Lanterne Rouge

Cleaning out the pores in BC

2011-07-24T21:17:00.006-05:00

HeavyD, Green Beans, DoubleD and myself saddled up the FJ's and stuffed them to the roof racks with copious amounts of cycling related paraphernalia, and scooted East to the land of the Hosier. I had on good account that the trails in Brown County were top notch, but I was totally unprepared for the goodness we discovered.

30+ miles of the fastest, flowyest, contour based, IMBA spec, roller coster of a trail network that you could imagine. Trails that seemed downhill both ways, berms and switchbacks dialed to shed water and produce grins. We rode for hours even in the 90+ degree heat. A single speeders delight fo sho!!!

It was hard to keep the camera lens fog free, but here's a sampling:

Beans trying out the wooden toys.

DoubleD mending a leaker, on the only real technical trail.

Contemplating the facial hair decision in swamp ass season.

A few more pics here.

Come Lara

2011-06-29T21:33:00.002-05:00

I always say, my favorite trail, is the one I haven’t ridden. I might have to change that thinking after today’s ride.

I traveled north to the mother ship, and brought along my 1x1 BOCOMO as company. Day one had me spinning along a paved bike path, as the local trails were too wet for travel. Seeing as I probably needed a 32x11 to create any resistance at all, spinning along in my 16 was only marginally fun at best.

Day two, and the trail system at Comlara was ready for safe passage. I was fuming from two days of typical unproductive Corporate dribble, and need to let off some steam. I was stoked to throw down on some new singletrack, and busted out of an all-day-er early for some TITS (time in the saddle). What lay before me however, just added to the frustration. A pancake flat trail system, woven together so tightly, that it scrubbed any essence of flow or rhythm. Sightlines were so bad, I could never relax as I felt the impending union of riders was eminent. The vehicle of my stress relief was only adding to the equation on this outing.

I did manage to ride behind a local for about an hour, and began to enjoy what flow I could find. To increase the overall elevation on the trail, there were about 30 log rides throughout the maze of a trail system, and this did start to make up for the trails other shortcomings.

I left content, but hardly fatigued. Its clear the locals love their trails though and mad props to the work that has been done to keep this place in prime order. I guess you just have to work with what you got. Would be a fun one at night….hummmm….

Rolling Art

2011-04-27T17:22:00.001-05:00

This may not be your “cup-o-tea” and it may not be your color choice, BUT, the craftsman-ship needed to pull off a build like this is off the charts people. In order to compound bend thin walled, double butted, brittle, proprietary tubesets and then to join them into custom lugs blows my mind.

Some people (like me) build functional, well designed bikes. Other guys (like Todd I.) build functional rolling pieces of art. I aspire to be that good someday.

http://www.blackcatbicycles.com/2011/04/chug-lug.html

Ready for Paint X 3

2011-04-24T17:53:00.003-05:00

From left to right Michelle, ProPam, EvenSlower. Those are some sexy rear ends if I do say so myself : )

The weather lately has not been conducive for riding, but good for building. I should finish up Michelle's tomorrow night, while EvenSlower gets personal with his in the form of some pre-paint prep work. I cant wait to see these out and about and being ridden to the max. I only hope the owners enjoy them as much I enjoyed making them.

BOCOMO Photo Shoot

2011-04-15T19:15:00.002-05:00

Missing Seat Stays

2011-03-18T21:04:00.002-05:00

#B11-003

2011-02-20T13:44:00.005-06:00

Finally got my CX frame back from paint and built her up. Deep Candy Red is the color. Its another two stage powdercoating process. Turned out pretty good if you ask me. Problem is, it makes the welds look kind of "globby." I thought they looked pretty good before the paint, but oh well I'm happy.

Fix the front derailuller issues and its time for a test run.

Bringing something to life on a snow day.

2011-02-01T21:21:00.000-06:00

GRMC part 4-finished

2011-01-30T16:51:00.009-06:00

I stole some time this week from the production line to build a new seatstay mitering jig. It took more time than I expected, but was worth the effort. Now the painstaking process of getting the seatstays just right with a file, is a 5 minutes trip to the mill. Nice.

So here's the next few steps in the process.

Fit the chainstays to the dropouts, and check spacing in the chainstay jig.

Next weld the chainstay to the dropout. In this case its a breezer style without a replaceable hanger. Normally on a MTB I'd suggest a replaceable hanger, but this is for the wife, and will mostly see just gravel, so no worries.

Put everything back in the jig and miter the Bottom Bracket junction.

Then weld on the chainstays, checking alignment all the way. It helps to have a perfectly straight wheel to stick in there a couple time during the process.

And here is part of the chainstay jig I built this week. It make a huge difference! Its rock solid.

Notice the tight miters it produces. Makes welding them a snap.

And the finish product with the disk brake mount, chainstay bridge and disk brake bridge installed. All that is left is to ream the seat-tube and headtube, then braze on the bottle mounts and cable stops and its off to paint!

This is bike is for my wife. I don't think anything I've ever made has given me more satisfaction. Most days I couldnt wait until I'd completed a days work, done my "chores", and finished my workout so that I could race down to the man-cave to work on her. My only hope is that it provides her with miles of smiles, and that she enjoys it half as much as I enjoyed building it for her. Love you Kitten!

And that means, ProPam, you are no longer on deck, but up to bat. Better get cracking on that color choice, cause I'm starting on yours tomorrow!

GRMC part 3

2011-01-15T19:49:00.006-06:00

Ok, so the main triangle is welded up. My welding is getting better, but I still have a long way to go.

The idea here is to move fast, keep your heat affected zone as small and possible, and if you can, make it pretty too!

Seattube to top tube.

Finished product.

Custom headtube.

Now its back in the jig and start on the rear triangle.

I decided I wanted a different set of rears chainstays for this bike so I placed an order Friday. So it will be mid week before I get back on this one. In the mean time, #003 should be back from paint and ready to buildup Monday. That will keep me busy until then.

Thanks for stoping by.

GRMC part 2

2011-01-15T19:42:00.008-06:00

So the next step is the front triangle. First check the main tubes for any defects and label the short butt side.

Second, miter the 90 degree cut on the seat tube to BB junction.

Finish mitering the top and down tube and check the fit. This usually takes a little time with the file to fine tune everything.

Next drill the bottle boss holes, the slot for the seatpost clamp and sand and file the ends of each tube for welding. Clean everything with isopropyl alcohol and your ready to fire up the TIG torch.

First weld is the seattube to BB. The brass piece is the heatsink and back purge I made.

Some nice tight miters ready to tack in the jig.

More to come.

Gravel Road Monster Cross

2011-01-14T20:06:00.007-06:00

Starting my wife's gravel road slayer today. There seemed to be some interest out in the inter-webs on how this all happens in the basement of this mad-man. So here it goes:

First, I start every design session with some homebrew to set the mood and get the juices flowing. : ) I do a full size drawing cause I can do it faster than on the 'puter and its nice to have a life size plot to visualize everything. I work up he overall design from studying other manufactures bikes, my own ideas on bike fit and design, and input from the the rider. This bike is going to have a mtn drivetrain, 700c disk wheels, ridged fork and clearance for 44c tires. I'm going for a sturdy, relaxed all day kind of machine, with low BB and long stays for stable handling in loose gravel, and a top tube that fits between flat bar and drops to give her the option. It will not be pink. Should be fun.

Second I face the BB since they come a little ruff from the factory. After the build, very little if any facing is needed.

Then comes the headtube. This ones going to be 120 mm and starts from a big ol chunk of 4130. It gets turned down so that the inside race is 33.9 mm and has some rings on the outside.

Checking the run out before boring the inside race:

Nearing the end of the lathe work:

And the finish product ready for welding.

Next up is setting the frame jig to the drawing, and cutting some tubes for the main triangle.

Stay tuned!

Ready for Paint

2011-01-11T08:44:00.003-06:00

Mittering the chainstays.

Rear triangle welded up. Check out those custom bent rear stays, oh yeah! Time for the brake bridge, cable stops, and bottle bosses.

