Stolen: ideas, images and other random bits.

Stolen: ideas, images and other random bits.

Making Art and Riding bikes:
http://www.ghostshipclothing.com/

Thank you Pez:


I feel like some strange adult weirdo in Japan who collects figures when I start to consider to buy this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/The-CLASH-doll-figures-Garage-kit-JOE-MICK-PAUL_W0QQitemZ250241576885QQihZ015QQcategoryZ53247QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Cool Picture courtesy of Luke Webber:

Pegoretti: One day....

Do I stutter?

I must, because this is the second time I have posted this quote in recent months. Was feeling a little blue as the past stings, and rings hollow in your core as it is empty. I am more likely to remember we are all human beings with feelings today than I would have just 2 years ago. Which I can take some solace in, as it is growth earned the hard way.


"Be kind to one another – everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” ~John Watson

On the Brighter Side:
Amy Rice: I like her pictures, but I LOVE her statement: Grow flowers. Ride a bike. Love an animal. Learn something new. Find your wings. Make art of it all.
http://www.amyrice.com/

That sucked: Highbridge Heart Attack

Monday AM and my legs ache: My body was not prepared for such intensity. I had been riding mostly tempo (with some fast pack riding) with a little high end sprints (a couple minutes of max at most) but it is different when you try and go full tilt for 15 minutes with out having even built up to it. I am going back to the drawing board and will work on putting larger blocks of time together. I also had the wrong choice bike for this course. Too technical. Too steep. Gears would have helped. I am not making any excuses as the guys in front of me were better: no matter what I was riding (motorcycle included) there was nothing I could do to beat a guy like Jurgen Beneke. He is fast.




Summary: rode uptown on my SS with my messenger bag filled with everything. Food, liquids and clothes: it was heavy. Missed highbridge and ended up riding around Fort Tryon park thinking I was in Highbridge: climbed to the top of the hill which was no small feet. Came down some sweet single track which must have been illegal. Then got on the right track amde my way to Highbridge. Signed in, threw down the dollars and went to pre-ride the course. This was only my third time on dirt all year (2nd time on dirt on my new SS) and this course is far harder that I had anticipated. It was the technical, the climbs were hard. You had to be strong technically and physically. Realized that my skills, my confidence was lacking big time. Had some mechanical issues (bike just needed to be shaked out a little) and after my practive lap I tried to rest my legs and focus on getting ready. My plan was to sprint the climb up and hopefully survive the DH and Super D. My plan turned pear shape whenI could not recover after killing it in my seeding run up the climb. For the rest ofthe race I was in total oxygen debt. Not pretty. For my final run I paced myself better, had a mechanical wich took me a minute to get straight and then stopped as I got passed by my minute man (CRAP!!!!).

Not a good result but it was fun. At least the non racing aspect was cool.

Anyway, I had a great day.

Thank you everyone at NYC MTB who put the show on. It was great.

Friday-"When things like that happen, it really makes me question if I want to keep racing my bike.”

Tim Duggan, a Slipstream racer, stacked it super hard at the Tour de Georgia and broke out into convulsions as his body went into shock. The story goes is that a guy in front of him got his front wheel stuck in a mondo crack and super endoed at 45 miles an hour. No joke.
Tommy Danielson, winner of a stage of the Vuelta a few years ago had this to say:
“European guys, guys I hardly know, were asking us all day, ‘How’s your rider? Is he okay?’” Slipstream’s Tom Danielson said. “When things like that happen, it really makes me question if I want to keep racing my bike.” Kind of crazy when a guy who gets paid the big bucks to race says that racing is too dangerous...
My heart goes to the Duggan family: get beter quick so you can "go harder" again.

Thursday

Thursday

One off IF: Beatstick tough built into a XC machine. Gussets every where and with a disk brake brace, it truly is a one off Indy Fab. The owner requested something that would serve as a downhill hardtail and could still get you back up to the top of the mountain under your own leg power...very cool bike. Kind of like a downhillers XC bike.


Sensations:
Legs ache and buzz from the last few days of riding: I even took the day off yesterday (sort of, I cruised around on the SS to get a better feel for it) and they are still fatigued. It must be true: I do have chicken legs. Weak. Not a great sign if I am to start racing again.
At the other end of the spectrum is Greg Henderson: check out his SRM and look at the max cadence of 176. Hot dam. I guess that is what it takes to win a bunch sprint.

Cafe Con leche:
Decided that having super ulcer like pains was not acceptable so coffee may go on the endangered species list for some time as sometimes I am winded it hurts and it can come at any time: going to work and bike rides seem to be its favorite time to show its face. It sucks.


Google maps: got to love it.

The Sweet and the Sick

The Sweet:


And the Sick:

Words have been lacking as of recent. I would spew hard about recent events but figure that the images of the sweet and the sick would suffice for all my readers as indication for my current state of mind.

Back

My friend Jenny's grandmother died last week. She had been her mother to a large extent in her early years, and then later their relationship grew to being equals as confidantes to one another.

Jenny had asked me to say words on her behalf. I have know her for a long time and I was honored to speak on behalf of one of my hero's about one of her hero's.

