Thursday, July 30, 2009

End of an ERA

(See attached file: era.jpg)
I'm not sure but look closely and I think end of and ERA has come only time will tell.

J

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Hazardous Terrain

(See attached file: Hazardous Terrain.jpg)

Hazardous Terrain

It really not that hazardous terrain but a few months ago someone fall off the ledge. So the dept of parks decided that a sign was needed to make everyone feel safe. But on another note this was one of our first tandem rides in woods. It seems to made easy trails hazardous so I thought the sign made sense today.

Justin

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Born to Ride

(See attached file: Born to Ride.jpg)
Here's little recap of the Shannock Valley and 6HOP races. OK finally feels like I'm getting back and track with racing and what not. This was going to be the first weekend with two races in a along time. We planned on going to the 6 Hours of Power on Sunday. The Shannock Valley race was on Saturday and it was on the way to the 6HOP. I've done it before but not sure how many times and when was the last time. It always seemed to conflict with something else. But I remember it was pretty short only like 10 miles, not to technical and very fast. We got there and registered and then got ready I seen allot of familiar faces that I haven't seen in a while. At the start they were happy almost 100 racers 95 to be exact. The weather didn't seem like July it was overcast and humid but only like 70 degrees.

As soon as we started I realized that the new chain I put on last night didn't match up to well with my cassette. After a few minutes I started to find which ones worked OK and which ones didn't. The race started on a paved road then we went some grass which looked like it was someone's yard. Back onto some blacktop and up a long climb then onto some double track dirt roads. Not long after this there was just three of us Travis, Shane and me. It had rained the night before it wasn't muddy but it was slick and there was lots of water puddles. The three of us rode together for a while then we started into some single track and Travis was leading. Soon the trail started going downhill and so did I that's when Travis put a little gap on me. Since I've broken my wrist I'm been really dogging it on the downhills and in the technical sections. There's lots of reasons I guess but the biggest ones are I don't want to test it and see it fail, and by not riding fast everything is off like my timing and reaction time. But with the little gap he had on me I managed to miss a turn. Lucky for me Shane was close and yelled at me that I was going the wrong way thanks Shane. After getting back on course I was riding behind Shane for a bit. Then he almost missed a turn and I got around him. I seen Travis a few times and also looked back and seen Shane a few times. But before anything else changed it was over and Travis won I was second and Shane was third.

I spun around for a little bit and then got back to the finish hoping to catch Ruth coming in. But she went to fast and I missed her finishing. But the good news she won the women's overall. We got cleaned up and headed over to the park where the awards were going to take place. There was also a festival going on with lots of good food and some small rides and games. That's when the rain started but it didn't last to long. So after some good food and a new trophy it was time to hit the road. www.runhigh.com has all the results

So were off I've been to Ellicottville 5 or 6 times and had a good idea on which way to go. There's a couple of different ways to go 79 to 90 to 86 to 219 I've never went that way because I really don't like driving on interstate. Another way is up 28 to 66 to 6 to 219 which is the way we usually go and it a scenic drive up thru the forest that never seemed to bad. The other way was the way my iphone and google maps sent us which about the worst way possible or at least it seemed that way. Up 28 to 80 to 219 and it was such a struggle just trying contain all the road rage I was getting. But during a bathroom pit stop is when we scored the mother load of free stuff. There's allot of things when the word "FREE" is put before are allot more appealing. So here's the list hot dogs, red neck hats, lighters, cans of pop, small snack sized bags of chips, and red neck tee shirts. I picked up a few can you guess which ones? If not that's OK my list was a hot dog, red neck hat, and some lighters. Ruth's list was small bag of chips and a can of pop.

After a drive that took an hour longer and was 30 miles longer we finally arrived Eillicottville. We met up with some of our neighbors for the weekend. We sent up our tent and I fixed my bike and got registered for the race. Ruth and me decided to team up together and do it as a duo. Then to Ellicottville Brewery for some food and a few beers. Then we went back and everyone was hanging and looking for extra clothes because it felt more like April than July. A few storms and some rain came during the night. But our tent kept us nice and dry unlike Tim Heck's.

