Southeast Bike Expo 2012 AWESOME!!!!!!!!

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The first Southeast Bike Expo was, without a doubt, a HUGE success! With over 60 vendor booths, including top bicycle companies Niner, Trek, Scott, Jamis, Yeti, Blue Competition Cycles, Orbea, Specialized and Felt all showcasing their latest designs, there was much to see and do. Crowds passing by the beaming faces of local frame builders, Nate Zukas and Seth Snyder were drawn to the clean lines of their frames as well as their enthusiasm for the sport and lifestyle of cycling. The popular Bike Swap, held by Cycle Youth Devo Team, was a favorite amongst new and veteran cyclists, alike.

Bike Swap.

Full demo fleets could be seen through the gathering crowd of star-eyed cyclists. A 5 mile mountain bike course was marked out on the Georgia International Horse Park Olympic trail system (home of the first Olympic mountain bike race) for xc enthusiasts to demo their choice of bikes. And demo they did! Each bike tent kept the pedaling machines cycling through and hundreds of happy riders were seen buzzing to and from the singletrack. Niner rep, Mike Stanley, estimated 80+ demos of Niner bikes on Saturday alone, setting a new personal record. Animated discussions of geometry, suspension, components, and directions to the closest local bike shop, where said set-up could be purchased, added to the excitement of the weekend.

The mental bike builds were almost visible in the air as all eyes perused the likes of SRAM, Thomson, Stans NoTubes, Industry Nine, Formula, Shimano and more. Mountain Bikers are serious about our tires and a great selection was provided by long time cycling advocate Jim Wannamaker at Vee Rubber. Jim has brought his knowledge and experience to Vee Rubber and designed a full line of performance tires that proves how long this man has been in the business. The theory behind the tread placement is simple, strategically placed lower profile outer knobs to corner with the most efficiency possible. Tire selections were made and shops names taken.

ProGold lubricants was on hand to pass out samples and information on their lube and bike care products. Bruce Dickman has surprisingly good aim and was seen on more than one occasion ‘beaning’ a cycling friend with a sample of lube as they passed by. Points were scored.  The ProGold truck landed right beside the Red Bull traveling deejay truck, which provided the thumpin' background music for both days of fun and games.

The Georgia Cyclocross Series had barriers set out by their booth to demonstrate proper cross technique.

Bike packing has become a popular way to ditch the day to day doldrums and get outside for more than just an afternoon and Osprey was there to help answer any questions about their variety of packs for rides varying from an hour to weeks on the bike. And who likes to ride at night? Everybody! So, Night Rider and Lumintrek had demo lights available for testing on the course Saturday night.

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Other vendors covered nutrition, clothing, helmets, and Yakima was in the house to help choose the right rack for our new found rides.

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Stans NoTubes held a clinic each day at 2pm for a gathering crowd of tubeless enthusiasts. Proper taping and tire mounting was shown and questions answered.

This was an exciting weekend filled with raffles and more gear information than you could gather from a hundred magazines! How fortunate are we that Mike Stanley and Brian Molloy had a brain storm and brought us this amazing event?! Thanks guys!

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Taco Stand Classic 6/9 hour race 2012

I would like to start this post off with a picture of Bob when he was happy.  Before the elves stole his shoes and hid them.  Actually, not sure if this is his happy face or not.........Love you Bob!!!!!!!!

Jansen and Jafer got together for a 6 hour duo,

Shey raced 6 hour solo

and I was in for 9 solo. 

Yup, seemed like a good idea at the time.  I blamed Anet for it at the end of 8 laps and swore that was my one and only 9 hour solo, she laughed and said "you'll do it again".

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The notorious Anet-Miss-Thang!

Wes Lamberson flying around the course.  (Anet and Bob's oldest son)

Anet in action.

 So many of our friends were out for this race and it was great to see some of them that we haven't seen in a while, like Matt from Alabama.  Lots of fast female racers, too.  Jackie, Laina, Kim, Namrita, Heather, Lauren, Anet, Norma, Cara and I know I am forgetting so many others.

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Sven was throwing pinwheels, because..............well, does it really matter, I mean it IS Sven, right?

 Jeremy was kickin' it with Lauren on his two person coed team.  Of course Lauren is the real powerhouse here, but it's nice she lets Jeremy play for a few laps, as well!

I was very happy to get to ride a couple laps with Cara.  She was carving the turns like nobody's business and I got a chance to catch up on her road team news.

 Andy was in for the full 9 solo.  Great ride, too!

 The course that Chainbuster Racing laid out for this race was awesome!  I loved it!  Huge thanks to Kenny and his crew for an amazing event!

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Jansen and Jafer kept a commanding lead on the 6 hour duo teams and finished strong.  I don't have their podium shot, but they got first.

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Shey made a last minute promise to take all the canopies and tables from the trailer to the race, so he had to get up extra early and head over to the shop to pick the stuff up.  He didn't take time to eat like he normally does and ran out of energy, then ate a sandwich during the race and that didn't agree with him.  So, it was a good race for him as far as putting in some fast miles, but he didn't feel good and had to stop when he didn't want to.

