The Life of a Ryno

Product reviews....seriously?

2011-08-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

Realist? I try to be. Skeptic? Occasionally. Critic? When I'm allowed to be....

So when somebody says they will give me a box of "stuff" to use and give them some feedback on it, I'll probably jump at the opportunity. However, if they are expecting a quick opinion, they may be a little disappointed. I like to take my time (maybe a little too much) and be sure that what I say is closer to "fact" than "opinion". All that said, I have some Topeak products that I am using and you will be wanting!

We all have spent too much money on bottle cages, only to find out that they didn't nearly live up to the hype. Whether they broke, didn't hold a bottle, or simply wore out prematurely, they ALL met Mr. Landfill a little too soon. Sooo...when I opened my box of goodness and saw a delicious, lightweight carbon bottle cage, I thought, "cool! Take a picture and put it in the trash." In fact, I even had a new and improved design drawn up and ready to submit for patent BEFORE installing the first one.

As any XC racer knows, bottle cages always get a test run on the road bike first. So, after a few pleasurable months of road hydration, I took the daring leap and mounted my Shuttle Cage CB (with gold aluminum bolts) to my Jamis Dakota dXC Team hardtail and started racing! After a month of hardcore mountain bike racing, including the grueling terrain of Sun Valley, Idaho and Missoula, Montana, I haven't had a single issue! No dropped bottles. No "Wow, that was close! I almost lost that one!" Instead, I found the Shuttle Cage very easy to find when returning a bottle while navigating tricky single track. It's also suuupper solid at a whopping 17gr on my scale! Yes, that is LESS than claimed!

But does it show any wear? Yes, like any carbon cage, it shows signs of wear, BUT after four months of use, those signs aren't easy to find. After an inspection today, I was impressed how minimal the wear actually was.

All that said, I think I found a carbon fiber bottle cage that I can actually recommend to my friends and customers. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to the Topeak Shuttle Cage CB. Now, if it only came in custom colors....

The Vote is IN!!

2009-11-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

I spent all night counting votes. With tired eyes, I read the final tally at 4,579.5 (yes) to 2,647.5 (no). The single "I couldn't care either way." accounts for the half point on both sides. I guess I'm gonna have to start blogging...

Okay, lets put things back in perspective. There weren't that many votes. In fact, I could have counted all the votes without having to take off my shoes. However, I asked, and you responded. The blog will be back. I will also let you know there will be a new website soon. What is it, you ask? Hmmm...guess you'll just have to stay tuned.

Shall I continue?

2009-11-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

I have a question for you. Would you like me to continue blogging? Yes or no? I know Facebook has changed things a bit and I am in contact with most of you there, but there will be some changes coming soon that will make a blog more valuable and effective.However, the blog may be coming back. So, now I need your help. Its simple, just tell me to keep it going.

Please, leave a comment with your vote. Thanks!

ps: .......

2009 has begun!!

2009-03-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

I would like to start off by saying thanks to all of you that spoon-fed me through '08! We had a few good results thrown in there, but in the end, we had fun, right?

For 2009, I have a new gig that probably will leave a lot of you feeling relieved. "Maybe he wont be so dependent upon us now" is what most of you are thinking, don't even try to hide it!

I am a member of the 2009 Dedicated Athlete Pro Mtn Bike team. Along with a direct link to endless coaching knowledge and sports nutrition, I also received a few new Storck framesets in the mail! Industry Nine has continued their unwavering support for the new season, and Suspension Experts has stepped up and been a huge help in putting the final touch on my race winning suspension.

Thanks to all of you that have helped and continue to help. I can't do it without you. I would like to name you all individually but there are just too many of you. I must, however, highlight my family. I love you so much and am so thankful for all you do.

IT'S 2009 BABY! LET'S GO RACIN'!!!

This one's for you, Grampa.

2009-03-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

I have never cried after winning, ever. I have cried a few times when I lost, but never after a victory. The majority of the final lap of the Gainesville SERC race, I was on the verge of tearing up and for the last mile or two, the tears were flowing.

March 16th, 2008, 8 o'clock in the morning, I remember it like it was yesterday. In the "race van" headed to a race. Dad driving, me sitting shotgun. Regan, right behind me, with Mom on the left side with David sleeping in her lap. The phone rings. It startled us all, even though we had been anticipating the call.

Mom quickly reached for the phone and answered it. Not saying much, just a "yes" and "ok" was all this call required. With a tear running down her cheek, she softly said, "He just went home to be with the Lord." My father's father had just passed away.

This was the first time that someone really close to me had died. I had never been there before. We all do our best not to let things like this bring us down, and I was no exception. Once we arrived at the venue, I "put it away" and prepared to compete. However, it wasn't long after the start of the race, that my mind drifted. I began making costly mistakes. Crashes that should have never happened, did. Bottles that should have gone in their cages, didn't. By the end of the race, I was spent, physically and mentally. However, I made a vow when I crossed that finish line, that I would win this race in 2009.

All year long, I didn't tell a single person, not even my closest friends, of my vow. But, on March 8th, 2009, my commitment was all I could think about. This time around, it was no hindrance. In fact, I have never raced with such a clear head. I was so calm during "crunch time" that I didn't care who was behind me, nor did I care where.

It wasn't until about two miles left in the race that my emotions began to play a role. I knew I was close and I was confident in my ability to pull through. My heart decided to celebrate early. It wasn't easy sprinting to the finish line with tears in my eyes, but a finish line sprint had never felt better.

Grampa, it has been a long time coming, but I can finally say it...This one's for you.

Dear Mr. Phelps,

2008-08-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

You are the freakin' man! What is it now, three gold medals? AND three world records? In just three finals!?! Congrats and good luck! You will have to be careful and keep your head on straight, buddy. Take it from someone who knows, once the media "discovers" you, you will be tempted with the fame. Stay solid and you will be just fine. When the time comes that you have to do a live interview on national news, try to think about all the hard work you went through to get to where you are. Doing so will make you sound more focused and less likely to be invited to parties. Trust me, partying isn't all its cracked up to be. There will be a lot of women that will see you on tv and think you are a cool guy. WATCH OUT! They probably have weird kissing diseases and stuff. Besides, they will take away from your focus. Trust me. I know. Well, this is a lot of info for you in one letter, but before I go, I wanted to say that I think you should try using Powerbars. They just might give you that extra edge you need to win. Heck, it wouldn't hurt to send them a resume or two, they may hook you up like they did me.

I hope you found this helpful. Good luck in the rest of your Olympic endeavors and tell all fellow Americans I said, "WAAAZZZZZZZUUUUUUUPPPPP!!!!"

Sincerely,
Ryan Woodall

PS: Do not, I repeat, DO NOT try to breath while you are under water. Take my word for it, that junk ain't cool!

The Olympics are awesome!!!

2008-08-10T20:46:00.000-07:00

Before I get too sidetracked, I would like to comment on today's criterium. It was fast and relatively safe so I had fun. I did some work, went with a few breaks and in the end, I threw down a solid sprint. Of course, my transponder wasn't working so I was scored in last, but who cares? I had fun.

So, back to the Olympics! I am a patriotic fool. Not 100% sure why, but none the less, I am proud to be an American. As an athlete, my national pride gets an enormous boost every four years. I know the Winter Olympics exist, they just don't do it for me. To all you snow freaks, whatever. Anyways, I don't think I have been able to sleep since Friday night. My heart rate hasn't been under 100bpm for the last three days! I am freaking out, man!

To be honest with you, I am a little embarrassed to admit that I have been watching volleyball and swimming. All the while, never sitting back in the seat, but instead resting on the edge of the chair, clinching my fists and shouting, "COME ON... COME ON............. YEEEAAAAHHHH!!!" I just hope I can make it through this Olympic season with out having an aneurysm. If I survive, I will probably get busted for high levels of testosterone. Seriously, did you see Cancellara's bridge to the lead group at the end of the road race? I thought he WAS a motorcycle! Just watching that on tv made me faster.

Well, I got to go. Indoor volleyball is going on as I type. Go Team USA!

And a month later...

2008-08-09T19:35:00.001-07:00

The long awaited tale of Vermont misfortune. After coming close to a whole shot, after elbowing my way to a top 25 at the top of the climb on the first lap, after making up even more ground on the decent... a leaky valve stem stole my hard-headed charge for glory.

Let me give you some more details. At the very bottom of the decent, my rear tire rolled of the rim. Bummer, I should have run more air pressure. No problem, I lost no more than a minute. Once I started back up the climb, I felt even better than the lap before. Within 2 miles, I had made up my lost time and ridden away from my 1st lap racing partners. However, to my dismay, my tire was noticeably low again, only half way back up the mountain. After a quick check over, I found no signs of leakage anywhere on the tire. My assumption? The tire must not have sealed well during the last fix. After another shot of air, I was back in pursuit. Well, long story short, my valve stem was lose and causing the leak. I fixed it during the third stop for air.

For the record, it was a disappointing race, but I had a blast on the bike. Probably the most fun I have ever had in an XC race. Aside from having fun, it was great to feel like I was fast again.

This taking place on Saturday, I was still hopeful in a strong performance on Sunday in the short track race. Unfortunately, it was a false hope. The starting line up was based on the previous days XC results. I know, I know, it doesn't make sense to me either. Since I didn't do so hot on Saturday, I had to start in the back. No biggy, or so I thought! I had average legs, causing me to move up at an average pace and finish in an average place. I think 35th. Pretty pathetic after last years 19th!

Well, I have so good news to leave you with. Since my return home, I have been able to tell a tremendous improvement in my strength on the bike. I can only assume that I am getting some late season form, which is good by the way, because I am doing a Pro,1,2 crit in the morning and I have the NMBS finals at the end of the month.

That's all I have for now. I will let you know how the crit goes down. Thanks for reading.

From the bottom...to the top?

2008-07-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

What am I doing? Sitting here writing my first blog in over two months. To be honest, in those two months there was only one story worth telling. The 2008 Bump & Grind. Was it a great story? No. Was it a story of hard work and perseverance? Yes.

Over the last two months, I have made a big mistake. One crucial to my cycling career. I let my day job take priority over my weekend "hobby." I know this isn't making much sense yet, but I will explain. Ever since I became serious about cycling, I considered myself a full-time athlete and part-time whatever else I did for cash. Why? Because being an athlete is a lifestyle, not just a career. As for my part-time jobs, well, they were just that: things I did for the cash needed to survive.

When I returned home from my month long tour of Fairyland, aka "California," I went back to my old job of turning wrenches at the local bike shop. Not the ideal job, but it pays the bills and I like bikes. Well, call me what you will, but the shop was busy so I began to work too much. I give 100% to my job when I am on the job, and all too often, that sucked me away from my bike.

