There ain't no bad rides!

A case in point: Yesterday's "Crazy Bastard West" ride wasn't the best one ever by any means! The seasonal roads were an impassable mess of ice ruts, frozen snow, thinly iced over puddles and that meant lots of walking, pushing, falling and wet feet. BB's crank arm fell off at the farthest-possible-point-from-the-cars and we had to push him back (on gravel and pavement) until a rescue car arrived and it was cold and windy.

In other words - we had a blast!

'Tis true............11 "grown-ups" endured all that crap when they could've been doing a whole buncha other stuff and all agreed - once we got back to the coffee shop - that their days were made and another Great Ride was in the books.

Go figure.

Take my bike for a walk in the uneven, well-nigh-unwalkable frozen snow? You bet.

Push buddy B for 3-4 miles 'cuz his bike broke? Sign me up.

Thaw my fingers out around a cuppa hot chocolate while doin' the post-ride wind down w/ good buddies? HELL yes!

We'll see you out there next Sunday, huh? Same time, same place. It'll be a hoot. Trust me.



Don't forget the first riode of 2009! Here @ the shop at 1:00pm on 1-1.

'Whole Lotta Things That I Have Done - I Ain't Never Had Too Much Fun"

That's a lyric and title of a Bill Kirchen song (that's him playing that signature guitar run on Hot Rod Lincoln) but I gotta say that if ol' Bill had been w'/ the Crazy Bastards on their last 2 rides he might've had to re-think that song!

The last 2 Sundays we've met down in Hammy-town and headed into the Allegan Woods area on 'cross or mountain bikes in search of snow-covered dirt and "seasonal" roads. There've been at least a dozen of us - all bundled up and ready to get all wet and cold. Folks look at us as if we're full-on loonies as we kit up and roll west outta the parking lot of the market - especially a coupla Sundays ago when those big wet flakes were falling faster than plows or windshield wipers could keep up - but we just grin and pedal on 'cuz we know something that they don't...............and that is the simple fact that riding a bike w'/ your buds is ALWAYS better than not riding - even if it means falling on your ass several times and/or freezing your toes off.

There was one point on that first ride where 4 of us were down in the snow -I had my front tire slide out in the rut I was following down a 2-track, Alan was too close behind me and piled into my bike, Dave hit the ground as he passed us and Kirk wiped out tryin' to get around the pile. We all lay there in that soft and welcoming snow and laughed our asses off. I remember thinking to myself as I got up and brushed myself off ..."These are grown -ups! And not just bike shop guys - some of these dudes are respectable members of the community - the kind of guys that have jobs w/ real offices and a closet full of shirts /w collars and shoes that you can polish! You know - adults! And we're back here falling down and getting up and laughin' 'til our sides hurt."?!?!

That's when I knew that we were on to something. Just another reminder of the Power Of The Bike I guess. You may think that your bike(s) are just that - bikes. Not that there's anything wrong w/ that - the bicycle is one of our finest inventions and the most energy efficient vehicle ever devised - but it's more than that. It's a time machine and it'll take you back to those perfect, care-free, sun-filled days of your youth when your sneakers and your bike and your buds were all you needed to be Superman (or woman!)

Good Buddy Ross and I were talking as we rolled back towards the cars and he said that the best way to describe the silly kick of rides like this was that it feels like we're Getting Away With Something. It's true - the odds are that our moms would not approve...so we got that going for us!

These rides are apt to keep happening but there are several other events coming up ('Cross race! Fun-Raiser!) that'll keep them from being a regular event. Wanna hear about them - drop me a line (mike@velo-citycycles.com) and I'll make sure you get word. Keep in mind that these rides call for a 'cross-esque or mountain bike, a good collection of cold weather gear and - most important of all - an adventurous spirit and the surgical removal of your whining gene.

As mentioned above - there's a ton of stuff goin' on - this weekend sees the band playin' on Friday and Saturday nights, the race on Sunday, the big Mel Trotter Benefit Party on the 17th (gig #3!), the "Holiday Ride" next Sunday, all added to the regular menu of indoor and outdoor rides, yoga class....Man! So much for the concept of an "off-season" huh? Screw that! Let's just keep it in the big ring!

Hey - if you get a sec feel free to join me in writing a letter to the editor of our local paper (the Holland Sentinel) and let them know what you think of their "Miss" editorial about folks that commute by bike in the winter! Turns out that they're against it. Wankers. (Be nice, yet firm!)

See you out there...be safe, ride lots, stop in the shop if you have a mind to...it'd be good to see you!

Off the Back Again!

Man! Here I am again, wonderin' how all those dedicated Blog-Meisters do it! It's just a lotta words man, y'know? Now...I gotta lotta words. I use 'em every day. All my jobs (shop, band, JDRF) involve words. I LOVE words! Everywhere I look there are books to read, websites to visit, magazines, newspapers...........!!!!!



Not to mention all those songs!



Too late - I mentioned 'em! How you could run outta song lyrics to dig? There are so many great songs! Holy crap!



Anyway - the point that I think I'm s-l-o-w-ly workin' myself around to here is that I think about writing stuff down a helluva lot more than I do it. Aside from minor issues like talent and work ethic that might be the major difference 'tween writer-hacks like me and real writers like my friend Heather. You read her stuff and you go "Oh, that's what it's supposed to be like!" On her Blog she writes about how writing can be like cycling. She's a lot smarter'n me so I'll take her word for it but I'm secretly suspicious.



It's been a good coupla weeks......the Yoga for Cyclist classes have been well received and that's cool. I like it when New Stuff works out. We've had a steady 10-11 "students" (Acolytes? Practitioners?) and some new faces each night. The class pretty much hands me my ass and remonds me that I'm way fatter than I oughta be. Heather (a different one!) says that steady attendance @ the class will pay off - once again here we have a situation where a person named Heather is smarter'n me (I sense a trend!) so I'll go along. One issue is the timing.....Yoga Class is a mere 11 hours prior to my weekly torture session w/ The Queen of Pain, my trainer. (AKA Jessica). I'm still kinda sore when I get up on Wed morning for Yoga and then there's an hour of core work and such. Oof. It's a good thing that I hate being out of shape more than I do getting into shape!



The 'cross season is drawing to a close. I did 3 races in as many weekends, there's a week off now and then 2 more in December. The State Championships are next Sunday and then we host the KissCross Season Finale on the 14th. I'm gonna finish out the season on the fixxie........it's not slowing me down at all (like I need any help doing that!) and I'm kinda diggin' it. I've had 2 okay and one shitty race so far - but I crashed last week on the last friggin' lap and I'm still whining about it. (Tore a nice chunk outta my hip - waaa waaa). Damn - I love everything about 'cross! The weather, the bikes, the vibe, embrocation, the cowbells.......!!!! It rocks! I just gotta figure out not to suck at it so bad.



So. December. Christmas. New Years. All that stuff. I dig it. It's gonna be a good month @ the end of a good year. Let's keep riding, shall we?



As my friend Baber would say.............."Peace Out!"

ICEMAN, CHILLY MAN, TIRED MAN!

So, the Iceman race has cometh and goneth. I had fun, mostly and had an okay race. I was about 5 minutes off of my PR of '07, but I was racin' single-speed and all...so I'm mostly okay w/ it. There are many trails where I truely believe that having gears would not be any faster, (since a s/s makes you attack the climbs) but the Iceman isn't one of those trails. I geared up pretty heavily so I'd have enough gear for the flats but I still spun out on several long-ish sections where I could've gained some time. Of course - I coulda been fitter and faster too, but what's your point? The weather was fine, about 37 degrees and spittin' snow-ice-rain drops @ the start but 5 minutes in it dried out and I never thought about the elements again. I gambled on the "if you're under-dressed you'll hafta hammer" strategy when I kitted up and it paid off. (Although I was one frozen popsicle on the start line!) Wool l/s baselayer under s/s VCC jersey and knicks was the perfect set-up. The course was in great shape and as far as i could tell all 2500 of had a fine time! I finished, racked my bike in the corral, grabbed my bag outta the tent and jumped on the first bus back to Kalkaska to get the van. I was back @ the finish line when J2 rolled in and we hung a spell then collected bikes, bags and such and hit it for home. At 5:30, 26 hours after leaving town, we were back with only empty wallets and tired legs to prove that we had even gone a'tall!

Then it was off to the market for chili fixings. I did a red "Texas" style (I put beans in it just to piss my least favorite Texan off) and a white chicken one. Sunday dawned wet and cold...but my ride time it was just cold. Oh yeah......and windy. We had about 30 riders and 9 pots' o' chili. It was a good ride, although we got kinda broken up, but back @ the shop everyone was in a great mood, eatin' chilio, drinkin' beer and talkin' rides and races and bikestuff.

Sounds good, huh?

So...looking ahead there are 4 more 'cross races, a coupla holidays and a few gigs. There oughta be enough in there to keep me engaged and hoppin'.

By the way - has anyone seen my fitness? I had it earlier but now I can't find it anywhere. If you happen across it, lemme know, okay?

Thanks!

Bike-ma bites back hard!

"Karma" - n. 1. Buddhism and Hinduism the totality of one's acts in each state of one's existence. 2. loosely, fate.

"Bike-ma" - the same thing, but in the saddle.

So it's a beautiful day in early November and J2 and I are takin' advantage of it. Shorts and short sleeves! In November in Michigan! You gotta grab that, am I right? Anyway...we're rollin' south and I decide that it's my solemn duty to give good buddy Ross some crap 'cuz he's at work and we're not. (After all -what are friends for?) So I send him a text message. (Yes - while I was riding....I know it's dumb)

"Hey! J2 and I are rolling south and you're not!" Or words to that effect.

He responds right away. (I knew he would) "Bite me! I haven't seen the sun for 3 days!"

Touched and feeling emotional I respond "Don't feel too bad, there's a little headwind and the sun is really bright in my eyes!" (I'm a softie, huh?)

As I hit "send" I feel something wrong w/ my bike. Shit. Flat tire. We pull obver and I pull a sheet metal screw 3/4" long outta my rear tire.

Bike-ma.

Still....'twas a great ride, 40 miles or so w/ J2 as company is about as good as it gets. Sorry you missed it Ross ol' buddy!

Big weekend comin' up - Iceman on Saturday and Chili Chilly Ride on Sunday! YEE-Haa! Then 4 more 'cross races in the next 5 weeksens, then another Fun-Raiser and then it's frickin' Christmas and then it's New Years and then...............well, there's lots goin' on, that's all I'm saying.

Be well, ride lots, stay safe!
MC

Pineapple Bob Classic Report

So........it was a somewhat disappointed group of 20 or so milling around the shop yesterday, kitting up and talking about the much-better-than-forecast weather outside. "Where's the 'wintery mix'?" "Whats' w/all the sunshine?" "What 'plummeting temps?" and other such comments were commonly overheard as we got ready to roll.

