Luna Cycles

It's actually a race! For real!

2011-07-20T07:22:00.003-04:00

Who would have thought that the Tour would be in the state that it is in now? A frenchman in yellow in the final five days? All of the main GC threats still clustered together within just a few minutes? Alberto Contador unable to punch home one of his trademark huge jump in the mountains attacks?

After years of seeing the same formulaic racing where the eventual winner does one big day in the mountains and then plays defense for the last week and a half until the final time trial allows him to stamp his seal on the race and call it good, we are actually seeing a race of seconds. We're seeing men probing and shadow boxing, taking a few seconds here and there, but not the attack that takes minutes away and all but ends the Tour early. It's exciting!

Laurent Fignon, the last frenchman
to wear yellow into Paris

After such a crash filled first week, the race has recovered and some truly amazing performances have come out of it. Pierre Rolland of Europcar continues to impress as he slays himself in defense of Thomas Voekler's yellow jersey. It is great to see a wild card team make it to the biggest race of the year and actually do more than just get some tv time by throwing lambs to the slaughter in the early no-hoper breaks of each day's stage.

The next three days will be the make or break days of the Tour. The underdog lover in me would like to see Voekler gut it out in the Alps and go into saturday's time trial with a minute of his lead still intact and then turn himself inside out for 24 miles and keep the yellow jersey by seconds into Paris. The rationalist in me knows that this is so improbable that not even Voekler thinks it is realistic. My prediction for Voekler is a final spot on the podium in Paris, but thursday and friday will have to see him ride like an immortal to make that a reality.

Stage 18 and Stage 19 should be days of major warfare. The Schlecks have to take time in the mountains to survive the time trial assaults of Contador and Evans. Look for Samuel Sanchez to try to ride onto the podium with a stage win in one of these two hard days. The only thing I know for sure is that I haven't been this excited in the final week of the Tour in years.

We've got a few things rolling at the shop right now. We're putting together an order for pink Luna kits. You can get a jersey, shorts or just about anything else in fabulous pink! I'm hoping to rock the pink long-sleeved skinsuit for cyclocross this season... Also, in honor of all the successes of Specialized sponsored teams and riders at the Tour, we are selling the 2012 S-Works Prevail helmet (MSRP $230) for $199! You can order any color offered for that price. These helmets are unbelievable light and incredibly well ventilated - a must for surviving the heat we are experiencing now. And believe it or not, if you are having thoughts of cyclocross this season, now is the time to be seriously getting your affairs in order with regard to 'cross specific items like frames, brakes and tires. Most everything is available now, but by mid August pickings start to get pretty slim.

Now get out and ride!

Cycling Karma

2011-07-09T07:31:00.000-04:00

You've got to wonder sometimes if there is a certain natural order in the professional cycling world that rights wrongs beyond the scope of UCI, WADA or any other authority. Then again, it may just be the natural ebb and flow of changing fortunes as careers rise and fall. This opening week has seen a typically nervous and eager Tour de France peloton crashing hard and often.

Alberto Contador goes into the mountains with a deficit to his chief rivals, but also with the extra efforts of several chases back to the peloton and the commensurate bumps and bruises that come from "touching the floor". Is it just bad luck? or does the Tour enforce its own code of ethics on its participants?

Radio Shack have suffered mightily, but I think their woes are less of the karmic kind and more an example of going in to a major race without a clear goal in mind. A disciplined outfit like Radio Shack, who are more accustomed to going in to the Tour with the singular purpose of putting Lance Armstrong on the top podium are now like an elite fighting force without a leader. Sure they are good on paper. Sure they have several guys who could step up and be "the one", but without that clear, decisive leader they are riding without much direction or fire and the large number of crashes and losses they have suffered so far are the result of that kind of listlessness.

This theory does little to explain the broken collarbone of Bradley Wiggins who looked to be an interesting threat this year. But then again, I've been watching British Eurosport coverage of the Tour and to say that they had a bit of bias would be a definite understatement. I though that commentator David Duffield was going to start crying on air when Wiggins was seen holding his collarbone. Commentator Sean Kelly serves as the nice, dry Irish counterpoint to all of the English wingeing. His subtle, rapier-like comments are great and he truly struggles to try and be magnanimous when he is asked about riders that he raced with in the '80's and '90's. His struggles to try to say something nice about Djomoladine Abdoujaporov, "the Tashkent terror", were painfully comical as he broke down exactly why Abdou was a dangerous sprinter to be around.

But let us not forget the Luna Cycles p/b Whoever wants to give us money Fantasy Tour de France and my complete and utter domination of the first week in this prestigious Fantasy cycling event. It goes without saying that Team Roadspeeder is in this thing to win it and if we make the other fantasy teams look silly in the process, so be it.

A funny thing happened on the march to summer...

2011-06-30T06:31:00.000-04:00

Arrival at OVT for an early morning mid-week shred

I've finally decompressed from the school year and relaxed into the summer break. Those last weeks of school when end of course testing is the focus of all of your efforts and energy, when you spend half of each day walking around a silent room watching students take a test for two and a half hours is a kind of slow torture that bleeds the life out of you. Then it's over and BOOM!, you fly headlong into a dizzying bachanal of over the top summer stress release that is akin to rising from a dive to quickly and getting the Bends. But finally, you settle in to a a nice mode of relaxing and being productive with all of the things that you put off during the school year.

Jeff Welch giving an impromptu skills clinic

This has been the time when I have fallen in love with mountain biking again and I must share this new fervor with you. I must come completely clean that I will now be proselytizing for the Church of the One True Gear. I strayed from the fold for many years. My embracing of the single speed mountain bike was a dabble really. I never fully committed; never truly gave my heart over to what I knew to be right. I always held back, always had the geared bike to fall back on, but friends, I have embraced the single speed with all of my heart and there is no turning back!

I look down at my bars and see nothing but brake levers and a clean expanse of carbon fiber. I ride securely in the knowledge that I will miss no shift. I can concentrate on flowing with the trail and seeking a oneness with the ride. It is a beautiful thing.

This Saturday marks the beginning of another Tour de France, but the real drama will happen in the Luna Cycles p/b Whoever wants to give us money Fantasy Tour de France. All of the fantasy thrills and fantasy spills that you have come to expect each summer will once again drive home the fact that we may not be good at much, but we are some solid fantasy TdF Directeur Sportifs. Go to Velogames to register your free team and then join our mini league by using the mini league code 28111322. Prize list has not been finalized, but rest assured it will not be worth all of the fantasy training and fantasy stress that you have and will undergo over the next few grueling weeks.

Don't forget that the start of the Tour marks the end of our Giro cycling shoe sale. All of our Giro cycling shoes are 40% off while they last!

Lightening up

2011-05-24T05:50:00.000-04:00

The last months of school leading in to the summer are a time that seems fraught with stress and a sense of too much to do and not enough time to do it in. Coupled with the final graduate school projects of the semester and you have a recipe for "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". But now, there is light at the end of the tunnel and it isn't a train about to run me over. I'm feeling everything about me letting go from the stress; I feel lighter.

I've had the good fortune to do some really great bike rides this past month. Cycle to Serve was unbelievably fast as my first experience with the 62 mile version proved to be a barn burner. The best part was getting to ride with Golden and some of our teammates in the second group on the road. The weather was cool, the rain held off and we rode a strong pace. The next day was The Ascent at Reynolds Blue Ridge. Two words: effin' steep. I climbed 9 miles in 1 hour and 4 minutes and had an epiphany that compact cranks would be a good thing to have. The views were spectacular and once you reached the top, you looked out on an endless sea of rolling green hills spread out in all directions. The folks at Reynolds Blue Ridge treated us like honored guests. Put that ride on your calendar for next year!

Two of my rides stand out as some of the best moments in my life and they all happened in the last couple of weeks. The first was on my morning commute the day after the bad thunderstorms rolled through. The rain had poured down, blowing hard against the house and strong winds ripped trees apart and scattered them all over town. I hit the underpass on 321 and rolled through, only registering a man laying down after I had gone by him. I have to admit that I thought he was dead the way he was laying there awkwardly. I turned around and asked, "Are you ok?"
No response.
"Are you ok?" He rolled over *sense of relief* and said he had gotten into the underpass to escape the storm.
"It got real bad," he said. I poured him some of my coffee and split part of my lunch with him. He said, "I'm not gonna lie mister, I could use a beer." Well hell, it's 7:30 am on a Tuesday and I'm heading off to teach High School students about Magnetism, I understand that sentiment completely.
"Well, coffee is the next best thing, so drink up."
We talked a little bit, he kept asking me to pray for him. I don't pray, but I have thought about him quite a bit since then. I think our interaction did more for me than it did for him. That quick realization that I could easily share what I had and be no worse for it was immense. It was a good reminder.

The best ride I've ever had happened this past Sunday. We headed out to Dark Mountain. I rode a lap with Jeremiah the FNG and a couple of guys we met in the parking lot. We ripped around, I crashed (and laughed about it), we talked about bikes and made one of those quick friendships that seem to naturally occur on the trail. I got back and got Owen ready for his first big mountain bike adventure on his own bike. We've ridden trail together with him on the tag-a-long and he did a little offroad on his own at the Aquatic Center, but this was going to be the first real mountain biking he'd ever tackled on his own. We pushed up a steep little rise and caught a climb up to the corridor trail. He rode some of the climb on his own, but his gear is just way too big for sustained climbing, so we walked some too. Golden was out trail running and she heard us, so she decided to come join us. We pushed up a very steep rise to the main corridor trail and Owen rode while Golden ran. At the end of the corridor trail, we turned around and started riding back and Golden kept going to finish her run.

The best thing about riding with Owen is he constantly talks about anything and everything. He especially likes to talk about being faster than me. We rode to the very steep descent at the beginning of the corridor trail and I told Owen we should get off and walk it down to the next trail junction.
"No," he said, "I can ride it."
Well, I am not standing in the way of that kind of commitment. Whether he rode it or not, I wasn't going to kill his confidence.
"Stay on the brakes and stay in control." I said.
We pointed the bikes down and I rode the brakes to show him a reasonable speed. I didn't hear anything as we rode down, so I assumed he was remaining upright. I got to the bottom and came to a stop. Owen shot past me and started heading down the next trail.
"Dude! Did you ride that whole thing?" I asked.
"Yeah." he said in that little kid no-big-deal tone.
"You ready to do the next down hill?" I asked.
"Yes!" he said with more than a little excitement.
We got onto the next trail which wasn't as steep, but was much more technical with lots of rock, roots, dips and turns. He rode behind me. Wiped out a time or two. Led down the trail a bit. Passed a couple of riders who were climbing up, making quite the sight: this rail thin 4 year old all knees and elbows riding a little bmx bike down the trail with confidence. I'm idiotically proud.

The beautiful win

2011-04-11T05:50:00.000-04:00

photo by Frederik De Buck

Out of respect for my riding partners yesterday, I didn't write anything about the beautiful win of Johan Van Summeren at Paris-Roubaix since they had yet to see the race. I woke up yesterday morning, fired up Eurosport and a pot of coffee and settled down to watch my favorite race of the year.

The dry, dusty conditions and sunny skies can easily make you think that Paris-Roubaix is an easy race, but then you notice the choking clouds of dust, the hurtling of flesh and metal to the ground without rhyme or reason and you see that L'Enfer du Nord has a vast array of ways to take a toll on those who attempt it.

Van Summeren was the unlikely hero of the day, not because he is incapable of greatness, but simply that that is not his lot in cycling life. He is a worker; a domestique. Granted, he is an exceptionally good one, but imagine being paid not to win, but to cut through the wind and slog so that others may find their way to glory and accolades. Van Summeren was the dutiful worker, out in the early break of 2nd tier hopefuls and other riders acting as rabbits to the pack of hounds cooling their heels in the peloton until the awful moment when they get down to the business of winning a bike race and sweep the early break away with seemingly little effort.

It was the worker in Van Summeren that set off alone out of that break in the close of the race. A human hedged bet played by the Directeur Sportif. "Go it alone" would have been the call and Van Summeren wold have set off not really to win, but to provide a last line of defense for his team captain following the call to glory. Van Summeren would have done that last bit of work for Thor Hushovd had Fabian Cancellara followed his usual script and towed Hushovd and Allesandro Ballan towards the velodrome in Roubaix.

But Cancellara's failure of imagination, his notion that with 50k to go he would simply dig deep, unleash a powerful surge and ride men off of his wheels on his way to another Paris-Roubaix win was not to be. As happened in the Tour of Flanders, the other strong men have grown wise to this strategy and nullified it. Cancellara's decision to back off and insist on the other men's help in reaching the velodrome had consequences for all at the head of affairs yesterday. For Van Summeren, it was the most awful consequence of all, the weight of possible glory now piled on to his lanky, tired frame.

You can see a lifetime of suffering in the slump and roll of a riders shoulders as they squeeze every single watt from their fragile body and Van Summeren's lanky frame was no exception. Moments of self doubt were writ large upon him, but some internal voice willed him back to effort and the beautiful hand that Fate had played him.

Van Summeren rode in the wheel tracks of other domestique breakaways. Thomas Wegmuller and Dirk De Mol in 1988 came through the streets of Roubaix on a similar day as yesterday. A plastic bag lodged in the rear derailleur of Wegmuller's bike, rendering shifting impossible and making him easy prey for De Mol in the sprint. Or the less successful Patrick Versluys who raced Paris-Roubaix 8 times in his career, never finishing less than 15th and who, in 1987, came to the race with the single-minded purpose of winning. Versluys was the unlikeliest of potential winners, but he seized the moment in an early breakaway in awful wet, snowy conditions and rode with fire as those around and behind him faltered and crashed. The mighty Sean Kelly rode as blood flowed down the side of his head and mixed with the mud that covered the right side of his body. Like so many before him, Roubaix proved to be about 800 meters too far from Versluys. Eric Vanderaerden, the dutch star from Panasonic, roared up to the beleaguered group of unlikely stars and announced, "I'm here!" before unleashing his trademark sprint and dashing Versluys to the second step of the podium.

Surely Van Summeren was too lost in a shroud of effort to think of these things. Then the powerful, aquiline form of Fabian Cancellara bent to the bars and cranks and began the inexorable drag race to the velodrome in Roubaix. Second after second was taken back. Van Summeren felt the blue cobbles of Pave Secteur 1 under his wheels and looked back nervously wondering if he would see the stalking form of death metronomically grinding away with awful power the last few meters that separated him from "the catch". But Van Summeren saw nothing but empty road behind him as he swung the right turn onto the concrete velodrome. He hit the blue apron, mashed the last bit of effort out of his spent body and crossed the line. I imagine the first thing he felt was not a sense of wonder or glory, but of relief.

Chapeau, Johan.

It's not easy being green

2011-03-28T05:52:00.000-04:00

I've gotten some new bike stuff and it has me all giddy. First, through the generosity of Jeff (read: pity), I have a new to me commuter bike. A couple of weeks ago, Jeff jumped on my commuter bike and immediately said,"what is wrong with this thing?!?!" My commuter bike was extremely noodly as you could easily move the front of the bike and the back of the bike in startlingly different directions while riding. He switched out his Globe Live 2 for my Globe Daily 2 and I have been rocking it ever since. The benefit has come from the aluminum frame of the Live being much stiffer than the steel frame of the Daily. Gone are the odd twistings of the head tube moving left as the right crank arm goes down pushing the seat tube to the right. I really liked the Daily, but heavy load commuter bike it isn't.

Oddly enough, this is the perfect segue to my other new bike. I am going back to my beloved steel as the frame material for my new mountain bike. After much deep thought, I decided that the inherent flex of steel would add just enough give to the full rigid 29" wheeled mountain bike equation to make the ultimate in mountain bikes. Sure, aluminum is light and stiff, scandium has a nice flex profile like steel with the lightness of aluminum and carbon is all of the above, but steel just seems right. Now to get the thing built up in time to race this Saturday...

I managed to get up early yesterday, make coffee AND remember that Gent-Wevelgem was on, all within a reasonable time period of each other. It is the first classic I've watched live this year and it was exciting to the end. Small breaks looked destined to hold off the chasing peloton, but a final catch within sight of the finish line led to a completely anonymous Tom Boonen popping out of the group to take the sprint for the win. I watched Sporza coverage (the Belgian sports channel) and not once did I hear the name or nickname of their beloved Tommeke once until he crossed the line with his arms in the air. After the massacre that Cancellara layed down on the way to a decisve solo win of the E3 Prijs Vlanderen the day before, the first major shots of the Spring Classics have been fired. With the hors-d'oeuvres consumed, the real meaty races are still to come with De Ronde de Van Vlaandren and Paris-Roubaix being the two standouts.

A cold and rainy commute awaits today. Don't ge too wet and keep thinking all those cycling thoughts because the season is now!

Outstanding

2011-02-28T05:32:00.000-05:00

This weekend, the crocuses bloomed.

The red wing blackbirds arrived.

These guys are regulars since the wetland restoration in our neighborhood was completed.

That can mean only one thing:

And so, with a hearty breakfast

Hell yeah!

we set out for a day of mountain biking. Our plan was to start at the Overmountain Victory Trail, riding to the end of it and then ride the road to the Warrior Creek Trail, ride a lap or two there and then ride back on the Overmountain Victory Trail. We headed out on the OVT, taking it easy and warming up well. The temperature was around 75 degrees according to my new-to-me Specialized Speedzone computer (thanks, Jeff!). The sky was that strange mix of sunny with dark rain clouds mixed in. The trail was perfect - fast and flowy. We didn't see anyone on the OVT on the way out.

We hit the road and covered the roughly two miles of pavement pretty quickly and went flying through the Warrior Creek parking area and up to the trail head. We downed some food, mixing espresso Hammer gel and Perpetuem solids and washing it all down with Endurolytes Fizz and then headed out for a lap at Warrior Creek.

Warrior Creek was in perfect condition. We flew, riding faster than I ever have there. It is difficult to describe how well I got into the flow of the trail. It felt amazing to get out in the woods and ride fast.

We saw the great folks from the Brushy Mountain Cycling Club building a new bridge to replace the one damaged by one of our numerous winter storms.

These guys work hard. Thanks!

We ran into a group of riders from Boone Bike and Touring (Shaw Brown, Donovan Carroll, and Chuck Luddeke among them), but other than that, it felt like we had the trail to ourselves. Warrior Creek really swallows up riders and makes you feel like you have the place all to yourself.

We finished up a lap of Warrior Creek, took the road back to the end of OVT and rode the trail back toward the car. We took a detour to include Shiner's Run on the way back in. We passed a few people, but not many. The amazing thing was that it rained several times on the ride, but we really felt anything since we were in the woods during the rainy spells. We got back to the car and took off for home. We were eager to get back to Owen. It was fun riding long and fast, but I missed pulling him on the tag-a-long.

Owen and I shot stomp rockets into the sky as Golden got cleaned up and then it was our turn. We headed out for dinner with my parents and filled up on salad and pasta. It was a beautiful, wonderful, fantastic day filled with so many things that I am still giddy with happiness, but the absolute best part was Owen's steady stream of hugs, kisses and "I love you, daddy"'s.

Thank you, Spring. You were worth the wait.

Speedgrips and Footis-head screwdrivers

2011-02-24T05:45:00.001-05:00

Bike shops are one of the last bastions of unfettered equality left in the world. Sure, you can walk into those big, posh bike stores where everyone performs a visual credit check on you to decide whether or not to help you and how long they should wait before actually acknowledging your presence. But that isn't what I'm talking about. I mean your good old rough around the edges, slightly crusty in a charming sense local bike shop where the shop employees love bikes and love to talk about them.

These shops try very hard to offer help to everyone who walks through the door, no matter who they are. This brings us to the topic of today's little entry: equality for all doesn't mean that some people aren't still a little touched in the head. There is a whole cadre of bike shop customers who are united by a few things in common-
   1. They love to talk. They love to talk and the bike shop provides a perfect audience because our first instinct is to be nice and greet everyone who walks through the door. Problem is, these people not only love to talk, they love to talk crazy. Not weird or eccentric, CRAZY. Some barely pause between sentences to breathe. They will talk for as long as you give them an audience, so you have to figure out a way to signal that you need to get back to work or that you need to help other customers.
   Example of actual, first person experience: Customer asks, "If a cheetah could ride a bicycle, how fast would it go?"
   2. They ride bikes everywhere they go. I like this about them, so don't think I'm bashing anyone for using a bicycle for basic transportation. These customers don't have a driver's license and while you would think it was for DUI, it is usually because they just can't possibly pass the test to get a license or they have had their rights taken away by the court (I'm not kidding on this. I know this because they are usually very forthcoming about telling you they have had their rights taken away.)
   3. They are usually going to make some very odd request that is going to provide an easy nickname for referring to them in the future.
   Example of actual, first person experience:
Customer: "Do you guys have speedgrips?"
Me: Do you mean grips for your handlebars?
Customer: "Yeah, speedgrips (speedgrips spoken slowly to help my understanding since I am obviously a little slow).
And thus, the customer is now known as "Speedgrips".

