Journal

A Good Year for Apples

Conrad, Erin and I joined the ruddy-checked preschool field trip to “Farmer Paugh’s” orchard.

The apple trees where heavy with ruby red apples that bowed the branches like red and green Christmas globes.
Last year, an early frost killed many of the budding flowers and similarly my pre-season illness threw off my Olympic ambitions. It’s easier to be philosophical about it now… At the time I was in the trenches and busting my ass training in a fury to regain form. The summer and fall were good and I had good form and some nice late season apples like wins at TranSylvania Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race and the Shenandoah 100
This year has been full on fun adventure and awesome! Aside from some arrows pointed the wrong, way my speed was almost scary at the early races.
 Bonnelli and Fontana short track, attacks at Bump N Grind, and a win in Windham! The team needed me early, so a lot of the focus was to carry the torch until Pua and Max got back on track. Mid-summer the crew was together, knocking out killer rides in Marathon Nats and CZ. Alex had a great year too; honing his XC game with some Top-5 Pro XCT form wining at the PCPP and Tinker sailed the flag to earn a 24-hr title and many other great rides!
But most of all, the team was on when it needed to be. Paul, Jordi, Scott, and Jonny worked hard, had fun and hit the mark.
We should be proud of the most pro wins of any North American Team; Sho-ing some style in the process – a shining bushel of apples indeed!
What does this blog have to do with rum apple cider?  Hmm nothing really. Hh yeah…. well guess that’s a stretch to say combining the two metaphors with a toast to a great effort that had only begun turning, heads inspiring folks to get out and ride and to boldly go where no bike has gone before!
 Team Sho-Air Cannondale is on the march, and with a expanded focus we plan on putting some footprints in new places and smiles on faces.
Next year looks golden delicious!
Jeremiah
Journal

Wicked Mountains

Hampshire 100/Mt Washington Auto Road Hill Climb “King of the Mountains Double Dare”

My resolution post Pro XCT was to “put the mountain back into mountain biking”.  I had a blast and wrapped up the national series with 3 wins 10 podium finishes and 2nd over all For sure that was a lot of laps and I was jones’n to get out and do some scary stuff on some deep trails.

As I planned the double trouble weekend that bordered on absurd.  I said to myself “Tinker did it last year.” Should’a thought about that one a bit…  Ha ha ha.

Saturday was the 40th annually Mt Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hill Climb. A race steeped in legend and lore. It is so hard to get into that someone has to die for a spot to open up and the weather at the top is among the worst weather in the World. Winds exceeding huricane force take place on this mountain an average of 110 days out of the year! http://zielonko.org/bike/new_england/mtwash.htm

I thought to myself pre trip yeah yeah; I know it’s a steep road and what not.  I went with a gear easier than normal 34 with a 12-28 on my 12 pound Cannondale Super 6 EVO. This was however like going to fish for jaws in the little dingy they use in the movie.   BAD IDEA.

Because the road is closed to riders 363 days of the year and I arrived the night before it was going to be a “surprise” to see what’s up there. Yep it was a surprise alright.  Clouds flying at you like fuzzy parade floats at 45 miles an hour. You even brace for impact and then just every thing goes fuzz for a second. The back to blue it’s kind of strange while in an anerobic trance.

Prior to the race I bet friend /coaching client and climbing specialist Cameron Cogburn that I could take him in the double.   He rocked a 4th at Leadville last weekend and has the second best time on Mt Washington ever recorded so I knew it would be good.  We agreed on percent based formula for our bet.

The gun went off and we quicky ground to a near hault on the first 14% pitch.

I realized quickly the legs I had hoped for where still in my checked bag, I suffered hard after the first couple thousand feet of ascent.

Cameron set off in pursuit of Tom Danielsons record.   I set to a hard pace and was moving pretty good for my lack of specific prep.  The first incline was very steep and had mean pitches relegating me to for the rest of the climbing into low back twisting 55 -65 cadence.

I took in the jaw dropping scenery as we approached treeline realizing I was getting 3rd and that was that.  Switchbacks twisted like intestines of some mythic beast…then  the road gave way to packed wet sand.  Dripping in sweat from the intense effort we rounded a exposed switch back and it was like someone opened a door to and arctic wind storm. 45 mile an hour 45 degree gust and I was chilled to the bone in an instant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington_(New_Hampshire)

I remembered the wind whisle thru the spokes and the intense pain in both feet.  Some spectators in costum yelled “almost there”!!    expecting to see the top I saw a tower sticking out of a cloud another 1,400 feet vertical feet above..  “o damn”  I paced myself so I wouldn’t fall over in the final 24 percent corkscrew. The crowd was going nuts, it was pretty sick, like a mountain top finish in the Tour.

