A Couple of Close Calls

Well, close call in the good sense...sad sense... As I enjoyed the day and all that was electronic - video games with the kids - I had a couple of trips outside to clean the roof edges, snowball fight ( ice chucks rather ), brush off the drive way....I had to squeak by the rear of the car to get out of the garage - brushing up against my bike * close call number one*. My heart skipped a bit - like a murmur or extra beat - I found myself as in the movie Gladiator - in Alysium riding in green pastures with the sun about my face. Glancing over in my 2 sec daydream I saw the unmistakable smile of Crazy Legs, the pat of the back by Mark Connell, Neil's perfect jokes for all occasions...need I go on? My daughter walked over as there I was wedged in on the side of the car with my left hand resting on the front wheel of my bike.

the second close call came when we were heading out to meet Tina after her work at TGIF for Davids birthday. I saw a cyclist...riding past the front door of Lifetime fitness as if to thumb his/her nose at indoor training. I was at the stop sign right by Holiday gas station -you all know of where I speak - flashing back to 90 deg days, the humidity, the friendship, the getting in trouble for being out on a ride for the 5th time that week.

These close calls were a wake up call - get out and ride. Get out and ski. Get out and walk alone in the park, the street heck the back yard. GET OUT. This time of year is odd - it can force many to retreat to nothing-ness and well I will go nuts. I am glad for the close calls as it reminded me of all that is Holy and right in this world.

see ya'll on the road.

ac

Perma-Frost

That is what my toes feel like. I got to ride today - FINALLY. On with the cold gear, out on the fresh snow - single speed mania lives on. 13 miles through hard pack, drifts, plowed berms...slow going and difficult but a blast. I cued up the Harry Connick Jr Christmas Music and away I went.

It was good to get out - man, it has been tooooooo long. the old bike still rides well - still too small. I may have to retire the rat...wait, nevermind. That bike will go to the grave with me.

Enjoy the holiday season, Merry Christmas!


Andy

the physics of weight loss

I was curious as to how I was going to shave off the few pounds I have put on this winter...well, I suppose it is for the better. Having the pounds keeps you a touch warmer this time of year. So, when I was grabbing the extra flab - and its not really flab - I said " how am I going to drop 10 pounds"? Well, there was this little thing called stomach flu that has been running around the schools and I was the last in the family to get it. It was amazing - the dynamic shift that overcame my body in a matter of hours. Between all the activity, there was a mass exedous that had me amazed. I lost just over 9 pounds in 7 hours....the wrong weight however...but man...a gallon plus of fluid. That can be dangerous - doing some research at 4:30 am had me looking up fatalities due to flu.

So the second I could hold stuff down I was all about water, pedialyte and soft foods. by the way, the target brand pedialyte isnt that bad at all. of course, I am used to Gatorade endurance so it brought me to a place of comfort...on a bike.

Good thing it was a 12 hour ordeal - so tonight I had incredible potato soup, dinner rolls and watched the Bourne Ultimatum. Good flick.

sorry for the details - we're all adults.


andy

Washington DC

Always a pretty cool town...great to visit...deadly to stay. It has a pretty high death rate. Sights seen - Washington monument, Capitol, near the White House ( complete with snipers on the roof ), ol' Abe, Korean War / Vietnam war memorial, Holocaust museum ( that was scary) and ended with the Air and Space Museum...all in 4 hours on foot...my calf muscles hurt.... that places ooozzzesss in history - you can almost feel it surround you as walk the streets - especially the Ford Theater and the place where Lincoln died.

Glad to be home to sub freezing temps - it was mid 50's in DC and everyone was cold - I was in short sleeves.

Going back to D.C.

Kinda excited here - going to DC for the annual trip for work. Prior to last years trip - it was 1982 when I was last in D.C. with my parents. Funny thing was that I had chicken pox about mid road trip that year. Boy did that suck. Sitting in the back seat with my older sister - yuck - with chicken pox - double yuck - on the road straight through to D.C. - and my mom smoked - infinite yuck. Last year - airplane and cocktails on the flight - a much better method of travel. I do love the road trip however. Seeing the country from the road - the ability to get out and look about - priceless to say the least. I do have fond memories of visiting Civil War sights back in the 80's - we went to Gettysburg PA and walked the fields and that was an impressive feeling.

Last year was really cool - we only had 2 days so we tried to pick the best things to do in that amount of time. Due to the nature of my job, we opted to hit some of the memorials of wars since past. The WWII memorial is pretty neat and of course the Vietnam Memorial was stunning. You can see where chalk or conte crayons marked the black marble where family members etched the memory of loved ones onto paper. I had the chance to talk with some vets that were there - and a few cried hugging my neck. That was a moment I wont forget.

Another moment I wont forget was the trip in the 80's when Reagan was in the White House. We had taken a tour as a family and when we were going from room to room, we heard what sounded like a herd of wingtips scuffling down the hallway - it was distracting to say the least. We were in the Lincoln room or something like that and all of a sudden the man himself stuck his head in and said " Howdy folks! Welcome to the White House! I hope you like what I've done to the place. Enjoy your stay!" R.Reagan impressed even a youngster with his smile a mile wide - my parents who hated the guy were also impressed.

So this year we go for work and play I guess. I will have to forgo the Loon Party but to pass up an all expenses paid trip to DC would be foolish.


andy

Badger?

Well, I am guessing that taking that much time away from the bike takes that much away from your fitness - more than I thought.

I have been dying to get out on the bike - I mean that literally. My work has got me tied up about 55 hours a week or more for the last month. Dont get me wrong - I am happy to be working, especially in this employment climate but if one does not take the time to throw some effort in the direction of "brain breathing" you will go nuts.

So with that comes the weekly call for valiant soldiers of the bike to harness up their stead and head on out for the Saturday battle. Neils call to valor is in the form of pre-riding the CX course out near fletcher. I am game...at least my mind is. My body was giving me red flags of warning. So 8 am I am up for the morning brew and a bagel. The kids are milling around downstairs with legos and other cool stuff. I am frustrated in my attempts to even find my cycling gear - has it been that long that I dont know where my riding gear is? yup - it has been.

okay - between sips of Dunn Bros and cream cheese bagels - i gather what is needed for cool temps. One step outside and I realize that winter is upon us and I am not ready. hmmmm. which bike? dry ground so I am thinking blue thunder - nope ... two flats...man, has it been that long that I didnt remember the flats? Okay, bianchi....nope I left that at the shop. Single speed rat bike - not a chance when the others are riding road bikes - plus i still have nightmares from Cheq 40. What else? my wifes Bridgestone MB3 - 3 inches too small but a nice bike - all set with gears...gears? so a quick call to neil that I am running behind and a switch of pedals and minor adjustments. Now...my helmet - where is that thing? geez - i should have just crawled back into bed with my wife at this point...nope - I am biking dang-it. retro helmet - retro bike with a wide saddle - that hurt by way after 30 miles.....and to the shop I roll with the road slicks and ipod.

I am 10 mins late and Hemi and American flyer are poised for a cruise out of town - hemi...great. the man that gets stronger in the winter and destroys us in the summer. a few more adjustments and off we go. I was fine out to fletcher but i was noticing that small frame geometry makes a negative impact for a tall guy. I wasnt really spent - i was happy that my lungs and heart fitness was still good - I had to mechanical advantage on this small bike. I really had no advantage when my chain broke heading out there....with one mighty call to JayT - he was at the road side in 5 mins with a chain tool - he is my new hero. and in a flash he fixed my bike and vanished into the cold horizon with his trusty buick. He gets the Pit Stop award - heck the most team oriented guy in our group and he held that title today with pride and he wasnt even on the bike.

