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
Friday, June 27, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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!
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!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
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!
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!
Friday, June 13, 2008
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
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
Thursday, June 05, 2008
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!
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!
Monday, June 02, 2008
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!
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!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
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
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
Monday, May 19, 2008
'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!
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!
Monday, May 12, 2008
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)
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!)
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!)
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Is it true that Fillmore is just a bedroom community for Overisel?
Okay...that's a tad more "inside" than most of my less-than-serious statements. Just something that came outta my mouth as we were cruisin' through on the way back on this morning's ride.
And what a ride it was! Da've, Jan, "T.O.M." (The Other Mike), Ross, Franc, A-Ron, John-the-new-guy and I rolled away from the shop for the "Thursday Recovery Ride". We call it that 'cuz I promised our friend Jan T that she could ride w/us on Thursayd even thought her legs are usually achin' from some kinda death march hill workout she does on Wed. Works for me.......once I get back from out west I'll be racin' on Wed night so I'll be in pretty much the same boat.
Anyway...it was a terrific morning. A little windy to be sure - Hell, what ride this Spring hasn't been!?!? We rode out through Overisel and Fillmore then flew west w/ the wind and back into town on Lincoln. We lost Da've as we turned east on the way out...he had ridden in to ride /w us and was headed home... and we lost A-Ron and John as we got near town. "T.O.M." had to run but Franc, Ross, Jan and I headed over to Good Earth for a bagel.
Here's the thing..........................................I think that goin' for a ride in the morning w/ friends and then enjoying a bagel might well be the epitome of what I dig about cycling! Once again I was helpless to resist the temptation to look around and say (around a mouthful of sesame bagel) "Well, I think this is a very civilized way to start the day." If you've ridden w/ me in the morning the odds are that we've gone for a bagel and if we have...the odds are you've heard me say that. Hell - If you've ridden w/ me 4 times you've heard me say that 4 times! (Sorry 'bout that).
Still................there 'tis.
Lots goin' on...........trying to get the new website figured out. My e-mails been fouled up since we switched over and that creeps me out way too much. I tried to send out the May newsletter today but something went wrong and it went somewhere other than to everyone's inbox.
(I hate this crap!)
(How weird is it to bitch about computer-related crap on a BLOG, fer chrissakes!?!?!?!)
I have a bazillion things to do before I climb in the van and head west..........I'm trying real hard not to fall into that trap of wondering whether a week off is even worth it in light of the extra crap at either end. We have a JDRF ride on Sunday...that'll be the last thing I do before comin' home, unpackin' the van, re-packin' the van and heading out. By Monday evening Dennis and I will be in the Promised Land. A week of sun and rock later and we'll be back, like it never happened. (Hopefully by then all the web-weirdness will be settled out so I can go back to my Luddite ways.) I'm demoing a flashy new "2008.5" Cannondale Rize full-sus courtesy of my Main Man Jason so I'll be on a bike that I've never ridden. Again. Oh well...I haven't been on a mountainbike since Iceman so why not raise the stakes a bit more, huh?
So...........a couple more road rides and then a week of trails. Can't wait. I'll be thinking of you guys while I'm out there. I'll be thinking that I wish you were there....and that I'm glad I'm not here!
Later!
MC
And what a ride it was! Da've, Jan, "T.O.M." (The Other Mike), Ross, Franc, A-Ron, John-the-new-guy and I rolled away from the shop for the "Thursday Recovery Ride". We call it that 'cuz I promised our friend Jan T that she could ride w/us on Thursayd even thought her legs are usually achin' from some kinda death march hill workout she does on Wed. Works for me.......once I get back from out west I'll be racin' on Wed night so I'll be in pretty much the same boat.
Anyway...it was a terrific morning. A little windy to be sure - Hell, what ride this Spring hasn't been!?!? We rode out through Overisel and Fillmore then flew west w/ the wind and back into town on Lincoln. We lost Da've as we turned east on the way out...he had ridden in to ride /w us and was headed home... and we lost A-Ron and John as we got near town. "T.O.M." had to run but Franc, Ross, Jan and I headed over to Good Earth for a bagel.
Here's the thing..........................................I think that goin' for a ride in the morning w/ friends and then enjoying a bagel might well be the epitome of what I dig about cycling! Once again I was helpless to resist the temptation to look around and say (around a mouthful of sesame bagel) "Well, I think this is a very civilized way to start the day." If you've ridden w/ me in the morning the odds are that we've gone for a bagel and if we have...the odds are you've heard me say that. Hell - If you've ridden w/ me 4 times you've heard me say that 4 times! (Sorry 'bout that).
Still................there 'tis.
Lots goin' on...........trying to get the new website figured out. My e-mails been fouled up since we switched over and that creeps me out way too much. I tried to send out the May newsletter today but something went wrong and it went somewhere other than to everyone's inbox.
(I hate this crap!)
(How weird is it to bitch about computer-related crap on a BLOG, fer chrissakes!?!?!?!)
I have a bazillion things to do before I climb in the van and head west..........I'm trying real hard not to fall into that trap of wondering whether a week off is even worth it in light of the extra crap at either end. We have a JDRF ride on Sunday...that'll be the last thing I do before comin' home, unpackin' the van, re-packin' the van and heading out. By Monday evening Dennis and I will be in the Promised Land. A week of sun and rock later and we'll be back, like it never happened. (Hopefully by then all the web-weirdness will be settled out so I can go back to my Luddite ways.) I'm demoing a flashy new "2008.5" Cannondale Rize full-sus courtesy of my Main Man Jason so I'll be on a bike that I've never ridden. Again. Oh well...I haven't been on a mountainbike since Iceman so why not raise the stakes a bit more, huh?
So...........a couple more road rides and then a week of trails. Can't wait. I'll be thinking of you guys while I'm out there. I'll be thinking that I wish you were there....and that I'm glad I'm not here!
