Michaux Maximus

The Michaux Endurance Series is known as the roughest, toughest and stupidest race series around.  Aside from the State College area (MTB mecca of the Universe?), it has the biggest trail mass in the region.  The 40 mile races are long, extremely technical, have tons of climbing and often make you question why you do this sport.  Or maybe affirm why you do this sport.  One thing is for sure: you either love it or hate it.
Me? I love it.

This past weekend was the first of the three race series and it ended up being a beautiful day!  I brought along the XtC Composite 29 hardtail to race.  I knew it wasn't the best choice when compared to my Anthem X 29, but it's light weight and sharp handling had me feeling it would do the job just swell.

I started off rather easy as I usually do in these races, but this time, easy put me into the first singletrack in the top 5.  My goal was to watch the power on the climbs, hold a pace that would be manageable for 4+ hours, and rip the one-track like a good boy should.  Here is the file for you nerds.  Keep in mind I run a buck twenty five on the scale, so other than me just landing on the suck side of fast, that's my excuse for why the numbers are weak.

Mostly I just added this because I have no pictures other than the jar of pickle juice I just downed.

 

 ok, fine.  here's the pickle juice, too.

Anyway.  I feel I rode quite well.  Maybe should have given a little more on some of the long climbs and maybe lost a little on the slow tech sections with the hardtail, but certainly gained on some of the rippers and maintained a rather steady pace.  Good news is that I didn't bonk, my one flat sealed itself and I had no bike issues other than the scratches and gouges from the endless rock.  Oh, and I crossed the line as the fourth soul with an emptied tank.  The views were scenic, the trails variable and the competition was good.  Furthermore, paired with the hilly ride from the preceding day, it was an excellent workout with an eye on the main goal of the Trans-Sylvania Epic.

TSE Countdown: less than a month.
Fast guys: still signing up.
Scared factor: 10
Psyched factor: 11

Thanks,
-the matt miller experience

26'ers, Ain't Dead Yet: Giant Anthem X Advanced 2 Bike Review

Giant Anthem X Advanced 2:  Affordable Rocket Ship

While everyone and their grandma has a 29'er these days, we here at Giant Mid-Atlantic would like to take the time to point out:  26'ers ain't dead yet!

Take for example the Giant Anthem X Advanced 2.  Built using Giant's Advanced carbon technology, this frameset is the standard for lightweight and responsive in a full-suspension race bike.  Throw in a reasonable pricetag, and you've got yourself a budget racer's dream bike.  Now for the skinny:

Fast has many angles

The First Impression:  Once built, the bike weighs in at roughly 25lbs.  Not too shabby.  This can be knocked down easily by swapping out the stock wheels for lighter ones (like our Stan's Crest or Podium MMX wheelsets).  The build is solid, with SRAM X7 mostly, and an X9 rear mech.  The rockshox suspension feels smooth out of the box and is easy to set up.  Other upgrades to this bike included Giant's Contact SLR bar and seatpost, a team issue Selle San Marco saddle, and our custom white/blue ESI grips (BLING!).   Otherwise, the bike was stock.

The Ride:  Just as with Anthem X's prior, this bike is quick handling and SUPER fun to ride.  Climbs in and out of the saddle are made easy with the Maestro suspension keeping the rear wheel glued to the ground.  Descents are tamed with the 4" of maestro suspension as well, playing rock gardens and roots like a fiddle.  Cockpit length is slightly on the long side, and the test rider (Giant Mid-Atlantic racer Jordan Kahlenberg) kept a 90mm stem in place to handle the steering.  

Test rider, Jordan Kahlenberg, racing the Anthem X Advanced 2

Despite the fact that the bike isn't decked out with top-end XX or XO, you don't necessarily miss it as the stock X7 works well.  The 2x9 drivetrain is perfect for racing and trail riding, and is right at home on a bike like this.  

The Verdict:  If you don't have $6K to spend on a race bike, but crave carbon full-suspension, then the Giant Anthem X Advanced 2 is a must ride.  For smaller riders, or riders that still prefer 26" wheels, this bike will more than satisfy you needs.  After several races and many hours of training, the bike has been holding up well overall and has had no issues.  We love it!