I crossed the line after 44 minutes and it was like an arctic weather station triage zone! Fans yelling and people wrapped like refuges in complimentary blankets, the wind was raging in the thin air. Would I do it again? yes but with a massive gear swap and after a month of Jenny Craig! Cameron won and was 3+ minutes ahead so I had some work to do! Based off the precent formula I would need to win by almost 20 minutes a near impossible feat.

Mt Washington snow zone

200 miles south in the rolling green mountains of New Hampshire riders were gear up for the Hampshire 100 a test of grit  and single track fortitude.  But we where still a 3 hour drive from the race. I was nervous about having not raced longer than 3 hrs this year and more so because my huge gear workout blasted my muscles to a cramped spaghetti.

6:45 came way too early we set off with the lead group and played it as efficiently as possible. A lead group formed and luckily it was flat for a while letting me wake up my legs. I managed to ride a super steep power line climb and used the technical single track as a wedge to pressure the other riders. It seemed only Christian could follow in this stuff and I vowed to fight for this one having had a bad day yesterday. It was all or nothing.

I pushed hard to open a gap at mile 55 and got a minute gap after pushing an impossible to hold pace.  I decided to make a break for it a really long break!   On the rail trail sections I imagined my chasers working together to close down on my narrow 2 min lead.  Pushing while my legs were still good was the plan get a gap “if I fade out Ill just try to hold on”

Some how and I have no good reason for it other than it was my day… my motor turned full diesel and I could drive the big ring for much of the last 25 miles! I had one hell of a second wind and remembered the race that crushed me last year.

Remembering the bet I had made with Cameron Cogburn the day before that I could take him in the diabolical double.  Last I heard Christian Tanguy was 10 minutes back and Cam in 3rd.   I need 20 minutes to claim the game so I was in full tt mode!   Well; Camerons freehub blew while he was in 3rd a few minutes back, I had no clue so I just put it to the maximum.  We agreed to a re match at the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo.

I won by the largest margin I have ever won any race by almost 17 minutes!
I can’t forget the thrill of racing the lead moto down a couple of the sweeping final single tracks and pinning it xc style sliding the turns and going for seconds, It was sweet awesomeness.

16,000 ft of climbing in a weekend within only 8 hrs and 107 miles the big mountain adventure is BACK!  Next stop Shenandoah 100!

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Thanks to Team Sho-Air/Cannondale for the bikes and support; Arnie Mostowy and Tom Barton for support on site and Goodales Bike Shop for the bike build!
http://www.northeastcycling.com/Hillclimb_Races.html for those looking for all the dirt on the north east hill climbs.

http://www.strava.com/activities/76096809

Strava from the Hampshire 100 – not big climbs but plenty of roots, single-track and deep forest.

http://dirtwire.tv/2013/08/hampshire-100-the-movie/

Uncategorized

Bishop Wins Windham Pro XCT, On Top in Series

From Team SHO-AIR/Cannondale, July 1, 2013 – Jeremiah Bishop (Harrisonburg, VA, SHO-AIR/Cannondale Team) took a convincing win ahead of Todd Wells and Derek Zandstra in a stacked field for the men’s USA Cycling Pro Cross Country Tour race held at Windham Mountain in New York.

Right from the gun of the six lap affair, Bishop drove the pace with Specialized rider Todd Wells and BMC rider Stephen Ettigner, getting quick separation on the pack. Only two laps into the race, Bishop whittled the forty-rider field down to just Wells with his constant pressure at the front, leaving Stephen Ettinger to dangle off the duo by 10 seconds.

The Bishop-Wells battle continued to rage on, lap after lap on the former World Cup course; with each rider testing one another on different sections of the course trying to expose any weakness. However the two were rarely more than a bike length apart, as they waged their own private battle on the slopes of Windham Mountain.

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Bishop leads Wells as the two separate from the field of competitors.

As the two headed out onto lap five of the six lap race, Bishop drilled it up one of the courses many steep climbs and beat Wells into a very technical wooded section, left wet and muddy from recent rains earlier in the week. From there JB let his Scalpel 29 work the most demanding sections of the course to slowly inch away from Wells.