The true beauty of this type of customer is in how they sort the experienced shop employee from the inexperienced. Experienced shop employees have a sixth sense that warns of the approach of the "touched" customers who are known. Be it the tell-tale squeak of their bike coming to a stop or the faint sound of their voice outside the shop, the experienced shop employee senses the approach of a known "crazy" customer and suddenly finds a need to organize things in the back of the shop, step out the back door to fetch something from somewhere/anywhere else or needs to go to the bathroom, thus leaving the FNG employee to enjoy a new life experience with the "crazy" customer. It helps if the experienced shop employees place themselves in such a way that they can make eye contact with the FNG as this provides an unexplainable amount of entertainment. The FNG usually slides quickly from a friendly persona to that of a trapped animal in under 10 seconds. Their eyes go wide as their brains desperately try to make sense of the nonsense that is being spoken at them.

I enjoy this aspect of the bike shop life. It shows that we are providing a welcoming atmosphere to everyone. It's also funny seeing the reactions of our mainstream customers when the "crazy" customer comes in. The reactions are usually along the lines of wide-eyed, open-mouth wonder. The times when a straight customer remains after the "crazy" customer leaves, they usually ask, "does that happen a lot?" To which we can confidently reply, "Pretty much everyday" and keep right on working.

New beginnings

2011-02-23T05:39:00.000-05:00

The seed catalog from Burpee showed up in the mail yesterday, so you know Spring can't be too far behind. I've come to a good place in life when something like a seed catalog brings excitement and anticipation to the house. Golden sat beside me on the couch, flipping through the pages, circling the plants she wants, and asking me, "What do you think of this?" every few minutes. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one champing at the bit to get Winter over and done with.

Owen and I hung out in the backyard for as long as the weather tended toward warm yesterday afternoon. We turned the two mountains of compost in the bins, keeping an eye out for bugs and snakes in the inky black mass, but unfortunately, we didn't see any. I have to admit that I like composting more than gardening. There is just something about watching all of that organic material become on uniform black mass that really brings happiness to me. O played in the sandbox for the first time this year, while I took old plants and wove them through the fence for I don't know what reason, but it was contemplative and peaceful.

photo by Dvortygirltalk

This little shift in the weather back to a more seasonal coolness is good as it will give us a little chance to catch up in the shop. The first warmth of Spring always brings a flood of repairs that are typical of bikes that have been sitting in a basement or garage all winter. To help you with your early season bike repair triage I offer the following Public Service Announcement:

Bike tires are inflated with air inside of tubes (true, some tires are tubeless, but if your tires are tubeless, you know it because there is a lot of effort required to actually utilize tubeless tire systems and no, your MegaMart bike is NOT tubeless) and it is natural for these tubes to leak air over time. Just like you have to inflate the tires on your car periodically, you need to put air in bike tires frequently or else they go flat. If they do go flat, they probably just need air, so inflate them and see what happens. If you don't have a bike pump, buy one. Being able to pump up your own tires will save you money in the long run and shows a basic level of self-sufficiency. And no matter what you do, DO NOT take your flat tired bicycle to your local bike shop and expect them to patch the tube. Bicycle shops replace tubes, people patch tubes in their spare time or in acts of desperation on rides that involve multiple flats and a limited number of replacement tubes.

We are getting new bikes in for the season all this week. Both Fuji and Specialized have had a fair collection of 2010 closeouts that we have grabbed in order to offer people the most bang for their buck. There are some ridiculously low prices on 2010 road bikes while the inventory lasts from both of these companies. We are also getting in 2011 bikes in road, mountain, and greenway varieties. We'll be building them up and getting them out on the floor all week, so come by and check 'em out!

I heart you

2011-02-15T05:34:00.001-05:00

Valentine's day is all about sharing love with someone important. I got to thinking about all those emotions of love, lust and passion, and it was passion that I got hung up on. Passion is a strong and rare thing.

I'm not talking about passion between two people despite the fact that it's Valentine's Day. No, what got me thinking was the idea that we can be passionate about something, not someone. How completely and utterly you can fall in love with something. I stand in awe of people who have the extreme good fortune of having turned their passion into their vocation. The really tricky bit is once it becomes your vocation, staying passionate about it.

FROM STEEL: The Making of a Soulcraft from michael evans on Vimeo.

I guess it should come as no surprise that my passion is bicycles. If you have read this blog for more than a moment or two, I hope that the sense of love and wonder that I have for two wheels has been evident. It is beautiful to watch the care and effort taken to produce a handbuilt steel frame from start to finish. It is funny how disdainful people can be about the cost of a handbuilt frame, but I hope that watching the video above gives you a better appreciation for how much soul a builder can imbue a frame with as they build it from start to finish. What magic there is in taking a pile of tubes and turning it into a bicycle frame.

So whatever it is that you do, try remembering the passion that you feel for it and give it that little bit of extra love that it has been lacking. Hopefully, you'll see a little magic in the results.

ps - Oh, yeah - the song in the video is from The Mattson 2. They're rad as hell, check 'em out!

The great snowdown

2011-02-09T22:25:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure I speak for us all when I say that I am tired of winter. Sick and tired. Sick and damn tired. So now that yet another snow storm bears down on us and the prospect of having school on Saturday looms, I have to say that I am officially declaring Winter over. I am reversing the decision of Puxatawney Phil. Seriously, how many major life decisions are you going to hand over to a rodent? So why trust one with a major weather prediction?

From this point forward, we will no longer use the term snow. Instead, we will discuss "dense humidity" and its natural air conditioning effects. If we change the language, we will change the very nature of our reality.

Or we can just hunker down, suffer through and look forward to the sweet, breathtaking rewards that Spring will heap upon us in the not to distant future. As soon as next week, we may be frolicking and cavorting about in shorts with the sun dappling our pasty vitamin D starved knees and arms. We will spin along on group rides, turning the pedals over effortlessly and playfully joke about not being under 12 layers of clothing just to survive being outdoors. Ladies and gentlemen, our discontent may - nay- must draw to a close soon.

The hamster wheel

2011-02-02T05:59:00.000-05:00

photo by Klaus

I've definitely been silent from this little chunk of the internet this past week or so. Funny how the beginning of the semester for me as a teacher and as a grad student is always the same: scrambling around trying to find a groove I can get into and get things done. I had my second Web Design class last night and spent an hour and a half discussing the basic web pages that we have created so far. I haven't created a website from scratch since 2000, when I made a horrible site for a class at NAU. It's amazing how easy it is to have a significant web presence these days without doing any backend work to build a website. This blog, facebook, and twitter allow the shop to have an internet reach (I'll refrain from calling it a broad reach) without really doing much coding in html, except when I want to make things look pretty.

It's been an odd few days at school as my colleague Alex and I have been getting a great deal of attention for the scores our Physical Science students made on the NC end of course test last semester. What I felt was attributable to low standards, is still significant as we outperformed the other high schools "significantly" as administrators have put it. They have started asking us how we did it in order to try and duplicate our results with other teachers. If this were a movie, it would be shortly after this initial glow of success that people started accusing us of cheating. Let me go on record as stating unequivocally that I do not care what my students test scores are, I don't feel that it is a complete measure of who I am as a teacher nor do I feel that standardized tests are an adequate measure of a student either. There are too many intangibles in this life that cannot be neatly quantified in the form of a multiple choice test. Simply put: I don't care enough about standardized testing to cheat and since there is no monetary incentive, that can't be used as a possible motive either. I get paid the same no matter how good their scores are.

I don't know what to say. We were as shocked at our scores as anyone else, so us giving up the "secret" to our success is akin to asking the bird why he flies so well or the rabbit how he jumps so far. They don't know, they just do it.

I've been hitting the greenway every school commute and it is such a peaceful way to cover the miles. No cars and no one on the greenway when the weather is cold and wet, makes for an empty path that I can fly along on. I love having such a long car free stretch to commute on every day and our town is lucky to have such a progressive project going on. I've ended up facing two cars driving head on at me in my lane this past week and incidents like that really make you appreciate a safe, car free alternative.

As part of my MS 365 Project, I'd like to update you on the stats for January. Yes, I rode at least 1 mile outside all 31 days of January. I have ridden a total of 345 miles as of January 31st; maintaining a >10 mile a day average to stay on track for 3,650 miles total for the year. I have no idea if I have raised any money for Can Do MS nor have I received any new pledges since the opening weeks of the project. I promise not to shill too much for donations to this cause, so I will limit myself to some NPR-style, end of the month pleas for a small donation. If you can, take a moment and give a little to this worthy group so that people with MS can learn that a life full of exercise and activity is the way to a healthy and enjoyable life with MS.

Thanks.

Redemption and ending

2011-01-24T06:39:00.000-05:00

Last weekend's 'cross race was not a lesson in perseverance, but a test of mettle. Multiple trips to the ground, hanging out well off the back of the race and periodically having to stop to remove clods of mud and grass in order to get the wheels to roll was a test of not giving in to the siren's song of dropping out. It is those times that mean you must be satisfied with simply completing what you started. DNF'ing is a slippery slope; each time you dropout, it gets a little easier to do it again the next time.

So I headed to the last race of the NC Cyclocross series on Sunday with an eye towards redeeming myself in my own mind. My previous race in Wilkesboro was not how I wanted to end my season. Those low points and bad performances can haunt you until the next season comes. I had a better race left in me and I needed to let it out.

After spending about 4 hours resurrecting my bike from all of the mud and crash damage suffered in Wilkesboro, I was shocked to get to Greensboro, hop on the bike and start hearing a loud and disturbing creak emanating from my bottom bracket. After borrowing some tools (thanks to Kerry Shields and the mechanics from the American Classic team), I got things right and set about warming up. Riding the trainer, listening to Girl Talk put doubts about the bike out of my head.

For some reason, the bright sunshine gave the illusion that it was warmer than it actually was. I arrived to the line with simply a long sleeve skinsuit to keep me warm. No gloves was my call and it was almost the wrong call as my hands got so cold that braking and shifting were difficult, but at least not impossible.

We took off from the line going up a paved climb and then swinging right on to a grass field. The course was undulating with lots of flowy turns on grass with a few patches of mud peeking through to keep you focused on your technique, a double sand pit and a nice set of stairs. There was little flat riding as the course was either going up or going down.

It was good, close racing as the course was open enough to see everyone around you. It is a lot of fun to see the people ahead of you as you chase them down and motivating to see the people behind you chasing you down. In other words, you couldn't let up for a moment. I rolled across the line in 8th place, having flirted with 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th during the race. I didn't crash. The bike didn't explode or fall apart. And I redeemed myself with the best finish of the cyclocross season.

Thanks to Carroll Composites for the fantastic King Louie cyclocross frame and carbon wheels that I and the Fiets Maan Racing team have been on this season. The King Louie is hands down the best cyclocross frame I have ever raced and it has been a pleasure to ride it every time I have swung my leg over the top tube. The cyclocross specific carbon wheels have proven to be light, fast and confidence inspiring with their wider rim bed to get more glue surface for the tire to adhere to. They've never even hinted at allowing the tire to peel off the rim.

With the close of Cyclocross season, I'd like to encourage you to get out there and race this coming season. You've got 7 months to get ready...

What is mastery? Proficiency?

2011-01-21T06:06:00.000-05:00

photo by Leo Reynolds

I'm deep into standardized testing week with my students. I long ago gave up the stress that many teachers associate with this since, to read any major educational researcher is to know that standardized testing is not a way to measure learning, but rather a way to measure the students preparedness for a test. With that in mind, my attitude is that the test cannot possibly measure what I do as a teacher, whether students do well or not.

After getting my student's scores back, I am shocked at how high they are. Almost all of them showed a significant amount of "growth" from what they were predicted to make to what they did make. Now remember that I said this test doesn't measure what I do as a teacher. Many teachers say that when the scores are bad, but then take credit when the scores are good. I am not one of those teachers.

I started digging into the numbers that were given to me for all of my students. This somewhat cryptic data set that isn't clearly defined ended up being somewhat decipherable after spending a bit of time with it. What I deduced from it was shocking to me as a teacher and really makes me feel like a cog in a big, dirty, broken machine designed to churn out intended results rather than alert and able people ready to strive and make positive contributions to society.

To be considered proficient and on grade level meant getting 50% of the multiple choice questions correct. If the test were complex and complicated, I would agree with such a percentage, but it isn't. It is a fairly basic and low level test of mastery of just a few basic facts, ideas and methods.

I hate the implications for our future that this current testing regime in education has. When students do little, know little and then are branded as proficient or even said to have "mastery" of the content, we teach them that little is actually a lot, that poor results are actually good, and average results are actually excellent. We are electing people and encouraging the gaming of the system. We aren't encouraging results, we are tabulating numbers. It is smoke and mirrors. It is as if I decided that I am no longer middle class but actually quite wealthy because I now consider every dollar I have to actually be worth ten dollars. That is just a numbers game and signifies nothing in reality. Unfortunately, that is the education system that we have gotten.

Have you noticed how since education became politicized (beginning with Kennedy and then exploding with Reagen) that everyone is busy trying to fix education, while everybody else is busy measuring how broken the system is? We are in an educational ouroboros that is spinning out of control. Meanwhile, we grind our future into dust by tacitly encouraging mediocrity in the generations that will form the future of our society. It is a recipe for disaster.

In defense of friction

2011-01-17T05:52:00.000-05:00

photo by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

Friction is usually the enemy. It wastes energy, turning it into heat. It resists force and motion. It's the reason why our world doesn't behave in perfect Newtonian ways. Imagine getting on your bike, pedaling up to speed and then not pedaling anymore, but never slowing down. Friction is what you have to blame for the constant need to pedal. Whether it is the friction where the road meets the tire or you having to fight through the thick soup of gases called air, friction is the steady hand that pushes back on you.

But friction is not all bad. Before we had indexed shifting systems on bikes (yes kids, shifters used to not "click"), there was good old downtube friction shifting. Pull the lever and the derailleur shifted. Push the lever and the derailleur shifted. It was simple, elegant and bomb proof. But more than anything, it was a direct connection between the rider and the drivetrain. The rider had to get the derailleur in the right spot not to make noise, The rider had to learn where the gears were in order to shift smoothly and cleanly.

Index shifting has introduced a level of convenience and dependability to cycling that allows the newest rider to shift cleanly and smoothly. By eliminating the learning curve for clean shifting, however, it introduces a level of abstraction between rider and machine. The beginning rider understands less and less what is happening in the drivetrain. The race to incorporate electronics into this equation introduces and even greater level of distraction.

I have ridden the new Shimano Di2 electronic group. I've also ridden bikes equipped with Mavic Mektronic, Mavic Zap and I've even seen a mountain bike that had a Browning Automatic Transmission on it. Di2 is remarkable not just in the fact that it works (unlike any of the Mavic attempts - at least in terms of reliability), but that the shifting is so extremely precise and requires no thought on the part of the rider. I rode it trying every dumb shifting combination and technique that usually results in a thrown chain or missed shift and it handled it flawlessly.

This means that the rider can now buy perfection rather than seek it within themselves. I don't think of this as a step forward. There are trials and tribulations that we have to go through in order to initiate ourselves into things. We must be cautious about offloading the difficult things to technology. I am no Luddite, but I fear a loss of intimacy with the things that we love and depend on. The only upside to the electronic shifting movement is that the cost is still prohibitively high, but the trickle down is coming soon. Within this decade, it is safe to assume that electronic shifting will become the most common form of shifting on bikes (at least road bikes).

If you ever get the chance, take a bike that has friction downtube shifters out for a spin. Feel those tiny, elegant levers move smoothly through their range of motion. Notice the fluid sweep of the derailleurs as the move fluidly with the lever. Note the quietness of the shift and the different tones of chain on cogs as you adjust the shift to the perfect position, known by the lack of noise coming from the chain on the cog. It is a simple, beautiful thing and it will be gone before you know it.

The buried winter

2011-01-14T06:08:00.000-05:00

Every mile is two in winter. - George Herbert (1593-1633) Jacula Prudentum

Ray's Weather has officially buried their mild winter forecast having realized that we are experiencing one of the coldest winters in quite a while. Their previous seasonal forecast said we would have a very mild winter with no snow and warmer than average temperatures. As I write this, it is 14 degrees celsius, the roads still have patches of ice on them from last Sunday's snowfall, students have been out of school all week and are on a 3 hour delay today. So much for a mild winter. It is little comfort to have your hopes dashed and then receive an apology for having them built up in the first place. But such is the nature of weather forecasting. Despite our best, most advanced attempts at quantifying data and observation into prediction, Nature just does not neatly fit into a data table and behave as it should.

Winter for a cyclist can be a grim and lonely affair. The warm group rides of spring and summer are like hazy mirages seen in the distance. When group rides do occur, they provide relief from the loneliness of riding the trainer, locked up with your thoughts on a solitary hamster wheel in your basement, but the quest to remain warm, to keep blood flowing through your extremities can put a damper on the camaraderie of the group.

Few cyclists are solitary creatures. Sure, there are the time trial specialists who prefer to suffer alone in the quest for perfection in the balance of power and aerodynamics and there are the triathletes whose complex multisport workouts don't lend themselves to more than a training partner or two at best. For most of us though, cycling is as much social interaction as it is athleticism. The bonding ritual of shared effort that comes from group rides is of great importance to all but the most elite cyclist.

This is what is missed most by me in the winter. Seeing friends. Riding with friends. Meeting new people out on the bike. Having new people come visit the shop and ride with us. So how do we capture the magic of the balmier times while suffering through the bitter doldrums of winter? Rather than putting off riding until it is warm, or grinding away on the dreaded trainer in solitary penance for your misdeeds, the answer is to ride indoors together.

In our ongoing effort to eradicate SCAD (Seasonal Cyclist Affective Disorder) from the world, we will be holding group trainer classes beginning Wednesday, Jan. 26th and then every Tuesday/Thursday after that. Classes will be from 6:15 to 7:30 (please try to arrive by 6:00). Classes will be $10 per session or 8 classes for $60 paid in advance. These will be structured workouts featuring loud music, lots of motivational yelling and anything else that can be done to help you through this bleakest of winters. You will need to bring your trainer/rollers (we have a couple of loaners), a towel and water. We need to have 5 people prepaid by Monday, January 24th in order for the class to take place. No matter what level of cyclist you are or hope to be, a solid winter base will help you achieve your riding goals for the coming season.

Hell sNOw

2011-01-10T06:45:00.000-05:00

Cottrell Hill descent on Sat. 1/8/11

Don't get me wrong, I like snow. There are a lot of very cool things you can do in the snow. Fun, active things that make steady, predictable amounts of snowfall enjoyable, even something to look forward to. But that isn't the case here. Sure, every now and then it snows enough to make me wish I hadn't gotten rid of my cross country skis when I moved here, but that is only a couple of times every few years. That isn't exactly a record that would indicate this place is a winter wonderland of snow sports and activities, now is it?

No, snow sends most people here into an apoplectic tizzy that results in everyone stocking up on batteries, generators, and as Charlie Frye is fond of saying, French Toast ingredients (eggs, milk, bread). There are those who react with an opposing level of indifference as indicated by their false belief that a 4 wheel drive vehicle can be driven the same way regardless of weather and road conditions.

We find ourselves blanketed with snow once again today. The 2 to 3 inches of unplowed snow currently on my street makes everything feel isolated and remote. There is no rejoicing with such a snow event here (other than students being happy that school is canceled). You get a sense that now everyone will hunker in to their bunker-like houses, cautiously optimistic that everything will be ok, but also keeping an eye on the family pets just in case the isolation runs longer than anticipated and protein is required for survival.

I must also confess that all of this bad weather is probably my fault. Resolving to ride 1 mile outdoors every day for a year seems to alter weather patterns pretty dramatically. In the past month, we've had snow, winds that threatened to lift me and my bike off the ground, a week of sunshine and temperatures approaching the mid-50's and now more snow. Consistency we ain't got.

Zen and the Art of Pillow Fighting

2011-01-06T06:08:00.000-05:00

The pillow fight is an ancient, venerable form of combat that stretches back millennia. The earliest accounts come from ancient Greece where young Hectorus of Nod is said to have first picked up a pillow and struck his brother, Boger the Nosy, as retribution for being wronged. But while we have this deep seated tradition that is passed on from generation to generation, few of us receive any formal training in the pillow fighting arts and it is that egregious oversight that this guide hopes to overcome.

Know your opponent

Appearance is the first offense of the pillow fighter. Their reliance on a carefully cultivated look of both innocence and defenselessness is a time-honored first attack that is designed to get you to relax and drop your guard. Do Not Fall For This Ruse!

For in reality, this innocent is a highly trained, highly skilled adept of the combat arts whose favorite weapon is whatever is closest to hand!

Exploit the weakness of the Offense

The classic opening attack

The typical opening salvo of the 4 year old, classically trained pillow fighter will be pure offense: an overhead blow designed to strike the head of the opponent and calculated to leave them momentarily dazed and confused. This leaves the opponent open to the more devastating side blow attack which can and will inflict maximum damage.

The side blow (or Roundhouse) sequence in 3 shots

But let us note the weakness of this offensive posture: the knees. At the opening of each attack, the knees and lower legs of the attacker are clearly undefended. Confident of their training and intoxicated by the knowledge that their training has given them, the typical 4 year old pillow fighting adept forgets to protect their foundation and concentrates solely on the attack itself. As the pillow fighting master, it is incumbent upon you to show the young adept the error of his or her ways.

At the beginning of the attacker's power phase (or the windup), a well placed low powered blow to the soft spot just behind the knee will send your opponent crumpling in a heap to the ground and leave the open to a fast and merciful final blow. Thus will end the pillow fight. Dispatching your opponent without regard to their age, size or attempts to use laughter, giggling or feigned outcries of love and affection for you will only make the pillow fighter into a pillow warrior, ultimately saving their lives in times of battle. Teach your children well for the Pillow Wars of old may one day yet revisit us...