It's weird that way......although if you're reading this it may well not seem weird at all.....but it seems like a main component of a great ride is having some horrible weather thrown into the mix. I know that I was mentally prepared to be miserable yesterday - and the fact that I wasn't didn't ruin the ride by any means but it did change it. Still - we had a blast. 30 miles, 7 of it gravel and what seemed like most of it into a stiff west wind that had us lookin' @ single digit speeds once in awhile. My group included JD, Ross, Tom W., J2 and Berger and we amused ourselves by goin' outta our way lookin' for mud puddles and extra "Flahute Points". Big fun!

("Flahute" is a Flemish word used to describe the 'hard men' of that region who are always out there in the wet and wind training for the Spring Classics)

Back at the shop there were tacos w/all the fixin's and a buncha dirty dudes.

Speaking of "dudes" - there were exactly zero riders of the female persuasion on this ride and that reminds of the truest thing I ever heard Berger say. Now - Brier Berger is one of those "still waters rub deep" sorta guys and for all we know he's chock-full of pithy wisdom but last Friday he said one of the truest things I've EVER heard anyone say about riding. We had done the Bagel Ride despite the fact that it was 45 degrees -n-raining so we had no one to blame but ourselves when we rolled up to the cafe as 4 popsicles. Soaking wet, chilled to the bone and most likely hypothermic we sat, a little table of misery, in the middle of the bagel shop, dripping on the floor w/ numb hands cupped around coffee, tea and hot cider. At one point Greg pointed out through chattering teeth that KP, despite having the day off and looking forward to a ride was a no-show. That led Berger to observe that "Yeah, there's never any women on these stupid rides." to general agreement.

And it's true. And by no means a knock on our cycling sisters in any way - I know and ride with LOTS of way hardcore ladies - but when it comes to what Berger so adroitly termed a "stupid ride".......they're smart enough to say no.

Maybe when I grow up I'll be that smart.

Anyway - the ride was a blast and it's great to have the Fun-Raiser Series back on the calendar. It's Chilly Chili Ride time in less than 2 weeks so it's time to start experimenting w/ this year's recipe. Rumours that Bobby Flay might show up for a chili "throwdown" are just that - rumours! Still, you don't wanna miss this ride, it's one of the best!

Man - the calendar is crazy-full still! Looking ahead @ the next 7 weekends they look like this: Cross Race - Iceman / Chilly Chili Ride - Cross race - Cross Race - Thanksgiving Weekend - State Cross Championships - Cross Race in Holland! Is that cool or what?

I've decided to go w/ my fixxie for the races...at least for the one this weekend. We'll see if that's as stupid an idea as my HupUnited buds seem to think that it is. My theory is that since I have failed utterly - again - to carry my summer fitness into the 'cross season I might as well try something different. Besides, I'll need all the excuses I can get!

Stay tuned - ride lots - vote - get excited/angry/passionate about SOMETHING!

What a difference a week makes!

Last Friday's Ride (10/17) - Furnace Creek Ranch to Golden Canyon and Zabriseke Point, Death Valley. 15 miles. 90 degrees. 100% sunshine. S/S jersey, bibs, summer shoes. gloves etc. Sat @ the Point w/ about 50 other riders and about 300 Euro-Tourists.

Today's Ride (10/24) - From the shop out to Gilligan Lake via South Shore Drive and 66th. 45 degrees. Steady rain. Wool baselayer, Thermal jersey, knickers, winter shoes, thermal gloves, winter socks. Got to the bagel shop mildly hypothermic - sat there shivering and dripping - still chilled an hour later. 3 compadres.

I think I prefer Death Valley. In fact, I wish I was there right now, rolling out bound for Jubilee Pass or Scotty's Castle and surrounded by my buds. Sounds pretty much perfect to this boy. Next year I wanna stay out there for a day or two after the Ride - I've been there 4 times now and have basically seen the same damn 53 miles 8 times. I'm guessin' that since it's the biggest National Park outside of Alaska (where you can see Russia from your house) there might be more to see.

Until.............guess I'll ride around here. not a thing wrong w/ that!

Let's go, huh?

Wow!

So....if I turn my head to the left I can see the Effel Tower. Okay - maybe not the real one, but from the 9th floor of the Paris casino it looks kinda real. ( For all I know). I woke up in Death Valley and I'm goin' to bed in Las Vegas which means that I've merely traded one surreal environment for the next. There might not be any 2 locations so close geographically (2+ hours by bus) and yet so bloody different.

I like DV a helluva lot more!

Yesterday's Ride was AWESOME! The Team rode great, strong and caring. All the riders (all 290 of us!) had a safe day and we got the course cleared of riders by 6:00pm. To quote our National Head Coach TSC "By any imaginable measure, this was a great Ride!"

I second that emotion!

A whole buncha West Michigan Riders had a record day. I'm not gonna list names "cuz I'll for damnsure miss one and that'd be unfair and would suck, basically. Trust me when I say that all our riders - first-timers and vets - all rode strong!

In another nod to our Team I was voted "Most Motivational Coach", an honor I'm not sure I earned but will cherish.

It's been a spectacular season for JDRF and I really can't fathom that it's over. It'll hit me eventually I suppose but since we're gonna start planning for '09 asap I'm not sure it matters!

You really oughta join us you know! The 2009 dates are set and will be up on the website any day now.

Gotta go.it's way late and i have an early flight. See you around.

MC

SOMETIMES I JUST DON'T THINK THINGS THROUGH ALL THAT WELL, PT 2

Or 3, or 4......or whatever.

I've been so geeked for the Death Valley Ride that lately I've actually been paranoid about gettin' hurt before we leave. That's a first, as far as I can recall. As I rode to work yesterday, and then rode over to the Holland Stadium to see about the 'cross race course and then back I was extra-mindful of cars and the regular daily dose of risks that I guess I take every day just to get around. I mentioned it to Ted, John J and Dennis @ various points throughout the day so it's on record, that's all I'm sayin'.

So.....keep that in mind 'cuz, as I once heard a guy in a bluegrass band say from the stage - "I told ya'll that story so I can tell ya'll this'n"..............

On the Tuesday Night Ride I noticed that the rear wheel on Dave Z's Salsa was in a world of hurt.... outta true, outta round, outta everything. The bike's fairly new so I asked him whether he had ridden or driven to the shop - tryin' to get an idea of when we could get our hands on it. You see - I kinda get the vibe that Dave's a member of what we call the "shut up and ride club" (folks that aren't all that fussy about their bikes) PLUS I know that he's a very busy dude and I was skepical that he'd be able to get it to us asap - which is what needed to happen. When I realized that our route would take us through his neighborhood and that he had the same pedals as I use an idea worked it's way through my soggy brain. "Hey Dave", says I "How 'bout I leave my bike w/ you and ride yours to the shop? That'll save you a trip and we can get'cher wheel fixed up tomorrow." "Great idea" says he "Can you ride my bike?"

A fair question since it's about 3 sizes too big.

"Oh sure - I can deal w/ it for 4 miles" I say, thinkin' to myself that at least I can clip in even though I'll hardly be able to reach the pedals from the saddle.

So I tell the group what I'm up to and Dennis right away asks if I want him to hold up the group. "Nah", says our clever narrator "I'll be fine and right behind you guys." So off they go.

Dave and I get to his house and do the switch. I climb (I use the word in it's literal sense) onto his bike and realize that I WOULD be able to clip in to his pedals IF I was actually wearing my road shoes but since they are on the truck on the way to DEATH FREAKIN' VALLEY I'm not.

Oops.

Oh well, no biggie, I can carefully stand on those little tiny slippery Speedplay pedals in my slick nylon soled off-road shoes for 4 miles, right? And I can ride this bike w/ the rear wheel feelin' like it's gonna collapse at any second, right? And......oh yeah, no lights and the group's up the road.

Oops, #2. (Or #3, or #4, or whatever, I've lost count)

So - now I'm THAT GUY again! Riding through town, in the dark, with no lights, on a bike that's WAY too big, that I can't clip into, with a sick rear wheel.

Way to be extra-careful huh?

Well, since you're reading this and I've written it I musta made it, and I did. Once again whatever Guardian Angel that drew the short straw and got stuck w/ watchin my back came through and I got away w/ it. Again. Still - I was compelled to go home (my headlight died on my commuter bike en route, of course) and confess to the Lovely Linda that she was married to an idiot.

She did not seem surprised.

So......Death Valley tomorrow and as previously stated I can not wait! I dyin' to see the Panamint Mountains, Furnace Creek Ranch, Jubilee Pass and all that stuff but I'm even more excited to get another dose of the all-powerful JDRF medicine. It's good for what ails ya!

If you read this drivel (and I have no idea who does - or why) I assume that I'll be carrying your best wishes for our Team as we head out to the Valley and for that I thank you. If any of you have seen fit to support any of my Team Mates w/ a donation then I thank you once again. (It's not too late - go to www.ride.jdrf.org, click "donate" and choose a rider!)

Thanks for reading, thanks for caring - if you do. (It's cool either way!) I'm not sure that there'll be internet access in DV so I might be "off the 'net" for a bit. I imagine the world will survive!

Be safe! Ride lots! Get passionate about something! Take care!
MC

Time to Catch Up! (Again!)

Man! I repeat...how do all those dedicated daily Blogger types do it!?!?!?!? I have a hard time believing that it's been 2 weeks since I sat down to update this damn thing.............it feels like we just got back from the show. Anyway, here's what's been goin' on:

We got back and for a while there the shop was becalmed in the off-season doldrums. Then someone turned on the Weather Way-Back Machine and summer staged a strong comeback. Temps in the 80's and heartbreakingly clear blue skies were the rule for most of early October and the buzz at the shop rose accordingly. Kinda fun. We've been doin' the 'Cross Clinics for 3 weeks now but the turn-out is low. Not sure if that's due to the location change (Ransom Park on the North Side), the 'un 'crosslike weather or the fact that I've been listed as one of the "instructors". (That seems most likely to me)

I'm dyin' to get my cyclo-cross season started but I'm resigned to waitin' 'til November. @ that point the JDRF Ride season will be done, my #1 bike will be back from Death Valley (one of my riders has had it since May) and I'll be able to focus. November looks full......3 'cross races, the Iceman, a gig...........too bad I have ZERO edge or fitness. Based on a one-time experiment I'm seriously considering using my Macatawa Bike Works fixxie for 'cross - I can just fit a pair of Maxxis 'cross tires on it and there's just something about the whole fixxie thing...............

Wanna read something extra-cool about this sport that we love? My good friend Heather is a real live writer of no small renown and she was inspired after a Tuesday Night Ride to toss a few lines together about just what it is that makes her so crazy 'bout cycling and she was kind enough to gimme a heads-up. Man.......reading it gave me goosebumps and almost made me tear up! Do yourself a solid and visit www.heathersellers.com/blog/ and enjoy!

