What the......

Mid day - my office - my car hard to
believe i logged 20 miles on the bike yesterday.

Another mid day shot in the arm....

Leaving today - tonight rather.
20+ mph winds - it sucked

I tried clicking my heels together three
times but all i got was a pound of slush in my shoes.


So now its a few beers - against my diet - and
Sum 41 vids
its a playlist with 10 songs - scroll bar on right and down a touch
click to view - it might work.

drinking beer and photoshop

CONFIRMED! Pain in Sept

Thats right - I saw the phone number to check if the MO was cleared...FAT TIRE HERE I COME. Time for that friggin mt bike! Now, I just need to figure out which one...the rat is always ready to rumble but after last years rally - and the chain coming off 4 times - I think i need a real single speed or at least an ENO hub. I think i got in b/c i clicked SS again - maybe they give you extra consideration for being a bit stupid.

So now onto the training - as this is the pinnical of the year for me and my exceptionally limited racing season. I heard that smoking actually helps your O2 intake...right?

Found this pic - no reason - me at age 4 in the black hills of SD. I do still have that shirt - its a bit tight but thats how I roll.

see ya at FT40!

tried something new....

seeing that my "new" bike is worth exactly what I spent on my new wheelset - I am game for adding a few choice bike tattoos. So in an effort to boost my stigma amongst my cycling gurus, I added something that is bound to add a few mph to my resume...a piranah. LOL..... I have got to be kidding but I did paint one on the bike. using touch up paint isnt easy so I tried to tape off an abstract fish. it worked - kind of.



not the best - but I get to live with it.

my wife....

Cant complain about weight gain when she makes things like this. She is amazing in many ways and this is one of them. 3 inches of cheese cake topped with oodles of fruit and glaze. I didnt even bother to ask about the calories...so I had half a small chunk.




Pics of today - the kids and my kids manning the camera....please note that Peter can NEVER take a serious picture...okay maybe a few here and there...the beauty of kids.

As you can see...

My new theme song is " I fought the law....and...." Yeah, I buckled and without much pressure I guess. I was on my way home and with the family out at a friends house - perfect time to stop by the bike shop....spotting bikes and ready to spend my loot. Of course, a suitable thing to do since my Bianchi was in the hands of someone else. hmmmmmmm...... commuter, mt bike, new something - heck wheels, shorts....my list is long and I have options. One of the lesser known options was the front loading washing machine. Swing past the shop - closed....damn. Across the street - Appliance Smart - open....double damn.

OOOOOkay - lets go look - but I am not buying. Ever heard/said that before? I will say - Greg Gonzolas is great and if you need any appliances - go see him. So I ended up with something that looked like an 3.7 cubic foot escape pod from the star wars movie I just watched with the kids. Scratch and dent - save water, energy etc....plus our old one barely works so this was inevitable. I reach into my pocket of loot - I have enough....triple damn. So I can show up with my old one - they take it off my hands no cost - minus one damn but maybe add a dangit cuz they arent light.

All in all - it will work and about 3 times as efficient - so when I called Tina and sent her a pic of the new washer - she was happy - minus a damn. The fact that they arent cheap and I sacrificed a new bike still leaves me at one damn - and I have the right to keep that - but I cant show that to my wife. There better be some "brownie points" in this....to which my wife will say " yeah, you get clean clothes." and I am back to the triple damn (with an added dangit) status once again.

.....the law won.

andy

at work today

its now my only road bike...weird.

It's Gone....

In the blink of an eye and the exchanging of memories - my Bianchi has found a new home. A good friend from the cub scout world has opted for the Noodle Cruiser as his new rig. On top of that - the new owner got some shoes/pedals " which i might now get " from Larry at TH.

So now I am free to get the ride of my next desire....just which one was it again? The Redline Monocog????? The Redline 925 commuter???? or as my dear wife said....the new front loading washing machine????? I think i know which one will earn me brownie points.

For now - I will scout out, read about and drool over the next adventure. Maybe I could purchase ALL the tickets for TSH for the Monocog flight and get the commuter too. wait ... that may not be the cost effective route I was looking for.

