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Skiing in Argentina Back from three plus weeks in Argentina. Skied Bariloche, Esquel and Ushuaia. Also toured Buenos Aires for three days on the way back. Friday, July 10 Summer skiing Went back to Utah for 4 days in mid-May. Had a plane ticket to go back mid-June, but they suddenly closed due to a lot of rain that week. Oh well, my plans are made to travel with Will Wasson of Snofari to Argentina the end of August for three weeks. We will hit all the areas near Bariloche then fly to the most southern city in the world, Ushuaia! Wednesday, April 8 Winding up the winter in the northern hemisphere here in Utah Will be going back to San Diego next week. Have been skiing 90+ days, with a few to go. I enjoy the skiing and meeting new people, and improving at something - in this case telemark skiing. Thinking about skiing in South America again this summer. Tuesday, February 24 Added a link to my facebook.com 
Saturday, February 7 Livin' the Dream
I have been back in Utah since Jan 7th. Enjoying the ski bum life. Skiing on both my alpine skis and my tele's. See http://picasaweb.google.com/CalvinBurgart64/Utah2009# for some pics that I have taken so far. Bill and Donna Oliver were my visitors for the past couple days. Bill and I are fraternity brothers (Phi Gamma Delta at Penn State). We had not see each other for 44 years! Donna also went to Penn State, but we had never met. They have a house in Breckenridge and live near Philadelphia otherwise. Saturday, December 13 back to Utah for a few days, then this winter, too. Headed back for the winter after the first, but also going to go back for 5 days this week, just to get acclimated. Have the apartment again this winter. My tour leader/guide, Will, from Snofari tours in Chile, last winter/our summer will be there, too. Looks like it is snowing between now and when I arrive.
Saturday, November 8 Baja Epic mtb race My one mtb race of the year. Ended great, but had a problem. First day was long - 60 miles, but it seemed all 60 was into a headwind. Finished in 8 hours 24 minutes. Next day had a check point at 15 miles. I am told that when I got there, I told several people I was confused. I must have been because I went out of the check point a couple miles in the wrong direction, and the course markings were the best I have seen in any race that is not GPS guided. I sagged out on a Yamaha Rhino with Armondo, the race organizer. It was cool, and I surely wasn't dehydrated, so I am not sure what the heck was going on. The Rhino ride was fun though. My right heel really hurt that night, which was the final straw to skip the 3rd day. I had a great last day, and felt much better about myself. I finished 12th out of 26 that day (I was 20th the first day). We rode through some ranches that had never had cyclists cross. It was amazing. We saw essentially no one the whole race, and had only a couple miles on paved roads. Then getting near the coast we could see up and down the coast. Arriving at sea level, we rode on the beach for several miles. Definitely the way to finish a multiday mtb race. It was beautiful. See http://www.deporte6am.com/bajaepic2008/ for some photos. Next up Utah the first of January. Back to ski bum mode. Sunday, September 7 Back from skiing in Chile (click on this title to get to my blog) It is the best skiing in the world - in August, and all the race teams from around the world and the northern hemisphere hard core skiers are there. I took two tours - a one week tour with CASA www.casatours.com and a two week tour with Snofari www.snofari.com . Skied three days at El Arpa via snowcat, three at Portillo, three and Valle Navados, one at El Colorado, two at La Parva, and four at Nevados de Chillan. Hit all the major areas in Chile. Next year I have to try Bariloche, Argentina. Introduced myself to Hermann Maier and Jon-Luke Brassard, Olympic Gold medalists, and multiple time world champions. Racers were everywhere.... Very few skiers on telemark skis, which I am moving to more and more. I have also set up a blog and picasa picture site. See blog for references to several picasa sites. Saturday, June 14 The weird summer vacation - skiing in Chile I finally have my plans together for this summer. I am going to Chile to ski - Aug 16th and returning Sept 7th. Going to do a one week tour followed by a two week tour. The first one with CASA Tours http://www.casatours.com/haa.asp , the second one a custom tour with a bunch of old guys who ski together at Whistler, see www.snofari.com . By coincidence I met the brother-in-law, CK, of the owner of Snofari, Will Wasson, at my local Starbucks. I will ski 8 different areas including El Arpa which is snow cat served. Looks like I have become a dedicated ski bum. Sunday, May 11 My 65th birthday celebrated at Snowbird Michele, my wife, and I flew back to Salt Lake City for me to ski the last four days of the season. The last day, the 11th, was my 65th birthday. Fun to ski in May - this was the latest I have ever skied. The 11th was also my 85th day of skiiing this year. I gave myself an unusual present on the last run of the day - after the lifts had closed and I was a few hundred yards from the base - on a return road - I was making the last few tele turns, when I fell and broke my left collar bone. Perfect timing, as I missed no skiing due to the injury, but it is a pain. Planning on a few weeks in Chile this August! Sunday, April 6 back to San Diego Have been having a great time with several visitors in this winter - daughter Kim and her best friend Meg; Rick Dusenbery, a cycling friend who now lives in Denmark; Steve and Kristin, son of our good friends and his significant other; and Angelika and Preston Drake, awesome adventure racers, triathletes, and cyclists. I have packed up the Land Rover and am about to leave Utah... I got 81 days of skiing in this year! My tele is much improved and my alpine skiing pretty solid. It was a great winter. In January I met a fellow ski bum (though he works, too) named Atilla - from Midland, MI. We skied together a lot, and I met a lot of his friends. Quite nice to have a fellow ski bum to hang out with. I am thinking about going to Chile in August ! Rather than a bunch of cycling and mtb racing. Sunday, January 27 Utah for the winter Here I am in Utah for another winter as a ski bum. I drove up from San Diego the day after Christmas. It has been a very good snow year. (Last year was one of the worst they have ever had.) So far we have 276 inches at Snowbird. I have a two bedroom furnished apartment in Cottonwood Heights - a mile or so from the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. The drive to Snowbird takes about 20 minutes. Having fun improving my novice level telemark skiing which is also helping my alpine technique. Saturday, November 17 La Ruta de los Conquistadores
It is over. I am pleased that I met my goal of finishing. My ride time in 4 days was almost 39 hours - less would have been better. The race is about 240 miles/36,000 feet of climbing. The weather was cooler than most years, but fortunately the high elevations on day 3 the temperature was not colder than the high 50's. The fourth day it rained, which was very nice. It can be brutally hot. I am the oldest finisher ever, still -- I think I was before, too, but now I am officially recognized. Was great seeing old friends and making new ones. The organzation of the race has improved dramatically. I probably feel better after the race than I ever have, though I did focus on conserving energy. The first day, however, if one goes too slow the cutoff gets missed. That is it for the year. I will be spending the winter in Utah as a ski bum for my second year. Sunday, June 17 TransPortugal 2007 Just a brief note to say that I am home. I did not do well again this year. Had a stomach problem that knocked me out of the race. I had a good day 2 (11th) and very good last day (5th). There were 3 new fast guys and Ricardo ahead of me, but if I had been as fast as last year, I would have won the stage.. More later.. Friday, March 16 Finally a ski bum If I had known about being a ski bum when I graduated from college, I would have been one. Fortunately, I finally figured it out. Have skied here at Snowbird and Alta almost 60 days this winter. Took up telemark skiing in January when the snow coverage was at an abnormally low. We only had a few weeks of real Snowbird like winter. I am leaving today. It looks like it will remain very warm. Had fun learning to telemark ski. My plan is to do this again next year! Sunday, October 29 Crocodile Trophy I am pleased to report that I have just finished the longest mountain bike stage race of my career – the Crocodile Trophy. It is 13 days in Queensland, Australia. The entire race is in the Outback. Most stages end at primitive camp sites. Cooktown is the only intermediate “city” we end at during the race. The total distance is 840 miles. Nine of the stages pound along endless washboard dirt roads. Two of the stages are real mountain bike stages, and two short stages are essentially time trials. There were 42 participants. Two women, four men over 50, another eleven men in their 40’s, the rest were sub 40. Curiously enough the race is organized by Austrian’s. The main man, Gerhard Schonbacher, is from the same town as Arnold, and sounds exactly like him. He competed in three Tour de France races. There were 16 countries represented. I was the only American! I was second oldest racer, 8 months younger than an Italian rider the looked like Marco Pantani. I had no bike problems and only a few short term physical issues and ended the race feeling only tired. I expected to finish and not be last, but the surprise was I finished right in the middle of the entire field at 21st overall and 5th in the 40+ class!! I am slightly disappointed at not beating the 57 year old Frenchman who finished 20th. We went back and forth in the standings a couple times. But 20th or 21st, I am pleased. This was a grueling race, but very satisfying to have finished so well. Sunday, September 17 Big Bear Shootout Decided at the last minute to go up to Big Bear for a CA State Championship race. Glad I did, though I was not sure til I was well into the race. Stan Ford won, of course. I passed Terry Dahl twice on the climbs and it stuck. The "Fall Line" descent is something I just don't do. Terry does. I finished, not knowing how far back Terry was, and it wasn't far - 17 seconds! Whew. Sunday, August 6 NMBS Brian Head
