MIDWEST MOUNTAIN BIKE FESTIVAL

This year, The PREMIER event in Mountain Biking will be held at Farmdale (Peoria) Reservoir.

Check out the link for dates and event times. The trails at Farmdale are awesome to ride and race anyway. The Peoria Area Mountain Bikers have created and MAINTAIN at least three sweet trail systems in this region and play host to a number of the "I-74" series events including gettin your DOWNHILL and FOURCROSS on, as well as some of the most technical XC racing around, in fact, I ended my "bar-end" phase at Farmdale after one too many hook-ems on schrolls trail!! Follow the links kiddo's for some early spring action in the Land Of Lincoln

Snow...in JANUARY?

Rico Suave' on wheels...blah

Jill in Alaska rides like this EVERY day...

Attacked by the wolf pack...

WOW, check out the speed. Riding in 5" of snow, one handed, while

shootin pics

Roller Racing

Tater Enjoys this.

Or if your REALLY frisky , try the log rollers!!!

Donnies Indoor Cycling Experience

Owwwwieeeee...

Wrong Kinda Miles...

Some Folks get to go to VEGAS for work...not me. Can you guess where I am, hint "its a TWISTER"!!!

"kerkove" shot

The TRANS IOWA crew was talking about virgin goats, well them's goats but I'm not sure of their sexual status. They looked relatively untouched...also for your viewing pleasure the climb up Stoney Hollow road.

Mattonne

I'm not a Carpenter

Its been three years since we moved into our house and aside from some painting and minor repairs I've had to do very little in the way of any serious changes. One of the main reasons we picked this house in the first place was the previous owners had done everything before they moved, the one place that wasn't finished was the attic. A full third story, completely open, one BIG room with high ceilings that slope down to the floor. The Missus and I envisioned a climbing wall built into the larger ceiling panels, a cool place to literally "hang out" with the family. Well if the weather ever gets crappy enough I'm going to start this project, and add a "spinervals" section as well. ALL our outdoor stuff will eventually make it up there, a place for everything and everything in its place. I hope it rains alot or this project will never get done...

Sometimes...you gotta!

The Mrs. has always been understanding of my cycling addiction, if this were a 12 step program she might even be referred to as, an "en-abler". Going to watch a mountain bike race is like watchin paint dry, but she's been to more than a few, even gets her RACE ON once in awhile. So when your best friend and lady asks you to participate in one of HER activities its hard to say no. So i found myself in front of the TV doing a workout from the "FIRM", yeah... Needless to say my rhythm and dance skills are pathetic at best, and if any trained emergency responders had been around they would have assumed I was having some sort of seizure. I will say the "abs" workout was actually killer and I was sweatin like hell. My kids could only stare in that wide-eyed teenager sort of way that says "GOD, I hope my friends don't see this". Now do I really want that new 'Cross bike or a two stage fanny lifter step and a set of velvet covered weights???

New Year

Since I'm a technophobe we didn't have a DVD player until 2006, I figured for 2007 I'd finally break down and get a digital camera. Some shots of a new years eve hike around Geode and Bike Burlingtons New Years day ride. My Father in law testing out his brand new TREK pilot, full carbon with SPA. Good on ya Bubba!!!

Gearing Up...

Had to get some needed gear this winter, although I did NOT get the Cateye Triple shot Pro that I wanted, (been waiting for 3 months now) I ended up getting a Nite Rider light. For those of you old enough, The Night Rider was the "Toe Cutter's" right hand man in MAD MAX, not to be confused with David Hasselhoff as Michael Night and "Kitt". If I have to associate that name with anything I'd prefer "mid-NIGHT Rider" from the Allman brothers. Names aside its the same light that I borrowed earlier this fall from Tater and it kicks ass! More than I wanted to spend but its awesome when cars actually wait before turning directly in front of you, and its almost overkill in the woods . Mr. 24 also recommended a bar map holder for TRANS IOWA, jeesh its only 8 bucks so I got one of those as well. Now all I have to do to win T.I.V3 is pay someone jacked on testosterone to impersonate me during the race and all is well. Needless to say I'll be outside instead of inside, sweating on the trainer. Might have to talk the Mrs. into a gravel road ride for 1/1/07. HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!

I'd rather be riding...

...But I'm at work STILL, this whole "work thing" is starting to effect my riding.

320 to 330 miles...

TRANS IOWA V.3 Oh boy here we go. I didn't wait in front of the tube staurday for the roster to be posted. I figured me an the Milkman were in so I decided to put the rubber on the gravel. Two things became apparent during that ride, 1. Its gonna be a LONG way, even though I only did 50 miles of gravel, I was going TOO fast, yeah I know I'm talkin about Me but keeping a 14 mph average heading back to town on the "bottoms" nearly killed me as the south wind was gusting to 25. I finally completed a route to Oakville that is gravel all the way there and back. Also found out that the climb up stony hollow road is indeed an honest two miles, into the wind its too easy to sweat it up then freeze the rest of the way, lesson learned? PACE is going to be critical. Got done saturday, went out ot eat (the generals chicken estas caliente) watched football, slept, ate breakfast in my jammies, suited up and hit the road again. Only to realize that if I were actually riding in the race, I would have been out there ALL THAT TIME. uh-oh. Mrs. Brakeville and I did the first part of the same route at a 10 mph average and that is going to be KEY in finishing this thing. 2. WEATHER, it was a nice 50 degrees on saturday but windy as hell, sunday a little cooler but almost dead calm, come april it could be 70 or it could be 20 outside, snow, rain, windy, sunny, warm, dry. The weather will be the deciding factor in this. Gotta figure out what works for the conditions and follow the boy scout motto...I also found myself mooing at the cows alot, i wonder if they know their fate and are even now laying plans to attack the hapless riders in the wee hours of the morning. eat beef today- pork tomorrow!!

Oh CRAP I'm "it"...

I got "tagged" so I must disclose six interesting things about me, then tag six more blog authors with the same task. Its kinda tuff to find 6 INTERESTING things about me but here go's; 1. I know what all 3 major bones in my right leg look like (painful but true) 2. I want to go sailing (preferably in a boat) 3. In my spare time I study quantum theory, and the theory of everything (no shit. why?) 4. I can request a cigarette and lighter in Italian 5. I got scolded by the guards in the Sistine Chapel. (sorry Jesus) 6. I'm learning how to play the guitar I'll tag http://bassoblog.blogspot.com/ http://mikehoward.blogspot.com/ http://midz76.blogspot.com/ http://sweetjaneesq.blogspot.com/ http://cyclinglyfestyle.blogspot.com/ http://theorphanageandyou.blogspot.com/

Weekends We Like

Its been awhile since I've had as busy a weekend as this. If you are interested in "indoor" racing at all you need to go HERE. 8 Up racing on a computer controlled trainer, your own bike, the big screen in front of you displays your position, speed, average speed, distance from the lead, and power in watts. What a blast! The computer even has "drafting" programmed in that you can feel at the pedals, it does NOT however, let you coast on the downhills. SAWEET! Donnie has an excellent place set-up, and roller racing here will be THE best spot on the calender. Clean changing rooms and a hot shower after. I may never race outside again! I will say that I have NEVER pushed myself that hard on a trainer before, I've always had a high heart rate but DAMN, during this race it never dropped below 195 bpm's. WOW! After I got back from the Quads, I drove the Family BACK to Andulusia for a evening of Snowboarding and Skiing. I don't quite have my 360 down yet and my right shoulder is still hurting this morning. I did find out that 8 days in Alaska Heli-skiing with the CHUGACH POWDER GUIDES only costs $6,500!!!! I'll be taking donations for that trip, Why do I watch WARREN MILLER movies????? Cause I like EM! Now its gonna get warm and sloppy, rode in the woods sunday and I think that was even tougher than saturdays racing, We need MORE cold so they can make MORE fake snow!!!

about normal

gettin whupped

Down with the sickness...

Usually that refers to something that is especially exciting and enthusiastic that you plan to be involved in, however, dropping 8 lbs in an evening from violent gastric outbursts I was literally down with it. What was meant to be a cyclocross weekend bash turned to bust after the first Jinglecross race on saturday, The course was a blast and I did turn in a good finish, even popped my last four recover-ease pills for Sundays race. Using a mountain bike in a CX race is kinda tuff but I was able to ride the sand trap and mud pits a little easier on the fat tires. (if that was ALL the course threw at me) but riding on grass sucks the marrow from your bones. Funny that as fast as the creeping crud hit me Saturday night, by Sunday night I was pretty much OK, I guess my entry fee (donation) went to a good cause, but I'd rather have raced, LETS HEAR IT FOR NYQUIL AND LYSOL, and a timely visit from my old friends Ernest and Julio Gallo. Much needed antioxidants and pain medication in an easy to administer liquid!! I was also quite surprised to discover just how VIOLENT and DANGEROUS Tiawanese soccer has become, the last I knew it was kinda like a Polo match without the horses or the mallets. I'm guessing the rampant steroid abuse in Asian FUTBAL has finally ruined the gentle game that was. Right now my road bike sits silently in the trainer "on my six" (that means behind me, right MIDZ?) but after I get done with this I'm gonna send in my entrys to TRANS IOWA V3, mostly because I'm a moron, but partly because the MILKMAN has thrown down the guantlet. ignorance really IS bliss (speaking for myself of course), I better start training soon.

