In the White Room

I have not sat down yet and thought about the best and worst of the year. 

Unfortunately as I get older and older it is harder and harder for me to 

remember what happened last week,, one of the reasons that my race reports are 

not as in depth and play by play as others. 

What I do know is yesterday I came out of retirement and strapped on my

tele skis and went and played with the young boy. 

I was nervous at first having been six years since i rode a chair and slid down a hill. 

Now where were going only claims around 345 feet vertical but when it comes to a cool 

funky little ski hill... Bruce Mounds was a good time.

The boy and I hit the T-bar right off the front and he show his old man what he could do. 

For the Rocket this was only his fifth day on skis and I am so impressed on how well he can handle him self. I am not sure if the skiing DNA can be pass on but if it can he sure has it. 

We made our way over to the chair and tackled the big hill,, which again for where we are I was impressed. We recently had gotten some fresh snow and they had the snow cannons a blazing. 

I wish that I had turned on my GPS so we could have tracked how many laps that we did,, all I know is we were getting dizzy with all the laps. I even found a small run with some nice pockets of fresh untouched powder for my knee dropping turns. 

It was fun and both the Rocket and I can't wait to get back on the sticks and make some turns. 

He asked why can't he ski everyday,, I smiled and said someday,, and then thought oh crap

don't want him to end up like his dad,, a recovering powder-hound. 

SoLiTuDe

Three day work outs are the shizle and should be in effect every week of the year. 

I have to say that I have much better days when I don't punch the clock five days. 

Speaking of good days or bad days it looked like a tough day for racing in Belgium today 

and Sven was having a hard time and then this happened..

This guy little Rocket has been having some good days learning to slid down the slopes and ride the chair lift. At the end of todays lesson he did not want to be done and wants more and more. 

As a recovering downhiller still in a 12 step program I worry about what could happen.

Sounds as if I may be falling off the wagon on sunday and sliding with him here..

Now if his uncle could just get the helmet sent to him I could stop  renting them.. 

Grover that mean you. 

More of the white stuff fell from the sky and it was the light and fluffy kind which made for

a super fun commute to work.. Saw a few accidents but no problems here just kept spinning the 53x24 and got to work.

Home was a bit more tricky with the snow turning to slush and in places having the consistency of mashed potatoes which can 

pull you in some funky directions. 

Regardless after getting home and having fun in the snow I wanted more. 

And much like in the summer months I did a superman change from one super suit to another and headed out for a xc ski. 

Was able to do a lap as the light went away and then back to the car to get my light.  It was by far one of the best skis of my short season. Snow falling and dancing in the LED rays strapped to my head...and I went with out music and due to the clouds the air was quite and still.

Going to wax up the sticks and get more tomorrow. Got to love it. 

Like the cool kids say I like to move it move it ....

Hogwash

Back to work after a nice six day staycation.  I know a few things in life and one is

that no matter how you shake it below zero is below zero.

With that said,, I am layered up like a seven layer cake,, and thanks to the holiday binge their is a 

nice layer of fat to help keep me warm.

Don't get me wrong I got a good bunch of skiing over this time off from 

work but any calories that were taken off were

put right back on. 

Now more than ever time to get moving and planing for the up coming season

is now.. as Fu Manchu says "the Action is Go"

Hope everyone had a good celebration  with friends and family and 

all travels were safe.. Now I must go and polish some turds.  

HeRe Like It Or Not

The Snow came and went and it was more blow than show... As of wednesday night the new was

calling for up to 16inches of snow and blizzard conditions. Schools closed and travel was not recommended.

Woke up Thursday to little to no snow on the ground and no work.. 

Snow Day!

The Rocket and I moved snow and then got on bikes and tooled around the hood,,shortly

joined by the pip..

By the time that it was all said and done I think that we ended up with 6inches of snow.. and that works out to an inch of snow  for each of the days that I have off of work...

I have my XC skis ready to go and the sun is shining on the shortest day of the year.

It should be a test of fitness and leg strength as I will head up to the home of SSUSA to go ski at ST Marys. The hills don't stop and the grooming is world class.

Tomorrow will mark the first day on sticks for the boy but,,,not the xc style we are going to send him out on some downhill gear and see what he thinks.. I truly think that he is going to love it as the gravity bug runs deep in the family jeans.  For me I have my lift access gear ready to go,,, but not sure when I will hit the slopes for the first time in 5+ years.  My plan is to the Levis Mound and ski the 30k of skate trails that they have all set up and ready to go.

I got my Pickle in the mail yesterday and as stated it wont be taken off anytime soon..

The world has not ended yet so get out

and enjoy the return of the LIGHT!!

Blasted

Weather man says that the S#!t is about to hit the fan here in the Drifless region

but by the time it is all over we will be more drift full..

