Lesson Learned at Maybury, Maybe!

Ok so I know better then to try and race on sub par gear but I really don’t have any extra cash to spend and riding with a worn out drivetrain caught up with me. I had to change my rear derailed last night to the low end SRAM 4 because my SRAM 9 crapped out. Also my cassette has been giving me problems for over a week and I though I could make it through one more race, WRONG! The first 5-10 minutes of the Maybury XC race went as planned and then my race was a total disaster! Maybe the worst race I have ever had! My start was almost like I wanted it to be leading everyone out to the bottom of the climb then going into the singletrack at the top of the climb in fourth place. I stayed right with the leaders then made a sweet pass through the first rock garden that the others rode around. So now I’m in 3rd and right on the wheel of the 2nd place racer. Then my first mistake, riding to close and not being patent. (Well this was my second mistake; the first was making sure my drivetrain was in top shape so I had a chance to compete.) So I went wider in a corner then I wanted slid in the mud some which was fine until I high sided and slammed to the ground. (As I write this my butt and hip really ache and the pain and tingling is going down my leg. I guess I hit even harder then I thought.) I didn’t lose any places at this point but it took me out of my rhythm, my hip and butt hurt and I was real mad at myself for crashing on a trail I know so well. Then I was just was too tired to hold the pace because of not being fit enough and sick all day yesterday. I had this illusion and hope that if I survived a hard start I might pull out a good race. Not much climbing at Maybury but you are “working” hard the whole time. Crispy told me, “Bryan I know you are frustrated and disappointed with not feeling well this week and not sleeping much. So just go out hard and see how long you can hold it. Whatever happens happens.” So I did. I gave it my all on the start and first lap but new I was in trouble very early in the race. I never planned on winning but thought if I rode smart I could squeak out a top 3 finish somehow. Like I said in the back of my mind I thought and hoped I could make up for my lousy week and lower fitness with good singletrack riding. I didn’t! So I faded back to 7th or 8th place with the other riders gaining every lap with my butt and hip getting more painful from the crash and part of me decided I was done racing. I would NEVER just quite so I would limp in for the rest of the laps to finish and maybe, just maybe get a second wind on the last lap to catch back up or not lose more places. Then my rear cassette and hub started making real bad noises and using them one to many times came back to haunt me. My drivetrain blew up. Busted derailleur hanger, bent and busted derailleur, twisted chain and this all started with that damn loose and jammed cassette. Now I was done. My first mechanical DNF ever in 10 years of racing and my first DNF ever period! I think it was bad karma following me, not for voicing my opinion on things I didn’t like about how this race was set up but for being so obnoxious about it. Maybe I learned a lesson, but probably not. I am very frustrated, irritated and angry with myself. -Bryan

Kona Demo at Maybury State Park was a blast!!!

We had a blast at the Kona Demo out at Maybury in Northville, Michigan. Mark and Michelle rock!!! Went for a real fun ride after the demo. Remember the Demo will bhit the Poto on Thursday afternoon. Go to http://www.konamidwestracing.com for more info!

National Races Utah and Colorado Photos

I got all the National Utah and Colorado race Photos up.

http://dansypniewski.smugmug.com/gallery/1784815/1

just copy and paste.

Kona Factory Demo Tour is coming to SE Michigan!

Lock up your kids! The 2006 Kona Bicycles Factory Demo Tour/Race Rig is coming to SE Michigan NEXT week!The Kona Midwest Mountain Bike team is hosting Kona Bicycles Factory wrench Mark Matson (aka Matt Markson) and DH studette Michelle Camp (broken ribs and all) and will be hitting up a few venues here in the Great Lakes State.Come on out and Demo the best mountain bikes around!We will be at Maybury State Park on Wednesday August 23rd. Demo rides will be from 3-6 PM then we are going for a ride around Maybury a few times at about 6:30.Thursday the crew will hit up the Poto for the normal Thursday night ride. Again the demo will run from 3-6 and then everyone will hit the trail at 6:00!!!If you miss those days we will be racing at the Maybury XC race on Saturday so stop by and say hi and check out the Kona bikes then!!!!
www.konaworld.com
www.konamidwestracing.com

Nationals at Snowmass

Well here we are the Brian Head and Snowmass Nationals are over. Kinda sad cuz that means it almost time to come home. After camping, staying in the Kona Factory Team Condo, then camping in the rain we thought it was time to get a hotel so we sprung for the Days Inn by Crested Butte, I pretty sure you Know were gonna do some riding there.

