Sure is nice to actually be on the bike outside. Two days in a row no less. About 2 hours on Friday. 3.5 hours on Saturday. Saturday's ride was really nice. No too much wind. Roads were clear, but a little wet from melting snow. I ended up getting a little wet from the spray but never got too cold. I started feeling pretty tired with about 45 mins to go. I guess riding this much back to back is something I'll need to get used to again. Hopefully over the holidays. Anyways got home, did a few things with the kids and passed out for 2 hours. I couldn't believe how tired I was. Oh well. Good training....hopefully I can keep it up so I have some sort of conditioning for the 24 hours in the Old Pueblo in February.

I found this old photo from many years ago. Anyone guess from what race it was at? Hint....my best ever 24 hour solo result. Hopefully my form this year will help my replicate that result.

Steve

Went away all last week to San Diego for work. Now that is the place to ride. Weather was amazing. Flying in I could see trails going for miles. Pure heaven. Unfortunately I barely saw the light of day with the seminars I had to attend. But I did come home with a new gadget called the HP iPaq 510 smartphone. Should be fun to play with.
Didn't get any riding in and of course I came home with cold. Feel awful today. Maybe I'll get something in tomorrow. Going to the Leafs game with my son tonight.....kids night out they call it. For $120 you get 2 Leafs tickets, hot dogs and drinks for 2, plus 4 Marlies tickets. Pretty good deal. Hopefully they win.

So I was spending one of my favourite past times on MTBR and came across a post about a Shimano skewer snapping while attached to a bike. Turns out certain skewers made after November 1 2005 can fail randomly. Of course I happen to have a set of XT Skewers that might fall into the recall. The problem is they came off a wheelset that I sold with a bike (with different skewers) and I can't remember what version of XT hubs the wheels had. I'm pretty sure they were pre 2005. I don't have the bill for them either. Not sure what to do. 90% sure they are older that Nov 1 2005. Here is the recall for those who have Shimano skewers. It affects a whole range of skewers (only front)....XTR, XT, Dura Ace etc.

http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/cycle/sac/us/en/news_and_information/news0/front__quick_release.html

In other news, got some solid riding in over the weekend. Got over the flu thing and felt okay riding. A short ride on Saturday and a long one on Sunday. I was slowed down by the Milton Santa Claus parade a bit....I usually cut through town to avoid a few busy roads but ended up in the middle of the parade. I thought about riding along the parade route since I was wearing my colourful red Hammer Nutrition jacket and might fit in....but since I can't do any wheelies I figured I'd be worthless entertainment and found another route to bypass the whole thing.

There's a guy in Oakville who just rides around town all day doing wheelies....he's known by everyone as wheelie guy....maybe he could teach me?

Steve

Got the flu shot a couple of weeks ago. I have the flu. But it is not completely debilitating, just fever, chills, upset stomach, etc. Only dry heaves. Oh well, weather is crappy outside anyways.

The weekend looks a little better, but the trails will probably be wet so they'll be out unless they are frozen.

Thinking about getting a seasons pass to the Halton Region Conservation Areas which will allow me to ride at Kelso and Hilton as much as I want. I'm not one to go in a back route and ride. I've asked for the family pass for Christmas which basically gets a carload of people in so now all of us can go. We were up at Mountsberg a couple of weeks ago to do research on the Snowy Owl for a project and took a bunch of pictures. I really liked this one in particular of the eagle. All of these birds are rescue birds. Also, nice thing about Mountsberg is they have a couple of bike trails which are perfect for the kids....about 10km long which is just right. The pass gets us in here as well. Lots of good hiking too.

