Let me explain

Soon = geologically soon.

Thesis prevents life
Reap rewards once completed.
Always revising.

Kids with Lava

More info soon...

Real Winter

So this is real winter.  This is the winter I remember from my (not so long ago) childhood.  Snow.  Enough to make you cry because its so damn cold and the solar reflection off the snow is so bright (increase your albedo much?)  For me, I have enjoyed it very much. Last Saturday making fresh tracks in fresh powder with Ms. Geologist.  Our "going out for a little walk in the snow" turned into "pushing through knee deep fluff until it feels like I've been riding my bike for 6 hours."  It was super fun.  I just wish I had a pair of snowshoes or XC skis to enjoy what is surely some amazing scenery in the Michaux.  Man I wish I could get there now.

Letort Trail, Carlisle, PA

Letort Spring Run under snow

The unfortunate thing about all this amazing snow is that Michaux will be closed for mountain biking for another week or two and that's assuming we don't get any more snow.  I half hope that we don't, but man do I love the white stuff.  I really don't know why though.  I don't really ski, and snow stops me from doing my favorite activity in the world.  I guess its just the aspiration to go XC skiing or snowshoeing.

So with mountain biking out of the question for a while, the road bike came back out.  Well actually my cross bike with road gearing and slick tires.  Much more fun with my newly warrantied SRAM Rival right shifter, which is now a SRAM Red right shifter (super slick...).  I need to get a match for next year's cross season.  I've done a few rides on it so far, on Tuesday afternoon in the beginning of the second snowstorm.  Then Thursday I went out with borrowed Power Tap and did a 20 min max power test, so I have power.  Woot.

Now I just start riding more, and training too.  And doing my school work... not much time for my research anymore.  Just a few weeks until I present my poster at the NE/SE Joint Section Meeting of the Geological Society of America.  Enjoy your snow while it's still here...

Deep Freeze Pleeze

My last few rides have been muddy.  Something close to Granogue muddy, but not as wet.  It's not that I terribly mind, I was just hoping for some winter to drop by again.  I had a brilliant half-week of riding last week in the frozen goodness around my house, then, just as I started driving further and riding with people again the temperature kicked up and things melted.  Marsh Creek last friday with my new teammate Dan Stein was a slick mess.  Slick but good.  Marsh Creek today was just a mess.  I was hoping for more frozen goodness last Saturday for the first annual (maybe) "Fast Forward Racing and Friends tackle French Creek while Dodging Trail Runners and Hunters" Ride.  It was fun, but a bit wet and muddy (see Kmil and Z for vids).  French Creek yesterday was mushy.  I'm not unhappy, but I want that oh-so-good deep freeze that makes trails awesome again.  Maybe Michaux will deliver it...

Back to School tomorrow for my last semester!

2010... The Year of the Tiger

On December 25, 2010, my grandfather will have been officially alive for a century.  That's a long time.  I hope that I can live as long, and be as active and on-top-of-it as him.

2009 was a great year.  We all know that.  I think that 2009 was one of the best years so far for a lot of people.  I know it was for me.  Second in the MASS Endurance Series, Second at 7 Springs, a bunch of good 'cross races, racing and riding in Colorado, not sucking while racing and riding in Colorado, getting to ride and race with a great bunch of kids and adults.  Thanks to all the people who I have bumped into, who have influenced me, who have shaped and molded my riding style and my life.  All are you are amazing, and worthy of boat loads of praise.  There's not much more I can say about it.  And there's no pictures to show because I accidentally deleted all the pictures from my computer (n00b mistake).

So on to 2010...

My first big deal will be the Transylvania Mountain Bike Epic, if I can raise the funds to go.  Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.  I will be setting up some sort of official fund raising soon.  Then, since I'm graduating college this spring and getting a job and moving somewhere near that job and probably won't have any vacation time to spend 3 weeks in Colorado, I'm going to be chillin around here and hitting up the MASS series.  It should be a fun year, probably better than 2010.

So far this year, I've frozen my ears off in Vestal, NY riding through 15 deg temps with light snow, and enjoyed some amazing ride in the West Chester, PA area, most of which have ventured into darkness thanks to the Lupine Tesla 4 my parents got me for Christmas.  Thank you parents.  Did one amazing ride today.  Saw an opossum frozen on a tree.  The older dude standing there when I rolled up said that they pass out when they get nervous.  Who knew.  Saw a sunset over a river.  That's all she wrote...

Anyone in the West Chester area may feel free to hit me up for rides in the next two weeks while I'm still here...

