Category: Life’s Adventures

Wow, what a title! This post is already shaping up to be pretty amazing.

I left off with getting engaged and some local AZ race wins. Next I turned to the big stage that started with a 2nd place at the Fontana US Cup.

Urban camping meets DH fun!

Almost a month ago now, I headed to southern California for the 3rd US Cup race in the series at Fontana. I came in feeling good and just switched my bike over to a Wolf Tooth 1×10 so I was excited to test it out in a race setting.

The venue was cool, a park, right next to town, right next to a mountain. I car camped the night before next to my friend Dan that I met in AZ. Joe and Ben Senkerik were also there which made for friendly faces so far from home.

The course was awesome, a long singletrack climb, then a somewhat technical descent with sandy corners and big smooth rocks to navigate over. The Cat 1 course had a few more steep climbs than the pro course and one last and ripping descent,  all in all it was a challenging, but fun course.

The venue was also really big, all the major teams and bike companies like Shimano was there which came in super handy when my shifter capped out on me during pre-ride. Thanks to Ryan at Shimano truck for swapping it out for a new one!

I did two laps during pre-ride and called it good. I didn’t know the course super well, but the way the course was laid out it made it really easy to break it up into chunks. I knew the spots I needed to hammer and knew that no one would be able to pass me on the descents (partly because of my confidence with my Top Fuel, but also because there was just no room to come around). With 4 laps during race day I anticipated I’d find my rhythm and each lap would get a little faster, which it did.

I had a solid race, a good start and felt great through to finish. I wasn’t able to pull the top step, but I was pleased to kick off my first national level race of the season with a 2nd place.

Goodbye Arizona, Hello NorCal

After a couple more weeks in AZ, it was time to say goodbye and head up to Monterey California for the Sea Otter Classic.

Evie flew out to Arizona to drive with me up to the race. The weekend before we drove up to Fresno for my good buddy Steve’s wedding. From Fresno we drove up to the Bay area and hungout with my uncle in Redwood Shores. I also got to catch up with my college roomates Tom and Joe.

Tom took us to some amazing trails up off Skyline in the redwoods. It was great to ride with Tom again. Really, I owe a lot to Tom. He’s the one who got me into mountain biking in the first place so come to think of it, without Tom, there’d probably be no Tim and Evie, so thanks Tom!

It felt awesome to ride on dirt again and these trails had it all. Steep climbs, ripping descents, jump lines, sharp rocks, technical climbs, giant roots, creek beds, AND GIANT TREES!

Monterey and the Sea Otter Classic

After a few days in the Bay area, it was time to say goodbye and shoot down to Monterey. We met up with Evie’s teammates who rented a house on the coast. It was a little cramped, but in a cozy sort of way.

I’ve heard a lot of people talk about Sea Otter over the years so I was excited to experience it first hand. Basically, it’s a combination of county fair, interbike, country thunder, and oh ya, a bike race(s). Pretty much a giant circus.

The venue was huge as it took place at the Laguna Seca Raceway. Every bike company was there showing off their latest and greatest technology. I got to see the Shimano M9000 unveiled which was cool, and checkout Ryan Leech put on a trials clinic, but really, the whole thing was TOO big.

The racing, I felt was not the main focus of the weekend, it was pretty hard to find out what races we’re going on and spectating was minimal.

For the XC race, after talking with some guys who raced Sea Otter for the past 10+ years we found out they changed the course this year making it 70% fire road and gravel climbs. There were 3 or 4 single track sections, but all in all the course was pretty blah.

The race started on the race track and I took the lead going down the first gravel road and felt alright. I rode with the lead  group for about 8 or 9 miles when my bike started ghost shifting non-stop. I discovered later that my cable housing had tore open where it was fastened to my chainstay, really bizarre. I started to fall back a bit and finished 9th. A fun weekend, but not a race I’d rush back to. Shout out to the Bender Bro’s and the Leaner Sport Mtb crew for providing some good laughs over the weekend!

Traveling Home

While the Sea Otter trails were pretty blah, the riding to come (along with the trails we rode with Tom in NorCal) totally made up for it.

Monday Evie and I rode part of the Flume trail in Lake Tahoe. I remember going to Tahoe as a kid, but forgot how much I love it. Clear blue water, pine trees, fresh air, amazing views. It was an incredible day.

Salt Lake City and Spearfish, SD

Tuesday and Wednesday we hung out in Salt Lake City. The riding there was cool with trails right along the city. No trees, but still great views. On Wednesday morning I rode up Emigration canyon to a highway that was still closed to cars for the winter. It was awesome descending a mountain road with zero traffic and riding line to line through the corners.

Thursday morning we stopped in Spearfish, SD and rode a little bit of Tintin trail, but it wasn’t long before we hit wet and snowy trail so we turned back and grabbed lunch at our favorite burrito spot, Barbacoas.

So now we’re back in Wisco! I’ve got a few rides in so far in Antioch. It’s always a shock to the system when I get back and am surprised at how flat it is, but the elevation can add up on rollin ghills, you just have to be a little creative with your routes.

