Team RowMan+

New site

2010-02-04T21:58:00.003-05:00

YARRRRRRRRRRRR, everyone come on over and check out the new team blog spot. We have a new sponsor this year along with new team members. Come check it out at motownvelo.blogspot.com

2009-12-02T21:34:00.003-05:00

Please welcome our newest team member.

Nicolas Zane Chapman

He arrived Nov. 29, 2009 at 6:21pm. He is healthy and happy and doing great. I think he'll be ready for a long training ride by this Sunday.

Look for him to be cheering on the team this spring.

Bruceton CX

2009-12-02T16:44:00.006-05:00

Well fans sorry for the hold up with the updates, but I am here at last. So a short while back it was the Bruceton CX race and the series blowout. A good field of riders where there to do thier damage. The weather was a bit nip, but overall LOVELY. Don Parks and JR did a great job. So, onto the report. The race started with a slight uphill into the course. Almost like always Johnny Martin got the hole shot. Followed by myself and Montana Miller. I took the lead about halfway into lap one with Montana on my tail. We tried our best to gap the other for a few hot laps trading places. Then I felt the burn of a smaller gear on the long downward sections. Young Montana got the best of me. Good job man. So, I got second and that was good enough for the overall WEEEEEEEEEEE!!! Keep Riding and wait for the news from Josh.

October Update

2009-11-06T22:09:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the off season. For the last month or so the team has been living up the off season. I call it the off season cause most of us can't do the cross season. That's because the races are on Sat. and people work on Saturdays. Bummer for us, lucky for the other racers.

So, what's been going on during the last month..............Big J and I did the annual trip to Slatyfork in mid October. The first day was bitch'n............5 hours of ride'n the Fork. Doesn't get any better. The other two days the weather got a lil nasty and motivation dwindled and FYI don't take Turkey Point trail, not a fun trail. But one day ride'n Slatyfork is better than no days of Slatyfork.

Steve raced the Marrilla CX, SS race and brought home a win.........Good work man. Looks like he missed the sloppy stuff.

We're working on adding to the current team. As of now we are J. and S. Rowand, Tim W., Sean Z. and myself. We're considering changing the team name, so anyone have any ideas? We're not to creative so it's not so easy for us.

We are seeking sponsorship for the 2010 season, so anyone out there wanting to support some local, devoted and motivated cyclists let us know your interested. Keep in mind we do have the State Champ., WVMBA Series Champ., 4th WVMBA series, 8th WVMBA, 6th WVMBA (sport) series.

Other than that the Thursday Night'r continues every week along with long, slow Sunday rides. Come out and join us. Tis the season for long, slow rides.

Marilla CX

2009-11-04T16:59:00.003-05:00

Yarrrrrrr, this past weekend was the Marilla CX race. Team Rowman had work duties to do. So I wrangled my way out for the early 9:30 single speed class. Hehehehe, looking at all the pictures and stories out there I am pretty happy I did. The course was prefect for the first race. Warm and dry for the most part with some light rain coming at the end. Had a pretty good field for the single speed. Don Powers, Marc Glass, John Martin, and Montana Miller just to name a few. I ended up winning the race, but Don and Montana wasn't far behind. Here are a few pictures for your looking pleasures. They are brought to you via Traci. Hope to see ya on the trails soon.

YARRRRRR!!!!

Brought home the Title

2009-09-21T13:27:00.007-04:00

Well that's it race fans.........the 2009 WVMBA season is in the books. It was a season full of excitement. Just like the typical WVMBA race it was full of lots of ups and downs. But all in all in was a real successful season for us here at Team Rowman+.

The series championship took place yesterday at Coopers Rock's on a beautiful, late summer, Sunday afternoon. There were lots of people in attendance and lots of fast guys showed up for the series finally. Jeremy was coming into the race with a four point lead over Steve H. on the overall spot. The wily ol Gunnar, who just happened to be the race directer and layed out the course, was within striking distance as well. So even though J would never admit it, I think there might have been some butterflies going into this one.

Myself, I wasn't feeling it at all. I think all the long work hours, home improvements and the long season finally caught up with me, cause I was dead dog tired. But I wanted to finish out and hopefully celebrate my teammates success. The start the the race was a long road pull up from the furnace parking lot. The pace was fairly hot but not enough to break up the elite field. I was able to hang on to the tail end though I was hurting purty good. At the top of the last roller before we hit the trail I saw Jeremy pull off and reach for the tool kit. I thought "Oh shit, not what we need". I tried to offer assistance but he was way to focused on the problem to respond. So, I continued on. Turns out it was a loose pedal that plagued him throughout the race.

I was off the road and hit the trail and made it to Scott's Run Trail a bit off the leaders but I figured I could make up some ground on the decent. Especially on the HiFi. However, dropping down the first decent I quickly caught up with some single speeders and didn't have the confidence or motivation to pass. So I settled in and tried to conserve some energy for the long pull out of Scott's Run. Before the turn up I heard someone coming up on me fast and I knew that it could only be one person crushing it that hard. It was big J. He was on the chase so I quickly pulled off so he could get by easily and the guys in front of me graciously gave way too.

For anyone who hasn't experienced the climb on Scott's run let me fill you in. It's like a consistent up hill rock garden with loose baby heads and a couple technical rock gardens thrown in for good measure. As I made the turn to head up I could see the leaders just ahead which lifted my spirits a bit. I could see Stephen was off to a good start and Jeremy was just ahead doing some hard work. The HiFi made short work of the climb, eating up the bumps making it feel like a just any other climb. But I could feel something wasn't right on the front end. The rough decent had knocked my headset loose and it felt real floppy. So I had to stop on the false flat to correct the problem. In the process I was passed by quite a few. That good feeling I had just minutes before was quickly fleeting. Got it tightened down and proceeded up the hill. My closest competitor this season, Don P. was just in front of me so I set my sights on him and tried to keep a sustainable pace.

The race continued on par through the Nature Loop, onto Roadside, Intermediate Loop (which was a surprise) to the reservoir and down Lebore. I was able to put a gap on Don and caught up with Montana M. and Benji. At this point I calculated that I was in about 8th or 9th place overall. Followed Montana down Ridge Trail, probably should have passed him but I figured he'd just catch me on the climb. To my surprise we took a left at the bottom onto Mt. Chateau which goes further down and has a super technical section on the climb back up. On the climb I could feel myself quickly starting to unravel. I hadn't kept up with my fuel intake and was starting to suffer. By the time I made it to the Rattlesnake climb I was in a world of hurt. BONK! I had to stop and suck down a goo and down some Cytomax which caused me to get passed again by quite a few. The rest of my race was just survival. I was quite pissed when I got to the bottom of Ridge Trail again and had to take another turn down Mt. Chateau. I finally finished in 2h 3min which was better than my time last year when the race was much shorter. Improvement! I was glad for it to be over and was hurt'n purty bad.

I was happy to hear the rest of the team faired well. Jeremy was able to overcome his petal woes and got a third place locking down the series title. Stephen had a good day on his new hottness and got a 5th place finish. Mr. T had a good time and got a top 10 result. Way to go team!

We hung around for the awards. Along with Jeremy collecting the title Steve came it a very respectable 4th overall for the season. Ol Chappy got 8th for the second season in a row. A bit disappointing, I was aiming a little higher but I had a good time anyway. We had some much needed celebration afterwards at Team RowMans favorite watering hole, the Fish Bowl. We consumed some tasty chicken wings and many bowls of beer. We were joined by another Champion, Robbie L. who brought the SS title to Morgantown. Nice work man, we like you even though you ride for the Cracker-dale team ;o)

There was a bit of disappointment for the day though. The boys got hosed at the series awards. There were no prizes awarded for the overall series other than a metal. Not even a bag of swag or a bottle of Hammer Gel. One would think there would be some kind of prize for sticking it out all season, paying all the entry fees, and busting your ass to make the races competitive. Not that we do it for the prizes but it would be nice to get just a little something in return. Something to keep us coming back and doing our best. I see all those sponsors logo's displayed on the web site, could they not toss in a couple of pieces of swag for the series winners? I think the WVMBA organization has some decisions to make over the off season. I think there is a lot of potential there and just in my short time in the series I've seen great strides in the right direction. Just going to throw it out there, J.R. would never let the series winners leave practically empty handed.

And while I'm at it, I have one more gripe to get off my chest. There's a solid cross schedule now to carry on after the XC season but why the hell are all the races on Saturdays. Not like there are other races on contend with on Sunday. Maybe some don't realize a lot of people that do these races don't work Monday-Friday. How many shop guys do you know that race and won't be able to attend do to work? I know of two of this team. Just saying a Sunday race may have a better attendance. You won't see any RowManians at the CX races cause we all work on Saturday's.

That's enough bitch'n..........for now. Let's focus on the positive. Great season, lots of fun, good time had by us at Team RowMan+. I think things can only get better next season. More experience, more training and more desire will carry us into seasons ahead. Expect some changes in the next season. Maybe some new acquisitions, new bikes and hopefully some more sponsorship.

What now? Relax, ride for the fun of it, get fat or in my case fatter. Oh, and the annual fall trip to Slatyfork on the duelies. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Maybe some more season wrap-up to come but that's all for now except for a big thank you to our sponsor, Cox Well Service for their support. They made those long trips down south possible.

See ya at the bars,
Josh

9.9SSL Top Fuel

2009-09-15T21:47:00.003-04:00

Well, here it is. My new and inproved race bike. Since Trek did away with the 69er concept for 2010 I had to rub my chin and decide what I wanted to go with for next year. This is what I decided upon. The Trek 9.9SSL Top Fuel. She is real pretty.

Got a handfull of rides on it and I must say it is the stiffest mountain bike I have ridden in awhile. When I say stiff it isn't a bad thing. The lateral direction is what I be talking about. With the BB90 clear up to the integrated headset. This thing doesn't flex.

The ABP pivot works amazing, keeping the travel nice and supple. With the Rock Shox Sid taming anything you can toss at it up front.

The total package as you see it in the pictures tips the scales at a bit over 23lbs. 23.3 to be exact. That is lighter then my hardtail 69er.

This weekend will be the big test. I will be racing it at Coopers come Sunday along with the rest of Team Rowman. Enjoy the pictures and hope to see ya at the race .

Yarrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!
Your favorite Rowmania

Ready to Rock?

2009-09-13T21:24:00.002-04:00

With the race season quickly coming to a close Team RowMan planned on heading over to Ohio for the Bob Evans race but long work hours and lack of motivation to make the long trek kept us close to home. So we decided to go up to Coopers Rock to prep for the WVMBA Series Championship next weekend. The brothers and I got up there in the early afternoon and the sun was shining and the sky was blue. Great day to be on the bike. We met up with Sean Z. at the day lot and got ready to scout the race course.

J and I were on the SuperFly's and Steve brought along his newest ride which just could be the hottest bike around. I won't give away the surprise but it is Top Shelf.

We started out on everyone's favorite trail, Scott's Run and then hit the Nature loop then to the Right away Trail. Sean turned us onto a new trail that bypasses the hike-a-bike on the Right away Trail, nice improvement. Then it was back up on top and out Ridge Tail.

It's been awhile since I've road a hardtail at Coopers and I quickly remembered why. So now I'm considering pulling the trigger on the HiFi for the first time in a race. I think the bombing ability will be a nice advantage and hopefully the extra weight won't kill me on the climbs. Which there is quite a bit of hard steep sections to contend with. I'm still not 100% sold on the idea but the HiFi does plow through the rough stuff and climbs well. So, why not?

Team RowMan also hit up the Wedesnday Night'r this past week. First time this year we were all three in attendance. The ride was a bit subdued cause Adam A. didn't make it and Gunnar and Betsy split off early. It was a large group but it seemed like no one really wanted to put the hammer down. We split from the group at Mt. Morris when Jeremy stayed on the gas after the state line sprint and only a few others bridged up. Re-grouped after the turn around and stayed together back to town. Ended up being a good hard ride and I was feeling the burn afterwards.

One more race to go in the XC season. Then it's time for some sweet fall mountain bike rides and the annual trip to Slatyfork for singletrack euphoria.

Looks like Jeremy has the series championship wrapped up as long as the wheels don't fall off at Coopers. And Steve will grab a 4th place overall. Nice work fellers.

Keep an eye out for a report on Steve's new ride.

See ya at the races,
Josh

Black Bear Race Report

2009-08-31T20:42:00.002-04:00

Another race in the books. This week Team Rowman traveled to our state capital, Charleston, WV for the 23rd (Yes, 23rd) annual Black Bear 40K. I was looking forward to this race for awhile cause the course suits my riding abilities. The course takes racers up and down and around Kanawha State Forest. The KSF has some of the best riding in the state, next to our own Coopers of course. There are lots of steep technical descents that include large imbeded rocks, roots and tight switch backs. There's a lot of ups to go along with the downs but most is fire road style with only mild to moderate grades. However, it does boast the meanest hike-a-bike ever.

As stoked as I was about the Black Bear the Rowands were that much not stoked. They must have been ravaged by the Bear before. But, in true RowMan style they manned up and made the race. It was another 11am start so we had to role out of Motown at the crack ass of dawn. Hell, it was still dark until we got 30-45 min. down 79. We wanted to make sure we got there earlier than last week to get in some more warm up time.

The Sport Utility Neon was like the 4th car in the lot at KSF. Hell yeah, first ones to register. These guys must be hungry to for some race'n. So we did our thing and before long it was go time. Not a real big showing for the expert/SS class. Mostly just the usuals like Steve H., Robbie L., Don P., Gannar, Chris M., LB, Adam S..

The start sent us directly across a stream crossing and then up a steady long fire road climb. I think I got the worst start ever. I was pretty much DFL starting up the climb. I couldn't even see the lead group. But I didn't panic and just put my head down and tried to tap out a good pace. I was able to make up some ground and before long I was just behind Jeremy and Steve who were up with the lead group. I was in the company of Adam S., Don P., and Brad S. By the time I got to the top of the climb the leaders were out of site. Once on top we hit some nice twisty single track. Robbie and his bitch'n bike skills bridged up to me on the down hill section and for the second week in a row I wiped out with Robbie breathing down my neck and then got passed by Adam S.. Just a quick front wheel wash out from riding the brakes too hard. I was back up and going pretty quick with no damage done.

I found myself riding the brakes a lot on the descents. I don't know if it was the pitch or the speed on technical, unfamiliar trails. I had some uncomfortable moments but was able to clean the rest of the descents. It was a total 180 from ACE where I was feeling fast and confident on the descents. The trails were super dry and loose so, maybe that was the difference.

For most of the race I kept yo-yo'ing back and forth with Robbie till he put on a hard push up one of the final road climbs and got by Adam S. I got close to Adam a couple of times but he would pull away every time we hit the woods. I think he might know the trails a bit better than myself.

About 2hrs in I started to fall apart a little and started to think back to last week when I blew it at the end. I didn't want that to happen again. I was able to keep it together and avoid the cramps. Probably do to the great weather. Cool and low humidity. I made it to the long 200 yd., strait up hike-a-bike. By the top my calves were on fire from pushing up hill. I could hear someone below me up the hike'r so I jumped on and tried to push it as much as I could without going over the edge. I made it to the finish without anyone catching up. I came in 6th, my best finish of the season. I grabbed a good chunk of points but still have a good gap to close on Donny P. Only two more to go.

Steve H. got the win for the day and he was unreachable on his home course. No wonder the dude is so fast. Riding the KSF will make ya fast and tough. Jeremy had another showdown with the wily Gunnar. Coming down the home stretch Jeremy was in the lead and Gannar tossed a stick in his derailleur to try and slow him down. But Jeremy's drive to win was greater than his concern for his high dollar gear. Jeremy came in only seconds in front of the ol' pirate to claim 2nd place. He said he tried to drop the Gunny a couple times but he was able to swashbuckle his was back.

Steve had a solid day but actually admitted to doing too much climbing which I didn't think would ever happen to him. Sounds like he was nailing the descents this week. He came in 4th for the day though he was passed by Robbie in the last stretch. Yes thats right, he was caught by a SS on flat ground. I've got two words for ya dude "Big Ring". Good finish anyway.

Robbie got another win in the SS class. That makes 6 for 6 on the SS. Nice work man and thanks for the encouragement. You are a true sportsman.

Next week is an off race week. However, the Chapman's are moving into their new digs so come on down if you like to move heavy stuff cause I know I don't. Next stop for Team RowMan will be the Bob Evans and then the championship race on our home turf (Coopers). Sure to be a good time. Last WVMBA of the year so, leave it all out on the trail.

