Love2Ride

Ipswitch Cleanup

2010-01-11T13:31:00.003-05:00

Us Southside Islanders have one little patch of woods that we can MTB on. This past weekend it got a nice cleanup. Creeks were unclogged, re-routes were done, the city even donated some gravel.

Probably 40+ people made it out there throughout the day on Saturday. MTBers, DJers, local nieghbors, even a reporter and a photo journalist. Very nice.

RideOn to Ipswitch....

Happy Holidays

2009-12-29T11:42:00.003-05:00

to all ........

For D-Bo :

Here gator,gator..........here gator,gator...........

RideOn,
JB

Cross Nats

2009-12-13T12:25:00.005-05:00

Colt and the Cyclingdirt team will be broadcasting LIVE coverage of Men and Women Elite today from Ore-E-Gone today :

12:35 AM: Pre Race Show
12:45 AM: Collegiate Men's D1 Race
1:30 AM: Live Post Race Interviews from Collegiate Men's Race
1:45 AM: Pre Race Show
2:15 AM: Elite Women/ U23 Women's Race
2:55 AM: Live Post Race Interviews from Elite/ U23 Women's Race
5:00 PM: Pre Race Show
5:30 PM: Elite Men's Race
5:30 PM: Live Post Race Interviews from Elite Men's Race

Times are EST Enjoy

JB

Trouble in Williamsburg?

2009-12-09T10:06:00.010-05:00

That's Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York - Not Williamsburg Virginia.

Seems there's been a conflict over bike lanes between the local community and the cyclists.

Some bike lanes were removed.

From the NewYorkPost :

A source close to Mayor Bloomberg said removing the lanes was an effort to appease the Hasidic community just before last month's election.

Some adventerous cyclists took it upon themselves to repaint the lanes -

You can read a bit more on it here.

Wish we could all just get along........

RideOn

JB

Santos Epic

2009-11-30T11:54:00.010-05:00

Got a chance to ride around the Santos Trail System. It's been over 3 years since I've been there and the folks and the OMBA have been pretty busy.

Since I was there last they got some stuff done :

Completed MANY miles of trails

Totally reworked the Vortex section with the cooperation of IMBA

Recived the Epic designation by IMBA - The first time IMBA gave that designation to an ENTIRE trail system.

Started the day by riding the 42 mile Epic trail route. Sweet fast big ring single track. From flowing high speed slalom to tight blind turns. Mostly easy, non tech stuff but great to get fast off-road miles in.

The last section "Shangri-la" with the Nayls trails is about 11 miles long, much more interesting and gives you a reason to get off of the big ring.

It's nice to be able to ride 42 miles ALL on single track! Woot! Well - there's actually about 3 miles of multi-use trail on an old forest road through the Christmas section on the way back in.

Along the way I took a few excursions to do the the Twister and Canal Digging trails. All in all the day netted 55+ single track miles and an ear-to-ear perma-grin.

No trip to Santos is complete without going to "the Other Side" aka the Vortex. I love that sign. More Free-Ride, DJ and big drop stuff than you can possibly describe. Pump tracks galore. Progressive drops and lines to build skills. Pretty cool that this stuff could be built and maintained on state owned property.

The Vortex also has some really nice techy trails all around and through it. Much of it is used for the 12 hrs of Santos in February.

My pocket camera was out of service so all the photos are with the trusty iPhone, so sry for the quality.

RideOn

Post Day of Thanks

2009-11-27T19:27:00.012-05:00

Cleaned 2-3 years of dust off an old steed and took it for an early morning TurkeyDay ride.

Looked for some Thanksgiving dinner on the way and came up with a few prospects :

But I didn't have the heart to put 'em on the table, so they got the presidential pardon.

Went to check out some Florida single track at the BigLittle Econ State Park. 8-9 miles on the road to get to the trails. Wasn't too bad especially since you got to pass through the Ville of the Taint.

Seems like they should be soliciting DZ to have his product made and shipped from here. It would be a match made in heaven if ya ask me.

Sampled some nice flowy single track

on this fine old steed

Can't decide what makes this bike so sexy and fast. Gotta be either the "Pro" decal or the sweet sexy seat bag.

Hope everyone had a great TurkeyDay and got a chance to get your

RideOn

Is Cyclocross Hip?

2009-11-23T15:47:00.001-05:00

RideOn

JB

Man of Many Talents

2009-11-15T20:12:00.006-05:00

La Ruta de los Conquistadores wrapped up yesterday. Many, many stories and much drama from this self described "World's Toughest Mountain Bike Race".

The FAST JB exercised his body and exorcised some demons down there. He successfully finished the stage that almost killed him a few years back, and kissed the ground when he was done. If it wasn't for a few mechanicals and some wrong turns, he might of been the 1st American to ever win it.

Forever young Tinker had similar navigational problems that led to a DQ for not following the course. He got back on his magic carpet and finished the last 2 stages "off the record". He was first over the top on the toughest climb on day three.

Manny Prado, a Costa Rico native won the race, fulfilling a dream he had 6 years ago when he first entered.

The second stage featured a new climb that was an hour long at a pitch of %30. When Jeremiah says its "The toughest, steepest thing I've ever ridden", you know it's for real.

Check CyclingDirt for some awesome coverage and many, many, great interviews.

Perhaps the most compelling story was of Ben Bostrom. "BBoz" is no stranger to going fast on 2 wheels.

His motorcycle palmares include multiple AMA Championships, Superbike and Sportbike wins around the world, and even an X-Game gold medal! photo credit AlpineStars.com

This was his FIRST mountain bike race. WHAT! That's right his first mountain bike race - and he's out there mixin' it up with the best in the world. He only rides 4 months a year - when he's not racing his moto.

He won the Masters A 30-39 division with a total time that would've been good enough for a 5th in the Open division. Next year he's actually going to train for the event - WATCHOUT!.
Check this video of some BBoz craziness at LagunaSeca.

The post race interview is great. On the final pavement section of the last stage he gets his first real experience in a "pro" paceline, and learns all about the chicken wing.

Cycling Videos on CyclingDirt
Pretty amazing.

Speaking of men of many talents - Metro's post that had Christopher Walken performing Lady Gaga's Pokerface reminded me of this old Fatboy Slim video :

via videosift.com
RideOn
JB

This Is a Test

2009-11-13T23:07:00.002-05:00

and should probably be administered to everyone before they get a driver's license.

RideOn

JB

"Atlantic ASSualt"?

2009-11-13T09:49:00.009-05:00

Went for a ride yesterday anyway. Steady 50 mph winds, gusts over 70. Learned a few things :

- It is possible (though not advisable) to ride through water that is up to your top tube.

- You can't hop logs when they are floating on top of the water.

The bridge itself is "only" covered by 18"of water. This was at LOW tide.

The"experts" from the Weather Channel have been down at the ocean front talking about beach erosion for the last 2 days. They've really missed the story.

Entire nieghborhoods are under water.

The Lesner bridge over Lynnhaven inlet has been closed for over 12 hours. There's 4+ feet of water in the road on the west side.

RideOn

"Prolonged Event"

2009-11-12T09:06:00.007-05:00

Prolonged Event seems to be the buzzword today.

Nope, not a 12 or 24 hour bike race.

It's just mother nature.

When the Weather Channel crew shows up in town you gotta figure it might be serious. Seems like all the focus is on the Ocean front. The inland waterways are what REALLY get the max effect of these nor'easters.

Guess no ride today ........

Hmmmm, may rethink that.

RideOn

Name "The Peak"

2009-11-08T19:56:00.011-05:00

Somewhere around 3674 ft.

A hint

A little better hint

A giveaway

RideOn

JB

Road Rage Justice

2009-11-03T09:54:00.002-05:00

It seems you can't go riding on the road more than a week or so without encountering one or more automobile drivers that are venting their rage against cyclists. It seems this rage goes through levels.

Rage level 1 - An uncalled for string of beeps on the horn. More than is neccessary to just let us know they're there.

Rage level 2 - Window is rolled down - Obnoxious expletive laden yells - telling us to get off the road, or we don't belong there , or whatever.

Rage lvl 3 - Threats of physical harm - "I oughta run you off the road"

Rage lvl 4 - Attempts at physical harm - by swerving the car, or throwing things out the window. (Warning to anyone who might try this - Don't throw things at cyclists on a large group ride when on a road with traffic lights, especially within sprinting range of KJ - You will pay the price)
Rage lvl 5 - This is serious, and justice was served this week in a case in California :

A brief synopsis :

Driver frequents a hilly road that is also enjoyed by cyclists.
Through the years he grows tired of seeing them and his rage eventually builds to lvl 5
He attempts to teach 2 cyclists a lesson (not the first time he's tried this) by passing them, swerving in front of them and slamming on his brakes.
One cyclist goes smashes into the car and the rear window, looses some teeth and almost looses his nose in the process.
The enraged motorists first words to the arriving police officer "I wanted to teach them a lesson".
The motorist is - (soon to be was) an emergency room physician.

Velonews has nice coverage of the court case.

He was found guilty of six felony counts. After the verdict he was DENIED bail.

No one is the winner here. But lets hope this sends a message to everyone.

RideOn

It's That Time of Year.....

2009-11-02T17:09:00.012-05:00

Go ahead and hit play before reading

Friday at the shiny coin :

Leaves are fallin all around....

There was a trail here somewhere
Which way did it go?

Found a shoulderless friend guarding the way

I've watched enough AnimalChannel to know this isn't a welcoming pose

So I helped him off the trail with a handy snake stick.

Before I could remount and clip in I saw he'd repositioned for a better view

or maybe a drop in?

Saturday's group ride might of been the worst I've felt on the bike in a while. Got up on time, fell back asleep (sometimes I grow so tired). Time trialed down to the start, was late. Tried to chase down VBBlvd. Found Young Bill, Smoothie Chuck, et al, behind Pembroke.

Chuck dropped me ...... while on the small ring!!! Aquiring a real taste for humble pie.

Felt better for loop 2, the day was beautiful.

Sunday the weather changed ...... I smelled the rain, and with it pain, and it was headed my way ....in the form of a ride through the park .....

RideOn ramblers

"Pro" Rastlin' meets MTBin'

2009-10-29T11:50:00.006-05:00

Mystery men....?

They sure flew high and rode fast .......
..

So did Crazy and the Dog.........

But no one rode as fast as the FAST JB .......

'cause that's just what he does.....

RideOn

JB (older and not quite slower than ever)

Recovery Ride in the Stars

2009-10-21T13:47:00.013-05:00

These pre-dawn rides are a bit habit forming. The chance of catching a view of the meteor shower added even more motivation.

Figured I'd see what kind of pixels I could capture with the old trusty pocket cam.

Good thing I had an extremely hi-tech lightweight mount for my Nite-Rider battery.

Made it to the ocean front by 5:30 or so. Cloudless night sky. The meteors were easy to find and see but hard to capture. Got a decent pic of Orion - Betelgeuse is the red star in the upper left.

That'd be Venus the morning "star" just over the horizon.

Too early to use the main entrance on the way back.

It was a good morning to get a

RideOn
JB

BrrRRRR

2009-10-20T14:13:00.008-05:00

Up at 5:45AM for the Tuesday 7:15er. Was shocked to see the Weather channel say 38degrees, WHAT!!!! O.O

Wasn't long ago I drew the cold temperature road riding line at 55, then it went to 45, now I guess there isn't one. As long as you can find the right stuff to wear the temperature is relatively meaningless.

It seems the yin and yang of getting up and out for a cold ride are tilted when you are headed to a group ride.

After fumbling around I found the right stuff .

Seems as though one of my gloves had an attitude about riding early. Oh well.

Pitch black, crisp chill, but no clouds or wind. That's a welcome change. Fresh smells of burning fireplaces and cloths driers in the air.

Tried to chase down Young Bill's blinkies on the way there. Fruitless. You can see blinkies for a LONG way when its dark out.

Was startled and confused to see an empty parking lot at the NewMoon when I got there. WHAT?

That restaurant is a meeting place for more than just cycling these days.

Didn't think I was late. Didn't think I was early either. Started rolling down the road and saw some compadres.

All was well.

We tried to let Rick and the fast crew get away, but a red light pulled em back in.

It was a nice morning to get your

RideOn
JB

MEDIA

2009-10-15T08:51:00.005-05:00

Be sure to check out the new issue of XXCMag .......

Download and read it ....it's gooooooooood!!!!

Get your tickets for Race Across the Sky. Its' a one night only showing next week.

The movie will be opened with a discussion by Lance, Dave Wiens, and I believe Travis Brown.

Gotta luv the peeps that made this sign

RideOn
JB

If You Build IT

2009-10-13T12:35:00.013-05:00

They Will Come........

About seven years ago 4 guys ventured from the flatlands of Tidewater to the mountains for a weekend of riding. It became an annual trip. Word of a good thing tends to spread .......

This year the group had close to fifty.

3 days of riding - Friday through Sunday.

No registation fee, no race numbers, no stopwatch, just a bunch of people that love2ride. Rodney even sent word around to the local "mountain folk" and got some of the VaTech team to show up.

The big day was on Saturday - The Luray Classic :

It's a 100 mile jaunt through the Blueridge that entails close to 10,000 feet of climbing. Into Skyline Drive at Front Royal, drop out at Thornton Gap and down to Luray for lunch. Then a short, but brutal climb up Massanutten mountain and 25 miles back to Strasburg through the Shenandoah Valley.

