2008 Individual bike stats

2008 is a done deal so I thought I would break down the distribution of my 2008 miles among my bikes. I know, it's a bit much but I wanted to capture this information before the clock rolls to midnight tonight and resets the odometer.



2008 RedLine Monocog Flight
2008 Odometer: 702.3 miles
Lifetime Odometer: 702.3 miles


2007 KHS CX200
2008 Odometer: 3,877.0 miles
Lifetime Odometer: 5,747.8 miles




2006 Sette Reken
2008 Odometer: 183.3 miles
Lifetime Odometer: 1,659.8 miles





2005 Kona King Kikapu
2008 Odometer: 640.7 miles
Lifetime Odometer: 1,611.1 miles

2008 is a done deal.

As 2009 approaches it's safe to say 2008 was a fantastic year of cycling. I did my first 100 mile race, I broke into the realm of 29'er singlespeeding. I spent a great deal of time on my road bike increasing my distances and speed. Easily my best year yet. Click the image to enlarge. Best wishes to all for 2009!

2007 YTD Mileage totals:


2008 YTD mileage totals:

2008 Iceman Pro Teaser

Bike Art

I am enjoying my brief cycling hiatus while shuffling around the house this morning I glanced over at the wire bike sculpture propped up on the desk. A friend had given this to me several years back and I decided to learn more about it. It is a single 6 foot length of wire sculpted to resemble a mountain bike. It was created by Wired...by Morris.
Dub-dub-dub
Check out the detail.

09 Team Kits

2009 marks the third year for our team and we will be sporting a new look as well. Nice looking graphics.

Winter riding with a steel frame

I have been doing all my winter riding on my singlespeed which has worked out fine so far. No gears or suspension to mess with. My concern has been condensation building up on the inside of the frame when I bring the bike inside after a cold ride, creating rust inside. The solution was to Frame Saver my rig. I would recommend removing all components and be prepared to make a mess. This stuff resembles melted crayons and make sure to apply it liberally. Rotate the frame to move the product into all the nooks and crannies. Wipe off any excess from the bottom bracket threads and painted surfaces. From the product website:

Out of Sight, Out of Mind - Rust Never Sleeps
by Peter Weigle
Steel frames rust, that's all there is too it. They rust when scratched, chipped, or abraded in any way. Most people know this. What they don't know is that steel frames also rust from the inside out. That's why I am so amazed that manufacturers go through great pains to paint the outside of a frame but the completely ignore the inside surfaces of the steel tubes. The steel inside the frame is almost always left raw and unprotected. If a little moisture enters the frame, the environment within will resemble a terrarium. The humid air and water droplets will be attacking the steel and you won't even know it. Left untreated, the frame will be destroyed.

To help prevent rust inside steel tubes, Frame Saver® was developed. It is a product that was long overdue. It coats the inside of the steel tubes protecting them from the corrosive elements that find their way there.

True, bicycles have been around for 100 years and there are plenty of early examples of frames that have lasted lifetimes without rust, so why all the fuss now? Because in the last couple of decades there have been major changes in materials, equipment, and bike usage that have made internal frame protection even more important.

Today's high performance frames are being made with extremely thin walled tubing compared to frames of the past. There used to be a safety margin should the tubes rust. Not any more! There are a few construction details found in some frames that have trapped water and caused premature failures. Frame builders who do repair work, painters and mechanics, are seeing a higher incidence of rust-throughs these days, and it is only going to get worse, unless these frames are rustproofed on the inside. Most new bikes are equipped with sealed bearings, which mean fewer overhauls and fewer chances to look in the bottom bracket to see what is going on. After many carefree miles, many mechanics and owners are shocked when they pull the bottom bracket bearings and find rust-colored sludge, or flakes of rust, inside the shell. Hopefully, it's not too late to save a frame in this condition.

Mountain bikes are supposed to be used in extreme conditions. Stream crossings, fall, winter, and early spring rides all involve, among other things, water.

Even if you don't ride in the rain or cross raging rapids, moisture still finds its way into a frame. Take your bike out of a warm house on a cool, damp day, or on a hot day return your bike to a cool, damp basement for storage and what happens? As the warm air inside your frame cools and contracts, it pulls in the damp air past the seat post, threads, and vent holes. This may only be a minute amount, but do this many times over the course of the season and the cumulative effect can be devastating.

It would be misleading to suggest that every steel frame is a risk because there are many factors involved. It is impossible to tell from the outside, which frames are screaming for attention. Why take a chance? With the cost of bikes these days, think of it as cheap insurance. Prevention is easy. An application of Frame Saver® will add years to a frame's life and peace of mind to its owner. May you both ride happily into the next millennium and beyond.

