Sacramento CX Series #4

Today, we finally had a CX race with perfect conditions! Rain, cold, a little wind... it was what CX races are supposed to be like. Pics will be posted on our Flickr site soon. go to www.teammadcat.com to see them!

Papa

The Year of Trials!

About 6-7 years ago, I got into a MTB trials riding craze and a few of us would go out and bounce around on our bikes a few times/week. We would go downtown, or to San Francisco quite a few times and look for things to play and practice on. This phase got me really interested in biking skills and how important they are to overall mountain biking and cycling in general. It was during this period of time that I started thinking about teaching skills and started a mental frame-work for how that could be worthwhile occupation. It wasn't until a few years later that I was layed off from CSUS and was forced to put into action, a plan that would involve teaching people to ride, and yes... a job. Long story-short.... I couldn't make it work and came across an opportunity to start a bike shop and quickly switched focus and opened Mad Cat. "The Skills Factory" had to get moved to the back-back burner while we started Mad Cat. Now, almost 5 years later... my passion for trials riding is coming back. I'm still a beginner on the trials bike, but it's soooo much fun and rewarding, not to mention a great workout. So... Why am I babbling? Because I have deemed 2009 the year of trials. I just purchased a 26" trials-specific frame and I want to ride it as much as possible this coming year. For those who are not familiar with trials, let me educate you a little. It's referred to as "Observed Trials" and it's typically a competition to navigate a bike (modified) through obstacles without putting a foot down (dabbing). There are trials-specific bikes/frames out there for competition, or you can modify an existing MTB. I don't plan to compete at all, I just want to play.

Here's a great video of a Ryan Leech, a popular trials rider, playing around in an urban environment. I'll never be this good, but it sure is fun trying...

If you have questions about trials, or are interested in getting into it, come talk to us... "2009 is the year of Trials!"

Papa Cat

Holiday Cheer

Holiday cheer is everywhere.. Today we sold a bunch of kids bikes for Xmas, and quite a few new bikes for people just wanting to buy themselves something fun. The holiday season always seems to help people treat themselves as well as buying gifts for others. "I'm treating myself to an early Xmas gift" is what I hear all the time throughout the month of December. My personal thought is that A) people get a little down when the weather gets a little cold and foggy, so buying something new for yourself is a great way to make the sun shine. and B) Advertisements are running rampant right now inspiring others to spend their hard earned dollars. In any case, we love seeing people getting excited about biking in all facets of the sport.

Happy Holidays and keep your spin on!

-Papa Cat

MTBR Best Bike Shop Award!

We have earned the reward as Best Bike Shop for MTBR, 2008! I had no idea that so many people had given us rave reviews. We do our best to be honest, friendly and thorough, so I guess it's paid off! Thank you for taking the time to notice our efforts!

Click here for MTBR

New Web and more!

We've finally gone live with our new site and I'm fairly proud of it. I've added forums, classifieds, events, products/prices and lots of fun cycling related info. In addition to that, we just brought on Felt Bicycles for the 2009 season. It's going to be an exciting year with new offerings, products and people. Stay tuned!

Traveling'

These past few months have been crazy. Sick family, tradeshows,
vacation and funerals. Erin and I have spent a lot of time going
south, east and everything in between. Somehow we've fit some rides
and races in here and there but the chaos is taking its toll. We need
to chill for a spell. Looking forward to a few weeks of downtime and
good ol fashioned familytime (and more riding of course). :-)

Papa chaos

Sent from my iPhone

The grand hurrah

Erin and a friend at the top of hurrah pass in Moab. We finished with
Jacobs ladder and Amasaback. Epic day!

Reset button- pushed

-mike

Papa in Moab!

We finalized our cx race and headed to Moab that night. From here, we
push the "reset" button and remind ourselves what life is really
about... Fun, biking and good friends. Here's a shot of a few of my
riding "family" that fuel my passion for knobbies and dirt.
Peace, love and endless singletrack!

-papa

Hybrid Bikes from Giant Have Arrived!

I didn't get a chance to blog much at all from Vegas this year for the 2008 Interbike Trade Show because I was too busy ordering cool new stuff. Yesterday, we received our first batch of Giant's new Hybrid Bike (The Twist Freedom DX). This bike applies electric power only when you pedal. It matches your power with its power and takes you down the road at a nice clip. There are a couple models and sizes to choose from, and 2 price points. We would love for you to stop by and check them out.

I have to be honest.. I was sceptical when I heard they were coming out, but then I had a chance to ride one in Park City a few months back. This bike is AWESOME! It definitely gives someone a valid reason to sell their car and buy a bike. Ride up to 70 miles on a charge and only feel like you pedaled around the block!

Stop by and take on for a test ride today! HELMET REQUIRED. :-)

Click here to learn more, but you MUST RIDE TO BELIEVE!

Lance Races Vegas!

He signed up and raced Crossvegas this year. Pretty much got spanked,
but looked good doing it. Team Mad Cat fielded 2 riders (Hank Mini and
myself). I didn't finish last!

Peace

Papa cat

Vegas baby

It's off to Vegas for Interbike 2008. New product, companies and eye
candy. I'll try to take some pics and post throughout the next few
days.

