Mountain Biking Has Brought Me Back To Life.

Pic by Kirk Giessinger

Bikerdave Tufts Race Summary Oct. 18, 2017

I must be tired. The first two nights after the last race, I laid in bed with the intention of writing a story for the team blog and I just fell right to sleep.  Both nights.  What a dork.  But, I have been writing for two nights now and I just want to say thanks to you Dave for all your support.  You are one of my best friends and the least I owe you is a story that I've been promising for way too long.

So finally here goes, starting with a statement...

Mountain biking has brought me back to life.

Wow that sounds deep, but it's true. I'll explain later...

This past weekend, I finished the last race of the Gulf South Regional Mountain Bike Series.  It's been 8 great races starting in March of 2017 at locations around Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.  I want to thank the amazing people who have set up all these races because it has been a wonderful experience for someone like me who has just gotten back into racing mountain bikes after 20 years.

A Busy Weekend of Racing

It was a busy weekend of racing for Racer-X, with Dave Tufts taking 2nd overall in the Gulf South Mountain Bike Series after the Lungbuster north of Jackson, Mississippi, Glen Gollrad, tackling the CircumBerzerk, racing 50 miles with more than 6000ft of climbing in East Burke, Vermont, and Jeff Soderman racing both days at the Gran Prix of Gloucester in Gloucester, Massachusetts. More on all of that coming, but in the meantime, here are some more pics from GPGloucester...

Braintree 357 Gravel Enduro

Braintree 357 Gravel Enduro from David Alden on Vimeo.

Dave Tufts Podiums at Charlotte's Revenge

Congrats to David Tufts for taking 2nd place in the Cat 2 Men (40-49) class at Charlotte's Revenge in Ackerman, MS.

He's been working his way up this season, from finishing races with a concussion to finishing races with a spot on the podium.

With one race left in the series, the Lungbuster in Ridgeland, MS, we'll have to see if he keeps it up!

ECTA Run for the Trails

An impromptu schedule change gave Jean and I an open morning on Saturday 9/16, and we were able to register for the Run for the Trails, put on by the Essex County Trail Association (ECTA).

ECTA does great work and their hands helped shape many of the local trails.

Anyway, there were both 5 and 10 mile options and Jean and I opted for the 5, having us do one loop. Read More

2017 Rose Mountain Rumble Gravel Ride

The 2017 Rose Mountain Rumble gravel ride, in Lyndenborough, New Hampshire was all that you'd want a gravel ride to be...

Read more

And, we're back!

I could make a witty but overplayed "rising from the ashes," statement, but even I'm not that corny. Although, I did feel the need to include a Phoenix pic, so maybe I am.

Either way, we're getting the band back together and Racer X is coming back. Bigger, better, and more powerful than before. Fire and Fury? Maybe. The likes of which the world has never seen? Um.... where have I heard that...

Okay, I'm digressing, but the fact is I'm formulating the plans for the group with activities, product support, rides/runs, and shenanigans. Lots and lots of shenanigans.

One big change/addition will be having both a "Racer X" and an "Rider X" component to the group. Racing is fun, but not for everyone and there will also be an emphasis on just getting outside and exploring, whether that's on the other side of the world or in your own back yard.

More details will be coming soon. In the meantime, check out the fresh content over at davealdenMTB.com and hit me up if you have any questions.

You're One Click Away From Fresh Content

I have let this site get stale, but there's plenty of new content over at davealdenMTB.com (and davealdenBMX.com too). Click on over and bookmark the new page. THIS site might be revamped and revived in the future but for now, my efforts will be elsewhere...

Acadia National Park

>>>Photo gallery<<<

Ride Down Cadillac Mountain

The ride UP is much less entertaining to watch but stay tuned for more from Maine!

Weeping Willow EFTA MTB Race

I was only able to catch the 9:30 group of races due to those pesky work obligations. And with that, I didn't get shots of everyone. What I did get though, is posted here for all to see. Check out that link for access to the 170+ pics.

I should have been out there racing too, but again, I had work, and I wanted to get some pics. Willowdale is such an awesome place to rice...