Now I am just trying to catch up on everything.

I guess I am a single speed guy: Part Deux

The build: 1 IF Single Speed frame mated to the King of forks Fox F100 (thanks LD) .


Steel. I have not had a steel bike since I used to ride my Bontrager Race Lite around in the woods like a kook. Somewhat similar in feel and definitely similar in appearance. Both were blue with a white panel.





Pretty simple: Avid Juicy Carbon brakes (they feel really nice and I have not even set the reach up yet)), top of the line Race Face Deus cranks and external BB (the lightest AL crank they have ever made...at least that is what their proganda says. ) DT 240 hubs mated to DT rims, Thomson post and Ritchey low sweep carbon bars. Bits of blue all over the bike. Changes?I may sway the grips to white ODI. But other than that I like the set up of the bike.



LD and I switched rigs and he rode it like an animal. I felt bad asking for it back as he was putting her through her paces much better than I could. Single speed requires one to rethink the way they ride and carrying speed everywhere is crucial. My engine was not in tune for the series of small sprints that is required to navigate the pretty technical trails that we rode at Blue Mountain. After riding Mix Monster and getting my ass handed to me, we hit the Race course. It felt perfect there as there was no true technical move like one would find on a mix monster or a debacle. Fast, with the right amount of bumps in the trail to make it challenging. The bike is more at home when it can be ridden aggressively and I just did not have the engine to hit it hard on the more techy trails.



I Was Pretty happy with the ride in general. The bike is more upright than any of my other bikes (by design) and the stand over is a little higher (not so much) than I like. Not a deal breaker, but I have always been used to riding the smallest bike possible so to have only a couple of inches between the top tube and the most sensitive of places was different. Not sure if this is a deal breaker for me yet, but if it is I will end up selling it on eBay at seasons end and getting another with the same paint job.

I like riding single speed: It is simple. It makes things that once seemed silly easy hard again. It reminds me of how I felt about mountain biking when I first started mountain biking. It was just fun to be in the mud. I am planning on racing single speed for shits and giggles. It should be fun and help me keep out of trouble. I also got asked by a few road guys to come race on their club teams but have not made up my mind as to whether or not I am really a joiner.

I guess I am a single speed guy

Friday night I rode out to Brooklyn on my 1 speed and 1 braked bike in order to get a new set of Avid Juicy & carbons slapped on. The 1 speed was by design, the 1 break was due to many variables that seem to occur in the bike world when it comes to all the different kind of mounts for disc brakes. Can't we just all get along and agree on one uniform standard for disc brakes?




First impression of the ride: A little under geared for the road as I had to coast on the downhills and I would often spin out on the flats. Upright in position compared to anything else I have ever owned. Still on the fence as to whether or not this was a good thing or not. The sensation was good when pedaling.






Ride home: After installation and instruction tutorial on the subtle nuances of the Juicy brakes by Lucky Luke over at BrooklynMachineWorks.com I ended up riding back to the city with LD in the dark and the rain. We headed to the 59th street bridge and as we approached we decided to turn south, ride for awhile and then go over the Brooklyn Bridge. Thus elongating the ride by two times. We rode through parts of Brooklyn that I had only heard about on Beastie boy records. Part industrial, and part inner city blues the ride to the BK bridge was thankfully uneventful.






Why the Brooklyn Bridge when we were so close to the 59th street bridge? It seemed to make sense on the notion that it is not often enough we ride the Brooklyn bridge and while the night's sky threatened rain it seemed to want to stay clear. Like us, the sky decided to change its mind so over the Bridge we rode in the pouring rain. It was fun and for the most part with few pedestrians on the road made for a safe ride. On the other side of the bridge LD and I parted ways. He headed west through the dark caverns of wall street and I headed north in the drizzle of the rain on my brand new IF.

The wet street home were another story: I pedaled home in the drizzle wondering how corrosive the standing water was as I rode through unavoidable puddles with my new beautiful girl. She is sweet to my eyes and I felt guilt for subjecting her to the weather or her maiden ride.

I finally made it home by 11.30. Is it weird that I wanted to sleep next to my new bike? I guess I am single speed guy now. More later on the maiden dirt voyage.

Time Machine part deux:

Funny how in life so much seems to change and yet some things stay the same. I still feel 17, with a twinge of hellion that prompts inappropriate behavior. What has changed, is a better sense of self.

Anyway, high school sweethearts are pieces of the past that are best remembered with rose colored glasses. That way, they will stay sweet and next to your heart.

Le Arm Chair QB: Paris Roubaix brings it out...I am so French.

Le Arm Chair QB: Paris Roubaix brings it out...I am so French.

(NOTE:Please read the following in a French accent in order to have the full familial experience. This was inspired due in part to BKW's post of a documenatry of Paris Roubaix. Some of the documentary focusedon the older fans who had been watching the race for years and had been a custom for many generations. Even if you do not know a lick of French the footage of racing is pretty great. The other part that inspired me was what and how I would imagine my father to explain it to me.)