Cyclo-Cross???

Yes Cyclocross, enjoyed only by the Euro-yuppie? Road geeks with lil' knobbies?? Actually RUNNING while the bike is riding YOU?? WTF??? Yeah its actually pretty fun. Didn't fare too bad in my first race, just stayed out of the way, but its a new twist for me, (now I need a new bike kinda thing), I signed up for the Jingle cross this weekend and looking forward to it. I'm sure I've broken some kind of unwritten CX law, but I was wearing shoe covers too! Uncool?? en vogue?? not "in" this season, like wearing white after labor day? why don't somebody tell me these things?? In reality, I just think the NIKE emblem on em' goes with my tights, ha ha tights, thats kinda funny as well.

Plans, Pains, and Practice

I'm waiting for my Cateye to get here, I have found myself AVOIDING the dreaded trainer lately and just riding at night with my red blinkie, which works really well if your behind, but without a headlight I'm playing with fire. Not only that but I'd rather be riding the trails anyway. Planning on doin a CX race this weekend, that will be a lesson in humility for sure but it looks fun, as my first attempt , this is the last race in this series, maybe no one will notice me floundering. Also believe I'll be doing trans-Iowa version 3, the only regret I have is this race is a loop and not "border to border" as versions 1 and 2 were. Put a call in AGAIN to the parks dept. to see about the status (or lack thereof) of our little trail system at Dehn's, I'm thinkin it could be included in a "sno-bike" series if the proper permissions were granted. If your lost, always follow the reflectors. unless your riding backwards, then your screwed!! So far no call back STILL, what I'm really lookin for is an OK to finally make Dehn's four wheeler forbidden, with strategic placement of SIGNS and posts to deter ridin em down there. Also expect a rock garden soon in the new-new section of singletrack, don't worry, i'll have an alternate route around these but there will be a TIME penalty for avoiding the rocks. YEAH!!!

The POT

Who are you to wave your finger? Ya' must have been out your hair. Eye hole deep in muddy waters. You practically raised the dead. Rob the grave to snow the cradle. Then burn the evidence down. Soapbox, house of cards,and glass, so don't go tossin your stones around. You must have been high. Foot in mouth, and head up asshole. Whatcha talkin' bout? Difficult to dance 'round this one till you pull it out, Boy. You must have been, so high. Steal, borrow, refer, save your shady inference. Kangaroo done hung the juror with the innocent. Now your weeping shades of chosen indigo got lemon juice in your eye. When you pissed all over my black kettle you must have been high...high. Who are you to wave your finger? So full of it. Eyeballs deep in muddy waters Fuckin hypocrit. Liar, lawyer, mirror show me whats the difference? Kangaroo done the hung the guilty with the innocent. Now you'll weep or, change the chosen into gold. Got lemon juice up in your high eye. when you pissed all over my black kettle you musta been! So who are you to wave your finger? who are you to wave your fatty finger at me? you must have been out your mind. Refer chased off indigo trapped without a reason refer chased off indigo. Liar lawyer mirror for ya, whats the difference? Kangaroo be stoned. he's guilty as the government. Now will you weep or, change the chosen into gold. Got lemon juice up in your EYE. Now when you pissed all over my black kettle. You musta been HIGH. Eyeballs deep in muddy waters. your're eyeballs deep in muddy waters. Ganja police, you must have been, out your mind.

Darkness falls...

I hate going back to "regular" time, when it gets dark at 4:30pm I get lazy. Can't wait for my light to show up. I was thinking about stringing 5 miles of extension cord thru Dehn's to light up the trail till then. I don't suppose the "Y" would notice if I tee'd off where they park the school buses???? Went all URBAN last night, think I scared the seasoned citizens coming off the gambling boat. The new library has a 25 to 30 foot rock wall behind it, hmmm, I bet a person could get a lil climbing in after hours if they were so inclined, I think it would rate a 5.6 to 5.7 easy, but i was wearing cleats so foot holds were sketchy at best, could run some water down it during january and have an ice climbing festival. Crampons are cool, if i owned a set I'd wear em to work just for the fun of it. nice days ahead, wednesday is no work and all play day...

Listen up!!

After having watched one too many Warren Miller films lately, I've been thinking about the sound of things. Noise that is music to the ears. I know this is a bike type blog but for me the biking thing is a relatively new interest in a long list of activities in my four plus decades. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the sound of a Chris King hub in the quiet woods, even the buzz of my Conti's on hard pack. YEARS ago it was the sound of a 10 gauge Remington autoloader as you jacked in a fresh round right before shootin hours. Earlier still it was the roar of a tightly wound V8 with 325 degrees of duration and all the N20 it could inhale. But back to Warren Miller, if you are even remotely interested in snowboarding or winter sports Warren makes a film every year (since 1946) that chronicles the highs and lows and the most EXTREME examples of fun in the snow that went on while us Midwesterners were shoveling the stuff. He even pays homage to those crazy "Red-Bull rampage" downhillers once in awhile. Actually its a good thing I don't live near Aspen or Breckenridge (yet) because I would be into POWDER snow deeper than any Carbon Fiber dream bike could ever hope to equal, except maybe an Eddie Merkx AXM.YEAH but I'll tell you what the BEST sound in the world is right now, and even though these trips have become few and far between, due in large part to my "new" addiction to cycling,is the sound of a full rack of climbing gear jangling off my shoulder. I'm talkin about Black diamond cams, Petzel Grigri's, biners, chocks, repelling devices, and all manner of quick draws that STILL generate adrenaline in the system without even having to tie in. Sometimes I'll just sling that rack around to remind myself of why in need to go to work in the morning. I dunno, its cliche to say if I have to explain it you wouldn't understand. Just ONE peak in Iowa, is that too much to ask?? I hope global warming doesn't melt all the snow before I get out there...

Bypass X 2...

We got 5.03 miles of trail at DEHN's Brother! Can I get an AMEN? I wonder if that will get Burlington a blip on the singletrack radar now? Oh yeah, you have to include TATERS "goat hill" into that mileage as well. Speaking of, he really needs to post a photo of the gonzo rig he was riding sunday, that my riding friends, is a bike for all seasons...I bet the tires came off a Terra Gator fertilizer truck.

Bypass...

If your riding Dehn's in the near future be careful on the new bypass for the "executioner", ( I was Bored Wednesday ) its going to be a bit soft on the left side for a bit. I have not even tried it yet myself so let me know what you think. I went down just to smooth off the off camber sections a bit then got carried away. There may be one tree that has its days numbered as well but if I don't have to cut it I won't. Got some ideas on how to get around the quickly deteriorating trail down near the creek right before the hill back up to the "Y" too!

Winding Down...a bit

Raced at Peoria in the final event of the I-74 series, had a decent finish for a change, (4th)which for me is pretty good, plus I felt really good during the race as Farmdale reminds me alot of Sugarbottom but much smoother. Its kinda tuff to decide which series to go to sometimes as Burlington sits smack dab in between most of the places these races are held. Saturday went to the "Panther Creek Challenge" near Springfield Ill. Except this years race was 102 miles, and you could have a three person team or SOLO. I went the solo route, even though I have not even trained for something like that, you never know how bad it could be unless you try right? The course is about 50/50 single track and open field (read GRASS) and each lap was 17 miles. The Milkman (Howie) and I kinda led the solo's for the first two laps and we were keeping the pace almost as high as the Team lap times, near the end of the third lap I started gettin some nasty pain in both my feet, that was a new one on me, felt like I had marbles in my shoes and each turn of the pedals it got worse, I stopped for a bit after I finished 50 miles to try and loosen up my feet but they weren't cooperating so I called it quits. Next time I try something like this I'll be a bit better prepared, Howie has a GREAT system goin and his Mrs. was working his pit like a champ. I know I won't try to drive home again after a race like this either. I was doin the "three man weave" by myself. Could be a few more races I hit this year, I still want to try a CX race and "THE MILKMAN 100 is the 21st. Adio!

Nobody has this view in the races I enter, unless I'm being lapped

M-O-O-N, that spells moon. Where does that line come from? hint only a Steven King fan would know. Still no word from the parks dept. They must be too busy shoo-ing folks out of thier homes in the "manor". I looked at my bikes the other day, I think they miss me. I'm gonna try a 100 mile XC race Saturday, I want to make the 4:30pm cut-off time for the last lap (6 total at 17 miles per)thats the ONLY goal I have for this thing. I am also aware that it could be a very long day in the saddle...ouch.

