The World Famous Vegas Bob

11

2011-01-11T18:54:00.000-08:00

HEY! It's my yearly blog post haha. I'm stoked to have just finished another fun and challenging cyclocross season. I steadily improved as the races went along, culminating in a hard-fought second place finish at the "Campus Cross" race down at UC San Marcos. I ended up 7th overall in the SoCal Prestige Series, and since I only attended 10 out of 19 events I feel rather satisfied. Next year I will definitely make an effort to make more of them. The races have a really great vibe as well as being super-competitive.

We actually got to do one "real" cyclocross race this year, as the Pineapple Express weather system drenched Southern California like it hasn't been in years. It rained for days before the last race, as well as during the race, making for a wet, sloppy, slippery course that tested everyone's limits. Racers were chilled and clammy, traction was barely there, and drivetrains yielded to the muck. It was great fun though, giving a small taste of what three-quarters of the country assuredly deals with on a weekly basis.

I'd like to thank my sponsors for their amazing products, continued support, and always cheerful attitudes. It's incredible to have this kind of backing, it's a huge boost where small things make the difference in racing.

http://www.amino-vital.com/
http://www.sigmasport.com/
http://www.hydrapak.com/

http://www.michaeldarter.com/

http://www.kendausa.com/
http://www.xpedo.com/
http://www.tomac.com/

http://www.voler.com/
http://www.sixsixone.com/
http://www.nomad2go.com/

http://www.ryderseyewear.com/
http://www.mfactor.com/
http://www.kmcchain.us/

http://www.formulabrakeusa.com/
http://www.girlmuse.com/
http://www.spinergy.com/

Thank you Roger, whose "give until it hurts" mentality is amazing. Juggling a bunch of racers needs all the time, traveling to far away venues, helping out sponsors, throwing beer-soaked parties, you name it, he does it. You da man, Rolo.

Thanks to Cap'n Chris, the brain-trust of this two-wheeled racing/party machine, without whose dedication, hard-work, and off-the-wall hilarity we wouldn't be here.

Props also go to my bike shop "Buy My Bikes" for takin care of bidness with my oft-last-minute repairs and parts and letting me hang around for the last 19 years.

Hope you all had a great New Year's and I look forward to more pain and pleasure with you 2011.

Check me out ma, I'm blogging.

2010-02-09T20:29:00.000-08:00

SNOW in Orange County? Yah, yoo betcha! And there was a boner in it. Backboner you dirty pervert.

Nice, sunny, 70 on the way up...

...but 40 at the top.

Vid! Yes, it's little jerky because I’m riding with one hand (cuz I'm holding the camera, geez freak!), but I think it still adequately conveys the fun.

Santiago Peak: 5,689 ft.

Luckily my Hydrapak was paked with essentials to feed me and get me through the temp differences. Yay for arm warmers! I'm really enjoying their Gel-Bot also, which allows you to put a couple gels into the top of a waterbottle with the squeeze top. No more fumbling in jersey pockets and tearing packets. I put honey in mine, with a little OJ to thin it out. Mmm, mmm, energy.

Heading back down, even more white stuff. SNOW, you miscreant.

And finally some sweet technical rock sections to finish it off (the ride, you degenerate).

2009-07-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

Well, my new Tomac Carbide XC is on the way! She was most likely personally attended to by head honcho Joel Smith himself and sent on her way from his Nebraska headquarters/home on Tuesday.

Following intently her journey westward, she was last laser-tagged yesterday afternoon in the Lenexa, KS UPS warehouse. As everyone knows Kansas is no place for mountain bikes, but the precipices you DO find there are arguably just as tantalizing as the ones that the Carbide was exquisitely crafted to charge up and fly down.

Well, hopefully my new curvy black beauty doesn't spend too long admiring the also shapely scenery in the "Wheat State" and continues on her circuitous route to my front door. Her older sister, spending 2 years tearing it up with me on the West Coast XC endurance tour, is now graduating to the Mid-East ultra-endurance stage. Jeff "Tookie (I just tookie you out)" Williams will be forgoing the wimpy Crappalattachino-and-maybe-First-Base first date and going straight for a Grand Slam by relentlessly flogging her all day and all night at the 24 Hours of 9-Mile in Wisconsin. I'd wish her luck, but I know she doesn't need it. >:)

Santa Ynez

2009-06-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

After being so horribly sick the week leading up to Sant Ynez, I really didn't expect much. I was just glad to be out of bed and back on the bike.

Here I am with SuperD stud Brant, and Carlos from the Pomona Mountain Bike Club demo'ing a Tomac Carbide.

After a warm up lap on Saturday that included a slightly scary but mostly hilarious staredown with a 2-ton bull protecting his herd (with 3 other riders cowering behind me, ready to offer me up as a sacrifice if they were allowed to pass unharmed) and Randy letting me slumber Saturday night in the unofficial official team trailer to escape the 30-40mph winds blowing through the valley, I was actually in a good mood.

The wind died down on Sunday and the weather was just about perfect. I tried to follow Coach Gareth's advice about consuming approximately 300 calories an hour during the race, and fell short, but I still felt good. A couple racers in other classes acted as dangling carrots to keep my ass moving at a good pace and I ended up 15th out of 21 people.

Sea Slaughter

2009-06-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

I got super-sick: slightly sore throat on Tue-Wed went full-throttle on Thursday with a sinus headache and all-over aches. I didn't leave my bed for 4 days and even took Monday off cuz I started coughing up phlegm balls bigger than the Olsen twins.

So, uh, yeah, Sea Otter will have to wait for next year.

Sagebrush

2009-06-17T19:15:00.001-07:00

Next came the long-awaited return of the Sagebrush Safari near beautiful San Diego. Still reeling from the UQ, I didn't have a great start on the punishing road climb that begins this long race. Once into the singletrack I was able to settle in and have an amazing time, but was too far behind at that point to do any damage to my field. I do love the course though, with its twists, bumps, slickrock sections, technical climbs and the swoopy "bmx" section near the finish. Thanks to King James for feed zone support and to Darter (http://www.michaeldarter.com/) for the a few of the sickest picks ever.

Ultra Fail

2009-06-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

Well in March was the 2nd running of the Ultra Quest. The 40+ miles of singletrack and 12,000 ft of climbing (including a lot of hiking) is an all day epic for some. Finishing in 8hrs 12min last year, I felt that if I drank and ate smarter than I had last year that I would finish better. Well, my body had other plans. Leg cramps started twinging at about 2 1/2hrs in and it pretty much went south from there. At over 10hrs on a hot day I was worked and barely moving, and decided that I couldn't go on even though it was a "short" 45-60min to the finish. But since only 26 finished out of 46 who started, I was only extremely disappointed (instead of severely disappointed).

Here I am about the only time I was really having a good time, on the Carbide tripoddin' down the first sketchy dh of the day.

My First Solvang Century

2009-04-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

In the interest of trying to catch up to the here and now, this is my second blog this week! Karrazy schtuff.

For years I have heard many of the Backboners speaking of the delightful Solvang Century. Mostly when we attend the Firestone Walker mountain bike race (now the Santa Ynez Valley Classic) as the Century course passes right beside the race course.