I fell off the back most of the ride - i had the ipod so I was fine - small pedal stroke - no speed - i felt bad for the guys. I split off at territorial and headed up the west side of elm creek - by the time i got home the temp dropped it seemed and I started to bonk. once inside I found the Blue Moon (3) and two hotdogs - a bag of carrots and a snickers bar. I was satisfied and buzzed. warm shower and a nap - then a day at the mall with the family. I say a good day - at least I got out.

oh - badger? we came across what looked like a badger in the road - it was reduced to the height of about 1/4 inches and neil looks back and says with curiosity...."badger?". it seemed really fun at the time.
andy

Reminded of the frailty of Life...

It never ceases to stun me...the loss of life I mean. It seems so artificial these days with all the acting on TV or the laize faire reporting of killing, death murder. Well, it seems this way to me as it really doesn't hit home that much -until a day ago. How close to we come to the inevitable every day? I dont want to stop and think about it but it is good to realize that our lives are held in a very delicate balance from the Almighty. I am not afraid of what will happen to me - I am confident beyond a shadow of a doubt my fate once my heart stops working - I am not being cocky here just confident. ( for more information read the Bible and go to Church )

Saturday morning I woke up to a near perfect day - warm....the day off....the sun was out....the bike was ready the night before complete with water bottles filled ready for the Jay 100K. Then the call came in from mother in law - Tina's uncle had fallen down some stairs the night prior and they found him a few hours later. The fall knocked him out and I guess the way he landed, it cut off his breathing - they did CPR and he was on life support and was brain dead. Just like that it was over - and this morning they took him off life support.

Whenever I hear of a family member or someone I know that passes on - it think good and hard about how I am living my life. Are the things I am focusing on things that will matter for a lifetime? Am I doing that which is good and honorable to the Lord? (see Neils excerpts on this)

So....when I look back on the weeks prior - and I say that I am bummed cuz I didnt get to bike at all - I know that I can say that I encouraged my kids, help in cub scouts, taught in Sunday School, preached in Jr Church, made dinner for the family, prayed with my kids every night...you get the idea. This weekend was a reminder and wake up call that tomorrow or even the next 5 mins are not guaranteed and what we do NOW is important.

hope to hit the bike though this week - it is the best therapy.


andy

In Neils terms...it was a neg 5 (-5)

Yup - it was bad. The ride, the spin class....blah blah blah. I couldnt wrap my brain around the concept of enjoyment on the bike tonight...I couldnt get my legs to turn the wheels. You know that frustration when every time you put force on the pedal stroke and the chain skips all the time...that's where I was at but my chain was tight - my body was skipping.

better luck next time I guess. why it was a -5 instead of -10...the weather was perfect for a ride and I dressed perfectly for it. so i will designate on the "Neil Factor" 5 points for personal points and 5 for outside influence. whatever that means.

andy (-5)

I hurt - nice and painful!

Spin class - lots of intensity and 4 sets of isometrics - hindu squats - each set (3, 1 min reps)...holding the iron chair inbetween them for 30 sec. my legs were shaking so dang bad after 1 hour of spinning hard with all the demon quad squats. kudos to everyone who made it. the ride home on the bike was a bit tough too - two flats...not to mention walking hurt really bad. today - well....you can imagine sitting hurts.

just a reminder - for you john

http://chainstainstakeoncucknorris.blogspot.com/

all about the chuck

Neil and his Demon Dice...

I will give credit to Neil for his innovative ways and ideas...he's a teacher by trade...it's in his blood. So that brings us to spin class thursday night. John, Dan, Me, the crazy mexican and Neil showed up for some joy and some pain. John showed up for the beer. Neil shows up with this new idea - lets roll the dice and let chance determine the intensity and for how long that intensity will last. So the normal die is 1-6 - measuring time in mins...the other was a Thomas the Train die - measuring intensity...spinning to climbing a wall. Nice idea and a good work out - its just we were " climbing" for like 20 mins. Lake Neil was formed in about 4 min flat and it was grueling. Just when we got to the top of one hill...another magically appeared.

We nixed that idea and listened to Coach Troy for a half hour. It was tough all in all...John was still there for the beer so we then headed to Moon Rock for watered down drinks, beer and good food.

Good thing Neil didnt bring his 30 sided Dungeons and Dragons dice...that would have been too much.

Dayton Cyclo-Cross...I won

Okay - seeing that cyclo is really cool and the buzz is in the air...i opted for my first solo cyclo cross event. Work sucked today - it was tough. More mental than anything. I stared out the window as the rain dripped down the glass. The mundane atmosphere made for an almost depressing mood. I also had not been on the bike in a while and I am sure that had something to do with it. My thoughts were funneling back to pushing the pedals over and over. Feeling the wind in my face was an obsession by about 1 pm. I made the decision to bike no matter what after work. I have cool weather gear, I have all that I need to make that obsession a reality.

So I ditched work, raced home - breaking the law - loaded up the duds and fired up the rat bike for an adventure through the park and then to spin class at the shop. On my way out, Tina says that the movie is due so I tuck in the backpack and head to the movie shop by PDQ. All of our roads are torn up - all mud with HUGE puddles. The rain was steady and I was a mess by the time I left my neighborhood and I felt like a kid again. Leaving PDQ I headed in the deep mud past Dayton elementary and that is an even bigger mess. Cars were stuck right in the middle of the road. I was trying to keep the rpm's up and keep my bike up - it worked...no getting off the bike for 1 mile in the slime, mud goop. Into the park I head straight past Pineview down that old trail - blast through the west side of the park and up past Bernies to the shop. 1 hr 45 min of spinning later - back home. Riding at night is surreal to say the least. So with 20 miles on the mt bike and who knows how far on a spin bike - I am now happy.

Great job duck hunters - I would love to try a real cyclo-cross event. I think I need to figure out how to dismount though - watching Cullen wipe out makes me wonder....


andy

Pack 329....bug night / Hallow's Eve theme

Check out the great pics at our pack meeting. It was freeky as I am not acustomed to handling such things...especially the tarantula. But....the proof is there - I was holding it and I let it crawl on my hands and such. I do believe I wet myself - but all the same it was very very cool.

Click Here for Creepy Crawlers


have a great day.


andy

Sharing a 40 with friends...

Yes and no - the answers to your questions in advance...

Monday afternoon.

It was 40 miles with my bud Andy Prest...and no there wasnt a 40 oz shared at the end of the ride...should have though. Note to self. Andy is working very hard to get himself up to full iron man tri status. He was doing half/mini tris last year on my Cannondale and then graduated to a Moto tri bike with all the fancy shiznit. I rode the blue thunder ss with 42/15 . He is gettin good and he loves it when the ride or workout hurts...he actually laughs and has that look in his eye that Bernie has. This is a good sign. He and I go back to 1992 when we worked together up north and he is a fitness hound. Incredible soccer player - hence the funky socks he wore today...