Blizzard warnings have been blasting my phone all afternoon and I wonder if this is going to 

be the Armageddon that the Mayans spoke of. 

My biggest dilemma is how in the hell and I going to get to work. I Have not driven a car

to work in well over a year and a half. And I a have not dove into the fat bike Koolaid. 

My current snow bike has 32mm cx tires and a 53x22 and this may bring a bit of pain to the legs.

May have to after dinner play with gearing to get things right. The news is telling people not to drive,, unless it is an emergency... Funny that is what I do for work and I am pretty sure that they will

have me out and about driving in places that should not be driven in. 

But all this said it should hopefully mean that the skinny skis will get to come out and play. 

I have been aching to ski and with five days off  from work I should get my wish. 

Bench is set up and wax is ready to get melted,, I know the boy wants to wax up

his new sticks and get to sliding. 

Until then I need to figure out if and how I am going to be riding to work or if I 

just need to break down and drive a car,,,,Boo to that.. 

Tickle my Pickle

I had to take a deep breath yesterday AM when I woke up to the 

sound of Rain drops pinging off the Air Conditioner. It has happened three years in a row if not more.

We get some good snow in December nice deep snow pack good for skiing or what ever it 

is you do with the white stuff. 

This year it did not even last a week,,we got six inches last sunday and things looked good,,

like we would be skiing both down hills and on the xc gear. 

But after yesterday morning it is all gone except for a few piles on

some north facing aspects. 

Working over over the ski tuning bench I started playing the old switch-a-roo with tires and

wheels. 

With the King/Hed wheels back on the Gunnar I made a break for the last few minutes of daylight. It has been a few months since I rode a shifting bike let alone a true road bike. 

Felt real real good to get out and spin the legs and take in the mid december air. 

The one positive from the rain is that most of the salt and deicing material was washed off the roads.

Quite damp roads took me up in to a cloud and light precep. With my music turned down I could hear the sound of angry bees chasing me through the Coulee .

Not sure what today will bring,, going to do a quick family Christmas with Anna's family

and then the Pack plays, who knows with all of that I may need to get out again.

I did this morning find the Pickle Have you?

Not Sure Why?

Sitting down in front of the computer I was getting ready to 

type a bunch of words and rants like I normally do about bikes 

and riding them and things like that.

But as I sit back and scratch my brain I think WHY???

Today..... after another mindless act of Violence and Senseless Rampage that

has turned peoples life's upside down and inside out.

Nothing that I think or will say can mean anything. 

I am 

shocked and stunned

and trying to figure out how I am going to explain to my 

eight year old son what happened.

Wrong 

is all I can 

come up with.

I am saddened......... No Fiscal Cliff or he said she said

political bull shit can add up to the pain and suffering that these kids and familys

but mostly kids will live with for the rest of their lives. 

We should be a people of great good and care..

Not pain and destruction.

What I try to bring to you here who ever you are that reads my ramblings is a 

positive outlook and enforce that each day counts and make the most of them.

Hug your kids,, tell your parents that you care about them

pay the love forward,, 

No one should have to suffer like the family's in Connecticut are today.  

Love makes the wheels go round and round.

New Girls

Kwood wife of Hollywood Henderson has brought some new goods to market.

Check out what these ladies are doing and while you are 

there grab a Shirt for the cyclist in your life.

Bandit Crossing

So damn glad that I got one last Mountain Bike ride in before the winter blew in. 

It was a long and fun year on the fat tires and now it is time for the bike to get cleaned up and 

start think and planing for next year. 

I got out saturday morning before the sun broke through the clouds and the woods were

quite and the trail was still frozen so not a single knobie left a mark in the dirt.

Followed the day up with some enchilada's  and then a spin over to the Moon with my Sweet Lady for beer and wings that never got ordered. 

Riding home through the hood it was all lit up with holiday cheer, and with no snow on the ground and warm temps sure seemed like winter was never going to come. 

The we went to bed and woke up to a winter wonderland.

After moving some snow off the driveway the boy and I headed out to ride our neighborhood cross course, with the white stuff flying and piling up on the ground it sure changed the way our wheels moved. And it made for some great snowballs.. 

Knowing that the commute to work would be one for the story books with the snow falling all through the day, I knew that I needed something to get me to work. 

Not wanting to destroy my cross bike for the forth year in a row I started digging around the garage to see what I could put together. 

Pull the winter commuting wheels out of storage and took the Vittoria CX wheels off my King Wheels and got to work.  This here bike is something that came about years ago and has never really had a purpose... With a few tweaks and  some spare parts I got it up and running. As a winter commuter it will work,, could use some studs  but with out it will just make for some more funner spinning.

Winter is here at least for now so time for crazy commutes and if and only if the snow holds we will be sliding on snow on waxed missiles..

Going to leave you with one From Jeff at All City and Bike Jerks he has the right idea.

