2012 UFD Schedule

2012 United Federation of Dirt Schedule

GAME ON!!!!!

United Federation of Dirt West Race Schedule
March 24 - God's Country MTB @ Lawrence River Trail (Chris Locke)
April 7 - Colavita Crocodile Rock @ Perry Lake State Park (Brett Shoffner)
April 22 – OMBA Caramba @ Sac River Trails (Ryan Meschke)
May 5/6 - Kansas Fat Tire Festival @ Wilson Lake (Doug Chambers)
May 20 – Kansas State Championship - Dirty Little Secret @ Fancy Creek State Park (Aaron Apel) 
May 26 - Robidoux Roundup @ Krug Park (Randy Tracy)
June 10 – Missouri State Championship - Down and Dirty @ Warsaw Lake (Mac Vorce) 
July 29 – Show Me State Games @ Rock Island State Park (Sarah Ashman)
September 9 - Tour de Lizard @ Camp Horizon (Bobby Smith)
September 30 – UFD Championship - Rhett's Run @ Cosmo Park (Andy Schuette) 

United Federation of Dirt Endurance Race Schedule
April 15 - BoneBender 3/6 hour @ Clinton Lake (Chris Locke)
June 2 - Dirty Kanza (Jim Cummings)
June 23 - Indian Camp Creek 3/6/12 hour (Todd Holtman)
July 21 – Rapture In the Midwest @ Perry Lake (Colavita/Ethos)
August 25 - Cruise the Blues @ the Farm (Doug Palen)
September 8 - Sac River 6/12 hour (Jason Feagans)
September 23 – Tall Oak Challenge @ Binder Lake (Team Red Wheel)
October 13 - Burning at the Bluff @ Council Bluffs Lake (John Farinella)
October 20 – Berryman Epic @ Bass River Resort (Scott Davis)

United Federation of Dirt East Race Schedule
March 25: Mesa Lost Valley Luau (Mesa/Matt James)
May 12: Greensfelder (DRJ Racing/Bob Arnold) 
May 20: Broemmelsiek Challenge (Mitch Johnson) 
June 17: Leadbelt XC. St. Joe Park (Mark Grumke) 
July: Dirt Crits Castlewood (Every Thursday) 
July 14: Castlewood (Pfoodman) 
August 19: Cyclewerx Crankfest. Cape Girardeau, MO (John Dodd) 
August 26: Lost Valley - St. Charles (Walter Davis/Mike Barro)
September 30: UFD Championship - Rhetts Run (Andy Shuette/CBC) 
October 6: Castlewood - St. Louis (Rich Pierce/ICCC) 

Morning Fog...

Went out for a tempo ride this morning and found the warm up to be quite enjoyable... The fog out just made everything quite tranquil and beautiful.... It can be amazing to find the simplest things enjoyable if you open your self up to notice.. The camera on my phone does not do it any justice, if this moment were on a decent camera on the streets of London or Paris, you would find it hung up someones wall...

And a short 20min later is was business time!

Had to turn up the tunes and get to training, I don't wake up at 5:30am for nothing!

This song never gets old to me for some reason...

Gravel...Must be Spring Training

Have gotten in 30+ on the gravel last 3 weekends.. Once I get two more in, I officially have ridden more gravel than all of last year combined..

Wish I could have waited for Sunday; My ride on Saturday was at 16 degrees and Sunday it was in the low 50's!!

PTC has got me on a plan that has been enlightening to say the least, as for as what I have done completely wrong in the past couple of years. The weeks combination of intervals, tempo ride and hills made my ride coming home in the wind completely miserable. Headed out at 21mph came back at 13 and frozen.. The last 10miles back felt like 40!

Its been really nice to have some organization and an actual training schedule. I am thriving with the added support. I guess time will really tell though..

With the combination of "actual" training, eating right I am hoping to have a break out season.. It will be tough to compete with the crazy fast guys my age, but I am up for it and hoping I can make that huge jump. Or at the very minimum close the gap considerably.

Already in better shape and leaner than I was last year in March!
I already have my old man wrinkles going on!

I basically have a love hate relationship with gravel rides, they are exciting because it only means that the MTB season is around the corner. On the other hand without the help of my little friends (The  Black Keys, Modest Mouse, Interpole, White Stripes) it would be a bit too boring for me...However, still 1000% better than a trainer..