See ya at the races,
Josh

I'm Back

2009-08-24T21:16:00.008-04:00

I'm finally back on the the race train after a month hiatus and it's good to be back together with my Team Rowman bros. The team headed down to conquer the ACE Bike Fest in Oak Hill, WV. It was an early 11am start so we had to role out of bed stupid early to make the 2.5 hr drive. But I was pumped to be racing my bike again so I didn't mind. I've been preoccupied the last few weeks going on vacation and working on my new house. My hours on the bike took a dive along with my fitness but I've been working on bring it back up for the past couple weeks. I didn't have high hopes for myself at ACE but I went along for the fun and fastness and to hang out with some cool cats.

We didn't get to ACE till a little before 10am so there wasn't much time to get registered, geared up and warmed up. The first thing we noticed when we got there was the standing water on the ground. Looked like we were going to contend with some muddy, wet trails for the first time in awhile. I was hoping I remembered how to handle the bike on slippery trails.

After registration we got base camp set up and quickly got ready to race. I only got about a 10 minute warm up before the racers meeting. Not optimal for myself, I usually need at least 30 min. to warm up the diesel. The start of the race took us out a flat gravel road around the camp ground and then dropped into the woods. A hairpin turn sent us back the way we came alone the contour of the ridge on a rolly trail. The start seemed to be almost in slow motion. Not like the typical WVMBA start which is usually red line out of the box. But I was cool with it, a little more warm up time. I found Steve's wheel to follow and he was on Robbie's wheel. There was a small gap between us and the lead group with Jeremy, Gunnar, Steve H. and Chris ?. After a small climb we popped out on a gravel road. I grabbed the big ring and closed the gap Steve and Robbie got on me and we stayed together on the road and back onto the trails. The lead group was out of sight by the time we got back on the trails. Those guys were smoking it!

It was cool riding with Steve and Robbie all alone. Felt like a Thursday Nightr. I was feeling good and having a blast on the twisty and rollie trails. We past Gunnar changing a flat at the bottom of a rocky decent. After a short rocky technical section we were back on a gravel road. I grabbed the big ring again. Worked with Robbie for a bit but he couldn't keep pace on one gear. Steve was close behind till we got to the premier decent on the course, Rigamortis. The SuperFly was feeling good so I let go of the brakes and let her fly on the decent. There were some steep, loose rocky sections that made it real interesting. At the bottom there was no sign of my teammate. I was hoping he didn't plummet into the canyon.

Next was some more rollie fire road and then the big climb of the course. Midway up the climb I saw Steve and Robbie closing in. I was glad to see they were still alive and in one piece. On a single track section those 2 were breathing down my neck then the next thing I knew I was falling over the hillside. I don't know what the hell happened. I don't know if it was the oxygen dept I was in or all the paint I've been huffing lately but I pretty much just fell over the side. That's were my race started to go down hill. I went from 4th to 7th in a matter of minutes. I dragged my carcass up the steep, mucky, rutted out climb. At the top there was more of bread and butter though, fast and rollie. Big ring time! I road the next lap and half with Montana M. till the climb came back around. I could feel my legs starting to cramp up so I backed off a bit and tried to spin a bit more. By the time I made it up the climb I was starting to fade fast but only had a few miles to go. But then the cramps hit me hard, felt like my muscles were going to tare in two a couple times. I had to jump off and push the second to last climb. Then Donald P. came around the turn. He was encouraging me to ride but all I could do was hike to the top. He passed me just at the top. I mounted up and kept the gap close hoping to spin out the cramps and sprint it out on the final climb. But when the last kick came I stood up to go then my legs seized up hard and let out a scream of pain. Ouchy! On go. I wasn't happy about getting passed at the last minute but all and all it was a good day. Eighth was better then I expected after my hiatus.

The rest of the team had a great showing. Jeremy got the win after an epic battle with Steve H. and Chris. The three were together most of the race till Steve and J. were able to put Chris in the hurt locker. J. got a 30 sec. gap on Steve for the win. He said it was the hardest battle of the year with lots of going hard and fast. Nice work kid, back on top. Steve came it a solid 4th place. Wish I could have stayed with ya mate. Maybe next time. Good job Stephen!

Only 3 more races left in the WVMBA series. It's been a good season thus far with Team RowMan+ members racking up some real solid finishes. Looks like J. might have the series wrapped up but don't look for him to fade anytime soon. He's still hungry for more wins. Steve's looking to climb up the ranks before the end. I'm hoping to pull together some more fitness and get a couple good results. Maybe we will see a Nate comeback. Tim is back to school but might come out to finish out the season. No coach though, he's in the deep south, miss ya little buddy.

Come out and get your racing in while you can and have fun with Team RowMan.

See ya at the races,
Josh

P.S.
If anyone out there would be interested in sponsoring the fastest team in the state next year send me an e-mail and I will hook you up with our team resume.

Pics. and results coming soon.

DIRT DERBY

2009-08-19T12:23:00.002-04:00

Yarrrrrrrrrrrr, This past weekend was the Dirt Derby in Barboursville. Was a pretty long drive , but we made it. No Chappy for us this time around. The new Plus, Tim drove us down. Things where hot as soon as we got there. Even for a 11:00 start, the sun was blazing.

The race started a bit after 11. We rolled out the park on the hardball. About two miles later we popped into the woods. Jesse Stevens was setting a good pace followed by J and myself. We quickly pulled away from the pack. I love that river trail. OH SO FAST.

J, just looking too fast.

We stayed together for about the first lap and well, the heat and the pace started to get to me. I slowly lost contact with J and Jesse.

Jesse went on to win and J got 2nd. As for myself I got 3rd. Our powerhouse Plus got 6th in his class. Good job Tim.

The Full TEAM ROWMAN will be racing the ACE this coming weekend and we hope to see ya there.

HEHEHE, Tim and his go fast treats.

DAMN, he must be sponsored.

Expert podium, hot dang.

Team RowMan @ Valley Falls Challenge

2009-07-20T21:23:00.005-04:00

The RowManians had a short trip south this weekend to hit up WVMBA #8, The Valley Falls Challenge. It was a quick skip down I-79 to Fairmont for this one, Sweet! It was just Steve and I in the team sport utility Neon. J caught a ride with his lady Auvid, who was coming down to cheer on her favorite bike team.

Steve and I made the usual caffeine pit stop then buzzed down to Valley Falls. Got there early and set up camp. Jeremy and Auvid arrived right behind us and our newest team member, Tim W. right behind them. So, we did the now routine pre-game and prepared for the familiar pain to come. Oh it hurts so good!

There was a bit of delay at the start while we waited for the sport and beginner class spread themselves along the beginning climb. The challenge of the Valley Falls Challenge starts right from the gun. The expert class starts at the bottom of a steadily steep road climb before bombing back down on some twisty single track. On the line I got shuffled back to the end of the pack while the brothers got good position in the front. On the starting climb the beginning pace was pretty reasonable so I was able bridge myself up to the front third of the group right on Steve's wheel. I was hoping he wouldn't wreck me this time so I decided to pass him. I almost beat him to the trail but he pulled by me just before we turned off the road. He never would have heard the end of it if I would have got him on the climb, and you know that. Looked to me like Jeremy made it in the woods in around 4th or 5th and I could see Steve H., Gunnar, Andy G. and maybe a couple more up in front.

I was pretty geeked about my position at the top of the climb but knew I had to focus on the technical decent so I didn't biff it and blow another good start. I followed Steve's wheel down the decent and was able to keep it on the rail. I did get passed by Benji, but that guy can descend like hell. Saw a number of riders off the side of the trail though on the way down. At the bottom of the decent is a gravel access road so I was able to hit the big ring and power past a couple dudes out the road. I could still see the leaders just up the road so I knew we were in good shape. Tried to do some pulling for Stephen but he couldn't match the power of the Chappy diesel so I backed off and tried to settle into my zone and prepare myself for the big, long climbs ahead where the diesel could blow up. Steve and I stayed together for a good bit with Andy G. and no one else in sight behind us.

When we hit the climb I surprisingly held it together and kept up with Steve and Andy for much longer than normal. But eventually they put a good gap on me and I found myself all alone on the hill. I knew what I had to do so I kept up my cadence and was able to clean the first climb without anyone catching me. I made it to the last kick and could still see Steve just at the top. I couldn't clean the last kick but I saw Steve'o clear it with his 2x9. He's a power house on the steeps.

I hate that climb but man I love the downhill on the back side. I grabbed the big ring and went down as fast as I could on the swoopy decent. Had a great time on the way down letting the big wheels fly. Hit a couple more steeps before starting the second lap but I was able to spin up the first one but had to hike-a-bike the second one. When I got back to the road climb to start the 2nd lap I was passed by a rider on the way up. He was out of the saddle humping it to the top. I didn't chase cause I felt like I could bridge up on the way down. I did, and we road out the gravel road together and he was just ahead of me starting the long climb for the second time up. He must have hit the hill hard cause he dropped me good on the way up. But I was able to clean it again without getting passed. I saw Steve again in the pine section and he was still on Andy G's wheel. I think he's learning how to pace off of others now cause he was able to gap him before the end of the climb.

I finished out the rest of the second lap without loosing any positions. I could see a Night Club'er behind me on one of the climbs, I think it was Benji but I made it to the finish before he caught up. Maybe cause I turned on the afterburners or maybe cause he broke his frame in two right before the end. I came in 7th overall and in the expert class. One of my best finishes yet! Hell yeah! It's about time ol'chappy was able to put together a solid race with no flats, mechanicals or physical aliments.

The rest of the team did good. Jeremy got Gunnar by a wheel for 2nd. He broke a chain and didn't have a quick link so he had to splice it back together. Otherwise he would have taken 1st. Steve got a solid forth, real good considering he was recovering from his fall last week and a busy week of riding around town. Tim came in 12th in the sport class. Nice riding boys! Director Chappy is proud of you.

We had a team dinner at Meriel's and stopped for some recovery ice cream before heading back to Mo-town. It was a fine day.

Special thanks to our number one fan and photographer.........Auvid. Also, thanks to Jason M. and all his sponsors for putting on a great race, one of the best races of the year.

We missed having Nate and Coach around for the race. Nate had to work and Coach is getting ready to move down south to the ATL. You'll be missed little buddy.

It's a couple weeks off for Team RowMan+ to rest and rebuild. Our next action will be the Big Bear Ultra then the ACE race.

See you at the races,
later,
Josh

Check out the WBOY news report here.

WV State Championship Race Report

2009-07-13T10:42:00.019-04:00

Team RowMan+ had an exciting day at the WVMBA #7, WV State Mountain Bike Championships in Davis, WV. This is a fun, rocky course with riding you can't find anywhere else around these parts. If you like to ride rough, technical, rocky trails then this race is for you. Not an extreme amount of climbing but the climbs that are on the course are rocky and technical.

The weather cooperated for the race. Saturday it sure looked like it was going to be a repeat of last year when the area got inches of rain the night before making the trails very wet with lots of standing water. The storms broke-up before making it to WV dropping little to no precipitation. So the trails were dry and fast with hardly a spot of mud to contend with. I was sweat'n it on Saturday cause I had changed my tires over to some dry treads in hopes of the ground staying dry. No worries.

On Sunday we got to Davis right on time to give us a couple of hours before the start. Stopped by Blackwater Bikes first for registration and then we headed out Camp 70 road and found a nice spot for base camp right around the start area. After some set-up, resting and hydrating it was time to gear up and get warmed up. We did a quick recognisance ride to check out the conditions and look for a place to stash some extra water in case of emergency since it was going to be a longer race (~28 miles).

Steve strut'n his stuff and base base camp

Then it was time for the start. There was quite a nice crowd on hand for the race. There was some nasty drama off the start. I was mid pack going down the the gravel road right behind Steve. We were moving up a couple of spots and then someone came over on Steve and tangled handle bars and Steve lost is front wheel and was instantly on the ground. I watched him do a power slide on his right side on the gravel right in front of my wheel. I was able to get stopped in time so not to run him over but could not avoid going down myself. Luckily, no one from behind came up on our pile up. We got up quickly and checked things out. Steve was ripped up pretty good but no serious injuries and I hardly got a scratch. Steve's bike on the other hand had a twisted stem, a bent pedal and lots of scares. After assuring he was ok I jumped on and hit the trails DFL. Steve tried to give it a go but the pedal put a end to his day. What a bummer!

I was able to pass quite a few and make up some ground but may have buried myself a little too much. Then, after I got passed Moon Rocks all the folks I had passed were right back on me. That was real demoralizing and took some wind out of my sails. Then I realized that they had taken a right turn before moon rocks following the old course where I went straight following a course change due to the logging in that area. I was pretty pissed about how the day was going so far. Then to make things better on Ho Doo Rocks a bolt fell out of my water bottle cage causing it to fall to the side. So, I had to stop and take it off, watching everyone I passed pass me back. Shit! But I took a deep breath and said oh well, "go out and ride well and have a good time". So that's what I did.

I got past a couple and caught up with Sean Z. and we road together through the rest of the 2nd lap and around the start of the 3rd lap. I was happy to see Steve trial side in one piece. He was grinning with a fresh bottle and gel. Thanks buddy!

When things were just starting to go well and we had a couple of guys in our sites, Psssssss, punchure. Double Shit! So off Sean went up the trail while I had to stop and tend to my flaccid tire. I hit with some air and gave the Stan's a chance to seal, no luck. Then when I was just about to tube it, she finally sealed and held. And I was off again. No other events for the remainder of the lap. I came it just under 3hrs. and in 10th place. I guess not too bad considering another tough day for ol'Chappy.

I got back to find out that Jeremy had blown everyone away and got the win and is now the WV State Champ. Great job Jeremy. Steve looked a little rough with some bandages covering his knee's and elbow's. He was in good spirits though, probably a lot better than I would have been. Heal fast Steve'O. It was nice to take a cool down swim in the Blackwater.

Steve's ouchies

After hang'n out for a bit, enjoying few brews and swapping stories we got over to the awards so big J could collect his loot. He also got a sweet state champ. medal too.

Jeremy pumped for the win and flashing the bling

On the way back to Motown I thought stopping by the Candyland in Oakland would be good for the bros. Jeremy could spend his winnings and Stephen could get some recovery sugar. For anyone who doesn't know the Rowands, those boys likes the candy. So, they were in heaven filling up their bags the all varities of candy. Steve got a record 6 pounds of candy. WoW!

Jeremy with some bag envy

Next weekend we'll be down at the Valley Falls Challenge that is put on by our friend Jason M. This is a well put on, challenging race. So, come out suffer and love it with Team RowMan+ and the rest of the WVMBA racers.

See ya at the races,
Later,
Josh

Pictures on the way soon. For now check out the our slide show and these.
http://www.parsonsadvocate.com/photogallery196.html
Who is that fast looking guy if the first picture.

Independance Weekend Race'n

2009-07-07T00:02:00.004-04:00

The RowManians celebrated our countries Independence Day weekend by exercising our freedom to ride. What better way to experience the freedom we enjoy then by jumping on your bike and hurling yourself down the road/trail.

First up was the Barbour DeTour, the 4th and final race in the WV Road Race Series. It was a nice day for a bike race with low humidity and sunny sky's. It was a purty early start with the flag dropping at 10am. Steve and I didn't get to Philippi till after 9am so that didn't leave much time to screw around. Nate got there a bit earlier but not by much. After filling out some paper work and gearing up there was only about 15-20min left for a warm-up. Not optimal but oh well the first climb out of town would be a good warm-up as long as we didn't get dropped.

Steve rolled out with the 1/2/3's right at 10am. I was coming the other way as they rolled out and noticed Steve was already in the front doing work as always..........That boy will never learn. I got back to the start line within seconds of the roll out. For those that haven't road the DeTour before, it is a rollie, ~30miler (~50mi for 1/2/3) with the largest climb starting 1mi after the start. The pace was moderate going up the first hill but not enough to cause much of a split in the group. I stayed around 5th wheel right behind Nate in case there was anybody who thought they would try and get away. No one did. The course got rollie after that with a few guys trying put in some attacks. I went out on a couple with no hope of getting way. Just wanted to stretch the legs and push it a little since it was such a short race. Not much happened till the group made the turn back towards Philippi. Then you could feel the group starting to get twitchy for the run in to the finish. I put in a hard effort after one of the rollers hoping to get a small break. I got a good gap but then I realized I was nowhere near as close to the finish as I thought. So, I shut it down and went back to the group. BoneHead!

