Looks like 15th place

The second race was just as cold as the first. Not bad for early season race.

First Race of the day

13th place in race number one for the day!

If the weather holds I race again @ 12:10

First Planned Road Race (Crit)

2nd Annual BURNHAM RACING - SPRING SUPER CRITERIUM

Presented by

Burnham Racing

South Beloit, IL

Saturday, March 28, 2009

If the weather is dry I am racing 2 races this Saturday in Beloit, which is about an hour from home, maybe a little more. These are test races to get a feel how I match to others and how I feel in Race pace. It's still very early so I don't have very high expectation.

The two races are Clif Bar Men's 4/5 Killer B's & Goose Island Masters 30+ Men 4/5. The difference is the race with "Masters" is for only 30+ age group, so no little youngsters to cause crashes, (that's an unfair stereo type) which means the one that doesn't say "Masters" will include ages 17 and up. The other difference is the youngsters take off a lot faster then the masters. At the word GO they are going at 110% of their fastest. Much harder pace to keep up. Masters we start out at 80% of our fastest (usually) and build through out the race.

Hope for good weather!

2009 Jerseys

Testing the Blog from the

Testing the Blog from the phone. Then I can post results from the phone

Last Week of Base

When training for endurance sports, a common method is called periodization where the training is broken into specific time periods (usually weeks) that focus on different levels of volume and intensity of the workouts.

Typically the first period is called "Base" which you build a base fitness. The Base period is about higher volume of riding with lower intensity. The Base period can last from 8-12 weeks. This week is my last week and next week is a rest and recover week to get ready for the next period.

The next period is the "Build" period where you start adding higher intensity work outs. During the Build period I will be increasing my fitness level to be as strong and fit leading into early May time frame. Build period leads into "Race" Period and ultimately the "Peak" Period of the season.

Thanks SRAM and the Grass Roots Program

Thanks to Aaron for getting the team hooked up with the SRAM Grass Roots program this year. I took full advantage of the program. SRAM is the best MTB Components for sale in the industry (in my opinion).

My 2009 project is a 29er hardtail. As a reminder to those that know more about bikes then me, this Blog is meant for my family that are not "Bike Nerds". Most Mountain Bikes are build for wheels that are 26 inches in diameter, a new fade is to use 29 inch wheels. 29ers are suppose to be a faster and smoother ride. Also a 29er is suppose to be good for the taller riders like myself.
Stan's NoTube custom wheels with DT Swiss hubs. I am doing my part for the economy!

The Competition

If you can't beat them then try and fat'en up a little to even the playing field!

Hold a Party so that he eats junk or go to a Black Hawks game and get a burger that will add 2 LBS to him the next day!

2009 Season Not Far Away

March is half over and the training is in full swing. I road 6 plus hours between Saturday and Sunday this past weekend, and Next weekend calls for the same.

I have decided not to race road for the Endeavour Team, I am going to race unattached, meaning I will not give my points to anyone. I am planning on still racing on the road this year, and am working on moving from a category 5 to category 4 maybe a 3.

For the Mountain Bike racing I have decided to race another year on the Guinness Bike team. The team is being lead by yet a different person this year. I wasn't sure if I wanted to stick with them mostly because the team is being managed by a guy in Peoria that I don't know very well. A few of the guys I know and train with are still on the team so I will stay. I was again tough, because I still get a lot of support from my good friends out of Green Bay, and I was leaning to going back to Shawn's team this year.

I am also building a new Mountain Bike for racing this year. I am going to go back to racing a hardtail (no rear shock) this year. Last year my two strongest races were on my old hardtail. I have also decide to go with the new 29er type of bike. (Will explain more later).

I want to update my blog more often for everyone this year so stay toned.

Here is to a good year!