So......we're off to Death Valley in 3 more days! The last JDRF Ride of 2008. The 5th of 5 for me this season but only the 2nd where I'll get to ride and the first where my only duty will be as coach of my team. (Kinda excited about that!) 43 members of the West Mich squad will join 260+ other riders for the biggest Ride to Cure O' the year! This group has a pretty decent % of Velo-Folk.......J2, Ross, JD, Ted, Lin and I, plus Did, Cindy, Katie & Steve, Tom & Mary and other mainstays of the Team lo these last 3-4 years. I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!

I'm fired up to get the Fun-Raiser Series rollin' this month too! Life's just better when there's a Big Ride comin'up every month. For October it's gonna be the (in)famous Pineapple Bob Classic w/ a Taco Chaser. I've decided to move the November Chilly Chili Ride from the date in the newsletter (11/22) to the day after the Iceman (11/9) You heard it here first! (Unless you were on the Friday Morning Bagel Ride last week - but you know who you are!)

I'm starting to ponder staffing for next season...........the more we talk about stuff on this end the more it seems likely that we'll be lookin' for a full-timer to help keep things here on a even keel while I work on Velo-Ventures trips, JDRF stuff and suchlike. Know anyone I oughta talk to?

Lots to do before I shove of for DV.........there are 5-6 pre-season orders that are due by 10/15, all the usual loose-end-tying that precedes a break and at some point I gotta pack.

Maybe I oughta get workin' on that, huh?

Later..MC

Interbike Wrap-Up Report

Whew! This Bike Show thing is kind of a bitch when you get right down to it, y'know? By the time we all re-convened @ the end of the day Thursday it was all we could do to ride the escalator up a floor to our fav Mexican joint, re-load and limp over to out hotel to retrieve our bags and catch a taxi f or the airport.

I know.................you're bleeding for me right now, huh? I appreciate that, I really do.

On Wed I had several appointments but managed to get around the show a bit as well. Co-Motion's tandems looked great - not a lot new there really - and I checked out a buncha new stuff from Terry, Salsa, Surly and a bunch more that frankly escape me @ the moment. The big thing was the 'Cross Vegas rcae that night. Rumours were all over the show that His Lanceness was gonna make the scene and race but we were skeptical to say the least. We had the major hook-up through our friends @ Quality Bike Products and Lazer Helmets......we caught a ride in the Lazer bus, all neoned out and stocked w/ Belgian beer and pizza(I don't think it was Belgian pizza). They kitted us out w/ a sweet Lazer polo shirt, cap and cowbell and let us loose on the race. The Women's race was wild....Katie Compton slayed all on the grassy-n-wicked-fast course. By then the announcers had whipped the enormous crowd into a frenzy w/ his regular Lance Status Reports. ("He's in the airport!" "He's en route!" "He's here at the venue!!!!!"

And so he was............all kitted out in LiveStrong and on a nondescript red Trek. He held his own....considering this was the most stacked field EVER in a North American 'Cross Race. Ryan Trebon gapped Tim Johnson on the last lap to win and L.A. was 20th or so. The whole cowbell-ringin', beer swillin', taco eatin' scene was a stone blast!!!!! You shoulda been there!

Thursday was more meetings, more shitty Expo food and more walkin' the endless aisles. I met w/ Seven MajorDomo Rob Vandermark, the Felt guys, Pearl Izumi, an interesting new little clothing company called Panache, Sidi, CycleOps and a ton more. Stuff that made an impression?

Sidis new prices. (Ouch!)
Felt's tri bikes (Nice!)
QR's too. (")
All the new stuff @ QBP. (Salsa, Surly, Assos, Civia....tons more)
Easton wheels.
Blackburn lights.
Giro's gloves.
Lazer's new $110 helmet.........................and a bunch more. Stop in the shop, we'll have the stuff to show you!

So...I was home for a whole 36 hours, then I headed to Chicago for the JDRF Coaching Meeting. It's a quickie.....I'll leave for home late tomorrow afternoon......and then I'm really looking forward to getting back into the flow around the shop and back on the bike. Death Valley is 3 weeks away.................and I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!!! DV is one of my fav weekends of the entire season and it can't come soon enough.

So.....gotta go. The red-eye flight Thursday night, workin' all day Friday, giggin' last night and comin' here today is catching up w/ me.

Hope all is well in your world...............things are great in mine!

Oh yeah...KP would want me to tell you that the new VCC Hoodies are awesome and that they were all her idea. (Truth)

Interbike Report - Demo Daze, Part Dos

Hello again and greetings again from the weirdest city in the whole US of A. Here's a list of things that I learned today, our 2nd day out @ the Outdoor Demo Day in Boulder City NV.....

The "Tour de Lake Mead" kicked my ass! Also know as the "Hangover Ride", the "TdLM" has become a staple of the show. You line yourself up a road bike on Monday, (I had a dandy C-Dale Synapse) get your butt outta the sack @ 5:30 Tuesday morn, work yourself out to Bootleg Canyon, grab your bike and line up w/ about 200 other bleary-eyed showfolk. When the nice officer rolls out w/ his lights blazing (Police escort - gotta love it!) you head down Route 93 bound for a lovely scenic turnout on the shore of Lake Mead.
Here's the thing......it's 95% downhill from start to finish. And a large percentage of that 95% is WAY downhill! 40mph downhill. Ridin' the brakes once in awhile kinda downhill.
And we all know what THAT means, yes? Yep......let's just say that it takes me a helluva lot longer to do the return leg and leave it at that. Okay?

Shimano's new electronic Dura Ace drivetrain is pretty dang cool! Coming from a guy that doesn't use Shimano, doesn't like electronic anything and for that matter hardly ever shifts......that oughta carry some weight! If they actually get that stuff to market it's gonna be pretty dang cool. The battery only weighs 70 grams (and that's the TOTAL weight diff 'tween mechanical and electronic groups), is good for 1000+ miles and the front der. trims itself as you shift in the back. Pretty dang cool.

I rode the new Dura-Ace non-electronic stuff too......I like the new shape of the hoods and the hidden cables a la Campy and SRAM.

Salsa's new Pistola steel frame is sweet........Tru Temper tubing, nice and light. Still...I think for similar $ you could get a Gunnar, although I won't know that for sure 'til tomorrow. (Or whenever I get by their booth)

It's my fault that Ross isn't riding much. (www.rossschueller.blogspot.com) 'Tis a heavy burden to be sure!

I just don't like carbon bikes!!! I rode a sweet Look, and an even sweeter Felt (assuming that $ = sweetness) They look kinda different, one can assume that the designers had different goals and/or philosophies and.......they felt pretty much alike to me. Just like pretty much every other CF frame I've ever ridden. A decent tool for the job but not anything I'd ever find myself passionate about. (Olde Farte Rant Mode off)

The buffet @Harrah's kicks the buffet @ The Imperial Palace's ASS!!!!! Take my word on this one, it's not even a contest. (And that's before you get to the chocolate fountain!)

I think that's about it......I only had the legs to ride until about 2:00, then I "de-kitted" and walked around takin' pix and scorin' schwag 'til we all headed back about 4:00. Tomorrow the show proper begins....I have 4 appointments, which seems like a lot for a guy that was determined to adopt an "appointment-phobic" attitude prior to the show. Hopefully I won't be sittin' on that plane Thursday night brooding over the stuff I didn't get to see @ the show. We're goin' to the 'cross race after the show tomorrow night so it'll be a l-o-n-g day. If there's no post tomorrow night that's why.


Later, MC

Demo Daze, Part Uno

So....in no particular order heres some stuff I learned today while riding 8 different mountainbikes on the twisty, dusty, rocky challenging singletrack of Bootleg Canyon outside of Las Vegas:

Every bike had a Shimano drivetrain. That's a huge shift! (No pun intended, really!) The trend over the past 3 years has been more and more SRAM stuff, at Shimano's expense. Not sure what it means but out of all three of us riding all day, only Ted had a bike w/ SRAM, and only the one.

I really like Hayes brakes. Actually.....I only really like the levers, 'cuz they feel good and have super-easy-to-adjust reach for my stubby digits. I don't really like any hydraulic brake over another - gimme cables!

I love riding in the desert! Okay...I knew that and have known it for 20+ years. Still......I frickin' love it!

After riding just about every state-of-the-art full sus design - Ellesworth, Ibis, Titus, Santa Cruz, etc - I really think that Cannondale has it knocked. The Rize I took to Moab and Fruita was every bit the bike all those fancy-ass ones are, for way less $. The Ellesworth Truth remains my 1st choice if you're buying.......but if it's my money on the table I'll be on a C-Dale Scapel, Rush or Rize.

I'm still 100% conflicted about the whole 29"/26" thing. I rode a Felt 29'r that claims to be the lightest on the market - it felt good. (The evening resounds w/ puns!) Then I ride the 26 version and like dit just as much. I rode Tony Ellesworth's personal ride....a pink 29'r Evolve......and it was fine. In fact.....I didn't even realize 'twas a big-wheeler 'til I was almost done /w a lap. (What does THAT mean, pray tell?) I rode a C-Dale 29'r and dug it, but more 'cuz it was a hardtail than any othr reason. (I had just done a lap on the much ballyhooed Ibis Mojo full-sus and it made me feel like I was shot and worn out for the day). So.......who knows? Not me, that's for damnsure.

Tomorrow is Demo Day #2.......Greg (who just arrived-fresh from finishing 11th in his age group @ the National Tri race in Portland), Aaron, Rick and I are gonna do the Tour of Lake Mead (aka "the hangover ride") first thing in the am, then I wanna ride some road and 'cross bikes. On Wed the Expo opens, then we go watch the huge "Cross Vegas Race then another day @ the show, then the huge crit, then we fly home to open the shop on Friday morning. We have a ton to get done in the next 3 days.........I'll try and keep you posted!

Later!

Vegas Baby!

That's what Ted says every time someone says the name of this town out loud. It's not annoying yet........but we just got here.

"Here" is the 2008 Interbike Show. Ted, Aaron and I got in a few hours ago, accompanied by our old buddy Rick "Snake" Plite, a.k.a. "Mr. KissCross". Greg gets here tomorrow night, fresh from his 11th place finish @ the National Age Group Tri in Portland yesterday.

Agenda is to ride our asses off tomorrow @ the Demo in Boulder City a 30 minute drive from here. We have a buncha bikes and brands that we wanna check out on the tight-n-dusty trails of Bootleg Canyon. Tuesday is the Tour de Lake Mead and more test-riding, then the actual show kicks off 1st thing Wed morn. We'll be posting pics (hopefully!) and words here and on Ted's Blog as well so stay tuned!

I'll take that fixxie for 150 please!

and that's pretty much what I did. Saturday was O.D.R.A.M, aka the "One Day Ride Across Michigan and one of my favorite days of the summer. What's not to dig? You get up early (way early!), catch the Velo Ventures bus up to Montague, mount the lights, pull on your arm warmers and vest and start riding east. 150 miles later you're at the Bay City State Park. In between you rode your bike, met the VeloVentures Support Truck every 25 miles, ate way too many Golden Oreos, hit the lunch stop @ the church and ate homemade chicken soup and generally had a blast.

