Weekend

Well, the weatherman screwed the pooch this weekend. It was supposed to be overcast and in the 50s with a chance of rain. Two days of sun with Saturday in the high 60s and Sunday in the 70s proved otherwise. SC may be filled with hillbillies and be 49th in education, but the weather is way nicer than anywhere up North...


Saturday's ride was a 4 man affair as Greenville is still going on. We just noodled around in LR for 3-1/2 hours. I ended up with 95 km though, so I won't complain too loudly. We did get stopped by a train...that stopped...for 20 minutes. We finally turned and went home a different way. Good ride all the way around...



Sunday was another story. It was a great ride with fabulous company...minus one. That's right folks, TheDink was out today. His new nickname will now be ThePeanut, but we'll get to that in a moment. It was the same old song and dance coming from ThePeanut today. When he wasn't pointing out holes and swerving around them like am epilectic, he was doing his now patented move where he rides on the front when the ride is going 20. Today was a different animal though. With the time change, it's time to get some good efforts in. The WCTNCS starts Tuesday, so it's time to go fast. More than a few times today, we just picked up the pace and went hard. TVH and Il Professore kept attacking and covering each other too...! They were short bursts, but they were hard nonetheless. This is where ThePeanut got his new nickname. He'd stay in for exactly one rotation of the paceline, then get summarily shelled. This happen right at a half dozen times on the ride this morning. Hence, the new nickname. He's not worthy of a name that includes a harder shelled nut, like a pecan or walnut. Peanuts crack on the first try...
When we'd slow down to re-group, the frak-wit would just ride past at 20 and ride off the front, turning around to see if we were 'chasing' him.

I'm excited I finally get to use my new graphic. Yippee...! Today's bullshit is a multi-part affair. The first line of shit was on the first climb of the day. RC decided to ramp it up and ThePeanut tried to follow. He didn't make it 200 meters on RC's wheel before getting spit. When we caught him, he said he sat up because he didn't feel like going hard on the climb. Il Professore quickly called BS. Later in the ride, Il Professore asked if The Peanut knew an old skool local racer. If ThePeanut had ridden and raced in Cola 20 years ago, like he claims, he'd KNOW this guy. He comes part deux of the BS. He has now changed his story to include the fact that he raced in Atlanta, but rode with the crew here in town. Much of the crew is still around, and they don't know you man...stop BS'ing.

Part three concerns questions and behavior that call his "20 year racing career" into question. The moron fell over at a stoplight. He forgot to unclip and fell over. Then, at the end of the ride, he asked my brother what 'tempo' riding meant...! Are you serious? 20 years and you ask this question? His time on the bike is more like 20 months...

Some hard lessons are coming for ThePeanut...much sooner than he may be anticipating...

Mid-week check

So, I've been to the chiro three times now. People scoff, but my back feels better. I have virtually no skeletal pain and the muscle pain is better. I'm sure it will subside when and if I ever take a break and get off the bike for more than two days. That break is likely to come sometime at the end of April when Bambino number two is set to arrive.

We were supposed to ride last night, but my brother caught a stomach bug and spent Tuesday evening and most of Wednesday camping out in the bathroom. Poor bastard. I decided to go ride by myself. The H.O. came home a bit early, so I got out without the lights. It was a nice, easy-ish spin around The Fort. No real effort, just a want to get out and get some fresh air. It's nice to ride in shorts and a jersey. The wind rushing over bare arms and legs feels strangely odd. You look down and are absolutely shocked to see such pasty white legs though. The only thing whiter was my new white Diadoras, and there was only a few shades difference.
The weather is supposed to be in the 50s, but cloudy, this weekend. I'm sure the combination of the temps and daylight savings time will thin the herd. People just can't seem to change their clocks.

The H.O., Il Bambino and I are going to MB tonight and tomorrow. The H.O. has a conference down there, again. The only plus is the fact that the outlet stores are close to the hotel. It satisfies my gay gene's need to shop. The Adidas outlet is first on the list, then I'll be looking for some new shorts. I seem to have left a Sharpie in the pocket of my cargo shorts. It made it through the wash cycle, but the cap came off in the dryer. 75% of my clothes are ruined, including my favorite khaki shorts...! It also made the interior of the dryer look like Jackson Pollack got trapped inside. You may now call me Dumbass....

Another day...

...another 80k. Three more hours, very windy hours, in the saddle today. Base fitness is obviously there, along with tempo fitness. The true, heart in the throat fitness hasn't shown itself quite yet. My brother and I chased a 400 meter gap today at 55+ kmh and it really hurt. I could feel yesterday's ride in my legs and the old HR wasn't happy about being spiked at 180. Of course, it was quite a bit colder today (50-ish) and the big diesel has trouble getting to temp below about 60. Unless it's raining and 50...then, I'll leave you in the country even if it buries me for the rest of the day.

It was a good ride all in all. We started with 5 and ended with 4. The Greenville Training Series is in full swing, so the majority of the group was gone. We lost The Velvet Hammer about an hour in. It seems he tweaked his back and is a bit crippled up. I feel his pain...literally and figuratively.
It was really windy today, so speed hovered around 30-32 kmh. I didn't feel like going much faster anyway.
I had a close call with the ground at the end of the ride too. I stood to pedal, as one does occasionally, and my chain slipped. I came close to eating shit no more than 10 minutes from home. If you want to know how close, my left nipple hit my left shifter. It was either my enormous, Schwartzenegger-like, upper body strength or the hands of the Cycling Gods that kept me upright. I'd like to think it was the former, but it was more like the latter...thank you Il Pirata.

I installed new motion lights on the front of the house this afternoon. When they click on, it looks like a prison yard. It's just another tool of oppression by the man...

Saturday

Another Saturday ride has come and gone, and thankfully, I made it through the entire thing with the rubber side down. Although this may not seem like a grand fait accompli, believe me when I tell you that there was more than one threat to my flesh staying place.
TheDink took every opportunity to risk life and limb (not his own) today. I just cannot understand how someone can ride regularly and not get any better at it. When you come to a bump or hole, point it out, move slightly off your line and miss the hole. At least twice (that I witnessed) today, TheDink hit the hole in question WHILE swerving into the middle of the group. I honestly believe that the act of keeping a bicycle upright and safe is just beyond the grasp of some people.
The BS of the day was when TheDink said he was going to go race in Greenville. He got dropped twice today...and we never went any faster than 40 kmh and averaged just above 30 kmh.
Yeah bud, good luck with that...

I rode the Ridley today with the Cane Creek carbon wheels. If you're gonna pose, pose hard...
The new bike and the Ridley ride completely differently, even though they are both carbon. I kind of concentrated on the differences today so I could quantify them. The Ridley is definitely stiffer than the Ibis, but the ride quality is what suffers. It's stiffer vertically, which transmits road vibration into your contact points. Not that it's a bad thing in this instance, but it's just different. The Ridley still rides better than any Specialized or Trek, period. I can't believe people actually like the way a Trek carbon rides. I guess some folks have no frame of reference...

The drywall is done, save for one small section around the door frame. All of the mud has been slapped on the wall and all but one seam has been taped. It's starting to look like a room now...

We'll see who shows in the morning...

Not all smoke and mirrors...

I always believed that Chiropractors were nothing more than filler...the Oreo creme of the medical world. Then I hurt my back. I've been fighting a bad back for about 8 months. Constant pain, sleepless nights, the inability to stand like I have completed the evolutionary cycle...you get the picture.
I finally broke down and made an appointment with the chiro. So yesterday at 1pm, I went to see a guy that used to ride and hang out with us, who happens to come highly recommended by some other riders in town.
We spoke for a while about what my issues were and some possible fixes to work on outside of the office. Then, the cracking started. Dr. Coop put me on the rack, did some measurements, felt my spine and starting the process of re-aligning my frame. I've never felt more like a damaged automobile in my life.
My hips and back were/are so out of alignment that my right leg was 1" shorter than my left, my hips were skewed by at least 5 degrees and my spine was not in a straight line.
The first crack was to the left side of my neck. As you read this, try to touch your right ear to your right shoulder...without moving your shoulder. It cannot be done if you have any muscles in your neck at all. Well, my ear landed firmly on my shoulder yesterday and my neck gave a resounding CRACK.
Then he moved to cracking my back, which felt like crashing at 25+ mph. Oh, he did both sides, so I crashed twice in 60 seconds...
Then came the hips and pelvis, which felt strangely good. It was like pressure was being relieved.
Following the bone cracking, I was put on a table that could be (or maybe even has been) used in low-budget porn movies. I laid face down and the bottom half of the table moved side to side, stretching my back.
I was instructed to stretch more, do more ab work and come back Wednesday for another tune-up. Before you say, "Oh sure, he wants you to come back so you can drop more cash...!", Take this to heart. I still have residual pain and sensation, but fighting this for 8 months didn't exctly help the problem. The VAST majority of my skeletal pain and sciatic nerve pain has subsided. I have no problem standing from a seated position nor did I wake up last night with shooting/burning pains in my low back on legs.
My advice is to find a sports oriented chiro and go see him. Everyone might not have pain, but everyone has alignment issues.

I'm going back Wednesday afternoon and likely a couple more times. Then I'm going to be on a maintenance plan. Every 6-8 weeks for a tune-up.

