Sophisticated Bword

It is not a midlife crisis,,, is what I keep telling my wife..

No I am just a middle age man enjoying riding around on a Sk8 toy..

Lance Mountain in an interview a few years ago was talking about the youth culture and how the 

you don't see a lot of skater kids who are cutters.. 

What he was getting at is not only is that practice of  cutting ones self stupid,,

but the life of a Skateboarder is spent in a constant state of Pain and Glory.

I had come home the other night after a good ride on the single machine and then headed out to the 

park to roll around with the boy.

It was a good session,, working on new lines and dialing in old ones.

I had dumped it once early in the session playing a game of skate with Freddy,,  

and then a second time working on a 50/50 tail slide down the Hubba. 

It was this one that I caught my shin on the hubba's coping and it 

caused one hell of bloody welt to grow on my leg. 

Falling is just part of the game,, 

Since we are talking about rollerboarding,,, new wood is on the way..

Both the boy and I are in need of sticks as we are heading to 

Colorado at the end of June,, and fresh wood is the best wood.

The Rocket has another Curren Caples coming I found the

Graphic on this perfect for him,, to go along with his 

1x1 Karate Monkey,,

Now a happy slapper Monkey..

Me I went with another Gonz,,,

can't go wrong a Krooked,,, and I know that i have posted this next video a few times but it is so good

and we'll be skating there soon.. 

In bike Related news,, this weekend will be the third 

installment of the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series over in Manko..

This is a favorite of mine as they use the small ski area to it's full extent..

Last year it was a wash out,, with derailleurs being ripped off bikes and mud packing every inch of 

racing bikes. 

Mine never left the car,, so I am looking forward to lining up for this one.

On the fence on which bike to ride,, the Single or the Shifter,, I will need

to spend some time in the garage and see which one is more ready for a bike party. 

Regardless I went out and flogged my self on the road machine,, yes I said that

I rode the road and not dirt yesterday.

I made my self hurt and it was good. 

Next stop,, Bike Racing Land. 

Be Good to one another and as the Boss says 

Party ON!

In Da Woods

Time away from work only makes the heart grow fonder,, fonder of not having 

to be at work..

I got to spend four blissfull days off from my grind,,

while celebrating the start of summer,,, my eighteenth wedding anniversary,, and the boys 

eleventh birthday.

It was the first time that we would pop up the camper since the disaster in Hayward..

And with that being said it was a bit of a chore learning what was and was not 

in the camper. 

Friday night once the fire was going I did find my racer packet from the Shithole race,,

and this made the fire fell so much better.

What better than spending a weekend full of sun and fun with the ones that you care about most??

Bikes were ridden and beers were drank and the whole famdam got to 

spend some quality together.

It all was topped off with a nice chill day at home and letting the tweener in the house run wild

and enjoy himself. 

I never agreed to this getting older thing but I guess

that I can dig it as long as I get to have fun 

while I get there. 

Back to humpday items..

Friday morning as I drank coffee and got the mind right for riding I 

got to finally watch the Vans Propeller movie.

very well done.

Raw footage continue to come out from the editing room..

And some more Krooked just because,,

Get it Straight Ride Krooked!

Thyme

Growing up as a kid in the suburbs of the 612 my family and I 

lived at the end of a sleepy dead end street.. 

By the time I was in forth grade the city had come and turned it into a cul de sac..

This was also about the time in my life that I got my first skateboard.

At first I did not realize the potential of pavement and all the surrounding developments in the area.

As the years went by me and neighborhood attempted to  build a few half pipes in the back yard of

one of their houses,, but the empty void of a circle just sat there with nothing in it. 

The backyard wooden giants came and went and a new movement was being seen in the 

movies that once a year we got to see in our VHS players.

Street Skating..

Launch ramps and fun Boxes,, rail Slides and quarter Pipes were all the rage.

At this time in the world their were no skate parks especially in  the burbs.

We were motivated to build and create what we were seeing going on in California.

