The Blink of an I

If a picture can tell a story I hope that someday i'll be able to write a book. 

My photos would be my words and the 

the visions of someone always on the move..

As I look back over the past twelve

months I can see movements that kept my brain 

and body engaged and informed.

Their have been many adventures and 

missions to explore and enjoy..

I find comfort and solace in the images that

depict were I have been in both space and time..

And can smell the dirt and sweat like it was just yesterday..

At times if you slow down just enough the sweeter things 

taste that much sweeter. 

I remind my self not to take this for granted because it could be

gone in the blink of an eye. 

Stop and smell the flowers let new relationships grow 

and blossom..

Hug,,love,,and Cherish all around things can change in the blink of an

eye,,even if you can only blink one...

Get up get out and get back on it.. It is just like riding a bike

after all. 

If you are not going to be then who is,, Be Awesome.

It is just that easy,,

And never stop,, Quitting is not an

option.

Keep pushing,,Keep pedaling,,Keep reaching...

It has been one hell of a year for this Darkhearted Boy

Thanks to all of you that make my trips around the sun that much more better. 

Bringer of the Light

Inspiration comes in many different shapes,, forms and ways..

My old man self has been motivated to be up off my squishy ass and keep moving.

After a lackluster sk8 session thursday night I was itching for more and more.

But what I need more than anything was a less impact sport one like cycling.

The college aged cyclist was home from school and this dad thought what a great reason to go out and ride a bike. 

The kid gets good grades but did not think to bring her mountain bike home.. So as a good dad or at least that is what I tell my self I got my geared bike all set up for her to ride on. 

The winds were low and the temps were manageable and not a lick of snow was to be found as we headed out to ride some frozen dirt. 

Not wanting to try to hard I switched the Blackbuck from a 36x17 to a 36x18 and smiled as the gear felt so good. As for the kid she had to deal with my 1x9 drive train less than what she has 

on her BMC.

Getting into the woods felt like it would in the middle of summer just with more clothes... and if all went well it would be my first ride on single track since my crapass crash in September.   

It felt as if I sprinted up the hill granted I got to wait a few times for the kid who is on her way to cyclocross nationals in Texas in just a few weeks. 

Ripped some single track after letting out some air pressure which then made cornering so much better. 

All was said and good until the least likely place for one to crash brought me to my knees testing 

the strength of my new Twin Six Knickers. 

Seems that some fat tires,,, either bike or truck had driven through the quarry while the dirt was soft and wet and caused some big as ruts..

I was once again looking over my shoulder trying to find the Pip when I found my self Highsided  trying to keep shit up right.

As I have said before can't get out of my own way. Falling down is the new cool thing to du..

Anyhow when it all came to an end I got to ride my bike and ride some single track and 

had such a good time that the young kid ended up blowing chunks,, That 

is the sign of a good ride,,,,., Blood and Chunks..

Needless to say going 

to the Skatepark today my body kept telling me how old that I am and 

what I have been doing to it.. Anna wants me to take a week off and I may do just that 

but only after riding on Tuesday,, as that is the day of our hero,, the one that will bring us to the to light..

Here comes the sun,, Here comes the sun.. And it is all Right.. 

Senior

Their is no surprise to me that I am my own worst enemy,, over the past twelve months I have been battling a rash of injuries and a majority of them some what self inflicted.

The list is a long one some nagging and some reacquiring and others 

just a plain pain in the ass.

The biggest reason is I don't allow my self time to heal, and let my body recover.

Now the big crash in September that one for the most part did heal , I listened to my doctors and support staff and due to severity of the injury to my head I made sure that 

I gave the proper time. So the physical aspects are healed now still working on the long term emotional and performance issues that need to be worked on. 

Where I keep seeming to do some much damage is my damn shoulders. 

For the most part through out my adult life I have been beating on them in one way shape or form.

It goes all the way back to when I was a kid living in the mountains skiing every day and 

not understanding the concept of strength training and flexibility.   

