"Bring me a shrubbery!"

While the news of Castro's death, to paraphrase a famous writer, seems a bit premature, GW Bush's political lifespan seems to be beyond all but the most heroic of measures to save it at this point. Republicans have joined democrats in droves to voice disappointment and criticism for the White House's new proposals for dealing with Iraq. Too bad their all just playing a big game of CYA. I try not to enter into too much political conversation, but I am still bitter about all of the insults Golden and I suffered for not supporting Operation Just Cuz at the beginning. I hate the whole "You don't support the troops" B.S. that we suffered through 4 years ago. Let me state for the record that I do support our troops; I support them so much, I don't want to see them senselessly put in harm's way to achieve NOTHING! Now that everyone and their brother is on the anti-war bandwagon, there is no satisfaction in it, just a hollow feeling of how much has been lost and wasted...

So now, a bunch of politicians get to make speeches and wring their hands and point fingers, but really they can only blame themselves. The Republican party and especially Karl Rove, sought to establish a ONE party government. They achieved it for six years and now you can understand the big civics lesson that you didn't quite grasp in High School: we have opposing parties for a reason and we have a system of checks and balances for a reason. Just remember boys and girls that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

On a different note, I'm not sure what's in the Kool Aid around here, but the shop has been busy like it's spring time. I guess mother nature is going to let us know who's boss this weekend. The forecast is calling for a bunch of white stuff to be on or about these here parts in the next few days, so I'm guessing our bikes are going to be chained up to the trainers for a little while. And to think I was down to shorts and arm warmers this past Sunday.

If your big thing for the coming year is achieving some personal athletic goal, then check out this site to find some like minded souls to share your training log with. You can also find a list of events all over the country, including swimming, running and cycling.

Il bambino has yet to make progress in the eating department. He stares at you like vulture while your eating, but try spoon something into his mouth and it's like Owen, the cereal erupting volcano. He's gotten a cold (from me this time) but he remains happy as ever. We've been reading "Don't let the pigeon stay up late!". It's the sequel to "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus!". Unlike most sequels, this one really wraps up a lot of things that were just not satisfactorily brought to a complete resolution in the first book. The scary thing is, I can't get that damn pigeon out of my head. I kept thinking about him today at work...

fresh out of the brain cloud

Just got done doing yoga with Golden. I have hollowed my abdomen, lengthened my spine and cleared my mind - bring it, Rodney Yee! With that out of the way, there have been a few things I've meant to talk about, so this is sort of going to be a post like that Jeopardy category that they put all of the left over questions into; a written potpourri, if you will.

First up is Chris from Tally, the Luna Cycles agent at large. Chris gifted me with a Joe's Bike Shop t-shirt and jersey. They are a really cool shop in Tallahassee. Check out their link over in the sidebar. I also was given an official Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin' t-shirt. Now if you don't know what worm gruntin' is, here is a brief introduction to this dying Florida pasttime.

Chris is a true renaissance man and following in that vein, he is currently embracing a life of athletic monasticism. An avid swimmer, he now keeps the following training stat: "Dude, I have swum 1,111,200 yards since I last got laid." I think that is the kind of athlete stat that every athlete should publicize. Imagine: "Well Paul, I think Ullrich has a lot to prove, but Vinokourov hasn't had sex since November 7th, 2004. I think he's going to rip everybody's legs off today." It could really shed some light on who's really motivated for the win...

I've been a little obsessed with cooking lately. Sunday, I cooked a flemish meal of Chicken with gin and juniper berries, stoemp mit prei (mashed potatoes with leeks) and flemish style brussel sprouts. Washed it all down with a couple of bottles of Chimay. Damn tasty, if I say so myself. In that vein, I promised Chris (see how I tied all that together) to give him my recipe for Shrimp and grits, so here it is:

cook grits according to instructions, but use chicken broth instead of water. Fry several strips of bacon and set aside to drain. Saute onions in bacon grease, discard most of the bacon fat when done. Make a roux with white flour and the reserved bacon fat. Deglaze pan and thin roux using about a 1/4 cup of fresh brewed coffee. Add cream to thicken into a sauce and add the onions and let thicken. Throw the uncooked shrimp in with the cooking grits toward the end of the cooking time for the grits. Plate by serving the grits/shrimp mixture, then crumble bacon on it, spoon red eye gravy on, grate cheddar cheese on and top with fresh sliced spring onions. Salt and pepper as necessary. Feel free to change any or all instructions to suit personal taste!

In keeping with the random deep south theme of this post, it seems that Uncle Fidel is ailing according to the capitalist, pig-dog press. I got news for ya' folks, Disney built, like, 5 animatronic Castros back in the '50's. There's no telling if this is the real Fidel in ill health, or some robot in need of a software upgrade. Only time will tell. Viva la revolucion!

I told you I was all over the place tonight. Florida, Belgium, Deep-south, Cuba and Far East workout/torture session... I guess I kept a tiny thread of logic running through it all...

News Flash

Check out this idiot.

"Turn and face the strange. Ch-ch-ch-changes..."

Happy MLK day. My words will do nothing to add to the man's impact and legacy, so I won't even try. Too many people will be heaping tons of rehashed praise on a life cut short in the service of others on this day, and I shan't contribute. Suffice it to say, we could use a few people willing to stand up for the right thing against the overwhelming tide of public sentiment.

I ran into some old timers working on a house down the street when I took Owen for a walk this morning. They were putting the finishing touches on a refurbished house that somebody is flipping. The comment was made that maybe "Mexicans" would buy the house. First, most of our spanish-speaking immigrants in this area are Honduran or El Salvadoran, but to the unwashed masses anyone from south of the US of A is a mexican. The real crux of the matter though, was that these guys couldn't fathom why anyone would want to move here. It is pitiful how people who are from here can't see the beauty in this area. these guys went on to complain that property taxes were getting to be so high, they wouldn't be able to afford to live here.

Now I am by no means a big fan of developers, gated communities or anything else that let's the wealthy divvy the world up a little finer amongst themselves, but this guy was complaining about the property taxes on his 18 acres outside of Blowing Rock on which he has a mobile home. Now, let's get a little perspective: an acre outside of Blowing Rock sells for around $220,000. Multiply that times 18 and you're sitting on $3,960,000. For that kind of cabbage, I'd throw the trailer in for free. My concerns are several when it comes to the present growth and development in our area:
1) Development should be controlled. You can't just throw open the flood gates and hope that the conscientious developers maintain the natural integrity of the area. Given the chance, people will love any place TO DEATH!

2) Our area should not lose the affordability for the people who already live here. Coming from out west, we've seen places become too expensive for all but the second (or third) homebuyers.

Other than that, an influx of outsiders could prove to be a boon in both monetary and intellectual capitol for this area. Things have to change here, or the place won't survive.

Got this and I thought I should share it:

To: Shawn
From: The Brewmeister

Shawn, let anyone know about "Tuesday Nites Under the Lights" at the speedway-hereafter known as the "chicken bone velodrome" See Hickory Velo Club for details.

Hope you are feeling better. Your post from a couple days ago sounds like you need some real springtime and sun. True ruminations on these modern times, but remember, the more things change, the more they stay the same - I can't spell it in french.

Mark(?) and I have been carrying the 'cross addiction on. I am already dreading the seasons end.....but looking forward to next fall.

keep it turning

HH

Nothing like racing on speedways. It's super fun and you can see everything. I've gotta admit, I'm already makin' plans for next 'cross season... Yep, it's gonna be a different story next season... Yeah, right.

I apologize if I've been a downer lately. The sinus congestion always makes me a bit difficult. Golden says it always puts me in a bad mood. Well, I'm on the backside of the cold; I've got a four day work week (Tues: guest speaker, read "no teaching", Wed and Thurs: benchmark testing, read "very little teaching", and Fri: Cumulative Semester Science Exam, read "Mr. Moore is EVIL!") and another 3 day weekend on the horizon. Things are looking pretty good from where I'm sittin', pretty good indeed.

laid low by an invisible hand

I've got to apologize for missing a post yesterday. Some sort of evil mutant cold virus nailed me yesterday morning and I've been fighting it ever since. I resorted to carrying a bandanna with me to function as an old man hanky in an effort to staunch the flow streaming from my sinuses. It reminded me of the little boy with his fingers in the dike. Anyway, I came home from the shop last night, took some NyQuil and passed out immediately after watching "Idiocracy". It was that deep, deep sleep that only a drug can impart. Like Denis Leary said (I paraphrase) the bottle should say 'don't take while standing'; kiss the wife and kids 'cause you're going bye-bye! Needless to say, I was unable to write anything.

