in case you weren't sure

about the elite nature of this event...just read this on mtbr from the race directors. yeah, i got goose bumps.

2009 Wilderness 101 Race Brief

Thank you for registering for the Wilderness 101 on Saturday Aug, 1st - this SATURDAY! It is the 5th stop of 8 on the NUE MTB Series ScheduleWe are excited to be back on the traditional course (2005-2007) for 2009. The community of Coburn has graciously opened up their community park for us to camp in Friday and Saturday night. Camping will be first come first serve so please squeeze in tight (tent camping with your car / No RV's this year) -- No OPEN FIRES!!--THE RULE of the event- We can not allow spectators to follow racers from Aid Station to Aid Station. The Department of Forestry has put the kabosh on unneeded vehicular traffic on the roads. They are in the process of reviewing the event for a 5 year permit and they will use the volume of this event as a basis for future restrictions. We need to keep things tight!!! Regardless, there is no room for a huge amount of cars at the Aid Stations. Aid Station #3 is off limits to anyone but registered volunteers. Volunteering is not just sitting in your chair until your special person comes by. Volunteering is assisting all riders through the full shift of the Aid Stations operation.Other important info - If you drop out please notify the timing staff at the finish line AND the aid station manager with the racer check off list, please watch them mark your name off the list. No Gel packets on the course. Please empty your packets into a Hammer Gel Flask - we really appreciate this!

East Coasters Cheryl Sornson, Betsy Shogren, Karen Potter, Denelle Grant and Johanna Kraus will be joined by West coast talent Erica Tieszen and Pua Suwecki. I can't wait to see how that shakes down!Gerry the Pflugger is looking untouchable this year on the singlespeed! Who will take the battle for 2nd? Roger Masse has been representing, Chris McGill will be moping about the course with Gunnar Shogren. Will Gunnar need the cane again or will he need to upgrade to the walker after 101 miles this year? Ferrari and Alcorn have been showing some game, but will they choke on their home course? Who will make more noise, Tomi back from the Breck Epic or Ramponi away from home for the weekend?Jeff Schalk, returning 2008 Wilderness 101 champion, says he is ready to roll along with Josh Tostado, Chris Eatough, Michael Simonson, Christian Tanguy, Chris Beck and Jacob Loverich. Will Schalk, Tostado, and Simonson bring some high altitude fitness from their last battle in Breckenridge to the plate? Beck and Eatough had a pretty good show down at Michaux, who will prevail in part two of their PA campaign? Will Tanguy throw a sneak attack in, and be the first across the line this year? Is Andy Applegate, Lichtenwalner, Ray Adams, Andy Gorski, Whittingham, Lawrence or Fawley going to surprise and nail the top 5? Regardless, it's going to be exciting to see how things play out!!!Will Chris Wurster make the Masters podium with heat like David Kelnberger and John Williams racing? Will Jim Matthews have game on his home course after weedeating Longberger Trail?The battle for the top local spot will be highly contested this year. Jacob Loverich ruled the roost in 2008 and looks pretty solid for 09, but…will Strauber's big road miles pay off or will his 3 101 trailwork missions beat him down? Is Joe Gore gonna make big coin on side bets between he and Raymo on the singles? Is Chipper gonna saddle up? Can Ferrari mentally recover from taking 2nd at the 6hrs of power? It appears that the locals from State College have more inter-squad rivalries then Astana did in this years Tour de France. Which local will brag their way into 2010?

Racer check in is on Friday Aug 3rd from 4-11 pm at Coburn Park. If you cannot make it during that time please contact us in advance. The race will start at 7:00 am Saturday morning. Food and refreshments immediately following your finish.Cathy DeSanto and Jim Malta have been busting a move coordinating everything behind the scenes. If you end up having a good time, please thank them!!!! And... If you have a problem or don't have a good time, let me know, not them!!!!!We are limited to a coffee output of 200 cups on Saturday am - we will have just over 300 racers. IF you are serious about your pre-race coffee you should make your own - do the math!!Saturday July 31st5:15 am -- Coburn Park awakes6:45 am -- Racer Meeting begins7:00 am -- Controlled / Paced Start9:00 am - Cannot proceed past Aid Station #112:00 pm -- Cannot proceed past Station #21:30 pm -- 1st finisher expected3:00 pm -- Cannot proceed past Station #35:00 pm -- Cannot proceed past Station #46:30 PM -- Cannot proceed past Station #5 without lights7:30 PM -- Cannot proceed past Station #5--- this equates to an estimated 15 hr finish time cut off ------ these times may be adjusted based on weather conditions --------- GOTTA SAY IT AGAIN ------Racers can only be supported by other racers or support personal at aid stations. There is no support allowed from non- racers or friends and family jumping from aid station to aid station. This rule is in place tolimit potential traffic overload on the Forest system roads. If you would like to support someone you can support everyone!!!Sign up to Volunteer at Friday evenings check in times (4-11pm).***we will have race sponsor - Hammer Gels' "HEED" electrolyte drink mix***and some other sports drinks will be available tooDistances between aid stations -#1 is 19 miles in - water and HEED only#2 is 40 miles in - fully stocked + Hammer Gel#3 is 60 miles in - fully stocked + cold coke#4 is 74 miles in - fully stocked + Hammer Gel#5 is 89 miles in - fully stocked + you are sooooooooooo close!- finish is 12 miles from #5 ending the race at 101 miles!Fully stocked means....... water, HEED, other sports drink, pbandj sandwiches, many granola/fig type bars, trail mix, pringles, assorted sweets, fruit and some surprises. You are allowed 2 drop bags which we will supply for you in your racer packet we will also transport them for you to the designated Aid Station. The Aid Station drop off point will be a marked off area behind the pavilion...hint - station #2 bags will go to station #4 (strategize....)What if you leave your drop bag behind after the race?? You can fill out a priority mail label at the finish line and drop that off with $5 per bag and we will mail it back to you -- if you don't do that... thanks for the donation!!!!If you need any bicycle related stuff on your way through State College make a pit stop at Freeze Thaw or The Bicycle Shop. If you're looking for some good food and beer on Friday night before the event and swing by Elk Creek Café and Aleworks for some tasty dinner. They are 2 miles from the race site in Coburn. They also have a special menu prepared for Friday evening and a good band for Saturday night. Plus you can get a sample of the tasty brew that will be waiting for you at the finish line. It will be some great motivation during the event!!!

