Changing of the Guard

Two week ago Brian and Aryn decided for sure they would be returning to Holt Michigan for the 2nd Annual Burchfield Time Trial.  So Aryn, being the good team manager he is, signed them both up at once to make sure the two would start in line.  For those who don't know about Time Trialing, one rider goes off the start every 30 seconds and you race against the clock.  You may not see another rider the entire race . . . some times that's good and some times it's bad.  Anyway, Aryn being as slick as he is signed up Brian to start in front of him.  He had his reasons but mostly because the course was front loaded with very technical singletrack and he wanted to make sure Diesel had a clear path.  A-Train knew it was possible that Diesel would go through that section faster so there was no sense in slowing him down.

Later in the day Aryn checked the on-line reg to see who else was racing and found out two things: 1 - Brian was going to be the fourth rider going off the line and he would be the fifth.  2 - The Motor Club's good friend Jon Dub9 would be starting right behind Aryn at P6.....and a half an hour after that, Dub9 had agreed to join forces with the MOTOR Club again this year to try and pull off what would be a difficult task....sweep the podium in the Men's A Class.

Hell Yeah!  (Dub9 had been known to relay with the Motor Club and also pal around with them at races (Mostly to mooch their shade))

Let's just skip to the day of the race shall we?  Forget the run around and go right to the starting line.  There would be 27 racers total signed up.

P1 - Remke Van Dame - local Strava KOM
P2 - Shaun Good - local trail coordinator and known speedster
P3 - Steve Rodgers - local ST killer who finished 2nd to A-Train last year by less than 30 seconds

As you can see P1 - P3 was stacked with knowledge and speed.

P4 -Diesel - flying under the radar after last year's 10th place finish
P5 - A-Train - big target on his back from last year's win
P6 - Dub9 - local hero who came to the Darkside (MOTOR Club)

21 more racers lined up after these 6.  Like any race you never know who may show up but the chatter around the paddock was that one of the first 6 would most likely walk away with the win.

Remke was fired off at 10:00am and every 30 seconds after that another rider was climbing up into the woods.  Dub9 told the Motor Crew that the winning time range would be from 42-45 minutes.  That's a full 10 minutes faster than the time A-Train won with last year.  There were some course changes but it was known that all the riders had upped their games for this year's battle.

The front of the course was loaded with roots and tight turns.  Roughly four miles of brake, accelerate, brake, accelerate, brake accelerate all the while tackling roots strewn out in every direction across the trail.  After that it opened up to a still somewhat new field section that was bumpy and soft.  Next was some flowing ST before you were dumped back out to a field again.  Last, some flowing ST with some trick navigation around some stunts and also a few rock gardens before the sprint down to the finish chute.

To keep it short so we can get to pictures, here is the order the first five across the finish line:

1 - Diesel
2 - Steve
3 - A-Train
4 - Dub9
5 - Remke

Diesel laid some serious rubber from the start and passed all three riders who started in front of them.  Dub9 and A-Train had passed 2 of the three who started in front of them but never caught a visual of Diesel.  The three waited patiently for the final results as Steve R had put together a solid ride and was close to grabbing one of the top 3 podium spots as well.

Final results were listed:

Diesel walked away with 1st place in the Men's A and also another trophy for the fastest time of the day.
Dub9 went home happy with this second place but did try and put the fastest time trophy in his car.
A-Train was happy to caboose the train and had no problem being beat by his own teammates.

Was nice to see some people we haven't talked to since last year's race and also make some new friends.  Last, it was great to see so many people raise the level of competition from last year.  Shaun, don't do so much work next year the day before the race....lol.  Remke, we'll miss having you at the battle next year but gook luck in Australia.  Steve R, man you kicked some serious butt.  I have a hard time thinking you will never stand on the top box at this race.  Great job out there!

Solid effort to our T6 MOTOR Clubbers.  That makes two years straight a MOTOR jersey has topped the podium at this race.  Looking forward to returning to a great race run well by a group of swell people.  Thanks for having us out again MMMBA!

 . . .and thanks to Steve and Remke for the kind words!  Shows class.

The "I" in Diesel

In untypical September fashion, Diesel was up and out the door early Sunday morning for a two hour drive to race while A-Train was still face down in his bed with his head buried under his pillow.  My how the tides have changed.  Okay, well, they haven't changed that much.  On Saturday morning A-Train was up before dawn to squeeze in a two hour road ride in-between the passing rain showers.  He had to cut it short at 90 minutes though as his legs could not take anymore of the wind.  "It seems it is possible to ride for 90 minutes in a variety of directions and always be fighting a head wind.  It was cold.  It was wet.  It was dark.  It sucked.  But I did it."

On Saturday evening, texts and email were flying about as fellow Twin Six-er, Jon Dub9, was feeding Diesel a big plate of Pando.  Diesel had never been there before so A-Train advised him to contact Dubs.  So he got the skinny on the course from Dubs, was home by the time the street lights were on and was tucked in bed by Mrs Diesel.....fast asleep dreaming of tubeless tires until morning.

Day break came, the X-terra was loaded up and the cruise control was set as the truck headed due West.  The weather was perfect for racing, low 60's and sunny at the start of the race.  26 other people gathered at the start for Diesel's race.  Off the line he managed to sit himself in the top five to keep the leaders within striking distance.  Things were going great on the short but very hilly 1st lap.  It only take ~22 minutes to lap around Pando but the catch is you are either going up an hill or down one, there is no in-between.

But then it happened, in the fast pace line that was still together half way through the first lap, the rider in front of him brake checked hard and Diesel had little time to react.  Tires kissed and Diesel found himself on the ground with his chain hopped.  While it only took 11-15 seconds to get the chain back on, in that small amount of time he estimates he lost 15 places on the grid.  Time to play Frogger.

After ducking, dodging and hopping around for the next lap and a half he realized he had the wrong bike with him that day. The full suspension was holding him back and the top three leaders were gaping him more and more after every climb.  He had advanced himself back into what he figured was the top five but he had to burn a couple matches to get there.  "You'd think on such a small course you would be able to remember more of it but it just went by so fast.  Just when you'd take a mental note of a section you were back on it again before you knew what happened.  When you are used to your laps averaging 30-35 minutes at other races, that 20-22 minutes goes by really fast."

On the last lap Diesel did manage to get his tractor beam lock onto one more rider in his class but he was never able to close the gap to the podium spots.  He rolled in for a well earned 4th place out of 27, only 3 minutes out from first place.  Solid finish considering the unplanned dismount.  He was able to collect a fair amount of points in the series standing but not enough to shoot him into the top three.  So Diesel ends the MMBA CPS series in 4th place overall in the Men's Sport 40-49 Division.  He had fun and said it was worth the trip but would be 50/50 on returning again next year.  "Lots of climbing but most of it was smooth climbing.  The course didn't have much 'true' singletrack and I prefer that."

Next up, the final race of the 2012 season for the Motor Club, the Burchfield TT.  Was a fun race last year with a low key atmosphere and a collection of cool people.  Looking forward to seeing them all again and talking shop around the bonfire after the race.