Break the Cycle teaser video

Kewl Downhill video. Check it out.
Music credits: (in order of appearance - Artist/Track)
The Frames - In the deep shade
Joe Echo - Come get it wrong
Joe Echo - Where we wanna be


Break the Cycle Trailer from Andy Yoong on Vimeo.

Winter rides...

Well, the Fall weather in Michigan has quickly turned to winter weather and riding conditions have remained pretty good so far. I wear plenty of thin, insulating layers to keep me toasty warm. We have had some snow which is actually great to ride on (as long as it's not too deep), especially if it is crunchy and cold. Once it warms up a bit, the snow quickly becomes slick, sloppy and difficult. I have been riding the dirt roads of Macomb and Washtenaw counties on the single speed and the experience has been pretty good. The roads have dried up and I will be taking the cross bike out soon. The XC season may be over but conditions outside allow me to continue to ride while avoiding the gym until it's absolutely necessary.
Thanksgiving Day ride:

ICEMAN COMETH 08

Another Iceman has come and gone and the 2008 XC race season (for me at least) has ended with a bang. My training going into the weekend had been well balanced and I felt pretty good. I drove up Friday and met several families and friends at the "cabin", located high on a hill between Kalkaska and Traverse City, MI. This place is the "bomb-diggity".


After unloading our gear we went over to the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa to pick up our race packets and check out the EXPO. Like a kid in a candy store I had my eyes on the Gary Fisher Superfly single speed in addition to ton's of assorted bike bling displayed to entice bike-crazed people like me with zero self control.

After narrowly escaping the EXPO we ate in and made a huge dinner for the group. It was relaxing and enjoyable to catch up with old friends. I had a fitful night of sleep worrying about everything in the Universe and woke up early to help prepare the big breakfast (I had a few pancakes). Snow was in the forecast for Saturday but we only had a few spotty showers and conditions were windy and cold (as usual) with overcast skies. Each time I do this race I never get in a good warm-up and painfully re-think my clothing options over and over. Instead I warmed up in the car with the heater going full blast until it was time to line up for the start. I really wasn't sure about my gearing choice (32x15x29'er) which was a much taller gearing than anything I've ever run before. The 27.5 mile course from Kalkaska to Traverse City is mostly two-track through the woods with some single track sections thrown in. The field size is large and the start was fast so I settled in mid-pack trying to stay out of trouble. Things started to sort out quickly at the first sand pit about a mile in where I avoided several riders who bogged down, endoed and fragmented the group I was in. The big wheels floated through the sand instead of digging in and I was able to keep the pace going without too many riders slowing me down in the single track. As I suspected, my gearing was ideal for the first part of the course and allowed me to maintain a great pace up to the first road crossing. I knew this would mark the beginning of the hills and I was a little doubtful I would be able to clear them without having to do some run-ups. What I discovered was I could ride most of the hills but very, very slowly as I had to leverage myself to the top. It was hard but I kept reeling in other riders who I could latch on to, draft for a while and eventually go around. This continued to the end. As usual, the finish line was packed with spectators and I still had pretty good legs to make it to the line with a time of 1:59:51. I was very happy with my ride. I had no bobbles, pushed hard and made it under 2 hours, with only 1 gear. RESULTS.
We changed clothes and headed back to base camp to re-group, grabbed some beers and headed out to watch the Pros race.
Article HERE.
Afterwards, it was off to the awards banquet. Overall winner was TREK/VW rider Jeremiah Bishop seen here hoisting the carved ice trophy. Later that night , it was reported that Jeremiah was seen drinking Jaggermeister from the trophy. Mmmmmmm.

We went back to the Chateau and had pizza, beer and relaxed. Group shot.

I slept like a baby. Sunday morning we had snow and I was glad the race was held on Saturday.


I cannot wait for next year!

Fall rides

The Fall weather has been fantastic here in Michigan and the riding conditions have been ideal. We had some cold temps toward the end of October followed by wonderfully warm weather in the early part of November. I have been riding the back roads trying to stay in shape for the Iceman Cometh race, November 8.



As we approach the weekend as fate would have it, a storm is on the horizon for Saturday. Rain, sleet and 40 degree temps. It should be interesting.

Poto Singlespeed World Championship 2008

The race season here in Michigan has pretty much wrapped up (except Cyclocross) but the Fall riding has been fantastic. Conditions have been ideal and I have been working in 5+ hour MTB rides on the weekends and daily 2 hour road rides before work during the week. Next up, the Poto Singlespeed World Championships. The DNR enforces heavy burdens to the organizers if this were indeed a race. As you can see, it is not a race. It is not a race. I guess it is a Day of the Dead celebration as well..