-papa cat

Sent from my iPhone

Healthy

So, back in July I had these weird heart palpitations and PVC's going on that the Doc couldn't explain, plus an occasional pain in my chest during higher heartrates. They did some tests and ran some numbers, checked here, checked there... nothing. The final step to make sure I wasn't having some hidden heart thing, was to schedule me for an Echocardiogram on a recumbent bike, which is attached to a table. Yesterday was the day. I showed up, they shaved my chest, plugged me into 12 wires and then 5 more for something else and then had me lay flat on my back while I pedaled a recumbent bike. It was somewhat relaxing and I thought, "wow, with one of these I could pedal myself to sleep at night!"..

At any rate, the test was 20 minutes long and the machine slowly adds resistance until I get my heartrate to 140. At that point, the table I was laying on, is supposed to rotate onto the left side while they do an Ultrasound of my heart.

10 minutes went by, then 15 etc. while I kept a steady cadence. They started getting concerned because my heartrate wasn't getting above 120 and they needed 140 for the Ultrasound to be accurate. During the last minute of the test they both stood up and said "we need you to sprint or the machine is going to shut off and we'll have to start over". The table turned at the 20 minute mark, but I was still about 130, I sprinted and finally got my heartrate to about 144. No big deal.

The nurse and the Echo specialist said that I went down in history as the only person they have seen actually beat the machine. Typically, most people get to 140 within the first 10-12 minutes.

So, test done. The nurse said that the results will officially go to the cardiologist for review, but that she thought everything looked "fabulous" in her words.

I beat the machine. Now I can go on about my training with a little peace of mind that my inner-piston is worthy of the higher RPMs.

wheels of love make the world go round.

-papa

Giant vs. ???

I love seeing the comments that a few of you are leaving with regards to what I posted about Giant Bicycles. I would like to add that I personally believe that Giant is a great company that puts a great deal of emphasis on cycling for both racing, recreation and lifestyle. They make awesome bikes for racers, riders, commuters, kids and everything in between. Trek actually designs (and yes they do build some of their stuff in house) great quality bikes as well... Specialized designs great bikes too. Giant, in my eyes, puts out the best value and in many cases the best designs for the cycling industry. To claim that one is better than the other is strictly personal preference. The Tour, stage wins, Lance... all great stuff, but really only specific to a small category of cyling... road. Worldwide, Giant is the largest, produces the most, and been doing so for a very long time. That's no opinion. They have also pioneered innovations like Compact Geometry, Carbon Fiber Framesets, Carbon/ALuminum mixed frames and electric Hybrid bikes. As far as American vs. Taiwan... while I think it's very patriotic to ride a bike because it's made in the US, I also believe that you should buy whatever bike suits your style, fit, price and desires.. Most of what we use on daily basis comes from another country. It just so happens that most of the bikes in today's world are made in Taiwan and China... even Schwinn.

Keep the comments going, it's interesting to see how narrow minded some folks can be. Love the sport, not the brand.

2009 Giant Anthem X

Here in Park City, Giant has unveiled it's latest creation from the MTB line-up, the Anthem X. 4 inches of travel, up from 3.5 from years past, with a lighter frame and cooler design features. They've also added one more price point giving Anthem 5 models to choose from including the Advanced full carbon model. Prices range from $1850-$6500 and even the base model is spec'd nicely. We already has the Anthem X3 in inventory at Mad Cat, and other models will be arriving soon.

Cool, cool, cool!

Papa cat

The OCR replacement?

For years, Giant's OCR line-up has been one of the most popular road choices on the market. Now, for 2009, they are upping the ante and making improvements that will amaze the public. The "Defy" is the new OCR and it is awesome. I just returned from a 45 minute ride on the backroads of Park City Utah, and this bike rocks! Stiff and light like a TCR, (Giant's race bike) but comfortable and compliant to rough roads. The styling of the Defy mimics it's big brother, the TCR, and it screams performance. I for one will be getting one and look forward to sending customers out for test rides when they begin arriving in about 4 weeks. The model I rode (Defy Advanced 2) is equipped with a mostly Ultegra build and retails for $2700.
Off to check out more...

Papa cat.

Off for Giant Weekend!

This year, the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world is flying its dealers out to Park City Utah for an all expenses paid weekend and 2009 product review. Giant is finally stepping up to give dealers a pre-release prior to interbike and floating the entire bill as well. We'll be riding 2009 bikes in the mountains of Park City, while wining and dining with the entire staff of Giant Bicycles USA.
For those that don't know, Giant is THE largest manufacturer of bicycles in the world. They build bikes for many of the large companies, including Trek and Specialized. Apparently Santa Cruz also outsources the manufacturing of the most the Blur models to Giant now as well. Giant has been building bikes for quite some time (40+ years) and it's no secret that they are the leaders and pioneers in the carbon frame technology and many other new development in the industry, for instance "Compact Geometry". I will be posting to my blog during the weekend, with pics of 2009 bikes and information on the early release. Stay tuned.

Cross-Dressed and ready to rock

I shut down my computer around 5pm yesterday, grabbed my clothes from the car, hopped into the restroom and emerged ready to rock! Despite the customers that were still in the shop, I pranced through and headed to my car with bike in hand. It was a CX training ride.

At 6pm I met up with a few of my fellow "cross-dressed", knobby-tired, friends and we hit the parkway for a warm-up. 4 of us rolled down the trail, in the dirt and on the pavement before crossing the the Guy West bridge and beginning an hour of super-fun, high intensity, knobby-tired goodness we call CX training.

