Category: Blog Posts

NOTE: When you see this blog and think "I just read this", it is because I update the comments below with the current dialog that I am having with my host. Consider these posts an update to the site situation.

I am so sorry that you may have come to this site and found it gone. I was told that this site should go down just a couple more times until Monday. After that I have been assured that the site will have a 99% uptime. And don't worry if it does as I am all set to host it where I work at univisionweb.com. Please bear with me and I do realize that I have to gain your trust that I will be here. Sorry Paul for messing up your sites, we will get them back online.

Hello from Missoula Montana! The sun is out and it is early afternoon … I better finish this blog. So yea! Last night was a good race for me with room for improvement. I think the leaders can hear me right behind them. On Tuesday I went out to Pattee Canyon to practice and tore a muscle (yep, the same one as last year). This year I have learned my lesson and I went easy with it wrapped up. I didn't dismount at a hundred miles an hour but instead slowed before each barrier.

At the start I was able to get up at the back of the front group. A couple pesky riders would do everything in their power to get by me and slow down. So the leaders rode away at one point. When I finally discharged those pests I went to work and got within a minute of the lead group, picking off the ones that got dropped.

I worked my way to third place at the end and won a six pack of Trout Slayer (a beer). I am moving on up! [check out map of course]

Its hard to tell if the Montana Cycling is going to hold it's cyclocross races as a series when you look at their site (ok, looking for links I see they updated it as I was writting this). I was able to talk to Montana Cycling's President John Weinrich and I asked him about it. He said yes and also , "I think there is enough in the budget for small prizes at the end of the season".

Hey folks, the 2007 MORS bash is a wrap, and we’re throwing a big party this Sunday, Oct. 7th at Pablo’s Pizza and Tap House in Butte. Mark your calendars from 1:30 to 4:00 pm for some serious fun. We’ve got a raffle, championship awards to hand out, and plenty of drinks to go around. Expect some cool swag like Bridgedale Socks and Optic Nerve Sunglasses among the goodies. And hey, if any Montana shops or reps wanna chip in with some gear for our awards, hit up Dave Peck pronto. Our awesome athletes will love ya for it.

Big ups to our champs! Below’s a sneak peek of the top scorers by category. Head over to http://www.montanacycling.org for the full lowdown.

EXPERT DUDES

• William Martin’s leading with 120 points
• John Curry’s on his heels with 95.5
• Alex Lussier’s not far behind at 67

EXPERT LADIES

• Lisa Curry’s smashing it with 62.5 points
• Amy Chiuchiolo’s right there with 62

SPORT GENTS

• Rich Chandler’s topping charts with 110 points
• Josh Crutcher’s chasing with 84
• Guy Mackenzie’s in the mix with 62

SPORT WOMEN

• Lydia Brown’s killing it with 130 points
• Susan Sheard’s holding strong with 83

BEGINNER MEN

• Looks like a mystery this year

BEGINNER WOMEN

• Emily Brown’s leading the pack with 118 points

Points were all about those top 5 finishes, and a shoutout to those who lent a hand at events for extra points.

Team shoutout goes to GAS/Intrinsik who crushed it with 406 points, leaving Montana Junior Cycling Federation in the dust with 216. Kudos, Juniors! Enjoy that team dinner courtesy of Montana Ale Works in Bozeman. Sorry, no silver medals here.

2007 was lit with five downhill events. Major props to the 70 DH warriors at Lone Peak Revenge. Let’s get those downhillers on board for an epic series next time.

If MORS gave you a thrill, spread the word. Our numbers were down, so let’s amp up the buzz for our sport.

Huge thanks to Charla Carter and her crew in Red Lodge for a stellar event on Sept 15-16.

Massive appreciation for the MBRA board, officials, sponsors, and volunteers, especially John Coulthard (stats guru), Al Prendergrass (web wizard), and Don Russell (top official).

MORS SPONSORS

• Montana Ale Works, Bozeman – 406-587-7700
• Windbag Saloon and Grill, Helena – 406-443-9669
• Patagonia Outlet, Dillon – 406-683-2580 – Check it out
• Bridgedale Outdoor Limited – Top-notch socks
• Coldwell Banker/ RCI Realty, Bozeman – Jason Basye, 406-587-7653 – More info
• Yellowstone Loan, Inc., Bozeman – Nick Lieb, 406-556-1800
• Mountain Shades/ Optic Nerve Sunglass Co., Edgewater, CO – Sunglasses here
• Rocky Mountain Truck Center, Belgrade, MT – Corey Biggers, owner – Visit them
• Eagle Mount – For amazing therapeutic recreation – Learn more

Thanks a ton to all the racers for making the 2007 MORS series epic!

