Long day!

This is a self-portrait that I took after another l-o-n-g freakin' day on our self-supported Kokopelli tour last August.

Dang! Whatta a big weekend!

Y'know........big weekends aren't all that unusual for this boy, but this last one was XL even for me. I did my first 'cross race of the season on Saturday, the usual mud-n-slop-fest @ Manhattan Park in GR. I love the idea of cyclo-cross....which makes the fact that I suck @ it so much kinda hard to take.I've been outta town and/or injured for the first 3 races in Buddy Rick's KissCross series (www.kisscross.com) and I was lookin' forward to making the last 2. I had no illusions about my fitness and low expectations.I was just hoping that I wouldn't be last or hafta drop out. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in the middle of the pack and enjoying myself once we got the race started. The course was great.......lotsa mud, some boggy single-track, a big downhill that fellow Crazy Bastard MD had broken up w/ a set of switchbacks, a hard-all-Hell run-up on the same hillside that featured a chunks-blowing mudbog @ the top, a little pavement.........6 laps was plenty for Mrs Clark's favorite son to be sure but the bike worked aces, I kept it upright and rolled in 24th outta 40-ish. Fellow HUP-sters Mossimo and Doez were 11th and 30-somthing-ish respectivly, aforementioned Crazy Bastard Dettman was in the top 15 I think and newly-sponsored VCC rider Danielle was 8th overall and 1st woman. I hung 'round for the A race for a bit, watchin' Russ slay all and Nate kick arse in 2nd and hit it for home. I rode in shorts and took the opportunity to conduct an "Embrocation Comparison Test" I had just gotten 2 new kinds of heat cream to try, SportsBalm, which all my West Coast "cross buds swear by and Qoleum, which MD uses and I have comin' in for the shop. I did up one leg w/ each in the hope that I could tell you one was better that the other but........the results were inconclusive. Both were okay, I coulda used a bit more heat but I was okay. More tests!

After a bike-wash session and a rest it was off to the Sandbar in Saugatuck for a Last Call gig. Good night.......great crowd, lotsa friends showed up, we played pretty good, big fun! Made for a l-o-n-g day though, since we played 'til about 1:40AM and it was nearly 3:00 before I got home.

Sunday was the Chilly Chili Ride @ the shop. What a blast! Someone told me they stopped countin' riders @ 70! Big crowd, mebbe the biggest Fun-Raiser ever! Lotsa folks from GR......thanks in part to Danielle and fellow Crazy Bastard Jim talkin' our rides up w/ their buds.Thanks guys! The route was good.....26 miles goin' east from the shop, down PawPaw and around past Ridgepoint and up through Overisel then over to Graafschaap and back in. There were the inevitable splits and different groups but who wants a pack of 70-some riders on the road anyways? There was the typical "We show up for the rides but never set foot in the shop" performance from the Jade crew but that's cool......more food for everyone else.I do wonder what's in it for them, though. There were 11-12 pots of chili and soup waitin' here when we got back, not to mention lotsa brownies, cookies, cornbread and beer courtesy of our friends and neighbors @ The Curragh next door.(Thanks Dave!)Everyone hung out here for a coupla hours, shootin' the shit and talkin' bikes.......it was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The next ride is the Pavement Poundin' Pizza Party on the 10th of December. Mark your calendars!

I got a chance to finally debut my glow-in-the-dark dirt road fixxie on the last Crazy Bastard ride last Thursday night in GR.The ride was faster-n-usual but I was able to hang, pretty much anyways. The paint job doesn't actually glow w/ the light of all the high-end headlights on everyone's bikes but it did look cool and all dangerous-like leanin' up against my Jeep before we headed to the Inn for the post-ride repast. I was testing out a new light: the "Joystick" from U.S.E. It's about the size of an El-Mark-o marker, totally self-contained and burned for the 2:15 duration of the ride w/ light to spare. It rocked.

Lotsa other cool stuff happenin' @ the shop........got some sweet Gunnar frames in...Jane's extra-sweet Seven touring bike went home, lookin' all gorgeous-like in natural ti, black and pink...there are lotsa Chrome bags in route...the new shop kit is being produced as we speak...Lee got my Niner s/s finished and I'm gonna get a chance to ride it asap...........Man, bike life is good!

Rememeber, if yawanna get our e-newsletter lemme know at velocity587@hotmail.com and I'll hook ya up. You can always check out www.club-velo.com too for up-to-the-minute scoop on shop happenings.

Later...........MC

Death Valley Days (or is that "daze"?)

So.........how to explain our team's trip to the '06 Death Valley Ride to Cure last weekend? Like every JDRF ride I've been lucky enough to attend it was such a powerful and emotional experience that I have a hard time describing it. ( As you know however, that won't stop me from trying!)

There's a lotta words here and it won't hurt my feelings if you feel the need to (in the words of Brother Maynard) "Skip a bit Brother".

39 riders and support folks set out for Death Valley via Sin City last week. The majority of us flew in on Thursday and caught a shuttle bus from the Vegas airport out to the Furnace Creek Ranch, which is nestled in a sweet little oasis full of mequite, cottonwood and palm trees smack dab in the center of DV Nat'l Park. It's about 200' below sea level as well. The West Michigan team is one of the largest (and the fastest growing) in the country and despite the name of our chapter is comprised of riders from as far afield as Chicago and Detroit. Thursday was my first chance to meet some of them that I had only communicated w/ via e-mail or the phone so that was way-cool. It was drag that 2 of our long-time riders who had been fighting injuries all season had to drop out on the eve of the ride but other than that the team seemed ready for the ride. We spent Friday engaged in a variety of pursuits all calculated to make Saturday go smoothly........a short "tune-up" ride, lying by the pool, lunch, a big pasta dinner, etc. We hung out together for a bit after dinner and I held a brief team meeting to get an idea of what everyone's plans and goals were for the big day. The weather had been perfect thus far........nice and cool in the mornings and at night, clear as a bell and completely windless.

Too bad that wouldn't last!

I got up Sat morning @ 4:45 and headed for the breakfast buffet. Gotta have time to digest, y'know? The first thing I noticed was the heat........right then, almost 2 hours before dawn it was alreadt hotter that it was @ 10:00 in the morning on Friday. Uh oh. Then I forgot about the temp when I realized that the wind was blowin' like stink! The flags were snapping on their poles all over the ranch. "Gonna be a l-o-n-g day" I said to myself as I met up w/ members of the team and we started fillin' our plates and bellies.

And so it was. We rolled out @ around 6:45, 250-some riders bound for Jubilee Pass and dreaming of finding a cure for diabetes. I drifted towards the back, as I'm inclined to do whether coaching or....alas... racing) and watched most of my team, including asst. coaches Rach and Patrick roll up the road. It was good to know that they'd be keepin' an eye on the fasted folks so I could bring up the rear and make sure that everyone was safe and having a good ride. WE got to the first breakpoint in good shape and the second one, Mormon Point was a good place to fuel up. It was hot, about 90, but everyone seemed to be dealing w/ it well. The wind was at our backs, so I kept reminding my riders that, despite what I'd been telling them all summer, they weren't gonna be halfway when they reached their farthest point away from the start. (Note.....most of the JDRF rides, including DV are "out and back" routes) Some of the folks I was with were startin' to feel it as we drew near the 45 mile breakpoint that denotes the start of the climb up to Jubilee Pass. A few decided to turn around there and I started up the climb w/ Eiko, Steve and Katie. It's a real climb......7+ miles @ an average grade of 6% so it tends to wear on you. Katie was a little dehydrated so we decided that it'd be best for her to go back to the breakpoint and recover. The rest of us kept on grindin' up to the welcome sight of the aid station that waits just this side of the sign marking both the pass and the turn-around point. I sent my riders down and stayed up there w/ some other coaches and spent some time riding partway down and helping other riders get to the top 'til we recieved word that everyone that was planning on doing the full ride had finished the climb. At that point I headed down the 35-45 mph descent, hell-bent on catchin' my riders and helping them get home into the 20-30mph headwinds that were our destiny for the rest of the day. I stopped to help a rider from NYC w/ a flat tire so by the time I got to the breakpoint @ the foot of the climb my team mates had taken off. Asst National Coach Tim and I gathered a group of 6-7 riders and formed a paceline into the wind. Everytime our speed went over 10 mph it came apart so I went to the front, checked my cyclometer and settled in for a long pull. We lost riders at every subsequent breakpoint and ended up with a surplus of coaches and just a few riders as almost everyone called it a day as we drag-assed our way in. I caught up w/ Rachel @ the 10-miles-to-go water stop and sg\he was riding w/ Mark and Eiko, the last 2 members of our team still riding. It was gettin' dark at this point but they dug deep and we got them in just before "dusk" became "dark". I waited w/ all the other coaches @ the turn-off to the ranch so we could all ride in w/ retiring Head Coach Jay Handy and we rolled in @ about 6:30 or so to a lot of cheers and tears (and beers!)

