2008

I guess a 2008 preview post is a little late since my first race is in the books, but better late than never, no?

I will be racing for Independent Fabrication again this year. I don't race for them because they give me free shit (they don't). I race for them because I love their bikes. I bought my first steel Deluxe in 1998, when it was just the "Deluxe". Steel was the only material they worked with and the employee-owners were the original crew that rose from the Fat City ashes. The next few years brought the migration of many Merlin employees to IF, including Matty B and Tyler, which led to their getting into titanium. In 2002 I got the chance to upgrade and went for it. I still have a steel Deluxe and a steel Crown Jewel in my garage, but my ti Deluxe is now my go-to bike.

Why all the love? There's many reasons, but the ones that stick out are that they've taken care of me and they treat their business like a business. I've had some warranty issues over the years, and many non-warranty issues, and they've always gone the extra mile to take care of me and get me rolling again. That's a breath of fresh air in a bike world filled with big companies who look for reasons not to honor warranty claims. And while the guys at IF are all craftsmen/women who are very passionate about what they do, they still run a business and treat it as such. As a person who busts his ass in the business world, it can be frustrating dealing with hobbyists who try to turn their hobby into a business. With IF, you get the best of both worlds: A small company that's focused on exquisite craftsmanship and busts its ass to take care of its customers.

My race season is going to look something like this:

Jan. 26: 6 Hours of El Lagarto, Lakeland FL. Finished 2nd solo. I love this local race.

Feb. 16: 12 Hours of Santos, Ocala FL. With the demise of Razorback, the race that had gained so much stature was in jeopardy. With a late addition to the USAC ultra-endurance calendar, it looks like the tradition will continue.

Mar. 2: Hospice 100K, Sunrise FL. 10 laps around the best course in south Florida in a benefit race for HospiceCare of Southeast Florida. I had a blast last year and I'm going back.

Mar. 8: Squiggy Classic 6 hour, Tampa FL. I won this race its first 2 years and skipped it last year in pursuit of XC glory. Since I've forgotten what XC is, I'll be back at the race that's 25 minutes from my driveway.

Mar. 14-16: OMBA Spring Break FTF, Ocala FL. After all those winter/early spring races, I'll be ready for a break. Hanging out at Santos, riding for fun and drinking lots of beer will be just the ticket.

Apr. 19: Cohutta 100, Ducktown TN. Stop #1 in the NUE series, which I'll be focusing on again this year.

May 3: Dirt, Sweat & Gears, Fayetteville TN. I heard lots of good things about last year's race and have to check it out for myself.

May 31: Mohican 100, Ohio. Stop #2 in the NUE series. Gotta love that course and last year's race was awesome.

June 14: Lumberjack 100, Michigan. NUE #3. It's a long way to go to ride something that's not mountainous, but I did really well there 2 years ago. The course suits my flatlander riding style and hopefully I'll have a repeat performance.

July 27: ORAMM, North Carolina. This is the race where I got bit with the enduro bug. I can't think of a better way to spend a day than pounding out 65 miles in Pisgah.

Aug. 16: Fool's Gold 100, Georgia. I turned in one of my better performances last year there. The talent should be a bit deeper now that it's on the NUE schedule. Bring it!

Aug. 31: Shenandoah 100, Virginia. I think I'll have to be dead to miss this race anytime soon.

Sep. 20: 12 Hours of Dauset, Georgia. Things are winding down, but it's an enduro a half day's drive from home.

Oct. 11: Dirty Spokes 12 Hour, Conyers GA. This will be my first opportunity to experience the pounding of Conyers granite for 12 hours straight.

There's some other races on my radar, most notably the Tahoe-Sierra 100. I've never been to Tahoe and this could be my chance, if getting from Virginia to California via Florida in 6 days doesn't prove to be too much of a logistical and financial challenge.

The next step in graduating to 2008 is updating the sidebars on this blog. There's tons of really cool bloggers I met last year that need inclusion on my list, new team sponsors and a new race schedule. Maybe I'll even put a picture in my header.