When Sophia was just a little baby I broke my right hand skiing on a powder day as I tumbled down 

One-eyed Jack over in Contest bowl.

At the time when I asked the doc to cast my hand into my pole grip he said no.. 

This was the year that the snow started to fall and did not end for days and days,, roads were 

closed shelves went bare at the City Market and young dumb me skied every day with 

one pole and a right arm swinging in the powder like an outrigger. 

This was the start of me and the Chips on my shoulders. 

Flash forward almost twenty years later and I have managed to hurt at times 

either the left or the right doing once again the things that I love to do.

I do have to say that I did not other than some road rash hurt either in the shitwamgon crash.

But as of late riding my sk8 toy in  what my wife call my mid-life-crisis I have 

managed to just reek havoc on my wings.

Even now as I type this my left is all taped up and a bag of ice placed a top of it trying to help it 

feel better before I head off to work.

And once again just another silly slam as I am playing around in the garage with the boy.

I should probably go see my doctor but the year is coming to an end and don't need to start the new year off with a fresh set of bills.. 

No I just need to let shit heal and stop causing my self so much damn pain. 

Can't stop wont stop it is who I am.

Speaking of not stopping this here is a picture of my Grandpa Gail Howard Curran SR.

He was in the Navy and stationed up in Alaska during WW2.

Today is his 97th birthday and he is still Smiling and Laughing

and seeing the world through his eyes.

He has thought me a lot and taken me on many a fun journey.

So glad that we got out to the 303 to see him last month..

Happy Day Grandpa.. May this year be a good one and go Bronco's! 

 

Putting the C in THC

I am so looking forward to this long dark period to be over with. 

Only days away and the light will start making its return to the great dark north.

It does not help that the heavy thick layer of fog has not moved from over our heads and around our souls for days now.

But that will all change here soon and the winter solstice will come and the turn will be made.

The family and I to break up the mundane drove up to the 612 on sturday morning for some

Christmas shopping some Skateboarding and the THC Team Party.

Again had to drive through pea soup most of the way ,,, the roads them selves were not that bad but the visibility sucked,, and I had never been so happy to see the MOA where we dropped mom off then headed to the Skatepark. 

The 3rd Lair was for what it is worth empty and seeing as it took us longer to get there than 

normal due to the driving conditions the guys were cool and let us skate well into the second session of the day. 

It did take this old guy a while to get the board under my feet, as I was still getting used to the new board and wheels. And damn the wheels were fast,, too the point of having to do many speed checks..  So I was having to Check my Self before I Wrecked My Self?

The Rocket found a wolf pack to run with and had a blast,, and I think that we would have stayed and skated longer had the scooters not started to show.

We finished the evening off over at the Sylvester's home for the Team Hollywood Cycles xmass party.  Got to eat some food and share some stories and catch up with some old friends. 

It was nice especially since I have been so far out of the loop with the cycling world. 

  

That is it for now,, I need to get running so I can go save the world one broken appliance at a time.

Party ON!

Less Drift

New skate toy showed up yesterday,, and I have come to the decision that I am not as awesome at putting on grip tape as I thought I was.. I am getting better and constantly remind my self that it has been some 20 plus years since I did it last.

First impressions... good shape decent pop,, flips well and feels good underfoot.. 

Spent a good amount of time in the garage with the boy playing around and working on some new moves. 

Some Spitfire wheels and I should be set,, will test it out tomorrow at the 

the local indoor park,, before we head up to the 612 to rip up the 

Third Layer.

The snow here in Lacrosse is almost gone and this weekend we are to supposed to see temps up in the 50's

But that is not stopping the Fat bike wheels turning,, even if for me 2.25 is considered fat.. 

And speaking of Fat I stopped over at the

Wyatt Bike Company on the way home from work and 

talked bike with the Owner/Operator and funny thing 

his name happens to be Wyatt.

