MTB Goat Heads

Best New Blog

2012-01-09T13:46:00.001-06:00

Sorry I've neglected adding content here, but all of my web activity has been dominated by this exceptional new blog.

Temporary Work Stopage

2011-12-19T08:05:00.001-06:00

I found myself rooting for the concrete buffer..... What does that say about me?

The Next Big Thing......

2011-12-08T09:08:00.000-06:00

This looks like a game changer.....

India would like to submit for your approval.......

2011-11-23T14:01:00.001-06:00

.......the most epic reality clip ever

Greatest gif file of all time

2011-11-17T11:24:00.002-06:00

I Am Writing On Paper

2011-10-27T13:33:00.002-05:00

1%

2011-10-27T10:04:00.002-05:00

Occupy

2011-10-17T15:42:00.000-05:00

Unlucky Biker Gets Jacked Up By An Antelope

2011-10-10T15:40:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if the antelope had it in for the biker or they just happened to be on intersecting angles... Either way, the guy is lucky he got up.

The Most Lifelike Dead Animals Anywhere. Period.

2011-09-24T19:03:00.001-05:00

An Open Letter to Mark Savery

2011-09-21T10:57:00.000-05:00

Dear Mark,

The purpose of this letter is to declare my intention to race in the upcoming cyclocross season (I’ll do one race, and then see how it goes). This declaration is directed at you because you are, by default, the most notable clyclocross racer that I am aware of in the Omaha area. I’m sure we can agree the rest are mere chumps, offering you no real competition. Well, that is all about to change. Admittedly, the October 1^st Swanson race will be my first ever cyclocross race, but I see no reason why I won’t be able to challenge you for the title. My training has given me the confidence to make such a bold claim. I don’t want to give away all of my secrets, but I have been riding 30-40 miles a week on the Keystone, and hardly anybody has passed me. Those that did seemed like they are way faster than you so I’m not worried. One week I actually hit 50 miles, but that was the week I did the Taco Ride….that’s right I said Taco Ride. I did the whole thing, down AND back, in what seemed like record time. All the posers on the Wabash were screaming at me to “Slow Down, A-Hole!” but I couldn’t, I’m on a mission to take down Mark Savery.

I saw on your blog that you now have an “A” and a “B” bike for the upcoming season. I’m not impressed. I only need one bike to embarrass you, and it’s probably more like a “C” bike. I take that back, it’s a “D” bike. The “D” stands for Dominate! I don’t need an extra bike to give me an edge. I already have the edge. I have Goathead nation in my corner….. (I probably should have run this by you all first, huh?). I’ve been living on a diet of nothing but Stinger Honey wafers and GU for the last three months. My Yoga instructor tells me she’s never seen such rapid weight loss. I’ve found 37 new uses for Mad Alchemy Embrocation, including hair gel and tooth paste. Most of the others involve my wife so I’ll keep that to myself. I failed my last physical because I refused to take off my compression tights at the doctor’s office. He obviously doesn’t know what it’s like to be committed to something. And don’t worry, if the weather is bad, I’ve got base layers for my base layers.

Consider yourself warned, sir. I will be competing in the Cat 4 race at Swanson on October 1^st. If you are not at the start line, I will assume that you were not up to the challenge.

Good luck,

Lumpy

Stop-to-Stop

2011-09-09T18:12:00.002-05:00

This reminds me............ the calendar says we need to schedule a Stop-to- Stop ride.
Check your calendars, how about Tuesday, September 20th? If you're reading this, you are invited.

Presta, Schrader or PumpTire?

2011-08-30T08:29:00.000-05:00

Race Mode

2011-08-18T08:27:00.004-05:00

It's been a while since anyone made a post, I guess it's because we've all been singularly focused on fine tuning our bodies for racing........Either that or we've given in to apathy.

Since the last post, 3 Goatheads competed in the Xterra BOLT Triathlon at Branched Oak.

I apologize for the gratuitous nature of the above picture. I probably should have given you a "Not Safe For Work" warning.

Results:
Hood: 3rd in division 17th over
Me: 5th in divisions and 27th overall (Hood smoked me on the run)
Jeff: 6th in division 41st overall

This Guy won the overall race

This Girl won the female division

Following the race they were offered honorary Goathead memberships with no dues for a year.....I have not heard back from them yet.