We ran up stairs, across parkbenches, up levees, down levees, through gravel, around obstacles and whatever else we could find that would force us on and off the bike. IT was a blast!

With CX season drawing near, I'm focusing on shorter workouts at a higher intensity in an attempt to get my butt in shape and be ready for a successful CX race season. I just want to go out and have fun without feeling like I've moved pianos upstairs for an hour. How cool would it be to hammer the big ring for a race and not feel winded at the end. That's what I'm shooting for. That's what I call ready.

Papa Cat.

Coming up: Cyclocross Season!

Mountain bike races have started to taper, road events are still going strong, but soon cyclocross season will be here. Our team is gearing up for a CX season to remember. With over 12 of our teammates commiting to the season, we'll have an awesome showing at both the local and bay area races. I'm extremely excited about the season and am starting to ramp up the training. I've enjoyed all the road riding and obviously all the MTB racing so far this season, and now it's time to put the two together into one really fun sport. We'll be down in Vegas for one of the big pro CX races, just as our local series takes off. It'll be a great way to get us all jazzed and ready. There's only a small handful of folks on the team that are podium ringers, but a great deal of hopefulls including myself. I don't think I'm podium quality for CX, but who knows. I'll give it my best. LAst year I struggled in the B's and then for kicks raced in the C's and did pretty well. I think I belong in B's because I typically race Expert single-speed, but I'm still new to CX. Maybe I should be a new category called BC. :-)

Papa Gato

Clear in Sac?

I saw blue skies today! I thought it was a mirage until it included a aircraft at about 30k'. nice.

Today is the Death Ride. Woulda, shoulda, coulda, but didn't. Planned to do a fun MTB ride instead and it looks like that one got smoked out just like a dude driving '63 bus with tye-dye curtains. We've opted to head west and go spin around Tamarancho tomorrow in Fairfax. We're praying that the bay area coastal winds has kept the "Fire Fog" at bay (or away from bay).

I picked up my new CX bike this week and I'm pretty stoked about the season coming up. I'm no pro at CX, but it sure is fun and it's a great sport for spectators. The family can come out and watch you race and not have to stand around twiddling their thumbs for 2 hours while you're somewhere "out on the course". The Sac CX series all takes place in and around Sacramento. I highly encourage anyone to try it out. It's also a way to keep in shape between seasons. Check out http://www.sacramentocx.com/ to learn more. 2008 dates will be posted soon.

We'll be stocking CX supplies as well, so feel free to stop by and pick our brains. We carry Giant, Salsa and Kona CX bikes. We can also get Redline, Masi and a few others.

-The Mad Cat

Waitin' for the Fog to Clear...

So, I got lost driving to work the other day because I couldn't see the street signs. Yeah, I was driving, like I usually do. I drop the kids off each morning, so riding isn't in the cards. At any rate, IT'S WAY TOO SMOKEY! I've lived in Sac nearly all my life and this is the most smoke I've ever inhaled! All my rides and training rides have been cancelled and I feel fat and lazy. I could go to the gym, but that means... going to the gym.

I bailed out on doing Death Ride this year. I want to know more about the heart palpitations (PVC's) before committing to a day of lung busting climbs and long fast descents in poor air quality. With all the smoke, my training got thrown off and I didn't get the mileage under my belt that I needed to complete DR. For me, it's all or nothing and I'd rather not waste a day up there and not complete it. The air quality and the heat played huge into my decision as well. Oh well, there's next year.

The next big idea of the year is the Tahoe-Sierra 100 MTB ride. It's only an idea at this point because I want to wait until after I see the Doc next week to make a decision on whether or not I should be training hard over the next month or so. We'll see. For now, I'm focusing on fun rides.
This weekend, "Sweet Cheeks" and I are hitting the road at 4am to get on the Hole in the Ground trail early so we can be at the top of the climb around sunrise. We all refer to those early rides as "Dawn Patrols". It'll be nice to get home before most people wake up!

PC

Sick in the Alps...?

Sunday we did another Death Ride training. Nine of us rode Monitor Pass up and over the other side and the planned to take a break at the base of Ebbets before the next 2. Upon climbing the backside of Monitor, I started getting dizzy, lightheaded and having heart palpitations. I figured it was the heat and altitude. We reached the summit again and descended down. The dizziness got worse and to the point where I felt sick to my stomach. I had done this ride a week prior with not problems, so it baffled me a bit. A few miles later, I had to pull over and scream at the pine needles (throw up). My day was done.

The next day, back home, I woke to the same feeling of lightheadedness and a sense of something was just not right. I scored a late afternoon appt. with the Doc and had him check me out. After an EKG, I learned that I'm having PVC's (Premature Ventricular Contractions) where my heart is firing prematurely and pumping blood at an irregular rate. It explains a great deal, but I won't know why or how until after I wear a Holter monitor for a day. Doesn't sound like it's serious in my case, but at least I know it wasn't just a normal "bad day of riding".

For now, I wait to find out what's next. I hear pacemakers are fun. Maybe I can wire one into my Garmin for that extra training tool.. get that cadence DIALED! :-)

-Papa Cat

Gas Bad - Pedals Good

The shop has been overwhelmed with folks looking to save gas and start pedaling. We are regularly hearing requests for bikes to get from A-B and y-Z. Function over form seems to be the trend, but yes we're still selling tons of FS MTB's and road bikes for the enthusiasts out there.