This building and skating went on for years,,, no one ever asked where all the wood came from and so we continued to build and build and since no one lived around the circle of pavement it was all ours..

That was until one day in 89 riding the bus home with some kids from other hoods that were coming over to shred my little skatetopia.

As we got to the end of the street we found every single bit of wood was gone not even a splinter was left. 

The city had come and removed all of the ramps and rail slides... not because all the wood was bowed from all the homes being built in the area,,, No

they came and threw my playground away because of liability..

We were told that if someone fell and got hurt that the city could be sued and that 

would not be a good thing for them..

These days there are parks everywhere.. Every Town has at least one..

And the silly little burb that took all my fun away

has built a sk8 plaza

and encourages kids to ride and slide.

 Being a old man and coming out of a twenty some year retirement of  

 has been a ton of fun.

I am taking my lumps but that is part of the game..

The time that I get to spend with 

my son is priceless and the experiences that he is getting to have 

even better.

So bring on the fun 

Skate Or Die

Dirty Soul

When life slows down it is much easier to find the time to do what is

really important in life. 

Work for what ever reason has slowed down to a crawl and instead of hanging out 

with a bunch of busy work just to fill in the day I am 

exercising the right to get out and get rad.

I have put a lot of blood sweat and tears into this thing that I call work and at times

worry that the company as a whole may be taking a nose dive.

What does not make me nervous is the fact that I am good at what I do and shit is always going to 

break down...... so I have that going for me. 

So when their is nothing left to do it is 

time to go flog ones self in the back yard while riding on a 22 lb rocket ship. 

It is safe to say that things are getting a touch over grown as they will this time of year,,

but it is really green in the woods and the dirt could not be more perfect. 

With Time On my side I just continued to up and then up again,, working

on the ability to suffer then suffer some more. 

And then to top it off 

I got to go to the park with the boy and work on some new lines and just get to spend some quality time with one of the raddest people I know in this here world.

A video posted by Devin Curran (@curranski) on May 19, 2015 at 5:48pm PDT

I am not sure if it is hanging out with him,,, riding the rollerboard or what but it makes

me feel young and very happy to be alive. 

Now to some more quality video,, and ones with maybe some better socks..

I down loaded finally the Vans Propeller Movie and 

look forward to watching it here soon with the boy..

Here is a great new clip of the Neff

crew sk8ing in my happy place and my someday home of 

Sedona.

Now time to hold on and get over the Humpty Hump.

Radar

Well it is safe to say that I made the right call but it could still be debated that 

I should have gone..

I punted on going racing yesterday... I had all the gear ready to throw in the car,,

but when I woke at 5AM and checked the weather the forecast was not

good.. Chances for severe weather and really windy. 

These things together are one thing but when you throw the distance to be driven into the mix

I felt it was a no-brainier. 

For the stories I have heard it did rain and for a while it was pretty sloppy,, but for the elite race the trail got tacky and fast and a good fight was had up front between two legends of the sport.

In the end at the line Mr Creepy Friendly nipped Jeff Hall with 

the GingerHammer coming in third place. 

And as soon as the awards were over the skies opened up and the rain really began to fall.

I kept it local and rode the bike in the woods here,,

I did get to dodge some rain drops latter in the day 

and even found some time in the late afternoon sun

to go and rip around on sk8 toys with the boy.. 

While I 

missed out on seeing the team and hanging out with the crew talking about

bikes and bike related objects,

I found some peace in staying close and getting some much need 

rest.

Keeping the battery charged and my eyes locked in on prize.

I'll be ready for the next one,, and have a weekend of 

camping and playing in the woods coming at the end of this work week.

Ride Rest Repeat..

Good Good Things About U

Finding time to get out and move the legs can be a challenge for 

me these days seeing as I am no longer commuting to work..

I do have to say that I miss the mornings of zen pedaling through the coffee fueled brake light infested mess that is the traffic around here.

More than anything it ensured me saddle time to and from work..

