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!!

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..

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..

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.

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!!!

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..

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!!

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

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.

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.

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

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.

TT

 First line up of the year and it was here in my home town.. An up hill TT on The Famous Granddad Bluff. 9th to start and I was ready I was not ready to get dropped by the bike holder. At 5 seconds to go I stood up to get that first crank and, well it did not work. Get clipped in and I was off. In the big ring going into the base of the climb through the 11% grade I held on to the big ring until my legs need some relief. Down to the 39 and spinning got to the Alpine Inn in a good time through the next steep grade and hammered to the finish line. 9:42 stopped the clock,,,,it was said that I lost about 8 seconds at the start but oh well, that is racing. It was my fastest time up the bluff and I ride this road a lot... Next up tomorrow and Iola Bump and Jump, more my speed CX mtb racing..
Go fast And Ride with Pride...  

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.