Bandit Cross: Ruining It For Everybody from Quality Bicycle Products on Vimeo.

 

SuPeRcHuNkEd

Winter has no desire to show it's head in these here parts,, so this guy is making hay while the sunshine's ..I have been finding deep solace in morning spins up the quarry road avoiding the crappy morning traffic and getting to climb one of my favorite hills. 

I can leave the house in a crappy mood about work,, bills,,, kids,,etc,,, and  the next thing that I know smiles are stretching across my face,,,,,,,,,that is until I get to the job site.  

I dream about stuff take in the fresh air do dandy boy moves and just take in the freedom that is 

wheeling around. 

Fixing things i think is a noble trade ,,, even when the stuff that i am wrenching on is nothing but a big pile (fill in the Blank)...

I at times think of my wrench friends in all the bike shops all across this land that have to hoist up a Magma or Freespirit or even the walmart Schwinn. 

I can see their faces drop to the floor as they have to true some shitty wheels or re-cable the pos..

But the funny thing is it could be a Madone or a some fancy full boinger or even worse the racer guy who does not clean it after a nasty race and can't figure out why it does not shift. 

It all boils down to things break and need to be fixed,,,cheep or through the roof expensive. 

When it is all said and done and the day is done being able to unwind and forget it and let

all slide off like you like you are made of Teflon is key.

And once again it is the bike that unlocks the door to sanity. 

Walking out the door I can make the choice to just hit the path and head home or I can 

turn the opposite direction and head through town and back up the bluff... then I can make the choice of single track fun or just bombing down some loose gravely fun. 

If all goes well my week is full of ups and downs and all on two wheels,, and if winter does not want to come and make things impassable these knobies are going to keep on spinning. 

Not

I keep telling my self that as for now the season is over and it is time to shift gears and do something else for awhile. But this keep looming in the distance and with the severe OCD that i have 

I keep looking at it.

No No I say 85 dollars for a 40 minute race is too damn much.. I am going to save my dollars and 

go on sunday and Heckle my friends and shake hands and slap palms with the

sponsor folks who will be in the 608 for this big event.

Unit till the next line up work will be done on two wheels and in the mid-evil chamber of pain.

And hopefully sooner than later the work bench will be changed from a tool shop to a wax bench 

but would require snow??

Fading Lines Taned

I know my place and I know where I am the happiest..  That being said I want to spend every day that I can in that happy place.  I finished off my work day and headed home on my SSCX with a 

light on my head I rode into the darkness. Last time I checked I is December but other than the lack of daylight you would not know that with the 60 degree temps and rain showers we got today.

Only two

days out since my last race of the season and I can already fell that felling of " what in the hell am I going to do now?" I spent yesterday chilling and playing with the boy,, we made our own urban cross course across the way at the middle school,,,,sure is a shame that kids bikes are so damn heavy.. I have been stretching him on a mid-evil rack so he can get on to a snappper bike..

Saturday was full of Cross Bike Racing ToMfOolery..  A windy chill day in the 612 and a well though out cross course.. The boys who put this one together used every inch of every bit of off camber tight twisty sandy bits of fun that they could.  After Checking in with the Twin Six Crew,

we (pip) set off to watch the 3's race,, what a kick ass race it was as we got to watch the young Bavers hit the Top Step with Hwood on the third step,,! Good Job you Red Headed Stud!

I was up next and was stoked when I got my call to the line, and what a line it was,,, next to me was Dan C World Track Champ and Brandon K the winner of the ROY and the Raganork,, Ezzra T on his crazy wide handle bars that give the man so much torque and another 25+ guys ready for a ton of pain.  Brandon punched it right at the start and we were off,, a small group of around 8 or so formed until we it the sandpit for the first time,,,, here things stretched out a bit and we all came back together at the stairs.  By the back side the yo-yo was in full effect. i could see the lead group for the next 4 laps but could never bring back.. I sat for a while where I wanted to be on Dan Casper's wheel,, he would pull on the flat straight and I would ride the more techy stuff,, but duder is strong and running a tooth or two more and was 

able to ride away after the sand pit with two to go.. 

I came in where I normally du Seven,, so yes it was another ride of Sevin Curran.

For a Cross season that was thrown together at the last minute I think that I did well over the 6 weeks of racing.. Had some moments where I felt fast and like I knew what I was doing ,,,,then others when I just wished the bike would break in two.. The level of riding and riders was top notch and the singlespeed class was riding as hard if not harder than the 1-2's. 

I am thankful for the weekends of fun seeing teammates and old/new friends.... For beating my body and equipment,, for going crossed eye off the line and smiling the whole time. 

I could not do it with out the support of my family here at home and all the kind sponsors who keep me moving..   Two Thousand and Twelve's racing may be over but the next season is just about to begin and start all over..