A FREEZING Practice in Maine!

It was 21 degrees when I left the house to head to the track! A beautiful, sunny, blue-sky Saturday morning, except when I looked at the outdoor thermometer, it read "21." So I thought to myself, "Am I nuts to be going riding knowing that it would only hit about 34 degrees for a high!!!?"

I got to MX207, stepped out of the truck, and actually felt pretty good despite the cold temperature. After all, it was pretty sunny out which helped out a lot. And on the plus side, because it was so cold, the track was pretty quiet.

Although the bike ran kind of funny due to the cold (lets just say the idle speed was way off and flames were practically shooting out from the pipe), I rode pretty good. My fingers kept going numb while using the levers, but other than that, it was business as usual. One thing that I set out to accomplish was doubling through a rhythm section that I was losing speed in. Goal accomplished- I stepped it up an easily cleared the small back-to-back doubles which made me much quicker in that section. Its amazing how much time you can save when you handle obstacles in a way that they were meant to be handled...

So in sum, although it was pretty cold all day, I got in some good practice laps and made some decent progress. When I left the track, I felt very proud of how much I have accomplished so far. I want to keep this momentum and confidence going.

Til next time,

Patrick

MX207 in March!

So after a whole week of hearing how awesome the weather was going to be on Saturday (the weather guy was forecasting 70 degrees), I was pretty pumped about going riding! My friend Dan and I decided to head up to MX207 in Maine. This is a SWEET motocross track in Lyman, Maine- about 1.5 hours north of my house (http://www.mx207.com/).

This track is not only fun, but fast! It has a nice mix of jumps, sweeping berms, tight corners, fast straights, and fun tabletops. Its a big track that can allow me to really open up the CRF. At one point, in 4th gear down a straight, I felt as though I was riding my street bike! I couldn't remember the last time, I opened up the bike that much.

Now the thing about this track- it seems like whenever it rains, even if it rains like 5 weeks ago- the track is unusually wet. Now considering it is still only March, and this was the the first weekend the track was open, I assumed that it would be wet, wet like swamp-wet. Boy, was I wrong...

I arrived at 10:30AM, only to find the track in PERFECT condition. Literally, the whole course was in beautiful shape. It was completely dry- to the point where they actually had the sprinklers running! It felt like a Summer's day, yet it was only March- what a great taste of an early summer!

From 11AM to about 3:30, I got in several motos and had a lot of fun. I did well in the corners and on the tabletops. I need to work on mastering one double, and need to work on doubling a rhythm section that was bothering me throughout the day. I know I can double through that section, I think its the timing of the doubles that I have got to overcome. If I can master that section, I'll save a good 2 seconds or so off my lap times. Practice, Practice, Practice...

Anyways, it was a great riding day and a lot of fun trying to catch my friend Dan- an NESC Amateur. I noticed that its much easier for me to go faster when he's behind me than to try to keep up with his pace while behind him. I also learned that when a racer is on your tail and you go into a corner, you better take the fastest line! Whether its the inside line or outside line, don't give it away! Know the fastest lines in that particular corner and close the door on your competition. In this case, I took the inside line, and Dan took the outside. It turned out, the inside line sucked! There was no line! So I braked hard, lost all my momentum, and in the meantime, Dan railed the outside berm and while exiting, he blasted past me. I didn't stand a chance! Lesson learned- know your lines on the course!

Till next time,

Patrick

Spring Training

After a day of doing a whole bunch of work around the yard, I decided to call it quits and go to the local mall. I needed a change of scenery, plus I started freezing my ass off being outside all day. As you can tell, I didn't go riding... it was just too cold out and too rainy to rip it up on the Honda.

So I find myself at the mall, but I honestly don't need anything. Then I walk into a sporting goods store and that's when it clicked! I thought to myself, "What can I buy to make me more ready for the upcoming motocross season? What will make me stronger and faster?" Then, all of a sudden- like a kid in a candy shop- I see the "As Seen On TV" Xtreme Upper Body Work-Out Bar! For $44 I could have this crazy looking all-in-one pull-up/chin-up bar that would get me ripped abs, biceps & tri's within days!!!! This is that thing that you somehow mount to a door frame and can do crazy pull-ups on it. I was SOLD!

