R...E...A...L...X

Today was another day of first for this here guy..

The first day back to work after a long two weeks away.

Last monday when I went to see the doctor I thought for sure that he would send me back 

and he did not,, said I needed some more time to let my brain recover.

After today I am glad that he said what he said. 

As days go was not the worst,, my head never really hurt that bad.

More than anything it was trying to get used to all the movements and 

angles that I have to achieve to get through the day. 

Work is taking it easy on me and allowing me to stay at the shop and work on stuff there. 

I am not sure if this is a blessing or not,, part of what makes my job tolerable is 

getting to drive around and smell the fresh air. 

I found my self with three different sealed system jobs which just meant 

time with torches in my hand. 

The strangest bit of all was not commuting on two wheels, the company has been 

making a push for the Techs to bring work vans home, so we are using this

as a trail period.

My ride in and home were normally the Highlight of the day,

and if this sticks I am going to have to find time and or rearrange my  cycling habits to
make sure that I am getting the required amount of saddle time.

For five years I have rain, cold, sun, and snow ridden to work year round.

Yea their may be a day or two that I did not but for the most part is was  two wheeled fun both ways. 

Highlight of the day was coming home and 

finding a get well card in the mail from a former Hollywood teammate ,

wishing me well and making me smile.. Thanks Carrie for

turning a gloomy monday in to I can see the sun through the 

clouds day.

Now I need to get the Blackbuck back up and running so I can once cleared for 

dirt bring back the single track Joy!. 

MaRgIn WaLkEr

Thirteen days after by far the nastiest crash on a bike or board or skis,

I was cleared not only to go back to work but to pedal my Bike!

The Doctor is limiting me to  pavement, which I promptly asked isn't that what caused the 

issue to start with?

Still not wanting me to jiggle my grey matter too much.

That being said for the first time in almost two weeks I got to 

put on my superman suit and spin my wheels. 

The sound of my King Hubs buzzing along the lonely roads of western wisco 

was such a great sound. I kept it in the little ring and just tooled right along. 

Again huge thanks to my wife who has been there for me through out this whole 

situation,, I know that it has been  tough at times for you and could not have

recovered with out you.

I still have some healing to du but as of now my spirits are high 

for the first time in a while. 

Twist away the Gates of Steel.. And Keep the Wheels Moving :)

Long Division

As I pace the lines back and forth of my tiny duplex I daydream about what could

and may someday happen again.

To say that I am going stir crazy would be an understatement,, but then again to 

still be here and have all of my motor functions is a good thing. 

I managed to get my wheels that were involved in my crash down to the shop

to have some nipples turned.

The new King/Velocity wheels have maybe 150-200 miles on them

but the impact made them less than true.

  

A conversation about the tires that I am running on them came up and again with only a short time 

on the new rubber I do have to say I like what I have ridden. 

The WTB Nine Line is a small knob fast rolling tire,, I like the fact that the tire has 

a true round shape and when on the velocity blunt the with of the rim opens the tire up even more.

I opted for the 2.0 in the rear and 2.25 in the front since I am running a rigid fork.

The front looks like a monster but still maintains a light weight and again fast rolling.

And for me the garage door mechanic they seated and sealed with ease. 

The hope is once cleared and then a 

few more weeks of getting better I will be

able to get back on these quick bits of rubber and enjoy the fall that is upon us.

Their are times when I wounder when I am going to find my calling in life.

That ah-ha moment when the smoke clears and  I know what and why I am supposed to be here.

Don't get me wrong I have done a lot and seen a lot but have never been able to put it all together.

It always seems like either too early or just a minute late to the party.

I pulled this off of Stevil's site,, I have been watching what Anthony does in is 

pizza ovens ever since I saw the article about him in Bike magazine. 

This is someone who found his calling and is making it happen,, from his humble beginnings in

New York to pulling up anchor and going west. 

To me it has always made since Food and Bikes,, I mean that is what I did all through my 20's and most of my 30's,, and to see this kind of passion and dedication makes me believe that 

maybe someday it will happen.

