Thanks Kevin

I just wanted to say thanks to my buddy Kevin who put together a blog post about me and my riding. Kevin is aspiring film director that would surely be willing to do a killer job editing some of your trackvids into a sweet highlights vid. He is always looking for ways to fund his next film, so hit him up and see what he can do for ya!

Link to his blogpost!
http://bit.ly/RYYBw

Trackday Group Drama

Sparked by an online argument that I had with a guy that ended up being pretty cool, I have spent much of the morning thinking about skill-level groups at trackdays. Its amazing how much different they are from organization to organization. I ride Advanced with one, but am mid-pack Intermediate with another. That is not what is so interesting about this topic, though. The interesting thing to me is the constraints that it puts on a person's riding.

Most will outwardly say that they don't care what group they are in. I include myself in that group. When I am chatting it up in the pits, I find myself blubbering about the fact that I don't care that I am in the I-group, but deep down inside its not okay with me. I want to be an A-group rider, and secretly everything I do is focused on making the cut. This is dumb, it really is just plain stupid. Sure it is a mark of excellence (or mediocrity, depending on the comparison point), but really, it doesn't make you any faster or any more educated about the craft of motorcycle racing.

When I get too caught up in this whole game of group movement, I think about my buddy Jody. He CRs with at least one organization, coaches with CSS, and yet rides in I-group with another org. That doesn't mean that he isn't good enough, and in fact, he is quite the opposite. When I have the chance to ride with him, I take every moment I can to learn-- not because he is fast like Rossi, but because he understands the need for fundamentals. The other thing is that he doesn't seem to care. Maybe secretly he does just like the rest of us, but at the end of the day seat time is his primary concern. After all, its still the same pavement no matter which portion of the hour you are riding in.

I have spent so much energy focusing on the color of the sticker on my bike, that my focus is not where it needs to be. What I need to do is suck it up, learn lines, focus on braking points, get comfortable on my bike and the rest will come. Besides, when I get to A-group, what comes next? A little satisfaction, and even more wishing, hoping, and striving!

By the way, that's Jody giving me my first A-Group bump at Summit Shenandoah a couple weeks ago! An ironic picture for this post!

The Winter Blues

This week has been a challenge. With the insane amount of snow that graced the DC metro area with its presence over the past week my entire routine has been screwed up. I was at home for quite a few days as the metro was not functioning, I was working really strange hours at Pizza Hut, and I couldn't really get to the gym. The absolute worst part though was the delay of the delivery of my new Spartan race suit.
This is the time of year that really challenges me. My bike is still in Cleveland, trackdays are getting scheduled, parts are getting bought, but but the reality is that the season is still a few months away. I am trying to push through without getting discouraged, but it is a constant challenge. I just wish it was already April. No snow, open track, and the chance to hang of the side of my gixxer!

Making the Schedule

Nothing is more important in this sport than track time. Of course, the options are limited by track availability and geography. I would definitely ride Miller and Barber everyday if I could, but that is just not feasible. Instead, J and I went to a sports bar, sat in front of beer and wings, and penciled a schedule onto the back of a piece of paper.

The result was 13 days at NJMP, 4 at VIR, 3 at Summit Shenandoah, 2 at BeaveRun, and 1 at Monticello.

This schedule is only tentative, and can certainly change due to financial issues, surprise opportunities or just because I want to. But in the meantime, I will be working diligently to pay for all of this :-)

See you at the track!

Offseason Motorcycle Fix

Last weekend was the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in DC. Having not attended any of these in the past I went in with an open mind and limited expectations. I was also aware of how the struggling economy has taken a serious toll on the industry. Everyone is struggling, but the 'toy' industries are suffering the worst. That having been said, I was prepared.

The first thing I noticed was the number of people at the show. It was shoulder to shoulder the entire time I was there. I was very surprised. I took the time to visit the NESBA booth to sign up for a chance at a free trackday. It seems that I didn't win. I then started walking around checking out the displays, trying out how the different bikes felt underneath my 6'4" frame and generally absorbing the atmosphere.

Suzuki, Yamaha and Ducati did the patrons the favor of bringing out their fast bikes. Yamaha, of course, had the most to show off with a MotoGP championship and a World Superbike Championship. Both bikes were there, and I'll tell you, it was fun to check them out. Ducati had Hayden's machine on display, and Suzuki had Mladin's bike out for people to look at, and (gasp) sit on. Kawasaki and Honda had very large display areas but did not bring out any bikes, which was surprising. With the popularity of Monster, I was shocked to see that they didn't exploit that. Same goes for the Repsol partnership. Everyone that knows anything about bikes still enjoys seeing a Repsol GP bike even in the post-Hayden, post-Rossi era.