After a quick shower it was off to the palm grove for dinner and celebration. In what will no doubt be revealed as a mis-count I was voted "Most Motivational Coach" for the ride and much food and drink was consumed and merriment and fellowship was observed being had.


Here's the thing that I wanna tell you.....................I've spent a decent chunk of my "adult" life going out of my way looking for those "goosebump moments", y'know? Those few times that the hair raises up on your arms to let'cha know that at that moment you are where you should be, doing what you should be doing and with who you're supposed to be with. I've had a few while rock climbing back-in-the-day w/ my buds on the Ragged Edge Climbing Team, on rides in Moab, during a gig now and then...............but by definition they are hard to come by, right?
Well..............in Death Valley that weekend goosebump moments were everywhere ! To spend 3-4 days surrounded by 250 passionate and commited people is a real charge for this boy! I'm really fortunate to be allowed to be a part of the JDRF thing and I can't wait for next year! I wanna thank my team again..............you guys completely rock and I was so proud of each and every one of you in Death valley, Whitefish and Asheville.

There's gonna be as many as 6 rides in 2007, contact me if you're curious!

Other than that..............bike life is sweet and fine. There's tons goin' on here @ VCC. Julia Miller has joined us in the "Cruise Director" role........her gig will be to take over all the rides and tech support and to estart working on Velo Ventures which will become our Trips and Tours division. We're lucky to have her. Ted and Lee are en route to Iceman as I type. I hate that race but I'm still jealous-as-all-hell that they're racin' and I'm not. I'm totally excited that we're signed on to be Danielle Musto's sponsoring bike shop for 2007 too! She's the perfect rider for us to be involved with.......a nice person, fun to ride with and faster'n crap! She's the #2 ranked endurance woman mountainbiker in the country and we're gonna have a blast workin' w/ her!The Pineapple Bob Classic was just that......a classic! We had 40-ish riders and I got lotsa comments that it was the best P-Bob route ever from many veterans. The Chilly Chili Ride is coming up on the 12th and that'll be a biggie too. I'm workin' on the Nov Reader, tryin' to ride and get ready for my '06 KissCross debut (I'm gonna suck!) and completely enjoying al the dirt road night rides I'm doing w/ the Crazy Bastards in GR and the new ride we started on Tuesday nights from Hamilton. Plus the band has gigs the next 2 weekends. (www.tlcb.com)

My guess is that if you're still reading this you skipped a bunch and I can't say that I blame you! There's just a lot to cover, y'know?

Talk to you later, come riding w/ us!

"What's new?"

Man, there is so much new 'round here that I don't know where to start! Howzabout we start w/ all the new stuff that we're gonna have here @ the shop for this winter and next season? Here goes............

Niner bikes in the house! As a group we'ven been struggling w/ the whole 29R thing all season. Ted absolutely loves his Salsa Dos Niner but I've been unimpressed to say the least. Rach got a Karate Monkey but doesn't have have a ton of miles on it, Doez is on my side of the fence and Lee, as per usual, wisely listens to everyone else and keeps his thoughts to himself. (He's kinda Zen that way) So...one of our major agendas @ the show was to ride as many 29R's as we could get our butts on, both to decide how we felt about 'em overall and to find the cream of the crop.
(By the way..........for those of you who may be wondering whatinthehell a "29R" is.......good question and I'm glad you stopped me. 29R's are mountainbikes w/ bigger wheels, the rim size is the same as a road wheel and the outside diameter, nominally anyways, is 29" 'stead of the standard 26. They've been around for about 6-8 years, neither catching on or going away. After the initial buzz wore off they became pretty much a niche...........kept alive mostly by smaller builders and single-speeders. And then lately........re birth!)
So, out in Bootleg Canyon we tested 29R's on the crazy, rocky trails out there outside o' Sin City. Cannondales, Salsas, (Salsas? Is that a word?) and.....Niners. The results were painfully obvious. All four of us felt that the Niner frames out-handled everything else we'd ridden, that day or ever. As a result.....currently there are 8 Niner frames hangin' here right in front of me. One of 'em's mine and I'm really lookin' forward to gettin' some real miles on it.

Here's a semi-funny thing and a small confession- I was hoping that we'd all like the Salsa frames the best. It'd be easy to be a Salsa dealer......we deal w/ their parent company every week and in a big way, I dig the names (Mamacita! Dos Niner! el Mariachi!) and we like the people behind the bikes. But..............why spend all that money to go out to the show, close the shop for 4 days and then try to ignore what we learned? How stupid would that be?! So............Niner it is. These guys have been makin' 29R frames since Day One and that's all they'll ever build. Great frames, great colors, the EMD 9 is only 500 bux and the AIR 9 is the lightest 29R frame on the market @ 3.2.#. We think that they're gonna rock!

What else is new? Well, despite still semi-reeling from the bummer news aboiut Burley we are more-than-excited to be doing more w/ Gunnar and Co-Motion! Look for Gunnar frames hittin' the doors in the next coupla months and Co-Motion tandems and frames right behind 'em. We'll be offering a variety of build kits for all our frames so we can offer you a better selectiojn of prices and features than you can possibly get when buying "off the rack". Can't wait!

The new wool L/S jerseys are ordered and might be here before Christmas. The new first-time-ever VCC jerseys-n-bibs are in the last stages of the design process and will be here sometime this winter as well. It's time for a new t-shirt too.

Another brand new and top secret project has us looking for a new Velo-Citizen as well. It's not your typical bikeshop job description and it'd be best to contact me if you are at all intrigued. Suffice it to say that it's a full-time gig..but not focussed on wrenchin' or talkin' to folks on the floor.

Another new thing that I am totally excited about are my new favorite rides. I've been doing a dirt road ride one night of the week w/ a group of duds in GR that call themselves the Crazy Bastards. Basically the idea is to ride on dirt roads after dark all winetr long. I have a complete bladt o both of the rides that I've been on and am plannin' on makin' as many of 'em as I can. Still..........it's kind of a drag to hafta go all the way over to the Cannonsburg area erevy week so Brother Davison and I are gonna start Crazy Bastard West rides on Tuesday Nights starting in November. Check @ the shop for details.

Don't forget the Pineapple Bob Ride comin' up here on the 29th! Always a classic!!! I'm off to do the JDRF Ride in Death Valley this Thursday...........we have a team of 38 riders! That's almost 3 times as many as in '05! What a cool deal!

So, sorry about starting this off w/ so much commerce. I try to keep the shop stuff a little seperate from the other stuff but sometimes....................it's just all balled up together y'know? There's so much cool stuff going on, so many rides and things to look forward to....man, I can't wait! It's been a great season here..........in every way. Sales were great but just as important....we had fun, got a lot of folks out on their bikes, got a couple of new projects off the ground and did good work. That's hard to beat!