This year I was finally formally invited by my road training partner and all around great gal Betsy. She sang sweet lies about enjoying my company and my winning smile or some bs like that, but when I got to the venue, I realized that the mighty munchkin bunch just needed a large object to draft behind for 100 miles!

And since Tim was smart enough not to fall for her woman trickery I was the only alternate. ;) But seriously it was an awesome group o girls and a lot o fun. Here we are pre-ride, l to r; Betsy, Jeannie, Me, Donna & Steph.

After a lazy late wakeup and breakfast of eggs and oatmeal & strawberries from Donna's 'J-Lo' trailer we were on our way, but not before all four girls donned their secret weapons, a US Post Office mail pouch inserted inside the front of their jerseys a la the newspapers Tour de France riders use. The weather was supremely cool with heavy cloud cover for most of the day and the double-layered laminated paper pouches would provide the ladies with unparalleled frontal wind protection! Who knew?

The ride went smoothly, with only Donna throwing in attacks right from the get-go. At the first aid station though, the group reformed after PB&J sammies, bananas and a pee break. We endured horrible scenery the entire ride; lush green rolling hills spotted with trees, valley after valley of gorgeous wine fields, and wildflowers of all colors.

With the temperature just below what I thought was perfect and a pace just below what I thought was optimal I eventually began to get antsy, though. Luckily, just before I went completely mad, about that time we were about 2/3 through the course and we started the hilly sections. Metaphorically thumbing my nose at the rest of the people who were just happy to finish a Century (except the guy riding the 3-speed 'Fat Tire Ale' beach cruiser, complete with fenders, fake gas tank, and racks) I proceeded to climb the hills at mach speed, only to flip a U-ie at the top, charge back down and do them again. It really worked out perfectly, too, as I would get to the top the second time just after the girls got up the first time, and the group would be whole again. Yay!

With only one pavement section that was torn up so much that you wanted to chew your arms off, the rest of the ride went splendidly. The girls, realizing that the end was near and they still felt great, were able to quicken their pace. Even the last climb which was rumored to be a hellish nightmare, which ran mere feet away from the dreaded dirt climb on the Firestone Walker course, was breezed over with so little effort that everyone was left wondering "Was that it?"

Seasoned century pros that we were, we even skipped the actual finish line, opting instead to head straight back to our deluxe campsite, for beers, a hot tub soak, and a great campfire cookout. Awesome stuff.

It's definitely a great ride and a great vibe.

Bonelli: Race Numero Uno!

2009-04-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot late but here's a rundown.

My first race was supposed to be a "practice" Southridge Winter Series race a week previous, but since the Marzocchi on my Tomac had a blown Oh-Oh-O-ring the night before, I had to pass. I was unwilling to ride my lower back-pretzling Litespeed or the 35 lb. Kona.

So I came into Bonelli cold, which wasn't my first choice. I did pre-ride the new course on Saturday, though, so at least I would know what to expect in that regard. An interesting almost completely new course. And the only parts included from previous years were run in the opposite direction, so it might as well been brand new. Everything was either up or down, too, not much in the way of flats. And the downs were super-short :( It was still fun though, blowing past people and then jamming on the breaks at the last second before the hairpins at the bottom!

My main problem, though, was completely ignoring the readout on my Sigma HR monitor. I wear it race day for a reason. It was blinking wildly at me as I pounded out the first two laps between 190 and 200 beats a minute. Yes, even for my hummingbird heart that's too hard.

So after overenthusiatically chasing the lead group for 14 miles, 1/4 way into the 3rd lap my body had had enough. After that no amount of Amino Vital Fast Charge or caffeinated GU could speed my trudge to the finish line. :P It's definitely not fun watching riders in your class repass you and not be able to do anything about it.

But, lesson learned: Too fast + too soon = no bueno. And it was fun to start another season with a great team and great sponsors. Thanks have to go out to the man of men Roger for keeping shit organized and for hosing us down with the Nomad every lap! Ryan was kind enough to take on bottle-passing duty as well. And definitely great to have the PMBC crew out there! Great guys (and girls), awesome attitudes, and incredible FOOD. See you next time.

Spanish for "Whale's Vagina"

2009-03-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

That's right, it's the second half of my ride to SAN DIEGO.

After stopping for a sandwich at Giovanni's (wayyy to long, but it was a beautiful day!) The girls geared back up and we were on our way.

Betsy dons gloves and Steph cranks up the iPod

After climbing the dreaded hill at Torrey Pines we took the fast, windy architectural tour of UCSD where I was questioned repeatedly by the girls if I knew where the hell I was going. Sadly I did. :)

After a nice stretch between the 5 fwy and some rolling grassy hillsides I was again grilled by the ladies as to whether I had any idea where we were, or how to get where we were going. The bike trail becomes a labyrinth: crossing city streets, funneling beneath a few underpasses, and winding over a trail that is barely recognizable as a trail. Again I DID actually know what I was doing and it was a short stint before we were cruizing by beautiful Mission Bay.

After passing by Old Town and being narrowly missed in merging traffic by a hard-charging city bus, we finally arrived at the downtown.

Making our way to the Amtrak station we were regretfully told that the train leaving in 10 minutes had already attained its 6 (that's right six) bicycle limit and we were out of luck. We were fortunate enough to be #4,5 & 6 on the list for the next train, though - an hour later. If anyone has ever ridden, or considered riding somewhere in connection with taking a train, you will contact Amtrak immediately to tell them they need more storage space for bicycles.

We did have a nice wait, though, as the sun descended and we enjoyed our cups of coffee (definitely NOT alcohol! ;) ). COFFEE.

And finally we enjoyed the leisurly cruise back home on the choo choo.

"Stay classy San Diego."

D.P. to S.D.

2009-02-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

WHAT? Two blogs in one week? This can't be!

Well the official Dana Point to San Diego road ride took place on Saturday, so here's the wrap-up for all of you losers who couldn't make it.

Blogger is taking forever to upload the pics, as well as not putting them in the order I upload them, so I'll have to make this a 3 parter. WHAT? More blogs??? Unthinkable! But why do they make it so damn hard compose these things? GALL?

After riding from my casa in the SJC and hooking up with the Betsy and Steph in DP, we made final tire pressure adjustments and were on our way. We shot down the hill into Doheny, through onto PCH, and south past San Clemente. It was only then I remembered "Hey! I've got a fricken camera in my jersey!"

Other rideers found themselves helpless as we formed a paceline (me pacing, them lining), and trucked by at high speed.

We soon found ourselves entering San Onofre State Beach, encountering the worst sign EVER.

I know my lovely companions are married and all, but a guy can dream can't he? No, he can't, when there are signs like this jolting him back into reality.

Fortunately I was able to pull myself back together and continue the ride. Upon entering Camp Pendleton Marine Base we encountered a horrible group of Tri weenies. Not able to hold a consistent pace for more than 90 seconds, the girls suddenly found themselves in what felt like 405 rush hour traffic as the group of 15 again and again sped past them, only to putter to a crawl moments later. I don't understand. Luckily for me I got ahead of all but two of them, so I felt the affects much less severly.

