Stop making sence

Funny thing about this time of year,, the temps can be 30+ maybe even 40 and it feels like a heat wave. With work being the way that it is I had enough time to get out and take

my clapped out Cross Bike out for a ride. 

With layers in my Ergon bag that were needed for the morning I 

was running pretty lightly dressed. 

Decided to push up the bliss road and to see how the legs felt 

after a weekend of skiing and moving heavy things. 

First time up can always be deceptive as the 44x18 can make 

you fell week on the first section of 8%.

After getting up to the Alpine I opted for heading back down and coming back up again. 

Road was wet not real wet just enough that my front wheel was spraying 

and I could taste the salt on my lips.  Second time felt better which only made me want another.

This time the gloves came off and I pushed on. 

After three times up and down and coated in salt it was time to 

head north and start playing the role of dad,.

Again on two wheels to get the boy with another bike in hand. Always turn heads 

of all the parents in cars, and of the helpers at the school.. 

I guess that I look pretty funny in my superman suit covered in road grit, with 

punk rock blaring out of my head phones. 

Monday is on and so is dinner.. time to eat...

Long may you run

All fired up today to get after some LSD on the skis...

What slipped my mind was that last night instead of the snow we were supposed to get we got some kind of mixed bag of weather. Headed out to the golf course to get my start and almost 

died due to the ruts and foot prints. Quickly turned around to go to the wood to try and salvage 

the time on snow. Woods were a bit better but not great did a few repeats and then bagged it. Conditions were similar to ice skating,,, and not what I needed or wanted. 

So back home and a quick gear change and out two wheels. Chose the geared road bike to test out the new Cateye toy.. Lots of numbers at my fingertips now just need to figure out how to make them all work. Headed out to the Prairie to get some flat land riding in low and slow,, which was easily achieved with the stiff Prairie cross Wind. Felt good to be on the road even if my bike needs some love... The cassette is fried and the ceramic bearings in the bottom bracket are cooked. So now that I can hear out of both ears I just turned the music up louder and got the work done. 

 Tomorrow there is a 10k skate race up at SMU and not sure if I am sold on going.. Could be a good test of where my fitness is,, but with the conditions also don't want to waste time with   no-so-good 

snow.?? Will know more when I get out of bed in the morning.

i against i

Keep stuck in ruts.. I try to steer clear of them and keep a 

PMA but at times I find that really hard. The constant flux of 

crap at work is enough to make a man go crazy. 

I have brought up the option of loading up 

the camper and heading to the desert and just going 

Awol. 

Not an option but makes for some good daydreams... in this daydream nation. 

Movement comes in waves Friday through Tuesday I had some really good skiing . Topped off 

a solid block of two planking with a night ski on tuesday. Not a huge fan of skiing with 

my bike helmet on but seeing as i can use my bright light it is worth it. 

The night in front of me glows with the dancing sparkles of all the new snow. 

I have made a few attempts to spend some time on the rollers... but seeing as

I have been skiing a bunch and still riding outside it is hard to stay motivated and un-board.

I need to be outside I need to be where the cactus grows.

Until I make it there I will keep my head down and eyes shut and 

plug through what could just be another post hump day.

Salty

It has been one long sustained fire drill at work.. Need to stop daydreaming 

about doing something else for a living.. Hard to wrap my brain 

around the crap that slides down hill at that place. 

Thankfully their are bikes and I ride one to work and home 

no matter what the weather. This week was temps in the -20's and my logic normally is 

if I can make it through that the rest of the day should be nothing. 

The cold weather the snow has been making the commute seem more like

work than a nice pedal to the shop. Add the work being done with heavy things

I seem to be in a constant state of sore legs. 

Friday we saw a few fresh inches of powder which freshened up the 

the XC trails. The down side was the temps were below zero for my morning ski 

yesterday. 

Between the fresh sharp snow and the wax that was on the skis movement was a bit hard. 

Still slogged trough it trying to make for good form. 

Goal for today is another few hours of slipping and sliding, and making the body hurt more and more. 

Should get some good help this week from the Cat Eye HQ. 

Terry has one of these coming my way.

As much as I am enjoying the winter silent sports I can not wait for the roads and single track to melt out.. I am ready to start getting after it. And getting ready for the gravel roads of MN in April. 

Enjoy the day and enjoy your self.

Got nothing on me

We went from riding Mountain sTyle bikes to slip sliding on skis in a matter of a few hours..

I was thinking about it this morning on the ride in that last week I was 

riding dirt to work and then home,,, this morning was just cold...

I was able to get out with the Pip, once in Hixon and once at Drugans. 

The ski in Hixon was good felt great to be back on skis. Sophia is really coming along and with some work she be flying all over the place. 

Sunday was just as good just not as long. We went up to Drugans and got a full lap in when some how the kid tipped over and broke the grip off her pole.
So not working to find either a set of poles or grips.. Damn Kids!!

So more time on the skinny sticks balanced with the heavy things and commuting with just maybe.......if some rollers,,,,,

Here is my bike after the commute yesterday... had some nice fresh tracks on the way in.. Way home was much worse and tricky at times. Tomorrow will be 

the coldest one yet. Heavy layers.. 

Bundle Up and stay warm...

Be a Sunshine Superman!

Park It

The news had a story this morning that 

for once pertained to me. Last night the city board of Lacrosse was 

to vote on the Land that our local trails sit on. And yes the decided to make the 

area a park and not to turn it in to homes. A lot of people came to the plate and did a lot 

of hard work to make this a reality. What the board heard the other night when we all 

gathered at city hall, was that this is more than just land but a place for all 

people to go and get closer to nature. A place that the area could not do with out.

