Pinch Me,

I must be dreaming! We just got back from what was probably one of the most fun weekends that I have had. Ever. More miles of technical single track than my bike has ever had the pleasure of shredding and I would like to say fewer crashes than I have ever had on the jet ski at the lake, but that would just be an outright lie...

Friday started out in Sierra City, looking up at the daunting 5 mile climb that starts the Downieville XC race. Brett and I headed up the climb and I instantly remembered why this race can beat you down. Heat, Steep, and loose. The climb is a challenge. Whenever I felt like it was tough, I just thought that Ross Schnell and Mark Weir pedal 6" bikes up this hill with speed I normally reserve for flat sections...Fortunately, we met up with Bri and her dad as well as our dad at Parker Saddle for the FUN PART! The next 17 miles were met with smiles, skids, and more than enough near scares (and perhaps even a few crashes) to last for a long time. Bri and Brett handled it all in stride. The "dads" both thought it was the most technical riding they have ever done. Other than the aforementioned scratches, everyone made it through unscathed and stoked at completing the infamous ride!

Saturday was the 4th and the Spiersch household was headed for their "Second Home" - Pyramid Lake, which is a huge oasis of water, beach front and aquatic fun north of Reno lying in an unsuspecting desert valley. Boats, knee boarding, and jet ski's were on the menu and they did not disappoint! Bri was on the knee board doing all sorts of tricks and helping everyone else to have fun behind the boat.

While Bri literally takes like a fish to water, I am more of a dry-lander. While she was on the lake I sat on the beach...a silent showdown occurring before me and my arch Nemesis - 'ol Mister Jet Ski...floating in the water innocent, taunting me with it's "right side up" floating capabilities, nearly speaking to me "Brian, you can ride me. You can trust me. I won't fling you off like a wild rodeo bull. Trust me..."

Sucker that I am, I took the bait. In an instant I was screaming across the lake fighting for balance and realizing the torment I put my poor dad through the day before in the steep, off camber rock infested trails of Downieville! As I fought for control, I found myself in a familiar place...crashing... with arms and legs flailing as I sprinted for the finish line, rolled up the windows, and kart wheeled through the air in one NON-fluid, spastic motion! SPLASH! "$@***!!! Jet Ski!!! Liar Liar Liar! I should have never listened to you!" Unfortunately, I was too far out into the lake to avoid my foe, for I needed his help to make it back to shore. Like your annoying co-dependent friend that always ends up back in the arms of "that loser boyfriend" I was once again up on Mr. Ski...and once again crashing to my doom. It carried on like this for quite a while because believe it or not, I actually loved every minute of it and can't wait to go back and crash some more! I know, us "co-dependents" have issues...

Sunday capped off the perfect weekend with me, Bri, her dad and friend Matt heading out to the storied "Hole in the Ground" trail and it couldn't have been more fun! Easily, one of the coolest rides I have EVER had the pleasure of completing and despite being somewhat hard to follow, I suggest if you ever have the opportunity to ride it, take advantage and do so! There is beautiful scenery, more rocks, twists, turns, and fun than any trail I can think of. Incredible!

More specifics to follow on this ride later this week. At this point, I'm exhausted and it's time to go dream about the incredible escapades of days gone by...

CCCX Final Recap

Wow, can you believe it's been 3 days since the final CCCX cross country of 2009? Time sure does fly when you are "lost in space" due to the lingering effects of a direct judo chop to the hard terrafirma of Fort Ord with your head...or more specifically your face. I haven't ridden back out to the crash test dummy site yet, but I am pretty sure there is a facsimile of a squirrelly looking dude's face that strangely resembles my own firmly planted on the dirt surface...That being the case and knowing ahead of time that I am "going by memory" (which Bri has pointed out several times this week to be shaky at best) please forgive any errors, inconsistencies or omissions as I am still not operating on all cylinders yet...you are right, I NEVER really was, but now it's even worse.

