Let It Snow

What do you do when sunday night services are cancelled because of snow.

GO SNOWBOARDING!

Snowshoe was getting dumped with fresh snow the 16th so Ryan and I headed to WV. Snowshoe is about 1.5 hrs from my house. For those traveling through Covington to the slopes, here is a little shortcut for you.

Rucker Gap

From exit 10 off of Interstate 64 its about 65 miles to snowshoe via Rucker Gap

80 via White Sulpher

89 via Lewisburg

Once you come off Rucker Gap, turn left onto CR 14. Travel about 4 miles and T into Hwy 92 at Neola. Thats about 15 miles N. of White Sulphur. Want more details, send me an email.
Oh Yeah, Rucker Gap is not paved. Sunday the trees were covered in ice.

Once we hit Marlington, the snow and wind picked up. There were times in which the wind was so strong that you couldn't see much of the road.

Well, we made it and I wondered if the lifts were even open. Couldn't hardly see 20 ft in front of you. The wind was blowing 20-30 mph with gusts up to 50. Hey, there were other nuts out there too. Fresh powder and lots of fun. Plus, Silver Creek offers night skiing.
man was it cold. the low was 15. then you add the wind. ah, but it was worth it.
Well, time to go.
There is a reason I kept my helmet on. I couldn't see! The wind was blowing the snow so hard that it was blinding. We made it home in 2:15 which normally takes 1:30. Yeah thats the road, I think.

My New Love

That's right. I'm a single guy and have fallen in love. She is about 148 cm tall and gets waxed every couple of weeks. What a great year this has been for me with racing. I have come off my best year. i'll provide a year end review later. Several folks that know me kept asking what my secret was this year. While MLB players might turn to steroids, mine was snowboarding. I took almost 3 months off the bike, which is the least I have riden in 5 yrs, and tried my luck at snowboarding. Those first few times were horrible and I thought I broke my tailbone. Hey, for all you old geezers wanting to learn, GET PADDED SHORTS! They really do the trick.

Here are a few pics of the first runs of the season at Snowshoe

Ryan Middleton, Jamey Smith, and the old Rev. Oh yeah, get a helmet too. You might look like a dork but it only takes one slam and lights out. Been there and done that.

Ryan learning to Jump

How not to fall. Yeah thats me making sure those padded shorts work.
the box didn't look that big from the top.

DOUTHAT OFFROAD IRONMAN

ARE YOU NUTS?

"Your nuts!" is what I heard when informing people that I was about to try an iron distance triathlon. I have never swam 2.4 miles, never mountain biked 112 miles, never ran 26.2 miles. Each feat is monumental one its own, so why combine the three in a single event? It really makes no sense but it makes perfect sense. Why not? Throughout the world, there are men and women who, for various reasons, push their mental and physical abilities to the limit. I heard an extreme sports junkie say, "I feel most alive when I face death." I believe many of our extreme athletes possess the same spirit of great adventures like Lewis & Clark, Christopher Columbus, George Malory, and even the Apostle Paul. Each of these persons moved beyond the norm of the day, set seemingly unattainable goals, and went out on a mission.


The course

People finish iron distances all the time without much trouble. Here's the kicker--its on dirt. Of the 101 competitors who have attempted it in the last 6 yrs, only 60 have finished. The average time is 21:17. The fastest time is 15:54. All you traditional tri folks throw away your aero bars and skinny tires. Bring those fat tires and get ready for relentless climbing. Many have riding organized centuries advertising 100 miles with 10,000+ elevation gain. Try 112 miles with about 16,000 feet of climbing. Forget sections that you can rest on, even the downhills force you to use more than you want. Get careless, and you will wash out in the turns or endo over a pothole. I love the show, "Survivorman." When talking about fires, Les states, "Get enough wood that you will think will last through the night, THEN DOUBLE IT." Same goes for the ride, take one of your longest, hardest rides you have done and double it. Then tackle on a trail marathon with about 4,000 climbing. Forget the sun, you better have some good lights and lots of food.