I checked out with the upper body bar and decided to pickup a Pro Hand Grip exerciser while I was there (that's the thing that helps build hand and forearm muscles). Now here's the funny part- when I was checking out, the cashier hinted that I would be better off just carrying out the Upper Body Bar because she didn't have a bag large enough for it. Ummmm- no. There was no way I was going to walk through the whole Mall carrying an "As Seen On TV" Upper Body Workout Bar!!!! Sorry, no way, not happening! Maybe I am too uptight of a guy, but shit, I just felt like as though anyone that saw me would say, "what a moron- he actually felt for that gimmick!" But for whatever reason, I knew this thing would help me train for motocross. And, I never joined a gym, so I needed something else aside from the weight bench and running all the time...

I get home, put it together (which I was most impressed by its quality) and use it for the very first time. THIS THING IS SICK!!!! Sick in an awesome way. Honestly, if you have $44 go out any buy one. Buy one RIGHT NOW. I did pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, and push-ups with my new toy. I felt my muscles getting worked really hard. I especially loved the dips. They were painful, but I could literally feel my muscles getting worked like they have never worked before.

After my workout, I was really happy. I was happy the $44 was a good investment and I was very happy knowing I have another tool in the drawer to make me stronger and more ready for motocross. I feel pumped and healthy having the Upper Body Workout Bar, running almost every other day for 3-5 miles, doing bench presses, and human-chairs (find a wall in your house, put your back flush against it and slide your back down until your body feels like a chair with your legs square to the floor. Then hold that position for as long as you can. You'll feel the burn in your calf & quad muscles like you never felt before!).

So until next time, happy training!

First 2010 Ride Outdoors

I can't believe it- this past Sunday- March 7th, I actually got to ride outside for the first time this year! The mercury rose up to 57 degrees making it perfect to get outdoors and get some practice in on the bike. I never thought that I would be riding outside in New England this early in the year! I mean honestly- the ground usually still has at least two feet of snow on it!

But not this year... its been unusually warm and I'm taking advantage of it. Myself and my best friend loaded up the CRF and headed over to Dover, NH for some practice. Dover is a pretty beat-down, whooped out old sand pit. Actually, when I think about it, the whole track is a giant whoop. It gives you nasty arm pump and really works the hell out of your quads. But enough whining- its a good place to get some laps in. Plus its all sandy and I figured this time of year its probably one of only a few places that would not be muddy- and we were right. The track was great for March.

So aside from banging out some laps, I worked on starts and cornering. My bud was good enough to draw a line in the sand (the starting gate) and to hold a stick in the air (the 30 second board) and then drop the stick to the side (5 seconds) before our imaginary gate dropped. It wasn't all that technical, but it did the job. Its a lot different starting on dirt/sand versus a concrete pad. Anyways it was good practice and I got a good feel for my dirt starts.

As far as the cornering goes- I worked on not using the rear brake like I used to and actually totally avoided using it while going into the turns. It made me faster and eventually I didn't feel as though I even needed it. I guess its just something I need to adapt too. I think before I was relying on the rear brake too much and it was robbing all my momentum. I feel quicker now and I think I will get past the learning curve fairly quickly...

-Patrick

Moto Town & My New Leatt Brace

Yesterday was an awesome riding day! It was beautiful out (in the high 40's) and sunny for the first time in a long time. Seriously though- we have had nothing but gloomy overcast rainy days for the last 15 days in New Hampshire. So to see the sun and to know I was going riding was a damn good feeling!!! Myself and a few of my buddies decided to head down to Moto Town in the afternoon. What a great way to break in the weekend!

Aside from the nice weather, and that it was Friday, I was really excited about wearing my new Leatt brace for the first time! I bought my GPX Club brace off Ebay and couldn't wait to try it out. It was cool wearing it around the house for a few days, but I was itching to wear it on the track!