Rent "Idiocracy". It is an implausible (hopefully) story about the EXTREME dumbing down of the world over the course of 500 years. It was funny and yet, back of mind scary, all at the same time. Written and directed by Mike Judge (Office Space) and starring Luke Wilson.

So, today was the Praxis II General Secondary Science test. I'll find out in 4 weeks whether or not my self assessment of my performance is correct. In a word, I think I blew it big time - BIG TIME, I say! It was hard in unspeakable ways. It definitely ran the science gambit, covering a potpourri of scientific knowledge. My brain hurts from the effort.

One bright spot on the day was that I got to see the video that Charles shot of the Lenoir 'cross race and it was beyond excellent. I will be posting it in the next day or two for you to watch. Let Charles know what you think of it, since I know he put a lot of effort into it.

No mtn. bike ride for tomorrow. I'm gonna spin a little in the morning. Join us for a 10 am ride leaving from the shop. Well, I'm gettin' woozy...

mmm, mmm, good!

We've started feeding Owen this rice, banana, milk porridge concoction. It is this vile grey puss color, but regardless, when you strap on his bib, it's go time. The kid is nothing but enthusiastic when it comes to eating. Enthusiasm can only go so far in covering up poor technique, though and let me tell ya, the kid is lacking some serious eating technique.

He grabs for the bowl. He knocks the spoon away from his mouth. He ducks and weaves like Sugar Ray Leonard. He opens his mouth and moves his head from side to side like a graduate from the Stevie Wonder School of Deportment. In short, feeding him is a train wreck. He ended up with cereal in his hair of all places...

My favorite part is when you finally get the cereal in his mouth, he goops it forward with his tongue and pushes it out of his mouth and on to his bib. Then he dives his head down and tries to slurp it off his bib. I thought that eating was a natural, instinctual act, but my little genius is definitely showing me otherwise.

Owen eating reminds me of the old Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom show. Golden is Marlon Perkins, staying out of the action; cooly, dispassionately narrating the events. Owen is some dangerous wild creature trying to eat some hapless prey animal. And I am the indefatigable Jim Fowler, volunteered to do a dangerous job that I am not adequately prepared for by some old codger who sits in a studio somewhere doing voice over of my exploits after the fact.

When I was a kid, we used to tube feed baby birds that my parents bred. Would it traumatize a baby too much to use a speculum to sort of smooth out the feeding process? Okay, maybe a bit harsh, but pet ownership is really my only frame of reference for this parenting thing. At least I'm not considering crate training him.

Thanks for all of the comments and emails. I like to think that I stir the pot a little bit here and there and I relish the discussion. Keep 'em coming! Still haven't heard from any takers on a mtn. bike ride this weekend. Let me know if you're interested.

Thug life (dinky-ass town style)

Man, why oh why do I have to end up seeing the crappy side of life that I like to think doesn't exist? I got to see all these pictures of local gang grafitti and local gang members (14 year olds, no less) flashing gang signs and all kinds of crap at the gang awareness presentation for my school. I want to truly believe in the innocence of my students and of my community, but then you see all this stupid pointless crap. It is so stupid, it makes me want to cry.

I believe that we have gotten to a point where our identities are foist upon us just like any other product in our consumer society. My students rebel through neatly marketed channels in order to distinguish themselves from their peers. But it's all the same crap. I remember having to have a member's only jacket to be cool, and izod and levi's and who knows what else, in order to fit in. I see my students going after an entire lifestyle, most notably this gangsta/thug ethic. The sad part of it is that the whole thing is just smoke and mirrors. Gangsta rappers portray an image that isn't real and kids emulate that image and think that they are engaging in real life. MC Dumbass gets paid millions to act like a gangsta and talk about dealing and pimping and every other kind of stupid thing that makes up the baser realms of our society. Sad thing is that not only are my kids into it, so are their parents. I've seen grandparents wearing 50 cent and Tupac t-shirts. Look around Lenoir and count the number of affluent white women in big shiny suv's with ridiculous chrome wheels on it, talking on their cell-phones. Or all the rednecks with "Orange County Choppers" stickers in their windows (like anyone actually owns one around here). It's all a show. For who, though?

It is truly a small town mentality when everybody runs around doing unoriginal things in a never ending game of oneupsmanship in order to impress the people around you. Please. Where is the exit for this ride 'cause I want off. I think about our state motto: Esse Quam Videri, to be rather than to seem. It seems like the only thing that counts is how you appear, not how you really are.

I watched a 1964 Francois Truffaut movie called, The Soft Skin, with Golden the other night. It was striking that the main character, M. Lachenay, was a famous intellectual in France. He was like a rock star, women wanted his autograph, men watched im as he went by. It was striking because, who in America is famous for being an intellectual? The closest thing we have is Bill Gates and I would posit that he is famous for being extremely wealthy, not smart. How do I convince 13 and 14 year olds that the key to success lies with their mind, not the ability to put a ball in a hoop (or an endzone, or out of a ball park) or the willingness to risk jail to deal drugs? The real problem for them is that the real world ends with the border of Lenoir. The rest of the world is such an abstract concept that they can actually get caught up in the stupidity that can easily pass for an adulthood here. I, for one, welcome the influx of people moving here from other parts of the country. I hope it brings a greater diversity of thought and expectations for this area. Maybe the best way to appreciate where you live, is to see with the eyes of a person who has never been there...

The aftermath

Let's start things off with some email:

To:Shawn
From: Jack Brown
Re: Lenoir 'cross race

Hey Shawn,

Deb got a couple of great shots of you (one out of focus unfortunately) at the race Saturday. You can now talk all the smack you need to Howard because here’s the proof Baby! Had a great time but like you said, it’s ‘bout quittin’ time for now. See you soon, Jack.



Thanks Jack! I think I need to tape that picture to my stem for motivation. Howard, I appreciate racing with you this season, but why the heck did you have to attack before the runup?!? That just blew things all to hell, but it's not like I suffered because of it. I was gonna suffer anyway...

To: Shawn
From: J-Mac
Re: Lenoir 'cross race
Shawn-

Good evening. Hope your doing well. I wanted to thank-you for a great race on Saturday. While a ton of pain was involved, I really thought I was going to barf after the finish, I look back to another great installation of a cycling memory. It wasn't because I had a stellar race - I held my own but definite room for improvement. It was because the course set-up was awesome and the race was run smoothly. It was because of the mud - which I am still picking out of my nose. It was because a lot of my friends biked, jumped, crawled and cursed their way around the loop of doom - something I will enjoy talking about over the years. And finally, it was because my son Josh got second in his junior category and my wife and daughter were there to see it all.
Shawn - while Owen will cause you to pull out the little hair you have left, he will also bring you to the mountain top of joy. You'll love it. I enjoy hearing about Owen now and look forward to hearing about him in the future.
I can sense your frustration with not getting the results you want in cross. I used to never show up to races unprepared. However, it was your cross racing group that taught me - you don't have to be in great shape to have fun at races. You guys (you andJeff) about made it impossible for me to back out of this race. I didn't have a bike - Jeff supplied one. I didn't have shoes - Jeff supplied those. I didn't think I was in shape - you stated most aren't either. Since I was out of excuses, I raced and have no regrets. My point in all that blabber - you racing Shawn, no matter what the results, spurs others to race. This breeds excitement in biking. Just wanted you to know that.
I hope you have a great evening.

