Pizza Trees?

We've really been lucky here in Middle TN the past week. Gorgeous blue skies, hot in the sun, but not too humid, and cool 60 degree nights. This weekend was no exception. After 80 miles of road commuting this week, I was itchin' to get on some dirt. With a work engagement later in the afternoon, I wouldn't be able to head out to the Ocho until early evening, so I made plans with the Iceman to hit up Hammy. It's been since last fall since I've gotten to go play in the rocks, and it shows. My new bash guard is now lighter weight and shinier in parts along with a nice scrape across my right shoulder. The shoulder was a "well I made it up the rock but there's a tree here and well Mike just stopped in my bail out spot and I can't unclip my left foot" fall from about 4' above the trail. Good times.


Post Hammy, Ice's better half made us some lunch and we washed it down with some cold brew and then wasted some time on the couch staring at the pretty flashing light emanating from the talking box. I'm so glad I don't have one of those, I almost fell asleep on the couch and wasted a perfectly good afternoon! What kind of a douchebag sits and stares at the talking box for 6 hour marathons all day? (probably one too busy to update his piddly blog) ;-)

H. got home from work shortly after 4PM and we headed to the barn to feed the horses and turn them out for the evening. Then cleaned up and headed off to the collar's house. We were met with a vat of home brew offerings from t.roy, homemade spinach dip, pita chips, flatbread chips, salsa, alongside mounds of fresh fruit and veggies. I think it's safe to say that everybody there ate way too much, almost to the point of pain. THEN the 10 flavors of homemade icecream (based off of the wiki list at work of everyone's favorite flavors) came out. I don't know who's maple pecan graces the wiki (the work wiki, not THE wiki) but it was by far my favorite out of all the killer flavors present. (I sampled several). Real East Coast Maple syrup in the ice cream. Delish. Getting home around 11:30PM after a short stop by the moving Mannondale's, I was ready to pass out and a 5.5 hour drive to the Ocho wasn't in the cards. We really need to fight for 3 day weekends. 4 12 hour days would cut down on gas bills for commuting and give us time to fit everything into a weekend. Who do I speak to about changing this?


Sunday has been a lazy day so far. Cleaned the living room, scrubbed the kitchen/hallway floor, and performed some much needed love on the Litespeed. Took the worn down ring and well worn out chain off and replaced it with the slightly used TransIowa/Dirty Kanza chain and chain ring. Add a fresh coat of the best lube around, and I should get another 2 years out of them for commuting, gravel grinding, and cross racing. Hoping it resolves the recently annoying popping and clicking going on when climbing with the severly worn out chain slipping off of worn down teeth.


Heading out this evening for a trail ride on horseback to investigate the back property. Promises of creek crossings, steep hills, earthen dams, and shade trees have me anxious to get out and play. Dreams of fixing up a play trail for me and the pups to play on after work have been occupying my time lately. Some log rides, planks, and rock elements to give me a secret training ground to help up my skillz, as right now they don't pay the billz but rather make payments on them... August is fast approaching and I need to sharpen my battle axe.

Speaking of battle axes, check out Derf's new 650b sled:


You can see more of it here or by visiting Harpeth Bicycles (click the link, help me win 25% off a tube). Titanium wonder bikes rule.

Oh, and if you get a chance, check out WALL-E, too. Pixar rules. If only I had a pizza tree...

Back on the horse... er ti

With schedules starting to settle and life returning to some sort of semblance of normalcy, I have been able to ride in the last few days. It's been good for the mind and soul. Since things aren't in a an exact state of normalcy, I've not made the round trips yet, but the rides in have been refreshing. I've been a bit of a curmudgeon lately and I'd forgotten how happy riding my Litespeed commuter makes me (like a kid in a toy store with grandpa), although I still think I need to be sedated during the drive portion. I'm like a dog panicked by car travel. Tomorrow I'll get to ride in to work then ride to the Tap Room to meet up for the ride back to the house.

Why not just ride to the house? Case of you can't get there from here's... Well, you could if your life insurance is paid up and you enjoy shoulder rubs by semi's and large trucks at 60+ mph on narrow, twisty country highway roads. For now, I'll take what I can get and the 20ish mile ride to work is enjoyable. I found a safe-ish route today and think I'll stick with it. I emailed it to several friends for the "where's Thad" panics or cases of "come get me a bull bent my wheel".