Don't be afraid of the DARK

I know I'm late to the party alot, but I finally had the chance to ride Dehn's after sundown for the first time. Props to TATER for loaning me his nightrider headlight, which by the way is brighter than a barge spotlight, and we headed for the woods. I'm wearing an idiotic grin cause thats about as much fun I've had riding a bike. Better late than never HUH? If on the remote chance you've never experienced riding your local trail loop "under the lights" your missin out! I was thinking about ALL THOSE MILES ON A TRAINER in the winter, I love my trainer, but damn it gets old quick (like the end of January), I could have been rockin the woods, guess I'm gonna start saving for a nice headlight. I could kill two birds and wear a coon-huntin hard hat wheat lite combo???? SAWEET!

Almost Famous????

Heres the MAN, right outta VELONEWS!! Dennis in his flying recliner. I hate when he uses it on the group rides, its damn near impossible to draft off one of those things.

Be kind to animals...

Even though they KILLED Steve Irwin, "Crickey! Took that one right in the chest...oh fu...Dateline 9/6/06 A confused and terrified red squirrel jumped out in front of me at Dehn's and made THREE course corrections before i actually, and ACCIDENTALLY I might add, ran directly over the little bugger. I believe the only thing that spared this critter was the 4 inches of buttery smooth travel in my REBA fork. Maybe he was just messin with me, I had visions of him gettin stuck in my front wheel and sending me ass over tea kettle. To quote Arnold, "He'll Live". Dateline 9/10/06 During the 30 mile XC race at Comlara Il. this weekend I once again ran over a snake, believe it or not I was traveling at a high rate of speed and had NO time for an evasive action, I did not see him/it on the next laps so he escaped with minor ijuries, "good on ya mate"! Had I not been on the clock I would have stopped to examine this "Beauty". This is even after the three close calls with; Two young racoons Two Coyotes one MEAN lookin Possum, all at Dehn's in the space of one week, they must like the way the trail flows too!!! The possum spooked me the most cause he stood up and hissed at me, the cranky little bloke. I am striving to make XC riding as animal friendly as possible but they ain't helping...

Back to Riding...

I have not posted anything about actually riding my bike for awhile so I thought a quikie update is in order. Geode has some nasty type of poison oak/ivy/sumac on the backside. I did four laps the other day and inside my elbow is itchin like CRAZY, Dehn's is about the fastest drying trail I know, you can ride it (uptop) anyway about 5 minutes after the rain stops with nary a puddle, watch the bridges though, they get SLICKery when wet. There are a few XC races coming up, but the ONE race I WILL make is PAMBA's Festival. I know, I know, whenever I say something like that I miss it and I'm a liar. I'll be there! I must be bored-dedicated-wierd to put in 25 miles in Dehn's, but those are "normal" distances for the races so I gotta train to em right??? I've ridden it forwards, backwards and sideways to break it up some. And STILL no word from the parks guy about the trails. Can you say backburner? You can tell that its the end of the season on the roadie rides, everyone attacks and attacks again, those training rides are about my limit (are about my ASS, they ARE at my limit)But it is pretty cool to see who and how is pushing the group into the red and can you respond in kind???, I've seen 197 BPM's chasing these kids and ELDERS around, but its a great workout that has helped me on the trails as well. Looking forward to putting a number on my bike again soon, maybe even try a CX race, although I run like old people F_ _ _! Stay warm!!!

What the hell does this have to do with riding...

Not a thing, but DAMN Carlin is GOOD!!! "I'm a Modern Man" George Carlin, November 5th, 2005 Beacon Theater, NYC I'm a modern man. I'm a modern man. I'm a modern man. I'm a modern man. I'm a modern man, A man for the millennium, Digital and smoke free. A diversified multicultural postmodern deconstructionist, Politically anatomically and ecologically incorrect. I've been uplinked and downloaded. I've been inputted and outsourced. I know the upside of downsizing. I know the downside of upgrading. I'm a high tech lowlife. A cutting edge state-of-the-art bicoastal multitasker, And I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond. I'm new wave but I'm old school, And my inner child is outward bound. I'm a hot wired heat seeking warm hearted cool customer, Voice activated and biodegradable. I interface from a database, And my database is in cyberspace, So I'm interactive, I'm hyperactive, And from time-to-time, I'm radioactive. Behind the eight ball, Ahead of the curve, Riding the wave, Dodging a bullet, Pushing the envelope. I'm on point, On task, On message, And off drugs. I got no need for coke and speed, I got no urge to binge and purge. I'm in the moment, On the edge, Over the top, But under the radar. A high concept, Low profile, Medium range ballistic missionary. A street-wise smart bomb. A top gun bottom feeder. I wear power ties, I tell power lies, I take power naps, I run victory laps. I'm a totally ongoing bigfoot slam dunk rainmaker with a proactive outreach. A raging workaholic. A working ragaholic. Out of rehab, And in denial. I got a personal trainer, A personal shopper, A personal assistant, And a personal agenda. You can't shut me up, You can't dumb me down. 'Cause I'm tireless, And I'm wireless. I'm an alpha male on beta blockers. I'm a non-believer and an over-achiever. Laid back but fashion forward. Up front, Down home, Low rent, High maintenance. Super size, Long lasting, High definition, Fast acting, Oven ready, And built to last. I'm a hands on, Foot loose, Knee jerk, Head case. Prematurely post traumatic, And I have a love child who sends me hate mail. But I'm feeling, I'm caring, I'm healing, I'm sharing. A supportive bonding nurturing primary care giver. My output is down, But my income is up. I take a short position on the long bond, And my revenue stream has its own cash flow. I read junk mail, I eat junk food, I buy junk bonds, I watch trash sports. I'm gender specific, Capital intensive, User friendly, And lactose intolerant. I like rough sex. I like rough sex. I like tough love. I use the f word in my email, And the software on my hard drive is hard core, no soft porn. I bought a microwave at a mini mall. I bought a mini van in a mega store. I eat fast food in the slow lane. I'm toll free, Bite sized, Ready to wear, And I come in all sizes. A fully equipped, Factory authorized, Hospital tested, Clinically proven, Scientifically formulated medical miracle. I've been pre-washed, Pre-cooked, Pre-heated, Pre-screened, Pre-approved, Pre-packaged, Post-dated, Freeze-dried, Double-wrapped, Vacuum-packed, And I have an unlimited broadband capacity. I'm a rude dude, But I'm the real deal. Lean and mean. Cocked, locked and ready to rock. Rough tough and hard to bluff. I take it slow. I go with the flow. I ride with the tide. I got glide in my stride. Drivin' and movin', Sailin' and spinnin', Jivin' and groovin', Wailin' and winnin'. I don't snooze, So I don't lose. I keep the pedal to the metal, And the rubber on the road. I party hearty, And lunch time is crunch time. I'm hanging in, There ain't no doubt. And I'm hanging tough, Over and out. TAGS George Carlin, Life Is Worth Losing, Beacon Theater

Optimistic Opportunity

I talked with Chris Nosbisch from the Burlington Parks Dept. He was hoping to meet with everyone who rides Dehn's. Apparently he rides a bit himself and needed some help with this project. I can tell you this tidbit of info, regardless if the Dog Park gets built or not, the trail system WILL be a reality, owned by and cared for by Burlington. Chris was very clear on his ideas for this trail, and they were to keep it as NATURAL as it is!! I.E. SINGLETRACK, DIRT, NO MOTOR VEHICLES. Even the Parks Superintendant agrees. He wants to meet ASAP with anybody who's willing, volunteers needed and appreciated. I think this is a chance to make our Mountain Biking trail a real and legitimate asset for all of us. Spread the word kids, lets set a time when everyone can meet these folks!!

Dog Park = Trails?

Burlington is planning to build a dog park right next to our beloved Dehn's trails. Yeah, I said "Dog Park", I wonder if the Naked Guy knows this? Anywho, they also are going to legitimize Dehn's trails in the process, could be a good thing in the long run. I see the local newspaper (The Hogeye) refers to Mountain Bikers as "BMX'ers", which is quite confussing to the local folk. The only thing that scares me is they talk about "improving" the trail system. I think that means being able to drive a D-9 Caterpillar around the loop without scuffing the paint, I am going to try and talk to the powers that be and maybe find some common ground and maybe even (GASP) volunteer to do the trail work I'm already doing voluntarily. I know there are alot of riders now cleaning-mowing-maintaining the trails as well. If I can get a meeting with this guy I'll post it here. Anybody interested???? Could be a future race venue if with a little co-op from the YMCA Hmmmmmmm...

Sugarbottom Scandal???

Check out Squirrels blog, the Sugarbottm Scandal is secheduled for Aug. 13th. at 10:30am. Pirate XC race, winner gets nuthin but congrats and braggin rights should be a great time. On a more somber note, I take everything back I said about GREG LAMOND, Greg your my new drug free hero, but I still won't buy a bike with your name on it HA HA. For ALL the info about Sugar bottom you need to hit up right HERE Could be a better race than the "real" one, although most of it will happen WAY ahead of me. ADIO AMICO!!!

Greg LeMond...

Worthless whinning PRICK, or just a sore WINNER? Chime in as Greg has given the whole world his view as a "clean" cyclist, and condemned EVERY other American out there! With a Fenchie name like "LeMond" its not surprising he's already convicted Floyd Landis. I wish he would just shut the hell up. We know you won the TDF THREE times Greg, we know you were the FIRST American to win a TDF Greg. Now go support the sport instead of tearing it down every chance you get...Swinging TOOL!!! Thats my RANT for the day... :)

Just when you thought it was safe...