Not long after, it was time for the exciting finish which goes down the same starting hill into town and then takes a 90 degree right off of Main then a 90 degree left onto a side street then about 50 meter sprint to the line. It was a fast decent into town with lots of riders jockeying for good position for the turns. I got onto Robbie and Nate's wheel on the inside cause I knew these guys had the finish dialed in. Robbie launched a lot further than I expected and I lost their wheels by a bit but was still 3rd going into the turns. First turn went well, still in 3rd, second turn I got a little wide and had to back off a bit and lost some momentum. Robbie and Nate got away and I lost two more spots as I tried to get back up to speed. I definitely need more work on my sprinting technique. I still came across the line 5th although the results say 6th (no camera, just pen and paper). Nate got 1st (2nd year in a row) and Robbie got 2nd. Nice job boys. Thanks for the ride in. Wish I could have kept it going.

Then it was time to wait for the 1/2/3's to come through after their second lap. About an hour later the first guys came through. A Cat guy got the win with Adam A. right behind him getting 2nd. A couple minutes back was Steve's group. Steve came around the turn right behind Gunnar but lost one spot in the sprint. Still a 5th is damn good in the big boy race. Good work Steve.

The RowManians also collected some swag and bling for placing in the overall road series (Steve 3rd in 1/2/3, Nate 2nd 4/5, Josh 3rd 4/5). Very cool. Thanks J.R. for putting on an excellent series, I had a great time. Only wish there were a few more races to go. Maybe next year?

After the race we retreated back to Motown for a cookout at the Chappy homestead where we had some recovery burgers and beers and were treated to a fireworks show by Sean Z.

On Sunday the brothers Row headed back down to Philippi without the Man for WVMBA #5, Race to lil Moe's. So I don't have much to report yet just some solid results. Hopefully Steve will fill in the blanks. Jeremy got a 2nd behind Gunnar and Steve got a 3rd. Steve was look'n to take ol' Gunny so he could collect on the overall weekend price but alas the old man was just too wiley. Great work dudes. Still 1,2 in the series.

I can't wait to get back on the mountain bike the next 2 weekends at the WV State Championship in Davis and then Valley Falls in Fairmont. Both challenging races. I think the Davis race just could be my favorite. It's got it all and plenty of it for everyone.
See ya at the races,
Josh

Appy Classic Race Report

2009-06-21T21:35:00.006-04:00

Team RowMan+ made the trip down to Grantsville, WV for WVMBA #5, the 13th annual Appalachian Classic. This one's kinda special for me b/c my uncle Mike is one of the founders. In fact, it's his art that is used for t-shirts and emblems. Though he doesn't race any more he represented when he did and has some good race stories.

Today it was just the Brothers Row and the Man (that's me). The other Team RowManians had other commitments and couldn't make the race. We missed you guys.

It was a beautiful day for a race. The drive down was full of blue sky and sunshine. Not the norm for this year thus far but a welcome change. So moral was high for the trip and everyone was hungry for some good ol' WVMA racing.

When we got to the Calhoun County Park we set up camp at the shelter where Team Bi-acher/Cannondale Factory Racer, Chris M.had set up camp from the night before. Ol' boy was looking a bit lonely since his fellow Bi-achers (Gunnar & Betsy) were out of state doing one of the 100 milers. So we pulled in to give him some company and share some of his shade. Chris gave us a run down of the Saturday events (TT and short track race) and the festivities through the night. Sounds like we missed some fun but Chris seem to be paying the price a lil but he's a tough dude and recovered well.

By start time there was a nice size crowed on hand. Lots of the usual suspects: WV Night Club (with Andy W. making a come back after a broken collarbone-good to see him back); Pittsburgh Pro guys; The Riddles; Ohio speedster Dave W.; Jesse S. and some more folks I just can't recall right now. There were a couple of faces I haven't seen at the races for awhile, Jacob B.; '08 Sport Champ. Ian B.

After J.R. flashed everyone and got us all fired up he sent us out on the start. The start of this race seemed especially important to get to the front before the taped off section narrowed down the line and hit some tight turns. There was quite a bit of tire rubbing and jocking for position before the first turn but all the RowManians had good position in the front third of the pack. Then it was a loop through the field, up around the pavilion and down the hill to the access road. Once on the access road I grabbed the big ring and made up some ground with Stephen on my wheel and Jeremy two guys ahead. Jeremy hit the single track in 3rd behind Dave W. and Tim C., I was 5th and Stephen 6th and the pace was smoke'n fast. By far the fastest start of the season. We held that position for a quite awhile till Steve H. put on a balls out pass around the whole group and picked up the pace even more. Of course Steve got around me on the first sizable climb but I held my own for a bit more.

Then, I heard a loud pop. It wasn't from my bike but from my body. The fast start quickly caught up with me and I started to pay the price. Got passed by a few on the paved road climb. It was fun while it lasted but for me it was just survival after that as I dropped from 5th to I don't even know where.

I wasn't the only one having a tough go. I think the heat really stuck it to a lot of guys. Jeremy had his first hiccup of the year with some bad luck loosing a contact lens, pedal issues and more. But being the class act he is, he took took on the job of team soigneur, handing out much needed water bottles. The day wasn't a total loss though. The elder Rowand, Steve put together a solid race on a course the suited him well and out ran some fast guys for a podium place.........3rd. Great work Steve!

After I bonked I was ready to call it quites after the 2nd lap cause I was sweltering hot, low on fluids and hurt'n bad. But after a good water dousing from Benji and his wife and my pure stubbornness, I was able to keep going to at least finish. And half a lap later when I was dangerously close to running out of water Jeremy was trail side with a bottle and a gel. You saved my life dude. Thanks! After that I was able to pass a few guys back so I wasn't going to be DFL. I made it. No mechanicals or flats and a finish so it was better than the last two races. Now I just need a course that fits me a little better.

It's funny how I hurt so much and wanted to give up but some how I still had a good time and wanted to keep riding after the finish. Must be the endorphins I'm addicted to.

When it was awards time I think everyone there took home something. By the end J.R. was tossing swag like a he was a bike parade. Always fun when that happens. Thanks for a great race J.R. and sponsors. I think uncle Mike will be proud.

July will be full of fun for Team RowMan+:

Barbour DeTour
Race to Lil' Moes
WV State Champ.
Valley Falls

Check out the new WVMBA Point Series Standings. Steve'o made a nice jump into 2nd place right behind Jeremy in 1st. The rest of the crew is scattered within the top ten. Look'n good boys. Don't let it go to your head though, still 10 more exciting races to go.

See ya at the races,
Josh

Sorry no pics. Forgot the camara. Maybe I can come up with some later on. But who wants to see more pics of us anyway? Anyone?

June Update

2009-06-19T15:15:00.023-04:00

First thing to be updated is the road race from the Tour of Tucker Co. Josh and I were the only 2 ROWMANians to take part in this Killer event, and yes I said Killer because thats just what it was! There was a good turn out around 160+ total, and with about 50 in are Pro4/5 class. We started at the bottom of the Mountain. Right from the start the the pace was pretty fast... no one was messing around here. I tried to stay around the front to get the legs warmed up from a rest week. We made the right and headed up the first major climb. A couple of Solay3 guys were setting tempo up front so I sucked in behind there wheels, in 3rd . Well boys and girls, this is where it was over for me and a lot of other riders... about half way up the climb I just could not respond. So I let off the gas alittle bit and let them go. Josh and Robbie L. came up beside me. Joshs was looking fairly strong. I suck some wheel for a little bit, and then let them go on. I thought no reason to kill myself, lets just make this a good day for a bike ride in the great countyside. I wished them well and off they went.

So I kept spinning the wheels, and a few mins later I could see Robbie again so we started riding together and having a good time killin' the downhills. Man can that boy ride! He made me scare my self a few times as we hit 48.5 mph on one of them... kinda crazy when theres gravel and grass in the rode. Anyway, Robbie and I contiued to have a great ride as we hit the bottom of the last major climb, Sugarlands. It's stupid steep and long... Yea it's pretty dumb, but great. As we were coming to the bottom of the climb, a couple people came up behind us, and I decided the legs are feeling good. I finally opened them up a little and to see what I had. Well I was able to put over 5 minutes on the group. I was with, and pass over 20 people up. It made me feel alittle better about myself for the day. Josh pulled out like 17th, think I was 21st. All in all, a good day for a bike ride on some great WV Mountain Roads.

Next up, The 24hrs of Big Bear... well, for this year's addition it was just me. I found me a spot on the WVMBA Dream Team Roster, along side Chris M., Gunner S., and Steve H. All very fast guys, and I had some big shoes to fill to being on this team. I met Steve H. on Friday night to camp in the oh so pro suite in same spot as last year. We got there around 6pm to set up camp, and to go out for about an hour to spin the legs out. The course was fairly muddy. We just hoped it would dry out for the next day. The night club kept it interesting all night as always. The next day, noon rolls around and we somehow suckered Chris into running the first lap. He turned in a good first lap top 10, and then off rolled Gunner. He smoked a lap out and we were now setting in 2nd exp at this point. I took out on a pretty good pace, but not killer...just trying to catch the 360 team from Kansas that was leading us. As I hit the final climb before the rock garden I could see him ahead. I made the pass on the climb and got a good little gap. He closed the gap on the next down hill and we rode together to the rock garden. As soon as I got there, I wasted no time and ran the garden and got another little gap on him. I was then able to get out of his sight up the climb which puts us in 1st exp 3rd overall. When I came in on that lap, I handed off to Steve H. He got out and turned a super fast lap and put us into 1st overall. From that point we never looked back. We did get some heat in the middle of the night from the 360 and WV Night club boys, but we opened the gap back up the next morning. Gunner went out and took are last parade lap. He had a couple flats but no Heart Attacks so we were able to take the win by around 20mins. The Womens Dreamteam was able to pick up the win, and girled almost every team out there... Good Job Girls! Thanks and Congrats to JR for setting up this killer team and his team for winning the full grown man class.

Thanks to Robbie L for keepin the superfly and hifi running all night long!

photos by Theresa Svoboda

Next up for team Rowman+

Appalachian Classic

Barbour DeTour

Race to lil Moe's Place

Product Review: Raced a new pair of Bontrager Race X Lite Mtb Shoes for the 24hr race. Never got a chance to wear them before the race so was a little scared but they performed flawlessly. Put 50+ fast miles on them and the feet felt great. No hot spots, sores, or blisters.

Rock on Nate

Creek to Peak to Podium

2009-06-02T07:56:00.011-04:00

Well guys and girls super J was able to pull out another victory last Sunday at WVMBA #4, the Creek to Peak in Eleanor, WV.

The brothers and I headed down Sat. after work and set up base camp at Ma and Pa Chappy's place which is only about 30 minutes from the race. We were treated to a great nutritious breakfast by mama Chappy, got to play with the puppies and kitties, then got on the road. Made the short drive over the hill and arrived around 10 am with plenty of prep time.

It was clear it was going to be another slogger with lots of mud and wetness. The area got some heavy t-storms the night before so, there was plenty of standing water around the venue. But the sun was shining and temps were warm and yes it was race day........Game on.

The whole team was able to make it down for this one. Ryan and Nate ran the short track race on Sat. evening with Nate getting 3rd behind Nick Waite and Ben Ortt. Ryan had some bad luck and flatted out.

XC race.......There was a bit of funny stuff off the start caused by some of the course markings from the short track still being up. After the start the whole expert class ended up back at the start minutes after we left. The sporters had started by that time and after a quick restart we were off for real. There was a nice pull along a paved road and then a left onto the trails. This was about the time we caught up with the sport group. This made for some interesting congestion as experts riders were trying to get around the sport guys. Some were willing to give way and other were determined to race the expert class. Just tried to be patient and pass when I could. I was around Steve and Ryan so I was in good company.

The trails were wet and muddy and the twisty single track made things interesting. There was a nice long climb to start things out. I was able to keep Ryan and Steve in sight for most of it but by the time I got to the top a slow leak in my rear tire made my rear tire unridable. Time for a some more air, but to my surprise the Big Air strapped to my seat post decided to jump ship. Shit! I had no back up pump so I was out of luck with no means to inflate a tire.

So I started walking.........more like stomping the course. Had to walk for about 45 min till I got to a point where I could cut down the hill. I ran into Theresa Svoboda taking pics for iplay and a couple of spectators who had a pump. As I was standing beside the trail slowly changing my tire Jeremy came flying around the corner. I let out a loud "hell yeah" cause I knew he was riding in first. I didn't see the 2nd expert (Nick Waite) till a few minutes later. Looked like Jeremy was going in for the win as long as nothing tragic happened.

I got the tire ridable again and just at that time Steve came around the turn, seconds behind 4th place Steve Hill. So, I jumped on his wheel and tried to motivate Steve to pull himself up a place. He put on a hard chase but was unable to catch Hill. Good effort dude.

After stopping to give Jeremy a big man hug for the win I went the finish to finalize my DNF. But I wasn't the only one that had a tough day. Ryan had some mechanical issues but was able to finish. Nate took a nasty spill and knocked a leg and shoulder out a whack and had to DNF as well.

Even with all the misfortune, the trip was still worth while since Jermey got win #3 of the year beating some fast competition. He sits atop the point series standings and with Steve and Ryan getting solid finishes they both grabbed a chunk of series points. Great job Team RowManians.

"Jeremy collecting his loot and enjoying a winners shot"

Next up for the team:
Tour of Tucker County
Ryan doing XXC at Massanutten
Nate doing 24hrs of Big Bear on this years version of the WVMBA Dream Team
Then Appy Classic WVMBA #5

See ya at the races,
later,
Josh

Gear point of the week:
Jeremy says the Bontrager Mud X performed like a champ in the wet muddy conditions and is definitely a good choice for the sloppy trails.

Wet N Wild

2009-05-28T21:27:00.003-04:00

Team RowMan+ got some tough man miles in the last couple of days.

Wednesday we couldn't make the Wednesday Night'r so we put together our own ride. Strong group of riders (Steve, Jeremy, Nate, Robbie and myself) headed out to do Fort Martin/Taylertown loop with Bobtown climb thrown in for some fun. Started out with a pretty steady rain to get things nice and wet and maintained a nice drizzle for awhile. For anyone that doesn't know, those road are not the cleanest in wet conditions thanks to the coal mines. Check out the filthy group after a couple hours in the wet.

Today was the Thursday Shop ride. I headed out a little early to catch up on some ride time. Got some rain early but it didn't really make it through the canopy. Trails were in good condition with a bit of mud but not enough to make it greasy. The HiFi was feeling especially dialed in. Hooked up with the group at the usual time. Attendees: Colin, Jeremy, Nate, Robbie, Jake, Bala and Ryan P.

We started out going up Spaghetti which is always a challenging way to start out a ride. After stopping for a flat change it was on to break in the new trail a lil more. Jake did some leading after that and kept the pace up. Look'n strong kid!.........Then the new trail in opposite direction and then the sky opened up. Thunder, lightning and hard winds. Not a good combination in the woods. We had a real interesting decent to the gate but all the troops made in in one piece.

The team will be heading down to Eleanor, WV for WVMBA#4, Creek to Peak. The brothers and I will be turning Ma and Pa Chappy's place into a biking Bed and Breakfast since they live about 30 min. away. Sweet, short drive on race day.

See ya at the races,

Later,

Josh

Good Weather...Good Ride'n....Good Beer

2009-05-21T21:13:00.007-04:00

Life is good.......Things have been looking up this week. Along with the vast improvement in the weather I've been able to shake off the after effects of the hog flu and get back on the weekday rides.

Tuesday was a duo ride with Super J out around Preston County. Started by going up Summer School Road, which is a wicked cool climb, then out to the Kingwood Pike and around the WVU Research Farm. From there it was Reedsville, Masontown, Snake Hill and back into Sabraton. There was some talk about heading out to Pt. Marion after Snake Hill but it was determined there was not enough day light or gas in the tank. Great ride in full sunshine, except when I got bombed by a bird. He got me real good, from stem to seat post........yuck!

Wednesday I made it out to the Wednesday Night'r ride for the first time in quite awhile. With another day of great weather the roadies showed up in force. I heard there were 29 riders in the group. A new ride record from what I've been told.......awesome! I had some Team RowMan boys in attendance to work with. Steve and Nate were there to keep me safe and pull me around.

