Come Race April 18th at Mcdowell Mtn Park

09 Season is rockin and rollin'

Gettin the holeshot! The 2009 season has been a good start for Scahmpa. Jen Sica has had a 1st/2nd place finishes so far and I've seen the podium twice as well with a 2nd/3rd place. Gramps has been consistent, maybe too consistent with two consecutive 6th places....Our new additions Tex/Chewy have been great as well for a couple of DH's!

Schampa supports NOVA

Schampa will be at all the MBAA state races with their team trailer supporting the kids of NOVA with a place to get ready for their races!

CX Season

Cross season has been rockin pretty good this season....Startin at CrossVegas with a bang and a bad crash I've been rockin a broken campy lever all season but doin pretty good with it! Finally got the ride over to tribe for the new lever installation just before State Champs. If it goes well, I'll be tryin to make it out to Kansas for Cross Nats! It is gonna be muddy and cold, better than this water bottle on the cross bike weather we've been racin here out in the SW.

Check out Jen taking the overall of the state Cross Series at www.azcross.com....I managed the overall for the men and hope to cap it off with a State CX title which hasn't been mine for a few years now.

The mbaa.net race season is upon us and finally they have a couple northern arizona races! It won't just be a Penix series anymore which is nice!

2009 Jersey's will arrive May 9th!

2008 Jersey's

Here is the first draft!

Fontana

WOW! What a course. Fontana has a reputation for being a bit urban and it didn't let me down. I drove out to Fontana with Tim from Voodoo cycles and we arrived on Friday afternoon to our Motel 6 in the urban outskirts of L.A. Fontana is certainly a diverse area with all sorts of characters roaming around. The motel had explicit directions for users to ensure their safety and the safety of their belongings. Sure does make you feel safe. Aside from the seedy nature of the hotel, the room was only a ten minute drive to the race venue. After arriving on Friday, Tim and I quickly got changed and rolled over to the venue to preride the cross-country course. The course was in good condition and it featured some pretty bomb singletrack climbs and hairball descents. The xc course crossed a number of cement colverts and drainages so you had to be on your game or you would be off your bike. There was no shortage of "urban art" on the rocks in the mountains and on the drainages that you rode through, lending a sophisticated feel to the course (not to mention the occasional couch to sit on to really absorb the scenary). Saturday morning the semi-pros rolled out at 8 a.m.. I got an hour warm up to prepare for what was certain to be a fast start. Unfortunately, due to field size and my warm-up, I got a less than ideal starting position in around 50th place. Anyhow, after the manic start I moved myself up in the field when possible and was feeling really good on the descents and climbs for the first time this year. After the hardest climb on the course, near the end of the the second lap of three, I bombed down a twisty, rutted, loose-assed descent and crossed a cement/rock section when I heard my rear tire blow (first ride on that tire!). Four or five riders that I had passed on the climb quickly passed me and gave me their condolences (genuine I'm sure). I tried not to panic and pulled off my tire and tubless valve and reached for my tube when I noticed that my tube had no valve core-a frickin' defect! Sick. Anyhow, after a number of riders passed, someone finally offered a tube and I got the flat changed. Pissed as hell I rode to the conclusion of the second lap and began asking if anyone in the feed zone had a tube for me for the last lap. No luck=DNF. I rode over to the Mavic tent to have the guys work on my wheel when Dan (who had done awesome work on my wheel on Friday replacing pauls and a free-hub body) showed me that I had ruined my tire by gashing it open and exposing the tube. Sweet. Anyhow, Sunday I got to short track, even though I had a horrible starting position, it was fun and super painful. Tim had a great weekend in the pro field, kicking ass in the xc, short track and getting on the podium in the Super D with Adam Craig and Barry Wicks! Insane. Anyhow, off to Nova this weekend and I'm hoping for some better luck. Covergirl

Gardner Canyon

If we were at a bar drinking Guinness and playing darts someone might say “Nice group.”, but it’s not darts at a bar, it’s bike racing and instead of feeling drunk at the end of a night, I end up feeling like the dart board. Gardner Canyon is a long race in the middle of nowhere with lot’s of wind and boarder patrol agents. Thankfully MBAA had the insight to shorten the race, too bad they did not use that same insight when ordering the port-a-potties. Four port-a-potties at a bike race is not enough. Anyway, as for the results, I got 5th again, Jen won due to a lack of competition again, and John was 10th. Scott had to drop out due to a faulty tire but did extra laps to help find a lost junior racer. Like I said, nice group. Gramps out.

Estrella

Estrella is over and I have finally had my saddle surgically removed from my ass. Unfortunately, the doctors were unable to locate my kidneys. I think they are still out there on the course somewhere. Congratulations to the rest of the Schampa riders who survived the beating. Jen won the pro women’s category and seems to have scared off all the competition because none of the usual competitors showed up. For the rest of us, survival was the name of the game, John finished 11th, Josh came up 9th, and I somehow hung on for 5th. The weekend was not all bad though, the weather was nice, down right hot at times, and getting 5th place won me just enough money to buy Jen and I an In-N-Out Burger (we had to share the drink). Oh Well. Next stop, Garner Canyon. Gramps out.