In terms of gear, there was precious little of interest. A local dealership had a nice display, and I did have a chance to try out the Sidi Vortice boots, which have come in a very nice white and blue combo. I can see myself in a pair of those! I also had my first chance to try HJC and Shoei helmets, which I have not been able to do yet. The Shoei fit incredibly well! It might just be my next choice for protecting my head. Several brands of gear failed to be represented at all. This would have been a great opportunity for me, as a track rider to check out the latest in suits, gloves and other protective gear, but now I am stuck taking forum recomendations and advice from friends. Disappointing.

Overall, the show was vanilla. I didn't expect much more, but it was a touch underwhelming. It fulfilled my need for motorcycle stuff in the offseason, but not my need for a hands on experience with gear and equipment. I will likely go again next year, but I will be more prepared for what the purpose of the show is. Its all about seeing bikes on the floor and not at all about getting to know about the other stuff that makes the industry run.

Training for the Track

The hardest part about working out is motivation. I have been blessed with a super-high metabolism, so I can generally eat whatever I want and stay within 5 pound range. I am also the person that enjoys walking around and generally being active. I feel like the fact that I work in front of a computer shouldn't be a reason to not make the most of the situation. The problem with this, is that I don't have (too much) excess weight to motivate me.

The motivating factor now though is that I don't have the conditioning that I need for the track. Well, not to be successful at the track anyway. So, I have started a workout regimen that will hopefully adequately prepare me. It looks like this:

Cardio: I will work on cardio on either the treadmill or bike everytime I go to the gym. I don't mean a light jog for five minutes to get the blood pumping. I mean a solid workout with varied speed and incline to make sure that I am toning my leg muscles, strengthening my heart, and building my endurance.

Flexibility: While I am on the bike flexibility is going to be important when considering the ways I am going to keep my long gangly limbs in place. Toes sliding across the pavement are not good! The bigger issue though, is the crash. If I don't get my flexibility to a more respectable level, the likelihood of injury during a crash is significantly higher. While I don't plan on crashing, I don't plan on being ignorant about that possiblity. If it should happen, I will be ready.

Muscle stamina: Strength and endurance are both very important, but to have both for extended periods of work is much more important to what we do. So, I will be taking a lower weight setting and doubling the reps. This will not only tone existing muscle mass, but also build the much needed muscle stamina.

Core Strength and Balance: Let's be honest, with the exception of your legs (which are supposed to be the part that is holding you to the machine) core muscles are the ones that hurt the most after a day at the track. I have started to build on that. Back workouts, both on the machines and gravity, have become an everyday piece of the puzzle, as have abs. NOBODY likes these exercises, so they are the hardest to get into. I have to say though, I can already feel and even see results. That does help. With these exercizes I have built in balance workouts so that as I am hanging off the side of my beautiful Gixxer, I am not out of alignment or extending myself to a point where I lose control of my body. Being able to make subtle and timely adjustments are key to keeping the geometry of the bike in order.

With all of this, my plan is to drop 6 pounds, hit an even 170, and be better toned than I have at any point previously in my life. Wish me luck!

Obsession in Overdrive

Its official, this hobby has taken over my life. I woke up this morning at 5 am to get to work early so I could hit the gym first. The catch though, is that I had to be into work early, so that I could leave early and make it to my second job tonight. So, instead of 9-5, I will be working (or some illusion thereof) 5-9. Why? So that I can ride a motorcycle this summer.

Working in the non-profit sector doesn't lend itself to independent wealth. It barely lends itself to financial independence (okay, I exaggerate a little). One thing is true though, it does not support on-track riding of any variety. So, in order to compensate for this, I picked up a job delivering pizzas. Every penny of that goes right to the trackday fund. While it is nice to have that, there are days that I realize how tight the track's grip has gotten on my life. I work my normal job Monday-Friday 9-5 or 8-4, then I work at the pizza joint Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Think about that. It leaves Monday and Wednesday for a social life. Thats right, I have surrendered myself to the track. No girl wants to start dating 'that guy,' and friends don't go to happy hours on Mondays

If this wasn't enough of a commitment, I just started my workout regimen. I refuse to show up to the track physically unprepared. I will highlight the plan a little more in a future post, but needless to say this takes 5 more hours a week.

The really sad thing(or exciting, depending on your perspective) is that I am not disappointed, upset or even annoyed by the extra effort this is taking. I am just ready to be back on the track.