I entered the Dunnigan Road Race aiming for some upgrade points. Here I am again focusing on the pot-of-gold instead of journey. Well, do to that, I was handed an interesting course. Right off the bat I realized that I entered the wrong race. Looking around me I notice a ton of big guys. Not tall, I mean big guys. The kind that eat up head winds and flat courses and then disappear on ascents. There would be no ascents today - so I found the best draft I could behind a Webcore guy and made myself at home. The funny thing is that I cut into the draft of this said Webcore fellow and broke up his team paceline consisting of four guys. I sat in behind three of them, the third being largest, and the fourth guy who apparently was hoping to get pulled to a win by his teamates, stuck his bar into my quad and pulled out of the draft cursing the spando plaid. This changed nothing for me except the fate of my top 5 finish which you find out about below. At this point in the race the Davis team was putting on a big 32 mile an hour effort into a massive headwind. Honestly, I got popped but managed to bridge latching onto a breakaway at mile thirty or so of the race. The break was big and consisted mainly of Metro dudes, Webcore riders, and Davis riders, as well as a couple of Vintage pedalers who transition into Jordache denim after the races (forced style from my perspective = contrived). The sweet irony of it all is that seven brutal miles later we realize that we made a wrong turn and that everyone we gapped would go on to win the top 9 or so places in the race. Our lead pack dwindled as we chaced or survived depending on you look at it. Many riders descided to make the beer-thirty call at the finish of lap one and 10 or so guys including me forged on to finish our feat making up for our indiotic off course attack. To give the group credit, the attack was feirce and the course markings were lacking. There too was one motocyclist for all race categories leaving a large margin of error. So, we missed the only course turn. Awesome, so I held in, focused on my nirtition plan and won the sprint in my group hopefully landing me in a top hat finish. I'll repost results asap. Also, I set my watch to alarm me every :45 minutes at which I would take an endurolyte caplet, drink something, and munch a little cliff bite from all the cut-up bite size bars that collectied lint from my jersey pocket. This seemed manageable and allowed me to excell in the sprint putting the smack down salvadging a race and putting a smile on my face. Thanks for reading - Matt Chappell. Dunnigan, the most boring road race ever.

L-R: Greg Forsyth of Cyclepaths, Gary Mandy, Conrad Snover, Rich Blanco, Glenn Rawlinson, Carl Dekker (2008 Champ)


By Conrad Snover
The SSWC is approximately 30% serious race, 50% costume party, and 20% beer drinking, and we allocated our efforts appropriately. We dressed up, drank beer, and raced hard and had an amazing time

The NY Times wrote a great article, describing the race pretty well; read about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/sports/othersports/31cycling.html and be sure to view the slideshow.

While half our team was racing in Santa Cruz, the other half - the misfits - gathered in Napa for some serious tomfoolery and shenanigans. The course was super technical, and scared many people into stopping halfway through the first lap and focusing on drinking beer more than riding. Forrest ran farther than he probably ever has in his life (his motto: why walk or run when you can ride?), while wearing a black velour jacket with gold embroidering, to earn an entry. The HUGE effort certainly cost him a few places, but at this race who cares?

As we were all milling about waiting to hear how the LeMans style start would work, Glenn had an epiphany. He was worrying about how technical the course was while I was worrying about my gear and tire selection, and he looked at me and said " who cares!? The beautiful thing about this race, is that nothing matters. Were all there to have fun; were simply not going to contest against guys like Carl Dekker, Barry Wicks and Travis Brown.

Even with this perspective, I still stressed. I was worried that I had too easy of a gear (32x20), and I hadnt ridden the Michelin Dry 2.3 on the rear " it was huge. The gear worked out ok, though I was spinning a little more than Id like. The rear tire was too big and rubbed against my chainstay with every right pedal stroke. I was poopy when I finished the race since I also felt lousy and through the entire race didn't feel like I could get on top of my gear, and it took a while for me to be happy with how well I did and remember how fun it was.