John

See, that is the kind of thing that friends do: force you to go race 'cross in the worst conditions of the season until you think you're gonna puke. Yep, friendship - it's a beautiful thing. I'm beginning to figure out that I have been coming across as a bit of a puss in my last few posts. I guess I have been belly aching a bit. Well, I would like to set the record straight. I had a blast racing against the largest cx 4 fields of the NC series. I had a top ten and then just missed the podium at Hendersonville with a 4th place (I outsprinted some dude to the line - thought I was going to throw up and pass out on that one), so it was a season with some success. I gladly gave up riding with any seriousness to hang out with Owen. And though his body fat percentage is a tad on the high side right now (like 30% or something), the kid is gonna be hell on wheels when he can finally hold his head up. Now I gotta just do some sort of aversion therapy when he is playing in the bathtub to keep him from being a triathlete...

These letters definitely make me feel fortunate that I have such good friends and such a tight knit cycling community here. I am also sorry that I missed the post race festivities at Sledgehammers (Jeff was there for like 7 hours and had a self-described "entertaining" bike ride home afterwards).

On a non-bike related note, have you seen the new Apple iPhone? I am in serious lust for something that doesn't go on a bike. Check it out at Apple. Buddha says that desire is the root of all human suffering... screw it, I want one!

Tomorrow I get to go to gang awareness training and then saturday morning I'm traveling to Hickory to take another Praxis test to get licensed for teaching high school. I am just expanding my horizons left and right these days...

The boy and me

Played hooky from work today in order to take care of Owen. My folks were out of town, so we had a bit of a boy's day. No tattoos - yet, but we did get to flirt with a lot of women downtown. It's pretty amazing how popular Owen is. I think it's the hair that sticks up everywhere. Several women remarked, "What a cute baby!" My responses were as follows: "Half of him is mine" , "He get's his good looks from me" and "Yeah, I do good work". Owen just grins and giggles.

Owen is rolling over like it's going out of style. I have to make sure I don't leave him unattended when he is on something. Can't imagine what it would be like to tell Golden that I broke the baby...

I'm glad I didn't have to work today. An extra day to recover from Saturday was welcome indeed. I think I pulled my left calf, at least it's pretty tight and sore. I'm glad to call this 'cross season quits. It has been fun, but really tiring racing without much time to train. Hopefully, next year will be a little less hectic and I'll be able to prepare and train.

I have managed not to mention it 'til now, but I got a new mtn. bike, a BMC Team frame. It's a carbon/aluminum mix and I have had to put disc brakes on it since it wouldn't accept v-brakes. I haven't ridden it yet, but I am hoping to start doing some group mtn. bike rides on Sundays. Who would be up for a trip to Dark Mtn this Sunday? I'm pretty flexible on time, just let me know if you are interested.

Put a fork in me 'cause I'm done

Here is a little picture of me from today's race in Lenoir. Everything was going great until the race official blew the whistle... I guess my training plan of 1 day a week rides and eating my way through the holidays wasn't nearly as effective as I thought it would be. That plus busting butt to set the course up and take care of last minute stuff with Jeff wasn't the best warm up.

All in all, I think we had a successful event. The course was brutally tough. The grassy sections turned to a chocolate cake batter slogfest that left many gasping for air. The run-up was cute in a Marquis de Sade sort of way, but the corkscrew descent afterwards was almost worth the effort. After the tennis court off camber, you passed through a thick, sticky mud section. I could feel my bike getting heavier and slower as the mud packed on it, but when you entered the dry dirt section the bike would surge forward as all of the mud was expelled!

Congratulations go to Jeff for hustling and putting on a great event. Thanks to Jack, Mark, Big E, the Grom, The Mayor, Ron, the pasty legged killah, Howard, Jenna, Rebecca, Grom's mom and everyone else who helped make the event possible. I'll be putting up photos soon (thanks, Dad) and editing the video (thanks Mom and Grom) in the next few days.

No more 'cross for me until next season! Maybe, I'll train this time....

Time to talk dirty

I put the finishing touches on the barriers for this weekends race. A word to the wise: go over them clean 'cause if you tap 'em, they're gonna tap back - hard. It is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow. This on top of the 3 inches we got over the weekend and the only thing that is gonna keep this 'cross race from looking like a triathlon will be the fact that we will have our bikes with us the whole time. That and the lack of some of the queerer fashions that pass for tri uniforms these days...

Hope you can make it out for the race (Sat. 11 am). Bring cow bells, flags and your hollerin' voices. I invited my students to come, since it is practically in the middle of their neighborhood. They gave me some crap about studying on saturday... Riiiiiiight. I got done writing all the pro purse checks. Men pays 12 deep and Women pays 5 deep. That and the prizes for every other podium are gonna make for a lucrative little throwdown here in our neck of the woods. I'm gonna try to get some video and post it to you tube once its edited. Wish me luck on that one.

Rodney Yee done whupped my butt

Last night, Golden asked me to do yoga with her. She got this Rodney Yee vidoe called Yoga Burn and it lived up to it's name. I don't know if you've ever done yoga, but this routine has you do like 5,000 downward facing dogs in a row. Besides hollowing my belly, spiraling my spine and relaxing my face, ol' Rodney has you bending and stretching and holding yourself in any number of painful, muscle-quaking poses for what seems like an eternity. I think the guy learned yoga in some top-secret asian torture training center. The problem with a yoga DVD is that you can see on the little DVD player screen which chapter out of how many chapters you've done. You know your in trouble in a video workout when your pushed to the limit during chapter 5 of 24. I can't wait to do it again tomorrow night...

Teaching is beginning to feel like my own sort of self-torture. I am up against a wall now and I can't figure out how to knock it down. I met with one parent today who was concerned that our schools are too easy compared to where they moved from in Watauga county. Then I had a phone call from another parent, very upset that our classes are far too hard and that her child's lack of attentiveness is my fault. There are several issues involved here. I feel like I am expected to lower my expectations in order for students to get the right grades. And since when am I supposed to entertain students in order for them to pay attention in class. What happened to valuing an education enough to put forth an effort? I think the reason why the US scores so poorly on every global education ranking system is because we view education as a product to be consumed. Consumer culture demands that the wants, needs and desires of the consumer be met or the product is not purchased. Wake up call people: you don't shop around for primary and secondary education unless you can afford to send a kid to private school.

That being said, I am trying to have high standards and education my students for the rigors and requirements of the 21st century world. The world that my current students will compete for jobs in, is very different from anything I could have imagined when I was their age. These students will essentially be competing against the rest of the world for most well-paying jobs. So while we sit here and demand that teachers entertain our kids and give them the grades that will make them happy rather than the grades they deserve, some kid in China or India or any number of countries is busting his/her butt to nail down a foreign language, higher level math and science, computer technology and critical thinking skills in order to earn their way out of a world with few options into a world of limitless possibilities. I guess I'm just trying to say that I don't make the rules, but just like everybody else, I gotta play by 'em.

Enough soapbox, 3 days to 'cross! I'm not so much excited as I am just ready to go have some fun on my 'cross bike. Don't forget your cowbell and your wellies!

Check out some music. Scroll down and listen to the Johnny Cash song "God's gonna cut you down".

Gettin' philosophical up in this beeotch...

Alright, I survived going back to school today. Now I can reflect and wax philosophical on the year past and the year ahead.

I am sure that by now, even the most casual reader is familiar with my new son, Owen. I love him to death despite the couple of times he's peed on me and the one time he tried to poop on me. He woke up this morning, looked straight at me and got a huge smile that lit up his face. That crap just kills me... I'm also incredibly fortunate that my parents have decided to move to Lenoir and that Owen get's taken care of by his grandparents instead of having to go to daycare. Thanks Mom and Dad.

Of course, I can't thank my wife enough for putting up with my spacy optimism, weird sense of humor, repeated stories, and the inevitable "stupid accident of the year" (this year, I swallowed a finishing nail) for another year.

Another person whom I am incredibly thankful for is my best friend and business partner, Jeff. I have to make sure to say "business partner" because I've noticed when I refer to him as my "partner", people get a real odd expression on their face for a fleeting second before they regain their composure. Anyway, Jeff (and his wife, Shelli) decided to follow us out here from Flagstaff, AZ about a year ago. Without Jeff, Luna Cycles wouldn't exist and I am eternally grateful to him for throwing in with me and helping us to both realize our dream of owning a bike shop. Jeff compliments my personality well and I feel that we make a very good team. Thanks Jeff for all that you do for me and the shop.

