The Chilly Hilly Road bike event is a 33 Mile almost 3,000 feet of climbing, event around Bainbridge late February. I've been talking about doing it the last 3 years but have been gun shy about signing myself up to be in bike shape that early in the season or not finding any friends that were willing to commit. This year I took a different approach. Back in Early January I saw that they opened up registration and just figured in the worst case, I am doing it solo and in horrible shape. As soon as I registered I sent a heads up to the 529 posse and any other biker I knew figuring I would be lucky to get one person to commit. Several people responded positively to the event and it seemed like I would be going solo. I didn't expect everyone that committed to actual follow through but figured even at a 20% commit rate things would work out.

Through January and February I was playing a lot of hockey and working out regularly but it wasn't until early Feb did I get on a bike. I went on 4 training rides, most of the rides were around 18 miles and the last one a week before the ride was about 40 so I wasn't worried about the mileage, just the hillage. A week out from the ride it seemed like we had over 20 committed and they stayed committed.

Day of the event: Meeting up with everyone became one of the bigger challenges over the day. There were so many bikers I realized getting everyone one together would be futile. I had the cell phone so I figured we would catch up on the ferry. Oh yeah...did I mention the ferry? Well one of the cool things about this event is that you take a ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge and when you get the to the other side...off you go. I think we had around 12 people together when we loaded onto the ferry. All our bikes were in the same vicinity on the ferry so it made easy once we got off. once we got on the ferry I synched up with a few of the others that we planned to ride but there bikes were in different areas of the boat and therefore meeting up with them was guaranteed so we planned  to meet them about a mile out on the ride.

Once the ferry landed on Bainbridge, bikers were shuffling everywhere to get in position to get off the boat as quickly as possible, just keeping track of our immediate group was becoming challenging. It was a slow go off the ferry and up the road. It was as congested as the start of a marathon. Lots of stop and goes which provided some interesting falls for some unlucky riders. Well it started to open up a bit as most of the field had a blatant disregard for the traffic signals for the first couple miles.

We waited at the designated spot for the rest of the crew but that turned into a mistake. There was essentially no way we could keep together and now we were at the back of the pack. So we ended up passing hundreds of riders, not that we were fast, we were just faster than most of the field. The first half was a lot of fun and fairly uneventful. Lots of rolling hills which kept the pace fairly quick. There were some hills and I was like, "well this isn't that bad". I come to find out that it is the second half of the ride that the name chilly HILLY comes from.

So on to the second half....All I remember is turning a corner and looking at what appeared to be a half mile high wall in front of me with huge amounts of congestion of people walking and slowly riding their bikes to the top. I then thought to myself, ahhh this must be what they were talking about. This hill was gnarly, off the top of my head this is the biggest paved hill I have ever attempted to bike up. I generally enjoy the hills but this looked too big. I just wanted to make sure I had enough gas in the tank by the time I get to the top. I made it...and certainly passed at least 100 people which was nice considering the debacle off the ferry.

Less than a mile later there was a second hill much like the first. I hammered that one and felt really good...until I got to the phuggin 3rd hill. A lot longer but not as steep as the first two. I felt sluggish and people were passing me that had no business passing me. It felt like I had a flat but I peeked back and no suck luck. By now I lost everyone or more specifically every one lost me. I did have a few guys behind me but I figured it was just a matter of time before they caught me. I got up that hill and labored the rest of the way. I thought I was starting to bonk so I ate everything I had and drinking tons of water. Had I really bonked, I know it would have been to little to late. 

The last 5 miles were the most scenic, right a long the water in a nice cute neighborhood, however I couldn't enjoy it...I didn't think I would make it. I felt sluggish and when I tried to hammer I went nowhere. Legs were gone.

About 2 miles left and i see Nate waiting on the side of the road for me (or someone). He figured he would wait for someone since he lost Paul and some of the other boys. So he gets on my tail and says, "Looks like you need some air in the back tire there Barr." So that's it, I had a flat tire. Realistically that didn't explain all my pain but it certainly didn't help. I pull over and use Nate's pump to add some air to the 10lbs that I had in there. Ahhh so much better, one last hill that I climb with ease and finish the ride strong.

It turned out to be a great ride with a great turnout. The nice weather probably contributed to the often  crowded ride. I certainly hope to make this a staple of my season, I will be sure to check my tires more regularly next time.

Once a year I have the honor of playiing in the Ronald McDonald House Hockey Challenge. This event means a lot to me each and every year. It is an opportunity to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House and play in a hockey game that is a couple levels higher than I usually play at in my league games.

The Ronald McDonald house is an awesome charity that provides a "home away from home" for families  of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. This year I was able to raise over $2000 for the RMHC which is the most I have raised in three years on the team. To those of you who contributed, thank you so much.

