Down with rain!

Due to uncooperative weather, today's group mtn. bike ride is cancelled.  I'll post info on upcoming mtn. bike rides in the future.

"She steals a piss under the mistletoe"

We are listening to Fiona Richie's "The thistle and the shamrock" celtic music show on NPR and I swear that Fiona just said the above quoted line as a description of a song she is about to play.  Apparently, I am not living up to my scottish heritage as I only kiss under the mistletoe.  Something to work on next holiday season.

Big, fun offroad ride happens tomorrow at Kerr Scott Reservoir (located on HWY 268 outside of Wilkesboro)!  We will meet at the Over Mountain Victory trailhead at 1pm for the first group mountain bike ride of the season.  All skill levels welcome!  If you haven't ridden this trail before, it is a great one to ride for beginners and experienced riders alike.  It is an out and back trail with several natural regrouping points, so please join us for a good, dirty time! 

Further Holiday Happenings

Owen's first ride with pedals. from Shawn Moore on Vimeo.

You've built up a serious store of calories as you have eaten your way through the holidays.  Don't try to lie, you know I'm talking to you.  Well, this weekend will be the perfect opportunity to put those extra calories to work!  Saturday morning shop road ride will meet at 10 am.  Sunday, we are looking to do a group mtn. bike ride at Dark Mtn.  Tentative meeting time is 1 pm.  I'll post a firm meeting time as soon as I know it.

As always, I'm gonna get you Shaw Brown!

When brains win out

So, we met up with an abbreviated crew this morning for the Christmas Eve Day Dirt Road Epic.  Noticeably absent was the rides original organizer, Paul, who apparently got his days mixed up and despite telling everyone that the ride would be today, did the ride yesterday.  Bad form.  So Jeff, Todd, Chuck, Max, Eric Sandifer and I met up at the Hard and Flossie Clark Park at the overcast grey time of 8 am.  Despite the forecasts and predictions to the contrary, the weather could best be summed up with one word: effin' cold.  We bundled up and took off for what we intended to be a 3+ hour dirt road ride.

Within 10 minutes of riding, my hands were essentially useless blocks of wood.  Then it started to rain.  You know it is bad when within the first 10 minutes of a ride you start figuring out where it ranks in the pantheon of stupid crap you have done in your life.  This ride was headed for my top ten and we hadn't even really begun.  I pulled up beside Jeff and just gave him a look like, "we aren't seriously gonna push through this are we?"  We had gone from cold to wet and cold pretty darn quickly and everyone was pretty eager when a reroute was suggested.

We turned onto Johns River Rd. and started heading back to the car, but we were hell bent to maintain our new tradition of mid ride tea time.  We pulled over at the coffee cup house (a house completely covered in coffee cups in case you were wondering) and began pulling out our tea time fixin's.  Todd, incensed by my act of one-upsmanship at the last tea, pulled out all the stops as he layed a lace napkin out on the ground and proceeded to light candles and place them on the cloth.  Tea, cookies, chocolate and ritz crackers with peanut butter dipped in white chocolate (hey, we were burning LOTS of calories just maintaining normal body temperature) were layed out and tea was poured into everyone's cups.  Civility was rampant.  Not to be outdone, I have a big surprise for the next epic ride tea service.

Merry Christmas and Happy Sir Isaac Newton's Birthday!  No epic ride tomorrow, but lots of mtn. biking this weekend!  Owen will be tearing up the greenway on his new Hotrock once he wakes up and sees it under the tree!  Is the world ready for him to be on a bike with pedals?

Stoking the fire

Get ready for some Dark Mtn. off road riding this weekend! 

les forcats de la route

On particularly difficult rides or rides where conditions degrade and the general consensus terms a ride as an "epic", a peculiar mood strikes the group.  There is a certain point where everyone settles down to the business of getting the work of the ride done, where everyone punches the clock and accepts the grim business of accepting that the more pain one endures, the sooner the end will come. 

Today, we headed out for the slightly longer than 3 hours Maple Sally dirt road ride.  The temperature steadily dropped over the course of the entire ride until finally, feet and fingers were no longer felt or functional.  The pace turned up as an unspoken desire to get back to the cars and the warmth that they could provide was realized by everyone at the same time.  We got back to the cars, loaded up and headed for home.