Now that I start to think about the coming year, I want to remind you of this weekend's 'cross race right here in Lenoir at the Zack's Fork soccer complex. This is a momentous event for our fledgling cycling community because it will be the third cycling event in Lenoir since July. I really feel that our community is set to reap the rewards of the fantastic cycling climate we have here. Our town is up for anything that we have come up with so far and more and more organizations seem to want to capitalize on the outdoor recreation opportunities that our area has to offer. This year will see a new metric century in the spring and the construction of mountain bike trails at the Aquatic Center in addition to the Bridge to Bridge century, the 2nd annual Lenoir Criterium (June 9th, 2007) and the Lenoir Cyclocross race. With momentum like this, who knows what the future holds for us?

My hopes for the future are for all of the excitement and enthusiasm that I have for Lenoir and the growing community of entrepreneurs taking the same risks as Jeff and I, to become even more infectious and to attract more people to the area. I hope that Luna Cycles can continue to serve as an incubator for our cycling community and that we can continue to serve that community to the best of our abilities.

If you can make it, come check out the 'cross race Saturday. Races start at 11 am. If you would like to volunteer to help, contact Jeff at the shop (759-1990), on his cell (729-2192) or email him. Don't know what the heck I'm talking about, check out the flyer at the top of the links in the sidebar!

A brand new year

Happy New Year! Feliz Anno Nuevo!

Hope everyone had a good new year's eve. We had a great dinner with my folks. Pecan crusted chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens, cornbread and belgian fruit cake. We toasted the new year with champagne cocktails.

I had planned on writing a longer posting about what I'm thankful for and what I'm looking forward to in the new year, but reality snuck up and cracked me a good one when I realized I was going to have 90 eager (yeah, right) adolescents staring at me in class tomorrow! I promise something pithy and worth the wait in the coming days!

Hope you ate your black-eyed peas (for luck) and collard greens (for money) today!

Timmy Tooth vs. Owen the Irritable

Seems that Owen has decided to start sprouting teeth. He exudes this really thick drool and tries to chew on everything in sight. It's like having a puppy that screams. This little bit of maturation along with yesterday's drive-a-palooza conspired to make Omac one cranky little dude all day.

Went on a big, chilly group ride. About 12 people showed (where were ya'll last saturday when it was warm?) and it was a nice smooth ride. Nobody pissed of the Killah and he allowed everyone to remain upright for another day. Charles rode his cracked (in 3 places) carbon fiber frame and to my relief, it was still in one piece when I turned around.

Over the holiday break, we got to ride with a few people from out of town. It is really nice to ride with people who aren't from here; it helps me to appreciate even more how good the riding is here. One guy even said, "Wow, you guys HAVE to ride here everyday. That's really gotta suck." This as we rolled down the freshly paved Steeltown Rd. past the most beautiful horse I've ever seen in person. Yeah, rolling terrain, mountains, lightly trafficed roads, beautiful scenery, it all combines to make this a really crappy place to be a cyclist...

Hopefully by now you know that I try to help my friends out. Now, I would like to say that my good friend Dr. J-mac has a problem: his new partner at his family practice backed out on him at the last moment and he needs a replacement. I talked with him briefly in order to get the particulars. Apparently, he is pretty firm on the applicant having a medical degree. Other than that, a willingness to move to Lenoir would be helpful and interest in cycling would be a big plus. Drop me a line if you're interested.

Back to the motherland

I spent about nine hours in the car today driving to Fayetteville for a neurologist appointment. Now before you go shouting "Fayett-nam" at me (like I've never heard that before...), I gotta speak a little truth about the place. It's a shi**hole. Now, I can confidently give you this assessment because I was born and raised there. If you are unsure of where I am talking about, look up Ft. Bragg Army Base and you'll see it. I know, I know, sh**hole is a harsh term and maybe even a bit unfair. Fayetteville is absolutely a fabulous destination if you want to a) pawn something, b) buy a used car, or c) go to a strip club. If one of those things is on your must do vacation list, then Fayetteville is a freakin' disneyland with transvestite prostitutes instead of people in animal outfits. Oh yeah, and it get's hotter than hell there in the summer with like a 1000% humidity. Let me also state for the record that I am not in any way, shape, or form a military kid. I am of the rare breed who's family is from Fayetteville. Our part of Scotland must have sucked back in the 1700's when my ancestors came to America, found Fayetteville (then the twin towns of Campbelltown and Cross Creek) and said, "this is it!"

So what could lure me back to the land of my birth? The best neurologist in the world. You may or may not be aware that I have multiple sclerosis, a degenerative nervous system disease. I have had it for 15 years and consider myself very lucky for my current robust health. Dr. Serranno, my neurologist, has been with me for 12 of those years. He is the absolute coolest doctor. He sits down and talks to you like a friend. He sees you, not a chart. And he spends 30 minutes to an hour with you, just talking and telling stories. I actually look forward to my trips to the doctor. He has me on several medicines that aren't specifically for ms, since he approaches ms treatment as an experiment. He is way outside the box and I really dig that about him.

So long car trip, visit my grandmother, show off Owen, get back in car, long car trip and now: home! A quick reminder: one week to Lenoir 'cross! Looks like mother nature will be conspiring to produce some very true cyclocross conditions. And now a little something to help you get in the mood: (set volume to 11!)

Avoid the blindside

This little 4 week lull in the NC 'cross season hasn't been conducive to any sort of form maintenance. So, it is with heavy legs that I want to remind you that we are a mere 8 days from Winter Cup Race #1 right here in Lenoir. Jeff spent most of today out inspecting and working on the course. The beta from the field is that course conditions will be "interesting". Jeff is hoping to put on a memorable event; hopefully, the first of many.

I have got to say that Jeff has been hustling and working his ass off to pull this 'cross race together. The only way he could hustle harder would involve a pole and a thong... Suffice to say, this race will reward all of the classes, starting with a $1500 pro purse ($1000 for men, $500 for women). So unless you made the world's team or managed to pull together enough scratch to head to Belgium for the Christmas 'cross fest, you should drag your carcass our way for a double race weekend with large rewards!

On to other news. Owen is eating food and rolling over on his own. He's also teething and drools worse than the dog. Hard to look at your kid, the front of his shirt soaked with spit, and think "genius". Yet, somehow I manage to pull that little bit of self-satisfied pride off without a hitch...

Bathroom update: Everything has been torn out (including the sink) and things were not as bad as I had feared. No need to drywall or rip out plaster or anything like that. I did find that the only thing holding in the brand new bathroom window was the molding. Yep, framing a window can really cut into the ol' profit margin... I suggested to Golden that we didn't really need a sink in the bathroom and that, in fact, it made the bathroom roomier. The look on her face was truly priceless. It's nice to know I can still make my wife think I am a complete idiot. Like the time I set the porch on fire while trying to light the charcoal grill with white stove gas on the 4th of July. It was the same look to a lesser degree, but fun nonetheless. I told Golden (after the fire had been put out by the fire dept.), "If you're just now figuring out you married a moron, you're not so swift yourself." I guess I'm just destined to be misunderstood in my lifetime...

The beauty of friends

I truly love this period of time between the solstice ( or xmas, or hannukah) and the new year. I feel very hopeful and nostalgic at the same time and it seems like anything is possible in the coming year. Friends seem to stand out a little bit brighter amongst all of the lights in my life right now and I find myself regarding them like a diamond eyed by an appraiser. I think that your friends are a real reflection of the person that you are. I hope that I live up to what I see reflected back at me.

My friend Chris has been visiting from Tallahassee. He is kind and genereous to a point that makes me feel protective of him. He is full of stories and good cheer and pitches in with whatever project I have going on at the time. If I needed a brain transplant, Chris is the kind of guy that wouldn't hesitate to get in line as a donor.

Now, for a true show of friendship. I have heard that bridesmaids often sacrifice dignity for the sake of pleasing their dear friend, the bride. I submit to you that this:



is the ultimate self-sacrifice in order to make a friend happy.

Now, I don't like to cast stones, but you might be a sh**kicker if you get married in duck hunting camouflage...

Happy Festivus (for the rest of us)!

