Deeper

Yesterday was a planed off day,, other than commuting.. I needed it mondays TT like effort into the wind was a bit of a crusher and I had no desire to sit on the rollers after dinner. 

I have to say that my sleep was some of the best that it has been in a while. 

We splurged a few weeks back a got an I Comfort mattress,, and sleep has been good but last 

night I sunk into that memory foam and did not move until I heard the 

Scorpions Rocking Me like A Hurricane.. 

Deep Sleep. 

I am waiting on a new set of Tires from Vittoria  for my Gunnar a fresh set of 28's, so I am holding off on the mandatory spring cleaning. 

Bike is still dirty from what or when it was last ridden in November and badly needs to have

the cables and housing changed out. 

I love that feeling of fresh cables and housing.... but don't want to get it all cleaned up and subject it to the carnage out on the roads here in the Drifless Region. 

My All City has been doing all the work for the past 10 days that outside above freezing temps have been in play,, and I am doing my best to keep it happy and clean. 

Will need new break pads sooner than later with all the crap on the roads,, and as soon 

as my BB30 gets here for my new LaMere,,,, King 

is sending along both style of grease injectors so I will be able to do a deep clean and flush the BB with clean grease.. This bike has had a good but tough life ever since it came home back in October.

Today was the first day in a while that I could have gotten away with out fenders... but I am not sure if that was because it was 

just a degree or two above freezing. Once you get out of the City and in to the country the water is less and less. Their are puddles or small lakes in Lacrosse that if you enter you may not come out. 

For the most part I have to say that I felt pretty good today slow up bliss but that is 

what I get trying to push 63 inches this early but I want to get it up to 66+ so I can use it in 

some of the group rides, and not get dropped on the flats due to spinning out. 

Still lots of work to be done,, but happy with what has been done so far and 

as long as it stays dry and some what warmer non negative temps I'll keep my self moving outside. 

The Pip comes home this weekend for spring break and I'll have to take her over to Minnesota and ride some of the endless gravel roads that side of the river,, Nice long climbs and valleys that seem

to never end. I hope she know what she is getting in to.

Time to Dig Deep!

Outsides

I had my self set up for a strong week of pedaling. 

Goal was for seven days and three hundred miles.. I fell forty miles short for the seven days but for the past nine right on the number. 

Up until the other day a lot of Roller miles were needed due to the polar vortex and the condition of the roads. I had been coming home and riding the road to no where for 25+ miles a night. 

With my phone duct tapped to my handle bars I finished up season five of Breaking Bad. 

Two miles on two miles off and so on and so forth. 

Then the weather broke just enough that the snow started to recede and the puddles formed. 

Now the only thing that stood in the way of outside riding was me.

I woke up saturday and shifted gears on the Nature Boy down to an 18 giving me 63 inches of awesomness. 

I needed a hundred miles for the weekend and even with the sun out the temps never got much more than freezing. And the wind was blowing just enough to make me earn every pedal stoke.

Not the mile total that I wanted but a titch under 2000 feet of climbing and I was not riding inside.... and I got to ride a classic route right out the front door. 

Not to mention that i got to watch the  Strade Bianche,, right in to the Fat Bike Birkie.

Two races that made me just want to get out and drill it. 

A lesson to all of you is don't go to the Grocery store after beating your self up..

Crashing and trying to buy food is not a win win set up. 

But nothing some guacamole and beer could not cure. 

Falling short yesterday meant that I needed some huge miles today. 

The weather never really got as warm as they foretasted to  and the wind was blowing harder than I wanted. The grey skies and cold wind made me super unmotivated and I did leave the house until late into the afternoon. 

Climbing is starting to hurt less and less,, and my legs seem like they are remembering what to do. 

I have lots and lot of more work to do,, but for the first time in a while I am not as scared about being a blob of slowness. 

Warmer days are a head and new bike waiting for me when the dirt dries out.. 

 

Time

The Pip came home from school last friday and like good parents

we drove to pick her up and took her home on sunday.

Nice having her around and even better that it was only a weekend..

Love the child but getting used to her being at school.

While home she managed to land a summer job at one 

of the local bike shops,, and not to far from the house.