He has a good thing going and I form our chat I like where his head is at. 

He selling a fat bike that has Custom options and comes in at a price that wont break the bank. 

The Driftless comes well built with a 1x10 drive or 2x10 option and just a touch over 30 lbs..

With a lifetime warranty on the frame how can you go wrong.

Click on the link and check it out. 

 It maybe time for another Sk8 session in that Garage with 

boy.. and this has been the 

soundtrack to madness... Trashing,,Punk.. Xmass?!?

Roll it Forward

At times it seems as if he just goes back and forth and back and forth.. But what I see is a young kid getting rad and controlling his board better than I would have imaged only one year in. 

The Rocket and I got after the park on Friday night only a night after he learned his rock to fakie and leaving the sweaty face skid mark on the deck of the half pipe. 

I was stoked to see him get back up and give it hell..  

We borrowed some power tools from Rocky senior and built this little fun box that will work in both the garage and on the driveway. Now we are able to jib and slide and not always have to rush off to the park. After a few fun sessions I, we learned that some more supports were needed in the 

middle of the structure as the old man slammed and did some destruction..  Would not be sk8boarding if shit did not break..

Speaking of broken stuff I replace the blown out saddle that got wrecked in my crash with this new sleek carbon WTB SL8... it is a bit slimmer than the Volt and super light... 

After box building and while the sun was still shining and it was national fat bike day..

I took the new saddle out a top of the Fat 2.25 Nine Line tires. 

Felt good to be out riding even if climbing the Bliss of a road made my legs want to 

detach and kick me in the ass.  Pushing the 36x17 may be a bit much for December but I am so not into any kind of bike maintenance.

It took a few beers and a good dinner on saturday night to shake my legs out and make them ready for another long day of skating and finding new lines. We had the park all to our selves and with a trip to the 612 coming up this weekend,, a team party and a new maple stick coming we both wanted to make sure that we were ready for what is to come..
Can't stop wont stop it is all cross training and what does not kill me will only make me stronger.

#dontcallitacomeback

Rocket Power

Sometimes change is all that is needed to get to where it is you want to be.

Either a change in attitude or a change in approach.

This holds true when riding a bike through the woods or rolling a Sk8 toy on wood.

Over the years playing with both of my children I have watched the growth of them

as they make small changes and then be able to conquer what lays in front of them.   

I my self needed a change and lucky for me the Rocket did not have 

karate last night so we were able to head downtown and get some trashing in at the local park.

The bummer for us was that ownership cut the hours of operation back to closing at six, this only gave us just under an hour to cram in a session. 

I have been going back and forth trying to decide which pair of shoes that I wanted to ride in.. Both pairs are Vans but the soles are different and the feel completely different. 

For the boy we have made some changes to his gear over the past month,, new board and just recently some new Spitfire wheels. I have been watching him try to get use to the new set up and last night as we crammed in all we could I think he cracked through the ice. 

I chose the TNT old school style shoe to skate in and finally started to get the board to du what I 

wanted, and was able to land some tricks and moves that have been alluding me,,,,was is the shoes or just the vibe in the building?

It all stemmed from the runs on the mini ramp that I was having with the Rocket.. 

Taking turns in a rapid fire session we kept going back and forth trying new tricks and getting so damn close. As I move over to the other part of the park I kept one eye on the kid and it started to click for him.. Their were some fails and one or two slams but by the time it was over a trick that has been on his mind for as long as he has been doing this was finally landed. 

This past year of riding Sk8 boards with James has been a blast for many many reasons. 

It has been a great blast from the past for me and has given me another outlet for all the energy locked up inside,,, but more important it has given me something to share and enjoi with 

my mini me. 

This has changed our relationship and I believe given him the chance for growth and self discovery,

it is changing him into a confident young man. 

And to think it all came from a simple little skateboard..

Skate Or Die young One.. Trash and Smile.. 