Trek Bus to Landahl

2011-07-02T12:10:00.007-05:00

In a warm-up trip for a what will hopefully be a Trek Bus Trip to Colorado, 10 riders loaded up and headed down to Landahl in KC. If you have never been down there, it is definitely worth the trip, even after you add an hour because of the I-29 detours. The common theme for most of the guys riding was "why have we never been here before? This is fricking awesome".
The only thing that wasn't awesome was the heat. 98 degrees and humid meant a whole lot of suffering, but it was totally worth it. Landahl is like nothing we have in Omaha. It has a great mix of fast flowing trails and white knuckle technical sections.
The park is a little tough to find, but luckily there is a Trek Store right off the interstate and a couple of miles from the trail head. Stop in there, they would love to give you a trail map and directions to the park.

After a couple of hours of riding, we found shade.

Then Big Bear got his second wind and crushed Miah's sternum.

A little more riding, and then off to Zarda's BBQ, a rib joint a couple miles away. The pulled pork put a sauce drenched ribbon on top of a perfect day trip.

Stay tuned for more Trek Bus trips. Hopefully you can join us.

Monday Night Ride

2011-06-27T20:25:00.001-05:00

I'd say 98% of the old Tranquility loop was dry. Of the other 2%, most of the wet spots could be avoided.

It was a nice night out! Thanks to the lone worker who was working on the drainage channels!

Sour. Sweet. Gone.

2011-06-27T17:49:00.001-05:00

Wanna go?

2011-06-22T17:57:00.002-05:00

For a variety of reasons, Team Goathead is not taking their annual road trip. However, we felt the need for some type of adventure. So, on July 1st we are joining with The Trek Store of Omaha (Papio location) and taking a one day trip to KC. We will be riding at Landahal. Haven't you wanted to see if Lumpy is really that good? Do you ever ask yourself, "how good of a rider can a window washer be?" Or if your like me, you want to see how A.B. and his custom made bike can handle rock gardens in Missouri.
Guess what for $25.00 you can have all those questions (and more) answered. What you need to do is stop by the Trek Store (Papio) and sign up (and pay) for your trip. We will meet at the store at 5:30 am, pack up the Sprinter Van/Trailer and head South. Sometime Friday evening we will leave KC and return to Omaha. Bring money for meals.

This ride is for ANYBODY who likes to mtn. bike. Are you a Psycowpath regular - let's go! Is one lap at Swanson your idea of an endurance event - sign up now. Incredible riding ability is not required, just a desire to ride your bike! If you have any further questions please e-mail Miah Sommer, miah@trekomaha.com

Crags, CO

2011-06-22T10:47:00.001-05:00

Back from Breck

2011-06-20T21:54:00.004-05:00

A couple posts ago, Jon talked about the perks of working at a bike shop... I want to add something to the list....... Taking the trek van to Colorado

Apparently, La Nina (which is Spanish for "The Nina") is pounding the Rockies with snow. So it was a little tough to find a trail to ride. It took a couple of days, but I did find a trail that went from Breck to Frisco that was mostly without snow.

Big thanks to the Trek Store for the van. It was a great trip.

NY Bike Lanes

2011-06-14T19:05:00.001-05:00

We gave it a tri

2011-06-14T07:12:00.002-05:00

Okay, that was a bad pun. However, last Saturday JA and myself competed in our first triahlon. It was trainig for the Xterra Tri that Lumpy, JA, and myself are doing in August.

The city of Plattsmouth holds a sprint tri, an excellent beginner event.
The swim was only 300 yds in a pool. Not too hard, but a great way to prepare for the longer even in August. Jeff and I had give a time for our swim that meant we started almost a half hour after the first swimmer. Since it was a chipped time event, that really didn't affect anything. When my turn to start came I was a little nervous and a little excited. Evidently a little too excited, I forgot to take regular breaths and had to stop at one end for about 5 seconds to catch my breath. ROOKIE MISTAKE.

The swim was eventually over and it was on to the bike. My transition was SLOW, but eventually I was on the road. Thanks to Lumpy, I had a bike more suited for a Tri than any bike I owned. I was hoping to catch JA, but after my bad swim and slow transition it was going to take awhile. Just after the turnaround point, JA and I hooked up and set a pretty good pace back to the finish. Next up - the run.

We had previewed the course and new what to expect - hills, hills, and more hills. So after another slow transition time, JA and I were on the run course. There was a flat section about halfway into the run and then it was back to the hills.
As I ran across the finish line I was a little surprised - 1 hour 15 minutes. My goal was 1hr. 20min or even 1hr 30min. About 3 minutes later JA came across the line. Once again, another enjoyable endurance event for Team Goathead

New this year

2011-05-24T08:09:00.002-05:00

What is the best thing about working at a bike shop? The great deals we get on bikes. What is the worst thing about working at a bike shop? Being tempted by the great deals we get on bikes.

First, I needed a bike with gears. I have been using the Soho S on the road for the last 3 years, but it has its limits. So I ordered the Trek PDX, then switched the drivetrain to Shimano Deore.