Ride report

Here's what a 105km jaunt on the new RS was like earlier today. Did I mention the group decided to ride fast tempo today? Nothing like a shakedown ride with a few 25+ mph effort thrown in for good measure.
The bike is very stiff laterally. I put FSA SL-K cranks on it and the combo of the beefy tubes, tubes joints, chainstays and cranks make for a nice, stiff, firm feeling when standing to climb or jumping to sprint. Probably as stiff (frame only) as my Damocles. The cranks aren't as stiff as the D/A 7800.
It's not a harsh ride whatsoever. It mutes road imperfections, chipseal and other small vibrations very well. It reminds me very much of the way my Ridley Excalibur rode. I really didn't feel anything other than really large hits, which suck on any bike.
The front end is very stiff and very solid. The front end tracks extremely well and isn't twitchy at all. I actually like the way the front end feels on the RS better than my Damocles. The Damocles can get chattery. There's no chatter coming from this fork. The frame and fork are matched very well, which is a hard nut to crack. It's not bad when the front is stiffer than the rear, but it's murder when the rear is stiffer than the front.
Overall, I got a stinky, fat deal on very nice, well built, sublime handling frameset. Out of 5 stars, right now it's got an easy 4.75, and it's only that low because of the Russian judge. It'll make a hell of a race bike.

Now onto the ride itself...
We went out through the flats today and just kept turning away from home. I ended up with 105km when all was said and done. We rode through the Swamp all the way to the Cricket Store, which is so named because they used to sell...get ready for it...crickets. We had a terrible headwind on the way out, which is something of an anomoly. As soon as we turned though, it was a cross/tail to full tailwind all the way home. Robert made the comment that we were coasting at 22 mph. I countered with, "yeah, it's brilliant!"
The sun was out, the wind was at our backs, the group was a good one today, save for one...The Dink. We all began to take him with a grain of salt. That grain is more akin to a salt lick, but I digress.
Overall, it was great ride that included a few bursts of speed...some longer and speedier than others. I didn't go into the Pain Cave(tm) today, but I've become familiar with it's general location. New bike, 65 miles and a sunny day...not a bad Saturday.

Done

1st ride tomorrow morning...report to follow...

Empty

We did the old cyclocross loop last night. Note to self, eat something prior to a 2 hour+ ride. I didn't have a little snacky in the afternoon and paid for it, full retail, on the way back in last night. I could tell I was hungry and flat as soon as we turned around. My brother flat rode away from me on the return trip. The ride home on the road was even less fun. Nothing like riding into a dead headwind, on the edge of a bonk, with empty legs. I got home, but ate everything in the house when I got here.

The new frame came yesterday. I have already hung the parts. I need to press on the crown race, cut the fork and run cables tonight. It should be ready for it's maiden voyage (Saturday) by about 8pm tonight. It's way nicer than expected and has some seriously beefy tubes. I'll post pics later.

I have to go back to the shop to do the crown race, buy a few chainstay protectors and pickup some Specialized BG insoles for the road shoes. We've traced my knee pain to poor foot alignment. I'm starting visits to the Chiro on Monday as well, in an attempt to sort out my back pain.

Time to get the day going. Gotta get my shizz done early, as the H.O., Il Bambino and I will be going to the zoo this afternoon.

A little porn for your weekend...when I hit the Superball, mine will be just like this...

Tired...work is hard

I worked on the back room all day Monday...8-1/2 hours of manual labor to be exact. The entire subfloor has been replaced and I got one sheet of drywall affixed to the studs. I would have done the other two sheets, but I hadn't eaten all day and was getting a little punch-drunk. At one point, I was laying on the floor to remove an outlet cover...! It was also an outlet that I failed to remember until the H.O. asked how I was going to cut the hole for it. If not for her management skills, I'd have drywalled that beotch in.
I did my UrbanAssault/Hour of Power(tm) loop through downtown last night. I just wanted to get the legs going around. The legs felt fine after warming up, but the stomach was in a big, burly knot. I don't know why, but I know it didn't feel good. I rode slower than the normal, interval laden pace, but it was still nice to get out. I realized my blinky light needs batteries too. A bright blinky will, in fact, keep you alive.

I got Mandrus' bike finished and working properly. He's coming by tonight for a quick fitting and to pick it up...! Speaking of, my new carbon frameset is supposed to ship today or tomorrow. I'm getting itchy...

Zee Vind, she ist blowink...

Holy shit! Saturday's noon ride turned into a slugfest. It may have been a draw, but I came out bloodied and a bit beated. Going out, I knew it was going to be trouble on the return trip. I'm a decent climber when you take into account that I weigh a svelte 180 and race at @ 175, but when I'm tapping out a rhythm at close to 20 mph on a 2 km climb and my HR is 140, I'm getting a push from somewhere.
The route we took was shaped like a big triangle, so we had tailwind, crosswind and then dead, full blast, beat you about the upper torso, headwind for the last 45 minutes. I had a bit left in the tank, but it was definitely brutal. I feel bad for the guys who decided to do an extra 20km loop. They are all strongmen, make no mistake, but the wind did nothing but pick up as the day progressed. A 20mph headwind on a 45 degree, sunless day, makes for a ride that becomes less fun the longer it gets. I was glad to be home and have a Diet Coke and a turkey sammich.

The tempo was quick, even for the conditions, but it never hurt and I closed a gap that we let open after a climb with little difficulty. I could tell that the interval sessions had blown some of the carbon out of the pipes. I haven't ridden as much as last winter, but there's been more intensity. A few more step down sessions, some night, MUT sessions and a couple crit course visits and I'll be square.

The demo is done in the back room. Construction begins tomorrow. The new subfloor and the low sections of drywall will be getting installed. I finished the demo before yesterday's ride. I became quite weary of beating on and prying 50+ year old wood, so I broke out the big guns. Nothing says love like a Craftsman 8 amp reciprocating saw. The first half of the cabinet took about an hour to dismantle. The second half was on the pile after 15 minutes. Of course, in untrained hands, it could be a tool that quickly removes needed appendages. The wounds wouldn't be clean either...

Full TV day today. Daytona and the Tour of Cali prologue...

Baby it's cold outside

Well, for SC, it's cold. Granted, it ain't Chicago and a -15 degree windchill, but 25 degrees is cold for us thin-blooded Southerners. I'll ride in anything, but I've grown weary of riding in the cold by myself, so tomorrow I'm riding at noon with the group. Of course, it will be 20 degrees warmer by noon...
That gives me time to finish the demo that I've started in the back room. All of the 50+ year old molding has been pulled down and I've dismantled about 50% of the cabinets. The caveat is the fact that these cabinets aren't units like those that hang in your kitchen. These were built piece by piece, of oak, more than 50 years ago. I pulled some nails out of the thing than were as big as my middle finger. I don't even think they actually make nail that big anymore. I figure I'll finish pulling the cabinet apart in the morning and have time to go ride. All of the demo will be done and the back room will be clear and ready for construction by the time Il Bambino its the hay Saturday night. Sunday is my day of rest this week. Not because some Judeo-Christian ethic says so, but because Daytona is on TV Sunday afternoon. Call me a redneck if you want, but I loves me some NASCAR.
I did my stacking intervals last night and I actually felt better for it. The legs didn't feel bad and it felt good to get the HR up there. I'm a little stiff in my 36 year old joints, but that may be due to the fact that I run around in 38 degree weather in shorts.
The specter of the time change is looming large on my horizon right now, thus, I'll be on the bike more in the coming weeks. Rock Hill is in 8 weeks as well. This year, there will be no breaks going up the road without me this year...

4 weeks and counting

That's right folks, 4 weeks is all you have to get your "A" game (or as close as possible) ready. Time changes on March 11th, which means the Tuesday Night World Championship Criterium Series(tm) will kick of Tuesday March 13th @ 6:30pm.

The course has been repaired and I will be going out about a week prior to the first race to run the blower and clear the corners of sand, dirt and debris.

The Thursday Night Festival of Pain(tm) will also start that week. We will be meeting at Ft. Jackson for a 6pm (SHARP) departure. Reminders will be emailed to everyone the week before time change.

Thanks!

M

John Mayer - Who did you think I was

All you need is three dudes in a band...period...!

Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb

Watch this...

New linkage

The fine feathered folks at Blogger (Google) have made it much easier to post new links to a blog. You no longer are foced to write code, thankfully, as I am barely literate.
I have added a couple to my list.

The first is Road Magazine. Probably the best roadie mag out there. It's dedicated to the American scene. It's big, glossy and well written.

Second is my old school, back in the day when he was a pup, buddy, Toby J. I've left out his last name to protect the innocent. Tobias is one of those solo 12/24 hour mountain racer dudes. He's a f**king hard man of the North. He does a lot for cycling around here, including the stellar New Year's Day ride around Lake Murray. I've known him since he was a mere boy and I can say I'm proud of the man he has become. Toby J = Good egg. That, and the fact he still rides his steel DeRosa...

There will likely be more to come...

I remember...

Now I remember why I hate intervals. I decided that I could get a better workout on the trainer yesterday, so I went down to the ManHole(tm). Plus, I could watch TV, not worry about getting run over by cars and really get into the pain cave. After a 10 minutes spin warmup, I went to the 52 and rode tempo for 15 minutes in the 17. Interval time...
15 minutes at LT in a 52x15 turning 90-100 rpm. The first ten minutes weren't bad, but the last 5 really hurt. The last two, I had my head down and could even hear Liggett or Sherwen on the tube. I didn't notice during the interval, but I had started to sweat, profusely. My light blue Squadra Azzuri sweatshirt was soaked through. I rode a cool down for 10 minutes and then did it again, but with a burnout section for the last two minutes. I rode at max HR (186-ish) in the 52/13 for two minutes at about 90 rpm. Definitely blew some of the carbon out of the pipes.
My chest cavity is a it sore this morning from the effort, but that's a good thing. The legs are wondering what the hell happened too.
It supposed to be 68 degrees today, so the lights are charging. Only the Shadow knows if I'll get out tonight...

Oh well, gotta jet. Il Bambino goes to the Doc this morning. I'm sure he'll be a barrel of laughs for the rest of the day.