Glenn and Forrest

Next year: Durango amyone?

Click here for our Flickr Gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21265854@N02/sets/72157607029043182/

Results:
8th: Conrad Snover
12th: Gary Mandy
24th: Rich Blanco
58th: Glenn Rawlinson
63rd: Forrest Huisman

Last weekend we packed up the subie and marched down to San Francisco catching the last part of the Radiohead concert in Golden Gate Park. This marked the first-ever night concert in the park. Katie, being a little apprehensive in my taste of music had no idea what she was about to see. As we entered the concert and jockeyed for viewing position amongst 60,000 other Radioheads we realized, or at least I did, that we we're taking part in an experience that I deem "the future of music experience" or at least the present of which I may be behind the curve. The show consisted of brilliantly performed music, amazing interactive large screen televisions with extremely, and often awkwardly pleasant images of the band in vibrant color schematics and euphoric sound/image matching. Radiohead was absolutely awesome. Exiting the park with 60,000 other people made for an interesting experience. Yellow jackets were swarming everywhere, I was stung on the tip of my nose, Allana was stung everywhere important, so we jumped fences and hugged the tree line landing us seats at a great Thai restaurant soon after.

After waking up in Pacific Heights we ventured down the coast, the girls got out and rode Highway 1, and Ramsey and I headed for the University Road Race Course to pre-ride the course. At first glance it appeared like an easy race to me. The next day proved me to be wrong as Ramsey, Devon, Andy, and I (me) all took part in what would eventually become a struggle for survival.

Good positioning in the race proved helpful but nutrition, once again, caught me by surprise. The course was a 3.5 mile loop. You start on a slight climb and then you descend while admiring the coast, then ascend, descend, and repeat 15 times. Ascending the climb took the heart to max love and descending put you into a cold recovery. If you fall out of sync, and the peloton keeps this rhythm, then you miss out on the recovery and get popped on the climb. It sounds easy doesn't it, well it is if you remain focused. On the 12th lap, up the climb I struck up a conversation with a fellow rider wearing a BikeRX kit. BikeRX is a rad Mill Valley, CA bike shop who coined the bike vending machine which apparently Trek put in their distribution catalog for 2009. At least this is what I remember from conversing at heart rate max.

Next, I learned that my fellow conversator and I let a 5 foot gap turn to 10 feet and witnessed a surge. We sessioned up the steep climb and rotated pulls quickly landing us back in the back protected with 3 remaining laps. The next climb was all out and recovery was out of sync. The entire peloton blew and small groups formed everywhere. I was in the chase group rotating through within the top ten at this point.

We chased, chased some more while closing in when my legs began resisting the tremendous variance in heat. It went from a freezing descent to a 90 degree exposed climb every ten minutes or so leading to fierce cramping with just 1-2 remaining laps.

With one lap to go, and my best finish yet, I kept focus and envisioned windmills swooping around naturally which helped me to keep a pedal rhythm.

The embarrassing part about this was that 4-5 people passed me 200 yard before the finish line where my largest ever cheering crew sat hooping and hollering for my finish. I dreamt of attacking and actually surged. My surge looked great, to me, but it only lasted long enough for the other riders to notice and then pick up pace themselves landing me a top 15 finish instead of my top 5 goal.

As I crossed the finish line, I dropped my chain, literally right on the line. As means of survival, I popped my cleats out, jumped from the bike, had an entire body cramp - Allana grabbed my bike shouting "just get me off this thing" (she was reading my mind) and I tip toed very quickly, while crying deep inside, into the shade where I would lay down looking up at the 15 fans staring down at me saying so many positive things like you inspired me, you could have had it, it was a tough one and on and on.

Nonetheless, it was a ton of fun from start to finish. Congratulations to Ramsey for tremendous progress this last week in both UCSC and Boca, to Andy for making dreams reality, and to Devon for getting in where you fit in (a San Ardo victory for DV). Also, thanks to everyone who joined us in Santa Cruz, I hope you attend another event, just wear spandex next time.