Ahh, I did get some freddy fenders for the cannondale and what a pain to install. That bike was not made for fenders and the geometry is not normal - tight angles. got them on - they work and I will stay dry.

see ya on the road - I need to start doing hills - what about that ER hill route to start? We need to get miles in and pounds off.


ac

Not sure what I am doing really

In doing some riding with gears again - I have tried to limit the number of gears to six. Reason - there are enough rides in MN that could really bennefit from some extra mechanical advantage. I never claimed to be the almighty ss'er so I have no guilt in doing this. Anyhoo - i switched some gears around to accomodate for rides like ramsey, preston, la crosse etc.... here is my spread in gear inches.













This looks okay to me - and I really dont know what these numbers mean but having 3 over 80 will allow to keep up without dying and one/two close to and in the fifties is good for brutal climbing.

Where I am at now - i will need some improvement to say the least. PR IV proved that. It is good to get some hard rides in to get a feel for where I am at compared to where I was and want to be. In trying to find a pic of Ramsey hill to show some folks in VA, CA - I was unsuccessful - except for this painting. it shows to some extent the steepness of this hill - but not really - you almost need to take a camera out there - but i have not found any.

PR IV...a free race brought to you by friends out for a ride

Another Great Day....

Tina had some girl scout stuff going on with Maria so I was not able to partake in the first half of the race but I did make it for the last 2 laps. I did notice that I am not at the same level as the other guys...but then again the 1st and 2nd place did just ski the Birkie - and that is no small task. So I dont feel so bad.

For my non-cycling friends - the race today was the Prairie Roubaxi IV ( link 1, link 2, )...this name is taken from the famous Paris-Roubaix held in France. It is our version of the race - cutting through black-top and gravel roads alike 40 miles in all. It isn't easy for early season and I SUCK in cold weather and suck less in warm weather. I was lucky today as the temp hovered below freezing so the dirt roads were not muddy whereas in the Paris-Roubaix race - it is almost guaranteed to be full of rain and slop....oh by the way the race in France is like 160 some miles and about 1/4th of that is on the Roman Cobblestones see vid links..( link1 eddymerckx and paris-roubaix 1976 -watch that one link3 )...I just forgot to bring my lungs.

No pics taken during the race but the post race pics are below as well as on Neils Porthole to Reality.


The winner of the PR-IV
Wonderboy ( aka no gravity )















Neil with the signature
goof ball game face -
2nd place










B-Train (right)- shivering like a
little school boy caught in
the rain and Me on the left
prepared with jacket.
I guess you could say I came in
4th but i didnt do the entire
race...but i did show.









The traveling trophy of
grace and the spoils of
victory.

Great Day....Man I love these days....

I actually got up in time to ride into work today. I had it all ready to roll from the night prior and that saves SO much time. Headed out in the dark/cold morning - dodging the sheets of thin ice on the road....got the middle finger for opting to ride in the road vs. lake Dayton...its okay, if all someone has is a middle finger I guess that shows their intelligence. As a biker, and I use that loosely, you get used to people in cars flipping the bird. Maybe they are jealous.....no....just stupid. Anyhoo - pulling up to the intersection leading to west river road and 169...i pulled up along some cars - waiting for the light and a guy with 93x on...very loud...rolls down his window and I was expecting some sort of smart ass comment and I got the hang ten gesture and a loud " you kick ASS dude!" while one of my favorite songs blasted - Megadeth Symphony of Destruction. That was a feel good moment. The other cool time was pulling up by Mavericks - by Neils home - I was doing intervals on that stretch and got to ride along side the Metro bus until Bills gas station just b/f I almost puked....the adults were like grade school kids in the window staring at this idiot biking in the dark...lol.

Once again - coon rapids dam - that is dam cold...even on summer days but the sunrise is so impressive - rolled down Coon rapids blvd and hit some major headwind to the point of frustration but hit the coffee shop - more looks and i really smelled bad at that point and then had a blast at work and repeated the ride home - 30 miles of Happy Time Turbo. and all on the 1x6 Frankendale bike with really nice wheels.

ac

knock on wood

single speed pain - here I come

THE NEW BIKE

okay, i know it isnt new but new enough to warrant a special blog post. It rode great and shifted great - it is just the cold that got the best of me really. I did the EC outer outer loop...which looks like it is less that the trail system - less turns. 16 miles - and just about 10 deg posted...avg rpm was at 90 plus...only way to stay warm...I didnt care about speed but that constant wind chill was the worst.
Spring.....where art thou?


http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1683511



enjoy the weather - I think i just bought myself a beer without guilt.