If I wanted I could stretch my route to include some climbing some single track 

or just meander down the Lacrosse river.

I always knew that their would at least be 70+ miles of circles on a given week depending on 

how I rolled.. 

Any more it a juggle to get the boy to Karate make dinner and find time to ride.

And as of late I have had no desire to ride my road bike so I have been riding 

dirty as much as I can.

I love it..

Sliding out the garage and riding the stuff that is right behind the house has opened up 

a new path of pain and fun. 

It reminds me a lot of  what I had in my backyard in my old home of Breckenridge.

There I could get out after dinner and bag an hour or so

of epic ridding accessing either some old mining roads or jumping right on to 

the single track in Carter Park.

Being a working dad of two I learned real quick that you take it when you can get and make the most of what you have. 

My back yard consist of

  an old mining road and lots of single track.. Lots in the scene that when ridden in the proper 

loop it takes any where from 20-30 minutes to complete.. And not because of the total miles

but more because of the shear up and down. 

Tight corners and steep climbs bring you to the top where you get to hug a ridge line and 

plummet towards the bottom.

The two guys who have been behind these gems are doing this all with blood sweat and tears. 

Soon things will start to get over grown and if the wind blows hard down trees will scatter the

trails,, but it always gets cleaned up and the movement continues.

This is not Flow trails,, this is the pure essence of Mountain Biking.. 

Hold on and let it go. 

There were stormy clouds all around last night and I did not think I would be able to get out.. 

But I was able to make it happen and I am so thankful that I did.

  

Here is a shot from the end of the Aspen Tunnel which was part of my back yard trail in

Breckenridge.

Here is a TMBimages.com photo from the venue that we are to be racing this 

sunday.

I am still on the fence if I am going to load the family up and go..

Weather looks real unsettled and I am not sure if I want to gamble with 

a chance for sloppy conditions.  Precrash DMC would 

not have even second guessed him self,, but anymore 

I am not sure that I want to put up with all that is a sloppy race weekend.. 

As the Gingerhammer said that is what Cross racing is for.. 

So with that 

bring on the weekend.

One For the DiamondWizzard

Slime Balls

Sometimes you are the hammer and sometimes you are the nails.. other times you are the cheese spread on top of the crackers... Like last night as I went ass over tea kettle when I saved my self 

from total destruction bailing on a 50/50 on the Hubba.

I battle this trick from time to time and for the most part can either stick it or get out just in time.

Not sure where I went wrong last night but I got it right when I slid down the back side of the pyramid and did not just carry my self to the flat bottom..

Other than that is was a great night on the sk8 toy... The sun finally decided to come out and

other than Brock,, Christian and me and the Boy we had the place to our selves. 

Does not happen often when you can roll and not worry about scooter kids..

And this was all on the heals of a nice bike ride through the woods 

earlier in the afternoon..

Not a bad tuesday,, Especially when you come home to find 

a box of goodies from some friends that 

are always there for you..

The Chamios Buttr  crew have always made sure that 

I am covered where I need to be.

Well it is wednesday and that means that we are getting trough the week,,,

Holding on for a weekend that should have bike racing attached to 

it as long as the weather holds up..

Unlike years in the past this year I am not going to mess around with any wet racing...

So as of now we sit and wait to see what happens..

Looks like Sunday could be a wet one. 

This showed up on the interwebs the other day.

Not only does the kid just rip but the 

music in the background is 100% awesome..

Then their is this one,,, some Raw footage from the filming of the new Vans movie,,,

which I have not seen yet as I am not a Itunes user,, so I need to figure that out,,

but Gilbert blows up the screen with this clips..

Ok I have done all that I can do from here on out it is up to you all..

Be good Do good work,, and damn it be nice to one another..

Happy Wednesday...

HoT Mess

Lately I have been running into a lot of bad customer service. 

Across the board in all walks of life.

I used to just think that it was an issue with the Millennial Generation,, but I have seen it 

in some older types too. 

It is an apathetic me first kind of mentality that is dragging this world down.

