OH YEAH!!!!

I got my ass seriously kicked in the Master's 50+ race on Saturday and the Cat 4 race on Sunday. It was GREAT!!!!! I finished 4th of 4 starters in the Masters on Saturday and 25th of 27 in the 4s on Sunday. (There were 2 DNFs) I can't remember the last time I had so much fun! There were people on the race course whom I'd never met before yelling "GO BLUE". Some said they read my blog and "know" me from there. (here?) Some I've met before at MTB races or at CX races in the past. Too cool. What a great bunch of people.

The Bourbon? Andy brought that back from Kentucky for me. Thanks Buddy! It was great meeting your folks!

And finally meeting Rob Versteegh! Rob is the Oakley rep here in Iowa and surrounding areas and is one of the "movers and shakers" on the racing scene around these parts. A big thank you goes out to Rob and Paul Varnum and their families and all the volunteers who made this race happen. It was truly 1st class all around!

And the number of people yelling "Go Blue" and "GO DAD" around the course just blew my mind. (Brother of Jackal was hanging out with the beer drinkers at the 2nd set of barriers on Saturday after his race. Yeah, well, it didn't take long before everyone there was yelling "go dad". It was great! I even heard John and Kat yelling it. Too funny! Sunday's race had a lot of encouragers and supporters and cow bells and offers of cold beer while racing.

Thanks to John and Kat and all the rest of the Bike Tech crew for your yelling and screaming and "encouragement". Thanks to the family. It was a blast.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

This week....

A little practice Wednesday evening....
Showing me how it's done. Not so easy....

The Thin Man on Thursday....

We had to pass farm equipment again....

I wonder why people don't get torqued at slow moving farm equipment the way they do at bicycles on the same roads? Funny, eh?

Monday and Tuesday nights found me riding the CX bike in the meadow at Hartman. Grass is a heck of a lot more difficult to ride on than pavement. Whoa! I met Jackal down there Wednesday night for some dismounts and re-mounts along with some barrier work. I suck at it. The barriers, especially. Oh well. The first time I rolled up he said "let off the brakes".... I'm thinking "geez, do you want me to run them over?" It got a little easier after he explained and walked me through it a few (dozen) times. I can get off ok, and back on, well, sorta ok, but the barriers? Holy crap. Tomorrow will be an interesting day at McRae Park in Des Moines.

I got an email at work on Thursday afternoon from The Thin Man saying they were having the last group ride of the year that evening. I worked late then hustled home to change and try to meet them before they left the shop. I met Sweet Amy on the trail by the golf course and she told me "they're still at the shop". I hustled a little harder over the dikes and didn't see anyone at the shop. Crap! I looked up 2nd Street and saw them passing the police station. It took me over a mile to catch up, but it was worth the effort. There were 5 of us heading out North Union Road to C57 and the pace was pretty good. We made it to C57 when Mike Johnson asked if we wanted to go to Janesville or head back to Cedar Falls. We only had about 40 minutes of light left and quite aways to go so we headed down C57 and back to Cedar Falls. 25 miles total before dark. Not bad, since we left the shop at 10 after 6.

I came home from work this afternoon and moved the bike rack from the Jetta to the Passat. I had to change the mounting feet and that was no small feat since the rack has been on the Jetta for over 2 years. Anyway, it's done and ready to roll to Des Moines tomorrow for some CX racing. Jackal and Brother of Jackal are both racing in the 4s, which is where I should probably be but that race will be starting about the time that I get there so I'm racing Masters 50+. John is sooooo going to kick my ass! It's about fun, right? I'm down with that!

That's it for now. I'll clean and lube the bike in the morning while Judy is at work then we'll head for Des Moines as soon as she gets home. It's gonna be good.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Things....

I needed a new vehicle....
Someone was having fun....

Chillin'

Ready to roll....

Amazing....

Kayakers....

Hi there!!!!

My old Blazer was about to bite the dust and I didn't want to put any money into it so I bought a "new" car. A dark blue 2002 VW Passat wagon. Just like Jackal's, other than the color and the "4 Motion" option that's on his. I like it. We've had a great experience with our 2005 Jetta so I said "what the heck"....