The Snowmass course wasn’t as hard as Brian head, but then it rained hard Saturday, then again during the night. Oh the tent didn’t leak this time and we didn’t wake-up to a small pond around the tent either, but it was cold! And not having enough blankets wasn’t fun either! So Sunday morning when we got moving about 5:45-6 it had just stopped raining and was about 50-degrees, everything muddy and cold, which isn’t a fun way to start a race. Amanda broke her bottle cage, my grip came off the bar, so we had to fix those problems then it was up the road to the start line which we almost didn’t make our starts. I went off and it felt like a Michigan start. About 100 people. All the expert men up the mountain. The course…20-minutes up the mountain then into the single track climbs, which were about almost impossible, due to the mud and slippery rocks. Finally after about 30-minutes of single track climbing we came into a single track section that was so muddy it was like riding Bloomer or maybe Addison after a hard rain! Slippery as all hell, but with a lot more sharp rocks and roots. Then some more climbing then a crazy decent down a trair that was mainly used by equestrians, so it was concaved and very very dangerous. Amanda and I both too a couple of falls in that section, Amanda taking the worst. Then finally the last decent before the end of the lap and up the hills again, but my erratic shifting and the mudd build up caused my chain to break, I was not happy.

But Super “D” I still can’t get no love! Last weekend I get a flat and this weekend I lost my chain about 50-yrds before the finish line, so I was left to run up the final hill getting passed by 2 people finishing 4th. The course description was for the Super “D” course was Cross country fit and Downhill fast. The start is like a Michigan XC start, ball out off the line but for only a 12-13 minute race. My start running with our bikes sucked! Getting on my bike about 10 people back. But I made time and places with the 44t-11t The course was sweet! So fast in one spot I hit 45mph, lost of switchbacks, a few technical climbs, a long road climb. Glad I put on the down hill 2.3 tire cuz it rained before this race too! But I rode the course perfect. DAMN START! DAMN CHAIN!!

Dan

Yeah, XC was rough. Waking up on the mountain in the freezing cold rain and discovering that there is no propane left to make breakfast or coffee is bad news before a race. The only warm-up I had was climbing up to the start line. I think everything got worse from there- I couldn’t drink or take in any food and totally bonked. Had to be the worst I ever felt during a race. Glad its over. Evil mountain.

I was not feeling up for Super D at all. Blacked-out in the parking lot after my XC race- yup this is the worst day ever! But I got it together and went for a practice run on the super D course. One was enough for me- my legs were done and I was feeling terrible. Just wanted it to be over with. I think nerves were definitely a factor here since I learned that if I take 1st my points for this race are doubled and I had a chance at beating this chic who was currently first in the series and had done one more race than me.

I had a horrible start- couldn’t get on my bike then bashed my shin with my pedal. Watched 5 girls with cyclocross backgrounds jump on there bikes no problem. Caught them on the single track and was stuck. Knew my only way out was to pass them on the climb- not easy on my beast of a bike. Actually I think I almost died but anyway… had two more girls to catch on the downhill. Passed the one and then came up on the girl in front in this corner with a sketchy pro-line. Knew it was my only chance so I remembered Crispy’s words, “Eyes up” and I pinned it. All that was left was the descent through the downhill course (so fun, btw) and then a climb back up to the finish. Done, finally! These races and traveling and camping has been stressful but I think it was worth it!