I have been doing my best to ride more and ride harder, and I know it's paying off. Group rides are easier than ever. It is harder than ever to find a sufficient training partner. The problem? I am wasted. My body can't keep up with my ego. Between work and...well, work, I have run myself into the ground. Changes have been made, and I am doing better. I just wish I had seen the light sooner.

Let's get back to the good stuff. Let's talk about Bump & Grind. This was a race I won last year and was determined to win again. Going into the race I knew I wasn't in top shape due to a knee injury that caused nearly two weeks of down time. As nervous as ever, I rolled to the starting line with the hopes that I could best my adversaries and roll away with my pride, and bring home my one true shot at glory in 2008.

Have you ever won a competition because you weren't as good as those you were competing against? Well, it was a hot race. Hotter than last year and many a strong racer simply couldn't handle the heat. My problem? I wasn't fast enough to give them a run for their money, forcing me to run an inferior pace. How did this pay off? I was consistent all day. The others faded in the heat. Here is where it gets tricky. After losing site of the leaders about a mile into the race, I didn't regain site until well into the second half! That was well over an hour of having no clues to whether or not I was losing, maintaining, or gaining time with those up front. On one shoulder I had a little man telling me it was over, but hold tight and beat the guy behind you. On the other shoulder was a larger man telling me to cowboy-up and take care of business. After all, I opened the gap, I sure as heck better close it!

After a long hard push, one by one, the lead group fell apart and into my hands. After 2 hours, 9 minutes and 1 second, I crossed the finish line with a time equal to that of last years second place finisher and with more than 4 minutes separating myself and this years second place finisher.

After that race, I knew I needed to do some work. I decided to skip the next NMBS race with the idea that my time would be better served at home on my bike preparing for the MTB National Championships. By the way, that is where I am now. True story, I am sitting in a motel room in West Dover, VT, awaiting the start of the battle for major bragging rights and the ability to put stars-n-stripes on your jersey. Fun stuff, but of course, it will be a sufferfest. Nothing new, I don't suppose.

Before I go, I want to say THANK YOU to all my fans and supporters out there. You all help a lot and I appreciate all the inquiries. You have stuck with me through the bad, and I plan on taking you through some good soon. -Ryan Woodall

Sea Otter Expo

2008-04-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

I will go ahead and tell you right now, I don't have any pictures. I had my camera with me, but it was in my backpack and would have taken WAY too much effort to retrieve in the event that I felt a photo should have been taken. Yeah... About that... Anyways, there seems to be more people showing things off as opposed to two years ago. However, not nearly as much free stuff! Even stickers were hard to come by. Man, I brought home a load of stuff last time, I walked the whole expo today and the only thing of any value I was a bottle of Cytomax Sports Drink. What am I gonna do with that? I'll tell you what I did with it...I drank it! Of course, I hid it in my backpack until I got back to the hotel.

The funniest part of the whole thing is rolling around the expo area on a nice bike and wearing street clothes. NONE of the REAL pros EVER walk the expo area, right? That means I must be a beginner racer who just so happens to be spoiled by his wealthy parents. Hmmm... See where I'm going with this? No one would give me serious answers to my serious questions UNTIL we had talked long enough for them to know that I must be a pro. Then I could get the info I was looking for and scoot. Not all the sales reps were like this, but the large majority were.

My favorite part was telling those same people about Industry Nine wheels. Once they realized I wasn't a spoiled brat just wanting a free bike, they started asking me the questions... Nice wheels, where did you get them? Are those custom painted? Oh, Industry Nine, but who makes the hubs? (all serious questions asked by serious folk) Hahaha... I just wish I had been smart enough to bring some Industry Nine business cards to hand out. Then again, Jeff might have killed me. Rumor has it, they are a little busy. Hey man, just doing my job!

Well boys, its time for me to check out. I need my beauty sleep. There's a pageant tomorrow and I want that tiara! Good night and God Bless!

One cool drive!

2008-04-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

I can't say that I have driven every road in America. Not even close to it. However, I am certain that I have driven one of the most beautiful roads in America. This afternoon, I was blessed with the experience of driving the Pacific Coast Highway between Cambria and Monterey, CA. For those of you that have no idea what the road is like, picture a tight, twisty road through western North Carolina and put that along side the best beaches of Florida. Now, make the road about 500' above the water. Sounds cool, doesn't it? Ok, ok, I will show you some pictures...

I am pretty sure that my least favorite part about the drive was that the road was so tight that I couldn't stop to take pictures nearly as much as I would have liked. However, if those views aren't cool enough for you, let me throw some elephant seals in the picture...

My Grampa used to tell me, "Son, everyday when I came home from school, my daddy would ask me what I learned. If I didn't learn anything, I had better make something up fast!" Well, if someone asked me that same question today, I am pretty sure my answer would be something like this... "I have always been a 'let's just get there' type of guy. But today I realized the importance of slowing things down to enjoy the view. And what a view it was!"

Sea Otter or Bust!

2008-04-17T01:24:00.000-07:00

We are leaving in the morning!

I am in L.A. and have been staying with Jessica and Craig Kief, a couple from Florida that has been living here for about 8 years now...? They have been excellent hosts. Thank you!

In the morning, Luke and I will make the 6 hr journey north on the Pacific Coast Highway. I am stoked! I have driven a small portion of that highway before and it is awesome. Besides, Craig said I may get to see a sea lion. How cool is that?

Anyways, Sea Otter starts in the morning! The racing wont start until Friday, but the expo will be going on. As we all know, I am only going for the expo. Ok, so that's a lie, the food is where its at.

I have a short track race on Saturday and a cross-country race on Sunday. This format has worked well for me in the past, maybe this weekend will be good.

Well, folks, I am gonna leave it at that and try to bring you all some lovely photos of tomorrow's drive.

Those pictures that I promised...

2008-04-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

I'm just a Florida boy...partying in the dessert!

2008-04-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here I am. I am a few weeks late, but that is what they said when I was born. The times I have had to post, I just haven't had the mind to do so. Sounds retarded, but so am I, right?
Just to update you a little on what I have done, after the Fontana race, Luke and I stayed in Los Vegas for 3 days in a 2.5 star hotel for less than $38 a night...after taxes! During our stay, we rode to the Hoover Dam, walked "the strip" and I even upset a local road racer by asking him if he was doing the upcoming triathlon in the area. Hey, he was on a tt bike, I didn't know! The Hoover Dam was b-e-a-u-tiful and enormous! Downtown Vegas was cool for about 45 minutes and then everything started to look the same. It was neat to be there and see stuff that I have seen in movies, like the Bellagio, New York New York, and so on. I do know now why they call it Sin City.

After all this, I ended up back in Scottsdale, AZ. Luke and I were staying there with his cousin Travis, who took very good care of us, by the way. Thanks Travis! The race we were attending was the second round of the National Mountain Bike Series and was taking place in McDowell Mtn Park in Fountain Hills, AZ, about a 30 minute drive for us. The event was a stage race and consisted of 3 events: time-trial, short track and cross country. Based on my limited time-trial experience, I had high hopes for the weekend. I know I can do a good short track race and I love this cross country course.

Well, we started things off with the tt Friday afternoon. When I finished my run I knew I didn't win, but I was very confident I did well. I didn't have any mistakes and the guy behind me caught me but I got away from him before the finish. Solid, right? WRONG! Hahaha... I did bad!! I still don't know how I did so bad! Out of 80ish finishers, I was 37th! My worst result to date! Not very cool. I was bummed, really bummed. I was, however, very motivated for the stxc. Come Saturday afternoon, I had my mind right and my leg feeling good, I was ready to race. Before I tell you anymore, I want to say this: the stxc course was... horrible? I think that is the word I am looking for. Had it been reversed, I think it would have been ok, but the way they made us race spelled one word for me (and a lot of other unfortunate guys)... d.i.s.a.s.t.e.r! In stxc races, if you are about to get lapped, they pull you from the race. The first lap had about 3 show-stoppers! I mean, hard on the brakes, skidding sideways, trying not to hit or get hit. It was bad. I don't know for a fact, but I am going to assume that the leaders were finishing their first lap when I was still half way through it! Ok, now that I have a basic outline for you, let me fill it in with some bright colors... there were 90 guys that started our race! 90!! I thought I had it bad, but I was no worse that 50th once things got started. Basically, I worked my butt off whenever I could and moved myself into the 33rd (I think) position. I got pulled with 3 laps to go. I almost made it...

With two sub par performances in a 3-day weekend, I should be a little down, right? Apparently "Ryan" didn't show up because I still had high hopes for the xc race. I was confident that I could do well. When I woke up Sunday, I was a little unsure how my legs would feel on the 3rd day of intensity, but after a good warm-up, I was feeling great. For the second time in my "national" career, I got a great start! I was about 20th going into the single track. I think my extreme level of excitement over being able to see the leaders up in front of me was probably more of a hindrance than a boost. I was stoked! Of course, it didn't take long for gaps to form and the leaders to disappear...but they were there in the beginning!! We did 3 laps and after the first, I must have been about 16th or 17th. I was feeling great and still excited to be doing so well. During the second lap, I passed a few guys and made my way up to the 13th position. Heck yes! Starting the last lap, I was feeling good and ready for more. Unfortunately, so were all the guys in front of me. Except for one guy. He had a flat tire. I felt bad for him, he was about a mile from the finish and was trying to replace a tube. He could have run it in faster! Oh well, his loss was my gain and that put me in the 12th spot! My best xc result to date at a national level race.

I have been training pretty hard this past week, I am going to win Sea Otter! Ok, seriously, I have had some good training rides and I am very excited to see how Sea Otter will turn out.

With much regret, I have no pictures of any racing in Fountain Hills. However, I do have some from the first race for you. Well, it is bed time for me and I will leave you with this...Thanks to the Good Lord above us, Mom, Dad, Regan, Sara, Industry Nine, Powerbar, Bent's Cycling, About Bicycles, Santos Bike Shop, Mike Williams, Frank Myers, and everyone else that has lent a helping hand. Seriously, I couldn't have made it this far without you.

Thanks for reading and stare at these pics for a while...

Bad news, I can't get the darn program to work! I will post the pictures later...Sorry!

Holy cow! He did worse than I expected...

2008-03-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

Hello ladies and gentlemen! Sorry about the time lapse, but I haven't had internet service since my arrival in Fontana, CA. I am currently on someone else's computer so I will make this brief. I will, however, have good internet no later than Thursday so I will be able to share all the pictures and give you the fool story soon. Opps... I said "fool" when I meant to say full. My bad.

Okay, what I can give you so far is this...
In the XC race, I finished 25th. Not the greatest, but for a guy that couldn't get himself up the side of a mountain, 25th ain't too bad. I WILL explain more later.

