Last weekend (edit: A few weekends ago...most of the content I had already scrawled down but I wanted pictures....)

Weekend (Actually a few weekends ago, but I finally downloaded the pictures)


Wedding and riding- Last weekend (edit: A few weekends ago...most of the content I had already scrawled down but I wanted pictures....) I made my way to the scene of my childhood for a wedding: the North Shore of Boston. Small fishing towns outside of Boston that once set the stage of a great portion of my life- My parent's(biological) spent time there, my mom met my step father there, I spent many summers on the beaches and in the small towns. Nostalgia was in place as I re-traced roads and places that were once very familiar. Tumbleweeds of images became clearer as old roads became familiar again and various memories of time spent with family and friends was uncovered. It was strange to sort of go back in time.

Riding- The weekends rides were broken up into two sets of North Shore riding. The Classic Lynn Woods (which I raced at years ago in the mid 1990's) and quite possibly some of the best techy singletrack trail riding I have done in memory. Yes, really that good.
Ryan- The guide extraordinaire.
Details-And what I can share.
Lynn Woods is the classic Boston North Shore ride. The glaciers left a rocky techy trail that is best served wearing pad and 5 plus inches of travel. Since I was pedaling with MTB Tom on Sunday I assumed that the right ride would be my single speed. NOT! Not in both cases of riding...but especially the case of Lynn Woods. A great place to ride, but don't bring a knife to a gun fight. Although Lynn is well travelled I would recommend a guide- Ryan (seen below) was kind enough to show the lay of the land. A good ride overall with some great stunt riding, but I felt slightly out of my element on a SS race bike in a place that begs for long travel.



Techy stuff that is steep and rocky. Hard. Bring your A game....or better yet dont play play games and be ready for combat. There is a reason it was voted by Bike Magazine as America's best technical trail.
Below: R in action
MTB Tom in action- all around super nice human being and awesome rider. I am looking forwarding to riding with him again.

Sunday: In a series of trails near and around Essex was possible some of the finest technical trails I have ever ridden were shown to me. I can't and I wont say much more than that on the exact location (it is funny in just about every place I have lived locals become some what miserly with their best stuff- I am guilty of it as well. From the secret trails in Vancouver, to the code of secrecy in the SF Bay area, for some reason we hide away from the world what we love the most.), but I will say that they are 5 star trails in around Essex. I had ridden there once before, years back on my own, but with locals who know the place it is was far superior (I also felt somewhat reluctant to ride alot of it the first time around as I did not want to gore myself in the woods with no one around to get me out...). Techy enough to keep you on your toes, but with excellent flow so it was feasible to keep moving the whole time. Although I can not profess to clean everything I will say I felt great and was riding well considering I was on a SS, when gears and about 5 inches of travel would have been the way to go.

"A journey does not become an adventure until something goes wrong": One of the riders in the group had a gnarly crash in one of the sections involving her bar end and her leg. Summary: An inner tube tied around the leg, a long hike out ofthe woods along with some bike pushing for a bit and a few sticthes later the adventure was over.

All in all a great weekend of riding.

Old School TDF:

Great video- well worth the watch. Favorite scene is the stealing of the drinks from the cafes. The racers also look a little more robust than the current pros- closer to hockey players.



The bike gods must be appeased- With what little riding I will be doing over the course of the next 2 weeks it will take some heavy praying in order to have a good result at the upcoming races...I think the first race (Chainstretcher) will be a complete joke. Oh well.

Independent Fabrictions- For your consideration....

First off I wanted to say kodu's to you guys for signing on NYCVelo here in NYC to sell your bikes- without a doubt the finest bike shop in the city. Frankly, the other dealers in the city just are not doing you justice (thus I think that is why one is no longer a dealer, but that is another story...and thus a reason I never bought an IF from any of those shops....) and with Andrew's shop you are getting someone who is passionate about your bikes- from the day he opened the shop he wanted to sell your/my brand. Finally a shop I can get behind to sell/represent your bikes: I could not think of a better shop to represent your fine bikes other than NYCVelo.


Back to the regular scheduled program-

For your consideration is my resume as a mid pack single speeder here in the NYC area:
As a long time fan and devout worshipper of the Indy Fab bike I write you, no implore you, for your consideration in sponsorship. By no means am I requesting a free this or that, as I am just not worthy: instead I am asking for a bro deal on a single speed frame (or two) to use for 2010 off road campaign.

I currently race for NYCMTB/Peak Bikes- a great club based here in NYC that has a mandate of building trails in and around NYC and make bikes more accessible to kids. We put on two races, do volunteer work and race up and down the east coast. NYCMTB is a great club and I feel strongly about being involved with them- We do good stuff!

If given the privilege to race for you I would wear Independent Fabrications shorts (with pride) in all competitive events and register under the NYCMTB/Independent Fabrications team name.