Its the stuff of legend, whispered about in hushed tones and passed on in tales and stories by those that have heard or witnessed the frightening truth. Dehn's woods has a spirit, a "free spirit" if you will. I had heard about this phantom that roamed the woods at dusk in the summertime, that magic hour between light and dark, where shadows can play tricks and the eyes. Unexplained sightings of a guy, a NAKED guy, who has been seen only by a few of the "lucky" riders who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Right in the middle of my training ride last night, third lap, I was getting tired and focusing only on the trail flowing under my front tire, right before my very eyes the trail I was concentrating on turned into a rather large, middle aged, ASS. Attached to this ASS was the rest of the "NAKED GUY". I stiffled a laugh as I quickly dodged him and said aloud "now theres something you don't see everyday!" The "NAKED GUY" was silent, he seemed more concerned with the dog he was walking (leashed, but naked as well). 100 yards up the trail, morbid curiousity took over, and just like a car accident, I couldn't help but shoot a quick glance behind me, maybe just to assure myself I actually DID see the "NAKED GUY", But he was GONE. Disappearing quickly into the fading light with his trusty sidekick (no, it was NOT a weenie dog). There are unexplained sightings of crop circles, bigfoot, even the loch ness monster, beware Dehn's woods. For a "NAKED GUY" haunts these lonely trails, elusive, and unashamed...

Loose ten pounds in a day!

Easy way to drop some weight, ride your bike when its 100 dergrees outside. Of course you may croak but the weight just drips right off. Bummer about Sugar bottom XC event, maybe there will be a replacement??? Should be racing in Peoria this weekend, haven't been over for awhile and I'm looking forward to seeing the PAMBA folks again! HOT DAMN, just watched FLOYD LANDIS come back and KICK ASS in the "tour"!! Try THAT sometime, solo away from an elite field of racers for 100 miles, in the ALPS, no help from ANYBODY, gain back all but 30 seconds for the yellow jersey. I can't even begin to feel the pain of that ride. I know the tour is a roadie thing but it is inspiring this year!!! GO FLOYD

I still ride...sometimes

And I have the scars to prove it! Dehn's is REALLY fast right now, and I'm guessing just like the rest of the trails in the midwest DUSTY and loose in the corners. Kinda like a sandy sidewalk. Remember how I said I would not replace my old LX shifters until they were damaged? Well, one of Dennis' super logs made short work of them, along with a derailure hanger, a couple of spokes, and a cable. I'm not sure how many more times my knee will heal before it just turns to mush but it's OK for now. I'm prolly gonna hit up the "Iowa Games" MTB race this Sat., although its supposed to be near 100 degrees again this year. Note to bike shops, when servicing requires messing with a disc brake, WIPE THE OIL OFF IT!!! Its so much easier to stop when the rotor is DRY. I'm whinning I know. I'm kinda gettin burn out this time of year so I better refocus a bit, less miles more intensity may help, also gettin quite lazy with bloggin updates, too many other irons in the fire. Stay safe and watch out for cars all you roadies out there...

It used to be broken Bike parts...

There she is, The Jersey Devil. Its not Broken, its BRITISH!!

Great Beyond

I'm not dead yet. I had a BADBike weekend. I will be a certified auto mechanic soon. I will post again. I need a vacation. Viva le TOUR!

Cross Country

The story your about to read is true, the following takes place between 2:00am Wednesday, and 2:00pm Thursday. Needing a more reliable vehicle I decided to see what was out there for sale at a decent price. I found it on e-bay (laughter), it was a 1995 Land Rover Discovery, described as mechanically sound with a few fixer upper problems. A Land Rover? In my price range? too good to be true. I bought it. Where was this fabulous "deal of the century" located? Why Newark New Jersey of course, a scant 950 miles from home, a long days drive, just a bit further than Estes Park Colorado I reasoned. I gave travelocity $146.32 for a ONE WAY ticket to the biggest City in North America. After bribing Scot and Megan with pork chops and poker they offered to give me a ride to the airport in Moline, we hit the road at 3:00am for my flight out. I divided the task into five stages. Stage 1; Make it to Newark New Jersey via Atlanta by 12:00 noon Wednesday. Stage 2; Use New Yorks mass transit system, subway-bus-train, to reach the sellers dealership. Stage 3; Make the deal, or turn around and leave. Stage 4; Drive an unknown, untested vehicle from the East coast back to Iowa before work on Friday. Stage 5; Live to tell the tale. Stage 1, the easiest because they won't let me fly the plane, I asked nicely. Stage 2, you've seen how gritty and dirty and bleak a N.Y. subway looks in countless movies. Gangs "taggin" every inch of their turf with messages only they can read, trash everywhere? Well that's not quite accurate, its MUCH WORSE!!! What you don't get from film is the stench, and the feel of the seats on a hot summer day, and being absolutely overwhelmed by the fact that I have NO idea where the hell I am, and less sure about where I'm going, But a kindly bus driver with a THICK Jersey accent got me to the train on time. Bus driver "where you from again"? Me "Iowa". Bus driver "yeah, Iowa. Ain't that where they grow potatoes?" Me "no Sir, that's Idaho". Bus driver talking loud enough the whole bus could hear now " WHATEVER, So you out in the big city all alone?" Me, "uh Yeah". Stage 3, The seller was two hours late for the meeting, I drove the thing for approx. 5 minutes, handed him a check. Stage 4, left around 9:00pm headed west on I-80, cheapest fuel is $3.10 in Pennsylvania. A V-8 Land Rover, full time 4X4, gets almost 15 mpg, Did I mention the seller forgot to bring the removable stereo face plate, instead, I'm listening for the dreaded "death rattle" that will end my adventure all too soon, it never comes and I pull over for a short nap during a monster storm in Ohio, its 3:30am Thursday morning when I close my eyes. 4:45am I'm going 80 mph, the truck is smooth but I'm gettin passed by EVERYBODY on the road, kinda like every race this year. Chicago is ALWAYS in a state of road work, today is no different. By now I'm not freaked about the way this truck drives on the freeway, lets give it the stop and go, stop and go for an hour and a half, during a torrential downpour test. So far so good, There's a bridge up ahead that looks like a big "H", I did not eat anything but a tobasco flavored slim jim and a bag of dorito's, except the FOUR gallons of truck stop coffee, Iowa NEVER looks as good. Its 2:30pm Thursday, I looked in the mirror when I got home, big mistake...Stage 5, sleeeeeeeeeppppy time. Who wants a 1987 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, mechanically sound, but a few fixer upper things????

Where is this going?

Had a great time at the races this weekend. I knew the expert class would be tuff goin in but WOW! There are alot of fast people out there, like, ALL of them. I'm still not fighting to get in the woods first (or, is that in the WAY first) cause I don't want to slow anybody down, just running at a pace I can maintain and get an idea for racing in the future. For me, its always been about the people you meet anyway that makes Mountain biking a blast. Did what I could in the time trial, Hill climb, and the short track on saturday, had Taco's with the coolest of the fastest on saturday night, thanks for the grub kids!! Tried to recover enough for the XC race on Sunday. I felt pretty good, no wrecks, no damaged equipment, I just gotta speed it up a bit. The Mrs. had a good race as well although if I don't fix her pedal I'm gonna be HAMBURGER. And speaking of ground FLESH, I may be going out of town this week, I may not be going out of town this week, depends on OMAR! Dude, WTF is goin on??? I expect california casual but New Jersey?!? SHEESH! I let Mr. Chocolate out your HAMBURGER. I realize this is in code and I'll explain later, maybe... OOOoo, foreshadowing keeps the reader in suspense.

Famous WOODIES you may have seen!

The "wagon queen family truckster" is a bit more famous than I imagined. I've spotted them in various movies and commercials, including; Capital One spot-the "Raider" shoves a Christmas tree thru the back glass. The Dark Half-Steven King Book turned movie. Blade III- The new Vampire Killers ride. Bring it On- Cheerleaders dig wood! Kingdom of the Ants- Giant Ants take over the world! Law and Order SVU- Accused rapist drives one. Insomnia- Robin Williams is not funny in this movie! Next time your watching TV, see if you can "SPOT THE WOOD"

Sunday, a day of rest.