O/U = 5 Temp = 32 Actual = 3

Well, Saturday's ride was something of a pitiful display. Don't get me wrong, the THREE of us that actually showed had a great ride. One would think that the fact time changes in 4 weeks, or the spring series starts in two weeks, would have people coming out. However, one would be wrong.
Anyway, we did a variation of the old Tuesday night loop. The wind was out of the north, so we had a head/crosswind out and a tail/crosswind home. It was cold at the start (32), but the sun was high in the sky and it felt much warmer. We rolled around for 2:30 and ended up with about 75km. We ended the ride with a medium/high tempo effort that lasted about 15-20 minutes. It reminded the heart and legs what an effort was all about. Since I have zero leg speed right now, it hurt a bit. Hurt isn't a bad thing though. Like J. Cash said, "I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel...".
I didn't even bother to wake up for the group (hah-hah) ride this morning. Secure in the knowledge that no one would show as there was talk yesterday that the core of the group would be going out at 1pm. I simply cannot urinate my day away by going at 1. Well, it's not that I can't, it 's that I won't...
I'll be on my cross bike within the next 45 minutes, do my 90 minute interval loop, come home, eat, shower and finish my painting and be on the couch by 2pm...
There will be a winter, one of these years, that will be just cold, wet and miserable. Me thinks that the stretch of 60-70 degree days not long ago thinned a lot of blood and spoiled people.

You don't get hard by lazing about and rolling around in the sunshine. Just ask the Belgians...

Oh, I forgot something. I rode the new Crank Brothers Quattro SL pedals yesterday. They are pretty nice. They feel remarkably similar to Time ATAC mountain pedals. At first I was leery of standing up to climb or getting out of the saddle to sprint because they just feel so much looser than the Looks I've been riding for 15 years. After two hours, I felt pretty confident in them and did an out of the saddle effort. No issues at all. I never felt as if my foot was going to pop out of the pedal, nor did I feel my foot skating around. Overall, I'm pleased thus far...
The best part...no knee pain! I still have some residual twinges from when I hurt it a few weeks ago, but these pedals didn't seem to aggravate my knee. If you have knee issues, try these pedals. You can get 'em cheap on Ebay...

Skinny = good...not always!

It was another Wednesday night ride, for the first 1km. I stood up to take off from a stop sign about 1km from the house and PRANNG!, I broke a front spoke. My normal wheel on the front is a FSA RD400 with a 40c tire on it. The 40 is just about perfect for riding singletrack on a cross bike. It grips, doesn't slide around and floats over roots and sand.
I didn't want to be late(r), so I came home and swapped for my urban assault front wheel. It's a Record hub on a Velocity rim, which isn't a big deal, but it has a 35c tire on it that actually measures 32c. This was NOT the correct choice for singletrack. It was great riding out on the road, but once it the woods, I was like pinestraw...all over the trail! When the NASCAR boys talk about a push, or understeer, it means the front of the vehicle won't turn. It just pushes through the corner. Welcome to my ride last night. The skinny tire made me ride much slower than usual and my flipping hands hurt this morning from the jarring they received.
Suffice it to say, the 40 will be going on the other front wheel at some point before my next excursion into the woods. I may even throw the Marzocchi fork on it...
We did have a good ride though. They have closed the road we ride out on due to some issues with a dam by the lake. It was nice not having to dodge cars.

It was another crazy smell night too. This time is was freshly struck matches. Just weird...

My brother is threatening to get a new cross bike! He's ridden the Fuji for about 8 years. He's starting to be forced to Frankenstein the thing here and there for operational utility. Personally, I'm waiting for the thing to come apart under him one night...

Oh well, another day, another $.67...

100th post

Nothing great planned for my 100th post...

Just watched the 'Cross Worlds. Great race. American course designers could learn a lesson from the Belgians. Stairs, run-ups, sandpits...NO BARRIERS...the Belgian way.

Page rode well, just one little bobble right at the end cost him the top step on the podium. A silver medal is way better than a sharp stick in the eye though. Especially when you consider he started way back in the fourth row.

I found another pic of DeDe at Worlds...

Time to start my day....

Maybe a turbo session tonight, as much as I hate that infernal contraption...

Too cold...?

I woke up Sunday with every intention to ride. It was 37 degrees on the front porch and very little wind. I hemmed and hawed and decided to call The Velvet Hammer. TVH said it was too cold and he'd probably go out later. I think he's worried about the cold because, between the cold temps, and his old bones being brittle, a fall might be catastrophic. He said Il Professore wasn't going out early either, so I just decided to lounge around the house and get some work done outside.

I finished building in the bottom part of the room addition, including all of the sheeting and trim. It was warm around 10-10:30 and I felt really guilty about not being on the bike. There were some high clouds, but the sun was warm on my bald head. I should have just gone out and done a loop, but I did get to finish all of my work by 1:00. The H.O. went to the mall, so I ate lunch and took a 2 hour nap.

I took a pro-active step to end my knee pain. I plunked down and bought some Crank Brothers Quattro SL pedals. I really like my Time ATACS and the look to be roughly the same thing. We'll see...! I got the 'Fast Freddie' Rodriguez edition, so I should be faster just because of that....

Saturday was supposed to sunny and nice

The day started cold, as expected. It was probably 35 when I left the house this morning. The sun was shining for the first 90 minutes, then the clouds and wind came blowing in. What was forecast to be a 5-10mph wind turned out to be more like 20-25mph.
As it was cold, we had 6 show up for the ride. It was a decent, slowish, tempo ride, probably around 18-19mph the whole way. My Look pedals are slowly crippling me, starting with my right knee, so I didn't even make any efforts today. No one else did either...
The Dink really didn't shoot any grandiose BS out his rectum today. I'm very disappointed that I'll have to wait to use my new artwork that I spent 5 minutes on...! Although he did say he was feeling a bit burned out and was going to take some time off. Okay moron, time changes in 6 weeks. Now is not the time for a break. Now is the time to start ramping it up...!

Anyway, after the ride, I made a trip to Lowe's. I know, go figure...! 5/8" plywood is damn heavy. That and the fact the wind made it into a 4'x8' sail when I was loading it into the trailer. I cut it down and built in under the back room of the house. By the time I finished, there was zero sun, the winding was howling at 20mph and the sky looked like flying monkeys would be coming in on approach at any time. I worked for three hours and said enough. I'll cut and attach all of the 1x3 trim tomorrow. It's light, so it shouldn't be as labor intensive. Of course, I just f'ed myself by saying that...

Il Professore was back on the bike today. The H.O. and I saw him going out Shop solo. Nothing like a cold, windy, sunless, solo ride to really demoralize you. Hopefully, he'll be out tomorrow...

Just a test run of the artwork for our new feature...

I don't know how

I don't know how you guys up north do it. Today, it's 38 degrees and rain. This is not weather that is conducive to cycling and/or even going outside. Snow I could deal with, but this just sucks.
I rode the trainer last night for an hour in the 52/16. I'm a bit stiff today, but there's little to no knee pain. The hour was bearable because I was watching the end of the 06 Tour of Flanders. Boonen is a straight gangsta. He and Hoste got away and just killed it for the last 30 km. Of course, Boonen's urine could probably be used as an accelerant to make charcoal light more quickly. Either that, or he has been killing chickens under a full moon in the courtyard at the Eddy Merckx factory...

It's supposed to be sunny and warm(er) this weekend. We'll see...

Two things today...

Our old friend DeDe Winfield from back in the long gone, halcyon days of the bike shop, went to the Cyclocross Worlds. She didn't just go as a spectator. After finishing 4th in the Elite women's race and WINNING the 30-34 race, she qualified and went representing the good old USA. DeDe didn't win, but she finished a respectable 32nd. People may poo-poo this, but those same people didn't even race in Belgium, nor will they ever...

Good looking out DeDe, I'm very proud of you!!! In my book, you are now a card-carrying BADASS!!!

And yes, if I must, I'll take mine in black........

No ride for you!

Man, Saturday whipped my monkey ass. 3-1/2 hours on the cross bike and an afternoon of yardwork took away any energy I may have for the Sunday ride. I got dressed and went up to the spot. Fortunately, no one showed for the ride, so I rode home. I got exactly 3 miles on Sunday. When I walked back in the house, the H.O. asked what I forgot, to which I answered "my heart". Some days it's better to laze about and do nothing. I got a good nap, ate some Silician pizza for dinner, watched BSG and went to bed.
Evidently, I was mis-informed about TheDink. He's NOT playing Boo Radley, he's playing Bob Ewell in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. His nickname will revert back to TheDink...
TheDink's 'Sh*t-talk of the Day' (trademark pending) for Saturday was pretty interesting. He claimed he didn't want to go do the Lake Loop with the Vicious Bikers because he "just didn't want to have to drag them around for 4 hours". He told them that it was "too early in the season for such a long ride".
I may be a bit of a dick, but I'm not stupid, especially when it comes to bikes, training and riding.
First, I have ridden with the VB guys on several occasions. While they may not all be the strongest, the best bike handlers or even all that nice, they definitely do not need to be dragged around by TheDink. A couple of those guys are actually damn fast...! Faster than TheDink will ever be.
Second, TheDink claims he used to be a Cat2 back in the day. If this was true, he'd know that January IS the time of year to do a 85 mile tempo ride. He rides in the 85% HR zone that you're NEVER supposed to ride in...all the time.

From this day forward, written in ride reports, TheDink's 'Sh*t-Talk of the Day' (TM pending) will be a feature on this blog. I don't know how he keeps up with the BS he spews...