We live close to each other but dont see each other nearly enough - ask about the story - it is worth a 10 min listen-too on the bike. So I get the call...."Andy, we NEED to ride longer distance and much faster than 13 mph max." "I'm game," I replied and we took off at like 2 pm from his home in old town Dayton. So we headed to the Coon Rapids Dam and then to the TH shop and a loop in the park. Our goal was to sit at 20 + as much as possible. I was a bit worried as it was chilly but a really nice day ( Monday ) but after the first 3 miles - it was all good. We cranked all the way down to the dam at 23-24...had to ease back going down the corridor and then we really cranked it up in the park - be cautious on the leaves - we both almost went down several times. I know we have said it before but that EC park is insane for a work out.

Whenever there was an open stretch or dry ground, Prest and I would lay it all out. Wide open trails too - didnt see a soul except for Neil and Erik. I was proud of Prest - the more it hurt...the more he was saying " now this is training and man it's going to hurt tomorrow. "

Prest is excited like we all were when we started biking - couldn't wait to get going...and he was highly visible with his bumble bee socks - he looked like some urban cyclo - psycho cross fixie fanatic but on the tri-bike. lol.

THEN ONTO TONIGHT>>>>>>

Went to the ramp and met up with Carol and Paul. one word....COLD. That wind was brutal even in the ramp. 10 laps for me and I was on the Cheq Rat bike with a 38x16 and 50 psi tires. I didnt mean to sound like some guy showing off the specs of my bike - it is good to know on a single what someone rode - a benchmark. Yes, it hurt. my best time out there for a full up and down and around the base is 2 min 9 sec (blue thunder). I set a time on the RatBike single mt bike at 2 min 21 sec....thanks to Sarver timing.

This beer tastes sooooo good. so another 5 miles of climbing in MN. Gotta love it.

After not...

riding for such a long time...well, I guess it was like a week, it was good to get on the bike. Going clockwise in the park - I knew I would meet up with someone - I just didnt expect to have like 13 by the time we made it half way. Fast, slow, easy, enjoyable...pick your pace and love it. These types of days will be gone soon. Good to see some new faces tonight - Dan. Good to see the single speeds out too (Jay, Tom, Me). And it seems that all the single track races must be done cuz Hogeland was out in force too.

Once we regrouped - out to l'Ramsey d'huez for a bit of hill climbing...in a loop. I am tellin' ya - this is reallllly cool and I felt it. 20 something in the park and 15 plus in the lot. That is 7.5 miles of climbing - IN MINNESOTA...shoot 5 mins from Trailhead.

Neil and I show up with Madonna and Carol, Paul and Holly are doing the loops already. Neil had the tank with curb feelers and I had the SS blue thunder. We both enjoyed some serious work outs. We did a bunch of laps and decided to call it quits and then we proceeded to keep going - thanks Paul - I mean it. Right when we said - lets go home - we tagged on 5 more loops - it was casual and it hurt.

Neil dropped me off at the PDQ gas station by my house and I turned on the lights and biked to the "lemonade" store for a 25.4 fluid oz of "lemonade". Tucked it in my back pocket and enjoyed a solitude 2 mile ride home. The lemonade never tasted so good.

Saturday....in the park....

I think it was the 29th of September...okay, so the lyrics were a bit different. Saturday morning - almost October - dark outside....6 am....why the heck am I putting on my cycling clothes? Well for starters....it's biking. Add in that it was 62 deg at my house at 630 am, the breeze was warm at about 20 mph from the south, riding through the park is amazing this time of the year and friends were waiting at trailhead for a ride. I really suck at making my camera work well while moving - it seems that my older - less technical camera worked better. Oh well, the park was amazing this morning.

Out again on the single speed - 42x15 - cannondale. This gear seems to work well for me - good on the rollers and if I can sustain 130+ rpms - I can hang on the fast parts. 7 or 8 this morning???? was that right? Well, we heading out Dayton River road and then out to 144 - did some loop that is by Walgreen's and then back home on the rollers to the shop. Hemi and I traded off the front all morning - despite the wind - we had a great workout. I got handed second place on super prime after pulling Tom all the way up and across to have him pull past within the last 50 ft. Good job Tom.

Back to the shop and off again - for me...I headed home. I was shot. Totally dehydrated and already cramped up and exceptionally sore. I realized that I had not had enough water AT ALL in the last few days and it caught up with me today. Lesson learned.

Great morning for a ride -


Andy

TNT - Thursday Night 20

What a great night to be on the bike! Now with Headwaters being over with....where did everyone go? My days are numbered with scouts kicking off with the boys and everything else that goes on with school...taking advantage of the daylight was tough. Had to cut the route short as the sun hit the tree tops. However Jeff and I spun out to Rogers and back on 144 and made pretty good time. The route didnt allow for much talk time as it was rush hour. Too bad all the traffic is about us out there - I bet even 10 years ago it was a wide open road...maybe even less than that.

So now its onto commute in the winter time mode...cold, dark, cold and then home in the dark. With all the locals joining the RAAM team for next year - our group has much to work towards. We seem to gel very well and are always helpful - now...its even more. You guys/gals are going to do GREAT - you have some great RAAM vets to help.

A few goals for me this winter - stay active on the bike, commute to work when I can and stay off the trainer. I am saying to myself that the trainer belongs to my dear wife as her bike will be more or less glued to the thing - just fine with me. just give me a sled and throw the kids in and head up and down the road - talk about max heart rate.

There is NO reason to not ride this winter. Riding in a snow storm is like riding in a Salvador Dali painting...almost hypnotic. The rat bike is now the winter rat bike and I will have to get that new single speed if it kills me....actually a single mt bike and a real single roadie.

well, thats it for me...have a great night and see you on the road.


zuko

had to share - love the pic.

If you are at all interested in some
custom artwork on your bike - I'z got da skillz....lol.

Minnesota Alps...

l' Ramsey d'Huez

Tuesday night ride... so Neil posts this thing about riding in the park...then the park and ride - a newer 4 story parking lot in Ramsey. Don't laugh - if you have never done this - you will be amazed. Anyhoo - back to the ride...At TH 6 of us head out for 2 laps in the park. Spin they say and the inevitable happens...blasting through the park. I led out for the first 6 miles I am guessing and then we traded off and on until finishing the first lap. It seemed as if the temp dipped about 10 deg and with the winter shadows upon us - we headed for lap 2...spin they say and we took off again. Now by the time we came by the only switch back in Hennepin county, the sun was touching the tops of the brilliant orange trees...lifting up past Bernie's house the look back was remarkable as the sun had lit the sky with the most magical reds.

Back to the lot - and yes that Brooklyn Park sign did count - and loaded up the bikes in Neils chariot to trek up nort to da Alps of Minnesota.... l' Ramsey d' Huez. This is really cool. A full lap up down, around to the start is .7 miles. It is a continuous course and wide open. When the snow starts to fall, you can eliminate the top loop no problem. It is a strength course - all hills and yes...it is PERFECT for a single speed - you have no time to shift anyway.

We did 7 loops at a pretty decent effort and I think we set a benchmark at something like 2min 30 sec...was that right? I pushed it on that timed lap a bit and came in at 2 min 18 sec. So now its like a ss course - how many laps in an hour....two hours.....3 hours??????

This winter will be fun - say goodbye to the Folydrome and hello to l' Ramsey d' Huez.