Saturday, July 29 Brian Head Titanium 50 Got here yesterday and rode some at elevation. The race is all between 9100 feet and 11,300 feet. That makes this a very tough race. I didn't feel great, but hoped I would feel more normal today, which I did. I was the only one in my age group, and I finished, hence I won. My time was a respectable 5 hours 13 minutes (10 seconds behind the 50-59 winner). Since this race cuts out 50 miles from the middle of the 100 mile race, it was very interesting to see how very much better I could do the big last climb and some of the steeper places. Off to Snowbird for 4 days, then back here for the NMBS XC and Marathon races. Saturday, July 15 National Mountain Bike Championship I felt better than I thought I was going to, and the course had gotten hammered into better shape, but I still finished off the podium in 6th. Terry was a minute ahead of me. The top guy from Utah was faster than the top 55-59 racer! Race was 24 miles in 3 laps. My time was 2 hours sixteen minutes Sunday, June 18 TransPortugal Garmin
Saturday, May 13 Idyllwild Spring Challenge Racing Exp 50+ and expecting Rob Bernhart, I just planned on doing it for the training and exertion. There was one other guy in the class. Both of them were TOO fast - they shortened the course and got lost respectively. So I won! Surprise - in two hours 49 minutes. Very neat single track, quite a bit of hike a bike and the descents weren't too bad. Great venue Sunday, May 7 Julian Bicycle Festival It isn't a race, but rather a ride. However, it still nice to finish first. About 20 miles, 2500 feet in one hour 54 minutes. Was really pretty riding. I did this ride in 2002 after a fire and it looked like the moon. Now it is flowers and green. Friday, May 5 National Mountain Bike Series - Marathon Either nobody showed up, or I won by intimidation, but I won anyway. It was 6 laps of 7 miles with a total of 6500 feet of climbing, almost all of it steep. First three laps went good, then I slowed. Sure got to have more endurance for Portugal. This venue has almost all single track, steep but smooth climbs, except for one, but a number of steep, rutted short descents - ugh. I was slow. Finished in 5 hours 37 minutes or so. Sunday, April 30 Firestone Vineyards - California State Cross Country Series Saturday was very overcast and damp, but Sunday was really pretty. Stan won handily. Terry was ahead of me when he went over the bars on a single track, then he passed me on the descent. I passed him on the next climb, and that was it. It was a two lap race - total 30 miles! One hour 37 minutes or so. It whipped me. Felt good first lap and a half, then I think I ran out of energy. I wasn't expecting this long of a race. Need energy intake to do more than two hours. Great to have Michele with me at a race. Sunday, April 23 Bonelli Park -CA State Championship Series
Monday, March 20 Ski season over for me Had a great time skiing this year. More days than I have done since I got into the cycling stuff. Next year I hope to spend all winter in Utah. Got to get a plan together for this year. Signing up for TransPortugal Garmin for sure. Tuesday, February 7 San Diego Cyclo-Vet Time Trial Series The second of the series of 10k TT's was held today. I did this one on my road bike, again, but with aerobars and saddle adjusted. I had hoped to break 30 minutes and I did by a few seconds - 29:54. :) I was second, behind Butch, who finished in 29:05. Gordy shaved a minute off his world class time of 36:47 to 35:56. Wow. Gordy has a huge lead! Got some more skiing to do in between races. Tuesday, January 10 San Diego Cyclo-Vet Time Trial Series My road club has started a series of twelve 20k time trials on Fiesta Island. The first one was just held. This series is handicapped based on age and sex, so everybody competes against each other. On a scratch time basis, I was second in 30:56 to Butch Richardson, my buddy. But on a corrected time basis, our patriach, Gordy Shields, age 88, finished FIRST!! His scratch time was 36:47 ! I am third behind Butch on a corrected time basis. I doubt that I can beat Gordy or Butch, but there might be one of the gals out there that could do it! Sunday, November 13 La Ruta de los Conquistadores
Day two was the same huge climb and very long technical descent. I got to the top of the climb in my usual 5 hours. Felt fine. The descent was the worst that I have seen. I had to walk a lot - very frustrating. On a flat place I was going through a puddle when my front wheel hit a big rock and a fell over the bars landing on my chest just like I did at Big Bear a few weeks ago. Not serious but my confidence was really shot then. It didn´t bother me much after I got started on day 3. Stayed at the same really neat place up in the clouds outside Turriabla where I stayed after my crash two years ago. My time was 8:11. Day 3 had a different start. A long road climb then a long dirt climb (then back to the same course as previously). I warmed up and felt good on the road climb and I hammered the dirt climb. Not many if anybody passed me and I passed a lot of guys (of course all younger). Unfortunately I followed the arrows that the race committee had sprayed before they changed the course. Got to an impassable stream that I have crossed before. Decided that it was wrong and went back to the road. I lost 20 to 30 minutes, and a lot of folks that shouldn´t have caught me did. After the infamous railroad tracks, (we did a lot less of them due to a train tressle collapse) when we are right along the coast the course is on a bumpy dirt road with puddles. I did something I thought of a number of times. I cut through the sparse brush on the beach! And then I road about miles right at the water edge. It was awesome. I cut back to the course just before the check point. It wasn´t a short cut but it sure was more interesting. I finished in 7:58 hours. When I get the real results I´ll post mine, or check the link above. They are supposed to get results on it. All´s well that ends well. This may be my 7th and last La Ruta. I have now finished 4. My friend Cliff Richmond also has done 7 with 4 finishs. Also see Cycling News for race coverage of top guys. Thomas Frischknecht, the world marathon mtb champion won it. The first non-tico to do it in 13 years! My friend Louise Kobin won the women for the 3rd year in a row. Sunday, October 9 Fall Classic - Final race of CA State Cross Country Championship This was only the second race in the series of 8 that I was able to do, due to my travel this year. I won the first one at Firestone. Richard Bunck, whom I have raced against for years, had also done only one and he won it. He beat me at the Brian Head Epic 100, so I knew it would be hard for me to beat him. And he did beat me. Unfortunately, I made it tougher when I had a stupid fall yesterday while pre-riding the course. I landed on my camera which I had in small pouch on my strap over my chest. I am pretty sure I cracked one or two ribs. It really started hurting last night, so I thought I would go to starting line, and just see what happened and how I felt. It hurt breathing, but I got ahead of Richard, so I had to just keep going til he passed me on the part of the trail where I had crashed yesterday. On the first climb I caught Bob Blatner, who won the 55-59 championship. He says he was working really hard, so I guess I really was doing considering.. Saturday, September 17 Mountain Bike National Championship - Mammoth There is always somebody faster, it just depends on who shows up.. This year James Wagner, Bruce Bates and Gary Meyers were there and were faster than me. Nice to be on the podium, but after winning this event at Durango two years ago, 4th is all that rewarding. James and Bruce were faster up the first climb, and Gary caught me early on the first technical descent. After that I was just fighting traffic of younger experts catching up with me. Saturday, August 6 Brian Head National Mountain Bike Series Cross Country and Marathon
Then on Sunday was the marathon (approximately 60 miles and 5000 feet of climbing). I was the only guy over 60, so as I finished the race, I won. My time was 5 hours 27 minutes, which was exceeded my expectations. Saturday, July 30 Brian Head Epic 100 For the 5th time I entered this race.. I am not sure why - it is so hard. 100 miles at elevations between 7600 feet and 11300 feet is a long way. About 70 miles into it, I just wanted it to be over, but I still had 4000 feet to climb, and a technical descent back to Brian Head. Anyway, it did end after 11 hours and 49 minutes. Slower than the past two years - which doesn't make me happy. I finished second to Richard Bunck, whom I have raced with many times over the past years. He beat me by 18 minutes - I had no idea he was that close til near the end, when I just couldn't make it up. I am staying here in Utah for the Norba National Mountain Bike Series cross country and marathon race next weekend. Some nice recreational riding here in the week between. Sunday, July 3 Garmin TransPortugal
Sunday, May 29 TransCreta Race
Next up TransPortugal Sunday, April 24 Firestone-Walker Cross Country Race I did this race last year for the first time. It is now part of the state championship series. Although I missed the first two races of the series this year, the Firestone vineyards were so beautiful, I thought I would do it between Cape Epic and TransCreta. It was great weather, but my competition did not show up, thus I won. Due to TransCreta and possibly TransPortugal at most I can compete in 5 races - best 6 of 8 count, but who knows how it might shake out. On a very sad note, my chief competitor's (Terry Dahl) wife passed away two weeks ago. Chris was a real supporter of Terry and it is very sad that cancer consumed her. Sunday, April 10 The Cape Epic
I am going to visit my elderly friend, Joyce, tomorrow. Met her on the cliff walk last year. She is a Brit who has lived in Africa for decades. Also will be seeing my partner from last year, Dennis McCann. He did Cape Epic this year, but was not able to complete all the days. Next on the agenda, TransCreta. Nine days, 26,000 meters of climbing. My sister, Susan, is going to meet me for the last 2 days of the race. She hasn't seen me ride a bike since we were kids. Sunday, February 27 Montezuma Grade Hill Climb This road race goes up Montezuma Grade from Borrego Springs to Ranchita. It is 10.5 miles and 3400 feet of climbing. I did the second year they did the race, two years ago, on my road bike in 59:45. This year I did it on my Ellsworth Truth mtb, just for grins. I did okay, but didn't beat my time of two years ago. I finished in 1:02:30 for 7th overall. Probably embarrassing a few of the 15 folks behind me. Sunday, January 30 Palomar Hillclimb