We finally made it to Oceanside, though, and basked in the awesomeness of another day of winter in SoCal. Sorry Tookie, Maybe when they thaw you out they'll put you in a movie with Pauly Shore?

More next time...

Groundhog Day

2009-02-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

The real Punxsutawney Phil this morning in Pennsylvania predicting 6 more weeks of winter. Uh oh California, six more weeks of high 60s before it gets back up to 78. Yikes! Actually, records show that Phil has only been right 28 percent of the time, which means it's more likely that spring already here (tell that to Kentucky, though).

I obviously prefer the cinematic version:

Waking up day after day on Feb. 02, Bill Murray goes berserker trying to endlessly woo Andie MacDowell while hanging out with the likes of Chris Elliot. Great stuff.

PCH Ride

2008-12-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I'm the worst blogger ever.

Here are some phone pics from my weekly ride south on PCH from the casa. No, I didn't plan ahead and bring a real camera, but these turned out pretty good actually.

I know Chris will enjoy this most of all, since he has probably already bought battery-operated socks so he can build igloos in his front yard and not freeze to death in the sub-zero temperatures he is no doubt experiencing O hi o.

I started taking pics on the way back north to the house. This crazy 3 degree rise may be steeper than any hill found in Chris's current state.

The lifeguard towers get drunk in the parking lot in the afternoon and reminisce about that one time Nicole Eggert ran down the sand in front of them in super-slow-motion.

Speaking of bouncing, this next one is the set of bodacious bazoongas on the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. That's right SONGS. The only tune you'll hear if this 2,200 megawatt reactor melts down, though, is "Taps."

But enough of the depressing stuff, here's the nipple shot!

Look ma, no hands!

Actually, don't look ma, I'm sure you'll be frightened and chastise me. "But mom, everyone's going 'hands-free' nowadays!"

And finally, a couple last pics as that big ball o fire plunges into the ocean.

Happy Trails!

DH2

2008-03-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some Lizard Pics, taken by pro photographer Bill Freeman. Check out www.freemanimages.com for samples of his sweet photos and for his contact info.

Bombin the "Sonic S"

Hikin back up

Flyin down again:

DH Vegas???

2008-03-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate enough to participate in the 25th annual Leaping Lizard dowhill race in Laguna Beach, CA. Though my cajones are not of sufficient diameter to qualify me as a true downhiller I do enjoy a gravity based competition a few times a year, and this is one of em.
Armed with my tank-like Kona Dawg (and it's angry 5 inches of travel), all the plastic armor I can find (gathering dust in boxes the garage), a full face helmet (in case I start bouncing off of trees like a pinball), and of course my Cedric Gracia carbon knuckled 661 gloves (for punching anyone who tries to pass me). I venture forth.

Usually this race ends up being a teeth chattering, I can barely hang on to the finish, why am I doing this event, but this year was different. With the plethora of recent rain here in SoCal and the gumption of a dozen or so dedicated riders, immense hours of trail work were put into the course, the famed Telonics, making it a dream to ride down. Blue grooved ruts and stutter-bumps became super-flat tacky brown earth. Corners were banked like turn 3 at Daytona. The chin guard on my helmet hid my wide grin as I flew (well, flew for ME!) down the hill.

The two run format and DIY shuttle system (as in "hike your own ass up the entire course pushing your bike") allowed me to keep my heart rate up and finish a scant 57 seconds behind race winner Brian Lopes, who sported his new powder blue Ibis refitted with a long-travel fork. He better look out for me this year, I might decide to try 4X (if my swelled noggin can fit into a full face helmet anymore!) HA!

After the race, beer drinking and food mowing ensued as well as the awards ceremony which featured Hans "No Way" Rey

on speakerphone via Mission Hospital. That's right. Unfortunately the Trials champion, Skillsmeister General and all-around speed demon crashed earlier in the week preriding the course. Ejecting off the famed "Volkswagon Rock"(which is called that because it's the size of a VW bug) he shattered his ankle. Did naming the new Kenda tire he helped design the "Telonix" jinx him??? We'll never know, but our thoughts and prayers are with him for a speedy recovery.

Luckily no one else was injured and the race was a blast. With Johnny T's Primer 220 coming out soon, I just might have to look at doing some more DH races.

OOOOOOOOOr maybe not. :)

Deflowered

2008-02-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

Huh huh. La Negra and I got it on this weekend! A loop that included going up Trabuco and down Bell; a fine way to break her in. The recent rains have made the trails incredible. Super lush foliage and super tacky soil (That's Bell that starts on the right and ends waaaaaaay down there in the middle left-just above the bush).

She likes it dirty.

Thanks to my bike shop BUY MY BIKES! for gettin her all together. And thanks to all the sponsors for the bitchin parts: XPEDO MF-4A pedals, SUNLINE/661 carbon bars and lock-on grips, SIGMASPORT computer, KENDA Kharisma tires, and of course Joel and John at TOMAC for the frame. This baby flies and I can't wait to get her to the races!

Tired

2008-02-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

When your rubber looks like this:

It's time for some o' this:Shiny brand spankin new Kenda Kriteriums for the road bike. Sweeet!

IT'S A GIRL!

2008-02-18T01:41:00.000-08:00

Record Of Birth
hereby recorded in the Clerk's Office of the County of Orange
State of California

Name: La Negra ___________ Sex: Female

Weight: 26 lbs, 12 oz. _______ Length: 42.8 inches

Born this 18th day of February, 2008
at South County 'General' Cyclery

More pics of the beautiful newborn to follow!

Ugh a bug

2008-02-15T17:33:00.000-08:00

Well here's an update for my loyal readership, since I know it's been awhile.

I will finally be back on the bike this weekend, after having maybe 5 rides in the past 4 weeks. I believe I finally coughed up the last phlegmball today from being sick. Last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday was entirely spent huddled under the covers with the heated mattress pad on, rarely awake for more than a few hours. Sore throat and clammy, then moving into the sinus swelling and mucus manufacturing by the weekend.

Before that I was dealing with my 'Roid Rage again. Not the Cy Young award winning, Grand Jury indicting, speech impediment inducing, nervous lip licking kind that Roger Clemens undoubtedly has, but the kind where I'm sitting on a fiery bag of marbles. Not STEroid but HEMRrhoid. Doesn't make for a happy bike-riding scenario. Or really any other scenario.

That and the rain off and on, like I said has decreased my spin time from 5 or 6 times a week to 1 if any.