Root 66 #2 Fat Tire Classic

That was fun. When is it not fun to slide around in the mud for a couple of hours with 20+ of your fastest New England friends. I'm not sure if i have said it before but i might have in a an interview ...not sure... but i'll talk about it here. The Root66 Pro race contingent is fast. I love it. It feels great to line and know that its going to be a tough one to squeak out a podium. But pushing your limits is how you get better. I truly believe if it weren't for the number of years of my parents driving to the Root66 races as a junior and even still as a pro i probably wouldn't be racing. Going to those races is like a family reunion every weekend. Seeing you friends, having a genuine good time and racing your face off. Just wanted to say that. The Race day was a great time. My Brother Ian came to be my support for the weekend which usually brings a level of comical relief when he comes to a race event. He brought his bike so he could do a recon lap before the race. It was fun because he has a knack of finding sweet lines, "Bro Line's" as we call them. I found them pretty handy during the race when the Sky's opened up and the temperature dropped. With the race being a 1:30pm start we were all hoping that that wet weather would hold off for the pro race. Well as we know it didn't and the nice buff single track and open road/packed sand section's quickly turned to grease. The Game plan as usual, get to the front and hammer and hope i don't blow up. That seems to be working...sort of. Since my school schedule has limited my training to 3days a week I've been left with no choice but to train through my non-priority races. So really not the freshest pie in the pack. But i guess i had enough power to get on the front and ride for a lap with New England crosser Jeremy Durrin. After riding a couple of steep up hill sections cleanly and a bobble on his part i found my self with a good gap and increasingly tiring legs. I could see a rider coming through a few single track sections behind but my goal was to just keep it up right and smooth due to the deteriorating track. But inevitable like a bad dream i came through the feed zone on the last lap and was dogging it. minutes later i was passed by Shawn Milne. He got a small 20 sec gap that i managed to salvage to a mere 7sec. I'm happy with that. I love a hard race. Turns out Shawn Races Pro Road for Kenda-5Hr energy and is pretty fast...of course he is. Hope he comes around more often. Fat tires are a good time!! Rubber side down!! -Seamus

H2H #1, The Chain Stretcher

So the name of the game lately has been training.  Training right, training well; sometimes hard.  Things have been going well in prepping for Trans-Sylvania, and this weekend was no exception.  With the weather looking a little foul, I wasn't sure how things would end up, but all was swell.

Saturday I got in a good 4 hour ride.  I rode for a while with my babe at Nockamixon, then rode home.  I was destroyed afterwards.  I ate a lot once home.  Like, a lot!  Since our planned race was cancelled, we made the trek up to NY for some good H2H racing the following day after a short sleep.  I wasn't sure how my body would respond to a long ride before racing, but was ready to give it a shot!  After watching my babe pilot to a 10minute win in her first race ever aboard her XtC 29er 1, I knew I had to perform somehow!

With a 10 minute warmup, I was lined up against the region's quickest.  As the rain started coming, we filed into the singletrack and things started to sort out.  Surprisingly it wasn't tired legs bothering me, but a slight lack in muddy confidence.  I embarrassed myself a time or two and kept thinking to myself 'why are you braking?!'  Normally I pride myself with my skills and mudding ability, but it was lacking a little.  Eventually I got it together and lined up to sprint for sixth.  As it turns out, my 125 pound self cannot sprint, so I was relegated to riding hard while seated.

To keep things rolling, I attempted to do another hard ride the following day and mimic the demands of stage racing.  The legs felt even better on day three and I was able to hold for an hour of tempo the same power I was holding during a 20minute maximal test just 2 months ago.

As an interesting note, I have given up riding my road bike.  As I am exclusively a MTB racer, I see no need to train in a different position than I race.  My thought was from the notion that changing the orientation of the trunk will change the way your muscles are used.  Research it.  Anyway, my XtC Composite 29er has proven to be a great road bike even with Schwalbe Racing Ralphs and a 2x10 X0 drivetrain.  Surprisingly, riding it every day for the last 3 months has not worn anything out faster and it sees more regular maintenance now.

Food for thought!
Now get out n shred!

Root 66 New England season opener

It a New England superstition that if you race Hop Brook Dam Root 66#1 and have a bad race, your in for a rough season...maybe its not a New England superstition but it seems like the years I have bad races there it comes true. Luckily for me i had a pretty good race taking the win by a comfortable margin. Having not raced much at all except for the Pro XCT #1 in Texas in the beginning of March I had no idea of where my fitness would be. The weird thing is that I really haven't had a ton of time to ride this winter due to school, but something is clicking because I feel really strong. Anyways there really isn't much of a report to report. I knew that I needed to get the whole shot because the first section of woods is tight and would cause some discombobulation sacrificing precious energy to get back up to the leader if you have to get off and hoof it. So I nailed the hole shot and just set into a tempo effort and after a few minutes I realized that I had a sizable margin. So I couldn't help to think maybe I went out to hard but no sense slowing down, there's no better way to test yourself than in a non-Pro XCT level race. I didn't blow up and the race gave me some confidence that i'm on track to have a good remainder of the season.

The race course is a fun one. A mix of fast double track, steep climbs, and some technical sections. A perfect race to test the fitness without struggling with gnarly rock sections. The Promoters Chris and Jill Logan really do a great job of keeping the series running smoothly and a big thanks to them for keeping the premier New England race series going for 2012!!

If you want to see some interviews and race footage check out : http://bigbikesmedia.cyclingdirt.org/coverage/248638-Root-66-1-Hop-Brook-Dam


So i hope to keep this good feeling rolling through 2012. So far so good!!!


-Seamus