After first learning about the event in 1997, I've wanted the opportunity to not only attend, but compete head-to-head against the nation's best riders at the Sea Otter Classic. 

Fifteen years later, on April 18, 2012, I'll get my chance to compete in Cat 2 Dual Slalom at the Sea Otter. 

December 15, 2011 marks the beginning of my physical training and preparation that will include shedding nearly 50lbs and massive improvements in cardio for race sprinting. It will surely be an unforgettable winter. It also marks the day after completing my two-year Professional MBA program at Georgia State University, which means more time for training.

Stay tuned for regular updates and photos on my journey to the 2012 Sea Otter.

The entire team at Beech Mountain (Ski Beech) really have to be commended on the quality of the event they hosted last weekend. Site of the 2011 USA Cycling Gravity National Championships for Downhill and Dual Slalom, Beech Mountain offered challenging courses, great staff, fireworks, amenities and fun surrounding events to welcome riders and spectators from across the country with Southern charm.

Having qualified only a month ago for the event, I knew the course well and was prepared for a tough event. Seven of the roughly 45 racers who qualified showed up to compete in my class: Amateur Cat 2/3 30-39. I was seeded in 4th after qualifying runs on Friday going into Saturday's final heats.

Here's how Saturday's racing went: The round of eight was fairly easy, as I took both heats with decent leads. In the semi finals, I was paired up with the #1 qualifier John O'Shura (shown in photo). He won the first heat by a slim margin, but I took him in the second with enough difference to move on to the final round. In the final, I met with Bryan Morgan who also won the qualifier here a month ago and was the #2 seeded rider. First round, I lead Bryan all the way to the last jump, but over shot it to miss the final gate on the course. After going back to get the gate, I was down by the max 1.5 seconds. In the final heat of the day, I beat Bryan, but not by a large enough margin to take the win. He was a great competitor and someone I look forward to racing again.

I'm proud to earn a silver medal, and I am really excited about training harder to compete next year in Cat 1 for the national championship jersey.

After qualifying third in Dual Slalom at the pre-event qualifier a month ago, I return to Beech Mountain, NC to compete against some of the best riders in the country in Cat 2/3 during the National Championships. While I could use a bit more cardio, I'm excited about the prospects given my result at the qualifier and continued training. Trying to balance grad school, work, and racing has certainly been challenging. 

I've taken the Yeti out a few times to the local Cobb County ABA BMX track to see how she'd stack up. Initially I received strange looks from the locals. Like, "Is that a mountain bike?" or "Hey, where's your BMX'er dude?" After a few rides though, they warmed up to the idea of an extra-large cruiser. A few of the riders get spooked by the gear shifting on the front straight, but no real complaints so far. 

The Yeti provides the perfect balance of lightweight and stiffness needed to get out of the gate quickly and rail the berms. Surprisingly, for quite a few motos now I'm first out of the gate. Not bad considering I have ~5-10lbs of extra bike and haven't really raced in over 10 years.

If you have a 4X/DS bike, get out to your local track and give racing a go. Who knows, they may eventually add a special class for us extra-large cruisers.

After waiting nearly two months for the Santa Cruz Jackal (and SC telling me it would be another month or longer), I finally cancelled the order. Seems this is a common problem with SC bikes.

Instead, I picked up this barely used Yeti DJ. Frame is super stout, yet light. Paint and construction are first rate. Great mix of kit except for the SRAM X7/X9 drivetrain. I really dislike the shifter, specifically the gear increase lever positioning. You have to reach between the grip and the decrease lever to operate. Very inconvenient for 4X/DS/BMX. Shimano clearly has SRAM beat with their dual action trigger.

It must be the thrill of the hunt that I enjoy. For the past few months, I've been researching "affordable" (sub-$1500) 4X/DS rides to hit the local DS, BMX and pumptrack trails with. While the new GT La Bomba looked to be a fierce contender with its upscale kit and all-new alu frame, I just couldn't make it past the hideous bright orange paint and unproven lineage. The Giant STP 1 was also an interesting ride, but didn't impress with the low-grade kit and purple color. I guess the OEMs think everyone who rides these has dyed hair and painted nails.

In the end, the Santa Cruz Jackal won me over for its simple, clean design, above par spec and wide variety of frame color options. On order through Alpha Bikes in Alpharetta, I expect to take delivery in the next week or two. Will be sure to review the SC in detail after a few rides.

This past weekend was one of the toughest in the program. Two exams back to back on Saturday after an amazing amount of studying. Cohorted classes Operations Management and Leadership, by coincidence, scheduled both exams on the same date. 

Operations Management Professor Xia did an excellent job preparing us for his mid-term. He was clear and open what topics would be covered, and at what depth we would be tested. 

Professor Butler's Leadership course continues to be the class I've taken the most away from. Her insights into having real "impact" with your decisions and how you lead, has already changed how I manage. Her exam, well...that was a bit crazy. One hour, 60 questions, and an odd structure in the matching of terms/definitions, left most of us with a few unanswered questions at the end.

Overcoming these (and certainly much more difficult) obstacles with grace and good grades becomes a way of life. Head down. Two years. And you're done. 

My team was honored this week with a Bronze award for Mobile Marketing at the 2011 Atlanta Addy Awards. Our latest work on www.paywaremobile.com, was a great collaboration between our web agency Definition 6 and our in-house designer.

PAYwareMobile.com was built to serve a truly international audience with automated IP routing by country, independent country sites, mobile pages integrated to the App, and multi-language all on a single Umbraco CMS platform based in the Rackspace Cloud.

This marks VeriFone's second web award and fourth nomination in just the last three years.

Always tasty. Always busy. These guys really know what they're doing. A must visit.

I'm officially signed up to complete my second 24 Hours of Booty ride to benefit cancer research at LiveStrong and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. The ride takes place October 2011 at Stone Mountain Park, and I'll be part of the Team Pirate Treasure who raised $9000 last year. We plan to double that this year with your help.

Please take a moment and donate what you can to this wonderful cause.

http://www.24hoursofbooty.org/goto/ryankramer