Stony Uncursed

Lots happened today so we'll just go in the order in which they appeared:

A-Train was to go off a little after 10am against a stacked field of Lako, Osgood, Cerget, Dub9 and a few others he recognized as fast.  But he was feeling fresh and ready to rumble.  Start mid pack at his pace and work his way up as the laps go by, that's how he works.  After lap 1 of the 4 lap race he was right where he wanted to be with Simon Bailey.  To start lap 2 he overtook Simon in the single track and was charging ahead to find Dub9.  He caught a glimpse of him on the following 2 track and put the hammer down to try and close the gap before the next single track section.  Plus he had seen Osgood on a switchback and knew he was close.  But on the two track chase something on his bike started to make a clicking noise and his chain was skipping a bit.  By the time he got to the next section of single track Simon and the train he was with caught Aryn.  Not 400 meters into the next section A-Train's chain broke and went flying off his bike.  He raced to pick it up, got his tools out to fix it and had it back on in minutes.  He then went in pursuit mode to catch Simon only to have it happen no more than a half a mile later.  With no spare master links left and frankly not enough healthy chain length left to run his 1x9 set up he decided to call it a day.  And so his last Tailwind XC race ended with a 3 mile walk with a broken chain in his left hand and a bike in his right.  Later he was asked his feelings about the finish, "Well, at least Dub9 didn't beat me because I never finished.  Now he's going to have to wait all winter to have another crack at it"

The Diesel was to start next around 1:00pm.  He knew he had his work cut out for him as his 6' 3" 29er riding nemesis Karl Emmerich would be there.  These two have been battling all season.  Today though it wasn't for points as the series had already been decided.  Today was for bragging rights.  Which some times is more important.  Going through the Roller Coaster section on lap #2 of the 3 lap race, Brian was only 15 seconds behind Karl.  They played yo yo for a while though as Karl would hammer away on the two track and then Diesel would reel him in once they got back into the trees.  On lap #3 the race was really heating up.  Karl said afterwards he was getting excited about it coming down to a sprint finish because of how close the two were.  But then it happened.....Karl suffered a puncture on his rear wheel.  Upon seeing this, the smoke from the pipes went black and Brian went into Turbo Diesel mode.  Karl was able to finish the race but Brian had created to much of a gap and he never caught back up.  So the Diesel rolled in for his 4th win of the season and once back to the team camp was greeted with a Bell's beer from his favorite fan Abigail.  the Diesel was later heard stating, "I'm glad it didn't come down to a sprint.  Karl's legs are like 4 feet long."

Starting not to far behind Diesel was Mike "Cannonball" Keysaer.  After a summer of nothing but work he was finally able to make it out to his first race as a Motor Clubber....altho he wore his X-Box 360 jersey.  Yeah, lots of compliments on that one.  It had been 2 years since he last raced and had only been on his bike 4 times this summer.  He had been running on and off to help keep the shorts from getting tight but he knows running isn't riding so he'd be suffering.  Baby steps though.  He just needed to get back out there.  So he was to do 2 laps and his only goal was to not come in last.  Mission accomplished!  "Cheese" as he is also known as, rode a clean race, finished and never crashed.  His final quote for the day, "Sure I'll have a beer, only because I have know Aryn for 30 years and can't remember the last time I saw him drinking one."

Last to go off were our the two 4 cylinders on the team, Ashton "Chicken Bone" Pongratz and Zak "Kung Fu" Keysaer.  These two go back a ways and have even gone to camp together.  Ash is known for being 9 yrs old and schoolin' his dad at basketball in the back yard.  Also, last time fishing with his mom he pulled in a 14" small mouth all by himself.  Zak, well he is fresh off earning his black belt the weekend before.....so the Motor Club rewrote the 10 year old's contract to add Crowd Control to his list of responsibilities.  Yes, I said 10 yrs old.

A-Train was to trail behind Ash and Zak in the 10 and Under race in the event something happened.  Altho, everyone in the team tent was more worried about Aryn given his recent sting of bad luck on the trail.  Bone and Fu had a rough outing.  Ash took a spill early on when he miscalculated a log pile and went down hard to the ground.  He walked it off but beat up his elbow really bad which required a good cleaning and 3 bandages from the Bike Patrol.  Zak, while slowing down to check on Ashton got rear ended by another kid causing him to get tangled up.  Knocked his derailluer out of alignment and also hurt his shifting thumb.  Battered, bruised and bandaged the pair kicked on determined to get through the race.  However, the Sport wave had lapped them sooner than planned and they had to do a lot of stopping to let the faster riders through.  So half way through the course they Bike Patrol redirected them as the traffic was thick. This turned out to be god for them as they got to ride some uninterrupted single track for a bit before makeing the home stretch on the two track.  They both had fun though and were already talking about their next race, Addison Oaks.

Now, picture time!

Diesel raced in the Orange MOTOR jersey so no podium shot in the 'podium only' jersey

Upper left is the First Place medal for the day and the massive paper weight one is for his second place overall in the Tailwind USAC series for his class Sport Men 40-44.  Not bad for an old guy huh?  Congratz to big fella and beer was consumed, yes even by A-Train, to celebrate 'The Year of the Diesel'

One thing Diesel requested to have on the record:

"I race a 26" full suspension all year.  It's all in the MOTOR!"

(((Big ups going out to Jon Wlodarczak for his solid second place finish in Expert Men's 30-39.  That was crazy and we want some of that Cucumber Juice.  Also ups go out to John Osgood and Brad Lako for theor solid 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the overall series fr Expert 30-39.  Solid season from both riders!)))

Maybury....where it all started.  Back in 2004 there was no Diesel and A-Train.  It was just Brian and Aryn.  Two co-workers, one fast and one super slow.  Back then the trail was only 4.5 miles long and Brian had to wait at the top of every climb for Aryn.  It would take them almost an hour to get around the trail.  Aryn was sporting a 189 pound frame with flat pedals, t-shirt, board shorts, cotton white socks and aquafina bottles.  Pan and zoom to the typical 'new guy.'  Brian had all the bells a whistles.  A cool bike, clipless shoes and peals, Camelbak, Smith Optic glasses, Fox breathable clothing....he looked the part and could back it up on the trail.

Fast forward to 2012.  The 'super slow guy' is 20 pounds lighter and riding the rear wheel of the fast guy....constantly pushing the pace from behind.  He got himself all the bike bling and hence looks the part.  The 'fast guy' now laughs at what they considered fast back in 2004.  Both riders have turned into racers and every year seem to push further and further to that edge of 'how fast can one really get through this trail?'