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Each time Bob passed me or the guys passed him, he was sure to tell us how happy he was that he found his shoes.  I loved it!!!!!!!  "Doing great, I found my shoes!"  Happy Bob!


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So, I was really laid back until we lined up for the start.  I really didn't know where to go.  The 6 hr teams would be flying, but I didn't want to get stuck in the back, either.  I just wasn't sure.  So, I found Anet and lined up with Norma in front and Kim in back.  We were still in the last 1/4 of the group and that had me nervous.  Going into the woods was horrible.  It was a complete backpedalling train and a guy behind us was complaining up a storm about his crash and how his race was all over. (obnoxious) I kept quiet and Anet kept smiling back at me, so I didn't explode.  It was cool. 

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Then a couple miles in I moved around and asked Anet to come, too, so we passed and opened up some space to ride at a fun pace.  We talked and had fun.  Then I wasn't sure how slick the other side of the creek crossing was, so I jumped off and wasn't sure if I got out of the way in time or screwed anyone else up.  Anet and I rode together some more, then I saw Norma through the woods and she was way the heck in front of us, so I picked up our pace a little bit.   From then on it was just fun, fun, fun riding on a great course.  After 6 laps I got pretty hungry, so I opened a Honey Stinger Waffle and shoved it in my mouth......but half of it fell on the ground in a very fast section, so I couldn't go back...damn. 

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When I came in to pick up nutrition for my 8th lap I grabbed another waffle so I wouldn't get too hungry.  It had started to rain and I wasn't sure how long the lap would take me.  I had a minor melt down when I couldn't get the waffle package open as I rode.  I pulled over on the side of the trail and screamed at my waffle package for a few seconds and tore at it with my teeth like a wild woman while explicatives were flying through the air......then it opened and all was right with the world again!  Ah, the joy of a race drained mind.  The course got pretty soupy for the last four miles, but I had a good light and enough fluid to keep me going, so all was good.  When I rolled into the finish I sneered at Anet in a not-very-lady-like-fashion and told her what she could do with her 9 hour races and she just smiled at me.  Grrrr.   Loved it though and it was very nice to see so many friends of the family out on the course together.

All action photos courtesy of Mark Dee, who took some great shots out on the trail. Thanks man!!

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Chocolate and Wine

Elizabeth and I had a uber cool spin class this week.  We set up right by the windows and it was pouring rain outside.  Great music and warm temps inside with lots of catching up when we could breathe.

The forecast for the weekend was 70 degrees, even in the mountains.  So, I made some plans to head up to Dahlonega and reserved a seat for the chocolate and wine tasting at Three Sisters Vineyards.

Sharon and her brother Ken offered a great selection of yummy wines and delicious chocolates.

I had a very nice 8+ mile run through some local vineyards/dirt roads prior to the tasting, so I was very happy with tired legs and a tummy full of chocolate and wine.

Three Sisters Vineyard.

Next it was off to a late evening massage and facial.  I don't wear makeup, color my hair or have my nails done, but it is amazing how much a deep tissue massage helps keep my back from getting so tight.  I always plan to get a massage once a month, but it happens more like once a year or once every year and a half.  It's hard to find a good massage therapist for athletes in a tourist town, and this massage was not really what I needed, but the lady was very nice and the facial was awesome.

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After my massage I headed over to Leigh Saint's  Hiker Hostel for some rest.  I visited with Leigh for a bit, then hit my favorite outside chair and watched the moon rise over the mountains.  The temperature was perfect, not too cold and not too warm.  I enjoyed my slice of pumpkin bread and some of the chocolate I had left over from the wine tasting.

After a good nights sleep, Leigh and Willie made everyone an amazing breakfast.

Fresh eggs, french toast, oj, oatmeal, etc, with some very yummy coffee.

I was pretty tired, so I took most of the morning to relax and read and hydrate.  Then Leigh sent me off on a great running loop along this road.

I prefer trail running, but dirt roads are second best and it's awesome when you run to the sound of this....

After, my run, I hiked for a bit, then jumped on the bike and rode around the backroads (and passed several vineyards) for about 3 hours.  Great views and not too much traffic.

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For lunch I headed to the old town square in Dahlonega.  I stopped at Shennanigans, where I ate my Bailey's Irish Cream Pie FIRST, with a pint of whatever irish beer they said was good.

Then the waitress suggested this awesome sandwich!  Oh, it was soooo good.  I sat on the deck and enjoyed the great weather.....in February....crazy!

Then it was time to head back home, but first I stopped at the Bass Pro Shop to put my hands on the new a couple of the new Garmin gps devices.  I have narrowed it down to two different handhelds, but wanted to play with them for a bit, before I make my final decision.  Ugh, gps, yuck.  I like paper maps and I don't know about relying on these files and batteries, as such......we'll see.

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Great weekend for me and guys did their fun local rides together.

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