Saturday chill

First time on a ride with some substance since Cheq. With my new found busy-ness at work - its okay. I didnt have time to even think about it. Getting out the door seemed to be the problem - running late and not sure who is going to be there as most are up doing Headwaters. I hop in the Jedi-Knight and blast all the way to Trailhead to hang with the crew. As I about loose control around the back lot, the lone rider is in view - Jay...bless your heart. That red Bianchi is visible from a mile away. So where is Erik these days?

It was a bit chilly this morning...not as bad as mid 20's during Cheq. Man that was cold. So Jay and I head out west for a 35 mile loop - I ended up having to use the race ready wheels on my ss cannondolly. I burned out the hubs - they were crap anyway - on the old set after riding 60 in the rain. So the Mavic set up was nice - 42x15 and it was realllllly
nice to ride a light bike again.
Jay and I did a nice easy ride with a few interval workouts on the rollers of 144...then we traversed super prime and I have no idea who crossed first. It was such a nice morning to ride that I didn't even notice the signs.

Later today I ended up going to a MTB TT course we have set up - do it yourself tt. It is a great course - exactly like the birkie rollers. The Rat Bike made the trek out - after tightening the following - headset, pedals, brake levers, seat post...wow - cheq did a number on the bits and parts...it was kinda like a mechanical bull for 3 hours...but on a bike seat.

Well - thank you Jay for the ride and conversation - glad you figured out how that computer works and oh, congrats on surpassing your millage goal - you still have many days to ride this year!!!!!!

my kids are the best...

Yeah, if you have them - kids I mean - you can appreciate this. So I was going through Cheq pics and Skinny ski pics - no luck in finding any with me in them...actually - I think there was one where I saw a Giant hat brim flipped up...thats it. Okay - back to the kids... My daughter was with me looking for the ol' man. She sits up on my lap with her nose about 2 inches from the screen and says..."they have all these people in here but no picture of the winner." So, I go to the pic of Jesse on the podium and I said "that man is the winner."

"No, dad, I mean they dont have any pictures of you..."

I will say that NO podium finish could ever mean as much as what my daughter said to me this evening. I guess what they said in school about winning not always meaning coming in first place was really true.

So this evening - I was putting on the slicks on my rat bike...they are old slicks that are a pain to put on...I remembered the last time I tried to put them on...I broke 2 composite tire levers...I did the same tonight and decided to throw the tires out...if they were going to be that much trouble in the garage with a few beers...then it was really going to suck on the side of the road without the beers...off with the tires.

wow, another reason to go to the shop and buy more crap...but fun crap.

Cheq 40 - first time...

First Time At the Fat Tire...
2:59:26 single speed rigid - 29lbs
This was perhaps the funnest thing I have done in a long time - and I didn't even loose my keys...I did loose my water bottles though...many did. I did get to stay with Bryan L of the Loons and some mutual friends of ours...nice digs and super cheap...we had a full out rib/chicken diner on sat...fun was had by all.

Cheq40...No idea what to expect - NONE - and my steed was 29 pounds +, full steel...not the best, and lots of ambition...and a cool paint job. the lead out was fast. I didn't have a computer but I would guess it was mid 20's easy for 3 miles to Rosey's field....hit the grass and keep on going. the sucky thing was that you need the keep momentum high on the ss. if the pack slows in front of you - you are walking up even an easy hill....right away at rosey's field...walk. i was upset.

Then onto the trail/road/trail/etc....I liked the roads...i was moving quick. I do know that I was at 25 on most of the roads - i was geared for it more and everyone seemed to have a computer - which was nice. I lost places on every downhill - and gained on the hills...I was really glad I rode my ss on the road a lot. it taught me to ramp up the speed prior to a hill...it really worked out in Cheq. I dismounted 7 times - that's it. Yes I did count. I was amazed at how easy it was to climb some of the hills ( yes some were not easy at all). it goes back to the mind set of know you have no option along with the fact that you don't want to get off the bike in front of everyone. with 55 psi on the tires and steel suspension - I had a tough time navigating the descents. I was scared really. I had no control - bouncing all over the place while full and hardtails with front suspensions were cruzin by. If I get the chance to ride this again - I will do single but a lighter bike with calculated tire pres...for sure...oh, if I am doing rigid suspension again - carbon front fork.

So fire tower hill was cool - it was packed though. no speed to carry into it - walked most of it. if you could maintain some speed on a single - i wonder if it would be possible to climb....did Jesse LeLonde climb without a dismount?????anyone know????that guy is amazing - his set up was full rigid 29er, carbon front fork, 36x16....with 180 mm cranks....that is 65 gear inches...holy crap! I heard he finished alone too and his brother Marko was 4th...I saw Tilford after the race as he was talking with my bud Pete - and he wasn't happy with 3rd...especially when 1st was a single speed....lol.

So I finished in the middle of the SS pack and 600 something overall. The best part was coming into the shoot to only hear Neil, Jay and the LOon crew cheering me on to beat my goal. I had tears in my eyes when I looked up crossing the finish line. I couldnt believe it - I really didn't believe it at first...Then right in front of me was my buddy Pete Taylor who saw me come in and he gave me a big hug as it was his time last year that I wanted to beat. He knew it and was so excited. It is neat that after starting biking together back in middle school that we had a chance to share that moment.

Kudo's to the Loon crew - you know who you are. you made me feel like a million bucks when I actually felt like a pile of broken bits. Next year????? Single???? you bet - just not the one i rode this weekend. The rat bike needs to retire to a winter pasture or training roll. if the money is there....Rita.....if not then i would settle for Redline Monocog.

I did show up at Telemark for the crit race - Doug Swanson took it in 5 laps....I was glad to see this - Ezra lasted until the last lap...on it road geared ss full rigid... Here is a link to a vid I took on my camera of lap one of the crit. Cable Crit Lap One Vid...lap one only.

the new pics...

okay - so I had a lot of time on my hands....New overhaul on the rear hub - new axle, bearings etc...new paint job. That's right...too much time on my hands. I really dont think it is all that bad but like tatoos...how do you know when to stop. so, I will be riding this clown bike on Cheq. I was out riding the mt bike trails tonight - one last spin and it felt GREAT...my legs I mean...the bike was bouncing all over the place without suspension. It was chilly, and took a while to get warmed up but worth it tonight. Next blog - pics from the north-land... so at least I will turn heads for a sec or two on the race...again - to pass up a series of riders on voodoo $4000 bikes is going to be nice...Have a great weekend all - I hope to have some pics by sunday.


andy - zuko

should be OFS...oops
I like this one


Metal fleck paint is nice


The specter of death...

deep purple....

A special thanks to Larry and Pam at Trailhead. I think I speak for every two wheeled freak when I say thank you. YOu have been so accomodating to our dreams and desires. which reminds me - I need to put a pink ribbon on the bike somewhere....to the guys that have kept this Frankensteined bike rolling - Mason, James, Dan, Stew, Matt...not Clint though - thanks.

Cycling Frenzy...

So - at the shop last night to get the wheel...not done. It's cool - no big deal. These guys are busy. I would try myself to rebuild the hub but would rather have Stew or Mason take care of it. I can get it apart and semi-back together....after that, it requires a touch and experience I just dont have. So, instead I opted to paint more on the bike...I forgot my camera at work...this is really getting out of hand...between the flames of red and blue and green - all using a touch up brush so it kinda sucks - I have turned my bike into a rolling grafiti machine. It will turn some heads for sure...Tonight I will clear coat the artwork a bit and call it quits. I can easily spend too much time on this - its in my nature. Seeing that my wife would kill me if I got tatoos, I tatoo my bike instead.

