Haro Mary SS

Oops did I buy that?

Blame and new toys

So as everyone who has a job knows the only important thing in life is assigning the blame. After I purchased a new bike today I now will take time to assign blame. We will start locally. It could be Rassys fault for stocking the bike or Haros fault for making the bike or Citas fault for making the great trails to ride the bike on. Now that we ruled those out lets move on to bigger fish. It could be Chevys fault for the crappy venture van I traded in for a new car for my wife giving me the you didn't "need" a new car response to I need a new mountain bike (I meen this bike is safer right?) But after carfull consideration I've come up with the person who is to blame here is his picture :

Ya his "cash for clunkers" thing made me get a new car starting the chain reaction that has me waiting for the wife to get home so I can go ride the new bike I just got. So if obama were smart he would let me trade in my old truck for $4500 off a new road bike. Save gas much.

Last Crit race for the season.

I raced in the East Village crit yesterday. The first 4 laps I was able to hang in the main group however I soon realized that I could keep up for another 25 minutes so I fell back into the group that I could keep up with since there was no hope (or even hail mary chance) of even placing in this race for me I decided to hang were I could finish. I was in a group that got pulled after 7 laps. I still got a little practice and learned a few things about cornering the course was very fast and the large climb on the back of the course was long and turned in the middle. Average 21.6 mph and about 1:50 per lap and the leaders were at 1:40 per lap. We had a good time and a couple of beers (12 packs) after the race.

Good day for a slow ride

Maffit

Pavement?

Birthday lunch with Bob

Riding For/With Beer.

Started out Friday night with a ride downtown to the Baitshop for a couple with Rich and Mark. We each got a 24oz on the way down. We had a bait'n switch downtown and met up with Kyle and a couple others (sorry I suck at names even worse with beer) on fixies (I rode my fixie like I knew or something) A little urban assault (I'm really bad at jumping curbs on a fixie) and 3 more gas station beer stops and it was closer to midnight and we decided it was a good time go home.

Saturday was the Fat tire "Ride" (something about calling 10 miles a ride?) We rode all the way downtown to start the ride so we got 20 miles (the unbearable pain in my legs...) Okay so sarcasm is all lost in blogs. I of corse won the fat tire race, we were in a hard pull down railroad (Other people didn't want to ride on the busy street but we did it anyway) I had been pulling the group for 8 miles and was starting to break away at a blazing 13mph (good thing I've done so much training) I did think before the ride that the 38x17 gearing was to low but I was wrong. Overall the ride was a lot of fun the only thing that would have made it better is a fat tire cruzer from new belgium. Or a 60 mile gravel hammer fest before the ride.

Today was back to work and the only thing that would make that better would have been a sick day and 100-150 miles on any bike/ any terrain even snow.

Fat tire ride

Ladder 13

I might have opened the new trail.

New handles for The Knife

and tires..

Riding the Storm out. (I mean drinking the storm out)

After a PR to Martensdale from home last night (1:04/ 21 miles on the fixie) then a fairly quick ride back to cummings tap (still kept 20mph pace) I stopped for some (Pitcher) beers on the patio and was waiting for some of my bagger friends to stop at the tap. Everyone arrived like 45 minutes later around 8:30 or so (that was about the time the rains started) Bob said it looked like it would pass soon , so 1 more pitcher of the light stuff and 3 hours later it stopped raining enough to ride back (so I'll be home around 10:30 in my language means I see you at 1:30) Overall a good ride.

Not much riding today rode with my oldest for 4 miles (this is a good distance Austyn says) in 30 minutes not bad for a 6 year old on 16" bike. Austyn also learned drafting on the trail the headwind was brutal even at 8mph.

Upgrades!

this bike is 100% shimano free!

Also no shimano. aahhh no noises

egg beaters,for the mountain smarties for the fixies

bob's new doo.

used spds anyone?

Goverment free money!

this is my first new car.

The Good stuff.

After a lllloooonnnngggg day at work this hits the spot

King of the mountain.

Well at least a small hill. Using Squirrels advise I finally was able to make it up the switchback on rollercoaster. As everyone knows the not bike walking factor makes a trail a lot more fun. After this great achievement and a full lap through center trails (13 miles) I headed for the taco ride. I jumped stuff in denmans that I haven't tried before and made it over all the logs (missing the very large one at the beginning) with this new found confidence (in mountain biking confidence not pride come before a fall, pride comes after a good fall) I was moving a lot faster and way too fast in just one corner where my front wheel slid in the tacky mudish stuff. If you've ever slid a front tire and 16 or so you know the result of that. There is mud on my shoulder, leg, helmet, butt, handlebars etc. However I got right back on the bike and managed to catch back up to the group. A faster run through Squirrels nest put me into the weeds but not to bad (pedal strike into a ledge) I headed up hillside with Kent, so after the top of the hill I was riding by myself (He is way too fast) got another 14 miles in and after a chain pulling/prying repair (not my bike) headed out for tacos.

Not Alone

The past few day I've gotten the wonderful experience of riding with other people and not my I-pod. Sunday morning I rode with Mike on center trails for a couple of hours. Got home and ready to go to church at 11am fortunately none of my vehicles work right now so this means a bike ride to church with burley trailer and a tadpole. I don't think my wife appreciates this as much as I do. We left church in the pouring rain for my dad's house (about 15 miles) to try his newest brew (double ipa) and it was good. Last night I met up with Nick for a quick ride to martensdale followed by of course a pitcher at the tap (and a to-go Old Style at the lean-to) Nick rode a cross bike and I brought my fixie (I finally brought the gun to the knife fight hahaha). Today is my friday so I'll go for a solo ride tonight I guess but the company has been good for me. PS if anyone is riding tonight I want to do a 3.5 hour metric or so and could use company.

Excuses or something.

Tuesday night I went out for a long ride I was planning to ride about 45-50 miles and be home by 8:30 or so. I headed out around 6:20 for a north run down R30 then headed west on Minburn road. I was planning on coning back through Dallas Center and on the trail home, but the road from Dallas Center is gone and the "detour" I took was highway 44 (not the most fun road) to 169 (this road isn't bad) into Adel. So my ride turned into a 70 mile ride and I got home a 10:30.

Wednesday I headed out for the Taco ride planning a good night of spinning on the mountain bike (or 2 hours of hard climbing and chasing some of the faster riders. Good time though I finally made it over the angle log in denmans without face-planting.

Thursday after 9 hours of work I was planning to race in the Altoona Crit, but I was too tired and had a couple other excuses so I took the Family on a trailer ride for dinner.

Today I planned a century but I used the Thunderstorms and pouring rain as an excuses today. Riding in the rain is fun but not all day.

Tomorrow I'm hoping for dryish mountain bike trails and a good ride. Or gravel I guess.

Not a Morning person anymore.

I used to be a morning person. However children have changed that for me I can drag myself out of bed for a ride at 6am, but I can't seem to do any hard miles it just becomes a slow paced coasting. I got up this morning and did the hill loop on the sw connector (at least I get some workout this way) after I finished the loop and got back on the Bill rally trail I realized I had averaged 16 mph. I do much better with afternoon and night riding just those darn jobs get in the way.