For those with loved ones: A Must Read.

"But there is one riding rule I’ve come to value, even to cherish, and it’s not about riding at all, even though I learned it from the Grand Tour riders. It’s about saving. For them, it was saving something for tomorrow, next week. For me, yes, it means saving something for tomorrow, but more importantly, it means saving time for my family, saving some energy for the rest of the day, saving myself so I can be fully present for those who love me. We’re not much different from soda: That first sip is sweet, but no one wants the empty can."
-excerpt from Red Kite Prayer.

Red Kite Prayer is a site that came from one of my favorite bike sites of all time: Belgium Knee Warmers.

There are a few writers who write for RKP including NYC's own super excellent rider and writer, JP Partland.

One of the first posts on the site was one that resonated in a hollow way- it rang through as I thought of all the times I went for rides at the expense of non bike activities and only to return totally shelled to be a non participant.

The rules are worth a read.

MBR: A call for your desires and a little Euro bike BS:

“What did you do as a child that made the hours pass like minutes? Here is the key to your earthly pursuits.” -Carl Jung

Carbon- makes you wonder sometimes....Road racing bikes have become truly machines of one purpose: speed. And although the rigors of any Euro based pro is up the highest level of bike flogging this makes you wonder if the envelope of light weight has been exceeded...I keep thinking back to a conversation that was shared with me about what one of the founders of Cervelo said: "the outer limits of light weight have been met."

Speaking of carbon- Specialized, makers of some of the finest cross country mountain bikes on the planet (Full disclosure- I am not on their payroll in any way but I can say without a doubt that the Morgan Hill company makes a really nice high end product), has put together a very light weight XC sled- reported weight for 4 plus inches is 22.5 pounds...Bike weights have really come down with little sacrifice.

Speaking of Cervelo- this really should be filed under the "duhhh" category. Cervelo, after gaining approval by the UCI, has no changed their kit color to feature more white. The reason? They cited that it would be "cooler" (temperature wise- black is always cooler in general style wise unless you are talking about a white t-shirt) than wearing the full black kit. Really? Wow.

And finally, certainly not Euro, but total BS:

Madoff- Sentencing is in the books and so I wont go into any details about a fraud that literally destroyed/killed many. Ruth, wife of Bernie, seems to believe it is the media that has ruined her life if you read this literally. I have a hard time being compassionate for someone who has lived so ostentatiously and is now saying she was betrayed. Give me a break.

Quoting A Crazy....

"Everything great that we know has come from neurotics… never will the world be aware of how much it owes to them, nor above all what they have suffered in order to bestow their gifts on it. "-Proust.


Aftermath at Stewart- Trashed: Cullen, Moi, Luis, Viking and Frog II (there are actually 3 Frenchies on the team now with G-man added over the weekend).

Recently I read a quote by Proust which made me contemplate the activities and actions I seem to enjoy the most- Neurotic behavior seems to feed into going a little further because of some self image insecurity. Whether it is the over performance at work, or the desire to train even though I know I am thrashed- it is all an attempt to counter an insecurity. Isn't that why we all try and push a little harder? We want to overcome a complex that lurks inside of some sort? It could just be me.

But then again I can't put too much credence into what some crazy French intellectual had to say. I did not listen too intently to my father so I am not sure why I would listen some other crazy french guy. The man was crazy. But don't quote me on that.

Short stuff:

• The Times had an interesting article on the secrecy going on over at Apple (the people who make the Apple IIc of course...) and it made me realize how much Apple thinks their shit don't stink.
  
• Madoff- Madoff's lawyer asked for a 12 year sentence as he argued that would be the life expectancy of his client. I have to think that Bernie and Ruth must be on crack to think that is likely ot happen- How may people did they put into financial ruin because the wanted to live the high life? It was not like Bernie had been robbing Peter to pay Paul and was living a humble life and was forgoing the trappings of true success. I am just grossed out by the whole story.
  
• The Boulder Report had an interesting bit of supposition on how close Team Astana was to be shelved and was to be reportedly replaced by LiveStrong/Nike as the title sponsor. It should be an interesting Tour with what looks like a battle between Armstong and his half of the team and Contador and his half of the Team.
• This is not news, but the new version of Cyclingnews just plain sucks. I have stopped going and have reverted to Velonews for my bike racing news. Too bad, so sad that the new owners killed the best bike news site on the planet. Dummies.
• Finally, do you have this problem: Remembering someones name you once dated a few years ago who you thought was the bomb but now you struggle to put a name to the face?

Anyway, that is it from MBR today.

Mud baths, tall gears, non sense and Wasabi peas.