I played with the Windows team, yes I know I don't nor have I ever worked for Windows. The team is kind of a hodge podge of groups but most of the team works in Windows...I think. Most of the guys play several levels higher than I do in the Greater Seattle Hockey League so my primary goal is to not screw up and create a goal for the other time, which is hardly a healthy way to play anything. Either way that was my gameplan. 

I centered the 3rd line of comprable skilled skaters...they might have been a little better than me but we were a good fit together. We went up by a couple goals in the first and then the MSN team came back with two goals of their own. We (my line) had a couple opportunities with the puck deep in their zone but we never really generated many shots on net. I was happy with the play in the first two periods, meaning we didn't screw up :-). The game was 2-2 heading into the third and we scored 2 quick goals before I got on the ice so that made the gameplan for me just try to keep the puck deep for most of our shift. First shift in the third went really well we kept the puck deep which was a great way for us to set the tone for ourselves in the third. MSN struck back about half way through the third with a goal to get within one but we quickly answered the bell with another goal. We kept the two goal lead to the end and finished the game 5-3. For the most part the team played a great game, or as well as we could have with limited time playing together.

After the game I was awarded for my fundrasing efforts with tickets to a catered suite for the tbirds and celebrity all-star game. There a stuffed my face with as much free food as I could get my hands on. Tbirds played a great game in a 5-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks, Aaron Gagnon scored his second consecutive hat-trick.  

Playing in the challenge with such talented players reminds me how far I need to go to become a better hockey player. These guys are so fast and move the puck so well it becomes evident that I will not be of that skill level anytime soon. I think I am going to try some more plyometrics and stairs this summer to pick up the strength and speed in my legs. 

Overall the game and the fundrasing was a blast I can't wait to do it again next year.

The training week ahead...2/26 to 3/4

Monday: AM 90 Minute Body Sculpting/Lunch Hockey Pick up (Windows Team)/PM Hockey Game - That's about 2500 calories burned.

Tuesday: My day of rest - Might go for a run but I should probably chill

Wednesday: AM 90 Minute Body Sculpting/PM Hockey Game

Thursday: PM Pilates - Short Run (20 Minutes)

Friday: Spinning Class (Weigh in)

Saturday: Ronald McDonald Hockey Challenge Game

Sunday: 30/40 Minute Run and that is about it...

Previous Week Review:

Monday: AM Body Sculpting

Tuesday: Break

Wednesday: AM Body Sculpting/PM Hockey Game

Thursday: Hockey Game

Friday: Spinning Class

Saturday: Nothingness - Wish I worked out here but friend from out of town and charity event prevented me from doing anything. Lame excuse but that is what it is.

Sunday: 6am Stick and puck session (800 Calories burned?)

Weighed in on Friday 215 down 5 from a month ago...slow but progress. Eating well...nothing too drastic so I think the results are good so far.

02/19/07 Offseason Training

My goal is to get into a routine that can carry me through the summer and pretty much through the end of the calendar year. The late fall is where I tend to slack a bit but I will cross the bridge when I come to it. Usually my “get in shape for summer mode” kicks in toward the end of February. I usually participate in the St. Patys Day Dash Fun run…it is a 3 or 4 mile run from key arena to Safeco. So that means I need to start running a couple weeks before somewhat regularly.  This year I started early…In December I started adding activities to my week…first with the Body Sculpting and Pilates and then the running. A short term goal of mine will be to lose 10 pounds by the end of April…will be tough because I can’t shed pounds very easy, even if I am dieting really well, I will speak more on my diet plans later this week. Right now this is what I up to:

Mondays:

AM: 90 Minute body sculpting class at the gym. Nothing to intense here, but we lift for each body part. My muscles definitely get fatigued so it is still a tough workout.

PM: Optional Run (30 minutes or so). This will be less and less optional and will get longer and longer

Tuesdays:

                PM: Hockey Game – I play for two hockey teams up here in the GSHL and play a game a week for each of them. Hockey is a major outlet of fun for me. This is my favorite sport to play by far; I would play for 5 teams if I could guarantee I would never have a schedule conflict. I burn north of  1000 calories per game and it should be really good cross training for downhill biking.

Wednesday

            AM: 90 Minute body sculpting class at the gym (same as the Monday one)

PM: Hockey Game

Thursday

                PM: Pilates – ok don’t laugh. This is really good for the core which should be great for not only hockey but DHing as well.

Friday:

                Off – Potentially adding a morning workout here…might even swim. I will also try to ride into work once the light gets better but I think Day light savings being early this year kind of a screws this plan.

Weekends:

                I pretty much want 2 to 4 workouts in my weekend and as the weather gets better this will b usually be 4 workouts. I will usually run both days on the weekend and Sunday there is an early morning stick and puck session up in Everett…starts at 6:15 and I usually don’t like to go alone because passing yourself the puck gets old. The fourth and potentially fifth workout would be on a bike of sorts.