Andy




so the new specs - so it sounds all official. 89 Cannondale Frame, Top Shelf Suntour Blaze brakes with original brake cables...Ultegra BB, Tiagra rear derail ( went cheap cuz it still works great), Hyperglide cluster broken down to tight cluster 6 speeds, 42t chainring (single) 42x 11,12,14,15,16,18. FSA RD80 wheels with Grand Prix rubber and a lime green shift cable cuz that was a gimmie from the shop. So why the FSA on a beat up bike? why not? its just a frame and it moves forward and its light - would you give up on an old friend cuz of a few marks here and there?

ac

1x6

So I needed some new wheels for the Cannondale - which happens to be my fav bike to ride....the old open, way open, ball wheel set was trashed beyond expectation, and that is what you get for super cheap. Headed into TH for a look around, and found some nice FSA wheels at an exceptional deal. The goal was to ride the cannondale and sell the bianchi...i guess the stiff frame grows on ya. I really liked the c-dale as a single but i ended up adding a few more gears.

So with new wheels, new d-rail and a very tight cluster of six i am ready. why? good question - b/c it isnt necc to have voodoo technology to enjoy the ride and if I can sell the Italian Stallion - it will make way for a new single speed mt bike.

I sometimes wonder why I even go out...

Got home from church and thought - hey, its about to rain, ice and snow - why not ride? So, I took blue thunder out for the initial ride of the year and headed straight out 144 west bound to the Fletcher TT course - not out to beat any land speed records...I leave that up to the big dogs like b-train, wonderboy and the DUKE. My goal was to spin, take it easy, LSD ( Long Slow Distance - definition for Adolfo) for sure...I suck in cold weather anyway and the Pale Ale didn't help much this winter. I guess it isn't that bad but when you factor in the weather hanging in at or just below freezing, the wet roads, the soaked clothes and the driving wind...and that wind sucked in a big way. So my casual TT (time trial for my colleagues who dont know what "tt" means) time was 29:32 - and I guess I was trying at first with the wind at my back I was happy....the turn was brutal with lateral wind - my core temp dropped and the next turn into the wind was my downfall....I just cannot operate in that temp. What a sissy, I know but admitting is the first step to recovery.

I headed back and returned home the way I came and now the temp was for sure in the freeze zone and now my head wind was pure ice/snow/slop and I could not feel my toes, fingers and my gut was cold and I was really excited about going home...but the rollers were there so instead of cursing them out - I decided to take some pics.

I guess the rides like today really help in the sense that it sucks out there but you do it anyway. It doesn't take super skill to ride in bad weather - just no brains and I have a lot of no brains. I will say that the cold rides make the coffee taste sooooo good. My wife had hot brew waiting for me when I walked in the door - she is a sweetheart.

So 1.75 hours of riding at 18 avg for the entire ride - not bad all things considered.

cold ride yesterday

headed out yesterday to do back and forths on Cty Road 144....the rollers. took the ss mt bike with squatting tires and did 17 miles of back and forths...that was an interesting work out. right now i need more time on the bike and i just dont have it so the heavy, slow single speed made up for the times i couldnt get out...my legs hurt today.

saturday....in the park...think it was the....

a few picks of the snowmoblie trails, and hoofing it through the snow on sat...i got a camera phone and the pics dont look that bad...12 miles of the trails was enough for me and the single...that is a workout.


ok, the pics didnt go through - will have to figure out why.

I now know

Why South Dakota would be great training grounds for a supurb cyclist - this goes for skibby too cuz N.D. aint much better.

I was just out there to pick up my new mini-van....that almost sounds like I was excited to get a van. I really didnt know what to expect until I got there - this is a cherry of a car with not a thing wrong with it and I know what to look for in used cars. So aside from that - all I could think about was that there was a constant 40 mph wind the entire time I was there. I thought back to when I was in high school - the last time I was out in Aberdeen - and I biked from Aberdeen to Ipswitch - about 26 miles due west on Hwy 12 - it was 26 miles with a 30+ wind at my side. By the time I made it to my dad's old 2nd grade school house the wind was at my back which meant my ride home was going to really hurt. Fast forward to yesterday and today - the same wind the same thoughts.

So - I made it home through two snow storms en rout which was scary cuz in SD the snow storms are more than snow coming down - it is a total white out - both times I had to pull over - no kidding. The funny thing was in between the two storms was blue sky. I could see to the right the ENTIRE storm cell - to the left another ENTIRE storm and along side of me I could see an ENTIRE 211 car train - all at once.