Later!
MC
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Good Weekend!
Sure..the long stretch of incredible weather finally came to its (inevitable) end, only after completely yankin' the moral right to bitch about the l-o-n-g winter out from under us all. Man - it was SO nice for SO long that I plumb wore my ass out makin' sure that I didn't waste any off it and I was (shhh....secret!) ready for a day off.
Saturday was way busy @ the shop, after KP and I did our debut as a tandem team on the Sprint Ride first thing in the AM. It was cold.........WAY cold....so the turn out was light but that's not gonna stop me from tellin' you that we took one hard-fought sprint in the middle of the ride. (Greg said later "I passed Kelly but not Mike". Not good enough, dude!)
Sunday was the Pineapple Bob Classic Redux.......we tried it in March but the road conditions kept us on the pavement and it ain't a P. Bob w/out gravel so we did it again. Routemeister M2 came up w/ the loop to end all loops and his assertation that "there will be tears" put the call out to all the crazies and hard men/women. We had about 30-35 riders, including a small-but worthy contingent of Bastards from GR (Surly, Wedding Bells, Big D) and 2 tandems - KP n' me and Berger w/ Mike L in the tail gunners' seat. KP and I ened up takin' the short cut back as we were comin' in w/a group that found themselves a tad off the pace but back @ the shop the sandwiches, cookies, chips and various adult beverages went down good and folks were having a good time. Good enough for me.
The other Big Deal that happened over the weekend is that our brand new website went "live". Check it out..........I dig it. (www.velo-citycycles.com) Still work in progress but a nice change from our last one - which was fine but had been up for a year or more and we wanted to re-do it.
6 days from now Dennis and I will be in the desert. I can't wait. I've ben roamin' around out there since the late 80's...I've watched the sleepy little town of Moab grow and change, mostly in an other-than-good way. I've watched Moab go from the "oolest place ever to ride" to "overrated" to "old news". I've taken close to 100 people out there for their first time, I've made 30+ trips and every time I approach town on that twisty road along the river I find myself wondering if this is the trip where I'll think to myself as I leave "Okay....that's enough.....I don't need to come back here any more." I'm afraid that's going to happen - although it hasn't yet. The thought that we're gonna re-locate out there somewhere in the red rocks and under that impossibly blue sky has been a constant for me since my 2nd ever trip out there and I'm afraid of life w/out that thought y'know? The desert got it's hooks in me - deep - a long time ago and it hasn't let go yet.
And I hope it never does.
I think it's gonna be a hoot bein' out there w/ Dennis. I LOVE introducing someone to the area...especially if there's a good chance that they'll "get it" and I'm pretty sure that he will. I haven't been on a mountainbike since last winter and I'll be on a Cannondale Demo from my rep that I've never ridden before so that'll be interesting. I'm gonna take my laptop (insert appropriate exclamation of shock and wonder here ______) so maybe I'll check in from out there somewhere. You never know.
JDRF rides are happening, the club's Monday Night Ride starts while I'm gone, the shop Tuesday night, Thursday morning, Friday morning and Saturday morning rides are rolling.......Grattan starts next week...Man! There's a TON of stuff going on!
Best get to it!
MC
"Racing, on any level, seeks a balance within us. For every moment of hassle and pain there is one of revelation and joy."
Mike Ferrentino
Saturday was way busy @ the shop, after KP and I did our debut as a tandem team on the Sprint Ride first thing in the AM. It was cold.........WAY cold....so the turn out was light but that's not gonna stop me from tellin' you that we took one hard-fought sprint in the middle of the ride. (Greg said later "I passed Kelly but not Mike". Not good enough, dude!)
Sunday was the Pineapple Bob Classic Redux.......we tried it in March but the road conditions kept us on the pavement and it ain't a P. Bob w/out gravel so we did it again. Routemeister M2 came up w/ the loop to end all loops and his assertation that "there will be tears" put the call out to all the crazies and hard men/women. We had about 30-35 riders, including a small-but worthy contingent of Bastards from GR (Surly, Wedding Bells, Big D) and 2 tandems - KP n' me and Berger w/ Mike L in the tail gunners' seat. KP and I ened up takin' the short cut back as we were comin' in w/a group that found themselves a tad off the pace but back @ the shop the sandwiches, cookies, chips and various adult beverages went down good and folks were having a good time. Good enough for me.
The other Big Deal that happened over the weekend is that our brand new website went "live". Check it out..........I dig it. (www.velo-citycycles.com) Still work in progress but a nice change from our last one - which was fine but had been up for a year or more and we wanted to re-do it.
6 days from now Dennis and I will be in the desert. I can't wait. I've ben roamin' around out there since the late 80's...I've watched the sleepy little town of Moab grow and change, mostly in an other-than-good way. I've watched Moab go from the "oolest place ever to ride" to "overrated" to "old news". I've taken close to 100 people out there for their first time, I've made 30+ trips and every time I approach town on that twisty road along the river I find myself wondering if this is the trip where I'll think to myself as I leave "Okay....that's enough.....I don't need to come back here any more." I'm afraid that's going to happen - although it hasn't yet. The thought that we're gonna re-locate out there somewhere in the red rocks and under that impossibly blue sky has been a constant for me since my 2nd ever trip out there and I'm afraid of life w/out that thought y'know? The desert got it's hooks in me - deep - a long time ago and it hasn't let go yet.
And I hope it never does.
I think it's gonna be a hoot bein' out there w/ Dennis. I LOVE introducing someone to the area...especially if there's a good chance that they'll "get it" and I'm pretty sure that he will. I haven't been on a mountainbike since last winter and I'll be on a Cannondale Demo from my rep that I've never ridden before so that'll be interesting. I'm gonna take my laptop (insert appropriate exclamation of shock and wonder here ______) so maybe I'll check in from out there somewhere. You never know.
