Happy VD!

Happy VD! Saturday was sunny, 60's, and love was definitely in the air, well, at least it was at the aquarium in Chatty. The turtles were definitely in the mood. Here's to all you lucky gators out there.

Goodbye Old Friend

My old friend, I recall
the times we had are hanging on my wall
I wouldn't trade them for gold
cause they laugh and they cry me and
somehow sanctify me
And they're woven in the stories I have told
And tell again

The first google search result I picked had bull content in the video, figured it was meant to be. That is probably the standout moment from the life and times of me and my good friend Johnny Black Death Cash. Whilst cooperizing Black Death today after this weekends muddy Snake , my 3rd Snake Series riding the Surly, I discovered a fatal wound. 3 years of riding and racing the Surly have come to and end. The down tube is cracked below the head tube weld near the tube butting.

So raise a beer and salute the passing of a faithful friend who has never failed me be it on a local ride, a far off epic, a downhill beyond my capabilities, a gravel grinder of ungodly lengths (and wind), or a charging bull.

(ps. I blame YOU for this Neumeyer. You and your "the Surly's gonna break now" comment at MB last week. Oh and OldGreg, you're not innocent either with your "How's that stem? Do you ever hit your knee on it?" Jerks.)

Smear the Greer (or Chasing Ghosts Round 2)

Snake Creek Gap Time Trials round 2 was this past Saturday. No rain and warmer temps were welcomed and getting an earlier start allowed for us to enjoy the campfire and pre-race party to it's fullest extent.

Diesel and The Scraff doing their part to float the keg.

krs-1, Jeffe', and Meanjoe . Beer face or game face?

8-ball, Monster, OldGreg, and me shortly before the keg floated. photo cred SPJ

The best part about camping at the lot is you get to sleep in and enjoy a relaxed start to the day. No rushing around a crowded hotel room or in crowded restaurants/hotel lobby breakfast rooms. All was going to plan until we find out (15 minutes before hand) they moved the start up an hour. Organizing shuttle rides (no more death bus for us) and tracking down riders/bikes occupies the next 20 minutes as we hustle to get to the start line.

Crew waiting in the start mob. photo cred 8-ball

Me winning the sprint to Mike (off the start line). photo cred 8-ball

Pro racer Dustin Greer and Meanjoe off the line. photo cred 8-ball

The first few miles of the snake (after a short gravel road stretch it crosses a creek and climbs for 2+ miles to the first single track stretch) were tough on me this round. Having spent a lot of time exercising the mind but not stressing the cardio and pulmonary systems much the past 2 weeks, I had a hard time getting my breathing and heart rate under control. The legs felt good, but the lungs were coming apart, or so they felt. I pressed on hoping I'd warm up and my system would settle down. Climbing with Hennessey and JLNR up the peanut buttery first climb was helping to distract my mind from my inability to breath and kept the mood up. Into the singletrack I started to feel a little better, but didn't really shake it off until just before the gravel road descent to the pine needle climb.

Up and over the climb and I hear Motorlegs Dustin whooping behind me on the descent. He came from out of nowhere as I checked over my shoulder before I crested the hill and didn't see him at all. We motored on out to the first road crossing and through the always gooey single track stretch that leads to the clay climb before the left hand turn to the rock climb and the always enjoyable halfway descent. I was motivated having Dustin to keep in my sites. He managed a pass on a rider and opened a 10 second or so gap on me. I put my head down and picked up the pace wanting to catch back up.

I hammered up a short hill, made a pass on the rider inbetween us and let it fly on the short twisty descent that followed. I looked for Dustin but saw nothing. Damn kid disappeared fast! I put my head back down and tried for the rest of the race (23 ish miles) trying to catch him and stay ahead of krs-1. January's version had me chasing a ghost of Hodge, whom I thought had started ahead of me, but really started after me. This time I was chasing a ghost of Dustin. He'd flatted right after he opened the gap on me and was off the trail changing his tube when I motored passed with my head down. Never even seeing him. So while I chased a non-existent Dustin ahead of me, he was behind me chasing me down.

Having a rabbit to chase (albeit one that wasn't really there) helped my focus and I soon found myself in a good rhythm while forcing myself to drink every chance I got and promising myself a half a powerbar and a stick of Panda licorice on the long mud climb to the 8 mile turn. The heat was taking a toll on me, not from over dressing, but just from not being used to 60 degree temps at effort lately. Luckily the last ridge lived up to it's usual promise of a chilly breeze and the heat became less of an issue. My focus back on catching Dustin and staying ahead of a hard charging (or so I was certain) krs-1.