The plan: Meet Dominic at 8:00am for a 50+ mile training ride. Nothing too serious,just some miles in the legs. The plan comes apart: I'm LATE, its 8:10am, I see Dominic a 1/4 mile up the road already; NEW PLAN, see if I can catch him. After 15 miles averaging 24 mph, SOLO (nice east tailwind) The "Dominator" has increased the gap to about 1/2 mile and is ACCELERATING, I'm going 27 mph thru middletown past the ammo plant, STILL losing ground! Can't hold at 27 mph for much longer. When my heartrate monitor starts blinking,its cause my max. rate is above 190 BPM's, or I'm in cardiac arrest. My "base miles" ride has become a TT! Did I mention that I am in winter clothes? Cause its 52 degrees, but now I'm sweating like a horse! New Plan: Dominic heads thru Geode State Park, I take the "short cut" around Geode to the dam. Now I'm waiting for him and FREEZING, we head for Hwy 218, still have a nice tailwind and I have a wheel to follow now. We meet "Farmer Bob" at a gas station, he remarks "I hope you boys get wet, we need the rain" ,he gets his wish, its starting to sprinkle now. Dom hits the gas and while I'm coughing up blood he's checking cell phone messages. The sky opens up, 35 miles left after the turn around, riding into the now 12-15 mph headwind, driving the rain into our faces, along with the roost from the bikes, SOAKED! GASSED! FREEZING! I'm about to get dropped on the flats of hwy 34!, My CAT-EYE shorts out with all the water, we had been doing about 21 mph when it died, Heart rate has been between 181 to 192 for 1/2 hour now, its all I can do to hold Nick's wheel. Hardly a drop of rain in Burlington, I'm wearing 50 pounds of cold soggy clothing and I can't feel my feet. An EPIC road ride???? For me, YES!

Misc. "borrowed" pics: cyclingphotonews.com

Snakes vs. Product test

Since I'm about as near sighted as a person can get, every couple of years I gotta get my eyes checked and get my prescription updated. Thank God I haven't had to get bi-focals (yet) cause I don't need any reminders of my impending mortality, also, I think I'd rather have a vasectomy with a dull butter knife than have "Dr. Stygmatism" blast my eyeballs with laser beams, so glasses it is. I had to be careful when picking out new shades for riding cause "wrap around" frames and prescriptions DO NOT mix well as they tend to bend light and the trail becomes "warped" like a great acid trip. (guessing!) So I picked out these Rudy Project Kalyos frames that could handle an "insert" for my prescription, they are "OK" at best, the insert needed to bent into shape still, and peripheral vision is "untrustworthy", also the insert is so close to my eyes I get to rub my lashes on them. But they work and I can see well enough to navigate in the woods, although I'm going to get yellow lenses soon because the blue is WAY too dark in the trees. I found this out because the 3 foot long snake I found snoozing on the trail last night at Geode looked innocent enough, plus I always thought snakes are kinda cool, I just wanted to have a look at him and send him on his way. Living here for my whole life I've heard over and over again about rattlesnakes at Geode, BULLSHIT I'd say, I've been to 4 different deserts across the western states, the Rockies countless times and never seen ANY rattle snakes, always hoping to just SEE one, but no luck. So "Steve Irwin" style I picked him up and said " your alright Mate! Isn't he a BEAUTY", but He didn't want to play and was desperately trying to BITE yours truly. While I was putting him back on the ground he made a noise that sounded exactly like a Chris King hub coasting at 10 mph, Only then with my limited vision did I notice the neat pattern of diamonds, the triangular shaped head complete with sensing "pits" and the little button on the end of his tail. SHIT A RATTLER!!! I've been to Geode a thousand times and always heard about Timber Rattlers and never believed it, always looked for em, NEVER saw one, until then. About the time he decided to slither off Mrs. Brakeville was pulling up, and was NOT happy that I had given chase, He actuality stopped for a second, in between the front spokes on my wheel then took off. Did I mention that my new shades are too dark in the woods???

Fat Boy Flying

Weekend Update updated...

Forgot to mention a few things, first I hope everyone who hit the deck over the holiday has a speedy recovery. Nothing worse than having to sit out and be a spectator. Had to get our "kitten" declawed, I'm trying not to laugh too much as its just deserts for the little bugger for all the curtains climbed in my humble abode. Not to mention the fact that the kids named him "leatherface" first, changed it to "Eddy", and finally found out he's a she after all. Now I know why Tater says "Pete Basso is awesome"! Cause he was unfazed by the B.O.D. (that's bridge of DEATH) in Dehn's, took me a couple of times before I'd even attempt it. It was cool to show Pete and Landon our little slice of single track goodness. I'm a dope part two; I thought my rear derailer was acting up, cause every hill in Dehn's I got to hear and feel chain rippin nastiness, turns out the middle and big chain rings on my less than a year old XT crank are SHOT. DOH! Anyone notice that these are less than stellar rings??? That means chain, cassette, and new rings OUCH$$$ I'm glad I didn't buy the "old" new XTR stuff, Cause the NEW 07 stuff is coming out, kinda funny really that I still like the 2001 LX shifters on my bike, they ain't goin anywhere till something bad happens. I'm a funny Guy (not) part three; Mrs. Brakeville demanded that I remind the readers that while she was the first woman across the line in the QC Crit she was also the ONLY woman in that race (CAT 5). I left that nugget of info out for effect...:) I plan on racing CAT 4 at the "Hummer Hammer" this weekend, no more "open" stuff, then I can leave the Road Bike at home for awhile and "HIT THE DIRT" ...

When its time to relax...

Pretty groovy weekend, started with the Wapello to Burlington RR or the "Road Rash 33", this is the first year I finished with the "pack", the "pack" being 75 of us all trying to perfect our Mario Cipollini finish line sprint. The race itself was very strange in the fact that almost the entire group of 100 plus riders stayed bunched the whole time, every one wanted to get to the front and SLOW DOWN . I spent more time yelling SLOWING than anything else, although at one point even mellow Mattonne was screaming at riders around me to quit crossing the centerline and diving back into the pack and SLOWING...Oh well I have to admit I was pleased with my finish but the friggin finish line camera must have been from the civil war era, cause I believe I'm in the group of riders "unidentified" from 10th to 15th position, but during the 40+ mph sprint to the line most of my teamamtes were taken out in a NASTY crash, our team Coach is sporting a broken collarbone and a rainbow of ugly bruises, so even with THREE numbers on you could not make out anybody from the 18th century "lithograph". The Snake was another thing altogether, I entered the 40+ "open" race OOPS When everybody shows up to the line in a skin suit I knew I was in the WRONG race and out of my league, I DNF'ed after four laps to save myself any further shame, I should have done the regular Cat 4 race with all the usual suspects that I normally race with...hindsight being 20/20! I had my BEST time yet on the "Cobble Climb", but Dennis and Dominic crushed me by 1 second, and .5 seconds respectively, podium sweep by the local Boy's as we finished 1-2-3. The next Female PHENOM will be Mrs. Brakeville, cause the cycling bug has bitten her, she wanted to race in the Quad cities Crit so we headed to The "ROCK" as in Island, Once again I had already been signed up for the WRONG race, this time in the 30+ "open", I did find out that I can ride my bike for approx. 15 minutes at 30+ miles an hour but thats about it, I hope our sponsors weren't watching me! But I finished, last, and like Forrest Gump, "thats all I have to say about that". The Mrs. did her first (of many I hope) Crit in the Cat 5 race and was the first Woman across the line!! She even came along on the Tuesday night roadie ride, Warms my heart...now I'm gonna have to fight over who gets the new ZIPP 404's I've had my eye on DAMMIT!

Snakes bite

Venom is not just a Spiderman villain, its what THIS makes your legs legs feel like after a couple laps. The SNAKE ALLEY CRIT, I haven't done a road race since I went up to CAT 4 so this is gonna HURT. I only hope they put me out of my misery quickly. The racing starts Friday with the Wapello to Burlington RR, 33 miles, 150 riders, lots of band-aids. See it here Bring your Mountain Bike for the Cobble Climb AND, rumor has it there will be a group of riders hitting Dehn's woods after the Criterium Saturday. THE biggest bike weekend that I don't have to drive anywhere, WOOHOO...

Short weekend no?

Raced in Council Bluffs Iowa on saturday, Had to be one of the hardest trails to build I've seen. The first downhill is like being on a bobsled track, your about neck deep in a trail(gully) with HUGE bank turns, twisting down over roots and jumps till it dumps you out on the flat, definitely one of the most unique trails I've ridden. The whole system was bench cut into the side of a bluff, had to be MASSIVE amounts of trailwork involved, but it FLOWED great. At least while it was dry...The Ultra hard pack dusty clay of my pre-ride turned to ultra hardpack with brown snot a 1/2 inch thick, as the rains came in an hour BEFORE the Expert race. All I could think of as I hit that first downhill was the song, "LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR" the super dooper bobsled trail turned into a water slide, but lined with brown slime! there were bikes and riders in various states of carnage from the top down to the bottom (I added to the bruise fest on my second lap, still a little sketchy on the bottom left hander)What a ride though, I felt "good" for the whole thing but POPPED trying to go to fast in the GOO too early, by the time I got to the final climb going back to the start/finish line "MT. NEVER-REST" it was cyclo-style for me, all the guys I left back at the downhill grinded past me. Thanks to everybody involved for putting this event together, got to hang with the RASSY POSSE a bit and talk INK with Squirrel, who by the way SMOKED this course on a 29'er S.S. I know first hand, he passed me somewhere near the end! Pete Basso was tryin to get my fat butt back on the bike going up "not-even-in-grannie-est" but i was GASSED so bad I could'nt even talk let alone ride! No cramps but my fitness is WAY behind this time last year, too many other things going on, maybe I'll ride myself fit like JAN ULRICH in the GIRO (not), but I've had fun so far, so I guess thats what its all about. Ended up taking Mrs. Brakeville to Sugarbottom on Sunday, Quote from my better half "product tester" after one too many hits getting used to her new pedals, "I F**KING HATE CLIPLESS F**KING PEDALS!" I thought one more hit like that and I'd be trading HER bike in for a new SESSION 77 for Daddy! But Momma got TUFF and started hitting the TRAIL back on our second time around, GOOD ON YA MATE!! If it were easy everybody would do it,And I got my ridding Partner back! Next up; the SNAKE See ya!