The Dark Horse Gallop came and went- It was a hard lesson in gearing, limitations and a reminder that I hate riding in the mud. 

The NY area has been hammered by rain the entire month of June making the trails soft and muddy. And this makes training properly really hard to do. I try and remind myself daily it is better to be under trained than over trained and that mud is a part of racing in the dirt. The abridged version: The gun goes off and everyone in my class takes off- I started mid pack and pretty much stayed there till the end when I lost two-three spots because of lack of focus. 14 out of 25 was the result and only a little off a top 10 finish. Time would have put me in top ten for geared racers for my age class. The SS category is fast but I feel like my form is coming along and the first goal of the season (top 10) is just around the corner.

Race Notes: In the middle of the race I have a fellow frenchy (g-man) come up on me and being the good roadie, I give it everything I have to pace it for him (I was thinking that there was a couple of kids in his class who were ahead...he actually was in the lead) for about 2 minutes which then caused a spectacular blow up on my part. He went on to win his class (bump up sand bagger- honor the race!). From there on I am on cruise control- Some periods of day dreaming while I pedal well within myself followed by some bursts of power fueled by self loathing for being lazy and not pushing myself. Which then lead to another blow up and then followed by cruise control/day dreaming and then followed by a frenzy of pedaling fueled by the hatred for the sport (grrr...mud sucks). This repeats itself over and over till I cross the line. I need to learn how to pace myself.

This may have been the most muddy I have ever been. I had mud in my shorts and I wear bibs. The mud punishes bikes and I certainly rode like I just did not care anymore. Which I did not- It is racing.

Personal highlight; Passing geared guys on the DH after they schooled me on the climb. Did not matter much as they soon passed me again once the trail went up. Wrong choice in gearing really was a handicap.

Mistakes in gearing: I pre-rode the course Wednesday and I did not think it would go to total hell in a hand basket of mud and so I opted for a bigger gear rationalizing that Stewart is pretty smooth and very pedaly. Normally yes, but not so much after the deluge of mega rain this month- Peanut butter thick mud followed by tons of deep standing water. I tried to ride the deep mud pushing as hard as I could (think a series of leg presses) and when I throughly killed my legs I just ran. 34x18 was not the right choice and pretty much killed my race quick. Stupid choice on my part considering I could have popped the cog off in 10 minutes max. Stupid learns. I chalked it up to experience. "Next time buddy...next time...." Next race i plan on gearing down just to see how that goes: I have a feeling I am better at spinning than mashing.

Wasabi peas: Apres race meal consisted of some carbs in the form of a couple of beers (felt good and drunk briefly- dehydration serves it purpose) and some wasabi peas. I tried to share with some of the other kids but soon learned that they were a little too spicey for some. Pablo after putting a bunch in his mouth said "excuse me" and then went on to spit them all out. MMM spicey.

Other non sense: Met a guy who said he attended the Clash Bonds shows. Sort of interesting that I liken the Bonds shows to some sort of pre-historic religious service: 8 days of shows in a row.

I am really looking forward to the next race in two weeks- the bug has really bitten me. Till then I plan on doing some hard fast rides, some chilling and catching up with the world.

Weekend is here.

The week has been up and down personally- Ups have been sweeter than love and the downs have been harder than the nail in the coffin. The downs: huge lay off at my company. I survived, but I was scared. It was hard to see people you like leave and I will leave it at that. The ups: a nice mid week ride to put everything in perspective with company that gives one some faith in humanity. Good human beings, those who show compassion and take the road less ridden, are my super heroes. As they are the ones who dare to do what I tell myself I should have done: the trail less ridden. Trail breakers come in all forms and should be honored for having the personal conviction to be different.

Steven Marmo: A great piece of how one man found inner peace through the bike.

This weekend- Ride hard, eat lots and rest up. I am racing next weekend and I am feeling
motivated.

New kit: the NYCMTB bike kits arrived and they look sweet. Will post up pictures as soon as I find a photog worthy of the shoot- I checked with Annie L and Dave LaChapelle and discovered they are booked through 2010. So, it may be Panda shots. Oh well.

SRAM Red: I think my Mistress (the IF road bike) is due for a make over and I may doll her up with Red. Thoughts?

Racing HB Style and and the Mucho Loco.

Racing HB Style and and the Mucho Loco.
"Those who know, know": That is the title of this picture. Otherwise this is a secret that will be taken to the grave. Ask me nicely and privately and I might share. 