Anyway, enjoy the pics! See ya!

https://davealden.smugmug.com/Weeping-Willow-MTB-Race-2016/

Muddy Onion Gravel Ride Video

Muddy Onion Gravel Ride, 2016, Montpelier, VT

Jean and I had ridden in an event in Montpelier a few years ago, and we still talk about the great dirt roads, awesome views, and killer climbs. We were registered for the Central Vermont Cycling Tour last year, but that got rained out. We've been eager to get back up to the Montpelier area so when I saw that Onion River Sports was hosting an early season gravel ride, I signed us up. Thirty four miles, a few thousand feet of climbing and chocolate covered bacon... take my money! Read more...

Muddy Onion 2016

Muddy Onion

I'm ready for the Muddy Onion. Sort of. I skipped the "training" and went right into the taper and carbo loading. Should be a good strategy.

More importantly, I've got a front pack for easy access to my DSLR. Story, pics, video, and more after the ride.

C'mon back!

In the meantime, check out some of the content over at davealdenMTB.com.

NECX BAR, Fitchburg, MA (11/29/15)

I have made my not-so-triumphant return to cyclocross racing in Fitchburg, MA, for the NECX BAR. Read more...

Updates--Coming Soon!

2016

Touring Tortola

Head on over to http://www.davealden.com/ to see pics and read about the trip...

Cyclocross World Championships, Louisville, KY

Ice Weasels 2012 A.K.A. Mud Weasels

And so it ends, the 2012 cyclocross season... Read more...


Some might think it would be difficult to encapsulate an entire cyclocross race season in one blog post, but, when you only do one race, it's fairly simple.

Yep, for 2012, it was "one and done" for me. Schedule issues, and an addiction to my BMX bike have kept me off the 'cross scene. But if I had to do one race, it would have to be Ice Weasels. Yes, I did race 'cross in April at the Sea Otter, but I don't consider that part of the real 2012 season, and it was in California, and hot as hell, so that doesn't count.

As most know, the weather was warm-ish but wet for Ice Weasels, making it the PERFECT 'cross race.

Crowds were smaller than I had seen in previous years, but it was still great to see many familiar faces that I hadn't seen for a year or so. I even remembered some of the names associated with those faces (but I am notoriously bad at that... sorry).

Results are not posted as of the time I am writing this (which is ironic Mr. Resultsboy...), but, who cares? Do you care what place I came in? I don't. I was out there to have fun, and I did. And, truth be told, I spent more cummulative time going to and from this race than I actually did racing AND "training" (I did do one training ride... sort of...).

I'll admit, I missed racing. I'm glad I got out there, and I'm looking forward to hitting a few more for 2013... Until then, I'll be spinning around on my little bike as long as weather allows...

Maker's Mark hand-ups! I missed that one, but I did get beer from a pink flamingo...

Yep, it was that kind of day.

SSUSA 2012

SSUSA 2012 was held in beautiful Stowe, Vermont this past Saturday. This was an anti-race event in which we were prepped well ahead of time that it would be a fun ride amongst friends and we were even requested to leave the race kits at home and "wear something a little more appropriate." Though Rob and I didn't wear a costume, we certainly embraced the spirit of being a single speeder and fully immersed ourselves in the revelry of the weekend.
Friday night started with a leisurely ride on the Stowe recreation paths up to the Matterhorn where we registered and were offered a number, "if we wanted it". The two options were 666 or 69 for everyone. The evening was filled with live music, too many good brews, and a crazy late night ride back to hit the sack after 1:00.
"Race" day came and so did the hangover, but we persevered and rode to the start in our silent misery. I think this crowd did a little more "training" for the race than we did. The ride started with very little pomp and circumstance and we were sent straight to climbing hell from the very beginning. The trails were an awesome mix of tight technical single track, ridiculously long climbs, and really fun descents. Our Garmin gave us around 30 miles (there were a few wrong turns) and about 4000 feet of elevation gain. Though it was hard, we had some great liquid "aid" stations along the way. I'm not sure if the booze made it better or worse, but we both finished and no one got carted off on a gurney. Success! There was an after race bike derby for the belts, a maple syrup drinking competition for hosting rights in 2013, and a party at the Rusty Nail to wash away our pain with even more liquid refreshments.
Anyone up for a drive to Minnesota in 2013?