Sunday, December 26 NORBA National Rankings Another surprise.. I was recently listed in first position for a while, but now am listed in 4th, again. Saturday, November 6 End of the year La Ruta isn't going to happen for me this year, as my wife, Michele, is being treated for a cancer tumor. Treatment is harsh, but forecast is good. This would have been my 7th La Ruta. I was really looking forward to seeing my friends there.. but hopefully will be doing events like this next year. My good friend, Butch Richardson, and I are signed up for the Cape Epic in April - but that seems like a long way off. Hope to do some skiing this winter. Check in later. Cal Sunday, October 10 CA State Championship #8 - Big Bear The final race of a best 6 of 8 series. With my win by forfeiture at Tahoe, all I had to do to win the series was finish the race. But once it started, I felt good so I worked pretty hard. As it turned out, I won. Richard Bunck was second and Terry Dahl a distant third (he is having some bronchial problem). Thus I am the CA State Champion Expert 60-64 for the second year in a row. Did this race on my Litespeed Tellico with tubeless tires. It works great and is a very fast bike. Saturday, September 25 NORBA National Championship - Mammoth, CA
Sunday, September 12 CA State Championship #7 - Lake Tahoe What a surprise at the starting line when Terry wasn't there!! He had won 4 races in the series (I missed one race while in Portugal). I had won only 2, so I had to win the last two races to win the state championship. With Terry losing the extra points all I needed to do was finish this race at North Star, and the Fall Classic at Big Bear in October, and I will be state champion for the second year!! :) I cruised around the course and finished safely. I would have rather beaten him in the race, but I'll take the win, particularly after what was probably my best race ever at Big Bear 3 weeks ago. Sunday, August 22 CA State Championship #6 - Big Bear It was just Terry and I in the 60+ catagory. As usual we started with all experts over 50 years old. On the first climb I passed Terry, then Stan Ford (55+), and even Bob Blatner (55+). It stuck with Terry and Stan, but Bob passed me later on, and I didn't make an effort to catch him. I assumed that if Stan didn't catch me, Terry wasn't going to, and I was right. I won by 9 1/2 minutes.. Biggest margin that I can remember in any race where I had competition. Terry beat me 3 times this year, so far, and now I have won twice! Have to win the last two races, Lake Tahoe, and Big Bear in order to win state championship. Saturday, July 10 Brian Head Epic 100 - National Endurance Championship After just getting back from Portugal, I thought, either I would be wiped out or totally fit.. well, I wasn't injured or ailing, so a day and a half after arriving in SD, I drove to Brian Head. As it is the endurance national championship, and I won it last year, I thought I should go. The whole race is above 8000 feet. Took me a while to feel like anything, but I did beat my time of last year by 24 minutes, won my class, and got my 3rd National Championship! Worth it, but tough. Sunday, July 4 Supertravessia
The race starts in Braganca, in the NE corner of the country and ends in Sagres on the beach at the SW of Europe. As the race can have a limited number of participants, age groups don't make sense. So Antonio, the race organizer, has established age and sex based handicaps. As the oldest racer I started first every day by from 34 minutes to 1 hour 16 minutes depending on the length of the stage. The other unique aspect of this race is that there were no course markings, maps or directions.. one finds their way by using the track that had been loaded into a GARMIN GPS which is mounted on the handlebars. It was impossible to get lost, and one could quickly see that a wrong decision about which way to go would become apparent as the track was not ahead of you anymore. Chapter 1: I started 2 minutes before Jacquie Phelan, who is in the mountain bike hall of fame. Didn't know if she would catch me or not. Turns out NOBODY did, and I won the first stage. I thought that the scratch riders must have discounted me a bit too much, so I expected them to catch me on day 2 - they didn't. In fact, I won the first 6 stages and accumulated an 1 hour and 49 minute lead on the second racer over the first 6 stages! Chapter 2: Unfortunately, I rode the cranks off my bike.. Literally. They came loose and couldn't be tightened. Antonio had spares in his SUV and changed them out at checkpoint 1. I was very fortunate he had the correct bottom bracket, or I would have been out of the race. I received a 1 hour penalty for outside assistance, and the whole deal cost me at least another hour of race time. I fell to second place, 15 minutes behind first place. I felt lucky to be able to continue. Chapter 3: I picked up 20 minutes on day 8, and was back in first place by 5 minutes! This is getting exciting. Chapter 4: I had four flats on day 9, which was a 100 mile day! I was out there almost 9 hours. I had two tubes and two patches, so I just made. Without CO2 the hand pumping cost me a lot of time and effort, too. I fell to third place, 54 minutes out of first, and 22 minutes out of second. Chapter 5: Another hard day with more climbing and one flat tire. Also, had a very minimal breakfast - in fact in adequate breakfasts was my only complaint about the race logistics. I lost time and finished 1 hour 15 minutes back from first, and 30 minutes out of second. Chapter 6: The last day was the shortest - 42 miles, and was wonderful as it was along the Atlantic coast. (By the way, there were no clouds the entire race.) I finished first right on the beach at Sagres. I picked up 24 minutes on the second place guy, but remained in third place overall. Epilog: I felt like I had won the race. Except for the combination of the cranks one day and the flats another, I would have. I also took 45 pictures during the race which took me at least 10 seconds a picture or 7+ minutes total - that would have put me in second place. But winning 8 stages, when all I was expecting to do was finish, and hopefully not be last, was a super successful feeling. Two days I was faster than the scratch times the previous year, and the other 6 winning days I was faster than last year's corrected time! Don't know if I will go back, because although it was a wonderful experience, how could I do better? Antonio did an amazing job of finding 700 miles of trails with only two stop lights the entire length of Portugal. Saturday, May 22 BIg Bear National Championship Series Race Saturday: Pretty much the standard xc course - about 20 miles, 3100 feet of climbing. My usual competition did not show up for the Cross Country race, and it turned out I was the fastest 60+ guy that did. Sunday: The NCS Series now has a "marathon" cross country race - roughly 60 miles. The one at Big Bear had over 9000 feet of climbing. Two 30 mile laps. Temp in the a.m. was in the 40's, but it warmed up fairly quickly. I was in the 50+ class. My time was 7 hours 8 minutes, which got me fourth. I was about 4 minutes out of third. After the first lap I was expecting to have water at the start/finish. There wasn't, so I rode down to my Element, reloaded my camelback and rode back to the course. If there had been water, I would have likely gotten 3rd. On the last big climb I passed 3 guys, and two of them did not catch me on the final descent. Oh well, I was the oldest guy in the race. Sunday, May 2 Bonelli XC - CA State Series My worst race in a long time. I cramped after a little over an hour. Finished, but was way back. I believe the problem was due to starting a blood pressure medication - at least I hope so. I've never cramped so soon in an event, and I did most everything else the same as always. It was very hot, but what is new?? Got third after Terry and Richard. Took two liters of IV back in SD on Sunday night - not too normal. Sunday, April 25 FIrestone Walker Cross Country Race A great venue for a mountain bike race (or just about anything else outdoors). Flat valley floor, old huge farm house, vineyards, open sided roofed structure with a stage for the bands, and super clear weather. 12 mile loop that we did twice. Not a lot of climbing, some twisty single track and some flats. That is where I passed Richard and Terry on the first lap and they never caught me! As it was in the 90's and I was working hard on climbs and flats, my average heart rate was 174. I think a new record other than the hugely hot Sagebrush two years ago. Race counts for 1.5 normal race points, so that puts me in pretty solid second in the State Championship Series. Sunday, April 18 Sea Otter Classic - Laguna Seca, CA Sea Otter is such a huge happening. It's fun to just be there. The weather was great - not like last year's rain and mud. The course was fast. I rode well and hammered all the climbs. But somewhere Terry passed me, and the Seattle guy that won the Worlds last August showed up, too. That put me in 3rd. arrgg Sure would have liked that jersey. Sunday, April 4 Sagebrush Safari
Sunday, March 28 Lake Castaic - CA State Championship Series #1 First CA State cross country race was at Lake Castaic. Did 3 laps, 3600 feet of climbing, fairly long single track descent on each lap. I start off well, but as I am slow on parts of this course, I finished 2 minutes behind Terry Dahl. My time was 2 hours 22 minutes. Michele and Muffin were there to root for me. Saturday, March 27 Portugese Endurance Race I am entered in this 11 day mountain bike race from the northeast corner of Portugal to the southwest corner of Portugal (and the most southwest point in Europe). Dates are June 24th through July 4th. Last year there were 20 entries, 14 finished - it was the first year for the race. There is a limit of 50 racers. A new goal and an exciting way to see Portugal. Sunday, March 14 Cape Argus This is the largest timed cycling event in the world. There were about 35,000 racers (24,000 finishers)in it. I started about 29,000th in the 40th start and finished around 15,000! The first start had finished before I started!! I was there early so I ended up on the first row of our start which had 580 finishers. Hence, I had to push a bit. I finished in 3 hours 18 minutes. That put me 53rd out of 1231 finishers in the 56-60 age group. Nobody in that age group passed me, and there was one guy in the start ahead of me that beat me (by 6 minutes), and the next guy that started ahead of me was in the 12th start (I was in the 40th), and he beat me by less than a minute. Not bad on an mtb, eh? Everybody who owns a bike in SA is in this. It was a fabulous route. I am going back out there tomorrow to take pictures. Had my camera with me but didn't take the time. It was 108 kilometers. Sure glad I stayed for it.. To miss it, I would have never known what an amazing event it is. Even to see the starts getting staged. Saturday, March 6 Cape Epic