Topic of discussion: Is steel really real?

2011-01-04T05:48:00.000-05:00

I walked into the shop after school yesterday and sitting on the counter was a brand new, gold Niner SIR 9 frame. A bit of disclosure before we continue: I have been lusting over this 29" wheeled bit of Reynolds 853 steel goodness since before we became a Niner dealer. Those slim tubes, that huge, oversized eccentric bottom bracket shell that allows the SIR 9 to be converted from a geared bike to a singlespeed.... Sorry, I'll pull myself together.

Its funny after owning a lot of bikes, riding a lot of bikes and seeing thousands of brand new bikes at countless industry tradeshows, I still get excited and to be honest, fall in love with particular bikes. Its like being attracted to another person. There are no hard and fast rules about what will be attractive, but when you feel it, you know. Well, needless to say, this particular frame caught my eye when looking through a bike magazine and I happened to catch a glimpse of it in an advertisement. Now the object of desire was in my hands.

I don't know what it is about steel, but it just looks right as a bike frame material. It has the right blend of strength and fragility to my eye, I guess. The other frame materials like aluminum and carbon with the large, oversized tubes look like they are trying to hard. While titanium with its dull gray color looks cold and uninviting. But steel in the raw with its rainbow of heat marks around the welds looks fascinating. Then when a lustrous paint job is applied on top of that it becomes this warm, inviting to the touch frame that just begs to be ridden.

But everyone has their different tastes. This I know and understand. And while I would love to sell a lot more steel framed bikes, I am not such a hopeless romantic to think that steel is right for everyone or even attractive to everyone. Enter the Jet 9 full suspension frame from Niner. To most reviewers, the 29" wheeled full suspension bike is the sweet spot of bike set ups; the "if you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one bike" bike. This I cannot speak to with authority, since I have not ridden one. The beauty of it all is that both of these bikes are being built up as Demo bikes for anyone to take out for a day of riding on the local trails so they can see exactly what they are like where it counts.

I might just have to take that SIR 9 out and make sure its okay before anyone else tries it out. Kind of a quality control check...

Reflection

2011-01-01T08:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's ride capped off an almost complete year of riding. I managed to be on my bike 360 days in 2010. I rode back and forth to my teaching job through snow, rain, wind (one particular gust stopped me dead in the middle of Hwy. 18), sunny weather, heat and humidity. I've developed a pretty thick skin when it comes to how some people in cars act towards a cyclist on the road (waving - its like a weapon to be friendly to rude people). I've ridden for sheer fun on the road, the mountain bike and cyclocross bike. I've hauled 6 ft. folding tables, loads of 2 x 4's, carried a complete mechanic's work station to do neutral race support for the local triathlon (it was especially great to ride up the hill fully loaded past the triathletes walking up the hill because it is "really steep"), done a bike tour in a new to me section of the Blue Ridge Parkway while hauling camping equipment and a wiggly 3 year old. I've raced the disciplines I mentioned previously, and even managed to find the podium (3rd place at the Warrior's Creek 6 Hour mountain bike race in the co-ed duo division with my wife, Golden).

What started out as a Facebook challenge called 30 Days of Biking, became a passionate quest to do as much by bicycle as possible. For 2011, I have started the MS 365 Project which ups the ante a little bit. I plan on adding a Surly Big Dummy to my stable of commuter bikes and I hope to get a Surly trailer to make hauling lumber, bikes and other big items that much easier. All in all, I hope to a have another great year of health, family, riding bikes and meeting new friends and hanging out with old friends all while keeping a thriving bike shop running on all cylinders. I hope your 2011 has as much fun as you can stand plus a little more for good measure.

Happy New Year!

Warmth?

2010-12-30T07:54:00.000-05:00

With temperatures forecast in the 50's this weekend, it is looking like great conditions for getting outside and on a bike. The traditional New Year's Day rides are popping up all over the place and there will be a lot to choose from.

The Ya Ya Hula Cycling and Social Club will be having an 18 mile ride at hangover pace leaving from the Lake James Fire Dept. at 11 am on Saturday for anyone who is interested. They are a great group to ride with and always have fun on their bikes.

The Boone crew is going to do a ride in our territory leaving from Setzer's Creek Church at noon. Since they could use an escort of locals, I think we should leave from the shop at 11:30 and ride out to meet them and join their ride. Meet at the shop around 11:15 and we'll leave promptly at 11:30.

Saturday will be the first day of the MS 365 Project. I'm working on an introduction, a facebook page and a blog that will be specifically devoted to the project. It will be a celebration of my 20th year with Multiple Sclerosis and I hope you'll join me for 365 days of riding.

I've been thinking about my MS more in the past few days than I have in the past few years. It is a little sobering to contemplate what my life might be like or what the future holds for me, but that is really true for anyone. None of us knows what the future holds, but only a few of us aspire to live our lives to the fullest. I want to crack open the bones of life and suck out the marrow! As we move into this New Year, we all contemplate the new beginning it affords us (no matter how metaphorical that new beginning may be). Let your resolutions be important and take hold of the opportunity to turn them into something real.

from Surviving the World - check it out, it's great!

A dusting...

2010-12-27T07:11:00.000-05:00

Early on in the week, meteorologists crowed about the coming white Christmas. As the week progressed the snow fall predictions began to ebb from 5-8 inches to 1-3 inches to not much if anything. Bold words to throw out the possibility of a white Christmas and then back it off as the big day arrives. So we're up fairly, but not ridiculously early thanks to Owen's discovery that Santa did indeed stop by and leave a few things. As we enjoy Legos and Playmobile adventures, a gentle snow begins to fall. After a while it gets a bit more serious and then begins a long phase of earnest snowing that lasts the day and into the night. We got our 5-8 inches all right.

Now the wind is blowing like the jet stream ripping at the peak of Mt. Everest with gusts of what sounds like 400+ mph. Thankfully, all of this weather comes during the holiday break, so no makeup days on the backend of this winter wonderland!

The mechanic's class begins tomorrow evening and there are still spots left if anyone is interested or has been waiting until the last minute. I'm excited about the class and it has been obvious how eager everyone is to get their hands dirty and learn about the down and dirty of their bikes. I've been reading a fantastic book, Shop Class as Soulcraft - an inquiry into the value of work by Matthew B. Crawford that has really inspired me to integrate more hands-on instruction and DIY ethic into the shop. Essentially a criticism of modern industry and education, the book puts forth the concept that we are becoming increasingly abstracted from our mechanical possessions. One example is of the new BMW that doesn't have an oil dipstick, so the owner can't even check the oil let alone change it themselves.

By getting your hands dirty, you are able to gather knowledge of the machine that you rely on, You learn its idiosyncrasies, its needs and develop a deeper understanding of the thing in the process. Crawford also points to our lack of respect for tradesmen (not to be confused with craftsmen, the artisan or artist) and trade work and how our education system pushes everyone to go to college and be a knowledge worker (which in reality is just the modern assembly line). Crawford echoes my own disillusionment with the present day education system, especially when he discusses the dual roles that had to be played by Soviet Union middle managers who had to support the party line and deal with the reality of Soviet communism as it applied to their daily functions in the workplace. I see this in administrators who have to support the current regime of standardized testing and data collection while seeing the reality of this approach and its breakdown in the real world.

All I really know is that no job has ever brought me more happiness than bike shop work.

Impressive

2010-12-22T12:38:00.001-05:00

As mentioned the other day, Jeremiah Dyer has been stranded in Belgium at Euro 'Cross Camp without a bike or clothes. He's missed a few races that he could have participated in because he couldn't get his bike or a loaner from anyone. Up steps Jonathan Page. Love him, hate him that's on you, but the most successful American cyclocross pro in history sent his personal mechanic to Belgium to deliver one of his spare bikes to Jeremiah so that he could race. THAT is class.

Thanks, Jonathan, for helping an up and coming kid out in a huge way.

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

2010-12-21T05:38:00.000-05:00

I'd like to add a new Zen koan to the vast collection that are already out there: What does a lunar eclipse look like in a cloudy sky? Yes, for the first time since 1632, a lunar eclipse happened on the winter solstice and was visible from North America, but guess what? The cloud cover here was waaaaaaay to thick to see anything but the orange glow of reflected sodium vapor lighting.

So if eclipses throughout history were seen as omens or portents of bad things to happen in the future, what happened if your tribe or village was so clouded over that nobody in your area saw it? Did you get to shrug your shoulders, say, "Couldn't see it." and blow the whole thing off?

"So, Ichabod, I heard Hespeth saying that the moon turned to blood over your village and now you know your crops are going to rot in the fields."

"Yes, Jebediah. Aren't you afraid for what will happen to your village?"

"Hmmmmm. Yeah. Um, it was pretty cloudy last night and we didn't really see anything, so..... I think we're good."

I'm not really disappointed despite getting up pretty early to shuffle out into the cold night and see not much of nothing. Sure this was the first one in 532 years. I guess I'll just have to exercise patience and wait for the next one...

I have failed to mention a very cool development that most of you may have already heard about, but it bears mentioning with some depth here. Jeremiah Dyer, Sonni Dyer's son, was chosen to participate in Geoff Proctor's Euro 'Cross Camp and is currently in Belgium to do a slew of the pre- and post-Christmas cyclocross races with an international field of hot shot juniors. Jeremiah is the first rider from the Southeast to go to the Euro 'Cross Camp and it shows how the sport is growing in our area.

Unfortunately, Jeremiah has been caught up in the European airport closures and has become separated from his clothing and his bikes which now circle in some airport purgatory with a scheduled release date of God know's when. Be thinking of Jeremiah and his slowly building ball of disappointment and anger. Think, too, of those poor juniors he will unleash this on when he does toe the line this week and tries to make up for lost time. Good luck Jeremiah! We're rooting for you!

Besides our own Fiets Maan Racing team trying to lend some help to Jeremiah in covering his expenses for the trip, the class act guys at MSGCross leant a hand, too. If you ever get the chance to go check out their races, you won't be disappointed.

Hidden gems

2010-12-20T06:04:00.000-05:00

We headed back from my sister's house yesterday morning after a leisurely wake up routine. The get up and hang out morning routine is a sure sign that we are hitting a vacation period. Although we have a snow make-up day today, it sure doesn't feel like we should be doing anything but starting our Christmas break.

Driving back from Sanford is no easy task. The road is long, the landscape is dull and the radio station selection is bleak. We rolled in to Asheboro and decided to look for some lunch. Prominently located at the top of the highway exit was a sign pointing us to downtown. We followed the directions and came into downtown Asheboro and were greeted by a tremendous collection of restaurants, art galleries and shops. Being Sunday in the South, I was dubious about any of the local businesses being open, but there were several restaurants open and bustling. We gravitated toward The Flying Pig, a nice little sports bar/bistro combination that serves great pizza and sandwiches. I ordered a Buffalo Chicken sandwich with their handmade chips. A heaping mound of chips with a tremendous sandwich the size of my face was brought to the table in short order. Owen dug in to a grilled cheese with fries (mainly he dug into the fries), while Golden had a salad.

For Owen and I, the noble potato ( or pomme de terre) signifies the true mark of the chef's abilities in the kitchen. While his gustatory passion lies with the fry, my heart yearns for the perfect handmade chip. The true bistro chip is a tricky thing. Too thick and it doesn't cook right and is essentially a french fry gone wrong. Too thin and it cooks too quickly becoming a dark brown, fryolator flavored drink coaster. But the chips at the Flying Pig were at the very apex of the fried potato arts. They occupy the rare air that is the zenith of the handmade chip universe, right up there with the previously unequaled Sledgehammer Charlie's.

To a greater extent though, our sojourn into downtown Asheboro was a glimpse at what a downtown should be. A thriving, bustling ecosystem of locally owned businesses, each imbuing the town with a dash of character that makes it unique and different. A place where the locals can go and see each other by happenstance and where visitors can feel that they have "discovered" a unique place to visit. More and more I hear people from Lenoir saying that they haven't been downtown in years. If you haven't been downtown, then our town is nothing more than a generic collection of fast food restaurants, chain stores (especially dollar stores) and a sprinkling of locally-owned businesses that survive amidst the generic bustle. When I visit these little thriving downtowns in other places, I see what Lenoir could be, what I and many like me want it to be, but we must make the conscious effort to support and grow the fragile downtown area. Our locally-owned businesses, especially the new and risky ones, are fragile and need support to make it through these dark economic times.

Wherever you may happen to live, make the conscious effort to support your local businesses and especially your downtown. The hearts of our cities and towns are what make us unique and makes our homes much more liveable. Vote with your dollars to support your local economy!

The Road

2010-12-19T09:39:00.000-05:00

We drove down to my sister's house for a holiday get together yesterday. For those unfamiliar with NC highway routes, there is literally no good way to drive to my sister's house in Sanford from our house in Lenoir. The route looks like a giant zig-zag across the whole state from the Blue Ridge foothills to the Sandhills towards the coast. Suffice to say, a 3 1/2 hour snaky wandering through scrub oak, long-leaf pines and rolling bumps of sand make for a long, slow slog of a trip.

I shut down the shop and jumped into the car with my dad and headed down the road towards the Sandhills, my ancestral home. We passed through areas of snow on the ground, but luckily were not in any active winter weather. The trip was uneventful, but my creeping dislike of long car rides was in full bloom with about a half hour to go in the trip.

We got a ride in yesterday morning despite the chilly temperatures. Dubbed flauhute Saturday, 7 of us headed out, bundled up and eager to generate some body heat. The ride was a welcome break from my overly bundled, weekday hard man commutes as I was able to get away with wearing half the layers. It was a nice change to do a ride with more substance than my 20 minute commuter blasts, even if I had to turn off early to open the shop up.

Sister Futs Cafe hooked me up with some post ride food (cold fried chicken, baked beans, green beans and coffee) while a healthy dose of Flight of the Conchords on iTunes made for a nice transition into the retail day. A little bike building, a little chatting with friends and some regular, old bidness made for a nice, relaxed Saturday.

Today is my eleventh anniversary with Golden. Between the long shadow of the holidays and a make-up school day tomorrow, our anniversary is wedged into a tight, stressful spot this year. We might hit up some Korean or Vietnamese restaurant outside of Fayetteville before we head back since we don't have access to any Asian restaurants of the caliber that you find in my hometown. Heck, we may even hit up some pawn shops, scope out used cars and play "name that military weapon" to round out our Sandhills adventure.

What does a bad decision look like?

2010-12-16T06:27:00.000-05:00

There are few times in my life when I recognize that I am doing something stupid. Now don't take that to mean that there are few times that I do stupid things. I do stupid stuff all of the time - I just don't normally realize it's stupid until AFTER I've done it. Swallowing nails, locking myself in the closet, setting the house on fire, etc. were all good ideas that turned out to be stupid when the consequences hit.

In education parlance I'm a Kinesthetic learner, I learn by doing. So it was a big surprise to me yesterday when the thought "Hey, this might not be such a good idea" came percolating up through my brain about 2 minutes into my commute. I had the Xtracycle loaded up with my school stuff and a bunch of stuff that needed to be shipped for the holidays. My 10 minute dressing for riding ritual had increased a slight amount with the addition of a third pair of gloves (my Bar Mitts are on back order, dammit) to prevent my hands from freezing.

At the two minute mark of the ride, my fingers were alarmingly cold. I could them getting colder like some time-lapse movie that shows frost forming on a window. By the time I made it to Smith's Crossroads (about 5 minutes from my house), the deep ache of seriously cold extremities was very present and I was beginning to question my decision to commute on such a cold day.

But then I thought about all of those super cold Belgian cyclocross races where you see the racers on the line and they are trying to keep warm before the start. A lot of riders do an aggressive self hug kind of maneuver that looks like they are trying to hit themselves on the back. I gave this a shot and lo and behold it worked a treat. By pounding warm blood back into my fingers, the hands warmed up nicely and were fine for the rest of the ride. A quick refresher self-hug/hit maneuver at the next stop light was an added bonus. The hands stayed warmer than they would have, plus I looked even crazier than normal (an added bonus!). So if you see some guy on a bike, stopped at a stop sign and vigorously hugging himself over and over again, he's not crazy - he's just trying to keep from freezing to death.

Ok, he's a little crazy.

Beware of waxy skin...

2010-12-13T21:38:00.000-05:00

It's cold out there kids. And windy. Serious cold and driving wind the likes of which have driven many a frontiersman to pick up an ax and begin whittling away at the family with a glassy-eyed zeal that just screams "C-R-A-Z-Y".

It takes about 10 minutes for me to put on all of the extra stuff that is keeping me alive on these brisk morning commutes. From the normal clothing base (pants, long underwear, wool socks, undershirt, shirt, sweater) a fleece lined balaclava goes on, followed by a fleece jacket, alpaca scarf, windproof jacket, a toque, double gloves, helmet and glasses. I feel like that kid in "A Christmas Story" who falls down and can't get up he's so bundled up. And despite all of that clothing, it's still a cold ride.

This morning I'm waiting at Smith's Crossroads for the light to change, wondering why my thumbs are burning while my normally wussy pinkies and ring fingers seem to be just fine, when I feel two hands grasp my shoulders. Now sudden embraces from strangers are not normal when waiting in traffic, even when exposed on a bicycle, so this was a bit unexpected. As in "WTF?" I turned and there was Sandman. "I just wanted to say 'Hi'". Awesome. A nice change of pace from the slow freezing to death punctuated by furious pedaling that I am otherwise mindlessly pursuing every morning lately.

The light turned green, we took off and I hammered up the hill into a headwind. A car passed me, honking that long, frustrated honk that I assume is meant to make me realize that I am riding a bike where cars belong. I wave back - with all five fingers, thank you very much, trying to feign friendliness while repeating my favorite line of Jayne's from Serenity - "You are starting to damage my calm..."

I wheel into the school, safe and sound. The disbelieving looks of my colleagues are largely unnoticed now as I strip off layers and try to make my hands work well enough to sign in. The best thing is the flush of heat that you feel once you are inside. Open up the thermos of hot tea, and BOOM! you're good as new and ready for the work day. I don't know what I'd do without it.

Got aspirations of doing some winter bike commuting? Figure it is time to go from mildy eccentric to downright weird? Well, we've got some gear to help you out. We just got some balaclavas to help extend your riding from merely chilly to bone-crunching cold. And I'm taking it up a notch with the addition of some Bar Mitts because I'm fond of having all ten of my fingers.

Frozen perspective

2010-12-08T22:09:00.000-05:00

Riding provides me with a rich conversation with myself. Sub-freezing morning commutes provide a heightened sense of introspection and contemplation. Thus, my commute this morning was a meditation on the philosophy of self inflicted pain in bike racing.

Now before you go thinking that I am a masochist or that this is about suffering, stop. I'm talking about the pain of effort, the pain of driving yourself to the limit of your capability and then going a little beyond. The quest for "a little bit faster" is never ending in bike racing.

I had some wonderfully insightful thoughts on this idea while I was bundled up and riding to work in the 18 degree morning, watching a beautiful sunrise sky of peach and fuchsia. To me, the purest moments of my life, the things that make me feel quintessentially alive with the animalness of being are the flow state moments that come on the bike. That moment when you are pure effort, when vision narrows to a tunnel and your self talk is coldly clinical in its analysis of the moment. That strung together series of moments when nothing in the world matters but what you are doing right then, is the essence of bike racing.

This season of 'cross has been my brink season, my hover season. I hover just inside or just outside the top ten. I ride in a no man's land of solo effort; passing some, being passed by others. This past weekend in Statesville, I had a large group chasing me the whole race. 45 minutes of being pursued. Somebody would pass me and I would pass them back and never see them again. This went on for 4 laps. After I get past the start of the race (where I use positive visualization to see myself riding through everyone to get a good start, finding the holes in the chaos), after I burn through the smoke and mirrors (let's face it, my only training right now is commuting, so I gotta rely on muscle memory and fakery as much as possible), I settle down to the hard task of digging deep and pushing every ounce of effort out of myself. I have to admit - I love every moment of it.

How cold is too cold?

2010-12-04T06:43:00.000-05:00

Every morning commute this week has been in sub-freezing temperatures. I bundle up in layer after layer, topped off with the bright yellow commuter rain jacket that I have, put on a thin skull cap under the helmet and then some gloves with fleece-lined gauntlets. With this setup, I'm a little chilled at first but stay comfortable to almost too warm all the way to work. The key is to not be warm at the start, if you start out warm you will overheat, guaranteed.

As I shot through the underpass, I hit a big patch of frozen silt (from the massive rainfall earlier in the week) which was crusted over with a frozen layer and still had a frozen tire rut from my previous morning commute. Naturally, the crust broke through slightly about halfway down towards the underpass, my front tire migrated into the very narrow, frozen rut which caused my tire to grab a little bit at speed. All of this plus my momentum (little real-world physics in action) had the net effect of pitching me towards the flowing stream to my right at an alarmingly quick rate. Don't forget that the work supplies that are resting in the panniers behind me get in on the action and are pushing me towards the stream with a zeal that they had not previously demonstrated, preferring instead to really just hang out and create more drag and friction.