We stayed and started in Strasburg. That adds about 20 miles and at least a few more feet of climbing to the classic "classic". A quick 15-20 mile warmup and we're into Front Royal for some last photo-ops.

The early part of the day was cool, misty/drizzly, and overcast. Really great riding conditions as long as you had the right layers to adjust for the downhills.

Then the climbin' started. 1500 feet in the first 4 miles up Dickey Ridge. That'll get your blood flowin'.

And the road kept goin up and up ......

Until we peaked at Hogback mountain......

Which offered some incredible views to those that choose to look back at from whence they came ........

15 miles of rollers led to a SW-E-E-E-E-T 4 mile decent into Lu-ray (that rhymes with Blu-Ray). It made me quickly forget about grinding all those miles uphill.

A quick lunch stop where local custom dictates you must eat your soup with a straw....

Then a few miles to get the blood back in your legs to tackle the climb up Massa-Nutten (from now on known as Massa-Sumthin).

That climp (up Fort Valley Road) was short but BRUTAL. The last 1.25 miles has a pitch that steadily increases ... and doesn't let up until you get to the very top. It sure helps to have a great group of people cheering you on at the top.

Big thanks to Rodney and Rose (and everyone else that ran the SAGs) for puttin this thing together.

All in all it's a classic way to get your

RideOn

YOU

2009-10-07T08:54:00.012-05:00

Be The Judge

TJ won day 2 of Gloucester, here's a video of the "winning" move :

Cycling Videos on CyclingDirt

Was it just racing?

His post race thoughts :

Cycling Videos on CyclingDirt

Page fought back to take second.

Cycling Videos on CyclingDirt

He wasn't TOO worked up about it, but it would of been nice nice to see what mighta happened if Page caught Johnson on the course.

Gotta love cross

RideOn
JB

Like Bringin' a......

2009-10-06T14:49:00.010-05:00

Knife to a Gun Fight

That's how I feel even with skinny tires on our group rides.

So I guess bringin' the cross bike w/fat tires was more akin to bringin' a dull knife, no wait, a dull spoon, ya that's it...... a dull spoon.

The plan was to try and spin some soreness out of the legs today. Through the park in the dark to the 7:15er...... Meet up w/the crew, ride 20 blocks or so at warp speed. Then head back into the park to cruise around and enjoy the morning.

JDiesel dropped the hammer from the green light so I was spinnin like crazy in my hardest gear in no time. I was focused so much on just hangin' on I didn't realize we passed the park entrance 10 blocks ago, d'Oh!!

A nice recovery ride through the park followed .....

RideOn

JB

Rubber

2009-10-03T15:03:00.008-05:00

Is necessary to the practice of safe cycling.

...

Got It?

Be sure to check yours before you get your

RideOn
JB

I Feel a Little Numb

2009-10-01T15:24:00.011-05:00

So I'm still all geeked about riding my "new" (actually 16 month old ) FS 29er. That is until I started looking at this years interbike reports, and even worse - I checked out the Specialized website.

It seems that while I've been recovering and my sweet "new" bike has been collecting dust, the Stumperjumper 29 design has also become obsolete! Hah.

Specialized has seen fit to replace it with a new (?) FS29er design :

....

Granted there are slight differences in the tubing, but basically the designs are the same. These are now marketed under the Stumpjumper FSR Expert 29 (left) and the EPIC Marathon 29 (right).

The "old" Stumpjumper design - with the vertical rear shock mounted near the BB - stays in place but is only available in the 26 inch version and is called FSRxc Pro

It seems Specialized has seen fit NOT to market 29ers as a separate line, but by integrating them into currently branded models. Just go to the Specialized website and try to find a 29er - it's a multiclick easter egg hunt.

Compare that to the slick marketing done by GaryF for his new (and hella sexy) FS29er :

Hmmm, the whole design looks familiar, ay?

Wonder who came up with it first ...

I'd say GaryFs approach to the whole 29er thing may be a bit more ... umm ...."specialized"... But I dunno, I'm just a consumer.

Irregardless, based on the 5-6 hours it's been ridden, I really love the bike I have. At around 28 lbs it's not gonna win any XC races (nor would any bike in my hands). But it IS an extremely comfortable and well behaved ride. Exactly what I was expecting.

A few years back I read an Interbike review of one of the first FS 29ers. I can't remember the make/model. The reviewer was commenting about the "trail feedback" (or lack thereof) that the FS29 platform offered, and he likened it to :

"Having sex with 2 condoms on."

Well I haven't tried the 2 condom thing - But I'd imagine it would make it a whole lot easier to keep going all night.

Here's to gettin' a nice, long, smooth ............

RideOn

Kids These Days....

2009-09-29T14:02:00.007-05:00

Like fallin in love all over again:

Read this race recap :

"There were about 70 or so riders in the road race. I liked the course, very
punchy steep climbs, banked turns, flat/downhill finish. I really put a lot of
focus into this race. Unfortunately, out of the 3 Americans I was the only person who made the front group. While everyone else in the front group had a teammate. But either way I was grateful to even be in the front group. When the attacks started to come I was able to respond, but the 1 that I really needed to follow I missed. It is difficult to cover all the moves on my own, but I had to do what I had to do.
When the break of 2 Italians, 1 French, and 1 Russian gained 1minute on the last
lap I had to try to make one last move to bridge to the group. I attacked hard
and got somewhat of a gap, but the Italians would not let me go. I looked back
and they were chasing hard, but I kept driving. "

Now try to imagine who wrote it. Fairly obvious it was at an international competition (It was at the Worlds). Sure sounds like like it could be from an experienced pro.
The writer/racer actually has 24 national championships!!!
AND .............. SHE is only 16 years old. Holy crap!!!
Props to Coryn Rivera.
oh yeah - - she races pro women crits and has already beat Tina Pic in a sprint. Unbelievable.
RideOn
JB

Forcast is For ....

2009-09-26T08:13:00.005-05:00

FUN!

Steady to intermittant drizzly spitting rain all day. Road riding would be foolish and/or just plain nasty.

So it was MTB Friday.

Of all the EVMA trails Redoubt at New Quarter park is the one I'm least familiar with. But that's gonna change. Fun flowy singletrack, some short punchy climbs, and enough TTF's to keep anyone happy.

What is it about MTBing that makes Mexican food taste so good?

About 18 months ago we finished the build on a plush new FS 29er. Unfortunately I had some surgury done shortly there after so the bike has had to sit patiently while I struggled through a longer than expected recovery. Some pics up in a gallery here.

Initial impression was 3 thumbs up. OK make that 2 thumbs and a big toe. The bike is everything I expected and then some.

A more complete review will follow.

RideOn
JB

Ya Get What Ya Deserve

2009-09-24T08:13:00.005-05:00

And in my case that's a good spankin.

16+ months off a bicycle (that's a whole 'nother story) results in serious pain trying to hang with the A+ paced group rides. Really I'm just tryin' to see how many times I can get dropped in a single ride.

"Tried" to do the Tuesday 7:15er for the first time in maybe 2 years. What was once an integral part of my life is now just slightly out of reach. The group was HUGE by old standards and the "advertised" pace of 25-30 was right on. After 3-4 miles I popped. No worries. All part of the process.

Rejoined em on the 2nd loop and got towed around. Much appreciated. Like Ahnold -"I'll Be Back."

oh yea - AtD called me a cheater ------ WHAT?! :-)

UCI Chillin'

2009-09-21T15:52:00.004-05:00

Adam Craig being his usual chill self after a 6th at the Champery XCWorldCup in Switzerland a week ago. Video via CyclingDirt.com .

Craig is the top ranked XC American this year currently ranked 23rd. He finished 21st at Saturday's final event in Schlamding.

Cycling Videos on CyclingDirt

RideOn

iVICTIM

2009-09-18T16:38:00.008-05:00

Of iTechnology.

I've been known to strap any or all available dodads or trinkets on my bike and/or body in an effort to "improve/remember/store/share" the "workout/experience". But when it comes down to it - the rides that are most enjoyable are totally unemcumbered by all the above.

BUT......

I somehow became a proud?/confused/inept owner of an iPhone 3Gs. I was told by many this would be a life-changing experience. Well, sorry to say it wasn't. Either I'm too old/dumb or the learning curve is just too iSteep. Or maybe I just don't want my life changed?

HOWEVER .....

While looking for road rides on a recent trip to western Virginia I stumbled upon this site. They offer a nice little iPhone app called iMapMyRide. The basic version is free, the "advanced" version is $4.99. Since I usually ride w/the phone anyway I figured I'd give it a try. So after a few short jaunts I figured I'd give the phone and app a test on a longer ride.

JB vs iPhone battery. The ride was really a test of the battery life. Could I outlast the battery?

Rolled out at just before sunrise to try and avoid as much of the Friday vehicle madness as possible. A little over 5 hours into the ride the I got the battery low signal. I still had a few miles to go. Then the signal again at 5hrs and 15 minutes. Battery power was at less than %5 so I plugged in an extra battery supply and finished the ride. JB 1, iPhone battery 0.

The route is instantly uploaded. All you have to do is press save, and be in range of a wireless network. It'll be on the interwebs before you can get to your computer :

iMapMyRide+: Sep 18, 2009 1:11 PM
Find more Bike Rides in Virginia Beach, Virginia

PROS:

Accurate mapping, as good as any GPS I've tried, and I've had a few.
Inexpensive
Fast effortless uploading.
The advanced version lets you snap pictures with the iPhone that wil upload with the route. Then you can click the camera icon on the map (you'll need to click "view full screen" to see those)

CONS

Battery life. Stock iPhone battery seems yo last 5-5.5 hrs. So if you're gonna ride longer you'll need to get an extra power source, There's plenty out there.

Interruption. A phone call or text message will interrupt the app, and it'll need to be restarted. See the dotted blue line ------->
They say you can edit it online, but that's not very smooth or easy at this point.
You can't edit the pictures you take before uploading them.

Final verdict - A great app to have if you iRoll with your iPhone anyway. Especially useful if you ride away from home on unfamiliar roads. If you want a GPS as a dedicated training aid, it'd probably best to get a separate one, but you're gonna have to pay.

iRideOn

For Your Dirty Mind

2009-09-17T10:35:00.005-05:00

If you haven't checked out what Jason has been up to - you should!!!!

A great magazine about things long, hard, and dirty. Get your mind out of the gutter, then go download this great (and free) online mag!!!

Each issue is packed with incredible photos and even better stories. He's really done some phenomenal publishing there. Just clicky on the picky below.
RideOn
JB

NOPE

2009-09-13T20:50:00.007-05:00

Not dead yet,

RideOn

I wonder what D-Bo is doing?

THIS BLOG

2008-03-18T12:20:00.004-05:00

Is not dead yet!

although by the way I've been riding one might think it's owner is ..........

Season is in full swing now. LOTS and lots of good race reports. Click on the locals links to the left.

Thanks for all the emails of 'concern'. HAH. Nice to know people are still checkin' up on me.

Full on blogging (what is that?) will be underway again starting April 1.

(Thanks to Bob and BJ for the pics)

It's Official

2008-02-04T10:58:00.000-05:00

While most of the rest of the world was up enjoying a nice mountain bike weekend at Sherando and Harrisonburg, some of us went to take the course and get our Cycling Officials certification.

Can't say enough about the people who gave the course. Their enthusiasum made the whole thing totally enjoyable.

We should also send some appreciation the way of those that offiiciate all of our events. Sure they get paid a (very) nominal amount, but most of them are out there just because they enjoy it.

The 50 question test was open book, but still not a breeze. You actually did have think through the questions. I was impressed.

The best question of the test was something like :

The key tenent of Mountain Bike Racing is :

a.) Dirt is always better than asphalt
b.)
c.)
........

I can't remember what the other choices were, but that one sure got a "lol" out of me. Was it the correct choice? You'll have to read the rule book to find out!

Also big props to Roger, who set up the wonderful venue, arranged for the food, and led a bunch of us out on a nice morning group ride around the area. We came across a number of dogs, but they all had 4 legs.

RideOn

JB

Fixin' the Teeuwen Ride

2008-01-14T09:26:00.001-05:00

and you didn't even know it was broke ....................

The last time I rode the fixer was at a RABA century last summer. Unfortunately one of the elbow pads blew off on the way up when the bike was on the roof rack. An impromptu replacement was made with a towel fragment and some 'lectrical tape. It worked just fine but fell short on style points.

If necessity is the mother of invention, who is the father?

So it was switched out before the Sunday ride.

Getting back on the fixer always involves a bit of trepidation and awkwardness at first. But it goes away quick. Got a feel for it on the way down to the shop to meet the crew. Still took another 20 miles or so to get comfortable in a close double pace line. 60-65 miles out to the Ruritan club. Temps in the high 40s. Got blasted by rain a few times, but it didn't last too long. Best thing about being cold and wet was having 12 or so friends out there to share it with. Everything dried out eventually except my feet. Shoulda had shoe covers.

One "rest" stop on the way. Why do I always catch Laura with her mouth full?

Not sure what was happening over by the outhouse, but someone paid me good money to blur the photo, thereby protecting the guilty.

A good crowd was gathered - the elusive DBo even made it out there. (Thanks for the ride home buddy)

The Teeuwen Ride is an annual event in honor of deceased local cycling icon Peter Teeuwen. It was my first time out to do it. We followed the PLT 24 mile time trial lollipop course. Fully escorted by police. Sweet. Lots of folks ahead and behind. A real nice post ride pot luck buffet too. Especially fine was the spicy chili! I thought, at 75+ riders, it was a pretty good crowd, but those that knew better said it was actually a small turnout. The weather kept those with less fortitude (or more common sense?) inside.