JDRF rides are happening, the club's Monday Night Ride starts while I'm gone, the shop Tuesday night, Thursday morning, Friday morning and Saturday morning rides are rolling.......Grattan starts next week...Man! There's a TON of stuff going on!
Best get to it!
MC
"Racing, on any level, seeks a balance within us. For every moment of hassle and pain there is one of revelation and joy."
Mike Ferrentino
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
It happened Again, Dammit!
Hard to believe..........................
There we were, along the side of the road, fixxing a flat. (Yes, that's 3 rides in a row where I've been in that situation - helpin' someone w/ their bike problem. Maybe it's me?)
Just like on Sunday there were 3 of us. (My wife Lin on our tandem, person w/ flat tire and no tube, me)
Just like on Sunday we were all set....just finishing up.
Just like on Sunday a fellow cyclist rode by as if we weren't even there. This time it was a mature, fit gent w/ a full beard and a Carmichel Training System jersey.
Thanks for nothing, jackass!
Ironically............."nothing" is exactly what we needed - I had a tube, we were all set - all we needed from you was concern and camradre, both of which would've cost you NOTHING, not even time. (Speaking of time...he was goin' slow enough that even after we finished up and got rolling we passed him 2 intersections later, so he wasn't exactly goin' for a P.R.)
Yeah...I waved. (We were pulling out from a street crossing the one he was one, not overtaking him) Had we been comin' up from behind I probably wouldn't have been a big enough person to abstain from shouting "WE'RE OKAY, BUT THANKS FOR CHECKING ON US!" in his ear as we rolled by so it's probably just as well, huh?
This shit has to stop. And I'm not referring to having to stop for co-riders busted bikes. That's part of the deal, like waiting for folks off the back and taking your pulls @ the front.
Still...yesterday was a fine 2-ride day and that's a hard thing to spoil, even for a jackass w/ a personality disorder. We had a great ride in the AM, Ross, Da've, Pineapple J and I and then a HUGE turnout for the shop's Tuesday Night Ride. Good Lord...there musta been 45+ riders here! Lin and I were the leaders of the Red Group, we had 2 other tandems, a trailer-cycle and 3-4 other bikes. Way cool to see so many young'uns on the ride......be they on the back of a tandem, Trail-a-Bike or on their own.
I'm gonna do the Hutchin' Lake Loop this afternoon, we'll see who shows up. Tomorrow it's the morning ride, ditto of Friday, the Sprint Ride on Saturday and then the Pineapple BoB spring Classic on Sunday! Hoo-Haw! What a kick-ass week!
See you on (or off!) the road!
MC
Notice that I didn't mention Moab? (Well...almost anyways) Buddy DiD told me that I was sounding kinda obsessed.
There we were, along the side of the road, fixxing a flat. (Yes, that's 3 rides in a row where I've been in that situation - helpin' someone w/ their bike problem. Maybe it's me?)
Just like on Sunday there were 3 of us. (My wife Lin on our tandem, person w/ flat tire and no tube, me)
Just like on Sunday we were all set....just finishing up.
Just like on Sunday a fellow cyclist rode by as if we weren't even there. This time it was a mature, fit gent w/ a full beard and a Carmichel Training System jersey.
Thanks for nothing, jackass!
Ironically............."nothing" is exactly what we needed - I had a tube, we were all set - all we needed from you was concern and camradre, both of which would've cost you NOTHING, not even time. (Speaking of time...he was goin' slow enough that even after we finished up and got rolling we passed him 2 intersections later, so he wasn't exactly goin' for a P.R.)
Yeah...I waved. (We were pulling out from a street crossing the one he was one, not overtaking him) Had we been comin' up from behind I probably wouldn't have been a big enough person to abstain from shouting "WE'RE OKAY, BUT THANKS FOR CHECKING ON US!" in his ear as we rolled by so it's probably just as well, huh?
This shit has to stop. And I'm not referring to having to stop for co-riders busted bikes. That's part of the deal, like waiting for folks off the back and taking your pulls @ the front.
Still...yesterday was a fine 2-ride day and that's a hard thing to spoil, even for a jackass w/ a personality disorder. We had a great ride in the AM, Ross, Da've, Pineapple J and I and then a HUGE turnout for the shop's Tuesday Night Ride. Good Lord...there musta been 45+ riders here! Lin and I were the leaders of the Red Group, we had 2 other tandems, a trailer-cycle and 3-4 other bikes. Way cool to see so many young'uns on the ride......be they on the back of a tandem, Trail-a-Bike or on their own.
I'm gonna do the Hutchin' Lake Loop this afternoon, we'll see who shows up. Tomorrow it's the morning ride, ditto of Friday, the Sprint Ride on Saturday and then the Pineapple BoB spring Classic on Sunday! Hoo-Haw! What a kick-ass week!
See you on (or off!) the road!
MC
Notice that I didn't mention Moab? (Well...almost anyways) Buddy DiD told me that I was sounding kinda obsessed.
Monday, April 21, 2008
The Four Assholes
Sorry if this post is less-than-cheery on a beautiful Monday morn...........I wanna get this outta my system.
It SHOULD have been a perfect ride yesterday. Check it - a perfect day weather-wise, one of those mid 70's, no humidity, low wind kind of days that remind us why we put up w/ all that other crap to live here. A great group to ride with, namely 13 members of my JDRF Team, some of the best people I know. A great loop, provided by one of my All Time Best Riding Buds Doez.......all the ingredients were in place for a sublime day.
So....what went wrong?
Here's the thing..............as we rolled west outta GR we passed a single rider goin' the other way. Lin and I on our tandem were about 6 riders back in the line so I was the 5th or 6th to wave @ the guy. He didn't even acknowlege us.
Asshole #1.