Thanks for reading and go see Radiohead if you get the chance.

Matt Chappell

Winters Road Race is set on a 25 mile loop of beautiful clean roads with one short 5 minute climb.















Conrad Snover: Cat 3: 75 miles
In Cat 4 races (and also Cat 5 ) riders arent allowed to break away because the pack always chases them down within a mile or so. For this reason, the safest way to finish in the top 6 and get points is surely to sit in the pack and wait for the sprint. After a few Cat 4 races, Id become a bit of an expert at sitting at the back and doing nothing, then unleashing the fury for the final sprint. In Cat 3 races, riders are allowed to break and sometimes additional riders bridge up to them, though that can be tough. These breaks then sometimes make it to the finish before the pack, but are often swept up with just a few miles to go, just like in the pro races I watch on TV.

In all of my Cat 3 races so far, a break away has successfully made it to the finish and won the race; or at least someone from the breakaway made it, often many of the other riders are shelled then passed by the peloton, only to finish far down in the standings. Last weekend at Patterson Pass, I hadnt quite adapted my strategy for Cat 3 races yet, and while socializing at the back of the pack halfway around the first lap, watched the winning break shoot off the front, never to be seen again. I was annoyed with my lapse of attention, tried to initiate a chase, and finally ended up helping create a second break.

This last weekend at Winters, I wasnt going to make the same mistake, and positioned myself near the front so Id be able to respond. Several breaks were attempted, but all were reeled in by the pack. I had joined all breaks and was recovering from my latest effort when yet another break went off, and I wasnt prepared to cover. After a few minutes, I tried to bridge, but decided I didnt want to lay it all out and risk blowing up. Of course this was the break that got away. I ate myself up about missing it, and thought through the best way for one guy without teammates to cover all the breaks. I concluded that its just not possible. Instead Ive got to learn whos strong, and wait to go with them. I kept my position near the front, and just sort of hung out for the rest of the race. With 5 miles to go, we caught all the riders from the break one by one. Time to get aggressive.


















The finish was a dicey affair. The road was mostly flat for the final few miles, so speeds were high. Riders were darting in and out, trying to get on wheels and out of the wind, trying to stay near the front but not be at the front. I rode aggressively, taking a wheel when there was even a tiny opening, stuck my elbows out to keep some knucklehead from passing me on the yellow line and followed the biggest/strongest looking guy when we went for the sprint. He quickly opened up a lead, then I snaked him at the line for my first Cat 3 win.


Nate Freed: P/1/2, 100 miles
Many times while I am racing, I think about all the witty stuff that I want to write in my race report the next day. How I was feeling, the funny shit that happens, and all the weird stuff that guys talk about, etc. Then after the race I forget almost everything. It's like one of those extremely vivid dreams that you completely forget about when you wake up. Then all I can remember is how hard it was, where the hills were, and various other boring details about the race.

Eric Wohlberg from Symmetrics was at the race. He's fast. He is affectionately known as "Team Wohlberg" by some members of the P/1/2 field. I would assume that this is because he is always racing the NorCal races without teammates, but dominates as a strong team would nonetheless. The course is a mostly flat 25 mile lap with one real climb followed by a sketchy technical decent. This climb proved to be the major deciding factor, which I discovered on the first lap. I didn't get dropped, which in itself was a small accomplishment for me. On the second lap I decided that I should stay as close as possible to the front. The only problem with that is that the strongest guys on the front hit the climb in an all out sprint, which I can only hold for so long. I held it together, and noticed that by the time we hit the third lap, at least a third of the field was already gone. Once we reached the climb on the third lap, I was pretty much smoked. We had already ridden about 65-70 miles, and were averaging a swift 25 mph. So on the climb when the pace was once again upped to insanity pace, I dropped off with a few other guys. We chased for about 5 miles, and never would have caught the field, except for some reason they were neutralized. I think it is because they were starting to catch a group that was nearing the finish. So there I was, back in the main pack with about 30 other guys who were all stronger than me. I was the last person to catch back up before we were de-neutralized. I hung for about 15 more miles, eating and drinking everything I could, but it was to no avail. My legs were locking up with monster cramps and I was completely shot. So I just rode the last 10 miles solo, passed a few guys who cracked worse than me, and finished the race in 4:15. I imagine that the leaders finished right around 4 hours flat.... fast race. It was a small victory for me because I had dropped out of the last 2 races that I entered.... I can't really recall ever dropping out of a race before this year(not even for a crash or mechanical) so it has been a bit demoralizing for me. However, I have been noticing that these P/1/2 races have around a 50% completion rate, or much less. Last week at Patterson Pass only 10 guys finished! My goal for the rest of the season is to maintain my current fitness, and hopefully eventually reach a point where I can hang with NorCal's best of the best. Congrats to Conrad and Andy, who both won their respective races!!!