Considering my lack of time on the saddle this year (2-3 days a week), I felt pretty good. My foot wasn't even sore after it thawed out. 97 gear inches was a bit much for this ride, but a good workout anyway.

RideOn

lyrics 4 the day :

"Lookin' back in front of me,
in the mirrors a grin,
through eyes of love I see,
I'm really lookin at a friend......"

Blogging Hiatus Soon to END!

2008-01-07T08:58:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a happy, healthy, fun, and prosperous holiday(s)

What could possibly be going on here?

Photo by Harlan

RideOn,

JB

Every Now and Then

2007-12-19T18:42:00.000-05:00

you need a little PUSH

Mine came back yesterday. Freshly rebuilt FOX 100. With the old parts too.

Complete with a nice lil' sheet of stickers, one of which adorns my 'puter.

Was hoping to have the bike back together to hit up Razorback in Fla over the holiday, but with the status of my foot, that just aint happenin'

Oh well.

RideOn

JB

Movie Night Part Uno

2007-12-18T00:53:00.000-05:00

Remember the flick "GOOD WILL HUNTING" ?

Probably brings up thoughts of how a downtrodden blue collar Bostonian with a genious IQ and photographic memory fights to defend his friends and lifestyle, before he eventually rises "above" them. Or maybe it was really about a guy who refuses to achieve his true potential .....

There was a cool bar scene

and a touching performance by Robin Williams

all good stuff. What you probably don't remember is the eff bombs ...... I mean we all heard them, but they were diluted by all that great acting and fantastic story line .... Distilled down, they're pretty funny .... (you probably don't want to play this at work)

RideOn

JB

A BIG THANKS

2007-12-17T14:56:00.000-05:00

to Kevin for taking our CX team photos

RideOn

JB

Enough is Enough

2007-12-16T10:20:00.000-05:00

or so my ankle told the rest of my body.

Seems I've always had "bad ankles". Back in the dark ages that was the 60's and 70's, they were constantly getting "sprained", swelling up, and getting wrapped. Back then the common advice was "Get up and walk it off ....", so that's what I did.

Long story short - I've been getting ankle/foot pain after CX rides/races. Directly in proportion to how much time is spent running/walking/shuffling along side the bike. It usually went away after a few days. Last week it didn't, and just got worse. Off to get it checked, Dx - Navicular bone stress fracture. Bummer.

Had planned on heading out to KCX to help ouy the boys and do some riding (hard to call what I've been doing of late racing). Really bummed to miss that, especially upon seeing the EPIC conditions (---> from KDog in KC). Even more bummed about being off the bike for "x" number of weeks, -

"Let pain be your guide" <------ Orthopedic Physician's mantra

So, time to give tribute to the locals out in the friggid cold of KCCX :

Jeff Buckles 11th in U23

Steven DeLisle, top 25 in same

Sean Yeager - Really riding well out there. The Yeagermiester warmed up with a 13th in the "B" race, then went out and got a fine finish in his age group.

Of course Crazy and the Dog are out there, we'll let them tell their stories later ......

(another KDog berryphoto----->)

and yes! Fred Wittwer repeated in the 55-59 ge group. That man can fly .......

(photo from last year's Nats)

RideON, and let "pain be your guide"

Gettin' It Done

2007-12-10T17:16:00.000-05:00

Tripower/Cyclocross wrapped up the Team competition in the Va. State Cross series yesterday in C-Ville after a season long battle with the fine team from Cobblestone Bikes.

Thanks to all the racers, race directors, and sponsors - esp. Sally Snead and ALAN America for a fantastic Va Cylocross Season.

Young Mark and the Zack Attack came through with big points - Zack got points in 2 separate races.

While Crazy led the cheering section at the top of the "Big Hill"

RideOn

JB

The One That Got Away

2007-11-26T10:02:00.001-05:00

Friday - The Fast Friday ride, like Crit training. A bit more structured than the old days around Tuskawilla, but still edge of your saddle fun. That is until TurboTodd went down. A skilled landing saved a bunch of skin.

It's a dangerous game we play out there people, respect it - your riding partners will thank you.

Saturday - the 42 mile Lakemont Road Race. Time didn't permit me to go with the longer group. Have to do it next time. Florida Road is still a drag race, and the speed didn't end there.

Sunday - Planned on broadening my horizons by heading up to Lake Mary for the Seminole Cyclists ride. Printed up some maps. Left in the dark. That Blackburn Quadrant headlight looks a bit like an old Flash Gordon ray gun, but works nice. 4 LEDS, and you can set it to have 2 blinking and 2 on steady.

Somehow got the info wrong as to the start location. Was at Lake Mary Cycles, but no one else was. Oh well.

Went on to ride the loop anyway, then saw the correct start locale at the Coffee Shop. I'll know for next time. The loop is around a big Lake, so no place to shortcut and catch anyone, but I tried anyway. Real loop in blue, my wanderings in red.

Saw some orange road hickies that seemed to keep me on track.

Wrong way? or WAY wrong? Either way, better turn around.

Beautiful day to ride, and a real nice loop - long wide open roads with big shoulders.

Took a short off road detour 2 miles from the end and paid the price with a flat.

Was another great trip down here, the weather was ideal, but I missed the Einstein's Bagels. I'll get some at Christmas .....

RideOn,

ThanksGiving

2007-11-22T14:16:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

A day to sit back, ponder the year gone by, and look forward to the year ahead.

A few of the things I'm thankful for :

Making it out of Cat 5 with all of my skin intact
A great team with which to share the trials, tribulations, agony, and ecstasy of cycling.
My family and friends
A nice group of folks with which to ride while I'm down here at my home away from home.

Speaking of which .......

I got out at 0-dark hundred to meet the Lakemont groups.

Saw a nice sunrise

Had a nice 4+hour ride with 30-40 cycling buddies, including one national champ (WTG Cori)

Dave has a new bike, and don't think for a minute you can drop him on it. It's not often you see a seat post longer than a top tube, or a wheel diameter that is 25% of the riders inseam.

Of course one "funny" bike seems to attract others

Well, the bird is almost done, and it smells

goooooooooooooood

Hope you made some room for lots of turkey by getting a nice

RideOn

JB

The 18 hrs of Boy Scout's Honor 2007

2007-11-19T21:34:00.000-05:00

Once again the overall feel and vibe of the race was incredible. Huge props to CEd, Jodi, and the whole Cobblestone crew for keeping a good thing going, and making it better and better every year. If you enjoy MTBing, and haven't done this event, you're really missing out.

The conditions were dark and cold at the 6PM start. Ed led us around the prologue on the sweet 69er he'd just built and we were off. All endurance MTBraces should take a cue from this race and eliminate the dreaded LeMans start. Sure there were minor log jams here and there, but it gets the fastest cyclists (not the fastest runners) into the single track first.

Shawn Tevendale (Trek/VW) led the solo division for much of the race with Charles Clarkson (Ellsworth) close behind. Clarkson took the lead in the wee hours of the morning only to succomb to numb fingers and toes and a brief bout of blurred vision. The temps just before dawn were in the VERY low 30's.

While Clarkson (-->) was resting and recovering he was passed by Kevin Cox (Natures Path/3Sports) who held on for second place.

Clarkson went back out to solidify his 3rd place while Eric Alger (EVMA) (<--) finished 12 laps just before the cut off time for 4th place solo.

Check Dave Swager's site for some nice photos

Jared Nieters was there with a strong Haymarket Bike (-->) team to win the 4 man Expert/Pro division, but not without a strong fight by local favorites Yoda/Lama (<--) ....

Team Arsenal did what they do, and set a strong consistant pace that wasn't to be matched in the Dou Expert division. Fernando and Robert (NCVC) (--->) were close enough to keep them looking back and took second.

Of course these results are what I saw and totally unofficial!...

As far as my race - It can be summed up by this and this. More details later.

RideOn

JB

Whooped

2007-11-14T11:11:00.001-05:00

OK, I'll be the first to admit that Monday night's Velocity training session kicked my butttttttox.

The "Dirty Thirty" they called it.

30 of this

30 of that

30 of the other.

Can't even remember them all, but I'll try :

30 situps

30 chinups

30 pushups

30 dips

30 squat weighted ball throws

30 burpeys <----- tough things they are

30 wall to wall runs (woops only ten of those)

30 sweepers

30 squat weight swingy thingy's

30 or more of me thinkin' "Man this is tough, why am I breathing so hard and sweating so much?"

and a partridge in a pear tree.

Then on the bike 9 hours later for the Tuesday AMers. The first few Tuesday's after Velocity it was a goal to suck wheels and hang on. This Tuesday I thought I'd be feelin' a bit stronger - Until about #15 of the the squat weighted ball throws. My quads were burnin'. I said to the Crazy one thrusting his ball next to me - "So much for a strong ride tomorrow morning."

But the morning came, and I figured may as well give it a go. Took one good tug, then back in the pace line. tRoy took a good hard last pull into the headwind sprintzone, and no one made an effort to get around him. Fine by me.

Up the bridge I really felt the dead legs. AtD (astride leadfork) went up strong w/JDiesel, and gapped the rest of us. I wasn't going to chase up the hill and hoped everyone (or anyone) would come around me . No one did. Eff. Tried hard to reel those 2 in on the downhill side and further down the road. Got the group within 15 feet or so and popped like a cheap balloon. Pulled out just before COX HS. Enough work for the day, I'm supposed to be taperin' anyway.

ed. - been lookin' at that picture since I had it up - Does AtD have 2 big handfulls of brake or WHAT? Heck, without that brake action he'd of come in better than the 3rd he got.

The word is that pre-reg for the (rescheduled) 18 hr is ahead of last year. WoooooHooooo!!!! Almost 30 solos, sure to be some last minute folks too. Temp forecast is for 34-54 degrees. That'll be comfortable (unless you stop!)

RideOn

I've done some pretty silly things before ...

2007-11-10T09:48:00.001-05:00

but today's group rides weren't one of them,

I don't think ...............

Temps in the 40's, 10-20 mph north wind,
oh yeah, and RAIN.

Sally and MkMc fix a gashed tire w/cold hard cash.

Austin and I circle back to find the group,

K-Dog pulls a "I'll attack at the regroup" break, and fuels up w/ a moonpie.

Dag tries to direct traffic at the "longest redlight ever"

While a smiling crowd ignores the ominous clouds behind them.

Then the rain came, again, and hard. Couldn't see squadoush. Thanks to Crazy for being sure I got (more than) enough time at the front. Wheel-suckin' took on a whole new meaning. Road spray for hydration.

And to all those that stayed out to finish the loop(s) - I applaude you, but my momma taught me to get in out of the rain ........ The weather probably got better, 'cause it couldn't of gotten much worse.

Even a week long growth of hair couldn't keep the legs warm today.

At least, after a nice hot shower, I can almost feel my toes now.

RideOn

JB

and happy B-Day to JLaw, hope you got your hundy in.

The Chill is On

2007-11-05T08:48:00.000-05:00

MTB weekend.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Yummmmmmm, yum, yum

Hit the 18 hr. course for a pre-ride Saturday. Parking lot was full. Lots of folks enjoying the Sunny cool day. Saw a bunch of the Richmond crew, Phil, Scott, BigD, Susan, AC and more.

Gotta say that when I heard CyclesEd was reversing the course direction for this year's race I was a bit leary. I'm an old, scared rider, and really had grown accustomed to it the original direction. One pre-ride in the mire and muck early this year didn't show me a lot.

After a few day laps, and some more at night, I've gotta say I'm a believer. Really thought this was one of the best layouts anywhere before the direction change. Now after riding it the new way I say it's even better! It's so much fun you can forget how hard you're working.

Props to Ed and crew for even more new (since the postponement) trail work. The new sections eliminate just about all of the gravel road around the start/finish, and really have some flow. One section has the feel of a pump track. A nice little climb into the scoring area lets you know the lap is done, unless of course you have to keep on going .............

Makes me ?!really!??? look forward to 18 hours of pain, agony and delerium ........... I think.

The sun went down and the temps dropped into the 40's FAST. After the day laps on the Epic, I saddled up the Caffiene 29er for the night. Got lights dialed in and such. Still think the Epic will be the bike of choice for the race. The squishy rear end is much kinder to my old back than that non-compliant ALuMinium.

Forgot how much fun night riding is. Not a cloud in the sky. Furry little critters with glowing eyeballs scurrying about. Eiree noises coming out of the Pirate Ship at night. What are those Boy Scouts doin' in there? The loops seemed to go by faster than before. The last 1.5-2 miles will lay a hurtin' to ya after awhile for sure.

Gonna keep the NiteRider MOAB on the bike and the NiteRider Flight on the brain bucket. Try to milk as many minutes out of them as I can. The race will start at 6PM (in the dark), so there will be close to 12 hours of darkness, then 6 hours of daylight.

LED vs. HID --->

Nice to have the LED's as backup.

RideOn

BackBlog

2007-11-01T12:39:00.000-05:00

Last weekend - A few cross races, then some spectating/photoging at the TidewaterMTBChallenge. It made for a fun, busy weekend.

The second sweat session at Velocity on Monday night made the group ride on Tuesday (9 hours later) even more of a struggle to get up for. But ya gotta do what ya gotta do. The ride was the first ride of the year started in ~50 degree temps. And it didn't even seem to warm up much as the sun rose. That'll wake ya up in the marning boy!