"Well, you know...(long pause) ahhh, it like, ahhh (pause again) gladiators on the bicycle. Mortaaal combat spectatcle that evokes almost primal performance of le cycliste as it the sport of the chased and the chaser. Le Chasseur est le plus forte. It takes place...amidst l'enfer of a racing track that would have served better as the, ahh, how do you say it? Carraige way, non c'est le driveway...yes it is racing track that would be better as the drive way for the devil himself. Delirious they pedal like maniacs urged on by their supporters, family and others that wish to see them suffer till snotz is coming out of their nose. And, you couple this with their personal need for pain and you have the great Paris Roubaix."

Ride Recap and time machines.

Ride Recap:

I have been putting some time in over the winter in order to build base and fitness. Regularly riding 4 to 6 days a week with total hours on the bike ranging from 10-18 hours. Mostly low intensity except for the occasional night in the park where I may slip into the pack for some early season pain...With the exception with Tuesday night which I reserve for sprinting. I don't follow a true plan anymore other than how my body feels: experience has meaning now. I have not over trained for once and I am rolling pretty good. That does not happen often.

Tuesday, and not every Tuesday, is the only formal workout. It is more routine than anything and in someways it does not provide the satisfaction of a regular ride. It is closer to a gym work out. I wont go into what is in the secret sauce, but I will say that it seems to work for me.

LD me joined for the workout. I warned him that it will be different than a normal ride. I am not sure what his take on it was but he did it none the less. Probably a little too formal in concept than his style of going out and "hammering till they die" approach. Anyway, not sure how LD felt, but I made sure I hurt a bunch on Tuesday.

Wednesday: Wednesday is also a night where I tend to give it a little gas in order to build speed and power, but evidently Tuesday was a little too successful and I had nothing that a small girl would feel proud about. I had planned to roll for 3 hours but after the first hour my legs were too tender to pedal and slipped it into my easy gear and rolled easy for another hour and hung up the cleats.

Time Machine:

Here is snap of my old friend Jenny and I. We had been HS sweethearts and remained friends. I will always consider her a friend. I don't think we have changed much other than she is married. Kooked to the max as always but that might be why I like her. She lives in New Mexico but was in Florida taking care of her very sick grandmother. Not that much a fan of Florida but made a trip to see Jenny and her grandmother who had been generous and kind to me when I was in my late teens. Anyway, 20 years later we are still friends.

Hommage to the "Sporting Life"

If you don't have enemies, you don't have character.
-Paul Newman

When I saw the quote above when I first clicked on the Sporting Life I knew right away I was going to like the perspective. And when I looked a little farther down the first page I saw words by Hunter Thompson from "Hell's Angels," which is a book I re-read with much frequency, I knew I was onto something. I thought to myself: This kat got culture for sure.

In an age when I look around at the benign beings who claim to have the XY chromosomes (when it is so apparent that they at best may have been at one point, but now they worship at the alter bitch) The Sporting Life is there to take up the cause of manhood in the true renaissance man spirit: poet, priest, warrior, and lover. It is cut from the same clothe as Hemingway, and McQueen which is style, substance and conviction interwoven deliberately into what is part lesson and part male bravado.

http://sportinglifemag.com/

Take a gander and I will guarantee you will love it or hate it as it is brainy, stylized and pointed. Those without the aptitude may find it boring, but I am sure that the author deliberately points his pen and quill at the other end of the spectrum to keep the riff raff out.

It is really good shit.

Time out and a little catch up:

I have taken a small time out from blogging for the last week for a variety of different reasons, with the biggest reason being my work trip to Minneapolis.



Minneapolis: It was cold and it made me appreciate how much warmer NY is. I arrived in the middle of the snow storm and flew from there up to northern Minnesota to a town called Bemidji. This was the first time I had ever experienced flying in a full tilt snow storm and having the airplane de-iced. As I peered out of the window of the plane I wondered if this was a good idea to be flying in a mid-western snow Storm.

My trip to MN I planned around taking a week off. I have been riding allot prior and the body was starting to feel really run down. It felt good to recharge. I ended up running 3 times and riding the exercise bike at the hotel I was staying at but otherwise it was a week off. I did also ride for four hours last Sunday....but other than that I did not do anything.



Ketchup:


Devolder wins Flanders-Cool.


Trek dumps LeMond-weak. I wont get started on this but people have to be kidding themselves to think that Greg damaged Armstrongs name...You can not drag someones name through the mud when the evidence is too strong to suggest that he was less than an angel. Oh well. Hopefully LeMond comes back and kicks some ass.


Grewal Article on Velonews-Cool. I was never a fan till I read this. I always thought he was the less cool brother to Rishi (stud mountainbiker) and Ranjeet. Anyway, kudos to you Alexi for the article. http://www.velonews.com/article/74053/an-essay-by-1984-olympic-gold-medalist-alexi-grewal.

Connie Carpenter on Velonews-Cool.

Astana using Dura Ace Cranks instead of Sram Cranks-hmmm. There are some pictures on cyclingnews.com of Dura Ace cranks with a sram sticker on them mounted to the Astana Treks. Makes me think that the mechanics/racers on Astana know something we don't.

Anyway, that is all I have for now....still recovering from a week in MN.