That's my Brother...

Where am I at?

Nope, that's Lon...

I was #31... Yes, I race a fatbike... No, I don't race the fatbike class. Came in at 1:05:59. I swear...

Race Results Link

Brother's... Similar, but not the same..

Good times always had at Buck...

Thanks to Penn mechanic Bill... Surgeon like skills...

You should visit NW Arkansas-

Bentonville/ Fayetteville, and places in between... 9hr drive to fantastic mountain biking.

Ledges Trail, wildflowers blooming, bring spare tubes and tire boot(s)

What LCR does when waiting on a flat...

Jim. The Hub. Coler Park

South of the Mason-Dixon Line...

New friends of LCR...

Playing in the sandbox

The day started like this...

Playing 'rock jenga'

Resulting in this...

Riding 'rock jenga'

Collaboration with the Wolf Tooth/ Otso/ Toro boys who also enjoy playing rock jenga in the sandbox... 

3 weeks/ 20 years

Off the bike for 3 weeks, longest stretch in 20 years.

Excuses since DFunkes B day ride; Rt IT Band/ knee, face rash- chest rash- time in the weeds building bike trails, lymes disease? (nope), blacked out (electrolyte imbalance), mid back muscle agony, Ring work that moves, ring finger -crash at Piedmont, now the worst of these- inflamed bursa of the hamstring/ left sit bone (ass).

C5 get's it done, no excuses either.

But hey, we got a bike trail built down here, I just can't ride it...

No Quarter.

Everything can be related to a Led Zeppelin song...

More time has been spent lumping in the woods working on new trails then 'training'.

Speed on a bicycle has dropped drastically... New trails are done, volunteer force is in place and sustained, focus can shift back to the bike...
.

Trailwork dirty clothes don't leave the garage.

The last medal won for a race... Is the time spend toiling over bicycle speed worth it? At some point priorities change and time is better spend elsewhere.

2012 WEMS long distance winner.

Choose a path where no one goes... They hold no quarter.

Zeppelin and winter is coming.

Chequamegon 100, nope.

So many excuses for the lack of results... At some point you just say to yourself, taking a chute back to the start ain't so bad...

Another comment and all that really matters is I wasn't cheated. I made it 50 miles after a good sized crash, rode the best and most technical trails in the camba system, got to practice my tube changing skills amongst a limitless supply of mosquitos, and spent some quality time with one of my guys (Everybody Knows Eddie). DNF, but we were all smiles, confusion, and wisecracks.

Thanks goes to the folks (Tim & Odia) and sponsors (Wolf Tooth, Terrene Tires, Rivers Eatery) of the Chequamegon 100. There are select MTB'ers that hold high regards for this race, the forest, and camba trails in NW WI. The remoteness and technical nature of these trails for 100 miles brings forth a looming risk factor of never returning. This creates a race that no other races in WI/ MN can compare too.

Oh, and too the folks that started with 100 MILES in mind, and ended with 100 KM, then got their skirts all bunched up for calling it DNF, LAME. You are racing Cheq100 for the wrong reasons. You should stick with the Lutsen XX if that is what you are concerned about. Or cat 3 road racing.

This member of the goon squad is missed... Circa 2005

Up next?
Good question... For sure trying to return a bludgeon thigh from the meat locker.

Spring Thaw-

My Spring thaw-

•  Equates to an Arizona trip to hang with the Folks and 'YMCA camp for seniors'. Rode some great trails and got into difficulty around Pass/ Usery/ Gold Canyon/ Superstition Mtns.
• Next, pull off coordinating and racing my own race along with 155 other people. Still have people listed as MIA, not sure what to take of that.