~Dave Peck

Hey there from Missoula, Montana! So, my weekend was a bit of a bust. Did some shuffling around the house and managed to squeeze in a hefty ride on Saturday before the skies opened up. And then? Rain. Non-stop. Initially, I was kinda pumped—thought I’d knock out some chores, get my mountain bike in shape.

Ended up dropping 7 bucks on a socket to dismantle my free-hub body, then… well, that was it. Parked myself at home, glued to the TV, and caught up on some serious nap time. No workouts, no chores ticked off the list. And yep, I’ve been sipping on Double Haul for the fourth day running—can’t complain about the brew, though. But, ugh, totally dropped the ball on sending out those sponsorship requests this weekend. Feeling like a total loser here!

But hey, didn’t wanna hit the hay without doing something productive, so I’m throwing up some pics from the Red Lodge race for you guys to check out. Heading to bed now, with plans to tackle laundry and grocery shopping tomorrow. My pantry’s echoing, and my wardrobe’s a disaster. Plus, cross racing kicks off this Wednesday, so I’ve gotta step it up.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for my trip report from Saturday’s epic ride down in Hamilton, Montana. More on that soon!

Now that I am ranked #1 in Montana as a mountain bike racer I feel a sort of responsibility to help my fellow riders with my experiences.  Now I know I broke my chain 3 times in Helena this year but that chain was two years old.  Why so old … I am the master at chain maintenance (well that is up for debate).

Hello from my apartment in Missoula Montana. I am sore and my back hurts. Tuesday I went out for a cyclo cross training ride in the rain and last night I ran up University Mountain and down the ridge to Sentinel (2 hrs, coming out in the dark). Work sucks as usual and I am about to go do that.  But first, here is how to maintain your chain (pic courtesy of Blue Collar MTB):

Step one: Crack open a Double Haul!

Step two: … ah heck just check out this page [click here]!

Notes: I do not recommend degreasers, chain cleaners, or tri-flow(even though it smells good)!

Have a great day everyone and see you tonight at the TNR.

We had a pretty good field (John Curry, Ben Parsons, Butterfield, Procter …) but it was the usual Ben, John, and Myself that took off the front on the first climb. Half way through out the first lap John twisted his chain and had to retire. I chased down Ben and settled in behind him.

On lap two I passed Ben on the climb midway through and powered away. With one lap to go I had 4 minutes on Dan and tons of time on the rest of the field. With a couple miles to go my chain snapped.

Instead of settling down and fixing it properly I elected to try and run it in. Soon I realized I was too far out and tried to fix the chain. I went 100 feet and it broke again. Ben passed me and I made my bike into a single speed. It broke again, this time three others passed. I finished on a single speed in 5th.

It was quite a race … My current status!

• Headset – sounded like a bad bearing so I took it apart and cleaned up so I will have to wait and see if the crackling sound pops up again. Should be good to race with.
• Bottom Bracket – Unaffected by Sundays catastrophe.
• Chain Ring – Arrives today!
• Chain – New one is on the bike and looking good.
• Cassette – New one is on the bike and feeling light.
• Rear Dérailleur – Stressed and bent, needs replacement. Tweaked and adjusted … Works fine and shouldn't break down anytime soon.
• Rear Cassette Body – (questionable) Bearing worn out probably from the cross gearing Sunday. Cassette has excessive play but shifts ok. "Should" make it till end of season. Bearing needs replaced. I'll need a 17mm deep socket to extract.
• Brake Lever – bent! I was able to bed back. Time will tell if this will hold up.
• Myself – broken but repairable with time. Going to race Sunday.

The worst part is that I made an ass of myself at the parking lot as I threw my bike in the car (busting the brake lever). That is the part that I regret the most.

Hello from the City Brew in Missoula where I just got done checking out the photos and reminiscing over a cup of coffee and a blueberry scone about yesterdays mountain bike race in Lolo Montana. [results]

As I arrived it was apparent that last year's course had doomed the turnout for the race this year. The numbers were down, way down. Most of my competition was not even there. Needless to say I had a enjoyable race since no one challenged me for the win.