I rode my trusty fixxie all the way. I had my C-Dale in the trailer "just in case" but never needed it.

What a great ride! I strongly suggest you put it on your calendar for 2009 and beyond!

So that was Saturday. Sunday I went up to Cedar Springs w/ J2, Heather -n-Brian for a JDRF Ride. Can't say that my legs felf all that great...but I got by. That's my new thing, I guess.......no riding throughout the week due to travel-n-such so I gotta make it up on the weekends w/ 200+ miles.

Off to Whitefish again on Wednesday, for Round 4 of the big JDRF Traveling Circus. After this one there's "just" Interbike, the 2 Day Coach's Meeting in Chicago and Death Valley be fore I can put my travel gear away for a bit.

'Cross season is looming................not that I feel even remotely ready for it. Hell...as of right-damn-now I don't even have a bike - I loaned my Gunnar to a member of the Death Valley Team - so I'm not sure what I'd even race on. Not that it'd matter.

I had a chance to reflect on the season as we were rollin' towards Bay City on Saturday.......Fisk Knob, Moab/Fruita, Grattan, Sonoma, Lumberjack, Asheville, Holland 100, Whitefish, all the shop rides, all the Crazy Bastard rides.......man! How'd I get so lucky?

Don't tell anyone, okay?

MC Hammered

Ouch!

So.....started 'cross training in earnest this morning. In this context "cross training" has a dual meaning - it involves other-than-bike stuff and it's designed to get me ready for cyclo-cross. Thus.........'cross training.

Basically for this chubby old dude it means haulin' my bulk up and down that flight of 170 stairs in Sanctuary Woods on 66th. It's about a 25 minute ride from home, then I jump off of "Ugly", my fixxie commuter and jog to the stairs, run up, try and run the 1 mile loop of trail @ the top of the dune and run back to my bike. It's not a pretty sight. I was somewhat pleasantly surprised to find myself @ the top w/out stopping (I had my head down counting steps) but I wasn't able to run the entire loop up top. My left Achilles tightened up in the way back up the the top and I got kinda freaked, despite the fact that my right one ruptured w/out any warning almost 6 years ago so I ran down the staris to Ugly and cooled down by riding home.

Assuming that my body holds up - and there's no real reason for optimisim in that regard - I'd like to add a little running into the mix. I have a lot of bike-less travel coming up (Whitefish and the bike show) and I always envy runners since all they gotta do is bring shoes and shorts. I'm gonna try but like I said.............no reason to count on it.

ODRAM this Saturday and a JDRF ride on Sunday so I oughta get my mileage back up to where it belongs easy enough. Assuming that my Sofa King gets back from MT in time I plan on using it Saturday - I think I can do 156 miles fixed but there's only one way to find out, y'know?

Back to MT on Wed, this time to work as part of the 'Route Crew" which means everything from shoping for bananas to marking the roads to pickin' up trash afterwards. Should be interesting. It'll be good to see everyone again...I miss 'em already!

Ride and Rock on!
MC

"Turn out the lights.....the party's over"

Thank you Dandy Don! (Don't get that?.........Guess I'm showin' my age!")


It's kinda like bein' in the circus.......the tents are comin' down, the riders are homeward bound, I said my goodbyes (more like "see you in a coupla weeks") to Trish-n-Aly and I'm outta here in a couple hours. The Bike Room is back to being 'The Glacier Room", a sterile, boring conference room w/ those adjustable walls. Hell..........for the last week it's kinda been the heart of the Ride, the one place staff, riders and family could hang out, connect and shoot the bull. That might have been the high point of the Glacier Room's whole life, 'cuz the Bike Room will be back in the old location next time.

Time to go home, see my other family(s). Lin and Sam are en route from NY as we speak, gonna meet me @ the airport. Katie Jo's holdin' down the fort @ home w/ the dawgs. Ted's on his way home from Brian Head UT and the rest of the shopfolk are enjoying their day off and coming to terms w/ the whole "end of summer" thing, hopefully. I'm anxious to get ODRAM done, then focus on the next trip out here, then Interbike. September will be full-n-fine!

Later, gotta pack and all that crap.
MC

Whitefish Wrap up.

So..............Sunday night. Time to go home, my work here is done. I've ridden a total of 25 miles while I've been here.......slept hardly any at all, eaten WAY too much and pretty much set my 'cross season back in any and every way I can.

So what?

The Ride was awesome. 3 for 3 this season so far. Great weather, riders, stories...you name it - we had it!

Just in case you ever get asked to be the Bike Room Guy for a JDRF Ride...here's an idea of what you're getting into:

Tuesday - Fly to Whitefish (or wherever). Check out the room, unload the truck if need be. Eat too much. Get a decent night's sleep. (For the last time!)
Wednesday - Set the Bike Room up......start assembling the DHL-shipped bikes that have arrived. Stress about the 16-19 bikes that are late and in the clutches of the morons @ DHL. Grab lunch on the run,get a quick ride in, dinner downtown, start figuring out where you're gonna get the rear wheel you need for that C-Dale that got smashed, get as many bikes assembled as possible. Eat too much. Go to bed late......midnight or so.
Thursday - Riders are arriving through out the day so the job shifts from 100% Wrench Dude to Wrench Dude/Bike Consultant/Host/Coach/Bike Fitter/Personal Shopper. Get the rest of the bikes ready, except for the 4 still missing from DickHeadLosers, eat too much, sleep too little.
Friday - Get up early to help get bikes ready for the "tune up ride". Pump tires, help riders find bottles etc. Weather the storm of post-ride complaints, need for adjustments, etc. Work on bikes all day, installing recently purchased computers, H2O cages, clipless pedals and the like. Basically stay in the Bike Room from about 8AM 'til midnight. Somehow find time to eat too much.
Saturday...Ride Day - Up @ 4:45, breakfast @ 5:00. In the Bike Room by 6:00, help riders get rolling 'til Ride Start @ 7:00, pack SAG van w/ tools, stand, spares and hit the road by 7:15. Patrol the Star Meadow route 'til about 10:30, then to the Whitefish Lake loop......fix 7 flats, a tight chain link, a loose saddle, etc. Haul the Glimmer Twins around for a bit, show them the course, co-ordinate Coaches and riders, etc. Come off route @ 4:30 to get a couple rental bikes back to the local shop, then spend some time hangin' around the finish line and wishing that you were a coach and out on the road where you belong. Sort bikes, head to the dinner then back to the room until midnight.Load the truck. Eat too much.
Sunday - try to sleep in but be foiled by your damn internal-set-to-Eastern-Time body clock. Too much breakfast, the into the room. Truck is gone so "only" 24 bikes to deal with. Start packin' them @ 9:00 or so........takes about 25 minutes per. Break for lunch downtown, then do some more. Run downtown on t-shirt run, then back at it. More bike packing all afternoon nd into the evening. Abandon plans to get a ride in. Finish the last bike @ 8:30, pack up tools, stands etc and load into storage unit. Fend off many offers for drinks and such from grateful riders (too tired). Quick dinner, (eat too much.) then back to room to bask in the feeling of being done and homeward bound. Post blog, read e-mail, take shower, plan to sleep in. All in all......a great, if tiring, week!

It'll be good to be home, good to check out the shop, good to trade tales w/ Ted, who's been wrenching for the Kenda/Titus team in Utah all weekend. I'll be back here for Ride #4 in 10 days.

Can't wait!

JDRF Ride, Take 3

So. Whitefish MT again. 4th time in the last 3 seasons. I'll be back here in 2 weeks too. This time I have my "Bike Room Guy" hat on....which means that 'tween now and friday morning I have 150 bikes to get ready for the weekend. It's not as full-tilt-boogie-crazy as that sounds since a decent majority of them are packed in the trailer of that semi that's sittin' in the parking lot and will just need a gentle goin' over. (Hopefully!)

There are a bunch en route via DHL, FedEx and such and they'll need more work.

The Ride is Saturday, then I'll have until Monday noon to reverse all the work and get them headed off back to wherever it is that their riders hail from.

It's awesome here at the edge of the Rockies-it's cold enough after dark that we needed fleece jackets just to sit around the "fire" pit behind the lodge. (It's a bunch of gas jets surrounded by a pile of big rocks.) I brought some cool temp riding gear but I'm gonna give it a while to warm up before I head out for a spin.

I can't wait to tap into the whole JDRF Vibe that keeps me comin' back for more.....I reckon that'll start to be more apparent as more staff and riders arrive over the next 2 days. I love being involved in this program and as long as they keep asking me...........I'm in!

I'll keep you posted! MC

Damn! Did it again!

When am I ever gonna learn? The LAST time I included a list in a blog post (and I guar-an-damn-tee it WILL be the last time!) I left someone out and then I had to post an apology. Now - the fact that said apology gave me an opportunity to take a gratuitis shot at Billy Joel eased the pain somewhat but still....................it was still an apology.

So. With that said allow me to state, with all appropriate humbleness and shame, that Da've Pa've was ALSO amongst the fallen after our little pavement-kissin' party @ Grattan last Wednesday.

That's D-A-'-V-E P-A-'-V-E.

Aka Dave Page, soon to be ex-Velo Citizen, Grand Valley student of no small aclaim, bartender of distinction @ the Lakeshore's coolest brewery (You can tell 'cuz they like to have Last Call play there).

Yep.......THAT Da've Pa've.

He of the fast hair, smooth pedal stroke and lightning black Cannondale.

He of the goats.

He of the "married to Linda".

He of the "Lives on the MNR route".

Yep. THAT guy!

He was there. Racing. In a VCC jersey. There, at Grattan. On August 20, 2008. I saw him myself. Right there next to me in the peloton. Not at the back. Not off the back. Off the front for a bit, as a matter of fact. Yep, 'twas him.

Allow me to be perfectly clear and on the record. He was there.

I missed him.

'Twas my bad.

No more lists.

Billy Joel still sucks and "We didn't start the Fire" is a crap song.

There, I feel better.

MC Listmeister

Well...I shoulda been "that guy"!

So..........last race of the year (for me at least) @ Grattan last night. We had a great turn-out and the peloton was fairly shining w/ VCC jerseys - A-ron, Greg, Ross, Bull, Aaron and I were all flyin' the colors along side our MCC Brothas M2, C-Rad, Bob, Tom and Tator. It was a beatiful night and I was having a ball.

That's where today's lesson comes in. (Alas)

There was a new guy in the field............he was kinda squirrely, like first time riders tento be. I figure that's part of the deal and if I wanna avoid new riders I need to man up, ride faster and race in the "A" class, y'know? You see a guy like that, you make a "note to self" about keeping your distance and you deal w/ it.

But.............w/ 3 laps to go I notice that his handlebars were so loose in his stem that he was movin' his bars up nd down and back and forth as we blasted around the track at speeds of up to 30 mph.

"Sub-optimal" as my friends @ Seven Cycles might say.