Later, as I was changing Cindy's 3rd flat tire (!!) a group of three "serious" riders went past us. One was in an all pink kit, which made me wonder what a previous winner of the Giro d'Talia was doin' in the town of Tallmadge, and at least one of the other guys was in a Discovery jersey. There we were.....alongside the road, messin' w/ a bike.
They didn't even look.
No "You guys all right?"
No "Got what'cha need?"
Nothing.
Assholes # 2-4.
How is it that one of the most noble and beautiful ways to spend your time, one of the coolest sports there is attracts so many selfish assholes!?!?!??!?! I was bitchin' to Doez about it (we ran into him on the ride) and you wanna know what he said? He said "That's Grand Rapids for you." he said that he WALKED 3 miles on that same loop pushing his bike w/ a 2nd flat and had hordes of riders go by him
W.T.F.!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Tell you what..............if that had happened to me I'd still be on a crusade to kick ALL of their asses!
Now.................lemme make something clear here - We didn't need help. I'm a huge advocate of riders being self sufficient, grown up and prepared. I've spent a goodly part of my life doing what I can to make that the case. That is not the point here. The point here is that assholes # 2-4 had no way of knowing that.............they just didn't give a shit. Asshole #1 was just too self-absorbed and impressed to say "howdy" and as sad as that is................it's not nearly as sad as rollin' by a group of fellow cyclists that MIGHT need help 'cuz you just can't be bothered.
So................on the EXTREMELY unlikely event that any of yesterdays assholes read this..........piss on you from a considerable height. You suck and what you did yesterday was, to coin a phrase, a dick move. As my bud Ross would say (since he won't allow his kids to say "you suck") ....you "inhale vigorously".
No....you suck.
The rest of you.................how 'bout sayin' "hi" next time? Or at least waving? Why is it that the majority of the motorcyclists feel enough kinship w/ cyclicts to wave and other cyclists don't?
I'll never understand.
It SHOULD have been a perfect ride yesterday. Check it - a perfect day weather-wise, one of those mid 70's, no humidity, low wind kind of days that remind us why we put up w/ all that other crap to live here. A great group to ride with, namely 13 members of my JDRF Team, some of the best people I know. A great loop, provided by one of my All Time Best Riding Buds Doez.......all the ingredients were in place for a sublime day.
So....what went wrong?
Here's the thing..............as we rolled west outta GR we passed a single rider goin' the other way. Lin and I on our tandem were about 6 riders back in the line so I was the 5th or 6th to wave @ the guy. He didn't even acknowlege us.
Asshole #1.
Later, as I was changing Cindy's 3rd flat tire (!!) a group of three "serious" riders went past us. One was in an all pink kit, which made me wonder what a previous winner of the Giro d'Talia was doin' in the town of Tallmadge, and at least one of the other guys was in a Discovery jersey. There we were.....alongside the road, messin' w/ a bike.
They didn't even look.
No "You guys all right?"
No "Got what'cha need?"
Nothing.
Assholes # 2-4.
How is it that one of the most noble and beautiful ways to spend your time, one of the coolest sports there is attracts so many selfish assholes!?!?!??!?! I was bitchin' to Doez about it (we ran into him on the ride) and you wanna know what he said? He said "That's Grand Rapids for you." he said that he WALKED 3 miles on that same loop pushing his bike w/ a 2nd flat and had hordes of riders go by him
W.T.F.!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Tell you what..............if that had happened to me I'd still be on a crusade to kick ALL of their asses!
Now.................lemme make something clear here - We didn't need help. I'm a huge advocate of riders being self sufficient, grown up and prepared. I've spent a goodly part of my life doing what I can to make that the case. That is not the point here. The point here is that assholes # 2-4 had no way of knowing that.............they just didn't give a shit. Asshole #1 was just too self-absorbed and impressed to say "howdy" and as sad as that is................it's not nearly as sad as rollin' by a group of fellow cyclists that MIGHT need help 'cuz you just can't be bothered.
So................on the EXTREMELY unlikely event that any of yesterdays assholes read this..........piss on you from a considerable height. You suck and what you did yesterday was, to coin a phrase, a dick move. As my bud Ross would say (since he won't allow his kids to say "you suck") ....you "inhale vigorously".
No....you suck.
The rest of you.................how 'bout sayin' "hi" next time? Or at least waving? Why is it that the majority of the motorcyclists feel enough kinship w/ cyclicts to wave and other cyclists don't?
I'll never understand.
Friday, April 18, 2008
"Life is so Sweet..........
....it makes you bounce as you walk down the street." (Billy Joe Shaver)
So...it's 3:30 inthe morning and I'm here @ the shop. What's so sweet about that, you ask? (Damn good question there Bubba......glad to see that you're payin' attention) Well.......it's Friday and I've had 4 great rides already this week and am looking forward to 3 more, the shop's been buzzin' as folks get used to the idea that Spring is finally here to stay, I've decided that my M.B.W. Sofa King is the best looking bike in the world, I have a new C-Dale Six/13 to race on (assuming I get the dang thing together!), I'll be in Moab 3 weeks from now, last I checked I'm still sharin' my life w/ the Lovely and Irreplaceable Miss Linda and...........I have some Form.
"Form". Hard to define, even harder to get. It's the word that pro racers use to describe the fact that they have achieved their fitness goals and that they are ready to kick some ass and take some names. Now......DO NOT get the idea that I'm suffering from the delusion that I have anything near that kinda form!!!!! I never have and I never will. But.........."Form" is different for every individual. Me having "form" is feeling like I can keep up w/ my riding buds - most of whom are younger 'n me - and that I can ride my fixxie and hang in (okay...and maybe even take a sprint now and again). As my buddy Maynard once wrote "Hey, guys like me call that fitness!"