Intrinsic satisfaction seems to be happening regularly (at least on my end) while helping someone find the right bike and all the associated gear. Yeah, selling bikes pays the bills, but selling cycling and the sport is more rewarding. I love it when customers stop in after a day of "hitting the shops" and searching for that special bike to suit their needs. We do our regular presentation, ask them some questions, get to know their needs and make some suggestions. Somewhere in the process, the customer usually begins to appreciate what we do... they're not always looking for the "best deal", but the best service and relationship. We're not a huge shop that carries every bike for every person, but I feel that we care and will do our best to meet their needs. Having someone thank you for the wonderful service at the end of a sale is worth more than anything I sell.

I think that's my greatest reward for being a business owner.

-M

Vacation... Tahoe Style

I just returned from 8 days in Tahoe with the family. Every year, for the last 6 years, we have rented a little cabin at Camp Richardson and it's become a tradition that we can't seem to shake. We load up the bikes, hiking stuff, beach stuff and everything that you'd need to relax in Tahoe (including a good selection of beverages) and head to the hills. It's good "reset" time, but we also manage to get some runs and rides in throughout the week.

This year I decided to take advantage of "the passes" and invite some friends up to ride part of the Death Ride. We rode Monitor and Ebbets on Thursday and it worked us pretty good. I've still got a couple good rides coming up, so I don't feel intimidated, but DR is going to mame the body for a few days. Surprisingly, my muscles liked the climbing and I wasn't even stiff the next day, HOWEVER, my hands, feet, butt and neck were screaming big time during the ride. I just need to have more saddle time. My body is accustomed to MTB where you rarely do the same movement for more than 5 minutes (for the most part). Long road rides are a relatively new thing for me, but I like it and will continue to do so... but I'm a mountain biker at heart.

Glad to be home.

Papa Gato.

Birthday Mileage and Breakfast Club

Yesterday was Breakfast club... A few friends and I decided that once a month we will commit to a 5:00am breakfast and a 6am ride. It just so happens that yesterday was also my Birthday, so it was decided that I needed mileage to meet my age, which is becoming a tradition for our team. With my ripe old of 39, we set out to try and get about 40 miles in the Auburn area. The only way to effectively get that mileage without riding the same trail over and over again, is to ride all trails in the area.. Stagecoach-Manzanita-Flood-Clementine-Connector-Foresthill Divide and the quarry trail on the south side. We ended up with 44.9 in total, ending on the long climb back up Stagecoach in the sun with empty bottles, legs and souls. It was tough, but it felt good in the mind.

I ended the day with the Drive-in movies to see Ironman with the Team and a muscle relaxer that put me in a 10hour coma. Nice Birthday I'd say.

Northstar - Opening Day!

IT's true, Northstar is now open for bizz. We were first in line (within a person or two) and got a chance to check it out and ride the new stuff on lower mountain. The upper mountain won't open until late June, but the lower stuff is pretty fun. Count on finding me up there this summer.. I shot some vid from my GoPro helmet cam... enjoy!
MC

Holy Cow Time Flys!

I can't believe we're pushing into the end of May already! Damn! Cool24 came and went in a hurry but not without glamour and fortune (well, maybe a little less than that).. The MAd Cat Single-Speed A-Team (my Team consisting of Robert Ives, Ken Mederios, Rich Nielsen and myself) gave it our all. We had a super clean race, no mechanicals, no crashes, super fast laps and good collaboration and teamwork. We rallied for 24hrs straight, taking turns at bringing home the bacon. Rich pulled some 57 min. laps, I pulled a 58 and 59.. it was cool. In the end, we came in 2nd place against Dan Tebbs and the Victory Velo crew. Not bad considering they are some fast riders. I'm cool with second and completely happy with the results.

Since Cool, I've been doing some road rides, racing PC and working my ass off. As of today, I've commited to a ride schedule for the next 6 weeks to get me ready for Death Ride. Miles, rides, diet, you name it. I'm going to give it my all. After that... it's Cyclocross time.

The shop has been rocking with business, events, promotions and overall craziness. It never really stops being crazy, but sometimes it's a bit more in control. I feel like were sitting on the front of a magic carpet that is whizzing around Sac on autopilot sometimes. It hasn't crashed yet and it seems to know where to turn, but who knows what it's going to do next. It's fun.

The Team is rocking the PC races right now! We're are set up to have quite a few folks on the podium at the Series end. Exciting for them, exciting for me.

The Swap Meet this weekend was good. Lower turnout, maybe from the heat, but all the vendors had a good time and sold a ton of stuff. The team sold some stuff and the shop got rid of a few things in the back room. That's about all we needed to accomplish.

Rest time for the Papa. Peas out.

El Papa Gato.

Gear up for Gearing down?

Sea Otter, Boggs, Napa, they were all just training rides... for what? Cool24. Next weekend we put 7 months of training on the line for single-speed mayhem. 24 hours of non-stop, one-gear, lap after lap after lap! The Mad Cat A-Team is attempting to bring home the first place finish in the 3rd annual Coolest24 MTB Race Against Cancer. We're up against a few other teams and they too are throwing down to bring home the bacon. It'll all come down to laps times, efficiency and smooth sailing with regards to clean laps without "mechanicals" or "physicals". We're putting it on the line, but we're also looking forward to the fun, the community, and hanging out with the team at a race that raises money for a good cause.