As usual Bri got things off to a roaring start in the morning race. From the line she pretty much pedaled to the front of the pack and had the rest of the girls against the ropes. A few of the Jr. girls managed to keep in contact for the first lap, but in the end she was able to ride away to another decisive victory. I overheard some of the girls at the podium "It's like she is a train! She just keeps going THAT speed!" ha! Of course the win clinched the first "title" of the day for the "Worlds Best Beginner" :)

Next up was the afternoon sport race and with it, the "Single Bottle Brigade" composed of Steve Kelley and Brett Butler were out on the course. I go through more water on the FIRST LAP than these two guys put down in a full race...combined! Oh well, looks like it might be a secret to their success as they both finished the series out on the Podium with solid 3rd place finishes. Brett even finished 5th in his race...one of his best finishes! Also up in the afternoon race was Bill Clevenger who had to fight tooth and nail for his positions in what was a very 45-55 class, but he managed to hang tough and gut out a podium finish in the series as well. Nice job Bill!

As we headed into the afternoon's main expert event it should be noted that James had been on hand pretty much all day and despite not being able to race due to work obligations, he was long on helping everyone along...especially with encouraging words, my personal favorite along the lines of..."Come on! You can pedal harder than that! Heck my daughter could pedal harder than that!"

The afternoon race got under way with the addition of a "BONUS" lap...wooo hoooo, now that's what a cheap bastard like me is talking about! On a dollar per lap fun factor, I just went from $7 bucks a lap to $6...yeah baby, now we can afford to buy that new yacht and sail the globe! Or maybe it just meant a tad bit more pain and suffering. Either way, the event ended up being one of the longer of the series and provided ample opportunity to see what everyone had you could have a short coming and still make up time.

And speaking of what everyone had, it looked like John Pattullo was on a mission! He went by me so fast that I thought the prologue to the Tour de France had started early and in Fort Ord!Man! I tried to get on his wheel, but quickly realized that capacity of riding was beyond my abilities for the day. Apparently, it was beyond everyone else's, too as it looks like he set the fastest time of the day aboard his "big wheels keep on turnin" 29er.

In the end, Joselyn's collected 5 more podium finishes with Shelly doing great in the races she completed to earn a 2nd place finish in the Women's class and a pretty domineering showing in the 35+ class with Alex on top, flanked by Mark in 2nd place. Those guys were battling for top spot all year long!

After focusing on the series, Greg was rewarded as the Top Pro finisher and got the "top step" monkey off his back after a few years of being denied. Way to do it though...in the Pro class and all!

As for myself, I managed to gather just enough wits and composure about myself to realize after my crash that I HAD TO WIN in order to keep this train going since I missed too many other events. Not sure exactly how that happened, but I managed to put in another decent ride and end up finishing Top 'o the Box as well.

Just counting end of year podiums, it could be said that Joselyn's certainly dominated the series, but there is also the efforts of several other riders who were out there working on themselves race in and race out. Travis stepped up to the expert class and found out that he is tough enough to hang with them. I am confident he could have done great in the Sport class, but he was up for the challenge and he took it to them every race. Nathan also kept his head down and consistently rode his own race...often times sprinting off ahead of the pack on the start!

In the end, that which doesn't kill you only serves to make you stronger...or some philosophical mumbo jumbo like that. And for those of you that didn't get your fill...never fear, there are still plenty of GREAT RACES left to test yourself at this year! See you out there, ready for the next test!

Ramblings and Thoughts...

Wow, what a busy week in the world of real estate! I think I've experienced more work-related emotional "highs" and "lows" this week, than the course profile for a gnarly "beyond category" TdF Mountain Stage! Fortunately, at the end of the day, my pedals are waiting, ready to purge my angst and refuel my mind with the things that really are important in life...namely, good times with your friends and family and maybe, just maybe a good bit of lactic acid burn in your legs to remind yourself that you really are ALIVE!

Other than that, I finally got my Giant back together and I've got to say that if you need some high quality replacement bearings or seals for your rig, then you need to contact the guys at Enduro Bearing/ Seal. They have great products that will make your bike work better! Bearings for the squeaks, seals for the leaks, and ceramic bearings for the peaks! Or some other lame rhyming phrase of parts and benefits...regardless of my stupidity, GOOD STUFF!

Other juicy tid bits include...

Riding with Nathan! If you haven't ridden with Nathan before and you need a great riding partner for the day, definitely invite the guy on a ride. We took him to Santa Cruz last weekend and he shredded the place! Great trail pace, good skills and no whining! With he and Aaron, I think we pretty much hit all the good stuff...and made it look goooood!...well at least Aaron did!