Whitetanks

Congrats to all that raced last weekend. Many of the Schampa riders raced at Whitetanks, the second of the MBAA series, while others opted for the road and the McDowell circuit race. The weather in Phoenix was incredible and it was a welcomed change from the Flagstaff wintery conditions. The mountain course was in great condition and the team had a great showing from everyone (aside from yours truly). Jen ripped it up and got second in the women's pro field, while Grandpa shredded the men's pro category and pulled out fourth! Sawasky tore it up and scored a top ten finish and Keller and Powers also represented well for the squad. After the hardest climb on the course, four Schampa riders (Powers, Keller, Sawasky and myself) were all in a line and rollin' in solid position tryin' to keep Grandpa in sight. Just after the climb, we entered the tech section on the course and there I encountered the infamous rock drop. Before I knew it, my front wheel dropped off into an abyss and I thought to myself (as I had ample time in the air) "Oh damn, here's the drop! There's no way out of this and it's gonna be ugly. Didn't Sawasky mention that they usually take the race photos here. PERFECT. This is classic and they could give a clinic on what it looks like to go over the bars. After my body was slammed to the ground, I felt all the adrenaline leave my body and I became dizzy, sleepy, and I began shaking. NO GOOD. Some riders that were behind asked, "Damn Chief, are you alright? Holy Sh--!" I mumbled a "Yeah, go ahead," and I began collecting my water bottles that were ejected during the flight. I did a once over to check and ensure that I still had all of my body parts and I limped out the tech section and crawled with one hand on the bars back to the start-finish area, during which time I was passed by the many pros that we had dropped before the climb. Scott's mom, who always knows how to take care of you, hooked me up with some ice for my shoulder. After cheering a lap, I began the long, long drive home to Flag; demoralized by the wreck but determined that next time I'll keep the rubber side down and go like hell. Covergirl

#1 Curse

Have you ever been #2 and tried your butt off to be #1 only to achieve your goal and wish you were #2 again?

Well thats where I'm kinda at. I am glad that I won the state title last year, but this year I'm riding the #1 plate and I've had 2 really horrible races, matching my worst result of last year, not once, but twice! I can't remember the last time I've placed exactly 13th place in a state race consecutively. But thats ok, its only motivation to start riding more!

I rode to work today only to find that the rocks at red rock crossing were washed out, so I was knee deep in freezing cold water!

Anyhow, I have also been running my West Sedona Mountain BIke club quite successfully which is pretty awesome I must say. I had 7 kids race from 4th graders up to 8th graders and they did awesome! Check out my school MTB webiste for more details:

http://webpages.sedona.k12.az.us/~keller/?OpenItemURL=S00687686

Well the kids are runnin wild, better get back to work!

Holy Road Races

Even though I was feeling under the weather this weekend, I signed up for my first circuit race of the year and had a blast..No it wasn't dirt(I apologize to all of you Devoted Dirties). But DAMN it was fun. I ended up placing 13th out of a small field of 35. I made a few attacks and kept the pace high,which did drop quite a few of the others. I'm I would have a better result if I had paid attention to the lap count. Just as the pace picked up I latched onto the back of the pack and we were started really moving ... ...then they stopped?? I said "Hey, we just dropped the rest of those guys...Lets keep moving!" and one of the Procon guys said " UH....that was the sprint finish dude". HA! All in all, it was a great time and it was great to see all those roadies I havn't seen in nearly a year. Some already know me as "one of those guys"(meaning a Dirtie), and the rest of them will soon :)

Snowmass Finals

I know. I know. This posting is a bit late, but better late than never. Anyhow, a bunch of Schampa riders traveled to Snowmass, Colorado for the August 11th Norba National Finals. The course was undoubtedly a climber's course and the air was quite thin. The conditions on race day were awesome. The trails were tacky from some rain that fell a few days before the race and the course meandered through dense vegetation, sick aspen forest, wild-flower covered meadows and it crossed RUNNING WATER a few times each lap. The surrounding mountains really helped add to the alpine feel of the race and they gave it the world-class atmosphere that the Norba finals should possess. Anyhow, Grandpa ripped shit up in the pro field and was among the elite riders after the first leg-breaking, heart-emploding, oxygen-deprevating climb. Sanchez had some bad luck as his crank bolt broke and he was forced to abandon the race. No worries though, as Sanchez still maintained his overall National Points Series Champion title! Congrats! Tom smoked the sport field and won by over eight minutes in the cross-country race. Nice work! Jen threw down in the women's pro field and represented well for Schampa. I had a decent race and finished fourth in the race and fourth in the national points series. It was another fun weekend racing with the Schampa crew as the podium finishes continued all the way through the Norba National Points Series Final. Guess that's all for now. Go ride some dirt!

Goin' back to Cali

As I ponder what useless things I am going to post on the www I find myself compelled to quote the grate 80’s poet LL Cool J “I’m going back to Cali”. Having no mtb racing options in good ol’ AZ, John, Jen, and I decided to head west to sunny California to inflict some old fashion AZ OK-Coral-style pay back for Californicating AZ. Actually, we just wanted to race and there happened to be a California state series race at the Rim Nordic ski area near Big Bear.