Tuesday, December 16 Post crash status report Today was my first day back on the bike out on the road. Went well. Did the Cyclo-Vets Fiesta Island TT training ride. Flat - very few cars. Rode 30 miles. Got my heart rate to 184 on the final sprint. No more aches and pains than normal. Pretty much only have pain one place in my back, some in my shoulder, and depending on how I move - electric shock like feeling in my left arm due to nerve in neck/shoulder. Other than the crash at La Ruta it was a pretty amazing year for me. I've signed up for the Cape Epic, the first week in March. My partner is a 74 year old endurance guy, Dennis McCann, living in South Africa. See www.cape-epic.com for info on the race. Other than that I haven't decided on my plans for next year. Just trying to recover and keep fit. Thursday, November 20 La Ruta de los Conquistadores
I took it easy on the huge climb and the long, highly technical descent. I was on a very nice dirt road with about 4 kilometers to the finish when I lost it somehow on the edge of the road, went off the road, hit a pile of dirt and launched across a drainage ditch. Kaboom! Landing on my back and left shoulder - hard. Before I could get my eyes open an English speaking Tico (Costa Rican man) was asking specific questions about my condition. He got me to the ambulance, and hence I went to a regional hospital. I am still trying to find out exactly what I have broken or damaged. Seems like it's harder to get medical care here in the US than it is in Costa Rica. I definitely have a broken left collarbone. But I am pretty certain I have damage to my middle back - either disc or small fracture. Will update the site when I get an idea of when and I might do next. Was great to see all my La Ruta friends again. This was my 6th year. Saturday, October 18 Death Valley Double Century
Sunday, October 12 Fall Classic - Last race of CA State Series Michele and Muffin escorted me to Big Bear this weekend. As I have the series locked with 5 wins out of a 5 of 8 series. It was just for fun. As usual, after I got going I worked hard. I passed Terry early on the first climb. He passed me toward the bottom of a long technical single track descent. I passed him again as we started another long climb. Last I saw of him. I won by almost 5 minutes! Great weather as usual and a fun race. First time I have ever done the Fall Classic. Saw a lot of my mtb racing buddies. Great to have the State Championship jersey (and a license plate bracket, too). Sunday, September 28 San Jacinto Classic I had planned on getting up early after the DC on Saturday and driving down to San Dimas to start the SJC race. But I couldn't get my mind around all I needed to do.. So, I slept later, packed up and drove to Hemet where the real race/ride began. Met my friend Emil there and rode with him up the first third of the climb (total climb 4700 feet). He was cooked and climbed into the sag van. I continued onward to the top, and over toward Banning. I felt pretty good considering the huge ride the day before. A whole lot better than I did Saturday night. Guess my endurance is there as long as I don't over exert myself. Saturday, September 27 Tour of Two Forests Double Century
Tuesday, September 16 CA State XC Championship I not sure how I could have made this points thing so difficult, but I did. The race Sunday was NOT part of the series.. I still have to finish the last race, the Fall Classic, at Big Bear in October, to win the series.. Sunday, September 14 CA State XC Championship Series (Am Cup #4) Decided at the last minute to drive up on Sunday morning and do this race at Big Bear. I only have to finish one more race to lock up the series, no matter how the points are figured (there are several ways the points might actually be calculated). My main competitor, Terry Dahl, didn't show.. I worked hard, but I knew that all I had to do was finish, so I didn't kill myself. But I won anyway. In fact, I would have been 3rd in the Expert 55-59 group. All of 0.7 seconds behind Richard Bunck! So I must have worked kind of hard. I have 6 wins in the state series of 8 races. The final is in October at Big Bear. I'll go, but I'm not sure if or how I will race. Saturday, September 6 CA State MTB Endurance Championship The Big Bear Epic 75 was the first CA State Endurance Championship. I rode it unopposed and finished so I won! I worked hard and had a good time of 8 hours and 8 minutes. Beat the 50+ guys and several in the 40+ group, too. It was actually 79 miles long, and had 10,000 feet of climbing. Weather was great, as usual for Big Bear. Saturday, August 30 Master`s Cross Country World Championships
Tuesday, August 26 E-CAPS now a sponsor E-Caps has been a mainstay of my electolytes and energy supplements for sometime. I approached them recently about being a sponsor, and have agreed to do so. I am very pleased with their Endurolytes and Sustained Energy products and will investigate others as I feel appropriate. Check them out, lots of endurance athletes depend on them. Click on above logo to go to E-Caps site and get 15% discount on first order. Friday, August 15 National Cross Country Championship
Sunday, August 10 Northstar at Tahoe - CA State Cross Country Championship #5 This is the 5th out of 8 races to determine the CA State Cross Country Championship. I won the first 4 races, so I could clinch the series by winning this one. My competition is a great guy, Terry Dahl, from Santa Barbara. He beat me at Sea Otter, but since then I beat him 3 times. I didn't think he would be coming to this, i.e. I could steal the series, but he did. I think he thought the same thing, that if he came and I didn't, he would be back in the game. Anyway, it made it a far more interesting race. As has been the race recap in the previous 3 races, Terry leads a bit on the first climb, I pass him.. He may pass me on the first descent (in this case, he didn't), but I pass him again on the second lap and never see him again (didn't need to pass him but once this time). Great to have that under my belt. My second CA State Championship. Got the first one in the 55+ class in 1999. Saturday, July 26 White Mountain Peak ride - 14,256 feet up It is a long way up to the peak. Started outside of Bishop, CA, around 4300 feet. At 4:00 am with lights the climb is not so obvious as it is a few hours later when one final arrives at 10,500 feet! Silver Canyon is the home of the original Kamikaze downhill (they were totally nuts to do it). Then 15 miles down and up til we got to the gate (no cars beyond this) and then to the U of C high altitude research center at 12,500. I discovered I don't climb at all beyond this. The views are not of this world. Finally go down about 200 feet on a steep rocky descent and look at the peak - up about 900 feet in a mile. Not sure why I pushed my bike up, though I did ride some of it down.. Endless rubble of rocks on switchback "road". If my heart rate got over 123, my head pounded and the world started to swim. But I got there. Amazing views. It was great weather, but definitely another world. Rode back to the gate and further. Then a truck shuttle til the top of the downhill before Silver Canyon. Some rain, but nothing to bother the 6000+ foot descent. Was a amazing experience. Looking over at Mt. Whitney and friends was like looking at the alps. Altitude is definitely an experience. Saturday, July 12 Brian Head Epic 100 - National Endurance MTB Race
Sunday, June 29 Amateur Cup #2 - Big Bear / CA State XC Series #4 Hot, dry and dusty. Two 10 mile laps. Got ahead of Terry Dahl on the first climb, but he passed me on the last technical part of the descent. I chased him down. As we started the climb again, he looked back.. I was right there, and I said "I'm here.." I passed him a little later and never saw him again til after the finish. Won by a little less than two minutes. One more win, and I have the state championship! Hope to do that at NorthStar, Lake Tahoe, next month. Saturday, May 24 Heartbreak Double Century
Saturday, May 17 BIg Bear National Championship Series Race
Sunday, May 4 Bonelli Park - CA State Championship Race #3 More mud. Just like Sea Otter, it rained a lot in the days before the race. But actually, Team Big Bear did a great job in altering the course to avoid the clay that builds up on tires. Was a fun race. And I finished first. Beat Terry Dahl by 54 seconds - wheww. Have to beat him a few more times to win the State Championship! Sunday, April 27 Scripps Poway Parkway Hillclimb First year for a new hillclimb race put on my my club, San Diego Cyclo-Vets. Good turnout - 77 participants. I finished first in the 60+ age group, barely nudging out my good friend Butch Richardson. He started out 30 seconds behind me (individual starting times), and finished 40 seconds behind. My time was 18:03 for the 5.1 miles, 740 feet of climbing. Saturday, April 19 Lake Castaic - CA State Championship #1 Great weather. I hammered the first climb, and apparently demotivated my competition. I didn't know it, but Terry Dahl from Santa Barbara (the guy that beat me at Sea Otter last week) was there. I beat him by 5 and a half minutes !! Won it. Wheww, nice to win again once in a while. Sunday, April 13 Sea Otter Classic - Laguna Seca, CA
Sunday, March 30 Sagebrush Classic - CA State Championship #2 After a false start at Castaic, did my first mtb race of the year. Last year it was really hot. This year it was really windy. Didn't affect much except for the blowing dirt. Raced in the 60+ class for the first time. Happy to report that I won. Hans Dieber, world xterra champion, was second. He won the State XC series last year, so it is looking good. I was about 10 minutes faster than last year! Some of that time difference is due to the very much cooler weather. Saturday, March 15 Lake Castaic - CA State Championship #1 Canceled! Drove up to Castaic. Nobody there. Called Team Big Bear. Their machine said race canceled due to rain. It wasn't raining, but it sure was muddy. The sticky kind. I rode the course once. Or rather, I walked it once. So sticky the tires wouldn't go around and the bike weighed about 50 lbs. Took me 1.5 hours for one lap. A three lap race takes me about the same time. Saw maybe 10 accidents on the freeways. Ugly drive. Glad I am home safe. Race to be rescheduled. Sunday, March 9 Fiesta Island Time Trial Did the 20k time trial this Sunday morning. Was cool, calm and a little foggy. My heart rate didn't go up very readily - only averaged 163 with a peak of 170 at the end. Thought my time was slower than last time, but it wasn't much slower. 