Hope you have a great holiday today. The only advice I have to give is: don't hold back. Enjoy everything in massive quantities! Golden got me the DVD "La course en tete", the Eddy Merckx story. This is the best sports bio-pic I have ever seen. You have to see it just to watch him do mach 10 intervals on rollers (and the bike barely moves). Eddy gives a quote that is definitely appropriate for the holidays: "They say that cake is bad for cyclists. But it's not the cake, it's the climbs that are bad for you." Here, here!



Well, Owen had his first christmas day present opening extravaganza. As always, the big hit was the book we got for him. Every instance of present opening he's experienced, he has really zoomed in and been captivated by the books that people get him. He grabs for them and wants you to read it to him right then. Now, to just keep him that way...

I've added a lot of new links, so be sure to check those out!

"Ya'll come back now, ya hear?"

I guess that in the Dick Cheney world of "intelligence", what Jeff and I have received over the past few days has been "increased chatter". Our chatter has focused on one beautiful thing: a new piece of paved road whare previously there was dirt road. Now, what we had been hearing was that Indian Grave Rd. was freshly asphalted and ripe for two-wheeled traffic. Today turned out to be the day we were gonna go see it for ourselves.

Seeing that today was the day before the day before Christmas, it is entirely understandable why our group ride turned out to be HUGE! Everybody was there: me, and Jeff, and Shelly..... did I say Jeff was there? Oh yeah, Shelly was there, too. Oh, and how could I forget that I was on the ride? Anyway, the three of us set off to check out the new pavement.

We (I) decided to take Indian Grave from 321, rather than going up to 268 and cutting over. The first part has been paved since I've been here and then it turned to dirt in the usual spot right at the top of the climb. Huh... Well we descended the dirt (it's primo dirt road; you can rail it on a road bike) and got to experience a big slice of Caldwell County. First, we passed the narrow, steep gully that all of the locals throw their big garbage down. You know, appliances and furniture and such. ("We've been dumping here since my grand-diddy was a little boy!") We passed a really attractive trailer/shack with a rebel flag and "Southern Justice" painted across the gateway. A little bit later, we passed a touchingly idyllic scene of a grandfather out walking with his grandson. Touching, until you noticed the pearl handled revolver grandpa was toting in the holster he had strapped on. Then, we popped onto fresh pavement and I saw a woman in a BMW SUV talking on her cell phone and turning up the road. You may or may not know that our county motto is: "Where progress meets tradition". They leave out the last part: "and they don't get along." Honestly, we are living in the 21st century and there are still a bunch of ignorant rednecks out here pining for the "good ol' days". I can't believe I'm actually supportive of developers buying everything up, but it seems to beat the status quo alternative...

Anyhoo, we turned up Steeltown Rd. and rolled all the way to 268 abouta 1/2 mile shy of Ft. Defiance (it's just an old house, not a single cannon anywhere). Indian Grave Rd. is indeed freshly paved from Steeltown Rd. to 268. We rolled to Riverside and then rolled in on 268. Total ride time was about an hour and forty-five minutes at a sedate base pace. Now, I have to start harassing people early. This spring, when people come out for a ride after having been firmly planted on the couch all winter, they start complaining about "You guys ride too fast" or "You guys don't ever ride slow". Well, we're riding slow now, but you can't beg some people loud enough to come ride. The weather was beautiful today and has been all winter, so far. There is no reason NOT to ride! This winter is the time to start making deposits into that endurance account that you're gonna want to make withdrawals from this spring and summer. Come out and ride some slow base miles; you might just have some fun...

A little trivia question: what is the origin of the term "Hillbilly"?

In vino veritas

There is an unwritten rule in the bike industry. Well, it's almost a commandment, actually. Gift a bike mechanic some beer, and you will be repaid in the future with some act of generosity. It's often termed getting bro'ed out. Well, Jeff and I have been on the receiving end of a lot of holiday generosity the past few days. Yesterday, Rob (the doc that delivered Owen) dropped off a MAGNUM of Duvel. Our eyes lit up like a pair of kids finding bb guns under the christmas tree. Then today, the mayor drops off a pair of Duvel 4 packs for us and the Grom brings us a bottle of Kriek (belgian cherry beer). What have we done to deserve such an outpouring of good tidings? I have no idea, but I hope it means we've been doing something right this year.

Now, needless to say, we had to sample our booty this evening as we closed up shop. The Kriek was good (better than Jeff expected) and the Duvel, as always, went down nice and smooth. Now I would like to unequivocally state that neither Jeff nor myself are cyclists with a drinking problem. We are drinkers with a cycling problem. Cyclocross and winter weather have certainly conspired to make us more Belgian in both sports and leisure. Oh well, there are worse problems to have...

I hope that everyone has a good holiday, regardless of your belief (or lack thereof). Anything that makes people consider those important to them and inspires people to be kinder and more generous to those they encounter is very good, indeed. Eat, drink, laugh and love as much as possible. I know I'm going to.

Back when men were men and cobblestones were scared

Golden and I finished watching "A Sunday in Hell" last night. It was my anniversary present from her (what a great wife, buying her husband bike porn!). In case you are unfamiliar, "A Sunday in Hell" is a film shot by Jurgen Leth about the 1976 Paris-Roubaix. Watching a bunch of helmetless, wool-clad guys hammering over the cobbles on steel bikes with friction downtube shifters in slow-motion getting absolutely pummeled by the pave du nord is an absolute must see. The editing is clean and direct. The voiceover is simple and straightforward. Golden thinks it is the most accessible film for explaining road racing to the non-cyclist. It follows the exploits of Merckx, Moser and de Vlaeminck with a spirited side competition over who has the most awesome sideburns (I gotta give the edge to de Vlaeminck on that one). Looking for a gift for a cyclist? Then check out World Cycling Productions for A Sunday in Hell.

Don't forget, base pace miles! Meet at the shop at 10am, Saturday.

"Misty, watercolor memories...."

Today is my seventh anniversary with Golden. It is amazing to think how far we have traveled together since then. We have gone from a bike racer + full-time student couple to full-time teachers and new parents. Amazing...

We got married in a beautiful place called Oak Creek Canyon between Sedona and Flagstaff, AZ. Our family and friends had to hike in about a quarter mile to what is left of the Zane Grey homestead (the place where he wrote the book "Call of the Canyon") right on the banks of Oak Creek. Our friend Anthony De La Garza got ordained just in time to perform the ceremony (yeah mail-order ordination!). Our dog, Luna (the bike shop's namesake and the world's best dog), was the ring bearer. I remember little details about the event, but nothing really big. I guess I was just too caught up in everything for it all to register. I do know it was a great time and one of the happiest days of my life (catching Owen and being the first person he ever saw is now number one).

Marriage has not been one big happy joy ride. It is an ongoing piece of work with good times and bad times, but I am incredibly fortunate to have found someone who not only shares my passions in life, but who accepts all of my eccentricities and tempers my dreamy optimism with enough reality to keep me from making too big of a fool of myself. If you have pulled off the same feat as I have, congratulations. If you are still looking, feel confident that your true love is out there and one day you'll find them.

A little slice of NYS!

Alright, only two responses to the trivia question (although Chris in Talla-hissy wrote a frickin' annotated dissertation; it was still wrong). Howard Rhyne managed to pull out the win though with this response:

"I'm sure you have an answer already but I'm going with the World Cup points leader, but a better answer is it signifies he's a bad mofo."

Bad mofo, indeed...

Now I present Mr. Nys with a brief lesson in Cyclocross fashion:

A rare picture of Sven wearing the same uniform as the rest of his teammates:



Mr. Nys sporting the Belgian National team garb:



Sven as the Belgian national champion:



Sven in World Champion stripes:



And Sven Nys as the World Cup points leader:



Before the ProTour, road had the world cup. It was so much less complicated. Can the ProTour last? Or will the UCI manage to destroy cycling?

Howard, sticker's in the mail! Try not to rub it in the faces of all your fellow cyclists!