Side view and a messy shop.

Bike #3 = Custom Tange 4130 Cyclocross Killer

2011-01-01T18:14:00.004-06:00

Custom head tube in the beginning.

The end result of some time on the lathe.

Seat tube welded on, still in the heat sink/purge device.

Bad pic of the bottle mounts being drilled.

Bottom bracket welds.

Head tube shot.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get the rear triangle welded on.

St. Kitts

2010-12-22T14:28:00.004-06:00

My financial advisor and I traveled to the island of St. Kitts last week to soak in the rays of some Eastern Caribbean sun, and take in the splendor of the countryside. We stayed with a friend stationed there in the Peace Corp for two years. (Tuff gig I know).

Most Caribbean island nations are a stark example of the have and have not’s. St. Kitts is no exception. For sure, there are pockets of 5 star luxury, but by and large, beyond those resorts, its all slums. Too bad, as the flora and fauna of the volcanic isle is amazing.

During our stay we climbed the 3600 foot Mt. Liamuiga, zip lined down the hills of Old Town, snorkeled in Cockleshell bay, and chow’d down on ribs at the Shiggedy Shack. Driving on the left all week, while dodging taxi’s, busses, goats, sheep, cows, chickens, and pedestrians had me taxed, but the time in the sand was a worthy reprise.

A fellow cyclist came thorough, and allowed me to drag along his Travelers Check and I managed to “check out” each day for a spin around the island before heading to the beach. It was'nt great riding, but fun still.

Shout out to American Airlines who managed to lose our bags both going and coming. Great job guys, you deserve a Carib!

Frame Number Two

2010-12-09T20:53:00.003-06:00

Back from powder-coating today. Jolli-pop candy orange. Looks pretty cool in the day light.

BTEpic 2010

2010-10-24T19:04:00.002-05:00

This race is as good as it gets. Great venue, seamless check-in, epic course, huge field, crazy payout, tuff competition, free beer/food, live band, and lots of swag.

Tenth again two years running. I made a mental mistake and forgot to down one bottle between checkpoint 3 and 4, then went out on the final stretch with only one bottle in hand. Some major cramp-o-rama had me off the bike on the last climb from the Berryman watching 8th and 9th place ride on by. I've been riding long enough to know better...maybe someday I'll learn.

I'll be back next year to defend my streak of the only rider to make the top 10 of every BTEpic!

No Longer the Bridesmaid

2010-10-11T15:01:00.003-05:00

WAY back in Ought-Six, unforeseen circumstances forced Dr Mark and I to enter the Wicked Fast race at the Burning without a third teammate. A somewhat relaxed field allowed us to take the win in grand style doing 5 laps each.

For the next three years, DRJ (Chris, Wes, and Bob) have gotten together, and managed to snatch victory away from my various team combinations. There’s no better adversary than the trio above , but finishing first looser for three years straight (in ‘09 by less than a minute), had me reeling for a win.

Enter 2010 and yet another chance at victory. The dry spell was ended, and the monkey is off my back. We won, but took a two new course records, two flats, a broken pedal, and nearly destroyed wheel . Instead of a long diatribe of race re-capping, how about some observations from the weekend:

· Great care should be taken when choosing a team name. Choose wrong, and you could end up spending more time in your tent than just the weekend.

· The smoke bomb cloud to start the race was thicker than ever. I wasn’t sure I had my bike until chamois hit saddle.

· Beware of the opposing teams secret weapon (Mathews!)

· Also beware of nice old dudes (Albert), they will smoke you and get you a beer after

· No-one, and I mean NO-ONE ate better than we did Sat. night. Baked lasagna, Italian sausage, and ciabatta bread, wow!

· You don’t need fancy carbon, suspension, tubeless this or that, even rubber underwear to ride your bike all day and have fun. Go Pete!

· Pressed for time, I can stuff 6 Fig-Newtons down my gullet at once

· Post race PBR is nectar of the Gods

· Burning at the Bluff = still best race of the year!

Herman Washout

2010-09-20T13:54:00.003-05:00

By 8:30 PM most evenings I’ve assumed my position on the couch preparing for the nights slumber, but this Sat was different. I opted to sign up for my 3rd cross race (ever) and figured Hermann under the lights would be a worthy challenge. I did this race two years ago, in the CAT III’s and got second, so I was stoked to get a shot at the CX experts.

I’ve been training for longer events (Burning and BTEpic) so the all out style and 60 minutes of pain that Cross dishes out was going to put me in the hurt locker for sure. Because of this, my plan was to start conservative and build towards the finish. That plan royally backfired when two laps into a torrential downpour of a race, the event was called due to lightning. I only got the word that the race was ending just a few turns from the finish when a spectator yelled that’d we’d be finishing on that lap. Doh!!!

Shout out to DoubleShot who made the best of the situation and crossed the two lap event in first. The two of us wadded our way home in one of the hardest rain showers I’ve ever witnessed. 20 mph felt too fast!

This aint no Holiday Inn

2010-09-11T13:59:00.001-05:00

Got second in the SAC River 6 Hour solo race on Saturday the 11th. I got beat by Doubleshot, which didnt hurt my pride one bit. This guy is flying right now, and if you remember got 3rd in the NATION in Breckenridge this year for the NORBA MTB Endurance Class.

So after the race a super cool local, and friend of Dr. Beans invited us to spend the night instead of pitching our tents in the field. The lure of a hot shower and dry floor made the decision easy. We were slated for a short night, as we arived close to midnight, and planed on leaving by 6:00 AM to have breakfast before Sundays ride with the owner of Cycles Unlimited.

The hospitatlity was great, but lets just say that the decor was a far cry from Potery Barn. Interesting to the max!

R.I.M. 2010

2010-08-18T09:05:00.004-05:00

Professor Green Beans and I traveled North for the Rapture in Missouri 6 Hour duo race. This race had been on my shortlist for years, but had never materialized. GB was proclaiming the brilliance of the Crowder Park trail system, so I decided to make this happen.

We arrived Saturday morning, post rain to find slick but not muddy trails, and a gorgeous setup for an endurance race. Shade everywhere, cooler temps and the buzz of racers going through the dance of pre-race routines got me in high gear for some race action.

Beans sent me off on the Le-Mans start with only one set of instructions: “Do not come in first on lap one!” Of course you know that means, its balls out and game on now.

The first lap wouldn’t have been slicker if we had decided to lay down a course long slip-in-slide and cover it with vegetable oil and KY jelly. Two wheel drifts, and pinballing through rock gardens were the only options. I managed to keep Elwell and another 6 Hour solo rider at bay and set the fastest lap of the day, sending Beans out for his lap in first place.

From then on we didn’t look back. Both of us turned in some sub 50 minute laps, putting enough time into our competition put it on cruise control for the final two laps. The heat and climbs were taking their toll on the riders, as at times it looked like a concentration camp being marched through the woods with guys and gals off pushing in pain and cramps.

Still fun was had by all. We walked away with a cool shirt, free beer, a RIM pint glass and free entry into next year’s event. Doug Long put on a great event, and I’ll be back for more!

Fat Tire Trippin'

2010-07-08T10:14:00.003-05:00

Pictures HERE!

LumberJack 100

2010-06-21T21:05:00.003-05:00

I have nothing but positive superlatives when recounting this event. Drama free check-in, well marked fast and flowy schweet ass course, instant results, delish grub and beer following.

Props to DoubleD for putting the smack down and representing MO with a 23rd place just over the 8:00 hour mark, and my brother in law Todd (who shall now be known as Mr. Clean for various reasons) for completing his first 100 miler in under 9 hours! I made it in 31st just 8 min. back of DoubleD.

Will probably put this one on the books for next year. About 70% of the 33 mile loop is dope, fast as you can turn, swoopy goodness. Add in the fact that the sand base only gets better with rain, which I seem to attract, the cooler temps, low humidity, and the charm of upper Michigan port town, and I will for sure be back.

Picks here.