That is unless we finally say screw it and sell off the house and anything else we don't need and load up a 5th wheel and tour the western USA..

Dreamer.

 Now back to my regularly secluded day of sitting around and watch bad daytime TV.

Not Clear

Still not allowed to go back to work,, went and saw the Doctor this morning and 

due to my symptoms he does not want me going back to work.

My job is somewhat labor intensive and requires a lot of lifting and getting ones body into weird 

positions as I try to figure out why your appliance is no longer working. 

Bummed out that I am not able to get back to normal life

but as I have been told many times don't mess with brain injuries.

I got an email from a friend that I ran into the morning of the Fat 40 at the campsite. 

I have been riding and skiing with Jamie for years now and 

he was shocked to see me at the event,, know that it was one that I was never interested

in.  Anyway we shard some stories and plans for the day and the weekend and wished each other

good luck and were on to the next part of the morning. 

He had just learned that I was the cyclist that he passed as I was getting attention from the 

first few people on seen. 

He went on to say that while he took the bus back from Telemark he overheard someone say

that what he saw as some guy get wobbly and touch bars take someone out and keep on riding. 

I am thinking that I am the guy that got his bars pulled on then I went down. 

I have watched the short video clip but the crowd is so big I can't see it happen I can just hear the person taking the video in disbelief.     

Even this weekend when we drove over to see Sophia compete in her home Cycling race,

I had the coaches dad say "you look much better than the last time I saw you"

Just another person who saw me face down on the road. 

It is over now and time for me to move on. 

I did get to see the Kid race and it was at least a good venue to watch a race as they came 

by our view point three to four time per lap.. 

She looked good as her dad I always think that she could go faster,, but trying to get good grades work and train then race is a lot to ask of Teenagers.. 

Proud to see what it is that she is doing. 

I can tell you one thing for sure nothing is going to happen to me as I ride the couch for another 

Five days,., Then I hope to be back to my old self,, 

Daze Later

We had the Rav packed down and ready for a weekend of fun in the Northwoods.

Never have stayed at a KOA we were excited when we pulled in and had a pull through spot to set up camp.

Dropped the trailer and sent the boy to play at the park. 

It was still early enough in the day where I wanted to go and test the bike out and see the finish of the race.

It was cold at the venue with some passing showers, Anna and James went out for a hike 

while I rode.  Over and over gear ratios went through my head trying to figure if I had chosen right. 

Riding the course out backwards I was happy with the number that I chosen and the wheels

were turning happily along. 

Four and one half out I turned and headed back to registration.

For all the stories that I had heard I was shocked to see how hilly it got towards the end. 

I Got my number for the front row and moved into the single speed class and all things were

good.

We took the party back into town and found some dinner, before heading back to the KOA.

Once there we found that  a majority of the Laddies Loppet crew were there and James was off like a flash to play with all of his friends. 

Some tunes and drinks by the fire we all shared stories and 

stayed warm,, the clouds were to clear out and overnight lows were to bottom out..

Race morning brought sub 32 degree temps and time for coffee and breakfast. 

getting warm and staying warm were going to be the key for the day.

After a few cups of coffee and few stops at the crapper I was ready to head to the line, 

A nice two mile warm up into town.. The sun was out and I was feeling good. 

Tons of high fives were being slapped and new and old faces were seen. 

I found my place in the line up and chatted with some friends and sang along to the national anthem.

We started rolling and I was making sure that I stayed on some wheels that I knew.

We turned out on to 77 and the pace would quicken and then slow and then again,, 

I was trying to stay toward the front spinning out at some 25mph,, but again comfortable. 

The last things that I remember is the front starting to string out.

Then that was it.

I have watched the video over and over and you cant see anything other than me on the ground. 

Wish that I had more to piece together,, again I have to say a huge thank you to Tall Dave for walk out into the crowd and helping me. 

To the hospital staff in both Hayward and Duluth,, that took such great care of me. 

To my Wife and son who were there every inch of the way.