No matter how much time I plan on having before a race I seem to be running behind. So I decided to do the run for our team seeing how I got there late I got lined up near the back of the pack for the Le Mans start. Off we went I noticed that it's allot harder to pass people running than riding. Maybe that's because I'm a much worse runner than biker? But either way I was near the back by the time I got to my bike. I took off up the climb and started passing people. A little more than halfway up I could finally see the lead group. I was able to work my way up to them before the top of the climb. I was in a small group as we started into the double track. Then I knew the single track was coming soon and I got into it first. Pretty soon it was Evan, some dude in a Cannondale kit and me riding the single track together. At this point I was thinking it would be cool to be the first one back. I also knew that the course finished on a long downhill. So my only chance was to put some time on them before the downhill. It seemed like I could put a small gap on them on some of the short uphills but they would make it back up on the downhills. Then we came out onto a gravel road and it was just Evan and me. He got around me as we were heading to some rocky single track. At this point he just rode away from me in the rocks and I was trying not to get caught be anyone else. But it happened on the last section of the downhill I got caught and came in third.
Now it was Ruth's turn to head out and she came back with a really fast lap too. Then I had good second lap and started getting ready for number three. My third lap was OK I felt good but my arm was starting to get fatigued. So I started checking the results and seen we had a good lead on second place. It also looked like if Ruth kept her lap time close there would be time for me to do one more lap. After looking at our lead unless Ruth had a big problem there would be no need for another lap. With three minutes left Ruth was coming down the last hill and I stopped her, and told not to cross until it was over. We won the mixed team class. Now for the hard part packing up and driving home. www.heartrateup.com


Justin

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Bobcat on your left

(See attached file: bobcat-1.bmp)

Bobcat on your left

(See attached file: bobcat-2.bmp)

This past weekend plans changed again but it still turned out to be a good weekend. Early in the week the plan was go to the WVMBA in Davis on Sunday. But after putting the gash in my shin on Thursday I figured it would be best to skip the WVMBA race. For a few reasons the biggest being that every time I've done this race in the past and it always involves allot of going thru sanky stinky deep water bogs. While I was deciding what to do over the weekend I got a text from Jason said he was heading up to his cabin in Kennerdale. He had what sounded to be good plan Saturday a big ride at Kennerdale. Saturday night ride down to Emlenton for River Fest and fireworks. Then Sunday ride up to the Blue Canoe Brewery in Titusville for lunch round trip was a 104 he said.

Friday night we packed up and hit the road I was glad because it was a short drive only 90 minutes. We got to the cabin pretty late on Friday and I stayed up way to late and had way to much beer. Then Saturday morning got up had breakfast and headed out. The weather was prefect and trails were even better. I love riding Kennerdale with Jason and company because he makes some good loops. But the weather and trails only held up for about 90 minutes that's when the lighting and thunder started. We found a ledge that had some big rocks and was like tiny cave to hide under until the storm finally past. It went through pretty fast only about 30 minutes. We rode for about another 90 minutes or so then headed back to the cabin.

Everyone was just hanging out and waiting until it was time to head to Emlenton. I think it was about 7:00 when we left for our 8 mile trip to Emlenton. Ruth and me took the tandem which was pretty fun. The 8 miles turned out to be like 16 miles but it was no big deal. Emlenton is really no big either except on River Fest night. I've never been there before but tonight the streets were full and everyone seemed to have a beer in hand. After looking for a while we finally found a spot that we were hoping would give us a good view of the fireworks. Finally they started and our spot was OK too. I'm really not into fireworks and don't understand why some people get so excited about them either. But after about 5 minutes I had enough and was hoping that they would end soon. Finally the end came and we pedaled back to the cabin.

