A Year In THC Photos!!

Party On To ALL and To ALL a GooD RIDE

Sunny is not

Another trip around the sun has been completed. 

Now the days will get longer and the light will creep back into the 

dark corners of my blackened heart.

Age is a mindset more than it is a number.

There are milestones,, sixteen you get to drive,, seventeen you can

go see a R movie,, eighteen if you are a male you get to register for the draft,

and then twenty one you can buy liquor legally.

After that it is pretty much all down hill, somewhere in your twenty's you 

can rent a car,, AARP comes when you hit 50's and sixty four brings medicare.

I am not transfixed on age,, I have been an old man for as long as I can remember,,

chasing and raising fart-face-kids since I was twenty-one.

I have line up for races and had my doors blown off by those twice my age and even half 

my age.

My Grandfather is Ninety Six.....And he is still moving and shaking. Not sure if it is longevity or if it was good living. 

A box came in the mail the other day with a photo album of my first thirty nine years on this rock hurling through space. Lots of different styles and looks have come and gone,, but one thing

still stays the same.

Full throttle Straight Ahead Raging Full On!

A new year, a new dawn a New Day Rising thank you mister sun for coming back and warming 

me Up!      

Hey where is the snow??

We need snow,,

There is some just not lots, enough to cover the grass and 

make the roads sloppy.

I do have to say that this is the first winter that I can remember that it has not rained

the week leading up to Christmas,, but all that said we need some snow..

Six to eight inches would be perfect just enough to get rolled out and 

allow some good xc skiing on. 

We are close just not there yet.

I went up to St Mary's over the weekend not knowing what to expect. 

They have worked hard over the past few years putting in some snow making and even some lights on one of their loops.  What 

 I found when I got there was a loop just over a 1/2 mile long that was groomed to

perfection.  Wanting to make the most of the drive I went around in circles over and over again until 

my legs were unable to make it up the short steep pitch that seemed to come up every lap pretty fast. 

In all an hour of skiing and just over 8miles of  sliding. It was good for the first slide of the year. 

Sunday saw more of the same as I got all jacked up on coffee and could not figure out what to do with my self. 

Back at it going around and around and again just over 8 miles in an hour,, I was happy with how my body responded to the work.. 

Now I just want more,,,, if it is going to be winter I want to play in it.

Going to drive further north this weekend to see if I can find some more snow to play in....

After the ski that I just attempted I need to find something or I am going to destroy my good sticks..

Shackle Me Not

I am stuck somewhere in the middle of here and there.

Season of racing is done, and I am trying to approach this december as a true off season.

Doing just enough to keep what fitness that I may have left over from cross racing. 

This fall racing the Purple Reign was a blast,, having to battle through 

injury not so much but with the racing only being an hour I could block out the pain. 

Now the pain is being board off my ass.

Still waiting on some snow to ski on here in the local area.. May end up having to travel to find it if it does not fall from the sky anytime soon. 

With the low back pain I really need to get down on the floor more often and get flexible or  at least loose,,, man getting old Sucks.

Pushing the old Steel rig through the back streets of Lacrosse with studs and fenders seems to 

be working me not sure if it is the 53x24 or again just the fact that I am becoming an old man. 

Only ten days left and the bringer of the Light will be back and the bright star in the sky will start to make its long journey back to the Norther Sky... Then all around the Drifless Region the shackles of winter will start to 

recede and the taste of Salt will no longer fall upon the lips of two wheel enthusiast as they are passed by speeding Autos.
Bring on the Light,,, Rock for Light
Light It Up.
Bring it!



Speaking of Bringing it...

www.facebook.com/matthew.pastick

The Super Fast Speed kid running with the Orange Jake the Snake is

Josh Bauer.. or as we call he The Bavers.

I have watch this kid grow over the past few years of racing with him

On The TEAM HOLLYWOOD CYCLES squad.

Last season was his first year racing cross and excelled to win the Cat 3 state championship. 

This year as a 2 he was consistently finishing top 10 in the Pro-1-2 races.