As for the STXC, things went a little more in my direction. You see, all weekend I was able to go very well on the flats but had a lot of trouble going up hill. Well, the short track course was pretty flat with the exception to one small climb. Well, long story short, I finished 16th and was within the top 20 the whole race. I was up as far as 14th I know, but couldn't hold it.

Well, that is all I can give you for now, but like I said, I will have more for you for you later.

Thanks again for reading. Layta cuz!

Is it cactii, cacti or just plain cactus?

2008-03-26T21:31:00.000-07:00

I think I like Arizona... so far. I have enjoyed my stay here and am looking forward to coming back for the race next weekend. The weather has been great and I have had the best rides of the trip out here. By the way, the cactus are cool as heck!

Ok, so I have to tell you, I have been sick. I got sick the day we left Ocala. Sucks, huh? Well, part of being sick was getting a nasty cough with a bit of an infection. So here is the scenario... I am leaving town for 6 weeks, I am in good shape but need to get stronger, I am going to 3 of the biggest races in the nation... let's get sick! On top of that, why not hack up stuff every time you try to ride for the next 5 days! You better believe that I have been a little depressed. As a health update, I am doing a lot better, and I can say that with a smile. I am still not 100%, but getting closer.

Well, tomorrow we head to Fontana, CA for the first race. After riding today I am feeling much better about racing. I don't think it will be anything to be proud of, but I think I can set myself up well for the next weekend and so on.

That's all I got for now, but I'll be back soon. Happy trails!

Look out man!

2008-03-23T23:41:00.000-07:00

I was a little tired last night so I decided to leave ya'll hanging. The answer to the question that I know all of you have been wanting to ask is... No. No, as in "No, I did not fall in love with a Mexican girl while I was in the west Texas town of El Paso." For those of you that did not get that joke, you are uncultured and should go listen to some classic country music. Ok, I apologize for calling you uncultured, it was just my way of defending my lousy joke. Anyways, let's get back to the real story...

As a quick side note... is "you all" spelled "ya'll" or "y'all"? Spell check is going for the latter but I have always put the ' right slap in the middle. Now, back to the real story...

Luke and I rolled out of Kerrville, TX and headed straight for El Paso. Since we covered a lot of ground, we got to see quite a few things along the way.

After about 7 hours, we got to "the good trails" as the lady at a local shop referred to them. Well, she sure hasn't seen Florida single track! The landscape was beautiful but the trails themselves weren't all that fun.

After a nice little ride, we checked into the HoJo...hahaha...had we stayed anywhere else, I never would have said where. Either way, the HoJo had it going on for us so we crashed for the night, got up and hit the same AWESOME trails...again. Actually, this time around I thought they were a lot better...nah, just kidding.

After the ride we ate some BBQ and hit the road. El Paso was fun, but we needed to get moving. The drive from El Paso to Scottsdale was pretty tight. Believe it or not, we saw even more things to take pictures of...

After all that, we made it to Scottsdale, AZ and will be here for a few days before heading to Fontana, CA. That's all I got for now...

Dude, Texas is stinkin HUGE!!

2008-03-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

So, let me tell you about my stay in Houston. James and Shannon, a young missionary couple, who have lived there for a few years, opened their home to us as if we were family. They had food and beds prepared for us when we got there, let us sleep in, and then went so far as to make us breakfast the next morning. It was a wonderful experience and makes me want to be a better host as well. James, Shannon, thank you!

Well, we got a late start leaving Houston, since we were having so much fun, and we kinda ran out of time. We were going to ride at a state park in San Antonio, but they were locking up the gate as we rolled up. Do to the fact that we had no idea where we were at, Luke and I decided to park at a nearby college and ride out from there. With that in mind, why not take a quick tour of the school while we were at it? We did and this is what we saw...

After a little research, we found that tuition was so high that the majority of students could not afford tires for their vehicles. This particular case was of a man selling his tires just to buy the books he needed for the upcoming semester.

The funny part is that Luke and I didn't escape unscathed either. Just for inquiring at the main office about tuition costs, it was insisted that we give up the jerseys off our backs. At least they gave us some cool kazoos.

After our interesting encounter at the school, we drove another little bit and are bedding down in a place called Kerrville. Tomorrow should be great. We are gonna be stopping in El Paso to do some bicycle riding and some tent camping. Yippee! Well, that's all I got for now, but I'll keep you updated.

Thanks for reading!

Sittin' in Houston...

2008-03-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

After getting a late start out of Tallahassee, we finally rolled into Houston, TX at midnight Thursday night. When I got up this morning I didn't feel very good and as soon as we got in the van, I was done for! Almost the entire trip, I had the seat leaned back with my feet propped up, just knowing that I was about to die at any moment. Unfortunately for Luke, he had to drive the majority of the way here. I did step up in the end and drive the last 75 miles or so. I was surprised I was even able to do that. All day, anytime we made a stop, I didn't go any farther than necessary. At one stop, I never even got out of the van! I don't know what was wrong with me, but my body just was not happy. Well, long story short, at our last fuel stop before our destination in Houston, I waddled into the bathroom to take a leak and somehow I felt better. After being out of the van for a few minutes, forcing myself to move, I began to feel a little more human. As for my condition now, well, I still have a bit of a headache but I am feeling worlds better than earlier today. Unfortunately, I don't have any cool pictures from today since I spent most of the day drooling on myself. However, I will try to make up for it tomorrow.

One final note before I checkout for the night: If you are sick to your stomach, don't drive down I-10 through Louisiana. ROUGH, oh man is it rough!

Cali or bust!

2008-03-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

For those of you that I have yet to inform, I just started a 6 week road trip to the west coast and back with my good buddy Luke Rozanski. What for, you may ask. To race my mountain bicycle of coarse! The first 2 stops are the first 2 events of the National Mountain Bike Series. Fontana, CA and Fountain Hills, AZ, respectively. We will then conclude our west coast tour with the Sea Otter Classic. Are we excited? You betcha! We haven't slept for a week!

Where am I now? Tallahassee, FL. After taking all day to pack and be sure we had all the necessities, we drove to up to Tally for the first night, where we were met with some of the best black beans and rice I have ever eatin! Prepared by none other than Luke's girlfriend, Lani. She felt so bad for us that she even packed the leftovers!

In the morning we are headed to Houston, TX, where we will meet up with a family that has offered us a place to stay for the night. After that claimed 11hr drive, I am sure we will need the rest.

Speaking of rest, I really need some. It is late and I am tired, but I will do my best to keep you updated and I will try to remember to take pictures to share.

Speaking of pictures, here is a (very partial to me) picture of us on the road today.

Let's get this party started!

2008-03-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot has changed since my last post. I am one year older. I have lost one more race. Sad as it is, I also lost a dearly loved Grandfather.

To get the tears out of the way early, My Dad's Dad passed away at 8 o'clock Sunday morning. He lived a long life and we had been expecting to hear the news at any moment but I never thought I would get the call as I was driving to a bike race. That's one heck of a way to start the season, wouldn't you say?

Grandpa always wanted to hear about my races and loved to hear about my victories. "Hey! I wanna see a first place, Son!" My Grandpa never let me leave for a race without letting me know that he wanted to see me win. I think he got more enjoyment out of my gold medals than I did. With all that was going on, I was determined that I wasn't going to let anything get in my head and mess with my race. If anything, it was going to strengthen me. In the end, I think it helped. In the final stages of the race, when I was tired and hurting, "do it for Grandpa" was running through my head.

When the race was over, did I win? Nope. Did I give up? Never crossed my mind! Between dropping a bottle immediately after a feed and crashing hard enough to turn my handlebars sideways, all the way down to the flat tire, I had plenty of time to get discouraged. I went from leading at the halfway point to sixth place and minutes out of the lead shortly thereafter. I never lost hope. Even in the last few minutes of the race, I was determined that if I pushed hard enough, I could regain all the ground I lost. Turns out, I was a third placer and could muster anything better.

To be honest, I was so thrilled at how well I felt I was riding that it didn't even bother me that I didn't in. Heck, I still got to stand on the podium!

I want to say thank you to everyone that helped get me together for the new season: Steve Bent and the whole Team Bent's crew, About Bicycles, Industry Nine Components, Powerbar, Drew Edsall of EnduranceFactor.com, Mom, Dad, Regan and the many others that pitched in. Thank you for all your support!

So much news...so little time!

2008-02-22T17:19:00.000-08:00

I really do have a lot to share with you. Unfortunately, I have been so busy this week that I haven't had the chance to tell my stories! So, aside from dang near going crazy at work this week, I am pretty stinkin' happy right now. Just what could be so exciting? Well, I will start in the beginning.

Why I am happy part one:
Saturday was the 12hrs of Santos, a National Ultra-Endurance Calendar event put on by GoneRiding, Inc. Set on winning the race, I picked an all-star cast to compete in the Pro/Expert Team class. With Robert McCarty, Trent Maddox, Regan Woodall and myself, I was pretty sure we had a good shot at winning. Aside from my lackluster performance, we managed to have a 20+ minute lead at the end of the 12hrs.

Why I am happy part two:
When I woke up Sunday morning, I turned on my computer, checked my email and found out that I was accepted into a Powerbar sponsorship program called Powerbar Team Elite. It is a wicked cool setup that gives athletes an allowance to purchase Powerbar products and offers extra incentives to those that promote Powerbar.

Why I am happy part three:
I am going to ASHEVILLE!!! I am leaving in the morning and will be coming home on Wednesday. I will have three full days to ride and chill at the Industry Nine factory. How boss is that? After this past week, I am greatly in need of a vacation and with the season rapidly approaching, I am in dire need of some "oh my gosh! I think I am going to die!" training. Hopefully, I will have plenty of free time to sit back and post up some cool pics of me doing some cool stuff with some cool people while hangin' out on some cool trails.

Well, ya'll have a goodin' an thank ya fer readin'!

Hey dude! Wanna ride your bike for 6 hours?

2008-01-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I started of my 2008 season with a 6hr race in Lakeland, FL. I had a blast and I am happy to report that I won. I mentioned in my last post that I would do my best to bring back good news, well there you have it. Aside from the thrills of victory, I am more than pleased to say that I was in exceptional form. Don't get me wrong, I am not talking about "I was in such great shape that I may have peaked too early." I meant it more along the lines of "I am feeling great! This is a super start for the up-coming races." Yes, the latter fits the bill. I have never felt so good in a 6hr race...ever! Maybe it was the lack of icecream. Or the lack of beer for that matter. I havent had either since the turn of the new year. However, I think it is a result of maturity, both physically and mentally. I have set my goals high and I am making the neccesary sacrifices. I love what I am doing and I pray the Lord allows me to make a carreer out of this. Okay, so its late and I am starting to ramble a little bit. Either way, the point is, I feel as though I am on a good path right now.

