IGVENTURE

[pooriggy]

This wknd was race free, after 3 wknds in a row of running a number I felt the need to pull back a bit and pace myself. Rob @RNG1 wanted me to do Hop Brook up in Connecticut but it's too early in the season to be going that apeshit with racing.

To prepare for racing, I officially started training last week, it's the time of year when I take out the road bike and ride with a specific purpose. Tuesday I did 3x5s, looking to keep power as high as I can for 5 minutes. Doing only 3 is a good intro, gradually working up to 5x5 is the goal, one of the things I've learned is that I make the most gains with gradual ramp ups, without digging myself so deep in a hole that I can't get out of. Wednesday was 2 hrs on the road of aerobic pace, basically not killing myself, followed by Thursday night ride with the guys where I do kill myself. Friday is off, Saturday 2x10 microskirts followed by aerobic pace to round out the road work to 2+hrs. Sunday funday with the team riding the Ringwood race course.

At 12 miles the Ringwood course seems short but I'm not complaining after we did 26 miles at Mayhem...if you avg the mileage of the two races it comes out to 19 miles/race, which sounds about right. Maybe they should make anyone who didn't race Mayhem do a longer course at Ringwood?

One piece of information that I did find useful last week in Dajerseyrat implosion was when @Mitch chimed in about running carbon wheels on a rigid bike. He pointed out that running carbon wheels on his bike was too harsh and he had to switch back to aluminum wheels to allow for some flex to soften the ride. I found this to be true for myself as well, on rocks anyway, trails without much rocks I like running carbon wheels on my rigid bike however places like Chimney Rock and Ringwood make for too harsh a ride using carbon on a rigid SS.

Despite getting my Stans Crest CB7 carbons last year, this past week was the 1st time I've run them in rocks, me no likey. They are great at places without much rocks and I really like the stiffness and precision with which they handle. Stans has been awesome with me as well, they've warrantied my rear carbon 2x in less then a year when I cracked the rear rim as a result of not running enough tire pressure and launching off of stuff at Hartshorne. At this point I've learned not to launch carbon and if you do make sure you have plenty of air. Also if you need to run lower air pressure for better traction and to reduce ping ponging on rocks, run aluminum wheels they flex, carbon wheels don't. Thank you Utah and Stans, I'm learning.

Everything is greening up, all of it.

 

[Mitch]

One piece of information that I did find useful last week in Dajerseyrat implosion was when @Mitch chimed in about running carbon wheels on a rigid bike. He pointed out that running carbon wheels on his bike was too harsh and he had to switch back to aluminum wheels to allow for some flex to soften the ride. I found this to be true for myself as well, on rocks anyway, trails without much rocks I like running carbon wheels on my rigid bike however places like Chimney Rock and Ringwood make for too harsh a ride using carbon on

Just to clarify this Iggy, my point was that running Carbon Wheels on a Carbon Enve Fork on Pivot Carbon Frame was just to much Carbon and too stiff.
I do enjoy my Bravo Carbon wheels on the Titanium Rigid Salsa which a 3.0 tire upfront for some suspension.
Good luck with you racin this season. 3x5 2x10, is that wood?

 

[pooriggy]

This racing season has been going well. I started with the H2H Series, March Mayhem followed by MTBNJ Short Track race at the end of March then back to H2H with Ringwood Rumble, Mooch Madness, Stewart and Ramseys Revenge yesterday which is a MASS series race.

The first two races were training races, as I did no hard prep work on a bike to get ready for the 2019 race season. Doing interval work on my road bike is something I used to do in March to get ready for the season but with snow being available then, I'd rather xc ski upstate.

This is the 2nd year I'm racing my SS in the H2H Cat 1 45+ class. I have to admit last year was more exciting, since I hadn't raced my age cat in awhile and I was not sure how things would go racing SS in a geared class. As it turned out last year was my best year of racing with some very memorable races, beating people who had always bested me before. While I'm a still a strong contender this year, the allure and spark feels a bit faded from last year, I won the H2H Cat 1 and state championship, it's tough to top what I did last year. I am enjoying the races this year but it just feels different.