Gotta go........talk to you next time. I will write about the Kokopelli, I promise!

4 stories of cleavage!

That about sums up Vegas for me.........now that they've figured out how to turn the entire side of a huge casino into a billboard there she was...........starin' us in the face everytime we walked outta our "hotel" onto the strip. I'm not sure exactly who Toni Braxton is but I can tell you that she' was lookin' good up there, all 50-60 stories of her!

Anyway.......somewhere in there in the midst of the glitze and cigarette smoke and blatent attempts to turn Mr's Clark's boy into a lesser being was a bike show. We went w/ a smaller agenda than in years past. After all, we've had a great year and that tends to make you a little more open to the status quo, y'know? ( I think they call it the "If it ain't broke don't fix it" syndrome). Still..........our quest for Cool Bike Shop-ness knows no limits and we will not be thwarted in our drive to discover same so off we went to the Outdoor Demo on the first day of the show. Our main focus was to ride every 29'er mountainbike that we could perch our chamois' on. After all..........Ted's a huge fan while Doez and I are sceptics to say the least. So, all day Monday we rode 29'ers from Cannondale, Salsa and Niner, interspersed w/ the occasional road bike or full-sus 26" wheeler. Much sweat was given up, many free paper cups of energy drink were consumed and more than a few precious minutes were wasted hangin' out @ the Crank Brothers Hospitality Tent tryin' to cool off and snag a 'burger! It was at least 10 degrees cooler than in years past, only 86 or so, but still the heat and the trails extracted a tole on all 4 of us. ( We were hangin' and travelin' w/ Shop Bud Chris D who was there w/ a different company). At the end of the day the results were clear-as-a-bell......the Niner frames rock w/ a capital "R"! They rode the best, hands down. They rode so well that even I, the shop's resident nay-sayer and skeptic, was schemin' about how to fit one into the fleet asap.

Day dos found me @ the Demo all by my own self as the boys decided that they'd had enough dust and sweat to last 'em for awhile. Given that I thrive on such an environment I boarded the shuttle bus for one more trip out to Bootleg Canyon. I caught more of the "History of Colnago" video this time 'round.............I was half asleep the first time. I left my riding gear back in the room this time...........I had ridden everything I wanted to ride on Monday and the Demo is so much busier that the trails are over-run and you hafta wait forever to get a bike anyway....... my agenda was to walk the Expo, take pictures, be outside and talk to folks that I hadn't seen for a year. Mission accomplished, I headed back to Sin City to hook w/ the boyz.

Day 3 had us lining up w/ about a gazillion other bike-geeks waitin' for the doors to open and unleash another year of wonder and new-ness on us. (Or vice versa!) Again, devoid of a massive agenda we were free to roam, searchin' all the aisles for "cool bike shop stuff". And we found some.............Phil Wood's cool little tool so we can replace the iffy stock bearings in your outboard bb w/ kick-arse Phil ones, sweet new 29'er rims, tires and forks, all the cool new sweetness that Seven has comin' out for '07, more lights and shorts and food and carbon fiber weirdness than you can imagine......blahblahblah. We had dinner that night w/ good buddy Zac from Seattle. He's the only person in the world that's worked for the Highwheeler and Seven Cycles and now he's got a sweet little shop out there in the "PNW" and is Seven's #5 ranking dealer for '06 even though he opened up in March of this year! (It strains my humanity to the near-breaking point to write that w/out muttering under my breath!) After dinner (rockin' enchiladas along the canel w/ gondoliers singin' opera...........gotta love Vegas!) we went out to walk off dinner and get a glimpse of the "life" of your average Vegas visitor. Man.......a little of that goes a long way!

Day 4, the last day for the Velo-Citizens, second-to-last day for the show. We had appointments w/ Seven, Electra and QBP so we weren't as free as before but we managed to fill in the gaps and polish off the rest of our agenda. Ted and I are both testing custom footbeds to see where we wanna go in that department, I ordered some new racks so we can fit more bikes in the shop and gathered up info on the next edition of the VCC wool jersey. I bought a big honkin' Chrome messenger backpack to haul all the catalogs and schwag back home and scored some unbelievably ugly custom armwarmers from old bud RH @ Sugoi that I can't wait to wear. We checked out Bianchi's new models, (Felice Gimondi was hangin' round the booth), the new Dutch-inspired Amsterdam cruiser from Electra that's gonna be a big hit 'round these parts, went back to the Niner booth a coupla times, saw Eddy freaking Merckx walking down an aisle all by himself like he was just some dude instead of being EDDY FREAKIN' MERCKX and in general immersed our tired selves in all things bicycle.

I love it.

If and when I don't wanna go to the show..................you'll know it's time for me to find a new gig. Here's the thing.............it's gotten to the point that shopfolk don't need to go to the show, the "big boys" like Trek and Specialized have been tryin' to render the show moot for years w/ their own little dealer parties and it's gotten to the point that even semi-little shops like ours have seen everything from companies like Cannondale and Bianchi well before Interbike rolls around. So..........why spend a buncha $, hafta close the shop and go somewhere I hate (Las Vegas, bay-bee!!) to go if we don't have to? Because.............it's a celebration of our sport and our industry and the best way to see every-damn-thing there is about it! I can't even imagine not going! Where else am I gonna see Eddy and that absolutely gorgeous Soulcraft frame w/ the internal hydraulic lines or that perfect Vanilla tourer in the Brooks booth? How else am I gonna visit w/ Zac or Rick H or Steve N or John T? Or get to see the spanking cycle @ the Paragon Machine booth(you had to be there) or all the crazy folks that make up this crazy biz?

So.there you have it...... my "Vegas Report" Sorry if you lookin' for more insight about FSA cranks or Michelin tires.............what I remember is finally havin' a face to go w/ the voice when I talk to Kelly @ Pearl or how the Dirt Rag booth filled up w/ messenger wanna-bees the minute they started pouring beers towards the end of the first day. Man, I did not have the right costume on for that party! Stay tunde for more as it occurs to me.

Next blog................Kokopelli Report. (Hopefully, instead something or someone ticks me off first!)

Current favorite fortune cookie fortune: "Declare peace every day"

Later..................MC

West Michigan's flat 'til ya got a bad knee!

So........I rode my bike this morning. Me and 'Burger met @ the shop and rolled around some. I know, I know......you're thinking "So what? This lucky bastard rides almost every day!" Well.....here's the thing. I came back from our Kokopelli Trail tour w/ a messed up knee and haven't been able to ride since I messed it up back on 9/2. ( The story of the trail is a whole 'nother blog! Maybe later!) So, I missed goin' to Asheville for the second JDRF ride and I've been limping around the shop w/ a "sprained knee", an attitude and a fitness level that's dropping faster than gas prices. (what's up w/ that, anyway?) I have the feeling that "sprained knee" is doc-talk for 'we can see that it hurts but the X-rays are negative.')
Anyway.............I got the go-ahead from the doc to "go for it" as of Tuesday. It rained us out yesterday so we went today.

I want to tell ya'll how good it felt to get out, to feel the wind in my (leg)hair and turn the pedals and all that.

I wanna wax poetic on the sights and sounds and smells of riding out Overisel way on a nice morning.

I want to sing the praises of my mighty Sofa King as it bore me down the roads of Allegan County.

I want to, but I can't. Fact is...........it hurt like hell. I was prepared for what the medical community likes to call "discomfort" but I wasn't ready for the stab of pain w/ every pedal stroke.
Whine whine whine, eh? What a sissy. Hey....I was riding and that's more than some can say and I think I oughta just shut up about it right dang now and be grateful for the fact th

There. That's better.




I'm gonna ride tomorrow morning too, if yawanna join me!