Got in a good ride today. As an experiment I decided to ride the exact same route I did last Sunday which was on Cyclocross tires. Those tires had a tremendous amount of wear on them after just a couple of rides so I have put on the Kenda Small Block 8 which is what I have used in the past. I thought the cross tires would roll a lot faster and be lighter which would increase my speed, but last weekends ride made me wonder if that was really the case. So I got the Kenda's on got on my way. It was pretty chilly today but at least the sun was out which always makes for a good ride. I had on quite a few layers and was drenched when I got home, but I was warm during the whole ride. So last week the route I did took me about 4 hours and 15 minutes. This week was good. I left around 11:30am and had a tailwind for the first half of the ride. Unfortunately the first half is where all the climbing is so I don't benefit as much as if it was on the 2nd half (like last week). I didn't check my time at all during the ride but about 3/4 of the way through I could really feel myself slowing down with a combination of the wind and fatigue. When I finally got home I was really surprised to see that I had finished at 3:25 which means I did the ride in 3 hours and 55 minutes which is 20 minutes faster than last weekend. So I think the Kenda's are definitely faster than the cross tires. I think that makes up a large portion of the time difference....maybe I was feeling better as well although I didn't feel like it. So the Kenda's will be staying on now, maybe I'll save the cross tires for the Paris to Ancaster race....but then again the Kenda's would probably still be faster.

Steve

A little chilly

Sure is cold today. I'm not a big fan of the cold....I'd much rather deal with 100 degree heat personally. Anyways, Santa Claus parade in Oakville was this morning so everyone bundled up and headed out for the 9am start. It was pretty good this year....not too many Shriners this time. After the parade Evan and I headed over to the LBS to pick up a couple of things....a neck warmer and a Knog tail light. The Knog is really cool and just what I have been looking for. Some of my rides have stretched into dusk lately and I want to make sure I am visible.

Once Sue & Noelle got home from the craft show I headed out for about 2 hours on the Niner. Man I am really liking this bike. Hopefully I'll get a nice long ride in tomorrow too.

Steve

Picture of the Niner

A picture of the new Niner.

Got the cockpit all set up now. It is identical to the Asylum. Someone suggested I put a single chainring on the front...next thing he'll tell me to turn it into a singlespeed! I like it the way it is....just need to put on some bigger tires!

Steve

I was asked by someone what 260 days meant the other day. It was 260 days until my first 24 hour solo race in 2 years which will be the 2008 24 Hour of Summer Solstice. I'm signed up and confirmed. I needed to do that as part of a goal to start training. I have the migraines under control and I think I am ready and committed. I took all of 2007 off from racing (apart from Pauls Dirty Enduro) and most of 2006 off as well. But I am ready. Bought another bike (pictures to come) to help get things going. It will serve as a training bike, back up 24 hour bike, and occasional short course racing bike. I'm also planning a full schedule of racing besides this one 24 hour. Other races I am planning:

24 Hours in the Old Pueblo (in Arizona in February) - Duo with my Brother
24 Hours of Hot August Nights - Duo with Dave
The Ontario Cup series - my daughter wants to race peewee so I'm going to race too
Pauls Dirty Enduro
Maybe some 8 hour races - duo or solo

I've set some personal goals for these events as well as a few other things. I'm not planning to post them....just for me to know right now....if I make them I will post! But I am trying not to take things to seriously. No sponsors, no pressure, nothing....just fun training and racing....the way it used to be many years ago.

To get things kicked off I had hoped to take my new bike our for a ride yesterday. The parts were delivered on Friday night and I planned to get it built right away. I purchased a Niner EMD9 Frame, White Brothers Rock Solid Fork, XT Crank, post, and stem...the rest was either coming off my other bike or I already had as spare parts (i.e. spare wheelset). I did also purchase new XTR shifters, front derailleur and rear derailleur but those went on the Asylum which is my full out race bike. Back to the Niner....as I was putting it together everything went well until the front derailleur....it was a hand me down from the Asylum and was a high clamp...unfortunately I needed a low clamp for the Niner. I got everything else done and then went to the bike shop on Saturday to pick up the right derailleur. We ended up going to watch a UCI Cyclocross race afterwards so no riding (other than a short ride with my son) was done but that night I finished assembling the bike.