I am now serious about cutting weight - and getting into shape - things have gotten a bit out of control. so - back to the grind and feeling better.

anyone wanna buy a 1994 suburban?



andy

should i be concerned?

while i am waiting for my computer to defrag - i was searching ideal weight, bmi etc....I got a bit concerned. Now, I bike a lot - not so much in the winter but I seemed to be off the charts a bit. i know there are some prof trained med peeps out there - do these scales account for a higher amount of muscle mass which could be construed as body fat? I guess i am not worried per se but just a bit shocked -

ok, the cpu is done with the defrag - back to the grind while i finish my danish. oh, well, maybe i didnt need it but it sure tastes good.

ac

My New Bike....

Looks very similar to a mini van. Funny how your eyes play tricks on you. well, I guess the bike gets to wait a bit more....of all reasons to wait - mini van.


ac

a bit of tlc

took over the wash tub in the laundry room - against my wifes wishes - and dismanteld the working parts of the ratatoulie bike. it seems that the salt, sand and harsh climate has not been nice to the bearings in various places...mainly the headset. the garage was not an option at -7 degF. shoot, the lights barely turn on at that temp.

I also got a shock today when I realized how far off I was on the gas bill for the home etc...wow - that is a rather amazing figure. I usually pay the same amount every month on auto pay and i forgot that it like multiplies exponentially in the winter...lol - I guess I need to address that prior to a bike...yes it is that much. it happens every year so I shouldnt be that surprised.

Days like today - well they make me cus. no riding outside - i hate the trainer - no walking outside unless you want to die. so where is that global warming? I welcome it with open arms.

YAHOO

seeing that I am sharing my life with you three readers - I just got the mvp employee of the quarter award - 4th quarter 07. i guess the endless hours paid off. time to treat myself to a new single speed MONOCOG 29 flight....if my wife allows such activity.

I've felt better

Today was perhaps one of the worst days riding I have had. The weather's bite was worse than it's bark. Between the cold damp wind, low temps and exceedingly high amounts of sheer ice and no shoulder to ride on - the sidewalks were worse - I was not only cold to the bone but very scared riding out there today. I can handle riding close to cars - it happens all the time but being forced into traffic due to ice and not knowing if I will stay upright had me tense and generally freaked out.

Being forced to ride slower got my core temp way down - thus freezing the sweat on and in my clothes - inducing a near hypothermic state. I was dressed fine with lots of good gear - just wasnt ready for today. I will chalk it up as experience and will learn from it - and will appreciate warm temps.

I made it to the shop from work to warm up and dry off and Larry offered a ride home - what a God send.

cheers


ac

02.06.2008

rode in, should not have, the good thing is that I get to ride on the same crappy ice on the way home. so at least i got that goin' for me.
15 miles - 2 near death experiences - looking to repeat later on today.

drew

2.4.2008

ride - drive - ride - drive.....22 deg, snow in the forcast, ice on the roads...ahhhh why not? well, it was a tad more interesting than I was readyfor. Lots O glare ice and the trails were a near catastrophe. I liken it to riding on large rocks covered with ice and death. However - I did spin in and made it in record time - improved the commute time on the rat bike by 3 mins...I was a mess when I showed up to work.

The gals at Carribou were nice and I got a free cup of brew for the effort and had to explain to some folks why I wasnt crazy and that the proper term is passionate. So a small victory in a sense that I shaved 3 mins off of a 15 mile ride...either I was really crappy prior or really good on this run. I will opt for the latter. No ride home however - cub scouts tonight and I know that I wont be able to make it home in time so my beautiful latino wife is going to pick me up at work so I can get back in time for boot hockey. I need to get 3-4 days in a week commuting to work - not for any reason other than to say I started training in Jan...and to get a jump on things.

the more i ride out doors the more i realize that cycling really doesnt have to stop this time of year. i wont do the sub zero commute - well, maybe but this above zero stuff aint that bad. Enjoy the day - and see you on the road.

ac

crazy - i love it.

1.28.2008 part duex

ok - i totally forgot that the sun goes down at like 11 am so the punch out a 5 o'clock made me realize that I will be finishing my commute via car lights....and then rain...and all matter of road slop to say the least. I had the blinky lights on the back and the tunes rollin'. the ski trails - which are a must for me to get home - had been melting in the pseudo - summer day thus making it really tough to ride on - seeing that some spots I sunk right to the axles. Once at the dam, I was home free and soaked to the bone.