Time cannot change soon enough. The Spring Series is coming and the group rides will be getting fast soon. It looks like it may be time to start making forays into The Pain Cave. Oh, how I love and hate The Pain Cave...! I may stick my head in this week during some trainer sessions. It's too cold to ride at night AND do intervals...

Lunchtime...

A beautiful day

Well, it was supposed to be ass-biting cold this morning. My thermo said 37 when I rolled out of bed and 41 when it was time to leave the house. My brother wanted to ride in the woods, so we left at normal time and met at the gate. Only three people showed for the group ride, not including us. It ended up being 60 today... (eat it you bunch of Yankees!!)
We headed out through the trail and ended up going all the way to mile marker 12. The trail changes drastically once you get out past MM8. It goes from a trail that has obviously been ridden a lot to a trail that is relatively technical and really fun. If it was cleared off once in a while, it would probably be even better. Anyhoo, we turned and rode in on a firebreak all the way to the lake and around back to MM8. It was trail the rest of the way. Total time, door to door, was 3:25.
We really need to figure out some sort of mathematical equation that translates cyclocross bike miles to road miles. I'm more tired after 3:25 on the crosser than I ever would be after the equivalent time on the roadie. Maybe it's the fact that we're riding rigid cross bike with tall gearing on singletrack....
Nothing of any great significance happened on the trail today...

I got home, showered, ate a bite and promptly went out to put together one of those plastic garden sheds. The H.O. can't just buy the small one. She felt it necessary to get the 6'x3'x8' version. It was pretty simple, yet a bit time consuming. Especially when take into consideration that the QC folks at the Black and Decker plant must have been on break when this building was sent through. One corner was molded incorrectly forcing me loosen everything in order for the damn thing to fit together properly. Once it all was together, I tighten all the screws and fitting down and added some 1-1/2 inch drywall screws. That bitch ain't coming apart now...

Road ride in the AM....

Doe, a deer...

Another Wednesday has come and gone, so you know what that means...
We met at 6 last might for our weekly foray into the lush pine forest that is Ft, Jackson Army Base. I do like the fact that days are getting longer. We made it all the way to the trailhead before having to resort to burning the lights. Upon entering the base, I saw two does standing about 20 yards from the road. No sooner did we turn around to look at them, there were 8 sets of eyes staring back at us. We've seen deer in ones and twos out there, but never a pack this big. They were all big, mature does with nary a buck in sight.
The ride was good. On the way out we rode tempo and really never pushed. There was a single, blue cycling glove hanging on a bush beside the trail. How does one go about losing a single glove, on the trail, halfway out? Kinda strange...
The pace picked up on the climb out during the return trip. I tried to keep my HR right at LT and carry a good pace. I ripped a few sections. After one particularly quick section, my brother calmly asked, "Who lit a fire under your ass?" I just felt good and went fast. Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug.
I changed my cleat position and it was perfetto. I can't understand why it is that I can just move the cleat on my mountain shoes around willy-nilly and have zero issues, but when I move the road cleat the smallest bit, I have knee/hip/ankle/sphincter pain. Maybe it's time to go to some different pedals on the road. I ride ATACs in the woods, so maybe I'll go to some Crank Brothers Quattros. Ostensibly, they are the same pedals. Or I'll be a complete sell-out and get some Speedplays...! The old school Looks are just not getting the job done anymore. I just don't want to buy two pair...of anything.

It's supposed to be cold this weekend, so the plan isn't set in stone yet. I'd rather do the morning ride on Saturday, but if it's 25 degress, I'll be on the mountain bike...or maybe in bed...

Welcome to ThunderDome

The perfect bike for after a small nuclear exchange. For those who don't know, it's a Castellano (Ibis) Ti Ripley 29er. What you are getting is a one-off, 700c wheeled bike with disc brakes, a shock on the front...and did I mention the fact it's a soft-tail? Those pink hubs are Kings too. The only issue I have with it is the 9 speed drivetrain. Put some D/A 10 speed shifters and cranks on it and I will go rob First Citizens. The asking price...? A mere $5200. Of course, it would take the place of pretty much every bike in the quiver...yet it seems so impactical.

I'm going down to the ManHole tonight to hang parts on the Cannondale for ManDrus. He brought the parts over yesterday and left them on the porch. I was sitting on the couch and never heard him. He's pretty stealthy for an old guy. It shouldn't take long to get it together. It'll take me longer to run the cables and housings than anything. Ah Campy stuff, how I love you so...

I gave Il Bambino a haircut today. First one. He never protested. It doesn't look all that bad either. At least he doesn't look like a serial killer. I'm just wondering what the H.O. is going to have to say when she gets home...

Sunday Lazy Sunday

I didn't even bother getting on the bike today. When you wake up in the morning and start making excuses for why it is that you shouldn't ride, it's best to just stay home, where it's warm and dry. I didn't plan on doing the group ride anyway, as the Sunday ride is turning into a January deathmarch. I can't understand why certain members of the group must make the effort to prove their manliness on cold January Sunday mornings. It's amusing that they are as fast right now as they will be in July...! False male pride is a bitch.
My plan was to get on the cross bike and do about 90 minutes through downtown and across the river to the MUT, do a power on, standing climb of about 5 minutes and bring my big ass back to the house. I moved my cleat on my right shoe and had a little residual knee pain from Saturday, Der Kaiser and I moved a trailer full of flagstone, which in turn made my back a little sore and my heart just wasn't in it Oh, and it was 44 degrees and pissing rain...! The excuses lead to a ride when you question why exactly you are out on the bike and make for a really sucky ride. Therefore, I stayed home. I made a trip to Lowes, moved the computer to the closet office I built and took a nap. All in all, it was a good day.

Saturday's ride was pretty good. The over/under on attendance was 5 (it was 38 degrees when I left the house). I took the under and lost. I guess it's getting close enough to the Spring Series and time change to make people roll out of bed and show up for the ride. We ended up with 12 people and did 3 hours at a nice 19 mph tempo. Boo attempted to take the group out twice. I think he just gets brain fade and forgets what he's doing. At one point, he missed riding into me by about 1/2 an inch. Before that, he just came over on my brother for no apparent reason. Later on in the ride he was riding on the yellow line when we yelled 'car back'. After the 4th time we yelled, he turned to look for himself, as if we were lying to him, and rode into the oncoming lane. He then swerved back, directly into the group. He says he was a Cat2 back in the day. If he was a 2, I was Sean Yates. That and the fact he has the musculature of a veal calf.
I can't wait for the first Thursday night ride. All the guns will be out and I'm sure there will be shots fired, which doesn't bode well for Boo.

It seems Il Professore damaged himself while painting. Get well soon you old fart. I say that with all due respect, because if I tried to keep up with his exercise schedule, I'd probably be in traction.

Oy vey

We hit the trails again last night for a lovely two hour jaunt. I'm glad I rode, but my heart just wasn't in it. Il bambino was hard to guard yesterday and it just made me tired. He's like a shark. He's either swimming full speed or laying on the bottom. The window people were here as well. Nothing like trying to get some peace and quiet with a workcrew beating on the house. The new slider windows do look damn good though. It's raining and 36 degress right now, so I don't expect to see them today...

The ride was pretty uneventful. We rode out, went down the dirt road that we climbed last Saturday, turned around and rode back. I forgot to lube my chain, so it sounded like I was killing baby mice the entire way. FWIW, the dirt road seemed much shorter while descending on it last night. I wonder why?? ;)-
It was farking cold last night though. 44 and sunny is one thing. 44, windy and dark is a different animal. I actually wore the USPS team issue roubaix bib knicks last night. My fingers, toes and about 3 inches of upper arm were the only things that were chilly. Thank God I didn't have to stop to use the loo. I would have needed help. My brother and I are close and all, but I think we both draw the line at helping the other whiz.

Target is calling me...
Later!

Another day...

...and another 100km. The group was a bit smaller today, but there was less toodling about. We rode steady tempo for 3 hours. The pace was a bit more brisk today and our stop at the G-Mart was only about 5 minutes. Just enough to get an Oatmeal Cream Pie and a Gatorade. No flats, no mechanicals and no Dink. Overall, it was a very enjoyable ride. Actually Dink will be known as Boo from now on. Evidently, he fancies himself as an actor and is appearing as Boo Radley in 'To Kill a Mockingbird' in some local theatre group. Boo is probably more appropriate anyway, considering the way he rides...

Coonan the Baldbarian came out on his new Orca with Record and Bontrager Aeolus wheels. A bit of overkill for a January ride, but hey, if you got it, whip it out. I felt a bit inadequate...and I was on the Damocles with D/A and Ksyriums. Oh, and TVH's bike started making noise today. He gets about two weeks of quiet, proper operation out of his Campy stuff before it's forced back into the shop. I don't know if it's lack of knowhow on the shop's part (likely) or just a Ghost in the Machine. His bike is like a Ferrari. Two weeks of hard use and then a teardown. That's why I ride Shimano. Put it on, set it and forget it...

We ran into a old fella today who has been riding in town for 40-ish years. His name is Leroy Lewis. He goes out and rides about 4 days a week and goes to the Y the other three. The Velvet Hammer says he see him there at 5:30am!!! Oh, and when I say 'old fella' I don't mean 60 or 65. Leroy told us today that '...if he makes it 'til June...', he'll be 85!!! I'm not very religious, as far as it goes, but God Bless that old tosser. 85 and still turning the ring.

Short one today...

Osama Bin Ridin

Osama isn't in the Middle East anymore. He was spotted today at a small convenience store in Lower Richland county, South Carolina. He's now using the name Philip and is in an undergrad program for education at the University of South Carolina.