My crowning moment from last year, I'm going to tattoo this pic on my arm and get real likes.

Ramseys Revenge

Yesterday me and Brian went to Delaware to race Ramseys Revenge. This is one of the more well attended MASS races, 370 pre-reg plus day of put this event at well over 400 people. I raced here last year and found it to be the hardest race I've ever done, however they changed the course this year and took out the 10 minutes of farm field edges at the start of the laps, which made it feel like a cx race, doing so made for less of a power course and kept cat 1 race times closer to 1.5 hrs...which seems to be the sweet spot.

Since there is still a viable SS class in MASS, I lined up with 7 SSers, not knowing them I wasn't sure what to expect, which is somewhat refreshing from H2H. The course ran in reverse of last year, which meant a climb to the single track. I sat in 2nd drafting the wheel in front of me with everyone else singled up behind me, there was a strong head wind. As we approached the ST the guy behind me jumped to my left and put in a dig to get in front, I countered and found myself in the middle riding 3 abreast and pushing off with forearms and elbows. There was some shouting and realized it's best to back off, there is a lot of racing in front of us.

I got into the single track in 2nd and we quickly encountered the 30 yr old class that went off in front of us. We got around them and I made a move around the 1st place guy, he was letting up on the flats, while I still had gas. Half way through the lap the guy who was in 3rd came around me and I could not stick to his wheel.

Since they eliminated the field edges, the first lap came around quicker then I remember from last year, which I was happy about. As we approached the start finish, I could see I had a comfortable lead in 2nd and felt good at the start of climb for lap two. This course had a mix of everything, flats, climbs, downhill, rock tech, it seemed so much different from last year.

Halfway through lap 2 my right pedal felt a bit wonky, then boom, it came off the spindle. I stopped and slid it back on but it didn't stay. As I was trying to kick the pedal off my cleat, the 3rd and 4th place guys came around me. Finally I got my pedal off and shoved it in my back pocket and clipped in with my left and gingerly rode the spindle with my right foot. Riding a spindle sucks, the image of this thing spearing me kept me from going too apeshit on it.

To my surprise I caught back up to 2nd by the start of lap 3 and went back and forth with the guy behind me depending on where we were on the course. I could put in digs on the flats but uphill, tech and downhill with one pedal and a spindle was not my strong point. Before the rocky tech section I dropped my chain and could not get it back on, which seems to be how the day was going. After several minutes I got it back on but practically the whole SS class passed me...fuck.

At this point I was too discouraged to care much about this race and my only goal was to finish and not kill myself with this spindle.

With that I finished 14 seconds behind 3rd place. I must say as I stayed for the podiums I wished I was up there but after being on the podium for 15 out of my last 20 races, I can't complain. At least Brian did well, he got 3rd in his class.

Glad to see @BrianGT3 on podium, he's put the time in and seems to have the training dialed.

 

[Mitch]

Nice work Squiggy! Fix yo shit!

 

[JDurk]

Good seeing you. Great write up. Did you attempt the heckle pit rock garden with the pedal in that condition?

 

[pooriggy]

Good seeing you. Great write up. Did you attempt the heckle pit rock garden with the pedal in that condition?

Yes, I made the first half then it got stoopid and I ran it. That rock garden was harder this year going slightly up hill.
Overall I liked the course much better this year, perfect length and eliminating the field edges made it more of a mtb race, those power sections were too roadie for me.

 

[JDurk]

Yes, I made the first half then it got stoopid and I ran it. That rock garden was harder this year going slightly up hill.
Overall I liked the course much better this year, perfect length and eliminating the field edges made it more of a mtb race, those power sections were too roadie for me.

Agree on this year's course. In all the years of riding there, even before the race began, don't think I've ever rode any of those trails in that direction.