Also, since I know you're all dying to find out, the mighty Tomac Carbide has been slowly coming together. A mass part ordering was done ahead of time at my LBS, the wonderful Buy My Bikes!, to be added onto later by sponsor product including a new Marzocchi Corsa fork, sweet Sunline Carbon V-1 bar and new half-waffle lock-on grips, and eventually a blingy wheelset. However, when the Sunline stuff showed up and I decided to use the Marz Marathon from the Litespeed and a WTB wheelset I had hangin in the garage to get the build going, a few choice parts were found lacking from my metal cornucopia. Number one being the reducer headset needed for the girthy Tomac carbon headtube. Number two being the ultra pimp aluminum Nokon derailleur cable housing. Apparently Xzibit had a '71 Pinto he was tricking out with Shimano 9 speed and had to appropriate the stuff. So a little delay. No biggy except that I WANT IT NOW! :)

I'll keep y'all updated.
Layta

I "hollow, pumplike organ of blood circulation" YOU

2008-02-14T15:29:00.000-08:00

GEORGE NOT BUSH

2008-01-11T19:52:00.000-08:00

YOU GOTTA LOVE THIS GUY.

A wonderful Message by George Carlin:

"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be a round forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all MEAN IT. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind."

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don't send this to at least 8 people .... Who cares?

Bert Hurting People

2008-01-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

The other 'Cross

2007-12-24T01:13:00.000-08:00

I did my first CX race Sunday morning! With the The Hurt & Crash, V-dog, The Hitman, The Cap'n and even former teammate White Chocolate all professing the wonders of Cyclocross, I finally had to give in and do one. Friday night's Lagwagon show and Saturday night's drinking probably weren't the ideal precursors to a race, but hey, what the hell.

30 seconds into the race is when I believe I racked up the 203 BPM on my Sigma heart rate monitor, but that was about 15 seconds after Brant and half of my category were already out in front of me! I managed not to get stuck behind any of the technically challenged riders, though, and was able to calm my HR down a notch or two and settle in. My hearty cheering section which included Rog, Ryan, and the ladies Brant had shuttled in for the occasion gave me the much-needed motivation to keep plugging away lap after lap, too. Headwinds in a couple spots and the (luckily only one) portage section were definitely power suckers.

I decided against demo'ing a cross bike and stuck with my trusty Tanasi hardtail. Rog outfitted me with his XTR wheelset sporting some Kenda Kwicker 1.8s I believe, which definitely put it closer to CX shape, but I guess I will have to try a "real" CX bike in the future.

Unfortunately, halfway thru the race I was apparently assaulted by a not-quite-fossilized avian skeleton. That's correct, I took a chicken bone to the rear tire! Even a Slime tube was no match for this osteopathic onslaught. I slowly began to depressurize, wobbling a little more and more around every turn. So slothful was its seepage that I thought I could finish the race on it, but on the third lap of leaking, I realized I would never make it to the finish. In true Backbone team style, though, Ryan sprinted out to the truck and retrieved my Spinergy rear wheel, and on the next lap I pulled in for my Nascar wheel change!

Adrenaline still rushing thru me I was not even No help, I was completely detrimental to the process. Roger ended up bleeding and 5 people passed me, but I had a quick drink of water as he tightened my QR and I was off again with two laps to go.

I was amazed at how much I was able to keep my speed constant thru the race as others were slowing, and with the fresh 60 PSI Small Block 8 rejuvenating my vigor I was able to catch and pass four of the five who had gotten by me in the pit. One guy gave me challenge as he was quicker over the obstacles than I was, but soon after we were back on the pedals I was around him again. I had the fifth in my sights as we rounded the last corners to the finish, but was too far back to catch him. I would have to settle for 12th, but all things considered I'm content. I'll be back out there in a couple weeks, though, (maybe with a CX bike) and we'll see what I can do.

Criss Cross'll make ya...

2007-12-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

I found out how small Aliso Woods is yesterday when I tried to mountain bike for an entire 2 hrs at high speed. Entering from the Mormon church entrance on the Aliso Viejo side I got a little warm-up before hitting Mathis and climbing up it to the Top of the World (Laguna entrance). From there I bombed down the ridgeline fireroad and down Rockit, which turns out to be pretty bone-jarring the first time you've ridden it on a hardtail in months! Glancing at my new SigmaSport Onyx watch (sponsor plug) I noted that I had only burned up 40 minutes and would definitely need to rethink the remainder of my planned route!

Sooo, what's the longest closest climb I could come up with? Well, back up Rockit, of course! Five minutes later as I turned the corner to the trail's namesake battery of babyheads, I tried not to smirk as a family-type group of five and a few others making their was down looked at me in amazement: Who goes UP Rockit? Nut-jobs like me, that's who!

Back at the top I stopped for a drink of agua but had to jump back on the pedals when a 40-something couple started down the trail. NOT that I'm prejudiced, but they just didn't look like they were in the same forties that "The Hurt" is. I couldn't tell if he was trying or not, but I was already putting time on him before the singletrack. My second time down the trail right in a row difinitely gave me an advantage, and even though he had full suspension I never heard from him, even when I had to slow down for my second painful trip down Babyhead Boulevard. Trying to keep my bones from shaking loose, I was impressed to see two guys making their way up. Were these guys complete nut-jobs? I hope so, I need the company!

Back at the bottom once again, my hands and feet aching, I focused on getting back up to speed heading out Coyote Run. As I crested a little rise, a little boy (7?) riding the other direction asked his dad behind him "What do I do Daddy?" I had already pulled over so he told him to keep going. The dad was also towing his daughter in a trailer behind him. Sweeet!

Out off of Coyote and onto Wood Canyon fireroad I quickly arrived at Cholla. Left right left right...etc etc...switchback madness. Back onto the West Ridge fireroad and aaaaaaaaall the way back to the Top o the World.

A quick look at the sun about to plunge into the ocean and I shot past the picnic tables and onto the pavement on my way to Meadows. Once "The Muther Of All Climbs" when it was an almost straight line, it has now been castrated with switchback upon switchback and though it's still a good climb it's now suitable for descending as well.

Back onto the valley floor and I still have 15 minutes to kill! I speed up the canyon to the bottom of Mathis and hook a left onto the (relatively) new Dripping Cave Loop. A nice bit of singletrack with a mix of ups n downs and a lot of sandstone. The recent rains have made the foliage super moist and green, and the trail between the rocks is fantastically tacky. It's not a long enough, though, so I race back around and do it again!

Back out to the canyon fireroad I swing right and begin the cruise back to the truck. 5:00 and the sun has been down for 15 minutes and I just beat the last pinch of light as I roll onto the pavement.

Even though I almost quadrupled back on myself, it was still a fun ride. :)

For something seriously wild, check out the following site I found that has a history of the park, and a trail map and photos that are probably 10 YEARS OLD! (Before thousands of identical stucco houses and a toll road were built on two sides of the park) Wacky stuff!

www.biketrails.com/alisowood.html

The Legend

2007-12-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not know Evel Knievel passed away. This guy was the fucking man. His middle name was Cajones! See Jimbo's blog for a couple great vids. In addition to the crazy gyro powered chopper bike I also had this:

...that you rolled up in a ball and then tried to find the highest tree to climb or somebody's roof to throw it off of!

And the Muther Of All Electric Toothbrushes:

Words cannot express...

2007-12-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

...the elation that washes over me. Especially since I don't have the time at the moment to sit and contemplate the right words. But the Brown Santa (yes, UPS) brought something for me:

And ohhh, baby!