Sean Yates, the big Brit that rode w/ the "Slurpies"* and the Motorola teams in the late '80s and early "90s called it "Stompin' Form" and usta say that he had it mebbe twice a season. That meant that he felt he could ride for the win those 2-3 races a year. Me? I settle for "Shaving Form", that point where it seems like shaving my legs doesn't seem like a silly affectation...that I have reached the point in my season where I feel enough like a roadie that I can "dress the part", y'know? When I got home from my second ride of the day on Wed, a hilly 46 miler w/ Surly, Doez, CD and Gid.......I scraped a winter's worth of hair offa my beat up old legs.
Shaving Form. Ahhhhh.
Other than that......not much to report. One dissonate note is that Jeff's moving on. Back to the restaurant world from which we stole him away. A drag, but he's gonna be happier (probably) and that's always good. That makes me 0 for 2 on the Cruise Director front but we'll keep on keepin' on and we'll get 'er done. (You have 'til 5/3 to stop by and see him here, after that better make reservations @ Boat Werks. (Maybe he can help them w/ their spelling!)
So............join us for a ride. (Tues Night, Thur Morn, Fri Morn, Sat Morn) or the next Fun-Raiser (Pineapple Bob on 4/27) or just swing by and say "Howdy". It'd be great to see you, y'know?
'Til then.............................here's one of my favorite "He wasn't talkin about cycling but he coulda been" song lyrics, courtesy of my all time #1 favorite songwriter:
"Now days I got me two good wheels
and I take refuge in aluminum and steel.
Takes me out there for a little while and the years fall away with every mile."
(Steve Earle - The Other Kind)
So...it's 3:30 inthe morning and I'm here @ the shop. What's so sweet about that, you ask? (Damn good question there Bubba......glad to see that you're payin' attention) Well.......it's Friday and I've had 4 great rides already this week and am looking forward to 3 more, the shop's been buzzin' as folks get used to the idea that Spring is finally here to stay, I've decided that my M.B.W. Sofa King is the best looking bike in the world, I have a new C-Dale Six/13 to race on (assuming I get the dang thing together!), I'll be in Moab 3 weeks from now, last I checked I'm still sharin' my life w/ the Lovely and Irreplaceable Miss Linda and...........I have some Form.
"Form". Hard to define, even harder to get. It's the word that pro racers use to describe the fact that they have achieved their fitness goals and that they are ready to kick some ass and take some names. Now......DO NOT get the idea that I'm suffering from the delusion that I have anything near that kinda form!!!!! I never have and I never will. But.........."Form" is different for every individual. Me having "form" is feeling like I can keep up w/ my riding buds - most of whom are younger 'n me - and that I can ride my fixxie and hang in (okay...and maybe even take a sprint now and again). As my buddy Maynard once wrote "Hey, guys like me call that fitness!"
Sean Yates, the big Brit that rode w/ the "Slurpies"* and the Motorola teams in the late '80s and early "90s called it "Stompin' Form" and usta say that he had it mebbe twice a season. That meant that he felt he could ride for the win those 2-3 races a year. Me? I settle for "Shaving Form", that point where it seems like shaving my legs doesn't seem like a silly affectation...that I have reached the point in my season where I feel enough like a roadie that I can "dress the part", y'know? When I got home from my second ride of the day on Wed, a hilly 46 miler w/ Surly, Doez, CD and Gid.......I scraped a winter's worth of hair offa my beat up old legs.
Shaving Form. Ahhhhh.
Other than that......not much to report. One dissonate note is that Jeff's moving on. Back to the restaurant world from which we stole him away. A drag, but he's gonna be happier (probably) and that's always good. That makes me 0 for 2 on the Cruise Director front but we'll keep on keepin' on and we'll get 'er done. (You have 'til 5/3 to stop by and see him here, after that better make reservations @ Boat Werks. (Maybe he can help them w/ their spelling!)
So............join us for a ride. (Tues Night, Thur Morn, Fri Morn, Sat Morn) or the next Fun-Raiser (Pineapple Bob on 4/27) or just swing by and say "Howdy". It'd be great to see you, y'know?
'Til then.............................here's one of my favorite "He wasn't talkin about cycling but he coulda been" song lyrics, courtesy of my all time #1 favorite songwriter:
"Now days I got me two good wheels
and I take refuge in aluminum and steel.
Takes me out there for a little while and the years fall away with every mile."
(Steve Earle - The Other Kind)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Let's Get it on!
As I type this Marvin Gaye is expressin' that very sentiment. I suspect that he just might've been referring to a s-l-i-g-h-t-l-y different type of riding than I am..........but still, it seemed appropriate.
So...is Spring "here"? That seems to be the question of the week. It's "Spring" Break after all. (You can tell by the number of familiar faces we HAVEN'T seen 'round the shop this week!) We rode in shorts last weekend...even if I needed toe-covers and a wool beanie yesterday....and dammit...........it's TIME FOR IT TO BE SPRING!!!!!!!
So it is.
There, that's settled!
It's been a pretty good week for riding thus far - we had the first JDRF Training Ride last Sunday and had 23 riders! That's the biggest 1st Ride turnout EVER and bodes well for a great season for the Team. We're 64 strong @ the moment and there's still a few spots left for Death Valley and Asheville if you are still on the fence. I rode before work w/ Aaron and KP on Tuesday and Kelly and I did 36 yesterday in the wind and the chill. I'm lookin' forward to getting the 'cross bike and the ATB out this weekend for the GR BMX Track benefit race on Sunday - mostly 'cuz I' wanna ride my 'cross bike on the track! We're doi'nt he first official Friday Morning Bagel Run tomorrow and the Tuesday Night Ride commences as of next week so it might as well be Spring, that's all I'm saying.
A month from now I'll be in The Promised Land (Moab and Fruita) for a week of gnarly trail riding w/ buds DP and (hopefully!) FY. I can't wait! This'll be my 30th or so trip out there and I'm not any closer to being tired of the area than I was 20 some years ago. It has me in it's grip - hard - and I don't know that I'll ever get free. Or want to. Hopefully I can hang on 'til we can move out there sometime in the next 7-8 years!