It is not hard to do good work,, and for years i have said that you almost have to try harder to screw things up than just do what it is you are supposed to do.   

I guess it would not bother me so much if I was not in the business of customer service,, 

I can't just blow a customer off or not give good service and expect nothing negative to come my way. 

I like to think that it is a pretty simple concept that is being lost somewhere and have no idea what the magic formula is to fix it.

The best that I can do is lead by example and try not to get bogged down in the quagmire.

Do good work and be Nice to people.. 

Right?

Ok,, enough of that don't need to break my leg monday morning falling off my soap box. 

The weekend has come and gone and now I sit here scratching my head trying to figure where it all went.?

I know that I got in some bike riding which has me marching to a different beat..

Almost like all the time spent not riding was just building me up for the time when 

my wheels would spin and I would be able to find peace again.

The miles are not huge and the rides are not all day epics where i have 

to stop at three different gas stations just for a nutty bar.

No they are me a bike and two wheeled freedom.

Going back and forth between the gears and the single 

have grinning from ear to ear. 

I got to take the boy and some of his friends to 

a movie to celebrate his eleventh birthday,, only to come home and find his 

older sister back from college.

That means that now it is a full house and 

the balancing act will be in full effect as summer is here,, even if no one has told the weather man.

Now time to go give great customer service and save the world one broken down 

appliance at a time.. 

Approach

The days are getting longer and longer as we approach the summer solstice,, in late june.. This is a magic time of year watching the landscape change from the bla dormant hues of 

winter to a collage of  bursting colors and smells. 

This is also the time of the year that early morning group rides get started and for twenty plus years 

the ever changing group has been meeting a few mornings a week riding the same route and doing it in a gentleman style. 

I have not showed up to one yet.. I have laid gear out gear the night before with the intention of meeting the group,, but just have not made it..

No real reason,, for my lack of participation.... I can say that riding my road bike has not been 

getting me too excited as I have been addicted to dirt and have been riding my two fat tire bikes as much as I can. 

And I think deep down inside I just don't want to ride in a group that can stretch over 25+...

Am I afraid that I could have another crash like last fall,, not so much I mean that is there deep in my brain... Do I just not want to be social?? maybe,, I know that I don't want to spend the ride explaining my recovery and the crash and what happened,,, because I still don't know what happened.. 

Their could not be a better group of guys to ride with 

but something about leaving the house at 510 in the AM,, that takes the mind awhile to get 

around. 

Truth be told I am waiting for the weather to change a bit so I can get out at the asscrack of dawn time and rip an hour or so on the Single Machine..

So many changes and so little time left on this planet,, approach each day like it is the 

last on this spinning rock.

Speaking of Rocks,, I did go on a ride with the boy who is now 

dubbed Two Cent..

Our rides aren't long and they do involve dirt,

It is fun to see his smug mug pedaling trough the woods,,

and even more fun when I tell him that he is faster 

than his sister is.. Then he stands up and 

hammers to get ready for the day that he gets to kick her ass in a bike ride..

And that time maybe here soon as my oldest,,our summer roommate 

will be home tomorrow from school to eat my food,, loaf around my house,

and raise my water bill.

She'll be twenty this summer and it may be time for the bird to spread its wings.. 

From this view you can see for miles and miles and miles..

And if you look up you can watch the eagles circling over head.

Changing my view and 

reviewing my approach,, it all starts some where.

    

Drive By Riding

The damn weather has shifted again,, and we are back to being

wet and chilly.. Can't seem to get a stretch of good days together here

in the Driftless region.

I was forced into the garage last night just so I could roll around on the rollerboard.

It worked out ok able to do some bike cleaning and work and mix it up with some 

50\50 grinds and no-comply to tails on the gimpy step,, 

 but I need to get out and fly around,, need to loosen up from sundays efforts. 

Also looks like I need some chest hair implants,,

It got hot on Sunday and yes going full zip was the best way to cool off. 