In a 'cross race, a sub-freezing dunking in flowing water would be a bad, but not wholly unexpected outcome. For this to happen on a morning commute though, would be an egregious error of epic proportions. As I yawed wildly toward the stream (which it must be noted lies below the bike path by a few feet due to a built up wall so the true experience would be a dropping through space, a dunking in the stream, and then a darkly comical struggle to climb up the wall and out of the stream while rapidly losing core body temperature and wondering how you were going to replace your ever important laptop and would you have to completely overhaul the bike or would you freeze to death before any of this could be a real concern) I let my brain take over, a somewhat dicey proposition, but there wasn't much choice. Firing up the old reflexes and remaining relaxed despite the growing inevitably of a frozen bath under highway 321, proved to be a winning combination. The bike arced gracefully away from the stream and towards the underpass.

I have not, as of this writing, added a wet suit to my layers of commuter clothing. I do now have a healthy respect for the underpass and will be less cavalier upon my approach until the cleanup of the flood debris is completed. I feel like I'll have a little bit of a leg up on the competition at this week's 'cross race since it will be cold and wet. The daily commute is the truest expression of the flauhute ethos, since getting out and riding is the only option.

Remember always, the mantra to live by when you are forced to ride in foul weather, "There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad equipment." With the right stuff, you can be outside in just about any weather (hurricanes and tornados represent difficult riding conditions that should be avoided unless you live somewhere very flat and a 110 mph headwind presents you with a good climbing interval opportunity). Don't skimp on winter or wet weather riding gear. The toes you save may be your own.

bikeability=liveability

2010-12-02T05:49:00.000-05:00

Lyon, France has a large commuter bike program called Velo'v - a kind of take a bike, leave a bike program. Each bike is equipped with a computer that gathers all sorts of data which is stored in a central computer. From this data comes the first large look urban bike commuting habits of a city. The findings are interesting, but the one that struck me most was that the average speed of commuters is consistently fastest on Wednesday. It's like everyone attacks humpday with the zeal with which they attack on the hills in training rides.

I've been riding the new 321 underpass on the greenway as part of my commute and I have to say, well done Caldwell Count Pathways (full disclosure - I know sit on the board of the Pathways organization, but this effort was begun long before I joined). It is well built and is as nice of a tunnel as I have seen on a greenway. This big effort to build it has added significantly to the bikeability of our town. And that idea of bikeability really ties in with my concept of what makes a place liveable.

For me, an area has to have access to cycling opportunities in order to be measurably liveable. The more opportunity, the freer and more unfettered those opportunities are, the more liveable an area is. Variety is important as well. There needs to be scenic backroads with low traffic for road riding, trail networks for mountain biking and greenways for recreational riding and commuting. Included with all of this has to be a bike shop (of course) which serves as an all in one hub for all of these different cycling specialities.

To me, Lenoir is getting quite high on the list of liveability when it comes to cycling opportunities, but there is still room to improve. My wishlist:

1. Keep expanding the greenway. A good goal would be to link all public schools with the greenway plus a corridor to CCC&TI.

2. Build a viable mountain bike trail network in town. A trail network at the Aquatic Center would be a great way to add variety to the in town cycling opportunities and could serve as a great place to get people in to mountain biking.

3. Build a BMX track. A BMX track would provide a great resource to help kids stay healthy and active. Developing an active lifestyle at a young age has a huge impact on the rest of a kids life. BMX is a great, low cost way to get kids into cycling as a sport.

These three things can be a reality if we, as a cycling community, want them and are willing to work for them. It is great that we all ride our bikes and enjoy the company of fellow cyclists, but we must start acting like a community and take an active part in that community. Find out how you can be involved, donate a little money to Pathways, participate in our local cycling events like Cycle to Serve and Bridge to Bridge. Together, we can improve the liveability and visibility of Lenoir and Caldwell County.

Simmering

2010-11-30T21:26:00.004-05:00

It's a weird thing to start putting irons in the fire this time of year, but there are a couple of ideas that we have been kicking around that fit in perfectly right now.

The basic level mechanics class is progressing nicely. We are looking at 4 nights of 1 1/2 hours each night for a total of 6 hours of instruction. The class will be starting the week after Christmas. In addition to the 6 hours of hands-on and classroom instruction, you'll get a repair manual to help you remember everything, an exclusive t-shirt available to participants only and big discounts on tools and equipment for outfitting your home workshop. This will make a great Christmas present for yourself or the budding mechanic in your life. Please email me if you are interested.

Other simmerings are the MS365 Project. I was talking with the Sandman in the shop on Saturday and mentioned what I was wanting to do, and boom, out comes his wallet and he hands me a $20 bill and says "consider that your first donation". Sweet! I've got to get it together and get a donation site picked out and maybe build a website to explain what I'm trying to do...

As I finish writing this, it is dumping rain outside. The rain has come down pretty steadily all day which leads me to think that the dry 'cross racing we have been having this season will be coming to an end with the race in Statesville this weekend. The holiday break is always a mixed blessing when returning to race after such a long break. You just don't know what is in your legs until the whistle blows, your heart revs and you start pedaling. Sometimes you fly, sometimes you go backwards. The key is to always have fun.

Thanks

2010-11-25T21:34:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all of you who have given friendship, support, and loyalty over the years. I am thankful to all of my friends, teammates, and workmates for making my life richer. I am thankful for my family in all their kaleidoscopic idiosyncratic beauty for making me the person that I am. I am thankful for the unquestionable love and support of my wife and the ball of love and energy that is my son. I am thankful for my continued good health which seems more a lucky twist of fate than the sword of Damocles hanging over me.

Next year marks my 20th year of living with Multiple Sclerosis. 20 years. It struck me just the other day the reality of that statement; the magnitude of it. Just like my initial diagnosis 20 years ago inspired me to get out into the world and make something of myself, this 20th anniversary has inspired me to try and give something back.

I have ridden a bicycle every day this year with the exception of two. No matter the weather or anything else, I have pedaled a bicycle at some point every day but those two. For my 20th MS anniversary, I have something bigger in mind.

Starting January 1st, 2011, I will start something that I can only think of as the MS365 Project. I want to take the gift of good health and mobility that I have been given despite having Multiple Sclerosis, and give something back to those who work to beat this disease. I have set rules for this project and they are as follows:

1. I will pedal a bicycle outdoors, every day of 2011 for at least 1 mile.
2. I will track all of my mileage in 3 categories - Commuting, Training and Racing.
3. I will ride a minimum of 3,650 miles in all 3 categories combined.

I want to raise awareness of people living with and fighting MS in our community and I want to raise money for the local chapter of the MS Society. I would like to set up a personal fundraising/donation site to help people with donating money in the name of this project. Besides people making straight donations, I would like to see donations along the lines of an amount per mile, or amount per day that I am able to ride. And that is about as fleshed out as this idea is at the moment. If you have any ideas, advice or want to help, by all means leave a comment or email me directly. I'm all ears.

And with that, I am thankful that a handful of people actually read the things that I write.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Big Lunch

2010-11-24T07:01:00.000-05:00

photo by turtlemom4bacon via Flickr

I love Thanksgiving. Without a doubt, it is my favorite holiday. I always envision that movie style Thanksgiving with a house full of well-dressed friends and family mingling around the house while a feast is in the making in an expansive kitchen. My reality is a little less polished, but no less enjoyable than that. I love doing the recipe research and trying to pull together this epic meal that lingers as leftovers for a week to come. I obsess over Martha Stewart a little more than usual (I have a "thing" for Martha Stewart, don't ask, it is unexplainable...) trying to find recipes that not only look good, but will taste out of this world.

But what is with all of the Christmas stuff? Christmas trees in the street, Santa sweating in his suit on a warm fall day, these things overshadow Thanksgiving and take away its simple idea of sharing a meal with family and friends and giving thanks for all that you have.

Have a great Thanksgiving, spend time with family and friends, get out and ride your bike and we'll see you Saturday for some coffee, homemade cinnamon rolls and a storewide sale as part of the 3/50 Project's Small Business Saturday.

Shameless Commercial Post

2010-11-22T22:36:00.000-05:00

This is the big, crazy retail sales week that culminates with "Black Friday" (say that in your head with a really spooky voice - an echo/reverb effect works well, too). Any way, Black Friday is a heady rush of crazy discounts that draws flocks of folks to the malls and big box stores to gather money for megacorporations. Needless to say, this leaves the Lenoir Uptown Business District rather short on shoppers. We have our own take on things.

Saturday has been dubbed Small Business Saturday and seeks to get people to shop at the many small, locally-owned businesses that are among the hardest hit in this economic down time. We will be closed on Friday, but Saturday we are going to be open extended hours and will have a store full of products on holiday discount to help you get ready for a cycling-centric Christmahanukwanzaku! We'll be open at 10 am with homemade cinnamon rolls (while they last) and coffee (until we jitter ourselves into collapse).

Make a day of it by checking out all of the great businesses downtown. Rediscover the personal connection that comes with supporting a small local business and help keep our town's unique character and stem the tide of the chain store/restaurant tsunami that threatens to wash it all away.

photo by Hammer51012 via Flickr

Even though we'll be closed on Friday, we'll have a special Black F*Y! Friday deal on our online store! So hang out with family and friends, eat a lot of turkey, ride your bike and then come see us Saturday!

NCGP Day 1

2010-11-21T07:37:00.000-05:00

Warm temps and bright, sunny skies were not the ideal weather for a mid November 'cross race, but that's what we got. In a season that has been the polar opposite of last year's mudfest, unseasonably warm temps and dry conditions are the norm. This year's NCGP course was much as it has been over the past years with the "Wall", a large run up on the back side, several tight turning sections, a singletrack climb in the woods and a long, mixed surface straightaway that puts riders in the headwind for a power sapping chunk of each lap's total time.

Master's field were enormous with 54 35+ riders and 50ish in the 45+ category. At this point in this season, everyone is going fast and the starts have become gut-wrenching exercises in pushing the internal tachometer to the redline and hoping you don't blow. For me, that delicate balancing act went awry right as I made contact with the lead group of 8. If you've never blown spectacularly, it is soul crushing as you go backwards through the field, but you just can't feel sorry for yourself. I rallied and moved back up through a few field, but my race yesterday was more an exercise in perseverance than competitiveness.

Jeff got to battle it out at the head of affairs in the 45+ race, ultimately finishing 2nd. Sonni D, Faster Pastor, Bob Pugh, and Cecilio all had strong finishes, while the Ghost Faced Killah rolled a tubular, ran to the pits (a long way from his crash) and finished the race. Sam Dyer threw down for the Luna Future Stars team, putting a smack down on all comers in the kid's race. Good job Sam!

Thanks to our friends Jess and Shannon, we had a great meal and warm digs to crash in for the night. We went to the Chocolate Lounge in downtown Asheville for some dessert after a great meal at their home. If you have any type of chocolate addiction, you might want to avoid the Chocolate Lounge. I found what may be the perfect food stuff: The Highland Stout Chocolate Cake. These secret spy photos, smuggled out at great personal risk, confirm the existence of this wonder food. If this technology progresses to add coffee into the mix of chocolate and beer, I may have no need of other food ever again. I may also need to ride my bike way more to avoid gaining 1000 lbs.

Here's to another day of racing. See you on the line!

The big weekend

2010-11-20T05:41:00.001-05:00

Jeff and I are heading to the NC Gran Prix of Cyclocross in Hendersonville this weekend to do a little bike racing. Since this is a UCI Elite Race, the Pro races are gonna be incredible with guys and gals coming from all over the country to grab UCI points to help with their call ups at Nationals and their quest to make it to their respective national teams for World Championships. If you're near Hendersonville or are inclined to check out a 'cross race, this is the one to come see. The course features several vantage points to get a clear view of most of the race and the "Wall" feature is a great spot to hang out and ring the cowbells as the riders tackle a steep ride up that inevitably turns into a run up for some.

Our bachelor weekend will probably be a lot like The Hangover except no Las Vegas, baby, fat guy with a beard or Mike Tyson (hopefully). A visit to the Thirsty Monk may do just the trick for some post race recovery and will ensure a fresh set of legs for the next days race. There's always the Chocolate Lounge to assist with the serious medicinal implementation of chocolate to heal up any damage done by the day's racing as well. Other members of the team are heading down as well, so Fiets Maan Racing should be well represented in the old man races this weekend.

In other news: First, you may have noticed the opening of our online store this week. If you haven't checked it out yet, please give it a look. A new program that we will be running through our online store will be the Friday F*Y! Deal. Basically, we will have some product on very steep discount that will run for 24 hrs or until we are sold out. If you can help us spread the word, we'd be most appreciative.

The second thing new is that we are putting together a curriculum for a basic mechanic's class to be held after Christmas. After having many people ask, we're in a position now to put it together right. Included in the class will be a repair manual/textbook, a t-shirt showing how special you are with your new knowledge and special deals on tools to help you get geared up for some DIY bike repair. Details and sign ups will be coming in the near future, so stay tuned!

If you get nothing else accomplished this weekend, get out and ride your bike!

Jack Frost is a little nipper

2010-11-18T06:08:00.000-05:00

People at work keep saying how cold I must get riding in to work every morning. I must confess that I love the cold commute in the morning. Like a scottish shower in reverse, you start out cold and then after about 10 minutes of riding, you're nice and warm. The trick is to not overdress or else you get to work sweaty and hot.

The cold and rainy morning commute is even better. It's the one time that a full rain suit isn't a stuffy, personal sweatbox. I fear that my 12 year old Burley rain suit is coming to the end of its lifespan, though. It has lost its edge on the moisture and is no longer able to keep me dry in the rain, managing a slight level of damp on a good day to a look- I- just- peed- myself level of wetness on a bad day. I've been checking out the offerings from Showers Pass, a company in Oregon. A good rule of thumb: when shopping for bike commuting harsh weather gear, look for companies from the Pacific Northwest, they know what they are doing.

Another bike commuting/bike-as-vehicle acquisition I'm looking to make is a cargo trailer for serious hauling. I love nothing more than to go buy lumber and load it up on the Xtracycle, but there is only so much I can safely carry. Enter the trailer. And not just any trailer, but a 300lb weight capacity beast of a trailer from the guys at Surly Bikes. Sheets of plywood! 2x4's! 4x4's! The DIY world will be my fossil fuel free oyster!

The Queen City Throwdown

2010-11-17T05:45:00.000-05:00

First, major kudos, big ups and much props to Chris Behrmann, Bob Pugh and Jeff Welch for organizing the 5th round of the NCCX series. Their hard work meant a fantastic event full of music, food, awesome spectating and fantastic racing on a truly excellent and challenging course that all of the major Euro 'cross design checkboxes and then some. It is my sincerest hope that Fiets Maan Racing has a reputation for putting on high quality races that make you want to come back each year.

The major feature this year was the steep run up at the start which was ultimately towards the end of each lap once the races were underway. After that it was high speed straightaways, technical off camber turns and into the triple sandpits of doom. A heavy, non-race spectator turnout made racing your bike feel like being part of an exciting show. Thank you to all of you who cheered for me while I went from having a breakout race to a less than stellar 15th place. Thanks to all of you even if you called me "Bob" or "Jeff" every time you cheered for me. I'll take it, I'm not proud.

As 'cross season heats up through the winter, the bike business begins to enter its usual slow period. I want to take a moment to invite you to stop by and visit; we've always wanted our shop to be a place to just come, hang out, talk about bikes or whatever. Also, we have several things in the works for this winter as well:

Check out our online store! Help us spread the word and if you happen to see one of our models out on the bike, please give them a compliment (they are a little self-conscious).

Bike mechanic classes are coming! Many people have expressed interest in a basic bike mechanic class and we will be offering several through the cold and dark times of winter. Already know the basics? We've got you covered on that as well. We'll be offering an advanced mechanic class to help further your knowledge and help you maintain your fine cycling machine. Details will be coming soon.

If you haven't joined our Facebook fan page, followed us on Twitter or signed up for our newsletter, please take a moment to do so. This is a great way to stay in touch with the latest goings on of the shop.

Race day!

2010-11-14T05:37:00.000-05:00

You put your sand in my bike race! You put your bike race in my sand!

It's race day in Charlotte! We set the course up yesterday and it looks rad. I didn't get a chance to pre-ride it yesterday; it was getting dark when we finished up and Owen was on the verge of a meltdown. We're headed back early this morning to put the finishing touches on the course and then I race first at 10 am. Veterans Park was filled with tons of people playing in the warm weather so we may get a fair bit of non-cycling spectators to add to the fun. Hope to see you out there, cheering for all of the Fiets Maan racing team members no doubt!

In the clear morning light

2010-11-13T09:16:00.000-05:00

It is one of those mornings you get in the fall; the ground is dusted with frost, the sunlight is a flat white, and the normally riotous colors of the leaves is muted and dark. I love these mornings. The crisp air is invigorating, but it makes me turn inward a bit becoming more contemplative.

Now that I have set the tone, I need to share the object of my contemplation with you. When Golden and I first moved to Lenoir in 2002, the first thing we did was walk downtown to check out what we thought would be the heart of our new town. It was empty. Storefronts were mostly shuttered with broken windows and "For Rent" signs. There was a bakery and a wig shop. Golden burst into tears, turned to me and said, "What the hell have you done to us?"

We moved here from Flagstaff, AZ. Flag' has a thriving, bustling downtown. It is the place to go and shop, to eat, to hang out, to meet up with friends and the commerce is active from morning through the night. It is the beating heart of the town, filled with locally owned businesses that give the town its uniqueness, its character. I put forth for your consideration that this is the function of a healthy downtown. As you move away from the high speed thoroughfares with their collections of fast food restaurants and chain stores clinging to the asphalt ribbon like a remora to a shark, you shift from the generic blandness that is found in Anywhere, USA to a truer expression of the place you are in. Local color, flavor and flair are what differentiates us from everywhere else. Honestly, how different is McWendArbees going to be from town to town?

Lenoir's downtown has come a long way in a short time. Beginning with the original revitalization efforts of Keith Willis and Chuck Luddeke who, no longer content to wait for the city to figure out how to bring the near dead downtown back to life, began buying and renovating buildings for retail occupation over 5 years ago. We owe a lot to these guys. They broke the mold of the rapacious landlord by trying to help businesses get started with reasonable lease terms and the opportunity to put sweat equity into a renovation project in order to reduce a start-up's up-front costs.

The key ingredient to all of this is you. Your spending habits and purchase decisions are the life and death of locally owned businesses. Large chain retailers are motivated by a corporate balance sheet and when they business algebra works out to a negative answer, those corporations will shutter and move on to the next town. You can see the large abandoned corpses of these businesses in every half empty strip mall and darkened mall hulk that looms in towns around the country. But while chain stores abandon towns when the going gets tough, locally owned businesses try to gut it out, clawing for their very survival. It is this tenuous situation that downtown Lenoir is in right now.

As we come up on Black Friday, I implore you to participate in Small Business Saturday the very next day. I'm not saying "Come buy a bike from me!" (although, I'm not gonna fight you if you do ;). No, I'm hoping you will come stroll through your downtown, checking out all of the shops and restaurants that are working hard to give our town character and vitality. I'd rather spend money with a local business that looks me in the eye and genuinely thanks me for my business than hear about how my purchases added a few dollars to a windfall of millions for chain retailers and their stockholders on the Monday news.

Dude, where's my car?

2010-11-10T21:51:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning. Getting ready to head out to the NC State CX Championships. Fourth cup of coffee? Check. Egg and cheese sandwich? Check. I grab our gear bags, the air pump and car keys. Open the door, walk out to the car. Wait. Where's the car? Crap. I must've left it in neutral and it rolled down the driveway into the backyard. Walk out to the driveway to survey the damage. No car. Wait, no car? Damn. The Element has been stolen along with some gear and a race bike that was locked to the rack overnight.

This was not the way Sunday was supposed to go. About an hour after the police arrived and took the report, our neighbor found all of the contents of the car, including Golden's Tri Cross with our new set of Carroll Composites carbon tubular race wheels, in the park in our neighborhood. This was a huge relief. Still no car, but our personal stuff was back and I wasn't going to have to hassle with explaining how a bike was worth $4000 to an insurance agent.

Monday, I start all of the insurance stuff and talk to the guys at Cars Plus about getting another Honda Element. Then, Tuesday morning, the police find our car. Visions of a wrecked, totalled heap of stripped parts and flat tires rattles around my brain as I pedal from school to the police station. The detective takes me down to the garage area of the station and shows me the Element. It is exactly as it was the last time I saw it with the exception of a dead battery and an empty gas tank.

So, we have everything back in pretty much the same shape (apparently, the criddler who took it wasn't real up on his use of a clutch) AND they arrested the guy who stole it. Amazing. My faith in the Lenoir Police Department is restored.

Changing time, changing weather

2010-11-08T21:51:00.001-05:00

Riding is always an option

Finally, the weather seems to have settled into a Fall mix of cold, cool and mild. There was a little bit of a false start when a veritable heat wave broke up an early season cold snap. Cyclocross and profuse sweating just don't mix.

With morning commute temperatures in the 20's and 30's, it was time to dig out the cold weather riding gear. A good set of gloves, a warm/water resistant jacket with some room for multiple layers underneath, a cycling cap, a skull cap, knee warmers and booties are enough to get you through all but the harshest of arctic conditions. Now add full-time commuting to this mix and you need to add a high quality rainsuit to the mix.

While it seems like a big expense, cold weather riding gear lasts for a long time. My rainsuit is about 12 years old. I've got jackets and long-sleeved jerseys that are 6 or 7 years old, so believe me when I say that buying cold weather gear is an investment for the long haul.