In an attempt to maintain civility on the ride, Todd and I both packed flasks of hot tea to be shared at the midpoint of the ride.  Todd went with a Black Chai, while I went with the classic Earl Grey with a touch of soy milk.  Todd produced several metal demi-tasse cups from his bag, but  I one-upped him with an assortment of Dutch Butter Cookies.  We are both contemplating how to up the ante for the next ride.  I'm thinking scones with a bit of creme fraiche at the very least, but the idea of having a camp stove and a stove top espresso maker isn't entirely out of the question, either.

Once we were back to the cars, the realization of how cold I was made me yearn for the warmth of the car, but this was a hollow dream.  I have a 1987 Mercedes-Benz Turbo Diesel station wagon.  Apparently, the heating system on this car is a hold over from a Nazi design as it functions like some sadistic experiment.  It primarily blows cold air for a vast majority of the journey, no matter how high you turn up the thermostat.  But then, at some point, the heat cranks up to an unrighteous degree.  You want to turn it down, but this does nothing.  You turn off the heater - nothing, it still blows horrendously hot air.  You roll down the windows and get a mixture of cold air and desert wind swirling around inside the car.  Alas, our trip home wasn't long enough to even put a toe into the hot zone.

Please stop by the shop this Tuesday beginning at 4 for a bit of holiday cheer.  This Wednesday will be the Christmas ride leaving from Hard and Flossie Clark Park in Collettsville at 8am.  This will be a dirt road ride with 3 and 6 hour options.  Mountain and 'Cross bikes are welcome!  Bring a snack!  Call the shop for more information.

Weeks end, holiday windup

Finally, school is at a brief break and the week is at a close.  Stress at the holidays is compounded for teachers as they must juggle to keep students engaged and ultimately entertained for the week that runs up to Christmas break.  It ain't easy as you know (and have had yourself) to control those daydreams of flung open doors and young bodies hutling out into the light of freedom that lies just outside the school.  And who blames them?  I, too, am ready for that brief respite that comes with the holidays.  A chance to relax and recharge.  And a chance to ride, run, eat and be merry. 

There are several holiday rides in the works and I will announce all the information that I get.  There will be a dirt road ride on Sunday (time TBA) and a dirt road ride on Christmas Eve Day (time TBA).  Both will be casual affairs.  We will also embark on some dirtier excursions as we will be looking to hit the trails at Dark Mtn. for the next several weeks.  Most importantly, there will be a trail building day tomorrow at the new Warrior Creek trail near the Dark Mtn. trail system.  The announcement is as follows:

HO, HO, HO!

No, that's not what you will find at trail day but come on out
anyway. Listen up. WE, myself included, need to get out and support
the faithful few that have been trudging forwards in the muc and mud
at Warrior Creek to bring us the sweetest single track yet. Here's
the deal:

Saturday, December 20
9:00 am @ the Warrior Creek Campground gate house
we'll stop whenever, you can stop when you want - we're all
volunteers

There's plenty of work to go around. If you've thought about coming
out, now is your chance.

If you're coming late, come on through the gate and drive until you
see our cars. Walk towards the sound of the Ditch Witch. We'll be
close by.

Call Horton if you have any problems. 336-957-0211 Look here for
directions: http://www.bmcc. us/kerr_scott. htm

And remember, trail work is fun.

I hope to see you there.

Bum

If you can make it, this is a great opportunity to help build one of the best trail networks around!  If you can't make it this time, there will be other days in the future, so stay tuned for more information.

Lastly, Tuesday the 23rd will be our informal Holiday get together at the shop.  Come by anytime after 4 to share in good cheer(s) and healthy libations!

Luna Cycles vs. the world at US CX Championships

Other notable results:  Bob Pugh 28th (B Men's 40+) and Chris Behrman 19th (B Men's 30-34).  NC riders are doing well with several top 5 finishes in the various B Men's and Women's fields and the Junior races.  Get full results and follow the action live at cxmagazine.com!

Newsflash

Jeff Welch has just won the Men's B 40+ race at Cyclocross National Championships in Kansas City!

A little experiment

I'm starting a mailing list (electronic and old-fashioned!) and invite you all to join.  You can fill out the form here.  Thanks!

I'm gonna get you Shaw Brown.

'Cross Season Postscript

My head no longer hurts, my neck is no longer tweaked, and I have ripped the fickle tires from my wheels in an effort to make a clean break from the cyclocross season.  All in all, I had a great season and was able to more than accomplish all of my pre-season goals.  Further, I now have a willing and good-natured nemesis to harrass, cajole and plot against from now until the first race of next year's 'cross season.

Jeff, Chris Behrmann, Bob "the guru" Pugh, Jeremiah and Sonni Dyer have departed for Cyclocross Nationals in Kansas City.  Good luck to everybody headed that way to race!  Keep it upright and kick ass!

