Yearly Archives: 2015

VERY NICE!!

“The sun sets earlier, the ground firms up, and the path is laid out before you through the bare trees. BARREN long sleeve winter jersey features a fleeced lining and wicking exterior, zipper garage that prevents pinching at the neck, and a weather resistant side zip pocket (capable of fitting large smartphones) with reflective strip. Designed to be worn over a base layer and short sleeve jersey. FIts true to size, if your sizing is typically a medium, then the medium long sleeve would be our recommendation.”

Go to Lone Wolf Cycling and check out more. Always coming through with rad winter gear.

When training rides go wrong… it’s probably because you didn’t stick to the plan. I’ve been riding for a long time but never trained for any specific riding style. Now that I’m craving long road riding days it seems fitting to start training to race competitively in the upcoming season.

My body has adapted to riding road for many mile… but not training on the level of the folks I’m training with. “So Matt… why are you training with them?” Great question! I wanted to get on the “accelerated reader” training list if you will. As previously mentioned in a few posts down, I caught Timo at the beginning of his training plan and got on board; figuring I would hold on for as long as I could, learn as much as I could, go deep into the pain cave as much as I could. And the story begins:

I found out several months ago that I need to eat every 30 minutes (whether I felt like it or not) if I’m going to go on an extended ride. Nothing big… just a small something every 30 minutes from the very beginning. This has proven time and time again to leave me feeling strong at the tail end of the ride and can finish with a smile on my face (well… whether I die during the ride or not I tend to end with a smile on my face). Now… this is for a “my pace” 70’ish mile day.  This last Saturdays training session at Timo training pace speeds I did not stick to my simple eating plan at all. I focused on staying efficient, mindful of each pedle stroke, and saving energy everywhere I could while hugging Timo’s wheel; mimicking his movement to learn as much as I could during the training. Because of this, I went 2 hours without any food. WRONG!!! At hour 3.5 I cracked hard… like really hard. So hard that I stopped in the middle of the road with full leg cramps on both legs. I was stranded In the middle of the road (which was luckily void of car traffic) and could not move my legs enough to get over/off my bike. So I stood and waited for a life ending full fledge cramp attack to knock me to the ground but it never came. After a few chugs of water and a couple minutes passed (keep in mind I’m still in the middle of the road just standing there straddling my bicycle), I was able to move again. I slowly creep off the UFO and baby step to the sidewalk where I drink about a half a bottle of water and stare off into the blue sky.

After several minutes Timo Stark and Chris Cundiff come retrieve me. Feeling bad for cracking on their training ride I tell them to go on and that I’ll be fine, just need a few minutes for the demons to release the death grip they have on my legs. Timo and Chris leave, I recover enough to move again, then start very slowly/painfully inching my way up a short but steep climb I had ahead of me. Damning my legs the whole time I make it to the top and start heading in for the last 10 miles of the ride. A couple miles into that I feel COMPLETELY fine… like… very oddly fine. No hint of cramps, full power, I stand up to sprint even and I’m full speed ahead. I start shaking my head and then realize… STICK TO THE PLAN! I’m new at this game and need to stay as strict as possible; not neglecting nutrition during the ride. I’ve gotten away with this on “my pace” rides plenty of times. This is not the season for that.

I hope you enjoyed reading my experience. Maybe you have similar stories; maybe you don’t; all I know is that I died that early November 14th morning and was brought back to life. It was a lesson learned for sure. Cheers to that!           

OH MAN!!! Yesterday was a pretty significant day! First sanctioned cyclocross race brought to North Alabama right down the street from mi casa. Local University (University of Alabama in Huntsville) and Blevins Bicycle Co. hosted one hell of a great race that I hope is the start of MANY local races to come.

The course was really fast with a great layout of technical turns and stairs that require you to mount at the top of a tight steep corner that begs for you to screw up. And that I did! First lap! I was feeling strong even after the previous days 70 mile training session with Das German. All was going as planned until that damn corner where I slipped right off my saddle and preceded to ski down the embankment allowing about 10 racers to pass. And that was the end for me. I still fought to get back in it but the gap was too wide. With that said I had a great time and am really amped CX is making its way into my neck of the woods.

I am seriously amped on this collection!! Swift Industries screams “GET OUT! GO EXPLORE!!” I hope you do just that this Fall/Winter… I will be!

hin・ter・land / ˈhin(t)ərˌland/ noun:

1. THE OFTEN UNCHARTED AREAS BEYOND A COASTAL DISTRICT OR A RIVER’S BANKS

2. AN AREA LYING BEYOND WHAT’ VISIBLE OR KNOWN

Go to Swift Industries and check out more on their Hinterland Edition Ozette Rando Bag and Jr. Ranger Panniers as well as some small goods that you’ll very much enjoy.