The group did a neutral roll out down the rail trail to Star City, across the bridge and over to Rt. 100. When the pace heated up there was a pretty good paceline working and the group was moving along smoothly especially considering the size and the conditions of the road. I hit the gas a bit on the Lazelle Hill and got away from the group, got passed by the forever strong Gunnar and Steve with Adam A. and Sexy Leggs Jimmy on up the road. Over the top hit the big ring and pumped out some giga watts but couldn't pull in the two hammer heads in.

After the regroup, I set out the state line sprint cause I wasn't feeling comfortable hammering it out in a large tight group. Going up Big Shannon the attacks came pretty hard but a lot of riders were able to hang on the front end. Me thinks people are getting faster and stronger, very cool! I was in the red the whole way out but stayed with the top dogs while we tried to chase down Nate and Jimmy who got out on a break. I think Nate got the first to the end award but maybe Jimmy. I can't remember, no oxygen in the brain. Adam was there and of course Gunnar, Steve and myself. Not a bad group to be in. The return trip had some good pacing with my boy Steve doing more than his share of pulling. Steve and I ended up battling it out for the end of Big Shannon sprint. He threw me a bone and let me get the line. After the Rt. 19 climb and regroup it was a high speed decent back into Osage, Westover and down to the trail. What a bad A ride. Fast, fun and a good workout. Good job everyone who kept it safe and fast.

Today, was the Thursday night shop ride at Bakers. More great weather brought out another large group. There were 12 at the gate for the start, which is a good showing for the ride. Attendees: Team RowMan+ (Steve, Jeremy, Ryan, Josh), Robbie, Sean Z., Jake, Bala, Andrew, Ryan P. and his lady friend and a dude on a SS who's name I didn't get. Trails were in great shape. Very little mud but still a little tack for traction. Hit up lots of trails, with a new one thrown into the mix. The trail ferry put a new trail up on top, its tight and technical and in my opinion has good promise. Also, hit up a couple of the newer gnarly down hills. The HiFi performed above and beyond my expectations. I didn't even notice those rock gardens. Had a great time with a good group. Thanks to all who showed up and threw down.

So after 3 great days of riding I invited an old friend over who just came into town. Welcome to West by God Yuengling my friend.

Have a great Holiday weekend, I know I will.

Power to the pedals,

later,

Josh

P.S. Pictures from Tour de Lake. Not on iplay.

http://favorites.smugmug.com/gallery/8221844_LJbBE#538908411_DCvFg

Victory @ Tour de Lake

2009-05-18T21:01:00.009-04:00

Team RowMan+ brings home the $ @ Tour de Lake.

Jeremy came through with win number 2 of this young season. The team headed down to Spencer, WV this weekend for WVMBA #3. We were one short cause Coach had some family obligations and couldn't make the trip...........Props to Myra for getting her Masters.

It was another cold, wet day in the WVMBA series, but again there was improvement over the '08 season. There was significantly less mud and water this time around. The temps were a bit lower, especially early on. However, just after the start the sun came out and brought it up to optimal racing temp.

The start time got pushed back a half hour so, the flag didn't drop until 12:30. The start was a lil different this year. We lined up just short of the road climb going up the dam to the upper parking lot. I thought we started further down the road last year before we hit the uber steep road climb but I could be wrong. It was pretty tight going up the climb and through the parking lot. I didn't get a great start, got pinched on the start. I was probably around mid-pack and I could see Jeremy and Nate closer to the front and could feel Steve on my wheel. After the parking lot we went onto a brand new section of trail instead of going up the fire road. It was a nice trail but things were still a little crowed to squeeze everyone onto some single track. Add to that the greasy wet sections on a climb and that equalled a line of racers hiking up the hill.

After I got off the new trail and back on the fire road I could no longer see Jeremy and Nate's group, lost too much time stuck in traffic and pushing my bike. Once on the fire road I popped it in the big ring and took advantage of the flat terrain to get around a few folks before the single track. When I hit the single track I was feeling a little better about my position and focused on the tight single track and staying in my zone. I got around a couple more then Steve Hill came around me. I was happy to see him cause I knew he is familiar with the trails and would be a good wheel to follow.

Then, I got wrench thrown into my plans. Well, more like a small stick. The little bastard jumped right into my cassette and womped my derailleur tab.............Dang! Bad luck........It got me good cause I could only stay in a couple of the middle cogs. So, I stopped to switch out tabs.........Double Dang!.........I forgot to pack a wrench that could would work on the reassessed derailleur bolt. I tried to bend it back a bit with little success. At this point all the experts had passed by me and most of the sport guys. Eventually, I was able to bum a wrench and got a new tab on. By this time could see the beginners coming up the trail. I was way back. I considered throwing in the towel for a second then I thought what the hell, I'd just go out and have a good time. I figured I was at least in contention for some series points. So off I went.

There was lots of traffic but I tried to be patient and pass when it was safe. The rest of my race was pretty uneventful. Completed the first lap and was feeling good and kept it up climbing the fire road on the second lap. Once on top hit the big ring and cranked it out. At that point I was determined not to be last in the expert class. It was all about pride at that point. I finially finished in just over 2:20 and 10th in men's expert. Sweet.........got some series points.

That was my first mechanical of the year. Last year at this point I had more than I could count. Improvement is good. Evan though I lost about 15-20 min and was off the back, I still had a good time and enjoyed riding the sweet trails around Charles Fork Lake.

The rest of the team did well. As previously mentioned, Jeremy took home the gold with a time of 1:43.........That's moving man! Great job J. I think the new hair-do cut off some time.

Nate pulled out a 4th and Steve came in 6th. Nice work boys.

So, that makes 4 victories for Team RowMan+ thus far this season. Looks like all those hours in the cold and ice and trainer time this winter is paying off. Hard work does pay off kids.

Next stop, Creek to Peak.

See ya at the races,

Later,

Josh

Ryan's 12 hr Racing

2009-05-14T09:53:00.016-04:00

I have managed to gorge myself on some fine events completing 6 races in the last 6 weeks. In this early season bike racing binge I found myself headed to the 12hr Creek to Peak race in Elanor, WV. This past weekend was a race that I had long awaited. I wanted to squeeze in a 12hr race last season but couldn’t make it to any in the neighboring states. Once I realized the Dub-V was going to play host to one, I knew I had to have some of it.

My preparation consisted of...well secret workouts that I just can’t release to the public, the purchasing of my not so secret weapon-a hot new GF Superfly, a marathon race, and few months of planning and practicing my nutrition strategy. I was a going to be a newbie to the 12hr scene, but from early this year I planned on being a competitor for this specific event. I periodized my training to go into the event with a 2 week taper, this would provide me with some much needed rest and allow for maximal performance during the race.

Post-Mountmud, I attempted to get my bike in order, but also worked longer hours so that I could take off on Friday before the race. Thus, I found myself doing a final tune-up on the racing rig Friday morning. During the tuning process I couldn’t get my rear brake to tighten up. The pads seemed to not be auto-adjusting as usual with my hydraulic system. I figured I would swing by the LBS (Wamsley’s) on my way out of town for some form of a quick fix. I am new to all this fancy stuff, crazy hydraulic disc brakes...last year I raced with old school v-brakes. Anyhoo, I prepped on by organizing my food and bottles. I pre-prepped my drink mix so the support crew, #1 Wifey, would just need to add water and shake. Other preps consisted of multiple pairs of glasses, shorts, socks, and jerseys. I had some spare parts in the mix: tubes, big airs, a tire, a derailleur, a derailleur tab, and some cables.

I strolled into the LBS around 3:30 Friday afternoon. After some conversing with the boys, I pulled out my pads to inspect’em for wear. Well, I had plenty so that wasn’t the issue. I pushed the pistons in, re-inserted the pads and pumped the lever to see if the pads would re-adjust, a procedure I performed twice in the garage without any luck. Presto, maybe I just needed to be in the presence of some fine wrenches; my system adjusted and I headed back up to the counter on my way out. While talking to Jeremy at the counter I continued to squeeze the lever. Crap, the brake was fading and eventually the lever was going to the handlebar again!! Of course, it couldn’t be that easy. I headed back to the stand and after some inspection found the problem. The system was leaking at the lever ever so slightly. After some more conversing with the boys, the wonderful fellow Jeremy offered up a spare off the bike he had commuted in on for the day. Jeremy was making the race possible - he was already allowing me to borrow his light system in case mine failed, and he now offered up his brake. Thanks Jeremy; you’re awesome!!! After some quick work around the shop and taking up two bike stands at a time I managed to finish the swap and head out of town ~5:30.

And then there was rain!!! About 15 mi out of Charleston the sky began falling and fell harder and harder and harder. By the time we cruised into the race venue I really didn’t want to get out of the car to register. After a quick dash over and around quickly forming puddles I finally found a familiar face. JR was pitching his tent in the barn to avoid the washout; good thinkin’ JR, much better than waking up in a puddle. I asked him about registration and after some conversing with the director Larry Perkins, I found out registration was going to take place in the morning. I thought I could get it done between 7-10 the night before the race, but no biggie - I could just knock it out in the A.M. I hopped back in the car and we headed out. On the way to the Wifey’s folks house we met several high water spots, thankfully nothing that wasn’t passable.

After some evening stretching I had a quick catch of the weather and news. It seemed that the eastern half of the state was under a flash flood watch...oh goody, more mud. I really had to play some mind games convincing myself that tomorrow was going to be muddy but it would still be fun, right?

I had my usual breakfast of coffee, oats, and toast with PB before heading back to the race venue. Registration was quick and painless; no long lines for this one. I guess the weather and distance had turned some folks off. I briefed the wifey on bottle prep, glasses cleaning, and how my food consumption would go down, found a good spot for her to pass off all the goodies, got in a quick spin and racers meeting, and the race was off.

Some folks went out pretty fast for the first lap. It was tough but I stayed in my desired HR range and let’em go. I figured they would slow down or blow up. The mud was prevalent but not impossible. I rode on and had some fun. At the end of my first lap I found out the leaders were about ten minutes out - a bit of a blow, but they must be carrying a pretty heavy pace. I ate a bite, picked up fresh bottles and quickly headed back out. I felt like I could carry my pace well into the day, a good start for a 12 hr event. The second lap was quite slippery. The trails were definitely get’en greasy. About like Mountwood, thus it still wasn’t a disaster. I managed to maintain my pace and was still having some fun. Back through the venue for some more bottles, gel, and clean glasses. For the next lap I planned to meet the wifey at the bike wash.

At the start of the third lap I was still feeling strong - not fresh, but I still felt like I could carry my pace for a while. I noticed the trails were actually starting to tack up a bit and I really got excited. The sun and wind were going to dry things out and I figured the remainder of the race was going to turn out just fine. Then the sun disappeared behind some big clouds, big dark clouds, hmmm...at least I won’t get a sunburn, right? Oh no, oh no, not this, not that, ahhh!!! Rain!!!! My nice tacky trails turned into streams! Water on mud, hmm, this sucks! Well, I kept going, nothing I could do about it. I just kept telling myself everyone has to deal with it, be patient. I rode less and walked more. My third lap was completely off pace by about 30 min and my HR was now below my target; whelp, no need to worry about blowing up. Chain suck was constant and traction was an afterthought. Then, I had nice surprise towards the end of my third lap. Josh had made it out from his folks to catch some action. He provided me with some much needed motivation and encouragement.

I rolled into the wash station and it was like a pit crew was waiting for me; Myra with food and clean gloves and glasses, Josh with waterhose in hand. Myra fed me while Josh sprayed off the Superfly, poor baby was look’en rough. After some quick lube action, I headed back out. I was still feeling pretty good and a little more motivated after some familiar faces. Thanks for the help Josh, nice work on the Superfly!!!

Fourth lap was much like the end of the third: ride, walk, ride, walk, ride, ride, walk, walk. I should cross-train more...After about 20 min on the trail the bike was again caked with mud, chain lube was pointless, and chain suck – well, chain suck made climbing impossible even when there was some form of traction. Some cussing and cursing took place and after an eternity I made it in from my fourth lap mentally blown. Wifey's parents stopped by to check out the action; it was great to have some support from the family, I really needed it. It was brought to my attention that the folks out in front of me decided to quit. Not sure if they blew up or just got fed up with the conditions. I am guessing a combo. Either way, one more lap in the slop would put me into first. Ok, “I can do it.” I picked up gel, bottles, and my light. I quickly sprayed off and the adventure continued, walk, ride, blah, blah, blah.

At the start of the fifth lap, I was actually able to ride some sections of trail that lacked the necessary traction in the previous lap. Things were looking up, the trails were going tack up a little. I was climbing, then POP! BOOM! CLANK! I stopped to find my derailleur all a dangle. SH**!!! I just couldn’t have a nice victory lap. Ok, Ok. I break my quick link, thread the chain out the derailleur, pocket both items and walk, trot, run, trot, walk...I just want to finish. I thought about the SS option, but here it can destroy a freehub, thus I went with the former--walk. I wanted to keep moving in case one of the other solo males made a move and decided to head back out. So I ran, trotted, ran, ran, ran. At least I was actually getting a workout now. I was actually passing people riding; I should have started running on my third lap. I had passed two solo males and a duo racer by the end of the lap, go figure.

I finally finished by running my bike into the barn throwing one leg over and coasting to the finish line. I was now a top the leader board. I did some quick math. Steve Hill had started racing at 3. When I finished he was on his fourth lap. If he got six he would move into first. He had been going at a ~2 hr a lap pace but was starting to slow. After some deliberation I figured it would be pretty impossible for him to get six. I thought about another lap; I had a spare derailleur in the car, but figured with the nasty conditions I was just asking to break something else. I turned in my card and called it.

I spent a solid 30 min at the bike wash, ate a pop-tart, a pb and j, this, that, and some other. Changed clothes and headed over to check things out. Steve had slowed considerably and was just making it in from his 4th lap. I was glad to see him head back out for a 5th, pushing him up into 2nd. All and all, I put in 5 laps in 10:20, about 50 mi, stark difference from the 40 mi in 3:47 at the Greenbrier Challenge. Steve Hill, with his late entry, knocked out 5 laps in about 11 hrs.

I was pretty happy with my result, no reason to not be. I wish the course would have been a little better, I really don’t feel like it was I good test of my endurance because I walked about as much as I rode. I will definitely do some more. I hear there is actually a 12 hr series down in Georgia. The move to Atlanta will provide me the opportunity to catch the series final in October. And next year, oh yeah, I will be taking place in the 4 race 12 hr series.

Mountwood

2009-05-05T19:14:00.010-04:00

Yea, it was back to the races this weekend. This episode takes us westward to the Challenge at Mountwood. I would like to emphasis the word CHALLENGE. First, I want to flash back to last year(insert visual effect here)...........This was my first official WVMBA race and I can't remember much from the '08 version. Mostly because I was meditating in the pain box most of the day. I did recall cold, wet weather, mud and lots of going up but strangely not much descending. At one point I thought I had crossed into the bizzarro world. But after it was all over I somehow had a smile on my face and couldn't wait to do it all again..........I'd caught the sickness.

Flash forward............So with all my vast experience I knew what the forecast was.........PAIN! After a week of steady rain and not to mention a bout with the hog virus that kept me off the bike all week I knew it would be a tough day for myself. But I was for some reason still excited for race day.

Picked up the boys and hit the road early. Leaving Morgantown there was a good steady rain. There was a lot of grumbling about the sucky weather and some talk about going home and crawling back into bed. But we pressed on. By the time we got to the venue the rain had stopped and the temps were in the 50's. Not to shabby. Last year I think it was sleeting before race time. Vast improvement.

Did the pre-race thing that seems to run much smoother this year. There seemed to be a good showing for the WVMBA/OMBC combined event. Not the 300+ expected. I suspect there may have been some fair weather racers. Before I knew it, it was high noon.........Race time.

I got one of the best starts I've had thus far. I hit the big ring on a flat section off the start and was able to pull around a number of folks. I was shocked to be on the tail of the lead group. I saw Jeremy and Nate up ahead with Gunnar, Ben Ort, Dave "Blue Jeans" Walker and maybe one or two more. At one point, I looked up and saw some jerk in the gutter splashing a tidal wave on everyone. Then I saw that jerk was Jeremy, I had to laugh to myself. I guess rubb'n is race'n.

After we hit the single track the leaders were gone but I held strong for awhile but could feel the effects from the fast start creeping in. Had a couple of stumbles and some weird breathing/wheezing problems and the next thing I knew I was getting passed up by like five or six dudes. Ryan motored past me as well as Steve, wished them luck and just tried to keep it in the zone. Things were going well, passed one or two, got passed by one. Then, just before the start of the second lap the wheels started to come off and I crepted into the pain box. I blame the hog flu. Second lap was like a mud bog. Greasy mud that made turning hard and climbing even harder. I bonked! It hurt! I lost a lot of time. Then the cramps started. I was begging for the finish line but it just didn't come. After like an eternity I came around to the line and felt like laying down in my grave.