Some of our recommendations:

Specialized Element Jacket Specialized Deflect Head Warmer

Specialized Base Layer Defeet Kneekers

As always, the gear and equipment that we recommend is what we ride with. It's nice knowing that your local bike shop is out riding and racing putting their inventory to the test in the real world!

Winner, winner, chicken tender dinner!

2010-07-21T07:36:00.000-04:00

Damn you, Nicole Thomas and your Pierrick Fedrigo/Thomas Voeckler tandem of stage winners! And don't even get me started about your boy, Contador. Anyway, congratulations on your big win here on the second rest day, yada yada yada, blah blah blah... Come by and claim your prize when you get a chance.

So, debate swirls around Contador's actions when Schleck's chain came off. Rather than debate the action, I'd like to offer my two cents on Contador's reaction. Contador clearly sees Schleck in trouble, Contador clearly drives the attack and continues to drive it on the descent. Why claim that you "didn't know" or whatever nonsense? Please be a man and and clearly state your actions rather than contradicting with words what your actions clearly were. There really isn't anything wrong in saying that you were capitalizing on the situation because every second is going to count in this tour and that is bike racing. Much hay has been made of the sporting gestures of Armstrong, but ultimately Armstrong knew that he was head and shoulders above his competition (reasons why are an entirely separate debate) and he could afford such gestures. The battle going on now is not so clear cut and it is apparent that Contador is scared of Schleck this year.

A couple of interesting notes on the tour so far:

1. the current gap between first and second place is 8 seconds- Greg LeMonds winning margin in the closest Tour ever, 1989. That tour was won on the final day in a time trial duel between Lemond and Laurent Fignon, who the day before, congratulate Lemond on his second place finish in the tour (a move which Lemond reacted to by thinking "you just lost the tour").

2. This tour is being fought out by two riders on different teams who are riding the exact same equipment: Specialized bikes, SRAM components and Zipp wheels (which are all American companies, too). So this Tour will really be a test of man vs. man without the added mechanical advantage battle to complicate things.

Winner, winner, chicken nugget dinner!

2010-07-15T06:18:00.000-04:00

As of Monday's rest day, Mr. Steven Boike's Think Pink Cancer Fighter's team was in the lead of the Luna Cycles virtual Tour de France making him our first winner! Steve needs to come on down and pick up his cash prize. Savor it well though, as my team has now taken control and should prove difficult to unseat by the next rest day. Thanks to huge performances by my domestiques - Sylvain Chavenal, Jerome Pineau and Sandy Casar I have gotten some massive points and now thanks to a yellow jersey by Cadel Evans and eventual Tour winner Andy Schleck, the points just keep coming. Throw in some strong riding by Mr. Vino', some strong climbing by my guys Gadret and Lloyd and the Oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhh Nnnnnnoooooooooooooooo's are gonna steam roll this thing like you wouldn't believe! And what is even more thrilling to contemplate is the bottle of Smirnoff Ice that awaits our lanterne rouge! Get ready Max, it's coming!

It's Fantasy Tour time, baby!!!!!!!

2010-07-01T17:17:00.000-04:00

The short and sweet of it is that this year the Fantasy Tour will be done through Velogames. The sign up is free and they have a very thorough scoring system that will make life easy for me (important) and oh so satisfying for all you Fantasy Directeur Sportifs (very important).

So here's the deal: entry is $10. $5 will go into the pot for a winner take all payout. The other $5 will be split between the 2 rest days with a prize awarded to the leader of our fantasy tour on each of the two rest days.

So what do you need to do? Register your team at Velogames. Once you have your team registered, go to your team roster page and at the bottom you will see where you can join 3 mini leagues. Here is the mini-league info for our Fantasy Tour:
League Details

League Owner: dirtboy1970
Owner Email: shawnmoore1@gmail.com
League Name: Luna Cycles NC
League Code: 01190650

After you have registered and joined, drop by your ten bucks at the shop (or mail it in if you are out of town). That's it, but you need to hurry since registration will close at 1600 CET on Saturday. Good luck!

Medical lessons

2010-06-29T07:23:00.000-04:00

I am constantly amazed at how Owen can recover from being sick in a heartbeat. To go from projectile vomiting to laughing and talking is something that never ceases to cause me a great deal of consternation. It is probably best that we don't retain this rapid recovery into adulthood or alcohol-fueled parties would be truly nightmarish events...

In wonderfully positive medical news, Joan has received a very good pathology report and is well on her way to recovery. Please keep her in your thoughts as she deeply appreciates everyone's support.

It pleases me immensely to say that we are back to being a one car household. While not completely car free, we are as close as reasonably possible for a family of three living in an area with no public transportation. I went grocery shopping on the xtracycle yesterday to celebrate.

Now I have to get back to school work.

You look relieved

2010-06-24T06:41:00.000-04:00

Steve came in to the shop yesterday. He looked noticeably different from how he has the past few months. He didn't seem to have such a crushing weight on his shoulders. Joan is home and recovering as evidenced by her return to using her iphone. I'm sure her recovery is not going to be easy, but I think it goes with out saying that she will handle it with grace, good humor and aplomb. I wish I could be such a person.

While I don't think Joan is ready (or able) to be bombarded by a mass of well wishers, I know that both she and Steve appreciate our thoughts and efforts of support. Continue to think of them, ride your bike, wear some pink and enjoy life because I know those are things that both Joan and Steve will be doing every chance they get.

A ride full of pink

2010-06-22T11:31:00.000-04:00

A great ride of pink clad cyclists took off in honor of Joan last night for Mellow Monday. It was a great time as we cruised along at conversational pace. Let's keep up the pink until Joan can rejoin us!

I now know that my dream of miniature farm animals in my suburban downtown yard, could be a reality. The mini cattle that Khelli linked yesterday was a brief shining moment of hope that was quickly and cruelly crushed by my wife. It isn't that she lacks vision, she just doesn't trust mine. A thundering herd of 37 inch tall Angus cattle roaming my 1/16th of an acre may yet become reality, but I will place all my eggs in the chicken basket... for now.

Happy first day of Summer!

2010-06-21T06:20:00.000-04:00

Last night we had a dinner comprised of food that we grew ourselves plus a few ingredients. The salad was all from the garden - mixed lettuce, multi-colored carrots (the purple are my favorites), snowpeas and nasturtiums. We had a chard quiche with it. Chard was from our garden. The eggs, alas, were store bought as chickens seem to stay just on the horizon of being added to our household. The butter and milk were store bought as the idea of a cow in our downtown Lenoir neighborhood is a non-starter - unless there is some variety of pygmy dairy cow about the size of a German Shepherd that I am unaware of.

We had a great Father's Day brunch at The Bistro. Always fantastic food and the atmosphere to just sit back and relax and have a nice long meal with family. I decided to do something completely out of the ordinary and we headed down to Hickory to shoot a round of disc golf. Owen had a good time for a few holes and then left me to my own devices. While I wandered through the woods throwing frisbees, he went in search of ducks and frogs. All in all, it was a good day.

Please don't forget to come to the Mellow Monday ride tonight in honor of Joan. Wear (or attach to your bike) something pink to show your support!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T07:16:00.000-04:00

photo by Jack Dalton

Dad's do a lot for us. They lead the way when we need to be shown and they let us do our own thing when we're ready to be independent. They model what it means to be a man for their sons and daughters.

I'm lucky that I still have my Dad. After two heart attacks late last year, I could easily be remembering my Dad, rather than having Father's Day brunch with him. If you aren't so fortunate, I hope that you are able to remember your Dad in some way that would make him proud. And if you are fortunate enough to still have Dad around, make sure you let him know how much he means to you.

Update on Joan

2010-06-19T06:34:00.000-04:00

Joan had a long day yesterday - 10.5 hours in surgery. Steve says she is recovering well and that preliminary reports look very positive. Keep up the positive thoughts and rock some pink on your bike rides to show your support!

In the trenches

2010-06-18T08:35:00.000-04:00

My typical acclimation to working full time in the shop is coming along nicely. There are slow times when we look at each other and wonder what we can do to keep occupied and then there are times when we wish we could employ 20 people it is so busy. I like being busy - down time is too much for me to bear. The best moments come when you get to talk to someone for a while; someone new to the shop or the area who likes bikes and likes to talk about bikes. Some of the stuff that has rolled in for repair lately has been pretty amazing.

We've had a pair of '60's era Raleigh 3 speed English Tourers come in. A matched pair of his and hers in British Racing Green. We even discovered a beautifully worn Brooks leather saddle hiding under a cheap gel seat cover on one of them. I also got to rebuild a Marzocchi suspension fork from the late '90's for a customer. Amazing how simple that fork is compared to how most are now. All in all, back getting my hands dirty, helping people out and getting to hang out in a bike shop all day is a nice way to spend the summer.

Our good friend Joan is heading for surgery today for her recently diagnosed breast cancer. Joan has been one of the most amazing people in our riding community. A tireless organizer with a smile and manner that melts everyone around, Joan has turned the Mellow Monday ride into a wild success and has been instrumental in organizing the women's riding group. We are showing support for Joan by adding some pink on all of our rides and encouraging you to do the same. If you can wear pink or add pink to your bike to show support for Joan, we know she would greatly appreciate it. And since Joan has done so much to improve the Mellow Monday ride, we want to encourage everyone to continue participating in the ride. I know Joan would be disappointed if participation dwindled in her absence, so let's try to make the Mellow Monday ride even bigger than it has been in the past! Join us monday at 6, bring something pink and we'll take a picture before we start and send it off to Joan. I know she'll love it.

Don't forget that the Saturday ride will start at 7:30 in the morning to beat the heat. As always, there will be plenty of people with different schedules to make the ride as long or as short as you would like. See you then!

#cycling365

2010-06-13T07:31:00.000-04:00

I've been quiet for a while. Not quite a case of writer's block, but a conspiracy of available time, responsibilities and a slight inability to germinate a worthy blog entry has been the culprit. But now, school is out for the summer and it is like a veil of grey has lifted to reveal sunshine once again.

Don't get me wrong, I like teaching, but there are things about the profession (and this time in the history of education) that grind you down, no matter who you are. I am in my second semester of graduate school and that is reinvigorating my ideas for the classroom and making me feel like I can make a difference.

I was successful in my quest to commute by bike to school everyday this semester. Through rain, snow and tremendous humidity, I've pedaled away much to the consternation of my students and the admiration of some of my colleagues. I have ridden my bike to school everyday this year (2010), a total of about 100 hundred school days equaling 1000 miles of commuting to work. My car literally lies dead in the driveway, unable to move even if I wanted to drive it.

I have enjoyed myself so immensely with this personal challenge that I have embarked on a new one: #Cycling365. Beginning June 1st, I will attempt to ride my bike outdoors everyday for a year. No mileage requirements, no minimum ride length, just on the bike riding outside every day. Simple. But often the simple things end up being the most difficult, so we'll see what happens...

Like many of you, I watched the Giro and enjoyed every moment of it. I can't say the same for the Tour of California. I guess I just have enough attention span for one major race at the time and in that particular little battle, il Giro will win for me every time. Once Owen gets a little older, our Giro/Italy bike tour fantasy will become a reality.

I, like many of you, have also been fascinated by the revelations of Floyd Landis. While I am very disappointed about his admission to doping and the weird "I still won the Tour clean(ish)" claim, he is a high enough level rider to potentially blow the lid off of the whole affair and spark real change in the system. Unfortuantely, the UCI is so heavily invested in the Lance Armstrong brand that he may be a rider "too big to fail" like the onerous banking groups that had to be bailed out from failing by the federal government even though they created the problem to begin with.

I'm not naive. Drugs are a part of cycling at the highest level. They are take for survival by most, misguided shots at glory by some. Floyd Landis (and Tyler Hamilton for that matter) has payed and enormous cost for what he did; effectively ending the life he had built over decades of hard work and unimaginable effort. I hope this latest shot in the public spotlight will bring him peace.

But I just met you...

2010-03-23T22:35:00.000-04:00

Saturday was the usual schedule for me. Now that the weather is warmer, I can get out on the group ride and then head back to the shop in time to open up at noon. This saturday was no different. We rode up Buffalo Cove, a small group of us broke off from the main group to head back early and Charles and I started changing and opening up the shop.

At about 15 minutes before our opening time, an older gentleman tried the door by jerking it a few times, found it to be locked and then waited outside. I hadn't changed out of my riding clothes yet (Charles was mid-wardrobe change), but I figured the guy must be looking for something in particular and I unlocked the door to let him in.

In our time here at Luna Cycles, we have observed a phenomenon that seems to be somewhat unique to this area: the 1st customer of the day (one who usually appears before opening time) is going to provide some sort of anecdotal moment that can be passed along for the enjoyment of others. Now I apologize ahead of time if the gentleman who came by last Saturday is a relative of yours, but this story simply must be told.

The gentleman in question stepped through the opened door quickly with a sense of purpose to his step.
"Good morning. How can I help you?", I asked.
"Do you sell jock straps?", he replied.

Uh-oh, I thought, this is going to be weird.

"No sir. Cyclists don't use jock straps. You should try a sporting goods store."

"I did that, but they just have the ones with the plastic cup.", he countered.

"Well, that's about the only place I can think of that would have something like that. I can't really get anything like that from any of my suppliers."

"Well, let me tell you what I got.", he said.

Okay, it would be unfair at this point to not say that all kinds of alarm bells were ringing in my head. "This is gonna be weird. This is gonna be weird..."

"I got one nut like this (holds up balled fist, makes strange face) and the doctor says I gotta have something to support it.", the gentleman explained.

Now, the image of that balled up fist being brandished before the yearning face of that man as he related such a personal medical condition provoked me to think: "TMI! TMI! TMI!"

"Well sir, I'm sorry I just don't know what I can do to help with that." I said in my best please-strange-possibly-crazy-with-pain-from-your-unsupported-exceptionally-overlarge-testicle-man stay calm and seek help elsewhere voice.

Charles chimed in with a few comments as he took bikes outside to lock up in front of the shop. The gentleman left wondering aloud where he might be able to find the support he needed. I went to the back to change clothes, spent from such an early and strange customer encounter. After changing, Charles said, "Now I know why he came to a bike shop looking for a jock strap."

"Why?"

Charles proceeded to tell me that as the man was pulling out of the parking lot, he called Charles over to his car. (I think Charles must have been the kind of kid who was always eager to look at the puppies that strange men kept in the back of their windowless vans, but that is a story for another time- ed. ) As Charles approached the car, the old man proffered his current jock strap and pointing to the label, said, "See! It says 'BIKE' right on it!"

Milestone

2010-03-19T05:51:00.000-04:00

Today marks my 50th straight work day of bike commuting. My estimated total mileage for commuting is about 500 miles. I thought that this little personal milestone would be one that I could celebrate with my own little festival of one, but recent events have sobered that.

On Wednesday, Adam Little of Charlotte, was struck and killed in a hit-and-run accident by a car traveling 60 mph as he rode to work. I sent this email to my co-workers yesterday:

Dear HHS staff,

Yesterday in Charlotte, Adam Little, husband and father of two small children, was struck and killed while riding his bicycle to work. Adam was struck from behind by a car traveling 60 mph. The vehicle then left the scene in a hit-and-run accident. By all witness accounts, Adam was killed instantly. The driver was apprehended within a very short time thanks to the diligence of the Law Enforcement officers on duty at the time.

I did not know Adam, but this hits very close to home for me. Many of you know that I ride to school every day, good weather or bad and this Friday will mark my 50^th straight commuting day to school (a total of 500 miles since the beginning of this year’s return to school). While we good-naturedly think that I am a little “crazy”, I don’t think that my riding to work should constitute a life or death decision on my part, any more than your choosing to drive should. Please take a moment to think about and talk about the rights AND responsibilities of cyclists on our roadways today as a way of honoring the memory of someone that none of us knew, but whose death was a tragedy nonetheless.

Rights AND Responsibilities of cyclists on roadways in NC:

Bicycles are legal vehicles under NC law and must comply with all traffic laws: traffic signals, stop signs, signaling for turns.

Bicycles must travel in the roadway (to the left of the white line, NOT the shoulder), in the same direction as other vehicle traffic.

Bicycles should stay to the right of the roadway as far as is reasonable and safe, but may occupy the ENTIRE lane if necessary.

Cars must pass vehicles (including bicycles) with a minimum safe distance of 2 ft.

A cyclist will only delay you a few seconds, if at all, so please be prudent and safe. Remember that the life you risk is NOT your own!

Thank you,

Shawn Moore

I received several very positive and supportive responses from coworkers. I also had a conversation with a coworker who travels on Hwy. 268 who remarked about how "dangerous" that road was and how cyclists "stay all grouped up" and how when she goes around curves that cyclists are "across the yellow line" in the oncoming traffic lane a lot. I stayed calm and tried to explain to her some of the things that groups of cyclists do to maintain safety while riding with cars. She wouldn't hear of it. She steadfastly maintained a cars vs. bikes attitude and said that she knew that one day there wouldn't be anything she could do to avoid hitting a cyclist.

On an ESPN radio show, correspondent Tony Kornheiser recently exhorted his listeners to hit cyclists to show them that the roads are for cars. "Don't run them down, but just tap 'em." were his words. Unfortunately, we live in time where might makes right, and despite how despicable his words were, his co hosts laughed and threw out their cliched stereotypes as well in support.

As I explained to my coworker, if you see a cyclist do something like run a stop sign or a red light, that no more means that ALL cyclists are doing that than when a car does it and you extrapolate that ALL drivers do that. We have to use our heads, each and every one of us, despite our living in a thinking optional, gut reaction is primary society. We all bear responsibility in maintaining a positive relationship with the public as we ride in this area. We are easily stereotyped and categorized as we are so recognizably different on the road. Be vigilant and be lawful in what you do.

I often get asked by coworkers and students why I ride to school every day. There always seems to be some effort on their part to ascribe some deeper philosophical or political meaning behind the decision. I always reply with "have you ever done something just because it was fun?" That is what I feel every time I get on a bike - fun, as well as freedom; a sense of boundless freedom.

Every morning I strap on my Road ID, pause, and think about the real reason I am wearing it. It is their for if I am injured while commuting to work, plain and simple. Sobering to think that something as simple as riding a bicycle to get to where you want to go is a life or death decision. It shouldn't be that way. None of us deserves to be the lifelong regret of someone that results from their moment of inattentiveness, rudeness or impatience.

Many of you have come in to the shop and talked to me about commuting. I want to encourage you again to get out there and do it. The more of us out there, the more accepted we will be on the roads.
Stay safe out there, spread the word among all of your non-cycling family, friends and coworkers of our rights and responsibilities on the road, and always act like an ambassador of goodwill every time you are on the road. And give me a wave if you see me out on the roads on my morning and afternoon commute - I'm the guy rockin' the jacket and tie on the sweet Globe Haul or the equally awesome Xtracycle (that is probably loaded down with groceries!).

Location. Location. Location.

2010-03-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

Hi, my name is Shawn and I'm a SLOB. SLOB is an easy way to remember the mantra that we should all take into account: Support Locally Owned Businesses.

But why? Well, the biggest reason to support locally owned businesses (not including franchises, but only found here kind of businesses) is that far more of each dollar that you spend at a locally owned business stays in our economy. When we shop outside of Caldwell County, shop at chain stores or big box retailers, our county receives very little of that money. Shop on the internet and our county receives NONE of that money. In effect we export the precious dollars that we work so hard to earn.

So what is your role in all of this? You can do some pretty simple things to boost our local economy and improve what our city and county financial states are in by making the conscious effort to shop local. Don't assume that a local business doesn't have what you're looking for. Don't assume that a local business will be more expensive. All you have to do is ingrain the act of shopping local first in any situation. We often encounter people who assume that our products are more expensive than they can get on the internet. These people quickly realize that once they figure in shipping charges and labor charges for us to build or service the item, not only have they equaled or even exceeded our price on a similar item, but they have also settled for inferior quality to boot! A local owned business looks you in the eye when they deal with you, deals with you honestly and hopes that every transaction wins them a new customer relationship and all of the loyalty that entails.

Okay, I get it, now what? We and many other local businesses have joined the 3/50 Project. The idea is simple: each month support 3 locally owned businesses by spending a total of $50 between the 3. This simple act will ensure that 68% of your money returns to the local community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. This is 25% more money than what returns to the community when you shop at chain stores. I know that the sense of community is strong in our area, it is time that we start helping each other out in this simple and easy way.

Well, I'd love to help, but... We, the local business owners of this community bear responsibility in this movement as well. It is important that we act like businesses and not take the easy approach of closing when things are slow, not responding to customer feedback and requests, and the adherence to odd or inconsistent hours that some businesses follow. Our businesses and our customers must work together to transform our community into the thriving marketplace (with our own local flavor) that is commonplace in areas around us. We are surrounded by communities that get these ideas right. We must emulate the best of them, and improve on their weaknesses in order to make our community the destination for anyone living or traveling in our area.

It just takes YOU to start a trend!

National Handmade Bike Show

2010-02-27T21:30:00.003-05:00

Here's a glimpse at what we saw. Todd and I both were just blown away by everything that we saw. After I get some sleep and have time to process everything, I will post more on my thoughts and impressions from the show. But for now, enjoy the pictures.