Special thanks to everybody who hung out to cheer for the Brown-Moore Salisbury Throwdown.  Sorry it wasn't more of a battle.  Thanks to Marty for the fresh, back of the pickup brewed espresso shots pre-race and to Jack for my post-race recovery beverage. 

I'm gonna get you Shaw Brown...

Throwdown at Salisbury report

The picture says it all.

Reap the whirlwind, Gigantor!

 

Dear Shaw,

While you have been coddling yourself, keeping your legs elevated and channeling the advice of a cycling coach who last had success in 1984, I've had this bottle in the refrigerator as a reminder of what tomorrow is all about.  Today, I annealed my strength in the snowy crucible of Bristol, TN and channeled my inner flauhute, Bart Wellens.  

Assemble your crew.

Shawn

Racing in a winter wonderland!

A freezing cold race was made all the better with the onset of snow midday. It is really coming down now. True Belgian 'cross conditions in the mtns of TN!

Congrats to Todd Braswell for his 2nd place in the Master's 35+ and a big win in the singlespeed race in the worst conditions of the day!

Sticks and stones, Mr. Brown...

After trying to both spark a friendly rivalry and provide a bit of face-saving anonymity for my adversary, Shaw Brown (owner of Boone Bike and recent voluntary foe in the Brown/Moore Throwdown in Salisbury), Mr. Brown has fired a none too subtle shot across my bow with his taunting remarks about my being a "smelly pirate hooker" and that he will be beating me in my fancy new Luna Cycles kit. 

Well Mr. Brown, you sir have taken things right to the gutter.  I will remain far above the fray and will refrain from making any remarks with regards to your freakish size or what some may regard as a severe crack problem.  No sir, I consider those sorts of things to be off limits and beyond the realm of good taste.  I will let my legs do the talking and can only hope that you will not be so quick to call someone else a smelly pirate hooker in the future.  And as for my shiny, new Luna Cycles kit, we made the back of it very interesting for people who find themselves in the position you will find yourself.

To be continued Sunday, sir!

Luna Cycles shop kits are here!

The kits are here and they are super pimp! If you have spoken for a kit, please get up with us ASAP as our stock is limited and the demand is high.  If you have spoken for a kit, but want to hold off for now, let us know so we can fulfill someone else's wishlist.  Give us a call at the shop - 759-1990 one way or the other.

Challenge: Accepted!

"Stan" has accepted the challenge I have laid out for the final CX3 race of the season! I accept the consequences of this challenge knowing full well that his crew will be in full heckle mode, but I suspect my crew will be able to hold their own on the sidelines as well! As for the Shawsquatch's contention that we should be racing 35+ - oh, I'll be doing that race, too! and Bristol the day before! This should be the blowout ending to the NCCX series. Rumor has it that there could be certain Belgian libations on the race course proper, but keep that under your hat...

In other news: Luna Cycles kits are expected to be in our hands this Thursday! Talk about your serious pre-christmas stocking stuffer! Look for a grand unveiling and review here in the very near future. In the meanwhile, practice your cowbell ringing, horn blowing and rude comment yelling for this Sunday's ultimate test of pack fodderdom that will henceforth and forevermore be known as The Moore-Brown Throwdown - 2008! Bring it Big Boy... Bring it!

3 races left

I find myself lamenting and looking forward to the end of 'cross season. It is weird because I have more than accomplished all of my preseason goals, so rather than thinking about what should have been and trying to salvage what is left, I'm pretty much satisfied and yet there are still races left to be raced. In order to stoke the furnace for the final push to the end of the season, I have come up with a simple motivational tool. There is a certain bike shop owner of a certain bike shop in Boone with whom I have a very friendly rivalry. We have both had good race seasons, both have upgraded to CX3 and are both pretty evenly matched. Currently in the NC Cyclocross series, I am 2 points behind, let's call him Stan. Now in the Hendersonville races, I finished 2 places behind Stan both days. On day 2 I passed him twice, and came to grief within seconds of each pass. The first time I rolled my tubular, the second time I crashed hard into the plastic barrier at the base of the run up and Stan jumped over me.

The point of all of this. I know, get to the point. Here it is: I propose I friendly wager with "Stan". If "Stan" finishes higher in the NCCX CX3 point standings for the season, I will buy him the beer of his choice. If I beat "Stan", then he will do likewise. What do you think? Fair and friendly? Motivational? If you know "Stan", how about running this modest proposal by him for me. A nonpartisan mediator may be the best approach.