In the coming weeks I will try to add some combo of another midweek run, XC bike ride on Wednesdays and another day on the ice (night pick up or a lunch time hockey game) . I am also going to add some more distance to the running. I will probably make an entry of my plan for the coming week and then we can evaluate how I did.

August 26
Arrival Day in chile...

Hola,

No hablo espaniol. Long trip to get here but for the most part it went fairly smoothly. 4 Flights: Seattle to LA, LA to Lima, Lima to Santiago, Santiago to Tecumo then about a 2 hour drive to Pucon. The worst part of the trip was LA and that was only about 10 Minutes of suckness...it wasn´t clear which way to the international terminal.

When we got to Santigo we were told that US Citizens were to pay a Tax of 100USD...seems kind of pricey but I would later research this fee and is basically in lue of getting and applying for a visa. Apperently the US charges Chilien visitors so it is probably fair that they charge us.

Pucon seems to be a somewhat lively town compared to Villa Hessel, the town we stayed in Argentina a couple years ago. The resturants are actually open and there are people walking the streets so that much I like so far. The first room we were given was getting drywalled...we hoped that they just made a mistake. We had a quick room change and everything worked out.

Rather uneventful travel day...I expected more carnage, like a bag or two not making the trip but all things went smoothly.



August 02
Crankworx Day 1 (7/26/06)

Air Downhill was originally scheduled for Thursday so getting up here Wednesday morning would have been perfect, one day training then race day. Turns out the race moved up a day to Wednesday so racing was off. I got a call from Clinton’s better half when I was about 30 minutes out of Whistler that Clinton, J and Matty were up in about an hour and fifteen minutes so when I got to the village I threw my bags in the condo and headed to the hill with my bike.

Got up there and I saw J talking to some dude with a white cross on his back. I knew this was not a good sign but J looked fine so maybe it was someone else. Turns out it was J and someone else….J busted (as in broke) his big toe but seemed to still be walking on it and planning on doing his race run so I was thinking it wouldn’t hold him back for the rest of the week.

That someone else I was talking about was the third female racer apparently broke her leg and put the race back an hour. So I caught up with the boys and hung out for a bit waiting for their run. Viewing the race is pretty tough but you do get to see the GLC drops that always crowd friendly. I didn’t see any of the racers digger but there were a handful of close calls.

Clinton, J and Matty all looked fast coming around the corner leading to the drops. Matty ended up 7th and Clinton ended up 4th, Clinton wasn’t too happy with his time that was off the leader but he seemed happy enough for the 4th. J came in Sub 6 minutes with a badly broken toe…stoked for his courage, but I don’t expect anything less from him. All the delays and hangout watching the boys put us around 4pm.

Hooked up with Wilson and Rasrammer back at the condo and poured a stiff drink. Evening activities included getting some bad pizza in the village while the boys commented on ever chick that walked by. Somehow I got out of the last couple rounds of drinks at the longhorn to assure I was fresh for the morning. I was the first person back to the condo and I locked the door behind me…well I got woken up to Wilson piss drunk complaining about how Eric locked him out and he had to climb on to the deck…I looked up at him and said, “that sucks!”



August 01
Four things...
Totally random but I thought I would put it up

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Paper Boy for the Contra Costa Times
2. Waiter, Mr. Steak, Concord CA
3. Busboy during graveyard shift (1 day), Harrah's coffee shop, Reno, NV
4. Ski Coach, Squaw Valley CA

B) Four Movies I would watch over and over:
1. Mean Machine
2. Miracle
3. Snatch
4. School of Rock

C) Four places I have lived:
1. Wanaka, New Zealand
2. Reno, NV
3. Seattle, WA
4. Lafayette, CA

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. 30 Days
2. Aqua Teen Hungerforce
3. Lost
4. My Name is Earl

E) Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Whistler, BC
2. Mainz, Germany
3. Buenos Areas, Argentina
4. Liechtenstein

F) Four websites you visit frequently:
1.tsn.ca/nhl
2.Pandora.com
3.Forhiphop.com
4.pinkbike.com

G) favorite foods:
1. Chicken
2. Falafels
3. Asian food
4. Breakfast

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. DH Mountain biking in Whistler
2. Snowboarding in New Zealand
3. Walden's, Reno
4. On my Xbox 360

Four friends I think will respond
1. None
2.
3.
4.



June 21
My First DH Race
Some names have changed to support the guilty.