What do you get from a 36 year old middle of the pack sport racer who is hoping to bump up to expert by the end of 2010?

Enthusiasm: Nothing sells more than enthusiasm. And with me you have a fan and have been one since the start. People always ask me about my IF's when they see me ride them, and I am a pretty vocal advocate of your work. Why wouldn't you want me to race one of your rigs and be enthusiastic about your frames? In a market where people are obsessed with the soulless carbon fiber bike made in factories over seas by people who have no passion in their work as they build bikes assembly line style, you need me as the beacon of good taste and mediocre results.

Current owner: I currently own 3 Independent Fabrications bikes- a ti road, a ti cross and a retro build project. I also owned a single speed that I loved dearly but it never really fit right (my own fault). I also owned this beautiful ti 29er with flower paint job that I built and raced just once. Sadly, she had to move on as well because of sizing (another reason I need custom...I am super picky about fit on my mountain bikes). I am looking for a single speed Indy Fab to compete on for the 2010 season.

Exposure: Outside of people seeing me ride my IF's all over the city, I also post my pictures on NYCMTB.com, flickr and for the MBR.

Racing: I race a wide variety of events from the H2H series (local race series in around NY and NJ), to some catskills races, HighBridge NYC MTB race (Harlan came the first year and killed it...you need more IF in the worlds greatest city!), to the DH40. Personal goal is to bump up to expert by the end of the season. Other than that, the goal is to have some fun, push myself and spend time after the racing is done drinking a beer or two.

I want to race on a bike that I am really excited about- A bike that is in fact a race tool (the business), but also oozes cool. And in my mind no other company has done that.

I dont want to say I am pleading or groveling but I am making a public plee for your help Obi Wan...opps... I mean Mr. Bruno. ....Help me Mr.Bruno....Help me Mr. Bruno....

A fine bit of history in pictures.

A fine bit of history courtesy of AntBikeMike.com : this photo collection highlights an important time in American bike history as it is a snap shot of one of the great boutique builders in their hey day. Back then, most of the only bikes worth owning were made in one of three places- Northern California (Ibis, Ritchey), Colorado (Yeti) and Boston.

Boston had been the fertile crescent of US bike culture, bike builders and mountain bikes. In the late 80's and early 90's it was the home of builders like Merlin, Fat Chance, and Ryghin which for many were the apex of bike builders- top notch bike frames. They were pioneering bike designs and pushing bike culture to new levels.

Soft spot: Fat Chance was the stepping stone to my favorite bike brand IF- if it had not been for Fat Chance being sold out and moving, there would not have been an Independent Fabrications.

Fat Chance was also the first bike I truly lusted for- Bikes had gone from being an object to ride and race, to truly an object of art and desire. The Yo Eddy was a watershed moment in my life and I can remember where I was for the first time when I saw and touched one.

Nice to know...

Sam "The King" Hill, originally uploaded by Trust Nobody.

Nice to know that Sam Hill is running last years Avid Juicy Carbons just like I am....

Sometimes the new stuff seems to be a case of the Emperors new clothes.

Happy Birthday Joe- Let's Rock Again.

Tom was good enough to remind me of Joe's Birthday- Thank you.
Why do I want to recognize a birth date of a person who I don't even know? Sort of strange right? A little. But Joe made music that has been the soundtrack of my life. Many of the toughest and scariest moments have been endured with Joe's words in the background.
Happy Birthday Joe. Let's rock again.

DH40 Final thoughts and why getting drunk in a race is not a bad idea.....

"Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

DH40- It is in the books and the woulda-shoulda-coulda BS ended roughly 1 hour after they posted the results. 8th place out of 30 some odd starters. Considering I stopped and drank each and every lap I am pretty happy with that result.

Summary:

40 miles of racing/riding- mostly singletrack. Simply put, it was a hard course that required your attention. Some said it was harder than some of the traditional 100 mile races because there was no road sections to break it up. I have not raced a 100, but I will say it was the hardest day I have ever spent on the bike- 24 Hours of Snowshoe is ranked in the mix but the 40 takes the prize for most pain that I paid for.

Crappy legs- What can I do when the levee breaks the night before and my behind passes only liquid as I was a human fire hose? Nada. Next AM, more the same.

Heat- It was f'ing hot!

Beer and a lei for each lap- I am not sure if it was the best formula for a result...I had not planned on doing the race in that fashion but it worked out. Some have hypothesized that it was for the best and it may have helped, but I am not sure about that. 5 minutes plus for each stop (I did not stop any other time other than crashing and getting a little liquid going into lap 4...that I am pretty proud of) added a bunch of time to the clock. And since I don't really drink I am not sure what the effect was on me. I know the first beer got me rocked full tilt- empty stomach drinking coupled with a severe need for liquids does wonders for the tolerance.