Results:
Conrad Snover, 1st place Cat 3
Nate Freed, TBD P/1/2
Andy Scott, 1st place Masters Cat 5

Riding a single speed bike is fun, to a degree. Going up hill makes you feel like your towing a train in a strong man competition but there is something fun about pedaling a hard tail bike once again and doing so with only one gear. It's a familiar practice in that it has similarities to running which many of us have experience with. You stand a lot, and coast a lot. This race was my 3rd ride total on a single speed so I set out with little expectation and a lot of unanswered questions about descending and maintaining momentum. Immediately I thought to jump on teammate Justin Thomas' wheel but, as the pictures exemplifies, this man is like a freight train and leaves most riders in his small but wicked wake.


At the start my plan immediately changed and I jumped on local racer Jason Walker's wheel. I paced with him for as long as I could and made sure that I could see him on the course to remain aware of my position which at this point would be the two spot.



Not bad, at the top of the next ascent I caught the rabbit. He flatted and said "go win". I rode the remainder of the race picking off geared riders trying to get to the top 5. I could have ridden in happy with my place but I wanted to work for it, and since I knew I was out in front I focused on staying there, socializing with as many riders as I could catch, and enjoying this awesome XC day. The finish line was right at the crest of this little popper so I finished by airing it out. Nothing feels better than a little hang time at high speed. I cannot wait until Scott makes a single speed race bike, count me in. This single race also awarded me with a 3rd place finish for the Single Speed Class in the State of Nevada for 2008. Not all that bad for a Sunday close to home. Following the race I went out for a recovery ride up to the Lookout chairlift at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort with the lovely Miss Linnett. I took a short nap and woke up by following Miss Linnett down to the river. This section of single track is super fun. It rolls through sweeping forested turns all the way down to the Truckee River where Katie and I jumped in, cleaned-up, and hit the Bridge Tender for a pint and some food. Another epic day chalking up 45 miles of Single Speed riding/racing. Its going to be a coin flip decision on which bike to ride in the Tahoe Sierra 100. The clock is ticking, and the Cyclepaths/Wildcherries Racing Team is holding their own in every discipline which is beginning to become a team mantra. Along with "Get A Life"...alright I'm punchin out. Wait, wait, rumor has it that a few cats are gunning for Conrad's podium spot at the Tahoe Sierra 100. I hope they're waking up at 5 a.m. for 50 milers on Truckee dopest trails or else their going to pay the piper...better have cash in hand cause we're collecting. Unleash the plaidzilla.

The Paul Mckenzie Report

Gents,

JT (Justin Thomas) and I raced the Mt. Rose Hill Climb today. JT was one of the late starters and spent the race passing tons of dudes, (including me) and tackling the 13.7 mile, 3700' climb in a few ticks under an hour. The average gradient over the course is 5.1%. For anyone math challenged, that means JT averaged nearly 14 mph up the huge climb.

I spent the day being passed by all the fast guys, and I personally didn't see anyone going any faster than JT. He may have won the event, no results yet, but if not he was for sure one of the top guys!