30:22 . That put me in 3rd place in the 50+ group. However, I should be in the 60+ age group, and that gave me 5th! Doesn't get easier, does it. Butch Richardson had and outstanding 29:14 for the first time on his new TT bike (2nd after Dan Wulbert). Guess he won't sneak up on Dan again. Vic Copeland was 3rd, and Dave Spangler 4th. Saturday, March 8 Camp Pendleton Bicycle Race Probably my first and last road race this year.. Was a beautiful day on Camp Pendleton. Since 9/11 I haven't been able to get on the base to ride. I used to ride through at least once a week. We did an out and back course that included a climb on a nice two lane road that I have never noticed. Hylton Murphy went off the front early and two teammates blocked for him - thus he won. I was with the lead peloton at the finish and got 4th in the 55-59 age group. I did too much pulling and wasn't positioned great for the sprint at the end. TransRockies partner Butch Richardson had an outstanding sprint and beat Dan Wulbert in the 60-64 age group ! Sunday, March 2 Montezuma Canyon Hillclimb Rained overnight and cleared the air for an ideal hillclimb up the grade from Borrego Springs to Ranchita - 3500 feet of climbing over 11 miles. I was pleased with my 4th overall finish, and second in my age group (after "the animal" Herb Johnson from La Jolla). Finished in 59 minutes and 45 seconds, average heart rate 170. Record the previous year was 1 hour and 6 minutes. Wasn't loafing, but didn't blow it out either. Never had done the climb, so really wasn't sure how to gage my effort. Stayed with good friends Frank and Barbara Coates. Sunday, February 16 Mike Wiegele Heliskiing Had a great week heliskiing from Blue River, British Columbia. Had been six years since I last was at Mike Wiegele's. There had not been new snow for quite a while, but somehow they were still able to find great skiing about 80% of the time. Did about 160,000 feet of vertical. The last Saturday morning did 6 runs all of which had some super steep stuff. The avalanche danger that had existed a few weeks earlier was gone so we could ski stuff they don't ordinarily get to ski. Both the guests and staff were great. Hooked up with a group of FedEx pilots. Will likely go next year the same week. Also met a group from Traverse City that I will try to see this summer when we are on Lake Michigan. No injuries and felt great the whole time. Monday, January 13 Velonews article on La Ruta
Monday, January 13 January 2003 update Been off the mtb since La Ruta, but the road hasn't been too nice to me. Day after Thanksgiving I was doing an easy road ride up the coast on 101, when a small black car appeared next to me then moved over toward me, and then it turned right into me. I landed on my back on the asphalt - $%&%*(!! that hurt. It is much better, but still hurts, particularly in the morning. But I'm not letting it get me down. Haven't made any race plans (TransAlp/TransRockies/Leadville, etc.), but I am going skiing!!! Have arrangements to go to Mike Wiegele's in British Columbia for a week in mid-February for heli-skiing. Did this twice before I got into cycling, but been on the bike too much to have time the last several years. I'm really excited about doing it again. I am in the best physical shape (other than my back) than I have been in my life. It is awesome skiing with wonderful folks. Will have some great powder pictures on this site when I get back, and some great new friends. Velonews Jan 13th has an article about La Ruta in which I am mentioned (in a nice way). I'm pleased about the tone of the article. Friday, November 22 La Ruta update Official results are now posted. Roman decided to give everyone the same time for day one. That put me in second place out of 11 finishers in the 50+ age group. :) Lindsay beat me. And amazingly I was 147th out of the 390 starters! I was the only American in the top three in any age group, and only two American's were in the top 12 in any other age group. I'm very happy with how I placed. Wednesday, November 20 La Ruta de los Conquistadores
We started in Jaco for the first time, so the first part of the race was different - tougher - a lot of hike-a-bike in the mud and heat. Day one turned into a near disaster for me when I cramped before checkpoint 3. Fortunately, my savior from my first La Ruta, a great gal, Pepa, was there and massaged the cramps out of my legs. I was able to go on, but on the long paved climb that was next they started again. I could not take one pedal stroke with out one or the other of my legs cramping. I didn't do anything particularly wrong to bring them on - took electolytes, salt tablets, water... but it appears I needed more. It was not as hot as it has been - only got up to 91 deg. Of course the humidity was 100%, literally, for hours . I walked for at least an hour up the 3000 foot climb, tried to get on my bike several times, but I couldn't pedal. One of my teammates from the Yamipa's team caught up with me (Kim and my friend Javier Quiros invited me to be on their team of 22 - uniform and all). We talked, I tried my bike one more time, and lo and behold I could pedal. I had given up thinking 1) if I can't get on my bike there is NO way, and 2) if I could, I wasn't going to make the time cutoffs. Foley, my teammate, convinced me to just go checkpoint to checkpoint and see what happens. Well, I finished at 5:10 pm, just before dark. (We started at 5 am). I was about the 240th finisher out of the 390 that started!! Most of the rest didn't make it, including a lot of folks that made a wrong turn. I got an i.v. before returning to Hotel Don Fadrique. Seemed like it might be a good thing to help get me completely whole for the next two days. Day 2 is one huge climb and one huge rocky descent, with some ups thrown in. I took it easy (my max heartrate was 149), and finished. The descent was tougher than I had experienced in previous years, and there were some fairly long stretches I had to walk. The weather however was the best and all I needed to wear was my leg warmers, long undershirt and goretex jacket. It rained, of course, but wasn't all that cold, and over all was clearer than ever. At 6000 feet above the valley floor, there are some spectacular views. At 5:00 pm we got on the bus for a 2 hour ride back to Hotel Don Fadrique in San Jose. We had to get up at 4:00 am to be ready for the ride back for a 7:30 a.m. start. We didn't get much sleep with all that we had to do. Day three is long, but easier. The weather was the coolest in the 5 years I have raced La Ruta. I took it easy on the early climbs, and hammered the long flat to the Carribean. My heart rate was right at 150 for the last one and half hours. I felt good. Passed my roommate Lindsay Gould at the last check point and he never caught me :). He has cycled all his life and was on the 72 cycling olympic team for Canada, as well doing a lot of other events. Haven't seen the race results but he likely won the 50+ age group. I finished in 5 hours and 53 minutes. The lead pro finished in 4:43. I was the 94th finisher. Felt fine at the end and afterwards. No real aches, never crashed, no scratches. Kind of amazing after the cramps on day 1. Due to the lead pros getting lost they are going to do something weird with day one results, so I don't know where I might stand in my age group, but I am very happy with how I finished day 3. Thank you all for thinking of me. Your support means a lot ! Sunday, November 3 Tour de Julian
Pommel - Palomar Hill Climb An unofficial race has started here in SD. It goes up the south grade of Palomar Mtn. A mere 4100 feet ascent in 11.8 miles. The second Pommel was held today. I had a bike problem on the neutral descent of Cole Grade and thus lost the pack. It became a time trial when I got to the store at Valley Center Road. One hour fifteen minutes later I got to the Yield sign at the top. A bit surprising on my Ellsworth full suspension mtb (with road tires), as my best on my road bike had been 1:12! :) Sunday, October 13 FIesta Island 20k Time Trial
Saturday, September 28 Heartbreak Double Century
Finished 20th out of 68 starters in a windy, sometimes rainy dc. 15000 feet of climbing makes it the 3rd toughest in California. Never mind the climbing... the wind, on a mtb, was bad. Also got lost and had my light burn out on the way back into Palmdale. ntm (newspeak for "never to mind"), there were some pretty special times. btw, I finished in 14 hours and 42 minutes. Saturday, September 14 BIg Bear Epic 100 Whew, finally finished a race, again. Was a very hard 100 mile mtb race in the National Forest near Big Bear. Very sandy, and quite rough fire roads. 10,000 feet of climbing. Weather was perfect. Finished in 10 hours and 40 minutes. Got the sub 11 hour finishers jersey. Randy Wilson, a cycling friend from Encinitas, was 10 feet in front of me at the finish and got 4th in the 50+ class. Had fun being with about 10 guys from the SuperGo team, including Cliff and Brent (from the TransRockies) and Todd and Greg (who did TransAlp this year). Saturday, August 31 Michigan/Wisconsin biking/boating trip Just got back from Michigan. Our fourth year of boating with our good friends Cheryl and Wajeeh Berry. I take my bike and when we stop at one of the many places on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, I ride. Michele and our friends shop and site see. Did almost 500 miles again this year. I have seen a lot of upper Michigan. This year added Door County, WI, and Washington Island to the list. Great roads, no glass, no cars, but no other cyclists either. Saturday, August 17 TransRockies Challenge
I skipped the next day, as I had finished last at 7:08 pm, and it was the muddiest day with maintenance to do. I picked up a partner, Harry Heck from Calgary for the last two days. We had a great time. Harry is an awesome descender. Hope to ride with him again sometime. Saturday, July 20 Brianhead Epic 100
