J-Melecosky

Secret training. ....Shhhhhh.....

2011-04-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

Gravel Grinder

2010-04-10T13:59:00.001-07:00

Turned out to be a good day to put in some miles. It started off a little cold, but warmed up as the day went on. Due to obligations I had to bail at the halfway point, but that's all my legs could take anyhow. Road with a few friends, hit some new roads. In the end I had cranked out 54 miles for the day. Thanks to all those who took the time to put this ride together!

Back in the saddle

2009-12-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

Ended up taking the single speed out this morning for a slow ride on the back roads. We had about an inch or two of fresh snow that morning. The layer of snow helped with traction since I didn't have the studded tires on yet. Still had a few slips on the roads, but nothing out of control. The only sign of other bike riders this morning were a track or two in the snowy roads. Ended up with a few hours of fun in the saddle today.

Killer B's.. Ouch!

2009-09-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been one crazy year this year. Much has taken my focus and time off of my mountain biking season. ...Things have calmed down lately, so I have dusted off the CX bike to cut loose and have some fun. Looks like I still have something in the tank. Time for this dog to step off the porch. After getting my feet wet in the C-class last year, I have moved up a class this year to endure more pain. These guys are way fasterrrrrr. It's still crazy fun!(In a painful way) I definitely have my work cut out for me.

I happened to make it out to both days of the Waterford Double Cross weekend. The course was challenging, and the "Orange Crush" was over the top. I have seen obstacles like this in magazines and misc pictures, but never experienced one until now. That was way cool! I still have a lot to learn and badly need to work on my form when going through the barriers. I'm sure I look like a rag doll at times. With all that said, I ended up with better than expected results out at Waterford this weekend. If I ever get my form together, and keep my wheels planted in the corners, ...look out guys. lol...

Check it out:
http://cowbell.cxmagazine.com/video/orange-crush-flyover

10 lbs heavier in 2009

2009-01-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

Guess I got a little carried away during the holidays. It's tough to turn down all the food and other goodies layed out in front of you. If anything, it gave me some motivation to hit the snowy roads on New Years Day. The toughest part of the ride was trying to keep the water bottle from freezing up. It was a brisk 19 degrees when I left the house that morning. After a few miles, I had warmed up and stayed fairly comfortable for the whole ride. Layering can make or break these rides this time of year. I am getting better at the whole layering game. I tried to ride some of the local rail to trails, but there was just too much snow drifted over them. I rode a few miles before turning off on some of the local back roads. Not much of a route planned for the day. I just pedaled around Oxford exploring some roads I've never been down.

Bloomer CX

2008-11-23T17:03:00.000-08:00

2nd Place today...

John Osgood took first by a fraction of a second. I was able to keep on John's coat tails for the full 30 minutes. ...but that's all I could handle today. I wanted to attack on the second and third laps, but just didn't have the energy today. We were side by side giving it our all in the final stretch. We ended up rolling through the finish side by side. Definately a photo finish. I have to say it was the most exciting finish I have had all year.

Another notch in the CX belt

2008-10-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

It turned out to be a good day for me out at Stony today. I arrived early so I could do a pre-ride of the CX course. I'm definitely not use to the ribbons marking out where you need to go. Especially on the 180 degree turns. The whole course wrapped around itself several times. It looked much like one of those maze puzzles my kids do. I'm glad I did a pre-ride. There were a few areas where I almost went straight when I needed to do a 180. Another new obstacle for me today was the sandy sections. Some of the sand was easily rideable while I had to run the other rutted up sections. It was an odd feeling to have to run with the bike. Maybe I should describe it as a full on sprint with the bike. The competition was unrelenting today. All in all, I can definitely tell that I am getting more comfortable on the CX bike. Even though it hurts like H@ll, I'm having fun out there.

After the race, Osgood told me that he wasn't going to give me any more pointers. "No more pointers!"... ...come on John. I have so much more to learn. (O;
Thanks to everyone out there that cheered us on! Definitely adds to the rush.

Not enough hours in the day

2008-09-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

That's my exuse for not posting sooner...