There is one condition, however. There's a phrase that I am completely tired of hearing and I'm liable to take a swing at the next person that says it to me. That phrase is "Well, you're not getting any younger!" and I am so sick of hearing it! For one thing..........whointhehell is !!!!!???? What a patently absurd thing to say! No one's gettin' any younger, dig? And the funny thing is.........the dude that usually lays this lame observation on me is invarably aging @ a faster rate than I am! What's up w/ that, exactly?

Anyway, enough of that. Bike life is grand, it's been a great summer, I'm pumped for Fall and the s-l-i-g-h-t-l-y mellower times 'round the shop. The bike show is in a coupla weeks, then we're off to Death Valley for the big JDRF finale, the 'cross season is right around the corner, the band's giggin' again, the Fall Fun-Raisers are set...................man, there's a lot going on!

Remember, check out www.club-velo.com to get on our e-mail king list or drop me a line at velocity587@hotmail.com if you wanna join the roughly 1200 souls that get a copy of the Rider's Reader in their inbox every month. ( okay.....hard sell mode off)

Keep in touch, keep riding, keep yourself safe and sound, come here the band.
Mike

Someone's Gonna Hafta Explain it to Me.........

I can't figure this one out at all. We ride @ Bass River a lot in the morning before work.......Rach, me, Max-the-dog, sometimes Ted and Lee and various "Guest Stars". ( We love havin' "guest stars!!!). It's a nice little trail, fun to try and go fast but also great for more beginner-type riders too. Anyway.......here's the point that I'm havin so much trouble getting to: Max likes to swim in the pond/lake/bay/bayou/inlet/whatever it is that's just down the road from the trailhead so we also end up down there @ the end of the ride. It's bee-yoo-ti-ful down there in the mornings.........the sun shinin' on the water, birds flying overhead, quiet and peaceful........I can't imagine ever gettin' tired of it. I also can't believe the amount of trash and crap that other users leave on the beach! What kind of bottom feeding, low-life, chamois-licking, saddle-sniffing, mouth-breathin', wanker jackhole do you hafta be to leave your food trash and beer cans on that lovely little beach!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I swear that I'll NEVER understand if I live to be a bazillion years old. How could you have enough poetry and humanity in your soul to appreciate the place in the first place yet not enough to keep you from trashing it?
Look.......I know that no one readin' this is responsible. I promised Rach that I'd put it here so she doesn't hafta hear it every time we ride there. ( That sound you just heard was her sigh of relief). And yes.............we leave that little beach w/ our jersey pockets crammed w/ other people's gross trash every time and deposit it in the trash can @ the trailhead. Thanks for asking.

Okay. Rant Mode off.

Bikelife is so good these days! I rode w/ old bud Bret (Math Prof Rock Star) N. this week. We usta work together @ the 'wheeler back in the day. Rode this morning w/ Rach, Heather and Jim, we had a good turnout for the 2'sday night ride and we leave tomorrow for the Montana JDRF ride. The shop is rocking and I'm starting to get glimpes of all the 2007 stuff. I've meet w/ reps from C-Dale, Bianchi and Pearl in the last week or so............lots of cool new stuff. The thing is.......we always say that! And it's always true. And we'll be sayin' it again a year from now and it'll be true then as well. New stuff is fun but it isn't the point, right? Stuff is a means to an end..............the way we get to enjoy this glorious sport and share it w/our friends.

Man.............I'm startin' to sound like Rach! I gotta get outta here!

I'm done talkin' and thinkin' about Phoyld and the tour. Man...........how can we go from one of the most glorius days in the tour to the punchline of a lame Jay Leno joke? What a massive drag. Even if Floyd figures out that his "defense of the week" defense ain't cuttin' it and takes Lance's advice to shut up....................too much damage has been done, too many folks have given up. If he's clean.........it sux for him and if he's not.................it sux for everyone.

So.....keep on truckin', be safe, be smart, earn your right to the road and the trails by behaving properly and maybe we'll see you 'round the shop sometime, eh?

Are you part of the problem, or of the cure?

There's been more mentions, letters to the Editor and articles in our local paper about cyclists and car-bike conflicts and such than I can remember ever seeing before. The thing is..........the overall tone is more positive than negative and that's a Good Thing, eh? We've been bangin' the drum a little louder than usual here at the shop as well, 'cuz improving the relationship 'tween us and our fossil fuel obcessed brethren is on us, not them. The biggest problem that I see is that we riders are too busy pissin' on our own feet to make much headway. All it takes is one bozo runnin' a red light or riding up a one-way street in front of a buncha motorists to set us all back. You either are a vehicle or you are not, there is no in-between. If we want the rights and respect attributed to other vehicles then we have to behave just like they do! Simple as that. Otherwise it's anarchy and we're fair game. They're bigger and faster and quite often in a bigger hurry than we are and we need to claim our space and protect it. But that means giving up the convenience of cuttin' onto the sidewalk when there's traffic or a red light and that seems to be more than some of us can resist. So there they go.................lycra-clad and well-equipped, dodging cars, runnin' 4-way stops, cuttin' through parking lots and sending out the cyrstal-clear message that "it's all about me and you can go screw!". Big surprise when that attitude doesn' t fill the drivers w/ joy and eagerness to "share the road", eh? Same thing when a group of riders that oughta know better blocks a country 2-lane by bunching up and taking the whole damn lane. Michigan Vehicle Code, ( You know the one.......the same one that proclains that we are entitled to our share of the road?) states that two-abrest is the maximum number! Two! And here's something you oughta know....................10 people in a double paceline that's echeloned looks like 6-8 across from the back, (and probably is).

Look.................I've ridden the roads around here my entire adult life. Lots of miles. I also have fewer car-bike nightmare stories than pretty much everyone I know. I've blathered on and on about this before but the condensed version is that I hardly ever get hassled and I think that's 'cuz I act exactly as if I was driving a car. I really do. Always. I think it gives me a vibe that drivers get on a sub-concious level that I'm not to be messed with. Not that I'm all big and scary or anything, 'cuz I'm not. More that I belong there, I know that I belong there, that I'm not askin' them for permission and that I'm not gonna go away.

Until we all act like real-live grown-up members of the mobile society that we live in we're never gonna be accepted as a valid user group. We'll just keep getting marginalized, endured, tolerated and mis-treated 'cuz they'll be hoping that we'll just go away quietly.

That would blow.

Word on the street is that there was a Critical Mass Ride last week in Saugatuck. Buddy Andrew alerted us to it and asked us to spread the word. CM rides make me nervous as hell, the idea is great but all too often they seem to de-generate into silly bike-power displays that don't help or even address the problems of cyclists at all. I might be talkin'outta my arse here, 'cuz I wasn't there. If there's someone reading this who was.....................gimme the scoop.

So................Floyd's B sample was positive and he got dropped by his team. No surprise but a monumental drag all the same. I'm gonna stop caring as of right-damn-now.

There.

I do not care.

Not one bit.

Floyd who?

Okay.................maybe I still care a lttle. I'll hafta work on it.

Still full-tilt-boogie crazy at the shop. I spent 7 hours w/ Jason-the-Cannondale-man yesterday gettin' all the scoop on the '07 bikes and clothing. The line looks good, maybe even great. They keep it in the big ring there in Bedford PA, that's fer sure.
Lot's of travel comin' up for Mrs' Clark's favorite son................Montana JDRF ride in a couple weeks, then the Kokopelli Trail w/ Rach and Patrick, then JDRF Asheville and the bike show in Sept and then JDRF Death Valley in October. Lotsa cool rides happenin' at the shop too. Grattan is winding down and I think I managed to hold onto my podium spot despite a truly lousy race last Wed. The next "Fun-Raiser" is a week from tomorrow (8/13) and will be a road ride followed by a cook-out behind the shop. Details @ www.club-velo.com

Anyway....................bike life is grand even if my legs seem to have lost their snap. Lots of good stuff happening and more to come!