The Velocity session was fun(ny), hard, and interesting. I mean, it had to be funny watching an old man (me) trying to learn to jump rope. Glad there's no video on that. I'm learnin' and and am looking forward to doing it again next week. Not quite ready to buy my own rope yet. (Do they come in carbon fiber?) Then some Burpy (sp?) intervals. Another new trick. Not really any post workout soreness to speak of, especially compared to last week. But definitely no snap on the ride Tuesday.

TideWater Mountain Bike Challenge

The TMBC is, imho, one of the premier MB events around. The whole vibe is as laid back as it gets. Lots of spectators on lawn chairs with coolers. Nice tent set up by the Casey folks with a loud cheering section including fans doing the wave. It was the first real MTB race I ever did 3 years ago. I won't miss it next year. I mean cross is fun, but not quite like this. Sure the pros are serious, it's what they do. But the vast majority of folks are out there to have a good time, get some big air, then yell and scream for everyone else. KUDOS to Steve Nevins and crew for keepin' the dream alive.

Some highlights :

The incredible HULK.

Big Daddy - lookin' good and, in his own words, "feelin' pretty". 4Sure

His wife - in her first TMBC - lookin' good AND pretty. Have to say I told ya so ........

The TriPower crew.

Also props to the only guy I saw that did the double - Bryan Park Cross AND the TMBC.

More cross reports later, tater

RideOn

JB

Photozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2007-10-29T14:44:00.000-05:00

CLICK HERE

Behind the Brown Door

2007-10-25T09:25:00.000-05:00

Which sounds vaguely renminiscent of a classic old movie ...........

but we won't go there.

Behind the brown door is slowly becoming what will be a bicycle storage and maybe even place to spin on the god-forsaken indoor trainer. A few remodeling projects need to be finalized (they're almost done) before the room behind the brown door gets it's final makeover.

Until then it's not just a haphazard bike storage, but a veritable orgy of the 2 wheeled variety.

If you're plain old bored (you must be to be reading this), let's play count the bicycles. Since many of the front wheels get hung their separate little area, we'll define a bicycle here as a frame and rear wheel. Extra credit for brand name and model.

RideOn

First Things First

2007-10-23T18:42:00.000-05:00

First you learn to ride ...........

Then you learn to run-up.

Yesterday we started a 20 week program - (1 night a week) with Velocity Sports Performance.

Thanks to Josh (I think) for setting this up. 14 of us, from 15 to (almost) 50 showed up to do exercises that I haven't done in probably 35 years or so. Some exercises I've never even seen or heard of that had to be invented by some hyper-coordinated contortionist gym-rat. It's all good, as long as my knees hold out. Today glutes, hammies, and quads are sore. Not the same sore as after a hard ride, but sore all around. All those stabilization muscles that we never use cycling, took a real beating.

WHY?

Why do we do this?

Hmmmmm ?????? ......... Ideas :

It'll soon be to dark and cold to get good rides in.
Because Velocity can help make you faster, stronger, and more explosive. Yep, it's gotta be true, I saw it on the website. More explosive - does that mean I'll blow up more during a race?
We're all gluttons for punishment.
We just love each others sweaty company.
It beats sitting on the couch and eating pizza.
It gives us something to blog about.

It's going to "fun" and really great ................................

when it's over!

Went out at 6:15AM for the Tuesday group rides. A bit stiff at first, then didn't feel too bad. Probably 'cause all I did was suck wheels. Damn near got dropped AXE-elleratiing from every red light.

RideOn

PoleGreenCross by Cobblestone.

2007-10-22T09:02:00.001-05:00

Pole Green Cross by COBBLESTONE BIKE

Fun racing in summer-like weather

Shawn and Marco giv'n'r ---->

Super Sally had a great race with Julie K.

Chris, Marco, Albe, and MikeMc, did 2 races each. TurboTim, and BillyG quit while they were ahead, each notching top finishes in their first race before opting out of more abuse.

I "did" two races, but wasn't feelin' it at all ..... or maybe I was feelin' it too much? Either way, still a good workout. Suckmeter was redlined. Thanks for all the yelling, screaming, and cowbells. If it weren't for those I'd of bailed on the second race after 1 lap.

Sounds like Crazy and K-Dogg had some great rides at Wiss and da-Nogue.

Pictures will be up after my photo site gets their junk together.

RideOn

Lessons Learned Last Weekend - Part 1

2007-10-17T14:05:00.000-05:00

The Cooper Vineyard course was short and fast. Hard and bumpy too. That's not a complaint. I liked the course a lot (well - except for that hill). I'll even say I liked the hill too. I just didn't like that I couldn't go up it as fast as the rest of the world.

Got to the venue a bit later than I'd like, still got reg'd and had about a 20 minute warm-up. Went to the porta-johns, which were about 1/2 mile from the start. Realized I hadn't pinned up. Got that done quick. 3 minutes to start. YIKES. Sprinted across the field. As I was headed down the hill the 35+ group (which started 1 minute before the 45+) were flying up at me. Made it down the, hill snuck under the tape, turned my bike around as the gun went off. Stayed in touch with the 2nd group for like 2 laps. Got dropped on (you guessed it) the hill. Fought back hard on the fast back straight, but totally blew up like a cheap carnival balloon. Chased after and leapfrogged a few guys. Way deep in in the hurt locker. Kept waiting for the lap board to give me an idea of how much longer I had to suffer. It finally came out and said 8 laps to go.

WTF! 8 more laps!!!! NO - NO - NO effin' way. I felt like I'd been out there for an hour already. My burning lungs and wet noodle legs told me that aint gonna happen. My body screamed at my brain :

"Blame it on your TOE"

"Quit this race now."

"DNS the next race."

"No show IronCross"

"Sell your cross bike"

"Go home and relax"

A cooler head prevailed, and I sucked it up to finish. Thanks to Mark for the words of encouragement as he lapped me. They came when I really needed 'em. National champ Fred Wittwer flew by me more than once also. At just 3 minutes or so the laps went by quick. Being a lappee meant I didn't have to do all 8. What a bonus. I feel honored just to be on the same course as these fast "old" guys.

On paper a 45 minute CX race appears to be %50 longer than a 30 Minute CX race.

Lesson #1 - A 45 minute CX race is actually TWICE as long as a 30 minute one. REALLY.

So how much longer is a 1 hour cross race? Not sure I wanna know - just yet anyway

Changed clothes, took some photos, then went back and kitted up for round 2 with the C's. Saw my buddy Andy out there, and Nate too (didn't realize it was you til later Nate, I was delerious). Gave Andy some crap for not upgrading yet, but he stills needs a few more races or a few more points. At the line saw more than a few guys with carbon wheels and sew-ups. Damn, the C division is getting serious.

Race 2 went better, especially since I now knew (at only 3o minutes) it was only 1/2 as long as the first race.

It was great seeing Andy (you can call him An-Twan) take first place on his SS.

His weapon of geared bike destruction ---> Sorry photo won't load check back!

Oher notes about the race :

The venue has HUGE potential. Thanks to the vintner and crew for hosting the race and giving out wine samples. It really is good stuff. Try it sometime. Total Wine in Virginia carries it.

The course just needs to be longer, and have a few more dismounts/technical sections. There's a ditch that runs through that could be used somehow, and there's plenty of land to add length.

Thanks to the promoters Sally Snead and Alan of North America

Craig Dodson had the step through workin' at full stride and was wowing the crowd with his speed through the barriers. I like the barriers where they were, it puts a premium on technique.

RideOn

JB

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz.............

2007-10-15T06:27:00.000-05:00

A fun filled 2 days,

2 cross races on Saturday at a dry and dusty Coopers Vineyards,

and 1 BIG Cross race on Sunday

It was an incredible weekend, met some inspirational folks, saw some great racing, saw some old friends, had a great day with the team, and beat myself to a pulp. Was all well worth it. More to come later, 'cause ...

I'm very, verrry, tired ......

RideOn

TOEtally Psyched, I Think

2007-10-10T18:08:00.000-05:00

IronCross V is just a few days away, time to get psyched.

Saturday is the start of the VaCX series, time to get psyched!

The Poor Farm Fall Cup is this weekend, time to get psyched. Good luck to JB and those entered. I'm sure AC has a killer course planned ...... time to get PSCYHED!

George is hosting the last road race of the year is down in NC. Good luck to KJ, Tyler and everyone else making the trip. Time to GET PSYCHED!!

Trebon won CX Vegas . Vervecken won day 1 up in Lon GUYland - Then Wicks did it the next day. Time to REALLY get psyched. Click on the Cylocross Videos button on the left to see some video of it.

If you can't get excited about cross - go get your pulse checked, then go get a cowbell ...... A BIG ONE!

Some reports on last years IronCX IV, for your reading pleasure :

Gary Hill - who came over from Europe

and an old report on IronCross III by Nate Deibert

and a picture to get you MORE psyched - The last part of the multi-crawl up. Got to meet and chat with Mike Kuhn on a preride. All those VisitPa.com dudes are wicked fast. Very personable guy. Super fit. He was kind enough to wait at the top of the crawlups.

and if that aint enough to check you pumped up ........ well .......... check THIS out :

yes, Rob Jebb will be at IronCross. Three Peaks was actually cancelled this year . 'Eeze cum across fer da suffrin'

Give Your Big Toe a Hug Day

I'm looking for my camera battery charger so I can can take a pic of my bludgeoned big toe. Big toes are sort of funny ... haha .... and very underappreciated. They just sit down there, taking up space in our shoe, and making there relatives look small. We really take them for granted until they aren't working right, then we realize how important they are. So give your big toes a HUGE hug today to let them know how much you care.

Riding on the road isn't too bad as long as I don't hit any bumps. Can't stand on the pedals. It's getting better day by day, but will it be ready for the weekend? Only time will tell, and it isn't talking ........

No CX practice tonight. Gonna TRY and ride CX bike through Seashore and see how it goes.

RideOn

JB

Saltim - WHAT?

2007-10-08T08:20:00.000-05:00

Got together with some good friends/teammates and saw the Cirque du Soliel Saltimbanco, which was in town for a brief stint. It did not disapoint. Acrobatics, bungee jumping, mimes, fixed gear bicycle tricks, the show had it all. It was like watching a living, breathing cartoon.

Much of the troupe had these bright skinsuits on.

A possible team kit for cross season? Probably not.

The outfit shares too many colors with a fast, and (recently disbanded?) local team.

One of the highlights of the show was the boleadoras act.

What could be more captiving than watching women swing a pair of balls on the end of a string? You tell me. A better video of the show here.

After the performance we all went to Bobbywood. On the way back to the car I stubbed my big toe on an uneven sidewalk. Thought it was insignificant till we stopped a hundred yards later and noticed a nice puddle of blood overflowing from my sandal. Ugh. Now have a big, fat, throbbing, bandaged toe. Looks like I'll loose a bunch of meat from the tip and under the nail bed. Sucks. After wedging my hoof into a cycling shoe I rode on Sunday, , but couldn't put much power out with that foot. Standing and pedaling was WAY out of the question. Bad timing with CX races this weekend.

Wha'daya'gonna'do .............

RideOn

JB

R & R

2007-10-06T08:45:00.000-05:00

Cross practice on Thursday was attended by a modest crowd despite the beautiful weather. YoungZack, Josh, Marco, K-Dogg, JimmyD, and later, AtD and Crazy.

We rode around a bit then each did 2 TTS probably bit over 1K long. Started at the top of the big hill. The grass was hard and bumpy. It finished with a run/ride back up the monster. JimmyD rocked it, Crazy tried to eat the 2nd barrier, I rode like a fat ol' tired flatlander. Still a great workout. K-Dogg has some post ride pics up here.

Going through about a zillion photos and trying to sort and categorize 'em. Brought back some memories :

Riding in the desert at noon can get hot, and shade is hard to find, gotta use it when you can, only place the temp might be below 100.

After a few hours riding in the heat, a sudden rain storm is a welcome relief,

but can lead to some dirty bikes.

After 14 straight days of riding I took a day off yesterday. Time to taper.

RideOn

VISIONS

2007-10-04T13:18:00.000-05:00

Of the near future : (IRONCROSS)

The corkscrew - Once past this - you're almost home!

The big gated area now has a smaller gate to wedge through.

and the long ago past :

Just around the time that the last of the old leather skull buckets rotted away from repeated profuse sweating .........

"The SkidLid Corporation" came out with the infamous "SkidLid". I found mine in a back corner behind the brown door. Circa - 1983 or so.

The helmet did look better with a cover stretched around it.

I, however, still look like a dork.

"The SkidLid represents the state of the bicycle helmet art but no helmet can prevent ALL head injuries. Ride Safely!"

I found a site with a nice history of helmets on it. Protect your cranium, you can't buy another one.

RideOn

JB

Crash Therapy

2007-09-30T06:36:00.000-05:00

The 7:15er was changed to the 7:10er to avoid the dreaded school buses that stop at every block near the end of Shore Dr. I think to ride was fast enough to hit the earlier bus. Lots of strong engines pullin' the train on Thursday, just not enough train track.

Out in the park for an early recovery ride Friday, got a chance to ride with this young man:

Thought I was takin' a pic, got a video instead.

Practicing the step through dismount.

Requires balance, total commitment .......

and oh yeah ----- it helps to unclip before that first step or you'll fall hard with your bike on top of you and get covered in sand. My back was bothering me before the fall, now it's not. Voila! Instant spine adjustment.