Today, Sunday, finally got out for a good ride. Weather wasn't that nice....cold, windy, overcast....just the conditions I dread. I ended riding for 4 hours 15 mins though which was longer than I thought I would. I realized I still had a bit of work to do setting the cockpit but think I have it sorted out now. I also put on cyclocross tires thinking they might be faster than my Small Block 8's because they would be lighter and have less rolling resistance. I just picked up whatever the shop had and they are a bit on the knobby side. Not sure if I was going any faster or not....didn't feel like it. I'll have to do a few of my routes with them and time it. Then do the same routes with the SB8's and see. I don't really like the look of the cross tires on the bike....just looks disproportionate.

A long update but a lot going on recently. Hopefully more to come as I starting riding more.

Steve

It has begun

The countdown has finally begun.....260 days.

Bad luck continues

Road the St. Helena Rd trails yesterday....super technical and difficult. To ride these boulders, drop offs etc you should really have a free ride bike, 2.3"+ tires, and a lot of nerve....none of which this rider posess. At least I didn't crash and break anything....but I did walk about 25% of the trail.

Then last night there was some water on the kitchen floor from the dogs drinking water. Slipped on that, hit the floor and busted a couple of fingers.

Went for a nice ride today. It had absolutely no purpose other than to just ride. No time limit, no speed to worry about, nothing. Just 4.5 hours on my mountain bike contemplating life. I did the route I usually do on my road bike which is 100km long. Haven't done that route since last fall. It was really nice. That's my outlook right now....ride just to ride....not for any other reason.

Well, I had a very interesting doctors appointment recently. But it answered so many questions.

It all goes back to June 2005. In the best shape of my life. Putting in huge mileage, riding 2 a days, hammering friends into the ground that used to drop me. It was like a dream. I was planning a full assault of the endurance circuit. First big race was the 24 hour that June. I had a great month in May putting in over 3000km's of training and in June was beginning my taper about 2 weeks out. Exactly 2 weeks before the race I did a huge group road ride...in the rain.....and I crashed...and I hit my head. Didn't think too much of it, a little woozy for a few minutes but was able to continue on. 2 weeks later started the 24 hour. 1st lap, 40 mins in, totally flying, hit a downhill rock garden and went over the bars taking the full impact on my head and right shoulder. Looking back I was totally out of it wandering around the course. My shoulder was wrecked (which is still a problem to this day, but I can live with it), my race done, and off to the hospital. Actually last weekend I was talking to the safety guy for the 24 hour and he said my story actually made it into a magazine about the worst crashes they've ever seen....I was honoured....if they only knew how bad it was.

I've never been the same since. Migraines became the biggest problem, especially over the last 12 months. That led to difficulty training, some weight gain (or inability to drop winter weight!) etc. 3 catscans later and still nothing to tell (other than only rocks in my head for every wanting to race 24 hours solo!). Finally got in to see a neurologist as the migraines were getting worse. She said the 2 concussions (mostly the 2nd) triggered everything (I never used to get migraines ever). She said most people genetically will have the possibility of getting them or not....and sometimes a trigger is needed to start them up. Mine was the severe crash. She said most of my issues stem from all of this (including neck/shoulder problems). So I am glad to finally have some sort of diagnosis and some medication to hopefully solve the problem. Seems like there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I might get things back to normal. I'm not sure what this season still holds at this point....just taking it one day at a time as the medication can take 3-4 months to really start making a difference. But I hope it is sooner, I can starting riding more, and kick things off with a bang at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo in February. I'm a bit disappointed with how the season has been going and don't like to let down the people and companies who support me, but I'm doing my best and even if the results don't show it I still get great opportunties to talk up product. So thanks to all of you.

Steve

24 Hours of Summer Solstice

Raced at the 24 Hours of Summer Solstice this past weekend and had great fun. It felt a little strange doing it on a 5 person team when all I have done is solo's (and one tag) in the past 4 years at this race. Since training has been a little sketchy this year and a bad back (put it out in early May) it was probably best just doing the team thing.