56 MILE BIKE LOOP. DON'T FORGET TO DO IT 2X

13.1 MILE TRAIL LOOP

Preparation

How do you even begin to prepare for such an event. I am not a pro athlete. I am an average guy with somewhat of an average life. I am a United Methodist pastor and a dad. My schedule does not allow for me to have a consistent program. Basically, I would try to go as far as I can when I can. I remember leaving one summer morning at 6am for a 115 mile road ride. Oh yeah, and it was raining. This was the only day I would have for the next week, so off I went. About 9 hrs later, I arrived home wet and cold. It rained all day. The best thing for mental toughness is the treadmill. During the summer, I have my son, Seth, majority of the time. I would arise about 6am and walk/run on the treadmill for 3 hrs. Yeah, now that is nuts. The times I was able to hit the trails, I was in Heaven. There were trees, wildlife, and scenery. It made running so much easier.

I knew that I was in better form than ever before. I knocked of a whopping 6 minutes off my time on a local road hillclimb 43:03 (606, Rose st. Clifton Forge). I also placed 4th overall with a time of 19:11 in the annual Mill Mountain Mtb Hillclimb shaving 6 minutes off last year's time. I hooked up with the fast Wed nite rides and finally made it to Hardee's with the lead group. I knew I was riding stronger and runner further than ever. But could I sustain a 22-24 hr event?

I finished the 1/2 offroad tri two years ago in 9:24 and felt totally depleted. Prior to that race I watched "Kill Bill 2." It was all about finishing the task. This year I read the book, "Ultramarathon Man, Confessions of an All Night Runner," by Dean Karnazes. Now this dude is nuts. His longest run to date is 226 miles. I read and learned all about the difficulties of finishing a long distant event. I wanted to be prepared for the walls that I would have to break through. Dean spoke about running with your heart. That is all I know to do. I do not have great physical abilities but do possess tenacity and a heart.

Nutrition

I learned through experience that I crave real food after 6 hrs. Not even the best energy bar satisfies at this point. I want sandwiches, pizza, Mexican food, and pasta. I use to have difficulties with muscle cramping and found Hammer E-caps to work great with me. Along with their Anti-Fatigue pills, Heed, and bars, I supplemented my food with the real thing. I estimated about 400 cals per hr needed. below is a list of food consumed.

E-caps-60

Anti-fatigue caps-20

Morning breakfast milkshake- 800

Chicken and rice- 700

Heed-1000

Hammer gel- 3 flasks-1200

Burrito-2-500

Hammer bars-2-440

fruit Bars- 500

Turkey sandwich-2-560

Digorno cheese pizza-1-1900 (I only ate about 1/2)800

Sara Lee's frozen Poundcake-1-1800 (moist and don't need much fluids to wash it down)

Regina's (church member) Peanut Butter Pie-about 1/4. 500

Coke-2-240

BBQ--2- 500 (only hot meal. it was great)

Bananas and cookies at checkpoints - 250

TOTAL CALORIES 9790

Oh yeah, don't forget that all this is taken in on the go. No picnics here.

THE RACE

Arise about 4:30 Am. Eat and head to the race. Man at the stuff to unload and organize. It's important to organize stuff in such a way not to lose much time in the transitions. Wetsuit on and off to the beach. The gun goes off and we start swimming. I wanted to quit in the first hundred yards. I started thinking, "Why didn't you do the duathlon? Why swim? Besides it's only about .5% of the race." I showed signs of panic attacks which are very rare for me. I was uneasy and fighting the swim. After about 3/4 mile, I calmed down and got into a comfortable rhythm. Upon the completion of the first lap, 41 minutes, I noticed the other swimmers waiting. Fog had moved in, delaying the 2nd lap until it cleared. Ah man, I finally got comfortable swimming. Now I would get cold and stiff. Worse, I had to go to the bathroom. I know you are thinking, "hey, it's water, just let it go." I AM NOT TALKING #1. Oh yeah, I had to go but didn't want to lose time if they started without me. So I hung in there and we were off swimming again. Felt great on the 2nd lap and did it in about 41 minutes.