It works out well that I can hitch a ride with one of the two nurses to Vanderbilt, then ride to Franklin from downtown. Since they have 12 hour shifts, it works out that by the time I get back into town after work, they are just getting off of work, then we share the 15 mile drive to the homestead. It's a nice change and I actually get a few blocks of a bike lane. Now that I'm a Davidson County resident, I hope to get more use out of these hard to get to bike lanes.

I'm also taking suggestions on decent commuter lights. My second Cateye 500 (and equivalent) crapped out on me. I need something before the days shorten. Preferably something bomb proof, easily swapped between bikes, doesn't take 18 hours to charge, lasts for at least 6 hours, and doesn't cost as much as two tanks of diesel in the truck (aka $280).

early am edit: My mood today on the ride in was one part Lightnin' McQueen "serpentine, serpentine" and one part childhood joy. Grab your things I've come to take you home.... Enjoy being outside today.

5% Faster (and 12" taller)

"I expected a lot more out of you than third"

That's what Iceman (aka Mike, Mooch, Fixie 8-ball, and yes in that blond spiky haired fly boy movie way) said to me as we walked to the awards ceremony. Well, what do you expect against two Cannondale sponsored pro riders (with full squish and gears) and geared, squish riders... We were about 7 minutes out of second and had been as close as 4, but we gave a good fight and had fun doing it.


I don't really have time for a lengthy recap, but suffice to say my first ever duo 12 hour race was a blast! I'm never one to just pin it and this format allowed us both to go from the gun. Look for a more race related recap on the Yazoo team site later tonight.

Saving grace of the day award goes to Sharpie and his Swiftwick socks. He supplied me with a prototype pair of ole 12's to tear apart during the race. I'd started the race with my wool 12s, and was happy, or at least so I thought. The compression of the new ole 12's cradled my arch like a caring mother (or 2 hot nurses). Thinking the added arch support was the main difference, I headed out for my laps only to find a surprise awaiting in my new threads. The cooling factor of the ole 12's is insane. It was a blazing hot sunny day and my legs felt like I had fans hooked to them. A cooling breeze sensation rocked my legs as I spun, hitting me like air conditioned socks. At one point I had goosebumps. They never slipped, bunched, rubbed, or pinched, all race day comfort (and post race party comfort too, not to mention high style).

Swiftwick Ole 12s, cooler than ice(man):

I think Lucy likes the way the socks look:

Hunter demonstrating the proper race face:

Chillin' after Jut helped fix my brakes (they broke lap 3, replaced after lap 4):Yazoo pre-load, carbo-load, and recovery drink mixes (aka Pale Ale, ESB, and Porter):
"Holy hell, how did you boys find the Crow's Nest?!" Yes Jut, we will be back to live the Rut life.

5% Faster (with fjear on my phone)

Got home around 10 PM. Long day. Time to get the gear packed, bike prepped, and all ready to go tomorrow morning. I'm still tracking down where gear has disappeared to after the recent move. Little things like shorts, light battery charger, shoes... I still need to get some sort of race food and drinks too. I'm so behind my normal race packing schedule, I won't even have time to re-pack!!!

However, I did manage to pick up 3 Yazoo War heads (pale, porter, esb) for the Cowbell 12 hour and have them chillin' on ice. Sharpie came through with the goods: Ole 12's for the race. Rolling banner on the top tube. Get'cha some speed (available at fine bike shops and online).


Or... swing by the Swiftwick booth at the Cowbell and see, feel, test, buy the socks for yourself. Bring a pint glass (or water bottle) and taste some Yazoo golden nectar.

Mooch and I will be racing the duo class. It'll either be a calamity in motion or we'll rock the house. Could go either way. We both are notorious for broken bikes and parts. Normally though, we're racing each other, now we'll be racing together... no good can possibly come from this.

Is No Luck Better Than Bad Luck?

This is definitely not my month for front wheels. Going over my bike tonight in preps for this weekend's Cowbell 12 hour, I found a little ditty about the size of Jack and Diane...


Son-ofa-bitch! Just when I thought I was finally able to graduate from the Rhyno-lytes. At first I thought I could just pry it up so the tire bead seated better, but there is one hell of a hop in the rim too. Hopefully the wheel guru's at Harpeth Bicycles will be able to get me rolling straight enough for the weekend. Otherwise it's rolling front brakeless with my commuter rim brake wheel.


My backup wheel is out being rebuilt after the whole Kanza mud rut/charging cowbull episode. Erg! 4 rides on the supa-fast wheels and I've already tweaked 'em. 5 years, 2 wheels, guess I'm not doing too badly, but it's definitely no jut luck. Hey McLovin, send some of that mystical luck my way, would ya?

