MORE STOTTLEMEYER 30 60

Area man is scrambling to meet his June 1 book deadline so here's the quick and dirty on the Stottlemeyer 30, which the Titanium Cowboys tackled on Saturday. (First up, thanks to Yumay Chang for all the great pics.)

Photo proof (not Photoshopped or anything) that I at one time was actually ahead of Titanium Cancellara and John Clark in a race. Granted, this is about 100 yards into it but I'll take what I can get.

A super day both weatherwise and race wise. The course (for us 30ers) was two 15-mile laps through lots of tight, twisty (in parts, muddy) trails, some fast crazy-fun flowy sections and some dirt road bits too. Not big long climbs or anything (nothing Tower Road or Fragrance Lake Road-esque) but certainly challenging in its own way.  

Mild-mannered Scott Young before he turns into ...

Scott and I opted for Single-Speed of which he won and I was 4th. Way to go, Scott! (I think 4th place earns me a naugehyde medal. Or is it pleather?) Johnny Boy Clark rode geared and, sporting a sleek new sexy carbon Niner fork, took 3rd in the Masters division. Quite nice. Our times were something like 2:50 and 2:53 for John and Scott respectively, mine was 3:07.

... Titanium Cancellara with a bit of Jens Voigt's "Shut up, legs!" mindset.

I enjoyed the most cringe-worthy moment of the day when with about 100 yards to the finish , I commenced an all-out uphill sprint to catch the rider just ahead of me. I believe I caught him, but it was all for naught as, in my blind-rage sprinting fury I had no idea where the actual finish line was. Seeing an arrow pointing straight ahead, I followed it back into the woods as if I was about to start another lap. When I caught my error, I skidded to an ugly stop and, now crazily out of control, somehow ended up on my airse in the bushes, embarrased and exhausted, a rather interesting combo. Feeling rather foolish as I sat there, I finally spotted the finish line and watched as three four riders (who, unlike me, weren't sprinting jackasses) crossed it ahead of me. I think I finished 23rd but would've been top 20 had I not sprinted.


The beginning of a very fun, if painful 3 hours.

Truth be told, I learned nothing. I'd sprint again in a second. Though perhaps with an eye out for the finish line next time.

STOTTLEMEYER 30/60 PHOTOS

Words to follow.

Start of the 60-mile race.

A mile in and I've already got a glob of mud on my helmet cam.

Clowns on the ferry.

Moments before the start of the 30-mile race.

And there goes Clark!

The fun flowy part of the course. (Note smudge on camera lens where mud glob used to be.)

Titanium Cowboys.

Titanium Clowns.



LOGGING AFTER EFFECTS ON CEDAR DUST; MORE EASTERN WASHINGTON

 

Today was my first ride on Cedar Dust since all the logging they've done up there. Even though the trail is intact and still ridable it just feels like a completely different place. The familiar has been made unfamiliar which is a good thing, if you're say, writing a story or a song or something, but a bit disorienting otherwise. Below, Titanium Cancellara at the ladder bridge section.  

 

Below, Johnny Boy Clark at the bottom of El Polo Elastico (Rubber Chicken). Bits of the Mullet were thinned out as well.

 Spent a lot of the past week in Eastern Washington collecting routes for my Classic Road Rides book which comes out next year. Please enjoy some pics:

The Palouse. Like giant wheat covered moguls. 

Highway 2. Flat. Straight. And windy.

Mount Spokane. A very cool climb.

Outside Walla Walla. Beautiful smooth rounded hills and very few cars.

They've got fast cows over there near Oroville.

AREA MAN WEARS HELMET CAM ON DONUT RIDE TO BIRCH BAY

Rusty Dodge laughs at the prospect of myclimbing efforts on the upcoming Vista Drive hill.

Farmland outside Fernburg.

The Vista Drive rotary. I believe that is Ironman age group world champion Kelly Molaski in blue on the right.

Leaving B'ham on the way to Ferndale, Birch Bay, Red River Rd., etc. Lots of Fanatik dudes on the Donut Ride.

The streets of Ferndale.

Fun ride despite the rain. Forty-something miles. Day before was the first true epic mountain bike ride with the Titanium Cowboys in ages. Both Chuckanut and Galbraith mountains--38 miles with 4,600 feet of climbing, more than 4-1/2 hours of ride time. Terrifically fun, dirty and muddy. As all of life should be, really.