The big news of the day is the carnage. As I topped my second climb of the day I saw my friend walking up the course holding his shoulder. I asked if he was ok and he told me to keep going so I did. I kept wondering if he was alright. I remember a time when a friend back on the east coast never came off the mountain. We later found out he broke his back and had to be heli-ported off (remember that ROAR).

After the race he was at the parking lot all bandaged up in "Kona" course marking tape. I wish I got a photo as it was quite comical. What was not comical that he had to go to the hospital with a shoulder injury (Final Diagnosis–right AC separation, sprain: AC joint). looking around there were ripped shorts and skinless knees and elbows all round the finish line.

In the end my friends did well. One missed second place in the sport category by mere seconds while the Brown girls took top honors. And me, well I got some cash for first place.

"It is that time of year" … I hate those words. Usually means something bad or that involves work. This time it is a precursor to something that once it starts is a fun weekly event. Last night the Wednesday Night MTB Series finished up (I won the series and last race). It was hard to say goodbye to a weekly romp in the mountains but there is a new series on the horizon.

The weekly cross races are not new, in fact they have been around since Lewis and Clark tried to ride their bikes into Idaho and almost froze to death. Here is the facts straight from the organizers desk (well from yahoo list serve anyway).

The races are on beginning Wednesday Sept 26 at Ft. Missoula, and continuing for 5 Wednesdays until the series finale on October 24.

Start time is 5:45 except on October 24, when start time is 5:30.

Sponsored once again by Big Sky Brewing, Kettlehouse, Big Dipper, Le Petit, Open Road, and Missoula Bicycle Works.

Series entry fee is $20 or $5 per race.

You have to have a license to ride. Cost is $60 for an annual or $10 for each one-day.

No cash prizes. All prizes are beer and bread and ice cream and assorted schwag from the bike shops.

The schedule:

• September 26: Jeff Cincoski, course designer. 5VV Stampede set-up and take-down.
• October 3: Toby Meierbachtol, course designer. UM Cycling set-up and take-down
• October 10: Dave Hartman, course designer. NRO set-up and take-down
• October 17: John Weyhrich, course designer. 5VV Stampede set-up and take-down
• October 24: Mike Beltz, course designer. NRO set-up and take-down

Every race is different because every course designer puts in his own special touches. Dave Hartman will probably have barrier sequences at the bottom of run-ups that only he can jump; John Weyhrich will probably have long straightaways and no run-ups; Jeff Cincoski will probably have a maze that will require doubling back five times in 20 meters while crossing through a mud pit; Mike Beltz will make a bunny-hoppers paradise; I have idea what Toby's course will look like since this is his first course design as far as I know. So it is a fresh challenge every week.

Beginners welcome! Invite your friends to try bike racing in a low pressure atmosphere. Mountain bikes are OK, but remove any bar ends if you have bar ends.

~T.Bechtold

Double Haul is my favorite beer. I see a can of Double Haul and I am moved spiritually. I just read that the makers of this fine beer may be moving. Check out this article and view the news report [click here]

Turns out putting good microbrew in a can was a stroke of genius for western Montana where words like summer, floating, fishing and rivers are synonymous, and chilling cans in glacier-green rivers is not only more appealing than doing it with glass bottles but a whole lot more legal.

Greetings from City Brew in Missoula! Arrived from Big Sky last night, hit the sack immediately after admiring my new Leader cross frame. This morning, I’ve uploaded some photos from the trip. Not many, but I captured my friend’s son’s race—got some great shots of yesterday’s setting.

Had plans for a bike ride with friends today, but opting for a relaxed day to enjoy Missoula’s fresh air. Luckily, the smoke from the wildland fires hasn’t blanketed the valley today, a pleasant surprise.

I am looking at towering mountains with aspen groves in the foothills. To my attention in the foreground is the little village of Big Sky where I sit at the Hungary Moose sipping my latte (Pre race solution). I am about to drive up to the race course to grab the registration at 8. The race today starts at 10 and we have 4 laps around a course that exhibits some of the steepest climbs on the circuit. Should be a fabulous day.

This is one of my favorite trips. The last time I was here was the Big Sky Cyclocross race where I sat in the exact same place blogging. Today the sun is out and the trails are calling. I spent a great night by the Gallatin River and Marcy and I awoke to a crisp 40 degrees … Brrrrr!

I better get up the hill so this is Bill signing out from the Hungary Moose. Have a good day everyone.