 

[pooriggy]

My race season is over, I'll do Cathedral Pines in November and jump into some cx races but these are races I don't put in much training for.

The H2H series went well, more or less a repeat of last year, except I could not beat Dave Kahl, which means I finished 2nd overall in Cat1 45+. Win or lose, the competition is good, I've been racing against the same guys for many years, we know each other and line up with mutual admiration but do our best to out do each other.

Aside from the H2H, I did some Mass Series races, Ramseys Revenge and Summer Sizzler. I had mechanical issues at Ramseys (pedal broke) but the Sizzler was exciting battling with Tony Fontana for the top step. We know each other well, racing together for 4 laps was fun, thank God he showed up, doing 4 laps of that bland course out front solo would have been uneventful. He ended up beating me by 30 seconds but I like Tony, I wanted the win but if I'm gonna lose I'd rather see someone I know and like win.

Some notable moments were the first race of the season at March Mayhem, my finish was mediocre but I never raced there and it was a kick in the ass for the start of race efforts. Lewis Morris was my peak race, I felt really good but not good enough to beat Kahl. I should mention Stewart, I broke my rib there at the end of lap 1after going otb. It didn't hurt much at the time and I ended up staying out front for the win but damn, a few days later I had a stabbing pain in my side that did not feel better until 4 weeks later.

Now that the season is over I feel relieved and content to enjoy the summer but at the same time I feel somewhat at a loss. While racing and training can be stressful, it also provides me with a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

This time of year I have to re focus, my house needs work and spending more time with Mary and the boys is where I'll be putting attention. It's funny, I bought my house over 20 yrs ago, I was 31 yrs old and eager to fix up my house, I'm now 53 and find myself really not giving a shit about where that water is coming from on the basement floor. I'm finding it takes more effort to care about stuff like this as I get older, at the rate I'm going I'll be that 80yr old eccentric codger on the block with a lawn that's 2' tall and a tarp on the roof.

 

[Riggedfmx]

What a season Iggy! You did a job great summing it up. It’s always fun when you are battling with someone. I look forward to more of your competition in the future! Well done!

 

[JDurk]

doing 4 laps of that bland course out front solo would have been uneventful.

Yes bland, but we work with what we got. What we did have were the most unique and best looking podiums of the series.

Great job this year.

 

[The Kalmyk]

My race season is over, I'll do Cathedral Pines in November and jump into some cx races but these are races I don't put in much training for.

The H2H series went well, more or less a repeat of last year, except I could not beat Dave Kahl, which means I finished 2nd overall in Cat1 45+. Win or lose, the competition is good, I've been racing against the same guys for many years, we know each other and line up with mutual admiration but do our best to out do each other.

Aside from the H2H, I did some Mass Series races, Ramseys Revenge and Summer Sizzler. I had mechanical issues at Ramseys (pedal broke) but the Sizzler was exciting battling with Tony Fontana for the top step. We know each other well, racing together for 4 laps was fun, thank God he showed up, doing 4 laps of that bland course out front solo would have been uneventful. He ended up beating me by 30 seconds but I like Tony, I wanted the win but if I'm gonna lose I'd rather see someone I know and like win.
View attachment 100600

Some notable moments were the first race of the season at March Mayhem, my finish was mediocre but I never raced there and it was a kick in the ass for the start of race efforts. Lewis Morris was my peak race, I felt really good but not good enough to beat Kahl. I should mention Stewart, I broke my rib there at the end of lap 1after going otb. It didn't hurt much at the time and I ended up staying out front for the win but damn, a few days later I had a stabbing pain in my side that did not feel better until 4 weeks later.
View attachment 100601

Now that the season is over I feel relieved and content to enjoy the summer but at the same time I feel somewhat at a loss. While racing and training can be stressful, it also provides me with a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

This time of year I have to re focus, my house needs work and spending more time with Mary and the boys is where I'll be putting attention. It's funny, I bought my house over 20 yrs ago, I was 31 yrs old and eager to fix up my house, I'm now 53 and find myself really not giving a shit about where that water is coming from on the basement floor. I'm finding it takes more effort to care about stuff like this as I get older, at the rate I'm going I'll be that 80yr old eccentric codger on the block with a lawn that's 2' tall and a tarp on the roof.