Maybury is now 2 miles longer.  But the race is 3 miles longer than the normal trail.  Some extra single track was added along with some extra hill climbs and false flats along the pavement to wear the legs down.  A-Train prefers the 2 lap time trials as he doesn't consider himself a sprinter, that's Diesel's job.  As always though Aryn was to go off first.  The 'slow guy' has been in the Expert Class for 4 year now and is always excited about racing at the place where it all started.  At 9:09:30 it was go time and Aryn went off from the line by himself which is normal in a Time Trail format.  One racer every 30 seconds.  His first lap was clean.  He was loving how his hardtail just drove up the climbs wasting little effort even in the larger gears.  Tire pressure was right on as the rubber never broke free as he continuously pushed the pace.  As he came around he saw just over 41 minutes on his computer.  He needed to be a little quicker on lap two. He got a little jolt of extra energy hearing his three kids cheer for him as he went around to start lap two.

On lap two the pace was definitely faster as he heard a bike closing in on him.  It was Don of Cross Country Cycle.  A-Train had no choice but to let him by but wasn't about to be dropped so he hugged his rear wheel as long as he could.  He wasn't in A-Train's class but he was a good rabbit to have out in front to push the pace.  As Aryn crossed the line at 1:21:55 he was very happy with the negative split and his overall time.  About 20 seconds longer than last years time but the course was about 20 seconds longer per lap.

But to his dismay, his time was only good enough for 4th place.  Another top 3 podium had eluded him.  Looking across the entire Expert Category he had posted a great time but there seemed to be a few 'really fast' guys who showed up today.  He walked away happy with his race effort but of course a little bummed as this would be the first time he went home empty handed from Maybury.

Shortly after finishing, A-Train raced over to see Diesel at the starting line.  He promptly warned him about the sharp left on the first climb as it was the only sketchy turn on the course.  Other than that he should be good to go full throttle.  So at 10:30 and some change Diesel went chugging away into the woods.  Many of his loyal fans showed up to cheer him on as they knew they would be in for a treat.

Diesel's pit crew helping in the paddock..

One lap time trials are pretty uneventful as they are over very quick.  Being a home course for Diesel he was able to pass cleanly and without issue when he needed to.  He came through the finish chute strong but said after his legs felt the last single track climb so he knew he had given his all.  He raved about how ideal the conditions were and took full advantage of the Racing Ralph's ability to hug corners but to also motor up the hills due to the low rolling resistance center knobs.

But when we say TT's are over quick we mean 39:12 quick!  For the second MMBA CPS race in a row Diesel won his class and also set the fastest time of the day in the entire Sport Category.  This finish was years in the making, dating back to 2007.  Back then Aryn and Brian both raced Sport and were at the top of their respected classes.  It rained the entire race and conditions were horrible.  Diesel was in his prime though, arguably as fast as he is now but lost to a one time racer Eric L who used to race Expert but showed up that day in Sport to see where his fitness was leading into some fall races.  Since then Brian has had some rough years on and off the bike but with 2012 being The Year of the Diesel we knew his chance of standing atop of that box was very high.

Wining Pontiac earlier this year was a big win.  Ruby was big as well but neither of those meant as much to him as his home course Maybury.

So a big CONGRATULATIONS goes out to Brian "The Diesel" McCabe for 'The Win' he has been chasing for years.

Brian Time Trialing through Maybury at speed.

With two more battles coming up at Stony and Addison in the next 4 weeks, A-Train said he is glad to step aside and out of the lime light just to watch and see what The Diesel will do.

The Hidden Gem: Ruby Trail Project

The arrival of Diesel and A-Train marked the Motor Club's first visit to Ruby Campground.  Both riders had raced there before but under a different coat of arms.  The weather was looking good and so was the trail.  Oceans of rain had fallen across lower Michigan the night before but some how it had all missed Ruby.  It was a sign of a good day to come.  Our boys were some of the first racers to show up for the day.  They pitched the team tent next to the Sandbaggers so they were surrounded by ample company.

At 9:00am Diesel and A-Train were ready for some pre riding as A-Train was to go off at 10am.  But at 9:05, the rain came.  WTF?  they waited a few minutes but the rain only got worse.  Aryn wanted to take Brian out to show him the new sections as it would be hard to pre ride between races.  So they suited up and went out in the rain.  By 9:45 it was still raining and by 9:50 a riders meeting was called.  The turn out was very low.  Only 2 people in A-Train's class showed up for the day.  So for overall finish he would go off with all the Experts and Elites under 40 yrs old.  Okay......I guess.

So as the race started, it was still raining, A-Train was using a reserved pace.  He remembered 4 year ago what it was like to race Ruby in the rain.  It was like 2008 all over again.  Not even 10 minutes into the race there were a series of 2 bridges that had to be crossed.  Wet bridges.  Here's A-Train's take on the events that followed:  "I was following the RBS rider close and as we went over the table top bridge he went down hard because it was so slick.  I some how managed to get around him without crashing myself.  But the effort was lost because I had a bad line going onto the next bridge and like rubber tires on ice I went down really hard, shoulder first, to the earth.  I laid on the ground for a minute wondering why I was putting myself through this again.  I told myself after 2008 I wouldn't race this course in wet conditions again and here I was doing it again.  So I got up, soft pedaled for a few minutes to get myself back to the road and called it a day.  My first DNF in 7 years of racing."

On lap 4 of what was Aryn's race the rain stopped and the sun came out.  By the time Diesel was to start the course was drying out and getting tacky instead of slippery.  Perfect!  That's exactly what Diesel needed to exploit his strengths on the tight, twisty and hilly course.  No long open flats on this course.  It's like it was designed for him.  After tanking on his last lap the day before Diesel was more reserved at the start and went into the woods in 4th place instead of 1st.  He wanted to pace himself and keep his splits even.  Aryn chased Brian around the course to give him updates where ever he could on field position and gaps.  He also was there at every lap to hand him bottles and said he looked solid at every split with zero kinks in his armor.

When Diesel came in through the finish he looked fresh enough to go out for another 3 laps.  A-Train had him at what he thought was a solid second place but it turns out the person who finished in front of him was from a younger age group that started before him.  His number plate didn't make sense but this meant that Diesel had won his class and not only that, he set the fastest time in the Sport Category for the day!!!  Add another podium to The Year of the Diesel.

(Sorry, this team of two is a little behind on downloading our pictures)

Taken the Wagons out West

The 7th race in the USAC Tailwind Series was the Murray Lake XC located in Brighton.  This is a fun flowing course that for most of the time can seem like a road race.  It is not as wide and open as ILRA but the avg pace for the race is high as the single track flows well and is not technical.  But aside from the small dirt road section for the lead in and lap around it's pretty much all single wide single track.

Like many other races this year Aryn and Brian met up early in the A.M. around 8:30 to set up the team's staging area.  Fellow race enthusiasts Dub9, Lakomoto and JTP provided early morning entertainment as there was a mix of trash talk and down playing going on until the first set of riders went off at 10AM.  Horsing around before races is just part of the fun during race days.

A-Train joined Dub9 on the pavement for a nice warm up before the race.  Shortly he lined up with his class and saw a few faces he didn't recognize from previous races.  He had just got back into the country (from Canada) the day before and it had been 6 days since he had been on a bike.  It was to be in the 90's again so his goal was to try and get decent field position before going into the single track and go from there.  Great plan huh?

