Midwest Mountain bike racing is back!

 This just in from the United Federation of Dirt. Please help spread the word!

KANSAS CITY, MO:  We are thrilled to announce the 2010 United Federation of Dirt [UFD] race calendar. The UFD consists of a
collective group of promoters, trail builders and racers unified in the goal of bringing dirt lovin’ good times to the Missouri and
Kansas region. 

For 2010, we are promoting 17 traditional cross country mountain bike races divided into two leagues.  The Eastern League is
comprised of 8 races and the Western League will be hosting 9 races.  The Endurance League brings together 4 races focused on
long distance and the ability for the human spirit to suffer. The events will take place on some the best singletrack that the
region has to offer, including the ever popular Castlewood State Park, Spanish Lake, Wilson Lake, KS and newly minted Swope
Park.  

In addition to the 17 cross country races and 4 endurance races, we are pleased to announce the return of the Short Track Dirt
Crit Series to the St. Louis area and the Kansas City region.  These weekly training races will be the perfect way to keep the legs
a moving and the body acclimated to racing on dirt.

And lastly, the UFD is proud to announce that these events will be under the sanctioning of USA Cycling. This is just the
beginning of many exciting things to come for the 2010 season.  We are still in the early planning stages and working to get all
the pieces in place to bring you the best racing experience around.  Look for more announcements soon…fun in the dirt is what
it is all about.

2010 United Federation of Dirt Race Calendar

Eastern League XC races

• March 14:    Leadbelt XC. St. Joe Park (Mark Grumke)
• March 28:    Mesa Lost Valley Luau (Matt James)
• May 8:          *Greensfelder ( (DRJ Racing)
• June 12:        *Missouri State Championship.  Castlewood (Big Shark/Pfoodman)
• June 27:      St.Charles County Parks (Ghisallo Sports)
• Aug 8:      Trailblazer Blitz.  Spanish Lake.  (Trailblazer Bikes)
• Aug 22:      Cyclewerx Crankfest. Cape Girardeau, MO (Cyclewerx) 
• Sept 25:      *Council Bluffs (ICCC)

• Alpine Shop Short Track Dirt Crit Series– 7/1, 7/8, 7/15, 7/22, 7/29.  Dirt Crit Final Blowout XC race - 8/1

Western League XC races 

• March 28:   Lawrence River Trails. Lawrence, KS (Curtis Martell/Free State Racing)
• May 1/2:     Wilson Lake Fat Tire Festival.  Wilson Lake, KS.  (Doug Chambers/Golden Belt)
• May 8:         Robidoux Roundup. Krug Park.  St. Joseph, MO.  (Randy Tracy/Craig Hoppe)
• June 6:         The Down and Dirty.  Warsaw, MO (Mac Vorce)
• June 20:       Cramp Alexander.  Emporia. KS.  (Matt Brown/High Gear)
• June 27:       Crocodile Rock.  Perry Lake State Park.  Perry, KS.   (Lyle Reidy/HSP/Bad Goat Racing)  
• July 25:         Sunflower State Games (Curtis Martell/Free State Racing)
• Sept 12:      Tour De Lizard.  Arkansas City, KS (Bobby Smith)
• Sept 19:        Kansas City Cup (Federation Championship).  Swope Park.  Kansas City, MO.  (Ron Acklin/HSP) 
• Short Track Dirt Crit Training Series –Thursday Nite Throwdown: June-August Timeframe

 Endurance League (Dirt Lovin Good Times style format)

• April 18:   Bone Bender 3/6 MTB Odyssey.  Smithville Lake.  Smithville, MO (Chris Locke/Cow Town Cycling) 
• June 5:      Dirty Kanza 200 [DK200].  Emporia, KS (Jim Cummins/HSP) 
• Aug 14:    Rapture In Misery [RIM] 6/12.  Crowder State Park. Trenton, MO (Doug Long/HSP)
• Oct 9:       Burning at the Bluff  (Mesa Cycles) 

For more information check out UFD online:

Web:  www.unitedindirt.com
Facebook:  United Federation of Dirt
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/unitedindirt

Cross racers gone wild.

Got this video from Jesse Antony.

I think Trebon and Wicknasty steal the show.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

De Stad Cup Mudfest

Here's the video from Sunday's muddy race at St. Mary's College.




Click here for the full race recap.

Cyclocross bikes are the new fixies...and mud is the new black.

