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