Post Lunch HourUpdate: Henry @ Harpeth Bicycles got my wheel fixed up and ready to rock. I saw a sweet Serotta 650B Ti bike in there that seemed to not need it's front wheel, so I'm borrowing it for the weekend. (That's cool, right Fred?) Thanks Hank!

p.s. Click this link. (if I can get over 25 hits I'll get 20% off my next tube purchase. (Maybe a titanium tube?? Ah, one can dream right?) Seriously click the link there's no discount, I'm just competing. Thanks!

Beer & Bike Movie Bike Night

Tonight was the Walk/Bike Nashville & Clif Bar 2 Mile Challenge's FREE screening of Seasons, a film that follows 7 of the world's top mountain bikers through the course of four seasons of one year at the historic Belcourt Theatre. WBN folks and Cliffers were out challenging people to try to ride within a 2 mile radius of their home. Lower their carbon footprint, live healthier, save gas, help Mother Earth.


The movie rocked. More so than I expected. We rode over from T.roy's place (after some pre-movie home brews) and enjoyed a Yazoo Pale Ale at the theatre (yeah they sell Yazoo beer on tap IN the theatre), watched the movie, hung out with the movie goers and the Clif folks, then rode to Broadway Brewhouse for another pint and some Santa Fe Stackers (no worries about eating too hard this time) before heading home. Great night of beer, bikes, movies about bikes, and hanging with friends.


Funny how a movie about fullsup bikes, gap jumps, 78mph downhills, and stunts makes me crave getting out on a rigid singlespeed bike. I'm pumped for this weekend. Even got a free Collective CD soundtrack from the Clif folks (others got t's and dvd's). If you get a chance to visit the Clif tour, hit it up. You'll be glad you did.

Nothing to Fjear, Please Disperse

The rest of my goodies came in today: new stem and brake cable housing ordered from JensonUSA, pads and cables from MOAB (along with my minty new Bontrager bar). All arriving just in time to prep Y.Pestis for the weekend's N.C. invasion. While the country is obsessed with fjearing tomatoes, Black Death will be spreading in the Charlotte vicinity. Carnage will be high, mortality rate through the roof, the competition buried, I really should look into a Funeral Home sponsorship...


Check out the stem crack. I almost rode it like this Sunday, but luckily Adam "Meanjoe" Monkey Rider let me bum the face plate off of his orphaned 1x1's stem (since he's fallen in love with the free speed of the 29).


Now check out the non-cracked side. See the line present in the aluminum? Yep, the crack follows it perfectly. Each side has a line. Kinda crazy. Anyway, this faceplate will be shipping off to Thomson so they can look at it. Hopefully I'll be able to just purchase a new face plate, shame for the whole stem to be a wash.


Got out on some dirt Sunday with Adam the Valet, Scott Monster McConnell, Hot Pants Mike, Jeff "monkeying with my monkey" Scott, Joe Swoopin' Sweeney Todd, and Duvall (don't know him well enough to nickname plus he wields a chainsaw). The trail was perfect despite scattered showers the day before. It was almost too loose in spots, over grown in many others, and muggy as hell, but we had a great time racing around the course. Felt good to be back in the woods again after so many gravel grinders and long haul trucker rides. The instincts are coming back, the improper braking in turns, washing out the front wheel, losing the rear wheel to a root, carrying too much speed, bumping trees, oh yeah the deftness of a ninja and the ferociousness of a viking embodied by one of the 3 stooges. I'm back!

Home is where you plant your flamingo (or Flamingo Bells)

A cold front moving through brought overnight and early morning showers along with muggy 84 degree temps. Mooch (aka fixie 8-ball but he "mooched" another meal today) sent a text early morning asking if the ride was still planned. Hell yeah, no rain here, but we pushed it back an hour to 9 instead, hoping to give the rain time to move on through. Having time to kill, I headed out to bring the boys in and feed them breakfast.



Last night I swung by REI to pick up some new sandals. My Shimano ones with their nogahide uppers stink to high heaven. They're new design sucks and includes even more odor breeding nogahide material than the 2 strap versions I have. I always wished Keen made an SPD sandal, with their toe cover they'd offer more foot protection for when you were rolling urban or on the trail in comfort (possibly while riding off-road fixie). Well, they do now and REI is the only local dealer I know of, so I hit them up. Picked up a new helmet too, hopefully it'll last until my Xen gets warrantied.