Heading out onto the last lap, Bishop had broken the elastic and was clear from Wells by over forty seconds. With half a lap to go, Jeremiah backed it down at the advice of team director Ty Kady in order to protect the equipment and insure him and the team the victory, along with the series points leads.

As he crosses the finish line, Bishop remembers South African rider Burry Stander – winner of the 2012 Windham World Cup.

With his win, Bishop catapulted to the top of the series standings taking over the number one plate by sixty points with only two rounds left to go in the series.

Post-race, Bishop had this to say,“Windham is a really good course for me and the conditions today fit the Scalpel 29 and Maxxis tires to perfection. I wanted to rebound strong after dodging a bullet last weekend. I don’t want to win this series by merely taking second’s and thirds, I want to win! A special shout out to team owner Scott Tedro who’s at home recovering from a foot injury. This win is dedicated to him.”

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With his win in Windham, Bishop regains the lead of the 2013 USA Cycling Pro Cross Country Tour.

Photos by John Muller. For more from race news and photos, visit Team SHO-AIR.

Journal

The Summer Crux

“Crux: bottom line; the bulls eye; the hard, main challenge. The word stems from the Latin word “cruc” or cross and implies great suffering.” Though I plan on lots of lung-searing, leg-burning intervals my hope is that the leader the of race feels like he is doling out the suffering.

Todd Wells and I are locking horns in an exciting battle for the Pro XCT overall. Trailing by 35 points after close second at the Bump and Grind last week, I am fired up for the remaining 4 races. Just one spot next week would put me back in the lead, so 35 points is actually a small margin.

In addition to the Pro XCT’s of course are the two National title races I am pumped on; Marathon National Championships  in Sun Valley and Cross Country National Championships at Bear Creek PA. After that I might add a stage race later on like Breck Epic, or I might just go fishing and call it a great year and start building a cabin on top of a cliff somewhere, nah…

Back to the latest happenings since the May training block;

I took a few days off. Work on the Gran Fondo is going great (mostly thanks to my wife Erin)

We are very excited to welcome aboard Flow Porsche of Charlottesville . We share their enthusiasm for doing things with exceptional style and panache. Check out their page, and take time to sign up for the Porsche newsletter for great photos and stay up to speed on all amazing new cars they have and are about to launch! This year’s Fondo will have an even more robust finish line party with bands, beer and fun. I think we’ll have more reasons for everyone to come check out the scene. It’s great to welcome back New Belgium Brewing; I just tried the ROlle Bolle and it was crisp citrusy summer beer with hints of honeysuckle – or maybe that’s just a smell wafting down from the cool mountains nearby.

Next up, “Blood Camp” in Beech Mountain North Carolina was fun – kind of. Right after Bump I drove up to meet with star climbing ace and winner of the Mt Washington Hill Climb; Cameron Cogburn. Let’s just say he goes up hill like Porche 911 turbo. We hit some epic rides in the high-country including 3 days and 30,000 ft of climbing on Sugar, Roan, little Switzerland and Beech mountain!  I was tired from two hard races, as you might imagine, but stoked because with this the prep for the summer block is mostly done!

Speaking of Switzerland; it was awesome seeing Joe D at Tour of Swiss this week riding solo of the front on the queen stage. So close… he was caught in the final kilometers of the climb, just a warning shot.

Last couple weeks have been awesome thanks to the hard work of the Sho-Air/Cannondale team and the great support is paying off for all of our team members and we have collectively hit the pay dirt: Max the “mountie” Plaxton scored 7th and 5th in the opening World Cups! Pua came back like Rocky at Bump and Gring to double-up XC and short track!

Pua Back

Our super champion manager Ty Kady showed us how its done with wins in the xc and stxc! Also at Bump and Gring, I had a surprise 1st short track win of the season and nailed it!

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Ryan Trebon and I finally worked together and I gave him a podium kiss! Ha ha ha…

Ryan n JB Bump n Grind.

I was so excited after the short track I couldn’t sleep. The next day, I was groggy but rode an aggressive cross country race and lead Wells by 10 seconds for several miles after “blood rock” and “Jekyll and Hyde.” Lapped traffic on the course was frustrating and lost me a couple seconds, then it was back together with 2k left!!!  My bad line on the last turn cost me! Note: outside line is worth a couple feet in a final sprint.  I was 2nd by a tire in the Cross Country! Dang.