Ride on!

Phyold Landis is the "Anti-Lance"!

Holy crap! What a tour! What a blast to follow! Whereever you fall on the "I'm so sick of that Texan I could barf" scale you gotta admit that not knowing what was gonna happen from day to day is a helluva lot more fun that watchin' Team Discovery and their resident Mutant From Outer Space lay waste to one and all! I was becoming a Floyd-fan before le Tour started, based mostly on a semi-hilarious interview of him by compadre-in-crime David Zabriskie that convinced me that, if nothing else...........Mrs' Landis' favorite son was unlikely to show up on the arm of a super modelat a Hollywood premire. The man's a bit of a flake and a free-thinker and now we all know that he's got some full sized coconuts under his kilt as well!

Bravo Floyd! I hope his hip-replacement deal goes well and if he's the next major player to fall victim to any kind of drug scandal.....................I'm done payin' attention for-frickin'-ever!

Believe it or not there's lots of other bikestuff goin' on besides that race over there. We've been crazy busy here @ VCC World HQ, Ted and Lee are still pretty much swamped w/ service work and tryin' to get some new bikes built. HorseBurger's been an asset in that regard too. New Velo Citizen Sandy has been a big help too. She comes to us from many years @ Gazelle Sports and she's splittin' time 'tween here and Running Circles in GH while she looks for that elusive full-time teaching gig. We're glad she's here!

JDRF ride are going well, we leave for Montana in a couple of weeks and then it's Asheville in Sept and Death Valley in Oct. Somewhere in there is the bike show and our self-supported attempt to ride the Kokopelli Trail late next month. Man...I better figure out whatinthehell bike I'm riding!

It's been a great if sometimes stressful summer. The shop is so busy and that's cool.....it's obviously good to know that folks get what we're tryin' to do and all.............but sometimes it's so nuts in here and we get so behind that I worry that we're missin' stuff and lettin' people down. I hate that idea and there's plenty of things we could do better, that's for sure!

Gotta go................more later. Ride lots!

"Oh I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay....."

Thoughts from the 2nd ever Lumberjack 100...................................

First Lap: "Turn the gear, turn the gear, turn the gear!" " Man, this trail rocks!" " Hey, that looks like Mossimo! Mebbe I can catch him! Mebbe I can stay w/ him 'til the end of the lap!" " Man, it's hot, but it's gonna be okay, I think." " Drink, hydrate, drink!"

Second lap: "Okay, I got Doez beat, Moss has dropped out..........so I'm #1 HUP rider. It feels like I'm gonna finish for sure, just gotta stay hydrated and keep those cramps away." ' Turn the gear, turn the gear, turn the gear" " Damn, these climbs weren't half this steep or long last lap!" "I still think the S/S is faster but not havin' any suspension is tearin' me up!" " Man......I'm gettin' goosbumps on the downhills!?! Hmmm.........I like a godd descent as much as the next guy but they usually don't make my nipples this hard. Weird..........isn't this one of the signs of heatstroke or heat exaustion or heat stress or heat death or something?" " Keep drinkin!"

Third lap: " Uhh...............not good, getting r-e-a-l-l-y sleepy. Mebbe I oughta grab a nap by the trail for a sec. Wait! If you go to sleep you'll freeze to death! Just like a Jack London story! Stay awake!" " Screw turnin' the gear, just keep going" " Man, this sux. I havne' tseen anyone for an hour or so, I wonder if they'll find my body frozen by the trail if I don't make it?"

Short story is that I had two great laps and then the wheels fell off. Despite a more-than-usual-for-me focus on hydration and nutrition I fell prey to the heat and finished my 3rd lap delirious and shivering. Thanks to Krisanne and Mel and Chris and my homies for convincing me that 3 laps was gonna hafta be enough that day. ( It wasn't a huge struggle!) The race rocks! Rick and his crew put on a first class event and you oughta do it next year. I can't wait 'til next year! ( I'll probably do a sus fork on the S/S though!)

Why So Many Jerks?

I've been at this whole bike thing for a while now and there's one thing I have yet to figure out.............why are there so many jerks and wankers out there on bikes? Now.........I'm not talkin' about you of course. Or me, or our friends. You and me...........we're good guys, right? We "share the trail" right? We wave and say "howdy" to other riders, even if their attire and bike would seem to indicate that their level of involvement in the sport is at a different (and probably lower) level than ours. We ride responsibly, on the road and off..........right?

Right!

It's those other guys I'm talkin' about. (It's always a guy too!) There we were last Sunday, me and my JDRF team, doin' a training ride outside of Ada. As we rolled easy outta Ada Park bound for Saranac on Grand River Drive this tool on a shiny new custom ti bike blew by us w/out a word of warning or hello. I'm not gonna say what bike it was, but it was a big custom builder who's name starts w/ "S" and it wasn't Seven. Anyway............my point is that sayin' "hello" as he went by would've been so damn easy to do! We still would've been impressed w/ his drive and fitness and outfit. (Or.....at least as impressed as we were anyway). Hell........this particular jack-hole musta had to pull over and pee, 'cuz he passed us again about 20 minutes later. Pretty studly there dude.........you managed to pass my wife and I on our tandem as we rode w/ my team member Karen. She bought her hybrid about 3 months ago so she can do a ride to raise money for diabetes research since her daughter has Type 1 diabetes. Good job passing her, musta been a bitch chasin' us down.
We saw a buncha folks on that ride........some waved and smiled when we did.........some didn't. My wife, who's much nicer than me in general, kept askin' me what the "non-wavers" were thinking as they ground by us, usually alone, on their aerobars and pushing a huge gear. I wasn't able to answer her.
There was a guy in the race last Wed. on the same brand of frame. ( Let's assume it's a coincidence) He had me thinking about how much of a difference there can be between pedaling a bike and riding one. He was strong enough to stay w/ the pack...........but he was way scary to ride near as he wobbled and wove his way down the track.
In the same vein there's obviously a big difference between purchasing a bike and riding one. I guess that's what I'm tryin' to talk about here.............the whole "tao of cycling" thing. (I copped that phrase from a great article from The Ride magazine. Read it on the Stories page of club-velo.com ( Yes.......I did get permission!) There's so much more to this sport that how fast you can go or what your average heart rate is or how cutting edge your bike is! I worry that too many riders are missing out on a lot of really cool aspects of this thing we call cycling..........and that'll lead to them dropping out as they get bored. Now..........there are a few dudes we might not miss, like the guy at the beginning of this rant, but if you start from the premise that more people on more bikes more often is a Good Thing.....and I do.......then we gotta keep the riders we have, right?
I'm just not sure that hammering down Grand River as fast as you can and ignoring everyone else will become a lifetime thing. That's all I'm saying.

On the other hand....................bike life has been good. Lots of rides, lots of time spent in the saddle w/ friends. Grattan has been fun and fast, the Tuesday Night Shop Rides have been a success, the trails are in pretty good shape, I sometimes feel that I am too, it's all good.

AAAAHHHH.........Pineapple Bob!

What a great freakin' ride! Okay....maybe is was a little windy comin' back..........since you couldn't hold much more that 16-17 mph and there was no conversation 'cuz you wouldn' be able to hear anything anyone said anyway...........but still, we had a great ride! There were only 13 riders and that was a bit of a let-down...... not sure if it was the unseasonably brisk temps, the howlin' wind, the fact that a buncha folks dont' get the point of ridin' on dirt roads w/ skinny tires or what, but those that showed had a blast. Bike-wise steel once again ruled the day! Oh sure.........the Doez's were on ti, there were a couple of aluminum frames (one 'cross, one mountain), and D.D. from my JDRF team was on one of them new-fangled carbon bikes.......but there was a lotta steel! We had one tandem, one fixxie, one single-speed, one ATB, four 'crossers and the rest were yer basic road bikes. There was one flat. No other issues arose and the post-ride salsa, bean dip, chips, veggies and beer went down g-o-o-d!