After Cool..? hmm. havent' really thought that far ahead. We've got our Gear Swap coming up, family vacation in June, then Death Ride in July and CX training from there on out. I personally am looking forward to CX season. I'm going to train and attempt to do well this year. We'll see what happens. Worse case is that I start off winter in great shape which is never a bad thing.

Papa Gato

Sea Otter is always cold, wet and fun regardless. This year, no rain but extremely windy and not your best camping conditions. Luckily we opted for RV camping this year, and man I'm so glad... RV heaters work great and it's given me an opportunity to read 3 issues of Dirt Rag.

I raced this morning at the BCOD (that's butt crack of dawn in NAVY talk). Placed 12th out of 86 in SS Sport! Probably my best year on SS.

Posting a blog via treo is really just an experiment, and not ideal, but I thought I'd chime in from S.O. for the fun of it. I'll post all the pics upon my return to the cat lair.

Papa

(sent via TREO)

Shippin' Out to Sea (Otter)

IT's the time of year, and everyone is gearing up for the pilgrimage down to the Nation's largest MTB gathering. Fun, racing, product, exhibitions, people, beer and friends. This year, we're motorhoming it so that the kids can come and we can all relax and not have to work as hard.

This week, we also learned that one of our own is shipping out to the NAVY next fall. Having been in the "NAV" myself, I'm excited for him and the adventure he's about to embark upon. It changed my life for the better and I'm sure his experience will do the same. My hat is off to you shipmate!

I'll post a full report on Sea Otter along with pics from the event next week. I might even post remotely from down there if I have time.

Prairie City #3 was tonight and it was fast! 11 minute lap times! Erin (mama cat) took a spill and lost some skin. Bummer timing since we're leaving in the morning, but she'll be ok. I'll take good care of her and lick her wounds just like any old tom cat would. :-)

To Sea Otter with us...

Implosion Imminent

When we bought our first house, I experienced heartburn and stomach problems for well over a month. Probably from the stress. That was 9 years ago. It never went away, just kept quiet here and there for periods of time. For the past 6 months, it's been knocking at my door weekly. Doc's can't pinpoint the problem, can't prescribe anything that works. Now I'm starting to miss work, skip rides, wake up in the middle of the night in pain... life sucks.

Why write about it? Because I've realized that this same problem has also plagued my racing for many years. About 15 minutes into a race, I get the same nasty heartburn feeling and it slows me down for about 10 minutes before letting up. If I could only fix the problem, I'd probably be faster.

The problem is really bad at the moment, to the point where I might bail on the Napa Dirt Classic tomorrow if it doesn't get better in the next few hours. Frankly, it's pissing me off. Can't eat this, can't drink that... Mylanta, Tums, Pepto, Maalox... none of which "fix" the problem. Sucks to be me. Kaiser looks even more stupid each time I visit them.

Any suggestions? I'm thinking I'll just cram a bunch of spicy, greasy crap down my stomach until I implode... then they'll have something to fix.

PC

Boggs III Finale

Boggs is over and the team is back home recovering from what I would consider a relatively huge success. We did however suffer one casualty. Joey Howard crashed at the bottom of one of the downhill fire-roads and ended up getting Medivac'd back to Sac with a broken cervical vertabra. He's going to be fine, but in a neck brace for a while.
A few of us gathered the night before the race and chilled with pizza, fire, beer and tequila for a true, grass-roots, race-prep ritual. The next morning, the rest of the Cat Pack rolled in with red and black a-blazin... ready to rock. And rock they did..

17 MC riders threw down on Boggs mountain, accumulating about 100 laps total amongst us all, some of which pulling in 9 laps in 8 hours with mileage in the 70's! We had Rhonda Figone take 1st place women's Expert, Asa Salas 2nd place Pro and Ken Mederios in 2nd place men's single-speed.

My personal experience with the race was awesome. I raced single-speed sport and pulled off 7 reasonably fast laps (one 49'er) with an extended break in the middle. No mechanicals, no crashes, a few cramps and a headache, but overall an awesome, strong finish. The hills made my bones creak a little, but somehow I kept plugging away tacking on more miles. I actually impressed myself with my ability to pick it up in the end and have some decent laps times for my last few laps. I figured that it would have probably gone the other way around.

Today, a little quad pain here and there, but feeling groovy enough to push the mower around the lawn for a while and tinker on my dirt bike for a bit today. Looking forward to PC, Napa Valley Dirt Classic and Sea Otter the week after. Boggs is truly a wonderful race and an awesome trail that begs to be ridden again and again. Each lap reminded me of the brass ring on a merry-go-round (for those that are old enough to remember those). Good times.

Boggs III pics on Flickr

Papa C.

Off to BOGGS!

The first Prairie City race kicked off with a SUPER BANG last night. Over 500 riders showed up and I must say it was a bit overwhelming, but still fun. Team Mad Cat kicked down with 20 riders on the course and even more trailside for support. Red and Black everywhere! Tomorrow, the Team heads to Boggs Demo Forest for 8 hours of singletrack bliss. We've got about 20 riders heading over to populate the forest with our favorite colors. I'll post some pics all said and done. It's going to hurt, but great for training... It's going to make Sea Otter feel like a trip home from the corner market on Stingray holdin' an icee.
Wish us luck!

Papa Gato

Let the games begin!

