Today was an average Sunday like many others. Wake up early, after a long week of work and riding, to meet at 7:45am in the Tustin Marketplace for the locally famous group ride, “Como.” I don’t know why it is called this and don’t care, but I do know the ride has been happening for 17+ years and every Sunday it attracts at least 60 or more cyclist to race through the hills of Santiago/Irvine Canyon.

The ride is usually fast, painful, and always filled with riders one would not expect to see on their normal weekend ride. This past year I have ridden with 4x champion Brian Lopes, Rising MTB XC star Manuel Prado, and other various professional road racers, I have no clue who they are, other than they race for Jittery Joe’s and other teams.

Today’s ride was awesome! With perfect weather and a large group. I was looking through the crowd to see pro MTB rider Sid Taberlay. The Australian champion and olympic athlete has recently moved to the area and signed a contract to race with local Team Sho-Air.

Tasmanian Taberlay welcome to the neighborhood, even though I was flicked off the back of the front group like a wet booger as you pulled on the first climb!

-DSheek
Local Rides Rule

This just in:
2008-09 Southern California Prestige Series of Cyclocross, SCPS
SCPS 2008 Schedule

These dates are pretty much set as there might be a few changes before the season but we will keep all Southern CA cross racing enthusiast up to date with the series information, results, and race reports again this season.

-DSheek
Ride, Jump, Run, Ride… It’s almost cross time!

Sho-Air, Team Big Bear and Blue Wolf have some exciting updates regarding the American Mountain Classic MTB stage race, set to take place August 21-24 in Brian Head, UT.

Click to read the press release:
american-mountain-classic-event-sponsors-update

Thanks to the guys at Team Big Bear and Sho-Air this is going to be an amazing event.

-DSheek
4 Days of fun in the sun racing.

My day job is teaching 26, 4th graders and recently I made a deal with them. I encouraged them to achieve higher scores on their final exam for the semester and we could do something fun. After a few discussions they decided shaving my head would be fun.

I laughed and gave them a pretty hard task, never imagining they would improve their score 14%, to obtain the 84% class average on the Math Final. Basically, I lost as they scored exactly an 84% average.

-DSheek
I should have sabotaged their scores!

It’s with great excitement that we welcome Fluid Recovery Products to the Outside All Day team. The guys at Fluid are sharp and their products are first class. It’s a partnership that Dave and I are super excited about.

Support our newest sponsor and check out their products and website.

As I wrote this post I realized how many dope sponsors we now have on board. With Bonk Breaker, Motor Tabs and Fluid you have the nutrition trio for all workouts and races. Breakaway Training offers the best training services on the planet for cycling and triathlon and Rock N Road has been my local bike shop for 5 years. It all kind of gives me a warm fuzzy.

Andy B
outsideallday.com

I received an email today from a local Mountain Biker in Orange County, CA who was riding some local trails this past weekend. It turns out from all the fires we had this past year there is a lot more exposed ground that I never cared to see. The lovely Summer weather in the mid 80′s last weekend shows that it was enjoyed by all… especially sun bathing reptilians!

What you can’t tell what the first picture is? Keep looking at the sequence of photos until it gets close enough.

If I saw this on a trail I would probably $hi! my pants. If Andy saw this he would have a heart-attack!

-DSheek
I think I found a new rattle for Andy’s kid!

The Warrior Society’s 2008, Traverse Race had riders such as Tinker Juarez attending…

One of our local Clubs, Team Velocity raced and here are the results:
The Warrior’s Society Traverse Ride Saturday, June 7, 2008 turned into an epic race! It was around 44 miles from Black Star Canyon to Trabuco Canyon Road and included blistering heat and steep climbs that caused 37 DNFs.

Velocity was well represented as all four of our riders finished. Amazing in itself as the heat was brutal. Dalton got 3rd in Expert, Gibson a 3rd in his category. Baldewin looked fresh -like he cruised around the loop- came in for a 10th and Williams took 4th.

Great Job from the Mountain Bike Division of Team
Velocity. I am inspired to ride my bike on the loop
more….

Al Morinaka
Team Velocity

For more info on the Warrior Society or the race report

-DSheek
I love stories of others outside enjoying themselves!

I received a phone call Tuesday night from my cycling coach/Pro Mountain Biker Cameron Brenneman of the Sho-Air Team as he was explaining his recent trip to Italy for a 24 Hour mountain bike courtesy of Niner Bikes.