To all the teammates and friends who either checked up on me or made our return back home easy.

And to the Sponsors who made the trip possible,,

Chris King,, Velocity.. Thomson,, WTB,,, Look Usa.

Even though I did not finish I still have  a story to tell for years to come. 

With out the help from these great company's and people I could not continue to live the 

TWO WHEEL DREAM!

Resurrection

Going to make this quick as looking at glowing things makes my head hurt and i  have been 

told by the doc's to not to.

Last thing this guy remembers is riding down Hwy 77 with a bunch of other people.

As far as I can remember I was still up in the front part of the race as the speed was starting to

ramp up.

I remember seeing the fast guys start to get strung out and was letting people on shifting bikes 

go as my plan was to hit it once we got to dirt,,

Well that never happened,,, the next thing I remember is being strapped to a backboard, and that did not make a shit ton of since.

After that I was in an Ambulance and to the first of two hospitals.

They gave me a CT scan and thought that they saw a bleed on my brain. 

SO next I was loaded on a helicopter  and taken to Duluth.

Here I finally got cleaned up and the reality of what was happening set in..

I was Pretty Fucked Up,, 

Must have landed on my face first as it was a mess,, They found a broken cheek bone and a crack in my skull,, along with tons of ripped flesh.

I spent the next 27+ hours here getting observed and constantly looked after.

The big issue is that I was out cold for five+ minutes and suffered some brain trauma.

As for today the swelling is going down and movement is getting better,, my head still hurts and my eye is still swollen semi shut,, I have no idea what happened although people saw me on the ground no one know what led to the crash.. 

My bike is twisted like a waded up piece of paper,, helmet is smashed glasses broken and I have a big hole in the back of jersey,, I don't have any cuts on my back?

So for now I heal,,, no work,,, no bikes,, no skateboards,, Just a lot of sitting around

and wondering what happened. 

I am very happy to be alive and am very thankful to 

Tall Dave who walked out into the cyclist to help me,,, I am not mad that no one stopped as I was out cold on the ground,, Just very happy that Dave was there...

As I figure out more or can take looking at a screen longer more thoughts will

spill out of my Cracked head.

Party ON?

Spinning

I am not really sure what I am getting my self into here this weekend?

I had always said that I would not race the Chequamegon, but after almost eight years of living in 

Wisco and being asked all the time if I race it I figured why not.

Well that was months ago that I signed up and now I am going to have to tow the line.

Last weekend doing some hot laps I blew a spoke out of my back wheel on the LaMare, 

So I changed my mind on which bike to ride. 

The Blackbuck has gone through a few changes

over the week finally getting the stock steel fork on it and 

multiple gear changes. 

I started the week out with a 44x20 which was a 63.8 inch gear which I could move but was 

worried about the distance and more than that my back..

So now I have a 36x17 61.5 so lower and I know that I will spin my brains out at times

but I hope to have more in the tank at the end.

Not really sure what my goal is for the weekend is,, FUN is the only

words that I have written down.

We are going to be camping at the KOA and it is going to be 

cold the next two nights but the the popper has a heater and it will be in full use. 

So as the morning continues  I will check my list of stuff needed and make sure that I have 

warm clothes along with skateboard gear in case we get the chance to go to

Tom's place and get rad on his half pipe.. 

So this could either be a whole lot of fun riding racing with 3000 other people or it could be two plus hours of hurting and asking why am I doing this to my self.. "Legendary"  are the words that I am seeing this morning on the interwebs.

What ever it is going to be it is going to be a Party.. 

Busting

There can never be enough of a good thing?

I am not totally sold on that but one would have to argue that more is better 

than less? That being said after an hour plus session

of skating with the boy on Sunday afternoon I was able to convince him to go back after dinner, and skate some more.

The four wheels and hard maple were flying around the park and new trick were being unleashed. 

For the most part I was able to keep it up right, and not hit the ground too hard. 

James has now been riding for a year and he is coming along well,, and more than anything he

has gotten to see a number of different parks, and does great learning the lines that he can ride.