I will try to get some pictures together from the race and post 'em up here. Until next time... Take care and God bless!

2008 is here and the racing is soon to follow.

2008-01-25T22:23:00.000-08:00

It has been a good year so far. All three and a half weeks of. I have been spending a lot of time on the bike and I am really enjoying it. All my riding has been at a fairly easy pace, just trying to put time in my legs. I am doing a 6hr race this weekend and that will be my first hard effort of the year. Once I have finished recovering from that race, I will begin to step up the intensity. Man, just talking about it has my heart rate up! I am really excited about this year. I have high hopes. VERY high hopes, for that matter. Things aren't the way I envisioned them to be 6 months ago, but I am here and breathing and I can't complain. Heck, I even have a bike that works with a beautiful set of Industry Nine wheels on it.

But seriously, I think that 2008 is going to be a good year. I will let you know how this weekend's race goes and hopefully I will be bringing good news.

Since I know that you have a load of free time, go check out woodallbrosracing.com
Regan and I... mostly Regan... actually Regan is doing all the work... but either way, Regan has been doing a lot to the website and we are currently (I am actually helping this part) in the process of drawing up a new site. New look, new picks, updated sponsors and all. If you happen to be interested, I have my 2008 race schedule posted under my page on the site.

Well, it is time to sleep so that is what I am going to do. Ya'll have a good one and I'll talk with ya soon.

HEY... Count me in!

2007-12-26T22:24:00.000-08:00

So, tomorrow is inventory day at work. What does that mean? We will be closed! YES! But wait... there's a catch. I still have to "work" tomorrow, it just wont be on bikes. Instead, I get the glorious job of counting every stinkin' item in the store, including those that don't stink. Although it could easily be seen as a break from the monotony, and although I did rather well in math class, I just don't enjoy counting things...for 9 hours. It wasn't much fun last year and I don't perceive it to be much better this year. However, I will try to look on the bright side and realize that I will get free lunch tomorrow. And to think, I was always taught that there was no such thing as a "free lunch". Hmmm...

Tis The Off-Season!

2007-12-24T21:18:00.000-08:00

That's correct! What have I done so far? Not as much as I had planned. I intended to do a lot of running during my down time, however, my super-intense, highly-sophisticated, dirt jump/free ride bike has gotten in the way. I have had a blast airing out some jumps and launching off a few drops. It has been fun and it isn't over yet. However, that isn't my best achievement as of late. I have been taking a lot of time to talk to various persons that I know and can go to when I have questions and they have inspired me. I have known what I wanted to do next year ever since this year started. I wanted to win big races. Unfortunately, it wasn't until these last few days that I knew a little more about how I was going to do that. I have been saying that I am going to leave home for a while now. Obviously, I haven't yet. Well, I haven't gotten everything set in stone yet, but my plan is to move to California for a few months this Spring. If it works out, I may stay. Either way, there are 4 big races in the general area of SoCal from mid March to early May. I need to be at those races, no questions asked.

So, I spoke of inspiration. Well, I want to be good, right? Do any of you have any idea how much I LOVE ice cream? Ha ha, brace yourself, suckers... I gave it up! No joke! I have gone almost 2 weeks without eating any. Regan came home with some yesterday and I locked at it once and all I said was "SICK!" So, that doesn't sound like too big of a deal to most of you, but either way, it is huge to me.

I have pretty much decided that I will do good in 2008. I understand that there will be sacrifices and that's okay with me. As long as I am doing my very best with what God has given me, how can I be upset or discontent with that?

Hey, it's Christmas Eve. Let's have some fun! I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

He's back...

2007-12-13T21:33:00.000-08:00

On top! Yes, the hard work paid off. I knew from the start that it wasn't going to be easy. I don't know if it was nerves or what, but my legs were kind of numb for the first half of the race. I felt no pain, but it was like I lacked the ability to hammer. The second half of the race was different. I was able to feel some pain, but I felt as though there were no limits to how hard I could push. I felt as though I could continue accelerating until I ran out of space and needed to slow down.

Come race day, the weather was perfect with clear skies above us. My mom and sister were present to cheer me on, and with my buddy, Mike, on the video camera, I knew I had to perform. The race was 4 laps and we averaged just over 26 minute laps. I got the hole shot and set a fast pace from the start. Half way through the first lap, Victor decided he wanted to go faster. He passed me... and then he took off! I hadn't been riding well since the start and I knew something needed to change as I saw Victor slowly roll away. I was wearing a pair of glasses that I had been wearing for the last few weeks and they never bothered me. I don't know exactly why they weren't working for me, but I ditched the glasses at the finish of the first lap and things got exponentially better. I was back on Victor's wheel as we began or second lap and right away, I knew I had solved the problem. Over the next 2 laps we played a rather aggressive game of follow the leader.

During our third lap I noticed that Victor's responses to my attacks started getting weaker. After I would attack, he wouldn't always get right back on my wheel. In my mind, that meant one of two things. Either he is on to my game and doesn't want to play with me, or he is just too tired to play the game he started. Well, as fate would have it, we didn't get to find out. At the very end of the third lap, a "bad line" caused my opponent to fall just out of sight of my rear tire. Over the next lap, I managed to tack on another 30 seconds to my lead and stroll through the finish line as the state champ. It really was a great race and I sure had a blast duking it out with the guy who started out as me teammate and turned into my on track rival.

Once the racing was done and the medals were handed out, it was time to clean up and head to the post-series awards banquet. This is where a bunch of mountain bikers come together to party and where the overall series winners receive their goodies. As always, it was a great time. Aside from winning the state championship, I received an award that I feel tops them all. I am the 2007 Male Rider of the Year. How cool is that? That one really made my day.

Well, as far is racing goes, 2007 is over. The year had its ups and its downs, but in the end, I am still smiling and I can only be thankful. Speaking of thanks, why don't I go ahead and start.

I often see myself crossing the finish line in first place, winning the gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, but one thing I don't is how I am going to get there. I know that God is in control and if I am supposed to make it there, I will. I am very thankful for all the support I have received so far, and I am hopeful that it will continue to grow next year. I have been blessed and would like to say thank you to all of you that lent me a hand anywhere along the way. Here is an abbreviated list of the people that dramatically affected my 2007...

Mom and Dad, Regan Woodall, Scott Cugno, Kent Lofton, Robert Bounds, Steve Bent, Ricky Knight, Trent Maddox, Dave and Terri Berger, Brian "Chewy" Balick, Fred Hewitt, Ryan Trebon, Luke Rozanski, Dr. Ron Rozanski, Frank Meyers, Robert McCarty, Mike Williams, Anthony Hutton & Oscar Camacho. I am sure that I am missing a few names and I apologize.

On a slightly different note, I would like to thank my 2007 sponsors: Industry Nine Components, Titus Cycles, About Bicycles & Premier Mortgage Funding.

Lame!

2007-12-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

What else can I say? That one word describes quite perfectly what this blog has become. Can I fix that? Well, I have fixed countless bikes, cars and go-karts. Heck, I even fixed a mechanical pencil or two! The unfortunate side to "un-laming" a blog is that it already has a bad reputation. Bummer.

When I made my last post I added a hit counter for the page. I was curious if anyone really looked at my blog. Now, I know that "looking" and "reading" are two different things, but HOLY COW! I was blown away when I saw the numbers. It was something like 500 when I logged about 10 minutes ago. That makes me sad. It was anticipated over 500 times that would entertain an individual with a sub-par joke or a crack at myself for finishing second in a race. Dang, I never would have guessed. Now it makes me wonder, what was everyone wanting to read about? My jokes or lousy performances?

An hour later:
I spent the last hour deep in thought, mulling over the previously proposed question. What came of it? I have an intense head-ache and a premature bald spot due to scratching the right side of my head.

January 3rd, 2007 I began training for the upcoming race season. I raced and trained straight through the end of August. From the beginning of September until November 25th, I had been steadily falling off. Cutting back on my training and time on the bike had been part of my plan. Well, plans changed. I don't like getting beat and I have gotten my butt whipped for three straight races! There is one race left. Just one race and I can cut out all intensity for a month if I so desire. With two weeks to go until the last race, I stepped things back up. WAY UP! A week later, now one week to go, I have already logged close to 13 hours of high intensity work. The funny part is that I did it all in 5 days. Back to back 3 hour days followed by a rest day and then another set of 3 hour days. What a way to end the season, huh?

Well, that's all I have for now. I promise to get back on here soon. Thanks for reading. Happy trails!

Let me guess, he is gonna use the "no wifi" excuse again...

2007-11-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

Nope, no excuses. With my new work schedule, I have been busy trying to find time to ride and accomplish all the extras like blogging. Now with the time change, I think I am going to have to give up riding altogether. Man, I used to get all the time I needed to train. Now all I get is one day a week. You can't win expert races by training one day a week. Never the less, I will continue to show up to the remaining three races, all the while crossing my fingers that I can pull off strong enough finishes to take home another state tittle.

It has been a while since my last post, and I apologize, so let me update you on the last two races.

Let's start with the race at Haile's Trails, Newberry, Florida. Awesome trail, one of my favorite race courses. The track it based around a few old rock quarries, two of which you actually ride down into. The race loop is always between five and six miles long and it is super fast! With a strong line up in the Pro/Expert field, I had a feeling it was going to be a fun race. Was I right? You betcha! It was for me anyway. Right off the start it was attack after attack for the first half of the race. The second half was only different in that the attacks were thrown with a little less enthusiasm. With three of us off the front and a hard charging Bob McCarty a mear thirty seconds behind, the last lap wasn't looking too pretty. What have I learned about ugly situations in racing? Attack. So, I did. And what was the outcome? I was able to ditch my two partners and maintain my thirty second lead over Mr. McCarty.

Ok, so you heard about my victorious race at Haile's Trails, so now it's time to hear about my, oh how to put it, not so victorious race at Alafia River State Park. I know what your thinking. OH MY GOSH!! RYAN LOST A RACE!?! ....What? That isn't what you were thinking? Well, now I feel like an idiot for even pretending to be able to read minds. Either way, here is my story and I am sticking to it.
Lap one, Ryan gets a bad start (go figure) but makes it up to third by the end of the lap. Lap two, Ryan attacks, just testing the waters and realizes (unfortunately) that the current is still rather strong. Lap three, Ryan is passed (no big deal) and rides the wheel of a local guy (Kevin Hoffman). Lap four, Ryan passes the local guy back but is then passed by another local guy (Drew Edsall) and Ryan's teammate (Victor Alber), only to realize the he can't hold their pace down a particular trail (oh boy, this isn't good) and is forced to make up a lot of ground in a short time. Finish of lap four, Ryan wasn't able to make up all the time he lost (ouch, his pride is hurt) and rolls through the finish line in second place, .06 of a minute behind Victor.

