Boggs Blog

Here we go, another round of Boggs mountain, an 8hr mountain bike race near Cobb, CA. It's an awesome event, with awesome people and good times. The course is sweet and makes me feel like I'm on a carousel ride, coming around each time for that big brass ring..."thank you sir, may I have another!"
This year, I'm feeling much stronger, but who knows how my butt, hands, feet and neck will do. Being on a bike for 8+ hours can literally be a pain in the butt, but somehow we find a way to enjoy it.
For me, the weekend is all about having fun and being with cool people in a cool place. I'll try my hardest to get 9 laps in this year, but I really just want to have fun. The bike is dialed, my legs are pumped, the heart is strong... so bring it on!

I'll recap in a few days, or post from the campsite.

peace.

-M - Papa Cat

Me? a Roadie?

I've finally done it. I got to add a knotch into my dirty MTB belt today by competing in my first road race. I've been racing MTB since 1997 and am a mountain biker at heart. I've been hounded for over a year now by a friend/team manager/"roadie pusher" to do a road race, and today was the day of christening. I chose the Bariani Road Race near Zamora and it's a 10 mile course in the foothills north of Woodland. It's a great course, fast, scenic with a couple little short hills. I raced the Cat 5 Elite men's group and we had about 50 riders in our wave. We did 3 laps.

Lap 1. We started just after 2pm and headed out. The pace was mild, averaging about 21mph (or should I put that in Km?) :-). I stayed in the main pack, pretty comfortable throughout the whole first lap, and it seemed pretty easy.

Lap 2. The pace picked up as well as the wind, followed by slight sprinkles and a little hail. The wind blew the main group all over and we spread out to avoid each other. About 1/2 way around #2, the course turned south and the group gathered back up in front, leaving a few stragglers to try and catch on. That's when we got the hail. Once a bunch of us fell off the back, it was hard to regain the speed needed to catch up to the main field. We fought it for a bit, but the KOM towards the end slowed me and a few others down.

Lap 3. I chased and then caught up to one of the stragglers and passed him, giving him my wheel for a few miles, then got a blast of energy and started hammering my top gear out of the saddle for the last 3 miles. I passed 3 other riders and one latched on for the finish. I turned the final corner and knew that this guy was going to sit my wheel long enough to regain some energy and try to pass, so I unleashed what I could and pulled the whole way through the finish. He didn't try anything, and it felt good.

All in all, I had fun. I do like MTB and CX much better, but I'd do another road race. The feeling of sprinting down a country road at 30+ mph attempting to catch a few riders has it's own little bit of serenity that I can find value in. Maybe someday I can lead a breakaway to a win...

papa cat.

Mad Cat Needs Your Vote!

The KCRA A-List competition is underway again and we're hoping to get
the support of all our loyal customers and friends. Go to www.madcatbikes.com
and click on the A-List link to vote. I appreciate your support. -
mike

New Gear for the Year

It's that time of year where we assess our product line and determine our best course of action with regards to what we carry. Today, we received a bunch of new product that will hopefully help stimulate the senses of our customers. Easton wheelsets, Carbon road bikes, Stan's rims and ton's of other fun bike eye-candy. We also just received the new Bell Volt helmet, which is a road/MTB convertible helmet that has nice lines. It's hard to tell what customers are going to need for the season, so we guess and try to bring in the product to keep them happy. It's nice having the product in stock that people want. If you like new "blingy" things, come and check out the new Pro pump by Giant. Pretty sweet!

Lance is Back

The prologue was cool. I was able to work at the Giant booth and show off the new Team Rabobank bike for a few hours and still get to watch the riders for a few more. The venue was packed with attendees wanting to catch a glimpse of "the dude in yellow" now that's he's back in the game. Me, I just like the buzz about cycling. Being a bike shop owner, you have to embrace anything that has to do with bringing awareness about the sport and getting people excited about spinning 2 wheels.

Tour of Cali Prologue

One of the team Rabobank riders heading out...

The Re-Birth of Team

Yesterday was the 4th year anniversary of Mad Cat Bicycles, and essentially the same for Team Mad Cat. We've been racing and sponsoring races for 4 years, so it seemed appropriate to redesign our kit for a change. For 2009, Team Mad Cat gets a makeover and we've brought on a few new riders to help represent Mad Cat in a positive, fun-loving fashion.
People have asked "what is it that you do to have such a strong team"... my answer is; seek out and find the family members out there that believe strongly in what you do and stand for, then put them in a jersey and spend time getting to know them better. Our team is family, and our family is team. We ride, we laugh, we play, we race and we win together. The tools that we use to implement all of that are a secret.
The one core philosophy that we all embrace is that cycling is fun, and that every aspect of it should be fun as well. I jokingly tell them that "we take the FU out of fun".
Keep your eyes peeled for the "NEW and IMPROVED" Team Mad Cat. We also have "Club Mad Cat" which is still racing and sporting our current jersey. These folks race and embrace, but don't have the strict rules and requirements of the Team. They all share the common bond of being cool and friendly... and that's what counts.