The past month of racing has been solid for the Baves and he is on 

his way to Boulder to swing his leg over his Rig for 

the National race there.

He is hoping for some help to get him self there and has a 

Web site taking donations to help get him to his Dream. 

I have a lot of faith in this here boy.... The Speed runs deep in this one and only 

great things are to come of the Fast Ginger.

Now back to my Training Plan of doing not much of anything.. 

PARTY ON!!

Frosty Toes,,, Cold Nose

Cold is a state of mind kind of like pain.. Sometimes it is all a mental game of how much you can stand,,or how much your body can handle.

Today was the Minnesota CX State Championship, and I did not make it there due to the weather that the Twin Cities had blowing through.

They took a shot of snow this week that we did not see only two hours away and then the cold blast of air came in from the great white north causing the windchill to drop below -25..

I had so much fun last week and wanted to be back up there racing my Purple Reign,, but no dice.

Instead I got the Spot 1x1 back together and headed out for some single track riding. 

Left the hose dressed like I was going to go XC skiing as the temp was only 2 above with a negative windchill.... With the lobsters on my hands I was gone. Rode some trails not to far from the house and before I knew it I was dripping with moisture. 

The sun was out and the trails were dry,, and the leaves were crisp and made for some interesting 

traction.

It was tons of fun to be out on the oneBYone with low psi and what felt like bonus trail miles my face was all smiles..

   The whole time I was riding again thinking that this may be the last one of the year,, it has to snow here sooner or later,, and no I don't have a Phat bike,,, I will ski if it ever snow,,, IF..
It was one of those days where I felt like I could ride for ever.. but sooner or later my toes were going to get cold,,, wearing my Chainsaw socks that i won at the Fatbikeworldchampionship were doing the job with the thick layer embro until the nip in the air got to be too much.

 Packing it in and hanging the bike up for what I could only think is the last one 

I was happy that fun was once again found on the back of two wheels..

Huge Props go out to my THC Teammate,, Little Josh Bavers,, Riding today in that 

Minnesota CX race fresh off a third place last week at Hollywoods Cross for Tots fought 

through the snow and cold to Pull off a 6th place overall in the 1/2 race .

This kid this Shaun White Doppelganger went from the Cat 3 state champ 

last year to a 2 this,, and even catted up for the Iowa Jingle Cross race just for the experience. 

This Ginger has the skills and as he grows up his potential is starting to shine,, 

I have faith that he is going to be one to watch..

Part On Bav's you are a Stud in Skinny Jeans..

The Question is what comes next?

BLACK&WHITE Fer Life!!

I can hang my hat now on the 2013 season..

Yesterday was the last of my races for the year.

What started in April all came to close at Hollywood Cycles "Cross For Tots"

And what an event it was.

By far the best laid out course with a healthy dose of climbing some

wicked swoopy turns back into the bowl,,, off camber turns 

more sand than any beach I have been to,, and barriers that were just right for going fast.. 

Now before the first race even started the box to collect the toys was overflowing,, 

and the turn out on both sides spectators and racers  was amazing being the

  weekend of thanksgiving.. 

Warming up on the short course I was feeling ok,, but started to get a touch worried about my Gear inch as the start loomed closer.. 

So breaking one of the rules of Fight Club I busted back over to the Rav and Swapped out my King 18 for a 19 and gave another practice lap.

I made a difference but now on some of the descents found my self spun out,, realizing that it is hard to take three weeks off of racing and only commuting via bike to try to stay up front. 

Regardless  I had a blast,, railing corners sand blasting,,, and bunny-hopping the double barriers every lap..  

Eric Thomson put on another show of how strong that he is riding this season,, Followed by Patty-cakes and the Bavers in third...

Jay "Hollywood" and his Wife Put on a Kickass Event 

and have put together one of the Best Teams in the 612 with 

the TEAM HOLLYWOOD CYCLES THC* ,, Girl Feind

Squad.

From April to December and all stops in between this Team has 

shown up Kicked ass and Done it in True THC* style..

Thanks To all of you that raced supported and flew the Colors!!

BLACK&WHITE Fer Life!!