Last CCCX race is this weekend and if you want to be counted, best to show up! I am hoping for the BEST COURSE OF THE YEAR! My logic is that if you leave everyone with a "great" last round, they will comeback for more! So, here's to hoping for a mostly downhill and dangerous course! ha! I know, I have issues....

Remember, RIDE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT!

Ok, better get back to the business that pays the bills...See you all Sunday!

First Road Race!

Once a month Laguna Seca Raceway has been opening up the track to the true fury of racing speed, grace, and beauty -- PEDAL BIKES! While I was out suffering away on my mountain bike, Bri and Shelly cruised over to take a looksie and check out the action.

After flopping down their $10 bucks, they were not only allowed to ride the track, but by-golly they were legitimate "racers" and would be vying for all of the fame, money and notoriety that go hand in hand with racing at Laguna Seca!

Turns out the racing goes for 7 laps, which is about 6 more laps than anyone really wants to do when you have to climb up to the top of the cork-screw over and over and over again! Bri thought she would make 3 laps, but after hooking up with Henrietta she found a "battle buddy" and the two of them fought tooth and nail (err, rode nicely together?) not even realizing the laps were winding down until they realized it was the last corner!

Apparently, Henrietta had been reading our blog and came up with a "translation" (see below a few posts) of her own that went like this:
Words: "Bri, I'm too tired, I'm just going to ride up the hill to the finish"

To which Bri took as fuel to begin sprinting towards the finish line not realizing her secret decoder ring had failed to break the message that ACTUALLY MEANS:

DECODE: "Bri, it's been fun riding with you, but now I am going to play weak for a split second to get in your draft and then attack you to the death before laying down a sprint that will produce wattage numbers that even PG&E would be proud of as I pummel you into the unsuspecting pavement!" Basically, this translates loosely into just short of "Die!"

To Bri's credit she did end up putting in 7 laps around a very challenging course and in the process beat most of the other girls in what turned out to be her first road race. Not only that, but she managed to stave off the attack of her "bestie" (aka: Shelly "The Mountain Bike Climb Killer" Monroe) and keep from getting lapped.

Apparently, Bri and Shelly were going to ride "together"...again translation: "as soon as the flag drops, it's each female dog for themselves!" Shelly was gone passing all of the guys and Bri was determined to put in her best effort to stay with her. In the end Shelly smoked most of the field and Bri ended up finishing on the same lap. All's well that ends well. And this just ended.

Podium Girls!

This sucks...

Wow, I'll bet our 3 faithful readers are tired of reading about squirrel guts! Sorry guys, we actually were fortunate enough to sell 2 houses, so it's been quite busy coordinating all of the escrow work and getting to a successful closing, but so far 1 down and 1 to go, so things are looking up!

Other than that, let's see how many random topics I can cover in the next 90 seconds of typing before I have to leave to show property...

Looks like our favorite Pro Girl Krista (see the link over on the right side) put in another solid ride at the Teva games. Nice! If you haven't checked out her blog, you should do so.

I was pretty pumped to see Max Plaxton win the ProXCT race last weekend. Not because I am a huge fan of Max (don't really know the guy) BUT, I AM A FAN of BAD ASS RACING! And it sounds to me like the "canadian pass" (I call those lines the "A LINE!") he put on JHK is the type of stuff that get's a redneck dirt bike racer all hot and bothered! Imagine a mountain bike race won by SKILL!!!??? Holy crap, who would have guessed...

Not only that but our own local(?) Aaron Bradford made the trek out to Colorado and in a pack of 100ish Pro riders he put in a solid 30th place finish. Wow. That is just ANOTHER top finish for Aaron at the big races. That's just plain cool.

On the local note, me, Bri and Shelly made it up to Reno for some fun MTB riding at a little bit of elevation over the weekend and we were fortunate enough to find a sweet new EPIC ride loop! The 3 hour ride started in rain, got into mud so thick that it stopped our tires from turning (I NEVER thought that was possible, even though I had heard about it. Believe me, IT IS!) and just when the sun was brightest and the views were most scenic I stuck a 4" nail through my tire! The best part is that was only the beginning of the fun! As we pedaled past minute 161 the skies let loose with a torrent of rain and hail like NOTHING I HAVE EVER SEEN!