Unlike January's race, I was floating over the rocks and having a blast in the technical rock sections that try to beat you to a pulp the last 7.7 miles. I had no idea of time or how well I was doing. I was just loving the chase and having fun. See photo from around the last 3 mile mark:

Enjoying the last bit of trail. Photo Cred Sharpie (mtepic61)

The best support crew. Thanks for shuttling, cheering, and being there!

Some Highlights (that I can remember):

• The ride down and ride back with the guys.
• Floating the keg the night before the race in about 2 hours and getting to hang out with the Snake family.
• Passing Mr. Terrapin Mike Stanley with Yazoo Winged rider Diamond Dave and singing "will the real beer team, please stand up, please stand up" as we passed and his immediate bow throwing trying to take us out. On bike shenanigans is the best part of racing. Good ride Mike, glad to see you out playing!
• Motorman Dustin Greer catching me on the downhill side of the pine needle climb. We rode together for a while then he put on a gap. I spent the rest of the race chasing him down, or so I thought. Ironically, Dustin had flatted not far after gapping me and I passed him without noticing and he spent the rest of the race chasing me. Last race it was Hodge's ghost, this time it was Dustin's. It's the little battles inside the big battle that keep it fun.
• Getting cat called and whoots from Endless Cog girl Shanna Powell all the way up the switchbacks of the half-way climb. I'd passed her at the bottom and we exchanged whoots. The climb winds up the side of the hill and you can see up and down to the next level allowing you to see everyone grunting up the climb.
• I laid down my personal best: 3:52:48

results are here

Dustin The Pro 4:05:47
Mid-Pack Thad 3:52:48

(Sorry D. but I have to take advantage of it when I can, I'm not getting any younger)

Tide's Turning

Had a nice morning chat with one of the coolest bike manufacturers around. 2009 World Domination plans were bandied about as well as (more than) a few jabs about a bandy-legged quirky short guy. Moots riders riding Moots frames across great distances to race bikes, gopher shipping details, blah blah blah oh and my bike should be here before Sir Chipmunks. Excellent.


The team frames and components are currently being crafted as I type. Exciting. Though I'm wondering why it says "Rigor slider girlie bike" next to my frame on the work order? Mine will look something like this, but with a steel Vicious Cycles fork and Misfit NUbars & stem:


Dicky's will be a much smaller size frame (built from leftover stems and seat posts) with extremely exaggerated numbers (much like his race resume) and much larger wheels (to make him appear taller in photos) and suspended at a precise 5' 2" above the ground (just outside his little wee arms reach) until he grows into it.

Back in Blacker Death Mode

One cool thing about Surly bits is you can order parts to rebuild most of them. Such is the case of the Tuggnut. For $7 (including shipping) I got 2 new thumb screws, 2 lock rings, a new slider, and a new 10mm-6mm axle adapter. Putting the new bits on the old tug, I pulled the wheel out of it's stasis (have to link to the big words for krs-1) and suited it up in one of my birthday tires from the EMIL (evil mother-in-law) and went to work truing it up. Due to fierce and intentional bovine attacks while racing, it was imperative to learn how to true up wheels.

Not having a truing stand I enlisted the help of several strategically placed zip-ties. The flight back did almost as good of a number on the wheels as a charging bovine, but I managed to get it to come back around (get it? ah nevermind).


Progress on the web app is coming along nicely and I'm really enjoying the challenge of it. Most folks would call it LAMP based, but as I'm developing on a Mac but using a Linux server I call it McLAMP. I'm hoping it leads to more work down the road, but if not, at least I'm having fun programming again and getting to learn new things and reprise old ideas with newer technologies.

Despite the 'regular' job woes, I'm rich in the sponsor department. Not money aspects, just quality people and quality products. Several of us in the Southeast have inked a 2 year commitment with Moots (hand built in the rockies). At first it was exciting mostly for the sexy titanium frames, but in my talks with the guys behind the curtain I can see we share similar outlooks on life, responsibility, advocacy, community, and how it all should be. Those of you whom know me best know I'm pretty blue collar when it comes to bikes. I'm not to eccentric and typically go after bomb proof vs bling. Well, I'm getting a bomb proof frame that's even more bomb proof (and rust proof to boot! How 'aboot' that T.roy?). This frame will become my bike, not just my race bike. It'll be my commooter, my mootain bike, my gravel grinder, my polo bike, my pub crawler, my transportation. I'm pretty stoked and hopefully the gophers deliver here before monkeybutt gets his.