Some stuff showed up this week,, Pacific Health sent out a big supply of recovery items

as the training ramps up once again. Now I have all the before and after products to help me go farther and faster. 

A box from Magura show yesterday and that was full of New Brakes MT8 and a new brain bucket,

to replace the one that I crashed in on new years.  The other thing that show up

was snow and enough that we should be skiing by this evening.

Had a ton of fun riding the first few weeks of the new year but now I am ready to slip and slide.

It is friday so all smile and get ready for a football weekend.

Saving GrAce

It is getting closer to being real..

The Proving Grounds is an area for everyone.

This is a gem that is with in reach of all... Minutes ----seconds from the 

city,, can be ridden to walked to..

An area for all to enjoy.

Thanks for the good turn out last night and to all the people

doing all the hard work to keep the Woods alive. 

Whole Shot

The weekend has come and gone and it is hard to believe it's true.

Had a fun weekend of bikes and watching bike racing. 

The boy and I went to Madtown on saturday to watch Hwood race CX for the 

Stars and Bars. 

Mud had frozen the tire tracks in to the ground,.,, had to find a safe place for the boy as I ran Hwoods pit.  Hollywood never need a bike swap and the boy had a blast in the tree. Running the Shimano

natural support was one of my old Mechanics from Breckenridge.. Had not seen 

Ryan since hanging out in the back of A Great Adventure.

Bikes got dirty and people were 

yelling at the top of their

lungs..

Lot of fun was had,,

 even got to spend time in the Hed warming hut..

Sunday brought sun and warmth so warm that me and the Pip went and rode some bikes. We rode up at the HPT..the endangered section of woods that we will be meeting about tomorrow. 

Trails were good to be out on,, bike felt great and although I am supposed to be skiing the riding of

single track in january and it being warm is not bader. 

Even woke up this morning and rode the dirt some more.. 

Was surreal this morning with the full moon setting behind the bluff and the pink inky sun rise.

Metalinguistic

Early January and I can't believe the weather,, I am scared that 

we are going to pay in the spring or summer we have to get moisture at some

point in time. Was able to double dip today,, set out this morning with the 

temps still around 20ish and lights on my head and seat post. Goal...to ride and get an 

hour in before work,, headed to the bliss hill and gave it a two times try. 

Baller

Light went out on the first time up but I was ok with that as the sun was coming up 

in the eastern sky.  Still a bit tentative  on the down after my new years day crash. 

First time felt good second felt much better,,, pushing the 53x20 on the Lemond 

makes you wake up quick.. Been using Excel for the past year for help with 

recovery and to help fight free radicals which can cause soreness. 

It works still a bit sore but that comes from the early season work and the weight lifting. 

Work was slow and the sun was warming up the day so much that by the time

I left work it was up to 50 degrees,,, Back on the Lemond and back up 

Bliss this time heading north but only after heading south. Again taking it easy on the downs not wanting to recreate more carnage.... Good work spinning and grinning tasting the salt on my

lips as the bigger trucks drove by. Through West Salem and up Larson Hill,, now this hill can 

suck in the middle of summer on a bike with gears,, which made it hurt that much more today. 

Crossing the bluff I had Mike Watt in my ears driving me home. A little over 2.5 hours

in the saddle today fully unzipped and  not completely missing snow.  Lots of food was 

consumed and happiness was had,, How long will it last?? Not to be labeled a fair weather cyclist

riding in all conditions.. But for the start of the new year does not get much better than this.

SLAbaM

Low key end to 2011 no party and bed before the fireworks. 

I am old lame and sleep is fun. Sunday was supposed to be 

cold and windy but I was not going to let that stop

the restart to the training program. 

It was time for my decapitated cross bike and at least an 

hour or so of new years work. 

Headed south thinking that climbing bliss and heading to 

the HPT's sounded like a good idea. Had a bit of wind at my back 

and was flying avoiding the ice on the paths and made great time up the bluff. 

The single track was slightly covered by snow and only a few tracks from

the big wheeled bikes that are all the rage. 

Good time and good movement,, bike handling the snow and the frozen ground so well.

As i stated my way home to watch the last game of the regular season,, I headed through

 the quarry making fresh tracks in the bits of snow on the double track. Coming up to the big ass hill i 

knew that things could get interesting and they did. I made it through the meat of the hill and 

had worked my way to the inside away form the ditch on the right side. 

Here is where things went awry. The snow that was giving me traction was gone and now it was 

double off-camber ice,,,,,, right as I thought this may be it BAM!!!

I hit the ground hard and landed on a bunch of old broken down bits of asphalt and rocks.

Did the quick check to make sure that nothing body was not broken and all parts were good.. Outer wear took 

a beating... Blown shoe covers knee warmers and beat up my Twin Six Skin Suit. Bike

slid down another 30 feet down the hill.. Shaken and cold I called home and asked to get picked 

up and now had to walk down the ice skating rink of a hill.

It took hours to get warmed up I was cold for hours and then slipped into what only could be 

consider concussion like symptoms.  I wrecked my self.. 

Now with an extra day off of work and licking my wounds I dream of better days to come. 

More riding and more training getting my self ready for another season of chasing the Dream. 

I had told my mom at christmas that i just want to quit my job and just ride my bike... "you know hang out and be a dude.." She did not get it.. maybe in another life. 

Big wheels will keep on moving ,,, I do need/want a new Cross bike but that is another rant another day.