The Wilderness 101 is Sponsored by:Freeze Thaw Cycles - State CollegeThe Bicycle Shop - State CollegeRothrock Outfitters - Raystown LakeElk Creek Café + AleworksShenandoah Mountain TouringGary Fisher BikesHammer Gel Energy ProductsIndependent FabricationsQuality Bicycle ProductsEndura Cycling ClothingSalsaKenda TiresPro Gold Chain LubricationVelocityPrinceton TecTrek BicyclesBontragerSugoiLakeContinental TiresBe sure to check out the event coverage on www.Cyclingnews.com after the event.The Shenandoah Mountain 100 is filling up fast - Register NOW!Price increase Sunday Aug 2nd - its going from $155 to $175 - ouch, but still a bargain compared to Leadville at $250.Thanks for racing with us!Chris and SMT

now i remember

why i'm not a roadie. just shy of the 30 miles of hot, windy, flat, straight pavement and i almost shot myself. hoping to find some trails today. should have called charlie before i came up but didn't realize i was going to be this close to duluth.

go time

headed out soon for some place north of the cities. cabin style for a few days then headed to pennsylvania. first real vacation i've been on in a long time. excited to get away for awhile and getting over the anxiety of the 101. bike is dialed. decisions have been made. now that i'm committed to what i'm running, all that's left is to ride the damn thing. now its all about excitement cause there's nothing left to stress about.

yesterday's final shakedown ride fully geared up for 101 miles of soul searching

first ride

and the jabber rode great. i did not. donated a little skin in dead pet and put the first scratch in the frame on its first ride, not that i'm terribly surprised by that. the suspension wasn't as bad as i thought it would be climbing and the way it handled dead pet and backbone justified my decision to run it out in pennsylvania.

wt101 war machine

got the new jabber frame in and everything got built up in preparation for the wilderness trail 101. funny to see a suspension fork on my bike...honestly haven't even owned one in like 5 years. but the bike looks good and its getting a serious shakedown ride today as long as the rain holds off. yeah...i'm happier now. almost two weeks without a trail bike sucked. huge thanks to vassago and travis for getting things together for me so quickly.

mid-july

and i was rockin knickers, arm warmers and a big ass smile riding gravels today.

no.go.scocopa.

looks like the new frame's gonna get here monday. damn. no racing sunday for this guy. still gives me two weeks of shakedown riding before pennsylvania. lots of awesome memories from growing up camping at scott county park and was looking forward to riding/racing there. so it is.

monday mail day

new wool cap from walz
they have the vassago art on file now so anyone can order one...took maybe two weeks

big shipment of carborocket just in time. 3 big bags and 2 packs of single servings. thanks brad!

sunday century

toured the small towns around here yesterday...ridgeway, cresco, protivin, spillville, fort atkinson, calmar, festina, ossian, decorah. 103 miles, roughly 85 gravel, 7 hours 30 minutes total time, 6 hours 45 minutes ride time, 6 bottles carborocket, 3 bottles clean water, 1 jr. cheeseburger, 1 jr. chicken sandwich, 1 large slice pepperoni/sausage pizza, 1 can pepsi, 1 pack orange sport beans, 2 espresso love gu's, 0 cramps, 0 stomach issues, 1 extra mile ridden looking for directions dropped on the gravel road only 25 miles in. pretty hot out there so i made a big effort to keep the heart rate way down. although i don't ride with a heartrate monitor i could tell how crappy i felt everytime it got elevated. started the day with a good application of 60spf sunscreen and it held up surprisingly well. i was toast last night. showered, played uno with larsson, ate most of a pizza from pizza hut and died on the couch before 8 p.m. planning to just relax at the pool with larsson today.