Lotsa other stuff goin' on............I'm up to my ass in Holland Hundred planning, getting ready to host the MS 150 riders, doin' what I can to get the JDRF Ride Program up and rocking (when they ask me anyways!), trying to get Kelly and Greg trained up for the season, working on BIke Club stuff, trying to get some miles in.................and somewhere in there I'm supposed to run the shop, be Linda's husband, Kate and Sam's dad and remember my guitar and vocal parts for the band. no worries about being bored, that's for damnsure!
Still.............as my long-suffering spouse has made crystal clear on numerous occassions......no whining about self-inflected stress!*
Hard to argue w/ that. Besides...she's way smarter than me!
Later, MC
* "I'm addicted to stress that's the way that I get things done" Jim's Big Ego
So...is Spring "here"? That seems to be the question of the week. It's "Spring" Break after all. (You can tell by the number of familiar faces we HAVEN'T seen 'round the shop this week!) We rode in shorts last weekend...even if I needed toe-covers and a wool beanie yesterday....and dammit...........it's TIME FOR IT TO BE SPRING!!!!!!!
So it is.
There, that's settled!
It's been a pretty good week for riding thus far - we had the first JDRF Training Ride last Sunday and had 23 riders! That's the biggest 1st Ride turnout EVER and bodes well for a great season for the Team. We're 64 strong @ the moment and there's still a few spots left for Death Valley and Asheville if you are still on the fence. I rode before work w/ Aaron and KP on Tuesday and Kelly and I did 36 yesterday in the wind and the chill. I'm lookin' forward to getting the 'cross bike and the ATB out this weekend for the GR BMX Track benefit race on Sunday - mostly 'cuz I' wanna ride my 'cross bike on the track! We're doi'nt he first official Friday Morning Bagel Run tomorrow and the Tuesday Night Ride commences as of next week so it might as well be Spring, that's all I'm saying.
A month from now I'll be in The Promised Land (Moab and Fruita) for a week of gnarly trail riding w/ buds DP and (hopefully!) FY. I can't wait! This'll be my 30th or so trip out there and I'm not any closer to being tired of the area than I was 20 some years ago. It has me in it's grip - hard - and I don't know that I'll ever get free. Or want to. Hopefully I can hang on 'til we can move out there sometime in the next 7-8 years!
Lotsa other stuff goin' on............I'm up to my ass in Holland Hundred planning, getting ready to host the MS 150 riders, doin' what I can to get the JDRF Ride Program up and rocking (when they ask me anyways!), trying to get Kelly and Greg trained up for the season, working on BIke Club stuff, trying to get some miles in.................and somewhere in there I'm supposed to run the shop, be Linda's husband, Kate and Sam's dad and remember my guitar and vocal parts for the band. no worries about being bored, that's for damnsure!
Still.............as my long-suffering spouse has made crystal clear on numerous occassions......no whining about self-inflected stress!*
Hard to argue w/ that. Besides...she's way smarter than me!
Later, MC
* "I'm addicted to stress that's the way that I get things done" Jim's Big Ego
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
UNDEFEATED!
Yep...........I'm gonna hang up my racin' shoes for the year. After my "victory" @ the Fisk Knob Time Trial this weekend I figure that this is the only way I'll EVER have a chance to go through the whole season w//out a loss. Given my general level of competitiveness...which ranges from "Barely adequate" to 'What's HE doing out there?"...it takes some pretty special circumstances to get me across the line first. One thing that works about once a season out @ Grattan is a bunch sprint and some dude thinking to himself that the chubby old dude on his wheel can't be a factor, can he? (And who could blame him for thinking that, after all?) Still.....about once a year I time it right and get to the line just ahead of the rest of the field...and the reappearance of my lunch.
The other way is to implement the plan that I employed this past weekend........namely to be the only entrant in my (or in this case...our) catagory. New Stoker Mike Luepke and I smoked the rest of our competition to win the tandem class on Sunday. Okay......so 44 of the other 175 racers had better times than we did......they weren't in our class so we win! And I got the hardware to prove it!
The day was a blast and the "Velo City Effect" was in full evidence. I counted 16 riders from the general V.C.C. / M.C.C. sphere of influence and that's what it's all about, y'know?
Alas......I had to skip my favorite part of racing - namely the hanging around afterwards shootin' the shit part - and hop in the van and hook up w/ 4 JDRF homies and dash for Midland for a meet-n-greet /w some of our new Team Mates up that-a-way. Nothing like riding hard for 48 minutes and then gettin' into the back of a van for hours of driving to promote recovery! Actually....come to think of it that IS like "nothing" you wanna do!
Otherwise things are cool @ Ye Olde Coole Bike Shoppe....Spring is for sure right 'round the next bend and folks are excited about riding. We have a coupla new Velo-Citizens, the outdoor rides are startin' up soon, the Indoor Rides are over and I have a coupla new bikes to play with. That's always fun! I'm riding an actual road tandem on the road these days as opposed to my trusty-but-mutt-like converted Burley off-roader. The new Cannondale enjoys the same undefeated status that I am currently wallowing in.....but it's more likely to retain it! Man does that thing feel fast! I'll also be racin' on the road on a gaudy new C-Dale Six /13 frameset for the summer and that means one thing...............my Seven is gonna be my fixxie for the year! Hee Hee! How over the top is that?!
Anyway..lotsa stuff coming up, cool rides, more races, a trip out to The Promised Land* for Mrs' Clark's favorite son next month..........I can't wait!
Time to ride!
MC
* Moab and Fruita 'natch!
The other way is to implement the plan that I employed this past weekend........namely to be the only entrant in my (or in this case...our) catagory. New Stoker Mike Luepke and I smoked the rest of our competition to win the tandem class on Sunday. Okay......so 44 of the other 175 racers had better times than we did......they weren't in our class so we win! And I got the hardware to prove it!