Bathroom update:

I have successfully ripped out half of one wall AND removed an outlet and light without electrocuting myself (thank you very much). I'm eyeballing the other half of the wall like the biggest guy in prison on my first day locked up. Oh, it's got something coming to it... Chris has convinced me to try to sheetrock over the plaster. I quote, "Dude, there's a reason why people a lot less intelligent than you make their living hanging sheetrock." I'm not gonna say anything like that; I don't like the taste of crow...

a little bit of me time

Went out for some base miles for the first time this winter. The mayor, Alex, Big E, Mikey MC and Jeff were all in attendance as we rolled out towards Collettsville at 9 am. It was cold. It was ice-cream-headache-on-the-descent cold. Jeff seems to think it was an inversion layer, but regardless, it was a nippy start to what I knew would end up being a pretty warm day. The mayor whined a bit and said that he needed more mangina cream, but he perservered.

We rolled out at a great pace, just cruising along, talking and generally staying relaxed. The plan was to ride out to and around Lake James, about a 4+ hour ride. I planned on turning around early in order to help with holiday stuff. We made it to 181 and I turned around, while the group cruised on. I pulled over and pulled out my iPod (I can't stand it when people wear them while riding with a group, "HELLO! Human interaction is ok!") and found that it had been playing away in my pocket and the battery was showing this tiny sliver of red on the display. I turned it off and stuffed it back into my pocket and started back on the 20 miles home. Golden said I was doing it "old school" meaning sans music.

I don't think I'm freakish, but maybe the fact that I sort of let my mind wander and then bam!, I was almost home without even realizing it is a little weird. Anyway, it was good to have some time to just be alone and think. NPR has been doing this series on sounds where people send in some sound and then talk about the situation that it was created in. I got to thinking about all of the sounds that are associated with cycling. The way the tires make different noises on different kinds of pavement, or the variety of noises different freehubs make when freewheeling, or that weird little ZIP! noise of a front tire hitting a rear tire just prior to somebody hitting the deck. I guess it was a nice, relaxing 3 hours...

Congrats to Ryan Trebon for finally moving up to the top step at 'cross nats. He just got 10th in a SuperPrestige race in Europe (a race where there is no rider cap on nationality, so of the top ten, seven were Belgian. Had it been a world cup, Trebon would have been a lot closer to the podium!), so the dude is flying. Hopefully, that means a good showing at world's is within his reach. I wish him nothing but the best on that endeavor.

Well, I'm off to bed. I do want to throw out a little trivia question, though. First correct response gets a large Luna Cycles sticker to be proudly displayed wherever you would like. Email your response using the contact me link in my profile box, don't forget to include your name and address!

What does the jersey in the picture signify?

And now for something completely different...

I had to go and pick today to start doing demolition work on our bathroom. A little history would probably help you out with this sudden segue: due to the fact that Golden and I were totally fed up with moving, we bought the house we had been renting for 3 years. I highly recommend this sort of real estate transaction for the ease of packing aspect that sort of immediately jumps to mind. We packed and moved one ceremonial box and lo and behold, we were moved in...

So, the house had been remodeled by its new owners prior to us moving in, but there is a difference between remodeling a rental and remodeling the house you own. Naturally, there are things that we have never been happy with and I have decided that now is the time to start fixing them. I don't think I am being to immodest in saying that I am really good at tearing stuff up. So, this morning when I woke up, one thought burned brightly in my mind: I am going to tear the hell out of my bathroom!

My plan was do a little bit to get things ready for a visit from Troy the cycling plumber and then go enjoy our 60-70 degree weather with the 10am group ride. Suffice it to say, things got a little out of hand and I didn't make it... What a shame, too, as our very own Charles decided to give a double presentation in our group ride lecture series. Presentation #1, entitled "The coefficient of friction of human skin", could not be faulted for the sheer gusto of delivery, but lacked in originality. I mean, please, how many times have you seen somebody sliding face first down chip-sealed asphalt before? Now butt first, that I would really be kicking myself for missing. Honestly, though, I am most disappointed in missing presentation #2, entitled "The Human Elbow: an in-depth anatomy lesson". By the time I got to see this one, the thing was so bandaged up it looked like he was sporting a cast. Eyewitness accounts claim that there was little to no bleeding of the elbow because "there wasn't anything left to bleed". There were reports that fascia was clearly visible. All I got to see was Charles all bandaged up, wearing a pair of knickers that had been cut all the way to the groin. Sort of like a Chippendales dancer, but a looooooooootttttt skinnier. I'm gonna have to really be more vigilant about making the group ride...

Charles should be fine, except for the next week or so of excruciating shower experiences and that fantastic sensation of sticking to the sheets from all of the white blood cells trying to do their thing. Yeah, except for that and a lot of pain, things should be just fine... I hope Charles get's better soon. And to Charles: inevitably, people are going to have all sorts of dumb questions and comments about how you could be so injured from riding a bike. The best analogy is to tell them to get in their car, drive down the road at 30 mph and jump out onto the pavement. It's the same experience, but it's a perspective they can wrap their heads around.

9am at the shop for a base pace cruise around Lake James!

From the Luna Cycles WTF file...

TAMMY Thomas, yes, TAMMY

You may or may not have seen this little news article that's making the rounds of internet cycling sites. The above pictured WOMAN is currently being indicted in the whole BALCO affair. Here's a little background:


"Thomas was banned for life in August 2002 after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Norbolethone, which was detected in her urine samples."

Now I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure that a pee test was pretty unneccessary on this one. This isn't about p/e ratios or some exotic super-blood drug. This chick looks like more of a dude than me or most of my friends do. I showed this picture to Golden and she couldn't stop saying "He" when referring to it. Now here's the super fun part of this: her defense was that the test was a false positive triggered by a CONTRACEPTIVE that she was taking. Now let's glance back at that picture and ponder on that one a bit... Yeah, I'm gonna call bulls*** on that one, too. I'm pretty sure that there is a whole plethora of reasons why ol' Tammy didn't need to be too concerned about getting pregnant. For starters, you typically need a partner...

So, suffice it to say, that I am wholly unoriginal in having anything to say about this little bit of news. Here's my favorite comment:
"Creeeeeeepy.
Jebus, I can't stop looking into those shark-like, lifeless eyes. It's like one of those gigantic paintings on Scooby Doo where the eyes follow you all over the room."

You can check out more at RoadBikeReview Forums

A little holiday spirit would be great

I got this in my inbox today:



Hey everyone!

Alex and I found a stray dog two months ago at a gas station in Lenoir . She was going from car to car trying to find someone who would help her. When we opened our car door she jumped right in!

She was in pretty bad shape - hook worms, bad skin, ear infection and really thin. We had her shots/ check up, treated the worms and had her spayed. During the operation the vet found out that she was pregnant with eleven puppies. At only 40 pounds and starving to death I don't think she would have survived the birth of eleven puppies.

We have nursed her back to health and she is doing great. She has a healthy coat of skin and hair due to some really good food. She is fully crate trained and house trained. She is a super sweet dog who loves people and other dogs. She walks well on a leash. I have been using a prong collar with her and she heals right beside me with minimal correction. She really doesn't bark but makes cute silly noises.

The vet thinks she is probably a pit bull and lab mix. She is approx a year old. Our vet thinks she will max out at about 55 pounds. Small and stocky. She does have a high prey drive with squirrels so I think she would need a fenced in area and need to be on a leash when out and about.

She also rides well in the car and doesn't mind going to the vet. She seems to be a very well balanced dog with no signs of aggression with people or dogs.

If I didn't have six dogs already I would keep her for sure!

Please forward this email to friends, family and rescue organizations you think might be interested. It is one of my main goals in life to never turn an animal away who asks me for help. Alex and I have fostered and placed several cats and dogs over the years and reunited some with their families as well. We can't do it alone so any help in placing these animals we can get from friends and family and even strangers is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Beth Holden
828-265-6464 cell
828-758-7588 home
beth@aholdendesigns

I know somebody out there would like a dog for Christmas - what'ya say? If you know someone or you are interested get with Beth and let her know. She and Alex are huge-hearted dog people, so you can take this pup with no reservations!

Take advantage of this weekend's incredible weather; a little spring in winter action for sure! We'll be heading out at 10am from the shop tomorrow, so ditch the booties and tights and come enjoy some base miles in the warmth!