Good ride today. 14 folks showed up and we rode a piano for about 3.5 hours. I ended up with 100km, so I was pleased with the ride. My brother flatted at the store for a second week in a row. Get some new tires Chip!!!
The Dink was up to his old tricks again. He tried to bridge a gap, only to fail and make the excuse that he wasn't trying hard. Yeah, whatever...I'm sure you could have closed the gap to the two Cat3 guys that were doing a steady power interval...! The second trick was on a long dirt section that was a nasty piece of climb. He started on the road first, swerved to miss a hole, almost crashed himself, Der Kaiser and myself out, and then proceeded to get caught and/or dropped by the rest of the group that chose to tackle the Roubaix section. He claimed he dropped his chain twice. Mandrus refuted this claim, as he was riding beside him the whole way.
I didn't have the heart to tell him that you can't drop your chain if you never get out of the small ring, especially on a 5% climb where you are forced to keep the power on and stay seated.
The third trick was when he 'swerved' to miss a tar patch in the road and when I saw 'swerved', I mean 'turn dead left'! La Martilla even wondered why he was such a moron, and she NEVER talks about people in that manner. That's the very definition of Litmus test.

I got brushed by the mirror of a car on the way to the ride. The guy had plenty of room...he did it on purpose. I chased my guts out, but never caught him. It's probably for the best as I would have likely given him a beating of colossal proportions and hurt my hands in the process. It's difficult to ride in a hard cast...

Be careful out there.

Bar-B-Que and political glad-handing

So we went to the Governor's Inaugural Bar-B-Que last night. There were 14 different caterers from all over the state serving their own particular style of pork. I ate one plate from Boss Hogg BBQ. These are some good guys who live in Hopkins, SC. We ride past their establishment every weekend, so I figured I'd stop and partake. It was excellent. Mustard base, flavorful meat and some DAMN good banana pudding for dessert.
There was some serious eating going on last night. Some folks had plates that resembled those of a participant in a competitive eating contest. Did they do this at every restaurant setup? I'm sure more than a few did, which makes me feel sorry for their co-workers this morning. The one plate I had made my heart hurt and I swear I felt some numbness in my left arm.

There was more back-slapping and glad-handing last night than I've ever personally witnessed. Kind of sickening when you really think about it...! Ah, South Carolina politics, what a game...

North wind a blowin'

So Brohem and I hit it again tonight. It was a bit chillier than usual and the wind was HOWLING through the trees. The ride out from the house was easy, as I had a 20+ mph tailwind shoving my fat ass up the road. You know you have a tailwind when you're rolling along at 28mph...on a cross bike...with 40c knobbies.
We kept the pace manageable tonight. No big surges or attacks. No real adventure on the way out other than running through a vine that had been shaken loose by the wind. Oh, the vine had 3/4" long thorns on it. I look like Bela Lugosi got me this time. Two nice puncture wounds on the forearm. DeFeet should really add some kevlar to their armwarmers...
The return trip was made at about 70-75% and I came close to eating poo a few times. I got so crossed up in one corner that my shoe rubbed the front tire while I was trying to pedal out of the slide. I didn't crash though. I got skillz like that...
The ride home sucked a thousand chocolate salty balls. That wonderous tailwind turned into a headwind that required me to put out way more wattage than I should be when hustling through the neighborhood.

The H.O. and I are going to the Governor's inaugural bar-b-que tomorrow night. That's right, in SC, the Gov has a GD pig-pickin' for an inaugural party. Nothing like watching all of the big-money, quasi-alcoholic, 60+ year old, white, powerbrokers lick sauce of their fat, little, soft-money fingers. The H.O. is a lobbyist though, so I must go do my husbandly duties. That, and the fact I'm so full of shit, I can bluff my way through the evening and they'll all think I'm laughing with them...not at them. I will need to take a shower when I get home though. It's kind of like going to Wal-Mart...you just feel dirty when you get home.

'til next time...

MMMM...new wheels ride good...

I rode the Cane Creek wheels today. They are definitely worth the cash and I advise you to pick some up. They are very stiff, seem to 'roll' very well, are not harsh in the least and ride lighter than their weight. Overall, I'm very pleased with them. I can't wait to get into the crit with them on the bike.
The ride itself was good as well. The group was big for this time of year. Of course, it was 60 degrees at 9 am and quickly rose to around 70 before the ride was over. Then again, our little group ride turned into a 4 hour test of both mental acuity and mechanical ability. We had 1 flat before our stop, 1 flat AT the stop, a chain with a stiff link that had to be broken and repaired at the stop and finally, another flat about 10 minutes from home. Our resident, and only, female hammer ran over something large, and sharp, enough to cut her tire and take a bite out of the rim. She limped home with 50 lbs. of co2 and a Luna bar wrapper acting as a boot.

No rest for the weary though...! The H.O. was raking out flower beds and seeing as she's pregnorant, I was forced to pull the tarp full of wet leaves to the curb about a half dozen times. Then I de-leafed the front yard.

I'm tired and COPS in on TV...
Out...

Yet another night ride

We headed out last night for another happy jaunt through the woods of Ft. Jackson. Nothing of any consequence happened on the ride itself, but I was really wigged out for the first stretch in the trail. It was a full moon last night with high, thin clouds. The moon was huge too. It made for a creepy feel. In the first section of trail, the moon was directly ahead of us, taunting, almost watching us. I kept waiting for Bela Lugosi to pop out of the trees and chase me up the trail.
I was forced to lead last night as well. My brother forgot to charge his batteries the night before, so his wife plugged them in at 3pm yesterday. He got a good 2 hours of charge...but I digress.

On the way back, I felt like I was smashing a huge gear, so I ramped up the pace to get some leg speed going. The climbout from the turnaround was done at about 90% and actually stung quite a bit. My brother actually quoted The Velvet Hammer when he let out a resounding "Woooooooo..."!! When TVH does this, it means the ride was a bit difficult.

I did discover that I need a wider tire than a 35 on the back of the cross bike for singletrack. I have a 40, but it's too big for the chainstays. The search will begin for a 37 or 38 today.

Likely no ride until Saturday, unless I get froggy and decide to go down to the ManHole and ride the rollers for an hour tomorrow. I'll probably need to free up my legs, so I'll probably go down and watch the '06 Tour of Flanders and spiiiiin.

New shoes...

Cane Creek Aros 33 carbon clinchers...
Very stiff and not too heavy...
We'll see on Saturday

This very well may be the face you see on Saturday!

Happy New Year...

...Big f*cking deal...
The H.O. and I watched "Invincible" , with Mark Wahlberg, on NYE. Pretty good movie and a true story to boot. It's worth the $4 at Blockbuster.

Last Saturday's ride was pretty good. Beautiful weather with temps in the 60s and virtually no wind. I think we actually had a little tailwind action on the way home. Same old same old from Dink. He was chased, caught, and dropped a few times. I just don't get it. He went of the front coming to the bridge sprint AGAIN. This time my brother led the charge and we chased him down at 60 kmh. The best part was when Dink tried to shift and accelerate to catch the wheel as we went by. I was really amused by the whole thing. You better call Petacchi and borrow some legs if you're going to jump on a train going 20 kmh faster than you and likely 10-15 kmh faster than you are capable of riding.
Prior to this, Karl and Trez decided to have a go at one another. There's nothing like closing a gap at 50 kmh, getting across and then having the main combatants pull over and expect you to pull through...! Needless to say, there were four of us in the little break. Dink made some excuse about not being in the right gear and just riding along...
The others just watched us kill ourselves and were only about 15 seconds behind the whole time...

No ride Sunday or New Years' Day as it was raining both days. Brohem and I will be in the woods tomorrow night. I'm trying a new light setup...we'll see...or maybe we won't...!

I'm still waiting on my new carbon wheels...! It's killing me. I will, in fact, be one them one day this weekend...if they show up.

I really don't watch, or even like, college football, but GD...How good was the end of the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State pulling out some old school backyard plays to win the game! Hook and Ladder? Statue of Liberty? I felt like I was back in Junior High. Brilliant!!!!!!

Peace out!

Why the smells?

So, as most of you know, my brother and I ride at night on the local Army base. We go out through the woods and inevitably, have some sort of (mis)adventure. The thing that is always the most odd is the preponderance of wacky smells out in the middle of the woods...and always at night. I've been out there literally hundreds of times during the day and never smelled anything other than the outdoors.
One night, it was baby diapers...and not the dirty, poopy ones. It was the clean powder smell of a new diaper. Another night we smelled wet dog for a good mile of the trail. I figured it was just Bigfoot and rode faster.
We hit it Thursday night and on the way back in from the turnaround, there was a 1/2 mile section of trail that smelled like grape flavored bubble gum. You know what I'm talking about...that sticky, sugary, sweet grape Bubble gum smell from our youth. We didn't smell it on the way out, just on the way back. Weird....! The H.O. offered the guess that maybe someone was cooking Meth out there. I explained that Sudafed and drain cleaner do not create a smell equivalent to that of grape Bubble Yum.
We had a good ride though. Heavy legs were in abundance. Eating every homemade cookie produced in Chesterfield County is not conducive to riding well....

Today's ride was good too. It was generally pretty steady with a few very quick bursts that inflicted some pain and damage. 10 people showed up, which is saying something from December 30th. It was 58 degrees when I left and 70 when I got home. Freaking amazing weather. Dink got shown speed again today, but didn't seem any wiser for it. I just cannot understand that dude...maybe it's a test. A full report will follow...

I rebuilt my Ultegra hubs tonight. Nothing says lovin' like new ball-bearings and a helping of Phil Wood grease. Smooth like a stripper's butt. Well, a good stripper in a nice establishment...working her way through "Law School"!

Long time

It's been a while since I've posted...Christmas with the H.O.'s lunatic family. Different story for a different time...