Saw Jeremy at the team tent and he was holding his arm, had torn shorts and looked like death warmed over. A vast improvement over myself. I thought he must have crashed out or something, but kid pulled out a podium spot, 3rd. He's an animal. Coach came in 6th and Nate "To Fast" got in the $ for 5th. Great job boys! Stephen had a visit from the flat tire monster and had to DNF. Been there dude, you'll get'em next time.

As predicted there was abundant pain going around. Heard Gunnar went down hard, could hear his scream all the way back where I was. Nate said he bonked hard. To many interesting stories to tell. Hope everyone had as much fun as I did ;o)

On a mechanical note, the Bontrager ACX tires preformed great in the muddy conditions. Great tire for the soft trails. And check out J's new wheelset........Gold Hope hubs, Stan's Arch rims w/gold nipples.........Hot. And the Rowands Bontrager kicks.

No racing next weekend, except for Ryan who is going to the 12hrs of Creek to Peak. Good luck big guy. Next Team RowMan+ stop will be the Tour de Lake in two weeks.

See ya at the races,

Later,

Josh

Team RowBot Takes on the Hills!!!!

2009-04-29T13:31:00.005-04:00

This past Sunday myself and Mr. Brian Talbot decide to take on the New Martinsville road race. The trip started off about 6:30. Brian was filled with excitment from the get go, LOL. Was a pretty drive of about an hour and twenty minutes. Once there saw some other Morgantown folks made the trip as well, Don and Mr. Bird. I would say about 60 folks where there to take the hills on. Team West Virginia Night Club was there in force. Morgan and his father Mr. Miller along with Mr. Blaze himself. We all started at about 10 lead out by a police escort. Lol, funny how most West Virginia road races end up in different states. We shortly cut over the mighty Ohio river. Things where running smooth along a straight section by the river for about 15 miles then we hit our first climb on the day. The group quickly fell apart. The lead group was about 6 strong with myself among them. The group didn't want to work together so at about the mid way point it came back together. I was very surprised to see my fellow teammate for the day among them. Mr Talbot did very well on the first big climb. The group started to work abit before the second big climb on the day. This is where a lone rider got away, but myself and the other 123's weren't to worried cause he wasn't in our group. Torwards the top of the climbs I found myself alone chasing this lone break. He was strong and had a good time break on me and held it all the way to the finish. The last two miles or so were very beautifull and fast. It opened up and you could see the town and River right before the descent opened up into many fast switch backs. Overall I am not sure where Mr. Talbot finished, But he looked pretty spent passing the finish line. Myself, I got first in the 123's and second over all. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee for Team Rowman.

Hobbs back in the Greenbrier

2009-04-28T18:05:00.008-04:00

The absence of a WVMBA event for the weekend left Team RowMan+ scrambling to find an event. After realizing that we would be unable to purchase a one day license that would allow us to race in the Expert category at the Greenbrier Challenge, my fellow team members opted out. I am planning on doing some of those crazy XXC events for the summer, thus I found the Marathon category a viable option for myself.
For those of you who don’t know, I grew up in Greenbrier County - White Sulphur Springs to be exact. I spent my junior racing years training in the Greenbrier State forest. So, for some reason it was almost like I was heading home for this one. I had been jazzed for this race since I planned it out on Tuesday.
For me this is a season of firsts. Well not first place, but first attempts at expert mountain biking, road racing, and ultra-endurance mountain biking. I spent most of Saturday preparing my bottles and bike and organizing my gels for the lengthy journey. I planned out my optimal fueling strategy complete with rescue gels and bottles.

Sunday consisted of a 5:15 rise and shine, quick gather of the final goods, most importantly coffee. Myra and I were on our way by 6:00. We cruised into the parking lot of the Greenbrier State forest on the dot at 8:10. This left me a little over an hour to register, change, and warm-up before the 9:30 start. After a short briefing on the feed zone at registration, Myra headed down to stake out a spot, and I cruised around the park for a warm-up. After a quick good luck kiss I headed to the starting line at 9:25. A nice group of racers showed up for the Marathon (47 racers total) and the competition looked to be pretty stiff. I kept looking around for familiar faces but didn’t see anyone that I recognized; all is well though, figured this could be my little adventure.

The start was about what I planned for, fast but not too fast. I settled in at about 7th position and figured I had a few laps to let things get sorted out. I pushed a moderately fast pace for about 5 min. then backed off into my planned race pace (~85% MaxHR). This worked well, as you can see from the time splits at (http://live-timing.com/report.php?r=13683&rp=167635). I really enjoyed this course...nice sections of fast double track, some tight, rocky winding single track, and slightly technical climbs.

I trucked along lap after lap after lap after lap, and then it started. The heat was hot, beginners and sport races were now out on course, increasing the traffic, and that slow death was creeping into me. For the 4th and 5th lap I started to slightly fall off pace; I was working around the slower traffic, but with increasing fatigue I found it more and more difficult to make passes. I found myself satisfied to sit in - not good for the time splits.

My 6th lap I could feel myself unraveling. Temperatures were now in the low 90s, and my brain was starting to boil. I started to plan out my finishing time for my 7th lap to make the 1:15 cut-off time. I really wanted to get in 8 laps, my target. I was spot on giving myself about 40 min for the last lap to make the cut-off. I was pushing hard to maintain my pace and meet my goal. I found the traffic was in bunches of 3-4 riders in groups, but I was still able to work my way around. On a fast downhill section I approached a much slower rider and called out “passing on your right,” but as soon as the words left my lips the rider in front of me had come to screeching halt in the middle of the trail. I swerved right much faster than I had planned and lost control of my big-wheeled bicycle. I was a mess of bike and boy tumbling between rock and tree. I popped up and still had all limbs attached. The stopped rider was standing there, and I realized it was a girl who was in a complete episode – bawling, tears streaming down her cheeks. She asked if I was okay first, which I followed up with “are you okay?” thinking that with all the tears she must be in serious pain; had I clipped her? Don’t think so; I guess it was just the reaction to seeing tumbling boy and bike snapping small tree limbs and bouncing off of rocks. I grabbed my bike and realized that my rear brake lever was vertical to the ground but figured I didn’t have time to fix it if I was going to make the cut-off. I threw one leg over and tried to get back on pace. As I continued along, I marveled at my trail rash that spread from my right knee up to my right shoulder. I took a real nice digger! I kept pushing but was losing motivation and couldn’t quite maintain the needed pace. I missed the cut-off by about 2 min.

I cruised on down to the feed zone to find my other half. She really did a great job getting me my bottles and gels. Thanks #1 wifey!!! I sipped on water, chatted with JR, wished him luck and encouraged him to consume high volumes of H2O. I headed back to change. I ate a little then headed down to get the results. I decided I could be happy with top ten; it was hard, hot race and all things went as planned except for my crash. My average heart rate for the race was pretty much exactly as planned at 82%, and for the seven laps I climbed close to 1500 m. The results were posted and I went to check things out - I found myself in 5th! 5th! Well hot dog...Needless to say I was quite pleased, considering this was my first attempt at a long distance race. There will definitely be more of these to come.
See everyone at Mountwood,
Ryan

P.S. JR went on to win his class!!! Go JR!!! WVMBA Rocks!!!

J & J's Local Epics

2009-04-27T21:29:00.003-04:00

No racing for J & J (Jeremy & Josh) this weekend. We opted to stay home to do some local favorites and get some solid training miles in. I was torn and a lil bummed not to be racing (New Martinsville RR or Greenbrier Challenge) but there is plenty of good racing action on tap this season. There were RowManians out on the racing scene this weekend.....more to come on that shortly.

I started out the weekend with a bang by going to the Black Bear for dinner on Friday. I gorged myself and even enjoyed a few Seneca IPA's. Been laying off the beer lately so this was a real treat. On Saturday I screwed off most of the day till Jeremy was done at the shop. Then we headed out on one of my favorite local rides. Went out to Snake Hill via Dug Hill and on to Rhor Road and Masontown. Took the road around the WVU Research Farm at Reedsville and then ripped up the Summer School Road decent, one of the fastest, funnest around. Things got a lil interesting on the decent when a bulked up Dodge truck swerved into our lane coming up the hill. I almost crapped myself. I hope they were trying to miss a pothole and not looking to run us off the road, that would just be plain mean. I ended up getting 50+ miles for the day after the rail trail ride to and fro.

Sunday was a long awaited Coopers out and back epic. I've been wanting to do this ride for a few weeks now. Ever since our last attempt was foiled by numerous early mechanicals and low spirits. Both of us were on the 29er dual-ees. Made it up to the day lot in just around an hour. Stopped to chat with some pals and then it was out the parallel trail and down, down, down on Ridge Trail. The Hi Fi really excelled on fast rough decent. Put a large grin on my face, when I wasn't making the OH-SHIT face. Jeremy put a technical climbing clinic coming up from Mount Chattue(?). Kid made the whole climb over some real tricky stuff. Nice work super J. Then it was a long hot pull up the rail road grade. No shade to be had since the leaves haven't come on yet. Then we picked up about every other trail on the top side, like Nature Loop, Rhododendron and Rock City. Had to make quite a few water stops due the the sweltering heat. Once we call uncle it was time to spin on back. I think we both ran out of gas on the way back. I was pretty well wilted by the time I got home. I guess 5 hours in the heat will do that. Pain is just weakness leaving the body. Great ride and great weekend on the bike.

Oh yeah, the racers...........Way to to Steve and Ryan. Steve got numero uno at the New Martinsville RR in the 123 class. Ryan pulled a 5th at Greenbrier for the Marathon race. Great job lads. How about some details, I'm tired of reading my own stupid posts.

Next up, Mountwood.

See ya at the races,
later,
Josh

Team RowMan+ Takes on Big Bear

2009-04-20T19:21:00.008-04:00

Team RowMan+ put on a pretty good showing for the first WVMBA race of the year. Race #1 took us right up the road to Big Bear Lake for the Big Bear Classic. The Bear has a stellar trail system with plenty of challenging riding and rocks, rocks, rocks.

The weather was on our side with temps in the upper 50's to 60's and the trails were dry but still tacky. Traction was in ample supply.

We got on scene around 9:45, leaving us with plenty of time before the high noon start. I was really feeling some excitement/nerves. I kept thinking about how poorly the race went last year. I quadruple flatted with one even before the start. Real long, crappy day.

I didn't feel much better after I got a look at the new start this year. No more long pull out the road to spread things out. It was going to be a mad dash for about 150 yds into the woods onto some loose double track. I kept thinking about a messy pile up off the start and ending up right where I left off last year.

After some jamming to some tunes, talking to some good folk and warming up it was go time. There was a nice showing with about 200 racers on hand. About 30 were lined up at the start for the expert class. Lots of familiar faces, lots of bonified fast guys and some guys that made the jump from the sport class. Good solid competition.

Mark, the race promoter, gave us the count down and the mad dash was on. Just as suspected the start got a lil hairy. I made it around mid pack off the start, little tension I think, a small bobble from someone and there was a nice jam up but not too bad. I got around a few on the first few turns with Steve and Ryan right there with me. Jeremy and Nate got a good start and were up on the front.

Ryan and I switch places a couple of times and got caught up in a stack up on a short, steep bottle neck section. When we hit the first climb Ryan and Steve pulled away from me but I was able to hold off the others behind me. I was in the pain box on the first climb and just tried to spin it out. At the top I could still see a group of five or six in front of me. So I just tried to settle into my pace and try to keep them within reach for later in the race when I usually come out of the pain box and start to click. Takes awhile to get the diesel warmed up.

The strategy was working well. Then we hit the big decent where I knew I could take a few chances and make up some ground. Sure enough, at the bottom I was right on the group. I thought about throwing down a hard effort on the gentle incline on the access road and bridge up the gap and maybe pass a few. I didn't though cause I thought the usual big climb was up next and I wanted to save some gas to bury myself on the ascent. I saw Ryan put it down and make a couple of passes. Wish I would have went too cause to my surprise the big climb didn't come. I had let the group get back the gap and missed my chance. Next thing I knew we were back at the reservoir heading for the finish. I saw Donald Powers in front of me and started a big ring chase to gain a position. Lost focus a little had a bobble and then I wasn't able to close the gap on the final stretch. I came in just under 1:20 and in 11th place. Much better than last year and the Superfly rode like a dream.

At the finish I saw Jeremy waiting and got the big new. J pulled down the big W, that's right kids, 1st place overall! That's when I gave him a big man hug. Way to go dude. He was able to pass JP on the last section and held him off for the win and got there over 2 1/2 minutes before anyone else. And he even had to stop to inflate a burped rear tire. The dude put together a great race.

The rest of the crew did quite well too. Nate got 5th and Steve and Ryan sprinted it out for 7th and 8th. Almost got everyone in the top ten. Dang, I should have attacked when I saw the whites of their eyes. Either way, good showing for the first race and hopefully first of many successful races. Nice to see all the hard work payoff.

Thanks to Mark for putting on a fun event and the WVMBA crew for organizing a kick'n race series. I'm already getting pumped for Mountwood.

See ya at the races,
later,
Josh

HI FI Review

2009-04-18T09:17:00.006-04:00

I've been on the Hi Fi for a few weeks now so I thought I would let you know how she rides. I can wrap it up in one word..........SWEET! I really like how this bike rides. The Hi Fi just adds to the enjoyment of trail riding and gets me LIFT'D.

The Fox suspension works great. Feels smooth on the descents and very efficient on climbs (bob free). Add the 29er wheels and you have a Cadillac smooth ride. I think the G2 geometry, specifically the fork offset improves the handling of the 29er style bike. Very stable and balanced at low speeds and carves like a knife at high speed. I can feel a difference between my Hi Fi and Superfly, which does not have a G2 fork, especially at low speed. Makes me want to run out and get a G2 fork for the Superfly, but I don't think I can swing that, bummer.

One adjustment that I made was flipping the stem to 7 degrees down to give a more aggressive feel. This is more of a personal preference but made it ride that much better for me. Anybody considering a new full suspension ride I would highly recommend the Gary Fisher Hi Fi. It will make those long epics out at Coopers, Big Bear or wherever you ride as fun as your 21st birthday, it's a blast man! I wouldn't hesitate to pick this bike on race day either. Not to mention, she's a sexy bitch too.

Test ride one today at your LBS and get your own Hi on.

On that note, word is there maybe another member of Team RowMan+ getting their own Hi Fi 29er. I think this person didn't like getting dropped on the decents as I was blazing the downhills on the Hi Fi. Stay tuned to see if this rumor is substantiated.

See you at the races.

later,

Josh

Morgantown RR-Chappy Version

2009-04-12T07:05:00.015-04:00

Race #1 of '09 is in the books for me. It was the Morgantown Road Race brought to us by the Back Yard Bike Club right here in Mo-Town.

I woke up super early, 5:30am with that excited race day feeling in my stomach. I knew the weather was going to be iffy and sure enough when I poked my head out the door the rain was coming down and the temps were in the low 40's. Not ideal race weather but I knew things would turn around eventually.

Got fulled up with the usual race day french toast, eggs, turkey bacon and FRS. Then it was time to pick up Stephen and do the short drive to Mason Dixon Park. I love local races, much easier. We arrived at the venue about 9:30am and picked out a prime staging spot in front of one of the pavilions. It was still cold and rainy but my last look at the radar showed clearing conditions on the horizon. Nate arrived just behind us and the Hobbs'es were not too far behind. We quickly got registered and good thing too, cause there was quite a crowed that showed up for this super cool race. A sizable line quickly formed at the registration table.

As we were getting geared up and trying to stay warm we saw lots of big boy's (pro's) showing up. Most noticeable to us was Jeremiah Bishop (Cannondale/H-D), some guys from the Kelly Benefit team and others. Big guns in the 1/2/3 class for sure. With the big turn out it was clear the race would not go off at the original start time of 11:00am and that was alright with me. More time for the temps to go up and the roads to dry off.

Things finally got going around noon and the weather was rapidly improving. This was by far the largest group I've ever road/raced with by far. I would guess there were 50-60 riders in the 4/5 group alone. I think there were close to 300 in total, sweet! So, having a few races under my belt I knew the front of this large pack was the place to be. Got lined up in the front with Ryan, Dr. T, and Robbie.