So from now on I should not have to be cleaning her bikes,, this one still had mud and crap from

her trip to Boulder for Cross Nationals. 

Another perk to having her home,, Anna and I were able to go out Friday and see Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.. A Blue Grass Band from Point.. 

These guys can play and the banjo and fiddler don't mess around.. 

They played at the local hipster coffee bar,, that stank of BO and burnt falafel,, and had a new school home brew menu that was thicker than I wanted.. With the line to the dude bathroom I realized that I could walk across the street take a leak and buy a beer and head back to the show,, Worked slicker than a whistle.

Good music good company and with the beers from across the way I was happy see the taxi show. 

The forecast is starting to look like spring or at least not be below freezing.

With the amount of snow on the ground it looks like life back at 9700 feet. 

I made a goal of 300 miles for the week and I 

know that it is possible especially

with help from my little friend. 

All Buzzed up and need to go,,,

Kindred

Becoming a connoisseur of ice...Not because I like mixed drinks or have become an ice fisherman,, or have gone back to making ice carvings for a sunday brunch buffet.

No the last two mile of my commute is all covered with ice. 

All kinds of ice..... smooth ice, ice with ruts,,, ice with waves,,, ice that has been salted.. off camber ice.. patchy ice,,, and small ice islands. 

The rest of the commute is dry and not slippery,, so I have been 

riding the cross bike. It allows me to have a bike that is better for doing workouts etc.

I have to play a game that is almost like frogger hopping from dry patch to dry patch and hoping that the ice that I choose to ride on is the salted textured kind so the bike stays upright.

Last year in march I wreck my self one to many times,, so bad that for a week before we headed down to AZ I drove the car,, so I could go on vacation in one piece. 

In other ice news.... I drove up to the Cities on saturday 

to go hang out with Hwood and crew and to pick up my new LaMere Mountain Bike frame for this coming racing season. 

The nasty weather that was supposed to hit us last Thursday slammed the roads between Rochester and the metro area.. I chose to go up the river and the and things went well until Red Wing and the ice came.. And with the way people were driving you would have thought it has never snowed in Minnesota. 

Made it alive... Picked up my new frame and had dinner with 

the Bavers.

The the crazy stuff started on the way to the Cutters Ball as JP got him self pulled over I thought the night was over. A burnt out head light,, missing plate light and no insurance card,, I thought I would be calling from the side of the road to get picked up. 

Nope some smooth talking and big smiles and no ticket and we were on our way. 

Got to the party just to catch the end of the Shop Bike Shoot Out.. 

A short track alley race with high bank corners.

This happened by the one and only Geneo still killing it and crushing dreams..

 I survived another trip to the 612,, and another night of beer drinking and staying up late.

The bike culture in the midwest is strong and on the forefront of 

cycling. 

And they can party and put the Grain under their Belt.

 Kindred Spirits Happen. 

Hazards

I have head it said that the weather Terrorist are scaring the pants off of the local population. 

After 5 inches on tuesday we saw a heat wave of back to back days of 40+ temps.

Now we are looking at 9+ inches and back to the cold weather of winter.

Cabin fever and stir craziness is in full effect.

Normally at this point and time of the year I have a good base of miles in other than my commuting miles.

I feel like I am behind for February, though other than outside miles I have been getting the work done.. Sophia's room has been transformed to  a weight room and the skiing has been good. 

With the temps this afternoon and the lack of broken appliances I was able to slide out early.

As I left this morning I stood in the garage door looking at the semi dry roads and went back and forth about what bike to ride. 

The clapped out commuter has studs and fenders,, but the Nature Boy would allow me to play. 

I chose the All-City and just made sure with all the snow that melted then froze that I  kept the bike up right...

The ride after work was good I knew that I was going to get a wet ass but was ok with that..

I did have my gore pants in my backpack if I needed them, but more than anything I just wanted to soak in the sun.  Spinning the smallish gear of 59inches felt too easy at first but once I got to the hill it felt just right. In years past going into Birkie weekend I have been up this hill a few dozen times. 

This year not so much and no matter how bad it hurt it was great to be moving. 

So glad that I could make it out,, because tomorrow it is back to studs and lobster mitts. 