Tied to the WHIPPIN post...

Going to Council Bluffs Saturday to get whupped by the EXPERTS from Nebraska. It should be COOL area to race, I think this trail includes a bit of the Loess hills and the Missouri river bluffs (read HILLS). Hope my legs show up this time. I'll steal some photo's and have a race report Sunday. Sunday is also the Burlington Fleche ride. The Mrs., her Dad and I will spin along with the rest of the folks for a nice 30 mile recovery ride to Geode State Park and back...I may even clean my road bike, still a mess after the washout tuesday group ride. "No motorized vehicles, pedestrian traffic only" the clearly visible signs at Dehn's woods. Friggin four wheelers DESTROY single track...

Iowa vs. Illinois...

The PAMBA series has always been near and dear to my heart, I sorta cut my racing teeth over in Peoria. This CLUB is the BEST group of mountain biking peeps I've had the pleasure to meet in the midwest BAR NUN!! PAMBA maintained trails set the standard for any I've ridden, a person could not find any better single track in the heartland, they even have "Big Hit" downhill and Four cross sections included in their series. (I need a Session 77 Momma). Iowa has been growing too, ALOT of new venues for mountain biking have emerged over the last few years, and the IMBCS has something like 11 races this year. Makes it tuff on me to decide which races to attend because SO many XC events between both are on the same day. I'm going to have to miss the next two "I74" dates to concentrate on the IOWA side this year, this weekend is IMBCS #4 in Council Bluffs Ia. Going to try to hang on to my position in the points chase (easier said than done), June 18th is a "stage race" in Washington Ia. Sounds like a good time, bit I'll miss the "FARMDALE FRENZY", bummer, same day again. I'll get to Peoria and mix it up with Howie and T.T. in July. See ya at the races!!!

Midnight Rider

Did some late night laps around the Snake Alley Crit course, it was really tuff cause of the wind last night, I used to just ride the alley by itself but during the race there is another nice hill coming off Jefferson street, THEN the Snake. Thought I better start including both just to get the "feel" of it. MIDZ if your reading this I tried "Elite" during a group ride tuesday, tested the legs a bit, and LIKED it. Thanks! My nutrishun is pretty poor anyway (like my spelling) so a few more electrolytes can't hurt me, also gettin hooked on POM straight from the fridge, I don't think I could identify a Pomgranite in a fruit line up, but it tastes yummy. Tonight is "all slackers eve" and its too wet to ride anyway so I'm going to watch Texas chainsaw massacre or something... Happy MOM's day!!

What about BOB?

Having ridden more or less the same bike for a number of years you get to know how it "feels" or rides on any given terrain. ( I still use the original 2001 model LX shifters that came with the Fuel, along with seat post and stem, but everything else has been replaced sometime since then) Road riding for me exposed a nasty habit of pedaling in "squares", mostly as a result of having about 3/8 inch of "bob" on the mountain bike that "absorbed" this fault in my spin. So much so that when i locked out the suspension on the MTB, or while riding my road bike, I bounced, very strange sensation. I got to race on my "old" frame shock fresh from a rebuild by PUSH, propedal is NICE, ALMOST hardtail firm even in the big ring, but with the push "tune" parts, very plush and active over the rough stuff, including smaller hits. I needed 140lbs in the shock before to keep it half way firm, but "soft" enough to use as much of the 3 inches of travel as possible. with the propedal, I've lowered my shock pressure to 75lbs, use ALL the travel in the frame design, yet keep it very firm when the trail is smooth. The trade off is I'm having to learn how to climb the "steeps" again, as I tend to spin out more now with the firmer shock that does not react to pedaling input (hammering up hills). The verdict is if you have an older type FOX Float frame shock, and you want to take advantage of PROPEDAL or even just to make your existing frame handle smaller hits better, getting your shock "PUSHED", is an easy way to get both, and its half as much as a new shock to boot...

How many more laps??

Two things, I'll never get a #1 plate again. and I stole this pic from Jeff Kerkove.

Waverly...UGH!!!!

I've never suffered to the extent I did yesterday, I could have used a WHOLE box of midol for the cramps that started from the inside of my thighs to my feet yesterday. Every time I tried to "power up" my legs would just QUIT working, seriously at one point during this race I had to hop up a little hill cause my knees would not bend. The day started off bad with Mrs. Brakeville and I doing a little "recon" on the course, made her miss her start time for her first race in three years, DOH!!! Apparently I can't tell time. I thought strongly about quitting on the fifth lap, I figured I would lock up completely in the woods and have to be rescued, but I went ahead at the BLISTERING pace of about 9mph and finished DEAD LAST, but a finish none the less. ( I actually PLACED 3rd In expert masters +35 and earned 20 bucks, my first PAYCHECK from racing) But I was almost to embarrassed to accept it, never had the Cramps before, I hope I never experience them again...Maybe I should start training more??????

Workouts for May...

...Have been NONE, The CEO and OWNER was in town this week, I don't get to hang with multi-millionaires too often so I've been busy at work. IMBCS #3 is this weekend and normally this time of year I'm never too far away from the "chamy cream" stage, I should be quite rested and refreshed from TWO "taper" weeks of no impact, no intensity, no aerobic and no interval workouts...See everybody in Waverly!!

Mrs. Brakeville sportin a NEW Fuel 70, Notice the Huge X Large nel mondo 2.3" 5 lbs a piece tires

Here's your one chance, FANCY don't let me down...REBA Don't ask how I know that friggin song...

Poplock adjust installed

Runners

Inspired by the upcoming "Teen Tri" (athalon) the WHOLE family decided to do a three mile run last night. According to my trusty Cateye, my block is an almost perfect 1/4 mile, so 12 laps = 3. Damn that hurt, is hurting, and I can hardly walk today. MIDZ is a masochist, runnings not FUN, its painful and demoralizing :-) Speaking of which, TRANS IOWA was a washout, the weather won the day. like I said, I sat and tried to put myself in their position, no one made it to the first time cutoff, and if you've ever seen a "B" level road in IOWA its basically a dirt path between farm fields, and after a couple inches of rain its a small muddy stream between farm fields. Now THAT'S suffering. I think the farthest anybody got was 119 miles, in about TEN hours! I'd to like to try it next year. Running and carrying your bike through a foot of mud, WHY? Why not?

Lazy days...

Really lazy I might add, I sat and listened to the rain for awhile last night thinking about the Trans-Iowa racers out there, HARD CORE Did get my new fork installed though, REBA team, air-u-turn, 32mm stantions, motion control, pop-lock adjust, floodgate, blah blah BLAH...No less than SIX adjustments you can make to this thing and I'll try to sort em out here, Air spring; keeps this fork at 3.4 lbs. no different than my old Psylo except 4mm bigger stantions, also you can adjust between 115mm to 85mm in travel externally ( I bet I'll NEVER change from 100mm) Motion control; Rock Shox version of a "stable platform", hit the handlebar mounted "poplock adjust" to lock, then the floodgate controls how much fork movement in the lock mode. Noticed that my "sorta" LBS had installed the poplock upside down and backwards and left about 8 inches of extra cable hangin in front of my bars, oh well, every once in awhile I actually WORK on my own bike so after I tweaked and tuned, everything looks AND functions pretty well, the "lock" should come in handy during climbing and during the opening sprint to the single track, now I'll wait for my frame shock to come back with "pro-pedal" and make an old bike new again in terms of suspension. In hind sight a guy could just get rid of Forks and shocks and gears for that matter and have THE most efficient bike out there, but I'm getting too brittle to take that kind of beating anymore...Oh yeah, one more thing, its not DISCO GOLD either (sniff*)

Shocking...

My Fox frame shock finally gave up the ghost this weekend, I noticed it had been leaking air for a couple months now, nothing serious but by the end of a good ride it would drop from the 110lbs to about 50lbs, makes "sprinting" feel more like "mushing". I like the new propedal stuff from Fox but I didn't want to spend almost 400 bones on a new shock, enter PUSH they can rebuild my old Fox float RL, tune it to my weight and riding style, AND add the PROPEDAL feature as well. I never used the lockout on this shock anyway cause it climbs better in the active mode. For 160.00 bucks it sounds pretty good. Once I get it back I'll give a review on it. Nothin much else going on but training, didn't even race last weekend. Saving my gas money for Waverly...IMBCS #3

OOOOHH Fixie

Noticed on the Burlington group ride Dennis Grelk on his "fixie". Never having had the opportunity to actually ride one of these things it looks mighty peculiar. During our ride Dennis was explaining that he "spins out" around 35 to 36 miles miles per hour, he said this cause at some point along the way our group of fanatics was approaching these kinds of speeds. So as we head down main street hill at 38+ mph I 'm following Denny, still clipped in, legs a blur, thinking any moment I'm going to be dodging shrapnel or biological material, I've never been as nervous and I wasn't even riding the thing, forget the fact that there are no brakes either as he's heading towards stoplights, train tracks, ammo dumps etc. All i would do is have a three mile long skid mark. (you can use your imagination here) Cajones (ovaries) of steel to all ye fixie riders out there!!!

