SpokesNSpines

Aly's 1st Mountain Bike Ride @ Rock Cut

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Aly was super stoked about going on the trails with 'daddy'.  But I was WAY more excited.  Hope you like the video.  It's a compliation of two rides we did late last summer.  WAY TO GO ALY!!

Our 10th Anniversary......

Hey dad we made it this far.  We spent the weekend in B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L Traverse City, MI. 

We missed the colors by about 2 weeks, but the Cherry trees were breathe taking.  We spent Friday (Nov. 7th) driving along M22 on the western shore of Western Traverse Bay.   We spent the day touring some of the local winerys and sampling.  Okay, more sampling than touring.  We had a fantastic dinner on the 16th floor of the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.  All in all it was a perfect day.

 

Saturday morning was the Iceman.  A 27 mile mountain bike race from Kalkaska, MI to Traverse City (Yeah, I know what you're thinking, my bike did go with us on our anniversary weekend....isn't she the greatest).  My wave began at 10:10am (Eric started at 10:00 and J-rod began at 10:15). 

  Race went well and one major strategy flaw resulted me in coming home 2nd in my age group. 

  It was the first time I have every won money for racing my bicycle.  It was exciting. 

Sunday was our return trip. 

  We decided to go up through the U.P. and across the Mackinaw bridge.  Unbelievablly gorgeous drive.  LONG AS HECK, but worth it. 

Let's do 10 more.  :)

It was a good day to fly

Today was a pretty exciting day for the Miller family.  My friend Elroy from work offered to take me and the kids up in his plane as payment for a custom coffee mug I made for him.  I think we got the better end of the deal.  Either way, I want to give a HUGE thanx for his time, patience, and gasoline.  Getting my pilots license was on my bucket list and this pretty much seals the deal. 

Zak literally jumped in the plane first.  He buckled up and listened to his instructions.

Zak was REALLY excited.  Mom was surprisingly calm.

Not as simple as just turning a key.  What do expect from a plane that was built before the end of WWII.  In fact this plane was first built in 1941 and it ran on a 65hp Continental flat 4 engine.

Zak looking official with his headset, mic, and face of steel.  He was ready for takeoff.

And away he goes.

Next was Aly’s turn.

Elroy took time to explain the instruments to Aly.  She was loving every minute.

“DAD THAT WAS THE COOLEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE!!!”  nuff said...I wonder if we can get a family discount on flight lessons.  

He looks the part, but this was as far as he got off the ground.  As soon as the engine started he FREAKED out and had to removed from his co-pilot duties.

Look familiar?  You can’t tell from up here that we REALLY need to mow the yard.  But my neighbor REALLY needs to do something about that empty pool/flower pot.

Calm day on Arvidson.

And then the batteries died on the camera.  Like I said it was an awesome experience and I hope we can do it again someday. 

2008 Yeti Gathering update

Spoke to Jay this evening and he ended up sending me a link to Yeti's website that has this years images posted.  If you look closely at the first photo you will se us on the right hand side (Look for our jerseys).  And then scroll through the photos.  Pay close attention around the 12th or 13th photo.......

http://www.yeticycles.com/#/tribe/

Time to catch up......

It's been a while since I've updated you guys.  Been really busy.  Aly started coach's pitch baseball in the past few weeks and I've been trying to recover from knee problems after the Nine Mile race.  Anyway here is my attempt to bring you guys up to speed on recent happenings...........

WORS #3 was held at the Nine Mile forest and it was my first MTB event (minus Cheq last year) in almost 2 years.  I was nervous and excited all at once.  I ended up doing fairly decent (4th in my age group; 12th overall out of almost 260 riders)  I'll take it.  J-rod and I hooked up for the first lap and made up some ground quickly and ended up spending the entire first lap 1-2.  He ended up coming home 2nd.  Brad was third in his age group.  Eric won his.  Jake finished 2nd.  Craig had issues and ended up in the back of the pack.  All in all it was a good showing for us. 

More importantly Aly participated in the kids race which was immediately after my event.  She did great and I had a blast running through the trees trying to catch all the action.  HUGE thanx to the Spokes N Spines 'Girls' for getting her ready for me. 