Living with rocks

So I'm pretty much done racing now.  I've got the Rockville Bridge Cross (pre-reg is over... just come and day of reg it), and then I'm done.  Well, actually I'm pretty much done now.  I've basically stopped riding for a while now.  It's time for a break.  It's been a long season.  Right now I'm in the lab, and will be for a very long time.

Home

Samples here drying here...

Samples polishing here

You know.  The normal stuff.  I'm actually looking forward to the race this weekend.  Zach puts on solid events, so everyone should come.  A plethora of food will be provided by my parents, and funds from it will go towards kits for the Fast Forward Racing team for 2010.  So if you've been on the fence about calling it a day on you 2009 racing season, just bite the bullet and come.  The course looks sick and it's for a good cause in the end.

Oh, and also you should spread the word about the 2010 Mid Atlantic Cycling Development Camp.  It's the best.  Sign up.  Throw down.

Driving Home Into the Sunset

I think I had some profound wisdom to lay down regarding this picture, but I can't remember now.  Something about how this picture is like my 2009 racing season; coming to an end.  That was probably it.  It just struck me that I'm always driving into the sunset when I come home from 'cross races.

Anyways... went home last Tuesday for Turkey Day break.  I ate a bit of turkey and a lot of everything else.  I indulged my irrational love of pie.  Then I did some racing...

First up was the PA state cross champs.  I was gunning for this race, and I didn't get quite the result I wanted, but I think it was a good race regardless.  I got the holeshot.  Then what felt like the entire field blew by me once we got onto the grass.  Oops.  Too much.  Took me a lap to recover.  I guess I picked off a few guys, but it was a pretty fast race.  I never regained contact with the group of ten that was off the front (ten?) for the whole race, but I won a tight sprint for 12th.  I pulled the guy around the course on the last lap, then won the spring by the the depth of his deep section carbon wheels.  That makes two (or is it three?) sprints that I have won this year, but this one was by far the hardest.  I almost threw up when I crossed the finish line.  That makes me very happy (not the almost throwing up part, sort of).  After my race, I chilled around and got to watch Bad Andy's commanding win of the elite race, for the fourth time in a row.  Good on him, that was a pretty fast field.  LVG's performance in the women's race was pretty spectacular as well, as was Erica's.  LVG is becoming quite a crosser, and Erica shows skill only learned through years of practice.  Very impressive.  PA is such an awesome place for cycling...

Bang... but too hard

This is the race where I learned to remount my bike properly

Not the sprint, but close

Sunday kept me close to home.  The race was Phelps School Cross.  Total travel time to the race: 10 min, and I took the back way.  Total travel time from the race: 30 min, I rode back home the longish way.  This race looked, at first glance, to be a grassy time trial.  Sucks for me.  I am many things, but time trialist I am not.  The start was a wide downhill straight dropping you into a sharp off camber left hander after about 500 m.  No holeshot was planned for today.  I tucked into the pack as quickly as I could.  But, Gunnar decided it was a good idea to crash into, and subsequently break in half, the stake at the first corner, bringing me to a complete stop.  Bah humbug.  Gunnar went on to win the race.  Go kid.

So I was still somewhat attached to the group.  On one of the steep off camber uphill 180s, I think someone rubbed my rear tire.  From then on it felt like it was about to roll off.  I changed it the next time I saw the pit.  Exited the pit in second to last place.  Goody.  Chase time.  So I chased.  Eventually, by the last lap I caught onto a groupetto which contained Kyle.  I latched on.  There were three.  I overtook them at the barriers, shot right up the middle of the two of them.  We caught one more.  I led into the back straightaway and pushed the pace as hard as I could.  I couldn't shake anybody.  I decided to play it smart and I dropped back to second wheel in the corners after the flat section.  The plan: suck wheel for the short road climb to recover, then drop the hammer hard on the steep dirt climb that brings you back up to the same elevation as the finish. The plan worked very well.  I dropped the groupetto and made the run into the finish alone.  The finish was the whole reason for my plan.  I was sure of my ability to sprint on an uphill, but a long flat sprint on grass?  Don't know about that.  Especially with two roadie looking guys in the group.  The plan worked well enough that I got to sit up before the finish.  Finished in time to watch Kyle grab the second spot in the sprint.  He looked solid, and was only about a bike length off of the guy who won the sprint.  He is becoming quite the rider and it makes me happy.  So 10th on the day.  I suppose not that bad.

It's good to get friends into racing... in the green is the teacher from Westtown I worked bike camps with this past summer.

Sneaking up the middle

Groupetto, although not the traditional group of sprinters

This is one of my wrestling coaches from high school.  He came to watch today since the race was so close.  It was very nice to see him.