The conversation went something like this:
“24 Hours later and I am back in New Mexico. I am tired. The trip was good but for being in Italy almost a week I think I learned two things to say, I’m on your left and I’m on your right. Obviously, I was saying it wrong though because I took out a team on a tandem bike early because they didn’t understand.”

But Cameron sent over a little email too with information and pictures from the race:
The race went well in Italy. We won the 4 man team classification & took 3rd overall. We raced on single-speed Niner bikes and only one other team used single-speeds. We completed 59 laps of the 4 mi course. It was a lot of fun and there were some amazing views of the sea from the course. One of my teammates girlfriend decided last minute to compete in the solo category on a single-speed (crazy!!!). She finished 2nd with 33 laps. For more info go to www.24hfinale.com.

Hope everyone is doing well,

Cameron

Thanks for sharing!
-dsheek
I would have been so amazed by the views I would have forgotten about racing…

I spent the week prior to the road races at fifth grade camp with students hiking, dancing, and singing camp songs. I had the opportunity to ride my bike for about an hour each morning so my training fizzled drastically. By Friday I was exhausted but I returned home from camp only to load my car again and eat before heading to Bakersfield.

Friday:
We arrived in Bakersfield and were lost due to google maps, thank you, so we finally got checked in and to bed around 11:30pm.

Saturday:
Wake up 5:00am but it felt like I slept for three hours. Got to the race registered and then fell asleep in my car only to wake up ten minutes before my race start so I threw on my shoes and helmet darting to the starting line. This was the Mens 30+ Cat 1-4 race. It was off, it was fast and I was off the back as soon as it started.

Basically the guys I was racing against were so fast that I was spinning out in the flats with my compact crank set. I wish I would have had a computer so that I could have seen the speeds. After one lap and getting dropped I pulled the plug so that I could just rest for day two.

Saturday night Hanhster and I prepped for day two with what we are determined is the magic combination of foods, stretching, etc… (I can’t share all of the strategies otherwise the other Cat 5 roadies will know my secrets and tell the rest of our horrible wack pack).
Coca-Cola Classic href='http://www.outsideallday.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/img_1056.jpg'>
Diaphragm Stretches

Sunday:
The race was on! I woke up early again and was at the races but alert and feeling surprisingly well. I raced the 30+ Cat 3-5 only to find myself up against team Triathletix. They were a bunch of fun even though they tried to burn me out, block, and attack me towards the end of the race.

The end result was me VS. Triathletix, two sprinters took off in the final 400 yards but I found a gap in their block attempt and I chased the sprinters down for the win.

So in true champion fashion I showed my stretched diaphragm off on the podium so everyone could see just how big my lungs are… Why the rest of their team didn’t show up I don’t know but word around the race was that it was due to my ominous podium belly display.

I walked away from this race having a blast and with an extra $55 in cash for winning… We kept saying we were going to Sizzler but instead we got coffee and Taco Mesa.

-DSheek
Big Belly Road Racing

After a conversation with Matt Smart (contributor) where I explained to him the difference of Mountain bike wheels, in reference to surfing terms. He suggested I share my explanation of Mountain Bike wheel sizes and how each rides, as the market seems to be more and more flooded with 29 inch wheels on bikes.

The best way I can briefly explain a 29er is by comparing a long board to a short board… You can create the shape on a long board to surf pretty snappy and quick but it will never respond as fast as a short board. The 29er rides like that of a long board, it’s the soul riders bike. They peddle a little smoother over rocks and can climb better in most areas but they do not accelerate as quickly or pop out of turns as fast as your standard 26 inch wheeled bike. However, because of the bigger tires the 29er bikes do hold a line better while cornering.

You can see each type of bike has its own benefits and the rider has to decide which of the two they like with all the riding aspects that fit their style and weight factors which may apply with a 29er too. This weight is all due to the larger wheels which is also consistent with larger or a little more elongated geometry on 29er bikes which 29ers use to make up for the larger wheels.

The more I think of my experience with 29ers the more I want my Pivot Mach 429. The new 29 inch full suspension beast from pivot cycles.
Check one out: www.pivotcycles.com

-DSheek
Hang Loose Bike Geeks!

To protect the innocence of the underage I will not mention names, etc. but I would like to share my experience this week from camp:

Day 1:

My phone is not working but I have internet access. The riding seems like it is going to be sweet. I am getting up at 6am to hit the trails. I have attached some pictures of my room and the forest on our first hike. The teachers dorms are less than desirable, I don’t mind. However, one of the women in the room next door is taking a dump right now and I can hear it…SICK!