To do rides like these builds a bit of character and a good frame of reference for those questionable days to come. If I can ride in 35 deg and rain/ice and road sand and salt - I guess there isnt much excuse later on when it is 60, 70 some degrees. Now, I see on the weather bug that we are going to sub 15 either tomorrow or wed...I will have to calculate my desire factor on this one. That is almost dangerous if you are not prepared and I know I dont have adequate clothing for 30 miles in that

1.28.2008 15 miles for the ride in.

the ride in - on the jukebox - various songs from sum41, soundgarden, nirvana, puddle of mudd, alan jackson and some techno rave song that I'm sure would sound really cool live in a club - but that's another story.


30deg when I left - 80% humidity - 10 mph wind - come on - this is Jan? I was blessed with the gift of watching the sun crest the eastern horizon en route. So the ride in was a victory and I'm sure I will suffer if I do this when the weather drops once again but for now I will commute and love it. I have to get some miles in early - for no real reason other than I hate going to the gas station and watching my belly grow while I dump more petrol into the tank of the beast when I could have ridden in.

Despite the warm temp this morning - the Coon Rapids Dam managed to pull off another brisk crossing. Well, it is rather exposed, the wind channeling down the river has had a chance to cool down - alot - and when it whisks up and over the dam - it was literally snowing ice shards of river water on the left side of my body....so - above freezing ride yet I was almost frost bitten by crossing the damn dam.

Coffee at Caribou - weird looks - a couple of thumbs up - good to be alive.

work

30 miles and runnin...

Yeah! The first official commute of the 2008 season...so I guess it's on. I now have the bug more than ever - freedom from the trainer. Not bad out - I know - it wasn't sub zero riding like some of our regional heroes but still it was chilly - low 20's. It was cold enough to freeze up the Gatorade. The trails to work were okay - the streets we clean and b/c I ran low pressure they were manageable. The only tricky part was after crossing the Coon Rapids Dam and heading south - all trails were groomed for the ski people and they were slick. Making my way up the levy or hill south of the 610 bridge into Coon Rapids was not easy but no dismount needed and no wipe outs. Stopped into Dunn Bros for some tasty brew and it was packed and I was there looking like a knob. Into work I went and the ride home was wonderful - the sun was out. With a quick stop at Trailhead to unfreeze the water bottle - I was racing home to the warm shower. 30 miles all in all with the single rat bike - what a day and what freedom.

leg up

Plan - to commute to work tomorrow. I hate having to work on weekends but in this case it is for very good reasons....to keep my job. lol. Not really. Seeing that I can have a later start - the weather should be better - low 20's. 15 miles to work - 15 back...takin' the rat bike for the tour de Ice and praying to the Lord God Almighty the the bike stays vertical.

I will report on the success of the ride.


ac

more cold weather riding

had the chance to ride today...inside. Okay, i know there is some virtue in riding inside. it is time on the bike vs time not on the bike. I get it. reading through LaLondes virtuous blog entries, I noticed he takes it a bit more serious... read here ... Well, he aint the champ of Cheq for nuthin.

I was granted a TH gift card from my sister in law for Christmas and today it was spent - new cold weather full gloves. I had to try them out so into the garage for more riding. I have a heater in the garage but I had to keep it off - and had to keep the jacket on. Watched the Incredibles wilst spinning - great movie...it cracks me up. I couldnt help but think about outdoors so from now on at least a ride a week outside - snow or whatever.

I agree with Neil - it seems that everyone is a bit serious this year. This is good - why not take your desire seriously? Just remember - Hemi is rollin on the rollers right now - no matter what time it is. he didnt earn that name for sluffing with chips n salsa on the sofa.

My new approach this year is to follow in Wonderboy's steps and honestly ride to work as much as humanly possible. I am not confident in reaching his goal but to come close would be a great asset to riding and to the pocket book as we climb the gas price ladder.

thats it -

ac

two days in a row...

well - tonight was an easy LSD to the movie - National Treasure. No beer this time however. 1.5 hours of headphones and chase scenes and my bike. Gotta love it.

where did the days go?

I was going through some mail today that should have been gone through about 2 months ago - you know that pile, we all have one. If you don't - take this opportunity to NOT chime in and tell me how organized your life is. Anyhoo, in this pile of pay this, buy that, don't forget these...was the pic from Marathon Foto - Cheq 40. hmmm......September....not that long ago really but it marked the time I really stopped biking on a regular basis. Spin class here and there and a whole lot of working long hours. My zeal had quickly faded to find time to hurt myself.