The first transition went smooth. Changed into my bike gear, loaded my fuel, and hopped on the bike. A few miles into the bike, I was quickly reminded that I needed to find a bathroom or bush. Always carry those individual wipes with you on long events. You never know when they might come in handy. My goal for the race was to complete one lap at a time. I set my heart rate at 65-70% and completed the first lap in 5:42. Wow, that is about 1/2 hr faster than I thought I would do it in and that was with a 10 minute delay to change a flat. I felt good so off to the 2nd lap.

Riders were all over the place. Many pushing their bikes uphill. The biggest dangers were the trucks, dogs, and logs. Hunters were cruising the fireroads looking for their dogs as they prepare for bear season. Then there were the fire-wood cutters. I heard this loud sound like a boulder rolling down a hill to look up and see a huge 100lb+ log rolling down the hill into the road. I felt like the little frog in Frogger dodging obstacles.

I arrived at the 80 mile mark and realized I would be able to finish the 2nd leg of the bike. That felt great. I began to count down the climbs, 5-4-3-2-1. Yeah baby, now a 9 mile descent to the TA. I road the last hr in the dark so my descent was a little slower than normal. 2nd lap time 5:52. WOW, total time at 13:26. That's almost 2 hrs faster than I anticipated. Boy was I pumped and felt great. "I think I'll try a lap of the run" I said to myself.

Changed gear and replenished my fuel. The hot BBQ sandwich hit the spot. With a drink in one hand and pizza in the other, I hit the trails. I said to self, "Self, you feel good, how about trying to run?" So I started running. I ran all the flats and downs. Walked briskly up the climbs. I am very familiar with the trails but have never done them at night. Mile 2-3-4 markers shined brightly along the path. There were also the mile 15-16-17 markers reflecting the miles to come. That only energized me. For some reason, I knew I could finish when I got off the bike. I looked forward to those double digit markers.

I reached the to of the climb, about mile 6 in 1:36. No way, that is what I do it in when I am just running. I am super motivated at this point. As I passed the mile 20 marker near the top I said, "Mile 20, I'll be back." I started running downhill and felt great. The miles ticked away like they were nothing. Entered the TA for a first lap of 2:59. Grabbed some more food and fluids and took off. I am going to finish and finish better than anticipated. I could already taste the finish. As I calculated the remaining time, I realized I might break 20 hrs! That was like a shot of jet fuel, but still had 3 hrs to go and anything could happen. I had to keep eating, keep drinking and watching my steps.

The mileage continued to tick off. I saw the 20 marker again, hit it and said, "20, you don't want none of me, I kicked your butt." Checked in at the Overlook and started down. I continued to feel great, hitting the markers as I passed and shouting sarcastically at them. The finish was in sight. I hollowed for the crew at the finish line to wake up. Crossed the line with a 2nd lap in 3:06 with a total time of 20:05. No worries, there is the deduction of time from the fog delay

total time 19:48:54

5th place

POST RACE

I was so pumped. Yes, it was about 3am, but I had more energy than when I started. I was alive, well and conquered one of the toughest triathlons out there. And, I did it easy. Well, it wasn't easy but I never hit the walls or had any difficulty during the event. I thought there would be points where I had to drag my body forward. The race went smoother than anticipated. Actually, I wanted to hike back to the Overlook and view the sunrise but thought better of it. So I hung out for a few hrs cheering others as they finished.

As I drove home, I reflected upon the Scripture I found strength in during my training and the event, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). So I want to close with the One who gave me the strength to complete the task-Christ. I am not sure what Everest size task awaits you. You may be looking for strength to share your faith with someone. Maybe you feel led into some type of ministry which you feel incapable of doing. Maybe you are trying to kick a habit that holds you captive. Maybe your fears are blocking the light of hope from shining through. Whatever it may be, remember from where and who your strength comes from. Remember that we are "more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).

.

.

PEACE!

REMEMBER "RIDE HARD FOR THE END IS NEAR!"