Note for all loyal Mega Bottle Ride readers: A small change in format as the blog will now be refereed to as the MBR. When it was first uttered (actually scrawled by the Boston assassin) it resonated with a level of professionalism and importance- then it dawned on me that is what my companies monthly meeting is called that strikes fear in everyone's heart when they are asked to submit or participate in: MBR=Monthly Business Review. Duh. The editorial staff quickly voted to keep it. Something about it being easier to write out. 

The Highbridge All City XC Race came and went with the quickness. You can check NYCMTB.com for results and all that kind accurate stuff. Here you will find my impressions, and final thoughts of an over stressed timer (I did not race- just volunteered with the timing. Super annoyingly stressful- I did not want to mess anyones races result up after they have thrown down their bucks.).

The day: Weather was right on and beautiful. No issues. Pre-rode the course (sort of: got to the park a little late and decided I would take the "quick" way down to the start with my heavy bag of junk. Not the way the course was intended to be ridden and it is amazing how inertia, the heavy bag, when in motion is hard to stop) and found it to be lacking the glass and syringes that many believe to be the HB experience- That was good. No crazy crack head either- That was really good. It seems the park was in tip top shape.

Racers: Good crowd of peeps showed up. Beginner Cat 3 racers showed up excited to race to find a real deal hard cross country race. The HB trails are techy and can be savage. This scared a couple of entrants away (including Wilson Vasquez- one of NY Metros areas fastest men who raced cat 1 and dropped out after one lap citing that it was brutal) but also gave racers a true mountain bike race experience instead of some inner city watered down grass criterium.  The cat 2 field was well attended from people near and far. The Cats 1's and pro's was a bevy of super honches from near and far: Jurgen Beneke (former DH world cup master), a single speeder from Canada drove down and every ones favorite 29er SS who sounds like a doctor Thomas Parsons  of 29 wheel fame just to name a few. All in all a well represented group of racers. 

Impressions: being the cranky timer guy ("please don't come near that guy over there- he is doing timing and will go out of his mind if he misses a number"- that is no embellishment on the MBR's part.) I really did not have the opportunity to mingle: I rarely left my chair other than to run to the bushes which was exactly  13 feet away to use "the bushes"- I was super well hydrated evidently.  But from what I heard and saw from my vantage point in the cone of silence made me excited. People liked the race: the fast guys thought the course was fun and challenging and promised to come back and the newer racers found religion and wanted more. It is exciting to open a house of worship up to the masses and offer/be apart of something that is bigger than yourself and your own experience. I am sure it is very new age sounding coming from a blog that once boasted  the "most devout worshippers of porn per square mile" (levity folks- not true in the very least as we all know that is reserved for the West Village.) but the day felt good when it was done. I was beat tired from intense focus and lack of food other than the 2 slices of pizza, a small cup of coffee and some Zico (I can't explain-look it up)- but I felt really good about people showing up and being participants. I felt like I had shared a secret.

Afterward people came over and tried to talk to the people in the timer area looking for more information on mountain biking  in the general tri state area and they were quickly dismissed- I just hope they walked they extra 20 feet to the information tent and got it.  

Finally:

It is interesting to see something start to take hold in people: whether it was the prospect of racing in "Fort Apache, way upper Manhattan" (inside joke) or their first time racing and seeing how it is really done (fast) by some of the best.  I felt like I was playing "Whiteman in Hammersmith Palais" for some 1980's kid whose concept of music at the time revolved around a turntable and a beat machine (For the record: far worse than rap, but was the pre-cursor to house music): That was for you Dave U since I have been out of pocket. I was witness to instantaneous appreciation with a craving for more. And while I am more apt to appreciate and applaud the participant, for once the watcher was well satisfied in seeing the buds of imagination grow.

French Surrender Monkeys and catching up.

NYVelocity.com: Toto is a weekly read, but this week is a way worthwhile read for one line alone-"French Surrender Monkeys." Why would a French guy whose grandfather was in the Resistance (and because of that his grandmother was beaten and imprisoned by the Nazi's) find that funny? Well, the line is funny, but it also goes to show how stupidly xenophobic (I know, an oxymoron) Americans can be. I love the cheeseburger, and it is a great place to live, but sometimes the American perspective is so inward to have a true clue. Kind of like how we were the only country in the world producing massive trucks for consumer use(as opposed to industrial use) when everyone else in the free world realized that sustainable fossil fuel energy is a myth.

Catching up-
The last week and half has been one rush to another rush. Work crazy, riding crazy and the HB race experience (will write a proper post later on THE MTB event in NYC of the year) has put me a little behind in writing and calling any friends back. If I have any at this point. Doh!

Are you coming?

Are you coming? Yeah, I am talking to you.