I was 3rd in the rotation and the team had a little internal competition.....slowest average lap (of 4 laps each it turns out) hosts the team BBQ....so we had a little motivation.

My 1st lap I went out hard. Started out in the Dog and tried to keep it there for as long as possible. That lasted until the Sugar Shack climb and popped it into the middle ring for awhile. Shortly after that section we made a left hander to go over a wood bridge. This bridge had some boards that were about 2 inches higher in spots running parallel to the bridge. My tires got hung up on the them and down I went. I managed to save it somewhat and my bike took most of the blow. I regrouped and got going again. There were only a couple of semi-long climbs, but long enough to remind me I'm not good at them. Finished that lap in 59 minutes.

2nd lap I figured would be slower than the first. I went out in the dog again but put it in the middle earlier on and left it there for longer. There were plenty of double track sections with begged for it and I complied. I could feel that I was going slower on the climbs, but felt like I might be doing the singletrack a bit faster than the 1st lap. The last 2 or 3km of the lap are really fast. I looked at my watch and I was making good time so I hammered as hard as I could. Amazingly, I finished that lap in 59 minutes...same as my first. I was really happy to be able to do that.

My next lap was a full night lap. I strapped on the Princeton Tec Switchback lights and got going. It was really dusty for sure. I had several bobbles...mostly missing my line and hitting the deeper sandy bits which slowed me down but all in all turned in a respectable 1:10 for my night lap.

Lap 4 started at 5:45am. I had only slept about 2 hours at this point so was pretty tired. My back had been on the fringe of being problematic for the first 3 laps but I was able to keep it under control. Not this lap. Early on it was very problematic....especially on the climbs. Then I started having pain shooting down my right leg....I started pedaling mostly with my left leg at that point. It was sheer agony. Really slow climbing....taking it easy on the flats and trying to stretch it out. The end of the lap was a welcome sight. Finished the lap in 1:10....same as the night lap...not as bad as I thought.

Now at this point I thought I was done for sure. We knew the whole team would go through 4 rotations, but 3 riders would still need to do a 5th lap. No way it was going to be me. Well....never say never as I was guilted/pressured...whatever you want to call it...into doing a 5th lap. At least I had the honour of the final lap of the race. I did a bunch of stretching and massaging and popped some Advil....all which ended up helping. It was a really slow lap (1:13) but the pain was okay. I chickened out of the mud pit....there was just no way it was going to happen (although one of my teammates did it and won a t shirt).

All in all the race was a good time. Totally different experience that doing it solo. I haven't decided what I prefer but this was a nice change. The August 24 hour is 2 months away. I haven't signed up and won't make a decision until the last minute. Need to see if I can get some quality riding in and get my back pain under control before I commit to that.

Some positives did come out of this race. I wasn't the slowest. I didn't get hurt. My laps were more consistent than I expected. I even did a couple of laps faster than Dave (one of my goals at the beginning of the year). Now I don't think I am faster than Dave....he was sick this past week and had some bad luck....but I'll still count it as a goal reached!

The family is going away next week so I might get in some sort of training camp if all goes well. We'll see.

Until next time...

Steve

Well I did the epic 8 hour today. No not the race, but my own version of it. Actually it only lasted 7 hours but still it was a pretty good ride. Did lots of exploring. Headed into the St. Helena Rd section of the trails to see if I could figure them out. I couldn't. But did some decent trails. Then went in the back way to Hilton Falls and proceeded to get lost for about 2.5 hours. It was fun...I wasn't actually in Hilton for most of the time....it was the agreement forest that is connected. It got a bit frustrating trying to get into Hilton....seemed like I was constantly doing circles. But still did some great trail that was super rocky technical. It is really amazing how the 29" wheels help with that stuff. I never used to be a good technical rider but I have more confidence with this bike and was able to ride the majority of sections. Eventually exited Hilton and went over to Kelso. I was at about the 5 hour mark by this point and getting a little tired. Managed to ride up the escarpment and did every trail at Kelso which only too about an hour. Then headed home which took another hour. Overall it was a pretty good ride....especially in Hilton. Rode much of the trail in my big ring with the exception of a few really rocky areas. But I felt like I was motoring along most of the time which was fun.