So..........did I say anything to our errant hero? Did I put my "Elder Statesman" hat on over my helmet and politely-yet-firmly convince him to retire before he killed himself (or worse yet...me!)?

I did not.

I pussed out. I didn't want to be "that guy", y'know? I thought that we only had 2 laps to go, I was having fun, he was having fun...what the hell, right?

Wrong. WAY wrong. Custer was this wrong. The captain of the Titanic was this wrong. 'Cuz w/ one lap to go and the whole damn pack thundering down the mainstraight w/ a tailwind and the bit between our teeth Mr Loose Bars crashed his brains out and started the biggest pile-up I've seen for awhile. I thought I was gonna get out of it for a sec......I was on the brakes big time and was a-l-m-o-s-t stopped @ the edge of the carnage when 2-3 dudes piled into me from behind. When the dust settled I was all tangled up w/ Tom and his arm was pretty much crammed into and through my front wheel. (There's blood and chunks of his arm on the spokes.......it's cool and gross.)

Final tally - at least 3 ruined front wheels, including mine, The instigator's bike is totaled and the local med guys used a lotta gauze and tape. Coulda been worse............way worse. No one went to the E-room and bike parts can be replaced.

Still................next time it occurs to me to be "that guy"........you can bet that I will be!

Oh well.............now it's 'cross season! Can't wait!

Off to MT this tuesday for JDRF Ride #3 . I shipped my fixxie out there so I can ride in the mornings so I don't loose the fine-tuned edge that I have oh-so-carefully honed my fitness into. (We'll pause here for all my riding buddies to recover from their laughing fits. Okay now? All right then.)

Hard to believe that summer's almost gone. KW and I were talkin' about that very thing on the ride this morning. The older we get the faster time goes by. Is that gonna always be the case? Hell...at this rate 10 years from now a whole damn year will slip by while I'm shaving my legs!

That can't be good.

Catchin' up!

Man...........this blogger gig is more work than it looks! It sems like oit was just a coupla days ago that I was postin' up from my hotel room in Asheville on the eve of the big ride and here 'tis a wek later and I'm off the back yet again!

Dang!

The buzz from the Asheville experience is just b-a-r-e-l-y startin' to wear off........I'm so proud of the Team and what we have going here in West Mich that it's easy to forget that it's been only 3 short (but way full!) years since the whole long strange trip began. I'm off to Whitefish to run the Tech Support for the next JDRF Ride in 9 days, then home on Labor Day, back to MT a week later for Ride #4, home or a week, then to LV for the bike show w/ Ted, Aaron and Greg, then home for 2 weeks then Death Valley!

So much for maintaining any fitness for the 'cross season!

The shop is kinda crazy busy too. Ted's been gone on vacation, as well as Saandy so the rest of us have been hangin' on for dear life. School starts soon so that means new schedules for KP, Matt and Sandy and Da've's last day as a Velo-Cit is 8/26. What a drag! Still....he'll be around and I'll see him @ the Saugatuck Pub for sure.

I'm excited to get the Fun-Raiser Ride sereis started again - I miss having them every month. We'll hafta wait 'til October though....no open dates in September!

'Cross season is right around the corner.....I gotta decide what I'm gonna ride! My Gunnar's on loan to one of my JDRF riders 'til a week after Death Valley so I'll need to figure that out. I gotta jones for a Salsa Chili Con Crosso or mebbe a Redline. We'll see.

I hope this weather holds..............it's been off-the-hook bee-you-ti-ful all week and I'm not even close to sick of it!

Ride on!
MC

ASHEVILLE REPORT, DAY 1

The drive down was a huge drag.........I'm not exactly a pro @ driving the shop truck w/ that big-as trailer on it and it was kinda nerve-wracking. I missed our 1st exit like a damn fool and while looking for a good place to turn around I managed to get in a little fender bender in Niles. What a lame move....there's nothing I hate more than pulling a dumbass move when there's no way I can think of to blame it on someone else!

Still.......on we pressed, w/ thoughts of how much worse it could've been giving some scant support. The rest if the trip was only an improvement in the sense that we avoided any more accidents......lots of traffic, lots of construction, lots of stress. The fact that I enjoyed it despite all that is a testament to just how much I like hangin' w/ Lin........we really oughta do that more often.

We hit town about 8:30 last night, had pizza @ the Mellow Mushroom w/ Trish and Aly (aka the JDRF "Glimmer Twins") and called it a night. Today we spent working on unloading the bikes, getting the door posters ready for the riders and in general helping the staff get ready for the arrival of the riders. That's happening as I type........w/ most of the West Michigan folks within a few hours,

Tomorrow I have to get ready to lead the pre and post-ride Dinner presentations and run several meetings. I guess the work will start then!

It'd take a far better scribe than this one to describe the feelings that being @ one of these rides gives me...........every time I come to one I'm reminded of how powerful a thing this can be and I am so glad to to be allowed to be a part of it.

I'll try and post a report tomorrow night, otherwise it'll hafta wait 'til after the ride on Saturday.
Stay tuned!

el Flop-o grande'

So...got my ass dropped @ Grattan this week. Dropped! That hasn't happened in awhile......since my "comeback" from the ruptured Achilles a few years back.

Sigh.

How do you go from finishing in the top 10 or top 5 all month to doing the "ride of shame" past the spectators in one short week? Well...........lemme tell ya - I'm pretty sure it was a nifty combination of chutzpah, carelessness and general fatigue. It was supposed to be a Big Night - we had 6 or 7 VCC jerseys out there, it was the first time ever for Greg and Aaron, I was gonna bag it after Juoy to get ready for 'cross and I wanted to go out w/ a bang.

More like a whimper.

The pace was hot, if kinda erratic. I spent more time than usual up near the front, expecting there to be the constant breakaway attempts that made the last race so volatile and I got kinda gassed w/ about 6 laps to go. I had done an extra-viscious workout w/ Jess and John that morning and my legs were kinda dead anyways, so that didn't help. There was a split (I guess) and I was kinda hangin' on the rear of the lead group for dear life and when I sat up to drift back and take a break........there was no one there. Oops. I looked around and the pack was up the road 30 yards and I couldn't chase back into the wind.

Game over.

So.....now I'm gonna hafta go out there again this month, dang it. No way I'm wrappin' it up on a pitiful showing like that. 'Cross prep will hafta wait.

Rats.

Other than that.............things are crazy still. Ted's over in Wisconsin w/ Danielle @ Nationals, Asheville is next week, the shop's still nuts..............Yee-Hah!

Gotta get to it............see ya later,
MC

GLAD THAT'S OVER WITH!

I don't mean that in a negative sense, at least not exactly. The last coupla weeks have been crazy busy even by my semi-twisted standards as the Holland Hundred approached, we had a JDRF fund-raiser attached to it, we had 3 band gigs and the shop was swamped w/ work while Ted and Matt were outta town. Lotsa meetings, lotsa details, lotsa e-mails and phone calls and running around.

Whew!

Somewhere in all that I managed to get the first-but-by-no-means-last "Dawn Patrol Century" off the ground too. 2-3 weeks ago I mentioned to Greg and Aaron that if we were willing to get outta bed before dawn we could try and get 75 miles in some Friday and then join the Bagel Ride to finish up a pre-workday century. Yeah...I gotta learn to just shut up once in awhile, y'know? But there we were - 6 morons lit up and rollin' south @ 4:45 am last Friday. Greg, Aaron, KP, Ross, Chad and myself w/ a full moon and lotsa deer as our only companions. We rode the 67 mile loop of the HH, then joined a big (by weekday morning ride standards) group back @ the shop for another 25 miles. I had 95 when we pulled back into town and not being a slave to the little black box on my handlebars I was perfectly content to be halfway through my first bagel when Greg and Aaron rolled up after riding around downtown making sure that they had both done their 1st ever century.

'Twas a hoot.

Saturday was the Holland Hundred, so little sleep for Mrs Clark's favorite son..........I was @ the park @ 5:40am and stayed there (w/ the exception of a quick SAG run) 'til about 4:30. The rain was a huge drag......but we still had 1200+ riders and that's prety dang cool. The comments about the ride, the route, the organization and the park were pretty good...at least as far as I know. I have lots of ideas for '09! After stopping by the JDRF Post Ride Bash @ New Holland it was home to change and load the band gear and then off to the Saugatuck Brewery to play 3 sets. The crowd was great, especially considering that Barry could use a little more climate control down there @ this point. (Translation - it was hot as hell in there!).

Hoot # 2.

After a little sleep I headed up to Montague Sunday mornin' w/ J2 and Ross for the JDRF Ride. We did 46 hilly miles on some way-cool roads up thataway and then hung out by the pool. I was the judge of the salsa contest (good work if you can get it!) and although no one else knew it...I considered myslef the judge of all the desserts as well, and proceeded accordingly. (Burp)

All in all................a helluva weekend!

Now it's Monday. The HH is in the rear-view, Ted's on his way home.....things might just mellow a tad. I'll be in Asheville in 3 weeks @ the next JDRF Ride, then Montana, then it's September and that means the Bike Show and then Death Valley. Good Lord, I better get to it!

Next time............."Rants per Week - what's a reasonable number?"

MC

The Two Rookies

So...there were at least 2 brand-spankin'-new riders in our race @ Grattan tonight. (It was fun, it rained, I felt fine. That's another story, not as good as this one) It was very interesting watching the 2 of them deal w/ their first Grattan experience.........and it got me to thinking.

One guy - let's call him the "Guy in Pink" (Not the actual color of his jersey) was a COMPLETE menace! I watched him terrify everyone in the pack as he wobbled and lurched all over the track. Now......my intention IS NOT to 'dis the Guy in Pink - it musta been kinda freaky for him, out there w/ 50 other racers blasting around tight haripin turns @ 25-28 mph, haulin' ass down the back stretch @ 30+, etc. Grattan may be billed as a "Training Race Series" but it ain't exactly easy. He was strong too, our Guy in Pink, strong enough to be towards the front of the group which gave him many chances to scare the bejesus outta everyone several times.

The other guy couldn't have been more different. Let's call him....oh, I don't know......"Ross". (Not his actual name). Ross looked like he'd done this a million times. I was proud of him....he was smooth, held his line in the corners, looked and rode like a seasoned vet. Even when that dude sorta leaned into him in that S-curve and he was caught 'tween 2 riders he just dealt w/ it. Most guys - even non-rookies - woulda gibbered and screamed and then would've had to pull off the track to scrap out their shorts. Assuming that they lived.

Not our man "Ross". (Not his real name)

Here's my point. ( You were hoping I had one, and would get to it, yes?) Good ol' Ross-not-his-name is one of "our" guys. Shucks, odds are that if you read this crap you've ridden w/ him, maybe even lots. He has "grown up" as a cyclist wrapped in the arms of the cycling community that is centered here in Holland and.......if I may be so bold......here at the shop. He's been brought up right. He's learned how to be a rider, a safe one, a good one, hell...even a kind of fast one, and he's learned that by riding w/ all of us. Whatever you wanna call this extended Velo City / MCC / JDRF / HUP United / Crazy Bastard family of riders that semi-calls Velo City home is who "Ross" (Not his real name) learned from. We did good, we taught him well and he did us proud.