Kingdom Trails, July 2012

Well, the Racer-X interwebs has been a bit quiet lately. I suspect that's because everyone has been out slaying sweet singletrack or ribbons of asphalt. Or, it's because I've been distracted by about 857 other things, and I haven't had a chance to post anything. For example, about two weeks ago, there was an informal gathering of a few of us up in the northeast kingdom of Vermont, for camping, laughing, and of course riding in Kingdom Trails. Yeah, it took me two weeks to finally go through some pics and post 'em. That's not even mentioning the fact it took me nearly two weeks to air out the tent and actually put my camping stuff away from that weekend. Sigh... Anyway, enjoy these pics, and let's get some more info broadcasted to the WORLD WIDE WEB!

Weeping Willow 2012 Pics (finally)

Burlingame Had a Battle. Too Much Work to Find Out If It Was "For" "At" or "Of".

   I went to the Battle this past weekend and had mixed feelings.  The people that put it on really put it ON!  There was a finish chute  and a crowd and a bunch of volunteers that looked like they enjoyed what they were doing.  I don't know if they did, put they certainly put on the attitude of sharing in a good time even though they were trapped behind a registration desk, standing in the woods, or stopping traffic at the crossovers. There were tons of kids cheering when you came out of the woods and a fair amount of NBX guys willing to trade one sentence conversations with you out on the course.  In the end, I believe it's how you feel about a race the next day that really decides if you'll do a race again and on Monday I was sure I'd go back next year.

Sea Otter

So, I've been home for more than a week, and I'm still having trouble figuring out what to say. I had a great time. I raced (and got served), I oogled new bike stuff, hung out with new and old friends, and all in all, had a blast.

Anyway, I've written several paragraphs and deleted them all... I don't want to just run down a chronological report. That's lame. I'm trying not to be lame, but, that's kind of hard... And, to add to that. I had this ALL WRITTEN and it got lost in the Interwebs. Damn. Get the full story...

Sea Otter Teaser

Registered.

Sea Otter

Hell of the North Shore 2012

The name, officially dubbed by Tom Merrill, pays tribute to the "Hell of the North," Paris-Roubaix. Only our ride was much shorter, much easier, and probably much more fun. Glen has been hankering to change  up the typical type of mountain biking that most of us do... loop after loop of the same trails at the same trail network. With literally hundreds of miles of trail in this area, connecting major areas is pretty simple, and for the most part, a massive loop has already been created, the Bay Circuit Trail. In some areas, the trails are less distinct, poorly marked, or winding in and out of neighborhoods. But, the BCT IS there, and it's awesome.

Glen planned out a point to point ride starting in Ipswich, and ending in Andover, covering Willowdale, Georgetown-Rowley State Forest, Boxford Town Forest, Harold Parker, and plenty of other trail networks, many I had never heard of before.

Lost... In Willowdale?

So, my lovely wife and I went out for a cruise at Willowdale with Rob & Renee. We got a little bit of a late start, we were getting hungry, and our plan of hitting all the singletrack became less important than our plan of grabbing some food and beer.

About halfway through our loop, we decided to hop on the fireroads to get back to the car via the quickest route. That's when things fell apart. Read More!

A Forked Up Situation...

So, yesterday, while moving some stuff around in my basement (i.e. bike lair), I decide to get my TT bike ready for the upcoming season...

I swapped the pedals out (I must have last done a duathlon because I had platforms/straps on there and I'm too lazy to change my shoes in a transition area...), and I had some new tires to put on... some nice new Michelin tires. Swapping tires out only takes a few minutes right? That's what I thought...

Adventure Ride Everyone! Who's Ready? Hello? /cricket, cricket/

It ain't Garmin but it'll get me there and back.  

Tape and paper:  8 cents.  

 Not having to be associated with anything Jonathan Vaughters related: priceless.

   The spring classics are upon us so it's time to once again strike out for adventure!  I put out the all points bulletin for adventure seeking riders hoping I would get a couple hardcore guys.  When rain and snow rolled in I figured it would narrow the field further.  Sadly, the Nookinator was working (boooooo!), Glen is struggling with his road biker/mountain biker split personality illness,  2N Glenn doesn't like to get his bike dirty, and evidently DASP has been having some injury issues.  So as the temps hung around 40 degrees and the sky was drizzling it became a solo operation.