Now the only reason that my legs were fresh enough to skate as long as we did on Sunday was because the road race that I was in that morning was cut short after one lap of two. 

I don't do much road racing but this is close to the house and it is a good format.

Two 21 mile laps through the country side. 

Last year I went to the front and blew up,, this year I was going to do the same

with out the blow up. Wanting to put some pain in my legs before the 

Chequamegon this was the perfect spot for me to be. 

I was able to keep it clean through the P gravel section and when the hills came

I stuck with the sharp end.

Coming into the start finish area flying on the new sections of pavement a car came up

with a people come out and yelling that it was the last lap. 

Crossing the line they again waved us to stop.

It turns out that the second race which is a 21 version had a crash in it and someone had to be airlifted. We could see the Helicopter flying away as they told us this. 

Last night on the news they said that the women who was in the crash is rough shape and may not make it. This was very sobering news. Never in all my years of riding and racing have I ever

had to hear such tragic news. 

The only bit of soap box preaching that i have is to all the people that were bitching and complaining that the race was called,,,, chill out,, someones life is at stake here.  

Moving away from this it is time to start thinking about the weekend to come,, and how the race

will be effected by the wall of water that is coming.. 

For now the bike is set up 44x20 which gives me 63.8 inches of gear,, the ski trails may be real real 

wet so this may change. only time will tell. 

Broke back Racing

Well huh is about all I have to say..  Yep,,

I went into the past weekend with visions of great things to come but a curve ball was thrown at me and I had to fight through.

The Laddies Loppet is one of if not the best weekend of the year. 

Great racing good people and whole weekend of bikes and racing. 

I went into the long weekend feeling ready for a throw down,, knowing that it would all start with a solid TT saturday morning.

Regardless everything was thrown out with the bathwater.

No really,, I got home Thursday morning after a nice mellow road 

spin, and jumped in the shower. 

Half way though this event I was washing my feet and I stood up and my back went out.

Totally locked up,, I spent the rest of the day on the floor or in a ball of pain.

I did everything that could to work on getting loose the only issue was 

it kept getting worse.  The freaking out started as I was unable to my bags packed bikes prepped and things ready to go for the morning.

Friday morning came and I fibbed my way through the morning saying that I was feeling better,

which only landed me back in bed and thinking that we would not be leaving anytime soon.

I did rally and get into the Rav with help from Anna,, I could not even lift the bags into the car. 

So driving for 7+ hours sounded like a great idea.

The Drive up as an event as it always is... Made it all the way to the north end of the Cities before the rain started and the parking lot that is 94 became the pleasure and pain that can be driving to Maplelag.

I wanted a solid TT that was the plan,, not being able to stand straight and still a bunch of pain in my back I gave it all I had.. Going first off I had a clear shot in front of me and crossed the line.

Timing was a bit of an issue,,the mat had gotten moved and my official time was different from my computer and my gps. 

From here on out the weekend was going to be about survival.

Having to survive the Short Track which was 20 minutes plus two laps,, only to get lapped on the last lap.

I had mad it through saturday in one piece but well out of the GC,, for the weekend.

Sundays race was going to be my last chance for glory,, and we had been woken up to thunder and  rain which was only going to make for some interesting lines in the woods. 

Sundays race went better but still just not great. 

I was a long ski trail start before spitting us into some single track. 

Having miss the front selection I had to settle in and see if I could generate some  power..

And with my back acting up power was hard to find. 

I was so damn happy to be done and off the bike by the time it was all done and said. 

Getting off the bike was an issue all with in its self

.

But I knew that the racing was done and now I could get to some beer drinking. 

TMB Images 

So the weekend came and went and I did not miss out on what is always a great weekend. 

Do I want to do it again,, well of course but I would much rather go,,, and not have to be in the pain that I was in.

The Richards family and crew put on quite a show,,, and 

am so thankful that I get to be part of 

the best weekends of the year..

As always,,, PARTY ON!!