My new frame is here. The sleek shiny sexy black carbon TOMAC CARBIDE XC-1. Courtesy of Joel Smith and Johnny T himself. The Hurt and I will be racing this vision of beauty and epitome of velocity next season and you better get a good look now, cuz it's gonna be flying by at high speed later and it'll be hard to see ;)

More Riding

2007-11-15T19:21:00.000-08:00

After work on one o the last nights before the sun dwindled away I was able to shoot this one. Because it's shorter the quality ends up much better. Also I'm startin to use my editing software to it's full potential. Hope you likey!

Singletrack Vid

2007-10-31T15:20:00.001-07:00

This is me and some friends riding down a bit of fine Southern California singletrack. I hope to be enjoying lots o this during the "winter" season now that I'm back in the Golden State. Get out there and ride some yourself.

Cal State #6 - Rim Nordic

2007-08-04T23:42:00.000-07:00

Amazingly enough, I got up to the venue on time, over 2 hours before the race! I got registered, saw Mandy (who's always got a smile on her face), the Volpinator, Vanessa, Rog and Brant hanging around, and watched James and Randy start. I headed back to the truck and found a great spot to set up my trainer under the shade of the Snow Valley resort building. Unfortunately my wonderful SigmaSport BC 1200 wireless comp had it's first battery failure at the wheel sensor (I've had it for 3 years now) so I didn't get any readings, but I had a great 40 min warm up and felt great and was very optimistic. Drank lots. Had my MP3 player cranking the tunes and drowning out the buzz of the trainer. Got to the start line and chatted everyone up and was ready to go. 10 minutes into the race, however, I was light-headed and seeing stars. I slowed down to recover and just tried to poke along, but I still felt like shit. The fire road at the top was less painful, but the climbs were hideous. I made a complete pit stop at the end of lap 2, trading in both water bottles for more H20 and Coke (for the caffeine). I hopped back on the pedals and was off for lap 3. I was demolished, though. I was barely able to turn the pedals up the first set of climbs. I got off the bike at the flat spot before the first descent and rested under a tree for about 10 min. I got back up and cautiously made my way through the descent. Once at the bottom, since I was staring up at another climb and only within rock-throwing distance of the start/finish line, I decided I had had enough.

As I stumbled by the announcing tent, I notified them of my demise. They thanked me, as they had put me down as the WINNER of my class! I was so far behind that they thought I was in front.

Apparently the elevation and heat were combining to try to kill me. Also someone said that the anti-inflams and muscle relaxers I was taking for my back spasms are dehydrators, so that was probably another factor. Plus the air conditioning had been out at work for 3 weeks prior, leaving us at 86 degrees 8 hrs a day, which I’m told can cause mild heat stroke by itself.

I was 7 pounds lighter than normal on Monday morning.

I don’t have any cathartic closing for this one, it just plain sucked. Thanks to Rog, the rest of the team, and everyone else for supporting me.

Tumblina

2007-06-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

I crashed on Sunday and it was no fun. I didn't even get to the dirt before it happened. I was only on the bike a measley 7 minutes before I hit the concrete like a sack of concrete. Three of us were tooling along the sidewalk on the way to the trail when this concrete light pole jumped out in front of me. Then his buddy the fire hydrant jumped out of the bushes on the other side of the sidewalk. I was barely able to remove myself from the bike and dive inbetween them.

Yes, that is yellow paint from the hydrant on my derailleur.

So yeah, I tacoed my front wheel, scratched up one of my new SUNLINE bolt-on grips, and got a few bruises and this lovely gash, but I'm relatively ok.

Well, since there was still 1-1/2 hrs of light left and I have another bike, we bent my wheel back enough so I could wobble home and then I headed out again on my own for an hour or so.

Good times, good times.

FIRESTONE

2007-06-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

I have to say that Firestone was incredible. Considering the torturous races I’ve had there for the last 2 years, having not only a good race but a GREAT one was far beyond my expectations.

The sweltering heat that greeted me when I arrived at the venue on Saturday didn’t make me very optimistic, though. Neither did the musical-chairs-like switching of the course length. 2 Laps? 1 ¾? 1 ½? Vineyard loop? Team Lame Bear again proved its near-worthlessness at putting on a smooth race weekend.

Waiting till later and leisurely pre-riding in the cool evening put me in a great night-before race mood, though. A mid-course phone call to Greg and directions from Matt was a huge help as well. Then I kicked back and ate dinner outdoors under the stars with James and Rod, and then we and Roger, Vanessa & Chris turned in for the night.

Race morning saw me up and running around trying to find out how many laps I was ACTUALLY supposed to race, but to no avail. The registration tent directed me to the start line, the start line was busy starting the Beginners and Sports, and when I finally found someone they told me to go back to the registration tent. Brilliant. None of the other racers were aware or seemed too concerned with my issue, and unfortunately it bit the Semi-Pros in the ass. Team Lame Bear didn’t have anyone up at the fork in the trail for the ¾ lap, and they went sailing by and had to come back and repass people they had already overtaken. Ouch. Luckily we were after them and it had been sorted out by the time we got there.

Anyway, the new course was great. The start thru the vineyard, although dusty, gave a nice warm-up before we hit that first nasty climb. The usually gnarly foot-deep creek run was bone dry and pitifully easy. I don’t know if it really was, or if I just felt great, but the normally bumpy cow trail course didn’t beat up on me like it usually does. They also carved some superfun new singletrack into the hillside. Well, as suprising to me as it was to the rest of the Backbone crew, I was able to speed around the course like a goat on amphetamines. 3 or 4 of us in my category kept fighting back and forth and passing and repassing each other on the ups and downs. I was finally able to put screws on those guys, though, and set my sites on The Bear Valley Bikes jersey I could see ahead of me who I knew was in my class. I inched slowly closer to him over the second half of the second lap. I finally caught up to him in the trees on the last leg of the course, but that’s when he started turning up the heat. I don’t know if he knew I was back there or not, but he was certainly making it tough. I lost a couple bike lengths on him and struggled to close the gap. I finally did, though, and was right on his rear tire as we rolled into the gravel gully near the finish. He hesitated halfway up the other side and I decided to make my move. I cranked up around him on his right, but I as I slowed down to dive into the last left-hand corner I half expected him to repass me on my right. As I righted myself I sprinted with everything I had left and came across ahead of him. SWEET. I took him by .47 seconds to come in 7th out of 21. What a rush.

I have to give props to my team and everyone who cheered me on for the motivation, it really helped.

Boonelli

2007-06-11T19:43:00.001-07:00

Well, the first race of the season didn’t quite go how I would have liked. After waking up on time (don’t laugh) and spinning out my “before breakfast” 30 min warm-up, I proceeded to eat my oatmeal and prepare to leave. And that was about the extent of the “on-timeyness.” As so many of you know, and those of you who don’t have probably heard, I have an issue with arriving anywhere at a predetermined time. Making a long story short, after stopping at the ATM to get money for parking I got on the freeway at 9:23. Arriving at Bonelli at 10:05, I crammed down a banana and a bottle of Cytomax as I skirted through registration, said hi to everyone at Chris’s elaborate twin booths of death, and suited up for my 11:00 start.