More aboot Moots as the time comes, but great things are in motion for the Southeast. For now you can click here (or on the graphic in the sidebar) and buy as many $10 raffle tickets you desire for a chance win your own custom Moots frame and help SORBA at the same time. The $10 is a donation that all goes to SORBA, by donating you get a raffle ticket and a chance to win.

edit:
This was todays link on my Earthlink page. Thought there might be a few others out there who could benefit from tips for job searching in a recession. I read through it with H. and chuckled about how many I've been doing without realizing they existed as "tips". Primarily 1, 2, 3, 4, & 8. I need to work on 5, 7, & especially 9.

Nothing to see here...

Those of you looking for entertainment might want to head over to here or here for jovial jocularity.

Went in for a part-time night shift (10:30p-3:30a) interview for a local shipping hub (thought I might get to help train gophers) last night. I'd gotten a friendly reminder call and 2 detailed emails of what to expect and what was needed on my part. So I show up punctually, wait around in the cold, signed in as requested, then was told they weren't hiring and haven't been hiring (despite all the ads) since Dec. 5th. Their H.R. guy was worried. Worried for his job, worried for the jobs of the others. He said they are always hiring, typically 10-15 people a week due to the extremely high turnover rate for backbreaking hard work at minimal pay and extreme work conditions. He thought the economy was worse than people believed. I believe people are making it worse by panicking. But what do I know?

I know 4 developer jobs I've interviewed for decided not to hire more positions due the the uncertainty in the economy. Two others hired someone other than me. Lowes said I was too qualified and wouldn't stick around (and now isn't hiring just like the Wal-mart down the road). There was a vacancy at a local oil change place, or at least that's what the 3 ads I found said, but it turns out those are a year old and there aren't any openings.

So there you have it.


Oh, and my hub needs to be rebuilt again. The stupid seal thingy has come out twice now and turned my hub into a non-freewheeling paper weight.

Snake #2 is this weekend. I'm going to dig out the super fast Hodge wheels. I've not touched them since returning from Napa last August. Considering the airline managed to break my Surly Tug-nut on that return flight, I've no idea what state the wheels are in.

I've been busy working on a freelance web application gig who's deadline is fast approaching, hence my lack of posting and lack of riding. The latter probably responsible for my lack luster enthusiasm to blog. Like I said, nothing to see here.

Oscar, a Triple Eagle, and the Hole In One

Oscar the Giant on guard in the kitchen.

Met krs-1 for a 30/30 ride in Clarksville: 30 miles @ 30 degrees. It was a nice change of pace riding roads that didn't lead to a steep hill at every turn like they do around home. A lot of it reminded me of Illinois (including the headwind), if only there were gravel roads gridded out over the land. We looped up into Kentucky then back to TN. Not enough dogs for my liking, but there were a few that ran and barked. Most excitement was a bus driving in excess of 70 mph flying up the twisty back road near us and skidding to a stop at a T intersection and almost ramming an oncoming car. A school bus. The yellow kind that usually carries kids and doesn't normally have seat belts. Obviously a graduate of the Parnelli Jones school of driving, pretty commonplace on TN roads.


Stopping to relieve myself of some used water, I stood in a snow covered field, which quickly iced onto my cleat and prevented me from being able to clip back in to my pedal for several miles. Eventually we stopped at a church parking lot that had some gravel so I could chip away at the block of ice on the bottom of the cleat so I could clip in. Nothing like a few one legged drills in the cold.

Route leader krs-1

NYPD (New York Pizza Depot) pizza and some Wii golf rounded out the evening. I've never played a Wii before, let alone golf anything. The first 9 I was crushing it with several under par or par holes and 2 hole in 1's (one being a triple eagle). krs-1 took command of the back 9 as I quickly faded and had several out of bound shots leading to pathetic 9 shot holes. Obviously I'm not an endurance golfer. I'll stick to the short game. I think I threw my shoulder out and injured my wrist slinging that stupid controller around. I've also got one hell of a slice. I bet the game is much more fun played in kilts, drinking a 1/5th of whisky, and listening to bag pipes through the highlands (as it's meant to be played).