So my first crack at CX racing occured last weekend at Springfield Oaks. It was the "Double Cross" weekend. What a trip! I ended up racing both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday turned out to be an eye opener for me. I didn’t do much for training, so I had no clue on how the bike was going to handle. I am use to railing the corners on a mtn bike. This approach resulting in multiple slide outs in the corners. I had the bike slide out on me three or four times in the dew covered grassy corners Saturday morning. In the end, I finished a respectable 12th. Not bad for my first time.
Sunday turned out even better. Almost ended up going to Addison Oaks for an XC race that morning. I decided that I'd make a few adjustments to the cross bike before loading it up for another try. Didn't really know how I'd do since I was kinda soar from Saturdays race. The course layout changed slightly. During my warm up lap, I noticed that the changes I had made to the bike made a big difference in handling. I lined up near the back that day since I didn't know how I was going to do as soar as I was. It took me one lap to shake that feeling. I was able to push a little stronger the last two laps of the race with a sprint finish that hurt. The better handling and extra effort landed me fith place that day! Looks like I have some potential.
Another key concept of cross racing that I picked up over the race weekend, is that you really don’t get a break. I was red-lined for the full race on both days. No place to coast and catch your breath. Just 110% + effort during the entire time you’re out there. … if your not pushing hard on the bike, you're keeping your balance on off camber hills, or climbing, or running with your bike over barriers, or carrying your bike uphill over logs. I have a few things I need to work on. (Thanks for the Pointers Osgood!)
If you haven’t tried this discipline of racing, you’re missing out on some good times. This past weekend was my first cross ever. Never really practiced all that much. Just went out to check it out. It’ll be one of the craziest things you ever do on a bicycle. At least legally. (o; Your fitness and bike handling will be pushed to the limits. The course layout combines both road and off-road disciplines. The combination of the two disciplines along with a few obstacles and cow bells makes this event very exciting.

...I'll be back for more....

....COW BELL!!!........

CROSS EYE'D

2008-09-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

That's how I feel after the "Double-Cross" weekend. These cyclo-cross guys are nuts!... (O;
More info once I can see straight.

A rainy day racing is way better than a good day at work

2008-09-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally pulled everything together for the last USAC race of the season. I lined up that morning in the rain feeling pretty good. I didn't know how I would do since it had only been a little over a week since I shook the sinus infection bug. Took me down for three long weeks. (That really sucked.) My main objective for the day was to keep the tires on the ground. With the rain, I knew that the bridge crossings would be slick. For the most part, I didn't have any troubles. I felt strong for the first two laps, fatigued on the third, and in pain on the fourth lap. In the end, I pulled off a 5th place finish out of eight riders that showed up that morning to race. It's only 5th place, but I'm still geeked. I know I have quite a bit to work on to become more competitive. I think I finally found a training regimen that works for me. Just in time to wrap up the season. (O; I will note down a few things that will hopefully help me set up some goals for next year.

It has been quite humbling this season for me. FUN!, ...but humbling.

What's next? I'll be giving cyclocross a try this fall. I have heard it's a blast. The tough part for me, is the overlap with hunting season. I have way too many hobbies!... Is that a bad thing???

Change is good...

2008-07-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

Time to change it up! Specifically my training and bike set up. The Stony Creek Marathon was my longest XC race yet. During this race, I happened to target a few weaknesses over the 60 miles. My endurance was what I had expected, but my ability to keep the hard efforts going was just not there. I'm sure the mud collecting on the bike didn't help matters. The tires I'm using bite like nobodies business, but they also fling mud the size of cow pies. If everything goes as planned, I'll see some improvements in the upcoming races. I figure I have time to change and test out a few things before the next race. I just have to be careful not to change too much. So far, the adjustments made to the bike have improved the comfort and off road handling. Not really the time to be doing this kind of stuff, but better late than never. At least that's what I'm going with at this point in time.

Solo Ride

2008-06-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Got up early this morning before the kids to put some miles in. Decided to park the road bike and put some miles on the mtn bike this morning. I left the house about 7:00 and headed towards Orion Oaks. Only ended up doing a small section of trail since there was a lot of dew still on the grass surrounding the trails. I was coated from head to toe with sand by the time I made it out. Not really how I wanted to start off a ride. On my way out of the park I saw a buck looking into the park through the fence. Since it was so early in the year, his horns were still in velvet. I think he'll develop into a nice six pointer by this fall. I'm sure he'll hide away in one of the surrounding subs where you can't hunt. He ended up bolting across Baldwin Rd when he saw me. The on coming traffic had to put on the brakes while he safely crossed to the other side.

Figure I'd head down to Rochester next to check out the trails at Bloomer and Stony Creek. Not sure what event was going on along the Paint Creek Trail, but I ran into a huge group of runners on my way down. Bloomer was a little greasy, so I ended up doing some of the higher ground trails before making my way over to Stony Creek. I didn't even do the full trail out at Stony like I had planned. After running through the pines and the roller coaster section, I headed out to the main parking area. I ended up running into Loyd, another RBS team rider, in the lot. He said that while he and Jim were riding the trails that morning, Jim was stung by a bee in the face while going through the open fields. Sounds like Jim had a pretty bad reaction. They ended up having an ambulance come out to address the bad reaction he was having. Makes me wonder if I should start carrying one of those epipens with me. After hearing that story, I decided to just head back towards Addison Oaks with Loyd's group and work my way home from there. All in all it was great to get out and put some miles long miles in today. Best wishes to a speedy recovery Jim!

Long Weekend, ...Let's Ride!

2008-05-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

That's exactly what I did not do... I spent most of my weekend working around the house. Bummer! What kind of project would take all weekend you ask...