As I am working away - the Duke rolls in to buy a bike for his wife to ride this weekend...Then Kenny the Cook drops by with his bike...the frenzy is on - the last min tweeking. I HAVE TO get out tonight to spin a bit...this taking a few days off is needed but tough to do - it really is. My only concern is some sort of a technical - what can go wrong really? Single speed....lets see - break the chain - got a back up....pop a tire - got a spare....break pedals - go with one leg....break my body - get a beer.

It is much more the experience but I have some goals - being accountable here....here is what they are... 1. finish under 3 hours 2.finish under 2.5 hours ( big goal ) 3. top 100????? well, ya gotta have a big monster goal - the hero goal. 4. meet greg lemond 5. pay up that beer to creepy friendly. 6. cross the line knowing it hurt and i put it all out on the trail.

That's it - pics tonight of the grafiti rat.


zuko

pieces of flare...

one last trip to the shop - to clear up any issues on the bike....found a shot rear hub. Well, I hope it isnt too bad - i only have one other good hub on the wifes bike - XT but its old...fingers crossed. So while i was tearing the bike apart - and I am realistic here, it is an old bike - the crew at the shop pulled out some touch up paint and then I got a bit creative...pics will follow...

look for the specter of death on the front fork...the rat on fire...the burning bottom bracket and the gold metal fleck headset....soon to be added - trailhead green accents...

It wont be the required 15 pieces of flare but what the heck...its art.


zuko...

Spinalicious

Seeing that I am looking at 60 some degrees and a brilliant blue sky - had to spin the park. Seeing that Fat4-0 is just 6 days away, I took the SS ATX out with a 38x18 added. Trying to get a feel for what will be best...I got lost in the day. My goal is to guess what will be a good gear to spin out for 40 miles...on a trail. How the hell am I supposed to figure that out with limited experience?

I guess this will be the "get tin my learn on" in the SS world. Well, if you had a chance to ride on Sunday - you had the best weather of all time. Plus, I only got yelled at twice for riding the horse trails - and then I hit some really fresh horse dung. I like how easy the 38x18 was...i could run just about any hill out there just fine. 38x16 was pretty tight the last time I rode it...but then I was shot when I did it. I will most certainly take out a 38x17 tomorrow. I just have to tear apart another cassette. My guess is on the 38x17...it is really amazing how you can tell the difference between one tooth.

Got a new melon cap for my daughter and wife - big sale at the shop...cages, stem, gear, tires....i can really be happy with spending too much there. We all can.

Looking forward to Friday and the trip up to 4-0. I shall enjoy this - with all my heart. My legs will have a different story to tell.


Zuko -

The Steed....

New treads, fancy spacers, shinny ss cog, toe clips are not what i am using...i will touch up the rat pic and the advertisement for Trailhead...and then Fat Tire...

Redemption?

Well, I guess the new name was the talk of the ride for a little bit here and there -- actually it was more like wise crack comments..." Hey Andy, do you have your keys????". Yeah, I get it. I wont be able to live that one down - its okay, I enjoyed the race and I was happy with how I did.

Tonights ride was interesting - threat of rain...the reality of rain...the enjoyment of salt, sand, spitting rain in the face all funneling down to the shoes. It started out fine with 7 riders in all - Bernie, John, Me (andy), Madonna, Jay H, Hemi and Andrea. Good to see Dave's single speed. It misted on and off while we did the Neilorator...going into St Michael it rained. Dave and Andrea headed back to the shop before then but the stupid few that went on were blessed with turning a light shade of brown. I felt stiff - slightly cold - mentally a bit wore out. I enjoy the severe weather riding, dont get me wrong, you just have to adjust a bit. We rolled out over the 144 stretch slightly offset to not get a mouth full of road slime and then we slowly ramped up the speed...no surprise...Bernie was with us. Me, Bernie and John broke off and kept up the speed...once again maxed out on rpm's as the single speed is not a high speed machine.

We made the turn to Dayton River Road and then to Pineview...super prime. It seemed all so quiet - Bernie said he didnt want to sprint in the rain so I assumed it would be casual...Then John lights it up the wall and I pick up chase. He is about 30 ft in front of me and I bridge the gap at the top of the first climb and latch onto his wheel...half way across the false flat I get the legs going like a sewing machine and pull off a win for Team Cannondale...its not really a team I guess - i was just riding one.

I must have been upset about dropping my keys - Redemption? Maybe so - but more importantly we had a blast riding with friends in some not so friendly conditions. If you can have fun in this stuff - what can stop you? Kudos to the group for one heck of a ride - if we could have taken a picture of us after the ride - it would have been priceless...we were a mess and we loved it!

I am the Keymaster....

State Championship Road Race - Avon MN. wow, how fun was that? Master 4/5 had what...12 Loons in the mix. Seeing that I have not done this in a LONG time, I was a bit nervous. I kept telling myself - its just a big group ride and a hockey match rolled into one. 51 miles - 3 laps of 17 miles. Nice set up - some good climbs with matching downhills - good speed for sure. Aside from the corners - we typically sat at about 24-28 mph. This is just fine in the group. I really did not like riding with handlebars touching - cutting lines and such - I know its part of the deal but instead I spent alot of the time near the front. The first lap was fast and about 20 sprinted or sped up for the finishing of lap one - I think I was 5th. We eased back on the 2nd lap and I spent some time in the pack. When we hit the half way point on lap 2, things took off again. The whole group accelerated and at those speeds - I wanted nothing to do with the pack. Up to the front where the riders were single file. I was sucking wheels for most of the 2nd lap and when we came to the last leg of lap 2 - I led out first on a pace line and held it to the finish of lap2...man, that was cool. The people were lined, the cowbell dinging, the cheering...that was addicting for sure. I really felt strong - or at least really good - no lasting fatigue, no burn in the legs...yet. My plan was to sit back for the rest of lap 3. As we headed into lap 3, I was riding next to Neil Thunderstorm and when I saw him reach for a bit to eat... I thought to grab a bite too...the only problem was that my car key ( here it comes) was in the same stupid back pocket as my bar. Out comes the bar....and out comes the phrase from a few riders back..." someones key just fell out...in the ditch". Yup, my key. I cannot remember why it was there, it normally isnt. But now, it was in the ditch. Stop, go back, pick up key and get going - solo and they were 1 min up on me in a flash....at 25 mph plus.

Well, that was 1 mile into lap 3, sucky. I did finish however by myelf - I reset the computer and maintained an average of 21 point something for 16 miles. Too bad a group of 62 rides a bit faster. On the last leg, there was a crash and it left one Loon to go to the hospital with a broken collar bone and Neil got some SERIOUS road rash...I saw the aftermath as I was in back...way back...I did finish strong - glad I did it - i was happy with how I did just not happy with my key placement...now let me see - where did i put my keys????

Thursday night Spin...kind of.

Well - the thursday night ride was great - the weather was perfect. Good to see John out there - thanks Holly for letting Johnny out to play. 5 headed out from the shop and we met Melinda on the way to Fletcher. We did the TT loop in reverse - which is interesting - we almost got turned around. lol. It was supposed to be an easy night for me anyway but of course it was fast...thanks John. I took the SS out again and it was a spin session from the nether regions - good thing it wasnt a long ride. Trying to draft behind John and Melinda when they go aero is like drafting behind a toothpick. I did practice staying in the pack - not jumping on every sign prime - tough to do. Great ride however - and today....I will not ride. Avon here I come - should be fun to race once again. Now back to lunch - pasta....more pasta and protien shakes.