Thanks again to The Curragh Irish Pub for the beer and other refreshing adult beverages. Dave @ The Curragh is a big supporter (and occasional participent) in local cycling events and his roots run deep in the cycling community. Stop in there some time and thank him and have my daughter Katie Jo pour you a perfect pint!

We ended up w/ 30-some miles, maybe 10 of it on dirt. 'Twas a hoot!

I think I'm gonna skip the Fun-Raiser for June...there's so much goin'[ on every weekend already and rider numbers for summer F-R's are never good. The July one's gonna be a big deal though..............the First Ever Night Ride and Homebrew Taste-Off! It's gonna be on Saturday 7/22 so you home-brew types start mixin' or wbrewin' or whatever it is you do and bring a batch o' your best down for the taste-off! We'll provide the pizza and the prizes. We'll roll out around 6:00 for 45-50 or so, you may wanna have lights for the end.

Other than that............not much to report. Still no word on the Sofa Kings, dammit! Can't be long now. Sounds like we might need to go to Plan B for the next batch.....maybe just have W-Ford wet-paint 'em. It'll cost a little more though. We were "idea-ating" over salsa today about Macatawa Bike Works Model #2...should it be a 'cross frame or a 29'er S/S? Seems like the timing would call for a 'crosser since it's likely to be late summer at least before we get things rolling. Anyone out there have a vote?

The Holland Hundred is only like 7 weeks away and I somehow ended up Co-Chairing the Route Commitee. If you have any thoughts about past HH routes or suggestions please share them w/ me @ velocity587@hotmail.com so I can make sure that the route kicks ass.

Other than that...........the near future is full of rides, Grattan races, the Lumber Jack 100, Tuesday Night rides, Sprint Rides, gigs and all the stuff that makes me agree w/ Lee when he says "It's a good life".

The Giro's been fun to follow and le Tour oughta be blast too!

Hey...why don't we have a "Blessing of the bikes" like the motorcycle guys? We're at least as cool and at least as much in need of a blessing don'cha think? Who do I hafta talk to about this?

MC...........over and out.

Pineapple Bob a-comin' !! HOOOOboy!

Okay, just got back from layin' out the route for Sunday's ride............I think it's a good'un. Lots of gravel still out there in S.E. Allegan County, you just gotta look for it. If it's windy there's gonna be some l-o-n-g stretches...........but whatterya gonna do? I don't have the exact distance 'cuz I was backtrackin' some, call it 42K. ( 25-ish miles for you English types) The weather forecast isn't bad and maybe we're gettin' to the end of this weather pattern finally. We got rained on last night @ Grattan but the track didn't get all greasy-like as it's done in the past and everyone stayed upright, in our race anyways. I hope we have a good turnout for the ride.......and I hope there's some good salsas and dips for post-ride feasting. Yum-yum!

Still no Sofa King frames! Arraagghh! I talked to Richard @ Waterford a couple days ago and he was still waiting for the powder=coat dudes to get their heads out and ship them. Soon......soon.

Crazy busy @ the shop, Ted and Lee are really humpin' it tryin' to keep up w/ all the repairs and builds. Can't even imagine life @ VCC w/out those 2 dudes. (Don't tell them I said that!)

Tuesday night rides are going well. We're getting 9-10 riders down @ Yankee and had 16 for the road ride this week. When are we going to see you, hmmmm?

It's Nat'l Bike-to-Work Week and I've only ridden to work once so far! That's lame. It's interesting that I pretty much ride every day unless I have after work riding plans, huh? ("That's ironic if ya like that sorta thing!" Name that movie quote first via e-mail and win a prize!) velocity587@hotmail.com

The new Velo City and S.o.F.A. t-shirts are in! Bitchin' too!

Ted and Rach have birthdays this month, feel free to bring them cookies or cake.

Next week: Why it's called "Pineapple Bob"

Gotta go............be safe, ride lots, have fun.

Tell me that you're not THAT guy!

I hope you're not that guy, that's all I'm saying. 'Cause that guy........he's got a lot to answer for.

Perhaps an explaination is in order here....................2 or 3 times in the last coupla years our shop and our industry has been plagued by an avalanche of hysterical news articles about how ridin' too much will cause men to suffer from permanet ....um......dysfunction.........y'know? (Jeez, I hate to even write that!) Predictably that leads to all sorts of concern, discussion and such 'round the shop, as wary riders of the male persuasion clog the front door tryin' to get in and buy the latest saddle promising to prevent this worst of all possible conditions. It's a sexy ( ironically) and attention-grabbing headline to be sure and the news mags and the "20-20" type programs eat it up.

But here's the thing.................there's a guy out there somewhere that caused all this. Think about it for a sec.....this guy keep riding through discomfort and numbness. When Little Willie didn't "rise to the occasion" one day..............he kept riding. Didn't change his position, didn't try a new saddle................just kept riding. He rode through temporary dysfunction, he rode through numbnesss, he rode through it all.....................and now...............it doesn't work.

Now...................lest you think that I am unsympathetic.....not true! I feel for you Bro, really I do! But still, I can't help thinkin' about that old folk song about the preacher in the flood. The one that turns down rescue from a canoe and a Coast Guard ship and finally a helocopter 'cuz he's so secure in his belief that God'll rescue him. The preacher finally drowns and when he confronts the Big Guy up in heaven God says, " I sent a canoe and a boat and a helocopter........what'd you want me to do!?" This numb Willie deal is a lot like that, dont'cha think? Mr I'll Keep Riding No Matter What had plenty of warnings before things got serious and checked out for good.

To my mind, someone that rides through discomfort, through temporary numbness, through temporary dysfunction all the way to permanant dysfunction is no great loss to the gene pool.

Now...........having said all that............there's no doubt that some guys ( and women for that matter) , have a history of struggling to find a saddle that's just right. Keep trying! All our saddles have a 30 Day Trial Period so you can keep checking them out 'til you find the right one. As a Bike-Fitter Guy and as a shop that holds proper fit in high esteem..............we suspect that a lot of saddle issues are actually position issues: You have a way better chance of diggin' your saddle when your bike fits properly. The bike biz is way too focused on putting band-aids on problems instead of preventing them. It's a helluva lot easier to sell saddles w/ increasingly bizarre designs that it is to train bike shop folk in proper fitting and how to actually listen to and serve the customer.

Oops....................okay, Rant Mode off.

Anyway..............I just hope you're not that guy, okay? 'Cuz if you are that guy....................we need to talk!


'Til next time...............................adios!

Rides, rides lotsa rides!

Man, there have been a ton of good rides this month! Great weather, the trails are in good shape and I've been ridin' w/ my buds. What else can you ask for? Sometimes I get to brooding on what exactly it is that makes a ride "great" instead of just "good", y'know? I'm not sure what "it" is, but I'm pretty damn sure what "it "isn't............it's not the route, or the trail, or how fast we went, or whether I achieved a PR, or any of that crap. Mostly it's who I ride with and whether our (mostly) unspoken ideas about the criteria for ride greatness pretty much match up. As I get older and more crotchety I have less and less patience with dudes ( and it's always a dude) that sees every ride as a chance to whip it out and show it off. Hey.......I race every dang week all summer long and that's a great place to show off what'cha got y'know? There have been way too many potentially great rides blown up, messed up and otherwise pissed away by someone w/ a little too much testosterone and apparently no where else to use it. Sure there's a time and place for riding like that......our Sprint Ride for instance, but if you think that every ride is a chance to beat someone.......might I gently suggest that you might wanna enter a real race now and then? Maynard Hershon said it best, in an article that I first read many years ago............" A good rider can hold a ride together with his or her strength, not blow it apart". ( I'm paraphasing like mad there, but Maynard's a bud of mine and I'm pretty comfy that he'd be okay w/ it).