Last Saturday, we had a good, steady ride through Lower Richland, including Chaingang. I'd never been down that way before and I must say, it was a nice change. I'm all about Dean's idea of taking a new road on every ride. It mixes it up nicely and makes for a nice change of pace. It was warm (65ish), but wet. No rain, just humid and wet roads. Our resident Dink was pulling his normal routine. I think someone spoke to him about it, as it seemed to stop...

Until Sunday...

I think he wants to go hard all the time. There's a zone that you aren't supposed to ride in for long periods. It's right @ 85%. Dink rides there the whole time he's on the bike. He would follow wheels, speed up and slow down and keep looking back when he would ride 2 or 3 lengths of the the front, like he was hammering us. Trust me Dink, I can close the gap on you.
At the end of the ride, I figured enough was enough. I attacked on 321 and opened a pretty substantial gap. I sat up on a climb and Dink caught me and rode past. I waited on The Hammer and pulled my guts out to close the gap. Dink was riding at about 13/10ths. His body looked like he was about to fly off the bike. When we turned to go home, he told me I was an 'Animal' and took everything he had to catch me. I reminded him it was December and I wasn't fit AND that I sat up to wait on the group. This will be different come April, that I can assure you. There will be no sitting up and waiting...! Dink will be riding home alone...A LOT!

Brohem and I will be in the woods tonight...maybe this ride will be better than my last foray into the wilderness.

2 out 3 is sometimes bad...

Brohem and I rode in the dark last night. It was a nice night...55 degrees, no wind, dry...
I'm sure that if you've ridden with any anger at all, that you've had a day when everything goes according to plan. Some days, though, you have either bad legs or bad heart. Last night, I had good legs, good heart, but the brain must have flown out for a little time alone before Christmas. My mind was gone. I couldn't see the trail, couldn't remember the turns, could barely handle the bike and was just plain stupid. It made no difference that I was rocking 40 watts of lights. I cut a fresh path about a dozen times last night. Some of the lines might have been good, but some were definitely the wrong way around.
Tree, meet dumbass...dumbass, meet tree! Pitiful!
Maybe I was just tired. I did sleep like a baby last night. Or maybe it's the search for carbon wheels on Ebay that's locking up too much computing speed in the old noggin. I sold the Reynolds wheels and now have a pile of cash burning a hole in my Paypal account.

Today is Winter Solstice. The days only get longer for the next six months.

Rain is called for until Saturday afternoon. Rain or not, I'll be on the bike Saturday. If no rain, the road will fear me. If rain, I will go exert my dominance over the trail that soundly whipped my ass last night. I'll let you know what transpires...

3 days until Christmas...

It must be global warming

So Saturday, the high here was 72 and Sunday was 70. Saturday we had a pretty big group for this time of year and had a really good 100km ride. It was steady at 30-35 kmh and had a few quick bursts. The only true efforts were chasing down our favorite local ding-dong. Everytime the group would slow down, the moron would go to the front and ride off, like he was dropping us. At one point, he took a left turn and the group just kept going straight! After three hours of it, I chased him down on a long flat stretch and simply coasted by...

On the run-in to the sprint, he did it again, but this time he kept looking back. It was if he was taunting the group. I told BLK to go and the two of us ripped across the 200 meter gap at 55 kmh. We went by DD (ding-dong) like he was on jackstands. I let BLK have the sprint (won't happen in the spring and summer), as he did all of the work.

Sunday was another good ride. 3 hours and 55 miles of medium tempo to turn the legs over. There really weren't any quick bursts. I think Saturday took the wind out of more than a few sails. It was a good ride and a good group...

Well, it's a boy...again! Bambino numero due should be arriving at the end of April. The sonogram was pretty easy to read...see the pic...! I could tell it was a boy and I'm an idiot. Hopefully, this one won't be 9 pounds and 22 inches that leads to another 18 hours of brutal labor for the H.O.

Dear trainer,

I hate you in so many ways. So many way, in fact, that I cannot express tham all. My hate runs so deep for you that, if not for my positive attitude and need for time on the bike, I would go buy a plasma cutter and reduce you to little more than $.37/pound scrap.

My brother is out of town for the rest of the week, so I was forced into the ManHole to ride the trainer tonight. I rode the trainer last Sunday as well, making two days in a week, which is unheard of around here. Normally, I would put on the lights and go ride by myself, either a road loop on the Fort or my downtown "Hour of Power" (trademark pending) of the crosser. It's Christmas time and folks are rushing about with little regard for each other, much less a guy on a bike, so I chose to ride the trainer. I truly do not know how you people above the Manson-Nixon line do it all winter. I watch race DVDs and movies while I'm riding and can still only muster an hour before the voices start wanting me to go strangle someone. I have a friend in Canada who goes to his basement and rides the rollers for 3 hours!! Are you kidding me? After three hours, I'd be so homicidal that I'd need a strait-jacket and a fistful of Paxil.

We find out Friday whether Il Bambino will have a little fratello or sorella. The H.O. says it's another boy while I'm just not sure. I've been having dreams that we have a girl. Of course, I also have dreams about Kate Beckinsale...

BTW- my Reynolds Stratus wheels are on EBay...Buy it now for $825

It was cold...

So brohem and I decide to ride mountain bikes on Saturday morning. All fine and well other than the fact it was 27 degrees when I left the house at 8:15 am. We didn't feel like driving anywhere so we did the Ft. Jackson loop plus a little bit.
I know I made fun of him for having to warm his feet, but I was in need of the Vagisil yesterday. Note to everyone, Fox Racing full finger gloves do not equal warm winter mitts. I thought I was one of those guys on Everest. You know the ones...the guys whose appendages go numb and then turn black, only to drop off some days later. I couldn't feel my pinky fingers and thumbs for most of the ride.
We didn't go all that hard and did some barrier construction/addition to a fallen tree. You can now ride up and over. It was a good ride that led to a good nap. Il bambino slept, so I slept. It's all very cyclical.
It was 29 when I woke up this morning. I held out zero hope that anyone would show for the group road ride. The heaters are running in the ManHole. It'll be a balmy 60 down there by then time I go down to get on the rollers for an hour or so. I haven't decided what movie to watch though...! The beauty of a 32" TV and a DVD player in the shed is boundless. I just need to run cable down there...

I'm beginning to amass parts for the new frame build. FSA SL-K cranks were snapped up on EBay for $167...with BB. A bargain! All I need is a seat clamp and headset...and the patience to wait two more months for my new carbon frame.

Holy shit, it's a Humvee

So my brother and I decide to go out a little early last night, so we can ride longer/farther. It was a plan. Not a good one, not a bad one, just a plan. So we meet at 5 on the crossers and head out. There are pine cones and sticks everywhere on the far end of the trail. I catch a stick AND a cone and the bike comes to a dead stop. I pull 15 to 20 pounds of crap out of the rear derailleur and see that the thing has been flipped 270 degrees by the large stick that ended my forward momentum. For a minute, I shit, thinking that the H.O. would not be happy about driving halfway to the middle of nowhere to get me and my disabled rig. Fortunately, I grab the R/D and flip it back around. It works shifts and still does the job for which a small Japanese man designed it. There is a stop on the unit itself that is supposed to hinder the thing from flipping around. Well, it didn't...! It did, however, take a nice chunk out of the body of the R/D while it was doing it's backflip. No harm, no foul...

We get onto the base, illegally I might add, and begin the fire road slog around the lake. On the climb out, I hear a diesel engine off to our 9 o'clock. When we get to the crossroads, I look back and see a set of headlights coming up the road. Did I mention we were on an Army base, at night, in a restricted area, illegally? I yell exactly what the title states and tell my brother to kill his lights. We kill all lights and haul ass, in the dark, up the road. We weren't seen (obviously) or else I may be typing this from Gitmo. I don't think we'll be doing that loop again anytime soon...in the dark at least.

Total ride was 2:40 and a bit over 50km, which is damn good for a night ride...in the woods!

It would have been about 10 minutes shorter, but Poo-Poo had to stop to warm up his toes...
Should have just rubbed some Vagisil on 'em...

Group and solo

Saturday we had a few folks show up. The sun was out, but it wasn't exactly warm...maybe 50-ish. I know some of you are saying 50? Well, it's been up in the high 60s and 70s here for a long while. 50 feels cold...! We ended up doing about 3 hours at a moderate/slow pace. My legs were stiff and heavy from eating poorly and hauling Il Bambino around for the previous two days.
The weather changed last night...for the worse. I woke up to 38 and threatening skies. I knew no one would bother to show, so I hit the trail, solo, on the cross bike. It started raining about 30 minutes after I got home. It turned into a cold, breezy, rainy, all around crappy day. The H.O. was/is on her broom today too....

Christmas is 21 days away. I'm about 65% done with shopping. I just can't go on the weekend. Too many stupid people out there who act as if they've never been out of the trailer park. I get aggro and want to start snapping necks...! Not exactly the Christmas spirit, so I shop in the middle of the week, when all of the unwashed masses are toiling away at work.

Night ride Tuesday...must charge lights...

I have the solution to obesity

Yes folks, you'll be reading it here first, so remember where you saw it...

The solution for obesity in America is to close down all Golden Corral and Cracker Barrel restaurants. As you know, the entire company went to the beach a couple of days ago. In the interest of eating in a location that would be acceptible for Il Bambino, we chose Golden Corral for dinner last night. If you can find something to eat at GC, you aren't really trying. If you can't find too much of that thing, you are not even paying attention. I am at my winter weight of 185-ish right now, and I was by far the thinnest person in GC. I had ONE plate of food from the buffet and some banana pudding. There were a few people that looked like Mr. Creosote...! I mean really, if you must have a chair for each ass-cheek, push the plate away.
Cracker Barrel is no better. Nothing like three pancakes, two eggs and three slices of bacon to dull your senses first thing in the morning. We ate at 9 am...I haven't eaten since and feel like I need a half dozen apples and a whole head of iceberg to cleanse my system

Needless to say, I'll be riding on the front both days this weekend.