I’m with you on the homeownership piece. My father in law built his house over thirty years ago and does all the work on his home with the expectation of the new roof (but did the siding a few years back). He tries to influence me to take stuff on.

I’d rather put more focus in selling more amino acids, proteins, probiotics, etc. so I’m can pay someone to do that kinda stuff.

 

[Pearl]

While racing and training can be stressful, it also provides me with a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

I can relate to this, on days I don't ride I feel horrible.

 

[Victor I]

My race season is over, I'll do Cathedral Pines in November and jump into some cx races but these are races I don't put in much training for.

The H2H series went well, more or less a repeat of last year, except I could not beat Dave Kahl, which means I finished 2nd overall in Cat1 45+. Win or lose, the competition is good, I've been racing against the same guys for many years, we know each other and line up with mutual admiration but do our best to out do each other.

Aside from the H2H, I did some Mass Series races, Ramseys Revenge and Summer Sizzler. I had mechanical issues at Ramseys (pedal broke) but the Sizzler was exciting battling with Tony Fontana for the top step. We know each other well, racing together for 4 laps was fun, thank God he showed up, doing 4 laps of that bland course out front solo would have been uneventful. He ended up beating me by 30 seconds but I like Tony, I wanted the win but if I'm gonna lose I'd rather see someone I know and like win.
View attachment 100600

Some notable moments were the first race of the season at March Mayhem, my finish was mediocre but I never raced there and it was a kick in the ass for the start of race efforts. Lewis Morris was my peak race, I felt really good but not good enough to beat Kahl. I should mention Stewart, I broke my rib there at the end of lap 1after going otb. It didn't hurt much at the time and I ended up staying out front for the win but damn, a few days later I had a stabbing pain in my side that did not feel better until 4 weeks later.
View attachment 100601

Now that the season is over I feel relieved and content to enjoy the summer but at the same time I feel somewhat at a loss. While racing and training can be stressful, it also provides me with a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

This time of year I have to re focus, my house needs work and spending more time with Mary and the boys is where I'll be putting attention. It's funny, I bought my house over 20 yrs ago, I was 31 yrs old and eager to fix up my house, I'm now 53 and find myself really not giving a shit about where that water is coming from on the basement floor. I'm finding it takes more effort to care about stuff like this as I get older, at the rate I'm going I'll be that 80yr old eccentric codger on the block with a lawn that's 2' tall and a tarp on the roof.

Fx rib at Stewart and still kicked ass. Gotta love adrenaline. Congrats on a great season.Now get off my lawn. Dam kids.

 

[Magic]

The thing that always sticks out for me about Iggy is he's racing against all these geared heavy hitters on a rigid singlespeed. As always, great job on a great season! Looking forward to seeing you podium at some cross races on the same bike again.

 

[Dave Taylor]

The thing that always sticks out for me about Iggy is he's racing against all these geared heavy hitters on a rigid singlespeed. As always, great job on a great season! Looking forward to seeing you podium at some cross races on the same bike again.

Great job as always @pooriggy ! @Magic , I’d like to add to your comment. Iggy is only racing these guys on a “rigid” ss because he’s a cheap bastard and never fixed the old 100mm fork he had on the ss once it broke. Either way though iggy is a badass.

 

[Mitch]

Yes you are a

 

[ChrisG]

Well done, you old geezer.

 

[pooriggy]

Laconic Photo Phrasing Edition

Summers over, the days are becoming shorter, while there is always time for play, if we choose to, this change of season brings me to reflect.

I made it on the cover of AARP Monthly

My younger son in his element.

Texting break while kayaking with Evan

Older people text less

Grounding my energy to shine.