Sunday, June 30 CA State Championship #4/ Amateur Cup #2 Looks like my position in the CA State Series will turn out to be #4. Got another fourth in this race. Was 21 miles, 3600 feet of climbing on a 90+ degree day. Beautiful, and the heat didn't really bother me. I can climb with the leaders, but not descend with them. Sunday, June 2 Ride around Lake Tahoe Had a great time with my San Diego Cyclo-Vet buddies.. Gordy, Ron, Chuck and our host Emil. Their collective ages is something over 280.. I'm just the youngster at 59. I did the 100 mile version of the the ride.. Started about 7:00am - 28 degrees according to my Polar watch.. but it warmed up pretty quick. Did the 100 miles in 5:20 on my Litespeed mtb (skinny tires). Still was about 19.5mph average including the two obviously brief stops. Riding at above 6000 feet is great, unless one needs to breath hard. Was wonderfu weather.. Passed thousands - literally. Saturday, May 11 BIg Bear NCS Cross Country Race My birthday didn't start off well with a dropped chain at the starting line, and it didn't finish well with a crash passing another rider before the final descent. Besides that I just didn't do too well. Finished 5th. Way off the pace. Hopefully, do a bit better the end of June at the CA State Series race at Big Bear. Thursday, May 2 Winter/Spring update I haven't completely let cycling take over my life.. I did get 16 days of skiing in this year. Grand Targhee, Deer Valley, The Canyons, Solitude, Snow Basin (including Olympic downhill course), and finished with two great powder days at Snowbird. Back to mountain bike racing. Early April, Butch Richarson, my TransRockies Challenge partner, and I had a four day technical mtb training session from Blair Lombardi in Marin County, CA. She has coached a number of top ranking pro mtb racers. Her techniques to maximize balance are amazingly effective. Sagebrush Classic mtb xc race was April 14th. The Thursday before the race I was pre-riding the course - not trying to go particularly fast, but on a hard packed fire road at 25 mph, my bike and I and one shoe parted company. I was lucky in that other than a few scratches, only my right knee hurting lingers. On Sunday, I wasn't sure I was going to do the race or not, until 30 minutes before the start when I decided to do it. I was less than motivated to push hard, and my time subsequently shows it. I was 16 minutes off the lead rider in my class (4th place finish) - the furthest I have ever been out of first place in a short mtb race. Bonelli Park mtb xc race was April 30th. I did much better, only 3:44 off the lead rider, but still finished 4th. These two races are part of the CA State Championship Series, which I expect to do this year. I believe I am in 4th place so far (Sea Otter Classic which I did not do this year, is also in the series.) Next on the calendar is the National Championship Series XC race at Big Bear on May 11th. Sunday, March 10 SDBC Fiesta Island Time Trial Started off the season with a 20k road time trial. Was a real nice morning. A little cold, but once I started I never thought about it. Set a new personal record with a 30:59. Hoped to do a bit better, but I made an effort. My average heart rate was 170 with a max of 174. This gave me a 6th in 50+ age group. Keeps me wondering what a real time trial bike would do for my time. Tuesday, March 5 Latest stuff Going to Marin County in early April for four days of technical mtb coaching by Blair Lombardi, the Goddess of Balance. Hope I get some. Got the word back from the TransAlp Challenge that I didn't get in. Disappointing since Randy Wilson of Encinitas was committed to being my partner. My application with Butch Richardson for the TransRockies Challenge made it to the race organizers today. Hope we get in. If not, I got into Leadville 100. Why do so many people want to do these events?? Re: Ellsworth Truth Getting used to my new stead. I surely feel faster, and in fact have climbed some technical climbs which I had never cleared on my hardtail. It will be fun to learn what it and I can do in the dirt. Rode with Jimena Florit and young friends this weekend.. Crashed - hope to feel better in a couple days. Looks like I can't quite keep up with the folks half my age. Thursday, January 3 Let's try full suspension.. for 2002 Tony Ellsworth says I will go faster.. That's the plan. Hopefully, either all my hardtail riding has made me a better rider, or the Ellsworth Truth that I will be riding this year will make me a better rider. In either case, I will be happy to have faster times, and more fun. So here we go onto the new year. Sunday, November 18 La Ruta de los Conquistadores 2001 I participated in this year's coast to coast mountain bike race in Costa Rica on November 16, 17 and 18. This was my fourth year. Last year I broke my rear derailleur a few hours into the first day, so this year, I carried a spare - of course it was unused. Unfortunately, another one of the possible pitfalls befell me - I missed a sharp right turn off a fast downhill on day one, and after 25 minutes or so of hiking down a donkey trail, I discovered my mistake. As if there weren't enough climbing on day one (approximately 15,000 feet), I hiked back up. Fortunately I made the 5:00 pm cut off. My total time for the three days was 26 hours 48 minutes - this gave me 3rd in the 50+ age group, and 125th overall (275 starters in day one with 194 finishers of all three days). This was my second finish (in four tries) at La Ruta. If only I hadn't gotten lost, I would have been first in my age group.. this may be justification for a fifth try at La Ruta. Saturday, October 27 Death Valley Double Century
Sunday, September 23 CA State Cross Country Championship at Lake Castaic Cal finished his local mountain bike race season with a second place in the final race of the series. This put him in second place for the series (age 50+ expert class). The race series leader blew up due to the excessive heat, and finished fourth in the race. If he had finished fifth (2 minutes back), Cal would have won the series! Overall a good series for Cal racing against younger guys. Saturday, September 15 Tour of Two Forests Double Century Cal participated in an extra long road double century (219 miles / 13,000 feet climbing) out of Lancaster,CA. His time of 13:24 was a little longer than he expected - but one flat, getting lost twice, and breaking his rear derailer cable on the steepest climb were a few of the excuses that he is suggesting.. (At the checkpoint at the top of the climb, the PlanetUltra race support included a real bike mechanic with the appropriate cable which allowed Cal to finish with all his gears.) Fellow ActiveElite Athlete Rod Palomino finished in second place, six minutes out of first. Saturday, August 11 Leadville 100 mtb race
Saturday, July 28 TransAlp Challenge 2001
Sunday, July 8 Brianhead Epic 100 Mountain Bike Race Cal and his TransAlp Challenge teammate, Dennis Lanning, participated in the second edition of the Brianhead Epic 100 mtb race. This race starts at 9300 feet, and is all from 8300 to 11,300 feet in elevation. It is 100 miles of some of the most beautiful single tracks, dirt roads and vistas to be seen anywhere. Since they live at sea level, this race constituted their high altitude training prior to the TransAlp Challenge. In fact the entire race is higher than essentially all of the race through the Alps. They finished the race, passing the test of high altitude riding, though they did get distracted by the views and stopped for a few photos. Friday, June 22 San Diego Cyclo-Vets Time Trial Cal's road cycling club held its annual 3 day event this weekend. Cal is training for some big mountain bike races in July, so he only competed in the 10 mile time trial - on his mountain bike! In this highly competitive event, Cal finished 7th out of 13. Likely embarressing a number of folks on super sleek time trial bikes. Friday, June 1 National Championship Series #1 at Big Bear Cal finished third in the expert 55+ cross country race. He was 2:40 behind Thomas Finley and Stan Ford. Sunday, May 6 CA State Championship Series at Bonelli Park Results update Cal finished 2nd in the expert 50+ cross country race. With three races under his belt, Cal is in first place in the series. However, there are a couple guys that may participate in races this summer that Cal will miss, and hence the series results will likely depend on the last race at Lake Castaic in September. Sunday, April 29 Sagebrush Classic mtb race
Sunday, April 22 CA State Championship Series #1 - Lake Castaic Third - 1:52:55, 3:14 out of first, 50+ expert Sunday, March 25 Sea Otter Classic - Laguna Seca, CA Fifth out of 20, 1:31:29, way out of first, but on the podium, 50+ expert Sunday, March 11 Fiesta Island Time Trial Third (out of 16), 31:14 for 20k, 2:40 out of first, 50+ Saturday, March 3 Camp Pendleton Road Race First, out of 16, 1:09, 50+ Saturday, February 24 Death Valley Double Century DNF - turned around due to snow, sleet, and freezing temperatures. Sunday, February 11 Fiesta Island Time Trial 2001 Fifth out of 16, 32:08 for 20k, 3:03 out of first, 50+ Saturday, December 9 Soledad Hill Climb 9:02 Friday, November 17 La Ruta de los Conquistadores DNF - broken deraileur on day 1, skipped day 2, and had a nice day 3. Monday, October 7 Death Valley Double Century 14:19 on my mtb. unknown position Sunday, October 1 Amateur Cup #5 - Big Bear First, 2:24:04, 55+ Sunday, September 24 CA State Championship Series #4 - Lake Castaic First, 1:30:17, 55+ expert Saturday, August 26 Snowbird Hillclimb Road Race DNS, fell the day before and broke my wrist. Saturday, August 12 Leadville 100 mtb race DNF, hypothermia at 8:42:00 - 85 miles Saturday, July 8 Markleeville Death Ride 9:20:00 for 129 miles - 17th finisher Sunday, June 25 Amateur Cup #3 - Big Bear First, 1:43:01, 55+ expert Friday, June 23 Strictly Masters Time Trial Third, 24:31, 55+ Sunday, June 4 Amateur Cup #2 - Big Bear DNF - broken chain Saturday, June 3 Tour of Two Forests Double Century Third, 12:29:00 Friday, May 19 National Championship Series mtb race - Big Bear First, 1:40:23, 55+ Sunday, May 7 CA State Championship Series # 2 - Bonelli Park First, 1:33:17, 55+ Sunday, April 16 CA State Championship #1 - Lake Castaic First, 1:31:46, 55+ Sunday, April 2 Sagebrush Classic mtb race First, 1:43:22, 55+ Saturday, March 4 Camp Pendleton Road Race First, 1:06:39, 50+ Saturday, February 26 Death Valley Double Century
Friday, December 31 Race log for 1999 January 24 - SDBC Spring Time Trial Series #1 - 20k - Fiesta Island 31:07 - Second Place - Beat Bob Barney! Had my new wheels, otherwise the improvement of 39 seconds was me. I couldn't get my watch working so I couldn't use it. I think I could have gone harder, but my legs did stiffen up, so I must have been hauling. Next to get in the 30 minute range. First place was 29:45 by Hilton Murphy. February 15 - Yuma Senior Olympics - 1 Mile, 5 k and 10 k Rode to Yuma from Alpine, stopping at Calexico overnight. 88 miles on Saturday and 50 on Sunday. Was really neat. Chuck, Margaret, Gordy (81 years old), Ron Peterson, Jack Palmer rode. The ride down to the desert from Jacumba was neat. Wind not really a factor. Sunny and in the 60's the whole time. Had a police motorcycle escort from the bridge into Yuma to our Radison. Neat also. 11 Cyclo-Vets a few other folks competed. If it wasn't for us, there wouldn't be an event. Did three races, crits really. 1 mile, 5 k and 10 k, or alternatively 2 laps, 7 laps and 14 laps around a parking lot. Rick and J.B. started in the 50-54 class, started with Ron Peterson, Brian Bowden, and I in the 55-59 class. Brian is a former pro track guy. Needless to say, he beat me all three races, and I beat Ron. J.B. beat me the first two races, but he was in a different class. The last race, he pulled a bunch and I then beat him. The result was three seconds. Brian just would stick on wheels, and then he had a powerful sprint. J.B. came close to beating him, but I didn't have the sprint. February 21 - SDBC Spring Time Trial Series #2 - 20k - Fiesta Island I did about like I thought I would, turned out to be sixth.. 