Turbo's Tales

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Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
I’m sure it’s not what you want to hear, but if you need to work on top end, you should really focus on doing cross in the offseason. Don’t worry about the results, just dive into it and train for it. It’s everything you described you want to get better at. The suffering and intensity of cross is impossible to create by yourself or in training.

The future is bright for you.
It is what I want to hear. I loved the racing today! So Fing awesome. There was no "BIG" hurt in cross, just spikes. For me the hurt always comes on climbs. AT Melick's a climb was never more than 300' long. I am still coughing up chunks however. Can you convince my wife that I need a new bike and to do more races once my 3rd is born next may? Thanks big time!
 

jShort

2018 Fantasy Football Toilet Bowl Lead Technician
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Racing that course on a ss mtb isn’t even a real cross experience. Imagine racing with 60 other people instead of 6. That’s when you always have someone to race against and that’s when you find yourself pushing the entire time.

And you could find a used cross bike for <500. Something race worthy too.
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
Racing that course on a ss mtb isn’t even a real cross experience. Imagine racing with 60 other people instead of 6. That’s when you always have someone to race against and that’s when you find yourself pushing the entire time.

And you could find a used cross bike for <500. Something race worthy too.
I'll have to look into this.
 

Pearl

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Everyone said the good stuff, don’t spend big bucks on a cross bike, completely unnecessary. The positive about cross is the whole family could enjoy, making it an easier sell ;)
 

Santapez

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
If you're wondering who was heckling you everytime you went over the barriers, that was I. :)

You looked good out there, except you're a complete disaster on those barriers. Just a *little* bit of practice will go a long way. If you just dismounted 1 second earlier instead of RIGHT AT THE BARRIER you would have picked up a ton of time.

I think @jShort nailed why CX can be fun. If there's enough people out there you're always pushing to catch the guy in front of you and fight off the guy behind you. Once you settle in after the start it's a constant fight to gain a spot whether you're in the top 10 or bottom 10. This is much harder in small fields.

And listen to @pearl about cross bikes. Spending $$ unless you're super competitive is stupid. There's no payback. You can pickup some cheap canti cross bike and enjoy your race season just as well as on a fancy new $$$ cross bike. The season starts and stops so quickly with so few races that it's hard to really justify spending the $$ on a bike that sits in the garage most of the year. Wait until the end of the season and pickup someone's firesale of bike/wheels/spares for cheap.
 

mfennell

Well-Known Member
Ahhh, I still suck at Tatum but I sucked less this year. 5th place at the Monmouth County World Championships(woods Hollow). I convinced my buddy to come out as he is SUPER strong but doesn't race much. He killed the race from the start(well I holeshotted cause that's what I do) to the finish. I think he was like 2-3 minutes up on second. Mike Finnell and Zoli(real strong road guys) got 2nd and 3rd and then my buddy @Riggedfmx got 4th. Happy with the outcome but I need to learn to push harder.
For the record, he was 1:10 up on second. :) Dude is a beast. I saw a guy in a t-shirt take a flier and my mind went straight to "doesn't know what he's doing", especially 'cause his low-rpm style makes it look like he's suffering. I even commented to Taylor: "I don't think t-shirt's gonna do it". He didn't tell me who it was, not that it would have made a difference! The only guys who have ever gone faster on that course are Arias and Anderson, guys with pro MTB licenses.

My time was 1:10 faster than last year's winner. Argh! Sometimes they're just better than you...

And I resent being called a "road guy"! My heart is always in the woods, even if my wheels aren't.
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
For the record, he was 1:10 up on second. :) Dude is a beast. I saw a guy in a t-shirt take a flier and my mind went straight to "doesn't know what he's doing", especially 'cause his low-rpm style makes it look like he's suffering. I even commented to Taylor: "I don't think t-shirt's gonna do it". He didn't tell me who it was, not that it would have made a difference! The only guys who have ever gone faster on that course are Arias and Anderson, guys with pro MTB licenses.

My time was 1:10 faster than last year's winner. Argh! Sometimes they're just better than you...

And I resent being called a "road guy"! My heart is always in the woods, even if my wheels aren't.
Ha! @mfennell ! You are a strong roadie! You may be a good MTBer but realistically that course favors strong fitness. You work everywhere. I rode with Don once and man is he just a pure powerhouse! He’s smooth too. Very flowy. I just didn’t go hard enough. I should have stuck on you when you went by but I went all conservative like I normally do. The course was fast this year despite some sand. My time was faster than last year’s winner and I was 5th.
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
Ah, it's been too long. The last year has gone by so fast but the last couple months have been pretty stressful. My racing season has been consistent. I've been pretty strong all year physically but need to search for the animal it takes to win. I am working on it and only stood on top for the Kittatinny Endurance race. I had some seconds and to be honest I feel like I was the strongest guy physically at those races but mentally I lacked the will. Well now it's the end of the year and I still feel strong so back in the gym I go. I need to improve drastically for next season.
Now to change the subject. My mother passed away last night peacefully. She has been the best mother anyone could ask for. She was a mother to many more than her own and she had the fight of a lion. Born in 1943 she lived her life with post polio and later on I believe in her late 30s she was diagnosed with MS. With me being 40 and her passing at 74 I can now look back and see how long and how hard she fought. It wasn't a fight per se but the cards she was dealt. She stayed at the card table longer than most. I remember driving her to her work at the United States Golf Association in Liberty Corner each day before my senior and year(1994-95) and despite being able to walk we used a wheelchair as the 500 + foot walk to her office was a bit much. At this point she used a walker or grabbed onto walls, railings etc to keep herself mobile. This next thing is why she is a fighter. Even after several UTIs knocking her down over the last year and eventually take a toll on her mind she still insisted on using a walker in the house up until about one month ago! That's a trooper.
Some memories I have. My entire life. Not a day was she not there for me, her other children(blood or not), my father and last but not least, probably the reason she hung around so long but her six grandchildren. I remember her never ending optimism and will. All the family vacations we had, all the struggles, all the smiles. My mom has been such an inspiration to me. I've got this from here ma, thx for the ride. Love you.
 

Patrick

Overthinking the draft from the basement already
Staff member
Wonderfully written tribute.
May she rest peacefully.

My thoughts will be with you and your family.
 

RobW

Well-Known Member
dave, sorry to hear of your loss. your words are felt through that great tribute. hang in there dude!
 
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