Well by the time the single track started Aryn was 10th in line and already failed to meet his only goal he set for himself for the day.  However, as the race went on he managed to pick off a few people and work with fellow rider Simon Bailey to gain ground on the podium spots.  On the final lap, lap 4, A-Train put an attack on Simon that put him in a podium position.  He was able to make the pass when Simon over cooked a turn and had to put a foot down to correct.  However, 4 miles later A-Train's legs would not be able to sustain the pace and he started to cramp around the 2 hour mark.  Simon wasn't far behind and took advantage of the situation and tried to build a gap on Aryn.  After a mile though, Aryn recovered and set off on another attack to catch Simon but was running out of miles to do it.  A-Train came out of the single track about 4 seconds behind Simon but as Simon started his sprint Aryn could not muster up enough power to match his intensity.  In the end the A-Train came through the finish 11 seconds behind Simon.....11 seconds from another podium finish.  He was very satisfied with his race though and looking back said there is nothing he could have done to go any faster.  He left is all out there.

The frequent podium person on the team, Diesel, was set and ready to go at 1:00pm.  His goal, as always, is to go for the win.  Lap 1 he bolted off to get himself good field position and it worked.  When he was 3/4 of the way through his first lap though of the 3 lap race, he realized he might be pushing to hard of a pace so he left off the throttle a bit.  A-Train said his form still looked good as he came around for a bottle and was sure he'd be able to hold that first place spot.  However, as the race went on the heat index went up.  All the afternoon classes were starting to suffer.  As Diesel and many other riders came around to start their final lap  you could see the heat was taking its toll on everyone.  Diesel's pace had slowed but he was still putting up a good fight.

He had dropped down to 3rd place and P4 was not far behind.  But the guy in P2 was in sight at the turn so the A-Train yelled to Diesel that he needed to stay with that guy.  The Diesel stated to smoke a bit to much though and while he never caught up to P2 he was never caught by P4 so he came around through the finish in a solid 3rd place.  After the race Brian told Aryn the guy who was in front of him was none other than Rob Mitzel, an old friend and rival of the Diesel's.  Back in 2007, Diesel and Mitzel fought every weekend for podium spots.  Brian and Aryn were glad to see him back out there tearing it up.

Next up, Ruby XC.

Operation: HELLCATS

Unlike the success of the MOTOR Club's first official race last season the kick off the their side project, HELLCATS, did not share in the same blissful launch all had hoped.  The 'all' consisted of only 4 people but to those four this conjunction of racers expect a lot of themselves therefore placing high expectations amongst the team.  Although you never know who is going to show up at a race the team went in with a 'Win or Bust' mentality.

This culmination consisted of 4 racers from three different teams.  So it was agreed upon that all four should be united under one flag.  But not the flag of an existing team.  A new formation of Twin Six, the HELLCATS.  Jeremy Daum from Team Trail's Edge, Jon Wlodarczak of Einstein Racing and also Brian McCabe and Aryn Pongratz of the MOTOR Club.  In 2011 this formation was strong enough to finish 2nd place overall in the Men's Advanced 80 mile division at the Tree Farm Relay.  So in 2012 with all four members being faster, the water was starting to boil over with anticipation.

But with anticipation come drama.  A few weeks before the race Jeremy's carbon Cannondale Flash frame had cracked.  Cannondale was out of the carbon Flash frames so his warranty frame would be a 2013 carbon flash.  However, they would not be ready until September.  So he had to settle with an aluminum frame replacement in the mean time.  Jon, the most improved rider from the year before, had just started a new job and had his riding time cut weeks leading into the race.  Last, rain.  The morning of the race the trail was very damp, slick in many corners due to the rain the night before.  It would dry up for later laps but the first few would be tricky for sure.  Pre riding was done to recon some of the harder hit areas and a game plan was set in place.

Lap 1 - As always Jeremy 'The Dozer' Daum got the team off to a great Le Mans style start.  He was first into the woods and came out second place, less than a minute out of the lead.  He reported the slick spots to Jon and Aryn but Brian had to go out without the scouting report as there is not time to chat when the hand off is made.

Lap 2 - Brian, being the Diesel he has been all year, put himself in gear and was able to hold the team's field position through his lap.  His knowledge of the course helped him keep the gap to the first place team and also the team in third behind him.

Lap 3 - Jon, JDub9 as he is known to his groupies, went out for what would be only his third time ever riding this trail.  He held his own well but the team in third sent out a rocket and made up some ground on him.  He was able to hold onto second place though and held a split equal to Jeremy and Brian's.

Lap 4 - The Sport traffic began.  This part of the race has always been the A-Train's job.  The responsibility of lap 4 includes much passing and all the advanced teams would have to do the same.  Upon what looked to be a clean pass at about the 4 mile mark of the course, the passie lost control of his bike and in order to avoid a nasty crash with another rider the passer, Aryn, had to go off the trail.  Things went downhill fast....right into a tree.  Handlebar twisted sideways, brake lever rotated under the bar, chain guide slipped over and chain free of the chain guide.  The tools came out and with the help from a passing rider Aryn was back in action but lost nearly 5 mins and 3 places in the ovrall.  He was able to ride his way back into 4th place but now the Hellcats were ~6 minutes off the lead.

Lap 5 - Jeremy had it set that he was going to split 2 mins faster thatn his first lap and gain the team some ground.  He ended up going a full minute faster this lap and gained a position back but the team still stood ~5 mins from the lead however were back in a podium position of 3rd place.

Lap 6 - Like Jeremy, Brian's next split was over a minute faster than his previous lap.  He had put some time on the rider behind him but catching those in front was a bigger task.  He held his time gap to them but with only two laps to go it seemed the crash was going to coast them the win.

Lap 7 - Jon went out like a bullet fired from a gun.  He was in a tough position as the Hellcats knew that Mark Parmelee from Cycletherapy was about to launch behind him and no racer there was safe.  Jon had a 2 minute lead on Mark but they all knew he is one of the fastest guys around and 2 minutes would not be enough with 2 laps to go.....not even with one to go.

Lap 8 - Jon came to hand off to Aryn and as expected was passed by Mark P.  That put the Hellcats back in 4th place.  Jon did everything he could to not let Mark get a huge lead on him after being passed.  Dub9 rode a remarkable lap coming around with the fastest split for the day for the team.  The A-Train was sent out onto the tracks but our Hellcats knew it would take a mechanical from another team to make up ground on the 3 teams ahead of them and no one likes to win that way.  Aryn still gave it his all though and even said he was starting to catch Mark.  That is until Mark realized Aryn was in pursuit.  It only took one look and what was a visual on Mark turned into a cloud of trail dust and he put the hammer down to make sure he would not be caught.  Aryn had let off the gas at mile 9 of 10 knowing his 4th place was secure and the dream of catching Mark was just a dream.