Sunday morning found me riding through the parks on the CX bike. 30 miles at tempo and my ass was fried. I got home and took a shower then went to lunch with The Queen of Cross and her parents. It was good. She wanted to go for a ride after lunch so we hooked the Burly up to the Surly and took off with Jackal and Moo. Another 13 miles with my lead legs. It was good. She seems to like rollin' in the Burly. We did a little bit of "off road" again.... She got mad at me because I made her drop some of her Goldfish crackers. We smoothed that over when she realized that she had A LOT of them with her.

CX starts this coming weekend in Des Moines. Not ready but going anyway. It's gonna be fun!

That's about it for now.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Who is John Galt?

Nebraska countryside near Omaha....
These are sprouting all over Iowa....

Choo Choo......

I drove to Des Moines early in the morning yesterday to meet a printing press salesman and drive with him to Omaha to look at a press. It was a long day! We were leaving the shop where we'd looked at the press and drove under a street sign proclaiming John Galt Blvd. I rhetorically said "Cool! John Galt Boulevard!" One of the guys in the car with me said "Who is John Galt". Awesome!!!! I started to explain John Galt from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Just a bit of useless knowledge, I guess....

After I got back to Waterloo I decided I needed a ride so I got the CX bike out and took a tour of the parks. 25 miles and I pulled in the driveway just as the sun was setting. Good stuff!

I 'spose I should get the day started here at work.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Cool, and wet.... :)

61F in Hudson today....
Sprinkles.... LOL.

Wet bike path....

Crossing the Ansborough bridge....

It was actually sorta nice on my ride this afternoon. Off and on showers with cooler temps. Not bad at all.... The wind sucks though. The 'puter says 15 to 25 out of the NW. I think they're right on that call. It's definitely windy.

I'd like to thank all of the drivers that give bicycles room out on the road. You're doing your part to make it a bit safer for all of us. I had quite a few positive experiences with good drivers this weekend. Sweet!

I'd also like to mention to the assholes who either find it funny to pass without giving any room or just don't believe that bikes belong on the road and do their part to let you know how they feel..... You can bet that some other asshole just like you is doing the same thing to your kids or grandkids when they are riding in the street. Think about that the next time you decide to play chicken with a cyclist. Put down your coffee, hang up your cell phone, and get a grip. Bicycles aren't going away anytime soon. Live with it.

Oh yeah, that makes me feel much better. :)

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Rain....

East Lake....
Rainbow over North Cedar....

Muddy....

Moon over bike trail....

A bit of blue sky....

Not so blue sky 10 minutes later....

I got up early this morning to ride. It was raining. The forecast was for clearing in the afternoon, so I waited. Now it's calling for a chance of showers all afternoon. It's kinda dark all over but it isn't raining right now so I'm going to ride. Later....

Alrighty then! I got 30 good miles in on the CX bike. I had sunshine, clouds, wet trails, a bit of rain, and early darkness. What more could you ask for? 65 degrees rather than the 75 that it is? Lower humidity? Nahhhh..... It was good just the way it was!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Jackal and Moo!!!!! They are chillin' in Galena, Illinois this weekend, enjoying some down time. I hope you're enjoying yourselves, Carl and Amy!

CX starts in two weeks. (Clicky here for the flyer) WOOHOO!!!!!!!!! I'm definitely not ready, but hey, what the heck? Can you ever be ready? 60 minutes plus two laps. Brootal :)

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

More Tour of Missouri....

Rock's Escalade....
The bus....

Toyota United.... Sounds like a soccer team....

I think the fly is a spy....

Getting ready....

The peloton....

Heading under the bridge....

Support....

Sweet scooter....

Jelly Belly....

Team Columbia....

The guys from Rabobank....

So many Colnagos, so little time....

Testing....

It was good. A lot of controlled mayhem going on in a pro race. It was exciting to watch and to be so close to. Everyone that we talked to from the teams was super friendly. A high energy bunch. Tons of people to watch....

The Tuesday night group ride was a blast, but that'll have to be told at another time. It was fast and hard but GREAT! On the CX bike. Oh yeah! Today's solo ride was wet but good. Gotta love it!

That's about it for now. Have a great weekend.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!