More Please

Plane landed at Sky Harbor and we hit the ground running.... Leaving Minnesota at 7:45 and having a two hour time difference got us in to the Valley of the Sun early enough to catch the end of the morning rush hour.

Had my self some breakfast and a beer and got to building the bikes. 

I was so happy to see that everything was in one piece and with the help of my Feedback stand everything went together in a snap.

The Pip and I got changed in to our supersuits and off we went. 

Plan was to hit the trails and climb then flip at the top and ride some of the single that at one time was not so Legal,,, The whole McDowell Mountains have been opened up and make for some great riding. 

Both Bikes Rode Unreal,,,,,This was the kids and my self's first time on our new rigs and were testing them out with a 2000 foot climb up and over some rough terrain. 

Back home and to the pool as we end day one and got ready for day two..

Day Two:

Loaded up the Rav4 and head north young son..

Once getting out of the Valley and on to I17 things were flowing good and the landscape out our car window was at times breath taking. The desert right know is greener than I have ever seen.

Rolling in to Sedona on the Bell Rock side brought back a flood of memories and flash backs from times past.

Meeting up with  our crew for the day and looking over some maps we got the bikes ready and were on the trail.

The riding in Sedona has changed since I was last here and trails that were once bootleg trails are now legit and offer up hours and hours of fun. 

We jumped on some single track and it just started to flow and flow.. After miles of butter like flowing trail I started to question if we were ever going to go up hill.?

Again the new bikes on these trails and the itch to be flying on single track mixed together so well.

It was a blur of red dirt and colorful rocks.

I could ride there every day of my life and it would never get old. 

It was loosely voted on that these are the best trails in the country..

Up next is some laps at the Competitive track ,, a place that Sophia and I have been riding since the late 90's.. It is going to be fast and fun and give Pip a chance to ride something that she is ridden before.

Time to eat and get moving..

Go fast Play hard and Party ON!

Time in a Vortex

Five solid days of riding before heading out for vacation. It has been everything from cold and windchill to sun and snow. But more than anything I I have been getting the work done.

Bikes made it to Scottsdale on friday a few days early and as far as mom and dad can tell in one piece. No holes or large crushed spots on the boxes. I watch my tracking number for fedex like a hawk on friday. Got home from work/riding and got an email telling me that the bike had made it. 

I used Bikeflights.com to get the bikes there.  They use corporate shipping rates to keep the cost down, and so far so good,,, I wont know until I get them out of their boxes and in to the work stand. 

We get in around 9 on tuesday and my first goal is to get everything together and out on the trails ASAP.

Then other than going up to Sedona on Wednesday, our plans are pretty flexible. 

I look forward to the red rocks, it has been a log while since I have tooled around Sedona and Sophia has never ridden there. 

Over the years of living in Scottsdale and Flagstaff I have had some very memorable rides there,, running into and meeting some great people. Even got to celebrate Garro's bachelor party on a cliff side over looking one of the many canyons. 

This is going to be a much needed time away from the cold and snow, and if we get an increase in temps we'll start to see the snow go away.

When we come home we have a lot of riding to do and we are going to have one crazy itch to ride dirt,, but I think that may be a month or so out..  Warmer days Here We Come! 

ScReEn DoOr

Well there you have it,, not sure where the streak started but it ended this morning as 

I traded my commuter for  the mini-van.

After crashing three times last week and once on monday I decided that it was time to 

take a brake from the ice.  With in a block of my home I soon realized why

I choose two wheels over the car everyday.

 I live behind the middle school and kids now a days no longer ride the bus it seems. 

Lines and lines of cars with parents gripping their coffee and cell phones trying to 

get JR as close to the front door as possible. One you get  passed that one their is another school, followed by the High school,, it can be a mess, and on the bike you can wiggle wobble and fly on by.

I do have to say I  did enjoy being warm and not having an ice creme headache for the first 5 minutes of the ride.

But one car ride a year may be enough .....pretty sure that I am over it. Just need to make sure that I stay up right and

miss out on all of the icy patches. 

This time next week we should be just finishing up with our first ride down in the Mountain around Scottsdale.   So to fall and hurt my already ailing shoulder any more would be tragic. 

Wrapped up both Pip's and my bike in enough bubble wrap and Styrofoam that they should make down there with out any issues. Sophia was not to sure about leaving the boxes behind at the Fedex store,, but the nice girl behind the counter assured her that everything will be ok. 

So that being said tomorrow is the first  day of spring and equal day and night.

We are going to see a high of 21 or so,, not so spring like..

I did the unthinkable and rode in the garage for a bit.. Just a getter-done kind of effort. 

Not as fun as my simple ride to work. 

Craptastic is as Craptastic does,, just need to get through a few more days of work and get a few more days of work out side and then I am going to be ready to put my nose to the grindstone. 

Roadside

Started off moving to the 612 under some dark sky's..
 All the reports on the interwebs were saying that I90 was a mess.
And it was.. After a to close for comfort spin out from someone who was driving way too fast for the conditions we got to have a Police escort for a bit.  Roads
eventually got better to dry,, must have been caused by the
lift that the bluffs cause.  Yes I know winter is still here and
holding on tight. Word on the street is another 3-5" tonight-tomorrow.

Went up to the cities to get out hands on the Pips new rig.
Pretty stoked on the bike and she got fit spot on.. Moved a few parts around and need to put out a call for a Thomson set back, and she will be ready.  Her bike is broke down and in a box ready to go...