After the race JT and I rode down the hill into Incline for some snacks and Gatorade, then rode back over the summit a second time. Janet also rode both sides at her own pace.

I did the ride as a tempo training ride, holding my HR at about 160 bpm average. I finished something like 15 minutes slower than JT!

I was really stoked to see JT riding so well, and his Downieville win is not as much of a surprise to me after seeing him ride today.

Photos Courtesy of Heidi Littenberg

Results

1. Max Polin, 55:44
2. Christopher Jones, 58:38
3. Chad Timmerman, 59:01
4. Justin Thomas, 59:06
33. Paul Mckenzie, 1:16:25

2008 Howell Mountain Challenge (Angwin, CA)

I'm done, I'm cooked, I'm fed-up, I'm tired, I'm hungry, I'm grumpy, I'm depressed, I'm burnt-out. I've been training hard since December of 2007 and I think I finally popped my own cork.

After I finished the Cascade Classic Stage Race (a major goal of the year) a few weeks ago, I suddenly lost all desire to ride my bike. I was hoping to hold my form through July and finish strong at the State Road Championships before taking a break. Instead my bike has sat almost dormant in my garage, still riddled with dead bugs from Bend, Oregon.

What happened, where did I go wrong? Am I over-trained, over-reached or just a big pussy? This is the first season that I kept a detailed daily record of all my training data, including stress and recovery systems. In theory, analyzing this data will reveal the answer to my lack-of motivation.

Mantra to Form & Fitness Enlightenment

Working out hard, followed by recovering even harder brings adaptation and an increase in fitness. Rinse and repeat ad nauseam. That's training in its simplest terms. Workout hard; recover harder. Recovery > Workout.

It took me years to grasp this concept. And as simple as it is, I still haven't mastered it. Whether it's the lure of a fast group ride, a doubt in my form that provokes an extra training session or simply too many junk miles; upsetting the recovery balance is frighteningly easy. Even with the foresight of my over training temptations, I often still find myself grinding along on tired legs, digging my own recovery grave. For optimal growth to occur, that recovery grave-hole needs to be filled back up again before I dare go near it. And not only does that dirt need to packed down, but there should be a layer of grass growing on top as well. If I come back too soon, shovel in-hand, I'll be working with loose soil - which makes it even easier to dig a deeper hole.

During my eight year journey in bike racing, I don't think I've stood on green grass very often, and I sure as hell haven't stayed fresh enough to let any flowers grow. But this season was going to be different. By using daily stress monitoring methods, I planed on turning into the "Johnny Appleseed" of balanced training.

TRIMPS

Starting this year, I began tracking my training loads using a method know as TRIMPS (Training Impulse Score). The basic calculation for TRIMPS is duration times average HR (heart rate). I add weight to the equation by incorporating perceived exertion (scale of 1-10) and heart rate zones (zones 1-5).

(Zone A Minutes x Zone A Average HR) x A
+
(Zone B Minutes x Zone B Average HR) x B
x
Perceived Exertion = TRIMPS

This formula gives me a numerical representation of total training load for any given workout. The differences in TRIMPS scores from day-to-day and week-to-week are usually confirmed by my waking HR and perceived level of fatigue. So by comparing the following three values;

• TRIMPS Score
• Percieved Level of Fatigue
• Waking HR

I am able to quantify my training, recovery and responses. By monitoring this data I am able to plan and adjust my training schedules accordingly.

I have graphed out a portion of the 2008 season using TRIMPS, noting the major events of each week. My training loads are planned around the A priority events (in red), gradually building intensity and duration. Before an A level event, I typically take a rest week to achieve total adaptation.

By combining Average Waking HR and Perceived Level of Fatigue on top of TRIMPS data, I can construct a pretty good picture of how, where, what and why.

Breaking Down the Data

Upon analyzing the chart, it appears that I was able to keep my fatigue levels under control through the 4th week in May. From January through May, I had the appropriate amount of rest versus work load as indicated by my waking HR and fatigue levels returning to baseline.