So after gearing up in the pits, I headed out onto the track dawning the new neck brace. I was most impressed with how comfortable it was. I honestly didn't even know I was wearing my new Leatt. It was very conforming and it fit nicely with my HRP chest protector. Once I had put it on, I pretty much forgot that I was wearing it. I like knowing that I have more protection in the event of a crash and honestly that sense of security was worth the $265...

In addition to the weather being great, and being very happy with the new Leatt brace, I felt really comfortable on the bike. It took me a couple of motos to warm up, but once I got going, I got into a real nice rhythm. No stalls, no crashes, and no close calls. I focused on braking and finishing braking before entering corners and noticed a significant improvement. As I entered each corner, I kept telling myself, "Get your damn foot off the rear brake and nail the throttle!" I think a big cornering problem of mine was the fact that I would not finish all the braking before the corner. Instead I would hold down the rear brake well after entering the corner and only release the brake as I exited the turn. I go much faster finishing braking before the turn, carrying momentum to the apex, and then blasting the throttle on the way out...

I also worked on brake-sliding going into hairpin rutted inside corners. I felt as though I was totally on my game when it came to these. There's a tight left-hander inside corner after the whoops section and I kept nailing it in a fast and smooth manner. The key is to make sure you line up both of your tires in the rut as you enter the turn and to use the front brake/tire to pivot. Its still a work in progress but I'm getting there.

Don't get me wrong, I still have lots of room for improvement, but last night at the track, everything just clicked. I felt relaxed, smooth, and noticed some improvements that really boosted my confidence.

Before I got to the track I did stiffen up my rear suspension (compression- hi & low was gradually increased) and that helped out a lot. And I raised both my clutch and front brake levers up which helped me with improved body positioning over the handlebars. I do think that if I went up 1-2 more teeth on the rear sprocket I would be in the "bread and butter" range of the gearing for my riding level on my bike. Going from a 48 to a 49 helped, but 1-2 more teeth I think would do just the trick.

Anyways, it was a really good time both on and off the track. I'm thinking that if we luck out and have an early Spring, the next time I throw my leg over the CRF it might be at an outdoor track...

-Patrick

Spring is Almost Here!

Its no secret, I love to ride! But living in New Hampshire can be really challenging when the season comes to an abrupt end come late Fall. The last day I rode was December 4th- pretty damn late for a New England MX'er!!! Myself and my bud Dan rode until the snow started sticking to the track that afternoon. I honestly think we were probably the VERY last two motocross guys riding dirt bikes that late in the season.

So how did I feel after that day- good that I got to ride, but real sad that the season was finished. Reality had set in... I thought to myself, "Damn... it will be nearly five months before I get to ride again..." But not so fast! I didn't like the idea of going through a whole full winter without throwing my leg over my CRF 450. So what did I do to combat the awful freezin' cold winter? Myself and a few close riding buddies started signing up at this indoor motocross track down in Connecticut. Yea, its two hours away- but worth every minute of the ride- seriously, this place ROCKS! So far we have gone down there three times (including a week night when I was actually crazy enough to drive 4 hours to ride for one hour!). Now thats dedication (or just completely NUTS)!

The place is called MotoTown (www.nesupercross.com) and I'm lovin' everything about it! Its fun, its jumpy, its technical, but most importantly- its getting me more seat time. And the more practice I get, the faster I become. I plan on going down this Friday (03/05) which will make this my 4th trip of the Winter. Being able to ride in the frigid months of Winter is kind of weird, but so awesome! I just think of how much of an advantage I'll have come race season over the guys who sat their fat asses on the couch all winter!!!!

Anyways, its now March 1st, and I am itchin to ride more than anything. I truly can't wait to get outside and RIP it up. Spring is almost here and although I'm pumped about riding at the indoor track on Friday, I'm more stoked knowing that the outdoor season is right around the corner. Spring is almost here, and I can hardly wait to ride. So for those of you who are thinkin' the same thing- hang in there, we'll be tearing up the local MX track soon enough!!!

Your MX bud,

Patrick (#76)