In the end our band of merry racers walked away 4th out of 17 teams and ~ 5 minutes out from the lead after 80 miles of racing.  Without the crash they knew they would have been in the thick of the fight for the win but really we will never know.  In 2007 Brian and Aryn teamed up with others to take second in Sport Men's.  In 2008 Brian, Aryn, Jeremy and another friend teamed up to take first in Advanced Co-ed.  In 2011 Brian, Aryn, Jeremy and Jon took 2nd in Advanced Men's.  This marks the first time in 4 races here that the core of this team has not finished on the podium.  Will this fester over the off season and come back in 2013 to fight for the podium again....or will they show up in 2013 wearing costumes, race Sport and start drinking at 8am?

Congrats to the "One Ring" riders, the Superhounds and also Cycletherapy for well fought podium finishes.

The Almost That Was

This is almost becoming routine.  Almost.  Sunday morning was a get up early and go race kind of day for our small band of motoring misfits.  A-Train was to start at 10am while Diesel wasn't to go off until 1pm.  This ended up working out 'Almost' well as they each needed some one for bottle hand offs as the pit crew was thin...as in they had to barrow groupies from Einstein Racing's own Jon Dub9.  So the Motor Club plan was to race, hand off bottles, race, hand off more bottles and race some more.  Fairly easy day right?  Almost.

The 6th stop of the USAC tour was Bloomer Park.  The  XC course was a wee bit different than in past years though.  Whatever was missing from previous years was replaced by pure singe track.  Couldn't ask for a better race course for our boys.  They have decent power on the flats.  They constantly work on their climbing thresholds.  But you ask them to fit their 650mm wide handlebars through a course stuffed with only 500mm wide openings and they'd tell you that's what they are best at.  Okay, so that is exaggerating a bit but you get the point.  The tighter the trees and the sharper the corners the better they ride.

So A-Train dug in during his race and with a little help (drafts) here and there on the short two track sections he managed to claw his way up from P7 going into the woods to P3 at the finish line.  He was only 8 seconds out from P2 and less than 80 seconds out from the win.  We caught up with him after for a few words.  "Finally!  No really, finally.  After all the ups and downs this year it was nice to grab a spot on the box.  I honestly was just hoping to squeak into the P5 so to exceed that makes me hopeful for the coming races in August.  Not saying it's a given it will happen again but it's a good confidence booster and I needed one."  This finish may land A-Train in the top 10 for the overall series standings.

Diesel was using Bloomer for a tune up race.  He has his sights set on a big finish this coming weekend so he went into the Bloomer XC without a rest day.  It would be his 4th day in a row riding hard and the only goal he had was to grab a top 5 finish.  His first lap went very well as he went into the woods 3rd wheel.  When he came out of the woods to start lap 2 he was in P1 with a good size margin on the field.  A-train was up at the awards for his class at this time as was Dub9 so Dub's wife Danielle let Skylar (the daughter of a friend of the Motor Club) hand off Diesel's bottle.  So he came rocketing through the exchange chute and he and Skylar 'Almost' made a good bottle exchange.  As the bottle was heading to mother earth instead of Diesel's bottle cage, Diesel locked his brakes up a little to hard and sent himself over the handlebars.  He quickly got up, grabbed the bottle and took off before the rest of the field made it out of the woods.

But the miles from the past few days would catch up with him.  He also said he picked the wrong rear tire for the day and wished his Ralph was on the back instead of the SB8.  Still, after all that drama he managed a solid P4 finish which means another trip to the podium.  That makes him 4 for 4 for trips to the podium in the USAC series as he retains his 2nd place in the overall standings.

Next up, the Tree Farm Relay.  Last year the A-Train and the Diesel convinced two friends from two other teams to fly the MOTOR flag but this year it will be a little different.  With help from our Twin Six Sponsor, look for our boys to be wearing a different Twin Six jersey as to unite 4 chosen riders under a single flag for a single purpose.  And if all goes well, you won't see the word 'Almost' in the next race review.

The climb to the bottom

"The weather out there today is hot and shitty with continued hot and shitty in the afternoon. Tomorrow a chance of continued crappy with a pissy weather front coming down from the north. Basically, it's hotter than a snake's ass in a wagon rut." (free Twin Six sticker if you can name that movie without going to Google)

That about sums up the two weeks leading into the annual Stony Creek Marathon, ironically renamed the Heat Miser due to the same conditions last year.  Why is this race called a marathon?  Because it's about twice as long as a normal XC race.  The Diesel was in for 40 miles of pain and suffering while the A-Train was suckered into renewing his USAC licence this year meaning he'd have to do 50 miles.

The pair met up around 08:00 to set up camp and figure out how they were going to survive the day ahead.  Not long after,  Motor Club groupie/Einstein Racer Dub9 and his wife showed up and set up at base camp.  New guy, Derek from WSJ Racing, hung out with the Triple Twin Sixers before the start of the race for some laughs and race advise.  The race was to start at 10:00 and temps were already well into the 80's at 08:00.

To make a long story short, the day sucked for everyone who didn't get first place in their respected classes.  Hell, even half the people who won their class wondered if it was worth the effort against the searing heat.  The indexes were over 100 and in Michigan that's hot.  The Motor Club applauds everyone who stuck it out and finished the race as well as the people who gave their all but had to eventually bow down to the dreaded DNF.

Downhillin' Diesel getting a break from the heat.  Great job on your Podium 3rd place!  

No podium for the A-Train but it was a big mental win in a hard fought season of hitting the restart button.

And of course big props to our fellow foes Brad Lako and William Ott for podium finishes.  These two guys continue to be great measuring sticks for all of us.  And also to John Osgood, Jon Wlodarczak, David Moore Jr and Coach Kevin for sticking it out and not giving in to the dreaded DNF.  

Next stop on the USAC Tailwind Tour, Bloomer XC on July 22nd.

"Stay On Target"

June 9 - Michigan Mountain Mayhem - Mr and soon to be Mrs Diesel loaded up the Nissan the day before to make the trip north to Boyne City where they would try and conquer the 100K course.  This road course consisted of 50 climbs throughout the metric century averaging 3-5% grades with one topping out at 29% (yeah, you read that right, and this to) for a total of 10,000+ feet of climbing.  While Mrs Diesel flew her Lifetime Fitness team colors, our very own Diesel slipped on Twin Six's Speedy Motor City jersey with his Team Twin Six bibs for a little extra flare.  While Mrs. Diesel stayed with her Lifetime Fitness pack for protection (she is fresh off a muscle separation), Diesel broke away with his soon to be brother-in-law to tackle the hills at speed.

Diesel Train

(sorry, poached from Hays Photography but it's all I got)

Mrs Diesel (in the middle) and her Fitnessers

After all the fun and hills, the truck was packed and heading back to home base because Diesel had a 9:30 start time Sunday morning in Agusta.

June 10 - Fort Custer TT - A-Train was suppose to make this trip with Diesel but he was on his first week back riding after taking time off to nurse a case of tendonitis he caught at the 12 Hours of Stony.  He didn't think it would be wise to race so soon and risk re-injury.  So Diesel packed the Blur into the truck and headed west in search of single track.  It's never easy to drive across the state to take on the West Siders on their local tracks.  But Diesel had an ace up his sleeve.  He got his college education from a nearby university and has ridden this trail many times in the past and knows it inside and out....it's his home trail away from his home trail.