The start was smooth for me but I heard there was some shenanigans on the Bridge right off the bat, strategy working so far. The peleton stayed together all the way to Waynesburg. It was very interesting riding in the pack. I don't know if most of those guys have ridden in a group before or not, but there seemed to be some real tense people and quite a few close calls. There was no organization at all despite attempts from Dr. T's, myself and others trying to organize a pace line. But oh well, no damage done. Once we got passed Waynesburg on Sugar Run Rd. the fireworks started and the pack was blown apart on the climbs. I fell off the back of the lead group on the first climb but kept them within sight. I was able to close the gap but then got separated on the second hill which was quite steep but not too long. Nate was putting on a good show. Boy was climbing like a champ and looked to be in good form despite a unfortunate training incident on the Wed. Night Ride. No other friends were able to make the jump.

At this point I was in no man's land, all alone for a long while putting on a hard chase to catch the leaders that were still within sight. Not a good place to be. Had to use lots of power and energy, bad, bad, bad. But I was able to close the gap again on Rudolph Run Rd. just before the last sizable climb. I was purty gassed from the chase but got some rest sitting in for a few miles. I was able to hang on the last climb. At this point I knew the big ups were out of the way and I could put out some power on the rollers down Big Shannon and back to M-D park. So, at the top of Little Shannon I decided to put on an attack down the decent and hope a couple folks came along to work with. I got away and bombed down the twisty decent using my mad mtn bike skills. I had a real nice gap at the bottom and on the flats but alas, I was all alone again. Not good. So, I shut it down and headed back to the group.....Dang! At least I gave it a shot.

It all ended in a group sprint. I found myself on the front coming down the stretch, not ideal position, shoulder to shoulder with Nate. I didn't have enough gas in the tank for a strong sprint. Too much chasing. But Nate threw it down and got second on the sprint. Good job kid. We thought he got second but ended up third. A guy was able to sneak away for a solo. I don't think anyone even knew he got away. There was lots of traffic to fight through and lots of potholes to navigate. I may have got the top 10 but not sure yet. It might be awhile before final results are out. Lots of numbers to sort through I'm sure. All and all I'm pretty pleased with it. I knew the climbs would be critical but I didn't give up and finished with the leaders. And I had a great time on a fun course. Good job BYBC, thanks for your hard work.

The rest of the crew......I think Steve finished within the top 15 to 20 of the 1/2/3 class and was stoked about racing the new Trek Madone. Real good considering all the talent and power there. Ryan finished a few minutes behind my group and had a good time and a smile on his face. Jeremy couldn't make it today. The shop couldn't spare him, bummer. We missed ya dude.

Next week.......Big Bear Race. YaaaaHoooo! Fat tire time.

later,

Josh

Logan Race Report

2009-04-08T20:19:00.002-04:00

Hi folks!! Let me bring everyone up to speed on the happenings down at Chief Logan State Park. Jeremy and I headed out on Saturday night after he finished up at Wamsley's. We spent the night at the Woodworth Inn in Culloden (Thanks, Mom and Dad Woodworth, it was great to be well rested on race day). After arriving at the Inn we quickly unloaded our bags and v-lined for the kitchen where some mixing and microwaving took place. I fixed up whole wheat noodles with onions, red peppers, portabellas, spinach, and chicken. I also had a sweet potato on the side. Jeremy fueled up in similar style with noodles, veggies, and tofu. The rest of the evening consisted of stretching and the watching of a movie. We turned in at about 11:00 to catch some much needed zzzz's.
After a restful nights sleep we were up and about around 8:00. I got some coffee going and J started in on his breakfast of a bowl of Bear Naked Granola and soy milk. After throwing back a few sips of strong coffee I started in on my breakfast of cinnamon spice oatmeal and all natural peanut butter on 12 grain toast. From Culloden, we had a short drive (~1:30 hr) to get to the race at the park. Fueling continued on the way; I had more coffee and a banana, and J threw back some jelly beans. On the way, Jeremy and I gazed out the windows and he said what I was thinking, "Dude, its steep!" Looks like we get to play billy goats today! We arrived around 10:30 with plenty of time for pre-race preps.
As we unloaded the gear, it was brought to my attention that my rear tire was flat. Hmmm...just love the quirks with the first race of the season. After consulting J for some time-honored advice, I decided to pump it up, do a warm-up, then give it a quick check before the start of the race.
During our warm-up routine, J started to feel some tightness in his hip. He decided to spend some time trying to work out the knot he picked up on the car ride down, and I continued with my warm-up. I put in a nice kick and realized my HR rocketed up quite rapidly without much effort. I was pleased and headed back to find J shifting around on the bike with a look of grimace. His hip wasn't letting up, and I could tell the guy was in a bit of hurt. After traveling and paying to enter, I encouraged him to race, "maybe it will loosen up after the start."
At the starting line I definitely felt the butterfly's flutter; I was lining up for my first expert race and was pretty pumped to have made the move. After a short countdown by JR, the expert class headed down the paved road in pace line fashion. I tucked in at about fourth place thinking that I didn't want to be in the way of the fast guys. It was a mellow start and almost enjoyable for a MTB race. The pack turned into the woods and I saw J heading for the front. "Alright!! he is going to go for it," I thought. Jeremy moved in to set the pace, and I could see some guys falling off the back of the pack and some space was generating between the leaders. I was still able to hold on at this point, much to my surprise. It all made sense after about 10 min; J had to step off the bike and out of the race, his funky hip hadn't worked out. I could tell he was in some serious pain as I went by with the new leaders. Awesome effort Jeremy, I am glad you gave it a shot!!
From this point on Jesse Stevens took the lead, Adam Stephens, myself, and Steve Hill followed closely behind Jesse. The pace continued to be lifted and I could see space forming between Adam and Jesse. I was still feeling good so decided to shake a leg and pass Adam, this put me in second. I followed Jesse for about the first 30 min of the race, and at this point I was settling into my pace which was a click slower than his. Jesse continued off the front and I pushed hard in second. At an hour into it a friendly spectator informed my that I was a little over two minutes back. Good news if you still have legs, but at this point I was starting to feel the pain. I would continue on at my pace that was beginning to dwindle.
At 1:30 hr into the race I had backed off considerably. My mantra was now keep pedaling and stay on the bike. Steve Hill rolled up behind me and I could tell he was till moving at a good click. He picked a wide spot and swooped around. I tried to stay with him, but cramps were starting to enter my legs. I continued with my mantra...just stay on the bike. The last climb lasted about a 1 mi and took us vertical just short of 300 meters, definitely hurt at this point in the race.
I ended up ~8:30 min behind Jesse and 2:00 min behind Steve. I was happy to have just finished. I sat in the gravel parking lot cleaning off the mud, throwing back my chocolate pop-tart as J loaded the bikes and laughed about my careless post-race demeanor. All and all, it was a great race, wide open single and double track, not too technical, and steep climbs, put in over 700 meters vertical according to the polar.
After some post race pasta J and I headed back for Motown...
Ryan

3 out of 4 ain't bad

2009-04-05T08:07:00.014-04:00

Finally, Jeremy gave the green light to put up a post on his SuperFly race machine. He said he was holding off till he got a few small details finished but I think he was just letting the suspense build. Anyway, check it out and try not to drool on your keyboard.

Real hot looking machine J. Here are some part highlights.
Frame: '08 Gary Fisher carbon SuperFly

Fork: Fox F80 RL
Drivetrain: Xo twisties, Xo rear d., Truvativ Stylo OCT crankset

Wheelset/Tires: Hope hubs/Stan's 355's 29er's/Bontrager XDX

Brakes: Avid Juicy 7
Pedals: Crank Brothers Candy 2ti

Bar/Stem/Seatpost: Truvativ NOIR World Cup Riser Bar/Bontrager RXL

Keep an eye out for this machine on race day. Be quick though, it will most likely be traveling at a high rate of speed.

Jeremy and Coach headed down to do the Chief Logan race this weekend. Little bit to far to travel for me this early in the year. Haven't heard how it went yet. We'll try to get a race report from Coach.

The rest of Team RowMan+ (+ being Jason aka The Rev. today) went out for a road ride to do parts of next weeks Morgantown RR. Did Waynesburg and back with various sections of course, some forwards and some backwards. I'm getting excited about the race already. Should be a fun course. Goes like this: roll'ee, flat, climb, roll'ee, climb, roll'ee then finish. Vary versatile course so bring your well rounded game.

There was a Chris Horner spotting today too. I blew by him at a pretty good pace on Big Shannon.

No, it was just Steve Horner rocking out his new Astana kit and matching Project One Madone. Looking sharp dude.

We ended up with around 75 miles on the day. Mostly at a cool pace with some fastness thrown in here and there. Time to eat, rest and recover.
Later,
Josh

Mid Week Maddness

2009-04-01T21:14:00.003-04:00

Tonight was the first Wednesday Night'r of the year and it was quite a showing. I think there were 24 riders that rolled out from the courthouse. Some regulars, familiar faces and some newbies. Off the top of my brain I remember: Gary & Traci R., Nate (Too Fast), Dr. Talbot, Adam A., Kyle, Jacob B., Marc G., Jason, Elvis, Ryan P., Papa Dave, Sexy Legs Jimmy, Chris R. I'm sure I forgot some, sorry bout that.

The group road well together up Rt. 100 with some good pace line'n. Then the inevitable attacks were thrown in and the group broke up. I got caught in the back and missed the first attack. Got in a chase with Nate and Jason but couldn't reel in Adam, Jimmy and a dude I don't know (but he had a bitch'n Trek Madone and had a team kit on and road strong). We were just a few seconds back at the top of Lazzel? Hill. After the regroup at the 19 intersection it was State Line Sprint time. Nate was in good position, Adam was up there and Madone dude. Not sure who got it. I was on Dr. Talbot's wheel using him a lead out but we got caught up in traffic and didn't have a chance. Dang!

Up Big Shannon the pace picked up fast and attacks started again. Nate jumped off the front on a good attack to heat it up. I bridged up to the front and just stayed on the some fast wheels doing short pulls. Eventually it was down to Adam, Jimmy, Madone dude and me. Then, just before the last roller there was a real close call with a happy puppy running out to greet us. Thanks to some good handling skills we escaped with all our skin. On the last roller I thought I would go ahead and drop it like its hot. Of course Adam came around, got away from the other two (dog scare may have been more a cause then my pathetic sprint).

The return trip was very similar except a couple of flats and mechanicals. Everyone waited at the 19 intersection for awhile but the victims didn't show, so most rolled on while Gary and Papa Dave went back collect the fallen.

The rest of us headed back so we could get most of the group back before dark. Nate put on a good sprint show at the state line and edged out Madone dude. Then Too Fast beat everyone up the climb with Jason, Jimmy and I not too far behind. After the final regroup we paced down 19. I left the group at Osage so I could hit up the Rail Trail at Star City.

Great first Wed. Night'r of the year. Good to see lots of new faced coming out to test their metal. Its a good indication of the growing strength in the local cycling scene. Very Cool! I had a great time and everyone chipped in to keep the group safe and smooth. I ended up with over 19mph average, pretty speedy voyage.

Hope the rest of the crew can make it out to this ride at least once so we can put on a good team showing on the premier fasty ride in town. Come on in boys, the water is fine.

Later,
Josh

Teaser. I have some photos of another SuperFly race machine. Maybe the badest A bike of them all. Also, I'll be posting a hot looking 69er race machine, other gear updates/reviews and describe the pure HI I get from riding the HiFi...........Stay tuned.

I'm So Hi...........FI

2009-03-28T21:14:00.012-04:00

Yeah, I am fly'n HI, HiFi that is. Check out the newest addition to my arsenal. It is an '09 Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe. It has an awesome paint scheme, glossy, sparkly, white with dark blue graphics and charcoal colored carbon seatstays. She's a real beaut.

I made a few upgrades from the stock model although, it already came with a nice spec. Most of the parts came off the Fuel EX. I added Bontrager Race X Lite carbon bar and seatpost. Put on SRAM Attack twist shifters and XTR derailleur, SRAM 990 cassette and XT crank set. One last add on was the gold Bontrager cable housings which added a real cool look.

So here is the break down.

Frame
6066 hydroformed butted aluminum mainframe & chainstays, co-molded carbon seatstays, cold-forged dropouts, G2 29" Geometry
Fork
Fox F100RL 29, 100mm travel, custom G2 Geometry 51mm offset crown,

Rear Shock
Custom Tuned Fox Float RP2

Front Derailleur
SRAM X.9, high clamp
Rear Derailleur
Shimano XTR
Shifters
SRAM Attack Twisties
Cassette
SRAM PG990 11-34T
Handlebar
Bontrager Race X Lite Carbon
Stem
Bontrager Race X Lite
Saddle
Bontrager Race, hollow cromoly rails
Seatpost
Bontrager Race X Lite carbon
Wheels
Bontrager Rhythm Comp Disc 29

Tires
Bontrager XDX, 29x2.1
Brakeset
Custom Hayes Stroker Trail SL, hydraulic disc, 160mm

Crank Set
Shimano XT

Check it out on Gary's site.

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/hifi-deluxe-29

Took the HIFI out for a lil break in ride at White Park today and it was a real delight. I think it's going to be a great addition to the family. Need to make a few adjustments to the suspension setup to tune it in. Going to throw it around at Coopers tomorrow on an out and back ride, I so excited I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. It's like Christmas Eve.

We're going to take a break during the ride tomorrow to watch Anna run the Coopers 10K and cheer her on. Last year she got first in her class. She's looking for a repeat.

No Steve for the ride tomorrow, he's still working the Super Sale down at the home base (aka Wamsley's). So go down and support your LBS and make it worth Steve's ride sacrifice.

I'll let you know how the HiFi performs at Coopers and soon there maybe some news concerning Jeremy's Race bike. One more Superfly to the crew.

Later,

Josh

Steller Weekend at Camp RowMan+

2009-03-16T19:42:00.006-04:00

Got a lot of time in on yee ol'bike this weekend, had some good food and beer and watched the final final stage of Paris-Nice.........all and all a good time.

Saturday I slept in for the first time in quite a long time. Had to try to shake the time change slump. Didn't have any pressing business to take care of so I just goofed off on the computer, drank coffee and read some VeloNews. Took me awhile to figure out how to get the playlist.com gadget to work on the blog. I exhausted all my limited computer know-how with no success. But I final won the battle. Ended up being so much easier than I was making it. We are taking music requests (within reason)........want to keep the people happy.

After that it was time for some bike maintenance and simple repairs. Got on the stationary torture device or some interval work. Then it was off to the shop on the E to the X to pick up some supplies and the crew. After the Rowand's got off work we headed out to Bakers for a few laps in the day light. Only road for about an hour cause we wanted to save some go juice for Sunday's trip to Big Bear.

We went our own ways and I was pumped to go to Black Bear with Anna. I had a Pizzadilla and a Rogue Juniper Pale Ale at it was de-lish as usual. Anna had Thai One On with shrimp which was very good too. I like it a loooooooot.

Sunday it was up early to load gear for Big Bear. Picked up Steve and met up with the rest of Team RowMan+ with addition of Auvid at Bob Evan's a pre-ride fuel up. There was a whole table full of food. I had the whole grain pancakes, biscuits and bacon. Carbs and grease (protein), reserves were topped off.

Got to Big Bear a little before noon and it was cool and drizzly. As we were gearing up the rest of the days group showed up. The Talbot's, Robbie and Laura and James. After everyone was ready the girls drove up the road to start their own ride and the guys rallied up to discuss the route.

There was quite a collection of fine bikes in the group. Two SuperPimpFlys, 2 69er's (last years and this years), Specialized FSR 29er and 1 Canny Caffine 29er. Lots of big wheels with a couple small ones thrown in for good measure. In my opinion, 29er in should be the bike of choice around Big Bear area.

Robbie led us out on some new/old trails, many of which I've

never been on before. Some of the new trail required some hike a bike but has promise to be a technical masterpiece. I hear Benji has something to do with the design and it shows. He's like the Jack Nicolas of trail design, everyone wants to get on the course.

We circled back around to the parking lot just in time for Jeremy to fix a flat but not before Dr. Talbot smacked both the boys off the top tube. He was in a crumbled hump for a few minutes but was able to suck it up and ride on. He better give himself a self inspection to make sure everything is still where it's suppose to be.

Then we headed out to to some of the 24hr course by way of a trail that paralleled the road then ducked in behind the store. Both of which I've never road before. Good, challenging trails. Thanks for taking the lead Rob.