Come race or come spectate!

Highbridge All-City 2009 XC MTB Race teaser from Jamie Bogner on Vimeo.

29, Wine and Single Speed "poor losa"

Rambling thoughts after a long week of infinite stupidity:

Yesterday was SingleSpeedPalooza race- THE east coast SS event of the year. Even Parsons of big wheel fame drove the four hours through the night of leaving at 3.30 AM to dole out some pain in short order and then jump back into his car and drive back to Boston gun slinger style. More importnatly after the race  he mentioned he was getting married- NICE. Good love is hard to find for us bike boys and so it is nice to know he has found it. AND this is the same chick who willingly threw herself down on her own blade and gave up her spot for the SS Worlds last year. The strangest thing about Mr. Parsons is how adult he sounds ....when I rode by his car I knew it was his because there was a huge Dunkin Donuts ice coffee on top of it....Anyway, I digress.

SS Race: it was fun. I can't say I am terribly happy with the way I finished but I have to be honest with myself- I have not trained smart this year. But at least for once I am not over trained. Under two hours was the time and 21 out of 64 was my place. I am going to start to train instead of just ride. Going to take a small break this week and then come back. I am feeling a little bit like a poor loser for not making the most of the hours I have spent on the bike. Oh well, at least I am smiling.

29: Stewart, where the race is held, is made for SS. I never really spent any time on a 29er to really develop a true opinion but I got my hands on a 29er for the race. A pretty pimping 29er: ti Independent Fabrications with custom flower decor paint job.....frankly it was too big but I made due. It really got me thinking after racing it hard for 20 miles: They are fast. Big wheels roll over stuff allot easier. I was really surprised at how well. Anyway, I think I am going to build a SS 29er for racing...there is a marked difference in performance.

Wineo1:

For some time I had been thinking of putting on my own punk rock style enduro race- A home grown event. Laminated home made number plates, bottle of fine wine for the winners, a way fun trail, and a way for like minds to meet. That is all I will say for now but I am really looking forward to doing this.

Other-
I saw an old college buddy who seemed to be on his true path: Owning a shop and racing. I heard this voice behind me and it reminded me of a Kook on Cannondale f1000 who used to jump the bushes and cut classes to snowboard back in the day- and when I turned it around it was Jason. Small world He gave me a huge hug- and me being the uptight person I am with affection I did not know what to do but hug back. Hand shake would have been fine. He looked good and it was nice to know things were going well for him. And he got third in the freakin' race. Good lord the boy is still going strong.

Funny.

Advance to 6.23 and you will yours truely and a super endo.

Tymor Park Challenge 5/17/09 from Jontotman on Vimeo.

Weekend recap quick style

I got some miles in over weekend- It was nice. Lots of highlights for the mental reel that plays in my head.

Saturday I ended up riding around the city posting flyers for the All City race: it was nice to know I had been around long enough that every shop I stopped in, I knew at least one person. I am not sure why that makes me happy other than some knowledge that it equates to some weird bike boy currency that I am not sure will matter to many other than me. But it was nice.

More to follow later.

The Stars and lack of sleep.

I woke up this morning with too few hours of rest after celebrating my cousins graduation at Boulay (sp?) and Public: I felt swanky.  I had a good time but frankly I hate going out on Friday because I am spanked when Friday rolls around and  my only true inclination is to relax. But I rallied and got a hair cut, shaved, and wore my favorite suit (which red wine was spilled on it...).

I got stuck on a little chaperoning (it sucks when you bridge the gap between adults and children- I protested and swore I was childish) and did not make it home as early as I had hoped. Fortunately I made the decision to stay away from the booze after dinner (I drank three-four glasses of wine maybe...Sober observations of my family is all about I can take: it is like getting drunk before a crazy roller coaster...Why?) and so the damage was limited.

Off to post posters up of the all city race....NYC's only inner city race. I am not racing but helping out.  

Mud Fest:

I raced Tymor on Sunday. It was muddy. It was a hard course. It broke me a little towards the end. I should have worn my skirt.

Summary: At one point I was doing all right-Maybe sitting in 9th-10th (which is good for me at this point of the year and for this type of course...I have not done any hard riding, just long rides.). The course featured what one of the promoters called a "fucker of hill" and he was not kidding: it was just a 10 minute hike-a-bike mud wall. With gears it is maybe climbable...single speed less so.



With some enthusiam for racing on the first lap I just hustled up the hill: running up hills with bikes seem to be something I am getting good at. Seriously. Mud was everywhere. I hate mud.