31:31 A little slower than last time, due to lack of my Velomax wheels, higher aerobars, and I had fairly hard workout at the Olympic Training Center crit training yesterday. Mike Spangler, Bob Barney, M. Gilpin, Erhard, and R. Clay beat me. My lap times were 10:18, 10:24, and 10:21, with 28 more seconds to the finish. On my last lap, a Park Ranger vehicle was coming up the road the wrong way, right at the hill by the Boy Scout Camp. Cost me seconds as I lost momentum, then had to work hard to get my speed back up. Oh well. February 27 - Death Valley Double Century - 200 miles My first double century - finished in 12 hours 38 minutes. Tied for 10th out of 270+ finishers! March 27 - Solvang Double Century 12:05 later... Finished 10th out of 280 + April 11 - California State Championship Series #1 - Sagebrush Classic - XC 20 miles In Grand Master Men 55+, finished FIRST!. Finally another first. Beat Al by a minute and Gary Shuey by two minutes. Started with 40-45 sport and 45+ sport.. Lead part of the hillclimb. A bunch passed me on the downhill(s). Rain threatened, but it was real nice and the trail was in great shape. Amazing since last weekend it was a slippery disaster. April 16 - Strictly Masters Time Trial - Buckman Springs - 10 miles Was very windy day. Emil loaned me a reverse seat post, which I tried out the day before on Fiesta Island for a while. It was a big help. And I am glad I had it. I finished Fourth! Exactly one second ahead of the fifth place finisher - Pete Penseyres!! Beating a famous person sure was nice. Dan Wulbert (25:05) was first, Mike Freeman and Mike Gilpin were second and third. There were 5 local Cyclo-Vets faster than me - Arnie, Dan Plummer, Jim Glina, Dan Wulbert and Butch, also Tom Hendricks from ABQ and Dave George from Modesto - out-of-town Cyclo-Vets, both 60+. Gary Devoss had a 26:56. Also beat Bob Barney by 2 seconds, and David Witt by 4 seconds. April 17 - Strictly Masters Road Race - Boulevard - 47 miles Ten of us started. Shortly after the start Gary Devoss road off the front. We let him. After the first hill there were five of us, Dan, Pete and two SDBC guys - I think the ones the beat me yesterday. We went real slow, and waited to see if the SDBC guys were going to lead the chase to get Gary. They never did. The first time through the start/finish area, Gary had 4 minutes on us. At the finish, he had 4 and a half! Second time up the hill, Pete broke away. Dan jumped and caught him. The two SDBC guys couldn't make it, but they dropped me. Eventually, one of the SDBC guys tried to bridge a very long gap. He didn't make it. I had the other guy in my sights, but I couldn't catch him. Interesting watch this unfold. I don't know what I could have done to finish higher, other than try to stay on the SDBC guys and make it. Had one interesting downhill turn when I touched the brakes and the bike started to wobbly at lot. Got out of it. Pete told me what I knew - stay off the brakes. April 18 - California State Championship Series #2 - Lake Castaic Drove up the morning of the race - no preride. Got a FIRST! 1:34:20 Was fairly hot. Course was hardpacked. We started with Clydesdales. I passed them going up the hill, and they passed me going down. New guy, John (62) came in second and Al third. My heartrate seemed high. I kind of ran out of energy on the last lap. Need to improve my downhill, and stay off the brakes a lot more. And get more energy food before the race. Beautiful day. April 24 - Butterfield Double Century - Annaheim Hills My third double century. I don't think they get any easier. Finished in 12:17. If it hadn't been for my new friend Lou, pulling me the last 25 miles would have been longer. But I didn't have very many other guys pulling for me the whole time. So I did 600 miles in under 37 hours - adding all three together. I finished 5th out of 122!! May 14 - Snow Summit NCS XC Fourth after heart attack July 10 - California State Championship Series # 5 - Squaw Valley Second. Was a hard, slow race. Road climb then very rocky single track. Second lap I was off my bike a lot, letting people by. Only one other rider finished in my class. It was beautiful, but I don't want to do this one again. By getting second, I have to finish 5th or better to win overall in Lake Castaic in September. August 21 - Snowbird Hill Climb 1:02:18 Fifth in 50+ class, or first in the 55+ class, if their had been one. This was a minute slower than last year, but my heart rate was down 10 beats. It averaged 159. September 12 - SDBC Fall Series TT #1 - Fiesta Island Just changed back to my lower stem yesterday. Using Emil's reverse seat post, aero bars and my velomax wheels. Took 1 minute off my previous best time. 30:10 ! Good enough for first in the 50-59 class. Average heart rate 161. I was in my 11 maybe half the time. If I could stay there more I could pick up some time. Also, waiting for my 175 cranks which will make the 11 just a little easier. September 19 - Heartbreak Double Century - Palmdale, CA Did good for the first 160 miles. Led from mile 50 to 165. At mile 163 bonked. Off the bike. Took a gu, it made me almost fall down. After a few minutes I was okay. Still nobody passed me! As I started moving, the guy who eventually finished first passed me, and then at the last water stop, where I rested for 15 minutes, 3 other guys passed me, including Mike Chester, Pete's friend. Finished in 12 hours 40 minutes. Pretty damn good for 14000 feet of climbing. September 26 - CA State XC Championship final - Lake Castaic, CA Didn't know how I would do, though I have been feeling strong. Did the course in the reverse direction, which included a downhill section that I walked all three laps. In any case, I beat the second place rider, Jim Brasher, by 10 minutes. I finished in 1:25:51. Average heart rate was 166. December - Soledad Hill Climb 9:34 Race log for 1998 April 19th - Lake Castaic -CA State Championship series #1 Finished 1st ! 1:07:12 for 12 miles. 2nd place was 7 minutes behind. I beat everybody over 43 years old. Had congestion left from my bad cold, so I wasn't totally on top of it. Heart rate averaged 170 for the race! Hit 182 after the start. Course was two 6 mile loops. 3 miles up - 800 feet, each lap, then 3 miles mostly downhill. Was in Beginner Men 50+. May 3rd - San Dimas -XC -CA State Champ series #2 Another 1st ! 54:00 for 10 miles - kind of short. 2nd place was 5 minutes behind. One guy in the 45-49 class beat me. Same average heart rate - 170. Peak was 177. Beg men 50+, again. I think I have impressed a number of the guys - they likely think I should move up to sport. Course was much more rolling. Two muddy ditches, two single track downhills. First one was the toughest. I did it. Had chain trouble three times - due to grass on the rear cluster, I found out after the race. May 17th - Big Bear -XC -National Champ series #1 This broke my series of firsts.. Got a second. Was 36 seconds behind Eric Storm (who is moving up to sport after this race). I was 3 minutes ahead of the third place guy. The big event was my first high speed crash. I was trucking down a slight grade at the top of Big Bear when I saw a patch of snow/ice in the shadow ahead, then I saw the groove from other bikes, then I saw a clump of ice at the end of the groove, then I hit it and the bars made an instant left turn. I went over at about 25 mph. Hit on my hip mostly, and I do remember my helmet hitting, but I got up banged the bars back from crossing over the top tube, got on and continued. Definitely slowed me down, I had passed Eric on the first long climb. He repassed me 300 yards from the finish when a racer passed me then immediately could not shift gears to go up the steep hill to the bone yard. I had to stop, and then I hiked the hill that I had ridden in practice cause getting back on was going to cost me time, too. In between the big crash and the hike, I fell over in a stream (of melted snow). Kind of cooled off my body parts. Anyway, it was close.. My first National Race, and my last as a Beginner. May 31st - Big Bear -XC -Amateur Cup #1 Another second, but this one was better. I am now a SPORT racer. And in the Amateur Cup I will be racing 45+ age group. As I was moving into the starting area, I heard a couple of the racers say, "I wonder if that Calvin guy is going to show up?". I responded with "I'm here". Eric Storm who beat me in the last race was there, as well as a few other guys that had beaten me last year as a beginner in this series. Got a good start from the front row, maybe 4th or 5th. Did a few of the loops at the bottom of the ski area. Came upon a ditch, that I had ridden over in practice, and crashed. Everybody passed me right there! I was thinking of doing one lap and quiting. Anyway, I trucked on.. On the hill, which was the first half of the lap, I passed a number of folks. Flew down the road fairly comfortably, though I did remember two weeks before. Rode the steep downhill section that I had practiced 6 times on Saturday, after not being able to overcome it on Friday. Dan Hanabrink passed me toward the bottom (I had passed him on the way up!). Soon as we hit the flat road, I blew by him (wonder if he rides road??). He never passed me again. I had passed a lot of guys, but the race course was a real shuffle of beginers, experts, and women, so I didn't know how I was doing. Did the uphill okay, and the downhill. A nice young girl stopped right at the top of my line on the steep downhill so I walked it. Previously, also had one case of chain suck :( . As I was making the final right turn after the uphill at the finish, somebody bumped me on the left.. I dashed to the finish and beat him by a wheel.. Turns out he was the third place guy, and I got second, by 3 minutes. A guy with lots of dark hair beat me. Never saw him, so I don't know how he got me, but the crash at the beginning surely cost me a lot, as I had to pass them all. Also, I beat Dan Hanabrink, who WON the 55+ Grand Master Expert Class, that I could have raced in. Al Piemme got 3rd. If I had raced there, I would have bumped him out of the trophys, so I am glad that I chose the 45+. Also, Eric Storm finished well behind me! Will also check the results for 45+ Beginner, which I also could have raced. June 28th - Big Bear -XC -Amateur Cup #2 Not my best race. When they said go, I had been standing for over an hour, as our start got delayed. I just didn't feed agressive. Finished 5th. My second MTB race out of the trophies! The first and second place guys were fast. Dean Sandoval was 3rd and 3 minutes ahead of me, and Craig Mojeski was 4th, 1 1/2 minutes ahead of me. Guys I have beaten before but not this day. Eric Storm was two minutes after me. We did one big lap out to Plantation. A lot of the top was fast fire roads, which I think favored the younger, more technical, gutsy riders. It was beautiful weather again. Paul Gorman, Brian Levin, Kim Johnson, and Al Piemme were all there from Cyclo-Vets. On Friday, just past Escondido the Corvette just quit. Turned out the coil wire was burned in two. Took me most of the day to get to Big Bear, so I didn't ride on Friday. Corvettes West had a big Corvette rally there. Hundreds of Vettes. July 3rd - Strictly Masters -TT My first Time Trial. Finished 8th. 25:11 (actually 24:41 due to timing error). In 7th was Vic Copeland, and 6th Pete Penseyres. Both multiple time National Champions. Very competitive field. I lined up behind John Howard. Race was out at Buckman Springs. Ten miles, 5 out and 5 back. Looking at the results of Cyclo-Vets over 50, Here were their times: Dan Wulbert - 22:47 55-59 John Howard - 23:10 50-54 Tom Hendricks- 24:09 60-64! Pete Penseyres 24:23 55-59 Vic Copeland- 24:32 55-59 Gary DeVoss - 24:48 50-54 me - 25:11 55-59 Not bad company! Hard work, but uneventful. Beautiful day. Lots of bikers. July 4th - Strictly Masters -RR My first road race. Started out near Boulevard. 