Mill Mnt Road TT

Mill Mountain Time Trial
July 7, 2007

1.86 miles of twisty steep roads leading to the star of Roanoke. Some people hate climbing, some endure it while others love it. I fall in the narcissistic category of loving to climb. I love it so much I did the race twice. Seth and I arrived at the registration tent to be greeted by some of my friends of El Torea. I haven't had chance to ride with them this year so it was good to see them. First signed up for the USCF Cat 5 race with a start time of 1:58 and then the Citizens class "tandem." There wasn't really a tandem class so I guess one was created. Start time of 3:18.



After a little warm-up, I head for the start tent. The clock in front counting down until my time to leave. Bob holds out his hand and begins to countdown, 5-4-3-2-1-go. Off I went. The first section is somewhat of a stair step with steep sections then less steep. I wanted to go out hard, besides its only 1.86 miles. Immediately, my heart rate hit 90% and my legs began to hurt. Halfway up, I caught the guy in front but then the guy that started 1 minute behind me is closing in, drats. 500 meters to go and we make the final turn left and am relieved by 200 meters of a flat section. I did all I could to hold the guy off and he took me in the last 100 meters. Finished in a time of 11:41 . My odometer read 1.937, average speed 9.8, feet climbed 744 (my polar is usually low) with an average grade of 7.4%, Heart rate average 186 (208 max) 89% effort.

No time to rest. I screamed downhill, swapped bikes, picked up Seth to do it all over again. This time with an extra 100 gear and personal! This is Team Tandem at the start tent.

and we are off
Seth is a sprinter not a Time Trialist. I guess most kids are. He rides very hard for about 50 meters and then rests. We had a pre-ride team meeting. I explained to him how I needed an easy, consistent pedal for about 20 minutes. Try explaining that to a kid. I think I finally got the strategy across and it worked well. The few times I felt him stop pedaling and I reminded him to continue he responded, "oh yeah, I was looking at the. . ." ADD already at work.

Hey, quit looking at the camera and pedal

The hardest part was talking. Yeah, have you ever tried to talk to a chatting 6 yr old while riding at 90%? Its hard. And the endless questions about everything around us. I couldn't say, "shut up and pedal harder" because this is supposed to be fun! We had several riders come around us and each time he would say, "daddy, they are catching us, pedal harder." Ah the finish in sight and a final surge up the final 200 meters to the finish 23:15.

Now for the descent. I felt like a tractor trailer riding the brakes downhill. Anything over 12 is too fast and I hear the words "daddy slow down." What, we finally have chance to fly and he says slow down. Well, I am sure that was for the best so I ride my brakes all the way down. My hands hurt by the end.

Now for the rewards. I took Silver in USCF Cat 5

Seth and I took Gold!

What a surprise to hear our names called out, thanks Ron.

Ah, what a day. Gold and Silver. But the biggest reward was doing this with my son and watching him enjoy the event. Encouragement is really important in life, especially to a 6 yr old. You could see the energy return with each cheer and confidence rise with each encouraging word. Thanks to all who cheered for us. Next event, Mill Mountain Mountain Bike TT, hum, I wonder if I could. . . na I better try this one myself.

More Dirt Please

BACKYARD FUN

What do you do if you have a son with a 4-wheeler, honda xr-50, watches all the cool stuff on Fuel TV, and a big backyard? BRING IN SOME DIRT! Dirt makes wonderful playgrounds. So this is my attempt of building a little playground in my backyard. If you like to ride and jump, come, bring some dirt and join us.

Leon and Ryan helping to shape the mounds
The next Ricky Carmichael

seth with his friends colby and tanner, working hard.

what is it about a pile of dirt that kids like?

testing out the jumps


working on a table top jump

Then they found a water hose and turned the table top to a mud pile.

seth practicing the turns.

Well thats it for now. Come on and ride with us and don't forget the dirt!