After Nine Mile I had a minor setback with some knee pain.  Thanx to Loves Park Chiro. things seem to be on the mend.  In fact I completed the Horriblly Hilly Hundred on Saturday in Blue Mound, WI.  I was a little apprehensive because I only had 2 rides in the previous 2 weeks while trying to recover so my hopes were very low.  All in all I felt good all day and missed my original goal by 5 minutes.  I have the deepest respect for everyone that finished ahead of me (minus the people that missed HH, but that wasn't their fault)  :)  I hope I can get in next year too, i'd sure like to see what i could do feeling 100%. 

 

On a different note I want to send a HUGE GET WELL to J-rod.  He was racing in the Subaru Cup (WORS) race in Mt. Morris this past weekend and had a 'race related incident' during the Short Track race.  He ended up breaking his collarbone in 3 places and will need surgery to put it back together.  This is a huge blow to one of the strongest riders in the Sport class.  He is leading the points in the 35-39 age group and was on pace to wrap the series up before the end of August.  This is a HUGE set back and I want him to know that everything will be fine and the rest of us will try to pick it up and make up for his absence.  Hang in there bro. 

Memorail Day Weekend

Hope everyone had a safe holiday weekend.  We spent ours at the cabin in Crandon, WI.  Aly rode ALL THE WAY around the lake.  9.2 miles of Wisconsin rolling hills.  And she did it under 1 hour.  I'm VERY proud of her.  The boys had fun, but Zak was sick on Sat. morning and Eli got it today.  Must be all that fresh northwoods air. 

I got some riding in yesterday.  There were some storms rolling in (same ones that ripped through Minn.) so I battled the winds for almost 4 hours.  Besides the winds, 3 dog chases, one stop because of a MEAN looking pitbull (he ended up licking my leg to see how I tasted), and one phone call to see where the storms were, it was a good day in the saddle.  Sorry Jay, I got your test at about an hour in and forgot you don't have pix messaging on your phone so here's my reply.........."I'm Busy" LOL 

2008 Yeti Gathering (Fruita, CO)

This is my third attempt at posting the story of my trip to the 2008 Yeti Gathering.  Here goes nothing……

Words can’t really describe what a great time I had over the weekend of May 15^th thru the 18^th.  I arrived in Denver at 5:30pm Thursday afternoon.  Jay picked me up at the airport and we headed to his place for some home cooking.  Some of my old favorites (sushi rolls) and now my new favorite (Veg. Dumpling Soup), it was to die for.  Jay has come a long way from the time he called to find out how to make sushi rice.  Patience grasshopper.  After a quick spin around his neighborhood it was on the couch (just like old times) and watch Joe and his BMX bike (something like that), it is a must see for anyone that has ever setup a board on a cinder block to see how far you could jump. 

Friday morning we departed for Fruita @ 6:30am.  I’d like to say that Fruita was our next stop, but my new born bladder had other ideas.  I was just glad that Jose was in need of a gas station breakfast burrito so I didn’t have to listen to Jay complain about my urinary tract.  BUT, the seal was broken and there was at least one more stop before our ultimate destination.  Once in Fruita I felt the start of a 3 day long smile taking shape.  We set camp around 10:30 and decided to hit the trails. 

 

  First stop was the Rustler Loop which is part of the Kokopelli trail system.  Rustler is a great little warm up track that has a killer downhill singletrack run (watch the hard left about half way down).  Next we climbed up to Mary’s Loop and headed towards Horsetheif Bench. 

The first Hike-A-Bike of the weekend was a doozie.  Once down we were treated to some of the nicest singletrack these eyes have ever seen.  It was my first exposure to “rim” riding and it had a small sampling of the technical riding we were going to do this weekend.  After watching a group of guys ditch their buddy after he busted his hanger, we continued on and finished it off by helping the girls climbed back out.  Sun was high in the sky and Cyndi was looking pretty hot. 

We cleaned up and headed to town for some much needed Pizza.  The Hot Tomato was on tap.  It is a must if you are ever in the area.  Killer pizza and really nice people.  After inhaling my slice we headed down the street for the annual “MIKE THE HEADLESS CHICKEN FESTIVAL”.  You read it correctly, they celebrate a headless chicken named Mike, I LOVE FRUITA.  After buying the customary T-shirts it was back to camp.  With a plenty of daylight left Jay and I headed west to Rabbit Valley so I could try my hand at the MSC (Mountain States Cup) race #1 TT (Time Trial) course.  Wicked fast with a BMX style pump section towards the end.  Would of loved to race that course with him.  Back to camp and off to the showers.  Day 1 in Fruita was complete.