That’s the end of the detailed version that I started, so here’s the recap from what I recall:
After the start it took less than 2 minutes before my category had left me in the dust. The exposed fireroad climb on the back side I remember being especially torturous, and I don’t know if it was good bad when Chrissie Bono’s smiling face went by me at high speed. How I beat anyone I don’t know, but I DID beat Brant and one of the Possibilities guys. Go figure.

Well, on Monday I woke up with a sore throat and ended up sick for another 3 weeks, so definitely the combo of just being sick with the extreme toll a race puts on me was bad. I ended up missing the Nova National race and Sea Otter recovering.

Why you so stupid???

2007-04-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

Testing...testing...

2007-03-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

Saturdy, Jay led Ara, Teri, some guy named Jesse and me on a bike shootout for Mountain Biking magazine. Five bikes, five people, five rides up and down the same trail. Tapia Canyon in Valencia was the spot Jay chose, pretty much cuz of its proximity to the heralded 661 offices. That, and it was actually a very diverse trail that allowed us to see how the bikes handled climbing and descending, on fireroad and singletrack, smooth hard pack, rocks, loose dirt, little whoops and even a couple drops.

Between the pedal changing, seat height adjustment, debate & discussion, paperwork and strong headwinds it turned into a longer day than we expected, but it was definitely fun getting to ride bikes that I never would have ridden otherwise.

You'll have to wait for the article to see what we came up with as I have been sworn to secrecy by Jay and several government agencies.

This may or may not be Jay.

This may or may not be one of the XC bikes we tested.

This one's for Jimbo...

2007-02-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

I wake up in the morning and my legs are a little more wooden than usual. My biceps are painfully bruised and my shoulders unnaturally sore. My neck is aching; every blind spot check as I drive to work is a chore. I have another bruise, a dent in my back, between my shoulder blade and my spine, that's in just the wrong spot, that I feel and don't feel. Maybe it's just the right spot. The skin stretches tightly across my left cheekbone from the elbow that landed there. I turn down the stereo. My ear is still ringing and I recall the sharp whack from my skull connecting with someone else's. I have a skinned knee. And a purple elbow on the same side from falling to the concrete. I'm more aware of every small movement of my hands on the steering wheel, the meat of my fingers has thickened and the joints have become inelastic from hundreds of pushes and pulls and bracings and balances. I am clean and fresh and dry and new now. I was wet and dirty and sweaty and stinky and we were wet and dirty and sweaty and stinky. And angry and joyful and raging and elated and intoxicated. And drunk and sober. And Old and new. And we were different and we were the same. At the same time. Spinning and twisting. And churning.

And I did then and I do now

feel

so

alive.

Long Overdue

2007-02-13T20:24:00.000-08:00

Well, the Second Annual New Year's Rockin Eve Rocky Peak Ride was so warm, bright and sunny that I thought I would post pics of the innaugural inundation for a jolly juxtaposition.

First, we have fellow South OC contingent (The "Tailbone" of Backbone!) member Betsy overseeing the boys changing her tube. How many 'Boners does it take to change a flat???

Next we have Chewy making his helpful contribution to the process!!!

Ter-Ter came decked out in her Penn State garb for the East Coast weather that quickly descended on us.

Dawn came equally well-dressed for the wet, but wasn't always sporting her usually sunny disposition!

The Cap'n checkin to see if The Colonel is coming up the trail with a fresh bucket of Original Recipe for him.

Jimbo, Jaybo and A-bo leadin the way.

Heck Ride Pics

2006-11-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

Looking up Hwy 38

Christie, Suzanne, Trevor and me on the moon

Joy negotiating the water crossing

Helloooo!

2006-08-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

My computer has taken a brain drain and is in the shop, so I haven't been able to update like I've wanted. Hopefully work doesn't fire me for improper use of company property!

Brian Head was great! Great weather. Great friends. Great race. I felt wonderful for the whole course. Of course I WAS gasping for air the entire time (10,000 ft up will do that), but I never got dizzy or had blurry vision or even thought about calling a cab back to the room (the very opposite of last year).

Although I only took 10 min. off of last year's time (unlike the 40 min. off of Sagebrush) it was still an awesome ride and at least seemed to go by very very quickly (even for people watching me!). It might have been that half the race I was pursuing or pursued by a couple of Joy's Expert women cohorts (who are hella fast!) (oh, and hella cute!). It may have been the new Kenda Kharismas that I strapped onto the Litespeed. It may have been Fuzzball's professional quality water bottle hand-off skills. Whatever it was, it was great. The first downhill singletrack section is so unbelievable twisty and fast it can't help but bring a smile to my face. And the descent through Dark Hollow still makes me ponder whether I'm actually doing a NORBA race. Sick is the only word to even half-way adequately describe it. And actually having the strength to consistently pedal (and smile) on the fire road toward the finish makes for a happy ending (not THAT kinda happy ending, smart-ass!).

Well, I gotta run before they kick me outta here. I've been super-sick since Saturday and am only now beginning to feel normal, so I'm still debating doing Rim Nordic on Sunday. We'll see.

LAter,
Vegas

Kids, Don't Try This at Home

2006-08-02T01:30:00.000-07:00

Taking photos at 90 mph on the freeway between Vegas and Cali, or at 40 mph on a twisty mountain road in Big Bear should be reserved for trained professionals such as myself. You have been warned.

Ah, the Rim Nordic. I did all my pre-race stuff right and in a more-than-timely manner. Thanks to Dana Point Clint and his Uber-Trailer for the oatmeal. You rock, dude. I had the best start I've had in a long time. I wasn't dropped by everyone in the first 30 seconds! It took 10 minutes this time! My first lap went well and I felt good, though. The second lap the altitude began to kick my ass as I climbed toward the fire road, and I slowed down a lot. And the third lap reverted back to the hell that has been my racing career for the last 2 years. At least the downhill was fun with my new fork (when I ignored the searing pain in the bottom of my feet) (oh, and the searing of my pasty white flesh by the emerging afternoon sun - guess my perfect pre-race ritual did have one flaw: sunblock)

Thanks to Christie's friend Jess (from the Camp N Rizzle crew) who was kind enough to take on water bottle duty for me, AND for some reason cheering duty. Which isn't easy considering I'm out on the course longer than anyone else on the mountain (I think Rim Nordic is considering banning me just so their volunteers can go home an hour earlier!).

I did take home a Jose Ole prize package from the raffle drawing, so I managed to pull something good out of it all.

Well, I'll keep fighting the fight and we'll see...

Remember kids, I'm an expert, and any attempt to replicate these results could be fatal.

Lost Wages

2006-06-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

Besty travelled to the scorched homeland of Vegas Bob this weekend for some serious R&R (riding and reveling). Braving the oven-hot weather (topping at 107 later that day), the thin air (at, oh, 4800'), and on an unfamiliar ride ("Susan" the Litespeed), she still managed to easily truck her way up thru Badger Pass to Red Valley. She even dodged the most moronic rider I've ever seen coming down the trail, that tried his hardest to run the both of us over rather than yield the right-of-way. But nothing would stop Betsy from enjoying the ride, even the fact that she realized (way too late, I might add) that there would be barely anything even remotely resembling a tree anywhere near the trail (What part of desert she didn't understand beforehand beats me).