Renew

This years Single Speed USA was something of a last minute deal. I for the most part 

did not think that I would be there especially after the death of my three year old spot.

After a few phone calls I had found a Bike to ride and car to get me there. 

I had been put in Contact with Mark Slate, owner of WTB,

who has a side project named "Of Spirit" . 

These are steel bikes that he drew up and is having made in

Taiwan not far from where his wife is from. 

Along with help from my Sponsors,, Chris King and Thomson , and Velocity,

I made a mad mad dash to get the new Whip together for the big

weekend Race non Race. 

So Miles did not start getting logged on the Blackbuck till, early August but once they did 

I was quickly reminded why I first fell in love with single speeding,,, and again reminded why I liked Steel so much.  

Coming in fully built at 22.5lbs it is a fast responsive ride. Mark is a firm believer in the Twenty Nine inch wheel, having been involved with  them from almost the word go back in the 80's.

Climbing in and out of the saddle the bike moves and having gone both with and with out a suspension fork on the front descending is a blast. 

The only other event/non event that I got to line the Blackbuck at was the Fat Tire Forty. 

And well most of you know that ,, that race did not end to well for this guy.

Some of the parts on the bike took a direct hit, ie.. the front wheel,, the pilot and some how the top of the saddle..  Mark has been telling me for a while now that ahttp://www.wtb.com/  WTB saddle should be placed on the perch of my seat post. 

So today at the door step was a few boxes loaded with Tires and a new Carbon SL8.

I will again this season working with Mark and his OS brand along with 

riding on and comparing the different Rubber that WTB is making. 

So it is going to be time to get back into the garage and get things ready to ride again. 

Rode the Buck sunday still pushing the 36x17 and again I was reminded why 

I Love Riding My Bike.

Freedom...

Catching Z's

Some morning and sometimes a monday morning the need for a nap shortly after waking is needed. 

Just the good old power nap, fifteen to twenty minutes,,

and not so deep that one starts twitching due to the fact that the napper has a 

hot cup of coffee in his hand.

It is hard to be Awesome all weekend and just expect to jump out from slumber.

The boy and I spent four of the five days shredding at the local indoor park.

It does take sometime to get used to the layout, and how slippery the 

ramps and wooden features can be.

Lines take time to get dialed in,, and as you step back and just watch the young

ones.. fly through the place it gives fodder to ideas and new tricks to try.

I can see a big difference in the Boy's riding between the times when it is just he and I or when 

the group is bouncing off of and flipping over anything and everything.

The enjoyment factor has been high getting to play with James and show him and grow with him and the newish skater mission. 

It is all about having fun and being awesome.. 

Talking about being awesome,,, I rode a bike twice this weekend and outside.. First ride was not all that fun but it was a ride.. And the next day was much better,, it was not a cross bike that i rode or a fat ,,, My Single Speed and me went out for a pedal and it was good,, good to be outside and good to be moving,, 

Moving is good Sleep is gooder

it is all about being Awesome.,..

Full of Thanks

I

am Thankful.

Very Full of Thanks

That I am Here Alive and Able

to enjoy My Family.

My thought go out to the Green family,, Kyle is a Teammate to 

my daughter Sophia, and is the anchor for the downhill squad for the 

Ripon Red Hawks. Last month in North Carolina during a training run he crashed and

dislocated his hip, Well it turns out that when this happened that it caused some nerve damage 

and some other compilations that  will leave him with out the use of his leg for at least the next two years of recovery.

This young man is a ray of light and positive forward energy.

Heal Strong young man and get rad again soon.

Deep heat felt thought go out to the Family Of Steve Hed..

Steve passed away yesterday morning, after fighting for a week with some health compilations.  

Living and racing here in the Upper Mid West and being Part of Team Hollywood Cycles,

I have gotten to know the extended Hed family from the Wheel Builders all the way up to the guys behind the phones and at the desks. 

Steve was an innovator, who reinvented the Wheel,, his impact to the cycling world

can be felt in every aspect of the sport.