So - with the daylight getting longer - not by much - and the dvd player working in the garage - I took on the dreaded spinning to Invincible tonight. Great movie - highly recommend it to anyone. I have been out once a week on the real road for 13 miles a ride...but somehow i dont see it taking the same physical effect. Mentally - it is like Christmas morning every time I get the wind in my face but the sloth like feeling is going to have to be overcome and beaten.

I know - I know .... I aint gonna be a pro rider...heck, I dont see myself as even being a crowd favorite on a sign prime but the fitness aspect is driving me nuts. I love the bike - I love the road - I love the hum of the tires and friends that I enjoy all these things with but I also enjoy being in shape - feeling good when I sleep and wake up - knowing I will keep this ticker going for a while longer. There have been darker days in my life that have brought me through some very questionable, illegal activity in my past but nothing can even come close to the rush you get when you are rippin' across 144, leading out a pace line, falling back in place and rotating back in lead - the team - the collective effort - the solo victory. Better yet that awe inspiring feeling of claiming the personal victory of cresting Ramsey Hill to the tune of golf claps from passer by's...for those that do that hill - pat yourself on the back. It takes a lot to get up the dang hill - especially at the end of that ride.

So this is about the time I get on my virtuous cycling rampage - plucking out the grandiose reasons why everyone should bike and why those that think its weird should move to Siberia. Just had to share and get it off my chest...for the 3 readers of the blog. LOL.

enjoy the week.


andy

i am now turning into Erik Speaks...

A Fox, a Wolf and a Whole Lot of Bull

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made it out...

once again - the weather was perfect. Too soft for riding on the snowmobile trails - hit the road on the mt bike single. 13 miles - sloppy - perfect. ran low pressure on the mt bike - which really helps in this snow. I checked HR from time to time and sat most of the time about in the 160's for the 13 miles...i dont have a monitor but checked on the fly. being out of shape from the summer really stinks - i am making it a goal to get my three outdoor rides in each week. I will also get on the ski's a bit later on.

enjoy this weather - may it continue to thaw up until may.

andy

drummer

okay - a bit different for me - in my usual extended quest for the latest youtube vid....and I call it the youtube vortex - much like the appletini vortex - I get lost quickly. why the drummer? I played drums from the sixth grade to the end of college - not great by any means but could hold my own. I loved it - it was a cool part of my life...now I just annoy people at work by playing on the desk and of course while singing into the steering wheel, the dash board is now my set.

One of the best out there, and there is a saying that drummers are a dime a dozen, is JoJo Mayer. Technique is outstanding, speed is blazing, control is tough to understand. he can and does double for the late buddy rich - this solo is simple in that it isnt showy at all but to a drummer - you will watch it over and over wondering how he does it. google vid or you tube jojo mayer on your next trip into the wormhole - his band is called Nerve.

startin all over again...

Well, the 07 year is over - official...and glad to say it's gone. I am a rather fool-hardy optimus - I like to think that things are always green - good and that there is good in everyone just waiting to be pulled out of their souls - kicking and screaming at times. But for me - 07 started shaky and was filled with less than happy moments - lots o stress. Not so much in the biking world but everything else. I look back at what made me scared the most, and it scares me all over again - never and I say NEVER wanting to go back or relive that time in my life. Now - being the optimus , I can say and I do say God is good and there are more times to thank God than to worry but as humans - we always tend to remember the tough and forget the good.

When all that is precious to you is held in front of you - out of your control - you tend to freak out. Loosing control is generally not a good thing but sometimes it is needed to remember what God can do, is doing and will do when it happens again. So bitter sweet is my mood - looking forward I am excited for 08...a bit smarter, a bit more watchful, a bit more gutsy to push some limits. I am not one for resolutions - i know what I need to do - that list would be too long. One day at time, min by min with my kids and wife, moment by moment with the King ( not Elvis ).

There is freedom in the start of a new race - the anticipation of what will come is exciting. Shoot, I got my new Bluedog cycle jersey ready for the season - it is pretty cool...that's exciting. So 2008 is here and so are my friends. I am rather lucky, fortunate and blessed - I know I dont deserve them but I am glad that God has seen fit to give them anyway.

Onward and upward - this is going to be a great ride.


ac

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.