Holy Rollers Tour Wrapup

Holy Rollers Tour Wrapup

Wow, what a great experience and ride I had with this team. There were so many highlights that I tried to put in the blog but I know that I have missed some. Not only was great training and fun, we helped to raise awareness and money towards some wonderful causes, Initiative of Hope helping children in Brazil, Russia and Mozambique. We participated in collecting the offering in conference, spandex and bikes. The Annual Conference Offering received on Wednesday morning for our Initiatives of Hope partners in Russia, Mozambique, and Brazil, for United Methodist ministries with native tribes in Alaska, and for the Global AIDS Initiative, presently stands at $242,000. Its cool to know that we had a part in this effort.

Ray "LW" Reed demonstrating the proper technique of collecting the offering.

There are so many people that made this ride possible. I am certain I have left some out and for that I apologize. Here are a few more that helped.

Janet "Mom" Hopkins. She drove the food wagon and provided us with all the goodies along the way. And, at the end of each day, she took out dirty shorts, socks and jerseys to be washed for the next day. They were even folded and waiting for us the next morning. She was usually the first up and last to go to bed. She was assisted by Isaac "D-1" Hopkins and Daiquan "D-2" Harris. In case you were wondering the D stands for Domistique. If you are still wondering, well google the word along with cycling.

D1 & D2 showing off their many skills.

Tony "Billy Bob" Moyers. This guy could be Billy Bob Thorton's twin.

Hugh "Click" Gravitt, our photographer and videographer. Most of the photos supplied on the blog were taken by Hugh. You can check out all the photos of the ride by clicking PHOTO.

Wow, in trying to find an email or link for Hugh, I found that this guy is bigtime.

Very nice site and work. Check it out at

Hues Image FX

You would think a guy with his expertise could get a camera that goes "click" or had a flash:) Maybe we can take up an offering to get him one of those disposable cameras for next year.

A big thanks to everyone that took time out of their busy lives to make the ride possible. I look forward to the ride next year. Thanks for taking time to read about our ride and if you are interested in joining us next year, send me an email.

wrc@ntelos.net

I leave you with a final photo of Tizzy "Wilson" Walker:)

Oh yeah, have you figured it out yet? Where the Wilson name came from. Click HERE to solve the mystery. Also, I gave Sandy's name of "Mercy" because she needed lots of it riding with Tizzy:)

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

But until then, ride hard for the end is near!

Holy Rollers Tour: Day 3 Buchanan to Roanoke Civic Center

HOLY ROLLERS TOUR

DAY 3

BUCHANAN TO ROANOKE CIVIC CENTER

APPROX 30 MILES

Gtting ready to roll out from Trinity UMC in Buchanan.



Some of our support bikers. Jim "Sgt Friday" Hope and his sidekick "Officer" Causy.
For those that don't know, thats a little play off the old tv show Dragnet. Of course, I am sure Ray Reed knows about the show:)

I got a little taste of what it may be like for the pros finishing up a long stage race. There was a since of relief and joy that the hard part was over and the finish was in sight. That morning, the Rollers attended a variety of churches geared up in spandex and yellow jerseys. I have always wanted to wear spandex to church. I think I might start preaching in it:) We gathered the crew around 10 at Trinity UMC in Buchanan, grabbed a little breakfast, then began the final miles. The riders were playful this day. Bob "Trickster" Blinn demonstrated his skills by riding with feet on handlebars and sidesaddle. We all were in awe with his level of expertise.


Trains don't even stop for the holy rollers.

Working on my trackstand during one of our stops.

cruizing into troutville

We arrived at the Olive Garden for a hearty lunch and banquet.

Once again, Greg is impressed with the salad

The Pope demonstating the Holy Roller Gig. He then proceeded to hand out awards to all the riders and participants.

Hey, who is watching the bikes?

With our belly's full, we proceeded via the Greenway to the Civic Center.

Destination reached. Roanoke. Although the star wasn't our finish, it would have been a good idea to make a trip up there. It is not far from the Civic Center. For all the RCO members, it would be great to have a resturant up there to dine in after a hard day of riding:)

Civic center seen below.

A couple of victory laps around the fountain.

Team Photo

Greg shed his skirt and was recieved back into the "manclub" after completing 3 laps on the fountain's ledge.

Tizzy "Wilson" Walker giving the Kid a big hug.