Got my new ride all dialed in and ready to go needed to clean up the shifting and get the brakes dialed and with the box of brake pads that showed up in the mail my Carbon DaRk HeArT  is going to fly in the desert. I am Scrambling for a bigger box one that I got on friday is too small and I need to have both bike broke down and ready for FedEx tomorrow.  I love last minute scrambling,, then making sure that all parts are accounted for... On the fence about parking the new Feedback stand to have it for any adjustments that may be needed,, when braking in two new bikes in the desert. 

Morning sun came through the windows this morning making it seem a lot warmer than it really was. I was really hoping to wake up OD on espresso and watch the coverage of MSR,,, But with a weather delay and a restart I lost interest and layered up. and headed out on the SSCX to cover some miles and hills.  With the mid March Sun and dry roads I quickly forgot about the cold and just drank in the sun and marched up the hills.

The next 6 days of work are going to be tough,
knowing that I have to get through them until we get to head out to the desert,, I pulled this photo off the Over the Edge FB page..  Where dreams are made.. Bring it ON!

 

Days like This..

I know that I have been bitching a lot about the weather here,, but holy crap this is starting to get old.

Snow then rain and not much sun.

I have been doing my best to get out and ride in the elements like a good 

Euro-wishing-cyclist,, but at some point in time my winterish riding equipment is going to fail.

As sit here now my rear wheel on the SSCX is read to explode and when it does their is no replacement for it. It was a treat to get out last weekend on dry clearner style roads and ride the good shifting road bike.

For the most part I have been riding the same loop over and over again. Twenty to twentyseven miles

with  a bit over 1000 feet of climbing. With the 44x19 it makes for good work and thanks to the 

social media tracking device on my phone I can see that my March numbers are not that bad. 

But that is about where it ends. I have a real hard time riding in the garage even if I know that I should.  And we are a few weeks away from getting to the desert.. it just can't get here fast enough. 

Things are coming together for the kid,, we are going to head up to the Hollywood HQ to get her new super rig.

Pretty sweet ride for such a little shit,,,, 

I keep telling her that I am making sure that she has the tools to compete at the next level in her life. 

Hard to keep a teenager motivated with all the indoor riding and gym work. 

I am super excited for her and all that she is going to get to see and do.. She is going to get to ride in new places and meet new faces,, and do things that this old semi washed up mountain bike racer has never gotten to do.   Oh All the Places You Will Go PIP!!

Osome

The weekend came and went like the evil temptress that she is.. This one 

came with deceptive blue bird skies and cold temps. 

But,,,,,,,,,the roads were dry and for the most part clear of too much crap. 

This allowed me to get the good road bike out of the Garage and hit 

some of the pavement around the hood.

Four miles in my handlebar mounted computer's battery decided that it was 

to cold for operation and called it quits.. I was a bit bummed wanting to 

see my HR suffer as I found elevation and wind to push me around. 

I did have my phone in my pocket so at least I would be able to compare my self to 

everyone else. 

Last March was one for the record books with warm conditions really warm...

So warm that the Apple trees in the area blossomed, only to bitten by frost turning out one of the smallest apple crops in some time. 

So no we don't want,, but temps above 30 would be nice. 

Not going to happen. I danced around on the pedals enjoying my Steel rig as 

my King Wheels plowed over every winter heave in the road.   

I returned home a happy man as goals were accomplished

and bikes were ridden, and Daydreams of the soon to come Arizona desert single track played in my head. 

Can't Wait!!

Sunday saw the family truckster get loaded up and we headed off to the place that Sophia will spend the next four years of her life. 

Ripon was celebrating the incoming class and the scholarships that they   received.  Pretty cool that the kid is getting recognized and has not even 

taken a class there yet... So much cool thing are ahead of that kid. 

With all the driving and running around I had just enough time to get the Rodie out 

again before night fell ,,, and it was good.. again liking what I am seeing just wanting more. 

I need to figure things out and decide what I am going to do with my self. 

It will all come together soon.. 

Mr Hand?

Looking for and finding form this time of the year is like trying to find that loose bearing 

that falls out of it's retainer and bounces and rolls across the garage floor. 

Looked back at the hand written log from last year,,  I was pretty good at keeping track till about the end of February and just gave up on the analog and went digital. 

Anyhow last year was an anomaly with little to no snow. 

The Pip and I were riding mountain bikes in jan and good miles were 

logged through much of feb.

This year I have been a little loose about keeping track but when I compare the numbers and workouts I seem to be on track what ever track that may be.

My shoulder still gives me some grief and  can make sleeping a chore,,but the work is getting done. 

Almost all the riding has been on one of the two single speed style road bicycle,,even though they are both beat up and falling apart i am liking the numbers that I see. 

Riding inside is not one of things that I enjoy so the layers get pulled out and miles get done outside and when i do have to ride in the garage it short and to the point...make it hurt then be done. 

The garage is for drinking beer and playing with and working on bikes. 

  Waiting on a crown race so I can finish this Lamere Cycles,

I wish Chris King made a headset for these style of head tubes 

but all good things in all good time. 

I think that after watching this,,,,,

I am going to pull the geared Road bike out and spend some times on the roads around Lacrosse County and parts of Trempealeau County.
I need to hear the angry bee's chasing me again.... it has been a while.