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Pro XCT Bump n Grind was a fun one nonetheless and a great event hosted by some awesome folks down there in Birmingham.

Massanutten Hoo Ha rings in the summer for me, and was super-cool to win the 25th annual race on a new course and in rain-slick conditions.  Nick Waite was flying and, unfortunately for him, flew off the course and landed on some rocks! OUCH!

The ground work has been laid and now its time for some high-intensity, shorter rides and of course some fun new races. I have not been to Wisconsin or Missoula, Montana before, so its going to be a blast to try out both races that receive great reviews.

The crux is here. Time to punch it and put my best races together for the summer’s peak. Stay tuned; you can rest assurured I will be putting the hammer to work and having some fun!

Jeremiah Bishop

Sho-Air/Cannondale

(Check out some more of the great pics on Facebook by team media guru John Muller.)

Journal

Spring Racing is ON!

I love the kickoff to race season. After a long winter of preparation, tough training and laying all the groundwork of things, it’s cool to getting to the real fun – time to fly!

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Fontana Here I Come!

The smell of fresh flowers and new rubber seems to excite the senses. Seeing old friends, making new ones – and of course riding new trails – makes it a blast, no matter the results.

My goal of jumping into the fray of shorter Pro XCT races is two-fold. One goal is to build speed for the big targets of the year – summer stage races like TSE, BC a few NUE races and maybe Marathon Worlds. Second is to make sure we have the Pro XCT #1 plate for the opening rounds. With my teammate Max out while his knee heals, I really wanted to put a good effort in so that we have a strong start to the season. I’m excited for when Pua and Max are back with us in a few weeks.

Highlights of the last couple weeks included getting in some great results, staying in cool places and bonding with the team.

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Dizzying Staircase at the Mission Inn

Winning at Bonelli Park! I had legs of steel and attacked the race hard, earning my first PRO XCT win of the year and the points lead!   It was amazing to deliver the win and the #1 plate to Scott Tedro (our team owner and longtime friend). The team support crew including Jordi, Paul, Johnie and Ty all did a great job and allowed me to focus on going fast!

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It’s Great to Have the #1 Plate!

The feeling of showing up to the next race at Fontana with the #1 plate was a great one! I had little to prove, but did have to throw it down.  I knew I’d bring some heat on this race and ride my heart out, but I was just not sure if my legs were recovered from Tuscarora Offroad Weekend’s mud-fest where the running was a shock but sliding down mud shoots and squirmy turns was a hoot.  In pre-riding Fontana I was on-point and feeling the Flash had never been so dialed! The day before the race, I did a hot-lap that could cook a goose. My teammate Alex Grant was hot on my heels though and I knew he would ride well (in fact he was 6th on race day!).

In the race, Todd Wells was a tenacious competitor, but I was feeling amazing and attacked on lap 3 to forge ahead. I nailed the course’s technical rocky single-track lines with purpose. It was an intense course, but every second started adding up.  I extended the gap to 45 seconds with just 10 minutes of mostly downhill flat riding left and POP! I gasped as my victory lap turned into the race to repair my chain. I had my quick link in my mouth and chain tool out…15 seconds, I reached from my chain tool and went to work pushing out the dead link… 30 seconds… Wells rolled by “bummer man,” he said surely feeling some sympathy. The chain pin dropped in the dirt……….. ‘Damn!’ picking it up and getting it back in place seemed to take forever.… My hands shook and sweat burned my eyes.  I kept my calm, and pushed the pin out with my chain tool and got the quick link in place. With care, I jumped back up to speed just in time to be joined by Scott racer Cameron Jette who was riding strong. I punched it with everything I had just in case I could salvage the day. Indeed a Silver medal was a surprise and being 90-seconds back from Wells retained my #1 points lead by a 75 point margin!

Great riding by my other teammates on Cannondale in the race was a highlight, Ben Sontag of Interbank Cannondale scored in 4th   in the XC moving to 3rd in the standings, and Keegan was 4th in the short track! Cannondale’s ‘cross specialist Ryan Trebon was 3rd in short track, I was second after a nail biter sprint. It showed that Cannondale means business in North America’s biggest races, and with Sea Otter Classic and Whiskey 50 up next we are ready for some great racing action.

Time to put on a show, SHO-AIR style!

– Jeremiah