We soon got to the end of the climb, though, and after enjoying a view of the strip that most people never ever see (look through the dust in the back of the pic), she told me "Let's go. I'm going to tear up that downhill like a vulture rips apart carrion!"

Yeah. It scared me, too. So quickly we were back on the pedals and flowing our way over twisty, dry white singletrack back toward the "3 Mile Smile." I led the way on "Sky" the Kona (cuz she obviously has more travel) but was more than happy (and kind-of frightened) to see Betsy none-too-far behind, easily negotiating the rock-laden descent. I couldn't tell if her ear-to-ear grin was elation or bloodlust, but we got to the bottom and she told me "Susan and I are getting along a lot better now!" and I felt at ease.

We crabbled up the tricky switchbacks back to Badger Pass and crossed paths with some other riders that were super courteous. It redeemed our faith in the Rules of the Trail and our belief that the asshole we encountered earlier was the exception that proved the rule. More and more descending over fast-curvy-whiterock-dry-creekbed-singletrack and we were back to the truck. Mission accomplished. Betsy thanked me for the great ride, but thanked me more when I started the engine and the air conditioner spewed out frosty coolness.

An hour later we joined the Timster at the Flamingo for some serious poolside lounging under the misters and consumption of icy alcoholic beverages (and I may have ogled a bikini-clad ass or two!). And all was good.

Later that evening we decided we should take some money from the casinos, so while Tim mastered the Pai Gow dragon and raked in the dough, Besty and I joined her friend Lindsay at the Blackjack table and proceeded to clean up there as well.

And thus ended a perfect day in Vegas. My stay here in Sin City is soon (VERY soon) coming to an end, and spending one of my last weekends here Livin Large is just how I roll. I will sincerely miss some of the friends and places I have come to know here. It helps, though, knowing that I am starting out on the next phase in my life with great times ahead of me and even more great friends to share them with. And the neon in the desert will always be here, not far away.

"I've led a charmed life." -Mike Ness.

FIRESTONE WALKER

2006-05-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I got two in the chest from the place known for it's "Double Barrel" brew. While Ara was busy downing some of the namesake liquid during his 5 turns of the course, I was barely able to hobble around 2.

After my well-fought-for 12th place at Bonelli (in my inaugural run there) I was eager to continue the fight in Santa Barbara. Fate had other plans, though. After saying hi to everyone at the start line including listening to Papo's usual pre-race self-degradation (even though he wipes the trail with us), I joked with his teammate Mick. Mick said he wasn't feeling great and I probably wouldn't see him much after the start (cuz he would be so far behind). I laughingly said that maybe I wouldn't see him cuz I might be so far behind. Ha Ha! It wouldn't be that funny in a few minutes.

The initial run off the line and up the first climb went great. After rubbing tires with and repassing a guy who thought he would cut me off to get around me and then drift two bike lengths off the rest of the pack, I settled right into the middle. Not expending too much energy, but not lagging behind, either. I followed Bert's limey cycloX friend down the first descent even though he went a bit slower than I wanted because I couldn't pass him before we got to it, and I knew he would just pass me again on the next up anyway.

I know I was doing fine, my post-race heart rate check recorded a max of 204 at some point (which is normal BTW), but by the third climb I start slipping. I looked down and was running at 167 (i usually race right around 190) and I was giving all I could. I cruised around the back of the course thinking I would recover and fight back in the second lap. I figured I had drank too much and waterlogged myself or something. When I passed King James' cheering me on at the campgrounds and headed into the vineyards, I popped a Sonic Strawberry Clif Shot hoping the caffein would give me a boost. It didn't seem to make much of a difference but I was still able to middle-ring all the little climbs on the way to the start/finish so I kept on. Ryan (AKA "Little Bert") handed me my water bottle as I started my second lap, and my recovery drink with protein, potassium and sodium totally hit the spot. As I wound my way up the initial climb, though, I felt pretty bad. But there were still other riders around me and I kept going. I even caught and passed Chewy (AKA "Fuzzy") on his 10th (or something?!*) lap.

The guy in front of me on the traverse almost ran headfirst into one of the 2-ton bulls that were roaming the course that day, but luckily he actually frightened the walking steak more than it did him (maybe it was the A-1 in his CamelBak?) and it went stubbling hysterically down the hill at breakneck speed! The rider was visibly shaken, though, and let me pass as he fumbled his way back onto the trail.

At the third climb again, I felt the horribleness setting in again. Single-speeders were chugging by me on all sides now, and lots of 3 and 4-man packs from the older categories, too. I looked at my wrist again and it read 127! That's near comatose for me. I was now on the fast track to Hurtville. I was sweating more than Chris Farley at a bacon convention, and the bottom of my feet were burning like I had sulfur insoles. I turned the suspension up on my fork from 2 to 4 inches, praying it would help, but the lumpy cow-tracked backside of the course was unrelenting. I rode slower and slower. And slower.

The granny ring became my friend as I resolved to just finish the race. "I feel no pain" became my mantra.

It only half worked, but half was enough.

The Pro women started passing me, which is always a morale booster (no really, it is), even when one thought I was in Ara's Marathon race because I was riding so slowly! They are always in a great mood and it's awesome to cheer them on as they fight it out at the end of their race. Another concernedly asked if I was OK. "Yes," I lied and rolled on.

I finished. I lay down on the cool, tall grass under the E-Z up and thanked heaven it was over.

I wish I had some cathartic ending that tied everything all together, but I don't. It was a severely painful race for me. Three others from my category DNF'd, so I'll concede to a DFL. This time.

I know, I know...

2006-04-17T00:27:00.000-07:00

...I need to put a new post on here. I'm backdated 2 races already. I just haven't had the motivation as of yet.

Until then, I'll share a little brightness. This is from today's ride which featured crazy 30+ mph winds.

Tailwinds shooting me up rocky climbs at unnaturally high speeds, headwinds making other climbs painfully demeaning and slow, and crosswinds blowing me right off the side of the trail.

My little red friend was one of a very very few that graced the side of the trail.

TTFN

The wheels on the bike go round and round...

2006-03-15T23:13:00.000-08:00

YEEEHA!

Guess what was on my doorstep waiting for me this evening? A package from my homies at SPINERGY! A shiny new hub and cassette body relaced to my rim. How do like them apples??? You don't, unless you're on my team, cuz I'm gonna be ridin by you on em!!! Ha HA!

Talk about speedy service, too: I sent the broked one in on Wednesday, it got there on Friday, and now it's already back in my sweaty little hands. Plus it's a new-and-improved beefed-up version of the hub.

Guess what's gonna be on the Litespeed tomorrow? =)

Broked

2006-03-07T22:43:00.000-08:00

I know it's been tooo long since a post, and this isn't exactly the topic I would pick, but here I am anyway.