Sunday morning came and we ate and got ready to head out for the today's big adventure. I think we had 10 people and 9 bikes that sounds pretty cool. We only started 15 minutes later than planned and that's pretty good for such a big group. About 20 in we suffered our first mechanical Parker got a flat. It happened just as we were starting down a big hill going about 35. He had a sign of relief that nothing else happened. Once we got to the rail trail and were close to Franklin everyone jams on there brakes and someone said watch out for the kitten. After a better look the kitten turned out to be a baby Bobcat. It was cool but I really didn't want to stick around incase Mommy decided to show herself. After that it nothing else worth mentioning happened until we got to Titusville. That's when everyone's day was ruined the Blue Canoe was closed for electric repairs. What to do now? After riding around town for a little bit everyone decided that the buffet a Pizza Hut was our best opinion. So after a lunch of pizza and salad it was time to head back. Or so I thought we had to make one more stop on the edge of town to the DQ for Tim to get his milkshake.

On the way back we stopped at the BMX track which was pretty cool. I managed to get a few laps in on the tandem too. I did a warm up lap with Ian and then tried to clear the table tops with Ruth on the next lap but was unsuccessful. Then before long we almost back to Kennerdale and got to go through a long ass tunnel on the rail trail I think it's about a 1/4 long. It seemed that we were riding for a while with out seeing any light for either side. Then we finally were out and just had the last uphill grunt back to the cabin. After 90 some miles it became pretty clear to me and Ruth that tandems don't climb very well.

Also if anyone reads this I have a couple of favors that I must ask of you. First if you've ever been to the Blue Canoe Brewery in Titusville tell me is it worth the trip? Second if you see Tim Heck ask him why the heck was he carrying a huge scented candle around all day in his pannier bag?

Justin

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

RVR

Every time something happens to me I hear it way to much "WHEN WILL YOU EVER LEARN?" It's really not about learning to me. Because sometimes it seems like I learn something new almost everyday. To me it's more about balance and Risk Verse Reward. I think this can be applied to almost anything in life. So to put it simple no matter what your doing there's rewards to be had and risks to taken. My problem always seems to be finding the balance point of the two.

Last Thursday while riding at Hartwood with Echo and the Mogwhy I was presented with a RVR decision. Nearing the end of our ride we happened to see a nice log that someone built a ramp onto. The Mogwhy gave it a few attempts and was able to clear it and made it look easy. Echo tried a few times with no such luck, so while waiting and watching I did the math in my head. Make it and it will really good and if you fail no big deal. After I few attempts I keep getting to the highest point and would always stop. Then I built up some confidence and decided the reward would out weigh the risks. But even before I made it to the highest point it seemed like someone pushed my front tire off of the log. After I got up and started to go back to the start is when I noticed the huge gash in my shin. So I never got to the reward but found out about the risk. I'm happy because it could have been worse. Everyone said that it needed a few stiches, I agreed but hate the hospital. So after a quick stop to pick up some supplies we doctored it up and hoped for the best.

Justin

RVR #1

(See attached file: RVR #1.jpg)

RVR #2

(See attached file: RVR #2.jpg)

these guys are good

(See attached file: these guys are good.jpg)

No Dr needed

(See attached file: No Dr needed.jpg)

After

(See attached file: after.jpg)

Before

(See attached file: before.jpg)
Look closely how happy and full of energy Ruth looks before Stage 2 of Tour De Burg. Look again after being lost for about 3 hours how everything changes.

J

Monday, July 20, 2009

"Cheaper Than Living"

(See attached file: tour.jpg)
What's Cheaper than living you ask The Tour De Burg of course. What's The Tour De Burg you ask? It's a blast to put it simply but I'm going to bore you with some details. The Tour takes place in Harrisonburg VA which has some of the best riding I've ever ridden both road and off road. I've done a few stages before but this year I was planning on doing the entire tour. This year there was 7 stages in the tour 2 road, 2 time trials and 3 mountain stages in 6 days. Not sure how it started 13 years ago but it's has allot of crazy behavior and even more awesome riding. Just like all Great Tours it has some covenanted jerseys. The Yellow Leaders Jersey, the Red KOM jersey, the Blue Sprinters jersey, the Super D jersey, the White DFL Jersey and it also has some people sporting some awesome haircuts. The way it works is everyday the group meets up in the morning anywhere between 30 and 60 people showed up each day. Then we parade which is just group riding until we get to a timed section. At the timed section you get your list of instructions a then your off and racing. At the end of the timed sections we regroup and parade. Everyday seemed to have two timed sections.