The day was a blast and the "Velo City Effect" was in full evidence. I counted 16 riders from the general V.C.C. / M.C.C. sphere of influence and that's what it's all about, y'know?
Alas......I had to skip my favorite part of racing - namely the hanging around afterwards shootin' the shit part - and hop in the van and hook up w/ 4 JDRF homies and dash for Midland for a meet-n-greet /w some of our new Team Mates up that-a-way. Nothing like riding hard for 48 minutes and then gettin' into the back of a van for hours of driving to promote recovery! Actually....come to think of it that IS like "nothing" you wanna do!
Otherwise things are cool @ Ye Olde Coole Bike Shoppe....Spring is for sure right 'round the next bend and folks are excited about riding. We have a coupla new Velo-Citizens, the outdoor rides are startin' up soon, the Indoor Rides are over and I have a coupla new bikes to play with. That's always fun! I'm riding an actual road tandem on the road these days as opposed to my trusty-but-mutt-like converted Burley off-roader. The new Cannondale enjoys the same undefeated status that I am currently wallowing in.....but it's more likely to retain it! Man does that thing feel fast! I'll also be racin' on the road on a gaudy new C-Dale Six /13 frameset for the summer and that means one thing...............my Seven is gonna be my fixxie for the year! Hee Hee! How over the top is that?!
Anyway..lotsa stuff coming up, cool rides, more races, a trip out to The Promised Land* for Mrs' Clark's favorite son next month..........I can't wait!
Time to ride!
MC
* Moab and Fruita 'natch!
Friday, March 28, 2008
"Thinkin' about a revolution......"
...of the pedals, that is. Actually - what I've been thinkin' about is the "Fixxie Thing". My Main Man Maynard wrote a piece on what he called the "fixxie cult phenomenon" on his blog a few days ago (what's that? you don't read his blog!?!?!??! Go to www.maynardnet.blogspot.com right away! I'll wait.) and I was moved to respond. I got an e-mail back from him basically pattin' me on the back for backing him up and there we were.......2 olde fartes bitchin' about "kids these days".
Yuck.
Here's the thing.....I DO sorta think that the whole "messenger" thing is just another fad that's gonna go away and I DO kinda feel like all these dudes w/ the knickers and the trucker wallets and the tats and the artfully-destressed Chrome or Timbuk 2 bag and the Chucks and the brand-new-but-looks-like-I've-had-it-forever lugged track frame are m-a-y-b-e missing the point a bit. And I DO doubt that many of 'em will be riding 2 years from now, even after bein' a rider no longer is a sure path to hipness and street cred. And I DO like to think that I could still dust 'em if I had to!
But...................they ARE riding. A lot. For transportation. For sport. For fun. Do I wish that they'd be a little better about traffic laws? I do.
Still................they're out there riding and there was a time-not all that long ago- when that would've been more than enough for me.
I sort of get the same feeling that I've always gotten from the "Free Ride" crowd.....w/ their ugly bikes and ugly clothing and "Extreme" everything, riding around w/ their saddles way too low and their shinguards. I worry that their version of our sport isn't sustainable...that they'll either run out of areas that they can carve jumps and drops out of or hafta quit 'cuz they're all to beat up to ride. I tell myself that's the reason that I don't dig it but there's an element of jealousy that I hafta own up to 'cuz those dudes can do AMAZING shit on a bike! Still....are they gonna be riding when their 40? 50? 60? We'll hafta wait and see.
I like what BikeSnob NYC said recently: "The technicolor skinsuit of cycling is truely a busy one and we all occupy a different part of it. (Although we all try to stay as far a possible from the chamois") [What's that you say? Not familiar w/ his work!?!?!?! Man, why are you reading THIS blog when you could be reading THAT one!? www.bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com!] What he means (I think) is that there's a lot to dig about life on 2 wheels and you oughta avail yourself of a nice fat chunk of it.
So.....I'm gonna ride my bikes and not worry about what everyone else is up to. Hope that's good w/ you.
Speaking of good................lots' o' good stuff goin' on here @ the shop. Got a coupla new Velo Citizens that we're excited about...Greg is a soon-to-be Hope grad and Tri-guy and Matt is a teacher (not another one!) from Holland that's gonna be helpin' Ted, Aaron and Berger out in the workshop. More about them later. April is almost here and hopefully that means that this ass-like weather is about over. The Fisk Knob TT is this weekend, then I make a run out to Midland to meet a buncha new JDRF teammates. Our team is 60 riders strong and Team Rides commence in just over a week. I made some progress on the aHolland Hundred - it's gonna start and finish @ Smallenburg Park so it'll be closer to Downtown and I think that's gonna rock. Our new website is close........sometime in Apriol for sure and it's gonna be a great season.
So let's get to it, shall we?
Here's a quote from Desmond Tutu. I know it'll annoy fans of fishing and thayt's not my intent. I find it irresitable just 'cause the source is so random! So w/ apologies to fishing cyclers everywhere..........
"Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he wil lrealize that fishin gis stupid and boring."
(Feel free to address all your pro-fishing rants to jeff@velo-citycycles.com, he handles all my correspondence)
Later, MC
Yuck.
Here's the thing.....I DO sorta think that the whole "messenger" thing is just another fad that's gonna go away and I DO kinda feel like all these dudes w/ the knickers and the trucker wallets and the tats and the artfully-destressed Chrome or Timbuk 2 bag and the Chucks and the brand-new-but-looks-like-I've-had-it-forever lugged track frame are m-a-y-b-e missing the point a bit. And I DO doubt that many of 'em will be riding 2 years from now, even after bein' a rider no longer is a sure path to hipness and street cred. And I DO like to think that I could still dust 'em if I had to!