Going to get out to one of the Tuesday night races soon. My son is doing the kids race at the 24 Hour so I want him to have a go at the course he will be riding. He's doing really well for being only 6 years old. We're hitting singletrack behind the house and he is handling it really well. Biggest thing he needs to work on is slowing down for the corners....we've had more than one crash from taking it too fast, going wide, and clipping a tree. He always gets right up and keeps going. So much fun....my prodigy!

Steve

Long time since the last post. New job keeping me pretty busy and limiting my riding time to the weekends right now. But since the mornings start early now I'm thinking of trying to get out for some early morning rides for 1.5-2 hrs. Maybe to some sprint and interval stuff. We'll see. I've been getting lots of riding in on the weekends though. Last weekend did 3.5 hours Saturday and Sunday. Also got in a 5 hour ride today, although I was starting to feel pretty tired from the Saturday ride. Speaking of the Saturday ride....I took out my Cervelo road bike...and decided that is the last time I am going to ride it. It's officially up for sale. I just am not enjoying riding it at all. I just think about wanting to ride my mountain bike instead. So I've put it up for sale on Canadian Cyclist classifieds: Here are the details:

2005 Cervelo Soloist Team 56cm (anno black frame)
Dura Ace Shifters
Dura Ace front and rear derailleur
Dura Ace Brakes
Dura Ace Cassette
FSA Carbon Team Issue Crankset
Cervelo Carbon Aero post with SLR XP saddle
FSA handlebars
Carbon stem

Asking price is $2300 which is a pretty good price for top of the line bike and components.

So what am I going to do with the money? Build a hardtail with a carbon rigid fork. Going to put the old King wheels on it with the XT disc brakes I had. Then I am going to move the current drive train on the Asylum over to this bike. I plan to buy the new XTR shifters and derailleur for the Asylum. I've had the old stuff for a really long time (about 6 years) so it was time for some new stuff. It still works well and will go with the hardtail.

Anyways, that's the plan....as long as the Cervelo sells. If you know anyone who might be interested just have them post a comment with contact info.

Steve
Easton Circuit wheels with

Got out for another ride yesterday. 4 hours this time. Rode up to Kelso, did most of the trails, then rode home. The trails were in pretty good condition for this time of year. Still a few trees to be removed and some debris on the trail from broken branches etc. Almost went down a few times on some corners that had small pieces of branches on them....they act like rollers and completely throw you off track. Got home and a few hours later my rear tire was flat. Had a 1 inch thorn straight through the tire. I'm surprised I even made it home. Weather isn't looking too good for the rest of this week so not sure how much riding I'll get in. Probably good to have some extra time....we have the "big" garbage on Saturday. You can throw out anything you want (except for metal items....that is a separate pickup) including tables, dressers, couches, toys...anything. It is a garbage pickers dream....good thing because our garage is pretty full of junk that needs to go.

Still haven't signed up for the 8 hour at the end of May....starting to reconsider doing it solo. Maybe 2 man?

Steve

Put in the longest ride of the season on Saturday. Rode into Toronto from Oakville to meet Mark for a ride in the Don. It was really the first time out on the trails this year as well. Everything worked well including the new Industry Nine wheels and Kenda Small 8. I had the tires pumped up pretty hard because I was doing all pavement into the City (takes 90 minutes), but they had great traction in the trails as well. I think I am really going to like these tires. Anyways, found Mark downtown and we headed up to the Don trails which were in great shape. No mud, but still tacky...great conditions. Rode North to Sunnybrook then crossed the river and took the flats back down. I was getting a little tired by this time so we started back down to the lake. Mark and I parted ways a little later and I rode home. Total ride time was 6.5 hours. I was originally dreading the ride home a bit but felt better than I thought. Today we took the kids to the zoo but I was a little worried about how my legs would feel, but it turned out okay. Although I don't know if 4.5 hours of walking is ideal active recovery.