I save the hard stuff (Rage, Tool, Etc) for interval days..

Here is a little sample for ya... Hope everyone else is motivated for 2012!!!!

Say Hello to JDoug's 2012 Sponsors!

Sure, my wife calls you enablers behind your back, but I sure as heck love ya! 

Without you, my cycling and racing obsession would cost a fortune! 

Wait a second... Ummmm... Let me get back to you on that part.

Be sure to click on the logos to go shopping. Because buying cycling crap makes it Christmas day,every day!

Go! Racing

Team TWINSIX

Seriously, the coolest cycling swaggg your going to find out there.. Hands down!!!

No, seriously, your going to be jealous...

BikeSource/Specialized Team Sponsor

Best bike shop around! Without them my bike would weigh 30lbs!

Power Team Coaching

Because sometimes hard work is not enough in itself. That and I am a mental case!

Hayes Bicycle Group

The goods.... More bike parts!!

(Manitou Suspentions, Hayes Breaks, SUN ringle)

Sock Guy

Cool socks dude, really... Can even get one with a hamburger on them!

GoPro

Ain't nothing cooler than re-living your race while at work on Monday!
I won't tell your boss..

Spy Optics

Brothers got to look good out there, especially in the back of the pack..

Spin! Neoplitan Pizza Team Sponsor

Recovery Fuel!

Smithers Customs Team Sponsor
Custom Paint/Carbon Repair

Shores Sports Team Sponsor
Sports Marketing/Management

Flying Two Colors in 2012!

2012 is shaping up to be a wonderful year for racing. I personally have been seeing more and more people riding recently than I have in years past. Maybe its me, but there seems to be a lot of momentum coming into the season. Personally I am motivated as I ever have been! Hope you are too....

I am exited to be flying two colors come this 2012 race season. One team is brand new and the other is just new to me.

First up is Go! Racing.. Mixed and matched group of local dudes (Joetown/KC) who love racing..

Check um out, like them and follow them!

Check it out on FB -  http://www.facebook.com/TeamGoRacing 

Twitty -  https://twitter.com/#!/TeamGoRacing 

Second up it Team TWINSIX! I am super stoked to be apart of Team TwinSix Heavy Metal this year!

My profile can be found here -  http://www.twinsix.com/team/bios/jason-douglas/ 

Check um out, like them and follow them!

Web -  http://www.twinsix.com/ 

FB - http://www.facebook.com/TwinSix

Twitty - https://twitter.com/#!/TEAM_TWINSIX

https://twitter.com/#!/TWINSIX

CXC Race Shenanigans

Won't go into much details other than fun was had on all accounts... The Pirate puts on an interesting shindig to say the least!!!

CX bike- Equivalent to bringing a knife to a gun fight!

Unofficial Sponsor

Get down there, forget my shoes... Thanks G!

Double O GFunk

Heading out

Don't really know...

Staging Area

Pugs!

Time Bonus Table

That's a wrap, 2011..

I want to start this post off by giving credit where it is due. I want to thank my loving wife and my family for putting up with my obsession. If it was not for her support (this goes for all you married fools) lets face it, I would probably not be able to be out there and compete. And if I could, it would not be the same with out all of them behind me.

I really did not know what to expect for 2011 other than I did have high aspirations. Started off the season racing in Cat 1 for MTB. Last year I did win the UFD Cat 2 series on my singlespeed but knew some of top dudes and how fast they are, and that was a little intimidating.
Start of the season usually begins with Bone Bender where I found out real quicklike that I was not prepared. It was an team endurance race so the atmosphere from my perspective is a little more laid back than the usual XC events. After the race (and after the biggest leg cramp of my life) I needed to get my arse in gear.

Next up, my home race, Robidoux Roundup at Krug. One of the bright spots of the season, my first official Cat 1 race and I'll be damned if I did not place an overall 4th, 2nd in 30-39.

This turned out to be the theme for the rest of the season, I am faster than the slow guys but waaaay slower than the fast guys. So most races after the first lap I am in no-mans-land riding by myself.