Woohoo...

Warning, Geode has been hit hard by our recent storms, both the BIG downhills on the backside are washed out and left HUGE X LARGE rocks in the gully that has formed. I don't know who was more scared, me doing the downhill stylin or the surprized mushroom hunters on their way up, sure that i was comitting suicide by bike.

Comfortably Numb...

I almost forgot to include a product test result from the first race of the season, Up to now I could be counted on to put the bike down at least once during any given race, and I wear the scars from most of these "soil samples" to this day. I always thought that if I didn't wreck out at least once, i wasn't riding hard enough. At some point during a race my hands would go numb enough that I couldn't tell if I had triggered a shift or even if my fingers were on the brakes, so its NO WONDER that being tired, and having hands of "stone", resulted in SO many trips off the trail or "bark Burners" over the years. Enter ERGON grips,(sometimes I think products get great reviews cause somebody is trying to justify spending big bucks on them) These things were worth every penny of the 24.00 bucks plus shipping, NO NUMBING at all, BIG contact patch even helps during climbing. I didn't even notice how good these felt until afterwords. Verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you suffer from a similar symptom. In other news I upgraded my USAC license to Expert AND cat 4, someday I hope to be good enough to actually get ACCUSED of sandbaggin...

Post race

Tony Thaller & Me

VIVA LA FRANCE

NAKED PHIL Chases the "peloton" at Sylvan Island

Take it to the limit...

IMBCS #1, I74 #1 its in the books, Sylvan Island '06. I'm not even sure what place I finished in, 12th? What I am sure of is that I FINISHED my first expert race, me and a number of other ex-sport riders, Pete, Andy, Butch, et al; these guys know what I'm talkin about! I'm sure this is the longest mountain bike race I've done, and quite possibly the fastest average speed (not counting peterson pits last year) 27 miles at 12.9 mph, what a great turnout of racers in all the classes!!! Many thanks to ALL who worked to put this race on. I wonder if Apollo Ohno wishes his legs were as HUGE as Brian Eppens'??? I wonder if Cam Kirkpatrick really does drive an Ice cream truck covered in human skulls??? I got to thank DICE team captain BRUCE GRELL for keepin me rollin on those last couple of laps,( or would that be dragging me) By the time i went through the root/rock/hill section on the down stream side of that course for the 9th time i thought my kidneys were hooked into the seat stays, my only regret was forgetting to bring my DAMN CAMEL BACK with me to the race, (forgot it at home) my nasty recovery/during drink mixture and gel combos felt like washing down peanut butter with maple syrup, JUST a little THICK!! Oh, and for those that missed it, Bruce and I DID get chased by a scary naked guy on the bell lap,(none other than $5 Dollar Phil) alla Tour De France style, however, it did speed us up a tad thru the u-turn section!! WHERE oh WHERE was the MILKMAN??? A race without Howie, is like a hotdog sans the weenie!!! (just kidding Mike, I know some people actually train for 24 hours of this stuff) we'll see you in Peoria for sure. Big congrats to Burlington riders tres amigos Nick, Tracy and Amanda, hard to beat the ATLAS hat trick!! I'll play Mr. Obvious and say that today was a rest day for me. Shoutouts to Dougie#1, J. Higgs, PaulyDek, JENZO and the Marlboro Man, Tony, Steve, Timmy, and MIDZ (who never even had to unholster his sidearm once)and the rest of the crew. PAMBA ROCKS!!!

Little Things

Think 1979, yup thats way back in the day. Its back when OAKLEY was exclusively SO CAL, and us ioweejuns were the trickle down eastern customers, OAKLEY actually made stuff besides groovy glasses so unless you had an OAKLEY number plate on your BMX bike, you were coming up short on style points. They also made THE coolest set of handlebar grips, shaped like your hand, didn't slip, and provided just a little cush for the bone jarring captain insano tricks we'd try to pull off. When I first got into mountain biking I went lookin to replace what in my opinion was THE biggest shortcoming when it came to the "new" mountain bike; GRIPS. I never liked the thin slippery, slide up and down the bar ,twistin, gooey, too small for your hand to grip, GRIPS. The last few years I've used ODI lock on YETI's and been pretty happy, the lock rings kept em exactly where you wanted them and the YETI version is about twice the circumference of a regular grip so you don't have to wrap your hand around it like a Boa eatin a rat. All was good until I spied these on Jeff Kerkoves bike, just like the new Ford Mustang, here was a reincarnated version of OAKLEYS best contribution to biking, makes me want to hit the half pipe and throw down a big Flair to fakey can-can truckdriver (rrrright) or just make hitting the trail for hours on end a bit more comfy...and that they are.

Riders in the storm (almost)

Nice to actually wear "regular" riding shorts for a change on Sunday. High in the low 70's, some sun shinning, decided I was going 40 easy miles on gravel when I left home. Stiff south wind was making it a REAL easy ride even on the gravel, and my speed was pretty high, just outside of Oakville (About 20 miles due north)i could see the clouds boiling back to the south and west (oh crap...)Turned tail and rode directly into the ever increasing wind, I was pushing it pretty hard just to stay in doulble digits for speed, my base miles spin turned quickly into a lactate threshold ride cause I could now hear the thunder, I've heard somewhere that if you SEE the lightning, it already missed you, but I'd rather not find out! got home in time to join the family on the front porch and guesstimate hail velocity and diameter...Sylvan Island on Sunday!!

Ramble on...

Got an e-mail from Bob Chase, a guide from the "Colorado Mountain School", he was a guide we had during a climbing trip in Boulder up the Flatirons, you could tell he loves what he does. Spends the summers in the northern hemispere in Estes Park, and the summers in the southern hemisphere in New Zealand...ENDLESS summer??? Going to have to find a way to do that too. Still riding a little on weeknights, during an interval session on Snake alley, I was attacked by these guys and did a fast trip around Boringtown, I think this is Dominics super secret training route for building power and speed, this is a FAST group, I took my usual place as the "lantern rouge" and held on. This weekend includes a couple hours of trail work in Dehns, all I need is .3 miles for an even five down there...

Back in the saddle again...

Busy weekend, Dr. Feelgood found not one but TWO nasties behind my ear, but due to the SIZE of the things he only sliced and diced one, left it OPEN, yuk, packed it with god knows what so it could drain... sweet. Going back in monday for some more cutting. On a lighter note I was jealous of everybody going to race in the Ouachita challenge I decided to have my own, did 50 miles of gravel on saturday almost a 4 hour ride, found a new route that follows the river bluff for awhile above Oakville, nothing but hills, then rode the wind home on the river bottoms, speaking of rivers spent Sunday morning "chilling" (pun intended) out on the Mississippi with the Mrs. and the Mutts, Sunny but a little cold, we sat on the sand and watched; PELICANS yup, big honking white pelicans by the hundreds, so many flying around that Mrs. Brakeville was worried they might poop on us (not the first time this sort of thing has happened). Did a couple laps down in Dehns afterwords, no mud, but REALLY spongy, made me work for every mile. Am I ready for Sylvan Island? NO...

Ouch

Getting a bit of surgery tomorrow, I might be growing a third ear, but the Dr. insists its a cyst. All I know is that its painful and has turned into an ugly(er) part of my head in the last week. I need to get a little digital camera. Photo's make the blog IMO. I'm hoping Geode is ridable this weekend, cause its either there or massive gravel miles. Wow what a medical month eh?

And now, for something completely different

Just didn't feel like riding, first day of spring, 4" of slush, too tired, i don't know. Thought, maybe do something different. How about running up and down the stairs at home while carrying my wifes "Denise Austin" padded dumbbells for an hour? Improvised some polymetrics by reducing the number of steps needed to get up the two flights of stairs from 20 to 5? Drive my two dogs absolutely friggin bonkers at the same time? Sounds great!! I was happy to outlast the mutts as they decided to lay down and watch after 20 minutes. I can still feel the effort today...I was thinking what a great downhill FREERIDE i could do from the attic to the basement but I'd catch some hell for that.

What am I DOING???