Dream (almost) come true

2010-02-27T07:27:00.000-05:00

For years now, whenever the North American Handmade Bicycle Show was happening, I was staring at every photo that was being put on the web, drooling over the absolutely beautiful works of rolling art that were being displayed by the finest framebuilders in North America. But in just 2 1/2 hours, I get to see it all in person. After many years, the NAHBS has finally come to the east coast and Preacher Todd and I have made the pilgrimage to Richmond, VA to ogle all these wheeled beauties.

Both of us have a special affinity for classicly styled road bikes and commuter/utilitarian bicycles, so expect a heavy dose of these types in the photos I will be posting later.

The rise

2010-02-17T05:58:00.002-05:00

As I sit here doing my pre-commute procedures (drink coffee, shower, dress, drink coffee, eat breakfast, drink coffee, make lunch, make coffee to carry to school), I gotta take a second to rave about a new piece of equipment that has made my bike commuting life unimaginably better. The new Breezer Biz Pannier is so much awesome in a bag that it defies attempts at accolades.

It comes with a great, easy to install mounting system for your rear rack, has plenty of cargo space and best of all: it doesn't look like you are carrying a pannier around at work. It is designed with the bike commuting professional in mind and is styled like a soft briefcase, not as a messenger bag. A handy thing when you are trying to break your addiction to wearing girl jeans and you like riding bikes with brakes AND gears. I have only used it for a couple of days and I can't figure out how I ever did without it.

It is lightweight, but has a solid and sturdy feel and the construction is very bomber. The oversized hooks on the mounting sheet easily fit the large diameter tubing on the built in rack of my Globe Haul, something that defied my use of Jannd Mountain panniers until I fabricated my own mounting hooks. The attachment system is well thought out and the load bearing straps that hold the pannier in place make even the heaviest bag stable and securely mounted.

The one downside is the zipper attachments to the mounting sheet that stays on the rack. The zippers are small and a little tricky to line up, especially with cold hands or in dark conditions. Larger zippers would eliminate this issue and would be an easy improvement. The only other suggestion for improvement would be to pad the laptop compartment and give it a softer fabric lining. Beyond those two suggestions, I see no need for improvements.

If you wear a jacket and tie, or whatever female equivalent is appropriate, while riding a bike to work, this is definitely a must have.

Window of opportunity

2010-02-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

Spent most of the morning playing dragons with Owen. Running around, flapping wings, and general growling were the order of the day. We got outside and enjoyed the susnshine. I'd almost forgotten what sunshine was like. I noticed that my concept of warm is severely skewed now. 45 degrees felt downright balmy. We made a snow dragon (snowman was out of the question) covered him in green food dye and filled his mouth with sunflower seed teeth and red food dye ("BLUHHHHHHH-D" as Owen likes to say), made a sign reading: Beware! Here there be dragons! and then we were off to the next activity.

I got out for a ride this afternoon. A nice solitary road ride. Something I hadn't done in a long while, riding alone. It was perfect. Crisp and clear without a hint of wind. Me and breathing and effort in a lone revery. Nice beyond words despite the chilly temps that crept in towards the end. So wondrous the long spin on the road, bundled up enough to let the work keep you warm. If the precipitation will let up, then the temperature is easy enough to deal with.

Now, the commuting week lays ahead. The commuter miles are different but satisfying and the alertness that comes with a ride to work makes all the difference in the world to my work attitude.

Starting over again

2010-01-26T06:20:00.000-05:00

A new semester starts tomorrow. New students and new classes will make for a fresh start in the middle of winter.

I'm sitting here, drinking fresh-brewed Smokejumper, letting the black magic settle in to my system. I have added new routines to my mornings with checking the weather and planning for the clothing needed for the day's commuting. I rode the Xtracycle in the headwinds yesterday. I had to grab 10 lbs. of hydraulic cement from Lowes and I wasn't about to let that break my commuting schedule. The reality of that decision struck home as I hit tremendous headwinds while riding up a long climb. And then to add insult to injury, the wind blew so hard that I had to pedal downhill in order to keep from being blown to a stop.

The Xtracycle always gets curious looks. The overall look of the bicycle is so noticeably altered that even the most casual glance sees the difference. Many of my coworkers checked it out and wanted to ask questions about it. I love those conversations that come from people being curious. I love to talk about bikes and riding, especially rides with everyday purpose.

What I don't like is the recent tendency of coworkers to feel compelled to explain to me why they can't ride a bike to work. While the reasons are many that I have been given, none states the fact that the person doesn't normally ride a bike to begin with. I will talk passionately about commuting and cycling in general for as long as I have a voice, but I don't look down on people for not doing it. I wish more people would ride bikes, obviously, but not riding isn't a sore spot for me. No, the person in the H3 Hummer that pulls up beside me at the light at Smith's Crossroads and then floors the accelerator like a drag racer when the light turns green, now that person makes me feel bad for humanity.

Hey, it's called a hand signal

2010-01-20T05:50:00.000-05:00

I rode to work everyday last week. No small feat given that monday through wednesday all had high temps below 20 degrees in the morning portion of my commute. I discovered that below 17 degrees really requires a kitchen sink approach to clothing, i.e. wear everything you own that is warm. It was great riding a dedicated commuter bike in my work clothes and regular shoes. I spent some time on monday fabricating some mounting hardware for my panniers so that they could be mounted to the Haul. For all of the obvious care and attention that Specialized put into designing the new Globe line, little things like the rack tubing diameter being larger than a standard pannier mount leave me scratching my head a bit, but no worries, about 5 minutes worth of fabrication time and I'm all set.

I've been riding a couple of different routes to and from school. I expect a certain amount of incredulousness on the part of the car-obsessed teenagers that I teach, but the inattentiveness of some drivers is a little over the top. A colleague pointed out to me that I ride into school which is a nexus of inexperienced and inattentive texting-while-driving teenage drivers. When you put it that way, it seems unsafe, but the reality isn't that bad. My worst problems are occurring when I try to turn onto the greenway on Powell Ave.

As I approach the entrance to the greenway, I move into the center of my lane, left arm extended in the recognized "left turn" signal configuration. I squeeze the rear brake (left signal still in effect, mind you) and slow down as I approach the very large speed table in the road that marks the greenway crossing. Just as I begin to initiate my turn, a car will accelerate around me to make a pass. This has happened 3 times, with 3 different drivers! Have they changed the rules on me since last I was at the DMV?

All in all, I would rather ride my bike than drive my car. I don't know why, I just know that's how I feel. I've decided to sell my car and do without one for this year as an experiment in simple living. Sure, we still have a car, but I want to be a one car household rather than the 2+ car household standard. I think it is pretty doable and it will give me something else to talk about with all of the people I work with who already question my sanity.

Thin line

2010-01-05T20:53:00.000-05:00

In case you hadn't noticed, it is a wee bit chilly outside. It isn't as extreme as Roald Dahl's childhood stories of people dying in the winter, their bodies left outside because the ground was to frozen to dig, until the bodies froze solid and then the body's legs would be sharpened to a point and then the body would be hammered into the ground. No, not that cold, but damn close.

There is a thin line between passion and crazy. Unlike Joan of Arc (who I have determined was absolutely bonkers after watching Luc Besson's The Messenger recently), I have opted to maintain my last few tenuous threads of sanity and foregone the morning bike commute until the sub-arctic weather abates. Though my heart (and by dint of connectedness: the rest of my cardiovascular system) and my fresh holiday mid-section bulge urge me to do otherwise, I am firing up the Mercedes and driving it to school each morning. Now granted it is a diesel, so the odds of me making it to school are only slightly better than riding a bike in this freezing heinousness we call weather.

While people from around the country will smugly retort that our current temperatures are no where near as cold as they are experiencing, they are forgetting that just because the temps are the same, doesn't mean the cold is the same. For example: my house is heated by a heat pump. No matter what, it is never warm. But walk into a house with a fireplace and the heat is a palpable, living presence. Cold is the same way. Go out west where the humidity is low and twenty degrees feels tolerably chilly. But step out into twenty degrees here with that high moisture content in the air, and you feel an entity seeping into your joints and spreading through your bones. It can take all day to warm yourself after short periods of time outside. It is insidious.

With no break in sight, extremes of motivation are being mustered to try and get out and ride. The trainer and rollers are calling, but they are such cheap imitations of the real thing. I'm ready for a flight through the woods no matter the weather!

There is going to be a trail day this Sunday at the Wilson's Ridge trail in Wilson's Creek. I'll let you know more details as I get them. Also, the Caldwell County Pathways organization is looking for members and anyone interested in being a Board Member. Contact Tony Deal if you are interested. Lastly, throw some support IMBA's way this year. It is time we take the bull by the horns and make our home the way we hope it could be: a bike friendly, outdoor recreation destination! Give time (and money if you can) to help make these things a reality.

taking stock

2010-01-01T08:22:00.001-05:00

The end of the year is inevitably a time of reflection. Our New Year's Eve was no different. The McClinton's graciously invited us to their home for a party. With Owen in tow, we arrived followed shortly by Jeff and Shelli. It was a small gathering of friends and it was the perfect way to spend the evening. Taking a 3 year old to a New Year's Eve party can be dicey, but with a long, late nap under his belt, Owen was very excited about going to a party. Thanks to Diane McClinton pulling out a large collection of wooden blocks and Lincoln logs, Owen had a great time and didn't even show a hint of tiredness until nearly 11 o'clock.

This holiday season has been great with the small downside of having weather that has not cooperated with the idea of doing much riding outdoors. This has coincided with my normal post 'cross season break, but it has put the total damper on getting into the woods and doing some fun and relaxing mtn. bike rides. I have made up for it with eating lots of food that I shouldn't and drinking way more than normal. But now it comes to an end has the holiday season ends and the world shakes off its festive reverie and returns to the normal day to day.

My hope for the coming year is that we all find greater happiness and success in all of our endeavors. I want all of us to remember that cycling is what we do for fun whether it be racing or casual riding. Try to explore new and different forms of cycling. Do a bike tour, ride the greenway, go mountain biking, enjoy a long road ride, commute to work. Keep that two wheeled perspective on life and see if you aren't just a bit happier for it.

Thanks to everyone for being not just our customers, but our friends. Thank you for spreading the word about us; it makes all the difference in the world. Thanks to everyone for helping us not only survive a tough year, but actually thrive. I hope we can all work together to strengthen our cycling community and work to improve our area in the process.

To that end, Caldwell County Pathways is looking for members. These fine folks work hard to bring us the fantastic Greenway system and they need not just your donation of money, but more importantly your time and volunteerism. If you are interested, contact Tony Deal at tonyraydeal@gmail.com

Here's looking forward to another great year!

The Christmas Bike

2009-12-24T07:26:00.000-05:00

We have sent more bikes out the door that are destined to be christmas presents this year than ever before. That kind of thing is great in our eyes. Many of my christmas memories center around bikes. Bikes are a perfect christmas gift: they are enjoyed for seriously long periods of time (rather than the 5 to 10 minutes it takes to exhaust the fun of some battery operated thing), they can actually improve your life (lose weight, get in shape, meet a bunch of new friends who are into bikes, set you on life-long trajectories of seeking dodgy employment opportunities in bike shops where you make vain, half-hearted attempts to not spend you ENTIRE pay check on bike stuff, etc...), and they seem to spark that glisteny-eyed wonderment upon the first recognition of the gift bicycle beside the tree that few other gifts can give.

(OK, my grandfather gave my grandmother a new car for christmas one year. Big surprise and a total bitch to get under the christmas tree, but a big christmas surprise nonetheless. Bikes make that kind of mark and are far easier to hide)

The disturbing trend though is that the vast majority of christmas bikes we have sold this year are for adults. One kid's christmas bike has been purchased. Unfortunately, I think that many people are getting the Wal-Marget/Dick'smart bikes for their children. I understand that kids outgrow stuff. Owen needs a new pair of pants or shoes like every week right now. But I also place a premium on getting the most for my money. Pay good money, get good product, get good return on investment. We buy good quality stuff a little big, Owen wears it until we can't stuff him into it without drawing the attention of DSS and then we have a perfectly good item that we can resell on consignment or pass on to a friend with kids.

The same goes for bikes. Last christmas, Owen got a Specialized Hot Rock 12" wheeled bike. He's ridden the hell out of it and I haven't done a thing to it since I built it, except air up the tires and raise the seatpost. The bike is in great shape and would last for a couple of more kids if we were so inclined (which we are NOT). But the great thing about buying a quality bike for a kid is that they will outgrow it rather than destroy it. When the kid outgrows it, you have options. You can sell it or trade it in at the bike shop for the next size up. It's win-win!

The most infuriating thing is people waxing nostalgically about their childhood bikes from the 50's and 60's and then complaining about how expensive bike shop bikes are. Those childhood bikes were high-quality and expensive in their day! We hear people talking about years and years of use that they got out of these bikes, but then they want to buy a dept. store bike that is designed to last for 50 miles of use (since the average dept. store bike only sees 10 miles of use in its lifetime). Sad. Why not buy something you'll enjoy riding?

In the future, if you really want to make a christmas gift of a bicycle, visit your local bike shop, spend your hard-earned cash on something of true value, and then watch the recipient enjoy their gift for years to come!

He's a big pig. You could be a big pig, too!

2009-12-22T22:05:00.000-05:00

A steady stream of holiday cheer in the form of homemade foodstuffs has made its way into the shop. Shortly upon arrival, said foodstuffs make their way into our bellies with little time spared. Couple this with a serious lack of riding and you have the makings of a significant bloating event. I feel like a balloon; ready to burst. Like everyone at this time of year, I may easily add mass and volume to myself with little difficulty. But resistance is not futile!

There may be a break in the weather this weekend with Saturday's forecast featuring temperatures in the 50's. This may be our one shot at doing some mtn. biking this break. Anyone up for some riding at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte? Charlotte may be the best bet since they didn't get any snow.

In shop news, we are going to be open Christmas Eve from noon to 3pm for any last minute holiday shopping. We will also have an informal holiday get together starting at 2-ish that day. We will be closed Friday and Saturday. Happy Holidays if we don't see you this week!

Right back at it

2009-12-17T14:43:00.000-05:00

Before the jet lag had fully left, I was right back into the everyday life that I had escaped in Bend. It isn't horrible or even bad, really, but that post-trip hangover makes everything about normal life look a little sadder. But now that has all faded. The little touch of homesickness that I had (really missing my wife and son) was quickly eradicated when I was greeted at the door by Owen dressed in a triceratops costume, running around like a little whirlwind. The biggest shock was realizing that he had changed pretty noticeably in the 5 days I had been gone. Wow.

Now, as school winds down for the winter break, the ability to focus on all of the things that the shop needs is a welcome relief. We have some big things to accomplish prior to beginning the new year and having some days off from school will allow me to help make those things happen.

The one thing that absolutely can't change is the core principle that we are a bike shop and not a bike store. The differences are subtle in writing but dramatic in reality. A bike shop, our bike shop, is a place to come and be a part of a community. That idea of community built out of a love of bikes was stoked hotter and brighter by our visit to Bend. As a bike shop, we want to see you, want you to come by to talk or hang out. Regardless of whether you buy something or not, the bike shop is there to be the hub of our small bike community here in Lenoir.

Since the last 'cross race of the season is in the books, my thoughts are turning to mountain biking. I have been swept up in the "Big Revolution" of 29er mountain bikes and it has really stoked me on getting out and riding more than ever before. To say that I am a convert to the 29er would be an understatement. I freakin' love 'em! Come out join us for a mountain bike ride, the more the merrier!

Even though the weather is chilly, the season starts now for training and getting ready for the coming season. Saturday road rides will be heading out from the shop at 10 am, weather permitting (i.e. rain or snow, don't show!). Our highly refined, high tea, dirt road rides will begin soon, so keep an eye out for notifications here.

Final day

2009-12-13T09:46:00.006-05:00

I raced yesterday at 9:30 am. It was a little weird to wake up, see the temperature at 28 degrees and actually think, "Awesome! It's warm!" Did all the warm up stuff at the house and then rolled down to the course. We are staying less than a mile from the race, so we haven't needed to drive much at all.

The officials started putting everybody in pre-staging; all 180+ of us. I got to stand around for quite a bit waiting for my call up: #130. I lined up, Jeff took all my extra clothes and we began that nervous down time that hits just prior to the start of a race. The gun fired and off we went for about 10 seconds and then a huge crash swept across the field in front of me from left to right. Everybody crashed around me and into me, but I managed to stay upright and unscathed. I got off the bike, ran around everybody rolling around on the pavement and took off after the race. At the first turn, I caught another crash, made it around and then hammered onto the tail end of a long train of riders.

Due to the warmer conditions, the course was totally different from the last race I did. Traction was abundant. The little off camber that you fell trying to walk up was now completely rideable. I fell on the long grass off camber section when two guys crashed in front of me and I had to touch the brakes, a guaranteed fall inducer. Back up and on to the run up, which I now was able to ride up with relative ease, back on to the pavement and the beginning of lap 2.

Slowly but surely, I crept up through the field. Jeff put me in the seventies with 2 laps to go. And then, just after passing the pits, I fell hard on my right side bending the derailleur hanger and putting the derailleur into the rear wheel. Thus ended my 2009 US National Cyclocross Championships.

This has been a great trip. I've had an incredible time and can't wait to come back next year. If you've never been to Bend, this place is beautiful, the people are unbelievably friendly and everyone is into outdoor sports. It was a great choice for the host of this race.

Some sights and sounds of the day:

U23 race - opening lap

Danny Summerhill (Garmin) leads the U23 race

Pre-race

2009-12-12T09:35:00.002-05:00

It's 6:30 and the temperature is 27 degrees. It is still pitch black and I am starting the whole pre-race ritual of getting ready. By my estimation, I will line up somewhere around the 16th row given that I have a 131 call up. If I break the top 100 I'll be doing decent; break the top 50 I'll be doing spectacularly. One paramount goal is to just not get to abused by the course and conditions.

Thanks to Jim Brown for the mantra of the day:

Remember, you are supposed to be in front of that guy ahead of you.

The flavor of the Bend course

2009-12-11T21:47:00.000-05:00

The video that I shot just doesn't want to upload right. Didn't think anyone would want to watch an upside down video of Juniors crashing on a seemingly innocuous off camber bump. The point was to show just how dicey this course is. By midday it is pretty rideable, but on either end of that day light spectrum it is a game of chance as to how you make any of the more technical aspects of the course.

Fortunately for us, we have stocked up on a little magical elixir that should prove most beneficial during the race:

Not sure how much Bawls would be required for the remaining race efforts that we have, but we will try to carry at least a ton into each race!

The temps are dropping, which means that the few spots that got to thaw will now refreeze with a nice layer of glaze ice. It is anybody's race until the finish line.

Jeff's flat ultimately cost him a top 20 finish today. Our bikes and bodies are beat up as multiple crashes do damage to both. I race tomorrow morning at 9:30, so tonight I am planning on flooding my system with as much antiseptic as possible, i.e. alcohol.

I will do better in video and photo coverage after my race. Promise.

The cards have yet to be dealt

2009-12-11T10:50:00.002-05:00

Today is Jeff's big day. Having rocked out with his you-know-what out all season, and with Steve Tilford not coming this year, the national title is up for grabs. In his typical low key style, Jeff is trying to play down any attempts at hype, but I think he has a good shot at the podium this year. Conditions will definitely be a factor as his race is set for the same start time as mine yesterday. The course changes rapidly and dramatically as the sun goes down.

Two other NC contenders for National titles race today as well. Beth Frye has a great shot at the women's 40-44 national championships and Evie Boswell-Vilt is poised to improve on her 2nd place performance from last year's race. We'll be cheering like crazy for both of them!

Congratulations to Janet Trubey for braving the frigid 7 degree temps at 8:30 in the morning to complete the first race of these National Championships!

Our host, Sherry, had a little dinner party last night. Her friends came over, became our friends, we ate, talked, laughed. A nice end to the day. Plus she taught me how to make a new drink that is lime juice, grape vodka and sierra mist. Tastes exactly like a Grape Nehi and is fabulously enjoyable. It will be the perfect summer drink when the temps rise again!

Stay tuned for as many pictures and videos as I get a chance to shoot today.

Newton -6, Shawn-0

2009-12-11T01:23:00.002-05:00

Amazing what a few hours can do to a race course. After pre-riding at noon, the assessment I had of the course was that it was grippier than it looked and surprisingly unslick given the amount of snow on the ground. Fast forward to 3:30, the sun is low in the sky, the mercury is dropping and there is a slight delay to the start. Things change.

I line up deep in the field, somewhere around the 15th row. I get caught behind weird traffic at the start, but move up and around. My willingness to jump off and run when things bottleneck (thanks, Todd!) means I can move up - a lot. I find myself in the top 50 and moving up steadily, constantly pushing, always trying to catch the next rider. Then I crash. Hard.

Up, remount and off. Pushing, pushing. Catch, pass, catch, pass. Trip at the barriers, falling, break wooden course post with collar bone. Up, remount and off. Another crash. By this time the course is freezing solid. The descent after the run up is rideable for just a few and becomes a harrowing ice slick run down for the vast majority of us. Two guys rode home in an ambulance as the conditions continued to deteriorate. Turns were slow dances with the devil, never knowing if you were going to go down until you hit the deck.

I crashed more in this race than the entire season combined. I finished the race with my knee warmers around my ankles, blood coming through my skinsuit and spit/snot-cicles gathered in my beard. Now to recover, and get ready for Saturday.

Paying it forward, backward and sideways

2009-12-10T10:19:00.001-05:00

We arrived at our host housing last night. The temperature outside was 6 degrees. 6. Degrees. Fahrenheit.