In love with this:

“We all want to take a bite of the Big Apple, but most of us are content with a summertime fling in the city that birthed skitching, skrellys, and hip-hop. The threat of the brutal winters, high cost of living, and fast-paced lifestyle keep the majority of skaters and the skateboarding industry alike tucked safely away in California. In contrast, Theories of Atlantis distribution have planted themselves directly into the streets of New York City where a lot of their riders also reside. You’d be hard-pressed to find any companies more plugged into raw street skating than Traffic, Polar, Hopps, Magenta, Isle, and the Static video series, which I quickly bore witness to pushing through the city 12 hours a day with them for a solid week. Here is a glimpse of the characters that make up the Theories family, so grab your board, stand clear of the closing doors, and meet me at Hoyt and Schermerhorn at three o’clock on the dot.”—Dave Chami

Go check out TransWorld’s November Issue for more story and shots like this. So sick!

DOPE! Darth Vader would be proud!

“The first ever fully seam sealed waterproof SPD compatible Sneaker. After countless hours of research and development, the H20 was born. The best choice for rain soaked commutes or trail rides. The H20 guarantees that you arrive at your destination with dry and happy feet. Wrapped with DWR treated supple sheepskin leather which is soft to the touch and conforms well to the user. Featuring a stiffer nylon shank and gum rubber traction outsole, the H20 provides excellent power transfer and grip without sacrificing style.”

Go to DZR and check out more info on the H2O. Perfect winter sneaker!

This is “Das German” I’ve been referencing on Instagram the last couple weeks. His name is Timo Stark and yes… he is a dual citizen of America and Germany. His riding ethics are stainless and for a short period at the very beginning of his winter training season I can hang during rides.

This is a Kodak Tri-X 400 film photo document using an Olympus Stylus Epic.

Speaking of hiking… really impressed with the Ridgemont Outfitters Monty Hi’s. Tis the season to get out and catch some beautiful Fall leave change…well, if you’re in an area that has trees.

These suckers are stiff in all the right places but allow for several hours of comfort on the trail. They grip really well in wet conditions and won’t make you feel like you’re wearing a bulky traditional hiking shoe. I really love the DIY  message Ridgemont presents with the brand all together “I wanted great looking, well made, simply styled shoes and clothes. I couldn’t find it so I made it. I named it Ridgemont.” BAM!! the Ride x Create vibe runs deep with Ridgemont AND is made up of a bunch of skateboarders / creatives. Pretty rad stuff!

Go check out Ridgemont Outfitters and all the things they bring to the table. Also… REALLY in love with their knives. They look like a perfect companion for outdoor exploration sessions.  

This weekend was a mix of rain and sun. I did more hiking because of it. It helped loosen the legs pre and post training with Timo from Team Infinity Cycling and presented the opportunity to dive deep into the power of the Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 featured in the post below. Really stunning little sense… but I’ll let you be the judge.

Onto the riding part of the story… As you will see, there are no riding photos in this post; this is for two reasons. One, because I was very focused to remain as efficient as possible during training. Two, because any shot I did capture was taken with the Olympus Stylus Epic and is currently being processed this morning (those photos to come later this week).

I saw the weekends predicted rainfall on Thursday and already committed to slaving through some roller training (fortunately the rain held out both Sat. and Sun. morning! WOO on that!). Yes, I use the word “training” and intend the full meaning of the word. I’ve got the road bug… like bad! Not sure when or how I caught it but it’s here. Just in time too, Timo just started his winter training for the upcoming season so I’m taking notes and tagging along for as long as possible. Although I rode his wheel 90 percent of the day, the training session was the best ride I’ve ever had on two wheels. Approximately 80 miles in 4 hours. I was beat!

The day went a little faster than originally planned. A few more riders showed up that had a different agenda of dominating some pretty fast tempo. At first sight Timo was gonna let them do what they needed to do and drop off to stay on the strict training plan he set out (i.e. zone 2 primarily with 3 10 minute zone 3 efforts); but that’s not how the day went. Like any strong cyclist being challenged by fellow peddlers… Timo saw the increased pace and followed suit… which meant I had to give it all I had to keep on his wheel or I knew I would be left in the dust.

I LOVED IT! I was beat but it was great! I was challenged on all levels that wouldn’t really be noticed until mile 60 or so when my legs felt like knives were slowly being pressed into them. It was a mental game at that point. My body had already gone into survival mode and surprisingly became the most efficient after I hit this level of pain. The transition went like this from start to finish: Efficient, Fatigued/Not Efficient, Full Pain, Survival/Most Efficient. Now… this was my perceived effort levels. I have no scientific data to back this up, but it’s how I felt throughout the day.

So… looking forward to more days like this throughout the winter and learning what it takes to be a competitive cyclist. I’ve never raced road and honestly never wanted to until now. Pumped on trying something new, and as with any new venture… good good coffee always needs to be at the beginning of it. Cheers! RIDE x CREATE

I mean… seriously!! The Fujifilm X-E2 is already small enough as it is… to add the Fujinon 27mm f/2.8 pancake lens to it is crazy talk; but I did it anyways.

Riding with this combo feels like riding with nothing around your neck at all; except you have the mind blowing power of a SUPER fast AF and amazing image quality. Although I normally ride x shoot carrying the Olympus Stylus Epic and all the awesome it brings to the road, I can see myself riding equally with this combo. I’ll have to make a deal with myself to go 50/50 on digital to film photography this fall/winter; capturing all the amazing desolate leafless trees and creepy misty mountain tops. I can’t wait!!