We've trained, we ridden, worked out, played hard and ate a well balanced meal. Now it's time to suck it up and see how our training will pay off. This week, the team begins a few weeks of racing, followed by more racing (2 races/week) for the next 3 weeks. Prairie City, Boggs 8hr, PC, Napa Valley Dirt Classic, PC, Sea Otter, PC, then a small break before another PC race then Cool24hr. So much for fun rides, because there won't be time. Come June, you'll find me sipping a Guiness poolside watching my homey-cats pump the track and gettin' silly. The next 3-4 weeks is the majority of what many of us have been training for, plus all the PC races and of course Death Ride in July. It's fun and I must say... I'm addicted to riding my bike. At any point today, I could have easily swapped my polo shirt for jersey and headed out for a spin. All in good time...

Papa Puddy Tat

Chinese Ticks and Singletrack

Last Saturday we gathered The Cats and headed over to China Camp in San Rafael for a day of super-cool single-track and fun. 12 Cats (the dirty dozen) clawed up the trail and collected about 23 miles throughout the park. I believe our venture uncovered every single nasty climb there was to find. The sweet singletrack wasn't enough for some of our punishment seeking riders, so we detoured a few times to test our legs and minds. My knees are still aching 4 days later.

As if the climbing didn't hurt enough, a hitchhiking tick decided to burrow into Yvette's neck, so Mojojo had to do an emergency extraction. He moved in like Steve Irwin mumbling something in an Aboriginal tone and grabbed that sucker with his teeth and pulled it out head and all. (substitute fingers for teeth for visual fancy).


All of our Cats use Frontline or Advantage (for that Raceday edge) so it came as a surprise that this little guy was successful at landing the first stage of his mission.

At any rate, a great ride, great people, great post-ride eats and THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WEATHER I have seen so far this year.

It's that time of year, so check your legs, socks, clothes and friends for ticks. They carry disease and can really be a pain in the ass (if you let them get that far). :-)

To see more pics, view our Flickr page here.

Death Ride is on!

Found out today that I'm in for the 2008 Death Ride. The lottery names have been listed and quite a few of our Team are in as well. It should be a great year now that I'm forced into putting more mileage and hill climbing in. I feel like this might be what it takes to give me more strength for the the single speed MTB races, and provide me with an awesome goal for the year.
I don't just want to give it my "all". I want all 5 passes in a reasonable time with less pain in the end. 15,000 ft of climbing and 129 miles sounds pretty brutal, but I'll work up to it. It should be fun!

Yesterday, a friend and I did the Georgetown loop with some added climbing and it felt pretty good. Granted it was only 60 miles and 8000 ft of climbing, but we hammered it out pretty fast and were back home in under 4hrs. I could see doubling that up at some point. Gonna need some salt tabs and Sportslegs though... :-)

Papa

Crime Scenes & Trailwork

So... today was our scheduled trailwork day with FATRAC out at Salmon Falls AKA Darrington Trail. Our group all arrived on time for a 10:30 departure into the singletrack for a few hours of much needed clearing and downed tree removal. We split up into 3 groups so that one group could clear a tree from Sweetwater before meeting up with the other 2 on Salmon Falls. The day was awesome, weather good, good work, pics, yadda yadda.
About 1pm we began to wrap up and head back to the trailhead. Upon arrival back at the trailhead, we initially noticed yellow caution tape across the entire parking lot around our cars. My initial thought was that someone was breaking into cars and the cops had arrived. We then were notified that a body had been found by some passing motorcyclists in a ditch at the north end of the parking lot. Pretty freaky stuff.


After our raffle and the process of giving our names/statements to the El Dorado County Sheriffs, we were allowed to return to our cars and vacate the lot. Channel 3 and 10 were on scened to report.
There's more pics of our day on Flickr if you're interested.

News Story

Trailwork pics on Flickr

Usually a day of trailwork leaves you with good intrinsic satisfaction.. It did, but was short-lived.

Papa Cat

Wheel Weight Weenies

Ya' know.. I use to make fun of weight weenie bike owners (and still do), but I've gained more respect for the grams when it actually has a functional purpose.
When I started riding 29'ers a few year back, I was sold on the concept. The rolling, the traction, smoother ride... yadda yadda you've heard it all. It was then that I began to experience the extreme with regards to rolling weight. Larger wheels have more rotational mass and can affect your bike in many ways, some good, some bad. I started to pay more attention to tires, rims, spokes, etc. and have began to really cherish the lower gram counts associated with them. I recently bit the bullet with some Industry 9 wheels, Stan's hoops, sub 600 gram tires and the Stan's tubeless system. Man, what a difference. Faster acceleration, more responsive braking, quicker turning, all because of lighter rotational mass. My hubs are light as well, but it won't play into those characteristics as much.
Morale of the story.... Keep the weight down and "let the wheels go round!" :-)
Papa

Team High Road Debut

I was lucky enough to get invited to the Team High Road presentation/introduction yesterday in Palo Alto, so I bit the bullet and traveled down knowing fully that I'd be coming back on a Friday evening from the Bay Area.. Traffic wasn't too bad.
At any rate, the turnout was good.. Roger Hammond, George Hincapie, Linus Gerdemann, Michael Rogers, Greg Henderson and a bunch of big names in the cycling world. Phil Legget announced and introduced the team which is managed by Bob Stapleton.
I'm not as privy to the standings, but I believe this team has a pretty good chance this season at bringing home some wins. The most exciting part for me as a shop owner is seeing a strong team on Giant Bicycles. T-Mobile did well, which helps the brand, but with Hincapie on a Giant, I think the brand is going to do even better this year.
The bike: The new Team Advanced frame is amazing. Some crazy new implementations and lighter weight frame created by a brand new carbon process that hasn't been used by Giant before. They look really good.
My highlight of the day was actually exchanging words with Phil Leggett. He said "hey there, how're ya' doin'? I said "great, thanks".... :-) I supposed I could've actually stopped and chatted, but I'm sure he's got better things to do than talk with some bike shop owner about the weather...
Great team, let's hope they throw down this season!