Race recap will be posted shortly on the Bad Goat Blog, in the meantime entertain yourself with this...

Alleycat Aftermath

The 2009 Dirty Apple Alley Cat was a success. About 80 riders streamed out of triangle park to checkpoints across Manhattan.

The checkpoints included: Besting a fellow racer at Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat before proceeding; running through the isles of Hyvee to check the price of a case of Jones Soda; and taking a headshot, stomach shot or slap in the face...you choose.

 Twhet getting everyone registered

Mark Smelser bought the pain train

SNES Competition (pics ripped from Facebook)

How bad to you want to win?

Headshot!

 

Post race party

Fellow Bad Goat Zach Dubas, right, took the win

Big thanks to Twhet and Thomas Krap for organizing this event, and thanks to the sponsors who supported it: Chrome Bags, Salsa Cycles, Surly Bikes, All-City, Velocity USA, El Duke Degreaser, Tallgrass Brewery and Chipotle.


Photos from the Dirty Apple can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thedirtyapple/

Last call for the Dirty Apple Alley Cat

This Friday, November 6

Time: 7:00pm - 11:00pm
Location: Triangle Park Manhattan, KS

What you can expect: According to race organizers Twhet and Thomas Krap, you can expect to hurt.

These guys have put a lot of work into this event. They've lined up a lot of great sponsors, including: Chrome Bags, Salsa Cycles, Surly Bikes, All-City, Velocity USA, El Duke Degreaser, Tallgrass Brewery and Chipotle.

There is going to be over $750 worth of prizes for those who compete!


Facebook event page

Details from the organizers:

1) In no way am I or anyone liable for your actions.
2) There will be fun.
3) Party afterwards featuring TERROR TRACTOR, DROPJAW, and maybe some more loud, live, awesome music.
4) The course map will be posted no sooner than 24hours before the race starts.
5) Pre-registration gets you a t-shirt $10; Day of $12 no shirt

Late breaking news from Twhet:

"Tomorrow, there is a race.
I rode what I thought was the fastest route yesterday, and clocked it at somewhere around 15-20miles, there are 9 checkpoints, and it took me about 1.5 hours to complete.
Meet tomorrow at triangle park, I recommend that you bring a helmet, light, lock, and pen with you. also, try to be there close to 7pm.. I know it doesn't start until 7:30pm, but try.
You should be prepared for fun, and lots of it!!! bring all of your friends.
I will post more details to the facebook event page tomorrow around noon, and I will also have them at The Pathfinder."

Back to the Interweb, Part 2: Post-Interbike Musings

This year I joined forces with the Bike Magazine crew to do some Web / multimedia coverage of Interbike. I'm rather jaded when it comes to "latest and greatest" spiels, but very now and then a product catches my eye because it's innovative, makes life simpler, or makes me ask,"why didn't someone think of this sooner?"

Here are my top three products from the show.

Interbike Video: Pedro's New 8-bit Multi-tool—the Tulio from Bike Magazine on Vimeo.

Interbike Video: Exposure Lights from Bike Magazine on Vimeo.

Interbike Video: The new DT Swiss Tricon wheelset from Bike Magazine on Vimeo.

Back to the Interweb: Part I

I've been remiss in my blogging duties this year.
Real life has taken precedence over E-living, and life has been good.

Cyclocross season is well underway. Cross starts earlier every year; I'd prefer the season to start in October and go through February. But as long as I'm racing, I'm not complaining.

My plan to race myself back into shape seems to be paying off. Every weekend I've been feeling stronger and have slowly been creeping my way up in the standings.

For some reason I've been riding like a squirrel — making little mistakes that cost me time — silly crashes, dropped chains and bad line choices. I'm hopeful that repetition through racing is the solution.

Back from the backwoods of Arkansas

I spent the first weekend of the new year backpacking in Arkansas, Devil's Den to be exact.

I love winter camping. It's the only time I really get to use all the cool gear I've accumulated over the years — cold weather means I can sleep in my mummy bag, rather than spend the night sweating on top of it!

Jaime, my partner in crime, was up for exploring each and every cave and crevasse we came across. She's also one heck of a camp cook.

I'm planning a return trip soon. This time with my brothers and our bikes.

Any takers?

Jaime exploring a cave
Feeling at home in Devil's DenPipistrellus Subfavus, Eastern Pipistrelle