A few weeks ago Trek was selling last year's Districts REALLY cheap. So the Soho S has been replaced.

Does this make you nervous?

2011-05-19T13:48:00.001-05:00

12 Hour Race Report

2011-05-16T07:48:00.001-05:00

The last two years The Goatheads have sent a team to the 12 hour race put on by Angry Cow Adventures. This year we were going to go with a four man team. Last Friday, the day before the race, my last teammate had to pull out of the event. Decision time, do I go and compete in the solo category? Do I not go at all? Do I enter the six hour event? My wife encouraged me to give the 12 hour race a shot, if I don’t make it all 12 hours – who cares.
I then set out making an eating schedule and getting supplies ready. More hours of riding meant more food and more drink. Mrs. Professor helped me get food ready, but I really needed/wanted a pit boss. You know, somebody to hand me clothes or food near the start/finish line. My 71 year old dad volunteered for the job. He is amazing!
I had to work at The Trek Store (72nd and Giles) during the day. However, Miah let me leave early so I could get to Wagon Train early enough to set up. Before I left, one of our mechanics tuned up the shifting on my bike. It worked great for the entire event. Yes, this is a plug for our service department, but I am telling you Paul (aka turbo) is amazing. If you have issues with your bike he can fix it.
After getting to Hickman and setting up camp, I gave my dad a list with times I wanted certain food/drinks. At the start line I noticed the field was A LOT smaller. I later heard there were 28 no-shows. This included the “12 hour king” – Lucas Marshall. As the gun went off we ran towards our bikes. I was one of the first to the bikes, and went into the single track in 4th place. One of the guys ahead of me was Ryan from Flatwater Cycling. He was a fellow 12 hour solo guy. I figured I would never see him again the way he (and two others) shot away.
I hooked up with about five 6 hour competitors and we took turns leading laps and setting a good pace. But was I going to fast? I had never done a 12 hour race before and didn’t know how I should pace myself. I didn’t feel like I was red-lining it, so I figured I would just keep going until the body said no. At 8:00 my dad met me at the start finish area with a new bottle and some food. I also threw on a long sleeve base layer at this stop.
About an hour later I turned on the lights, now the fun was going to begin. About 9:30ish I came upon Ryan. He was riding good but trying to pace himself. We rode about a 1.5 laps together and then I pulled away. It was about 10:30 and I was actually in the lead! Also, the laps were starting to pile on. At 11:30 I was in front and had done 13 laps. My goal was 20, so I was thinking that maybe 22 was possible. I just didn’t know what would happen after about 2:00 AM.
About 11:30, my virtual cheering section showed up. Lumpy, J.A., and Mrs. Professor started sending me texts to see how I was doing and encourage me. That was a real boost. I only answered them during my food breaks I took every hour(after 2 laps).
During one of my breaks Ryan passed me. I couldn’t do anything about that, I needed to stop and eat/rest. At about 12:30ish, the wheels started to come off the bus. Finishing laps was starting to get hard, and I didn’t feel mentally alert. So when I came through at about 1:40 it was time for a food stop. I made a tactical decision. I needed a long break. So, I was going to spend 20 minutes in my car eating and just gathering my senses. I ate a Cliff Bar and downed a Monster energy drink. Traded some texts with JA (more on that later) and my wife. At 2:00 AM my break was over and I headed back out onto the trail. That was all I needed. The next thing I knew it was 3:00 and I was at 19 laps. Ryan was still ahead of me, but not by much.
I chased him for the next 2 hours, but could not catch him. I kept hoping he would crack, but he was STRONG. I came through the start/finish area at 5:05, only 25 minutes until the last lap cut-off. I felt dead and did not want to start another lap. I was not going to catch Ryan, so why ride? Then I found out that 3rd place was only half a lap behind me. I thought, “I can’t ride anymore, if he gets in before 5:30 and does another lap – I can live with 3rd place. Wait a minute, I didn’t chase Ryan all night just to get third place.” So I headed out on lap 24. I came back around with 50 seconds to spare, I could have actually done a 25th lap. However, Ryan was un-catchable and 2nd place was locked up. WOW, I had not intentions of doing that many laps nor did I expect to get second.
I have to say, the support I got from my wife was huge. She was really excited for me when I decided to do the 12 hour event. She wanted to do anything she could to help. My dad was really amazing. There he was at my first few pit stops with everything I asked for. My fellow Goatheads were (as always) great. First there was A.B. making me laugh with a great FB comment. Lumpy gave me some nice encouragement through his texts. J.A., it was great to get back to the car every hour after mid-night and see you encouragement.
Sorry for this marathon of a post. Saturday went-off better than I could have predicted or imagined.