Way Behind

2010-06-14T20:07:00.009-05:00

I'm way behind here, so lets do some shotgun catchup:

Almost have my first frame ready for paint. I've built the front and rear triangle, reamed the seat and head tube, and I'm ready for the small parts. This project has taken a back seat for the past few weeks : (

I lost an uncle in a tragic car accident. Trying to find positive in a most negative situation, I did get to see an outpouring of compassion and assistance, from family and friends, in an effort to help a family their greatest time of need. Something that I believe can only be seen in small town America. R.I.P Danny.

Spent two weekends in Tightwad visiting my family and Sis who flew in from London. A picture perfect day on Truman Lake, and time with immediate family is always good for moral.

After almost 11 years of faithful service I sold my beloved Jeep Wrangler TJ. It brought a tear to my eye to let her go. Strange how attached we become to our material possessions.

I bought this as a suitable replacement:

Spent some time relaxing a bit and teaching Leo to swim:

Added a new addition to the family. Oliver arrived June 10th by plane from Texas. How much more hair could a second Spitz make anyway?

Found just enough time to train and nab me one of these: 2010 Missouri State Endurance Mountain Bike Champion.

This weekend its off to Michigan for the Lunberjack 100. Wish me luck. (I'm really going to need it this time)

The Green Beans Swagger Wagon

2010-05-10T20:52:00.002-05:00

View Full Screen Here

Oh Emily...

2010-05-04T13:56:00.005-05:00

...Why must you make the competition look soooo bad?

When you consider racers are really just high priced marketing, Trek really has a superior add campaign.

Turkey Mountain Tulsa

2010-05-02T19:44:00.004-05:00

Turkey Mountain HD from Donovan Evans on Vimeo.

I've been meaning to post this for a while. A ride EvenSlower and I did while traveling to Tulsa. A pretty unique place to ride as you will see. Thanks to HeavyD for the use of the camera, the editing, and the video hosting!

****For the best video click the Turkey Mountain HD link above and watch it on the Vimeo site ***

The start to something schweet!

2010-04-29T19:43:00.001-05:00

Practice makes perfect

2010-04-19T19:52:00.004-05:00

Miter the tubes.

Prep the metal

Weld it up...repeat.

Practice...practice...practice...

It's Been a While

2010-04-09T14:50:00.005-05:00

My blogging has taken a back seat lately as things more important to me have taken precedence.

Even though we are entering a period of drier/warmer weather, I feel compelled to want for more. More dry, and more heat. Well I got it! DoubleD and I (and a few others) met up for some SE MO fat tire fun last weekend. First course was a Berryman loop, in 80+ degree temps that had our melons dripping like Niagara. Day two, wasn’t as warm, but feeling of ripping dry singletrack for hours on end was the BEST of medicine for cabin fever.

Looks like we should have agreeable weather for the Gateway Crit this Sunday. First time in many a year. Come out and race if you can.

Fingers crossed for one Red, White, and Blue clad cyclist riding across thousand year old bricks this weekend. This should be his year.

Bonus points if you can name the BOCOMO cyclist who the above picture reminded me of.

What was that...

2010-03-29T13:57:00.002-05:00

Uggh

Snow = MCT (man cave time)

2010-03-21T18:35:00.003-05:00

I garnered some quality man cave time this weekend no part due to the irreverent snow storm that caught us all off guard Saturday morning. Here's a sampling of Sunday afternoons efforts. Any guesses? (no they are not sexual in nature)

I'm back to about 80% on the bike. I've still got a twinge or two of pain here and there, but can ride mostly pain free. With any luck, I'll be 100% by weeks end. Now I'm 3 months behind my normal fitness goals. My main goal now: the Lumberjack 100.

It's been a while, so how about some random thoughts:

72 Hours to read a 3000 page Health Care Bill. Seriously? I now fully understand what Grandpa meant when he said, "This country is going to Hell in a handbasket."

Snow in late March, sucks for building trail and riding Mt Bikes.

My dog likes broccoli stems.

I did not leave the house Saturday. Not even to go to the mailbox. Wow!

I love Northern Iowa Basketball. (and St. Mary's is a very close second)

I have some new equipment inbound. Double-Dog excited about this. Maybe Memorial Day as a goal for serial number #00001.

Plug in Young MC as a new station in Pandora. Sit back and enjoy my youth.

Brewed some beer last night. The darkest "light brown" ever.

2007 Bare Knuckle Boch at Flat Branch vintage night might be the best stuff ever. Yes EVER!

Time to see if Reedy was back in action under Mr Jones new big screen. (cryptic yes)

Cedar Creek Tributary

2010-03-06T16:21:00.002-06:00

A pic from last weekends hike in the Mark Twain National Forest.

The BH Wall of Fame

2010-02-22T15:03:00.003-06:00

How did this guy get a wall of fame! I must contact the owner of this establishment pronto and warn him that some patrons have obviously violated his eatery.

Extra points if you can name the place these gems are a hanging. Heavy D cant play.

Back Home : (

2010-02-14T17:49:00.003-06:00

Every time Cathy and I return from a trip like the one we just landed home from, we spend the majority of the journey contemplating, dreaming, and generally hashing out how we could change our careers and life paths to live in a place with unlimited outdoor recreational opportunities. This trip was no different. The problem with living in Columbia is two fold. First we enjoy some of the lowest cost of living in the US, making it double hard financially to make a move anywhere feasible. And second, Columbia really aint so bad a place.

Alas, the grass sometimes does appear greener, or snowier in this case, on the other side of the fence. See for yourself here.

More PC Powder today

2010-02-11T16:27:00.000-06:00

I'm done with Colorado. Utah does have the best snow on earth.

Steep & Deep!!!

2010-02-07T16:40:00.000-06:00

Snow up top today.

2010-02-06T13:14:00.000-06:00

The trip here couldn't have been smoother. View from lunch at the
brewery.

Snow Bound

2010-02-06T05:37:00.000-06:00

Let's do this:

Project One

2010-02-02T14:18:00.003-06:00

Here's a shot of the first project to emerge from the man cave. What is it?

In other news, I'm headed here Friday. Oh yeah baby! Oh yeah!

Free Ride

2010-01-18T13:18:00.003-06:00

I missed out on some Rolling Sitcom, BOCOMO Cold Forging, whatever you want to call it this weekend due to some nagging tendinitis in my left knee. Something I did over the past month had irritated it again (probably the 8 gillion trips up the ladder when working in the cave), so I’ve been sitting it out trying to re-hab. Last year I rode through it for a few months and then came crashing down after a unusually long ride, thus almost ending my season. I’m trying to be older and wiser this go around. I should be back in business this weekend, as I gradually get back into it over the next few days.

This weekend I pulled a page from the Green Beans play book and purchased a strange beverage from the local market in an impulsive move. Guava Juice it was called, and resembled the rice water you get at the Mexican joint I frequent. Taste was bland, kind of like week pineapple juice. Nothing real to report. Its most enduring feature however was its steel can. When was the last time you bought a drink in a steel can?

While blog hopping the last few days, I’ve seen a measurable increase in guys getting free bikes/gear for the 2010 season. Young guys, middle age guys, and even one old dude who have stumbled across some pretty “schweet” sponsorships for the upcoming year. I never really thought my riding abilities warranted anything more than a discount on socks, or maybe some used tires. Mad props to them for making it happen in an era where profit margins are shrinking. Maybe someday I’ll get my free ride.

A little dose of heaven:

2010-01-15T18:18:00.001-06:00

Dinner is served...

Negative Eight is Great!

2010-01-09T17:48:00.000-06:00

What do you do when upon waking, before that morning cup o'joe, you catch out of the corner of your groggy eye, a negative 8 staring back at you from your trusty thermometer. Go for a bike ride silly. It always amazes me how comfortable single digit temps can feel if adorned with $500 worth of lycra, and Goretx. The snow was deep, and slick as a melting ice-cream sandwich, and a real mental workout as any laps in concentration had you wrapped around a sapling, but a great 2+ hour workout it was. Thanks to DoubleD, D-Wayne, and JimmyV for making it out.

Most of the group was cheating a little with their tire selection:

108 or -8 this guys always got a smile on:

I see stupid people:

Gwen's in!

2010-01-02T18:11:00.000-06:00

The little sis made it across the pond for her annual holiday pilgrimage. Them Brits get too much vacation. I think she was here for about 12 weeks or something (yes I'm kidding).

Tightwad, MO

2009-12-24T12:00:00.005-06:00

Traveled to Tightwad last weekend for some family X-Mas fun. Lucky for me the temps stayed below freezing and I was able to check out the new trail system just a few miles down the road at Warsaw. 10+ miles of flowy singletrack goodness. The trails are a little “raw and untamed” at this point, lacking a worn in grove, but with some use will be double fun. Check em out if you’re in the area.

Man Cave

2009-12-24T11:41:00.002-06:00

I’ve always like building things. My father is an Industrial Arts teacher at my high school, and in the summers as a teenager and most of college, we would complete room additions, remodels, etc for some extra dough. My Dad used to say teaching was just a hobby, as he made more money during the summer. Anyway, along the way he taught me how to sweat a joint, mud and tape some rock, wire up a panel, and lay a straight single. Invaluable stuff every homeowner should know.

This is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I feel I can handle most issues with my house, and a curse, because I feel I should always do something myself as opposed to having it done for me (saving mucho time).

I’ve been working for a few weeks on the “Man Cave.” Progress is slow, due to Holiday commitments, but steady. With any luck, I’ll be ready for paint by 2010, and some new toys will arrive soon after that.

Stay tuned.

Catching Up

2009-12-07T08:06:00.004-06:00

Seems I’ve been neglecting my blogging duties lately. Not much to report I guess.

Everyone likes pictures, so here you go:

This rider will try anything if you present it as a present:

Watch out for this guy, he can bust a move on ANY bike:

I’ve been working in the basement a bit. I’m in the process of finishing off my shop area for some super secret equipment to arrive shortly. I’ll get some pics of that soon enough. But THIS will hopefully arrive before X-Mass.

After a month + of off season, social rides, and too many calories consumed as a ratio to calories burned, I decided to show up for the State CX race totaly unprepaired. Stoked to see the local CX heros ride off into the muck, and busting out some two wheel drifts into the tape, I almost forgot how hard I was pushing. The decision to race was all I needed, as a little competition has got me fired up to resume some dedicated training for next season. Weight room here I come. Pics HERE.

Props, to THIS guy for breakfast, coffee, hot coco, homemade relish, brats, etc, etc… Sometimes I wonder if he prefers cooking for friends over riding. He does both very well.

Finally, my little boy turned 3 yesterday. Pictures of his birthday cake to follow. (yes he had his own peanut butter cake)

Rain is good sometimes

2009-11-15T17:20:00.005-06:00

Rainy Sun days are great for whipping up some homebrew, so that's what I did. Fowler Creek Hardcore Honey Wheat will be on tap in 4 weeks.

Some of you may have heard me talking about working with Columbia Parks and Rec on a revitalization project at Grindstone. I've got it broken down into three smaller projects which I think we can get finished by next fall. When its all said in done, 6+ miles of schweet singletrack are possible. Heavy D and I went out in the pouring rain this afternoon to flag the first section. Part One of Phase One will be to re-route a steepish hill on the North side into some "fast and flowy" get your grove on tasty goodness. This will connect back to the mound loop (Phase Two) and then back to the parking lot. It took a couple hours, but I think we have it dialed. Work days will be happening soon, I'll be a calling! This park is going to rock.

Pumpkin Beer at Flat Branch

2009-11-03T19:18:00.002-06:00

The Pumpkin Beer at Flat Branch is the nectar of the Gods. No other fluid on earth is closer to heaven than the reddish gold bubbly goodness F.B. serves in early November. It sells out in 2 weeks, and I've missed it the last two years. My feeble attempt to replicate it at Flower Creek Brewing was a disgrace to its holiness.

Did some wheeling with Dr J on Sunday. Broke in the FJ a bit. Good times.

10th at the Epic

2009-10-26T21:13:00.005-05:00

So everyone knows by now that the BT Epic this year was almost TOO EPIC! Conditions made a difficult course tougher than a piece of beef jerky on stale bread. But that brings out the best in Mt. Bike racers and everyone finished strong with miles of stories to devour over free beer and BBQ.

Enough cant be said about the quality of this race. I've done a lot of events over the years, and even in its two year infancy Scott and his crew from Springfield Bike have created the model for what endurance racing should look like. Smooth check in, prepped course with great markings, crazy swag and prize list, and of course a carnival atmosphere post race.

I never really got the mojo flowing Sun. A long season met sub-par training, and added up to a lackluster finish. The competition really stepped it up this year though, so I'm content.

Props to many BOCOMO riders:

HeavyD -- for "diggingdeep" , one word, to finish a long day

Cole - not from BOCOMO, but for coming from KS to ride and finish "real" single track

Daisy -- for beating the KS boys, and the figs

Evenslower -- for not taking this out on my EPR

Ozenpro -- for stopping to help a fallen rider

Junior -- for sticking it out in the cold rain, only to find the cabin "checked out." My hot tub is open for you anytime (man I felt bad about this one)

Green Beans -- for doing the double

BH -- for not razing me too hard after my poor showing

DoubleShot -- for drinking creekwater, and riding your brains out, to show'em how we roll in Mid MO, and of course taking the win and the $$$

Pics Here

Training and openers...please.

2009-10-18T20:05:00.003-05:00

Last year between the Burning and the Epic, I pretty much did nothing cycling related. I had good legs for he Epic. So I'm following my lead from '08, sort of. Lots o'eating out, long walks in the park with the wife and dog, and multiple trips to the kegerator. Add in a 3 dayer to Tulsa this week, a night out watching the Leadville Documentary, and I should be flying come Sunday.

Training is overrate, as are openers.

2nd Again and 12 Years

2009-10-17T15:50:00.006-05:00

Yep, 2nd again at the Burning, three years going. I'm speechless...

On the plus side, tomorrow, I get to celebrate 12 years with someone who puts up with way more than she should, lets me be a kid 24/7, and keeps me in line when its needed. She even rides with me on occasion:

Burning Domination

2009-10-05T14:30:00.001-05:00

The Bridesmaids (formerly known as Double D and the A-Cups) are more than ready to own the top step of the podium this year. Let this post serve as a warning, that we’ll be breaking legs and crushing dreams Saturday.

Our team has an average resting heart rate of 23 bpm. Our VO2 max is off the charts. Combined we take in more air per minute than a Bugatti Veyron going full tilt.
We have been on a strict diet of PBR and bacon since 1-1-09. We are so lean and chiseled, we look like Maria Shriver after a ten day fast.

Our bikes are stupid light. Made from a proprietary blend of carbon nano-tubes and hemp fiber. They are so light, DoubleD’s asthmatic wiener dog can carry one to the trailhead. The hand sewn tubulars are made from the fur of unborn panda pelts, and are crazy sticky. We are running hydrogen in the tires for added lightness.

But what really puts us over the edge is our prototype cycling computer, which is a joint venture between the Tandy Corporation, and Fischer Price. It systematically monitors our vital signs during training rides and relays them back to our Cray supercomputer for analysis by Dr Fuentes. The Statistical Analysis Computer (or S.A.C as its know) is somewhat heavy though and attached with massive zipties, so we’ll cut off our SAC’s before the race.

We will dominate this year. Stay home if you don’t like losing.

Dead Legs Today...Chain Breakers Tomrrow...

2009-10-03T18:29:00.003-05:00

Mine are day to day. Since Leadville, I've been on again, off again, with no rime or reason. I've had days were I rip the cranks clean of the bike, and others were I cant couldnt keep up with a 4 year old on a big wheel. I think some serious rest is in order. Something about starting your season with big races in April and putting it all together for one biggy in Aug, has me reeling. Hopefully I can pull one out of my arse for four laps around Council Bluffs...

Lonely Roads

2009-09-28T20:13:00.003-05:00

This had us changing plans all weekend. First it was race Greensfielder, then it was race KC CX, then it was ride gravel in BOCOMO. In the end I rode solo all weekend. Something I haven't done much of lately, and I gota say, it was a nice change of pace. I snuck in two good loops.

All with gorgeous views,

lonely roads (I saw more horses than cars on the gravel this weekend),

and strange fungus.

Sun and O'Fallon Pumpkin make life worth living

2009-09-25T15:42:00.000-05:00

R&R and PBR

2009-09-20T18:39:00.003-05:00

We made a last minute dash to the river this weekend, to get some much needed down time. The forecast was ify, but we were determined.

Friday night was gorgeous, with a nearly empty park, a ripping fire, a cooler full of suds, and the wife by my side.

Saturday had us riding an old school bus that was transformed into a dog pound. Around 15 women joined us for the trip up river, bringing along about as many dogs. Leo was in butt sniffing heaven.

Below, Dr J confirms Bud as the local crustacean favorite.

PBR and Tilt is a dangerous combo.

The weather turned a little wet towards the end of the float, but hey, you're already soaked, so no worries.

Sat night the skies opened just enough for us to down some BBQ and retreat to the tents for a peaceful evening of light drizzle. 11+ hours of sleep later and I'd got what I came for.

Picks

Catching Up

2009-09-14T21:06:00.007-05:00

Seems like my life has been spinning a little too fast as of late. The constant stream of weekday bike rides, honey do's, weekend events, and that little thing called work, had me crashing to a halt Sunday eve. Nothing 10 hours of solid sleep couldn't fix though : )

Anyway, a recap of the past few weeks.

Went to the National We-Rock Championships. Watched some highly modified vehicles do

some amazing things in the hands of some very skilled drivers.

More picks here.

Went to two stages of the Tour of Missouri. Saw this guy kick some butt in the TT. He was not to be denied on this stage race.

Picks here.

And spent this past weekend riding around Mid-MO with 3500 others all for a good cause. Nothing brings back confidence faster than whooping up on some weekend warriors for 200 miles.

I think I need a vacation...

Leadville 100 Re-cap

2009-08-18T19:16:00.000-05:00

Leadville IS an epic event. Epic in size, distance, and status. No other bike race in my humble career had ever taken as much planing, training, and logistics as this one. What follows is my account of the lead-up and race day events. Grab a beer, this one could take a while:

My cousin Doug and I set decided in the fall of '08 to do something special the following year to celebrate our coming of age (he 40 and me 35 right near New Years). We briefly toyed with the idea of climbing a mountain somewhere, but ultimately decided to grab something more in our wheelhouse, and do an epic bike race. The Leadville 100 seemed like a natural fit.

For those unfamiliar the Leadville 100, its a 100 mile mountain bike race in Colorado with 12,400 of climbing that peaks out at 12,500+ on the top of Columbine Mt. There are more brutal races on the calendar, some lasting several days, but few with the stature and allure of Leadville. Those strong willed enough to finish in under 12 hours are graced with a beautiful hand made silver belt buckle. On average only about half the riders finish this monster. If you are lucky enough to survive the ever changing elements, deal with the altitude, miss out on any major bike mechanical, and have good legs on race day, AND finish the 100 miles in under 9 hours you receive the highly coveted gold buckle. And even though the previous year only 7 riders east of the Rockies made the cut, of course, thats what we were after.

Skip ahead 10 months of training and planing to 3 days before the race. Doug scored us some schweet digs in Copper Mt, and we did our final prep by pre riding the first 30 miles of the route on the days leading up. The weather was great and we felt confidant. Race day arrives, we were still confidant, but the skies were a threatening.

Race day: 38 degrees and clouds a rolling in. We lined up with 1600 other eager racers in the biggest mess of overpriced aluminum, steel, carbon fiber, and rubber you've ever laid eyes on. Bikes on top of bikes on top of riders. We got to the line a full hour before the start but still only managed around 300th place at the gate. Bummer. No worries, its a long event we thought. At precisely 6:30 AM the shotgun fired and we were off for the race of a lifetime. The pace quickened and as we got strung out while navigating the rule city roads, a rainbow appeared near the base of our first climb. It was an unbelievable sight as the flowing mass of multi colored jerseys careened like a ribbon into the fog and 38 degree rain.

(A little back ground. The course is 50 miles out and back. Starts with the climb of St. Kevin's, then Powerline, a check at pipeline, a second check at Twin Lakes then up Columbine, turning around at the top and making the return trip through each of the previous spots.)

Our plan was to stick together as much as possible to help cheat the wind on he flatter sections by working together, however, we quickly got separated by my youthful exuberance on the first climb. I soft pedaled over the top though and regrouped with Doug. We drag raced up the rocky Powerline climb passing groups of riders as we went, frequently shaking our hands trying to keep warm. Going down Powerline the trail gets steep, and passing is difficult. I popped out at the bottom and quickly regrouped with Doug on the road section to the first check.

I had made some time sheets showing at what time we needed to be at each check to stay on our 9 hour target. The effects of the cold rain were taking their toll on Doug's legs and he was having trouble keeping up, yet we still made it to the first check right at the prescribed time. A quick bottle refill and we motored towards Twin Lakes and a meeting with our crew.

In this short 45 min section, I got ahead of Doug a bit and started to see the writing on the wall, sticking together wasnt working today. My ultimate dream was to cross the finish line together, hands in the air, comfortably under 9, but it wasnt to be this day, and I knew that I must forge on solo.

A quick stop at Twin Lakes, had me fueled, with new dry gloves, and ready to get ahead of the 9 hour pace. I motored up Columbine, catching a glimpse of Lance Armstrong as he ripped down. Columbine is a brute. 3000 feet up at 10% or more to 12,600 feet with some sections near the top virtually un-rideable. This beast threw down the gauntlet. It started with the spongy gravel at 8%, then a baby head filled Jeep trail awaits as the trail pitches up some more. If that doesn't get you down, it steepens even more, forcing you into a bike pushing crawl. And finally it tried to blow me off with 30 mph wind and sleet. Oh yeah, and there is NO air at over 11,000 feet. Remember 1600 people paid to do this...

I finally made the turn around and bombed down to Twin Lakes again to meet the crew. I was fully expecting to be 15 min ahead of schedule, as I thought my effort on Columbine was superb, but arrived right on time again. CRAP! Here is where I almost lost the day. Instead of eating the carefully measured food I had laid out and taking what provisions I needed to get to the next check, I grabbed a GU flask, 1 bottle, and a little debbie cake. Everyone reading will know whats going to happen next.

Bonk!!!!!! The short trip from Twin Lakes to Pipeline about killed me. The tank was empty, and the motor gurgling for some fuel. I knew right away what I'd done. The demons you face during a race, started coming at me full bore. The race is over, I dont know if I can even finish, much less in 9. I'm done. I'll have to sag. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I conceded to hit the Pipeline check and stop for 5 min to eat. Once there the unbelievable support staff stuffed me full of sandwiches, Coke, gu, bars, hell I dont know what I ate, I was completely out of it! From studying last years times I knew that no one left Pipeline after the 6:15 mark and made the 9 cutoff. It was now 6:20.

I stopped for a quick tinkle past the outbound check, and started on. The last 25 miles consist of 4000 feet of climbing, two passes, and a 500 foot march up to town. To say my resolve was fading was an understatement. But I plodded on. I made the top of Powerline without too much fanfare and studied my time. 7:35. Hummmmm...can I make it???

Remembering Ken C. the race directors speech from Friday, I resolved to "Commit to never quit." and aging hammered on. My bike setup was working really well and I was catching riders on the decent. I hustled down the gravel section, eating a bit, and rounded the corner at the start of the final climb. St. Kevins going back consist of a long paved section, some Jeep trail at the top and a technical decent.

A glance at the Garmin said 7:42. Now the demons in my head are tapping a keg turning up the stereo, cause its party time. "You'll never make it, your too tired, you've been riding almost non stop for 8 hours." Followed by, "you've been training all year, you've only got one shot, and "you've got to dig deep, just like the pioneers of Leadville man"!!!!!! So I again hammered on.

8:11 and I reached the top of St. Kevins. Oh now this is serious said the good demons! "You've really got a chance, but its going to take a serious effort" "Your going to come up 2 min short," said the bad. This is where the thought of failure really started to piss me off. No way was I not going to leave every last stinking shred of effort on this course. I would not QUIT!!!!

I absolutely bombed down St. Kevins. To quote Phil Ligit, "He's taking all kinds of risk." And I was. I should be a blood stain on a coniferous tree right now. But I somehow kept it straight, launching 20+ feet down the trail after each water bar and scaring the chamois of passed riders.

8:27 and I'm at the bottom. The run-in is different than the route out, and was unfamiliar to me. I put my head down and into the wind I pushed. My legs crying in pain, and my lungs gasping like a 80 year old asymmetric smoker.

8:44 and 3 miles to go. I did the math in my head. 3 miles in 15 min thats 5 miles an hour, no 20 mph, no....crap my heads a mess...just pedal damit!!!! After a rocky rise, the road turns into a false flat, straight and goes off into the distance. The demons return. "Its too far, your dead, better luck next year." NO..."this is it, time to rise up, find something extra, remember all the suffering you've endured, just 15 min and the pain will turn to glory!!!!"

8:55 pavement! That's it, the town. Oh God, I'm not going to make it. It's too far. What have I done! Go man go! A guy on the side of the road screams encouragement, "You've got the buckle man hurry!" I stand on the pedals, my speed goes down. CRAP! My lungs were wheezing, my heart jumping through my base layer, my legs throbbing as if being beat by a bat. I crest the ridge to see a 1000+ fans and crew just two blocks away surrounding the famous red carpet.

8:56 --- Two blocks, I cant cover two blocks in four minutes, its over. The wheezing continues. I was deep in the pain cave, and I'd dropped my flashlight! I cant believe I came so close only to come up short. I'm peadling squares, and cant keep a line. All the oxygen my lungs can scrub from the thin air is getting forced into my legs, and my brain was getting none! Just a bit more now, WAIT...there's the carpet...WHAT I made it....clock...clock...where is the clock...8:57.20 OH SHIT...I did it!!!! I have to stop....

....the demons disappear. The crowd screams, I hear nothing. My head on the bars, I gasp, and finally regain my senses. Its over. I did it. I can see straight again. After a bit I rise up, only to find a giant video camera in my face, as a older lady dressed in yellow adorns me with my finishing medal.

8:57.20 = Gold

My reward was bitter sweet, however. My "brother from another mother", cousin, training partner, and friend wasn't so lucky on this day. He crossed the line about a half hour back. Cold rain, doing a number his legs early, he dropped too much time on Columbine. This race takes it all from you, whether you finish in 7 hours or 12, it hurts. To come up just short of your goal, pours salt in the wounds. His result tempered my feelings of success, as we were in it together. I know he'll be back though, to get his redemption on the mountains.

I called my wife while sitting on a step just off the main drag. The emotions of the day grabbed ahold of me, and I was unable to speak as tears flowed down my face. She gave me a 1000 mile hug, and the tears dried up. I couldn't wait to get home and share my experiences with her.

Will I be back...sure. Time has a way of stripping away the pain, and floating the memories to the top. I can feel Doug mounting a comeback, and a certain Green Beans will surely try his hand again in the future. I'll be there to cheer them on from the comfort of their draft should they choose to tackle the beast again!

8:57 = Gold

2009-08-15T21:53:00.001-05:00

38 degrees at start, rain, sleet on Colimbine, major bonk on the
return, suffering like no other.

Sent from my iPhone

Epic singletrack

2009-08-13T11:21:00.000-05:00

Rode up above Copper this morning. Sending u this pic from where I
took it. A must do if u r n the area.

Pre ride

2009-08-12T19:49:00.000-05:00

Rode the first 30 miles. Cake! Can't wait to show'em that a
flatlander can climb!

Tourqise Lake

View from home

2009-08-12T09:52:00.001-05:00

A look out the window has me smiling today. We're out for a pre ride
of the first twenty miles of the course.

Supper ampted to race Sat. I'm ready to roooooolllll.

Sent from my iPhone

Damn!

2009-08-11T21:08:00.001-05:00

Just ate a Damn good burger and drank a Damn good beer at the Damn
Brewery. Life is sweet.

Look! Nothing!

2009-08-11T14:38:00.000-05:00

Kansas is so lovely.

Nuff Said...

2009-08-08T13:53:00.001-05:00

Bring it Lance

2009-08-08T11:39:00.003-05:00

My little vacation overseas has come and gone, and my focus has shifted to my Leadville prep. Last weekend was spent in South MO turning some long hours on Middlefork and Council Bluffs beautiful trails. Things were a bit more overgrown than I’m used to seeing in that part of the country, but at least the GORC hero’s have been hard at work clearing the downfall from this spring’s thrashing.

I’ve been resting like crazy this week trying to get the last bit of fatigue to leave the legs before the last little tune-up this weekend and next week. Seems my recovery is taking a while though as I still feel some lingering effects of all the hard rides of the past month. I’ll be ready though, as this is one of (if not the) biggest race of my lowly career.

We head out Monday after work to KC for the night, and on to Copper Mt Tuesday for some short course recon, and altitude acclamation. I don’t know how I could have prepared any better, so whatever I get is what it is. Although I’ll be turning myself completely inside out for a sub 9 finish, and the Gold Buckle.

Check back for Copper Mt and maybe some pics of the competition.

Trip Pics

2009-08-01T12:33:00.002-05:00

I trimmed down the 600+ photos of the trip for your viewing pleasure:

France - Switzerland - Italy: A Velo Experience

Enjoy!

France Recap

2009-07-31T14:26:00.001-05:00

The daily grind has began. Assimilation into society sucks. I just spent over two weeks living the simplest of lifestyles; eat, ride, eat, wine, sleep, and repeat. I can now fully realize the allure to the life of a pro cyclist. Although I’m sure the pressure and constant travel would make it a wash.

I finally got Garmin Connect to upload my data. Totals for the trip are impressive, I think. (I’ve left off two rides, one where my Garmin ran out of juice because I forgot to charge for a few days, and the ride up the Ventoux on race day.) Only one day off the whole trip.

Rides -- 11
Miles – 650
Ride Time – 40 hours
Calories – 37,000
Vertical feet climbed – 65,000

Total mileage was low, but when you figure each day had 6,000 feet of climbing, it starts to make sense how hard those rides were.

Things learned while covering the back roads of the French Alps:

--Always take TP to the toilette
--There is a total absence of soap or towels in any bathroom
--Ice is a foreign concept, be prepared to drink warm beer
--Wine is cheaper than water
--Turkish toilettes and dead cycling legs don’t mix
--When a climb is rated HC, its really, really hard…really
--The French are friendly if you try to speak their language
--We over complicate our food, simple IS better
--The Alps are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Winding Down

2009-07-27T10:34:00.001-05:00

Last day in France. Looking at 24 hours of travel tomorrow. Did
Vontoux two different ways. All my pics on the camera not the phone.

The Alps have been speachless. Wildflowers, henious climbs, trees,
numbing decents, food o the food. I'm sad to go.

Sestrion

2009-07-24T08:24:00.001-05:00

Walled city.

Lakes and Lavander

2009-07-24T08:22:00.001-05:00

Valley between I'Zorod and Vars

2009-07-24T08:20:00.001-05:00

Fousto Coppi memorial...

2009-07-24T08:18:00.000-05:00

...on the decent of the I'zorod

More French Coffee

2009-07-24T08:17:00.001-05:00

I'm a little behind again, just pics for now.

The views!!!!!!!!

2009-07-20T13:52:00.001-05:00

Wow!

Stage --I've lost track...

2009-07-20T13:50:00.000-05:00

Monster day. The Telegraph and Gilibeia. Again I think views can't
get any better and I top out this climb to see this!!! Got passed by
2 million dollars worth of cars in 30 seconds, was almost blown off a
switchback earlier, and rode at 40+ mph for 15 miles today, awesome .

I've ridden 8 days straight now. Each day has been over 3 hours of
ride time and 4000 feet of climbing. Most are s lot more. My dogs
are tired!!! Tommorow two cols await. Better have another beer...

Stage 5 and coffee

2009-07-20T13:41:00.001-05:00

Evenslower warned me of the superority of French coffee, he was
right . Delish. Today was another visual shocker over the Col de
I'seran. The climb up through the biggest ski resourt I've ever seen
and down through a breathtaking valley. The run in was hard with high
winds slowing us down. Totals for the week, a lot. 19,000 calories
burned means I can drink as much French wine that I want. By the way
wine is cheaper than water here, seriously!!!

Lunch on the streets of Bourg

2009-07-18T06:48:00.000-05:00

More market pics

2009-07-18T06:47:00.001-05:00

The market in Bourg

2009-07-18T06:47:00.000-05:00

Awesome!

Stage 3

2009-07-18T04:16:00.001-05:00

I'm a bit behind, but having to much fun to blog. Anyway, Thursday we
rode up the Piti St Bernard through Thulie. On the top of my list of
all time most senic rides. To say the views are indescrible would be
an understatement. Friday was a rest day, so 4 of us rode up the
Rosoline, start of a tour stage next week. Another perfect beauty
with 3000 feet of climbing.

Today, rain. :( we are taking the day off and will catch up on Sun.

I don't want to come home, ever!!!

Stage 2

2009-07-15T14:15:00.001-05:00

Oh man. When a tour stage says it's got a HC climb, it means holy
crap, this is gona' hurt . A trip up the col de St Bernard (stage 19
of the Tour) was the main course today. Followed by a 6000 foot ( yes
6000 feet) decent toAstoa, FZ.

Here is Cathy and Windy half way down.

Stage One

2009-07-14T11:26:00.000-05:00

8000 feet of climbing in 95K. The climb up the Verbier was heaven on
a switchback. And the payoff at the top was a gorgeous Swiss Vila.

Sent from my iPhone

Morning view day one

2009-07-14T00:11:00.001-05:00

Today the riding starts in earnest. Over to Switzerland to finish on
the Veriber climb to be used on stage 16 of this years tour. Crappy
cell phone pic attached.

Prologue

2009-07-13T13:38:00.001-05:00

Today was great! We toured the town of Chamonix in the AM. Picture perfect French ski town. Then did a "warm up" ride into Switezerland. Headedup to Emmoson dam, 3000 feet in 6.5 miles and back. Had this ginger beer on the way here. More tomorrow.

Sent from my iPhone

Prologe!

2009-07-13T13:34:00.000-05:00

And we are off!

2009-07-11T11:34:00.000-05:00

First stop, STL Airport. Just past security I see this on the wall.
If u look close u can see my teamate in the Gateway cup race. 22
hours and we'll be in Lyon, FR. :)

Seven

2009-07-08T12:02:00.002-05:00

After much thought, and lack of sleep, I’m convinced that the ideal number of bikes the average rider needs is seven. I’ve discussed this at length with fellow riders alike, and most agree that you could get by with as little as three, and anything over ten is a maintenance nightmare, but seven is ideal. So without further a due, my rational:

Road
Bike 1 – Super dope-a-lishous, sub 14 pound carbon wonder bike complete with deep dish carbon tubies, carbon bar tape, $100 - 6 gram carbon cages, and carbon seat, with of course carbon rails. The theme here is carbon people. This bike shall only be ridden on close course crit with thoroughly swept corners, and dry days with temps between 50-78 degrees. Its main purpose is to impress your cycling buddies, and to charge a nickel to anyone who chooses to pick it up to feel its lack of gravitational pull.

Bike 2 – Comfort training, but still light enough for stomping lesser riders at your local Tuesday Night Worlds. This could be carbon, but ideally something more unique and thought provoking to help project your obvious love and knowledge of the sport and your own quirkiness. Maybe a custom hyper light lugged steel beauty with a fade paint job, or something Ti from Serotta, or Moots. The key here is having something unique to your cycling group, but balances how cool/retro/hip/out-side-the-box you are, but is still blistering fast.

Cyclocross
Bike 3 – One of these silly things is more than enough, yet you still need one. There will be days where its too wet, too windy, too hot, too cold, too (fill in the blank) to ride conventional, established methods of cycling bliss, and one must pursue an alternative course of action, the gravel road. This bike will be abused, ridden in the harshest of conditions, chained to a light post outside your local Starbucks, and put away wet for weeks on end. Buy a cheap Redline, and use the takeoff parts from Bike 1 to get it rolling.

Mountain Bike
Bike 4 -- Carbon hardtail race bike. Much like Bike 1, a bike kept showroom new, only to be released to fly on the most sun filled of days on dry hard packed race courses. Again carbon is the theme. All parts for this bike should come with a weight limit sticker, and it should crumble into a pile of glass splinters should anyone over 162 pounds grace its saddle on a ride over the street curb. No 29’ers please, this bike should be fast.

Bike 5 – Suspension race bike. If you want to go fast, and need suspension, get an Epic, open up your checkbook, build it to under 21 pounds, and don’t blame the bike. The current world champ cant be wrong. Do not ride Bike 4 or 5 for more than 2 hours, unless you have the back of a 10 year old gymnast, move on to Bike 6.

Bike 6 – Five inch travel, all day, do anything, ride anywhere modern trail bike. It should be durable like your grandpas overalls, but light like grandma’s pie crust. This will be your go to fat tire friend so choose wisely. Obviously I’d choose a DW bike, something from Pivot or Ibis would fill the void nicely. Again no 29’ers please.

The WTF Bike
Bike 7 -- You probably already own this one. The fix gear track bike, converted with bull horns and platform pedals. Or maybe the ridged single speed 29’er with drop bars and down tube shifters. The Mullett bike which came to life one lonely night in your dark basement after a six-pack of Blueberry beer and a marathon Pink Floyd jam session. Ride long enough and you’ll sure to amass enough parts that its conception will be inevitable. Besides, you’ve got to do something with that schweet six speed Ti Suntour cassette nestled away in the back drawer!

Like I said seven is optimal, your millage may vary. At the end of the day though, the formula for the number of bikes a cyclist thinks he/she really needs is:

N + 1 = Number of bikes needs (where N=current number of bike)

Testing...testing...1...2...3...

2009-07-07T14:43:00.001-05:00

Mobil blogg test. Seeing if I can still make updates on the road.

July 4th Century = 1...2...3 Flats...

2009-07-07T14:33:00.001-05:00

…or 5 if you count the two flat legs I brought to the ride. On the top 5 list of worst rides all time for me. The mix of rain, sweat, and road grime was stinging my eyes. I managed to succumb to the elements with not 1, nor 2, but 3 flats. Forgot to eat, bonked hard, and struggled to stay upright around the aero bar using tri-geeks in the pack. Mucho fun!

Oh well, I’m off to the Alps Saturday for a 2+ week vacation of bliss. With any luck I’ll get a good look at a certain rider from Austin, climb Mount Ventou, and sample some old world grape juice. Am I ready…I’m vibrating!!!

TTT is tonight. Take it to em LA!

She lost me at Pearl Neckless

2009-06-28T20:15:00.000-05:00

Lost Sheep or Lost Sleep...

2009-06-28T20:04:00.001-05:00

I haven't lost any "sheep," but I have lost out on some "sleep," this weekend. I'm pretty sure I couldn't have shoehorned in one more minute of fun in the past 36+ hours.

Its started early enough on Sat, with a 6:00 AM roll call at Bean's homestead for a few trips around COSMO, to be followed up with some gravel and KT to end the day. B is for Bolton joined in to make three. The trail was perfection, one loop each direction. I was on a strict time schedule and had marching orders from upper management to be home by 10:00 or she slit my tires and cut my derailuer cables. We hit the KT near Rocheport at about 9:05, and with a 25 min drive facing me from Nate's, I knew the clock was ticking. TT mode it was. I felt like I was laying it down pretty good, from the heavy breathing coming from the pair grabbing my w Roachport heel. I'm convienced that if my wife was standing at the finish tapping her foot and watching the clock, I'd be winning everything and have a Pro deal of some sort.

Sat concluded with a trip down the Osage River with some of Cathy's friends on their party barge. At one point I counted 10 boats tided up to ours all floating along in a sea of Natural Lite filled bellies. Cole county seems to go with the "Fat guy, skinny wife" mantra though, so at least the scenery was something to look at. Even saw a convicted felon on one boat supporting a ankle bracelet that would radio authorities if his 5 DWI having butt had the siltiest bit of alcohol. Weird.

Sunday was a 7:00 dance on slick trails and wooden bridges with Double Barrel, Beans, D-Lite, Evenslower, and B is for Bolton. Take not BOCOMO fat tire friends... the algae covered wooden bridges are slicker than snot on a doorknob after a rain this year. I almost waded it up in a spectacular fashion worthy of any highlight film, while crossing Ganes Creek at Rock Bridge. Beans and DB both hit the deck on another crossing. Come to think of it, thats the first time I've seen Beans go wheels up. Hummm...

I rounded out the weekend with the Brother and Sister in Law, Mother in Law and the 2 nieces at the pool and a trip to Flat Branch for grub. I'm totally wiped. Time for some much needed stretching and R&R.

And yes the Lost Sheep post goes out to a certain red haired CBC rider who shears sheep as a pre race opener. Chris Carmichael recommended this to me once...

Wingheaven

2009-06-22T15:03:00.002-05:00

Road racing for me is about as easy as nailing Jell-O to a wall. So going into Wingheaven with suspect form, temps in the 90’s, a combined 2-3 field, and what was sure to be stiff competition, I was a bit worried. I was committed to going though, almost as much to see some of my teammates and watch the Pro race as anything, and loaded up the Mazda for a trip to STL.

Warm up went well, and I lined up in the middle of 90+ hungry riders. The first two laps were agonizing. I wasn’t have much trouble hanging on to the pack, but again it felt like I was riding with one lung. By the middle of the race, I started to come around and feel like racing. For me the funniest part of the day happened right out of the gate, when I look to my right to find Happy Jose B wobbling beside me pedaling squares and knocking about. How does this guy always find me in a pack???

With one to go I had some gas left but the pack was big, and slowing, so the probability of a pileup in the downhill left was high. I opted to call it a day, realizing my strengths in the sprint, and the need to be free of broken bones going into July, and coasted in at the back of the group.

4 Weeks...

2009-06-13T21:11:00.003-05:00

...and I'll be riding the schweet serpentine grander that is Southern France. This will be my first International Cycling trip, and first ever 2 week vacation. To say I'm excited, is an understatement. I'm already packing, and I mutter around the house till the wee hours not knowing wether to scratch my watch or wind my butt. I've got to pack 2+ weeks worth of gear into one 50 lb bag. This should be easy, but in the past DoubleD and I have filled the Mazda 3 to the brim for just a 5 day trip.

Rolled out for pretty mellow 3 hour stint through Northern BOCOMO today with like minded two wheelers. Although it looked like rain, we stayed dry. What never fails to amaze me, is the complete lack of silence a BOCOMO group ride has. Never a dull moment on the rolling sitcom that is a early morning CycleX ride.

A couple sandwiches short of a picnic...

2009-06-07T20:12:00.002-05:00

Even when you have a bad day, MTB racing is still more fun than a clown on fire. Walking into the 10th annual Rett's Run Race this weekend I knew my form was going to be off a bit, but by how much. If you've been racing long enough, you can almost tell from the first pedal stroke of the day, how things are going to shake down, and today I could tell, my form was lower than a ducks butt.

My race went well enough considering my prep, so I cant complain. I got out to a good start only to find my heart rate pegged to pre-pubescent levels, my head spinning, and my bike handling suffering big time. The course was slicker than snot on a doorknob. Ploch was witness to a nice two wheel drift into a tall oak that I was lucky to pull off, that had me contemplating my predicament. I really wanted to rock the house on my home court, and at least stay ahead of BH (who was on my borrowed bike) but continuing at the present pace would probably result in me on a stretcher. So I dialed it back, and then some more, and then yet even more, until I could see straight out of my newly LASIK'd eyes. At one point I thought, "I'm going so slow, I'm going to have to speed up to stop!"

The rest was somewhat uneventful. I saw BH on the ground once. Caught a glimpse of DoubleD in my rearview (this sparked my motivation, as I couldn't have my older and wiser cousin make up the stager on me, oh the humility) Some dude tried to take down Wes B in one of the craziest passes I've ever seen on an MTB. And I almost ran over a lapper on number 4.

So even though my picnic came up short, it was still a blast.

Shout out to Evenslower's kids who took the prize for the cutest pit crew. And Doug Stone, who's making the transition from throttle twister, to mountain bike slayer quite nicely.

Back in the Saddle Again

2009-05-31T19:25:00.003-05:00

Dr. J, Heavy D, Evenslower, Green Beans, myself, and a guy who borrowed my old Epic who shall remain nameless as he is secretly training for a special coming out party, met up at Binder for my first ride back on fat tires in 3 weeks. In fact I just started getting some TITS on Wed of this week with a short 90 min recovery ride. The day was spectacular with dry trails (a rareity in MO this year), good company, and of course the Pivot. Dr J got us all on film. Heavy D poached some trail and got lost again (good thing he has a Garmin). Evenslower found some more MidMO ticks. Nameless dude looked fast, yet twitchy, for a guy who's been off the fat tires for a bit. Beans impressed my SF buds with his ever smooth flow. And I couldnt wipe the smile from my face as it was the first pain free ride in 6 months!

Retts Run this weekend. Get your game on!

Perpetuating the Myth

2009-05-28T13:09:00.000-05:00

I’ve been to AR three times this spring. Rather than arrive with some preconceived notions about the indigenous people, I made a point of keeping an open mind about the local “wildlife” if you will. Let just say the stereotypical views of Arkansas’eans hold true. In a list form, things I witnessed during my travels:

· 3 County and 1 State Police at a campground because of a domestic violence “issue”
· 13 canoes full of Amish teenagers in full dress, headgear, and long pants
· Grandma and Grandpa on dulling golf carts drinking Bush Light
· 3 tooth hillbilly hitting on my wife and sister by offering them strawberry moonshine
· A sign entering the camp requesting I break down or unload all firearms before entering
· Dry county-nuff said
· A mobile home that had been converted to an RV – no joke

: (

2009-05-16T10:26:00.003-05:00

Nagging injuries suck. In 20+ years of riding I’ve never had much of anything to complain about, as my discomfort on the bike was in direct relationship to my fitness, not some anatomical problem. Somewhere along the road this winter that all changed. It started with some tendinitis in the upper calf, moved to the Medial Patellar Femoral Ligament, and is finishing with some IT Band tightness, etc. After a slew of adjustments to my setup and riding/sleeping through pain constantly, and the strickt recommendation from my therapist (wife), I’m taking a couple weeks off to get things healed up.

I’m 7 days into what plans to be 2 weeks off. Its amazing how everyday life issues seem to pile up and ruin your day when you have no avenue for release. My wife is sick of me, my coworkers wanna know what’s up, and even my dog looks at me funny.

I still haven’t gotten what I consider a decent ride on my new rocket ship MTB, and the local trails look like this.

Oh well, at least I have a new keg of Fowler Creek Red to keep me company as I sulk in the basement.

Syllamo Here We Come

2009-05-07T21:15:00.004-05:00

Dr J, Dasiy and I are off tomorrow for some North Central AR trail thrashing. 50 miles of single track bliss. I'm super stoked to be rocking the new Pivot (yes BH there will be some loving going on pre-race) but at the same time apprehensive of taking an untested bike into a 5 hour event.

Luck will be needed.