We are talking SOAKED TO THE BONE and FROZEN colder than Nancy Pelosi's heart! INSTANTLY! It was SO COLD! Fortunately, the ride home turned out to be uphill...I've never been so happy to pedal uphill to build some core temperature! We made it home still shaking and shivering from being cold and it took about 30m of hot, steaming shower before feeling normal again. Ahhhh, good times can always be counted on as long as you have your mountain bike!

Thursday Funnies...

Since most of you have been around for longer than me, I am sure you have seen this, but even so I'll bet it still brings a smile to your face...

Cyclists are the biggest sandbaggers and secret trainers around. They'll say anything to soften you up for the kill. Don't let this happen to you. Study this handy rider's phrasebook to find out what they really mean when they say:

"I'm out of shape" Translation: I ride 400 miles a week and haven't missed a day since the Ford administration. I replace my 11-tooth cog more often than you wash your shorts. My body fat percentage is lower than your mortgage rate.

"I'm not into competition. I'm just riding to stay in shape" Translation: I will attack until you collapse in the gutter, babbling and whimpering. I will win the line sprint if I have to force you into oncoming traffic. I will crest this hill first if I have to grab your seat post, and spray energy drink in your eyes.

"I'm on my beater bike" Translation: I had this baby custom-made in Tuscany using Carbon Fiber blessed by the Pope. I took it to a wind tunnel and it disappeared. It weighs less than a fart and costs more than a divorce.

"It's not that hilly" Translation: This climb lasts longer than a presidential campaign. Be careful on the steep sections or you'll fall over -- backward. You only have a 39x23 low gear? Here's the name of my knee surgeon.

"You're doing great, honey" Translation: Yo, lard ass, I'd like to get home before midnight. This is what you get for spending the winter decorating and eating chocolate. I shoulda married that cute Cat 1 racer when I had the chance.

"This is a no-drop ride" Translation: I'll need an article of your clothing for the search-and-rescue dogs.

"It's not that far" Translation: Bring your passport.

and lastly...

"Um, no boss, this is actually a trade website directly related to our profession...I would NEVER surf the Internet on company time." Translation: "Great, I can't believe I take the time to glimpse at this lame blog and get caught by 1 of my 7 bosses. I know Lumberg is going to make me work on Sunday for this..."

Race Recap...Sort Of...

Man, so many races, so many lame reports! How about this, a quickie wrap up using a bunch of pictures from the previous race and some random comments...

First off, Nathan was inquiring about the string of recently adequate finishes that I have managed to put up on the board. Well, the reason for that is SIMPLE! I cannot or course reveal the exact secret with pictures just yet, but why everyone isn't running gaudy, lame, "hook-em-horns" on the end of their bars is beyond me. No bonus points for the trick, zippy carbon ones either. We are talking old school elephant ears hangin' off your bars are the KEY!

In the morning race, Bri and Rainey went to battle and were neck and neck the whole way. The most interesting note I found was that their times were fast enough to place about 20th overall...out of 80 morning racers. Wow, that's pretty strong girls! Emily also showed her usual determination, pedaling to victory despite another kiss with the ground. Good job girl!

Sexy man Travis had some bizarre luck and unfortunately had to push back to the pits. If I know anything about Travis though, he was probably thinking "at least I will be REALLY fresh for an EPIC COE ride tomorrow!"

Brett put in a solid finish in the afternoon race with a 5th. Steve Kelley not only rode to another top finish, but as usual was a presence all day long and very helpful in lending a supportive hand to the cause with moral support, bottle toss, and tools for me when I needed them!

Awesome picture of "Wild William Clevenger!" Oh man, I would had to line up next to him, he looks like he would just as soon chew your legs off with his teeth! Instead he usually chooses to do so with his riding, leaving most of the class in his wake on way to another top finish as well...only a few seconds out of 3rd, nice!

Other than that, I think Joselyn's got a ton more podiums in the Pro class with Greg, 35+ with Alex (the dominator!) and Mark (can we please have more pavement), me in the 34- class and Jeff Linder brought it home despite being taken out, hitting the dirt, and completing an EPIC road ride that I could never even comprehend only a few days prior! Wow, we really have some talented riders here in little 'ol Monterey...

Only 2 more rounds to go! Don't miss the finals!