Saturday morning was our trip to The Ribbon trail in GJ (Grand Junction).  This was the “Yeti Group Ride”.  It started with breakfast burritos, group photos, and loading of the bikes.  I was stoked to see that my bike was the last one put on the trailer so it was in good hands.  After an almost 35 minute drive to the trailhead parking lot we unloaded only to watch ‘George’ (Jack Russell Terrier) take a dump on a parking block.  It was and instant classic.  We had a 1.5 mile road climb to the trailhead and we sat for a while for everyone to regroup.  The BLM asked that we go in groups of 10 or less for safety reasons, so our “group leader” was Rich.  Rich works in the shipping dept at Yeti and was a really nice guy, but go us lost less than a mile in.  LOL  just kidding, we had so much fun flying down the ‘surface of the moon’ that we missed our turn.  With a little back tracking we found our way down into the dry creek bed of ‘Andy’s Trail’.  Mickey (Jose’s wife) ended up taking a header and after licking her wounds we were off.  It was a short while later that I figured out that the “group” thing was going right out the window and after our 15 minute hike-A-bike out of the canyon I decided I had enough and tore out ahead to do some riding at my own pace.  It was hot and I was getting tired of carrying my bike.  That subsided after the incredible singletrack I was screaming down.  It is truly the greatest singletrack I have ever been on.  Face still hurts from all the smiling.  I got back to the bus a little early and decided to head back to find Jay.  Once he was found I asked if there was time for other trails.  He said we needed to do the Holy Cross trail.  After a GREAT climb, we started picking our way through a crapfest of boulder runs, gaps, and drops that just made me giggle.  I hiked much of it, but also amazed myself on other sections.  It was determined that 5”+ bikes have ruined XC riding, but I’m pretty sure this trail was purpose built for guys with bigger nuggets than me and WAY more body armor.  And I’m okay with that.  Descended back to the busses and headed back to camp. 

After a couple hour rest I decided to hit Mary’s Loop again, but this time I was going to stick to Mary’s and do the entire loop.  My intentions were to do Steve’s or Mack Ridge, but wanted to make it back for Saturday’s dinner.  I was told not to miss it.  I’m glad I didn’t it miss it.  I’ll do those other trails on my next trip.  After inhaling some BBQ Jay and I loaded up to make a run over to the Road 18 trails north of Fruita.  I wanted another wack at Joe’s Ridge on a something other than a full rigid 29er with 1.9 tires.  This was going to be our nightride for this trip.  After being slowed up by 'Carol Burnett' on a crosswalk, we finally made it to the trailhead.  But we bit off more than we thought when it was realized we forgot the lights back at camp.  So Joe’s in the dark was crazy, BUT way more fun.  Can’t scare ya if ya can’t see it.  After suffering the dark up the road climb back to the car it was back to the showers and off to camp.  Day 2 in Fruita complete. 

Last day….sniff sniff….Breakfast burritos (with sausage, I was feeling dangerous) and my mandatory OJ.  It was voted on and everyone decided they wanted to take Jays word and do the Western Rim trail.  I was game, but let’s go we’re burning day light.  Today was going to be a hot one.  Forecast was sunny and 95.  Piled on the sunscreen overpacked the camelback, loaded the electrolyte, and we were off.  Now for those that know my buddy Jay you will know that I love this man like a brother, but he has a way of being a real c@#*, and today’s ride started out no different.  A STUPID, long, sandy, jeep road to the ‘bottom’ parking lot.  YES THERE WAS A PARKING LOT CLOSER TO THE TRAILHEAD.  IF you ever go here, DO NOT PARK IN THE LOTS NEAR I70, follow the dusty road to the parking lot at the bottom with the outhouse.  Trust ME NOT JAY ON THIS ONE.  Anyway I was thinking to myself this ride better be worth sacrificing a day spent playing on Road 18 trails. 

One word…….AMAZING!!!!  “Just when I think you can’t get any dumber (Jay), you go and completely redeem yourself.”  Have you ever tried to describe having your breathe taken away by something that was awe inspiring.  Try experiencing that for 4-5 hours.  I could spend hours describing this trail but it has to be ridden to be believed.  This was definitely the dessert of my 5 course meal of a weekend.  THANK YOU JAY, Love you man. 