Once on the 24hr loop we had a few stops for mechanicals which for once I had nothing to do with. First, Ryan had the largest gash I've seen on a tire in quite some time. There was a rumor that Brian shanked it after some sketchy rub move Ryan put on him while trying to pass. It took many minutes and gel wrappers to fix it. Next, a couple turn of the cranks later Robbie just about ripped off his front derailleur. But with his massive mechanic skills he was able to roll out with a 1x9.

We got rolling again just in time for the sick, fun decent. Again, the big wheels roll over stuff so smooth, especially at speed. Eventually, after descending and ascending we ran into the ladies ride. After a short chat the groups split up and Team RowMan+ headed back to the parking lot via parallel trail.

The rest of the group was heading to eat some SweatyMex while Steve and I headed home. Steve had to pack for his trip to Ireland and I got home in time to watch the final stage of the "Race to the Sun" and eat a large bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. I thought The Condor was going to pull it out for awhile there. He lost the race because he forgot to eat and bonked. How the hell do you do that at that level? Oh well, Lance made the same mistake before and there are plenty of more shots for victory. Alberto's new Madone looked HOT!

What a good weekend. Almost 7 hours of riding in two days..........Right now it's two days later and I've take a couple recovery days before cranking it up again for this week. Maybe Steve will have some stories for us when he returns from the Emerald Coast. I'm enjoying some Guinness for St. Patrick's Day but I'm sure their not as tasty as the ones he's drinking. Lucky punk!

One more thing. I'm considering making a new bike purchase. Passably a HiFi 29'er to replace the Fuel EX, I need to move a few things around to make it happen. Stay tuned to see if I can pull it out.

Later,

Josh

Thursday Night Throw Down

2009-03-12T21:33:00.004-04:00

I've been struggling all week with this time change. I get up at 5am for work, so with the hour forward it's been like getting up at 4am. My body just didn't understand but, tonight made it all worth it. I got out on the bike around 5:30 for the Thursday night'r and got a good two hours in before I had to turn on the light..........Bitch'n.

I got a call from Jeremy today and he informed me he was going to break the geared Thursday night rule and was going to bring out his Trek 69er SS. So, I though I would join him on the one geared machine. So like I said I left the house at 5:30 on my Gary Fisher Rig. I like riding this bike, it is fully rigid which provides a real positive feel on the trail, simple and sweet and few parts for me to break. It has a OnOne steal fork, on harder hits it still has a little give so it's not too harsh. Perfect for a Bakers Ride.

I headed out the road to UHS and started out on Grouse Trail. Right away I saw how dry the trails were and felt a long forgotten feeling........Traction. After Grouse I passed on Legs a Fire and went down to the left to what I like to call the Rhododendron Tunnel then back to the road. Hit the other side and headed down to meet up with the rest of the crew. Still noting the tacky, smooth, fast conditions.

The Rowand's and Nate showed a little after the usual go time. Guess Jeremy got a flat on the way over from the shop. Jeremy and Steve were 69'n (that sounds bad), J on the SS version and Steve on the 3x9 type. Nate dog was on his pimp'n SuperFly.

Then it was on. Right off the start the tempo was fast. Nate led us up the access road and hit the steep right. Jeremy and I cleared it on the SS's, probably a first since last fall. Again, there was good traction. Then it was over to 7 logs with J in the front hit'n it pretty good. Felt real nice flowing over those logs and landing smooth and rolling out. The hammering continued up numb skull and back out. Next was turbo and back over to grouse trail on the UHS side. This time we did Legs a Fire. Ouch, luckily there wasn't much hammering up this killer. Back out grouse backwards to the road. At this point the lights came out. It was a real treat to ride that long in the day light.

Back on the main side the hammering continued for another hour or so. It hurt but felt real nice to be able to feel some speed for the first time in many months. Those big wheels smooth things out even more at speed and carry good momentum. By the time it was all over the crew was pretty gassed but smiles were all around. Good ride'n.

Nate was looking real strong. He was doing a lot of the pace setting and hitting the hills hard. Way to go dude, keep up the good work. Jeremy was ride'n strong as usual and somehow didn't even break a sweat and only had a max HR of like 165. He's a freak'n machine. Steve was hurt'n a bit from playing on his new Madone yesterday but kept the hammer down anyway, true Steve style. I was feeling the burn from previous interval torture but managed to hang. Nothing makes one faster and better than riding with some speedsters. So come out and throw it down and get faster and make it hurt so good.

I've got some high hopes this weekend of doing something cool like going to Big Bear or doing the Morgantown RR course. Time will only tell, stay tuned for Team RowMan+'s activites

On another note. Way to go Ryan (coach)! He is now a Master of Science. That a boy! Let's celebrate.

later,

Josh

Coops Out and Back Epic

2009-03-08T18:57:00.010-04:00

My day dreaming finally paid off, warm and dry. First time this year we were able to ride with shorts and short sleeves. Temps were in the 70's and partly sunny. It was very bitch'n. I met up with the Rowands at Jermey's place. Didn't hear from coach, he has his masters defence this week so, I figure he is real busy. Everyone wish him luck.

I pulled up and Jeremy had on knee warmers, arm warmers, and vest on. I told him he was a dumb ass and to take all the crap off cause it was awesome day to be out on the bike. As usual I was spot on.

I brought out the SuperFly again to get it dialed in a lil more. Steve was 69'n it and Jeremy was on the Stumpy FSR 29er. We headed out around high noon for a Cooper's Rock out and back. Went the Mile Ground/Peirpont/Old Cheat Lake Road?/Quarry Run up to Coop's day lot. It took us about 1:20hr to get there. Went nice and slow on the way there so it was a great warm up.

Here's Steve reliving himself after the long ride up.

Jeremy happy to be at coop's

There were a ton of people at the day lot. After a short fuel up we headed out on the trails, which were pretty sweet, dry and fast, great traction. We went out to the reservoir and back toward the day lot via the Parallel Trail. Then down to the intermediate loop and back to the reservoir. Then it was out to Rock City and Rhododendron Trail. At this point I fell over on my derailleur and bent my tab like a real idiot. It took quite a bit to get that all straitened out. Thanks to Jeremy for bringing a spare tab even though it didn't fit his bike. Needless to say this isn't the first time this has happened. Got things rolling again and went over to the other side of the hill to do the Nature Trial. After that we decided we better head back cause we were run'n out of water and I was gett'n gassed.

Steve goof'n off.

Then we blasted down Quarry and hit up the BP for some rehydration and munchies. It was just in time, we were out of fluids and feeling some hunger pain.

After the break it was back home for some recovery food.

What a good recovery dinner. Grilled turkey burgers, potatoes with peppers and onions and asparagus and wash it all down with Dog Fish Head Brewery's 90 minute IPA. Now it's time to relax and watch one of my favorite movies "Idiocracy". Oh my balls.

Anna and I also did a fishing trip to Davis on Saturday. Didn't catch any trout but who cares? Had some good beer (Yuengling Black and Tan) and good food (Siriani's Veggie Pizza). A cool bonus, got to see JR while he was working at BWB. Dude has lost 30 lbs. and still isn't smoking, way to go man. Watch out Clydesdale class.

Check out the Sport Utility Neon doing some mudd'n.

later,

Josh

Dry Day Dream'n

2009-03-05T21:59:00.013-05:00

My optimism didn't pay off. I was day dream'n all day today of a warm dry Thursday Nighter. I went to White Park yesterday and it was quite dry. It was still cold though. So with the warmer temperatures today I was hoping it would be warm and dry tonight. Not! It was a lot warmer which was awesome but the Bakers trails were a mucky mess. And to top it off I thought it would be a good night to break out the SuperFly for the first time this year. Here we are before the ride, both smile'n and ready to hit the trail.

Got down to the gate to find Coach hanging out. Then a special guest appearance was made by Dr. Brian T. fresh from his trip to India, that's right India. And he showed up on his 2009 Trek 69er 3x9, which he won from Dirt Rag. Cool!

The rest of the crew rolled up. Steve and Jeremy, Nate and Jake. After a quick photo session it was up the trail. Started out on the road and then headed out to 7 logs. It quickly became obvious that it was not dry at all. The trails were muddy and slippery. It was hard to find front or rear end traction.

After a loop around 7 logs and up Numb Skull Nate had a small but detrimental mechanical, broken seat collar. So Nate and I headed up to my house to find a replacement while the rest of the group did some labs around the top. None of my spares fit his SuperFly frame so, we had to improvise. Check it out

Yeah, that's a front derailleur/seat clamp. It did the job.

At this point Brian and his mustache decided they had enough and the rest of the merry, muddy crew headed over to the UHS side for a lil grouse and legs a fire. There were a few spills of varying degrees of spectacularity. Grouse was in good shape and was by far the best trail of the night. Then it was back to the other side at which time we decided to call it a night. Here is the aftermath. Poor baby, I'll be give'n her some love'n now.

Despite the tough going it was a good ride with some cool cats. Maybe attendance will increase with warm weather and increasing daylight. Remember..........turn your clocks forward this weekend. Lose an hour of sleep but gain an hour of light. I'll take it.

later,

Josh

Oh what fun.

2009-03-04T19:55:00.003-05:00

Well boys and girls I can say my new bike is AMAZING! Got another ride on it today for a total of 100 miles outdoors. For anybody on the fence to get a new ride I would recommend the Madone. It rides so tight and responsive. I was so used to riding a noodle with the Lemond. Man those days are over. This thing just gets up and goes with every once of power you give. Well enough of me babbling about this and that. Took a full view pic so you can see it in its whole. Added a couple new bits as well. She now comes in at 15.45lbs. Enjoy everyone. Oh the last one is of my new best friend. Hehehehehe. He likes going fast.

Oh My God, Is that Tom Boonen?

2009-02-23T21:28:00.013-05:00

No, it's Jeremy Boonen with his new Specialized Quickstep S-Works road frame. Pretty bitch'n bike! Can't wait to see it built up. Until then here a couple more pics. Anyone care to guess what the final weight will be? At least sub 16 lbs.

Check out the size of that head tube.

Also got a sneak peak at Steve's newest goodies. So, not only does he have the new Trek Modone 5.5, he just got these components to kick it up a notch. Bham!

If you can't tell that's a SRAM Red Crankset and Derailleur. They look bad-A and are feather light. Nice addition to an already sweet ride. Maybe Steve will give us a look when he gets it together. Oh please Steve!

Man it's hard keep'n up with the Rowands.

On another note, as per my last post, we did half of the Morgantown Road Race course on Saturday. I think this will be a fun and challenging course. I can't attest to the whole thing cause we split off and did our own thing but riding what we did and about the same distance I have a good idea of what it will be like.

Starts with some medium rollers, then a lot of flat and then some climbing for the second half. Depending on how the race goes the transition from pounding the flats to hitting the ups could cause some good leg burn. If you haven't seen a map of the course yet check it out.
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=132721
This was borrowed from everyone's favorite race director, JR, hope he doesn't mind. I hope to get out soon to check out the second half. Not going to happen this weekend, going to Snowshoe to do a few turns. Maybe someone else will let you know what Team RowMan+ is up to this weekend.

Later,
Josh

Morgantown Road Race Pre-Ride....Sort of

2009-02-21T19:27:00.008-05:00

What a great day for a long road ride, especially considering it's still February. I had plans to do the Morgantown Road Race Pre-Ride as suggested by the team director of Team Bi-atch/ Backyard Bike Club/FiendRacing Gunnar (wow, he must be a busy dude).

Up early, and consumed grimmus proportions, large bowl of oatmeal w/granola, raisins, 3 boiled eggs and 2 pieces of toast w/ soy butter and jelly. O'boy it was good and topped off the energy reserves. Got out on the road by 10am and it was still a lil chilly, 35, but the sun was out and the temps were on the rise. First stop was at Wamsley's to pick up a few things and catch up with the team mates. To my surprise, Jeremy was ready to ditch work as soon as I dropped the word, way to go man. Steve is still under the weather, going on week 3 now. If someone knows of a secret far east remedy please sent it his way. I though that pimp'n new Modone would do the trick but guess I was wrong.

Jeremy and I had to high tail it to his place for him to do a quick change into his super suit and still make it time to Masson-Dixon park in time for the high noon start time. This required a pretty fast pace up Rt.100 and then to the park. We made it in time. Got to the park in time to see a good size group get'n ready to roll out. But had some time for a few pre-ride pics.

Let's see if I can remember the group. Adam A., Phil, Gunnar, Betsy, Chris, Kean, JR, Matt M., Sierra, Laura, Auvid, Trisha and Dave. Think that's it. We stayed with the group up route 7 to Blacksville and Rt. 218. At this point Jeremy and I decided to catch up with Adam and Phil who had broke off ahead. Didn't really want to leave the group but we were getting an uneasy feeling due to the 3 wide riding, funny stuff (not ha, ha) and failure to fall into line on already skechy roads. So we sped up a lil to avoid being road kill but had a hard time reeling in the other two.

Got to Waynesburg and met up with Adam and Phil. Then tried to find our way around the rest of the course. Didn't do a very good job, but oh well still had some good ride'n.

Got home with almost 5 hrs. and over 80 miles. Made it in time to get some grub and watch today's stage of the ToC. Livi still in the lead. Nicely done.

Twas a day of biking, and it was great.

Later,

Josh

oh yeah...

2009-02-21T18:48:00.010-05:00

Yep, those are some blueberry pancakes whipped up this morining by the personal support crew here at the Hobbs's household. For those of you in the dark, that would be Mrs. Myra. She fixed these whole wheat blueberry pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup for me this a.m. Oh yeah, they were good.

After finishing up that fine breakfest, the wife and I headed downtown to Armstrong hall to participate in a communication research project. We had to answer a few questionaires and have a conversation with another couple while being videotaped. Wasn't too time consuming and we were glad to help out a fellow researcher here at WVU.

Next, we headed to the LBS and checked in on Steve. Poor chap, still not quite recovered from his cold/funk, but seemed like he is doing much better. I got his opionion on a few tires for this spring. He pointed me down the same path Chappy recently visited and I ordered some Bontrager Jones ACX for this spring. We talked long finger gloves for a few minutes, the shop was lacking the desired style in my size so the wife and I headed out for some grocery shopping.

Finally made it out on the bike at about 1:30 today. Headed out to Bake's for some muddy mountain biking. To my suprise the ground was still a little frozen in some places. Nothing better than riding big frozen muddy ruts...it's got to be good for the skills, right?

Oh yeah...

What can I say, "I have the greatest wife in the world." After seeing me race the entire 08' season on my 8 (or is it 10) year old Gary Fisher Procaliber, she strongly ecouraged me to splurge on the Superfly. Well, it didn't really take much encouraging...A few slight modifications to the box setup: swapped out the triggers for twistys, immediately went tubeless, some red Oury grips, with matching red bottle cages, and bar ends. Oh, it rides so sweet, can't wait to spend end some quality time on this bike come racing season.

Later folks,

Ryan

New SuperFly on the Block

2009-02-20T17:49:00.009-05:00

Check out the newest member of our team, Colson "The Cobra" Annon. He was pretty pumped to get his new '09 Gary Fisher SuperFly frame so he e-mailed me some pics. from his training base in Grafton, WV. Check'em out.

His coach (Big Daddy Nate) has been put'n him through a tough training program but he seems to be real fit and we expect some stellar results this year. Sweet bike Cobra, set us some pics. of the built up frame later dude.

Just watched Livi take the TT in the ToC. Alright Livi and Astana. "LiviStrong" Looks like he's going to take the ToC for a 3rd time. And check out the bitch'n TT rig. I think it's even cooler than Lance's LiveStrong TT bike.

Marvelous Moment

2009-02-18T21:51:00.006-05:00

Well me socks got blown off today. My new road bike came. A TREK Madone 6.5 project one. Oh my it is pretty. On the local scale it comes in at 15.6 lbs. On just my short little ride home I can tell this thing is going to be so sweet. No flex in the bb area like my Lemond. Happy Time is here, can't wait to ride it farther and harder. Here are a couple of sneek peek pics. More to come as I get some time on it.

Good Sunday Ride'n @ Bakers

2009-02-15T18:54:00.015-05:00

It was a last minute call for the ride today, with the weather being the deciding factor. We eventually decided to stay off the road due to the cold temps, it was low 30's at the time with a skiff of snow on. So, it was an earlier than usual ride at Bakers Ridge.

