Crossing the Lines

 I have brought my CX bike from the dead.... Me and this bike have been through so much together.. It came from my wife's boss back in Breckenridge,, Amy was sick of racing cross and thought that if she sold it she would stop cold turkey.. It came laced up with a full Ultegra  group but in my heart of hearts It was meant to be a single speed.  Trough some modification it transformed.. First Cx race was the Brecktoberfest ,,Racing the 4's and doing well the chain popped off 4 times I did finish but was dejected.   The next day went better racing in Frisco crossing the line 2nd and I was hooked. That season I had some success with 2 wins and worked hard to get upgrade but the AcA would not have it. Did a few more Cx races before we moved to Wisco. Since moving I have done a few and still enjoy the time when I get to line up. But more than anything this bike has been for me another way to escape. Many many miles on the crushed gravel along the Mississippi ... long quite training miles with road tires on it... and even managed to get into the top ten in the H8ter race in Madtown.

 The bike gets used and abused.. The wheels are off my old Lemond and have 10K miles and with all the winter commute miles the hubs cry and scream while they spin.
Me and the old Red Machine have ridden the single track of HpT and morning group rides.. It has taken me places.. Would I love a nice slick Steel ride.. Well yes I would because steel is real,,,,,,,,,,,real nice. The Aluminum frame can make your teeth rattle and punish the taint.. But if you close your eyes and spin hard you can day dream your day away on the back of an old friend. 

This week has been a good awakening of a cyclist that I may resemble. I live too far away from the places where CX racing happens. Two hours of each way driving for a 60 min race is hard for me to swallow.... I read I watch and keep up with the CX world and @times feel like I am missing out on something,,, I even watch over and over Pure Sweet Hell while I sit on the Rollers in the middle of Jan.
I go over and over in my head how fun it would be to line up and hurt for an hour of misery.  
But I remind my self all I have to do is open the garage and head out in any direction and start my wheels moving,,, and before I know it I will be free from all that weighs down the mind.                                  I spend the whole summer driving all over the upper mid west racing and making my self hurt and wounder why I do what I do.. The fall is my time down here this is my time,,, and I got to make the best of it.  Bikes are freedom and freedom is a Revolution that is worth fighting for.

Single Track is more fun than....

I chose to skip the dark night race and hang 

out with my better half . Not racing and drinking beer

and watching football sounded like a better idea. 

I am tired and at times not in to having to go hard this 

time of the year. It was a long season with a ton of travel and

it is now time to chill and ride for the fun of riding. No rules no 

finish lines and no attitudes.

So sunday morning after a stellar breakfast I was back at it again. 

The trails are in the best condition that they have been in a long time. No moon dust 

and the leaves are not scattered as bad as they had been due to the work of the tail crew.

And to avoid the Hamster Wheel feeling I went at the trails from every direction. 

I particularly like the North side of the system with all the small connectors

and going backwards and forwards you can link up some fun stuff. 

It shall come to an end soon,,, but until then I am going to keep on swinging.

Paint it Black

The sun was setting as I climbed the 

quarry hill. After two days of grey skys

it made for a beautiful panorama of  color

as the sun dipped behind Minnesota. The first 

section of trail was ripping fast and their

was still enough light to ride with out

a head light. Rounded through French Connection

backassward through Imberm and back to buckthorn

keeping an eye out for others. Bumped in to 

a crew of riders as I slid down Bob and started

to head Frechies to ride that in the wrong direction.

Handed out a Big Air can for a flat and spun my wheels.

Felt great to be out playing after dark.. Not sure I 

need to be racing on saturday,, my legs are not 

to happy,, they can make the bike go but not 

like I want for a race pace. Still have a day or 

so to decide... I wont be crushed I dont make it. 

Saw one deer as I headed down through the quarry on 

my way home singing at the top of my lungs to try to 

scare any other animals from jumping in front of me. 

Big wheel rolling is better than sitting on my Ass... 

Blacker

It is going to be 

DARK...

Blown Up Sir

_____________________________________________________________

Trails were blown clear and were

riding lighting fast. After a day at

Levis and riding in deep leaves riding

the groomed trails at HPT was Awesome. 

I have no issues with Levis and like 

riding there,,,But when it comes to 

trails our here in LAX are some of if not the

best. Up next maybe a ride/race in Iowa on

saturday.. Need to see how the week shapes up

the burn out level is here being late Oct.

Home with sick child,, skies are blue and 

my bikes are weeping and wanting to be ridden. 

Boxelder

The winds they be a blowing but in the woods life is good..

Like a wheel in motion it was time to move again. It 

has been a few years since I have been at the world famous Levis Mound.

The very first time I was with the Doctor and it was Nineteen years ago... 

Back then the trail system is not what it is now. We rode in circles and got lost on so 

many different levels. 

This time would be a new story of fun as me and the Kid went on a blustery day to 

go ride the Clark County Goodness,,

One hour from the house is really close to not be riding these trails more often,,,I need to stop being such a car hater and drive from time to time to go and play.. 

With the high winds every leaf that could fall did but

if you looked hard enough you could see the trail.. We looped sixteen miles to the best of my memory of the system. Yellow Jacket and Goat something Sidewinder and a bunch of other trails

danced as we speed the big wheels through and over the trails. 

October is going to be gone before we know it and it is going to be time for the winter

silent sports,, and again Levis will be on the list of places

to go and slide. Need to get the kid more proficient on the slide and glide. 

With the coming winter it is going to be time to polish up the Spot and get it on 

the Market,, So the Form can take shape and make speed blur the lines of my reality.

Up and down

The change can come quick with a few turns 

of a 5 and 4mm the switch takes place. 

Spent the past few weeks keeping it simple and enjoying the silence of 

direct drive. The bouncing sounds of chain on steel can get to 

be loud at times but the joy of changing speed when the leaves come down

and slippery traction happens.  Dry air again and 

the wheels will spin. 

Lights Wheels Action..