No humans were home at our host house, but we were greeted by this:

A sheep in wolf-dog clothing for sure. Mattsie wagged her entire body before dropping to the floor and rolling over for a belly scratch. Sherry, our host, turned out to be just as friendly.

It's always refreshing to come out to the west coast, meet somebody for the first time and be immediately accepted in the truest "mi casa es su casa" sense possible. Sherry quickly established that people have always helped her out in her travels and she is just trying to pay that back to help keep the wheel of good karma spinning.

We're adjusting to the time difference, but the big shocker is the temperature. In the upper 20's isn't bad, but as the mercury drops it gets progressively uncool. Poor Janet Trubey and the rest of the Master's Women field who have to race at 8:30 this morning. The sun is barely up, the temp is still hovering in the single digits and there isn't much prospect for improvement in the near term.

Bend has taken this opportunity to have a big 5 day party with everybody participating. Every business imaginable is offering racers some incentive for coming in. The town recognizes that outdoor recreation in general, and cycling in particular are huge money makers for the area. With no recognizable industry, this town is capitalizing on their natural resources. Lenoir could easily do the same.

On the road

2009-12-10T00:09:00.000-05:00

All good adventures deserve to be chronicled. Sometimes, the chronicler knows that there words will serve as a record of important events. Other times, one simply chronicles the day to day activities of life and history sheaths those words with the mantle of importance.

This is neither.

Jeff and I are heading to Bend, OR for the US Cyclocross National Championships. This will be my first time at an event of such magnitude but I plan on handling it with my usual steely aplomb. Jeff is typically reserved, but his inner schoolgirl is decidedly giddy.

We headed out this morning from Lenoir at the ungodly hour of 4 am in order to make our 6:40 am flight in Charlotte. Rain varied from cats and dogs to gigantic buckets of water being poured across the car as we drove down 321, but we made it safe and sound to the airport and began our cattle drive trip through the labyrinth of American air travel.

I will be posting here as time and internet access permits, but will also do photo tweets and video uploads through our Ustream account to maximize your participation in this particular little adventure.

But for now, I’d like to just reflect on everything that has happened since I last wrote a blog entry (which has been far too long for anyone to even be expected to still be visiting this site, but I am posting nonetheless).

This ‘cross season has been, or at least felt, long. For the first time, I have been able to race as a family since Golden has decided to race ‘cross this season as well. Owen has logged many miles in his command module in the Element without complaint. We have raced in two states other than North Carolina this season and Oregon will make another for me.

I have made the incremental improvements that I had set as goals this season, but haven’t set the world on fire with anything stellar. I have long ago determined that bike racing is something I do for fun, plain and simple. Enjoyment is in the doing. Meeting new people, seeing new places and overcoming the personal challenges are what makes it enjoyable.

For me, racing is a conversation with myself. Sometimes I yell, sometimes I whine, but I am always honest and it is learning to talk yourself through the immediate stress of the situation that personal change emerges.

I recently finalized a project that I had been working on for years. My very first race bike, a 1986 Trek 760, has been through the wringer over the past 23 years. Nothing but the frame remained, and I had been lugging it around the country with every move with the intent of building it up again.
Justin Pogge, of Old Field Cycles in Tallahassee, was the first piece to fall into place. I had Justin build up a nice steel fork with similar lugs to the frame as a step towards building the bike back up. The fork was so nice, I decided that I should get Justin to build a custom steel stem for me as well. The two looked perfect together and made the reality of riding the bike again a bit closer.

All of this languished again. On hold for lack of paint. I finally sat myself down and started calling local paint and body shops asking if they would paint a bike frame. The guys at American Paint and Body were the first ones to say, “Sure. I don’t see why we couldn’t.” I went down with the frame, fork and stem, handing them over with reluctance. This bike frame was an important artifact of my childhood and adulthood all rolled into one. This was Bike Zero for me. The starting point that launched me on this trajectory that I still find myself on.

I went back in a few days and was immensely pleased with the job that American had done. The frame was a deep, sparkling grey; nondescript, yet classic. I took it to the shop and started building it up with the SRAM Force group that I’ve been riding for the past few years, slapped some fenders on it and started commuting on it to school.

The first ride brought sheer amazement. I floated along the road, buoyed by a flood of memories the bike brought forth. I was that 16 year-old kid finding his dream bike by the tree on Christmas Day again. That joyful floating feeling of freedom and possibility that I got every time I rode as a kid came back in spades. It was beautiful.

My mom tells a story about me that I have no memory of. After my first serious MS attack, I couldn’t stand up without assistance and walking without a cane was out of the question. When my parents took me home from the hospital, my mom stayed home with me for a while. I somehow convinced her to let me go for a bike ride.

She helped me to the drive way, helped me onto the bike and then held the bike for me while I clipped into the pedals. The deal we struck was that I would ride for five minutes. She watched me wobble out of the driveway, head down the road and disappear out of sight, doubting the sanity of her decision to help me get on the bike. Five minutes later, I came riding by and yelled, “five more minutes” before disappearing out of sight again.

I rolled up the driveway and mom helped me off the bike and up to my room. Mom says that I slept the rest of the day, lying in bed with my clothes and bike shoes still on.

I am incredibly thankful everyday to be able to ride a bike. Now I am able to ride THAT bike once again, and that is special beyond words. Thanks mom, for helping me ride that day. And thanks mom and dad for that Christmas 23 years ago (the best Christmas I ever had before Owen) when you made my dreams come true with the gift of that teal and violet road bike that people always told me was ugly, but was beautiful to me. That bike launched a thousand others and I love you with all of my heart for putting me on this path.

For everyone wishing for the latest and greatest technology and for all of the endless debates over the minutiae of cycling, I hope that you learn that sometimes the bike is so much more than the sum of its parts. Sometimes, a bike can be a part of life itself.

Upping the ante

2009-10-20T21:00:00.000-04:00

Cyclocross season will officially be underway this weekend. Tough to think that all year long I've been thinking about 'cross season, training for 'cross season, not worrying about the now but always looking forward to 'cross season and now it is here.

I've decided to expand my horizons this season; to make things harder on myself. This weekend I (plus Jeff, Shelli, Todd, Charles, Golden and Owen) will head to Louisville, KY for the Derby City Cup, a USGP race, instead of heading to Raleigh for the opening two races of the NC Cyclocross Series. We're upping the ante, expanding our little bike racing horizons in the hopes that we break through to a new level of racing.

I'm just hoping to survive and not embarass myself. This season for me is all about learning more about myself. For me, pushing the limits of what I think I can physically accomplish is the essence of bike racing. The beauty of turning yourself inside out seems masochistic to someone who doesn't know better, but finding the edge, going over it, and surviving is such an essential part of bike racing. What saddens me are the cyclists who don't push themselves to the brink. I once asked someone on a ride, "How do you know how far is too far until you go there?"

I know that the bike as life metaphor is hackneyed, but it is also totally appropriate in the context of my life. For me, the bike is a lifelong pursuit, an inescapable aspect of life. I find my calmest and most meditative moments in the saddle. This morning as I pedaled down the frost covered greenway, spooking rabbits out of the underbrush and trying not to slip out on leaves slicked flat with moisture and conveniently arranged just so in the turns, my thoughts unhinged from the stress and pressure of the day to come and my mind was free. My legs pumped up and down, my heart pumped blood, my lungs took in cold air, my skin was alive with the cold air that struck it. I inventoried everything within and without in rapid, subconscious fashion. I was free. For all of the time that I have ridden bikes, that feeling has never waned and it keeps me coming back for more.

The Odyssey

2009-10-09T20:52:00.000-04:00

The bike industry calls with the voice of a thousand sirens. Tempting. Luring. I feel myself succumbing to her. Yearning. It's the same old pull that I've felt since I was 15. The heady aroma of rubber and grease, the gleam of bike frames lined up row upon row. The complete immersion in the two-wheeled world is a heady experience. I love it, embrace it, and come back for more. I am forever a hopeless bike geek, shop rat. What that says about me, I don't know. The path I tread is caught between two worlds. One world is rigid with expectation and responsibility. The other world still serious, but with a gleam in its eye, a smirk on its face and a beer in its outstretched hand.

'Cross season has now officially started!

2009-10-03T21:38:00.000-04:00

Today was a great day at Domtar Park in Kingsport, TN. The course was mostly grass with a long paved straightaway and some interesting up and down, twisty-turny sections that made me feel like I couldn't handle my bike to save my life. The flyover was great and provided a very cool addition to the already stellar racing that MSG Cross puts on in E. TN.

Golden and Shelli rode away from the women's CX4 field early and never looked back. They finished 1-2 in their first outing in the Fiets Maan Racing/Luna Cycles colors. Jeff finished a very strong second to an always dangerous Andy Applegate in the Master's race. And I, unfortunately, suffered a DNF due to a pedal falling off while running in 7th place in the CX3 race. The group of 3 that comprised 4th through 6th place were clearly in my sights, but it was not meant to be today. I'm just surprised I wasn't shot off the back from the gun as I didn't know where my fitness was at this point. Apparently, in addition to catching a cold recently, I also caught some fitness...

Tomorrow we head back for more and will hopefully have good results to post again.

No, I'm not dead, but thanks for thinking of me.

2009-10-02T21:20:00.000-04:00

B-U-S-Y is the word of my life right now. Sad that I haven't even had a spare moment to write here, but such is life right now. I have been squeezing riding in around teaching and the shop, mostly through interval laden commutes to and from school with a dramatically overstuffed messenger bag slung over my shoulder. What's really weird is riding a bike without it - I feel like I drop 50 lbs.

Tomorrow is the first big test of the 'cross season with the first race of the MSG Cross series in Kingsport, TN. In an ongoing effort to pursue all new technologies in an effort to bring our adventures home, I am going to try a little iPhone video show. Hopefully, the window below will broadcast what we need, if not, we'll try again!

Video clips at Ustream

The monster wins again

2009-09-13T07:57:00.000-04:00

We found out several months ago that a good friend of ours in Arizona had been diagnosed with a particularly nasty form of cancer. Jeff and I last saw Doug at Interbike last year and it was shocking to think of the rapid changes we were hearing about in contrast to our last meeting with him.

Doug was hands-down, one of the nicest people I have ever been privileged to know. Every time you saw him he would give you this crooked smile that was a true and genuine sign that he was happy to see you. Doug had a remarkable way of making you feel like you were his best friend, even if you just barely knew him.

Doug passed away earlier this week. It was sudden and shocking. To be honest, it hurts like hell knowing that Doug is no longer with us. I do not ever espouse any religious or spiritual viewpoints, but I do sincerely and whole-heartedly hope that Doug is in a place that deserves him.

Every morning when I ride to work, I think about Doug. I know that lots of others are doing the same and Doug will live on in our hearts and thoughts.

A few moments to spare

2009-09-07T07:56:00.000-04:00

A month is a long time to go without writing. In the past month, school has started and since the beginning I have been hanging on for dear life. I have felt inexplicably flat-footed so far; my sense of creativity has been massively blocked, but I think I might be peeking around it.

As for cycling, the past month has been pedal to the metal at the shop. Floods of repairs and lots of business have made my absence from the trenches difficult for all of us. An extra set of hands is always useful! We have done lots of events, too, in an attempt to gauge where we are at in terms of the early cyclocross season. I did my first mtn. bike race in I don't know how many years and felt like I would like to do some more of them in the near future. Golden and Lara Cassady did the 50 mile Mountain Bike Marathon race at the National Whitewater Center in Charlotte as a relay team and came in 2nd place. A great result that they both agreed could be improved upon.

The Lenoir Triathlon was Saturday. Jeff and I provided tech support (which primarily consisted of installing handlebar plugs). Chris the Fish, Shelly and Golden competed as a relay team and won both the coed and overall relay race, besting Team Manly Men by some 4 minutes.

Yesterday, I had to get out in the woods. After working hard to get both Golden's and my 'cross bikes ready, a dirt road ride won out over a mountain bike ride. Jeff called up Sunday morning and asked if we were down for a Maple Sally Rd. ride and thus we set out from Hard and Flossie Clark Park in Collettsville. I must admit that Maple Sally Rd. has never really been my strong suit, so I always approach it with a tiny sense of trepidation. However, yesterday I felt good - strong even, owing probably to the fact that for the first time I was riding Maple Sally in temperatures above 40 degrees and without bulky winter clothing. It was a blast! Golden enjoyed her new 'cross bike and Jeff had a good shake down ride on his new bike, as well.

What are you thinking about?

2009-08-06T08:34:00.001-04:00

I went down in the basement yesterday and found a dirty, forlorn thing hanging from a hook and felt a huge wave of guilt wash over me. While my wife would hope that it was the mountain of storage containers that have overtaken most of the basement floorspace during our months of basement wall repairs and are awaiting me putting the finishing touches on the new shelves I have built to hold them, the thing that made my heart shudder was my 'cross bike. Covered in a thick layer of dust from having one of our foundation walls replaced, missing the saddle and devoid of pedals, my much loved 'cross bike hung neglected and nearly forgotten.

But the end of the Tour and the beginning of a new school year signal the giddy weeks that lead up to the start of cyclocross season. Around our shop, 'cross is pretty much the best thing you can do on two wheels. If you know 'cross, you know what I'm talking about, but if you have never tried it - be forewarned, 'cross will break you and remake you in short order - and you will be a better cyclist for it.

With 'cross, everything is a nit to be carefully picked. A big box arrived with brown Santa at the shop yesterday. Upon opening it, Jeff started pulling out 'cross equipment for new bikes being built up by Beerman and the Guru. The first item out of the box were Grifo Fango tubular 'cross tires. Heck, tires alone ended up being a topic of careful conversation between Jeff and I for at least an hour - and we still haven't figured out what we are going to run this season! But that is one of my favorite parts. Every aspect of the 'cross bike must be carefully chosen, evaluated and tweaked in order to tune the bike to the rider, the course and the conditions. Miss the right set up and you will have an excellent view of the leaders of the race as they lap you.

But the bike is just the start. 'Cross is such a beautiful blend of all the aspects of cycling that it favors the rider who is not just fit, but smart and adroit as well. Handling a bike, reading a course, finding the fastest lines, having solid dismount/remount technique, all of these things are key. Where criteriums favor the big engined horses of cycling, 'cross can make mincemeat of cyclists who are "all horsepower and no steering wheel". The beautiful thing is that you can always improve, always learn something new and do better because of it.

Our 'cross season starts Oct. 3rd and 4th with the first two races of the TN series. The NC series begins Oct. 23rd and 24th. As always, we will do cyclocross training clinics to help with all of the ins and outs for what is to most people a new sport. If you have never tried 'cross, come let us usher you into a whole new two-wheeled world.

And so begins my epic poem of this 'cross season. A dirty, neglected bike is walked from my house to the shop, beginning its process of rebirth and renewal. And hopefully, I will follow the same path.

What now?

2009-07-27T22:06:00.000-04:00

Now the Tour is over, and I have this big empty space in the day. No more watching the stages and no more poring over the results to calculate the Fantasy Tour. The worst part is that the end of the Tour signals the coming close of summer vacation and the return to the teacher's life. I aim to wring as much enjoyment out of the remaining bits of summer vacation that I can as a way of fighting back against the dying of summer.

Provisional Results

2009-07-26T22:04:00.000-04:00

The provisional results of the Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France -

Charles Bennett    Bernanke's Bumblers    13271
Ron Swenson    Team Theoretical    12267
Nicole Thomas    Espresso Train    12177
Peter Purcell    Team Heal With Steel    12035
Mellie Black    Team Limp Along    11751
Shane Norris    Team Inizio    11490
Eddy Winkler    Team Not Caught Yet    11422
Grant Dunstan    Lone Beer Ranger    11192
Grom     Team CrashWagon    11093
John Hansen    Lumpy skates    10985
Charles Hicks    Team Buuurrnn!    10966
Chris Thomas    Dessel Engine    10890
Jeff Welch    Pigs in Zen    10648
Mary Ann Brown    Hope & A Prayer    10508
Trey Barnes    Steam Donkey    10499
jim brown    stylin' and profilin'    10271
Steven Boike    RPM    10141
Jenna King    Le Chiffre    10052
Lara Cassidy    Lara's team    9991
Chris Harris    Equipe Poisson    9962
Player barrett    team player    9217
Scott Staley    JRB Racing    8702
Charles Bennett, our yellow jersey winner, needs to come on down and pick out his Specialized glasses. Ron Swenson can come down and pick up his Pedro's pit kit cleaning supplies. Nicole Thomas can come down and pick up her 3rd place prize. Scott Staley, you will be getting your prize at the first 'cross race of the season!

She's singing

2009-07-25T22:23:00.000-04:00

Neither Jeff nor I was able to watch today's stage since we were busy at the Day on the Greenway. Sounded like an interesting, yet ultimately unfruitful stage. Like him or not, Armstrong's 3rd place finish is pretty impressive given his age and coming out of retirement.

Our own Fantasy Tour de France is shaping up to be a bit of a nail biter as 2nd and 3rd place are still up for grabs. Charles Bennett has locked up the top spot of the podium and Scott Staley has locked up last place as well. A message to Scott: a) manpri's are a statement of confidence in one's manhood, and b) it isn't the pain train you really need to watch out for, it's the Night Train!

Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France GC -

Charles Bennett    Bernanke's Bumblers    12783
Ron Swenson    Team Theoretical    11782
Nicole Thomas    Espresso Train    11514
Peter Purcell    Team Heal With Steel    11460
Mellie Black    Team Limp Along    11398
Eddy Winkler    Team Not Caught Yet    10941
Shane Norris    Team Inizio    10884
Grant Dunstan    Lone Beer Ranger    10697
John Hansen    Lumpy skates    10680
Grom     Team CrashWagon    10585
Charles Hicks    Team Buuurrnn!    10504
Chris Thomas    Dessel Engine    10426
Trey Barnes    Steam Donkey    10133
Mary Ann Brown    Hope & A Prayer    10077
Jeff Welch    Pigs in Zen    10018
jim brown    stylin' and profilin'    9841
Steven Boike    RPM    9739
Chris Harris    Equipe Poisson    9708
Jenna King    Le Chiffre    9701
Lara Cassidy    Lara's team    9654
Player barrett    team player    9012
Scott Staley    JRB Racing    8370

Mont Ventoux looms

2009-07-24T22:42:00.000-04:00

Big day tomorrow with the Luna Cycles Day on the Greenway. See you at the Lower Creek greenway from 8 to 2!

Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France General Classification -

Charles Bennett Bernanke's Bumblers 12330
Nicole Thomas Espresso Train 11100
Peter Purcell Team Heal With Steel 11083
Ron Swenson Team Theoretical 11078
Mellie Black Team Limp Along 10897
Shane Norris Team Inizio 10524
Eddy Winkler Team Not Caught Yet 10459
Grom Team CrashWagon 10249
John Hansen Lumpy skates 10240
Grant Dunstan Lone Beer Ranger 10226
Charles Hicks Team Buuurrnn! 10166
Chris Thomas Dessel Engine 10092
Trey Barnes Steam Donkey 9664
Mary Ann Brown Hope & A Prayer 9601
jim brown stylin' and profilin' 9555
Jeff Welch Pigs in Zen 9512
Steven Boike RPM 9434
Lara Cassidy Lara's team 9382
Chris Harris Equipe Poisson 9227
Jenna King Le Chiffre 9216
Player barrett team player 8607

Scott Staley JRB Racing 8198

TT travails and triumphs

2009-07-23T22:12:00.001-04:00

A skinny spanish climber beats the world time trial champion, Lance is human after all, Andy figures out how to make a bike go fast in a time trial, and Wiggins just misses the mark. Funny that Cancellara is kicking back with a beer trying to figure out how Contador beat him today. The man that both Phil and Paul gush over and describe with that fay British accent as "a beast", was beaten by Contador in his specialty. The questions now arise about the legitimacy of Contador's performance and rightly so. Andy Schleck locked up his podium spot, but Armstrong's 3rd place is looking to be the target for both Wiggins and the elder Schleck brother. My feeling is that the Schleck are going to be lloking to shred the GC contenders on Saturday's Ventoux climb.

Don't forget that this Saturday is the Luna Cycles "Day on the Greenway" to be held at the Lower Creek Greenway parking lot on Powell Ave. from 8 am to 2 pm. We will have lots of different greenway bikes from Specialized and Fuji for test rides. You will get 1 free raffle ticket to win a Specialized Carmel 2 bike with your test ride. Additional tickets will be for sale with all proceeds going to Caldwell County Pathways, the folks who bring you our awesome greenway system. Tell everybody you know to come take a spin and see what a difference a good quality bicycle makes!

Your Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France sponsored by OMGWTF Energy drink GC:

Charles Bennett    Bernanke's Bumblers    11752
Peter Purcell    Team Heal With Steel    10562
Ron Swenson    Team Theoretical    10481
Nicole Thomas    Espresso Train    10456
Mellie Black    Team Limp Along    10274
Shane Norris    Team Inizio    9919
Eddy Winkler    Team Not Caught Yet    9913
John Hansen    Lumpy skates    9798
Charles Hicks    Team Buuurrnn!    9693
Grom     Team CrashWagon    9647
Chris Thomas    Dessel Engine    9600
Grant Dunstan    Lone Beer Ranger    9596
jim brown    stylin' and profilin'    9180
Trey Barnes    Steam Donkey    9154
Jeff Welch    Pigs in Zen    9077
Mary Ann Brown    Hope & A Prayer    9063
Steven Boike    RPM    8938
Lara Cassidy    Lara's team    8928
Chris Harris    Equipe Poisson    8761
Jenna King    Le Chiffre    8553
Player barrett    team player    8141
Scott Staley    JRB Racing    7758

Scott, I hate to say it, but looks like you are really solid in the lanterne rouge. There is a prize that awaits you at the end of this arduous journey. I won't tell you what it is, but just know, the pain train's a-comin'...