Getting drug around by Team Velo Vanga... (TMB Photo)

• After that, quick first time visit to the quiet and chillaxing Sanibel Island of Florida. Was able to witness my wife in her zone of shelling. Was even able to carve out time for an MTB ride on a local 10 mile singletrack loop that runs both ways.
• Flight home at 11PM, at the Ragnarök starting line at 7:30AM the next morning. Took 35 miles to shake off the jet lag, then got into some sort of grove til I popped on a deal Heath found.
• The next morning, lead an effort to break ground on new local trails.
• Multitasking... More dirt work. A back to back double ride/ morning Club ride with Silvercycling and HWoods, afternoon B day ride for my guy D Funke. 3 miles from the finish I hit a milestone. First time in 20 years I wanted to get off my bike and walk. Right knee pain so bad I was melting in agony.
• Up next. Try and decode a bad knee and IT Band. I tell my daughter 'you can't break steel', but you sure can melt it.
• That and more trail building.    

Winter Racing Bust.

8 races on the winter calendar, 4 pre-registered, 4 canceled, 3 DNS, 1 pack filler finish (w/ participation medal). The good news, AZ->LML->Ragnarök->DickieScrambled->Dirt.

More good news. I kept all my teeth on this face plant.

Editor Note- recent tragic death of Scott Spoo made me realize what people appreciate aren't the results, but what a person does with their time and influence on others. It is obvious Scott S was an elite racer...

"Sumo Lance"

Tis the season...

The other lance would have no hope to maintain...

To motorboat... Tree to tree in granny 3...

I'll take this sort of bicycle riding over a summer day every time.

LML Registration is OPEN

At this point I was just trying to keep 120 people from getting lost in the sticks of Elko...

Registration is OPEN for 2017

If you've participated in the past, you are automatically in, but you still need to send me a signal that you want to race.

Those new to this, registration is limited. But you are more than welcome to partake...

Pic courtesy of TMB Photo

Cuyuna Armageddon It...

Poll- should it be titled 'Oremageddon', or 'Armageddon It'?

I went into this race thinking I had something to give or at least drop a couple grenades like the race alludes too... Nope. Spent most of the race in thermonuclear/ overheat mode or just looking around trying to see who is catching me...

RACE RESULTS

I am still confused... How could the Mamasita beat me to a pulp for 50 miles, but yet 3 years ago I won the 100 mile race at the same place on same bike? Riddle's on that- age, to knee pain, to joining lifetime fitness, to time on a bike is inverse to speed, to just not caring that much about racing these days... Will I ever know? Probly not.

It all came down to a first page sprint on a tar path after 4+ hours behind Red Sqrl...

Red Squrell and I. Pathelete's...

Fact. I was never much of a Def Leppard fan... and I did like Ratt more than Motley Crue.

Levis rocks and Deer Fly

Riding Levis rocks with a fancy fatbike is almost like cheatin...

easier than it looks...

This one isn't easier than it looks... moss rock. 84.

head removed on purpose...

Deer Fly Race at Hickory Ridge WI was great. Trails with a mix of it all...  Thanks to the local trail group CORBA (Chippewa Off Road Bike Assoc). Race Results

No idea where I finished, but all is good when you finish stronger than you started...

Bicycle Speed...

As time goes by, I have come to the conclusion that speed on a bicycle is directly proportional to the time you have on your hands...

The more time you have, the quicker the bike moves.

There are a few outliers and Freaks that I know of (ie Red Squrl, STH, MotoYoung), but not many...

Milaca BLAST Trail, my old friend... The best local racing when the year struck 2000. When 'epic's' were truly epics, not just hot laps.

Milaca lives!

I am signed up for the Cuyuna Salsa 50 mile race on Oct 8th... Horns has dibs on my spot.

 



Jim starts faster than you...

Look at that gap on these fast guys... point.

Jimmmmay.

If he only started road riding instead of street riding...

and not giveup so quick... ha.

Gotta love Buck Hill...

There is nothing like a mid week kick to the shin of the Buck Hill races...

The most difficult part is shedding the work day allowing freedom to burn yourself up.

The pic wasn't last night... But 10 years ago. These guys still give it.

Circa 2006, dueling with Barry and Sandberg

BUCK HILL RACE RESULTS

Thanks again to Penn Cycle for keeping these races alive and kicking...