Just my 2 cents worth, y'know?

But lest you think that I'm just gonna bitch...........I started this out talking about all the good and great rides that I've enjoyed this month..........Yankee Springs w/ Dennis and Mario, C-Burg w/ Sarah and Max-the-dog, all the mornings @ Bass River w/ Ted and Lee and Rach and Max, a whole month of Sprint Rides, mostly w/ Elizabeth "Turbo" Bocks on the tandem, Monday Night Club rides, Lotsa miles w/ Lin on the tandem, rollin' the fixxie around at every opportunity, man.............it's been a great month!

And now it's almost freakin' May! Grattan! Tuesday Night Shop Rides! More club rides! Rock-n-Road's Thursday Night Ride in Grand Haven! Holy Crap! Lots' to be pumped about, that's all I'm saying.

Shop's been busy. Not 100%+ crazy madness full-tilt-boogie hot-damn-tamale busy, but busy. Ted and Lee are cranking repairs, Rach and Da've and Jaq and I are tryin' to keep everyone's questions answered, Doez is around some, Alex is wrenchin' a bit and Tom keeps tabs on the whole dang deal.............that's how it's supposed to work.

It's so cool to listen to Ted go on and on about his race last weekend @ Yankee and his infatuation w/ the Salsa Dos Niner demo that Dennis @ QBP sent us to try out! I don't think I've ever seen him this pumped up! Does my heart good, y'know? Sounds like he and Lee are gonna be doing the whole ATB Time Trail series now.......how cool is that?

Anyway...........come and ride w/ us sometime, eh? We're kind of fun, can carry on conversations about several topics outside of the sport, are usually clean and polite....all in all.......not bad company!

'til next time..................ride safe, ride lots and be strong!

'Nother Great Ride!

Man, today's "Fun-Raiser" was a hoot! There musta been 45-50 riders gathered at the shop this afternoon for the "Pearl Ride". We had racers, we had "newbies", we had fixxies, we had a tandem, we had riders from 10 to 76 years old! We also had a ton of food for the post-ride bash! I'll hafta remember how well the "bring a snack and double your chance to win the drawing" ploy worked! Sure beats runnin' to Family Fare w/ the shop credit card every time! Thanks to everyone that rode, double thanks to everyone that fell for...........err........graciously brought food to share! We did a 28 mile route that Lin and I mapped out last night: east from the shop, down PawPaw and around the Country Club, south up past Ridgepoint Church, around Overisel and then west over to 60th. Lots of sun, plenty of wind outta the west, but it was warm enough for knicks and a l/s jersey and that's warm enough for this boy! It's always nice to look around the shop after one of these rides and see 30-40 people standing around, enjoying the beer that Dave from The Curragh supplied, sampling everything from homemade soup to fresh salsa and talking about the ride and bike life in general. Makes me feel like we're getting our point across, y'know? That Velo City is more than just a place to buy cool bike stuff.............it's a place to celebrate just how damn cool it is to ride w/ your friends and soon-to-be friends.
There were lots of great rides this past week...........I managed to get in on the first Monday Night MCC ride of the year, did Yankee / Lee and Ted one morning, C-Burg w/ Rach & Max another morning, rode the first Saturday Sprint Ride of the season......'twas a good week!
I also went to the MCC meeting and failed miserably to avoud getting stuck w/ any official responsibilities.........alas, I got "elected" the club's V.P. Rats! Oh well, I plan to model my administration after our current national VeePee.........so I'm gonna do whatever I damn well please and not answer to anyone! Can't wait!
Then there was the Rapid Wheelman meeting in GR this week. I did a little song and dance about JDRF and also dazzled 'em w/ a little peek @ what VCC has goin' on this season. I got the vibe that the folks there were suitably impressed, especially w/ that dang bamboo Calfee that I just hadta bring along! I like that club...........they're active and growing and doing cool stuff. I got to talk to a buncha cool folks too.
I think I have everything finalized w/ the decals for the Sofa King frames, thanks to our Graphics high Sorceress Amanda N. I talked to the Big Guy @ Waterford on Thursday and he said that they have the tubes and are gonna start cuttin' and weldin' and such next week and that we oughta be seeing our frames by the end of this month!!!!! I am so pumped ! I can't wait to see these babies and get mine on the road! If they get here this month i can ride mine on the Spring Pineapple Bob Classic next month on the 21st. That'll just be too cool! I hope we actully sell a couple of these, y'know? I'd like to do a second run for the late summer and then do a 'cross frame for the cyclo-cross season. I wanna call it the el Zorro. We'll see.........gotta find out if anyone besides Velo-Citizens thinks these are cool first!
Rach finally got her Seven on the road..it's bee-yoo-ti-ful! She's diggin' it big time. Lee's been riding his new Cannondale hardtail "see how light I can get it" project bike a lot..........says he likes it fine. Ted's going fast and smooth on his Gunnar 7 speed rigid rig and everyone @ the shop is gettin' their miles in.( Well....Jacque G's been outta town for Spring Break, not sure she had a bike w/ her)
In other words.........all is well and like it's supposed to be @ good 'ol Velo City. Our plan is to keep it that way and keep on spreading the groove!
Sorry to be so long-winded, if you made it this far..........thanks for reading!

Oh yeah......that's why!

Gonna let'cha in on a little secret here.......the bike biz gig is not a blast 100% of the time. I know, I know........you're shocked to hear it and I'm sorry to be the one to harsh your mellow...............but 'tis true. Sometimes it's just a job, and once-in-awhile it's kind of a drag. Now, don't take this the wrong way.......short of leading tours in the desert for super models and bikini teams there's nothing I'd rather do for a living and no one I'd rather do it with.........but still..............sometimes it's less-than-great. There were a couple times like that this past week....we lost a Velo-Citizen to the realities of life-n-such and that's always a drag. ( See ya Drew. Ride on!) I didn't get as much riding in as I want and need either and that's always an issue. Not a crappy week, just not a great one, y'know?
That's why it was so cool to fire up my old steam-powered computer here @ home and find, after waiting the obligatory 20 minutes for it to warm up and tell me how many viruses it's contaminated with, a great little e-mail from a young lady in France who just wanted to thank us for helping her pick out the Bianchi Volpe that she's riding all along the coast. Just kinda wiped all that other whiny crap right off the screen! Thanks Callista!
Not to bust all mushy on ya'll..but that is the point of the whole exercise and I think I can speak for all the Velo-Cits when I say thanks to everyone that's ever made VCC part of their cycling life. We are much obliged and truly do appreciate it!

Off to meet Dennis @ Yankee Springs in an hour or so. We've known each other for years but this'll be the first time we ride together! I'm kinda excited about that. There's tons of stuff going on....the Monday Night Ride and the Saturday Sprint Ride both start this coming week, there's a Fun-Raiser next Sunday, the JDRF rides start this month...........man! It's gonna be a great season and I can't wait. Just gotta remember whereinthehell I left my fitness, I haven't been able to find it anywhere!

I sent out the newsletter yesterday, if you don't get one e-mail me (velocity587@hotmail.com) and I'll get'cha on the list. It'll be archived on both websites too.

Gotta go! Ride lots, ride safe, ride happy!

Yankee Springs!