Have a great day


andy

Sultans of Slop...part duex

Pulling into the parking lot at 5 pm...I was thinking - no way is anyone going to show. Then one, two...and a "meet me in the park"....hey, now we're cookin with gas! We had 6 by the time we hit Fletcher. Point being here is that the rain did NOT keep the faithful few off the bikes. On and off rain and the ever popular grit in the craw...gotta love it. We headed out to Fletcher to Hanover and back through St.Michael...then the rollers on 144. Boy isnt it nice to have that road smooth and all fancy?

With the rain I opted for the single speed as it has been beat hard and can handle the rain...plus I need to get one last hard ride in before the race this weekend. The ride was thwart with breakaway workouts, pace line ( kind of) and some strong interval workouts. Brian and I headed two up across 144 in a break away and traded off to Dayton River Road averaging mid 20's for that stretch..Looking back we didnt see anyone so we kept the pace up to super prime. Side by side we climbed the initial wall and then slowly increased the pace to 25 with about 50 yds to go and then old trusty Blue Thunder Single Speed ramped up the rpm's and I pulled away for the prime win...go team Cannondale!

Good show of the women tonight! Holly and Carol pounded out the miles and always smiling - I heard a rumor that Holly is letting John out to play Thursday night for the ride....

Have a great week all and hope to see you at Avon for the road race...

zuko

Sat Morning - no rain

The rain held off until just after 9 am. Apparently I made some claims about certian people being wimps for skipping out of the ride - just b/c it seemed like it was going to rain. I almost didnt make it to the ride in time - and if that had happened...Jorge would have killed me. Everyone was there 13 in all - good group. We did the 144 loop as usual with the TT route added on.

Kudo's to Jorge for sneaking around my blind spot on one of the primes. it was very funny... We held a fast pace the entire ride. We had some fast lead-outs, long burns...good interval training today...Gotta get ready for Fat Tire. I am starting to like the rollers - we took them Bernie style - fast and hard. Super prime was nice too - I got some coaching....Bernie told me to make sure too....oops, cant tell you that..... well, I did take super prime solo. The secret is safe with me.

So with so many ready for bad weather - the rain didnt happen until the ride was done. I hope you guys that did a few laps in the park stayed dry enough. Today I ended up rebuilding my pedals, eating at Culvers with the kids and now watching The Return of the Jedi.... my day is complete.


Have a great weekend all.


Andy

Mini-Donuts anyone?

Last week Wednesday was a sad day indeed. Something so dramatic and crushing...knowing that it could have been anyone...any day...I am talking about the 35W bridge. I do thank God for the lives that were spared as it could have been much more catastrophic that it really was. But today I found something a bit more disturbing...on the stone arch ride.

I showed up late - maybe by 5 mins or so and I knew I had to catch up. I unload the bike, throw all the duds on, grab some water and up to the bridge I go...only to find out I almost have to walk my bike there were so many people. I was like - what the heck is going on? Everyone had cameras, vid cameras...all pointing and staring downriver. Whole families, one's and two's - what were they staring at....oh, the bridge where too many died. There it was and there were the people getting on tip toes to get a better look.

It was impressive - the magnitude I mean. But this was like 1000 people slowing down to look at the car wreck - hoping to see some visible sign of death. It was worse on the way back after the ride - which was great by the way. People going all directions - snapping photos and the vendor selling ice cream ( which i belive is there all the time ) had a real deal going.

My thought was to get a mini-donut stand and wait for the next disaster to strike so I can make a profit off of the folks looking for a little death.

just didnt feel right..

Ever have a ride where you seriously felt about two steps off of center? Tired for no reason? I guess i have nothing to really complain about - at least i wasnt traversing a river on a cable with my bike hanging off my back. None the less - I seemed to have issues and I couldnt figure it out. Last night was a bit interesting...i had mechanical issues but aside from that - things didnt seem fluid, it felt like i was riding in the spring when my body had no idea what i was trying to do. this happens when i ride the bianchi instead of the single speed. i am taking a guess that I have forgotten how to effectivly ride with many gears...not that i was effective before but i am used to NOT changing gears on hills and downhills...and if i am in the wrong gear - i reach threshold reallllllyyyyyy fast.

I think i am going to stick with the SS more - it is fun, easy to switch gears and punishing plus it is really comfy.

I suppose that the cure to my problem is to ride with gears a bit more to get used to it again. heck, just ride more and get stronger and i wont have this fade problem. so instead of trying to be the leader of the pack or sign prime master - maybe the loons can hire me on as a full time domestique - that way i wont have to worry about trying to be the first across the line.

have a great day....

ac

Viva Las Vegas

Well - I will be honest - not all that spectacular...really. There are some really neat things but I would seriously rather take a punishing day in the hills riding with Neil than spend more time in Vegas. Now - I didnt have a chance to leave at all while I was there so we walked alot - spent WAY TOO much on EVERYTHING - man, you can get there cheap - forget having a cheap vacation there. I will say, we stayed at the coolest hotel - the Venetian - by far the best - spectacular!

I was perplexed - the city of LV was advertising how "family friendly" the city was ...then everywhere you go - its porn "playing cards" of hookers on the streets, lots of adult entertainment stuff...everywhere...family friendly? my kids wont be going there.


Glad to be home! I have to get out on my bike....


andy

Note to self - Vicodin Does NOT Help in Fitness

Well - I had a root canal done yesterday and with all the advents of technology - they had a tough time getting one of the roots numb...in the efforts of time as they got me in on standby, I said to go ahead without the one nerve numb. They already had half my face numb - i didnt need more. So they gave me a couple vicodin - crushed which actually helped alot...problem - that was about 3 pm and I was biking at 5pm. Well, it wasnt all that bad but a lesson in nutrition - my tooth broke over the weekend and living on pain meds and anti-biotics - and not nearly enough food - really took its toll.

I went into yesterdays ride thinking I could fake the fitness - I was wrong. Why is it when you basically fall apart - do you only see the where you went wrong. Bonk...yeah - that happened - throw in some pain meds and it makes for an interesting ride. I wont be riding with medication again - vicodin does not help in fitness. Great job to Mellissa - new girl took super prime out of the hands of Brian...

see ya on Thursday hill climb - i will be well fed and off the meds.

Is comfort different for everyone?

I am a bit perplexed. As of late, I have been addicted to my old Cannondale - 88-89 ( one of the two). It is the 3.0 frame set - I say that like I know what that means - I really don't. Anyhoo, it is rigid, stiff and you feel everything on the road. Its compact and tight and exceptionally nimble - climbs like a goat. Last March I purchased a Bianchi Virata - the opposite in some respects - a little better and of course some things I can do without.

I went out tonight after a rather stressful last couple of days to the Fletcher TT course - a little course that is 9 miles that has hills, straights, flats, wind and ends with a good climb. I just got the Bianchi back from a tune up - thanks Mason - and was thinking...man this should be a good time to post. It was, I was happy but not comfortable. I am trying to put a finger on it but I cannot - maybe someone out there knows how I feel.

Virata - steel frame - carbon stays and fork. This thing has one heck of a smooth ride - holy crap it does. It is really like riding on water but I am thinking that might be my issue. I have been used to riding on the Cannondale for so long that still after a year and a half - I'm not used to smooth. Power transfer...frame flex...I am guessing I like the type of ride that you feel the road...