3 days off the bike

And boy, do I need it! After stacking 6 days in a row, with all rides being 2+ hours, I'm a bit stiff and sore. Nothing like a shock to the system to get the metabolism going again. 16 hours of training spread over 6 days will make you sleep good at night. I took today off to go Xmas shopping and the H.O. , Il Bambino and I leave for the beach tomorrow. She has some BS meeting down there and seeing how I'm not gainfully employed, I will be playing the part of loving husband and father. Plus, there's a huge outlet mall there with Puma and Adidas and the season is over, so the bike shops will be blowing shit out.

My brother and I did the cross loop last night. It was 69 degrees when we left and 67 when I got home, at 8 pm! I'm sure we'll pay for the warm weather later in winter...! Of course, I could be in Colorado right now. Breck got 12 inches of powder last night...! That place is freaking idyllic. I would have little second thought about selling all our shit and moving out there! The H.O. says the same, but she'd start to bitch on the 3rd day of 20 degrees and snow...thin blood!

Anywho...out 'til Saturday...

70 and sunny

The schools may suck, the economy may be less than stellar, and there may be a few too many rednecks around here, but it's 70 and sunny with no wind today. How's the weather where you live?

Today was the 4th day in a row on the bike for me. Nothing like a 60 mile jaunt to close out the stretch. The group was big and varied this morning, thus creating a good ride. Stacking days like this really seems to help me. The legs don't feel altogether bad. I'm definitely tired though. I haven't put more than 10 hours in a week, on the bike, since about September...! Nothing like jumping from 5-7 hours right back up to 12!

Christmas is in 29 days! I haven't bought a thing yet. The beauty of the internet is the fact that by 9pm tomorrow, I'll be almost done. I really hate the mall...

Out-

Now THIS is more like it

The weather finally broke. Yesterday was sunny, albeit a bit windy still. One could tell the sun was back on the clock though. The warmth felt good on my face.

My brother and I did a pre-turkey ride on the cross bikes. I was a bit out of sorts. My bum shoulder was acting up, so I didn't feel all that great. Sometimes it hurts so bad that I get nauseous! Riding didn't help. It only exacerbated the problem and created a huge headache. I decided to medicate and took a Vicodin and a cyclobenzaprine before going to Mom's for dinner.

I was HHHIIIIGGGHHHH! I got home last night @ 7pm and was in bed, asleep by 9pm. 11 solid hours of sleep were what the Doc ordered. I was foggy when I woke up, but still did 2 hours on the road bike.

My old rear Ksyrium SL is about to give up the ghost. It sounded like two old folks humping in the back of a car today. Nothing but creaks, moans and squeaks. Not confidence inspiring...

It has served me well for three years and untold races and was retired about 30 minutes ago. I may rebuild it, but that will have to wait until after the new bike gets completed.

The H.O. is gone with Il Bambino, so it's quiet around here. The roofers finished @ 5pm. They'll be back in the A.M. to finish the ridgevent and clean up. One of them fell through the roof this afternoon. Why you put the fattest guy on the bad part of the roof is beyond me. Fortunately, he didn't come through the ceiling.

You may hate on me now...! I'm still a fat masters racer, but we know the bike isn't holding me back!

Please file into the Ark in an orderly fashion

It's been raining for two days. I don't mean the little pissy rain that just gets stuff wet, I mean hard, cold, wind from the north rain. Nothing says lovin' like 42 degrees and driving rain. So much for riding outside. I'd almost rather it be ass-biting cold, but sunny and clear. It actually sleeted here yesterday. This in South Carolina for crying out loud, not Ohio!
We are going to attempt a ride tomorrow morning, before engorging ourselves on turkey. I hope the rain stops. I really don't want to ride the trainer tomorrow. :( Temps are supposed to be back into the upper 60s by Saturday. No wonder my sinuses hurt...

February 23rd is the delivery date for the new custom carbon rig. I feel a bit guilty building it up with Ultegra, but it will be the race bike. I just cringe everytime I think about crashing the Ridley and destroying it.

The roof guys started Monday...! I guess we'll see them Friday to finish up. Thankfully, they had the foresight to finish the front and not just tear the entire roof off of the house.

Happy Turkey Day!

Freakin' Mondays...

Monday:

Computer went tits up
-lost EVERYTHING
-reloaded EVERYTHING
-spent QT with tech support

Lunch with the Head Office
-dropped phone in toilet at restaurant

Roof guys show up...at noon
-all look as if they've spent some QT in the 'pen
-doors locked, blinds drawn

I'm going to bed....

It's 1:04pm...

...and I've already had a full day. The day began with a nice 2-1/2 road ride through Lower Richland county. One would think that the group might have been large today, given that it's BEAUTIFUL outside. BZZZZZT! Wrong answer! 3 us of rolled out this morning. Paul was out on his new bike. He's been off the bike for about 12 weeks after getting popped by a car and breaking his femur in FOUR places. He didn't seem any worse for wear, but I could tell that he lost a lot of power in his bad leg.
When I returned to my humble abode, Lowe's had delivered the materials for our new roof. Instead of, I don't know, putting them on the driveway, they decided the best place would be on my grass. If you know me at all, you probably know that my yard is very important to me. Needless to say, the guy that answered the phone in the Commercial sales Department at Lowe's has a little less ass right now...! I gave them the ultimatum of coming back within the hour to move the two full pallets off my grass or I would come by and pickup my refund check. They took 42 minutes to get here.
I also spent 90 minutes removing a metric ass-load of leaves from my lawn. And yes, a metric ass-load is an actual measure of volume. It's less than the standard English ass-load, but still quite a large amount.

I don't watch football all that much, as Carolina sucks, but today is the day... Ohio State/Michigan. Number 1 and number 2. I will be in front of the HDTV at 3:30 for this one.
I'm a pretty die hard OSU fan, but Michigan will be ready today.
A good man and a great coach died yesterday. Bo Schembechler was coach at Michigan for 20 years. I have fond memories of Bo. When my Dad was a high school football coach, he had a kid being recruited by Michigan. I got to make the trip with them. I was 7 years old and it was cooler than any theme park, ever! Bo gave us the tour of the stadium and the facilities personally and was very nice to me in particular. Some people would have brushed off a precocious 7 year old, but not Bo. 30 years later, I still have the autograph he gave me that day.
Hopefully he and my dad will run into each other upstairs and have a good sitdown and talk about football...

Chicken Little to the Weather Center...

Okay, now I realize that it's the weather guys' job to make us aware of any dangerous or inclement weather coming our way, but damn, at least TRY to be accurate. They made it seem like the Rapture was on the way last night and it did little more than rain. Hell, our roof didn't even leak...(another story for another day!)
A cold front has moved through today though. At lunch, it was 65 degrees. Let's just say it's waaay colder than that now. I won't say what the temp is, as it's likely to illicit a hearty round of "F you" from my friends who live up North and read this fine piece of literary achievement, but it ain't 65 anymore...

Il Bambino broke my upper lip open today with a WWE-worthy headbutt to the face. Little shit...! He thought it was quite comical...I, however, failed to see the comedic value. He has also taken to kicking me in the doo-dads when sitting in a shopping cart. It's hard to determine what I dislike more, a shot to the mouth, or a shot to the berries...

I haven't ridden all week and will not get on the bike tonight. My brother is going out to get drunk with his wife at Vista Lights. I usually ride through the Vista when I do my solo night rides, but the thought of dodging 5 or 6...hundred DUI cases just doesn't bring a twinkle to my eye. I flatly refuse to get on the trainer (at least at this point) either...! Call me in the cold, wet doldrums of February and I'll likely be in the ManHole pounding out intervals while watching old Euro race videos...

Out....................

No ride tonight

This is the SE radar image from 10:00 am this morning. It's now 10:10 am. My brother and I planned on riding this evening, but there are far too many pretty colors on the radar map, and far too many electricity conducting pine trees on the trail, to really risk going out tonight.

It looks like I'll be on the bike sometime tomorrow afternoon...if the Head Office actually holds to what she told me yesterday.

We SHOULD have ridden last night, as it was 70 degrees and beautiful, but brotherman burned all of his matches by going to the Carolina Panthers game on Monday night.

Il Bambino seems to be coming down with something...oh joy! There's nothing quite like baby snot. Slick, yet sticky...! It would probably be good to inject into hubs in lieu of grease.

Sunday,Sunday,Sunday

It was windy, windy, windy...

Holy crap! Dean, Mike and I rode Sunday morning. Between the wind beating us into submission and me flatting/cutting my rear tire, the ride took waaaay longer than it should have. It was good to ride with those guys again. It had been a long while.
Speaking of the tires, Deda RS Open Corsas are great tires, but when they are worn out, they are gone. I looked at the rear tire Saturday night and again Sunday morning and figured it would last one more 50 mile ride...WRONG! I cut it like we were in a gang fight in the barrio.
Two tubes, two CO2 carts and a dollar bill boot later, we were on our way. Flat changes usually take me less than 5 minutes. This one...not so much. Let's just say that I'm not proud of my performance.

I did make it home in time to get a nap. Il bambino sacked out, so I did too.

Of course, today, there is NO wind and it's 70 flippin' degrees...

My brother saw something interesting at Sesqui on Sunday and posed the question of the week:

Even though lycra can stretch to 400% of it's original size, should it?