It makes me feel good and I sure wish that Guy in Pink (not his actual jersey color) had ben lucky enough to meet folks like "Ross" did. I'd feel a lot better having to share the track w/ him then!

Ride (and rock) on!
MC

Cool Ride w/ a Weird Side-Story

Feeling kinda weird about our ride before the ride yesterday and it's turning a great day into a sort of strange one.............................

Here's the deal - 8 or 9 of us met here @ the shop @ 7:30 to ride down to S-tuck, pick up B. and H. and get some miles before joining the "official" ride preceding the 'Yoga for Cyclists' class that H. was teaching. After dealin' w/ not 1 but 2 mechanicals before we even left the shop we were all rollin' west down a very quiet 8th street. As we coasted past the cop shop (well...some of us coasted) I see a guy on a recumbent comin the wrong way up the street. (It's a one-way) Not only is he riding up a one-way street - he's goin' curb to curb, slaloming up the street like a 9 year old on a Sting-Ray.

I almost said something to him for riding up a one-way.....noy sure why I didn't.

Then he does a big 180 and stars riding w/ us. Well...not WITH us exactly, but ahead of us, behind us, alongside us, etc. It was kinda weird, none of us knowing him, him being on a 'bent, you name it. Hell - he stayed w/ us all the way to Fennville! ('bout 30 miles). Hung on too, mostly.

I felt bad 'cuz I never chatted him up. That's not like me and I'm not sure what the deal was. It's not becuase he was on a 'bent I don't think. K.O. on the JDRF team rides one and he's plenty cool. I think it's 'cuz when I first saw him he was pulling that dumb-ass move and I'm so damn sick and tired of seeing other riders pulling one dick move or the next...all of them making it tougher for the rest of us.

I know.......that's not you. You behave, right? Me too. It's those other guys, I know that. Except................is it? Can you say that for damnsure? I hope so, 'cuz if you can't you're part of the problem just like our 'bent buddy. Oh sure.........riding huge "S" curves up a one way street is "worse" than jumpin' a 4 way stop or cuttin' onto a sidewalk to beat a train.

Except it's not.

You're either playin' it straight, or you're not as far as I can see.

I know it's hard sometimes. I know that it's inconvienent to hafta sit @ a red light when there's no one in sight or go 4 blocks outta your way 'cuz of the one way streets. So what? It's the rules and it's the only way that we are ever gonna be able to stake our claim to roads that are rightfully as much ours as anyone elses.

Think about it at least, okay?

(Full disclosure Department - Yes, I jumped the stop sigh @ 24th and Country Club for the sole reason of grabbin' the City Limit sign. Guilty as charged / Guilty as Hell. I could tell it was clear from everyone else's body language but still..........a numb nuts move on my part and I'll cop to it.)

Holland Hundred this Saturday! It's gonna be HUGE! We have over 750 registered and we're expecting that many more as day-off registers. Good Lord! See you there!

MC

"Spokes in the wheel.........."

4 of us went down to ride @ Fort Custer on the 4th. Aside from getting caught by the World's Longest Running Race through Richland on the way there and inadvertantly becoming part of the Richland Independance Day Parade on the way home....one thing has stuck in my mind.

As you top out on that tough little switchback climb on the Green Loop you are greeting w/ a lovely memorial stone. I don't know who "Erin" was but she must've had some friends to whom she meant quite a bit. The quote on the face of the stone has stayed w/ me - "Friends are spokes in the wheel of life". I like that. A LOT. It makes me think of why I ride at all and how little riding I'd do w/out the friends and buds I have to share it with. (Hint - not very damn much!)

I figured out about 30 years ago that all the things that I spend my time doing are all for the same reason......to hang w/ folks that I dig. I don't ride alone hardly ever. I would not be a solo musicial if the band broke up. I'd never take a job (like being a sales rep) where I was alone a lot. Don't like it much. Never have. Now - that might mean that I need to like myself more......I guess I'm cool w/ that. Besides - kinda late, ain't it?

So..............thanks for bein' a spoke in my wheel, that's all I'm sayin'.

Bike Life is great, by the way. The shop is full-tilt-boogie-crazy-madness ROCKIN', the Holland Hundred is 2 weeks away(!!!!!!!) and there's a JDRF ride nearly every weekend. 5 weeks from rignt now I'll be finishing up my first-ever stint as Acting Head Coach @ a JDRF Ride down in Asheville. (Way nervous about that!) 2 band gigs this week, lots of milesthis weekend.......it's all good. Ted's off to his Big Time Pro Wrench gig on Wed.....damn, I hope his toolbox gets here from Sonoma tomorrow!

Phew!

I hope you are having a great season.............see you on (or off!) the road!

GREETINGS FROM SMOKY SONOMA CA!!!

Yep, who woulda thunk it? I don't know what seems more unlikely...that I'm sitting here in the Bike Room @ the JDRF Sonoma Ride to Cure bloggin' away on my laptop (!!!!!) OR that I'm here in the capacity of Head Mechanic. As long as all you guys keep quiet for another 24 hours I think I can get outta here w/out blowin' my cover!

I've been here since Wed afternoon. It's a small ride - only about 70 riders - so the workload has been more than manageable. The weather is awesome, except for the constant haze from the 1000 or so forest fires said to ragin' out of control as close as 50 miles from right 'chere. It's been great to get a dose of what makes theses rides and this organization so special to me............the folks, the enthusiasm for the cause........the whole enchilada. I've never been to the early rides and I've met quite a few folks that I might not have ever met if I hadn't come out.

Back home our Team is getting ready for Asheville and Death Valley. I'm getting lotsa kudos out here for the size, passion and reputation of the West Michigan Team.......like it's cuz of me! When people ask me how and why our Team grew so much I have to admit that I have no idea........a weird combination of luck, timing and personalities. It never seems to be a satisfactory answer for them but it's the best I have.

I'll be driving a Sag Wagon tomorrow, so I'll get to see the course and the area. So far I've seen the bit from the S.F. airport to here, the Bike Room, the dining room and the 10 miles up to the closest bike shop. By all reports the course oughta be awesome.

This ride is gonna go down in history as the ride w/ the largest Support/Rider ratio in the history of cycling! There are 7 Sag Wagons, 6 Coaches, a Med van, an ambulance, 7 food stops, 3 cops and a ton of other volunteers and staff to watch over 70 riders! Hell....in the event of a terrorist attack we could literally sag everyone off of the course at once! The reason for the excess is that this is rehersal for the next 4 Rides and we have a new Ride Co-Ordinator and he's working out the kinks.

Okay....almost dinnertime. I have all the bikes ready, I'll just hafta get here @ 5:30 to get all the tirs topped off and everything else ready for tomorrow. It's been great but it'll be great to get home Sunday night too.

Tlak to you later, gotta go!
MC

On the subject of waving..........

.............at each other as cyclists, by the way. Not @ ball games or from parade floats or whilst signing off on TV programs.

I was just reading long-time bud and bike-writing-hero Maynard Hershon's post on this subject and ....well.....here we are! His comments (and you really oughta go read them, like right now. I'll wait) were to the effect that he's always waved and for years has kind of keep track of who did and did not return said waves. That habit, which he referred to as "keeping tabs" has become a scab that he was unable to resist picking at and has affected his enjoyment of this fine sport that we love. So....his new plan is to continue w/ the waving but to quit keeping tab.

Now...as someone who, like M.H. has always waved at fellow riders and who has been heard to remark on the White pine Trail that "the next jackass that doesn't wave is gonna get chased down and put into the weeds" this notion of Maynard's kinda resonated w/ me. Why DO I wave? Why do I give a crap whether THEY wave back?

I'm not sure. I wave 'cuz back-in-the-day there just weren't all that many of us, y'know? Chances are if you passed another rider around here in the 70's you knew him or her and would run into them again soon. (And they'd ask - "Hey, din'cha see me on South Shore yesterday?). It was a fellowship thing. Nowdays - not so much. I did my part and lead the club ride last week and there were 5-6 guys I'd never seen before.

Lotsa riders these days...that's my point.

I could go into the different "types" of riders and how their catagory affects their likihood to wave back.........but somehow I don't see how that's gonna lead to less fragmentation and more brother/sisterhood.......so I'll fight the temptation. I'm gonna go w/ Maynard's theory that those that don't wave back just never learned that you're supposed to. They're not rude, aloof, arrogant, clueless or too self-important.......it's just never occurred to them.

Still............I DO wonder why at least as many motorcyclists wave at me as other riders. Why should they feel a kinship w/ a chubby olde farte in lycra that other riders do not? Is the whole "we're on 2 wheels and they're on 4" thing so strong?

I wave back, but I feel a little silly.

Speaking of waving back and feeling silly...............there's the whole "Jeep Thing" too. When I drive I'm likely to be trundling around in an old Jeep Wrangler, (to which I have alluded earlier if you are keeping score). It's safe to say that my reasons for choosing such a fundementally silly vehicle are for the most part "un-Jeep-like" and like the sticker says "It IS a Jeep thing and I DON'T understand" but the other Jeepfolk can't tell that at a glance so they wave.

All of them.

Every time.

And every time I wave back. And my wife smirks. How can I NOT wave back? After doing all this bitching about riders that don't?! So......Jeep guy that I'm not I still do the little "head nod and 2 fingers off the steering wheel thing" and trundle off along my way, content in the knowledge that whoever I just waved at will not and has not given much if any thought to this whole topic.

Good for them.

Still...........as cyclists I think that we should wave and aknowledge one another. Why not? What harm could it do? (Assuming you can do it w/out swerving into a pothole or fellow rider, that is? And if you can't..............you should practice! Maybe on your trainer or rollers.

Besides...I promised Maynard that I would keep waving.

So...if I see you on the road I'm gonna wave. If you wave back - great. If you choose not to....well.....not-so-great but okay. Your call.

Editorial Mode - off.

Otherwise BikeLife is full and grand - I'm off to Sonoma CA first thig tomorrow to spend the rest of the week as the Head Tech for the 1st JDRF Ride of the season. I'm looking forward to driving sag on Saturday - it'll be the only chance I have to see the area since otherwise I'll be buried in the Bike Room 24-7. Our local team is doing great and the Asheville Ride is only about 8 weeks away! Then it's on to Death Valley in October.

The shop is crazy busy and it shows no signs of slowin' down. Next month Ted goes easy for 10 days to be the Head Wrench for the Kenda/Titus team @ 2 big pro races. He's excited and scared and that's a good place to be! Shop rides are rocking - folks are riding bikes - life is good.

Speakin' of rocking..............last night my band crashed the party down @ the just-opened Saugatuck Brewery and held an impromptu rehearsal/performance to make sure that we were the first band to ever play there. "Twas a hoot and it's gonna be a sweet place to hang! 'Tis already, for that matter!