CHEQ100

The term 'epic' is thrown around loosely these days, but what defines it? In my mind it at least has to encompass the following; 1- has the potential that you might not return (ever), 2- point to point, 3- time in the saddle that makes you question your sanity, 4- trails that require worthy MTB skills/ singletrack, 5- doesn't involve a bus ride back to the start.

The Chequamegon 100 put on by Advocate Cycles/ Green Tunnel/ The Krueger's is the crème de la crème of point to point 'epic' MTB races in MN/ WI.  RESULTS LINK

I failed at attempt for Top 10, but was pleased that I saw the Wizard in Ojibwe.

'Thanks' goes to the folks that are CAMBA. The trail additions in the last 10 years are nothing short of fantastic.

It was obvious Mr Pramann witnessed the Wizard in Ojibwe too....

Long bike ride survival-

Locked out? What?

Life is full of firsts... When you have one, for the most part, embrace it.

Two hours prior to the start of the Marathon MTB race at Detroit Lakes, was locked out of the motel room. When I say 'locked out', I mean the motel staff couldn't even break in the room... Ha

Almost had to resort to a cartoon worthy escape out the 2nd floor window with a ladder... Would have been more worthy had we kept bikes in the room...

Shift to race-
Detroit Lakes Mountain Rec Area, new trails worthy of your attention and ride. Some people worked real hard to create some 'flow' trails and maintain the old school trails way out back...

The race for me was a buzz kill, at the starting line they modified and pulled out the old school trails and shortened the race. I went from amped to 'ok then, another hot lap mind numbing 3 hour sport race'. My guy the Pirate went so far as to get out of the starting shoot and go get his money back- another first.

In the end, wasn't cheated, the trails were soft, slick, and some mud, so that was enjoyable... Had no 5th gear, kept looking down at pain of the black/ blue calf from Thurs at Buck. My bike had me in a leg lock, with one of the Hillside guys applying pressure by falling on top of me... I tapped out. But finished the race in a huff... Lame on my part.

Race results- LINK

Note- I do appreciate the Series folks replying to my request to make the Marathon course diverse. The majority would want as much challenge as possible to be included in a long race.

Up next, Mankato and 4 hours of 20 min sport laps like last year??? That was another first, I wont forget.

Random. These tools rule.

Rogue Hoe shameless plug... If you move dirt, or are farm implement, those tools do it the best.

Hide in the woods time-

Enough of the gravel thing...

 

trying to bust things up... (courtesy of TMB)

Time to hide in the woods...  Woolly Marathon MTB Results

and Thurs at Buck Worlds...

Scrambled...

3rd in the north iowa gravel series is Drew Wilson's game the Dickie Scramble.

A good mix of random bicycling and adventure in the heart of north iowa. The minimum maintenance roads make it worth the trip. One of the spots could even double for a novice DH run. A witnessed account of a guy going off the side of the rickety bridge into the trout stream was documented.

I can't help myself, I use all these gravel races as MTB fitness test grounds. Go so hard your eye's bleed, shake-off, go again. I'm not a fan of roadie pack tactics, but will take and direct wheel suckers to pull if it's the only way to advance up the road.

Fact. In the end, unless your The Fox (aka #1, Wilson, Thompson, Talerico), it's all about reeling in the next hound ahead.

Ted's

Excellent

Adventure...

Captured by TMB Photography-

Ha!

TMB Photography- LINK

NOTE: The north iowa Gravel Series is having technical difficulties. The Scramble results are by first name, the Series results are by last name... 8.

Not to fret. The Swag Swap box still has plenty of prizes to share.

Gravel race season is over. Time to hide in the woods (MTB).

Lakeville- Milltown- Lakeville V4.0

It was a very good day. All smiles, nobody cheated themselves...

See the LML Race Blog LINK

Exactly.

More TMB photos over here -  LINK

- Up next Dickie Scramble. and the north iowa gravel series-