So upon arrival he set up for his hour of pain.  The warm up went well and his legs were feeling great.  The Motor Club field reports say he looked good out there and not only that, he had a good clean race as well.  After being in the red for one hour, three minutes and fifty one seconds he crossed the finish line in a short enough time to place him 2nd on the podium in his class.

Big props to Diesel for carrying the team Solo-Style through this weekend while A-Train was healing.  Took some big balls (and big legs) to tackle both of these events back to back.   But word across the wire is that a strange glow has been seen in the Grosse Pointe area moving at speeds of over 22mph down Lakeshore Drive, under the glare of the street lights in the early mornings.  Could it be the return of the A-Train?

Will it ever stop? Yo, I don't know.

A-Train and the Diesel got a silly idea a few months back that it would be a good idea to try a 12 hour solo race.  A-Train had completed  a 6 hour solo a few years back and Diesel had a couple marathon races under his belt.  Why not.  Well after months of training and many ups and downs as to whether they should actually go through with it, the day of reckoning came.

May 12th, the weather was actually in the 50's for the start of the race.  20 degrees warmer than the average start temps this year to date.  Rain was in the forecast but they had been prepping for this for months so they had to go through with it.  Even though they got there with plenty of time to spare it seems like the morning was rushed and they had just made it to the starting line 30 seconds before the gun was to go off.  They were going to be out there for 12 hours so if they forgot anything at base camp they could just pick it up as they lapped around.

The course at Stony Creek was just over 11 miles with a mix of two track, single track and some decent climbs that would wear on the legs after a few hours.  The idea of this race for those who aren't familiar, is to go around the 11 mile course as many times as you can in the 12 hours allowed.  The plan was to stick together and see what would happen.....great plan huh?  Dub 9 was also there along with a newer friend of the team, Wil, who is proving he has some good legs as the races pile on this year.  Dubs went out fast with the leaders and it was in the best interest of the Motor Club to let him go.  So Diesl, A-Train and the man who needs a nickname, Wil, grouped together and set off for what would be an looong day in the saddles.

The laps started piling on and our trio of wheelers held tight.  The Motor boys did all of the pulling while Wil sat on and got some lessons in single track carving from Professor Diesel.  After 44 miles (over 3.5 hours) Diesel was ready for an extended rest.  A-Train needed to keep moving though as he was worried that if his arthritic knees cooled down they might shut down.  So after a quick stop A-Train told Diesel he was going to press on.  Wil had stopped and reloaded and said he was going to take off with A-Train.

Two laps later A-Train and Wil caught up with Diesel back at the tent.  The Diesel had went out for a solo lap but the three riders were reunited and ready to go out together again.  Everything was looking good for the first 200 meters of lap 7

until A-Train's wheel caught a hidden stump that sent him into instant Superman mode...aka....joining the over the bar club.  Diesel said it was a nasty fall and A-Train said, "It sure as hell felt like one."  That spill took a good 5 minutes to recover from but mostly because the Racer X-29 needed some trail side repair.

Off the trio went again in search of finishing another lap but it turned out to be a burning lap as in it took a lot out of all three riders.  They all came around close to the same time but A-Train's bike was done for the day with a bent front wheel, a front rake that wouldn't let go of the it's rotor and a bent front skewer.  After a failed attempt to mount up a loaned front wheel from Dub 9, the Titus was retired for the day.  Luckily Diesel had brought his Giant and in less than 5 minutes the pair had A-Train hooked up and ready to roll out.

This is when the rain started to set it.  It had been drizzling on and off for a couple hours but now it was coming down steadily.  A-Train and Wil had taken off again and Diesel hung back at his pace because his knees began to ache.  Diesel had to call it quits after 7 laps, 77 miles (about 7 hours of ride time).  A-Train made it  around another 3 laps with Wil on his 6 before calling it quits for the day.  The rain had wreaked havoc on the course and the Stand Raven tires on the loaned out Giant were not equipped for it.  In the end A-train had finished 11 laps covering just over 111 miles in ~10 hours.

So what was supposed to be a combined 24 hours turned out to be only 17 but both riders walked away from the day riding further than they had ever had in a single day.  Diesel did enough work to grab 7th place in his class while A-Train broke into the top 5 with Wil finishing in 6th, about a second behind him.  While both riders had a good time they are of course a few things they would do different the next time around.  Diesel was heard later saying, "If I would have ran more than a 1x9 set up he could have rode further.  Only having the 34t up front wore my legs down on the climbs later into the race."  A-Train, who also runs a 1x9 with a 36t, said, "The biggest improvement I can make the next time would be not crashing and retiring my bike."

Last, good job to our fellow Twin Six rider Jon Dub 9 for taking the win in the men's 12 Hour solo.  He finished 13 laps in the allowed time and did over 130+ miles.  Solid performance.

Visit our friends at Landshark racing to see video of the day's race: http://www.facebook.com/landsharkracing

10 Questions from an almost 10 year old

A few days ago we told you how Diesel took home his first solo win of his career.  (Remember, you heard it hear first!)  Upon hearing this news, one of our street team reporters made arrangements to sit down with The Diesel for an interview.  The Diesel, who usually doesn't talk to the media, had a soft spot for this interviewer because it was A-Train's son Chicken Bone, aka Asthon.  He thought it would be fun and after all, they have ridden together a few times and thinks he rides better than his dad.  Asked why he didn't want to interview his own father instead, Chicken Bone replied, "Well the street team just did an interview with him not to long ago.  Plus, he didn't win his race."  Ouch, that's cold.

CB - When did you start riding mountain bikes?

Diesel -  Great question to start off with Mr. Ashton.  I bought my first mountain bike in 1994 at the age of 24.  Being on a college campus at the time, it seemed everyone was getting into buying these adult sized dirt bikes.  It was great to scoot around campus and to get to class.  Your father knows WMU(Western Michigan University) campus quite well as I have come to understand. 

CB - Where you inspired by anyone to start riding?   If so, who?

Diesel - Well, thats in interesting question.  One of my roommates at the time, his name is Pat, bought a Mountain Bike for simply getting around campus.  The bike looked really cool!  Wide-body aluminum tubes, big tires, and a sweet paint job.  But he had no intentions of trail riding, and to my knowledge has never done so.  Never the less, it was Pat's purchase of that bike that inspired me to look into this sport.  Let it be on the record that I on the other hand, did have intentions beyond simply campus scooting.

CB - Why do you like mountain biking?

Diesel - Boy Mr. Ashton, you have some good questions.   Simply, mountain biking is a way to enjoy nature's outside world, get some good exercise, and to be like a kid again and get dirty.   Throw in some good old fashioned competitive bike races and it's a wonderful mixture of pure fun.

 

CB - How did you get your current bike?