During the 3rd week in March I had my highest recorded TRIMPS levels of the season. Copperopolis Road Race coupled with a very high training volume in the same week led to the high numbers. Obviously my performance at Copperopolis suffered because of the energy expended that week. Fortunately I took it very easy the following seven days, and was probably lucky that I flatted in the first six miles of Wards Ferry as it gave me another full week of rest.

Farther down the year, my results during the 5 week period of Sea Otter, Gila and Mt Hood reflect an almost perfectly timed peak of form. It was the workout hard, rest harder and adapt mantra executed to a T. But then I flew a little close to the sun.

Ciclismo Italia

It's a bit tricky to spot on the chart, but I melted my wings in the week following Mt Hood. The results of which caused a ripple effect through the rest of the season. After finishing Mt Hood I flew straight to Italy for a two week vacation. My body had a chance to super-compensate while sleeping on the plane for 2 days, and my recovery was further boosted by living at sea level once in Europe.

After my flight landed I went for a quick spin. From my very first pedal stroke, I could tell that the super-compensation had funneled some tremendous power into my legs. Yet I was hesitant to go hard. The idea behind my vacation in Italy was to get some true rest and effectively split my season in half. I was still going to ride, just not very hard. Recovery > Workout, remember?

The next day I mapped out what appeared to be a fairly easy ride, but instead it turn out to be an epic mountain pass filled jaunt into Switzerland. Once again, I was feeling amazing on the pedals, strong than I have felt all season. Without trying, I was ascending 2-3mph faster than normal, and I had the power to climb like that all day. I tried to throttle my efforts, but it felt so good to be able to charge so hard. It was a no-chain day, where riding seemed effortless. It was the culmination of fitness built from back-to-back stage races and 6 months of solid training. But...

And It Was a Trap

The rest of the trip was spent doing long, epic, body draining rides as I savored this penultimate form. I threw all plans to rest peacefully out the window. I had lost all sense of logic and Workout > Recovery. As a result, my fatigue levels following Italy were at a record high (and they were already high). I had sore legs for a week when I returned to stateside. I should have been resting in Italy, instead I was doing the hardest rides of my life, and digging myself a huge recovery hole. My TRIMPS scores for these two week reflect how good I felt, as my perceived exertion was minimal and resulted in very low stress numbers. While I had the legs to ride hard, I didn't have the reserves or cortisol buffers to tolerate so much volume and intensity.

My next mistake was to jump right back into my training plan post Europe. Since Italy was logged as rest weeks in my diary, and the TRIMPS scores were reasonably low, I assumed I had it in me to continue with Goal #2 of the season, the Cascade Classic. All the while I was blatantly ignoring my fatigue levels. I stacked three huge training/racing weeks before Cascade. These three weeks combined equaled about six weeks of normal training load. No wonder I blew up.

I have some scary notes in my logs from that period. All I talk about is needing more sleep, feeling tired, slow and sore. My fatigue levels stayed really high throughout this period. Going into Cascade, I just didn't feel right. I had fitness, but absolutely no form. Meaning I had the engine to power the legs, but my motor had been running too hot for too long and was starting to seize up. I needed an oil change, a new air filter and some cool-down time to polish my abused pistons back to spec.

It finally all came crashing down post Cascade. Not only was I physically worn down, but the day-to-day minutiae of training right, eating right and sleeping right cracked my morale. I started getting dropped on group rides. My muscles felt like crackling dry dog-crap through every pedal stroke. My placing in races had become mediocre. My mind started to wander from the dedicated life of an athlete. Cycling is 90% mental and I'm already mentally unstable. So tossing a wrench of failed expectations into my psyche is a surefire way to derail all training plans.

Conclusion

And that's where I stand today. The desire to compete still hasn't returned. I'm trying my best to keep riding, as I don't want to lose my hard earned fitness. I'm sorta watching my weight, sorta monitoring my diet and sorta exercising with a modicum of enthusiasm.

