up 27, explored a few roads south of town – managed to stay up right on an icy 30mph down hill – last time I hit that speed on this ride.

Out of the valley sun and into the frosty fog

My Sidi Police model shoes in desert camo (really black)

Sun I rode west river view into post falls and explored some more - don't bother with the centennial trail until it's much warmer. Then my youngest and I rode to drop off a DVD – his first real ride on his new Redline he got from Santa. 7 miles – his longest solo (he’s done 35 miles on dirt on the tandem) ride to date – and he was stoked.

Winter

Like all Spokanites, I too have been getting my butt kicked by winter. My bike commuting went from every day for about 8 consecutive weeks - to 0 days for the next (almost) 4 weeks. I plan on fixing that on Monday.

However, between snow blowing, car trouble, shoveling and just plain ole winter blues I have been staying somewhat active. Snow shoeing and snowboarding have been the outdoor sports. But, as much as I hate to admit it - I have been doing a bunch of indoor working out. Swimming, running and weights at the YMCA, and some interesting roller workouts.

My wife shot this picture of me on the rollers the other day - after looking at it I have to wonder how many others do this kind of stuff - riding rollers, working out shoulders while watching NWD 9 -

I'm sure workouts like this have been fueled by my recent registration for the CCP100 for 2009 - but looking at this just seems kind of weird.