There you have it, sorry it was so long, but this is actually the short hand version.  For those that don’t/can’t read the pictures are for you.  I want to thank everyone at Yeti, by best friends Jay and his wife Cyndi (luv ya cuz), Jose and Mickey, and Tom and Cindy.  Loved hanging out with you guys and hope to do it again next year. 

The Next Generation

Today was a big day for the Miller family.  Aly (7) went on her first official Mtb ride.  We rode from the house to Rock Cut's dam.  On the way back we did a short little spin through some singletrack.  Our plan is to take baby steps and see how she does.  Quote of the day......"Riding on dirt is REALLY hard, but allot of fun."  It brought a tear to my eye. 

WORS Race 1 (Iola, WI)

Team Spokes N Spines WORS debut was a complete success in my opinion.   The boys did a fantastic job.  In the near future they will be able to report first hand on here, but for now here's the run down.....As soon as I receive the photos I'll have them posted for now here are the results. 

Citizen Results.....

http://www.wors.org/results/results.php?year=2008&race=1&type=a&cat=citizen

Jake Swenson (25-29) 2nd in age group, 11th overall....Jake is new to the MTB racing scene, but we expect some great things.  His dad (Brad) has finally got him to come out and get dirty with us.  :)  I don't expet him to hang out in Citizen too long.  Soon as the "hockey" legs wake up we'll all be chasing him. 

Randy Kay (35-39) 1st in age group, 14th overall....He has not commited to Team Spokes N Spines, but I understand he took some awesome photos of the team riders and wanted to mention his accomplishments of the day.  He is Liz's pit crew, photographer, and Citizen racer all rolled up in one.  Busy man and he still was able to lay it down.  Way to go Randy. 

Sport Results......

<http://www.wors.org/results/results.php?year=2008&race=1&type=a&cat=sport>

Eric Fossell (25-29) 4th in age group, 14th overall (Sport division debut)

Jarrod Kerkhoff (35-39) 3rd in age group, 21st overall

Ken Andrews (45-49) 10th in age group, 78th overall (Sport division debut)

Brad Swenson (55-59) 1st in age group, 52nd overall (NICE JOB BRAD!!!)  BTW...Brad broke is pinky on his left and still won his age group by over 2 minutes. 

Liz Baumgardt-Kay (Women 25-29) 1st in age group, 4th overall....She has not commited to Team Spokes N Spines, but I wanted to mention that Liz is one heck of an athlete and she had a bad crash the day before at the Peanut Butter Duathlon, so her results at Iola are testiment to her abilities......but it's time to go clipless.  LOL 

Comp Results.......

http://www.wors.org/results/results.php?year=2008&race=1&type=a&cat=comp

Craig Baumann (30-34) 7th in age group, 60th overall

Overall it is a great showing for our small group of dedicated racers.  It will only get better from here.  Blew the cob webs out and next up are the hills of Lake Geneva on May 18th.

2008 Peanut Butter Duathlon Results

They finally posted the results from Saturday's Peanut Butter Duathlon at Rock Cut State Park.......

I did better than I thought.  It is plain to see that I lost ALLOT of time in the transition area (took longer to find my bike than I thought....DOH!!!) and I dropped over a minute on the second run.  But all in all I'm super excited with the results.  This has totally got me motivated for my Mtb racing season and I cannot wait till the Big Ring @ Nine Mile on June 1st. 

But next stop for me is the Yeti Gathering in Fruita, CO with my bro......stay tuned for updates. 

35  11/20       I Marc Miller            MacHesney Park  IL  1:17:37

I ended up 35th overall (out of 138) and 11th in my age group (30-34 19 entries)  Note that the top 3 overall were in my age group.  The winner (Scott Iott) did it in 1:00.56.  Pretty awesome. 

I'm most excited that my avg. speed for 3 laps was 19.7 mph.  I would of liked to see 20mph, but considering the conditions I'll take it. 

To see the complete results please visit....... http://www.theracershub.com/results_view.php?id=123&result_type=file&PHPSESSID=b9acc40c2b338aedca492b511dc6390b scroll down to the 'Results' and it will have the complete run down.  :)

Also, stay tuned for the results from Team Spokes N Spines weekend in Iola, WI for the 1st WORS race of the season.  I'm super proud of everyone and look forward to seeing their progress through the season.  Keep it up guys and I'll see you at Nine Mile.  :)