So far the Keens feel really good. I haven't put a cleat on yet, but the interface looks nicer than cutting away the rubber of the Shimano system. Plus I can go back to cleat free and not have a gaping hole in the sole. Even replaceable anti-bacterial foot beds. Sweet.


Mooch showed up around 9 and we sat and chilled with some fresh brewed coffee before suiting up to roll the road bikes around the inaugural "local" loop. The first road had a killer hill less than a mile into the roll. Our legs (not having ridden much since last weekends epic) felt like lead, but we managed to grind up it. Across the ridge and many, many good climbs. Only one messed up turn which turned out to lead to some spectacular roads so I'll count that as good things coming by way of "going with the flow". One king of all creek crossings (nearly knee deep) with a rear wheel spinning mother of the bitch and the bastard (Mooch's nicknames for painful climbs) right after. 4 hours and change and the loop started 100 yards from the drive ended less than 400 yards from the drive (which is on a sketchy, fast and heavily trafficked road). Perfect day. It was even muggy, overcast, and rained on us. Ideal road biking conditions.


I also think I'll be giving Curtis a call soon.

ps. Thanks again Mike for helping us out with the farm chores this afternoon and rewiring the dryer. I guess you "earned" your meal. Jumbaliffic!!

Cracked

Damn. What are the odds. Hopefully I can get a new face plate before the cowbell. Preferably one that's not cracked. Think Thomson warranties bull attacks?

Sometimes you just gotta grab the bull by the bell

Hey Dicky, need some more cowbell? I think ya do. See yinz in Davidson. One question, Pale or Dos Perros?

Fjear the Bilateral Index (Blister) Brigade.

Change of Scenery (and a Man Cave)

Due to circumstances outside of our control, we had to leave our beloved farm in Franklin. A week of 94 degree heat and no A/C upstairs in the apartment above the barn made packing and loading a sweaty endeavor. It's an unexpected move with heavy hearts and conflicted feelings. We miss our barn family already.


The good news is that the A/C is on and I have my bike rack rebuilt and serving it's purpose once again. A bike/pool/bar filled "man cave" is in the works and the bathroom has saloon doors!!!


The "kitch"en has sweet turquoise push button stove and oven from the Hee Haw era and a breakfast nook to sit and eat.


The bedroom is HUGE-humongous with an enormous walk-in closet. I even have my own cavernous closet in the hall. The dogs are able to roam and wander at will thanks to an electric fence and the horses are frolicking in the front yard paddock. It's quite a change and my wondermous 12 mile perfectly scenic commute by bike has been replaced by a much longer drive, but I'm searching out options for riding.


Since we finished well ahead of schedule, Fixie 8-ball Mooch Mike and I snuck out to LBL (45 minutes closer now) for a North/South trail out and back. There was a race at Mousetail (congrats Adam!!) but with similar drive time plus $40, we could ride for 2 hours or we could head North and ride for 9, we chose 9. 64 miles of 94 degree heat and humidity. The first 15 were pretty comical and pathetic as I struggled to get my trail eyes, handling, and speed back. Eventually the handling came back, then the speed, but the trail eyes took till about mile 29 to kick in. I was struggling a bit for the first 31, with Mooch able to keep a faster roll and was usually off the front. 3hrs 45mins. 30 mins off pace (mostly my fault)

A good head dowsing and water refill at the North Welcome Center and we were back on our way. I'd downed an Ensure at the stop and the calories were a welcome addition to my day. (Neither of us brought enough food). A group of about 10 cyclists left the Center just as we were preparing to roll out. I thought they were off for the 11 mile canal loop, but not far up we got stuck in the procession. Gearies in grannies spinning up the short steep ups while we grunted trackstands behind. Eventually we got passed half and were in the mix with the steadier traveling front of the pack. We discovered they were indeed heading to the South end. I sure hope they realized it was 31 miles, had enough water and food, and possibly lights. We got around and quickly settled into a brisk pace. I was feeling rejuvenated after the stop.

The ride was uneventful and enjoyable and I was finally feeling good and able to ride, despite the heat. That is, until we had about 8-10 miles to go, we both ran out of water. Miserable. On the verge of bonking and dying of thirst (only because we kept thinking about being out of water) we championed on and finally made it to the trail head, the car, and the Powerade machine. Quick clean up, some Mexican food, and a shower at home and now it's time for bed.


Caitlin, get the iChat going so we can video chat. We miss you guys!