So I got a new job and start on May 1. That leaves me a little bit of time to get some good riding in now that the really good weather is here. Training is going to be interesting once the job starts but I still think I'll be able to ride a fair bit. Hopefully I will start the Tuesday night series soon. I won't do the first one as that is my first day on the job....don't think they would be too happy with me saying I need to leave early for a bike race.

Steve

Got in a great ride on Good Friday with Dave. We started at about 9am and the temperature was about -5 celsius but about -12 with the wind (about 30km/h). Oh ya, it was a blizzard to when we left. It's a good thing he came out or there would be no way I would have ever gone on my own. We ended up riding right on 5 hours and I must say my feet were just about frozen by the time we got back. It was pretty fun though....longest ride of 2007 so far. Dave was dropping me on the longer climbs which really was no surprise. But I didn't feel completely exhausted at the end which is a good thing.

Got in about 3 hours yesterday....really good ride down in the trails/paths of Erindale Park which was fun. Got totally lost but wasn't worried about it....just having fun getting a solid ride in since not much happened during the week on my vacation due to weather and a couple of other things going on. Hopefully better conditions will be coming our way in the next couple of weeks....I might have some extra free time on my hands.

Still screwing around with the race schedule this year. I was hoping to do the Boler Mountain 12 hour in July again but I found out they moved it to the weekend before the 24 Hour in August so that probably won't work. I might just do the 8 hour at Hardwood that month. What I am looking forward to is the Tuesday night race series....should do wonders for my speed. Many years ago when I had one of my best seasons I put in lots of base in the spring but then really only raced during the season. Usually every weekend and the occasional race during the week. Basically I raced my way into shape. I hope to do a little better than that but hoping some extra racing will improve some of my weak areas....namely short term speed.

They are here!

Industy Nine wheels arrived today! They look great. Got the tires mounted up and put them on the bike. Also got some nice Salsa red skewers to go with the red hubs. Here are the pictures.

Got in a bit of riding over the weekend. Kids had birthday party and lessons etc. Started out late in the day Friday and went for a hard ride for about 3.5 hours. Maybe a little too hard as I bonked for the last 30 mins. Probably because I didn't eat anything and just drank water. When I got home I could barely stand....you may know what I am talking about....searing pain shooting through all the muscles in my legs. I slept well that night.

Decided not too ride Saturday as I was still a bit sore plus I had a few saddle sores that needed tending to. Planned to ride Sunday early. Got up, ate, dressed and rode for about 5 minutes before turning back when I realized that since I can barely see 10 feet in front of me from the fog and thus cars probably can't see me. Ended up going to the zoo and walking around for 3 hours so at least I got some exercise. Gotta shed this extra winter weight.

Getting anxious for the Industy Nine wheels to arrive. I did a bunch of upgrades to other parts such as a new BB (crank brothers), chainrings (race face), cabling (fully enclosed stuff), and of course the Kenda tires. I'm trying to wait for the wheels before I take the MTB out but it is getting difficult only riding the road bike (when my preference is the MTB). Planning a week off right after Easter...the wheels should be here by then and I plan to get in some epic rides that week. Plus I have my traditional 100KM Good Friday ride on the MTB if anyone is interested. I have been doing this for years but had trouble finding anyone willing to test their fitness this early on with such a long ride. Maybe Dave will get out with me one of these days.

Steve

Got in a bit of riding over the weekend. Kids had birthday party and lessons etc. Started out late in the day Friday and went for a hard ride for about 3.5 hours. Maybe a little too hard as I bonked for the last 30 mins. Probably because I didn't eat anything and just drank water. When I got home I could barely stand....you may know what I am talking about....searing pain shooting through all the muscles in my legs. I slept well that night.