Two words for you... "Retaining Wall".... It was good cross training! Next weekend will be taken up with the patio pavers... What fun!

Before:

During...

Hired help... (O;

After:

(Two and a half very long days latter)

Trek 5.2 Pro

2008-05-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Finally... , got the picture uploaded! I have a few rides in and am amazed on how rigid and comfortable this bike is. Forty mile rides aren't so painful any more. Now I just need to find more free time.

Bloomer XC Video

2008-05-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

This is what I love about the sport. The people, the trails, the scenery, ...oh, and the crashes! Hopefully everyone walked away with no serious injuries. Just good memories!
Put together by the good fellas out at Masher's Media for your entertainment:

To see more:
http://www.mashersmedia.com/?TabId=67

Another addition to the family?...

2008-05-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Went for a ride this afternoon out at Stony. Did a few loops around the lake. Man, was it ever windy! I would normally just hit the back roads on a day like today, but I couldn't resist taking out the new ride I picked up from the shop last week. I give you a hint: It has lots of carbon fiber.... I'll post some pics latter.

Bloomer XC

2008-04-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

It was a great time at Bloomer last Sunday. That's if you ignore the two hours of pain I went through that day. It was a little cold out when we lined up at the starting line, but that made it perfect race weather. You could say that I was "well rested" that morning since I didn't ride all week with everything going on at work and home. I still can't tell how I'm going to perform until I start a race. I would have to say that I was definitely going through the pre-race jitters prior to the race. Once we were a few miles into the course and into the first section of single track, I was feeling a whole lot better. With the few reroutes in place, the trail was in great shape for the most part. We had a couple of small mud holes, but nothing that bad. I was feeling strong for the first two laps of the race and was keeping a strong pace going. The last two laps were a different story. Even though I could feel the fatigue setting in, I kept on pushing myself. I definitely need to work on a few weaknesses before the Stony Creek Marathon. (Placed 9th out of 17 riders in my class) With two races under my belt in the expert class, I'd have to say that I'm glad that I made the move up this year. I have pushed myself harder than ever and as a result, I have noticed fitness gains out on the trail. It's going to be an interesting year to see how far I can go!

It's SNOWING, but what the heck...

2008-04-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

Didn't quite know what to think this morning when I saw the snow on the ground. I ended up loading up the gear after eating and driving down to see the trail system for my self. Not too many people were there when I arrived. Kind of what I expected with the way the weather was. I went for a walk down the trail and was actually surprised at how well the trail was holding up with all the rain that we did have in the last few days. I was however still on the fence about racing at all in those conditions. I talked with a few others that were there before finally making up my mind. It was good to see a few faces that I hadn't seen since last year. My biggest worry of the day was over dressing. It wasn't about being in a higher class, or the mileage. I over heated at the Iceman last year and didn't want to make the same mistake today. ...and luck would have it, I pinned the layering combination right on.
All in all, the day went great! I was a little slower than some on the first lap, but was feeling good on my second lap. I'll blame it on the 30 degree temps. In the end, I finished 9th out of 13 in my class. One thing I noticed today, specifically about the guy I lined up with, was there are some incredibly strong riders out there. This guy pulled as we left the start, and kept pulling all through the trail system. Maybe when I grow up, I'll be just as fast!!! (O;

Can you spot the differences between the next two pics?

Before the race:

After the race:

I'm racing Sunday, ...I'm not racing Sunday, ...I'm racing Sunday, ...

2008-04-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

This weather has been all over the map this spring. It's sunny and 70 degrees one minute, and 30 degrees and snowing the next??? Everyone is glued to the weather channel trying to figure out if they will or will not be racing this Sunday. It's a emotional roller coaster. I had to laugh last week. I watched two different weather reports with completely different forecast results. One station predicted sun all week with mild temps, and the other rain all week with mild temps. CRAZY!... All I know is that it has been a long winter this year!...

2008-03-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

Decided to put in a few miles today before the next weather system moves in. They are calling for snow tonight. Possibly an inch in accumulation. Just in time for the weekend. I was definitely lacking motivation today. The cool part of the whole ride was running into a few other riders at the halfway point in my ride. Turned out, I knew one of them. I tagged along with them for a short distance to chat. Helps break up the ride a bit. Brad who is racing for the FRCC this year, was one of many tough competitors in my class last year. He will be a father very soon! Get ready for a whole new sleep schedule dude. (j/k buddy)

New addition to the stable!

2008-03-03T19:01:00.000-08:00

I decided to give something new a try. Picked her up from the shop last Friday. I only have a few rides in and so far I love it! I haven't even finished dialing her in yet. I am looking forward to spending some time with her..., I mean putting some miles on this summer.

Will Spring ever arrive?

2008-02-29T17:44:00.000-08:00

I just want to ride outside without having to clean the bike afterwords... All in all, I'm looking forward to the 2008 biking season. After all the fun I had last year, I decided to step it up and move up a class. More to come...