The Tour started off with Prologue which was a 6 mile Mountain bike TT at Massanutten. If you ever did the HOO HA it's uses the same trails just a little bit shorter. It's about a 4 mile uphill that finishes with a 2 mile down hill that's blast. I did OK on the way up but not so good on the way down. The two sidenotes first "Ralph the Mouth" left with a broken arm and a bear sighting. Afterwards we stopped at the Little Grille Collective for some great food. Then it was off to Thomas's yard or tent village as it later became known as. Totals 6 miles 38 minutes

Stage 1 started in the George Washington Forest at Braley's Pond. After a short parade it was time for the first timed section. It started off with a long climb a fast downhill then another long climb and a fast but not as technical downhill. Kelly from Georgia got some major style points for the stage with his 6 foot drop sidewalk clearing finish. Then we did a long parade section before the next timed section. It was going good until started raining hard before the downhill. The rain was OK but after finishing and waiting of everyone else it got cold fast. Then is was time to parade until we got to the Deerfield sprint. This is when I learned it's very important to know where the sprint finish is. Totals for the day 55 miles and about 5 hours of riding .

Stage 2 was the first road stage which was cool because no driving was involved. There were some KOM points up for grabs early but I wasn't able to get any. But the first section was short but very fast which finished with some sprint points again I didn't get anything. After a quick regrouping and a short parade it was time to go again. It started off up a steep long gravel road climb, everything was going great but that changed quickly. That's when we started going down steep long gravel hills. I seen lots of people flatting and just flying down these hills and it didn't take long before the lead group was out of sight. It wasn't long before a I was riding in a small group of 4 people. This is when my luck changed for the better. I'm sure what happened next happens in all the big tours too. Carp said the route would be marked with orange paint on the road at each turn. But Carp was on the Motorcycle and was planning on marking the course and sent the White Whale on a shortcut to the next check point. There was only one little detail the Carp forgot about he left the paint in the whale. Why was I lucky? Because I was with a couple of Locals that listened and knew the correct route. To my big surprise my group which now only had three people in it got to the check point first. Then about 10 minutes later the lead group the I fell off of came in from a different direction. After waiting for a long time not many people were coming in because lots of people got lost. I decided to head back to town with some people that knew the way. I was worried because Ruth was on of the many that never made it to the stop. Carp reassured me that it was OK to go the he would find her. I went back got cleaned up and finally got a call that Ruth was spotted and on her way back. What's a tour with out a little controversy? After a long process the Tour Committee decided to throw the section. Totals 72 miles 4-1/2 hours

Stage 3 Rocktown TT at Hillendale park this was a fast fun little section that had some tight and rocky single track. I didn't have to good of a time because the rocks were a little to much for me. Total 3 miles and 20 minutes

Stage 4 we headed out to Stokesville near the start of the Shenandoah 100. Did a long parade up to Todd lake before the first timed section. It started up a long uphill then along a ridge for a while the it went down fast. At the bottom there was about to more miles to go that had several stream crossings. like all the other stages I did a little better on the uphills than on the downhills. At the end is when I see something new Jimmy had a nice set of alloy brake rotors and had melted one down on the final downhill. Then it was parade time again before the final section of the day. It started up a long hill and we rode along another ridge and then down a super steep descent and finished on the about a 3 mile road section. Total 40 miles 5 hours