Was that confusing? Good. You know, someone asked me after the race, and I can't remember who it was, if I was upset about losing. Heck no! Why should I be? I gave all I had to give and it just wasn't enough. Props to Victor for out racing me, just watch out in Miami, buddy! Hehehe.

Now, for the topic I really wanted to talk about... Razorback. As most of you know, Razorback is closed. This past weekend was the final farewell party. I guess it really is true that you just don't know what you have until it's gone. Man, I really miss that place already. If you weren't at the party Saturday night, you missed one heck of a good time. Even though most of the stories we share will be about that night and the fun we had, what I will remember most was my last ride on Sunday afternoon. I went out for a fun lap Sunday morning and did my best to pretend that I would see plenty more of the trails I was riding. All the while, in the back of my mind was the lap I had planned to take later on that day. The lap that would be my last. That lap came, to my dismay, at 12:30pm. About thirty of the best riders in the state showed up. Led by Rodney Reber, the King of Razorback, I felt honored to follow along as second in command. That lap was amazing. If I spoke at all, I didn't do it consciously. My mind was in a million different places. Every root, tree, rock, curve, bump... heck, everything I saw along the way reminded me of past races. I was reminded of victories and defeats, fears I had overcome and fears that still haunted me, the fun I had riding down the hills and the pain I endured climbing back up. When that lap was finished, so was I. I was exhausted, both emotionally and physically.

After a few hours into my pity-party, my mood did a 180. Instead of feeling homeless and lost, I got a new since of pride. I was one of the lucky ones. I was fortunate enough to have known and loved Razorback. I was there when it was at its prime. For any of the new riders that come along, Razorback is nothing more than a legend that the "old guys" talk about. At the tender age of 22, I consider myself privileged be one of the "old guys".

You mean we have to SWIM!?!

2007-10-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you raced across a lake...ON YOUR BICYCLE!?! Okay, so it wasn't that bad. In fact, I didn't think it was bad at all. Sure, we had to run through some water holes, and most of us lost our rear brakes by the second lap. BUT! The adventure was unforgettable. If it wasn't for the race, none of us would have even considered riding down those...streams. Instead, we all put on our best gear, got on our best bikes and rode right through that stuff without hesitation. It is flat out CRAZY what competition will make guys do. For the lack of anything clever to say and the strong desire to just sleep, I am going to leave you with this: I had a lot of fun this past weekend. Racing with Martin Cox and Victor Alber was a total riot, in a good way. Thank you to all that helped make this race happen, and thank you to all that helped make my race victorious.

Team About Bicycle Stats:

Ryan Woodall: 1st 19/29 Ex/Pro

Victor Alber: 3rd 19/29 Ex/Pro

Regan Woodall: 8th 19/29 Ex/Pro

Kent Lofton: 3rd 40/49 Expert

Anthony Hutton: 4th 19/29 Sport

For those of you that don't read (I don't blame you) but would rather just look at the pictures...

Myself, followed closely by Victor and Martin. After an awful start, I was just about to finalize my charge to the front.

I had just gotten rid of those two stragglers. My intentions were to ride the last lap by myself. Martin caught me shortly after this picture was taken.

Martin thought I was kidding when I said I wanted to finish alone. So, I ran my butt off. No joke, I had to go back and find it after the race.

From left to right: Bob McCarty, Martin Cox, me, and Victor Alber.

Going through changes...

2007-10-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

Due to popular recommendation, I decided to swap out my tires for this weekends race. I have fresh rubber on my bike now. I haven't gotten rid of the old ones yet. They are special to me. Why? I don't know why. Nevertheless, the new tires I will be using are holding air very well. Let's hope this continues throughout the weekend!

Just out of curiosity, was I the only guy to use the wet weather as an excuse for a rest week? I am? Oh...well I was just kidding. I trained really hard ALL week. Or not. After my failed attempt to race this past Sunday, I was really bummed. I had planned on riding hard on Monday to make up for the lack of racing. Well, it rained. That has continued pretty much all week. Today was my first day back on the bike. It felt really good. I missed my bike. My legs were a little tight at first, but after an hour and a half of riding, I feel ready for this weekend. Now all I have to do is keep my bike together. Hmmm... That sounds so simple. Good luck to all who will be racing this weekend. Hannah Park is about to become a war zone!

Holy Crap! Are you serious?

2007-10-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

How do you get a flat while sitting on the starting line, just before a race? Well, the employees here at TLR set out on a mission to find the answer. After questioning a little more than two hundred people, we found that there was one man we needed to talk to. That just so happened to be our editor, who doubles as a cross-country racer, Ryan Woodall. After sitting down and talking with Ryan for the better half of our lunch break, we realized that Ryan is no stranger to "start-line mishaps". Looking back on a recent race in Georgia, he recalls shearing his chainrings right off the cranks. "I was in the process of producing the most powerful pedal stroke ever. I knew it was a bad idea, but I just couldn't resist, knowing that power like that doesn't come every day," says Ryan, kicked back in an easy chair with a smile on his face.

After listening to the infamous "crankset story" three times through, all in full detail, the staff finally managed to pull Ryan off the subject he seemed to love so much and onto the subject the rest of us cared to talk about. We wanted to know how Ryan got his highly-questioned starting line flat. Well, Ryan doesn't seem to have any hard evidence to prove anything yet, but he has filed a lawsuit against a certain yard gnome. The story Ryan told us was shocking, and now we are passing it straight to you...

"It all started at about 9 AM, Sunday morning. I was going over the pre-race checklist for the second time, just about to leave the car and something touched my left calf. When I looked back to see what was on my leg, I ...I saw a little...man. He was about twelve inches tall and was wearing a pointy red hat. My surprise must have been painted on my face because his first words were, 'sorry to startle you, sir.' As I stood there speechless, he continued, 'I am here to watch the start of the race. Could you please point me in the direction of the starting line?' Still unable to speak, I slowly raised my arm and pointed it out for him. Eager to continue the conversation, he began to tell how he has followed mountain bike racing in Florida for the past two years. He said he has always been loyal to the underdogs and the little guys. He also mentioned that he was on a mission today. He was finally going to step up and do something for the sport he loved. He then thanked me for giving him directions and waved goodbye. Confused and unsure of what just happened, I turned around, got on my bike and rode away to begin my warm-up.

After warming up, I picked my place among the mass of people eager to start their races and I saw him again. This time I knew it was real. He was up in the bushes about ten yards from me. He was holding something that looked like a telescope. I wasn't sure what it was, but I figured it was no big deal. It wasn't until Dave gave us the fifteen seconds call that I knew there was going to be problems. That dang yard gnome shot a blow-dart at me! I was able to dodge the first one, but he must've had rapidfire on that thing 'cause he shot the second one so fast that I couldn't escape it. He got me in the rear tire. It was immediately after the lethal shot was fired that the race whistle blew. I knew my tire wasn't going to last long, but sure didn't expect it to go flat instantly. Unfortunately for me, that little guy took me out of contention and forced me to walk for the next two hours. All I can say is, if I see that yard gnome again, there's no telling what I might do."

There you have it folks, straight from the mouth of Ryan Woodall. You can be sure, if we find out any more about Ryan's lawsuit, we will be the first to let you know.

This has been a TLR production. Written and edited by Ryan Woodall.
Disclaimer: This fable was in no way intended to offend gnomes, yard gnomes, little guys, underdogs, persons that like to wear pointy red hats nor men that either are or are about twelve inches tall.

Team About Bicycle results:
Ryan Woodall: 14th place 19-29 Expert/Pro
Victor Alber: 2nd place 19-29 Expert/Pro
Regan Woodall: 9th place 19-29 Expert/Pro
Anthony Hutton: 14th place 19-29 Sport
Kent Lofton: absent

If you look closely, just over Ryan's right shoulder, you will see the "little guy" that is responsible for all this.

Just a few pictures from the weekend...

2007-09-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Team About Bicycles: Kent Lofton, Anthony Hutton, Regan Woodall and Ryan Woodall

(Victor Alber not shown)
About Bicycles takes 1st and 3rd in the Individual Time Trial.

They followed up the next day with a 1st and 2nd in the Cross-Country!

The party has started!

2007-09-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

A drop of sweat runs down your brow, and you wipe it just before it stings your left eye. Your heart rate has jumped from zone three to zone four in two seconds flat. As we speak, your legs grow increasingly weak. You feel sick to your stomach. Your shoulders down, and chin up, bystanders know you mean business. But, in your mind, you set all this aside and focus all your energy on the target ahead. You just received the fifteen second warning. You are about to start round one of the Florida State Championship Series.

Tom Brown Park, Tallahassee, Florida. That's were it all went down. The weather was beautiful all weekend which made for a great individual time trial Saturday afternoon and cross-country race Sunday morning. The time trial started at 5pm and, starting with experts, riders took off in one minute intervals. As last years series winner, I was given first pic for starting position. Knowing that I had over a hundred racers gunning to beat my time, I decided to step up to the plate and go first. Going first sounds good, but the only advantage is having a clean trail ahead of you. As I have learned from experience, it is always easier to chase someone than run from someone. Regardless, I was determined to do my best and hope it would be good enough. I am happy to inform you that it was, in fact, good enough. I beat out a hard charging Bob McCarty by a mere 15 seconds to take the top spot.

We woke up Sunday morning to a beautiful blue sky and I knew right away that... it wasn't going to rain! From as far back as I can remember, I have loved this race course. Knowing that, I couldn't help but smile as I sat on the starting line. There were at least twenty guys in my class and the start of this race can get kind of sketchy at times. I was a little nervous knowing that I needed to be near the front to stay out of trouble. Well, I took care of that by merging into second place, ahead of all the crazies that like to push and shove.

Once the race got started, it was really rather simple. I was part of a four man breakaway that happened just a few miles in. About a quarter of the way through the race, one guy crashed and another flatted, both within about a hundred yards of each other. That left two of us out in front: myself and a teammate. Of course, we worked together and solidified our lead over third. It wasn't until the last lap that things got interesting. I wanted to go a little faster, but I wanted to stay and help a teammate as well. Guess what? It ain't road racin' so I told him "good luck" and I attacked! I knew he would be fine, so I wasn't worried. I felt really good and it was great to start of the series with a win.

I will be racing the FSCS for About Bicycles, out of Orange Park, Florida. There are five guys on the team and I will try to keep you all updated on how we do throughout the series. The racers are....
Kent Lofton (owner of About Bicycles) finished 1st in the 40-49 Expert.
Ryan Woodall (me) finished 1st in 19-29 Expert/Pro.
Victor Alber finished 2nd in 19-29 Expert/Pro.
Regan Woodall (my little brother) finished 6th in 19-29 Expert/Pro.
Anthony Hutton finished 9th in 19-29 Sport.