Am I crazy? Well, maybe this is the excuse I have been waiting for to get a different frame. Hmmm...less money than a new bike...Is there a good stiff compact frame set I should consider?

Your thoughts are welcome.


andy

100 miles and running...

BlueThunder SS

I made it....along with a great group of 9 or 10. We did what was dubbed the "wussinator" and what a great ride - down south to Wayzata/Hopkins - into Mpls/Stpl and came back to Champlin...the actual route was like 86 miles and i would say the moving average was between 20-21 mph. Actual just under 20 - lots of stops. With my ride in the park prior to and after - getting pizza and goodies at PDQ - i topped off at 102.7 miles for the day on the trusty BlueThunder SS. I managed to sneak out 4 legit sign preems - Dayton, Corcoran, Maple Plane or Medina - I cannot remember and the last was Hopkins. Bernie took the hilltop preem of - Maple Plane or Medina ( i got the two mixed up) with a hearty series of grunts...he told me I needed to grunt earlier. Well, my grunt was more along the lines of pain rather than trying to muster up some magical strength. Bernie also sneaked in the hand painted city sign of Orono - good eye Bernie - that sign looked like a work of art not a city sign. Bergerbergermeister handled the Rogers preem on a solo sprint - never looking back once...almost missing the turn to Fletcher Ln. If I am missing any, sorry. There were some creek/river preems and city watershed signs - which were pointed out to me that they are more *personal* points rather than actual group victories.

Great show of people and great riding - I would love to do that again! Of course - we did miss the likes of Neil and Jay....and where was Erik???? On a particular note - Bernie and I were talking about how strong the entire group is at TH...I mean seriously, everyone was and is strong and not just for 20-30 miles...I mean 80-100 miles! What a blessing to have such desire and motivation. The neat thing...no one is really race motivated - they do it because it is about the ride.

So thank you for a great group and thank you Larry and Pam for putting up with us.

Camp Bluedog

bluedog cycle

My buddy Pete Taylor runs the shop in Viroqua WI...great place to ride. The shop is connected to a great sandwich shop - called the Cheese factory or something like that. If you are ever down there - stop by - closed Mondays.

He is hosting a camp for the area for intro into Mt.Biking and cycling in general - this is the logo I designed for the camp. All done - had to share.

Hills, then some more hills...oh, and then one more for good measure

Riding in LaCrosse is truly amazing this time of year. If you get a chance to ride in southern Minnesota - near Loon Camp or in La Crosse - DO IT. Perfect weather all three days I was riding. I dared myself a bit and ended up taking the SS to LaCrosse...I normally run a 42x15 on that thing but put a 17 on the back for the hills - I think I actually pulled a butt muscle. My time was limited - after all I was on vacation with the family so I had to make hay while the sun shined - super early morning rides. Friday was two rides totaling 30, Sat was 25 morning (hill repeats) - 25 evening same route...Sunday was the fun day - Hills and a major drop into Barrie Mills and back home - 35 miles. Not alot of miles but all hill repeats and insane. I didn't break a chain and I was maxed on output - constant climbing. I have a new TT for DIYTT - the Alpine TT....the base of Grandads Bluff to the Alpine Bar - 7min 48 sec - SS.

Riding down there makes me want to live there once again - the views, the rides....its all there. I hope to be back on a reg schedule with the group this week.


zuko

RAAM...and so much more

I hope you had a chance to meet these guys - really a class act. AND if you were smart enough to get your lazy butt out of bed last Sat to ride with them - kudos to you. Neil - you raced the entire breadth of this nation to come home and reach another goal - 20 on Sat Morning ride!!!!

That's right - we had 20 riders - including some RAAM guys. We also had a bad spill that caused some $erious bucks - I hope all is okay. The 7 am ride was a simple loop out west of town. Perfect weather was around us and perfect company beside us. We opted to not take 144 back - by the way, I think they are done with that road - it still sucks but I road it in the dark tonight and it seemed okay. The Fletcher prime was close...I thought - again I say thought - I had it after Greg lead out up the preceding hill...he has some legs on him. Bernie and I bridged the breakaway and passed Greg and that sprint up the hill was too much for me and with Bernie at the top of his game - smiled as he snatched the sign...That was FUN. I did win the last prime - the ever elusive Brooklyn Park prime by the shop. I will say it is the uber-cheese prime but it did say "welcome to Brooklyn Park" - so it counts....not really.

The 9 am ride was cool - Evan with his mid 70s Merckx super corsa / up to date Campy was really cool. With Neils Colnago and the Merckx - we were riding in style. Down to Dunn Bros in Mpls was once again very cool. The funny story of the day was the fact that 4 guys about 800 miles each and they only had one flat....to mpls and back I think we had 4.

I think it was just over 80 miles for the day. With me riding to the shop and a lap in the park I had 107 for the day. Very nice indeed - group rides like that make cycling worth it. Lets keep it up.

Enjoy the week!

By the way - taking a look at the finishing riders in solo RAAM - how about John Spurgeon - he finished with a single speed. I mean holy crap, he had some focus and sore legs I bet.


zuko

Goal - I did it!

For anyone with a family - job - expectations - to do lists - not to do lists - friends - sleep....you get the idea....it is a tough balance to find the needed time to train or ride. If you are looking to really put miles in the bank - you can almost forget it with all the stuff you need to do during the week. Well, fate has a way of putting two and two together. This week my car - the trusty VW Jeta - i call it the Jedi Knight...no comments...decided to take a nap whilst i was driving - my alternator went to lunch. Easy enough to change - I hate spending money on that thing however. I have 220,000 miles on it - runs GREAT but the $129 alternator just about trumps the value of the car - but it is better to buy the part than make payments on the most depreciating thing on the planet.

So with my new found inability to drive that beast, the bike became my ONLY form of transportation - except family night out for dinner. To work every day - 4 big rides after work and some mt bike rides mixed in. Goal was first to hit 250 which isn't that bad - good goal but I hit that at the end of Friday and heck - I HAD to ride to Dunn Bros on Sat morning - no one should miss a ride into the cities on sat morning - Bernie - I had their last Rhubarb bar in honor of you...then I had Jay H's cheesecake bar too...then Jorge and I stuffed our Voodoo Iced Cooler Dante's Mocha Espressos into the water bottles and headed to people watch at Stone Arch - perfect day, perfect company. Thanks guys.

Got home just in time to try out the new tensioner on the mt bike - and new chain but the thing skips like its missing cog teeth under extreme load - not sure what i need to do there. So with a complete loop and then some - I checked the running total and 305 for the week. I promised NO RIDING on Sunday - the kids rejoiced. My wife then promised to tear up the divorce papers.

thursday night ride in Elk River...

i felt like a trator.... not riding with TH group but it was with a former Loon - actually like the first Loon from when it was first formed - Dave Lunde....name is spelled wrong for sure. We headed out of Ramsey Cycle to Elk River for Hill Repeat night - I had never done this ride before so why not take the single speed.

The 10-15 mile ride to ER was great - we had nice rodes, low winds, lots of sun and great fellowship - of course I had to ask alot about Dave's World Champion Track history - yes he has the rainbow jersey to prove it. Very cool - super conversation - great tips and above all friends out for a ride.