Diesel - My current bike, affectionately referred to as "The Tank" since it's heavier that everyone else's bike, was bought at a bike store in Ann Arbor called Tree Fort Bikes.   It's a Santa Cruz "Blur".  (Blur is a fitting name since it is such a fast bike that it goes by you in a blur).   I have made several adjustments over the years, and it remains the #1 bike in my stable.  Your father has helped me to tune it over the years to be a very solid machine. 

CB - Which do you like best, riding with a friend or riding alone?  Why?

Diesel - Both: I enjoy riding in groups of friends because you can share experiences, build off of each others performances, and generally have a good time hanging out during the ride, and after the ride.  And then on some days, when no one else can make it out to the trails, i enjoy a good ride by myself.   It's interesting to note that when you ride by yourself, you've got to learn how to "drive" yourself with your own motivation since there is no one else there to push you.  It's a good skill to develop since often in a race you are by yourself for long stretches of time.

CB - Who is your favorite person to ride with?  Why?

Diesel - I have a good answer for this one Mr. Ashton, and this is the truth:  I enjoy riding with your father the most since he pushes me to be a better rider, and waits for me when i'm feeling slow.  We also have some nice conversations about all sorts of subjects.  As I recall, we talk about you quite often Mr. Ashton.   I hope that I can get to ride together with you and you dad sometime soon!

CB - Have you ever gotten injured while riding?

Diesel - Next question.     No, just kidding.   Yes.   But both your father and I do our best to be careful riders.   Injuries hurt, and can slow down a training season.   But, at the end of the day it is very difficult to avoid getting hurt in a sport where there are plenty of trees and rocks to get in the way.   The worst injury I suffered was a collision with another rider.   My head was down and I simply was not looking where I was going.   Don't do that Mr. Ashton, keep your head UP!

CB - Have you ever seen any animals while riding?

Diesel - Oh Yes.   Nature has always given us a chance to glimpse various critters...  Always the occasional deer.  Raccoons.  Turtles.  Mice.  Snakes.  Squirrels.  Hawks.  Skunks.   On one occasion, your father and myself helped a turtle cross the trail.   And we nearly avoided a frustrated raccoon hang in out near a tree.

CB - What was the most awkward ride you have ever been on?

Diesel - Hmmm.  You've got a string of good questions here Mr. Ashton.   Well there are two rides that come to mind.   One in particular was the first ride I did after my collision, the collision that I mentioned in Question #7.  My head was hurting from that collision, and I was simply not having a good time.  To be honest I probably should not have been on the trail, but I just did not want to miss some good trail riding.   Now the other ride that was awkward was when you dad's bike kept breaking!   I think we had to pull over 12 times to keep resetting the pivot bolt!!  (don't let him read that part - in fact maybe we better keep that between ourselves).

CB - Out of all the races you have done, which was your favorite and why?

Diesel - Mr. Ashton, this is a great question to wrap up with.  Although there are several races that are high on the list, and I enjoy almost all of them, The Tree Farm Relay tops the list.  It's the event with the best balance of fun atmosphere and good natured competition.   Many riders dress up in very funny costumes and complete the entire race!   Thank you for this opportunity to sit down together and talk bikes.  I can't wait to see you out at one of our events.  But I know that you have to help out at home and take care of  the home business, so do a good job of that!
Lets do this again sometime.


 

 

Head north and real sudden like turn left

Those were the basic directions given to our Motoring Misfits last Sunday morning.  Thier journey, altho not very far, brought them to Michigan's well known east side trail, Pontiac Lake....dun dun dah!!!!  Aside from it being in the mid 30's that morning with frost covering every stationary thing as far as the eyes could see...yes even the porta johns were frozen....the weather called for sun and mild temps for the day.

A-Train was the first to arrive at the scene.  After trying to melt the ice in the porta john, he b-lined it to the registration table where he mingled and was merry.  Later he met up with Dub 9 and got some strategy from 'The 'Hitman' Powers during the warm up spin. The  Diesel arrived shortly after and thought it best to illegally park his truck in an illegal way that was hard to prove it was illegal in the first place.

The Diesel checked over A-Train's bike and they headed to the starting line.  Rider after rider the Elites and Experts went off in the standard time trial format two by two like sea sick animals leaving the Ark.  The A-Train rode a solid, clean, functional, evenly distributed, much needed and later Diesely approved race.  2 laps for a total of 20 miles and he knocked them down at 43:18 and 43:27, enough to land him in 7th place overall in his class.  He was pleasantly pleasant with his finish until Diesel later notified him that he was less than 5 seconds out of 6th place and less than 10 second out from a podium 5th place....DOH!

Maybe if he would have worked on his climbing form a bit during the off season he could have made up that 10 seconds.  Somebody get this man his inhaler!  A trail side standerbyer did quote A-Train saying, "Man I hope I look as good in my pictures as Dub-9 does."  Um, nope.

A-Train was busy missing his lap around when it was almost time for Diesel to do his work.  Diesel is no stranger to racing so prep and warm up was routine for him.  Plus the soon to be Mrs Diesel was all dolled up and on sight to support her man that day.  She knew the importance of this race and was there doing something important, not exactly sure what, but was there looking important for him in time of importantness.

Here we see Diesel making sure his name was spelled correctly on the timing sheet.  "Yeah, there is only one 'I' in Diesel....and you're looking at him."

Next the spy cams, well not really (thanks Andrea T), caught Diesel putting up that #1 finger knowing he had the race all wrapped up (note:  A-Train is waaay more arrogant that Diesel and it ppears has become a bad influence on him)

Diesel did his lap fast enough to put the hurtin' on his class and took home his first solo win flying the MOTOR flag.  We later found out this was the first solo win of his cycling career and he contributed it to a daily dose of Puffins and a mostly black race kit that was slimming which aided his confidence.  (A look at the podium in Diesel's class)

So ended the first race of the points chase known as the USAC Tailwinds Race series.  Next up our Motorers will be traveling to Stony Creek on May 12th to try their legs in an endurace race.  the big question is whether to do the 6 hour solos or 12 hour solos.......stay tuned to find out

Kicking up some dust on the Left Coast

April 22nd marked the start of the racing season for The Motor Men.  Yankee Springs TT was flanked from both sides on Sunday morning as the A-Train was driving 2+ hours from the East side to make the race and the Diesel was coming from the Windy City to the West.  Between the two of then they managed a total of 5 hours of sleep and 300+ miles to make their start times.  That's dedication!

A-Train arrived on the scene first and was planning a point and shoot type race.  He got there with just enough time to catch up with guys like Bellringer, JLO, Lakomoto and of course Dub 9.  He even ran into Masher and his family right before warm ups.  A-Trian had signed up for Elite instead of Expert and when he was asked why his response was, "Well, there were 36 guys in my Expert class and only 29 guys in Elite.  So I did some math and figured out that if I raced Elite I was guaranteed a top 30 finish."  But really A-Train was pressed for time so he out classed himself on purpose and signed up in the elite just to get an earlier start time.  But he waited until the last minute to register so he wouldn't get in anyone's way.  Plan worked out perfect as he started 30th out of 31 riders and finished 29th overall.....1 spot better than he thought he would.  After the race he met up with Tank Evans to say hi and then it was off to the car to pack up and head home.  No time to hang and chat or even find Diesel.