I would like say thank you to Kent and Beth Lofton for all their support. Thanks to Industry Nine for the great wheels that just helped me to another victory. Thank you Mom and Dad for your continued love and support. The post race phone calls are my favorite. Last but not least, I would like to say thank you to the Florida mountain bike community. You all are the greatest!

Do rhinos hibernate?

2007-09-07T22:18:00.001-07:00

I am not sure. However, I know that Ryno does...and that is exactly where I was, hibernating. After that long trip on the road, I need a break. I just had to stop. I wasn't having fun. I didn't want to ride. I would come home from work and not even look at my bikes as I passed through the garage. They just didn't appeal to me anymore. Nothing did, for that matter. What did I do about it? Not much. I knew I needed some time off, so I took it. In the first two weeks following my return home, I think I rode about two times. That is a one to one ratio of rides to weeks. Not very good for the Pro status. Or was it? After about the third week, I started to ride more often, regaining some of the lost enjoyment for riding. However, it wasn't until about two weeks ago that it all came back to me. I woke up one morning and instead of starting my day off with the traditional bowl of cereal, I went into my garage and just looked at my bikes. But! One in particular seemed to draw my attention as I walked towards them. It was my single speed. Those that have seen it know, it is a "bucket-bike." Not much to look at but I was drawn to it none the less. After a few minutes, I returned to the cupboard to retrieve my bowl and spoon, poured my cereal and continued on to work. Somehow I knew that day was going to be special. Unlike the last month, I didn't feel pointless. All of a sudden, work was no big deal. After all, I was going to GET to ride my mountain bike. I didn't HAVE to, I WANTED to. Have you ever had on of those rides that were so perfect you just wanted to cry? It was going so well that you didn't know what to do other than just tear up and smile? It was a good thing I was by myself or somebody would have thought I was crazy. I had one of my most enjoyable rides ever. In fact it was so good that I went back to the trails and rode my ugly-green-steel-hardtail-single-speed for the next three days in a row. Since then, I haven't been able to walk through my garage without pausing to look at my bikes and thank God for the passion He has given me for such a beautiful sport. Happy Trails! God Bless!

The battle for wireless continues...

2007-07-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

So, where was I? Oh yeah, the short track race. Man, it happened so long ago that I nearly forgot.

What is a short track race? As a pro, it is 25 minutes of hell. The race starts with 20 minutes on the clock. When time runs out, an official pulls out lap cards to inform you there are 3 laps to go and then 2, then 1. If, at any point in the race, a racer is in jeopardy of being lapped by the lead rider, the slower rider is pulled from the race.

The race started at 5:45 Sunday afternoon. The weather was beautiful. The sky was clear, the race course was in excellent shape, and I was ready for revenge. I had a good warm-up and was determined to make something good of this race. I had a lot to prove, to myself and to my competitors.

Once the race stated, I went straight to my mean face. I didn't have time to smile or even think about having fun. I was out there for one thing and one thing only... redemption. Do not be fooled, however, I am not talking about spiritual redemption. What I am speaking of concerns only the mind. Basically, my ego was busted and needed to be fixed. Did I get the restoration I was looking for? In a round about way, yes. I had a strong performance. I bested some strong competitors. I also finished in the top 20, 19th to be exact. The humbling side of this? I was pulled from the race at the 15 minute mark. Wow. And I thought I was fast. I was the last man in a string of 5 when we were yanked from the race, so I was really close to a top 15. That would have been great but it didn't happen.

For those of you that are keeping close watch of my journey, tracking my every move on your Ryno Tracker 3000, you should see me heading south tomorrow morning. I will be heading out of Virginia, crossing into North Carolina and searching for a motel room within a 100 mile radius of the Sugar Mtn. race course. Assuming I find one with wireless internet, you will hear updates about my weekend. If, however, I "disappear" for a few days, do not be afraid, I will be back with more hilarious race updates when I return home. Thanks and good night.

REALLY!?! You have wireless internet?

2007-07-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

I have been on the road with my family for a week now. Doing our best to keep the cost as low as possible, we have skipped most of the hotels with the advertised "FREE WIFI". Well, this post is proof that we finally found a cheap one! So, I have been on the road for a week now and you are probably wanting to know where I have been, right? Racin', what else?

First stop, Anniston, AL. This was the final race of the Southeast Regional Championships. The stop was mainly for my brother. He was leading the series in the 19-29 Sport class. To keep things simple, he finished second in the race and won the overall series. Congrats Regan!

I was unsure about entering the race. I love to race my bike, but I was afraid I would get too wrapped up in my competitiveness and deplete myself for the National Championships in Vermont (which is where I am writing from). About an hour before the race, I made my decision and decided to race. I did my best to conserve and painfully watched the first and second place riders roll away from me. I managed to cross the finish line with a solid third place finish, picking up some gas money and still saving myself for the next weekend.

Second stop, West Dover, Vermont, also referred to as "The Nationals". Our racing began today with Regan taking off at 11 o'clock. Basically, he went out there and took care of business. He won the 19-24 Sport Girls...uhh...I mean Men by a comfortable, yet unconfirmed one to two minute gap. After a little break, I hit the trail at 5 o'clock. Okay, this is where it gets messy. Well, the trail was nasty so everyone was messy, but my race stunk. Last time I checked, I was ranked forth place in the U23 national standings. Why wasn't I the forth person to get called to the starting line? I still don't know. Instead I was in the third row and right behind a crash. Oh yeah. I had to stop and watch my "competition" roll away from me...far away from me.
Normally, hitting the woods in twentieth place is no problem. However, when "hitting the woods" means "jump off and run through mud" ....twentieth is baaaaaad. I tried to do better, but starts just aren't my strength.

I was set to do four, five mile laps. The lap starts with climbing and ends with a gnarly decent.
Well, finishing lap one, I was about fourteenth place. Near the end of the second lap, I was in eleventh, really close to breaking the top ten. Then I crashed. Oh boy was it a good one. At the bottom of the downhill I face planted...HARD...right in the middle of ankle deep slop. It was nasty. I hit hard on my head and left shoulder. Aside from the fact the I had a splitting headache and I thought I had a broken shoulder, I looked like the swamp thing! I was covered. It took me about thirty seconds to get back on the bike and heading down the trail, and it took me another fifteen minutes to gather my senses and get back to racing hard. Due to the crash, I lost one position and total sight of the top ten. I suffered through the third lap, trying not to lose ground but trying to find the rhythm had earlier in the race. Just before the finish of the third lap, I managed to regain the eleventh position and caught a glimpse of tenth place about a minute ahead.

When I crossed the line to start my final lap I wanted to cry knowing that my hopes of a podium finish were nothing more than dreams. But, the race wasn't over and there was a lot more suffering left to do. Though a podium spot was out the window, I was not willing to walk away with anything outside the top ten. So...I let out a good yell and punished myself. I slowly brought back my tenth place man, and in the process knocked of another two guys.

Yes, I finished eighth with a muddy bike, cracked helmet and bruised shoulder. Oh, and sore legs. The most depressing part about the race had to be walking to my car knowing that the guy who just finished third had never beaten me until now. Seriously, not even at my lousy race in Fontana, CA. The funny part is that they think they got me. Hahaha...I have a short track race on Sunday. Oh yeah baby, I will be looking for revenge.

Pictures from Haiti. Sounds boring, but it's not...

2007-07-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

So, I said I would post some pictures. Well, I found out that it's a lot easier than I suspected. In fact, there is a button that looks like a picture. Click on it and BAM! You are on your way.

Here are a few random pictures from my trip. Hope you enjoy. Oh yeah, feel free to laugh if you feel the urge.

Out for a ride on the motos.

Cookin' some steaks.

This has been my playground for the last 10 days.

Yup, I still don't know what I am doing yet.

Wait...you think "Euro-style" is a good thing?

2007-07-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I am half way through my two week stay in Haiti. When I originally made plans for the visit, I had some things I wanted to accomplish: a) become a better climber, b) spend some time in the altitude and c) slim down just a little. You want an update? So far, so good. I rode for two and a half hours today, with no more than 30 minutes spent going down hill. The entire ride, I never dropped below 4,000 feet and was up as high 6,000 feet. How was my breathing? Well, not bad for a Florida boy. As for my weight, I have been doing things "Euro-style". Rumor has it, the European racers keep their weight low by riding in the mornings before eating breakfast and not eating much until lunch. True? I have no idea, but I did hear from someone. That's what makes it a rumor, right? Either way, that is basically what I have been doing. Not exactly, but close enough. When I left Ocala, I was no less than 148 pounds. I weighed in this morning after my ride, with a full belly of Gatorade and tipped the scales at 139 pounds. I may have been home schooled, but I am pretty sure that is 9 pounds. To sum things up, I think I am as ready as ever for Nationals. If this next week goes as good as the first, it might get scary. Truth be known, I am probably slower than ever. Oh well. I feel good and that is what counts, right?

On a totally different note, my dad taught me how to weld yesterday. Yeah buddy. Now that's scary!

Best weekend ever? Almost, here's why... (Sunday Edition)

2007-06-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning, for us, started around 8am. Even then, things were slow moving for the next hour or so. We weren't racing until 11:30 and we were still a little tired from the night before. Things may have started slowly, but once we moved in on crunch time, it got a little crazy. Imagine 5 guys sharing 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen, 1 door in and out of the cabin and everyone needing to be ready at the same time. Scary thought, huh? Tell me about it.

By 10:30, we were all out and ready to roll...so we did. It was warm up time. What makes warm up time worth talking about? Anthony. This was his first race in the mountains so he was kind of confused. You either go up or down. He just wanted to go for an easy spin. Yeah, you get the point. Anyway, at 11:30, Luke, Mike and myself lined up with about a dozen other pro/semi-pros. From the starting line, the race course went straight up...for about a mile. I know what you're thinking and yes, it was a painful way to start a race. However, painful barely scratches the surface of what this race was like. Heck, go pick up a thesaurus and look up words like pain, suffer and torture. That should come close to what most of the racers went through.

Now that you know what the race felt like for me, I'll tell you what it looked liked: some green foliage, some brown dirt, some gray rocks, but mostly the backside of Sam Koerber. I swear, that man drug me all over that mountain. He attacked several times, but what hurt the most was the steady, fast pace that he set early on in the race. With about 3 miles to go until the finish, I stepped up. I didn't want to and I surely didn't feel like it, but I knew I needed to go then. So, I did. Fortunately for me, I think Sam enjoyed the break because he didn't pressure me at all. He was there, but it wasn't a big deal. Well, not until we could see the finish line. To get to the finish, you had to climb about 200 yards on a paved road which led you to a short, steep grass climb to put the icing on the cake. About half way up the paved road I decided to go. Why? I still have no clue. Some how I managed to keep a hard charging Sam Koerber behind me all the way to the grass. Once we hit the grass, he got a cramp. YES! Sorry, that's mean, but it gave me the win.