The hill just outside ER proper is good climb - I am guessing just under a mile??? Two false flats ending on an extended straight climb....we ended up doing it 5 times. We had a preem set on the top of each climb then would loop down and around and do it all over again from a dead stop. It was a blast! Totally worth doing that ride once or twice a week.

GO STRONGHEART!!!!!!! glad to see that all is well.

tuesday night ride....hey, i didnt bonk

last time i did the Neilerator, I was on the Blue Thunder Super Sport....and with speeds reaching mach 2.5 - i had no more pedal and I bonked. There is a limit to the speed which you can go - but no limit on the pain you feel. So....in honor of RAAM but not to compare...I am riding into work every day along with the rides and then some. Since Sunday I am currently at 151 miles and last night was a blast. Neilerator, 90 degs, pounding south wind and a fast crew. Had a major mechanical at St.Michael....Hollys crank almost came all the way off...interesting.

Jay, Holly and I then headed back on our own over the rollers and it was quick. Hey, I didn't bonk! It is fun when you don't bonk.

okay, back to work.


andy

i caught myelf here...

thinking about how crappy its going to be biking home in this heat. in 10 min, RAAM is kicking off for the team event and they will be riding through the Mojave Dessert - and with that I have nothing to complain about. I will be watching this more than the Tour - for sure....cuz we know these guys and it takes alot more to do this than to take a stage win....and for many better reasons. the kids, the camp, the families....need i go on? Average joes and janes taking on the impossible and going forward believing...despite pain, illnes (neil) and hallucinations....making dreams and lives possible for kids - i cant think of a more noble cause.

6 mins and counting.....

my new favorite site - I cannot stop laughing

http://chainstainstakeoncucknorris.blogspot.com/

thanks phoneix

STONE ARCH

This ride is so cool. I have to admit - riding in the countryside is mucho bettero - hows my bilingual skills? This was the first time for me driving to stone arch and riding from there. Much easier. So its what....35-36 miles in the city? Big hills - fast breaks....especially when Patrick is drafting a Volvo at 39 mph....Don't worry Pat - you really are that fast anyway - in fact I thought I saw the Volvo drafting behind your rainbow jersey. I was happy with how I rode - I was freaked out cuz with names like Red Lantern, Painman, Hailstone....how does one compete with excellence? I was awarded a few names yesterday - JayT latched onto Fluffy, Cleary looking into his crystal ball and came up with Pinto....Skibby insisted on Zuko - for a pic I had with a curly cue hair style. I was happy - after a blistering ride on Tuesday, I had no idea how wed was going to turn out - felt good - feeling better every ride.

I must say it was nice to meet so many Loon state riders that I have never seen before. 12 or 15????? If I met you, trust me, I forgot your name about 10 sec after we met. I played around with the micro wave too much as a kid - messing things up.... My computer on the bike showed just over 20mph - give or take - average and for the amount of hills on that ride - i think that is good. Thanks for the great ride guys -- even though most of you will never read this blog..lol.

Holy.....

There are times when a ride takes your breath away....and then it really hurts and you feel like you are going to pop. Then...there are times when you are done and you reflect back on the ride...and then it takes your breath away. Tonight was a bit of both but more the latter. Low winds, sun in the face, large group, everyone strong, 50 some miles, puffy clouds in the sky...need I say more? It was the best example of a group ride that I have seen - keeping everyone together the entire ride. Slow? Not at all! We had in 50 plus miles strong interval training, hill workouts, pace lines, bridging the gaps and with most of the group hanging in there even at 30 mph...IMPRESSIVE! I am stunned by the level of fitness everyone is at. Everyone seems to have some serious goals ahead...well, when you have TSH you cant help but elevate your level of fitness. These guys are really good...After leaving Curvey Martin in the dust Bernie and Neil still had the power to take super preem - I wasn't up there with them but I am sure they had smiles on there face - heck - I bet they were even playing rock, paper, scissors while we were ready to throw up. Yeah, top 10 rides for me - it was perfect and I will count it a blessing to have a group like that to ride with again.


andy

Note to Self...

Take your chain tool on your ride with you. I should have today - I got a really nice 5 mile walk in the park whilst pushing my bike....in the rain...in cycling shoes...etc... Also - make sure to zip up the under the seat pack...that is a whole different story and amazingly found everything. okay - here's the story.

I took off through the horse trails on the mt bike in the rain. really messy. Chain breaks during a climb. start walking, my phone battery dead, no chain tool...no one else on the trails. Of course, its raining. Make it home and my feet are sore. Fix chain and head out again....not zipping up my saddle pack. By the time i hit the top of super preeme and then into that trail...I look down to see my tube fall out of the pack. I start walking back up the trail. tire iron here and there, tube, another 100 feet the hex wrenches, at the shoulder of the road a CO2 for inflation but no nozzle to inject the air. I was mad at myself. So, I ride the 20 miles and when I get back home there is the Genuine Innovations thingy right at the end of my driveway - nothing lost. Funny.

So note to self again - charge battery in cell phone prior to ride. take a chain tool. zip up bag. oh, almost forgot - have FUN. The mud was DEEP and thick today and well worth the ride.

red zone

last night was an event for me - red zone the entire ride. yes, it hurt and yes I wanted to go home and cry to mama but then the ever soothing voice of reason - NEIL - said no way - lets ride together. It is good to have days like this when you think it is all over but you keep rolling. I admire this group of men and women - the best around. Bar none. I guess that sometimes you need to be reminded that preparation is an important thing and when you are not prepared - learn to make it work anyway. Thanks Jay and Neil - you have a way of turning lemons into lemonade.

MEMORIAL DAY SOLO RIDE -

Having fun with the camera and the video option...
Have a great Memorial Day and remember our soldiers and citizens overseas not only today but every day. Did 29 miles in the park looking for those who "said" they were riding in the park...no chance...all solo and that's just fine - early morning ride and I got a great pic of a deer. That deer was only 15 feet away and didnt mind a bit - it was closer than the picture really shows. Amazing!




Memorial day ride - solo - perfect day!

Cruzin' Cali Style

My next purchase - for sure. have you ever tried to steer one of these things? very strange.

In the Morning...

I have been riding my bike to work alot lately and if you have not done it - you really should. First of all - you have to get a good nights sleep to do this so no late night cyber surfing. Gettin' up super early, the cool breeze blowing through the house, the warm cup of coffee, light meal and the wonderful workout on the way to work. The best feeling is the look in people's eyes when they look at you at a stop sign or passing by ... you can almost hear "awww I wish I could do that..."

Well you can. Granted, I am in a position at work that I dont have to be around the client in person but many have facilities at work so you can clean up prior to the day. Just think...riding to work and adding an automatic 30+ miles every day thus saving some $30+ dollars a week in gas. Green is good and if it makes you stronger, more fit, alert for the day...its all to your bennefit.

I have found that if I ride to work - my workout is done if I choose...then my family isnt wondering if I live at home or not. you know the feeling. Take today - 4 deer, 2 wild turkey's, 1 eagle, 3 dead Canadian geese, a whole school of fish flopping on the coon rapids dam ( lots of fishermen this morning ), and one elderly couple holding hands watching the sun come up. How COOL IS THAT!!!! Beats staring at the lic plate of the guy in front of you. Today it was about the ride - the experience - the reasons why I love biking...you get to take it all in... the only thing i missed today was a bad start to the day...

see ya on the road!

zuko

andy