It is always sad to see Icons pass,, and even more sad to see a family lose out 

on years spent with their Father.

Be good to each other,, Hug and love the people around you...

Be Thankful for what you have and Thankful for those around you.

What about the Childern?

Well there you have it,, my first ride in some three weeks,,

Was it epic,, not so much,, thirty sweaty stinky minutes on the rollers.. This is going to be a long road back to the superhuman that I was just three months ago. I know that I can build more and get use to the hamster wheel. I could be worse I could be stuck on a trainer stuck in one place,, at least on the rollers I feel as if I am really moving. 

So that is that and I'll continue  to do a snow dance so the skis can get waxed and some more

silent time can be spent in the woods. 

Speaking of through the woods the oldest child is going to be home from school for eating day on Thursday and she is hoping to head up for the Cross for Tots event up in the six one two this coming weekend.

We went last year and I had a blast,,, riding in circles doing the twisty bowl decent and jumping the Hollywood Barriers.

The Pip needs all the cross work she can get as her Team is going to Prude in a week for collegiate regionals then  to Austin for the National race in January. Me I am on the fence about going and pretty sure I have no interest in lining up.  I have more of a hankering of going trashing with the boy 

at either the Layer or back down to Familia.

Been lots of indoor sessions happening as of late.. and the boy is starting to push it more and more.

Been good to watch him skate with the local pro guys and get tips and ideas for them.

 We both have a laundry list of tricks that we want to learn and or try.. 

 Again getting to spend time with him and watch the excitement grow has been the best part of coming out of retirement. 

So Back to the Grindstone and back to the #dontcallitacomeback...

Harder work,,stronger,,desire,,PartyOn!

LoSt then FoUnD

It is safe to say that i am suffering from cycling withdrawals or PCDS..

Yes that is right Post Cycling Depression Withdrawals..

So much so that while sleeping is happening instead of ribbons of  single track and the feeling of the perfectly drifted turn in my dreams or the perfect route to link up all the hills in a 50 mile radius of the house ,,, I am dreaming about cutting the grass on a hot summer day. 

What??

It has been a while going on something like two and a half weeks since I have smelled the scent of a slightly dirty jersey and some crusty T6 socks and thrown my leg over anyone of the 

whips in the garage. 

I have dusted off the rollers and leaned them up against the wall in the room that use to belong to my now at college daughter.. But have not mounted a bike of any kind on them.. 

I say hey! I am going to go and ride in place while watching old world cup cyclocross races on my phone that I duct tape to my handle bars. 

But that has not happened either.  For a moment today I started to get excited for the weekend as I thought I'll take the Blackbuck out and ride the crushed gravel trails and maybe even dip in to the quarry while my Nine Line tires kick up the 1/4" of snow on the ground. 

But then I looked at the date and remembered that gun deer season starts on saturday and that 

with all the medical expenses that I have at the moment getting shot or shot at while trying to feed my Jones would not be the best thing for me. 

So I teeter back and forth about what to do,, every time I go to the beer fridge and look over at all the shiny King Bling lined up in a row I think damn it I need to ride..  And I know that I will and maybe even soon,, but trying to flip that switch again,, to light that fire,, to rev that engine has been really hard for me. 

The break has been good I know that it has,, even if it was unwanted I will or should be able to come back #dontcallitacomeback with the same eye of the Tiger that once infected all of my vision. 

It has been the bigger picture, the grand landscape that I have had to get into perspective. 

I have never left  I have been here the whole Time!

Some sparks were ignited over the last weekend as we ,, and the we being Team Hollywood Cycles all got together up at QBP for the end of the season awards party. 

Many plaques were handed out to members of the Black and White,, along with 

Multiple awards for all the different categories that were raced.

And once again the award for fastest Pro/Elite team went to the THC* team.

It was great to be surrounded buy the Mountain Bike family again, lots of 

high fives were slapped and multiple hugs were handed out.    