MBAA Take Note. Upon arriving we found the promoters very friendly and excited that we drove all the way across the desert for their race. They were however, somewhat apologetic that they had not finished marking the course, but assured us that if we followed the arrows we should be fine. Even incomplete, the course was way better marked than any MBAA race day and it was mostly single track. Anyway, all three of us were scheduled to do three, 9 mile laps with about 1100 ft of climbing per lap. No kidding, 1100 ft and single track.

How it unfolded: Two more podiums for Schampa!
Jen fell off a four foot bridge crossing on her first lap but was still able to hold on to third place in the pro women’s category. I had no such drama in my race and placed third in the pro men’s category, and John, riding strong in the semi-pro category, had to abandon the race due to a flat tire.

One final note. The local riders were pretty upset after the race because, according to the times, there were many experts with faster times than the pro and semi-pro men. We think all the pro, semi-pro and experts were started together, but the timers thought the experts started 4 minutes back, giving a four minute advantage to their times. Or maybe California just has the fastest experts in the country. Whatever!

Ciao Dall' Italia

Feels like I've been riding on top of the world lately riding in the Pre-Alps with the true swiss/italian alps out in the distance...Been sportin the Ciclipozzi jersey lately over here in Italy, but finally wore the Schampa colors for everyone here in Italy. Check some more photos out over at my geocities site. Well, it's late and I'm goin to France with Renato tomorrow morning presto! So better get to bed, good night for now.

Bye Bye Tonsils!

As you might have concluded by the title of this posting my tonsils are FINALLY gone! Those pesky swollen and infected punks that have been putting a sleeper hold on my season are finally and undoubtedly gone! On Friday a crack (head) team of doctors descended upon my throat with a metal lasso and a hot knife and showed those bastards what for while I lay on the table unconscious, oblivious, and completely venerable to their kinky doctor/passed out patient advances; EEEW.

It's three days post surgery now and my jaw is still swollen shut and my head is still foggy from the pain killers but I'm on the slow road to recovery. I haven't shaved in a week, I've lost 5 or so pounds from not being able to eat anything besides pudding and broth and I'm pretty sure I stink like hell as it's been a few days since I've seen the inside of a shower curtain. I'm spending my time scratching my ass, sucking on ice chips, and stewing about the lost time while staring at my bikes hanging on the wall. They look so sad.

It's funny how last season I didn't really have the desire to train and race but this season I have all the desire and drive in the world but my body said 'No F-ing Way!' I guess that's the silver lining to this whole thing. Now I'm pissed off, and driven so I'm hoping to have a great late season and I'm really pumped for cyclocross.

More to come...

Covergirl joins blog

Hey all! I'm recovering from Angelfire and the pollen flu that has descended upon Flagstaff. The trails are a bit dusty and keepin' covergirl clean out there is tough. Anyhow, I'll be out ridin' through the week so if anyone wants to beat up on me before Deer Valley, let me know. While I can't make it to Deer Valley myself, best of luck to those who'll be representing for Schampa.

Angelfire rocks!

This weekend at Angelfire Schampa scored two more podiums! Chris Hull ripped up the course and finished only 7 seconds off the winner of the race. I know for sure that if Chris was warming up before the race up instead of scarfing on all beef hotdogs he would have won. I placed 5th again. .. that is 3 in a row so far and wouldn't mind keeping the streak. The trip to Angelfire started with a long drive through the desert and ended with a rainstorm through Sante Fe. Luckily the sun was out the rest of the weekend. I tried my first short track and finished 15th. I think that is the most punishment I have put myself through....EVER! Butfor some reason I think I need some more??? The weekend was great and we were glad to hear that Schampa was well represented at home with 4 participants in the Summit Center Classic stage race.

State Champion!

State Finals was amazing for the team today! Jen Sica took the win in the Pro Womens event, Scott K. was 2nd in the Pro mens by 14 seconds, and Grandpa (Eric Neat) was 4th in Pro Men's XC. We looked pretty snazzy in our new helmets thanks to Tribe!

We also had a State Champion in the Pro Men's Class....Congratulations to Scott Keller, myself, for the victory....I think I really deserved it!! Congrats to Jen Sica on her second overall in the Pro womens category, had she done her trail maintenece she would have been 1st!

Fontana, CA. National on Cinco de Mayo

Fontana is one technical ride! I think almost the whole team went down today on the loose, dusty downhills. You had to pick a perfect line, or rut and hold on to get through the deep powder. The fields were huge at this race, they must have been double what there was at Santa Barbara.

Jen scored a 40th in the Pro Womens XC, which is pretty good cosidering all the competition out here. I got 52nd unoffically, and I'm pretty happy about that, I got my 45 minute warm-up in, rode strong from the start to finish and passed a few guys throughout the race. Jen thinks we had 100 at the start line, but we'll see when the results are posted. Grandpa is off of being sick, so he didn't feel to well during the race and was pulled on the 3rd lap. Steve Sanchez got 5th in the Expert Mens, so Schampa continues to make the podium at the Nationals! Great Job!