This'd be a "ride in the park" on a MTB .............

But on a CX bike you must focus and concentrate ........

momentum and line .... momentum and line ....

and

practice,

practice........

Here's to the Lippencote Trail

RideOn

JB

Go CESARE

2007-09-29T05:19:00.000-05:00

The best bicycle add campaign ever?

You be the judge.

Makes me want to ......

um ........

ahhhhhhh.......

Go buy a handbag!?!

and we thought indoor trainers were dull and boring ....................

More at :

CESARE PACIOTTI

go to 2007 add campaign

RideOn

Tuesday Part Deux

2007-09-25T22:05:00.000-05:00

CX practice was well attended with close to 20 folks from a CXsection of all local teams.

But before we get to that be sure to check out Biker BJ's slideshow HERE. Really an awesome thing. She did a great job. Really captured the emotion and FUN of the season. You don't see many people smilin' at a road race (one of the reasons I like MTBin' more), but it's still ridin', and I love 2 do that. The slideshow makes me think about how much fun we had this year amidst all the pain, and how much I love bein' on this team and all the people on it!!!!!! WooooHoooo!

YOU ALL ARE THE BEST!!!! Vive le TriPower

Soooo Anyway ........

Got out to the rubbish pile early enough to get 30 minutes of running (wooops - I should say jogging) in.

Then we went and practiced starts for a while. 4 person groups, 100 yards out in thegrass, 180 turn, 100 yards back. Got things goin' with a good burn. Everyone got 4-5 reps in. Kicked my a$$.

Then some laps, some barriers, and some hills. Finished watchin' the moon rise as the sun goes down. Great way to end the day.

You have to check out Silly Super Sally's Sexy Salsa CX bike.

It's saaaaaaaa-weet.

RideOn

Kaaaa-racks and F-Bombs

2007-09-25T13:18:00.000-05:00

Up at 0-dark-hundred. Outside putting my shoes one. Stand up take one step :

Kaaaaaaaa-rack. EF!

I stepped on my blinky. Won't blink anymore, won't even turn on. Oh well.

Hustlin' down to the 7:15er, which is now the 7:10er, solo TT style. Decide to go straight down Atlantic to be on time, hit a big kaaaaaa-rack in the pavement in the "Bike-Lane".

ffffffftttt .......ffffttttttt...... ffffttt...fftt EF! EF! Rear flat. Coast on up to Holly Rd. to at least SEE the group.

Changing the tube and realize I have no valve extension. EF! EF! EF! Look up as they roll by and beg for an extension. Luckily JDiesel has one. Fixed and rollin' in a jiffy. Looked like lots of folks were a bit late today. We still missed the Shore Drive school buses.

The rest of the ride uneventful : A flat false alarm, my legs felt dead, AtD wheezed a bit. Crazy's back on the bike after a week off.

The remnants of the ride.

Hopefully CX practice tonight will be better.

RideOn

Soccer Crit #1

2007-09-24T08:11:00.001-05:00

Exciting day on Sunday as the Virginia Beach Soccer Crit Course opened for the first race. Just a paved road with no cars would seem simple enough, but with the City government negotiations and endless bureaucratic red tape it really represents far more than that. It's a victory for everyone that rides a bike.

The course is just under 3/4 of a mile, with enough smooth turns and wind to make it fun.

Literally a decade or more of persistent hard work and planning went into getting this thing done, and those involved deserve not just a round of applause, but a standing ovation.

Even more exciting is the possibility in the future of extending the course into the woods on the top right to make a circuit of well over a mile. All we have to do is show our support by using the thing.

The initial plan was to race 45+ in the B race then try to hang on with the A race (Cat 1234) till I exploded in a burst of quickly dying flames. But alas my upgrade didn't come through in time, sooooooo ............. it was just one scorchin' race for the day.

With Masters, Juniors, Cat5, and Ladies all included the B race was bound to split up early, and it was obvious the wheels to watch were the dynamic junior duo of Lucas and Elliot (Fat Frogs) as well as their teammate and BAR Champ, the always strong and powerful AJ, (no we're not brothers, and YES you should've upgraded already AJ! ;-) ).

At the start the 2 young (Cat 3) guns took off and were looking over their shoulder at the pack by the first turn. I resisted the urge to chase, as that would've been sure self destruction that early on. A lap or 2 later 4 of us went off to try and catch them with only 2 making it, AJ and a teammate. Dan (East Coast Bikes) and I were left in no-mans land. One of the front four cracked and dropped back with the main pack. Pretty much the way it finished with Dan and I trading pulls to stay ahead of the group. Not really much of a chance of us catching those 3 strong guys out front, so it was just damage control to the finish. He got stuck with the last pull, which made it easier for me to nose him out in a sprint to the line.

The A race was wicked fast and spewed riders off the back from early on. K-Dogg has some of Bob D's photos up. Josh was out there too.

The course is really a bunch of fun to race on. None of the turns are too tight, and each one is different enough to keep it interesting. The next races are next Sunday, so get out there, have some fun, and show the City how much we'll support this thing!

After the race there was time to watch the Stillers kick some west coast butt, then play with pneumatic tools and wood planks at home.

RideOn

If Ignorance is Bliss .....

2007-09-21T05:34:00.000-05:00

then I'm a happy man

Much needed rain was drizzling all day so official Cross practice was canceled. More out of respect for the property and relationship with the City than anything else.

But I had the bike loaded up, and the running shoes (I thought) with the gear in the car ....... and it IS on the way home ........

So I went out to The Rubbish Pile anyway to get a few laps of running and some steps in.

Got there and saw the normal lot closed and all kinds of media there, Including a hovering News helicopter. WHAT? Maybe they were there to cover our practice? and didn't hear it was canceled? Cross IS getting more popular .........

Went to put on running shoes and found that in the semi-awake delirium of the morning I'd grabbed 1 road shoe and 1 running shoe. Both for the same foot. EF.

They both WERE grey, easy mistake ..... I guess.

Luckily I had some MTB shoes in the trunk. With 2 blown out ankles and 1/2 a blown out knee I HATE (that's a strong word) running in MTB shoes, even for short distances. No choice. Rode a few easy warm up laps around the whole park, then hit the steps for repeats. Got plenty of practice with mounts and dismounts. Have almost totally eliminated the stupid extra little hop I seem to want to take on remounting.

The whole while the helicopter was hovering and people were congregating, followed by crews with cameras. Then they took over part of the trail including the cross course. As I was packing it in and KJ rides up on his CX bike. He didn't get the memo .......

Keith DID know what the whole march/media thing was about. It was all about this Jena 6 thing. Excuse my social ignorance, but I hadn't even heard of it. So if the march was to raise awareness, it did, by 1. I'm not going to further display my ignorance by making any comments or opinions on the whole thing ......... other than to say ,

HATE is a strong word.

But I already said that.

and ignorance, while it may be bliss, is just plain stupid, and when combined with hate can be downright dangerous.

RideOn

Special(ized) Night

2007-09-19T16:22:00.000-05:00

Got 3 good loops in Tuesday morning.

Is it just my imagination, or are car drivers getting more and more reckless and thoughtless?

Whatever happened to Share the Road?

At the shop there was a sign of things to come.

Later that evening was a private showing of the new Specialized Transition. Only 10 of these rides exist and we were all very excited to see one. Afterwards the bike was boxed up and sent to Las Vegas to make an appearance at Interbike. Believe me when I tell you - this bike is drop dead gorgeous. Bike porn at it's finest.

Catered food and (adult) refreshments made the viewing even more palatable.

The Specialized rep was on hand to answer all questions, and to take orders. Expected completion of first production run - end of November.

I'm soooo not worthy.......................

All in all a good time was had by all. Only a few puddles of lustful drool were found. It was great to see everyone out there not wrapped up in lycra.

Thanks to our hosts for their hospitality and service. There was many a drawing for many a door prize.

In case you were wondering ......... specialized shoe covers DO work over heels.

In the end the boys will be boys and

and the girls will be girls .... (and thank God for that!)

I never win a door prize ........

RideOn

Shackin' Up?

2007-09-13T05:03:00.000-05:00

Just a little over a month til the top floor is overwhelmed by crazy flatlanders.

New this year -A little overflow shack for unruly guests, or those who refuse to abide by the curfew ........

Complete with slightly used mattress, sleep at your own risk.

RideOn

Iron What?

2007-09-08T20:47:00.000-05:00

Getting a handle on this course, and can pretty much get around it (almost) with nary a wrong turn. Trying to figure why this is so tough (and it is) ...... I'll let you know when I do. hah

One thing for sure, that dam (blankity-blank, insert your favorite expletives (or ask Liz for some) here) walk/crawl/shuffle up is just nasty. It was harder today than yesterday. It's definitely one of those "you have to be there" sort of things. Words, descriptions, and photos do it no justice at all.

And after the first crawl you're greated with a quick descent, another short run up. a shorter ride, then the last shuffle up. So it's really like 3 slogs in a row. Really nice to hit Ridge "Road" after that is done.

After the big crawl , looking at the next 2(--->)

Today I somehow got off track in the road section after the steep descent of Thompson Hollow "Road". Figured I could make it through without consulting the map. Wrong. Went around in circles.

It was probably just a subconscious attempt to delay the evil pain of Hogshead Rd., which wasn't too bad yesterday. A good bit tougher today. One thing for certain - the last double humper up Woodrow Rd. will make or break you. Today I was broken. I always want to get a picture of that evil beast, but cameras just aren't allowed that deep in the pain cave.

and so ends another long, hot, dry, parched, day in the big Mic. Bonked, dehydrated, cramped up at the end, but well worth it. Today I figured out why I'm up here ---

Cause I just can't GET this good of an ass whoopin' down on the island.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, we'll start the day tomorrow, with a ride, or two. ONE TWO.

RideOn

JB

History 102

2007-09-08T05:42:00.000-05:00

I case you were wondering (I know I was):

Courtesy of Caledonia

Don't forget to send some vibes out across the pond as (the thin fast young) JB and our American men will be throwin' down today at the Worlds. 10AM EST.

RideOn .....and on .........and on ......... and on ...........

Another Day in the Other Commonwealth

2007-09-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

Many thoughts about the 7Springs event, not a lot of time to write 'em down, been busy w/the pics. Really love that place, and the trails, and takin' the photos. Lots of heart and soul out there.

Got plenty of riding in too.

The day after the race, it was like we were never there.

Rode with the gang on Thursday AM. Good to see ChrisD out on the bike.

Planned on some top secret "cross-training" this weekend, but after talking to Chris it looks like the cats out of the bag ....... ,

So I got some maps together, and went out in search of the IronCross course. Michaux is big place. After awhile all the gravel roads look the same, the only difference is whether they go up, or go down ......

That "crawl" up however, is something you'll never confuse with anything else. Somewhere about 1/2 way up that thing, I was really wondering "Now exactly why the hell am I doing this?"

Still don't have that answer.

It looked a good bit overgrown compared to last year.

Then I hear this Bra-a-a-ap, Bra-a-ap. Couldn't really get a fix on where it was coming from. I know no one could ride a moto up that thing. I look up and sure as heck here they come. 1, 2, 3 ...... 4 of 'em. Rear wheels locked up, sliding around, rocks and boulders cascading down the hill ahead of 'em.

Gotta think they were a bit more surprised at seeing me than I was at them. One of 'em ate it on the lower (steeper) half, and they all stopped. Turns out they were pre-riding also. Moto rider #4 tells me there's an enduro race there next weekend, says they ride down this thing. I tell 'im about a bicycle race out there next month, say we go up this thing. He's says "How do you do that?"

I say "One step at a time.", and keep goin'.

That "run-up" won't be over grown after they're done with it.

I stumbled around, fumbled with the maps, missed many turns, still got to ride most of the course. At the end of 6+ hours I had a bone dry bottle, and bladder (mine and my camelback's), and 3 ticks on my leg .......
It was in the low 90's, dry and dusty out there. More abuse tomorrow.

Gotta let K-Dog borrow the bike again to get it cleaned ........

and thanks for the bar ends ....

RideOn

JB

Gettin' the Rides On

2007-08-31T07:34:00.000-05:00

A whole lot of ridin' will be goin on this weekend so I hope you'll be out there gettin' some of yours ....

I'll be up at the 7Springs 24 Hr Champion Challenge in Pa. NO - (thankfully) not racing. Taking photos, doing a bunch of riding, and watching as my buddy Jason slowly deteriorates.

I'll also be recording live audio updates every 6 hours on Karl Etzel's site - ride424.com, So be sure and check them out.

Karl and many other endurance maniacs will be out at the 24 Hours of Adrenlin Solo "Worlds". So best of luck to them. They will be posting live audio updates also.

Missing from the "worlds" this year is Chris Eatough - who will be trying to wrap up his 1st place in the NUE hundy series here in Va. :

Most everyone that's anyone (and many who aren't!) in the MTBing world on the East coast and beyond will be at the Shenandoah Mountain 100. Of course the big news is Floyd will be there too. I'm quite sure C. Eatough, Harlan, XXX and the boys will give him a run, and show him what east coast MTBing is all about.

and lets not forget the other (young, fast, thin) JB who is across the pond in Scotland at the REAL mtb worlds. Good luck to all.

RideOn

So best of luck to all of you and yours racing this weekend. RideSafe.

Puttin' the OLD in school

2007-08-29T17:54:00.000-05:00

I'm not one to bring up the past. What's done is done. Best to look forward in anticipation rather than backward in frustration. Hate to be one of those "been there done that" sorts ......