PC

Lunch with Leggitt and Hincapie?

It looks as though I might be attending a luncheon this Friday for the debut of Team High Road. T-Mobile dropped sponsorship this season and the remaining team along with George Hincapie are now "Team High Road". The team is still sponsored by Giant and now riding the brand new TCR Advanced Team frame which will also be presented to the public during the luncheon. A few Giant dealers were selected to attend and I'll be making the drive down to rub shoulders with some of the fastest riders in the industry. I really just want a free lunch and I'll drive 2 hours to get it..
;-)
At any rate, maybe I'll post some pics in my next post.

We just got in a nice shipment of carbon road bikes today, officially ending the 3-year standoff with the road market. I wanted to carry more road bikes in the past, but when it came down to it, couldn't afford to buy a ton of cool MTB and Road, so we skimped on the road. We are now well rounded and should be able to outfit anyone looking to get into skinny tires and speed. I'm pretty excited about road bikes right now, but I LOVE the dirt.
It's two very different sports, and I like them both in different ways.
More to come later... PC

Pork chops and Applesauce...

I'm not sure why "Pork Chops and Applesauce" is stuck in my head, but we had it for dinner the other night. What skit or TV show was that from anyhow? Anyone?

Yesterday I took part in TBF's MTB#1. Expensive, but fun. The weather turned out to be perfect and the trail a little goey but not bad. I took 4th in single-speed and I think we had about 5 podium finishes from the team! Weights and longer training rides are certainly paying off. The shop is starting to pick up for the season now that there are some fun races close by. Before we know it, Sea Otter will be here.. the Cool 24 and then BAM! Summer and Northstar, along with some super cool days on my little sailboat.

Next month I find out if I got into Death Ride and if so... the hill training starts. Hills, distance rides and gym visits will be an everyday thing until July rolls around. I don't know how I'll do up at altitude on a road bike since I'm not really a roadie, but I'll have fun giving it what I can.

"Racin' and Ridin'?"

So, I've been told that I'm being consumed by racing. The point was that I don't just "go for a ride" anymore. I had to think about that and for the most part it's true.. most of my rides right now are training rides, but they ARE rides. The difference is that I have a larger purpose and goal in mind. I love just going for a ride, but it's even more fun thinking about how I'm building strength that is going to help me do better at the next race. Taking 5th place in SS division was a large enough carrot a few weeks ago to get me motivated to be stronger. I've never gotten that close to a win on the SS before and it felt good.

For the first time EVER, I feel like I can get on the bike and go and not have to think about that point of exhaustion for a while. I did a mild ride with 3 friends last night and starting doing some one-mile intervals. I realized that I can push harder than ever before and it's not my legs that tire out, it's the lungs. The muscles are strong and ready to rock. Just gotta lower the asthma and work on the breathing.

At any rate... riding is still riding to me, the only difference is that I'm exponentially faster than I use to be... and I'm ok with that.
Ride on.

Papa C.

It's a bird, it's a plane... no wait, it's the Sun?

Holy cow! Sunlight is shining through the sliding glass door and illuminating all the dust on my bike! What do I do? I guess I'll go for a ride, and maybe everything will be ok.
I'm so glad to see sunshine, but it's predicted to be short-lived. A Chance of rain every day this week isn't what I wanted to hear, but that's the reality. I'm not a wimp when it comes to riding in nasty conditions, but I'm tired of being cold on rides. I'm ready for good old sunny days with nothing but a jersey and shorts.

The gym has been an awesome addition. Being able to run up there, get in 30-40 minutes on the bike while watching "Smash Lab" or the Winter X Games, then 30 minutes of weights or so has fullfilled my workout needs for a while. I'm sure once it gets sunny (and dry) I'll be opting for the bike.

We've got races again this weekend, and I hope everyone on the team is ready to put it out there. I for one don't feel stronger or more in shape than I did for the last one, but we'll see. The racecourse might be a little tricky this weekend with some mud.
-PC

Porcupine Hair?

A funny thing happened to me yesterday...
So, last year I decided that while I still had hair, I was going to have fun with it. I bleached it all out and became blonde... no big deal. It's grown out a little since then and looks like a highlight job.. It works, I like it, it's fun, yadda yadda.
Yesterday, I'm sitting in the Social Security office with about 50+ people, waiting to get a replacement SS card for my son and noticed an older extremely loud, mentally challenged woman in a leather biker jacket, talking across the room to the person sitting next to her. Her volume couldn't be controlled but she was nevertheless harmless. A little while later, I was sitting in one of the waiting chairs and felt "a presence".. The woman had walked up and was staring at my head. I looked up and she said in a loud, slurred, voice that could be heard a block away... "WHAT'S ON YOUR HEAD?"... I calmly looked up with a smile and she said "I WANT MY HAIR TO LOOK LIKE A PORCUPINE TOO!"... "WHO DOES YOUR HAIR?". Everyone in the room was giggling. I too couldn't stop from smiling for the rest of my wait.
It's the little things in life.