Sunday SCABB ride

This Sunday was a perfect day for an epic adventure. Robert sent me a route to take me from my in-laws place to several nearby parks. He calls it the SCAB ride. Stoney Creek, Addison Oaks, Bald Mountain and throw in Bloomer Park for a little more fun. Here is the ROUTE.
I ended up riding several laps at each park and ended the day with 66 miles of dirt. What a blast.

Cereal Sprint

OK. The XC season in Michigan is pretty much a done deal except for that little race up North called Iceman. For now I'll have to forget about the Iceman and start training for the true test of endurance. Cereal eating. I love cereal, but...
Apparently our Team Captain has had an open dialog (smack talk) with the Howard brothers from Team Bissell(see hobbies) and now it's on like Donkey Kong!

Event Flyer HERE.

Register HERE.


"There is no spoon".

Pando XC Sunday September 28, 2008

This Sunday marks the final race of the MMBA CPS series. Pando ski area near Grand Rapids, Michigan is a great venue for this series finale. The laps are short (4.3 miles) with plenty of climbing. September conditions here in Michigan couldn't be better. Note to self, 4 laps.
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It was another great day for a race. I'm a bit sad the season has drawn to a conclusion. At the start of my race we were all informed there would be 5 laps for my class. Cool. The trail has a good amount of steep terrain packed into a small area. I had a good outing, crashed only once and finished 3rd. RESULTS.


The view up the hill:

The view from the "lodge":

"Sleeveless Dan (again) charging the hill:

Addison Oaks XC

Sunday September 21 marked the 7th race of the 8 race MMBA CPS series. Addison Oaks county park in Oakland county Michigan is the former summer retreat for the Henry Ford family. The trail is 7 miles in length and is a great trail that just keeps getting better each year. It has great features and flow which makes for very fast lap times averaging 30 minutes or so. This annual race has always been hosted by Oakland county parks and this year it has been handed over to the local chapter of the MMBA to become a fundraiser event. Because of this several aspects of the event were changed, specifically the singlespeed format. I had it in my head we were doing 3 laps just like the Sport class. My bad. I turned 3 decent laps and headed to the finish chute. Peeled my timing chip off and tossed it in the bin. As I looked around the finish area it dawned on me what I had just done and my chip was long gone. The one time when the Singlespeed class actually rides the same distance as the Expert riders and I blew it. Cie la vie. It was a great day for a race and the team had a great outing. RESULTS.
"Sleeveless Dan"

Stoney Creek USAC XC

I woke up today to the sound of much-needed rain. It was still early and my start time was at 1pm so I rolled over and buried my head in my pillow for a few more minutes. The radar showed clearing weather to the West and I could dismiss the notion of a sloggy race. Today was the 8Th and final race of the Michigan USAC XC Series. I wasn't taking part in the series but felt this would be a great event to take part in. Stoney never disappoints me. The Elite and Expert riders were still out on the course when I arrived. The sun was out and the trail was getting drier.

Smokin' fast teammate Jeff Wittbrodt on his way to another win!

My race went well although it was another 7Th place finish in the Open Singlespeed class. The dudes in my group are just plain fast. A couple of leaders of the geared Sport class that started behind me caught up to me on the first lap. I rode three laps exchanging leads with them up until the very end. I rode clean, consistent laps while reeling in a few guys from my group on the last lap. Next year I plan to take one of these sweet Series trophies home with me. RESULTS.

Pontiac XC

Sunday, August 24 was the Pontiac Lake XC which is event #7 of the Michigan USAC series. The rain the night before had made the trail fast and tacky. Conditions were ideal and the usual vibe at Pontiac was great.

The Elite/Expert singlespeed class start was fast and furious. I hung with the group through the first lap but started to fall off the pace by the start of lap 2. After some hike-a-bike up the first big climb I took in a gel and some fluids and rebounded. I settled in and was able to pick off several riders to finish 6th with a time of 1:32.41. I was happy with my bike handling and choice of gearing. Although the result wasn't the best, the effort was good and it was another fantastic day to race. What a great weekend! RESULTS.

Maybury Time Trial

Saturday, August 23'rd marked the 6th race of the MMBA CPS series. The Maybury Time Trial was held at Maybury State Park. The course was short (8 miles) and the trail was dry and dusty. The Chapter that hosted the event re-arranged the start times in order for the Beginners to race first and have the opportunity to hang around and watch the Elite & Expert riders. As a result, I spend the greater part of the day hanging around the team compound, snacking, pre-riding with anyone and trying to stay cool. My start time was 1430 and I was the first rider in the singlespeed class. My teammate, Daniel (with Abe Lincoln beard) was 30 seconds behind me and once out on the trail he kept "talkin' smack" at every switchback as he eventually reeled me in with a mile to go. My left calf started to cramp on the asphalt road leading toward the finish. I pushed and finished 6th at 37:45.42. It was a good day to race and the team had some great results in their respective classes. Results HERE.
Jeff Wittbrodt (J-Dub) on his way to setting the fastest time of the day.