2nd lap sapped me of some of my enthusiam: I was riding with 2 other single speeders and I bobbled in a fast section which caused me to stop and them to go right by me. I got going again pretty quick but I chased a little too hard (just about caught back on) and then blew up. At that point I just capitulated: yes, it is awful to admit but I basically just sat up. I had enough of the mud fest. 12th.



Single Speed Pa-looza is coming up and I am looking forward to that. There are no real hills to speak of.

Rain.

Rain is on tap for the weekend. Ugh.

I had planned on doing the uphill TT at Alpine as a warm up for Sunday's main event at Tymor. I am just not that sure I want to ride/race two days in pour down rain...At least that is what the weather man wants me to believe. Sunday I will certainly be doing so, but while the heart is inclined to do the Hill TT the body is wimping out: I just do not want to have to clean my bike. I am so tired of bike maintenance. Does that make me a wimp? Yeah, it probably does.

In other news: I am really looking forward to this. This place is a great place for single speed riding.

Training tunes.

This is really for my friend Gaby who I train/ride with every 2-3 weeks:

Recently she told me she liked to download NPR PodCasts for her work outs: What? How can that help you get ready and be pumped up to do your sprint/interval work outs? It does not.

I suggested Metallica before, during and after all work outs in order to prepare to slay all on the bike.

So, it has been awhile....

Inertia has a funny way of doing things. 

For whatever reason I stopped writing one day. I was feeling like I was in a little bit of a funk and I was having a hard time getting out of it. And so, I did not necessarily want to be telegraphing to anyone in the world that I was a little down about my job, my career, and where I thought I was in my life's path. All these things that may keep you up at night are often hard to admit to oneself at first and even harder to say out loud to anyone. But that is life. There are ups and there are downs. And last winter was a downer. 

End transmission.

So, when the urge to write struck again, I would start and then for whatever reason, I would then stop. I am not sure what that was about. It was a false start. 

Kindness of Strangers.

I felt really weird when two strangers (I know them, but I don't know them) stopped by the blog and asked why no blog? Yeah, why no blog? There really was no valid answer and so I decided start again.  Thank you Tom and Tom for giving me the subtlest of pushes to get going again. Inertia has a funny way of doing things.  

Summary.

I know this is weird post and all. And I promise I wont be weird anymore, well at least not in the near future, but I felt compelled to at least try and explain why there was an interruption of service.

So what have you been doing with yourself all this free time since you obviously have not been posting? 

Riding a bunch. I built a new single speed. I have already raced: Once in the dirt and once on the skinny. I have not been making any art. I got some new music. I have read some good books. And I have been a little too interested  in the Bernie Madoff story. 

But I am sure I will be  posting about all such non-sense in due time. 

In the mean time I will share this detail: I cleaned it. Nothing hard, but fun.

The new accessory.

[LoV-E & Poolga], originally uploaded by LOV-E.

Totally off the subject of bikes, but how has the iPhone become the new girl accessory. Everywhere I look I see girls with these phones....

Will report on something two wheel related shortly.

"He who works with hands, and his head, and his heart is an artist."

"He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist."

- St. Francis of Assisi



Photos courtesy of Above Category Bike shop in Mill Valley, California. Bike frame was painted special by Dario Pegoretti for Robin Williams.  Robin must have one of the finest bike collections anywhere.

Deviance 1988

Birthdays often cause reflections:
Last Sunday my odometer kicked over another year. No biggie really. I had planned to take a selfie the moment I woke up to commemorate another year. But somehow, my photographic skills dived to a new level of worthless. I guess I am the anti-thesis of a friend of mine who once told me she was well above average in everything. Oh well, the best laid plans.

So instead I have these two pictures:
Priorities on my day were to ride like I did 20 years ago. And at the half point of my ride I would drink a strong cup of coffee, eat a Cinnamon bun and ride home. I wanted to make sure I could still get it up (into the big ring...get your mind out of the gutter girl) and go hard enough so that no one would pass me unless astride motorcycle...And even then I would give them a run for their money.

This is me circa 1988 (20 years ago...I am old): I had just broken into the principals office one night with another scoundrel and proceeded to make long distance calls while using the Polaroid camera that they used to make school ID's to take inappropriate pictures in various positions simulating bad assness to the max.

I was a little bit of a trouble maker. I always chalked it up to my curiosity: I always wanted to know what would happen if I did something or other that I was not supposed to do. Nothing too serious, but just enough to get me sent to the principals a few too many times, fail gym twice (I was a varsity athlete...) and make my poor mother worry more than she should have.

Anyway this is my birthday photo to show how far I have come.

Betty Page.

I just read that the great Betty Page passed.