July brings the Holland Hundred, lotsa other rides and a buncha cool stuff! Can't wait!

Lumberjack 100 Report

Well..it was SUPPOSED to be the "Lumberjack 100", dammit. Alas - for the 3rd time outta 4 tries it was once again the "Lumberjack 75" for this boy.

Sigh.

No cramps this time. No dehydration-induced delusions, no babbling about freezing to death if I slept or hallucinations. Nope.......this time the problem was pretty simple and basic in nature.

I wasn't strong enough.

I wasn't strong enough to power the single gear that IU had w/ me over 100 miles of rolly Michigan single-track. I was....for about 65 miles. In fact, I was even going kinda fast (for me, mind you) and I was havin' a blast. My 2nd lap was easily the best lap I've ever had outta the 13 that I've ridden inthis race............I passed a buncha folks and was able to stay on top of the gear.

And that's the thing. On a single-speed you are either on top of the gear (turning it nice and fast) or you're not. And if you're not...you are screwed.

And screwed I was, after 2 and a half laps. I hit the wall and didn't have the juuice in my legs to spin that gear up the l-o-n-g grinding uphills that seemed to comprise the entire last 1/3 of the course. When your legs hurt too much to climb seated and your arms hurt too much to stand up...well, you got troubles my friend! I made it into the pits for 3 laps w/ time to go back out but it woulda been foolish as all hell. I might still be out there!

Guess I shoulda had a lighter gear, huh?

Congrats to buds Marsh, Gid and Conrad, all of whom finished. Congrats to Danielle for powerin' through a massive bonk to a podium spot and kudos to anyone that took on this race. It's kind of a badass!

Next year!

SABINE! SABINE! SABINE! SABINE!

One of my favorite books about music is "The Worst 100 Records in Rock and Roll". It's just that...a list and page or so about all the horrible stuff that's been recorded over the years. It's written by 2 music journalists and it's hilarious. (I can't find it, by the way....did I loan it to you?)

Anyway..........while tearing Billy Joel a new one (one of my favorite parts!) they say, in reference to his stupid "We Didn't Start the Fire" song", that "A list is not a lyric!"

Yeah......Lists.

I shoulda listened to my little inner man as I wrote that list of parents and babies a week or so ago. My L.I.M. was sayin' "You know damn well that you're gonna leave someone out! Don't do it! You fool!"

And so I did. I'm not surprised that I missed someone - (I AM kinda brain-dead, after all) - but I was sorta surprised that I managed to miss listing the Most Darling Sabine Adora Wilkins- Berghorst, her lovely mother Joy and her Rightfully-Proud Daddy-O Jeremy. (We call him 'Berger" 'round the shop)

Duh.

So..............welcome to the club Sabine -n -folks! Sorry again!

(Can I have my wallet back now Berger?)

On the Bike Life Front there's lots happening. I'm off to Sonoma CA in a week and a half to do Tech Support for the 1st JDRF Ride of the season. Then Ted goes to NY and VT to work the NORBA race circuit for the Kenda/Titus team. He's stoked and I don't blame him. The Holland Hundred is coming up too soon, the shop's rocking, the rides are huge, Grattan was fun again (except for Marshall nippin' me @ the line for 3rd!) and this time tomorrow I'll be deep into the Lumberjack 100.

Wish me luck, the forecast calls for pain!

MC

Grattan.......

....was a blast again last night! 47-ish miles in 2 hours-and-a-bit. No crashes, despite the very occassional drizzle. No drama. Congrats to fellow-Velo A.V.W. who f-i-n-a-l-l-y scored a well-deserved victory w/ a perfect move as we all jockeyed for the sprint.

Nice move, man, nice move.

M2 was 5th, I was 10th...........it was fun.

You know - I think it'd be cool if everyone did a race at least once. Now...I'm NOT one of those "Racing is cooler than everything else" guys, really I'm not. Most of my buds don't and, let' s face it, why wouldja?
It costs money
It hurts...sometimes a lot.
You can get crashed and bust bike and/or body parts.
You might suck....in public no less.

Still.............there's a poetry and a music and a vibe in that paceline that I don't think you can get anywhere else. The pack has a sound and a look that 's kinda special and at least once a race I find myself grinnin' and thinking to myself "Man, this is just SO COOL!" The sight of 50-75 brightly-clad racers pounding through the s-turns @ 25-28 mph is not something that you're gonna see on Tuesday night, y'know? The sound of 100-150 high-pressure tires whippin' through that hairpin @ the bottom of the hill........ditto. The feeling that you get when we hear the bell that means "1 lap to go" and you realize that you have a little something left and it's time to plan your move.....it's a good feeling!

We are way lucky to have the Grattan Series around here. For something like 28 years Skip and Diane have been runnin' races out there N.E. of GR. It's the best way to try road racing that I've ever seen and if you have a notion to check it out...........stop in and let's chat about it, 'kay?

Like I said...'tis a hoot.

It's great for this boy 'cuz @ this point in my cycling life it scratches my road race itch completely. If there was no Grattan Series I'd be tempted to waste a few Sundays a summer drivin' over to the other side of the state to have my ass handed to me by strangers. I ain't got time for that, y'know? The Grattan Series gives me a chance to race every week - it's (kinda) close by - it's cheap - it's pretty safe - it's competitive w/out being depressingly cut-throat.........what more couldja ask for?

(Well...besides a better leadout from M2, that is!)

You might wanna check it out sometime huh?

MC Out

By the way...........I want to offer my heart-felt congrats to everyone in the shop's orbit that's either a new parent, expecting or both! It seems like there's a major child-birth epidemic goin' on around here........(careful Jasker!).........and it's pretty fun to watch! So congrats to Scott, Krisanne and Miles, Chris, Dawn and Ella, Ted, Sarah and Hazel, Dan, Amanda and Riley, Marshall and Marci, Doez and Mel, the Pierces, Aaron, Renee and Levi, and any one else out there in the same boat!

Wow! Whatta Weekend!

You know - every once in awhile a weekend comes along that's off-the-hook even by my standards and it could be argued that this past weekend was one of those.........the MS Society's ride was in town so there were 800+ extra riders in town from Friday night 'til Late Sunday. We were open late both Fri and Sat nights offering on-the-spot repairs, lotsa snacks, specials, massage therapists and such and it was pretty much a full-tilt-boogie zoo! It's SO COOL having all those new faces inthe shop, hangin' out, eatin' cookies and talkin' bike talk. Ted and I were talkin' today that there needs to be a big tour through Holland at least once a week.

So....after all those extra hours for the tour Lin and I hosted the JDRF Team at our house for a ride and fajita bash on Sunday. We had a great turn-out...27 riders and probably 33 eaters. A greta time was had by all - but I was up to my ears in the ride and the food from 6:00 am 'til we finished cleaning up about 9:30. Needless to say I crashed hard after that!

still....whatta great week! I got out to Grattan for the weekly road race for the first time all seasonand had a blast. It was wicked fast (or at least seemed that way to me!) but I was pretty fat and happy inthe pack, jawin' w/ Jay, shootin' the shit w/ Surly and just hanging in, y'know? I had some left for the sprint and managed a 5th place finish. (Pretty sure I was #1 Olde Farte) One thing is for sure - I don't remember ever doing a Grattan race inMay where we averaged 24.o mph for 47 miles before! Man- it's gonna be a fast season out there!

The other rides this week were a blast too. I did the MCC ride on Monday Morning since it was the holiday, did the shop Tuesday Night Ride, and the Thursday Morning Recovery Ride as well. That rainstorm on Friday morn came along at just the right time...I needed a day off.

Now it's June. There's a ton of stuff comin' up - 2 more Team Rides, the Lumberjack 100, club rides and meetings, shop rides up the wazoo.......HooBoy!

I better go rest up!

See you out there!

The Story of the Saying on the back of the T-shirt

Here's one reason why this whole "global economy/internet/no borders" world we live in is kinda cool sometimes:

When we moved here 3.5 years ago I started a series of limited edition shop t-shirts. The idea was that we'd pick a quote from somewhere, make 3-4 dozen shirts and when they were gone....they were gone for good. Then we'd do another one. We've done about 10 or so @ this point.....displaying wisdom from Abbey, Merckx, Charles Schultlz and a buncha lesser known folk......even yours truly. This is the story of one of them and why we had to break our 'when they're gone they're gone" rule.

It was my buddy Chris' idea. "Brother", he said, "Next time you need a quote for a shirt I know what'cha oughta go with". There was a great article in a Rivendell Reader* a while back, written by a guy that had his life turned around for the better by a bicycle. He lost a buncha weight, met a woman, changed his life and wrote about it. The last line of the article was the quote that Chris had in mind. "Could the secret of life be so simple? Just love someone and ride your bike every day?"

Well.....that shirt was our fastest selling t-shirt EVER. They were gone in a flash and for the first time I was tempted to do a 2nd run. Especially after I started getting calls from a young lady in Boston who said that she'd seen someone in a bar there wearing one and had to have one. I tried to get across to her the concept of the whole "limited edition" thing.......she just wouldn't/couldn't understand.

Then I got an e-mail from Edinburgh Scotland. Check this out - a couple that had ridden their tandem around the world in 2004-2006 had stopped @ the camp that my son Samuel works at in the summers. Turns ouththat the camp director (my best climbing buddy KB) was the preacher @ their wedding back in the day. They saw Samuel wearing that shirt and that line became the last line of their Trip Blog. Friends of theirs in Scotland read it and got ahold of me. Well..that was enough to make me decide that it was time to break the rules and have a second run done. Thise shirts have been shipped to Edinbourgh, Colorado Springs, Tennessee and several other places so if you see one...........don't be surprised!

By the way...............for those of you that are wondering - I tried my damnedest to get the okay from Rivendell to use that line. They never got back to me.

Not that this was intended to be an advertisement, but we do have a few left. Lemme know if you want one.

I just think it's kind of cool, y'know? In a "It's a Small World" sort of way. Then again...I don't get out much and am easily amused! ( Too bad that I had finally lost the number of the persistant chick in Boston by then!)

MC

*The Reader is the best bike magazine EVER and has more good reading in one edition than Bicycling, MountainBike Action and Bike will publish in total if they last a 100 years. Join Rivendell. Get the Reader. Alas - it comes out (at most) 4 times a year. I have the complete collection here if yawanna check it out.

Paul Dunn You're my Hero!

So...........as T.O.M.* and I were goin' for the Island Lake sprint sign yesterday morning I hit a pothole square on w/ the front wheel of The Prowler. (My Co-Motion tandem) We took the sprint but I was not a bit surprised when we pulled away from the stop sign and the front tire was flatter than yesterday Pepsi.

Rats.............we were gonna make 'em hurt on the return leg too!

Anyway..........off the road, off the bike and diggin' in the seat pack for the stuff we need. "No big deal, you guys go ahead, don't wait for us." That kinda thing.