-Papa Cat.

Mad Cat Team Podium

We kicked off the season last weekend with the TBF MTB Kickoff. We had 9 riders in various categories, all of which took 5th place or better in their respective divisions. A friend of someone made the comment that we had some sandbaggers, but these folks have worked hard to get where they are in the standings. Most of these folks podiumed in the Expert category, 2nd and 3rd place, so there's not much sand baggin' going on there! One of our junior riders captured 1st in the Sport mens 19 and under. Nice job Evan!
At any rate, the team trainings and rides have sure helped. For the first time in the history of single-speed racing, I took a wonderful 5th place out of 14 riders. There's some fast guys in my age group 30-39, and even faster guys in the 40-49. Next year I jump up to compete against the older crowd. I think I'll be hurting. :-)
I'm just enjoying the fact that all the training is paying off. This season should be a blast.

Stay dry and wish for clear sky!
Papa Cat

Ok, Let's do this...

Although Winter is not even close to being over, my senses tell me that the biking season has begun. Races are already starting to kick off, the weather is super and the shop has been really busy with repairs and bike upgrades.

I just returned from a 2-day seminar for bike shop owners that has me energized and ready for an outstanding season. Most business owners would be rubbing their hands together, thinking about revenues and $$ as their busy season approaches, but instead I'm more jazzed about the races, the rides, the buzz of people coming in and getting into the sport. I was talking with someone (a non-cyclist) yesterday about riding and she commented on all the riding I had been doing and how she too was "trying to get out and get some exercise in". My reply probably stumped her when I said "I don't really exercise... I just ride, and if riding was unhealthy, I'd still do it". It caused her to pause and think about that for a second. The reality is that most people never really find a hobby that benefits their health. I was fortunate to get mesmerized by bikes at a young age and was able to stick with it throughout my life.
My point is this: I LOVE being a facilitator for "mesmerization". It's intrinsically rewarding and fulfilling as a way of life. For me, owning a bike shop is what makes me feel like a productive member of society. Yeah, it keeps food on the table, but I'd find a way eat regardless.
Keep the dirty side down and enjoy the weather while we have it!

Papa.

Road Rides and Sunshine

Yesterday was our 2nd Team Road ride. Great day, good group of people. I hadn't spent too much time on the road bike for past few weeks, so doing 70 miles was a little painful, but needed. With the MTB season just around the corner, I've been gearing up for more mileage and strengthening to help up the ante on the SS. Boggs, Sea Otter and COOl24 are the biggest blips on my radar for the Spring, and Death Ride is not far behind. I won't know until March if I got in, so I'm assuming so for now. Worst case is that I don't get in, but I'll be in shape and primed for everything else.
The great weather has kept the shop on its toes for the past few days. Fairly busy with new customers looking to upgrade and get ready for the season. January keeps amazing me each year with the amount of people who don't skip a beat when colder weather rolls in. I'm totally impressed (and inspired) by those who ride just as much in the winter as the do during the warmer months. I try, but sometimes that 32 degree marker on the back porch is screaming "NO" on the subconscious....
Coffee time...
-PC

Rookie Move - I'm a loser

I'll never claim to be organized or perfect, but I do have personal "systems" in place to keep me on track and they seem to work. Yeah my desk is messy and my car could use a good cleaning, but somehow it works.
Last night I was geared up to do a night ride in Auburn with the boys and managed to pull a rookie move.

I've been on many rides where people have forgotten the essentials and I thought I was exempt from such silly mistakes with my "system" and super-huge gear bag to "hold it all"... well... not so. We got to Auburn, parked, the weather was awesome for a night ride. The bike was DIALED and I was really looking forward to ride. FORGOT MY SHOES. No excuse.

"You guys go... I'm going to sit here and punish myself and figure out a back up plan". I didn't want to be "that guy" who screws up the ride. Turns out that Erin (my wife) was able to drive up and get me. I simply went and had a meal and beer to commemorate my stupidity and waited for my ride. I think the gear bag will grow to accommodate 2 pairs next time. Sorry guys, but I'm bringing more crap!
-Papa.

Open for blogness

So you say you want a coffee? Espresso it is..

With the recent implementation of an espresso machine, I felt the urge to purge some thoughts and decided that maybe its time for Mad Cat to have blog. Why not? it's the new brown, or pink/black.. I don't know, but I'm always slow to come around. A spot to drain my mind and potentially entertain a bike fanatic in some part of the world. I'm no writer, but my thoughts are good :-)

Mad Cat seems to be going through a metamorphosis right now if feels good. We have somehow risen to what I would consider "real bike shop" status. For the past two years, I've felt that we were striving to be recognized as a reputable player in the LBS (local bike shop) industry. As we finalize our 3rd year I feel that we are there. The team is good, the customers love us and somehow bills are being paid with less stress. Family life is still crazy and I never have enough time to spend with them, but I'm not alone in small-business owner regrets. Someday I hope to spend all my time with the family and be able to play when and where I want.
anyhoo.
I'll try to post at least once/week maybe more now that the shop is fully espresso-ready. :-)