BUT ..................

I've been in the process of sorting out all my stuff, at least a large subset of it, which resides :

Behind the brown door -

Behind the brown door sits the archeology of my life. At least the last xx amount of years of it. Crammed and layered into an 8x10 room. Sorting through it used to be a annual thing, every spring. Seems like it's been many, many, more than a few years since I've tackled the chore. The door would barely open 6 inches when I started a few weeks ago. Now you can almost see parts of the floor. Remnants of many old sports, pastimes, and hobbies have been thrown in there, with hopes of future resurrection I suppose, but in reality to die a slow death.

The process of going through ones junk is fraught with conflicting emotions. Throw it out? Save it? -Tell yourself "It might be useful someday." (even though you know it won't) ..... Or just sit and ponder it for awhile, then toss it ........ , or set it aside, fate as yet undetermined.

Some old time photos, look even older in B&W.

Scanner not working so I had to take pictures of pictures.

Think you can guess the year? I doubt it.

Give it a try

AC or Dave would get it close, but I'd bet the rest will struggle.

Just remember :

The PAST is but a history ,

The future just a mystery,

Today is the Present,

Enjoy it while you can.

RideOn

JB

and Tigger too ..................

2007-08-29T05:05:00.000-05:00

7:30 AM 80 degrees

Riding your skateboard with a full, furry, Winnie the Pooh outfit on.

It just doesn't get any better than this

RideOn

JB

and The Babies on the Bus Go ........

2007-08-27T09:45:00.000-05:00

Getting over a cold/flu/whatever, complete with chills and night sweats. Sucks. Went to ride the Ravine on Friday and made it off the Island with out a hitch. First lap wasn't bad, shoulda quit while I was ahead, but the golden rule of road trips rule must be followed. So I limped through a few more. Didn't really realize how hot it was till stopping around 2:30 in the afternoon and find my shoes and socks feel like I'd been swimming in them, just puddles of sweat. I hate sweat running into my eyes when riding but always seem to forget where I put my sweatbands. Pithes me off even more when I find them in my trunk at the end of theride. The trails up there are my favs and in some sweet shape. A few washed out areas from the rain, but still nice and dry. The EPIC handled things very well.

Since I started MTBing a few years ago, Marl Ravine has always been a yardstick for fitness. Especially that last hill. You know the one. For 2 years I've been trying to make that hill my friend, but now I realize it's just a fruitless desire. That hill just isn't friendly, kind, OR nice. That's the way it is, that's the way it will be. Doesn't matter how fit I may be feeling, what gear I use, or what pace I take. Granny gear, middle ring, it just DOESN'T MATTER. Feels like my heart's gonna explode out of my chest everytime I make it to the top.

Saturday's early group ride was filled to medium capacity. Confirmed one thing - I'm still under the weather a bit. Didn't feel too, too, bad, till trying to recover from an effort. Nothing there. And the babies on the bus go WAH WAH WAH.

Like last year had planned on getting up at 3AM and driving to the the Blue Ridge Extreme Century. Was really on the fence. A pep talk and hug from my favorite motivational speaker made all the difference. Had the climbin' gears on the bike, packed up and ready. 3AM - alarm goes off, I've neither the energy or fortitude to drag my butt to the car and make the trip. (WAH WAH WAH). The team did put out some great efforts. Next year ............

Probably for the best. Spent a day of gettin' shite done, which in this case meant hours BEHIND THE BROWN DOOR.

More on that later.

RideOn wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah

JB

18 HOURS Rescheduled

2007-08-23T10:01:00.000-05:00

So the 18 hours of Scouts Honor was canceled due to an intense storm that racked the area one week ago. We got plenty of rain at the beach and some thunder and lightening, but it wasn't too too nasty.

Turns out it was one of the worst wind/electrical storms ever to hit ol' Goochland County in a long, long time. The power was still out on race day, and you couldn't even drive to the venue until very early Saturday morning. I know it had to be a brutally tough decision for Ed to make, but it certainly was the correct one. He and his crew had put uncountable hours and effort into a new sections of trail and had but many a new bridge up.

For a number of reasons I didn't get news of the cancellation until race day morning. Already packed, loaded, and in the area, we decided to go out and see what we could do to help with the cleanup. Once near the Camp you could see the devastation that the storm had wreaked on the area. Huge trees downed, some only recently having been moved off the road. Debris everywhere. Trust me, you can't even imagine how hard that storm hit the Goochland area.

With some loppers, a hand saw, and work gloves we did what little we could do the help cleanup that was already well underway. Applause to the many, many folks (38 people put in 166 hours of work) that made it out there to help. At least 3 or 4 crews with chain saws clearing out trees 2-3 feet in diameter that were blocking the trail in many places. I stole these pictures from Ed, as I'm having trouble getting my pictures online.

Really was an awesome to see the show of community that got the place cleaned up like that. By late Saturday afternoon the whole trail was ridable.

The new date for the race is Nov. 17-18. It'll no doubt be cooler. Unfortunately it's also the same day as our Mt Trashmore Cyclocross Race, which is once again the State Championship. THAT's gonna be a tough decision ...........

I leave you with a picture from the past ..............

RideOn

Pre-Weekend Wrap UP

2007-08-16T14:32:00.000-05:00

From the Blogosphere :

Dave Wiens scored another victory (#6) in the Leadville 100. Floyd came in second, riding in road shoes, and had a nice fall on the way.

Ultra Rob was there and put up some nice shots, with a write up on his site.

Also a gallery here.

Biker BJ has some interesting and novel ideas for sponsors of our fast ladies team. Now I know why they go so fast, AND keep smilin'.

Just when YOU thought the competition was the only thing - and CYCLING was JUST about kicking ass, taking names, and standing on boxes .........

----FatMarc did a nice multi-day (road!) ride (not race) out west and put a GREAT write up here and here.

This is at least third hand, (via IconoclaSSt, through BikeCentric, and then Go Clipless) but still amusing, in an apathetic, morose sort of way :

On a brighter note,

This was as close as I got to a group ride this AM. Looking out from the car on the way to work.

They were out doing some training before the Panera's Party, before the WaterPark party.

Why was I going to work again?

Happy BDay Laura. The years sure aren't slowing you down any.

Get well quick to Rick - who got rear-ended by some idiot in a car not awake enough to see the cyclist in front this AM. Heal quickly.

QUIZ:

How many sets of steps at Mt Trashmore?

BONUS - How many steps in each one ............

hint - There are 226 total steps ..............

How would one know?

Get out there and run up 'em! That's how,

Last post till Sunday or Monday after the self abuse of 18hrs on the Farm (aka Scout's Honor).
Charles will be there, and you should be too......

RideOn,

JB

There's No Cryin' in Baseball

2007-08-14T13:35:00.000-05:00

and There's No Recovery in a Group Ride .........

Other possible titles :

If you've lost your legs, you won't find 'em on the BLUE TRAIN.

Just how many group rides can you get dropped from before 8AM?

Blew off the PLT TT #3 Sunday for many hours of MTBing. Monday my legs were screaming for an easy recovery ride. SOoooooooooooooo ................... I went running instead.

DOH!

This morning my legs were REALLY mad at me and left town.

Went out at 5:30AM this morning to the 6AM (aka BLUE TRAIN) ride. Tried to ease into things. Didn't have much mojo. One pull into the wind on Atlantic, and my fears were confirmed. No legs. Hung on til Shore Dr. and bailed. (Dropped #1)

Went back down Atlantic at a nice sub-threshold pace until I hear the whirring of cogs and "On your left". It was MarkH, leading a furious pace line (the Final Kick group). Of course I had to give it a go and hopped on last wheel. Hung on, chatted w/Mark for a while then waved 'im by. (Dropped #2)

Cruised over the Rudee Inlet Bridge. Thought I heard "On your left" again, but it was just a flock of seagulls. After a while turned around and made it back to the 7:15er.

Nice sized group that got bigger as we rolled. 3 powerful engines - KJ, the CrAzY one, and JDiesel. Finally felt like my legs were coming back - till I took one good pull, then POP goes the weasel, the weasel goes pop. oh well. Slid back (Drop #3). Back on at the light and home again.

Moral of the story - Listen to your legs, or you may never see them again.

RideOn

JB

Weekend Review

2007-08-13T19:37:00.000-05:00

Friday Night

Preppin' bike(s) for the 18hr.

Put some new brakes on the Caffiene.

Off w/the mechs, on w/the hydros.

Saturday 3-6AM

Out for a 3 hour ride to get mentally prepared to ride to daybreak.

Sunrise is better on a bike.

New stoppers worked great.

Still getting 3+ hours of runtime on the NiteRider bottle battery.

This sucks

Saturday later.

Out to Chesapeake Crit, barely made in in time. Took 2 hours and 15 minute drive 'cause of traffic/construction accidents. Made it there with 25 minutes to spare. Easy to pick up race number at the reg table when it's the only one left. Got a few minutes warmup while C4 was goin'. (Pic from Kyle - thanks)

Crit had no wrecks. NICE. The Pro123 wasn't as lucky as our man MarcoPolo went down hard in the last lap. Heal quick bro. The ladies rocked.

Pretty happy to have had made it through the C5 season with all my flesh intact. Skip(Kitty Hawk Bikes) went out strong and set a nice hard pace for the first part of the race. Kept good position for the 1st half of the race or so. Then wallered around in the middle/back. Saw a funny thing early on that made me wish I had my helmetcam on. Was second wheel behind AJ (Fat Frogs). Niether AJ or I can be classified as flyweights. Roughly translated - we give good draft. I got passed on the inside on the last turn, and watched as the guy tried to slide in on AJs wheel, pushing the guy that was there out of the way. This proceeded to a battle of elbows. Not the "I'm gonna knock you off your bike elbow" but more like the "I'm lettin' you know I'm here, and not gonna yield this wheel sorta elbow." No one won, and they went down the home straight sharing the draft. I guess I need to get more aggressive when fighting for position.

Paul was in town and did great, getting in an early break that stuck, and taking 2nd (K-Dog photo). As long as he watches where he's going, he'll go far ...................

Check the TransRockies links above.

Had a nice dinner Sunday and saw a great show.

RideOn

BigPlans?

2007-08-09T13:01:00.000-05:00

I usually don't have a problem getting up early to ride. Getting out the door, that can be a problem.

Tuesday the norm is up @ 5AM, out the door by 5:30 ........... which may end up closer to 5:45 by the time I get my junk together. That means a time trial/sprint to catch the early ride if I'm planning on going with the group.

So last night I made BigPlans. I figured I could ride down to the oceanfront, catch more than 1/2 of the 6AM ride, and still have time to get back home with 15 minutes to stop sweating, then time enough to shower and dress for work.
I actually mixed my bottles, set out my clothes, and had my helmet, shoes, and gear laid out before I went to bed.

What did I do? Turn the alarm clock off, and fall back asleep. OH WELL. Saw the 7:15er out my car window rolling up the bridge . Super Sally was smilin' and waving, while DAG looked to be in a world of hurt ........

Best wishes to Blair who is on his way to Trans Rockies to bring his BigPlans to fruition. I'll put a link over on the left to keep tabs. He's racing with another guy in the 100+ class under the team name of WHYNOT. Not sure if it's even possible to update during the race.

Also up at TR is cylocross national age group champ Ryan Leech.

Good luck too all.

Speaking of stage races I found this one off of our favorite Polish MTBer Maja's site. Thanks to Jason for keeping her (link) close by and warm.

It would be awesome to go to the homeland (yes, I am Polish, and share quite a few of the consonants in Maja's last name) to do a MTB stage race. Guess I'd really have to brush up on the native tongue. Not to mention become a better MTBer.

The english translation is almost too appealing to pass up :

"There will be over 400 km distance and 12000 m of altitude difference that guarantee a lot of emotion. The region where the marathon will be held is an ideal place to profit from equipment and human possibilities. Furthermore, the stages will be located in the area relatively unknown to tourists and experienced riders. "

"Guaranteed emotion" ............ now you can't go wrong there, can you? Come to think of it, that's pretty much why I love to get my

RideOn

JB

Come On In

2007-08-07T16:50:00.000-05:00

The House Is Rockin'

Good to be back in the fold.

Saw the King at sunrise again.

Hit up the 6AM and the 7:15er.

The 7:15er was packed with 20 or so.

Random photos :

The Road,

to the Trail,

Severe dehydration,

RideOn

Catchin' Up

2007-08-05T00:53:00.000-05:00

Lots to share, little time to do it.

PLT 23mile TT last Sunday. Tried to go out slow, still felt powerless after 30 minutes. Was hoping for a PR. At the last turn figured I needed to average 25+ for 6 miles to get it. The outlook was dim. Just forgot about the numbers, put my head down, and hammered the best I could. JLaw helped with a verbal kick in the a$$ from a car ("venga, venga, allez, allez"). That made all the difference. Somehow broke 58 minutes to beat my previous best by 20 seconds or so. During the ride came to the revelation that TT are the purest most distilled form of the cycling pain we all know and try to love.

A trip over a big crack in the earth,

Leads us to a place so hot 90% of the rain evaporates before it hits the ground.

Unfamiliar area, rental bikes, poor trail choice, leads to nice climb first thing. At best lung busting, with some loose, rocky technical spots.

When you want to bail more than your cleat wants to unclip, you just pull your foot out of the shoe, and roll down the hill.