Flats happen, right?

That's when my casual aquantance P.D. did the thing that he did that got him in the title up there.

He stopped.

"You guys got what'cha need?" he asked.

Assured that we did...he was on his way.....got back to the group and no doubt rode in with them.

Pretty simple, huh?

"What's the big deal" you ask? Well...........here's the thing. Odds are P.D. is faster than you. He's damnsure faster 'n me. (No daunting challenge - that!) We're not good buds or anything - I know him 'cuz he and I are on the same rides often enough and we have lotsa mutual friends - I don' t even know if he's ever been in the shop for that matter.

Still....he saw we were off the bike and he interrupted his ride long enough to make sure we were good. Shows that he was brought up right. His momma should be proud.

Oh..........I wanna thank Dan and Mike for waitin' and ridin' in w/ us. 'Twas a nice gesture and we appreciated it.

I don't wanna make too big a dreal outta this but after all that pissing and moaning I did a month or so ago about riders that couldn't be bothered I figured that I needed to balance the scales.

It's been a good-but-crazy week.................Ted and Sarah had their baby yesterday!!!!!!!!! (Go to his blog for pix!) I got a lotta riding in.....and I'm damn tired of wearing knickers and wool base layers! I'm looking forward to goin' in shorts and such this afternoon on the Dessert Ride.

Gonna do the club's ride tomorrow - we always have the Monday Night Ride in the morning on holiday mondays.

I put about 100 miles on thiose fancy-pants Reynolds carbon wheels that the rep left here....they feel good. Greg and Ted are more impressed than I am but neither of them run wheels as nice as I'm used to! We'll have 3 sets here for about the next week or so if you wanna try them!

Gotta go, folks are gonna be here soon for the ride!

Congrats again Ted, Sarah, Sophie and little new baby w/out a name!

MC

* The Other Mike

'I Come From the Land of the Ice and Snow...."

Okay...........maybe it didn't actually snow, but doesn't it seem kinda cold for mid-May? We had a great JDRF training ride yesterday and the attire ranged from Kevin's sleeveless jersey-n-shorts to Dave w/ his ninja-issue balaclava and toe covers!

It wasn't very warm, that's all I'm sayin'.

Still...another great ride in the books, at the end of another great week. Gettin' back after a trip to the desert is always a mixed bag for this boy........a week's worth of shop stuff, catchin' up on sleep, gettin' back in the groove - it always makse the week fly by even faster'n usual. This week was no exception. The shop was busy.........the rides well attended.......we had a good gig @ the brew pub Friday night, lotsa friends came out and we kinda burned it down a little bit. Sat night was Brian and Heather's JDRF Yoga deal.......Lin and I rode the "Big Yellow Taxi" (our demo Co-Motion tandem) down after the shop closed and got all stretched and mellow. Then the ride yesterday and......................here it is Monday again!

This week it's the Ride of Silence on Wed, so I'll more'n likely skip Grattan again. This weekend there's a rumour of a Last Call reprise @ New Holland and the May Fun-Raiser @ the shop on Sunday! The "Dessert Ride" no less!

I can't wait to find out how all our racers did this weekend! Danielle slayed all down @ 12 Hours of Tsali, finishing 1st women and 4th overall. Not bad for a "training race!" Aaron raced the Owasippe ATB Time Trial and Greg went down to Memphis for a big triathlon. Big weekend!

I promised some Moab pix...............I'm still workin' on it. Maybe I can get Danielle, Ted or some random 11 year old offa the street to show me how to post some?

Speaking of Moab.............folks have ben asking me how that Cannondale Rize worked out there. The simple answer is that it worked great. It was perfect, actually. The thing is...........so was my Seven hardtail that I rode on the last 2 trips.
And the C-Dale Rush.
And the Scapel.
And that shitty Schwinn Moab rental bike that year that my fork pukked up its guts the first day.
And my Yeti.
And my Bontrager.
And both of the Trek OCLV hardtails.
And my old Stumpjumper w/ drop bars.
And both Trek "Y" bikes.
And that ARC-AS that I borrowed from the Yeti guys.
And even that Cannondale Raven!

Seein' a trend here? I've been thinking about this for a bit. (And wondering if this is something that I oughta be thinking about, let alone writing about!) The fact is that I've kind of made a habit of goin' out west to do the hardest riding of my season on a bike that I've either never ridden...or haven't ridden much. Would I be better off on my bike? Maybe.......that Seven fits me like an old pair of jeans (the kind that your wife keeps threatening to toss) and every time I clip in to the pedals it's like coming home.
But...............all those other bikes (and all the ones I forgot to mention) were fine. The thing is....every one of 'em went right where I aimed it, y'know? They all rode up every technical climb that I had the skill and power to clean and they all went downhill as fast as I had the balls to go. As much as my industry is kinda based on the notion that you can walk in here and purchase more fun or performance...........you still gotta ride 'em!

And I think that's way cool.

I was chewin' this over w/ my buds @ the guitar shop across the street and my buddy Ross-the-golf-guy and.....here's a surprise......we all have the same take! Stuff is just that..............stuff. You need good enough stuff...........a bike, or guitar (okay...or golf clubs, dammit!) that's good enough to fan the flames of your interest in the idea of riding, or pickin' or......(sigh) golfing. After that...it's icing on the cake time bay-bee!

Not that there aren't other perfectly valid reasons for buying new stuff. 'Cuz there are.

Still.....every race I enter I get my ass handed to me on a platter by some dude (or dud-ette!) on a bike that's "worth" lots less than whatever I'm riding. And that's how it need to be, I reckon.

So............it's a great day on the cusp of a great week. The forecast contains a warming trend, the rides are rocking and so's the shop. (And the band!) BikeLife is good these days!

Hope to see you around!
MC

Oh yeah...almost forgot! John Jasker ! John Jasker! John Jasker!

Today's Quiz!

I almost forgot.......I wanted to include this quiz in that last post. Oh well.

Anyway....as of this moment there are egg-zac-lee 370 pictures on the walls of the shop bathroom. Answer this question properly and be eligible for a special Moab/Fruita themed prize!

(All correct answers will be entered into a random drawing, after I decide whether the entrant is a wanker or maybe doesn't know who John Jasker is!)

The percentage of those 370 pictures taken in Moab, Fruita or somewhere in between is:

A - 17%
B - 23%
C - 41%
D - None of the above.
E - All of the above
F - Who gives a shit?

Send your answer to mike@velo-citycycles.com and put "big fancy-ass contest" in the subject line so it gets routed to the proper department. (Any ties will be decided by bribe)

"These are Days of Miracles and Wonder"

So.......my 32nd trip to the desert is in the books. I had every intention of posting from out there, just like any 12 year old could easily manage...even took that damn laptop...but as you may have noticed - it didn't happen.

Technology.......................Bah Humbug!

(Fear not...the irony of bitchin' about technology on my BLOG hasn't escaped me!)

Anyway...it's good to be back, but not as good as it was to be gone! Pal Dennis and I had a good time. We didn't ride enough, true, but I NEVER get to ride enough so what's new 'bout that? We hit the road on Sunday night, after I did the JDRF ride and he did his Sunday School thing and 23 hours later................there we were in the Promised Land. Moab was busy and our little cabin @ the Slickrock Campground was kind of a pit and we were surrounded by Jeepers (It's a Jeep thing and I REALLY don't understand!) but still...........there we were and in the imortal words of Senor Marley - "every little thing was gonna be alright". To shake the highway outta our legs we did one of my favorite short hikes out to Corona Arch and then it was time to call Monday a day.

Tuesday am we saddled up and rode out to my fav Moab trail. I knew that Amasa Back was kind of a serious way to introduce Dennis to the area but I was confident that he could handle it and I was (mostly) correct. We had a great ride, interupted briefly by my best'worst crash of the whole week while showin' off what I Moab-Monster I consider myself. As I sit here 6 days later the scars are just startin' to fade! After the ride we went up into Arches Nat'l Park for a hike out to Delicat Arch so DP could get his "serious" camera gear out.....all 40 pounds of it.

Wednesday was tough - Slick Trail time! We rode up from camp like the hard men do......it's 5 miles, 3 of which are SERIOUSLY uphill. (I'm talkin' "you need your granny gear on pavement kinda steep" here!) We did the Practice Loop to give DP a chance to see what we were gettin' into and he handled that okay so off we went to the Main Loop. Slickrock vets will recall that some of the toughest sections are pretty early in the spur out to the Main Trail (Fried Eggs/Legs! Testostorone Poisoning! Wooly Gully! Thrust or Bust!) and we didn't make it far. He crashed HARD on the tight off-camber switchback on the Fried Egss descent and that was it for the day. I mean he hit HARD! I thought for a bit that the week was over. He ended up w/ a nice abrasion all along the underside of his forearm but the big deal was the (no exaggeration!) football-sized bruise on his hip. Very impressive and before you ask...........yes, pix will be forth-coming as soon as I have them and can get TB to show me how to post 'em. Tell you what though...you won't wanna see the one of his hip @ the breakfast table! I rode a bit farther down the trail but @ that point the day was over, riding-wise. We killed the afternoon in town between applications of ice and "Vitamin I" (Ibuprophen - don't leave home w/out it!) Kind of a low point.

Thursday am he was feelin' okay so we hit the road for the impossible-to-describe sweetness of the Bookcliff singletrack in Fruita. We had a blast, rode pretty much all day after sittin' out a rainstorm in the van and then hit my fav ribs joint before high-tailing it back home to Moab.

("Back home to Moab"........damn that sounds nice!)

Friday we rode up to The Gemini Bridges and back down, then wasted 3 hours tryin' to get his rear brake bled and then went out to the Sovereign Singletrack to finish of the day (and our legs!) Nice ride but not a favorite of mine. Still........'twas a fitting way to finish of the Moab portion of our program 'cuz that was our last day.

Saturday we got up early, hit the road for Fruita and were chamoised up and ridin' up the Kokopelli TRail by 8:30am. My fav memory of that day was when I was high above the Colorade River..........waitin' for Dennis and all alone. There was a Bald Eagle somewhere below me, above the river but far below the Trail and he was screechin' and yellin' about something. Bee-yoo-ti-ful. We rode out a ways, then hit the Rustler's Loop for dessert. Climbed off the bike* for the last time /w that typical bittersweet feeling. I was ready to come home and ready to stay forever. Lunch @ the Hot Tomatoe Cafe and then the road. The drive home was a bitch - lotsa snow over the Rockies and horrible wind and rain from Nebraska all the way home.

Another trip in the books. More scars, more suntan lines. More red dust on the bike and my sandals.

More later.................especially pictures.

*Oh yeah.....the bike. My Main Man Jason-from-Cannondale hooked me up w/ a prototype of the brand-spankin'-new Rize. 'Twas way-light for a 5.5" full-susser and it was great. No mechanicals at all, it climbed like a bitch and descended as good as a bike can w/ me on it. More later. ( I got a whole 'nother post brewin' on the topic!)