I’m excited for WORS racing to begin and to rip some dirt trails with some of my teammates this weekend! It’s pretty awesome being able to travel around racing, meeting new people, and having fun adventures. All this predicated on the fact that I can take my business with me, awesome.

Lastly, every year I help raise a little money for kids with cancer. If you have a few bucks you can throw their way, I know they’ll greatly appreciate it. If 20 people pitch in $10 we’ll be at $200 and if 40 of my teammates do the same that’s $8,000 going to help cure childhood cancer. Here’s where you can donate a few bucks to help cure childhood cancer. Thanks for your help!

Well… a LOT has happened in the last month since my last post. For starters, Evie and I are engaged! Racing has begun, and I kicked things off with a win at the Hedge Hog Hustle in Arizona.

February was a pretty wild month with some unexpected travel and happenings, but such is life. If I’ve learned anything from my closest friends and teammates is that you have to be able to roll with the punches and adapt to unexpected situations.

Wedding Proposal

Evie came to visit in February which among other things meant amazing home cooked meals and fun portable snacks for on the bike :p. I was excited to introduce her to my Arizona friends and show her around.

There’s nothing better than ripping around on the local trails with your best friends and the past few weeks have been just that. I had planned a trip up to Sedona to which turned into a trip to Sedona plus Prescott and Flagstaff.

I secretly planned on proposing at Slide Rock park up in Sedona and after a fun hike along the river we sat down for a picnic that we’d packed with some wine and a little music and I got down on one knee and popped the question.

She said yes! And we’re set to get married on July 5^th.

A Game Changer

Along with growing my hair out (the #1 best way to make yourself faster on the bike), I upgraded to an XX1 group on my hard tail. Complete game changer. Not only does it remove the likelihood of dropped chains, it opens up a world of possibilities for suspension designers with free range of shock placement since there’s no need of a front derailleur and cable routing.

I never realized how much I use my front shifter until I jumped back on my Top Fuel. The 1x setup is phenomenal. We liked it so much Evie put it on her bike with a 32t up front and is crushing it!

I’m running a 34t up front and the 10-42 in back. I rode up and over four peaks, a monster climb and bombing with no problems on either end of the range.

I also went ahead and ordered a Wolf Tooth 36t for my Top Fuel to run with my 11-36 tooth cassette. After talking with a few other riders who already made the switch I’m stoked to get that setup and rock the 1×10 on the trail bike!

BIG Rides

As I finished up the base miles portion of my pre-season “training,” my rides were getting bigger and more epic. I put in an incredible 10,000 ft day at Four Peaks with one of the coolest gravel descents overlooking Roosevelt Lake the entire way down.

The next weekend Evie and I headed down to Tucson to conquer the beast of Mt. Lemmon which this time, ended up getting the better of us. As we approached the halfway point the temperatures started to plummet and fog started to roll in, and a wet mist filled the air.

Wayyy underdressed with just a pair of arm warmers and a vest I fought my way to the observatory, the highest point on Mt. Lemmon at 9,157’. It way maybe 20 degrees and I was cold and wet. I started my descent and met up with Evie at the Summer Haven peak at 8,000’ and we started our hour long descent.

I’ve ridden in some cold temperatures, even a few sub zero, but this is the coldest I’ve ever been on the bike. 20 degrees, snow, and at altitude, it wasn’t until we got to the bottom, got changed and went to dinner that I finally thawed out. Some call those character building rides; if that’s the case I’m now Mickey Mouse.

Racing begins with a Big W (that stands for Wisco!)

The mountain bike racing season began for me on Saturday with Arizona’s mountain bike series #4 Estrella Hedge Hog Hustle. I hadn’t ridden this course in 4 or 5 years, but all I could remember is it’s a real mountain biker’s course. Rugged, rocky, a few grinder climbs, some fast descents, and a couple really long tech sections. I was pumped.

No series can hold a candle to WORS, but the Arizona mountain bike series does put on great events with pretty descent turnouts (the first race of the season pulled in 700 riders). For this race though, it was a little further out so there were 6 pros and 20 or so Cat 1 racers.

Just like a WORS race the pros and cat 1’s started at the same time. It was cool to see some familiar faces as TJ Woodruff lined up along with Brian Matter. The gun sounded and we were off.

Early season races are all about blowing out the cob webs. I think it’s important to use these races to determine where you’re at fitness wise, practice various aspects of your race routine, and flat out remember HOW to race.

Local races are great for this, and it’s an awesome way to get in a tough workout, figure out what things you need to still improve on, and get back into the racing groove.

It’s no secret… I’ve been training, a lot. This was only my first week of real structured intervals, but I’ve been putting a lot of hours in. I was second row right behind the pro guys and my first objective was simply to stay with the front group, and I did.

The race consisted of two long loops (10-miles) and two tech loops (5 miles). I felt okay at the start and after some jockeying for position amongst the pro riders I jumped in 5^th wheel.

