Things are Cook’in!

Not just turkey either…I have so many projects going on right now and things I would love to share with everyone, but most of it is really cool media that this compy I am using cannot handle.  So waiting on my super-cool compy to return from warranty.  Should be here by next week.

On the horizon is some great hockey video footage from the Hero Cam, I am hoping some cool sponsor announcements, and as usual some crazy papers for school being written about things that make me wonder why we ever think life is “normal” and “mundane”.  I think a daily muse is in order for Dec. 1-25, open a door into another area of my life that many of you do not see, not racing so you get to see what I do otherwise.

Other news…rode my bike for first time since Iceman the day after Thanksgiving, ouch…endurance wattage felt like high tempo and don’t you hate that feeling like someone is sticking needles through your skin from the inside-out because you have not had a heavy sweat in a while. 

And finally my Mountain Bike is still for sale! $3000.

2010 Superfly 100 all stock except XXX handlebar upgrade and setup tubeless with Bontrager XDX 2.1 on front and Maxxis Crossmark 2.1 in Rear.

Email or Phone.

Nathanguerra@hotmail.com

262-719-9914

Thanks for reading,

Nathan

Iceman

Start with the latest and greatest news.  Midwest had an awesome showing at Iceman and B. Matter pulled off the Win and Tristan in 5th with a four man sprint for 2nd! Cole and Mikey 7th and 8th, all good showings.

I finished 12th and I was really frustrated immediately after the race, but now that I have had some time to let the result sit and think (and watch, I have video that will be up as soon as I get my super computer back) through the race I realize it was a good performance with an “ok” result.

Recap

It was by far the fastest start to a race I have ever taken part.  Usually I can wind it up from the gun and get out front if I want and settle into the pace.  Instead it was like a wild stampede through downtown Kalkaska with bodies flying all over the place Jockeying for position.  It was no holds barred fight for a hole shot and I guess I was just not mentally prepared for how much of a fight it was going to be in the first mile.  I was not over limit, I just thought I could make up position “soon enough”.  Well, soon enough never happened and before I knew it I was 40th wheel into the “hole-shot” and the lead group was disappearing and bodies were in the way that were not going to be out of the way for a long time….I played chase for the rest of the race.  I almost made contact with the lead group about 3 times.  Twice in single-track I saw Wells’ National Champs Jersey somewhere in the middle of the race when things got really muddy and one time I saw the lead group at the top of a big climb as my chase group was approaching the climb. 

This should have given me new found hope of getting back to the front, but the start had really driven it home in my mind that I was out of the race and not in it for any money/top ten showing. 

Early in my racing I always told myself I would never be a throw in the towel kind of person, who quits because they could not get the expected result.  Here I failed in that respect and it seems I failed almost reaching my expectations because I gave into the “I am better than this” (stupid elitism) thinking instead of just putting the hard work in to go and get it!  So the entire race I thought I was sitting in 20th plus, when really at one point I had bridged to 8th or 9th and did not realize it and and I let that rider go instead of digging to stay with the Kenda Jersey in front of me…duh Nathan the guy in the Kenda Pro Team Jersey (Colin Cares I believe) might be a wheel to stay on….instead I waited for a few behind to form a chase group which included me and this guy.

(Photo: Rachael Jensen)

Once we hit the mud and hills my abilities started to come in handy and I was able to ride away from most of my group besides Cameron Walters who chased me till we caught Brent Bookwalter right after “The Wall”.  I think Cameron put a lot into bridging cause then the pace slowed a bit.  Even though it was not for the Win, my last 2 Mile tactics from the pre-ride on Friday still got to get played out.  I attacked hard going into a hill before the first section of single-track that wrapped around the finish.  Got a gap and just kept it pinned.  I remember hearing what sounded like a football stadium going nutz just as I attacked.  I couldn’t believe how close to the leaders I was….

Last Climb to Finish. (photo: B. Nigh)

Came in for 12th place with the lead group still out of breath and talking at the finish, although some websites say 11th but JHK was dropped from those results. 

Season is officially over, my bike is for sale (if interest contact me, want to keep it local otherwise its going ebay soon), playing lots of Hockey, and working on the plan for next year…

To be a bit too like Wells…

I wonder if I can attach this GoPro camera to my hockey helmet….

Thanks for reading,

Nathan

Sheboygan Re-Cap, Marathon Woman, and Iceman is Cometh soon

 

Things got really busy after racing the last WORS race in Sheboygan.  So I been MIA for a bit.  I led the race for the first lap and then Mikey Phillips took over and I let a gap open up  on the equalizer, I never ride that thing right…

He laid down some power and opened up a 5-10 second gap, I thought it was manageable until I crashed hard chasing in the singletrack.

Riding lame…

Rode pretty lame for a while after that and Darrin came back to me.  Rest of the race was me and him trading pulls.  I got away a few times, but he would always come back.  Thought I could get away again, but he made the move first when lap traffic started to get 5 bodies deep and that was it, traffic was insane and it created gaps that were not closable.  3rd on the day and best Sheboygan finish, I was happy with it, but a bit disappointed in my fitness and racing tactics/skills.  I had been riding out a peak for about 6 weeks and it finally caught up with me here I think.

How I felt about that one afterwards…

Since Sheboygan I rode myself into the ground trying to regain some base, got really sick, laid in bed for 3 days, lost 7 pounds…checking power the last few weeks and its looking good, so maybe a forced rest was what I needed.

Lindsay did a marathon last weekend.  All the sudden she decided to do this half-marathon back in September with a few weeks notice.  She did it with no problems…Then she talks to Darrin and Lynn about finishing that and they say Lynn is doing a half-marathon in October in the Dells, and that there is a WHOLE marathon too.  Lindsay started training for the WHOLE marathon with a little over a month to go but did not register till week of the event.  Well it ended up being reported as the hilliest course anybody had ever run that we talked to after.  This was the events first year and I think they took a lot of people by surprise. 

but she finished and said “I used to think marathon runners were crazy people, now I am one of the crazy people” and then on the way home “ I am done…I just want to do the dishes, clean my house, take care of the kids, and hand you water bottles…”We laughed about that for a very long time and still are and I said her brain was glucose deficient…

At the finish line…

Got into Iceman, I really like the director, laid back and easy to talk to kind of guy.  Never seen so much talent for a triple crown race before…the entire Trek 29er team is signed up along with T. Wells and along with all the local favorites.  Gonna be a battle out there, I am hoping for 50 degrees + though…never done so many lt’s in a two week period…hope it pays off! Driving up solo, think I am sleeping in parking lot…thank God for Grandpa’s conversion van.

WORS season wrap-up and Iceman report together…