The rest of the MTB season was kind of difficult for me because life kind of gets in the way. 2011 was insane for me personally, have a child, lose a job, move my mother in law in our home, start a business, lose our mother in law, and more, but you would not believe it if I told you.
As can be expected with responsibility, I was unable to compete in as many MTB races as I would have liked, but still manged to pull a 3rd in the UFD Cat 1 30-39 series, behind Elwell and Donn, both insane fast on two wheels.

CX season was a little bit of a different story, I raced more in 2011 than I have ever done. The convenience of races being short and not that far away make them way more accessible for me and my schedule. The season was pretty up and down. I ended up having to skip races that I needed to be at to keep my fitness level up. As soon as I stated getting my engine finely tuned, I would go 3 weeks without a race. Two steps forward and one step back kind of thing. I did end up getting my first podium in Cat 3 though, on a nice and hilly course out in Leavenworth. I ended up riding with gears a bit more than I anticipated this year, well because I had a new toy and had to ride it...
I honestly did have ambitions of racing an open race or two this year, but my fitness never reached the level I wanted. Owe well...

2011 had some ups and downs, but I did learn a ton about racing, training and nutrition that I am going to carry through to 2012 and hopefully be a breakout season so-to-speak for me.

I am already lining up some training, this year I am actually going to try and train a little smarter and more intensely. With a little help that is...

Also, after watching JPB go from pretty fast to stupid fast, I am pretty much sold on Paleo diet for Athletes which I have started. I did some of it in cross season, but was not that strict. I am determined to race in the 165lb region and hate counting calories, so I do really feel this is the way to go. So far I am great at it from Monday-Thursday, Friday-Sunday, not so much...

2011 was a great year for me, I learned more about racing than I had in the past two years and I met some awesome dudes I now call friends. 2012 is shaping up to be Epic!

Last CX Race of the Season...

For me anyway... Good luck to all the fast dudes heading out to nationals.

The end of the CX season was rather bittersweet. On one hand, I am more than ready to focus on my true love, some fat tire racing. On the other hand, I love competition and I am going to miss that...

Cross off the Old Year was this past Saturday. I had it in my head that we were going to be at the same course as last year. So I was already mentally preparing myself to 5 to 6 of those huge run ups, but it turned out to be the same course as Wednesday.

I did like the course, it had enough switchbacks and run ups to keep the roadies at bay. Well somewhat, anyway...

Lined up with the 3/4's and had a slightly smaller group from last Wednesday. If you notice in the pic, WE ARE RIDING IN SHORTS AND SLEEVELESS!
I tried to keep up with the lead group of 5 (usual suspects, Keck, Fife and company) or so for as long as I could, which proved to be about 2-3 laps. Knowing this was the last CX race of the year for me, the fact that I was not in the lead group was rather disappointing. This means I did not really get to the fitness level that I wanted to at the start of the season.

I could feel Wednesdays effort a little by this point.. There were three of us trying to close the gap but it was not going to happen. Lead group was already to far away. I was yo yo-ing off the leader of our little group. Guy three had a pretty good dig at the beginning of the final lap (end of the lap) which was way to early I thought. Once we hit the pavement at the end of the gravel I thought, what the hell... Just go!

Attacked them both from behind on an uphill pavement section and created about a 20 foot gap. Last race of the year, I was going to leave it all out there... So I just kept digging.. I'll be damned if I did not catch another guy half way through the last lap and got by him before the barriers, continued to hit it hard till everyone gave up trying to catch me. Finished up 7th out of 23 or so...

So that's a wrap... Never quite got going like I had wanted to, but that's racing. Took some positives out and of course (my personality) took out some negatives (losing focus at times) and what I need to improve upon (engine, its always the engine). Most importantly though, I love racing more and more every time I do it.. Got plenty of fuel to the fire left...

Pictures: Chuongs FB & Marks FB & Rogers

RESULTS

Already getting my MTB ready to roll, even did my first gravel ride yesterday (30miles).. Which will bring me to a bunch of postings  I am sure. I am finally at a level that where training harder in itself is not working. I really need to tweak or fine tune some things, I can get pretty fast with the hard work, but there is a jump I need to make to be in with the lead groups of MTB races.

A rather large jump....Hell, sometimes I would just settle for Garret, Elwell and TDonn not beating me by 15 min!!!