Decided not too ride Saturday as I was still a bit sore plus I had a few saddle sores that needed tending to. Planned to ride Sunday early. Got up, ate, dressed and rode for about 5 minutes before turning back when I realized that since I can barely see 10 feet in front of me from the fog and thus cars probably can't see me. Ended up going to the zoo and walking around for 3 hours so at least I got some exercise. Gotta shed this extra winter weight.

Getting anxious for the Industy Nine wheels to arrive. I did a bunch of upgrades to other parts such as a new BB (crank brothers), chainrings (race face), cabling (fully enclosed stuff), and of course the Kenda tires. I'm trying to wait for the wheels before I take the MTB out but it is getting difficult only riding the road bike (when my preference is the MTB). Planning a week off right after Easter...the wheels should be here by then and I plan to get in some epic rides that week. Plus I have my traditional 100KM Good Friday ride on the MTB if anyone is interested. I have been doing this for years but had trouble finding anyone willing to test their fitness this early on with such a long ride. Maybe Dave will get out with me one of these days.

Steve

Princeton Tec

The new Princeton Tec Switchback 2 & 3 arrived on Friday. I am very impressed.....they are very small and light as you can see from their size in my hand. Burn time is approx. 6 hours on high and the light is very bright. The kit is fully complete with everything you might need: Helment mount, bar mount, AC Charger, Car charger, European plug, extension cord and of course the light and li-ion battery. I can't wait to use these lights. They are available at Mountain Equipment Co-Op (www.mec.ca) in Canada - $254 CDN for the Switchback 2 and $370 CDN for the Switchback 3. In the U.S. they can be found at numerous on-line shops...the one I use a lot is Speedgoat - $250 US for the SB 2 and $370 for the SB3. So they are a great deal in Canada.

Here are some pictures.

The weather finally looks like it is going to get pretty good this week so some longer rides should be in order. I'm really anxious to get longer rides in but finding it difficult for a variety of reasons. I probably won't start racing in earnest until May....maybe a few fun events like Paris-Ancaster before, but just for fun.

I thought I use this opportunity to mention some of the companies that are helping me out in one way or another this year.

Princeton Tec - www.switchback321.com
Princeton Tec has been a leader for years in outdoor lights and this is their first year venturing into the highend bike light market with their Switchback series. These lights are based on LED technology and already have very favourable reviews. They are a great value for the money with excellent battery life and 3 different offerings. Switchback 1 = 1 LED (great for commuting), Switchback 2 = 2 LEDs (great for the helmet as a spotlight), and Switchback 3 = 3 LEDs (great for the handlebar for a flood light). All get 5+ hours on high using a Li-Ion battery. Check the website for more details.

Castelli - www.castelli-us.com
Castelli are really stepping up their product line this year with innovative, technical new products. They sponsor the Saunier Duval Pro Cycling Team and have some great new products as a result such as the Superleggera Jersey and "Free Bib" shorts. Watch for some reviews on a variety of their items.

Industy Nine - www.industynine.net
I've been lusting for these wheels for while and they finally became a reality. Custom built in the colours and rims you want with an instant engaging hub make for the ideal wheelset. Cheaper than the high end Mavic offerings while still being lighter, stiffer, and more eye catching are just some of the reasons for their success.

Kenda - www.kendausa.com
I've been riding Kenda tires for a long time now. They just released the Small Block 8 in a 29er format so these will be going on the I9's as my hardpack, fast tire. I'll still be using the Karma as my sloppy conditions tire when appropriate even though it is great on the hardpack as well.

Formula Brakes - www.formulabrakeusa.com
I've been using the new Formula Oro K24 brakes for about 8 months now and they have been phenomenal. Excellent feel and power plus pretty light to boot. They also have the Oro Puro which is a slightly lighter version of the K24 with a carbon level and titanium bolts. One step below the K24 is the K18 which just lacks the FCS (Feeling Control System) which allows for adjustment of how far the level travels before the pads engage. A great feature I really like.