A couple of weeks ago my friend and teammate James mentioned to me that he was going to bypass the east coast Norba National and attend the Mt Hood Shylo Sunday race with me the weekend of the 6/18. This was a huge relief for me because this was going to be my first race and he would be nice to have someone with experience to show me the ropes. I talked to James the Tuesday before the race and he foreshadowed that he was still in for Hood but he had to be in Seattle on Thursday and then NYC on Friday and then back in Seattle Friday evening to make our 6am departure time for hood. He said he was going to make it happen but I knew there was a good possibility that things would get f-ed up and he was going to miss the race. Thursday evening I sent him a text to see if he was still in…got a text back “Baging or. Need to go 2 nyc argh. Will call your ass sorry man.” I knew this was a possibility but wasn’t extremely psyched on doing this thing alone. With that said, I wouldn't have been surprised to get a call from him late friday night with a, " What time we leaving?" I also have expected to see him at the top of the course on Sunday right before is run. This didn't happen and I can't blame him.

Another teammate of my Matty was going to be down there but I think he greatly overestimates my riding ability which made me more nervous. I was worried that Matty was going to be like, “Oh yeah man u got it…just take it with speed” or “u just need to lean back a little bit…u should be fine”

Either way this made my first race a little interesting. I got out of seattle at 5:30 AM and arrived around 10...registered around 10:30 (I had to text James to determine what class I should register under...he said beginner) and got my gear on. Didn't know what to expect and how to go about training so I just used a mogul skiing tactic of first run mellow, maybe break up in halves, review anything that looks gnarly. 2nd Run I would do top to bottom at 60 to 80% speed. Every training run after that would be top to bottom at 100%. That was the plan and for the most part I stuck to it. Just before I left the parking lot I see my buddy Wilson, Jim and Carl...Wilson is a great friend from Reno and Jim is a friend from Bend. Carl was a dude from Tahoe that I never met. Said hi and then went up for my first training run.

First training run impressions: The beginner course had very little in common with the sport course and almost nothing in common with the Expert/Elite/Pro course. The train started on rocky fireroad for the first half of the course then we were sent into a windy unflowing single track down the face of the mountain, absolutely nothing to be afraid of other that the sometimes loose rock on the fireroad at high speed but that really didn't worry me at all. 2nd training run went smooth, again nothing to worry about and felt totally chill.

3rd training run, hooked up with wilson for the ride up. He gave me a couple pointers, i.e. don't coast up to cruising speed at the top, get to cruising speed right out of the start so peddle your ass off....so I did and then went to wide on the first turn but once I got back on course I peddled my ass off again...missed the next turn...phawkin' Wilson!!!! Put the hammer down on the fire road and didn't feel that I could go much faster even if I peddled the entire way. At the end of the long fireroad section there was another hairpin...went to wide of course on this one too, put the hammer down again to get up to cruizing speed...phawk, missed another turn. Being that this was my first run at 100% it should not have surprised me that my speeds weren't dialed. no issue through the bottom.

4th/5th/6th training runs felt solid...went wide a couple times on a couple turns but that for the most part I was feeling good. Started to notice the usual things in these runs (i.e. take this line on this section, avoid the left side of the fire road because there was some rather big holes in some of the sections, shut down here, open 'er up here, blah blah blah) I rode the lift with some other beginners that were complaining about how rocky the course was and how it isn't fun and . That shit got old really fast. This is/was all about having fun and everyone rides the same phawking course so who the phawk cares if it is rocky, loose or even paved. I was cool with the haters and provide the ear for them to whine to but whatever.

Matty hooked me up with a couch at a condo less than half a mile away which was excellent considering that I was going to stay in hood river which was an hour away. (Matty, Thanks for the hookup). Food and beers with Wilson and the boys, on the couch by 10pm...

Race day: 45 minutes of training and considering that the 2 lift rides up took about 30 minutes, it didn't take too long to figure out that we only could get in one run. My plan, top to bottom 80%....nailed the training run. Then wait....wait, wait. Estimated race time was noon. I think beginners final pushed off around 12:30 (one run format for us). There was something like 3 DNS guys in my class, some of the same guys that I rode the chair with the day before….phawking pussies!

A little nervous at the top but I started talking to someone else in my class that was doing his first race..and he didn’t get one training run on the course so I quickly tried to educate him on the course and where to shut down and what else to think about down there….he really appreciated it and suddenly I felt less nervous.

My Run: In the top part before the long fireroad I went really wide on one of the top turns but probably didn’t impact my run to much…fine through the fireroad, definitely peddling a lot…breath breath breath. Three hairpins, fine…fast until the single track. Started to get a little tired as I got on the single track. Relatively smooth through the single track…definitely did some training runs that were quicker through the single track. Like I said earlier, it didn’t flow very well but I made it flow better in training…part of it was fatigue but for the most part I got my legs/lungs back for the second half of the single track…peddled hard to the finish…fell over in the finish line while I tried to get my energy back…this was a good thing. I didn’t want to leave anything in the tank. Overall I don’t really know if I could have done much better.

I tried to hang around for times and I think I ended up first in my class but I think there were only 4 racers so I am really interested to see how I did in the beginner class overall. Results are still not posted. I had a phawking blast though and I was just stoked I did my best.