The final analysis is that I had fun. I am a little disappointed I did not have the legs I had hoped for (this race was one of my goals for the season) and that I did not honor the race the way I had intended but there is not much I can do about that now. Sometimes you have to roll with what you got and on that Sunday I did the best I could. And at the time, having a few beers in the woods with 300+ of my closest friends did not seem like a bad idea.

Graffiti Poetry

Graffiti Poetry, originally uploaded by Georgie_grrl.

a timely rain feels like wind,
nurishing all without any sound.

DH 40- 40 miles of singletrack and Hula girls.

DH 40- 40 miles of singletrack and Hula girls., originally uploaded by georouan.

My race report-I had some stomach issues the night before and that morning and the legs were empty at best at the start. I went hard for the first 5 miles but just went backwards. I decided I would make the best of it and put it into cruise control and hope for the best...Highlights include PBR on every lap (so out of character for me...), seeing the NYC MTBers out in force, a visit with the hula honeys in the secret hydration spot, a wicked good crash (body slam) on a flat smooth section that made me stop dead on the ground for a minute, a prime (which they gave away because I missed the start of the ceremony...I was/am pretty bummed. Kind of lame to say you are going to give away a prime and then give it away to someone else....) and suffering a 100 deaths on the last lap. And although I questioned my own sanity during miles 35-38 as I went through the roughest of cramps, I pushed through with a little motivation of getting "lei"ed four times.

Ramblings.

A few random bits from MBR:

A good article on building a single speed on the cheap from the folks of Velonews. Overall the new Singletrack site stinks- the design stinks and the content is just re-branded Velonews stuff. I am thus far disapointed.

CNN Money- A small feauture on Zeal optics- two of the nicest people in the bike business.

Skateboarding NYC legend dies- Not bike related but my nostalgia for my days of skating in NYC has never died.

Race Junk:

The DH40 is set for this Sunday at Stewart. Stewart is one of my favorite places to pedal- it is fast and flowing. A great single speed place.

40 miles of only single track and non-stop pedaling? Sounds way too good to pass up.

Look for a full MBR report of the race on Monday (more likely Tuesday- I am sure I am going to be trashed after this one).

Random web pictures:

If Cross bike- some things are classic. Indy Fab cross bikes make a boy stop in his tracks...This one is gorgeous.

FMB Tires- handmade and I bet you have never heard of the brand. The tire that the hardmen of the sping pay for out of their own pocket.


Integrated headset- new or old idea? This bike belonged to Coppi.

Handmade bespoke bike.

IMG_9071, originally uploaded by blurringthelines.

Temple bikes: Truely bespoke bikes.

Les Paul:Rest In Peace.

Les Paul passed away. I had seen him play a handful of times the last couple of years and while I had no direct interaction with him other than being a fan and a spectator, he seemed genuine and decent.

I am sorry I did not get to see him play again.

My condolences to his family, friends and his fans.

Rest in peace.

Random Again.

Random stuff once again:

BellaDonna frames- I like this.

Wiens- Lance is racing the Leadville again this year and most are saying his ture competition will be Dave Wiens. Here is a good interview feauturing Dave Wiens, the guy who has won it 7 times (including last year). See what he is doing in order to prepare for Mr. 7xTDF.

6 years in a rain cape- This piece on winter riding made for some strong nostalgia for down tube shifters and long winter rides while wearing wool (not that I am longing for it...just the idea seems better than dying of the heat in NYC summer). Parkin is turning into my must read site as BKW seems to be dormant.

Pictures-

Tommasini Tecno- this exact frame was the object of my lust in spring 1990. I can still remember reading the adverts for this frame in Colorado Cyclist in the library as a high school junior. It is funny what I remember....

Love for Dario- Hand painted pasta and basil leaves. Dario makes beautiful bikes. One day....

World Cup Belgian Style 2009

Houffalize World Cup 2009 from Mountain Bike Rider on Vimeo.

Slick.

Excuses and Random stuff.

Excuses: I was going to post up about my most excellent trip to the North Shore/Boston last weekend, but the accompanying pictures to the text I wrote up have yet to be downloaded and I have been too crazed to get to it. Slow down world!
Look for it in the near future. A memorable trip.

Random stuff:
A very cool article on NYC's MTB trails in Bicycling.

One of the coolest custom IF bikes I have seen in awhile-Cross bike with guitar rack...very cool. Picture snagged from IFbikes.com.

No need, but certainly lusty. The new Kona Scandium 1 speed cross bikes is sharp...It is not often that a sub 2k production bike catches my eye (and most of the time it is a commuter...I have a soft spot for commuter bikes) but this looks pretty bad ass...
Wanting and maybe even needing....

That is my kind of wall:

Dark Horse 40- 98% singletrack.

40 miles of single track? I am in. I love racing at Stewart- it is fast and fun. And there is beer afterwards...

Just around the corner.

Look for you there.