TJ lead the group up a gradual climb where a group of three, TJ, Brian, and one other pro rider opened up a good 15 second gap. I made a jump around the rider in front of me once the trail opened up before a good 2 miles of twisty tech trail and managed to close the gap by the end of the section and jump onto Brian’s wheel.

The lap finished with a 3-min gradual climb and bombing descent so at the start of the climb I attacked because well, why not. I dug in and lead up the climb, but it wasn’t long before TJ came around at the top and we started the descent to lap 2.

I stuck with the lead group for the start of the 2^nd lap, but TJ and Brian turned it up again on the gradual climb to the tech section and my legs weren’t able to hang on so I just settled in and finished out the race for a 1^st place in Cat 1, 4^th overall.

It felt great to race, great to win, but even better to know that my hard work the past few seasons is starting to pay off. Every so often in the race I’d glance at the time, 20-mins, 1-hr, 1.5-hrs and think to myself, okay am I about to blow up, but it never came I felt good (relatively speaking) for the entire race and finished just a couple minutes off the leader (Brian), who I should also mention, was on his remedy :p

So it was a Wisco podium all around, Brian for the Pro race, me for the Cat 1 race, and then Evie for the Cat 1 women, and Andrea for the Cat 2 women.

The next day we hit the trails at McDowell for a 4-hr jam session with the girls and had a blast! That’s what mountain biking is all about!

Thanks to Mike’s Mix for helping me recover through these big training weeks, Team Wisconsin Cycling, Jake over at Fit Squared, and Evie, you guys rock!

And thanks for reading!

I’ve also brushed up my web design portfolio, feel free to check it out.

After what I would deem a successful off-season, 2014 brings a ton of new and exciting adventures to the plate.

My 3 areas of focus are mountain bike racing, growing my blog EminiMind, and growing my website design business. I guess I should add a special category for growing friendships and committing to another year of amazing adventures with the people I love.

Hard Man Winter

After I got back from Colorado at the beginning of November it was nice to be able to chill out for a bit, stay local and spend time doing things I don’t often get to do with people I don’t often get to see. Racing bikes and traveling around the country is great, but having the time to recharge and do different things is just as important and gets me motivated again for the coming year.

The holidays were fun, but also a challenge. Looking ahead to next year, my good buddy Steve is getting married the week before Sea Otter in California, so I decided to target that race, or at least be in decent shape by then (hopefully). That means base miles began in December.

Midwest winters are tough, but this was the toughest one by far. Some people might think I’m a bit of a weenie for running off to Arizona for the winter where it’s warm and sunny and I can ride my bike in short sleeves everyday (okay I’ll stop there). Really though, I’d like to think I’m a pretty “hard man” when it comes to the elements.

Last spring after I got back from AZ it rained for what seemed like 3 weeks straight. I had no problem kitting up and getting out for training rides in that kind of shit weather.

When December hit things got REAL shitty and cold, like -10 and windy cold. I picked up a set of XC skis and went for a lot of hikes through the snow, but still kitted up and put in a fair share of 3 and 4 hr rides in 0-10 degree weather. When your toes go numb in the first 45-mins, you just grin and bear it.

In reality though, you have to be careful. This early in the year it’s important not to burn any mental matches that you’ll need later in the year. When the roads got too shitty and downright unsafe to ride, you have to find alternatives.

Back at it, AZ Style

Now though, back in Arizona things are progressing nicely. I’m ahead of where I was last year in terms of fitness for this time of year and feel like I have my eating, training, and work/life balance dialed. I learned a ton last year, most by trying different things and noting how my body responded. Spending every weekend traveling with awesome teammates and friends really helped too.

2014, the Best is Yet to Come!

This year is all about making a splash. A big splash (and not just in racing). I evaluated the areas I still struggle with and things I need to improve upon to become a smarter, faster racer and really spent the time working on them. My fitness is building, my weight is dropping, and my handling is improving.

I’m at a good point in my life, I’m happy, like really happy. I don’t expect to get a call from the Trek Factory Racing team asking to come on board, but I do have really high expectations this year to make a splash as one of the top Cat 1 riders in the country.

So far this year is off to a great start!

EminiMind & Web Design

I’ve also seen a lot of success in my business, both businesses actually. The blog, EminiMind.com continues to grow its readership every year, averaging about 150-200 unique visitors per day and generating a nice amount of (for the most part) passive income. I love being able to share my experiences with other traders, and help them become financially independent and in the end, live a more enjoyable and fulfilling life.

My web design business has also been doing really well. Along with business development, I have a strong passion for developing and streamlining processes. Creating websites for clients and developing a streamlined process for my entire business has been an absolute blast. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really cool businesses and have a real impact on their bottom line, helping to deliver new customers, and generate sales. I added a portfolio section to my blog you can checkout if you’re interested in some of my latest projects.

To wrap things up, I’m definitely excited about 2014! If you know anyone who might be in need of a website or need help with online business it’d be awesome if you could send them my way. If I can’t come up with a solution, I’m happy to help find someone who can.

To all my friends, family, and everyone else who’s been a part of my life thus far, I can’t express enough my greatest thanks to you for all you’ve helped me accomplish. Things are about to get even better.