King Of Burlingame: Great, Current State of Rap Music: Yuk

 These days I choose my mtb races by watching their helmet cam videos on-line and if it appears I won't kill myself I put it on my to-do list.  Burlingame looked good and it was a time trial so I reasoned I wouldn't be holding too many people up with my constant dismounts and running.  All good until . . . 

Hats!

Yep, it's true. Spring has sprung, and our custom team hats from Walz Caps have arrived.  I'll be getting these out to those deserving folks who have officially signed up on BikeReg over the next week or so...

For the rest of you, get on the ball and head on over to BikeReg and join the fun!

Random Bike Musings

This is the hub piece that I thought I was missing when I assembled our bikes in Costa Rica... that would have been a major buzz-kill...

 Read More...

Where Are The Best Hills?

In relation to the "north of Boston" area, where do you guys, and gals, think the best hills are? I'm looking for a good distance to elevation ratio (meaning, how far do I have to go to get some "real" climbing in?). Do I have to drive up to NH or VT? After being able to climb thousands of feet while in Costa Rica (more on that later), the local hills just aren't cutting it for me...

Good Times

Great get together last night!

First, I want to thank Matt from Pedro's for coming out and discussing the proper care and feeding of our bikes and for ensuring that everyone went home with something, from lube to brushes to degreaser. Thanks Matt!

Next, I want to thank Rob for getting the Pactimo fit-kit and the clothing samples. Look for Rob's e-mail for details of an upcoming order.

And of course, thanks to everyone for coming out and getting me pumped up for another year of beer drinking and trash talking. Oh, and of course, training and racing.

Oh, and a special thanks to Pete for bringing my priceless statue back... Jean is *so* excited.

Snow? Hardly! Fun 'Randonee' exploration ride

In an upbeat mood, I suited up and went for a mixed-bag sort of ride. Trails, roads, and indeed - some minor bushwhacking. The weather reports made a whole lot of noise over nothing, as it was 40 degrees outside and barely, I mean barely - precipitating.

Goal was to get 2.5 hours of miscellaneous efforts - tempo, hills, mud, grass, easy cruising on the road portions that connected the fun parts, all on the 'cross bike. Jamie had plotted some fun routes these last few weeks - also with plenty of bushwhacking (and poison ivy), and on my own today I connected up some northern sections to add to his pretty well established connectors.

2012 Team Caucus

It's time for a gathering... a conclave, an assembly, a buzz session, a confab, a conference, a huddle, a  parley, a powwow, a shin dig...

Mark your calendar for Saturday, Feb 11th, 7pm.

The event will take place at my super-secret lair and will involve beverages and snacks (of which, you may bring a selection).

Discussion topics will include bikes, biking, races, racing, training (but probably not trains), tires, being tired, and most importantly, lubrication. We may have a special guest who is a lubrication specialist, but more on that later.

Please RSVP to let me know an approximate head count.
david[dot]racerx[at]gmail.com


NEW INFORMATION! In addition to having a lubricationologist on hand to discuss the proper way to maintain your bike, we'll have clothing samples from Pactimo, for consideration of additional orders (including women's specific clothing), jerseys, shorts, skinsuits, jackets, vests, etc, and we'll have samples from Walz caps to try on, as custom Racer-X hats are the freebee you get this year for joining the team...

BikeReg

Snow and Biking?? Hells Yeah!!

Just a little snapshot of how much fun it can be to bike in the snow on a fat bike:

Funny Stuff!

2012!

It's 2012, and I'm working on plans to make this a great year for the club! As always, let me know what YOU want (david[dot]racerx[at]gmail.com), and I'll see if I can make it happen... I AM very powerful afterall... Anyway, stay tuned for details soon. In the meantime, feel free to renew (if your membership has expired) over at BikeReg.

Otherwise, stay warm, enjoy the "off" season, and have a Hibernator... Mmmm.... Hibernator...

New England Regional Championships 2011

And so ends my 2011 Cyclocross season and my time as a Cat 4 racer.