Just a bit more

The '06 Sledgehammer Charlie's Cyclocross Team (not pictured: Bob Pugh, Howard Hesterburg and Ken Johnson)

Here's a few more pics to keep the 'cross fires burning. Now, the big man himself, Tim Hopkins, sent me this link to the best flemish tv coverage of professional cyclocross racing. Don't spend too much time on this at work; each one is over an hour of non-stop coverage!

Well, I gotta write a quiz and go to bed!

The plague

You know how people say that when there is a nuclear war, the only thing left alive will be cockroaches? Well, in the coming plagues that mankind seems hellbent to unleash on itself by pushing deeper and deeper into places we have no business being, the only people left alive will be teachers. You have no idea how strong our immune systems are after spending so much time around less-than-hygienic, germ-riddled kids. But one must be vigilant! Golden's sojourn into stay-at-home mommydom has left her white blood cells critically unprepared and a bug slipped through. So now, she is sick and consequently, so is Owen.

Owen is now facing the first real dilemma of his very young life: how do you suck on a pacifier with a stuffy nose? Apparently, it ain't working out too well for him, judging from the pissed off screaming that led up to his finally passing out. I had to go rub his tummy to relax him. I know that works for me; just my rub stomach and I'm pretty much out...

Somehow, I have dodged the bullet. No hacking, sneezing or general stuffed sinus pain for me. That's good because when my sinuses get stuffed, I'm pretty much useless - okay, more useless that normal.

I got this email today:

userid = shawnmoore1
FirstLastName = Doug Snyder
Email = thejellydots@gmail.com
Message = Hi,

I'm Doug Snyder and I found your blog by googling jellydots. I wrote "Bicycle" and I wanted to thank you for the mention.
I just went for a cruise on my 70's Peugot touring bike and realized it had been too long since I'd done that.

Peace,

Doug Snyder Age 34 acting like I'm still 19

Now either that is pretty damn cool or these guys are really going all out to sell some records! Well, it worked 'cause I went and downloaded the whole album from iTunes. It's like post-punk rock for kids, so it's pretty much right up my alley. I'll leave you with this:

One day Owen, half of all this will be yours...

Enough, already!

So, last night, parenthood and bike racing clashed and I heard the word "obsession" used in the same sentence as "bike". Now, first let me say that I am truly fortunate to have a spouse who not only shares my passion for cycling, but is much better at it than I am, too. But G's lack of riding and my non-stop babbling about how much "fun" 'cross has been sorta came to a head. I want to set the record straight, though. I am not obsessed with bikes or riding bikes. I like to think of it as love. Not puppy love or infatuation, but that burning, intense, can't-stop-thinking-about-you kind of love. Obsessives build bikes and like to rattle off stats, watts and weights, lovers ride themselves into an endorphin riddled euphoria and can't understand why no one else finds joy in pushing the physical limits of their body.

The other day at school, a student asked me, "Mr. Moore, why do you ride your bike to school?" This is a much less common question than you would suspec,t as your average middle schooler is not exactly all that curious about anyone other than themselves (shocker!). I looked at him and asked, "Do you think riding your bike is fun?" He nodded yes. "So do I", I said. He grinned and acted like that was a pretty good answer, which made me think: how many adults do something simply because it's fun? Not enough, if the high-strung, ego-centric people I see ripping around in their cars trying to be first in line in some imaginary competition that seems to break out on the roads around here, is any indication.

Golden turned me on to this band, The Jellydots and their song, "Bicycle". Check it out. It's like an anthem to being an adult who still finds joy in what most people (unbelievably) think is a toy.

I read an article about Kelly Slater, the pro surfer, who just won the surfing world championships after coming out of retirement. He said that he re-found his love of surfing through a chance meeting with a 54 year-old skater. The skater was talking about how quantum physics is the fountain of youth and that since "anything" is possible at the quantum level, he believed that he was able to stay young simply by picking the age he wanted to be and then living his life the way he had when had been that age. I don't know about that, but I do know that I don't feel the same age as a lot of my colleagues. Even colleagues that are younger than me strike me as being older.

I guess this is a really roundabout way of saying that I think bikes are keeping me young. What do you think?

Cold turkey

I finally woke up from the daze that Sunday's race put me into. I don't want to characterize my performance as lackluster, I'll let you decide that for yourself...

I wish that I could tell you that Jeff unleashed the whirlwind and beat Ed D. by the 2 places he needed to regain first place in the series, I really do. Reality, however, is a cruel mistress and the comeback was not meant to be. Jeff rode at or near the front and looked to be putting Ed into a spot of bother at several points, but then big Randy Shields bridged up from the 45+ group (that started a minute back) and all sorts of chaos ensued. Jeff got 4th behind Ed and had to be content with 2nd overall in the series. I don't know what he is thinking, but I suspect he is stuffing his "1st loser" status into a little ball of seething fury way down in the pit of his stomach where he will nurse it for the coming year. At least, I think that's what he's doing.

Shelly Welch managed to crash at the base of the ride up on the first lap and chased from that point on. She finished a close third, but true to her self-deprecating manner, she will not be satisfied until she can stand at the top of the podium. The bitter taste of her all too familiar 3rd place was quickly washed away by a not unsubstantial quantity of belgian beer immediately following the race.

The men's 4's saw the biggest field of the season with 54 guys toeing the line. Our team had 4 guys: Heartattack Mark, Double Down Dave Brown, Jack Brown and myself. The whistle blew and I took off trying to stay with the lead group. A mtn bike decided to cut me off in the first turn and I fought from there. I made the lead group of 5 or 6, but I couldn't hang and started the all too familiar slide backwards. Jack came by me, rolling well and I jumped on his wheel, but the legs just weren't there. I have spent this season riding with good looks and smoke and mirrors, but good fortune had finally run out. Jack finished 8th, I got nipped at the line for an ignominous 21st and both DDDB (39th) and Mark (50th) had strong finishes. Hell, Dave looked like an actual cyclocross racer!

Bob "le" Pugh finished a strong 11th in the 45+ race and the team minister of beverages and other belgian indulgences, Howard Hesterburg, finished 4th in the 55+ race. Jacob "grommet" Wood blew through the course like the lithe and nimble "vachette" that he is, to finish 2nd in the juniors race. We might just make a bike racer out of him yet! Congrats to everyone! Finally, the Sledgehammer Charlie's team finished 7th overall in the team standings. Next year will be a different story...
Some pics:

Shelli MAKES the podium!

Heart attack, shmart attack!

"... It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight; risin' up to the challenge of a rival..."

Double down sports the anti-global warming 'cross racing uniform...

Is it better to look good or to be good?

Don't you think the grom looks like he could suffer a lot more?

I will post more pics as I get them. This will be the end of 'cross coverage until the winter cup kicks off right here in Lenoir on Jan. 6th (check out that pro purse!). Until then, you'll have to suffer through my less coherent, non-racing ramblings!

Finis

Deep, deep pain cave spelunking at the NC 'cross series finals. My head is still spinning and I am in danger of drooling at any moment, so I'll give you the lowdown tomorrow. Congrats to everybody who I've raced against this season and I'll see you at the Winter Cup in Lenoir (hopefully).

The Throwdown lowdown

First, a huge thank you to everyone who came (or thought about coming, wished they could have come, etc...) to our 1st annual customer appreciation throwdown. Jeff and I were a little afraid that no one would show and we would have a lot of food, beer and wine to work on ourselves! It was very hopeful to see a room full of people, enjoying themselves at a true party and the only thing they had in common was an obsession with two-wheeled, self-propelled recreation. Thanks to all for making it such a success. Jeff and I are very lucky to have such supportive friends in our fledgling cycling community.

With partying being the theme for today, I would like to present a beginner's guide to cyclocross spectating. As you may or may not know, this Sunday will be the 8th and final race in the NC Cyclocross Series and I would like to encourage everyone to make the trek to Tanglewood to watch everyone lay it on the line for final glory. The course is incredibly spectator friendly and you can see 95% of the course from just one or two vantage points.

Now, since the belgians set the bar in 'cross racing AND spectating,
(Exhibit A)



you've got to go with a good Belgian beer as your spectating drink of choice. But, what to choose? We at Luna Cycles have been engaged in an extensive search for the quintessential 'cross brew of choice and you get to benefit from all of our hard work!