Ft. Custer Time Trial

Today was the 5th and final race of the Tailwind Time Trial series. This is the 13th year this best 3 out of 5 race series has been running in Michigan. Since I had 2 races under my belt I made it a point to enter and make a go at an overall series award. I decided to run my full-suspension rig in the 50+ Expert group and my singlespeed in the SS class. What lacked in this decision process was trail conditions and tire selection. Heck, it never even crossed my mind. The last time I rode Ft. Custer it was wet and tacky. A rain-free month later and I assumed this was a non-issue. DOH. I soon discovered an abundance of powdery, dry sand. I went with a Geax Barro Race semi-slick and went down hard on the first corner within a quarter mile of the start. I found myself on the edge fighting it the entire 14 miles. The trail was the standard Red loop and Green loop although half of the Green loop had been reversed. I struggled and came in 3rd with a time of 1:08:xx.


After the geared race I rode down to the lake and jumped in. It really helped cool my core down and I made my way back to my car, changed clothes and swapped out bikes. All I could say about the singlespeed is that it was a completely different experience. My legs didn't feel very fresh and I had to walk a couple of climbs. Otherwise, it was awesome. The big tires floated through the sand and I could dive into the corners without fear of sliding out. I lost time on some of the long flats but still finished at 1:10:xx placing 8th in the Elite/Expert SS Class. We hear it all the time but I'll say it again, trail conditions and tire selection are important factors to consider as part of your pre-race stategy. What a great day of racing! Gnarly can be a good thing.

Back2back2back Time Trials

I don't know how this happened but I seem to have scheduled a series of time trials for this portion of the season. Simply stated, I suck at Time Trials. The Ft. Custer Time Trial is on August 17 followed by the Maybury Time Trial on August 23. Two separate series. I think I may have to reconsider the USAC series for next year as I prefer the schedule and venues much more. "It's all good". It's great to live and race where there are so many choices.

Stoney Creek Time Trial

It's a wrap. Today was the Stoney Creek Time Trial at Stoney Creek Metro Park near Rochester, MI. This event always draws a large number of riders, Dark Horses, Roadies and local riders who can't pass this race up. The 13 mile lap consists of stream crossings, singletrack, double-track and a couple of half-mile stretches along the park road on the grass. Going out against the wind on the grass made it feel like my tires were flat while towing a boat anchor. I had my heart-rate spiked right off the bat. I decided to race my age group (50+ Expert) on the geared bike and then run the singlespeed in the Expert/Elite category.

The weather was perfect and we had many Greyhounds on hand to help set up the posh team compound.

My geared race was at 1015 and I was paired up with Calvin Stewart, one of the faster 50+ dudes in the area at the start line. He went out first along the road and I stuck to his wheel while he pushed the pace and the wind heading to the first water crossing. Once across the creek he kept pushing and I started to drop off as we hit the first climbs. Pretty soon he was gone and I pushed to stay ahead of the riders behind me. The full suspension was a treat and felt great on the descents and rough areas. I made a wrong turn mid-way in and ended up way off course. I turned around and retraced my route until I found the trail. I lost a few precious minutes in the process. DOH! The second creek crossing exit was funky and I just hoofed it up the bank through the mud. Sprint to the finish with a time of 54.02 placing 2nd in my class. It felt pretty good. I had about an hour before the next start. I changed my socks, swapped out bikes and re-hydrated. The 29'er felt good and the Maxxis Ignitor tires were hooking up really well in the loose turns. There were 15 riders in my group and I was passed by several guys about a third of the way in. I felt pretty good and hung with them for a bit and eventually got back around them. That was a highlight. A younger rider(pretty much everyone in this class)blew past me near the last climb and I jumped on his wheel until the last stream crossing. Once across it is a mile flat on gravel and grass back to the finish line. I went around him and knew he would try and nip me at the finish. I pushed hard in the sprint to the finish and beat him to the line by a foot. Unfortunately, he had started a minute behind me so he still placed ahead of me.


My time was 54:48. Just a few seconds slower than the geared bike. Considering all the time lost spinning out on the 2-track I am surprised by the time. It was a great day for a race. The trail rocked and the team did fantastic! PARTY!
Results here: