Monday, May 31, 2010

3 Sheets to the Wind

Trails are healthy so healthy that it is hard to see in some places.
Not sure if this is rhubarb or some thing else.
A nice three day weekend and nothing but fat tires for me.
Lots of solo time on the trails getting ready for Afton.
Bike is riding good minus the small issues that I had this week.
I feel like something that resembles form is becoming to take
shape.
It has been a good block of work since the last race one more 
day of hard work then I can work on the final bits
like gear selection.
Wish I could light a fire under the kid she is bumming me out.
Can't get to her to get  that eye of the tiger no drive.. Loves
race day when things go well and all praise her
but wont do the work in between. And the excuse of her
being a teenager is a bunch of Shit.
We'll just have to see what hand gets played and 
how she handles it?
For the rest of you get out there make those wheels 
roll have fun and go FAST!!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Lance to the rescue

This morning was going great in the woods right up until the 
time that I got a flat.
Ok stop pull out the spare and wouldn't you know
that had a small tear in it.
So now I am walking out of the woods for the second time this week.
Use a phone at the trail head and Sophia and Grandma are going to 
run me up a tube and a pump....don't want to waste the CO2.
As I walk down the road to meet them I am passed and passed and passed.
The last Truck to go by has a stuperfly on it and I think to my self
that this is a small town and I bet i'll see this guy in the 
shop some day.
Next thing that I hear is the sound of the big truck coming up from behind.
It was Lance...Have not seen this guy in about a year,,,
had tube a air compressor and saved the day.
Had to get home for the big birthday party so the ride was not as long as first intended.
I did get a chance to rip my bike apart and look for the noise.
I think that  I found it. I was running a new pair of race face cranks that
wanted you to use pedal washers we'll the pedals were good and loose
do to the washers. I put last years pair of cranks back on their was nothing wrong with
the old ones I was just attracted to the new and shiny. Pulled the BB cups and greased them all up
got it back together and now it rolls like it should.
The kid and I are hitting the dirt in the morning and the weather is going to be unreal.
Now if there was only a swimming pool to go and jump in..

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Astorman

Rode in the woods 
this morning on the way to work and had much better results than on 
monday.
Such a great way to start the day ripping through 
the woods with surf/punk rock blaring in your ears. Plus with the 
down sizing of gears movement felt easier.
The trails are starting to get overgrown and it is only the 
end of May..
End of may how can that be seems like summer is 
going to fly by.
Need to come up with way to get the kid out and
training. She needs a C Ball or a 
girlfriend who she can ride with other than
her lame old man. 
Should be a fun weekend no racing 
just riding and
then next sunday comes Afton..
Things go Up from there..

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Thunder and more..

First MN race was yesterday.
The kid kill it after being pissed that she
had to race in wet sloppy conditions.
Not sure what she was mad about I had to clean her 
bike and that was a 1.5 hour project. 
Great to see her pull off a win just wish i could motivate her to
ride in between race days.
For me it was good fast start and rode the single well.
I was worried that I would burn to many matches as they say,
but should have stuck with my plan.
End ok got nipped at the line.
From here on out the races go up hill and I like that.
More to come more miles to ride and 
more matches to burn.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

T6 saved my Day

I spent the day today
like most days driving my work van form one
broken POS to another POS.
Today was a bit different.. because all the radio around here is country 
or classic rock I flip between NPR and ESPN.
And this day all the talk was about cycling.
Not because it is one of the best things that you can do with with your clothes on. No
it was because some DouscheBag came out and said that after
years of telling the world that he was not a doper and that he was wronged
he was lying.
I remember watching him the day that he had to make up all the time after loosing so much the day
before. Followed the stories and court hearings and appeals trying to clear his name.
I wanted to believe that he was a good guy.
But now he has cast a dark cloud over the cycling world.
I don't care that he is trying to bring down others in the sport,
do i think that others are as guilty ,,,,,,Sure.....
Where my heart breaks is when the only press in the US that cycling 
gets is when it is bad press.
This a great sport full of great people, and as Coward said it is 
not the dirtiest sport on the planet.
Cycling has cleaned up and is cleaning up are their bad apples still in the bunch?
At least cycling bans riders when the break the rules unlike the NFL and Baseball.
Now yes they do get punished but  they can also Appeal and still play even though 
they have failed a test. Kevin and Pat Williams.

Ok enough that is it said my bit.
to me their is so much more good that cycling can do.
And I live it every day.
Can't get enough of it and 
when you come home and find this at Lunch .
Smiles tend to grow.
Big race this Saturday in MN
then the next some trail shredding with  the kid at Lebanon.
Get out ride your bike see new place.
Ride with Pride and Go Fast!!!


Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Get DRIVEN

The DRIVEN
line of Components are now available
direct from Sun Race.
This is stuff worth checking out..
Lite Stiff Fast and 
will turn any bike in to a speed machine..

Sunday, May 16, 2010

HPT Uber Alles

Saturday saw the wheels spinning.
With blue bird above and no 
wind for what seemed like for ever the was setting up nice.
I went out with Anna first to show her
the route from the house to the Cut.
More traffic than one would have liked 
and it seemed like every asshole with a drivers license was out.
 
At the top of the cut we started to see lots of 
motorcycles up to about 200+
and they made the valley floor interesting..
Got home and changed kits and 
pick up the kids from Grandma's house.
Sophia and i took off from there on fat tires.
We ran in to Casey on the way up, he was in town for the weekend
taking a break from his wrench job out west for the Big S.
The dirt was great bike was making noises which later were found
to be a bent front ring,,,,,,still waiting on a new one from the Spot HQ.
Sophia rode good moving well through the trees  and smiling the 
whole time.
A good day for bikes with so much more to come, 
Dirt for me and some road for the girls.
First big MN test next saturday,,so time to get ready.
Now there is bike racing on the internet and later on the TV.
Going to be a good day!!

Friday, May 14, 2010

29 inches of Fun

This is a group that you want to hang with.......... Nothing but a good time and oh yea the Go Fast on Their Mono Speed's

Monday, May 10, 2010

Give me convenience

Monday morning, a rush
to get moving and out the door with only one thing on my mind..
And it was not the start of the work week.
It was

Riding dirt to work is one of the best ways to start your 
day. 
Spinning circles in the early morning sunlight 
with all the smells of blossoms and
woodland creatures running around.
The pounding sound of Jello and Gibby yelling in 
my ears.
And Single track lots and lots of it.
The big issue is getting out of the house, the coffee
is warm the bed says that you have not used it long enough 
and time ends to slip away.
But it is all worth it for some ribbons in the woods.
This time of year if you keep your eyes open.
You get to see all kinds of good stuff, some hard to find and others 
all over the place.
Eight hours later and a bag that is empty because I 
ate all the food only one thing left to do.
Spin some more circles on the dirt that started 
my day.
Now I can sleep and dream about all the single 
track that I rode today.

Thursday, May 06, 2010

Up and Up

This morning was 
a morning that I wish that I had my camera.
Out the door a bit later than i wanted but this way I could just
ride to work.
Nothing makes the day start off well like
riding single track on the way to 
the job.
Sky was full of color and the woods are
starting to explode with green flowers are fighting for
sun light and the trails were in 
unreal condition.
Was not felling super fast but that was not the goal
the goal was to ride a bike and 
smile.
Mission Accomplished.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

NFA

4:55 came quick this morning,
out the door by 5:30.
I was hoping for a nice recovery
ride with an easier pace but the likes of Milt and Deetz had other
ideas.
Good work legs responded and I did not get after any of sprinting that seems to 
happen in group rides, just a bunch of spinning.
I want and need to get back out on the 
single dirt bike, more climbing and 
work need to be done.
The next test is another
flat wide open single track race.
Pain will once again be in my face.
Like This.
photo Britney

Monday, May 03, 2010

One down

One Race weekend in the books.
After a short hard effort on saturday with
the TT it was time to get ready for the 
first installment of WORS.
Tom K, Sophia and I loaded the
29ers and headed east.
Sophia was off first and did well for her second ride of the year.
In total Hollywood fashion she hit the hole shot,
but form there worked here way back finishing 
14th overall and 2 in age group.
Good day for the kid I think that she now may want to 
ride more.
For me I got lined up in the third row, with no Idea what to expect.
I never looked over my shoulder to see what was there.
The report is that 107 guys were lined up for the Elite race.
At that sound of Don's Go we were off and their were a lot
of elbows and shoving for position. I manged to stay up
and keep contact with some of the fast guys.
First lap was all about sorting out the single and 
trying to make some gaps stick. I worked 
with who ever was there.
Lap two came and the pain in the legs from the day before had
drifted as I worked for a while with Ronsta and another SS racer.
By lap 3 the traffic from the Comp and Women started 
to stack up. From here on out it was a game of 
ON YOUR LEFT and trying to push the pace.
Came across the line in 1:48 
28th. I can take that for a starter,
wont see crowds like this again till the Subaru Cup.
Huge thanks to Magura, Spot, Kenda, Maverick, Nortwave  , T6,
and everyone else who is helping me keep the dream alive.

Saturday, May 01, 2010

TT


Song #1 is not A

Things have been quite
here on the home front. Been working on a bit of rest
and recovery while life keeps moving a warp speed.
Always glad for the weekends, this one has the 
potential to be a big one.
Dirt race season kicks off tomorrow with
the first WorS, and the mental games have
begun in my gray matter. The old questions 54 or 58
spin or mash what works the best. Which ever that is 
a task for the day get the bike race ready get accustom to the new footwear
and be ready for Don's Gooooooooooo.
This eve the Bliss is shut down for a mini Alp de huez  2.3?
miles up 15$ gets you in. I was not going to do it but the more i think about it the more I
want to.
It should be a good leg opener for tomorrow. Went up on monday on the SScX and 
was just outside of 10min... So I think that my Gunnar should be able to climb it faster.
More fun for the show fo sure.
Now more coffee some breakfast ans bike grease.
Have fun go fast RIDE a Bike.