I'm also looking at getting the Garmin Edge 305 GPS cycling computer for my mountain bike. This way I can map my routes and actual compare rides to see if I'm progressing faster or slower than previous rides. It also has a heartrate monitor, speed, distance, elevation gain included with it. It looks like a lot of fun and a great training tool.

Stay tuned for reviews of all these great products in the future!

Steve

Finally got in some decent riding this weekend. Yesterday was a great day. Not too cold and the wind was very manageable. Felt great for the entire 2.5 hour ride. So decided I would go for another ride today. Temperatures were about the same so I decided to do my 3 hour loop. Everything started well and I had a slight tailwind and felt good. About halfway through I was getting a little tired and made my turnaround. Right into the wind. I knew it wasn't going to be fun but wasn't too worried. I got off the dirt roads I was on and would be on pavement the rest of the way home. Unfortunately the wind picked up....a lot. I was getting a little cold, but not too bad. But I was suffering big time. The wind was unrelentless and more than once a gust of wind blew me off the road and on to the gravel shoulder. Then my iPod died. So now I didn't even have music to take my mind off the misery. At some points I was barely making forward progress the wind was so strong. I thought about calling my wife, then started thinking I should flag down a pickup truck, throw my bike in the back and beg for a ride at least close to home. But I finished the ride under my own power. The planned 3 hour ride took almost 4 hours. And it turns out the wind was about 45km/h with 55km/h gusts. I sure am tired now. But 6.5 hrs of riding this weekend is good and hopefully get me on track for more good training.

My new Industry Nine (www.industrynine.net) wheels should be here in another week or two. I'm really looking forward to getting them. I'm going to put the Kenda (www.kendausa.com) Small Block 8's on which should make them fast. Planning to head to the Toronto Bicycle Show next week and hopefully pick up the rest of the stuff I need. If not I'll be ordering from one of the shops in the U.S. I need a bunch of stuff like bottom bracket, chainring set, chain, cables. Plus a few things I'd like to get like new waterproof booties, a new helmet etc. But might hold off on those things.

Last week was 24 hours in the old pueblo....I sure did miss going down there. I'm going next year for sure. Even though I'm never in good shape, it is always fun to just go down for some riding with my brother. Also thinking off going down to Arizona for about a week and a half next year to get some really good riding in on a daily basis (maybe a few weeks after Old Pueblo).

New tires and soon to be new wheelset

UPS delivered all of my Kenda tires today. I'm looking forward to trying the Small Block 8 to see how they ride. They look really fast.

I got exciting news today and it looks like I will be running Industry Nine (www.industrynine.net) wheels this year. I just have to decide which rim but they will look something like this:

The weather is still really cold and snowy here in Oakville, but looks like it will be about 1 degree on Saturday so I am going to try for an outdoor ride in the afternoon. Riding the spin bike is just no fun.

Steve

Long time no blog as usual. December and early January we awesome for riding and I was getting in plenty of 3-4 hour rides again. Sadly the weather is back to normal and everytime I want to head outside for a ride it is either way too cold or it has just snowed. So mostly I've been using the spin bike. I got a Spinerval video (Have Mercy - basically 2 hours of intervals and pyramids)...done it a few times but find I prefer to just use the MP3 and crank out my own sessions with a focus on climbing.

Not going to Old Pueblo this year....too many other things happening. It looks like the first race of the year is going to be the Ice Breaker. I'm going to do some 8 hour races. One race I am struggling with is the 24 Hours of Albion Hills in August. I usually do this race solo but not sure I want too this year. I'm also thinking of doing the Shenandoah 100 which is the following weekend so there is no way I can do both. I'll probably wait until August to make that decision.

I just ordered up all of my new Kenda stuff for the season. They released the new Small Block 8 for 29ers which looks really fast so I have a bunch of those on the way. Plus I got some of the always reliable Karma's.

Clothing wise it looks like I will be wearing Castelli product for 2007. I got some of their stuff last year and really liked it. Then managed work something out with them for this year. I am really excited about it. They have a lot of new designs and products for 2007. You can check it out at www.castelli-us.com

Steve