47 miles. Two loops of 23+ each. Race started at the top of the hill. Descended the first half and climbed the second half. I was pleased that the descents were not super high speed. I had been worried. The climb was about 2200 feet per lap. Significant, but not a killer. There were two parts to the climb. First lap, I got dropped part way up the first part, caught up in the middle, and actually lead at the beginning of the second climb. Then got dropped. Another guy, Harry, and I worked together (I let him do a lot of the work), and we caught back up with the pack on the flats before the climb on the second lap. Did a little climbing and Pete Penseyres took off. That was the last we saw of the pack. Harry and I raced along, til he dropped. I finished 6th. Found out later that I got a ribbon for the finish. My first road race, and my first ribbon! The first 5 guys were all National Champions, at least 3 times EACH. So I beat the other 7 guys in the non-national champion field. Was a beautiful day. Harry finished 2nd in the crit the next day. I didn't do it. Michele and I went to watch some of it. July 26th - Deer Valley -XC -National Champ series #5 Only three of us in our class - 55+ Grand Master. Dan Hanabrink and Jim Nance. I took off at the start and had a real good lead going into the first single track. Got behind a slower rider, took too long to pass. When I did, I realized how slow I had been going. Next thing, both of them caught up to me. I guess I settled for third at that time, cause there was a ton of single track. No fast downhill. I was 5 minute back at the finish. Dan sure didn't look in shape, but he climbed pretty good, and he sure bombs everything else. Jim was breathing so hard on the climbing, I was sure he was going to blow up, but he didn't! Got some good experience on single track, and rode pretty well. Dan passed Jim on the way down, and won. August 16th - Big Bear -XC -Amateur Cup #3 Still racing the 45+ Sport class. Got third in 1:51:35. George Kelleher was in second, 1:40 ahead of me. In the first race he finished first, 3:23 ahead of me, and in the second race he finished second, 7:00 ahead of me, so I made up a bunch of time. Might even beat him someday, but he will probably be moving to expert. The guy in first hadn't competed against me before. He was way ahead. It was a 21 mile race. The last part was down Fall Line, which was quite technical, and I lost a ton of time, running my bike down the hill, oh well. If I beat Craig Majeski or Dean Sandoval in the next race, I think I will have second in the series. Assuming I beat all the rest, too. August 22nd - Snowbird -Road HC -USCF Last year I did this race on my Trek MTB with slicks. Did it in 1:17:+. Three weeks ago, I practiced the course on my Litespeed MTB. Did it in 1:07:+. The winner in last years race 55+ did it in 1:05:+, so I thought I looked pretty good on maybe even winning it. Such was not the case, despite my 1:01:21 time. Alan Stockland did it in 58:36 - he is 60! He didn't come to awards, so I never saw him. I was hoping to break one hour, but didn't miss it by much. Sure needed the 25 tooth rear cog. My average heart rate was 168, and I hit 175 for several minutes. I beat all but two guys in the 45-54 age group too. So out of 42 guys, I beat all but 3. Sunday I got up and rode up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Guardsman Pass. 4800 foot climb in 18 miles. September 13th - Big Bear -XC -Amateur Cup #4 Other than getting the starting time wrong... 11:24 not 11:42, I did pretty well, fourth in class. Since I didn't see our start, I didn't know who was in the race, particularly Dean Sandoval and Craig Majeski. If they beat me, it would bump me from second in the series. Turns out they weren't there!! So it didn't matter how I did, I had second locked. George Kelleher, who had won two and after this race had two seconds won the series. He had it locked after the third race. Ernie Varnum won this one again, but he was only in two races. I will have to find out who was third. So starting late, I vascilated between just cruising, cause I would never catch Dean and Craig, and working real hard, just because.. I passed Eric Storm on the climb in the singletrack. My heart rate averaged 160, but I didn't feel like I was killing myself. The race started at the top, so there was only about 1800 feet of climbing. Other races have started with a climb from bottom to top, which adds 1400 feet. Fell on a steep loose slope when I was feeling a lot of pressure from a tandem behind me. ugh. Walked some, but rode several places that I had not ridden on my Saturday preride. :) September 27 - Lake Castaic -XC -CA State Champ series #6 Michele and Muffin came with me to the repeat site of Lake Castaic. This was the last race of the CA XC Championship, but since I changed from beginner to sport I was now in the Grand Master 55+ class. My points transferred, but since beginners get 1/2 as many for the same position, I was way back. This is the first time I raced against Al Piemme. Passed him shortly after the start. The course was the same as April, only the ground was probably harder. I didn't get to preride. I may have gone back and forth with Jim Brashear once early in the race, but I passed him very near the top of the last climb. He took off from me at the top, and I finished 28 seconds back, for a second place, in 1:36:30. Guess if I had pushed harder and passed him earlier on that last climb, I could have gotten first. Ended up 6th in the series. If I had won it, I would have been 5th in the series. On to La Ruta. October 9th-11th- Costa Rica -XC -la Ruta de Conquistadors Too much to tell here. November 1 - SDBC Fiesta Island 20k - TT Decided to do a 20k time trial, just to see where I stack up.. Well of course the heavies showed up. Dan Wulbert, Bob Barney, and another guy. I had a 31:46. Would have gotten in medal in either of the first two of these. It was a bit windy. My aerobars are too high, and my heart rate monitor was on my wrist, and I couldn't read it well. It didn't work well either. My time was respectable. December 5 - Cylo-Vet Soladad - Hillclimb Practiced Via Capri a week ago. Did it in 10:40. Ron Peterson loaned me some light wheels. My bike weighed in at 18 pounds. Felt good. Was cool- around 60 or less. There were about 13 in it. I was the oldest. At the start a group of 5 or so led, I kept them in sight for a while, but my heart rate was way up. After the hard right turn, I passed Ian (a Cyclo-Vet), and that was the last passing. Steve Bates dropped back from the lead group, and I was gaining on him at the end. I finished in 9:26! (Steve was 6 seconds ahead.) 6th. Respectible, I think. Herb Johnson, 54, was in the lead group. He lives on Soledad, and does this climb a lot. Wednesday, December 31 Race log for my first year 1997 Cal Burgart's bicycle racing log: June 22,1997 MTB Warehouse Classic V ride Not a race, but a ride.. Was held on Camp Pendleton. Passed many people, was so alone at the finish that I missed the unmarked turn to the finish line. Did another 4 to 5 miles. Ride was 12 miles without the extension. Gave me the feeling that I might be able to race. July 26,1997 San Ysidero to Rosarito ride Went with Dave Anderson. Interesting, but not worth doing again. Traffic wasn't stopped except in the central part of TJ. I climbed faster than most. After 54 miles, I could feel it in my legs, but I wasn't dead. July 13,1997 Big Bear Amateur Cup #3 - 9th Out of 20 in the 45+ beginner class, I finished 9th! Felt pretty good about that. Never worked so hard in all my life. Heart rate was sustained at over 160 and into the 170' a lot. Stiff at the end, but after 10 minutes I was fine. September 8,1997 Snowbird Hillclimb - 19 out of 37 in 46 to 54 public class Road ride from Sandy to Snowbird lodge. 10 miles/3200 feet. Mostly road bikes. I was faster than about 100 younger roadies. My time was 1:14:09. Under an hour is my goal. The guy in first place in my class was 14th overall with a 51:50 time. I was 170th overall. Only 2 in my class were 54, everybody else was younger. September 21,1997 Big Bear Amateur Cup #4 - 5th ! My first atheletic award in my life. My new Litespeed Tellico sure helped a lot, but I am a lot stronger rider now. I picked up 6 1/2 minutes on the guy that finished second this time. He was first in the AC #3 race. If it hadn't been for the lapse in concentration when I fell on the downhill sandy turn, and was passed by a guy that I passed on the way up the last hill. He beat me by 2 seconds. September 27,1997 Rosarito to Ensenada ride Started out slow, but after about 10 miles started pushing. Finished in 2 hours 37 minutes. Passed many, many people. Nobody passed me on the hill, and I was riding twice as fast as most everybody I passed. October 17&18,1997 Huntsman Senior World Games, St. George, UT - two 1st places Competed in the 50-54 Hillclimb and 50-54 Cross Country. Hard to tell how one is doing in the hill climb, but I won. On the Cross Country, I accelerated away from the others and never saw them again. Passed a couple riders in earlier starts. They changed the course, so I had never riden about 2/3rds of the course before. Quite exciting to race on a course that I had never riden. November 8, 1997 Lake Elsinore Grand Prix - 1st Despite having two flats while in the starting grid, and no preriding of the course, I finished 1st in the 45+ catagory. Was interesting riding where the 1000 or so motorcycle had previously ridden. Had to ride to the car on a low tire to get the second tube to repair the flat. When I rode up to the starting grid, the gun went off and never got off my bike. It was two laps. Heart rate was over 155 for 55 minutes of the 59 minutes of the race. Got my Rock Shox SID shock after this race. Bike now .7 pound lighter! Should help even more next year. That's the last of the races for my first year. |
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