Stage 5 was the longest of any stages and also another road stage. We road out of town to the GW Forest then started racing up through the forest. It was going OK until the assault turned into gravel and that's when I fell off the lead group. After a small group of us worked hard on the flat sections it was time to climb. Then a down a twisty descent up another climb then down to the check point. After a long parade it was time again it started up a long climb gravel road climb. Some Locals said this was a hard section and one said "this is where you to Hop to die" It also was the only section that had an uphill finish. I finally made it to the end and hope might not die there but it's going to be hurting. Then it was down a long hill and back to town. But I got an added bonus I waited up a the bottom of the hill for Ruth so we could ride back to town together. But as I started riding back up the hill she was already in the Whale. So I asked Carp to give me a little help to catch back up to the group. What happened next was fun, very cool, super hard and a little bit scary. I never had the chance to draft behind a car with the driver knowing it or for any length of time. But it was cool going around 40 for like five miles or so and dodging the dead squirrel that the whale kicked up was cool too. Finally after I caught back up to the group is time to relax and ride back to town. Total 101 miles 6-1/2 hours

Stage 6 finally the end was in sight back in the GW forest for another day of fun. At the beginning I was struggling to find some motivation because it was raining, foggy and a little chilly for July. But after things got going it wasn't to bad we paraded up the big hill we came down yesterday all 8 miles of it. After we regrouped it was off to the races. Nothing of interest happened just up another hill along a ridge then down the other side. After a long parade back to the top it was all down hill to the end, and time for the award ceremony. I finished 11th in the GC and had some KOM points and that was it. Time to pack up and get back to reality. Total 36 miles 5 hours
After thinking about it defiantly was "Cheaper than Living" 313 miles, 27 hours, lunch and snacks and diner everyday all for $150. www.svbcoalition.org


Justin


Tuesday, July 7, 2009

(See attached file: mass-solo.bmp)

Fw: Suprize

on 07/07/2009 08:17 AM -----

          Justin Pokrivka <racerrat666@yahoo.com>

          07/07/2009 08:09 AM


To

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Subject

Suprize


Wow what surprise I have over the weekend. It was super cool because it was the good kind too. I haven't been riding my mtn bike much because it used wasn't much fun lately. I told myself that I'm not riding it until I can do a push up or two. Finally I was able too.  It hurts and the form was pretty bad but it will work for now.

     Ruth was heading out to the MASS weekend festival to meet JR. I decided to go at the last minute. The weekend had three races scheduled. Friday was a night time TT, Saturday was a 9hr solo race or a 12hr team race and Sunday was a short track race.

We got to the farm on Friday around 7:00. It was on private property and they had an amazing trail network built. We got our tent setup and then got ready for the TT. Before I knew it I was off I thought I was doing OK but it was hard to tell. Then I had a little problem chain into the spokes. After fixing that problem I did it again shortly afterwards. After that is when things were looking bad. The trail was super tight and had lots of log crossings and I decided not to shift anymore in the rear. I finished but was near the bottom.

 On Saturday morning I made a little adjustment and fixed the problem. But after riding some of the trails on Friday I was very nervous before the start on Saturday. For lots of reasons first my log crossing skills suck and bike handling are pretty bad now. There was over 30 people in the solo race.

    It was 9:00 and time to go. It was going to have a LeMans start. I lined up near the back which turned out to be the front. We started the run and got on to the bike in good position. Then I just started riding at my own pace and tried to stay out of everyone's way. On the first lap I got off and walked most of the log crossings. Then on the second lap I decided that I was going to try and ride them. Because it was a slow getting off and walking them. I managed to get almost all of them some but it wasn't pretty.

   After about hour 3 is when it hit me that I still have 6 hours of racing still to go. This was also about the time when my poor pit planning came to my attention. In the morning I figured 4 water bottles plus the 2 on the bike would be plenty and one PB sand and some gel. But after I went though that supply if was time to get more. So I did the best I could and refilled and ate whatever I could make fast.


        I it seemed like I was doing OK. But is was hard to tell because there was so many people out on the course and I didn't know who was solo and who was part of a team. At hour 6 is when I started doing the math I'm my head on how may more laps. It keep changing from 7 to maybe 9. Then at hour 8 is when did the math correct and 10 was the magic number.

   When I finished and looked at the standings I seen that I was second. I was very suprized because I never seen the standings during the race. Ruth had a good race to and finished 5th in the women's solo.


Justin




     

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