-Amanda

Ore to Shore - The Justin Perspective

2006 has brought me to my first O2S race and it's been a memory all right. Warming up my legs felt good and I was able to stage in the preferred start area. The race started and I was settling into a comfortable position going from the road, transitioning into the dirt/grassy area. Then it happened. While riding along in the grassy area, what seemed to be the Hand of God slapped the rider in front of me and he just went down. Being that I was right on his wheel, I was able to share his fate as I unclipped and prepared for impact. This was a less than optimal situation for me to be in. I'm scrambling to my feet just hoping that the whole field doesn't run over my poor bike. I pick it back up, hopped on and just start tearing ass along the left side though the tall grass trying to make up as many positions as I could before it started to get too stretched out. Riding on the edge of lactic blow out I'm pushing though the sand till I start catching back up to riders I know. Jamie and I work together for a little bit trying to find a half way decent line though all the maddening sand. He and I eventually catch up to Terry Ritter and Pete. All 4 of us are supposed to get bottles from the same person and that thought crossed my mind for a second wondering if we would still all be together at that point and how pissed Katie would be trying to hand up to 4 guys at once. Then I remembered how pissed off I was and pushed harder. Pete and I eventually moved up a bit till we were moving along with a small group taking turns pulling. Then I caught site of an orange Bell's jersey. Working hard I bridged up to that group and was greeted by Jason Lummis. By this time we are within view of the huge shale hike-a-bike hill and we can see the lead group working their way up it. Lummis calls out to me "Dusty if you run it you can jump onto that group". Filled with glorious inspiration from Jason I charged up the hill to hop onto the back end of that lead group. Finally I'm back where I started out and my legs are just burning. The group was fast moving but kept surging and slowing like a pack of roadies. Robert Herriman was getting a little agitated with the lack of spine in the group. I could completely understand, but given how bad my legs were hurting I wasn't about to take lead. I stuck with this pack for quite a while and actually started getting a little worried that I might have missed Katie for my hand up as I was pretty much out of anything to drink. Just then we come out of the trail to a paved climb where Katie was standing, with a bottle in hand. With a new source of life blood in the form of a blue liquid I was back at it trying to hang on. More and more into the woods we rode, plowing though the sand. I HATE sand! Really it started looking like finishing was just who was just going to survive this race. I've never seen so many mechanicals in a race. Quite a few riders double flatted or had dérailleurs mate with a rear spokes. Eventually I had to take in some food and when I went to pop a Gu that's when a gap built. :-( Slowly riders started falling off and the line became pretty stretched out. I manged to stick out the rest with about 1 mile to go getting a terrible cramp in my left hamstring which really brought out the angry face. Hitting the pavement I came up on a guy who, as I passed, tried to hang on to my wheel. No even thinking of letting that happen, I grabbed the center of the bar dropped my head and just cranked as hard as I could. Made my last turn and comfortably crossed the line in 12th place. A pretty good experience all around I would say.

-Justin

Nationals- 8 days down and 8 to go!

For those of you wondering, we are alive and well. To state the obvious, the riding out here is phenomenal. Our first stop was Brian Head, UT for the NMBS race. The XC course was 27 miles of fun, well except for the 1800 ft of climbing in the first 4 miles reaching about 12,000 ft of elevation. During my race I came around a corner and there was a big, brown, shiny cow’s butt in the middle of the trail. After realizing I wasn’t hallucinating I noticed 2 more cows on the side of the trail. Free-range cows on the course- that’s a first for me. My goal was to finish the 27 miles which I thought I did, but after I crossed the finish line I realized I missed a turn and went off course about a ¼ mile before the finish chute. So I turned myself in for a nice DNF- damn. Now for the real fun- Super D. The course was sweet, a lot of climbing for the big bike (mine needs to go on a diet- STAT) but wow was it rippin’ fast on the descents! The race was tough- the start was a sprint on your bike uphill which was so, so hard especially at altitude. Glad I survived it all. Now on to more fun in Snowmass, CO.