Chimay Premium, Cinq Cents and Gran Reserve:

Made by trappist monks since the 1800's, Chimay is very smooth and drinkable. Alcohol content varies by type going from 7% to the 9% Gran Reserve. Only comes in big bottles, so bring a buddy!

Duvel:

Very effervescent with a slight bitter bite. Drinks very smooth and easy, but watch out for that 8% alcohol content! Available in single bottles, doubles and our personal favorite, the magnum. Perfect for popping and spraying from the podium!

Howard Hesterberg's 2007 NC CX 10th Anniversary Belgian Ale:

You've got to do something pretty special out on the course to have one of these bestowed on you! Bubbly and slightly sweet with very little head. Hopefully, I'll be worthy of one this weekend!

Kwak:
This is a Belgian Special Ale that will be sampled this weekend. I'll let you know what our panel thinks.

Come out and cheer us on at the final 'cross race of the fall season. I'm gonna be super-fanning it big-time since I just got a big Lion of Flanders flag! I'm gonna be cheering Jeff on in his effort to win back the master's series in the final event! I need someone to take up the superfan challenge during the men's and women's 4's since I'll be racing... Any volunteers?

"A long time ago, in a bike shop far, far away..."

I do not want to come across as being holier-than-thou, but we here at Luna Cycles have made the ultimate sacrifice in order to better serve you, our loyal fans. Yes, dear friends, The FORCE is now with us. In an effort to actually be able to speak intelligently about the new road offerings from SRAM, Jeff has willingly volunteered to give up his beloved Dura-Ace components and allow his BMC SLC01 to serve as a test platform for the new Force group.

Well, it arrived in the UPS truck yesterday (thank you brown Santa!) and was promptly hung on said bike. Now we want to be all scientific and stuff, so we kept some stats for you.
Pre-SRAM:
Size 49cm BMC SLC01 with Easton EC90 SLX fork and seatpost, Ritchey WCS 4 axis stem, Deda Super Natural bars, cinelli cork tape, speedplay x2 pedals, alloy bottle cages and full Durace group (no wheels): weight 10lbs 6ozs

After SRAM:
built with Force shifters, ft. and rear brakes, ft. and rear d'lers and SRAM 10spd chain, but keeping the DA crankset: weight 10lbs 1oz

total weight savings: 5ozs (approx. 1/3 of a pound!)

Initial impressions:
In the stand, the shifting took all of 3 seconds to adapt to. It is incredibly intuitive and very solid feeling. Finish and quality are equal to Shimano and almost as nice as Campy (I doubt that SRAM can afford an army of italian virgins to hand polish their components to a jewel-like finish with pure linen cloths soaked in the tears of the pope himself like Campy does...) I felt like an unfaithful husband as I mentioned the idea of replacing my Campy Record gruppo with this new, young, sexy interloper. So far, my gut reaction is to definitely believe the hype. All of the bad-mouthing on the internet about shifting difficulty and the like is pure garbage. You would have to be incredibly deficient in gray matter to not get the hang of it in a dozen shifts or less. I am also extremely happy to have successfully rescued my dear friend, Jeff, from the evil clutches of the dark empire (Shimano). I think I'll have him on a campy bike in this lifetime for sure now! I'll update you more as we get more feedback. Want to see it, feel it, ride it and fondle it in person? Come by the shop and we'll let you shift and twiddle to your heart's content, that is after all why we got it!

More 'cross report

From: Shelli
Subject: Burlington 'cross
Think you should also publish fellow Sledgehammer Charlie's teammate, Bob Pugh's performances. He placed 9th yesterday. Go BOB!!!!
Although both he and Ken Johnson have not done enough races to place in the overall, both have raced well this season and congrats should be made. Also worthy of mention, is that Sledgehammer Charlie's as a team is great. Though full results have not been posted (come on Tim!), as of Race #5, S.C.'s was ranked 6th out of nearly 60 Teams. Equally important to mention, is that you yourself are ranked 5th in the Series right now and that the Mens 4's Field happens to be the largest field out there. You had 40 riders Sunday. So, 12th and 18th for you and Jack is awesome. Luckily for Jeff, Ed is still only 27 points ahead. Still very doable for Welch with a winning performance (which we KNOW he can pull off!) and a 3rd place or worse finish for Ed. All kidding aside, the man is NOT a Terminator... vulnerable, human and subject to mechanicals just like the rest of us mortals. Everyone out there focus your mental energies on the S.C. Squad and hold your breath... next weekend should prove to be an exciting one!
Shelli

Sorry for overlooking you Bob. I cheered for Bob while I warmed up on the trainer, so I didn't get to see how he did. A big belated congrats! As for my current overall standing, I am not sure what kind of math Tim learned as a child, but I am holding out on any high hopes until later this week 'cause I just don't see it the way it's listed right now. Around here they might opine: "that dog don't hunt".

I am super stoked that our little band of merry men + woman has managed such a high overall team standing. Tanglewood has come down to do or die for us all. I hope to leave everything on the course and have just enough strength left to tip a bottle to my lips afterward.

Here are some race pics:


Shelli gets off to a flying start!


Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!


Jeff took this photo a little out of focus to make me at least look fast...


I'm telling you, she's ready to eat her own guts and ask for seconds...


Here I am with the men's cx4's rocking out to A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. At the starting line. Seriously. Please, please, please can we have some music with a little more energy during the races?

So Shelli is wondering what I meant by telling her she had just 2 more steps. Well SW, it's just two more steps to the top of the podium!

Like fun, but different.

I got home from today's suckfest in Burlington and had to go to the grocery store. I went by myself, since Owen was close to what we have come to recognize as "crabby time". I had a list, thanks to Golden, so I wandered the aisles matching the words on the list to items on the shelves. I went and waited at the deli to get some sandwich meat. I sorta layed out on the grocery cart and waited for some dude to get like 50 lbs of bologna. The lady called me next. She knows what I want and always asks "1/2 lb. of turkey or are you going to try something different?" I nodded and sort of formed the word "yes" as by this time I was really, really, really starting to feel all 4 laps of fun. She handed me the package and said, "Now you can go home and take a nap." This leads me to ponder: how bad do you have to look for a grocery store employee to notice how worked over you are?

The down and dirty of today's races are as follows:

Jeff managed to drop his chain after the barriers on the second lap, losing 6 places in the process. This prompted Ed D. to decide that would be a dandy time to drill it. Jeff chased like a cornered animal and finished 3rd to Ed's 2nd. The 35+ overall series is not a mathematical impossibility given the double points on tap next weekend, but Jeff has to drill it and not look back. Now, I don't want to repeat gossip, so listen very closely the first time: Is Ed D. a robot sent from the future to make the master's suffer in the NC 'cross series? You be the judge:
Give a real close once over to Ed at next week's race and let me know what you think.

Shelli Welch finished on the podium, again. She is like a broken record with this 3rd place thing, but mark my words: next weekend should see a confident and charming young lady ready to turn herself inside out and ask for seconds if needed! Just 2 more steps Shelli!

Jack Brown and I had just a fun, fun, fun little race, I tell you what. I got a good start, drilled it in the lead group of 5 or so for the first lap. Saw a guy try to remove a lot of his own skin the first time through the barriers. Hit a pedal and had my rear wheel swing around and say "Howdy!" Then on the finish straight (read "grassy bog of suckiness") I managed to lose contact. Jack came by me looking very strong so I didn't feel so bad. I tried to settle in to place conservation mode for a little bit. Now Burlington is a super-duper twisty course with more turns than a corkscrew, making it very difficult to pass. Ironically enough though, it seemed really easy to get passed... a lot. Jack managed 12th and I fought for shreds of dignity for 18th.

Howard Hesterberg, while not having an on day, perked right up when I yelled, "One more lap until you can have a beer!" He got it done to preserve his 3rd in the 55+ overall. Thanks for the chex mix, Howard. I think I would have had real issues driving home without it!

Pictures from the race and a full customer appreciation throwdown report in the next few days, plus a big surprise Luna Cycles product test is coming this week! Check back often and don't be afraid to email!