no red wing

no bike so no racing. james has said he's gonna take care of the fork. working with vassago on getting a new frame asap. working with travis on getting a backup bike and a suspension fork. in the meantime gonna finish my eggs and cheerios and head out for a full gravel century to make up for not racing. first few hours might hurt a bit.

holy $&@#!!!!!

yep...stuff breaks...just glad it wasn't me

so it is

there's really no sense in hiding it or hiding from it...i stress about shit. i'm sure some of you are already well aware of this and anyone on facebook probably realizes that i'm already a bit worked up about the 101. maybe stressed isn't the right word, but in all reality it probably is. in some sick way i think its part of what i enjoy. just like transiowa, it has started to consume my thinking. gearing, tires, how to pack, what to pack, what to drop, when to leave, where to camp, how many tubes, how much co2, how many bottles, how long can i go between refills, how much water do i need to take in and how often, what food to take on the ride, how many gu's, am i still as fit as i was for ouachita and transiowa, can i do it rigid, how will my body react if its raging hot, what are my goals, what will i be happy with, what will i be content with...it just goes on and on. christ, i have two more races before i even head out for this thing and they've already taken a mental backseat. what makes me feel silly is that as soon as they say "go" then i know all of this shit won't matter. vassago has built one hell of a frame. travis keeps it running awesomely despite my lack of maintenance and regularly scheduled flogging of parts. its a single speed...its pretty tough to have a catastrophic mechanical. i've done endurance races...my body has failed in glorious fashion and i've learned a lot about nutrition...nutrition specifically to me. brad keyes and his carborocket takes care of my hydration and has had a huge impact on my cramping and stomach issues. beef sticks rule. i have awesome friends and family supporting me. but still...i stress. i keep a pretty calm demeanor but inside i pretty much freak out. so it is. taking squirrel's advice, i'll go ride my fucking bike. and i'll smile. and for a short time i'll quit stressing. someday my competitiveness will probably start to fade...maybe.

another good night

chris was in town to do his usual counselor thing at luther's distance running camp so i swung by campus monday night to watch him try to relive his youth playing ultimate with the campers. headed out from there for a gravel ride down to spillville to watch our head chef play volleyball. i planned a 20 mile route and was treated to mild temps and an incredible sunset. pics don't do it justice but it was the best i could do. tuesday morning brought a crazy early wonder left (popular 9 mile running route) and me riding water support for chris and his buddy dee brown.

ultimate

moo

shadows starting to get real long

iowa countryside

not sure what night it was actually full, but it was big and bright and led me into spillville

wonder left

staff mtg, 4th, 5th and a metric

wow...what an awesome weekend. thursday night's staff meeting was wildly successful, or successfully wild...not real sure. fire and beers out back of my place with no serious injuries although pavlov's idea of classical conditioning apparently doesn't apply to me. after burning my stomach with the lid from the fire pit i proceeded to repeat the action 20 minutes later and burn myself again, only a little worse this time. by the time i kicked everyone out at 4 a.m. i think we had discussed work somewhere along the line and can officially consider it a staff meeting.
thursday night left me feeling less than stellar on friday, so after refusing to get out of bed for most of the day a motorcycle ride was substituted for a training ride. on to work where i ran into austin...a guy i rode trails with (who kind of handed me my ass) about 6 years ago when i was just starting to ride. he was in town and plans were made to meet downtown after i closed my bar. another fun night out with plans to meet for a trail ride in the morning.
felt better saturday morning (slightly) and met austin at 10 and got some good time in playing in the dirt. on to ice age 3 with the fam and an awesome display of fireworks put on by the owner of the bar in his cul de sac. honestly, for a "private" show it was about as impressive as a professional show. larsson loved it and had a great time playing with the tons of kids are there.
sunday brought a barbecue with the ogaras, duranceaus, grouws and reyersons. 8 kids running around and playing on the slip n' slide while we grilled and had a couple beers. once everybody left i headed out for a solid gravel effort. once again reminded that i do in fact like the sun, it just doesn't like me. 62 miles and somewhere around 4 1/2 hours and i was cooked. this weekend had apparently left my body a bit broken down because this metric destroyed me. i was virtually non-functional when i was done. couldn't carry on a phone conversation with my brother or really move off the recliner until it was time to go die for the night. long weekend...super fun weekend...time to start recovering for red wing this weekend.

plenty of cool old bridges around here
a handful of transiowa v.4 got to see this sign shortly before turning around

second time i've stumbled across this old church

gorgeous day

new socks

seemed like a legitimate reason to ride trails today. that and the new water bottles that actually don't have anything fuzzy growing in them. or maybe it was mid 60's in july and that is f-ing awesome for gingers. solid hour and a half before work felt good despite taking at least the first hour to fully ride off the effects of last night's display of poor decision making.