Now that being said, I have been going over and over the event in my mind and 

while I am happy with the way that I rode,, I am always thinking of things that I could have done to have gone just a bit faster. 

Being only two minutes out of the money has me thinking that i am on the right track,, and the next one the shifting bike will get pulled out and 

we'll see what I can do.. 

The Krooked guys never seem to stop having fun

it is like there is a party and everyone is invited,, especially if you can 

draw..

A buddy of mine just got back from a few weeks in China,,

and he went and saw many things..

Bet he did not see anything this cool..

More 

Motivation for this rain to dry up and to get out and play.. 

If I ever leave this world Alive

Their done and done,,, the first series race is in the bag and I am 

still here to talk about it..

I knew that yesterday was going to be a tough day of racing and for the most part I am 

happy with where I ended up.. 

I have said it a number of times Buck Hill can be beast of a race,,, add in the first race of the year the fact it was a hot day and six laps makes for a kick in the nutz.

My biggest fear of the day was getting started,, and the starting gate was packed with a whose who of fast guys all wanting to show their early season form.. 

I got a front row start and got off the line and up the hill clean..  As we all piled into the single track it was nothing more than a big dust cloud,, and I did not make and fancy moves to the single just let the start shake out..

I realized early that the first lap pace was going to be the pace of the whole race,, and holding on was going to be a fight.. 

Lap two started and I was still giving it as much gas as I could here again know it was going to be a long day at the Buck Hill,,, 

From here on out pretty much a blur,, some wheels were ridden my wheel was ridden,, I passed some guys got passed,, wrestled with lap traffic and cheered on teammates.. 

Can't say that eighteenth place is too stellar for me but seeing that 

I have done nothing super hard this spring 

I'll take that effort and on my single 36x18 any day of the week...

As for the boy I am super proud of him think that I have told him that 

a million times.

It was his first big event of the year and the first time really getting to try out the new bike and

racing up one class so having to do two laps.

He started strong and did not have to walk until the first ball up on the climb..

I found him coming through starting his second lap and he was tired but took a big drink of water and headed to the climb..

Only bit of melt down second lap as his lungs were burning and the 

push up the hill by the snow pile was wearing him out.

But he finished and was not DFL which made him smile..

I told him that he won the day being the only kid in the race on a one by one..

We got out of town just in time as the server weather 

hit moments after we had gotten out the 

Twin Cites..

So there it is Big as Life,,, Rocking Racing and Partying On..

More to come..

But now I want to ride my skateboard.

What ever is Cool With Me?

This week has been a good one for old man bike riding,,, I have seemed to be 

able to put together a solid week of bike practice, and as 

long as my legs recover should be looking ok as I head into the first series race of the year.

It has been a good mix of both the single speed and the shifter bike.

In my mind I am going back and forth and forth and back about what it is that I want to ride and race on sunday.

The first race is at the Hallowed grounds of Buck Hill,,, Home to many MTB races over the past twenty plus years. And also the place that all the fast 612 guys get to race every thrusday night through out the summer. 

For all of them it is burned into their brains,, as the laps start to add up over the years.

I have had some good races there and some not so good,, it is pretty easy to blow ones self up doing a three mile lap over and over and over.

This sunday it will be 6 laps and I am more torn about what gear I want to ride rather than which bike,  can;t decide between the 58inch or a 54,, will just have to bring both and see

what shakes out. 

It is going to be hot with a good chance of thunder storms,, so it sounds as if the summer weather is here.

This photo was taken back in 2007 shortly after moving here,, it was a cold start to the day and their were even some

flurries in the morning on this early May day.

At the start of the cat5 race they started the heavy men behind the young women and 

the Pip got plowed over by some guys racing for the world championship.

Oh those were the daze.

As I stare out over my kingdom I realize how I am beat like a drum,,

Tired of being Tired,, but it is hard to be a Rockstar.

But it is all Hell On Wheels 

from here on out..

Summer is here in my mind and I am Cool with that..