A slip up on some tough downhill swithbacks leads to a broken read der hanger, a shortened first day, and a 3-4 mile coast/push back down.

Found out later the trail was called "Devil's Staircase".

Yep.

The Rush(es) weren't the best to handle the rocky terrain, so and upgrade to some SantaCruz Blurs was in order.

Difference was night and day.

The road riding looked primo, if I wasn't so MTB deprived woulda done some of that too.

More later,

RideOn

Weekend Plans Run Amuk

2007-07-24T15:13:00.000-05:00

Had big plans for the weekend.

MTBing Friday.

4 groups rides Saturday and more MTBing in the evening.

More MTBing Sunday.

Top secret heat training the following week.

Out at 5:25AM to finally make it down to the oceanfront for the beginning of of the Norwegian Lady/BlueTrain/6AM loop. Not many there. JF, our fearless leader, (el presidente') asks if I'm ready for the weekend. I'm thinking - When did I tell him about my plans?, and ask "For what?"

"The time trial.", he says.

WTF. How did we get to the end of July already? Where did the summer go? I thought I had another week or 2 before the 2nd PLT TT. Oh well. Later verified it with TomF and BJ. Yep. TT this weekend. Going to have to rearrange things. This racing thing is interfering with my training.

Nevertheless the 6AMer was steady and fast. Only 8-10 on the way out. Just 6 or 7 on the way back. Pull in to the 7:15er and see why. Seems like everyone was saving themselves for that loop. Enough horsepower in the group to plow many a furrow. Ended up doing some threshold intervals on Shore Drive as I tried to rearrange the weekend schedule in my head. Still nice to have 2 1/2 hours in before 8AM. Best way to start the day.

RideOn

I'm very sad about the VINO thing. Heroes are hard to find these days.

MISC

2007-07-20T14:44:00.000-05:00

First - props to Paul for 5th in the Elite Road Race at Natz. Turkey legs in feed zones are key

Cotton candy clouds

New bikes are fun, even when they aren't your own.

"Art's bike" finds a friend.

A taste for Sugerloaf Mountain in 95 degree heat
Who said Florida is flat?

50+ folks for fast Friday loops, at a new locale to avoid the long arm of the law.

Animal crossing road.

Underwater recovery

RideOn

A Tale of 2 Crities

2007-07-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

Don't know if I'll ever get this Crit thing figured out. Of course if I was just stronger, smarter, better looking and more fit than everybody it would be easy. But lo and behold, that just isn't the case on any count.

The Saturday Tour de Port Critie was just as herky jerky as I've ever seen. Brakes into the turns (sometimes even in the middle of the bumpy straight), then AXE-cellarate (said in your best Phil "the pill" Liggett voice) your butt off onto every straight. This was getting tiresome, so I said the heck with it and took off around the 5th lap. Was nice hitting the turns at speed. After 1/2 lap I flew the elbow, eased up, had 2 guys in tow with a 3-4 length gap. Said lets go, no one did. Not like I coulda lasted anyway, but woulda been fun to blow up tryin'. Back to the pack, which was getting smaller as time went on. Somewhere around 3 or 4 to go (hard to say as we actually did "2 laps to go" twice - seems they forgot to flip the lap counter) someone hit it hard going into the first straight. I got caught in a bad position, had to bridge up through 3-4 others that were dropping off, and popped. Finished the last few laps with a nice young kid from BikeWorks, who, I later found out, had won one of the junior classes. WTG. FiremanJohn (FJ) rode well to a top ten even with a broken rear der cable on the last few laps.

Was very happy there were no crashes, that's always a good thing.

Took some photos of the PRO123 race. Glad this one (--->) turned out. Realized while standing around squinting into the sun just how hot it had become.

Why are finish lines always backlit?

Chesapeake Critie Center -

Waiting for the Cat4 guys to finish so we could get a practice lap or 2 in, there was a wicked wreck on the main straight past the finish line. Looked like it took out 6-10 guys. One dude was instantly bloody and from a distance looked like he broke his leg. Nope, nobreak, "just" bloody. Shawn emerged from the melee unscathed.

Waited for the guys (pic from Portsmouth) to come around the finish, didn't see Bill or Tim. Both had great position at the bell. SpeedyBill coasts across the line and says TurboTim went down in the last turn. Some dude hit the turn WAY too fast, rolled a tubular, and took out some guys. Through the bedlam it looked like skinney Steve (the Manimal) nabbed a good finish.

Heal quick Tim.

2 wrecks is not quite the kind of thing you wanna see while waiting for your race to start. In TOTAL contrast to yesterday, today's pace was wide open from the word GO. Redlined by the first turn. That strung us out and made it safe. FJ made the selection, I didn't, and sat in a poorly organized second group, which eventually splintered into pieces. Mark (first pic above on the right) worked with me a bunch (read - ground me into dust) on the last laps. 'Preciate it. At least the race was safe with no crashes. It was VERY hot out. Had to draw down multiple lines of credit for some cooling EYE-Talian Ice. Thanks to the hip-hobbled Dawg for the photos.

Funny thing about Crits - As agonizing and intense as they get, as soon as they're over, it's gone, and I want to go again. (BJ picture)

Albe rode well and has some write-ups here.

RideOn

Tour DAY Port

2007-07-15T08:25:00.001-05:00

First day of a 2 Crit weekend.

Racing was furious and intense all around.

With Dave LeDuc once again showing the youngsters how its done in the Pro 123 Race.

Just one more of the many that remind us that age is just a number.

Surrender?

RideOn

MESS WITH THE HIGHLIFE ............

2007-07-14T08:56:00.000-05:00

AND THE HIGHLIFE MESSES WITH YOU!

Have to admit being a bit worried that LayTOURDayF coverage would be lacking. The broadcast of earlier races this year seemed to be missing a bit of the magic by the Verses crew.

But I have to say I've been pleasently surprised, actually quite excited, about the coverage, AND the race itself. Lots of action AND drama it the first 5 stages, and it will only get better.

Gotta love Cancellara catching the sprinters AND the break napping to take the Stage win while wearing the mellow johnny.

Also been exciting watching Barloworld sprinter Robbie Hunter mixing it up with the big boys, and almost beating Thor himself.

Even the commercials have been entertaining, although I may tire of them by the end of the race. In the non-cycling category I'd like to nominate the Miller commercials for a special award

"CLEAN UP ON AISLE COMMON SENSE"

a few memorable tag lines.

Out with the SatAM group this morning for a leg opener before the Crit this afternoon. P-T has tried to fill the shoes of injured Wild Bill by reading the rules at the beginning. He's doing an admirable job, but we still miss Bill and need him back.

A quick 1/2 loop, a small effort or 2, then it was time to wave goodbye to the group, and watch the boys climp in the Alps.

RideOn

JB

"I like to take undah-wah-ta pho-toes too, and email them to my friends........."

WHAT?

Happy BDay

2007-07-12T14:47:00.000-05:00

You can call her Super, sometimes Silly, but always Sally ......

Happy BDay

Cake at the post loop celebration provided by Biker BJ (no flies)

She and MkMc will be celebrating across the pond and catching some of LayTourDayF live.

Have a great day a fantastic trip.

RideOn

I wonder what Wild Bill is doing?

Loopin' with Tuesday's Loopers

2007-07-11T13:30:00.000-05:00

Livin' on the island known as South Side Hampton Roads leaves riding "options" that are limited by the lay of the land, or water as the case may be. Unless we want to take a tunnel under water or a bridge over it, we get locked into various loops.

Here's a Loopy Primer :

There's the Starbucks loop,

The Conte's loop,

The Blue moon loop, which can be called the 3rd loop on weekends, or just the 7:15er on weekdays. Not to be confused with the reverse Conte's loop.

The Norwiegian Lady loop, an early 6AM loop on weekdays. May be called the Blue Train loop after the old Blue Team (AV) that derailled and disbanded a year or 2 back. The ride is still there, still as strong as ever, and will deliver you to the 7:15er either very warmed up, or totally blown and over heated.

We now also have the CORE Pilates early loop, soon to be the MR. & MRS. Crazy loop once the deed is done. This will also bring you to the 7:15er, albeit a bit further down the road.

This short list doesn't even include the Final Kick loops or any of the southern Frogs loops.

You can pretty much set your clocks by these rides, and knowing when and where they are certainly influences everyone's workouts.

This Tuesday I caught the Blue Train (or I should say thay caught me) and clung on for the ride to the next loop. Usually I get out earlier for a warmup, trying to avoid these speed junkies. Jumping on a 28-30mph paceline after 800 yards of warmup usually makes me crack in a minute, this time I barely lasted till the end when KD and JDiesel pretty much blew up the group as we neared Bay Colony. They're on some good form.

The 7:15er wasn't too loaded at the Blue Moon, but it swelled as we picked up many on the way, including those from the CORE loop. By the time I could get my camera out, most were off in the distance. By the time I put it away, they all were. Hustled back up, dragged AtD (he wasn't wheezin' - YET) up through a gap that JLaw, KJ, and a few others already had on the world. Dropped some positions as Art says "Where're YOU goin?" Back with the meer mortals I say.

This AM rode a bit with the one called dbo and TK.

Some say he's MIA. I say no way.

He's missed but not missing, and definitely still in ACTION. They're both lookin' quite fit I might add.

RideOn

JB

We Miss You Wild Bill

Goins' On

2007-07-08T19:24:00.000-05:00

Props to everyone that made the journey to Natz at 7Springs and rode their hearts out. BJ makes it 2 years in a row with double podiums! WOW. Truly inspirational.

Looks like we were represented well at the Commonwealth games too , with white wrapper Nilla Wafer bringing home the jangle.

Might have been the best Stage 1 in LayTourDayF history. Have to admit never real liking McEwen a lot, especially after the head check thing last year, but certainly gained mountains of respect for him today. OTB with less than 8k to go then works his way up to and through a 150 + rider field to take the sprint. And while QuickStep have the pace pinned. Amazing.

My Weekend was centered around a few long days on the MTBs.
Friday was MMM - Many Miles of Marl. Round and Round the Ravine at YRSP. Made a day of it. Realized that even though you can put enough fluid in a 100 oz bladder for 4 hours of riding, it'll be pi** warm after 3 hours at 95 degrees and hard to swallow.

One way to break my brake addiction is to let the bike fall over in the parking lot breaking the front brake lever. Laps with one brake gave rise to the fastest times ever.

I've never been a great log-hopper, but after crossing the (seemingly) 1,000's of logs at the Crankey Monkey with nary a bobble or balk my confidence had grown from none to just enough to get in trouble.

and trouble was in the form of this fallen tree. Got tired of dismounting, so gave it a go ........... which led to a big

OUCH , just when that leg was almost healed enough to shave. At least I hit the other side of the knee cap that was slammed 2 weeks ago.

When in doubt : clear a re-route. So I did.

Legs felt fine but the heat slowly drained my mojo lap by lap, so a 30 minute break and bike change was in order before round 2.

All in all a good day of heat training. 6.5 hours in, a mile for each year of my life +4 or 5.

Only bummer of the day was the 3 hours it took to drive 25 miles from YRSP to NN. No fun sitting in the car covered with a days worth of sweat and grime. I wanted to give the entire road an enema, it was seriously constipated.

Saturday AM group ride at the NN Conte's. Nice crowd. Rode with XXX for a while (til the BIG hammers dropped). He had a nice ride goin' up at the Tour de Burg. Leaving with a day left in the race to go work, he still had the KOM jersey. Of course the fast, skinny, and young JB ruled.

A few Tour de Burg reports here, and here. And if you haven't heard someone fixed this years Tour de Burg ! ! How bout dat. Read about it here.

Afternoon was more fat tire loops, this time at the Lake Maury trails.

Sunday was a day of rest and recovery .........

RideOn

JB

Heal Quick Wild Bill

Happy Fourth

2007-07-05T08:26:00.000-05:00

Hope you had a happy Fart of July,

Best wishes to all teammates headed up to Road Nats in Seven Springs, Pa. :

Speedy BillG

YoungMark

BJ and LJ

Who have been spotted in the depths of Pungo on a secret training ride.

Ride STRONG!

RideOn and RideSafe

Heal Quick Wild Bill

If Your Bike Were a Shovel ..........

2007-07-02T11:21:00.000-05:00

Just how far would you bury yourself .........

to win that sprint?

Those thoughts were going through my mind at the Win and Out this weekend at Southside Speedway in Richmond. Wasn't planning on driving up for the Go Fast Turn Left #2, but the Scout Camp was open for a pre-ride Saturday evening, and was only a short drive away, so why not?

Props to Braden Govoni, Sprintclub, and Richmond Ciclismo for organizing the event. Nice to see a new (to many) style of racing out there.

The "Win and Out" starts with a neutral rolling lap, then's it's ON. 500 meter track,

Winner of the first lap gets 1st place,

winner of the second lap gets 2nd place,

winner of the third lap gets 3rd place, etc., etc., till the end.