As for the other guys...well, Regan won 19-29 sport, again. Anthony got 5th in 19-29 sport. Luke got 8th in pro/semi-pro. Mike was forced to dnf due to some health issues. He says double vision and chill bumps aren't a good thing to race with. If I heard him correctly, he saw Elvis wave to him at the top of a climb.

After the awards, or "awkwards" as I sometimes call them, we packed up and headed into Bryson City for some good 'ole Mexican food. When we finished eating, Mike and Luke hit the road in the direction of Tallahassee and Anthony, Regan and myself began our long, slow, really long, really slow trip back to Ocala. Did I mention it took almost as long to come home as it did to get there?

In the end, we all got home safely and had an experience we wont soon forget.

Best weekend ever? Almost, here's why... (Saturday Edition)

2007-06-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

When we got to our destination, Luke Rozanski and Mike Vertiel were there to meet us. We rented a small cabin, so there was plenty of room and we were sure to have fun.

Saturday started off nice and slow. With nothing to do until the afternoon, we slept in till about 10 o'clock and had a nice slow morning. After a few hours of shootin' the bull and working on our bikes, we all headed out for a nice and easy ride around the XC race course. The course had two, very exciting downhills. Unfortunately, you were forced to pay for them by climbing up several long, steep climbs. After the ride, we returned to the cabin and we all dug right into Luke's secret recipe spaghetti. Yes, it was good. And yes, we all ate too much. When you have a full belly and a short track (ST) race in three hours, what do you do? Sleep. Yes, the three elder (to be read as "wiser") guys, Luke, Mike and myself, took naps. Anthony and Regan, playing on their youth, refused and decided to make noise instead of sleep.

The ST races were scheduled to start at 9pm, with the Amateur Women (beginner/sport) to go off first, Amateur Men to go off next. They were followed closely by the Open Money Women (expert/pro) and finished off with the Open Money Men. Regan and Anthony raced in the Amateur race and Luke and myself raced in the Open Money class. Regan took a commanding lead from the start of his race and continued to stretch the gap all the way to the finish. Anthony had a rough start but spent most of the race in 3rd place and fell to 4th at the very end.

This race, I forgot to mention, was a night race. The race circles a baseball field and the lights from the field light the race. Last year was the first year of this race. Those of us there last year realized the potential for fun and expounded upon it this year. Dustin Greer raced with blinking glasses. Seriously, the frames blinked! Another guy raced with a plastic chest protector and called himself transformer. I refused to be left behind and decided to race in a wig. Not just any wig, though, a mullet! Oh yeah! It was nice, but back to the real story...

Shortly after 10pm, the Open Money Men ST race finally took off. With 12 men on the line and over half the field carrying the Pro or Semi-Pro banner, it was sure to be a good, tough race. The race was to be 20 minutes plus 2 laps. I am convinced that the first 5 minutes were straight from Hell. After about 4 different attacks were launched, the pace finally settled with a scattered field and Travis Livermon off the front. Approximately 10 seconds back, I sat, keeping a close watch on the lead and playing my best game of chess against the 2 guys that were following me.

With about 8 minutes left on the clock and Travis' lead at 20 seconds, I knew it was time to go. I put my head down and dug in with all I had. Over the next 6 minutes, I slowly reeled in the leader and had only 15 yards to be on his rear wheel. With the effort I had exerted to catch the guy, I knew I needed a break before I tried to overtake him. So...I let him sit there. I waited for about 2 laps until we received the 2 to go signal. That's when I made my move. I made an effort to pass. No good. Travis was still strong. I was determined so I wasn't worried. I sat on his wheel until we passed the line to start our last lap. Once we crossed that line, I went into kill mode. By kill, I am talking about myself. You know, when I begin to push so hard the I am pretty sure I will die soon, however, I keep pushing harder. Yeah, that was the last lap. I successfully passed for the lead, won the race, but somehow managed to fail at the attempted suicide. I almost fell off my bike when I crossed the finish line, but somehow my heart continued to beat.

The best part about the whole race had nothing to do with my finish, nor did it have anything to do with how I felt. The part I wont forget was the way the crowd cheered. The spectators were amazing. As my buddy Dustin said, "The crowd was so loud and supportive that I almost forgot how bad it hurt." The key word there, almost. Nevertheless, it was awesome.

After the awards, we all headed back to the cabin to get some more spaghetti. Once our bellies were full, we had one more thing to do, sleep. After all, the racing had just begun.

Mom... I'm home!

2007-06-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Here I am! I had a safe flight in to Haiti, and after a few quick stops in town, I made it "home". I really didn't do much of anything for the rest of the afternoon. I just sat around with Mom and Dad, watching the tube and catching up on the last few months.

Today, on the other hand, was a little more active. I had planned to get up at 5:30 to go for a ride. That didn't happen. I was still tired from the trip, so I slept in till 7:30. After a little work on the bike I was to ride, I hit the road for my first ride in Haiti after 3 1/2 years. You see, my parents live up in the mountains, about a 30 minute drive up from the city. Outside their house, it really doesn't get any hotter than 80-85 degrees in the middle of the summer. Since I waited so late to ride, it was rather hot once I got down into town. For my ride, I left the house and rode into town, which is all down hill, then I turned around and rode back up. I wasn't sure how long it was going to take since I hadn't done it in so long. Well, I pretty much went up hill for a little more than an hour straight. It was good. Painful at times, but good. It's what I came for, and I plan on doing it again real soon. Maybe tomorrow...

Did I hear you say Haiti?

2007-06-21T23:19:00.000-07:00

The Mountainbike National Championships are only a month away. As some of you know, (and the rest of you are about too) that race has been my focus as of late. Everything else is just training and preparation for that weekend. Well, Florida isn't exactly known for it's mountains, and the race will be in the mountains, so I am off to Haiti! I will be there from June 23rd to July 9th. This will give me about two and a half weeks to clear my head, regain focus and ride in real mountains. It should be great. No work to worry about. No girls trying to beat down my door. No paparazzi sitting in my front lawn, waiting for me to go for a ride. No crazy fans hassling me for an autograph while I am out having dinner. Ok ok, so I made up the thing about the girls... and the paparazzi... fine, the part about the fans isn't true either. Why do you have to go and take all the fun out of it? Sheeesh... Basicly, I hope to be about as carefree as a single, 22 year old guy who lives at home, can get. If nothing else, I haven't seen the Mom & Pops for a few months, so that will be nice as well.

I should have good internet access while I am down there, so I will try to fill everyone in on how much fun I am having. I have been told that this blog needs more pictures so I will try and figure out how too. If I get it figured out, there will be some up here soon.

Best weekend ever? Almost, here's why... (Friday Edition)

2007-06-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

Two people and two bikes, no problem. Three people and two bikes, no problem. Two people and three bikes, still, no problem. But for some freakin' reason, three people and three bikes is a huge problem! I know it sounds rediculous, but for the three of us, Anthony, Regan and myself, to make the 9.5 hour trip to Fontana Village, NC, we need two cars. With my car being the newest and most comfortable, it was an obvious go. It was the second round pick that threw us off. The choice was between a '90 Honda CRX and a '92 Dodge Dakota. The CRX sounds like a good pick, right? I mean, it has made this exact trip for the last 3 years in a row. It has been all throughout New England and the South East. The car has seen just about every road Florida has to offer. Why not take it? It's kinda like pickin' grampa to be on your flag football team. He has all the experience, but he is just too old for that stuff any more. Well, we picked the Dakota. It hasn't been out of town...ever. It was about time it be given a chance to carve up some mountain roads. Besides, it needed some fresh mountain air.

So we leave home at 9:45 am. We have all day to make the trip. We aren't even gonna speed. After all, what's the big hurry? Well, we make a stop for lunch and Anthony pops his hood. "Something wrong?" "No," he says, "its been running warn since its so hot outside. I just wanted to give it a chance to cool off."

We should have turned around right then and swapped that truck out with "old faithful", but we didn't. A few hours later, we pull into a gas station and Anthony pops his hood again. I figured this was just his routine "let it cool down" deal, but it wasn't. As I am getting in my car, Anthony walks up and says, "Hey, I think we need to slow down some. My truck is running pretty hot and it is causing a hose to leak." WHAT!?! We have only been doing 65 and he wants to slow down? Sure enough, I take a look and he has a split in his upper radiator hose.

My Dad is a mechanic and I have done a lot of work with him so this was nothing. We went to a parts store, about a mile away, and got the parts. About 15 minutes later, we were up and running again. BUT, only for about 30 minutes or so. I get a call from the truck behind stating that they need to stop now. "The gauge is almost on the H," says Regan. Oh great. We are about 6 hours from home and stuck in the middle of nowhere. Once we got the thing cooled off, we found a mechanic and told him our story. "Let me take a look," he says as he raises the hood. After a long hard "look", he found...nothing. "I don't see a thing wrong with it. If I were you, I'd get back on the road, just keep tabs on the temperature gauge." Well, that's just what we did. Believe it or not, it ran really cool the rest of the way to Fontana. The only problem now is that its 11:15 pm. How is that a problem? What should have been a 9-10 hour drive, somehow became a 13.5 hour drive! Now that's a long day in the saddle.

Well, there's the Friday recap for ya. I will pick up where I left off real soon. In the mean time, go for a ride!

So, umm...where ya been?

2007-06-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

I must apologize for the lack of postage, but I left home Friday morning and got back to my house late this afternoon. For most people, that wouldn't be an issue, however, I am a broke son of an amazing woman, so there is no laptop here. I have a lot to tell and I wont be telling much of it tonight, but I will tell you this much: I had an AWESOME weekend! I plan to take the next four days to tell about my last four days, one day at a time. But, I am warning you now, I rarely write down what I originally plan too. With that in mind, come back tomorrow and I will do my best to take you back to Friday. Happy Trails.

Same stuff, different day.

2007-06-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

Yup, I got my butt kicked...again! I got 7th out of about 327...million cat 3 racers! Nah, there wasn't that many, but there must have been close to 75 starters. I was in several breaks. Brought back several breaks. Even attempted a solo break. In the end, there was a group of 2 in the lead and a group of 3 chasing them. We still had about 15 miles to go so I wasn't concerned. Shortly after I drifted back in to the pack to catch my breath, I see a group of 8 take off. That was when I knew I was in trouble. The pack stayed so tight, bunched up across the road that it took me over a mile to get free so I could attempt to bridge up to that next group. Once I got free, I just buried myself. I rested my head on my stem, slid to the front of my seat and just pedaled with all I had. After about 2 miles of that, I finally caught the back of the group. Well, we didn't catch any of the breaks ahead of us, and the main group didn't catch back up to us. So...we sprinted...hard. Imagine sitting at the finish line and about 300yd away you see 9 guys doing about 38 mph, rounding the final turn. Now, picture about 5 of those guys standing up and picking up the pace to about 40 mph. Yeah, we were going really fast. The lead out was so fast that when we finally sprinted, we barely accelerated! I lead the majority of the way to the line, but in the end, one guy edged me out. Not a bad day, especially for getting destroyed the day before.