Was I over trained? Yes, as indicated by abnormal fatigue and motivation levels. Am I a big pussy? Possibly. Is bike racing the most selfish sport in existence, leading to douche bags spewing endless online tales lamenting over their own fitness? That's a question for a real man to answer, not a giant weeping vagina on wheels.

On Saturday, July 19th, the second season of Chickadee Underground racing commenced with Chickadee #1, a 50 mile epic mt. bike course between Truckee and Tahoe City, CA, and back. Ten hearty souls showed up to tackle the tough course. For two of us, it was OTB, though we didn't ride the OTB trail. Forrest went Over The Bars, while I was Off The Back.

On one of the descents on the Rim Trail, Forrest hit something hidden in the dust and launched over the bars doing a full flip and landing on his back. This kept his injuries a little less visible, (limited to his back) and he did jump a bit when I forgot, and slapped him on the back to congratulate him on a job well done.

This year's course was "easier" than the previous year though it's a little absurd implying there was anything easy about the course. It was well designed with manageable fire road climbs (great for socializing and keeping the heart rate from skyrocketing) while descending epic single track. But with that said, it's still a 50 mile mt. bike course with tons of climbing, so it isn't an easy ride. Thanks to Conrad for putting together the well thought out route.

We sampled trails such as Power Line, 2 Beavers and a Bear, Schaffer Creek, Missing Link, Western States, Bob Watson, Happy Face, Rim Trail, and others. Conrad, Forrest, and Nick Damner rode single speed. This bummed me out as I had a cable housing failure and rode the whole course in the middle ring. Normally, I'd have an excuse for getting dropped, "Well, I only had 9 gears." But that sort of whining doesn't work when guys are riding single speeds!

It was an epic day with great riding. Although it's a point series race, it's really more of a brisk social ride, which makes it super fun!

Conrad, Ben, Forrest, Eric, and Nick stayed more or less together for the entire race and finished together with some sprinting at the end. Emma broke off early and did a slightly shorter version of the ride. I got dropped, lost, and did some "extra credit" finishing with 52 miles total. LT, Janet, and Annmarie started off with us, then broke off early on and did their own version.

After the ride we hosed off behind the Blue Coyote, then slipped inside for burgers and beer. Then, not quite done with our day, we headed for the docks on Donner Lake, re-uniting with Janet, LT, Annemarie, and surprise guests Katerina and Marcus for a nice dip in the Lake.

If that wasn't enough, we then headed home for a quick shower, and rallied over to Old Greenwood to catch a free Kenny Loggins concert on the golf course...and that got us thinking -- not so much about Kenny Loggins, but about golf. So we decided to forfeit our bike riding on Sunday to play 9 holes of golf at Ponderosa. Other than whacking a few houses with stray golf balls, and Conrad getting busted by the Course Marshal for violating the dress code (no shirt), it was pretty sweet. Naturally, we enjoyed a few PBR's on the course.

After feeling guilty about being lazy and playing golf, we thought we'd maybe take a ride in the afternoon. But after thinking about it a little more, we instead decided to continue the lazy trend, going for some Mexican Food at El Toro Bravo, and afterward settled in at Conrad and Lisa's watching the Tour de France on the flat screen, dozing in and out as Phil and Paul carried us through the epic mountain stage.

Check out Forrest's GPS data from the Chickadee ride here:

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6295099

And stay tuned for Chickadee #2...check the CWC racing schedule here:

http://cwcracing.org/?section=schedule

And learn more about the Chickadee Underground Race series here:

http://www.chickadeeunderground.blogspot.com/

Results:

1. Ben Raggins 17pts.
2. Forrest Huisman 17pts.
3. Eric Ronning 17pts.
4. Nick Damner 14pts.
5. Conrad Snover 13pts.
6. Emma Gerrard 12pts.
7. Paul McKenzie 11pts.