Coming together is important to me, it's part of my healthy life.

 

[pooriggy]

Lucky CX

This past Saturday was Lucky CX, followed by Bikefest on Sunday, both of which I participated in. Two cycling events, two different kinds of fun.

Racing is a challenge, which I feell the need to do on occasion, it's uneasy at times but satisfying, the intensity can be addictive, elation comes after the race.

I lined up with the 50+ 1/2/3/4, being the only one with a mtb at the start, I was that guy. I used to feel that you had to have a CX bike to race CX, just because it seemed proper but after Utah raced a bunch of races on his Scalpel, it encouraged me to give a shit less about what bike I line up with.

Me at the Start wishing team mate Sean well.

This was my 3rd CX race, I did two last year in mud slop up to my ankles, Saturdays race was a world apart from those races, conditions where dry, which where conducive to racing and not shouldering a bike through a boot camp obstacle course. This is what I'd had hoped CX racing would be, not that I can't handle some mud, rather, I'd like to race my bike and not run with it.

When the start siren went off, I felt no disadvantage being in the back row of 20 something racers, getting to 10th as we headed down the road was fairly easy, I felt held up by the pack around me, but seeing that we were right behind the leaders, I felt no need to jump, so I sat in, picking off riders when I could and moving up slowly. By the end of the lap I found myself in 6thish?, at which point I passed my way into 5th place by the next lap.

Grinding away thx @BrianGT3

Roughly half way through the race I felt myself in no man's land, too slow to latch onto the leaders but fast enough to put a gap on the chase. It wasn't long before the Cat 3 leaders, who started a minute behind us began to catch me. This was now who I raced, I'd try to hold there wheel for awhile, and yet they would slip away from me, like magic.

Having folks cheering you on makes these races more fun, I rode the stairs and barriers, not because it's faster but rather I suck at dismounting and remounting, plus hearing the cheers is awesome.

This guy in front of me had a GoPro, I was wondering how this pic and above shot happened, thx Pat Grehan.

After 47 minutes I landed 5th place, which I was happily surprised about. The short and sweet race was a welcome change from xc mtb races which can grind on to 2hrs or more. CX racing, like mtb racing, seems to have had its peak a few years ago but as a late comer to these events I enjoy the social aspect and the chance to go apeshit.

Bikefest

Sundays fun was more relaxing, taking part in Bikefest was great to see everyone in the mtb community and ride some awesome trails. I lead the 10:30 intermediate ride and Mitch helped me with the sweep. Our group was large but I stayed to fire roads and double track to get up to Pierson's Ridge so that we could enjoy the 15 minute downhill that is the White
Crossover Trail. It's unbelievable the amount of rock work on this downhill, it offers Kingdom like flow for multiple levels of mtbers and the occasional jump line.

@ReggieHammond thx for the great shot!

Once at the bottom we made our way over to lot A to continue on the newer Crossover section, which is more single track flow. The start of this at the old rusty yellow machine is a blast, much air can be had. We continued on this trail to do an out and back, which gave us close to 2hrs of pedaling. If you've never ridden Ringwood, it's something you should check out. Warm Puppy, Skylands to Racecourse are for strong tech riders but the Crossover Trail is a big crowd pleaser for intermediate to advanced riders. Art and Ellen White, working with Jorba volunteers have opened the door at Ringwood for mtbers by making it a more user friendly place.

The fun group, thx for snapping the pic @Santapez that I so anally composed.

 

[serviceguy]

The start of this at the old rusty yellow machine is a blast, much air can be had. We continued on this trail to do an out and back, which gave us close to 2hrs of pedaling. If you've never ridden Ringwood, it's something you should check out. Warm Puppy, Skylands to Racecourse are for strong tech riders but the Crossover Trail is a big crowd pleaser for intermediate to advanced riders. Art and Ellen White, working with Jorba volunteers have opened the door at Ringwood for mtbers by making it a more user friendly place.

So true!