Day 2:
I woke up this morning and took a ride back up the 1 mile dirt road that leads to camp from Highway 2, Angeles Highway. I crossed the main highway onto a single-track for about 6 more miles up and could of kept going but I had to turn around to be back in time for breakfast. The views were amazing and I plan to go back tomorrow and take pictures. As I hurried back I hit a gopher snake and did not turn back to check the damage (reptile lover).

After just making it back in time and scurried into my room to change and wash up only too find all the bathrooms filled by teachers. As my teacher friends were walking out I heard sorry I would have warned you if I knew you were going in next. The smell was torturous. I barely survived to wash my hands.

After breakfast we hit the trails to hike and climb some ropes…Sweet!

After a long day of hikes, geology (rock collecting) and the morning ride we went back out to do a little astronomy. When the sky opened I looked through a $10,000 telescope to see Saturn (not the car). It was amazing. I could see the ring around the planet and it reminded me of a little sticker in the view finder.

Until tomorrow,

-DSheek
Americas biggest 5th grader

1. Andy put the hurt on me when we rode yesterday! He can use the idea that I raced the day before and that I was slow but he had some sort of hidden agenda/hamster in his butt that made him ride like Sam Schultz (My favorite Pro MTB racer this week, super nice kid) at a short track race.

2. Andy rode my Pivot and loved it like McDonalds….

The Pivot rips and Andy has now felt the power. Check one out, www.pivotcycles.com

-dsheek

I received this email from the owner of EVOMO Clothing as he is doing his part to support the Mark Arthur Reynolds Fund raiser after Marks unfortunate crash at the 2008 Sea Otter Classic.

——————————————
Bryan
EVOMO

—

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mark Arthur Reynolds Memorial Fund and Race Event

Los Angeles, CA — A fund raiser is being held in conjunction with the
CCCX Downhill Race Series starting this Saturday, May 3rd in honor of
Mark A. Reynolds who died on Saturday, April 19, 2008.

Mark’s death was a result of the crash he had while competing in the
Downhill race during the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA. Mark, who
was just 48 years old, was the owner of Wicked Racin and innovator of
the Dualrailluer Guide for which is in the process of being patented
as the first dual chain ring guide. Mark was an avid mountain biker
who raced competitively and he also enjoyed the action sports scene
including snowboarding, wake boarding and even piloting airplanes. He
was also a friend to many as well as a mentor to those looking to
improve their skills.

After hearing the news on Saturday, members of the Evomo Mountain Bike
Team stepped forward to contact fellow industry companies in order to
organize a memorial fund raiser in Mark’s name. “I feel it’s the right
thing to do and I really feel for the family who had to hear such
terrible news”, said Tom Judy, Evomo Downhill Team Member. Everyone on
the Evomo team instantly said they would be happy to make a collective
Team donation to help. Within a few days, Fox Racing was ready to ship
out some product donations and Keith DeFiebre, CCCX race organizer,
offered his event location as a place to hold the fund raiser. “It was
pretty awesome to get such instant support”, said Tom Judy.

Mark’s family hopes to contribute to a freeride or jump park that will
be named after Mark so that people of all levels can enjoy the sport
of mountain biking and can feel encouraged and supported, just as Mark
made all of us feel.

Fox Racing Shox, Evomo, X-Fusion, Pactimo, Stan’s No Tubes, Cool
Cycling Club, Calabazas Cyclery, Trailhead Cyclery, and Auburn Bike
Works have already stepped up to donate cash or product for the fund
raising raffle that will be held at the CCCX DH Race Series finale on
Sunday, June 22. Memorial T-shirts and raffle tickets will be for sale
at this weekends event in which all proceeds will go to the fund in
honor of Mark. “By having a huge raffle at our series finale in June
we are able to maximize the cash we can raise by selling tickets at
the next 5 races”, said Keith DeFiebre, CCCX Race organizer.

This weekend’s event will be held at Toro Park in California, located
between Salinas and Monterey off of Hwy 68 just minutes from Laguna
Seca Raceway. Registration for racing opens at 8am.

Donation information, please visit www.wickedracin.com where you can
make a cash donation in his Mark’s name via PayPal.

CCCX Race Event/Fund Raiser information:
http://www.cccx.org/dh/2008/index.shtml

For more information or to donate products for the Event raffle please
contact:
Evomo Clothing
Toll free: (888) 346-4421
www.evomo.com

———————————-
-DSheek