But...................they ARE riding. A lot. For transportation. For sport. For fun. Do I wish that they'd be a little better about traffic laws? I do.
Still................they're out there riding and there was a time-not all that long ago- when that would've been more than enough for me.
I sort of get the same feeling that I've always gotten from the "Free Ride" crowd.....w/ their ugly bikes and ugly clothing and "Extreme" everything, riding around w/ their saddles way too low and their shinguards. I worry that their version of our sport isn't sustainable...that they'll either run out of areas that they can carve jumps and drops out of or hafta quit 'cuz they're all to beat up to ride. I tell myself that's the reason that I don't dig it but there's an element of jealousy that I hafta own up to 'cuz those dudes can do AMAZING shit on a bike! Still....are they gonna be riding when their 40? 50? 60? We'll hafta wait and see.
I like what BikeSnob NYC said recently: "The technicolor skinsuit of cycling is truely a busy one and we all occupy a different part of it. (Although we all try to stay as far a possible from the chamois") [What's that you say? Not familiar w/ his work!?!?!?! Man, why are you reading THIS blog when you could be reading THAT one!? www.bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com!] What he means (I think) is that there's a lot to dig about life on 2 wheels and you oughta avail yourself of a nice fat chunk of it.
So.....I'm gonna ride my bikes and not worry about what everyone else is up to. Hope that's good w/ you.
Speaking of good................lots' o' good stuff goin' on here @ the shop. Got a coupla new Velo Citizens that we're excited about...Greg is a soon-to-be Hope grad and Tri-guy and Matt is a teacher (not another one!) from Holland that's gonna be helpin' Ted, Aaron and Berger out in the workshop. More about them later. April is almost here and hopefully that means that this ass-like weather is about over. The Fisk Knob TT is this weekend, then I make a run out to Midland to meet a buncha new JDRF teammates. Our team is 60 riders strong and Team Rides commence in just over a week. I made some progress on the aHolland Hundred - it's gonna start and finish @ Smallenburg Park so it'll be closer to Downtown and I think that's gonna rock. Our new website is close........sometime in Apriol for sure and it's gonna be a great season.
So let's get to it, shall we?
Here's a quote from Desmond Tutu. I know it'll annoy fans of fishing and thayt's not my intent. I find it irresitable just 'cause the source is so random! So w/ apologies to fishing cyclers everywhere..........
"Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he wil lrealize that fishin gis stupid and boring."
(Feel free to address all your pro-fishing rants to jeff@velo-citycycles.com, he handles all my correspondence)
Later, MC
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Kinda early to be this tired!
One of the risk/reward deals in doin' this whole BikeLife gig is the whole "seasonality thing". It gets almost TOO mellow in the shop from Christmas 'til about now and then.....as soon as the sun makes itself known again..........BAM! Full-tilt-boogie-madness ensues and the next thing I know - it's October!
This week is a good case in point. It seems like I've been runnin' me arse off all damn week and I have the funny feeling that it's nothing more than a glimpse into my immediate future. (Don't get me wrong here....as my loving wife is oh-so-quick to pont out most of my stress is self-induced and therefore not eligible for sympathy. That's not the point...and feel free to "skip a bit, Brother" if you don't wanna read about my week. On the other hand, if you're wonderin' what I've been up to....here ya go...)
Sunday - Work our JDRF booth @ Van Andel for the Griffin's game.
Monday - Drive to GR to meet w/ new National JDRF Head Ride Dude. Then the shop and then band practice.
Tuesday - Shop then a meeting w/ Ted and Jeff from 5-6, the bike club Board Meeting from 6:30-8:00 and the general meeting from 8:00 - 9:30
Wednesday - Workout /w John and Jess, then @ the JDRF Office in GR (My "day off"). Then to AnnArbor w/ Lin and #1 Son Sam for a concert. (Got home about 2am)
Thursday - Shop, then to GR again to participate in the Rapid Wheelmen Bike Club's annual Bike Show meeting.
Friday - Just the shop. Hard to believe!
Saturday - Lead the Indoor Ride @ the shop @ 8am. Then do the Bike Shop Guy thing all day (which was way busy) then back to GR to do the JDRF booth @ Van Andel again.
Sunday - Sleep in (hopefully) and then get down to the shop for the Pineapple Bob Classic ride.
So.....if I missed callin' you back I have a semi-good excuse, y'know?
Gotta go!
This week is a good case in point. It seems like I've been runnin' me arse off all damn week and I have the funny feeling that it's nothing more than a glimpse into my immediate future. (Don't get me wrong here....as my loving wife is oh-so-quick to pont out most of my stress is self-induced and therefore not eligible for sympathy. That's not the point...and feel free to "skip a bit, Brother" if you don't wanna read about my week. On the other hand, if you're wonderin' what I've been up to....here ya go...)
Sunday - Work our JDRF booth @ Van Andel for the Griffin's game.
Monday - Drive to GR to meet w/ new National JDRF Head Ride Dude. Then the shop and then band practice.
Tuesday - Shop then a meeting w/ Ted and Jeff from 5-6, the bike club Board Meeting from 6:30-8:00 and the general meeting from 8:00 - 9:30
Wednesday - Workout /w John and Jess, then @ the JDRF Office in GR (My "day off"). Then to AnnArbor w/ Lin and #1 Son Sam for a concert. (Got home about 2am)
Thursday - Shop, then to GR again to participate in the Rapid Wheelmen Bike Club's annual Bike Show meeting.
Friday - Just the shop. Hard to believe!
Saturday - Lead the Indoor Ride @ the shop @ 8am. Then do the Bike Shop Guy thing all day (which was way busy) then back to GR to do the JDRF booth @ Van Andel again.
Sunday - Sleep in (hopefully) and then get down to the shop for the Pineapple Bob Classic ride.
So.....if I missed callin' you back I have a semi-good excuse, y'know?
Gotta go!
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