On the road again

We had 7 folks on the group ride this morning, which is something of an accomplishment around here these days. It was a really good ride too. About 2-1/2 hours at around 30 kmh.
Riding the road bike just feels weird, albeit much easier than lugging around the cross bike or the squishy. I do kind of miss riding on the road these days...
The Big Stampede is tomorrow in Charlotte, so if you are close, there is good bike stuff to be had for not a lot of cash. HealthNet will be there, as usual, and Jeff is bringing lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh. Reynolds wheels, Cannondale frames and bikes, HN clothing, Ritchey stuff...and if you go, find Spence Lueders and thank him. He works tirelessly to do things like this and is an all-around hell of a guy.
I went to the HQ today and got what I needed and a little extra. Somehow, a set of Reynolds Stratus carbon wheels followed me home. The Head Office told me it was okay to keep them, so they don't have to go to the SPCFW (Society for the Protection of Carbon Fiber Wheels). They're sitting here toying with my emotions though. I know I shouldn't ride them in the winter, on a slow training ride, but they will probably get the better of me...! I haven't bought any cork pads yet, so they'll probably stay in the house until that happens.

Well, another road ride beckons tomorrow morning...

A damn good show

The Head Office and I went to see Brad Paisley last night at the Colonial Center. It was a damn good show and well worth the cash.
Jake Owen was first on the triple bill. He was pretty entertaining and enjoyable. I'd really never heard him before, but deserves to be checked out.
Carrie Underwood was on second and put on an excellent performance. Her voice has really gotten stronger since American Idol. The highlight of her set was a cover of Guns -n- Roses 'Sweet Child O' Mine'. It started out acoustic and then they broke into the full metal version. They did the full version and it was done very faithfully and very well. It falls under my ideal of doing covers correctly or not at all.

Brad Paisley came about 9 pm and played his narrow ass off for two hours. To get straight to the point, he can flat PLAY. Fast, slow, technical, acoustic, whatever...! You can tell that he has spent some serious time with his Telecaster throughout his life. Speaking of Telecasters, he played 8 different custom versions during the show. The whole band was very solid and seemed like they were having a good time. The strange part is the fact that they are all from South Carolina...

All in all, it was a great show. If they come anywhere close to you, I highly recommend going, even if you aren't a huge country music fan.

The short arm of the law

So we do the normal 'cross ride last night, but there were some occurences that set it apart.
My brother almost got popped by a fat lady in a 'Burban. I'm sure she had to get the KFC home before it got cold, lest her fat, over-entitled children wouldn't have eaten it.
I dug in the front wheel and almost got thrown, but I saved it and got a foot down. In making the save, I torqued my back a little bit, which slackened my sails for the remainder of the evening.
Shortly following my near-dismount, we hear some yelling and see blue-lights out on the road. The voice says to stop, so we stopped. It was a Department of Homeland Security officer (OFC. Simmons). He waddled his way through the woods, which took balls BTW, and got to us demanding ID and then asked what we were doing. I had a smart-ass comment loaded and ready, but he had a 9mm loaded and ready. Some duels you just don't fight. He said they'd been having problems with ATVs on the trail. I guess he missed the fact that there weren't the tell-tale signs of a four-stroke engine.
Once he saw we were relatively harmless, the mood lightened and he sent us on our way.
I tried to pick up the pace on the way back, but I just couldn't see (sweaty glasses) and the back was starting to stiffen. It was a good ride though. Probably 60 degrees and comfy warm.
No ride tonight, as I am taking the Head Office to see Brad Paisley. Il Bambino is spending the night away from home for the first time. My mother is entirely too excited. The poor little fella will get no peace while he's out there. It's full throttle from start to finish when he's across the river.

Weather outlook looks good for the weekend. I'll likely ride on the road both days. My brother isn't available Saturday or Sunday. Hopefully people will show up...

Out........

Wideawake :: LIVESTRONG LIVE

If this doesn't hit you, you should just go jump off a bridge...

Elections and ideas...

Well it's election day, and yes, I voted. Who I voted for is none of your business, but you can probably guess...
The line was only five minutes, but the folks at the voting precinct said turn-out had been good all day, which is a good thing.
Here's the idea part...
This week there have been 8, count them, 8 murders in Columbia. That's right, little Columbia, SC is turning into a city with real crime and real problems. It may be a tad radical and way right-wing, but I have an idea to help curtail the behaviour that is propogating itself in SC and all across the country. Have actual punishment for crime. Going to prison isn't punishment anymore. You get three meals, a warm bed, a facility to workout and cable TV, all on the taxpayers nickel. There is the constant threat of being stuck with a shiv or becoming the personal propety of a 350 lb. dude named Bubba or LeRoy, but to be honest, if you thought out the crime, however poorly, those thoughts should have entered the decision making process.
You want to be in a gang? Well, you can...it's called a chain gang. You want to workout while in the joint? Make 'em break big rocks into little rocks.
Here's the radical part that a lot of people may agree with, but will likely never admit it...
If there are credible witnesses, evidence that proves the crime was committed by the accused (including DNA) and the prosecution has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty, then the punishment should be swift AND public.
Bring back the gallows. I'm not talking about one or two times or here and there...
Schedule it for the 2nd Tuesday of every month. People will say, "Hey, it's Tuesday, let's go have lunch at the gallows..."

Screw the ACLU and all of the knee jerk liberals that will say that it's cruel and unusual. Most of the crimes committed by the assholes on death row didn't afford the victims the same courtesy that we give the inmates.
Illegal aliens in prison? Put 'em on a C-130 with parachutes and drop 'em back over their home country, a la WW2. It'll be like illegal felon paratroopers.

I'm pretty live and let live, as far as it goes, but Sweet Baby Jesus, it's time to make a change.

A good mountain ride

We did the BIG loop at Harbison yesterday. Ended up with 2:30 ride time. I can tell you though, some people may be able to get out of the car and just hammer...I am not one of those people. It takes the diesel a little while to get to operating temperature when it's 38 degrees outside. I was good to go about 20 minutes into the ride.
The trail was in really good shape and there were no other people out, save a few walkers and runners. We did meet one dude coming the other way. He obviously had no inkling of the term 'trail etiquitte' as he didn't slow down or yield right of way as we made our way up a climb. He just bombed by on his shiny Trek Fuel wearing a hoodie and shorts...he was CORE!
I wanted to go do the group ride this morning, but the 36 degree temps would have meant it was a solo tour as it's pretty hard to persuade the majority of the group to roll out of bed when it's below 40. Nevermind the sun is out and not a cloud in the sky. Sometimes it's just not even worth getting dressed to go sit and wait on a group that doesn't show...
I'm kind of stiff today anyway. Roadies are a delicate breed. 2-1/2 hours on some technical singletrack is completely out of element and character for a roadie. Even with 5" of travel front and rear, my arms and neck are a bit sticky this morning.

I went out and did leaves again. I'd be willing to bet that @ 20% have actually fallen at this point. The leaf blower has given up...after one year. Sears/Craftsman stuff just doesn't have the quality that it used to have. POS!

Have a good Sunday.

A reminder...The Big Stampede is next Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. There's a linky >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

No ritual sacrifice

The skull mentioned in the previous post was placed there by a friend, not by some teenager with a penchant for harming small animals.
This afternoon, the phone rang and a low, rather mysterious voice asked if I liked the deer skull. At first, I didn't recognize the voice and my mind began running wild with X-Files conspiracies and thoughts that the Government was actually watching me. We were riding on a military base after all...
After a couple of exchanges, the bell went off. No one has ever accused me of being all that smart...
The voice belonged to Dr. L.P., our resident cycling ER doc and all around good egg. He did, after all, write me a 'scrip for serious pain meds when I hurt my back last summer. I should probably go mow his yard or something...

Now go buy some lights Doc, so you can ride with us in the dark...

Wow, it's dark

I cannot believe how early it gets dark these days. I left the house last night at 5:45 and it was DARK by about 6:15.
It's also really funny how one ride can change and shape your attitude toward the bike. Last night, we had a really good ride in the woods. There was speed, there was flow, and there was fun. I swear that I'm faster in the woods in the dark. I guess it's because you really cannot see very far up the trail. Reaction times get quicker and the concentration becomes more focused.
Some smart ass decided to hang a deer skull on a tree that is literally right on the trail. I'm already quite afraid of the dark, so this did little to quiet my concerns. Star light, star bright, the first...SKULL I see tonight... Of course, my brother rode past and never saw it...
I ended up with 2 hours and 15 minutes on the cross bike, in the dark, last night. Riding the cross bike on single-track, in the dark, will, in fact, make you a better rider in the woods. It will also make you a superior bike handler on the road. My recommendation is to get a cross bike and use it...

Linky time:
check out www.uber-daddy.blogspot.com

Pretty damn funny stuff...

It's supposed to be cold and windy this weekend. I don't know whether to ride on the road or stay in the woods...

A lesson...

This is a stop sign. It means what it says, not drift through without looking...

This is a red light. It also means STOP...see above...

This is a phone booth!

This is not a phone booth

This is my size 46 Shimano M220 shoe. It has a carbon sole and toe spikes. If you hit me, take me out, because this is going IN your ass if I can get up!

Riding at night is a good tool to heighten your senses and realize that people just don't fucking pay attention when they drive. Sorry for the "F" bomb, but Sweet Baby Jesus, how do some of these people get around without killing themselves or others?
I'm glad I've done it enough to anticipate dumbass moves, because they come thick and fast riding through campus and downtown. I guess 35 watts of lights on the front of the cross bike isn't quite enough...
I did have a good ride though, all things considered. It was about 70 degrees and no wind. I can't wait until it gets cold, so I can have the MUT part of my 'Hour of Power' (patent pending) back from the walkers and runners who only participate in being fit when the weather is warm...
In the woods tomorrow night, if all goes according to plan...