I finally got around to hooking some Egg Beaters up to my race bike on Saturday after a messy ordeal removing the old Shimano cleats. A bolt didn't want to leave it's warm cozy spot on the bottom of my Sidi. After my attempts with power tools failed, I was forced to take it to the shop where there were bigger better power tools and men with much more elbow grease than I have at my disposal! It had actually rusted in (see previous posts about Monsoon and Monsoon II) but was thankfully removed.

On Sunday, with the new pedals and cleats now installed, it was time to hit the trail! I found the 'Beaters to work very well. Tons of float (so much that you wonder if you're clipped in sometimes) and very light. It made the transition very easy. It made the first mile of trail superb. Which was great, because that's as far as I got. I was spinning up the first part of "The Hurl", where you've just come out of a dry creek bed and started negotiating up some rocky switchbacks, but nowhere near the steep, gnarly rocky section that comes later, when my rear rim started rubbing somewhat awfully on the brake and the chain began to jump wildly. I figured my quick release had somehow come undone. After untightening and retightening the QR and still not fixing the problem, I was pretty mystified, until I noticed the following:

Yes, that's the rear hub coming almost completely apart at the seams! No, you aren't supposed to see the innards spinning around in there (like I did)! Well, I wasn't even able to ride back down the hill, so I had a nice hike back to the truck (cross-training is good, though, right?).

Spinergy is on the case now, and tomorrow the broked wheel goes via FedEx to it's final resting place, and hopefully it's replacement is soon to return to me for wielding against my racing foes. Warranties are good things, my friends, but whilst making sure you are in shape for the season, be sure all your stuff is in shape, too. Dust it off and look for cracks and such where they shouldn't be (the one on your backside is supposed to be there!).

Just a little safety reminder as we ready ourselves for a seasonfull of careening speedily down rocky mountainsides in large adrenaline amped masses.

TTFN
(ta ta for now)
VB

Chill

2006-01-22T21:49:00.000-08:00

I'm riding with my new winter gloves because it is, in fact, winter. And here in the desert it gets cold. And windy. Besides being very warm, the gloves are also fuzzy inside and slightly bulky. My connection to the bike isn't what it should be. Steering has a little mush. Reaching for the brake levers is just a little bit harder. The dulling feeling they give me mimmicks all too closely the feeling I, myself, am already exuding. Too many drinks last night. And the night before. Good times beckon, especially here in sinful city. Great friends all around, and the beer flows like wine. And the hope of making new friends. More liquor. Last Call? What's that? Strip Club? Right next door to the bar. Live music? Six blocks from home.

My nose aches from the elbow I took in the scraggly mosh pit last night. My neck is stiff and doesn't want to look down the trail far enough. Do I still taste the lime from that last Corona? No, not possible. But the muddled feeling remains nonetheless. Loose rocks slide underneath the tires. Swithbacks come up too fast. But it's not the bike that's moving quickly, it's the brain that's moving slowly. Up now. My lungs sting from the chilly air, in that bad but good way. I know the fresh winter air is trying to bite through and push out the smokey bar exhaust and fuel the muscles that are riggored from too many days not riding. Climb. Climb. It's the only way to purge it all out. Then more rocks. Hard and cold and solid. One dab. Two dabs. After five I stop counting. I just want to keep the momentum going and these damn rocks keep taunting me. Any other day and they would have no power over me. Now they relish in their chance to even the score. I fight on. Now loose ones, again. The rear tire spins and I teeter toward the downhill side of the trail. Toward my bad knee. My eyes suddenly become eagle-sharp as I focus on the rocks, the weeds, the dirt, and find one spot where I can plant my toe spikes and avoid injury. There it is, that's it. But as I continue to hurtle downward I still wonder if it's enough. I fold into the hillside with my body as much as I can and take the bike down with me. And it's over. I'm fine. Get up. Back on the bike. Keep climbing. Keep purging. Once at the top again I have what I wanted. What I needed.

The sun is gone and only the fading twilight left. No time to lose. Seat in the downright position. Move. Calf muscles twinge and fingers ache. Don't slow down, though. The branches are getting harder to see. The deviations in the trail are blending together. One small climb and then the final stretch of down. Floating over and around. And it's over.

For now.

Muscles relax and the brain lilts on its natural high. Breathe.

Get out and ride.

Monsoon II: Rocky Peak

2006-01-03T00:15:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging, sheesh! I'm sorry it's been like a month!

Chris's Blog was woefully void of pics, so I figured I had to step up to the plate. What a fricken ride!!! Although I had to ditch my glasses AGAIN (this pic was minutes before they had to go bye bye) the Rocky Peak ride was MUCH better than Monsoon I: Rim Nordic #3. I had Jay and Fuzzy and Jim to follow down the trail which made it much easier without my glasses. And I had my brand-new 5" travel DAWG to soak up all the bumps (cuz I was busy soaking up the water along with everyone else). Dawn with her Inoperative Intense and Betsy on the hardtail both slugged it out, too.

It was a wacky wet time. Thanks for rolling out the Old Year with a bang, guys. Can't wait for the New One to fulfill all our riding desires.

BC

2005-12-05T22:56:00.000-08:00

This would be Boulder City (home of Boulder Dam) on who's trails you can see: The Strip from the other side, Lake Mead from atop a mountain of volcanic rock, and if you're quick with the camera, a bighorn sheep's ass!
Ride On.

I did a bad bad thing.

2005-12-01T01:55:00.000-08:00

Xmas bonuses and Thanksgiving sales should not happen at the same time. Well, maybe they should! 5 inches of fully suspended shiny new aluminum muscle is now mine! Going DOWN...

I got your Strip right here, BABY!

2005-11-16T01:20:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's the Las Vegas strip from the lookout at Cottonwood an hour into my four hour ride on Sunday.

I met a guy from Texas and a guy from Florida and we started a grand ride. From the north lot we went under the highway at the first tunnel and up thru Badger Pass, up Red Valley, and out to the Water Tower lookout. Then back down Red Valley(sweeet!), under the middle tunnel and down a superfast singletrack paralleling the highway back to the lot. Then we hooked up with a couple locals and headed back up next to the highway and out to the Norba Loop. The Texan's Long Island Iced Teas from the night before finally got the best of him and he headed back to his car. My back was reeling from riding my spare Hardtail (aluminum, ouch) but I pushed on. We counter-clocked the loop and halfway out I was completely out of gas. I struggled on and there was a sweet twisty section that got me grinnin again, following the other three on their Fullies. Florida and I cut out (mucho poopedo) as the other two headed for The Elevator, but we still had to go up a loose (and painful) jeep trial to get back to the downhill leading to the lot. A jeep actually appeared below and chased us up the road, but I was able to hold him off (barely). "You sure got more energy than me!" the driver drawled as he dusted off down the other side. We hooked a left and started down Red Valley for the second time (which went MUCH more slowly, but was still fun) and back thru Badger to the lot.

What a day. It's Tuesday (actually Wednesday now) and I'm still jazzed.

And that's the way I like it.

picture picture picture

2005-10-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging!!!

2005-10-18T23:25:00.000-07:00

Here is my first frickin post on my new blog. Aren't I cool???