I got up early this morning and had my usual pre-ride big breakfast. Today it was some yummy pancakes with some eggs and OJ. Then it was time to relax have some coffee and digest. Got out the door in time for the 11:17 meeting time at the lower gate.

Met up with Coach, and Jeremy. Steve is still out of commission with the funk. Coach was on his new '09 SuperFly. Hot look'n bike, I like the new paint job on this years frame, adds a little more pop to it. I've been trying to get Coach to post some updates on his SuperFly, but he's a busy boy with all the thesis writing, coaching and bowling and such. Stay tuned...........Jeremy and I were on SS's. He was on the Trek 69'er and I was on the Gary Fisher Rig.

Trail conditions were much better than anticipated. Still lots of muddy spots but the trails have tacked up a lot since Thursday night. We did some laps up top for a good warm up then hit turbo and a few other trails then headed down spaghetti which was in good shape and a blast to ride down. At this point Coach split cause he didn't want to over do it after being sick. He did say before he left how smooth the big wheels were roll'n. 29'ers ROCK!

Then there was 2, for like 10 minutes. On the way back up to the top we ran into Roberto who was sport'n his bad A super suit. Got a good flow going for quite a bit and covered a lot of ground. Ran into some more friends, Sean Z., Drew and couple dudes who's names I didn't get. Shortly after that we met up with the MonBike Group Sunday Ride. They had a decent group today. Gunnar and Betsy, Jake, Gary, Mark, Andrew and Jay, I think that was everyone. I was getting purty tired about then so I'm not sure. Speaking of getting tired, I took a nice flop on spaghetti while attempting and super cool cross move to get over a downed tree, too pooped to get my leg over the bike. Gave Robbie a good chuckle, so it was worth it. After spaghetti Jeremy and I were done for the day. Around three hours on the SS, I was running out of gas. Great ride'n though and great to see so many out get'n down and dirty.

A bonus for today! We had our team photographer out on course snapping some action pics. Thanks Anna, your awesome.

Good post ride activities followed for me. Yummy grilled Cx salad, Magic Hat Circus Boy brew, and ToC (Go Levi and Astana). Great Day! Life is Good!

Later,

Josh

Thursday Night'r

2009-02-12T21:49:00.002-05:00

The Thursday night shop ride went down. We were 3 strong. Jeremy, Nate dog, and I. No Steve or Ryan tonight, both are feeling a bit under the weather. Evidently they haven't been taking they're FRS. Get well soon Dudes.

I got out a lil early then met with the other two guys at the usual meeting time of 6:45 at the lower gate. I pulled up and got bitched at cause I was supposedly late........I still say I was right on time, they were just early. So after my lecture on tardiness we got the ride started. Nate was on his 23 lbs. (as of today) SuperFly, Jeremy the SS 69er and I on the EX with the new twisties and XTR derailleur, which worked butter smooth even in the mucky conditions.

We got stacked up on the very first up hill due to the peanut butter like texture of the trail. Not a good omen at the start of a ride. Trail conditions were variable. Some dry, fast sections but then you would hit a mucky section that would grab your tires and suck the speed right out. But it was nice not to deal with ice or snow. This could be the first ride in quite some time that didn't involve using an ice pic to keep things running.

I was hurt'n pretty good through most of the ride. A lil tired from doing a Time Trial effort yesterday to set some baseline numbers for the current interval torture. Oh mama, I was feel'n it day. Jeremy said he was hurt'n a bit from evil intervals. Sounds like that pain box has been opened. Nate was ride'n strong and looked to be in good form. Way to go Nate dog, glad you could make it.

Quite a bit of debris on the trails from the wind storm the last couple days. We tried to clear what we could, but it will require some chainsaw work to clear some. Jeremy is like a one man logging crew. For a tall skinny kid he sure can wrasle some logs...........Write us down for some trail hours for the trail points.

Ended up with around 2.5 hrs. ride time and some tired ass legs. It hurts so goooood!

Sorry no pics. Don't feel comfortable taking a camara out in these conditions. You'll just have to use your imaginaiton.

Later,
Josh

LUNCH

2009-02-10T13:53:00.002-05:00

Just ate 5 Baja Chalupas and all is well. Very key for the WVMBA training regiment. Those out there on the fence are more then welcome to join my race diet. They now offer a fat free low sodium version as well. Also goes well with a chaser of candy.

Welcome to the PAIN TRAIN!

2009-02-09T20:47:00.010-05:00

Another great Sunday training ride and this time the whole team was roll'n strong. The first time in awhile. Started with a little caffeine top off at the Moose and then swung by the courthouse to pic up Steve. It was sunny and mid 50's @ the start, damn nice day to be on the bike. So we hit the road, accross the Westover Bridge making our way to Mt. Morris via Rt. 100. Next we went past Masson Dixion Park to Rt.7 Had a couple of hairy moments on 7, I just remember a water bottle skidding by my tire while a line of cars was going past. Someone said something about rubbing tires. I don't know about that, I just know I was not the cause nor the effect, just along for the ride. After 7 @ Blacksville, we turned towards Waynesburg on a very nice smooth road. I'm thinking it was 218........Time out Heroes is on.......Sweat!............Damn, the president is and he's on every channel..............Wow, that was a good one.............From Waynesburg we made our way back down to Kirby were we really had things rolling. I saw 30mph a couple of times on the flats. From Kirby we went on to Big Shannon, Mt. Morris and back to town via Rt. 100. Got home with almost 5hrs. and 85 miles, not a bad day.

I would also like to welcome Coach to the team blog. You've already been graced with his first post. Pay attention kids, you might learn something. He is a master of sports physiology you know, well almost.

So this week starts some interval work on the training plan. Time to get that pain box off the shelf and tare into it. Welcome to the Pain Train.

I did a lil hike around Bakers Ridge today and if you are interested the conditions are looking somewhat better than this past weekend. A lot of wet spots with some dryer tacky stuff thrown in. Another day or two of this weather it could be prime. But it doesn't look like that will happen. Clicked of a few photos for your enjoyment.

Later,

Josh

Ouch!!!

2009-02-08T20:10:00.002-05:00

What an awesome day! Beautiful weather blessed Morgantown again today, after a few rain showers this am, the clouds cleared and roads dried up nicely. I finally made it out for my first road ride this year. The boys took me on one heck of a ride; I feel like we touched on every back road I had ever ridden out of Motown today and 4 hrs later I ended up back at my apt., bike dirty, and purty tuckerd. Sure did feel good, thanks for crushing me today fellows.
Rubber Side Down,
Ryan

Josh's Race Ready SuperFly

2009-02-07T21:13:00.012-05:00

There was some real nice weather today, but I didn't even make it out on the bike. I spent most of my Saturday at the LBS working on my bikes. There was some real progress made though so it was totally worth it.

The SuperFly is completely operational now and it is look'n real HOT! Only had to get a couple of new parts to complete the build. The last pieces of the puzzle were a BB and a couple of chain rings and cable housings. Not to mention some new team graphics. Check it out.

Warning this is some hard core bike Porn.

I went with some gold shift cable housing and I think it really added to the look. It's like a gold tooth, just adds some class. The only other thing that needs to be changed is the water bottle cages. I will probably have to go with white unless I can find some gold cages. Let me know if anyone knows where to get gold bottle cages.

Also, I got some work done on the EX today. There was a Sram XO rear derailleur on it that had a crapped out pulley cage spring. This caused a lot miss shifts and the chain to jump around in rough stuff. Came across of great deal on a new XTR so I needed shifters that would work with Shimano derailleur. I switched to some twist shifters on this bike too. Sram Attack twisties work with the 2:1 ratio that Shimano uses. These are suppose to be equivalent to Sram X-9 level. I had to get some new bushings for the upper shock mount too. Word to the wise........FS frames need some TLC, spend a few beans to replace barrings/bushings if the rear end gets a lil sloppy.

If you remember my woes from the Thursday Night ride with the EX's fork, the problem has been diagnosed as poor performance do to sub-zero temps. It seems to be working much better in the warm weather. Wonder it Mr. Fox refilled my suspension fluid with pancake syrup.

One last thing, I broke out the official Wamsley Cycles scale and got the weight of the SuperFly and EX. I was pretty happy with the weight of the SuperFly, it came in at right around 24lbs. w/o pedals. Not too bad for a 29er and a fork that's not super light. The EX came in just over 28lbs. There are some beefy tires on it that adds some weight and a bit of mud on the frame that could have added some grams.

Sunday's weather is looking pretty good for a long road ride. I've been taking it pretty easy this week, since it's a recovery week on the training schedule. Next week will start the higher intensity rides. Oh boy, sounds painful, I can't wait to get the that hurt box again.

Later,

Josh

They're Here, They're Here! YEAH!

2009-02-05T22:02:00.007-05:00

All right brace yourself, the new team decals are in. Got some shots of Stephen's frame graphics. Old boy's get'n a lot a sticky plastic on his frame, probably adding all kinds of weight. Check'em out.

Steve got red graphics while the rest of us got white. I think they turned out "real nice Clark". Good job Jeremy. That kids got some style.

Also, I made an executive decision and mounted some tires on my new Race X Lite wheels. I went with the ACX's. They don't have the volume of the XDX's but they are lighter and should hook up well in the early season slop. I'm mounting them so early cause I believe these tubeless thingies with the gooey stuff (I use Bongrager's Super Juice) work/seal better if you give them some time to cure. So I'm seasoning my tires. I will give them a spin every day or so to coat the tires with the Super J. Of course this is just a theory, it may do nothing at all, but with the tire luck I've had, I'll give it try. Stay tuned for results of this experiment.

After playing at the shop it was time for the Thursday Night Shop Ride. Not a real strong showing tonight, just Jeremy and myself. Steve said something about it being too cold and going home to watch some cartoons and ride the trainer. So the Team RowMan tough guys headed out to White Park for some riding delight. It was a slow paced, fun ride. There's still quite a bit of snow on with icy patches but not too bad. I was on the "E to the X" which just got it's fork back from Mr. Fox. We Mr. Fox said he replaced almost everything but the damn thing still works and feels like crap. So there was a lot of stopping and screwing with the fork. But o'well those things don't last forever. Maybe new bike time? Hhhhmmmm. Maybe something with big wheels and full suspention. Sounds like some giggling like a school girl fun to me?

This weekend's forecast is sounding pretty promising, hope it holds up. I've been hearing some rumors flying around about some serious training rides. Lets see what the winds of change will bring.

Later,

Josh

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

2009-02-03T21:25:00.005-05:00

Sunday, 3/4ths of the team got out on the wet/salty/icy roads for a nice, long, training ride. Jeremy, Steve and I met at the courthouse and then headed across the Westover Bridge where we saw Leiw standing beside the road like a stray dog. We proceeded north on Rt. 100 and made a right off that lovely piece of tarmac onto Taylertown Rd. From here all I can recall is the name of the towns we road through. So I remember Bobtown, Carmicheles, Garards Fort, Kirby, Mt. Morris and back to town. I need to get one of those fancy GPS thinys. I like to play around with maps and just looks like a cool toy.

Man it was great to get out for a good road ride. Steve was feeling fresh, he road out front most of the day. Jeremy was working on his spin, while I was just trying to hang on after an already full week of riding. Had a bad cause of acid legs.

Jeremy was giving me some good technical tips on the P.A. big rollers.....Thanks, dude.

I ended up with around 4 hrs. in the saddle and one crud covered road bike........Breaks my heart to see her that filthy.

Got back home in time to go to a friends house to watch the Steelers squeak out a Super Bowl wim......Way to go Steelers! Super Bowl XLIII Champs! #1 Football team in the world!

This week I start a new job, so I'll crank it down for a recovery week before ramping up for another phase. This weekend's weather is looking promising, maybe I'll see you crazy kids out play'n on your bikes.

Later,

Josh

All yeah, Chip came upon on old picture of Steve and Jeremy when they use to race at the Velodrome. That's Jeremy on Steve's wheel if you couldn't tell.

2009-01-30T21:57:00.013-05:00

I've got some hot sneak peak pics. of Steve's Trek 69er 3x9. Not much right now, but if this is any indication..............WOW!

Steve swears by the 69er, but hopefully we'll hear his own comments on the subject since he is now an official author. 2 down 2 to go. Ok, Ok enough suspense.........Check it out.

While down at the LBS, I was able to sweet talk Jeremy into fixing the free hub for my Rig's rear hub. Blew out a paw.......Ouch! Turns out he'll do about any thing for an Arby's Melt.

Then it was back to the house to drag myself down to the "Man Cave" to ride the torture device (aka the trainer) for a few hours. But I got to look forward to some Tia, Guinness and a movie. All quite worth it.

Later,

Josh

Josh's Race Bike - In Progress

2009-01-30T08:41:00.015-05:00

So I want to do some continuing posts on the team's race bikes and how they are coming together/coming apart. Take some pics. and comment on how things work for us.

I'll start with my SuperFly, since that's all I have pics. of right now.

1st off, THIS BIKE ROCKS! Nude carbon frame, 29er wheels and throw in some cool components and you've got a bad A race machine. Big hoops smooth out the trails and the light rigid frame is solid for the ups. I like it a loooot.

This bike has a few races on it last year but has been hung up since the Dirt Derby. I've been slowly collecting some new components/upgrades.

1. New 29ers, Bongrager Race X Lite. DT Swiss Hubs

2. New drive train/Shifters: Sram 990 Cassette/Sram 991 chain/Sram XO Rear Derailleur/Sram XO twisties

I've switched to twist shifters cause I have short stubby fingers so the less reaching I have to do the better. And I like the positive action of the 1:1 twisters.

I still need some new chain rings and BB. Both are shot. Half way through the Dirt Derby I was limited to granny gear and big ring cause middle ring was crapped out. BB hasn't been the same since the Blackwater race, probably still some blackwater in there.

3. New Seat Post: Bontrager Race X Lite. Had to replace cause the old one had a real nice crack in it. Side effect of being a 185 lbs. rider.

4. Got a couple sets of new tires. Bontrager Jones ACX 29er & Bontrager XDX.

Haven't put em on yet. Going to wait to see what conditions are as we get closer to race time. Anyone that remembers me from last year probably saw me along the trail a lot fixing flats. Hope to change that this year. Ran the XDX's towards the end of last season and had a lot more success than Specialized Captain's. XDX has higher air volume and hooks up well. Haven't used the ACX's yet, but hear good things from the Rowand bros. Think I'll use them for early season wet/muddy conditions. Both will be ran tubeless. I'm crossing my fingers that they fix this problem.

So that's whats going on with my race'n bike. Can't wait to get it all put together and dialed in. Hold'n off though so I'm not tempted to take it out in this sucky, nasty weather. Want to maximize the race life of all the components.

Here's what I'm riding in the mean time:

Trek Fuel EX 9 & Gary Fisher Rig SS & Specialized Allez Comp

Stay tuned for updates on the rest of Team RowMan+'s rides.

Later,

Josh

And Here We GOOOOOOOO!

2009-01-28T11:24:00.003-05:00

Welcome one and all to the Team RowMan+ Blog.

We are a group of somewhat like minded friends and cyclists from Morgantown, WV that have combined our efforts and organized our energy to throw down at the races. Mostly do the fat tar thing but we'll hit the tarmac too. The team preference is for 29er variety of nobbies cause they roll smooth and easy over the rough and hard stuff, yeah baby!

Team Members:

Josh (Director Sportiff/Racer) -

Race bikes: Gary Fisher SuperFly, Trek Fuel EX 9, Specialized Allez Comp

Ryan (Coach/Racer):
Race bikes: Gary Fisher SuperFly

Jeremy (Racer/Wrench):

Race Bikes: Gary Fisher SuperFly, Specialized FSR 29er, Specialized Tarmac ProSteve (Racer/Wrench):

Race Bike: Trek 69er 3x9, LeMond noodle thingy?

So thats us. We can be found riding around town, riding Bakers Ridge, White Park, Coopers Rock, Big Bear Lake and roads all around Motown. Some work at the local bike shop (lbs), Wamsley Cycles others just come down to fix crap we have broken the day before. By we, I mean me, I have a bad habit of crushing bike parts. A habit I am trying to remedy.

We've got some high hopes for this season on the WVMBA circuit and going to branch out to some big regional races. The team has been training hard, riding in the cold, snow and ice and prepping race rigs to be ready for better weather and come on better weather. This winter riding is fun for awhile but I'm starting to miss that thing called traction.

Thats all for now, just a short intro but stay tuned for more kids. I'll try to get the rest of the team involved, but some resist this techy type stuff.

Trainer riding time, Oh No!