What are my final thoughts on the day? Well, I am glad I made it through safely. I had a lot of fun, and I am ready to go back to MOUNTAIN BIKE RACIN'!! True story, guys, true story.

That dagum roadie racin' stuff is crazy!

2007-06-09T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I figured I would give it another shot. Heck, I love to race and I know I am decent on the road so I raced the U23 Florida State Road Race Championships today. I am 22 so I thought (A) I am at the top of the age bracket and (B) I will be racing a bunch of youngsters. Piece of cake, right? Wrong. At least half of the class had me "out classed"! It was a crazy mess. For me, at least. I don't think I am lazy enough to be a road racer. We sat at 15-16mph for minutes at a time. I actually rolled off the front of the group about 5 times...DOING 20 mph!!! It was irritating me. I am pretty sure they did it intentionally, the majority of the times it happened since I was labeled from the beginning as a guy that would work. Long story short, I was in several breaks, just not the one that stuck. I attacked a few times, just wore myself out. I almost got dropped on the last lap, but I tuffed it out. I managed to throw down a good sprint in the end, but I didn't have quite enough. There were 5 of us going for the 5th spot, with 4 guys up the road. I was on the back of the line and we were doing about 36mph, which we had been doing for about 200yd. At about 100yd to the line, I jumped. I was holding about 40mph, drag racing two other guys almost the whole way. With about 25' feet to go, I was dead. I was forced to wave the white flag. If my numbers are correct, that would have put me in 7th. Not too bad, I guess. If nothing else, it was good training and experience. The experience is a good thing since I am going after the cat 3s tomorrow. I want revenge for the damages at the crit! I will let you know how it goes. In the mean time, I will be dreaming of racing off-road and thanking God that I made it through today without road rash.

If you hit me... I will attack!

2007-06-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry for taking so long to post again. I was busy reading millions of emails requesting a race update. After staying up for the last 57 hrs straight, just reading emails, I decided to go ahead and tell you all what happened.

Sunday, June 3, 2007, marked the running of the 13th annual Bump & Grind. This race is definitely the biggest mountain bike race in the South East. Being a big race with a big Pro payout, there is always a big Pro field. I was told there were 47 racers on the starting line. Not sure. Regardless of the total count, all the South Eastern "hot shots" where there. Seeing as much, I knew it was going to be a tough day at the office.

The start of the race was fast, as is usual, but slowed down just a little too much once the race got into the woods. It was almost like being in the eye of a hurricane. You know the storm surrounds you, so the still air in the middle isn't as peaceful as it would appear to be. About 3 miles into the 17 mile lap, there was a mile long section of dirt road. Normally, this would have been hell on earth, but for some reason, we continued to sit in the stagnant air, in the middle of the storm. With the group all bunched together, looking more like cattle than a pack of racers, it began to get dangerous. First, I got hit on the left side. No big deal. Rubbin's racin'. Then I received a cheap shot. Some wacko decided he wanted to be exactly where my front wheel was. I got hit in the side of my front wheel, which knocked me into the guy beside me almost causing me to crash. Not cool. I don't get mad very easily, however, that ticked me off! I knew it was time to act. I felt it was time to bring the rest of the storm through.

This is where it gets interesting. I am not known for having explosive power, nor am I known for having strong attacks during a race. Hehehe... Boy did I surprise those guys! (and myself) The point of the story? I LUKED them, then and there. I still don't know what I was thinking, but I did it.

Now I have a big problem. What do I do? I have 30 miles to go and I have no one to help me. I could slow down for a second and let someone catch up, but that would only make my attack pointless! My next decision proved to be my best move of the day and quite possibly the turning point of my career. I decided to go for it. Not just "ride it out". I mean "GO FOR IT!" I raced the next 2 hrs like each minute was my last. After a few miles, I managed to get out of sight. I continued to push as though they were on my tail, and that's a good thing. At the finish line, I only had 30 seconds on 2nd place.

Was it an exciting race to watch? I have no clue. I tried my best not to look back. Was it an exciting race to be in? You have no idea!

Hi, I am looking for some pain meds.

2007-05-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wake up with a headache and carry it along the entire day? Today was one of those days. I think it may have been a small case of dehydration, but never the less, it was annoying. In my 22 years on earth, I have learned quite a few things, but the following is priceless.

There are three kinds of headaches. Each has its own symptoms, but they all have the same cure.

Headache #1: the little man in your head gets bored while sitting on his mini set of rollers and wants to hear some music. The problem is, he plays it just a little to loud.
Cure: Go for a ride.

Headache #2: the little man watched a freeride video last night and decided he wanted to give it a try. However, he only has a 4" travel Titus Racer X. As a result, every big landing he takes sends a shock wave through your head...causing temporary paralysis.
Cure: Go for a ride.

Headache #3: the little man has been doing a lot of training and wants to take advantage of a great day and hit the local trails. Once he realizes that he is stuck in your head, he brews up an evil plan to blast his way to freedom. So, he pulls out his old floor pump, hooks it up somewhere behind your eyebrows and just starts pumping! Lucky for you, the little man usually gets tired and gives up before your eyeballs pop out. Don't get too comfortable, though, because rare as it is, there have been cases reported in which the little man did in fact blast his way to freedom. A little off subject, but it happens.
Cure: Go for a ride.

Needless to say, I went for a ride. Oh ya, I feel great!

Ryan...go to bed!!

2007-05-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

Apparently I need sleep. I am tired. Today wasn't cool and my ride was even less cool. I have been up late the last two nights and it has taken its toll. Occasionally, when I have a rough day, I look up jokes. Well, here are a few of my favorite Chuck Norris jokes. Enjoy.

When an episode of Walker Texas Ranger was aired in France, the French surrendered to Chuck Norris just to be on the safe side.

Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas.

When Chuck Norris was born, the only person who cried was the doctor. Never slap Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.

The world's fastest car has 7 gears. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and Chuck Norris.

If only they could see what I see...

2007-05-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

Aside from feeling like a whipped puppy when I got home last night, I had an awesome weekend! It was just as I predicted it to be: a reunion. I got to hang out with, talk to and shake the hands of people I haven't seen for several weeks. It was nice to be back "home" and I appreciate the warm welcome.

My Saturday was nearly a perfect fit for what the day was made to be. The morning was filled with driving and anticipation. The afternoon was filled with mountain biking, and the night was full of laughter and horse-play. Do Saturdays get any better? Rarely. Sunday was a different story. Few smiles were cracked and even fewer jokes were told. It was time for business. If you are curious as to how the rest of the morning went, you will have to talk to someone else. My side is rarely accurate and habitually bias. I will say this much, however, I had a great race. I won. I felt like I performed well. Thank you for asking. That is, assuming you did ask.

The best part of the weekend, mind you, was the "after-party". No, it wasn't a real party with banners, cake and ice cream. It's a little more like happy hour with out as much alcohol. Regardless of how you did, work was out for the day. It was time to relax after another high-strung, caffeine-filled weekend. It is in this moment that time pauses just long enough for you to remember why you sacrificed so much for what so many regard as so little.

It feels like we are going in circles...stop and ask that man for directions!

2007-05-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

After driving 22 hours, or flying cross-country for a race, a 5hr drive seems kinda close to me. Heck, I dont even have to go all the way to Atlanta! In all honesty, Jackson, GA. is still a good distance away, but the drive is more like circling your own neighborhood for 5 hours. Every mile is familiar. You recognize every exit. Once you finally get there, its like pulling up in your own driveway. Over the last 4 years, I have grown to love the S.E. racing scene. Its like each race just becomes another family reunion for a bunch of long, lost cousins. We may live hundreds of mile apart, but we all gather together with one thing in mind. The love of Mountainbike Racing.

Excuse me sir! May I suck your wheel?

2007-05-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love the riders who appear to be awestruck by "getting to ride with the Woodall kid!" It's no big deal to me. Heck, I ride with myself all the time. If others think its cool, great! BUT! When the ride is over and I am gone, why...wait, I must repeat that with more emphassis...WHY!...much better, do you feel the need to tell everyone that you "stuck his wheel the whole ride. He tried to drop me but I hung in there!" I am not that great, barely worthy of your attention (haha! I can't believe you are still reading this!) but I swear, these guys would make these types of retarded acclamations if they were riding with Lance Armstrong!

Let me make one thing clear, I do find it to be humbling, knowing that my name holds some clout in a few minds. It is also inspiring to know that others acknowledge what little I have done. All I ask is please, no smack talk...because chances are, I will want to reply with more smack and that is not acceptable. Besides, just slip me $5, or a $10 before the ride and I will let you drop me INFRONT of your friends! Or you could pay me more, just depends on how dramatic you want me to "pop". ;-P

Hey Baby! You sure remind me a lot of my old Schwinn...

2007-05-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

As I was riding my bike down the road today, my attention was brought to the subject of Love. Not just any love, but the pure and perfect love I share with my bikes. I say bikes because I have several. My bikes arent perfect and neither am I, however, we have created a bond so close that a couple celebrating their 50th could barely understand. Right about now, you are probably asking yourself, "what is this all supposed to mean? What makes this relevant?" Hearing your questions, I must respond, "I know the secert to a perfect romance. One that people would pay to hear." Funny thing is, even with all this knowledge I am left with one bigger, more mind boggling question. "Why aren't girls more like bicycles?" Wow! Now that's deep!

I would like 1 hot fudge sundae, 1 bannana split, 1 piece of cheese cake, 1...

2007-05-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

My hat goes off to all the anorexic people out there. Ya'll are some strong, yet crazy people. Though I look to fit the part, I do my share of eating. Recently, however, I have been trying to better regulate what and when I eat. It isn't easy! I have lost about 5 pounds in the last 2 weeks and I feel great. My power is good and my endurance is good enough. I have 4 races the next 4 weekends and 2 of them are big. If my power to weight ratio stays here, or gets better, I just might enjoy them.

Time to start

2007-05-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

I hear it all the time... "you should have a blog." OK! FINE! I'LL DO IT! However, its not that simple. For those that dont know, I am a professional mountainbike racer of the cross-country discipline. NOT A ROADIE! After three years of no falls on my road bike, I was crashed yesterday in a crit race...by a ROADIE! I got my first road crash, so i said, "why not start a blog?" ....here I am.