Thanks to KD for the pics

Gives rise to some pretty interesting strategy. Bury yourself on a sprint, get nosed out, then you have to go around again to the next sprint which is a scant 30-35 seconds away. Fun, fast racing. Over in a flash (or in my case 1500 meters). Guaranteed to leave your lungs burning and your legs quivering. I realized when unloading my bikes that I haven't been on a road bike for 2 weeks. NICE. Nothing against road bikes .......... BUT

The C5 Crit was, just as they are, a sketch-fest, but no one went down. I was confused from the beginning and never got in the "groove". Had trouble finding a wheel, was outside (and safe) with my nose in the wind much of the race. When I wasn't, I was at the back and having full view of the carnival. Lots of sudden left to right snap moves in the middle of the turns at 25+. At one point Albe says to me "That was close". It was. Then it was again, then again. Albe gives a great desciption of the antics - "People looking for an apex that just isn't there." It's a banked oval people, hold your line like it's a straight. Yeesh. My subconscious is asking me ("What the heck are you doing here?"). I Either misjudged or miscounted laps. A bell with 3 or 4 to go threw me off too. Thought there was one more lap, but the race was over. Seemed like everyone was coasting across the line. Glad I survived another one. Didn't have the legs or the focus to get up front. Just had no game. AJ (Fat Frogs) got away with another and took the win. He's on great form.

Was WAY over geared an the fixey. Had a 52/14. Not a lot of snap in those numbers. Especially noticed it in the standing start kilo TT. First lap was a whole 10 seconds slower than the second.

Still was a great day and nice 2 day road trip. Really looking forward to the 18 hr race. Great course, great people, it's gonna be a blast. Unfortunately it's the same day as GoFast Turn Left #3.

I didn't hang out for the rest of the days events but heard TriPower was well represented. WTG Team

RideOn and RideSafe

Heal quickly Wild Bill

MTB Saturday

2007-06-30T23:51:00.000-05:00

Plan was to get to the Ravine by 8AM. Plans can and do run amuk. On the trail by 10AM. Saw some good advice at the trailhead. A few loops in by noon. Had a tough race with this dude. He was strong on the uphills, dropped him on a downhill.

Saw Susan and Duane in the parking lot, where I met a friend who made it around the Ravine on just the 2nd time on a MTB ever. Well done. Out at 3PM to the NY deli for a quick snack then off to round 2 :

Site of the 18 hour race. Where the first group was already finishing a muddy sloppy sliding lap.

An-Twan was there, and many of the Richmond crew, miss seein' those folks. CyclesEd and the militia did an awesome job reworking the course which is 70% backwared from last year and %30 brand new trail. Today, after 3 inches of rain, it was %110 slime, but still amazingly ridable. That place holds humidity like a sauna. The air is so thick you could cut it.

Sloppy stuff

What's with all the bad karma?

We're falling like dominos. Laura, then Wild Bill, who ended up in surgery, now the dawg. Freakin' weird stuff.

RideOn and RideSafe.

tomorrow Southside Speedway.

Spanked and Cranked

2007-06-27T05:59:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Jim Harman at EX2 and Bike Lane for putting on a spectabulous event. Looks like it'll be an annual thing. I won't wanna miss it.

Thanks also to our Marines for the use of the fine trails, AND for their service to our country. Ooh-Rah.

The course was 9+ miles of awesome trails with loads of climbing, many a log obstacle, 3 aid stations and a set of some sweet whoops too.

Another cool thing was on course marshalls riding around. Since I spent so much time sitting trailside fixing 3 flats and a seat that just wouldn't sit, I got to see those marshalls more than once.

A few highlights:

Hadn't seen Ant-Won and crew since the Sebring24 in Feb. Great to see them all again. Andy won the solo SS class in a battle that went off at the gun and right down to the wire. Never much more than 20 minutes separating the first 3 for the whole 12 hours. After running 2nd the entire race he passed the leader on the last lap and ended up with enough laps to win solo outright. Even though he's puchased a few bikes since then, Andy is still rockin' the same ButtUgly Bianchi that he was riding when I first met him a few years back. He eats fast and rides fast.

I rode in with him on his 9th lap and he was way deep in the hurt locker, but still managed to crank out 2 more laps.

I have to give props to all those that were out there, but especially the ones (and there's just a few) that are my senior and still out there giv'n 'er. Met AndrewM breifly at Lodi a few years back and was in awe of the lap times he was knocking out. He rolls with the whole whole DCCOD/FZK/SpotBrand crew and all of those guys are wicked fast. AndrewM is a true inspiration.

Blair also found a team and made it up there to burn out some hot laps in preparation for TransRockies. Us old guys can still get dirty.

In the pit area at these races you see all manner of support mechanism. From small pop-ups, to big pop-ups, to whole cities of pop-ups ........ but ya gotta give lottsa love to the guy that comes with a chair, a few jugs of water, and an umbrella.

Gotta give thanks and appreciation to CONTE's our loyal team sponsor, and thanks to ace mechanic Clovis for stayin' late to get the recall work on my bike done in time.

MY SHORT STORY

Rode another preride lap w/Jase and Blair Saturday. No falls. They waited for me. Knee was pretty sore when climbing. Didn't go all the way up there to watch sooooo ......off to the races :

LAY-MANS start - an absolute joy to do in running shoes.

Lap 1 -Drop into single track and POP seat rotates straight up. Some guys help out trail side as all those (few) behind me pass. 15-20 minutes jerkin around with the thing. At least the trail is open and uncrowded when you're DFL.

Lap 2 - seat pops again, twice. WTF. Attempted trail side fixes, ended up going into pits.

Lap 3 and on - succesion of flats. Was running too low pressure, getting sloppy on the log/tree hops. Thanks to all that offered help on the trail. Had to ride back to the car to scrounge for get more tubes/CO2's.

Also started wicked forearm cramps that made it hard/impossible to brake on bumpy downhills. In a way it was good, 'cause I brake too much anyway. Result was me going faster than ever in many sections. Brakes are a drug. I am a junkie. I'm trying to quit. By the end of each lap I could hardly hold the handlebars. Ended up having to stop after each lap to try to stretch the cramps out of my arms. Figured this would be a problem. Haven't done much MTBing this year. Gonna work on that. Shabby performance overall, but was still a great day in the dirt, and my legs felt good. Can't wait to do it again.

One downhill I passed some guy and was going WAY faster than my wimpy comfort level normally allows. Hit the turns at the end barely in control, but rode 'em out. A few minutes later the rider comes up along side and says "Dude, you RIPPED that section." I wanted to tell him I was trying as hard as I could to stop (I WAS), but I think I was still paralyzed with fear and awe.

Laura saw my wreck pictures and tried to out-do me. She had a tough fall on Sunday. Heal quickly.

Now there's 2 of a kind that'll beat a full house. ---->

Credit team Welch for most of the above pictures. I owe you a few, and some DietCoke .......

RideOn and RideSafe

Course 1, JB 0

2007-06-23T06:08:00.000-05:00

WARNING - This post might not be suitable for work. It contains mildly offensive language, links, and certainly offensive photos. Scroll down at your own risk.

Remember THAT scene in True Romance?

NO not THE phone booth scene.

The trailer scene. Where Don Vincenzo Coccotti, special counsel to Blue Lou Boyle (Chris Walken) is interrogating Clifford Worley (Dennis Hopper). Or as he says "a little Q & A".

Don Vincenzo smacks Mr Worley right on the nose. It goes something like :

"You see that?

(SMACK).

That smarts doesn't it. Gettin' slammed in the nose. Eff's you all up.

You get that pain shootin' all through your brain ............ your eyes fill up with water.

That aint any kind of fun. But what I have to offer you ................ that's as good as it's gonna get. And it won't EVER get that good again. "

Today at the pre-ride the course was Don Vincenzo, and I, for a brief few seconds, was Clifford Worley. A momentary lapse of focus on a marble sized gravel downhill ---- and SMACK.

That smarted.

Had that pain shootin' all through my body, my eyes filled up with water, yelled a few expletives, and it wasn't any kind of fun.

I was just wondering why they'd put all those

DANGER XXX

signs up. Luckily my butt (with more than ample natural padding) took the brunt of it, but so did my shorts, which had a nice (well, not so nice - depending on your viewpoint) trap door ripped out of 'em. Didn't really like those shorts anyway. Riding in the last few miles I was hoping no one would be in the parking lot, and also wondering if I could get a ticket on the military base for indecent exposure. 'Cause there's certainly nothing decent about the any part of my a$$ hanging out of some lycra shorts. Oh well.

Today I'm going to teach that course a lesson on history because

"Ya know, I read a lot. Especially about things... about history. I find that shit fascinating"

RideOn, and RideSafe

I think I'm " in a vendetta kind of mood ......"

Here's the YouTube of THAT scene.

Out a Here

2007-06-22T12:27:00.000-05:00

Loaded for bear (but will settle for bull-hamster or tired monkey) and ready to hunt.

BIG PROPS to JohnJ and Brett who finished RAAM today. And to their crews who got them across without a single time penalty. And to everyone that was entered in the event, finish or not, you are all heroes. Our minds can't comprehend the depth of fortitude it took to lay it all on the line out there.

Out a here til Monday

Best of luck to all the skinny tires at the Reston Crit. Ther'll be NO restin' in Reston.,

RideOn and RideSafe

Was That an Earthquake?

2007-06-20T18:52:00.000-05:00

For some as yet to be explained unknown reason (fear of the LEMans start?) I got the ridiculous urge to go for a run last night. WHAT? The idea popped into my head, and just wouldn't go away until I did it, so I did. Many, many, many, moons ago (say 270 or 290) I really got off on running (---->), and used to crank out some decent times in races from 5k to 26 miles. I was even pretty flexible back then. But that was then, and this is now .............

So off I went, got about 3 miles in on the trails. Really felt sort of good. OK maybe running is a stretch. Jogging, shuffling, sauntering, whatever. When I used to be a "runner" I think I drew the line between running and jogging at the 8 minute/mile pace. I'm SURE I was going slower than that, but it brought back some great memories. SO if you felt some tremors between 8 and 8:30 last night, no need to worry. It wasn't an earthquake, just my thunderous hoofs trying to pound the earth into submission.

Woke up this morning and felt fine. Threw the Caffeine up on the car and got to the NN trails by 6:30AM. Did a couple loops and was back by 9. Sweet. Made me very happy to have a nice film of dirt on my legs by 8:30. Wish I could do that more often. Hmmmmmm, maybe I will. Still sucks having to drive 30-40 minutes to MTB. Oh well. Now its almost 20 hours since my "run" and my legs are sore everywhere. Still its the "good" kind of soreness (I'm trying to convince myself). Hope it's gone by the weekend .

Tried out some different rubber. The choice of the day was Jones XR 1.8s. They rolled fast and felt light, but might not have the volume to provide enough cushion for 12 hours ....... We'll see, said the blind man.

Cannondale recalled many a lefty shock, including mine. Seems they want them torn down, the main nut Loctited, and the unit reassembled. So the steed is in the shop in the expert hands of the experts.

RideOn

My legs are getting more sore by the minute. What the eff was I thinking?

JB

RAAM 'n it

2007-06-19T09:29:00.000-05:00

This morning at 8:03 AM, the iron Slovenian Jure' Robic won his third RAAM in the last four years. This will be his last and he certainly went out in style. As his crew commented during the race :

"No one can beat Jure' but Jure'"

He averaged over 300 miles a day, and was on Pete Penseyeres record pace of 15.4 mph for more than 1/2 the race.

At 61 years old Pete completed another RAAM, this time as part of a team.

Jure' finished with close to a 4 hour lead over 2nd place ........

Which looks like it will be Wolfgang Fasching who has 1 hour lead over Gerhard Gulewicz with "just" 70 miles to go. Both riders went through some very tough times (now isn't that an understatement?) toward the end. Fasching has been riding the last 2 days with a neck brace. Rough translation from his website :

"In the last night Wolfgang caravan inserted an two-hour break. In the past six days he slept altogether approximately five hours. By the last two days with continuous rains it cooled the neck. Yesterday he had large problems to keep his head upright. Thus he naturally lost at speed. Today get's better, but not yet optimally. Wolfgang did not have such a problem so far ever, but the Race Across America writes its own laws", describes Doris.…"

Fasching held off a hard charging Gerhard Gulewicz (--->). Who himself was in the depths of battle with last years winner Dani Wyss. They leap frogged repeatedly over the last 400 miles. With just 65 miles to go Gulewicz leads Wyss by about 2 hours. From the Gulewicz site, written on Friday :

"Gerhard had today a break-down. It works completely exhausted, can hardly more at the saddle sit and torments himselves from mile to mile - which hardly helps. The distance to Wyss grew therefore on 3 hours. Between the two physicians therefore a controversy broke out. The one wants it medically worked up, which other one wants times to let it sleep , in order to be able to then attack with something recovered again. The arrears to Wyss do not mean under any circumstances that it is impossible to catch up. On the remaining miles still much can happen… "

Read this on course report by Perry Stone. Gulewicz is riding with a left knee bandaged which he hurt on a fall.

From the Dani Wyss crew on Monday :

"Monday, 18. June, 17,50 o'clock, it reminds you - we have the clothes wash now are we again on the way and we had rather far to drive again caught up.
Before it however we have, and which becomes also the team and the fans about gulewicz to understand, would go in reverse it them also so, to have we been pleased first gerhard to catch up itself. it is a large fight the two supplies themselves and both earns our all respect here.
The projection/lead at estimated 50-60 minutes. dani looks still sensational and nothing interprets daruaf which it its combat spirit would have lost. on the contrary. if one sees this ramp as steep here now it looks at the whole very loosely. "

(Photo by Martin Walser)

Further back in the field even more drama is unfolding, so stay tuned, 'cause these guys are really getting a SERIOUS

RideOn

(and I hope you are too)

JB

side note - Got some early AM fat tire miles in this AM, then hit the 7:15er with the (huge)skinny tire crowd. Like bringing a knife to a gun fight. One tug and back on to the dirt I went.