November Bicycles give-away

November Bicycles HOT BUNS Cyclocross Frame Frame / Bike launch sweepstakes

Earlier this fall, when November Bicycles introduced its new HOT BUNS cyclocross frame, instead of wasting tons of money on glossy ads, trade shows, and sponsoring a pro squad (though maybe they’d consider a non-pro squad with complimentary black and white kits...) - they turned to something better: social networking. To encourage the spreading of the message for ‘free’ (saves them money / keeps prices low) - they came up with a nifty sweepstakes. It’s like a raffle - except instead of paying money for an entry - one simply Tweets, posts to Facebook, or otherwise spreads the word to gain entry.

Ice Weasel 2011 (photos)

Yes, I KNOW the vast majority of these pics are of Andy Nook... what can I say, he's my team mate! There's also some pics of the Comprehensive Racing paceline, and yes, a smattering of other racers. Hey, I've only got so many megapixels, and you want more pics, you can either hire me as your own personal papparazzi or join the team.



https://picasaweb.google.com/davidaldenstpierre/IceWeaselsCometh2011?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Ice Weasels 2011

It takes a retarded amount of time to transfer, convert and upload these files!

Baystate Cyclocross: Day Two

What a day. My head was clogged with snot, I had a horrible night's sleep, but, because I love 'cross, and I love racing, I made the drive out to Sterling for day 2 of the Baystate Cyclocross race weekend (I worked on Saturday).

You can re-live the race along with me with the following video, but before you watch, I need to say a few things. First, the aforementioned snot was working against me, and, well, you'll hear an excessive amount of throat clearing. I sound like a pig grunting. I suggest you turn the volume down. Next, as I'll discuss in a little more depth below, I was racing in a pair of slip-on sneakers and borrowed platform pedals. My mental checklist gave me an epic fail, and I drove all the way to the race without my cycling shoes. And finally, as you will see, it was a bit damp during the race, and by the end of it, the camera lens was wet and fogged up. Not the best pictures, but, you, the viewer, get what you pay for.

(re)Finding my soul..

A combination of burnout and injury derailed my 'cross season, to be sure - but this fall I've had some really fun mtbike rides. This past weekend I went out in search of the Bay Circuit Trail to see how far I could get - and how far it went. I switched plans at the last second, as the Southern Branch of the Northern half - that passes through Appleton Farms - has a no-bikes policy. Boo.

I caught a ride to a trail point in Hamilton and headed out. This first stretch of trail was mainly mellow two-track with little technical challenge - but loaded with scenic areas. I gradually worked my way up behind Pingree School and into Bradley Palmer State Park. With so many trails in the park, way-finding the BCT was a little tricky here and there - especially a large open field section - but with a little back-tracking I always regained the route. As I crossed the Ipswich River, I 'knew' where I was going now - as I've ridden Willowdale a ton.

Northeast Velo Cross

Not the shadow you want to see in your
helmet cam footage...

Wow. What a race... I'm not sure what came over me, but knowing that there was a BMX track incorporated into the cyclocross course, made me pretty happy.

I took the holeshot, and was actually leading the race for a bit (well, it was a short bit). To be honest, I didn't know what to do when I was up front... do I try to keep my lead, knowing that I was dangerously close to blowing up? Do I slow up a bit to pace myself? Do I alert the media?

Where is Glen (who cares)?

2011 My still-born race season:

Building off a great 2010 'cross season and a decent summer of riding this year, I planned to conquer the Masters field(s) this season, all over New England. Hell, once dialed I figured on trying to take my A Game to a MABRA race or two and show THEM how I roll. Oh yeah - look the f_ck out! No sooner did I set that ship to sea - ready to conquer and take no prisoners - she started taking on water. Fast.

Race 1: Sucker Brook 'Cross - Auburn, NH; Last year, I was already on good form for this fun race - hell, I was on such good form I raced both the M35+ race and the CAT3 race as well. My plan was to roll up to the 2011 edition and save it all for one race - the M35+ event, and get to know my peers I'd be facing this season. Arrive at the venue with Jamie, time it perfect so as to be able to pre-ride between earlier races and all. We hit a warm up lap and BAM. While crossing a small, non-technical wooden bridge structure with a trace of moisture on it - I washed out and SLAMMED my knee, thigh and shoulder.

Ouch.