-Amanda


Yeah all Amanda had to say pretty much applied to me too! Oh the 2000 lbs bull and the cows! That was the weirdest things I have ever seen and probably will while racing my bike. Thought I needed to eat some gel for something. The XC course was Sweet! Just what I like! some of the about a mile in the woods felt like PLRA with the rolling hills roots and rocks, but that didn’t last long. Then came the red dirt roads. I some how cought a few pro women, that was a nice change, some of you guys know what I’m talking about! Besides all that the XC course was HARD!!! And hell at the same time! But I’ll do it again! Oh yeah I got 9th. The Super “D” race was fun. Even though we were coughing up lung tissue after the race! The rain pre-riding it wasn’t nice. I was stuck on a 20-minute chair ride in the hail and rain. Then had a 15 min ride down the mountain. The race…I had a great start was up the hill second but lost a spot to a guy on a XC bike then flatted, but rode it out and still didn’t get last! After this great coffee at Starbucks its off to Snowmass to stay in the Kona-Pro condo, how I hooked that up I don’t know! Mark is awesome! Oh yeah Amanda just reminded me that last night we stold Georga Gould’s campsite for those of you that don’t know she’s one of the many hot girls that ride for Luna.

Dan

And a link to some photos http://dansypniewski.smugmug.com/gallery/1755024/1/86930445

MORE WAM stuff with PHOTOS!

What a great ride!!!
Click http://bryanmitchell.com/06wam/wam.html for 9 pages of my favorite photos I shot.
I shot over 2000 images!
This was my first WAM 300 tour and it won’t be my last. I really enjoyed the ride, the people and helping a great organization. I shot close to 2000 photos that I hope Make-A-Wish will be able to put to good use to promote next years 20th WAM! The last 20 miles of the ride were some of the coolest 20 miles I have ridden. I was in a group of about 30 rides including some of the great people of team Blizzard. We were all tired and hurting but you could feel the excitement and electricity in the air of finishing such a great challenge and our pace picked up. These miles were emotional for me. Because I was tired, because I was thinking about what I accomplished in 100 degree heat, I was thinking about the kids who we were helping, thinking about my kids, thinking about life, thinking about what I am grateful for and thinking about what I should change. I felt a tear run down my cheek. Riding into the finish with everyone cheering was a nice reward to a long ride as well.
More random thoughts on the ride:
The mass start and taking over the streets of Traverse City.
Looking down and seeing my temp gage reading 99 while riding.
Seeing the same gage read 106 when I was stopped and baked on the hot asphalt.
That hill before lunch on Friday.
Sleeping outside under the stars.
The headwind while climbing on Friday.
The tailwind on Saturday.
Riding with team Blizzard and team Alex
Riding through the spray of giant sprinklers watering a corn field.
Pulling Lisa back to a group after she lost her chain on a climb and catching them just before they stopped at a rest stop. We laughed about working so hard to catch back up.
Hitting 40 mph on one of the downhills.
How bight orange my Kona Jake the Snake cross frame is.
Being referred to as “Kona Man” or “Camera Guy.”
All the kind words and encouragement people gave me about riding and shooting photos at the same time carrying the photo gear with me.
Beating the storm on Sunday.
Watching riders finish in the rain, you rock!!!
Randy the bike doctor, he rocks!
Pigging out at dinner.
Air conditioning!!!
The great sunrise on Saturday and Sunday.
The fog on Friday.
I think I now like road riding much more! But I am still a mountain biker!
Getting maybe 3 hours of sleep Thursday night.
Kevin on his 3-wheeler!!!
Missing some photos or just being to exhausted to get the camera out.
Sleeping on the bus to Traverse City
High-fiving some kids along side the road in one of the small towns.
The dog that chased our 30 plus rider group then cut right through the middle and know one hit it or crashed.
Water!!!
Gatorade.
Getting my medal.
Being sad it was all over.
-Bryan