Diesel didn't need the morning salute though as he was greeted by Dud 9 and briefed of the morning's events.  Sure he would have liked more sleep and a shorter drive but his youth comes out once a year in Chicago and the city talks about until his return. So after a long night of spirits and fatty foods, Diesel went to work on the course.  He tore it up and let close to nothing on the trail.  He stuck around for a few minutes after to check his results but ultimately packed it up and proceeded to make the 2 hour drive back home.

Although the A-Train finished close to dead last in Elite, his 2 lap time of 1:44:17.3 (51:24 and 52:54) would have placed him 17 out of 36 in his Expert class.  He was quoted later saying, "I was definitely out of place at the starting line.  Pretty sure I was the only one not on a plastic bike and probably the only one on a full suspension.  But it was fun and I made it home in time to take the offspring to their friend's bday party.  But not a bad day on only 4 hours of sleep.  Was out late last night bowling, defending my team's 2nd place standing during the last night of playoff's"

The Diesel did his single lap of 51:38 fast enough to place 4th out of 30 in his class finishing only 45 seconds behind the podium.  He was caught later saying, "Maybe if I would of had more than an hour of sleep and 4 or 5 less Red Bulls and Vodka last night I would have made the podium...."

So the first race of the year is finally out of the way and our merry little duo looks ahead to this coming Sunday at the Pontiac TT.  A-Train hopes to hang onto the mid pack in Expert with a better night's sleep and some fresher legs.  The Diesel will be shooting for a podium finish in Sport with plans of a better night's rest and much less drinking. 

Q and A with the A-Train

So as we approach the Sophomore season for The MOTOR Cub, the street team reporter, yours truly,  had a chance to interview the A-Train last night after his training ride with The Diesel.  At first he was reluctant to a face to face interview but then agreed to a phone interview saying, "It would be a good way to pass the next 15 minutes while I sit in this frickin' cold water bath."

Q - So Mr. A-Train, how do you see this season playing out for the Club?
AT - Mr?

Q - Sorry, A-Train, how do you see this season playing out for the Motor Club?
AT - All I can think about right now is how I am going to do hill repeats on Friday morning after what just happened today.

Q - What happened today?
AT - What are you hard of hearing?  Yes, today.

Q - No, I am not hard of hearing.  I was just asking you wh....
AT - Man, I don't know what the hell he was thinking.

Q - I'm sorry, what are you talking....
AT - About today!  Ca'mon, stay with the conversation.

Q - You didn't know what who was thinking?
AT - Diesel!  Have you been listening to me?  Where did you get your journalism degree anyway?  Do you even have one.

Q - Yes I do.  I got it on-line.
AT - Jesus this water is cold.

Q - So you and Diesel went for a ride today and he said something that pissed you off?
AT - No, what?!  No, it was supposed to be an endurance day.  Extended saddle time to spin the legs but also get our butts reacquainted with being on the saddle for long periods.  150 to 160 bpms was the target.  We averaged over 170.  And then that stunt he pulled at the 3 hour mark.  We were 35 miles into an all single track ride, what was he thinking?  I mean okay, I was impressed but who does that?  He's never been able to put forth such an effort after riding for 3 hours straight but ca'mon....it's March for crying out loud!  Can I say something off the record?

Q - Yes.
AT - I think he was trying to drop me.  Don't tell him I said that though.

Q - Don't worry, I won't.  But why would he want to do that.
AT - Because of my white grips.  He can't stand looking at those things.

Q - Those won't stay white very long and....
AT - I like my grips.  So shut up.

Q - So what exactly did he do.
AT - Well if you'd stop talking about my white grips I could tell you.  Ca'mon, stay focused.

Q - Sorry, continue.
AT - So the plan was to do 4 laps at the Tree Farm.  Keep the heart rates down and pace ourselves to make the distance.  So the first lap he was point.  Was going well until he took a spill about 15 mins in.  He was okay but I took point.  I lapped us around and we came in just under 53 mins.  Second lap I could feel us moving faster....man this water is cold......and although I mentioned the pace a couple times he didn't seem to want to slow down.  We lapped through more than 2 mins faster than the previous.  We were both feeling okay but we had to roll by the cars to drop off empty bottles, grab some full ones and some more food.  We still had 2 more laps to go.  As we started the third lap I was point and made it a point to slow us down.  The previous week when I was point Diesel mentioned that I was pulling faster than him so I made a conscious effort to keep us in check today.  So this lap we took easier, because of me, but about 9 miles in I hit a thick patch of dead pine needles and went down.  No harm done. Bounced back up and off we went.  We saw more traffic on this loop but still came in at 54 minutes.  Diesel was to point the last lap so at the turn we made the switch and off we went.  Pace was good and we seemed on track to do another 53-54.  But about 4 miles in we came across a pack of 9 and had to wait for a clearing to pass.  It slowed us a little but we were in no rush.  A few minutes later they let us by and our pace stepped back up.  so the riding was going well, conversation was happening and then all of a sudden around mile marker 5, which after 3 and half loops actually put us at 35 miles (3 hours into the ride) Diesel accelerated.

Q - Were you in a fun section?
AT - Yes, and that's what I thought was going on so I revved it up a tad but did not match his pace figuring he'd slow back down.  But he didn't!  He seemed to go faster.  So I gathered myself, took one last deep belly breath and then went on the chase.  We did a little yo yo-ing through the tighter sections where he'd creep away a little but as soon as it opened up a little and I was able to get into a bigger gear I would quickly close the gap.  This went on for a good 10 minutes until be broke the pace and let off the gas.  Before I said anything to him all I could think of was that Diesel, the guy I have been riding with for 7 years, just attacked 3 hours into what was going to be a 3.5 hour ride.  I was amazed, surprised and pissed at the same time.

Q - Pissed?
AT - Gosh am I hungry.....yes pissed.  He attacked me....ME....on an endurance ride.  He has never had that kind of power after 2 hours of riding let alone 3.

Q - This is good for the Club though, right?
AT - Yes, and that's what kept me calm.  But I couldn't help to think he was going to mount another attack at the Trenches where it gets super tight.  But luckily he didn't.  With about a mile and a half to go he asked me if I had any drink to spare and I passed over an extra bottle to him.  I should have made him promise not to take off again before giving it to him but I could see he was spent.

Q - So he was done.
AT - No, no, no.  He finished strong and rolled into the parking lot just over the goal I had of 3.5 hours.  What an impressive ride by him.  He has made huge gains since last year and now has me thinking I need to step up my training a little.

Q - What's that noise?
AT - The drain.  Water is getting warm.  Time to take a shower.

Q - Well, thank you for your time.  Good luck this season and we hope to catch up with you again soon.
AT - Yeah, I better go 'cause if I drop my wife's cell phone into the tub she'll f...(pzzzzzzzzzzzzzt.) . . . . .