Operation Alice!!!

59 days and an undisclosed amount of money later... SHE'S ALIVE!

What you see here is a bike that died a brutal death in a mud/ water/ pit of despair at the Train Robber's National Enduro. When she took her last breath, water was about 3 inches over the seat. The motor was completely trashed in the process, as well as every seal and bearing:

Luckily, that was the last race for a while on my schedule. Here in Texas, our off season is the summer when it's just too hot to get out and ride. I went at her with the pressure washer and commenced to tearing her all apart. I took my time and paid attention, and made a LONG list of everything that needed to be replaced. From there, I went ahead and added some things on there to make sure she cam bike like new. No point in leaving the opportunity for a weak link...

This was actually my first time to rebuild an engine, and I'm certainly glad it was my 2 stroke and not the 450. Proved to be fairly simple and I now have a much better understanding of what's going on in there!

-Hot Rods complete Crankshaft
-KTM Piston/ Rings
-KTM Main bearings
-All New Seals
-Gaskets
-NGK Plug
-Bolts
-O-Rings
-Pegs
-Moose Wheel Bearings Front/ Rear
-Moose Brake Pads Front/ Rear
-Moose Rear Sprocket
-Shock Bolt
-Woodruff Keys
-Spotless Flywheel
-KTM Countershaft Sprocket
-All Ballz Shock Bearing
-Trail Tech Light Wiring
-New Filter/ Cage
-Battery Tender Lead
-Electric Starter Motor Springs
-And some other goodies I'm forgetting

Ran her through the breakin process yesterday and set the rings- running like a champ so far!

Now for some Thank You's- Stone Motor Company plays a big part in all this. Also, as you're well aware- Vita Brevis Clothing. Huge thanks and props to SMS Racing!!! Josh and Haydn were a huge help with all my questions and parts needs. Thanks big time guys! Also need to thank my wife, Candice, for her patience and encouragement, as well as my RP boys for keeping the ball rolling!

www.stonemotorcompany.com
www.vitabrevisclothing.com
www.smsracing.net

2 Months Out...

Missed the three month update! That's alright though, been a steady grind of prep work. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, VB Racing has entered The Tejas Xtreme 24 Hour Race in East Texas this September. I'll be lining up in the Ironman class and trying to hammer out as many laps as possible in the 24 hour time period.

I decided a while back that the preparation was definitely key, so I've researched, trained, wrenched, ridden, and hustled like crazy to get ready for this event (and be better at life in general). After all, strong people are harder to kill and generally more useful, right? Now here we are at the 2 month mark. I'm still fairly close to on track. The only thing I'm coming up short on is ride time aboard my KTM. She's still being rebuilt, but coming together nicely. It's too hot to ride right now anyhow, but I'm hoping to start a weekly night session on my practice track here at the compound. Other than that, I've been grinding away at CrossFit at least 4 days a week. Some days I feel strong, some days I feel like getting hit by a bus would be a more desirable activity. But I'm definitely getting stronger and more agile. This training coupled with the Paleo diet has been a home run for me. I've dropped 20 lbs in the last 6 months! I just wish I had the discipline to go strictly Paleo and avoid the self-destruction that I jump into every weekend. But as Papa Pierce says, "Beer is carbos and painkillers!"

I geeked out and scored a closeout deal on a new Cannondale road bike from the local shop. Never thought I'd find myself on a road bike since I'm too gnar core for skinny tires, but turns out I love it. It's my guilty pleasure, and I haven't told any of my freeride buddies about it yet. If you guys are reading this, I'll race you right now, and no I don't wear spandex! I've got sweatbands, a mirror on my helmet, and a techno mix on my iPod now- it's like I don't even know who I am any more. But it does a lot of good to get out and stay acclimated to the heat, not to mention I can ride all over the place locally and don't have to transport the bike 45 minutes to a good trail. It's good stuff, and I'd recommend it to anyone considering a road bike!

On the mtb front, I've been hustling the SS rig all over. We slayed it with a ton of urban miles around downtown Austin for Fat Tire's Urban Assault Ride. Lots of white trash wheelies and some great food, music, and beer. I always forget how rad Austin is until I've got a pitcher of Lone Star in me and an earful of raucous tunes. Trail rides are happening about every other week, but will get more frequent if I can get my Element back from Candice! I've found myself out cranking Erwin Park in McKinney a few times with good results. It's a very entertaining 8 mile loop of fast hard pack with some great woods sections that's guaranteed to put a grin on your face! In fact, last night was all smiles as me and the CrossFit crew hit the trail in the dark with a few headlamps. That was an absolute blast and will become an integral part of my 24 hour training.

Life is Good, Summer is HOT!!! Big thanks to all the VB crew out there for the support and for repping the VB Gear! Get out and DO STUFF!