Stop the presses, Machine gun Midz has called me out and I've made my decision (gasp) I am going to (gulp) race in the EXPERT class this year. Let me tell you about the first MTB race I did. Year 2001, event Sugarbottom scramble, class SPORT. At the time I knew diddly about XC racing, it just sounded fun and never having done it before I thought, hell, I've been riding for three whole months now, I'm not really a beginner so I better sign up for the sport class (dumbass). 100 racers, 20 miles, exactly 1 lap on this course before I raced it. I finished 98th place, if I had drank any water during the race I would have puked, I had never experienced anything as difficult before (however 2004 farmdale frenzy race was a close second, buts thats another story) but the hook was in. There is ALWAYS a lot of hushed talk about who's sandbaggin or who should move up and whats fair, yada, yada, yada, thats always open to debate. But after reading some other postings around the web and being "on the fence" all winter in regards to sport/expert this year, I feel I've got to do whats right for me. And if that means I'm suckin wind behind the grand poobahs in the midwest so be it, like thats never happened before!! I've watched and compared lap times with guy's like PAMBA's Tony T. or Iowa's Cam K. and I'm giving up 4 minutes a lap in some cases, but I guess if you don't push yourself you won't improve, and when you get right down to it, when racing a MTB your "on your own", and your biggest competition is YOU. Thanks Midz, I needed something to light the fire this year.

Racing...again

Did the first DICE race of the season in the Quads sunday, its the Cody series. Mass start, which I kinda like anyway, at least I get to see the race until the first break! My burlington friends did very well, I noticed while checking my "stats" on the computer that I had finished pretty close to what I did this same race in last year, after going thru my training log, it was EXACTLY the same, same time, same ave. speed, everything.. don't know if that is good or bad. I guess I'm happy I didn't do worse this year, and once again ended up racing with my teamate and buddy $5 dollar Phil Curran. I don't know the proper roadie edicate but we worked together for a lap but on the last mile or so I kicked it up a notch on the last series of hills and pulled away...love ya Phil!! BACK to THE TRAINING SLACKER.

They're BAAAACK

Well what can I say, if at first you don't succeed...All that glitters is not...naw, at the very least i got to spend a couple of days at elevation, almost 14,000 ft. to be exact! How awesome are the Rockies? I didn't need a heart rate monitor as i figured it would pop out of my chest while hiking up Longs peak in RMP, i'm guessing I was at LT and max HR for about four hours Sunday, how 'bout that training lingo HUH. I won't use this forum to knock a state but DAMN, Nebraska is about 300 miles too wide, I think I may have the bird flu, cause the turds flew, and i'm still not feeling 100%, and that is the excuse I'll use this weekend at the races!!!!

I hate snot

STILL feeling poorly after a week, can't seem to shake this off. I don't know why we take antibiotics that don't work on viral infections, hell I'd settle for a placebo if i thought it would help MENTALLY, oh well, The MRS. and I have BIG doings this weekend, 1800 miles worth, we are both getting to that age when its time to decide if your going to work for the "man" till death or take a risk and strike out on your own, after reading Mike Howards blog, brought me back to just how much time over the course of my life I've spent in Dehn's woods doing the same type of kid stuff up to now doing the same type of "older kid" stuff. I'm not going to get into too much detail about our trip but i'll offer this "teaser", if you LOVE what your doing and your making money doing it, is it really work? I'd say its a once in a lifetime chance...nuff said. Wish us luck!!

Its Christmas in March

I'm going to buy one of these. Its basically an upgraded version of the Psylo fork I'm running now with a few new twists. The first is 32mm legs, the next is "motion control", I looked at buying a FOX F100x but after reading the reviews I am less than impressed, no need to spend almost $800.00 if there is another option available. When I have a few rides on it I'll give a review of my own...

The WEAPON

s'cuse me I'm sick

Was feelin purdy bad saturday, managed 16 miles around geode anyway, one lap with the dogs in hot pursuit and one without, trail was not "muddy" and I wasn't sinkin in but still felt like riding on sponge cake. Stayed home most of the day sunday I felt like poop, but later on I got better so i put an hour on the trainer instead of watching the oscars...

Tidbits

30 miles in 60 minutes, on rollers. First half hour avg. heart rate at 153, aerobic breathing, no problems. Last ten minutes trying to maintain 31.5 mph started pedaling in "squares" heart rate close to max. at 185, cadence down to 90 rpm, its funny to watch how your body reacts when you hit the "wall", finished at 30.3 mph avg. over the 60 minutes, washed all the lactic acid out with some POM, recommended by Jeff Kerkove, it aint too bad...tonight, back outside

Slice?

Whats a good name for slimy mud over ice? Slice or mice? First lap around Geode yesterday 10:00am Frozen solid and perfect, second lap 1 hour later, about 1/4 inch of really slick goo on top of the frozen ground. Fun but dangerous, had to bug out after that because I didn't want to ride on the trails as they thawed, I'm comin up short on actual miles for this month but the effort has been up, think I'll put some serious roller miles on tonight...

Keep rollin-rollin-rollin-rollin-WHAT?

Roller racing with the Ahmish in Kalona Iowa.

How Many???

How many laps around the brand NEW BEE's baseball parking lot does it take to get to 20 miles? 80! I OVER-estimated its length a bit, its only 1/4 mile around. Thats OK, I'd rather do a real "road" than spend an hour on the trainer any day, I was able to keep my ave. above 18 mph without pushing too hard, now I need about 20 more sessions like that before my first roadie event which is March 19th, put on by the DICE team. Gonna ride a boatload at Geode this weekend, trail should be in good condition too. Anyone ever notice that when you have a local trail "dialed in" its hard to pace yourself? I gotta FORCE myself to stay aerobic while riding there, I just seem to keep pushing the speed up until I realize that I DON"T want race pace today, I want time in the saddle to burn some FAT. Tax money WAHOO, time for a REBA team fork, my PSYLO's bushings are HISTORY, its getting so loose it feels like my headsets fallin out.

Think Spring

Not much other than training going on right now, during a snow ride two weeks ago I took a header while going downhill and jammed my seat into my right kidney. OW! Took a couple of days to heal, never bothered me while riding, only when I tried to sleep. Sunday the Mrs. and I hiked the 8 miles around Geode, the trail was still covered with ice from that last storm but othwerwise were in good shape, so I got done with a three hour hike, drove home got my bike and drove back out to Geode and did two laps, legs felt worked but endorfins are FREE. Also been doing some intervals on Snake Alley at night, I don't mind the cold as the trainer is BORING me to tears. Think tonight I'm going to try riding around the parking lot for the BEE's baseball diamond here in town, possibly a half mile? but deserted after dark. could be interesting...

Random crappola

Didn't get to my race afterall the hoopla, I was not feelin it sunday, wound up hiking with the Mrs. and the mutts, I'm thinking that too many races too soon were givin me the red-ass so i backed off a bit. I've got 4 hours training time in this week so far between inside and outside rides, I love the rollers-unfortunatly they DO NOT work you at all like the trainer does, I think i'll back WAY off on roller time and just use them as cool down/warm up for the fluid trainer...c'mon daylight savings time, I need some outdoor rides bad, dropped below 180lbs headed to 170 but its a struggle this year. got a flat already on my GRRacer, bummer! i hate friggin tubes, tonight-i'm going to try parking lot racing

Motivation

I'll tell you what motivation is all about, I read somebody's rant about Bush and biking, not that I care about either, but there seems to be a group who no matter what can't help raggin on what PARTICULAR bike someone is riding. God, nothing fires me up more than that, the very LAST thing I'd do is disrespect anyone's bicycle of choice on a public forum. I don't care if its huffy, next, or Eddy Merkx as long as your bustin your ass to pedal the damn thing. Maybe "elite" riders have nothing else to gain but an ego trip by thumbing their nose at the rest of every wannabee out there, and turn around and cry about how no one is interested in the sport. THAT motivates me every time I get too tired to turn another pedal or gut it up the last hill, cause someday, somebody's gonna whup their ass with a bike that "sucks", and I hope I'm there to see it...

shopping trip

Weekend

Two races this weekend, a roller race and a gravel road race. I'm gonna do the gravel RR on sunday, should be cold and FAST. Not too many cat 5's show up so I am the proverbial "lantern rouge" at these races, although this will be the debut of my super secret GRR bike, maybe I'll be able to finish with the pack, maybe. Did 30 miles on rollers last night just for aerobics, but I maintained 30mph for an hour and felt really smooth doing it, rollers really improve your spin, and force you to be smooth even reaching for your water bottle. Saturday its outside for some chilly miles...

Not tonight

Too tired after work today, came home and played my axe, I'm gettin purdy good at seether and shine down, have to ride domani (tomorrow)

My new ride-GOT WOOD?

Wait for weight

Kiddo's had their I.E.P. (long story) last night, that means from 5:30 to 7:30 i have to hang around mediapolis (pop. 1600 salute!)what to do? RIDE! put my red blinky on and scared the "straights" as NOBODY expects to see a guy riding around and around a two mile loop in the dark, it was windy so I got a good interval in and twenty more miles in the legs. Last year I started out at 206 lbs!!! NOT GOOD but I finally got down to 178 more or less during the season, this year I'm starting at 180 and I want to be 170 by may, Napolis pizza doesn't help me at all, try tuna right from the can with EL TACO CASA hot sauce mixed in, purdy good. now to the ab work...435 miles for january