Wow

2009-07-22T22:51:00.000-04:00

Sooooo glad I watched today's stage. The Astana stranglehold on the tour has loosened somewhat going in to tomorrow's time trial. What I saw today, however, wasn't exactly what was reported in the cycling press. Cyclingnews talked about how "unflappable" Contador was, but I disagree. Unflappable riders don't make a move that drops their own teammate, then gets easily nullified by two guys who are teammates on your rival squad and then look over their shoulder for their drop compatriot for the better part of 10 minutes. The Schleck brothers have figured out the chink in Contador's armor, it just remains to be seen if they have the strength to exploit it. The weakness that I think they see is that Contador doesnt have much beyond an explosive acceleration. Sure, he jumps like nobody's business and gets a huge gap with breathtaking rapidity, but how fast is he really climbing? What I saw today was two guys who weren't blown away by the acceleration. Two guys that saw that maybe Contador is more show than go. Ventoux is going to be very interesting indeed...

Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France sponsored by Oops! General Classification after Stage 17:

Charles Bennett    Bernanke's Bumblers    11291
Peter Purcell    Team Heal With Steel    10181
Nicole Thomas    Espresso Train    10108
Ron Swenson    Team Theoretical    9974
Mellie Black    Team Limp Along    9810
Shane Norris    Team Inizio    9656
Charles Hicks    Team Buuurrnn!    9420
Grom     Team CrashWagon    9334
Eddy Winkler    Team Not Caught Yet    9321
John Hansen    Lumpy skates    9240
Chris Thomas    Dessel Engine    9238
Grant Dunstan    Lone Beer Ranger    9235
jim brown    stylin' and profilin'    8877
Jeff Welch    Pigs in Zen    8747
Trey Barnes    Steam Donkey    8721
Mary Ann Brown    Hope & A Prayer    8670
Steven Boike    RPM    8605
Lara Cassidy    Lara's team    8484
Chris Harris    Equipe Poisson    8394
Jenna King    Le Chiffre    8243
Player barrett    team player    7839
Scott Staley    JRB Racing    7583

The gloves are off

2009-07-21T21:56:00.000-04:00

A day of attacking and I missed it. Damn. Hopefully, tomorrow holds the fireworks that I have been predicting.

Your Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France GC -

Charles Bennett    Bernanke's Bumblers    10672
Peter Purcell    Team Heal With Steel    9724
Nicole Thomas    Espresso Train    9583
Ron Swenson    Team Theoretical    9304
Mellie Black    Team Limp Along    9297
Shane Norris    Team Inizio    9261
Charles Hicks    Team Buuurrnn!    9001
Grom     Team CrashWagon    8858
Chris Thomas    Dessel Engine    8840
Eddy Winkler    Team Not Caught Yet    8782
Grant Dunstan    Lone Beer Ranger    8742
jim brown    stylin' and profilin'    8633
John Hansen    Lumpy skates    8535
Mary Ann Brown    Hope & A Prayer    8204
Jeff Welch    Pigs in Zen    8190
Steven Boike    RPM    8114
Trey Barnes    Steam Donkey    8092
Lara Cassidy    Lara's team    8049
Chris Harris    Equipe Poisson    7886
Jenna King    Le Chiffre    7812
Player barrett    team player    7450
Scott Staley    JRB Racing    7285

The war begins, or the war's not over

2009-07-19T22:05:00.000-04:00

I have to confess that I didn't watch the actual part of today's stage that meant anything. What I do know is that Astana's script is just like Discovery's - put in a big attack in the mountains, take the yellow, and then grind everybody down to the point that there are no attacks. Hopefully, somebody, anybody, will not follow the script and will do something cheeky.

Charles Bennett is pulling out a big lead in the Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France powered by Ambien. Current standings after stage 15:

GC

Charles Bennett    Bernanke's Bumblers    10133
Peter Purcell    Team Heal With Steel    9343
Nicole Thomas    Espresso Train    9193
Shane Norris    Team Inizio    8896
Mellie Black    Team Limp Along    8734
Charles Hicks    Team Buuurrnn!    8680
Ron Swenson    Team Theoretical    8651
Grom     Team CrashWagon    8461
Chris Thomas    Dessel Engine    8454
jim brown    stylin' and profilin'    8379
Grant Dunstan    Lone Beer Ranger    8262
Eddy Winkler    Team Not Caught Yet    8212
John Hansen    Lumpy skates    7923
Mary Ann Brown    Hope & A Prayer    7764
Jeff Welch    Pigs in Zen    7711
Steven Boike    RPM    7674
Lara Cassidy    Lara's team    7478
Trey Barnes    Steam Donkey    7452
Jenna King    Le Chiffre    7372
Chris Harris    Equipe Poisson    7309
Player barrett    team player    7132
Scott Staley    JRB Racing    7043

Why we need Vinokourov

2009-07-18T22:38:00.000-04:00

Today's stage gave the first thrilling rush of excitement that this tour has had to give. On the edge of my seat, I played that age old mental math game of counting down the seconds to see if George Hincapie was going to wear the first maillot jaune of his long pro career. Sadly, he came up just 5 seconds shy of the mark. Regardless of what side you fall on with regard to the Columbia/Garmin polemics, it would have been great to see George wearing yellow after such a cheeky move from the 12 km mark. If only we could see some audacious riding from others.

It is this point that we need to discuss the imminent return of Alexandre Vinokourov. Vino's return could be the breath of fresh air that the stagnant peloton needs. Vino is the wild card, the joker and the ace in the hole all rolled up into one. He is a time bomb full of hand grenades with a hair trigger and a mean streak. Vinokourov can be counted on to do the unexpected, the unconventional. The easiest way to predict the unpredictable nature of Vino is to think when would be the dumbest time to attack and that is the moment when Vino will throw it down, launch the reckless attack and ride with a wild-eyed abandon.

While everyone seems to have resigned themselves to the script that Astana has put forth for this tour, the peloton lacks a rider willing to go for broke. To my way of thinking, Cadel Evans is the man with nothing to lose and everything to gain by doing the audacious, unexpected, and foolhardy move. It can't be just one attack and "oh well, that didn't work". Evans needs to go again and again and again until he either explodes or gains something. But that's the gambler in me talking. Lance Armstrong has once again turned the Tour into a poker game of grim-faced players who aren't willing to go all in, lest someone else make the lower step of the podium. Vino is the embodiement of the slots player run amok in the poker game, pulling the lever over and over again on the off chance that three bars or three cherries will line up and the coins will come dumping out. Who cares that the odds are against such behavior; he certainly doesn't.

The calculating tactician in me looks toward Wednesday's stage as a game changer. Four Cat. 1 climbs, 2 of which are in the final 30 km with the last being a scant 15 km from the finish and one Cat. 2 climb, all on the day before the ITT has the makings of a day of attacking and counter-attacking. At this point I would think that a 1-2 punch combination from Garmin's Wiggins and Vande Velde is the only serious move that can crack Astana and their slow grinding tempo train. Do something, no matter how stupid or ill-advised or else face the inevitability of racing for scraps and allowing Astana to make the race all about them.

Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France powered by Ambien GC standings after stage 14:

Charles Bennett   Bernanke's Bumblers   9557
Peter Purcell   Team Heal With Steel   8825
Nicole Thomas   Espresso Train   8799
Shane Norris   Team Inizio   8493
Charles Hicks   Team Buuurrnn!   8261
Mellie Black   Team Limp Along   8231
Grom    Team CrashWagon   8119
Ron Swenson   Team Theoretical   8031
jim brown   stylin' and profilin'   8018
Chris Thomas   Dessel Engine   7912
Grant Dunstan   Lone Beer Ranger   7876
Eddy Winkler   Team Not Caught Yet   7677
John Hansen   Lumpy skates   7308
Mary Ann Brown   Hope & A Prayer   7219
Jeff Welch   Pigs in Zen   7205
Steven Boike   RPM   7175
Lara Cassidy   Lara's team   7022
Trey Barnes   Steam Donkey   6862
Jenna King   Le Chiffre   6853
Scott Staley   JRB Racing   6790
Chris Harris   Equipe Poisson   6701
Player barrett   team player   6680

Shake up in the GC!

2009-07-18T08:50:00.002-04:00

No, not in the TdF, but there has been a change in the lead of the LCFTdF!

Complete standings after stage 13:

Charles Bennett    Bernanke's Bumblers    8878
Nicole Thomas    Espresso Train    8479
Peter Purcell    Team Heal With Steel    8121
Shane Norris    Team Inizio    7988
Mellie Black    Team Limp Along    7933
Charles Hicks    Team Buuurrnn!    7771
Grom     Team CrashWagon    7659
Ron Swenson    Team Theoretical    7593
jim brown    stylin' and profilin'    7566
Chris Thomas    Dessel Engine    7380
Grant Dunstan    Lone Beer Ranger    7339
Eddy Winkler    Team Not Caught Yet    7104
Steven Boike    RPM    6918
John Hansen    Lumpy skates    6875
Mary Ann Brown    Hope & A Prayer    6873
Jeff Welch    Pigs in Zen    6691
Lara Cassidy    Lara's team    6613
Scott Staley    JRB Racing    6584
Jenna King    Le Chiffre    6503
Trey Barnes    Steam Donkey    6489
Chris Harris    Equipe Poisson    6410
Player barrett    team player    6267

TdF update

2009-07-16T21:59:00.000-04:00

Tour de France 2009: does the fun ever start? Another predictable day of no hopers going off the front early, the peloton decided not ot have a bunch sprint finish and Sorensen won. Yeah.

Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France standings after stage 12:

Nicole Thomas    Espresso Train    8062
Charles Bennett    Bernanke's Bumblers    8009
Peter Purcell    Team Heal With Steel    7521
Shane Norris    Team Inizio    7462
Mellie Black    Team Limp Along    7435
Charles Hicks    Team Buuurrnn!    7379
Grom     Team CrashWagon    7159
Ron Swenson    Team Theoretical    7051
jim brown    stylin' and profilin'    7020
Chris Thomas    Dessel Engine    6826
Grant Dunstan    Lone Beer Ranger    6682
Eddy Winkler    Team Not Caught Yet    6579
Steven Boike    RPM    6519
John Hansen    Lumpy skates    6421
Mary Ann Brown    Hope & A Prayer    6359
Jeff Welch    Pigs in Zen    6335
Scott Staley    JRB Racing    6275
Jenna King    Le Chiffre    6069
Trey Barnes    Steam Donkey    6061
Lara Cassidy    Lara's team    6004
Chris Harris    Equipe Poisson    5908
Player barrett    team player    5775

Complete results are here.

Complete team rosters are here.

Tour de wake me up in 5 days...

2009-07-15T21:42:00.000-04:00

Every morning I swear I'm not going to waste time watching what has got to be the most stultifyingly boring Tour de France of my life. I feel like the intention was good: to make a close race that would end in a last day show down in the Alps, but the reality is a non-race. All the favorites have no way of distancing themselves from each other and no reason to attack, either. But like a crackhead, I keep turning that video on and watching, hoping to get a small hit of that sweet feeling that comes from watching a truly riveting bike race. Today's hit of ecstasy came when it looked like Tyler Farrar was going to best the Manx Missile, but it wasn't meant to be. Another 30-40 meters and maybe, but Cav' is just crazy fast when he sees that line sway into view. All I know is that the end of this Tour better have enough fireworks to make up for all of the non-action we have seen so far...

Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France standings:

Nicole Thomas    Espresso Train    7481
Charles Bennett    Bernanke's Bumblers    7307
Peter Purcell    Team Heal With Steel    6918
Mellie Black    Team Limp Along    6833
Shane Norris    Team Inizio    6831
Charles Hicks    Team Buuurrnn!    6651
Ron Swenson    Team Theoretical    6557
Grom     Team CrashWagon    6539
jim brown    stylin' and profilin'    6410
Chris Thomas    Dessel Engine    6320
Grant Dunstan    Lone Beer Ranger    6152
Steven Boike    RPM    6136
Eddy Winkler    Team Not Caught Yet    6059
Mary Ann Brown    Hope & A Prayer    5981
John Hansen    Lumpy skates    5883
Jeff Welch    Pigs in Zen    5882
Scott Staley    JRB Racing    5774
Jenna King    Le Chiffre    5680
Trey Barnes    Steam Donkey    5611
Chris Harris    Equipe Poisson    5574
Lara Cassidy    Lara's team    5524
Player barrett    team player    5450

We are on the verge of having 2 women on the podium!

Full results are here.

Current standings through Stage 10

2009-07-15T09:03:00.000-04:00

Full results are here.

Current standings:

Charles Bennett    Bernanke's Bumblers    6756
Nicole Thomas    Espresso Train    6711
Peter Purcell    Team Heal With Steel    6323
Mellie Black    Team Limp Along    6217
Ron Swenson    Team Theoretical    6208
Shane Norris    Team Inizio    6088
Charles Hicks    Team Buuurrnn!    6039
jim brown    stylin' and profilin'    5874
Grom     Team CrashWagon    5868
Chris Thomas    Dessel Engine    5710
Eddy Winkler    Team Not Caught Yet    5678
Grant Dunstan    Lone Beer Ranger    5655
Steven Boike    RPM    5617
Mary Ann Brown    Hope & A Prayer    5502
John Hansen    Lumpy skates    5438
Jeff Welch    Pigs in Zen    5368
Chris Harris    Equipe Poisson    5245
Trey Barnes    Steam Donkey    5222
Jenna King    Le Chiffre    5218
Lara Cassidy    Lara's team    5082
Scott Staley    JRB Racing    4992
Player barrett    team player    4991

Another stage, another yellow for Nocentini

2009-07-12T16:10:00.007-04:00

The most exciting thing in the Tour right now is the Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France. While the real race plays out with awful predictability this week, the LCFTdF is a topsy turvy world of upset and rising fortunes. The ladies have stepped up mightily this year as we have Nicole Thomas in 2nd place on GC and fast rising Melanie Black moving into 4th place. Player Barrett has extricated himself from the last place position, but just as in the real Tour, there is a reward for the trick of finishing in last place in the LCFTdF, too!

current standings and results:

Charles Bennett    Bernanke's Bumblers    5956
Nicole Thomas    Espresso Train    5885
Ron Swenson    Team Theoretical    5762
Mellie Black    Team Limp Along    5679
Peter Purcell    Team Heal With Steel    5564
Shane Norris    Team Inizio    5344
Charles Hicks    Team Buuurrnn!    5314
jim brown    stylin' and profilin'    5271
Grom     Team CrashWagon    5211
Grant Dunstan    Lone Beer Ranger    5105
Steven Boike    RPM    5103
Eddy Winkler    Team Not Caught Yet    5087
Mary Ann Brown    Hope & A Prayer    4997
John Hansen    Lumpy skates    4983
Chris Thomas    Dessel Engine    4982
Chris Harris    Equipe Poisson    4862
Jenna King    Le Chiffre    4760
Trey Barnes    Steam Donkey    4743
Jeff Welch    Pigs in Zen    4727
Lara Cassidy    Lara's team    4606
Player barrett    team player    4568
Scott Staley    JRB Racing    4455

Another stage

2009-07-11T21:17:00.000-04:00

The next week of the Tour will pretty much go as follows: Nocentini will keep the yellow courtesy of Astana. The real race will start with the ITT and the Alps. This could all come down to Mont Ventoux on the second to last day. It is going to take all the other teams working together to have any hope of breaking Astana's apparent stranglehold on the race. Cadel's move today showed a bit of brashness, but there is no way anyone on Astana is going to let him go and with only one tt left in the race, he is pretty much sunk. Wiggins and Vande Velde could make things interesting, but I don't think that will happen until the Alps. I think Armstrong will try to gain time on Contador in the time trial and then shadow him in the mountains. Contador will have to attack hard on the steeps to dislodge people, but he will also have to count on Armstrong riding the team "plan" and not chasing his own teammate. Still up in the air as to how this rivalry is going to play out.

Fantasy Tour results are here.

current GC

Nicole Thomas                Espresso Train      5344
Charles Bennett              Bernanke's Bumblers   5302
Ron Swenson   Team Theoretical      5166
Peter Purcell                   Team Heal With Steel 5086
Mellie Black                   Team Limp Along      5082
Charles Hicks   Team Buuurrnn!   4955
Shane Norris   Team Inizio      4942
Grom                               Team CrashWagon            4766
jim brown      stylin' and profilin'      4764
Eddy Winkler    Team Not Caught Yet   4581
Chris Thomas   Dessel Engine                    4540
John Hansen   Lumpy skates   4400
Steven Boike      RPM   4398
Grant Dunstan      Lone Beer Ranger 4381
Mary Ann Brown     Hope & A Prayer   4371
Jeff Welch      Pigs in Zen      4333
Chris Harris                   Equipe Poisson   4289
Trey Barnes                   Steam Donkey                     4191
Jenna King                     Le Chiffre      4178
Scott Staley   JRB Racing   4099
Lara Cassidy                 Lara's team      4097
Player barrett      team player      3898

Tour de Fraaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhnce

2009-07-10T21:13:00.002-04:00

In what looked to have the makings of an epic stage full of sound and fury, today's jaunt to Andorra was remarkably unspectacular. Sure Contador threw down an accelleration at the end, but realistically this was the Cat. 5 city limit sprint blindside moment of the Tour. Armstrong stated that it wasn't part of the plan but he didn't expect Contador to follow the plan, while Bruyneel said there was no plan. That kind of muddle doesn't bode well. But Kloden sure did stay up there and could still pull the you-guys-have-the-measuring-contest-while-I-go-win-this-thing attack up his sleeve. Sad to say, but Armstrong has brought both drama and dullness to this Tour. Astana pulled it out the tried and true playbook and set tempo at the front, daring anybody to try and attack. Poor Evans hasn't figured out he's already dead. One small light shines in the Garmin bunch as both Wiggins and Vande Velde held up on the stage with Zabriskie doing decent climbing duty for a good part of the day.

Fantasy Tour de France standings are here.

Nicole Thomas   Espresso Train                4754
Ron Swenson           Team Theoretical    4542
Charles Bennett       Bernanke's Bumblers      4530
Peter Purcell            Team Heal With Steel   4509
Charles Hicks          Team Buuurrnn!              4496
Shane Norris            Team Inizio                     4416
Mellie Black      Team Limp Along   4310
jim brown      stylin' and profilin'          4207
Grom       Team CrashWagon      4198
Eddy Winkler      Team Not Caught Yet      4114
Jeff Welch               Pigs in Zen   3958
Chris Thomas   Dessel Engine                  3935
Steven Boike      RPM                                 3847
John Hansen           Lumpy skates                 3796
Grant Dunstan        Lone Beer Ranger            3789
Scott Staley            JRB Racing                       3765
Mary Ann Brown    Hope & A Prayer   3751
Trey Barnes           Steam Donkey   3677
Jenna King             Le Chiffre      3618
Chris Harris           Equipe Poisson                3567
Lara Cassidy      Lara's team      3505
Player barrett   team player                      3305

History is made

2009-07-09T22:44:00.000-04:00

Today is an historic day in the Luna Cycles Fantasy Tour de France. For today is the day that the gender barrier has been broken and a female directeur sportif has ascended the top step in the GC. Nicole Thomas has become the first female GC leader by ousting Peter Purcell from what appeared to be a pretty commanding lead. Chapeau, Nicole!

Latest standings:

1. Espresso Train (N. Thomas) - 4219 pts.
2. Team Heal with Steel (P. Purcell) - 4082 pts.
3. Team Buuuuuuuuurn! (C. Hicks) - 3981 pts.

Complete standings here.

Complete list of teams and their riders here.

Tomorrow is the day that could reveal all. With a final 10.6 km that looks like a graphic from a math SAT question requiring knowledge of the Pythagorean Theorem, a first kilometer with an average gradient of 8.7%, and an overall nasty disposition that travels skyward, the finish will definitely seperate the contenders from the pretenders. The big question on everybody's mind is what will Armstrong reveal on this climb? Is it all just smoke and mirrors? Will Contador send a message? or will Lance lay down some horrific smackdown after a brutal softening up of the bunch courtesy of his faithful domestiques? Will Levi take advantage and for once lay down an attack? Will Kloden ride for himself and be the big spoiler? This is going to be an interesting day...

LCFTdF update

2009-07-08T22:21:00.000-04:00

The sentimental favorite, Thomas Voeckler, guts out a crazy win after a looooooooooooooong break in swirling crosswinds 5 years to the day of taking the yellow jersey in 2004. The darling of France is back!

Your Fantasy Standings:

1. Team Heal with Steel (P. Purcell) - 3554 pts
2. Team Buuuuuuuurn! (C. Hicks) - 3391 pts
3. Espresso Train (N. Thomas) - 3390 pts (first female to crack the top 3 in GC!)

lanterne rouge Team Player (P. Barrett) - 2144 pts

Complete standings here.

Friday will seperate the contenders from the pretenders so stay tuned!