More Suffering?

It's on my mind.  Rigid SS sounds like a good time.  

Let It Linger

I've talked about this before so it's no secret that I don't always shower after a night ride. I'm usually way too tired but more importantly, I don't want to risk waking up the 3 yr old at 1am. That would be bad. I think that's why I enjoy the nite ride so much. I can relax and not watch the clock. The wife and kids are all asleep. There is no reason to get back at any specific time. You can just enjoy riding with the guys.

So after last night's nite ride, I did a quick assessment of my dirtiness and decided that on a scale of 1-10, I was probably around a 6. (Anything above a 7 requires a shower)

I gave myself a 6 based on:

• No crashes
• Mellow pace
• Temps were mild so not too much sweat
• Only a mild smell of bacon on my body from the Village Inn post ride chill

I got home, took out my contacts, brushed my teeth and slipped into some pajama bottoms (just in case my legs still had some dirt on them).

I thought I had pulled it off and that Rachelle wouldn't notice my dirtiness this morning. But the first thing out of her mouth when she woke up was "oh gross....you didn't shower after your ride?"

Crap. I got busted. Looks like I'll be doing the laundry today and washing the sheets.

Mr. Wolf

You know how in the movie Pulp Fiction there is that scene when Vincent and Jules mess up and kill a guy in the back of the car? And how they call Mr. Wolf the clean up guy to help?

Well, Jamie is my Mr. Wolf. He is a master mechanic and has is own private operation in his garage. He doesn't make house calls like Mr. Wolf but he is every bit as good.

The EBB on my Niner is now fixed and ready to ride.

Thanks Mr. Wolf!

Step 11

Step 11 of the Niner Biocentric EBB manual clearly states:

11. Loosen the 6mm EBB bolt and
adjust chain tension by rotating the
Bio-Centric EBB. The EBB can be rotated
and set in either direction, giving you the
ability to run a ‘higher’ effective bottom
bracket height when rotating the EBB
upwards, or a ‘lower’ effective bottom
bracket height when rotating the EBB
downwards. Using a T-handle 6mm hex
wrench is helpful, as you can pedal the
cranks to come in contact with the hex
wrench, and then keep pedaling to rotate
the EBB into position (while holding the
hex wrench firmly).

Yet I managed to completely messed it up and stripped the EBB threads.

Can someone PLEASE come by my house and remove all tools and/or sharp objects? I'm an idiot.

Thank you

P.S. Rachelle, there is now a small hole in the garage door. It took me a while to remove my allen tool from the door after I threw it across the room.

Niner Fork

I've been thinking of trying the rigid thing again. The new Niner carbon forks come in a lot of cool colors (A&W Rootbeer or white are my favorite).

Check out this video. (I first saw this on Dicky's site)

Hell Night (Yes, I know it's only August....)

Growing up in Michigan as a young kid, I remember being scared to death about Oct 30th. Otherwise known as "Devils Night" or "Hell Night". I have no idea why Michigan adopted this tradition but it was real and it meant that we couldn't go out that night.

Now that I'm older and find myself in need of adventure to feel young again, I'm proposing our own Utah tradition of "Hell Night". I'm calling it "Hell-0-ween". Instead of acts of arson and vandalism, I'm proposing we bust out the mountain bikes, dress up in costume, slap on the lights, and ride.

Details on the poster (click to enlarge).

Two months advance notice should give you plenty of time to work on your costumes and arrange your schedules.

$1 entry fee. The winner of the "Clarks" climb gets the cash (the rest of the ride will be a casual group pace). Spread the word. The more people that show up, the bigger the cash pot.

There will also be prizes for the best costume.

The Calm Before The Storm

.....and bless the Gu that we are about to eat that it may make us fast.....

Pic taken by Mark's wife. Prayer offered by Tony P.

Leadville Result

Update* Cool video here:
http://www.superhumanmag.com/content/view/1565/48/

Just got back from Leadville. I finished in 9:12 which was good enough for 6th in the singlespeed division (out of 50) and 146th overall. I didn't bring home the big buckle but that's okay. I now know it's possible to get a sub 9 without gears.

Leadville is just too epic of a race to summarize so I won't even try.

A few things I learned:

1. When you ride Leadville on a SS, you get A LOT of attention from the other racers and the spectators.
2. 32x19 is the perfect gearing
3. I can ride 100 + miles on nothing but Gels, Honey Stinger chews, CarboRocket and water
4. If you need to, you can pee on your chain as a backup to traditional chain lube (just ask Jamie)
5. Powerline has at least 5 false summits. It really is ridiculous.
6. It rains a lot at Leadville. Get used to it.
7. Apparently, at one of the feed zones, I promised Rachelle I would take her to Hawaii for crewing for me. When you are completely cooked, funny things come out of your mouth.

A few pics....

Just before crossing the finish line

Rachelle (the hottest crew member ever).

It's crazy how much of an energy boost I got from just seeing my wife a few times during the race.

Sam, Tony, Jamie, me at the finsih

What I like most about Leadville is the hang out factor. The race is just one day. The other 3 days are spent sitting around with good friends, laughing, telling stories, and eating. It's a great way to escape.

I didn't reserve a room for next year so I probably won't be back unless Elden, Dug or Sam talk me into it.

Belt Buckle Shopping

I'm going shopping this weekend for a new belt buckle. Something bigger and brighter than the one's I have. I hear there are some nice buckles in Colorado. Maybe I'll give it a go.

Slow and Low

Slow and low that is the tempo.....

Leadville Taper

I'm at my secret training spot all week. Most of my rides look like this:



Flat and at near sea level. It sure isn't Utah but maybe the break from the climbing will be good for me.

I have yet to see another cyclist on the roads. A lot of tractors and trucks but no bikes. So far, I haven't been shot at or run off the road so that's a good thing. I get the feeling the people up here in the north lands aren't used to seeing lyrca.