This is a marathon not a sprint the season is long quality not quantity is important for strong riding all year long. 

Crapski

I spent last saturday super productive. Had a nice morning with the family and got a 

ton of stuff done in the garage with not only getting 

the All-City Nature Boy cleaned up and shined from all the salt and slop.

But also pulled the parts off the Team Bike "LaMare Cycles"

it is going back to HQ and I will be riding on the newer version of the Hard Tail frame.

The day was kicking and going great,, Skis were waxed and ready for a 

shred in the woods.

The ski was great just a touch over an hour and a tich over 1k of climbing.

When visibility is down or conditions are the best on the golf course I like to head out and just crush the hills over and over and over. 

Flash forward to evening and nothing out of the normal. 

Then comes Sunday morning,, I woke up thinking that maybe one of the beers that i drank did not agree with me. After my shower I realized that things were not good. 

As the day progressed I got worse and worse. 

Four days later riding the couch and this boy had him self the full on Flu..

Now I know people get sick from time to time and say 

oh it was the flu,, I say horse shit,, unless it is the real deal why would you want to cop to it. 

Four days of hot and cold and nasty body aches. Sweating through 

blankets and not sleeping through the night and sleeping the day away. 

And to boot I missed three days of work which will all be use as vacation days..

How in the hell is that a vacation.? No eating no coffee no beer 

and no doing anything. Not riding a bike not skiing no trips to the skate park.

Full on shitsville. 

So here I am on the mend and feeling about 80% needed to get back after all the 

bicycle style training activities that I had been doing. 

I am four days behind where I should be,, I have work to do,, 

I have a time frame to stick to and now I feel that I am going to be cramming. 

As I tell the Pip no matter how hard you are working their is always someone else

working that much harder than you. 

It is time to get the bikes in order for outdoor riding, all of them  and time to have the body ready for the next level of work to be had.. Now if I can only hope that this winter of Cold , colds and now 

flu is all over.

Come on Spring I know that you are out there.. 

Never Let Me dOwN

Pealing off the layers on a friday night after a slog ride (commute) home

the smell of some of my gear made me gag a bit.

With all this damn cold air you would not think that a whole lot of 

sweating would be going on. 

Regardless I was going to hold on to that stink and add to it over the weekend. 

Inspiration comes in  waves and some times in the strangest of places if you look at it right. 

I was all geared up to watch some World Championship CycloCross and 

Ski till it hurt. 

The first of the two became a bit of a chore to find and get to see.

The UCI had the Stream blocked to the US,, so saturdays race I watched in 

some foreign language with a choppy feed.  It was a bummer to watch KFK have such a bad start but was totally awesome to see her kick ass to try to get back to the front. 

This was followed up by some downhill skiing with the boy in what seemed to be fresh snow if you worked for it. 

My gear is old and tattered and I am not planning on getting anything new anytime soon. 

I dig skiing down hill and riding lifts,, spent many many years doing this, and now it is just 

for fun when conditions are right. Not like I am going to drop everything and head to 

New Mexico to go get rad with that guy three years and a day older. 

Wanting more or needing more maybe one too many Espressos I was back out on two stick this time the skinny kind and fresh groomers, this time I made sure that my legs cried out for me to stop. 

Sunday more Cross Racing and what was Called the Superbowl..

This time I found a way around the UCI's block and was able to cast it to the TV.

That race was killer and to see Stybar hang in hang on and 

make the move that stuck till the end. I thought for sure that Sven was going to win but wrong I was.

 The wax on sunday was the wrong color and was like riding the rollers with towels rolled up under them or riding in 53x11 in a stiff head wind. The coverage on the trails is the best that it has been in years and the groomers are keeping the corduroy in prefect shape. 

I gave up after a touch under 50 minutes I was shot,,, but hard to give it up when it is this good. 

All this was lead up to what was to be the Broncos winning the big football game. 

We all know what happened their. 

Yes I wanted to see Payton win again but I really wanted was my 

old grandpa who has been a Broncos fan through thick and thin all these years 

get to see One More Championship.  Their is always next year and the way that he 

is living he'll probably be there to see it. 

Days are getting longer just not warmer. But the wheels are turning

almost like taking a ride with my Best Friend.