This cycling nerd is not washed up or a has been,, just in search of his 

legs that were attached to the head of the heart.

A wise man once said " Party ON"

And that is what I will DU..

Rebate

The reset button was one of my favorite buttons to push when I was a kid playing video games.

If things were not going your way you could push it and start over. In the early systems that meant that you would have to start over at the beginning of the game, and then as hard drives and memory got built into the game consuls you could just restart the level with out having to 

go all the way back and start from scratch. 

Here in my world I have hit that reset button and I have not quite decided if I am 

back to the beginning,, or I get to start the level over.

Before we left for Colorado I had been riding as much as I could and enjoying the freedom again 

to pedal, but coming home we ran into winter.

Now I have dusted off the rollers and have threatened to start riding them just so I can be riding again. It is not my favorite thing to do but it is pedaling,, and that is what I need to do,, it is time to start rebuilding getting the blocks together so when weather breaks and  the roads clear I can be back out on top of my rig turning circles.

Some of you may say as you head out today to ride your fat bikes,, Why don't join in on this fun?

I would love to join the fat bike revolution but the price tag is what is stopping me.. The most lingering   injury from my wreck is that to my pocket book.

As of now we are looking at 11k in bills that are going to need to be paid. I have thought 

of doing a go fund me campaign, but every time I see them pop up the people starting 

them seem to be much worse off them me and it just does not feel right,, to stick my hand out and ask for help. 

So I hit the reset button,, again..... And again it clears the anger and pain out of my head and I start 

to plan and build and try to get back the super powers that were smeared all over Hwy 77.

One of the things that has been a soul saver and rebirth is the 

midlife Sk8board resurgence. The time that has been 

spent on the back of my seven ply USA maple deck have fueled fires

that I have not felt since the night before my fateful crash.  A lot of time has been spent with my boy

traveling and thrashing. New faces and new places have been giving me reasons to keep pushing it.

But this is not a replacement for my real passion in life..

I am a cyclist,, I am Bike Nerd,, I make pedals go round.

The rest button has been pushed and what needs to happen is this video game super hero needs to 

jump the pitfalls and get to the next level..

#dontcallitacomeback... It is a #restart!!

W Cubed

As the dust settles and the fog begins to clear,, I am slowly able to take a step back and start to make scene of the past five daze. 

We blew into Denver last friday morning, and I say it like that due to the strong winds that were blowing down the front range. 

After shaking out the DIA, and car rental, the three of us made it over to see my 

Ninety-Seven yer old grandpa. Blows me away that the man is still not only living at home but still has so much of his wits about him. It was a great visit and a good chance for James to spend with his Great Grandpa.

From here we busted up to "the Peoples Republic of Boulder" for some lunch with an old friend,, but first we found our selves a skatepark and were eager to try out our new gear. 

Unfortunately we never got too deep in to the session.. As we were getting out of the car with the wind gusting up to 40mph the car door caught the kids finger as it slammed shut causing some pain and discomfort and making the idea of skating not top on his list. 

It took a good lunch and some down time until he was ready to Thrash again,, and luckily we found ourselves at the Apex park in Arvada. 

Just a few block down from my Aunt and Uncles is the best park that I have seen and skated,, in the past year of my old man skateboard revival.

It is almost even hard to describe how well the park is put together, and I was blown away by the features and flow.  And the level of riding was spot on,, from young rippers to old dudes skating the clover leaf pool.. 

We would end up back  at this same spot saturday morning before heading up to the high country. 

The sun was shining and the wind was not blowing, for the first time in a long time there were more old geezers at the park riding then kids which was a sight to see.  Had some old friends show with their kids and we threw down and I had one of the best days on a skateboard in years and years. 

Still so much to sift through,, more parks were found and more stories were shared as we 

crammed in as much as we could before have to come home.

Now back to work armed with stories and memories,, and I am ready for more..