Man, there's something special about the first real mountain bike ride of the year! Now........we've been riding all winter. The trails have been dry and I got out to Bass River w/ Rach, Ted, Lee and Max-the-dog 3 mornings in a row last week alone. This wasn't even the first time we'd ridden @ Yankee...Rach and I met down there before work last month w/ her roomie John. So it's not that we haven't been gettin' out.............but...........still.............today was different. For one thing, we weren't squeezing in a quick lap and rushin' off to work. For another, the cast of charactors was different. Nothing against my fellow velo-Citizens, they're among my fav folks to ride with after all, but it was different and cool to plan a ride, look forward to it all morning, show up down there not knowing who to expect, etc etc etc. Just felt like the beginning of something, y'know?
So..........'twas Chris K, Tator, Rick P and Mr-n-Missus Doez gathering there in the crowded parking lot. The trail is in great shape right now, dry, fast and hardly any sand. Sadly....that will not last. Regular Yankee riders are all too aware that it gets ridden into a beach-like state by June or so. Still-the MMBA does all it can to protect the trail and as long as we all do everything we can to help.............it'll be okay. Hopefully.
(Note to the butt-head that just had to pass Tator and I on the short loop and couldn't muster up the breath to let us know he was coming........bite me! Dude..........I'm 49 yrs old, 30 lbs overweight and on a single-speed. Passing me ain't gonna get'cha a pro contract! I've been passed by tons of dudes and dudettes.....all ya gotta do is say something like " When you get a chance can I get by on your left?" or something like that. But no..........you had to practice your "race passing technique" and come up on Tator all silent like. You're lucky he didn't put'cha in the weeds. As it was you had to go off-trail, always a lame move, and then you had to do the same thing to me. Jack-hole.)
Still.....a great ride on a great day in great company. No complaints from this boy! (Except that my fitness is still hibernating or something.)

Lots going on @ the shop. Still wrestlin' w/ the new computer project. I just this second made it my personal goal to make that the last mention of the whole software thing. Why should anyone care? We'll see how I do.
Gotta get the next newsletter out this week. If you're reading this and you don't get our Rider's Reader in your e-mail inbox every month...let me know @ velocity587@hotmail.com I send out nearly 1000 of them each month and I sure wonder how many fight their way through the maze of spam filters, cyber-weirdness and other obstacles to actually get read by folks? (Why does this subject conjure up pics in my head of Woody Allen dressed up like a sperm cell in that silly movie?) They are also archieved on both of our websites, FYI.
Hopefully we'll see our first batch of Macatawa Bike Works frames next month! Man, that's gonna be so cool ! Can't wait!

My record remains intact.............I have yet to ride a single mile outside on a single bike w/ gears. All my dirt riding's been on my single speed, all my commuting on "Putty", my one-speed city ride and all my road miles have been on my fixxie unless I've been on the tandem. ( Big whup, eh?)

And on that somewhat self-important note..............
Vaya con Dios mi Amigos

Two good rides, lots more comin'!

So far so good this month, ride-wise. We had 25-30 today, meetin' at the shop for the March "Fun -Raiser". Given that it was St.Patrick's Day this week............and the fact that I'm runnin' low on ideas for the series........we called this one the "Sean Kelly Ride". Thanks to Dave from the Curragh there was post-ride Guiness for all, just the thing to wash down the all-to-domestic snack assortment that I grabbed at the last minute after finally admitting to myself that I didn't have the time or the gumption to make anything Irish-esque like potatoe soup and the idea of Lucky Charms cereal just wasn't cutting it. Oh well......I heard no complaints! It 'twas chilly enough to feel like we were in the Celtic Isles-with a fairly nasty wind outta the N.W., just the thing to make you work it on the way back into town. I reckon we racked up 26 miles or so. ( 42 k for you Euro-philes) I had new-rider-on-the-block Elizabeth on the back of the tandem, and I made sure we grabbed her first sprint sign on the way into East Saugatuck. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Last Sunday we had 20+ gather for an impromptu ride that I called when it became obvious that we were gonna get one of those early spring days that you just have to grab ahold off. I saw lots of bare legs ( I'm not sure it was that warm!), and.......once again......a good ride was had by all. Keep an eye on club-velo.com to stay in the loop as far as rides and such, that's what it's for.

Ran into KW @ lunch, he gave me a great idea for a future Fun Raiser........how does the Home Brew ride sound? I don't partake myself, but Lee, Ted and Drew on the staff are often heard talkin' about their latest batch and I know more than a few other rider-buds that would want to throw their cap into that ring. I'm thinkin' July or so........just to make sure everyone has a chance to get a batch ready. Stay tuned!

Lots going on in the little world of Holland's bike biz........Cross Country Cycle completed their move and Holland Cycling&Fitness got purchased by the Klomp family in GR. They run the big Kentwood and Grandville Trek shops. Seems like a good fit, the Holland shop kinda looks like a smaller version of the ones they have in the GR area. I was glad to hear that they're keeping John around...he's a good guy. Best of luck to Jack, whatever he's gonna do next. Best of luck also to Laura and the gang over at the new-and-enormous CCC......I hope it works out better for them than it did for me.

As for our little chunk of that world......the computer project rolls on, albeit it s-l-o-w-l-y. We;ve been plenty busy and it's good to have Rach,Tom and Doez back in town after their respective ski trips. Lee and Ted are kickin' butt in the shop, keeping up w/ the steady stream of repairs and sold bikes. There are a ton of folks lookin' at and pickin' out road bikes!!!!That's way cool, but I wanna see some new offroad riders too! I'm getting pumped for the Lumberjack and some of the endurance ATB events that are coming up.

Anyway........be sure and let me know what'cha think about what we're doing or trying to do @ the shop.........there's not much point in us busting our butts trying to do stuff that no one cares about, y'know? Stay tuned to the three websites and watch for info coming up on April's rides, the big Pearl Izumi Sale week, the frame project.......and plenty more!

Talk to you later!

Yea though I walk through the valley..............

Oh my Gawd, it's every bit as bad as I imagined, if not worse. 9 lost souls spent way too much of their semi-nice Sunday confined within the walls of VCC World HQ, tryin' to implement the long-awaited and feared new computer system. What a drag. I wasn't at my best, given that I was up playin' music next door @ The Curragh the night before 'til long past my bedtime. Add that to the fact that I was dreadin' this whole project and......................well............let's just say that my leadership skills weren't exactly all they could be and leave it at that. So, among other things this is a semi-public apology to everyone that had to put up w/ me all damn day.
While I'm at it I oughta send out a big thank you to Chris, Doez, Mel, Lin, Sam, Tom, Da've, Ted, Max-the-dog for helpin out and to Katie for gettin the pizza.
We have miles to go, it'll be weeks if not months before we get a handle on this thing but we'll try to keep what it's doin' to our mood a secret. ( Let us know......gently......if we're starting to slip, okay?)

On the other hand...........the weather is flirtin' a bit, I heard numbers that started with 4's and 5's for high temps by later this week. I'm gonna try and get out tomorrow morning and roll the fixxie around a bit.

One thing we are WAY excited about here @ the shop is the birth of our own little private label bike line! Yup........we've been workin' on it off and on all winter and things are f-i-n-a-l-l-y officially rolling! Look for the first batch of frames bearing the Macatawa Cycle Works logo to be here in 6-7 weeks or so. The first model is a road frame set up for either fixed-gear or single-speed set ups called the Sofa King to celebrate our little home-grown Fixxie cult that we call "SoFA". ( The Society of Fixed-gear Advocates) The frames are being hand-built right across the lake by the craftspeople @ Waterford Bicycles. Hopefully this'll be the first of several frames that we cook up w/ these guys..........they build great frames under the Waterford and Gunnar lables and we're proud to be working w/ them! So basically what we're talkin' about here is a 100%-hand-built-in-the-USA frame for the price of a Surly! That rocks w/ a capital "R"! I can't wait to get mine. I'm gonna mothball my trusty Viner track bike that I bought in '86 and ride all the time as soon as I can get my paws on a Sofa King!

That's the big news. There's a Macatawa Cycling Club meeting tomorrow night..........we're going to try and get some goals set for the season. Anyone that cares about riding in this neck of the woods oughta be there!

Gotta go and make sure we have enough aspirin for the rest of the week. Hope I can keep Ted from killing me over this computer mess.

Wish me luck!