drunk cyclist hit by drunk driver?

the drunk cyclist
the creator of the LIVEWRONG bracelet was the victim of a hit and run while on his bike the other day

apparently he is on the mend and made a few news appearances
I would like to see a PSA come out of this
I need to talk to the WABA folks about working with the DOT on some Cycling Safety PSAs

http://drunkcyclist.com/

Product Review? a few things that suck

Product Review: Product Bashing
let me make this quick

here are a few things that suck...

no it does not suck that my frame broke
I rode that bike for several years
I got some good miles out of that bike
there is a good chance that this frame will be warrantied
if that does not happen
I will think about my next move from there

no, here are a few things that suck
was spinning around town on my way home from work on the Surly Karate Monkey
my rigid single not my geared with front suspension monkey
that would be the skid mark brown bike
not the army green bike
both have very big 29 inch wheels
with disc brakes in front and v-brakes in the rear

but it is not the Monkey that sucks...

what sucks is riding home from work
leaving later than already late departure time
over spinning the monkey on the city streets
splitting lanes and timing lights
going up and down a few curbs taking some nice turns and not being shy about having some fun

turning onto a short steep block of a climb hear a crack or maybe a snap and feel a moment of resistence on my pedal stroke
immediately think that I have broken an axle
hmmmm..... a broken axle... that has not happened to me in a while
I am off the bike
spinning the rear wheel
and trying to spread the rear triangle
no spread of the rear triangle
but I feel a little resistence at a part of the chains roatation
after the broken rhythm I see without any need for close examination
it is a broken link on the chain
worse yet it is a broken power link

immediately I curse to myself
as I know that I am without a power link or any spare links
even if I have a few spare links or a power link in my pack
those links or that power link would not be as broad or as big as the SRAM single speed chain

I walk the bike over to a spot where I can try and figure out a repair

my pack unloads like dennis the menace's pockets
so much that I would never need
nothing that I really need
well...
I have some stuff that looks like it should work
but a few things fall short

the first thing to fall short is the SRAM Power link
it was not a broken chain
it was a disassembled Power Link
as I walked the bike I focused on the link that was out of place
watching to make sure if it feel off I knew where it dropped
the broken link was clearly the power link
the brasey gold stooded out against the clean nickel finish of the other links

I flipped the bike upside down
with the bike in a its primitive yet natural repair stand I took hold of the link
first thinking the link had come undone
thinking that it was as easy as forcing the link to lock in place
then only to learn that the power link was broken at the point where the cylinder should be fused to one of the links flat figure eight sides
then it was revealed to me
at the 12 Hours of Lodi Farms this year as I raced with Chris Redlack on a duo team it was not a matter of my link coming apart
it was a matter of the link falling apart
that sucks
so I took the logic of fool me once shame on you
fool me twice shame on me
or once bitten twice shy
either way I did not want three times to be a charm

so I pulled out my Alien tool for an old school chain shortening

I made a quick measure of the distance
matching up the links
figuring I was able to remove the minimum and be able to bind the chain
hoping that with the wheel pushed all the way forward I could fasten the chain and ride home
(if it works... it would not just take me home... chances are that is how it would just be)

so in that classic swiss army knife fashious I started to unfold the Alien multi-tool
men do love these little gadget like tools
as I worked through the many allen keys I selected the chain tool, was cautious around the sharp blade, and searched for the right size allen on the send half of the tool which was now on the ground after the dissasembly of the two halves

with the two pieces as one again I started to push the last ling apart
with the chain in my hands rather than on the bike the tool manipulated the task quite fluidly

then I got up to loosen the rear wheel
the standard single speed uses bolt on axles rather than quick release axles
so I pull out a Surly: Jethro Tool or something to that effect
a cool little tool that fits nice in the hand
pretty to the eye
pretty to a touch
has a bottle opener that I have never used
I grimace as I see this tool option over a standard box wrench with a longer handle granting more leverage

I move to the bike and try to work the tightly fastened nuts free
the amount of strength versus works in relation to the lack of leverage
the palm of my hand hurts
the tool is not as comfortable to use as it is to hold
I try one side
then the other
then the other again
questioning my direction here and there
then with a little more grit I am able to free one side
with one side free the other side is less of an issue

thinking I will have plenty of space I hap hazardly push the wheel forward
back to my knees I pull the now shorter chain
the two ends meet
but the overlap is not enough
I make sure the nuts are loose
I make sure the wheel is slid as far forward as the wheel will slide in the versitile horizontal dropouts
I try to make the ends meet
the chain is close
but not so close that I bother to try and connect the tool

I scavange my bag one last time then go for the cell phone
I call my wife to tell her I will be later than expected
then
I call my brother
my brother's house is closer than home
it makes more sense to work the bike like a scooter to his house
make the repair and ride home

lucky for me
not only is my brother home
but my brother has a brand new never been used SRAM chain
a SRAM single speed chain just like the one I had... only standard and not nickel plated
I accept it with promise of replacement
then head back to my temporarily lame monkey

since the bike is outside I head outside
before I even get into the repair I am so bothered by the mosquitos that I take the bug spray of the grill and tag each inch of uncovered skin
with the bolts not as tightly attached the Surly bottle opener works just fine as a wrench
then back to my squating to the knees position as I ignore the Power Link and go straight to the chain and the chain tool
I am staying old school
do not want to risk the Power Link again

I measure the desired length of the chain
pinching the link where I want to make the break
I sit back on the stairs not having to focus my eyes on the chain
feeling confident that I have measured things correctly
and that I am pinching the right spot

again the chain breaks with the use of the Alien Multi-tool with grace and speed
the block that broke into two sets of tools is rejoined into one
as an allen key is needed to turn the barrel screen that pushes the pin through the chain
the two pieces act as one pretty nicely
yet I a still craving a standard Park chain tool or even my Crank Brothers Multi tool
even the Crank Brother's tool has a lock so you do not push the pin too far
I check and test and have to try again a few times until I have pushed the pin far enough out to allow me to remove the extra unwanted line of links

I feed the chain through the frame and over the single bmx cog in the back
then I take the slack over to the front chain ring
my hands dance in opposite directions then come together
here I start to feel like I need a third hand

the two tools as one were somewhat cumbersome as I tried to link the two pieces
the chain did not seat as nicely into the tool as the tool fit into the tool
the chain did not line up as clean and as straight as I felt comfortable with
so I tried and tried to line the chain into the tool
and then start to rotate the half of the tool that fits into the allen bolt of a barrel that will push the pin that rejoins the chain as one semi-circular piece

the tool was proving that hybrids are rarely better then specialty tools
but, the Crank Brothers is a multi-tool and it serves the purpose just fine

the frustration really extended when I tried to loosen the stiff link
the standard chain tool has a dual purpose
the little know trick of the spreading of the links
well... not with this tool
old school goes further old school making a little triangle with the links and working it back and forth

so...
the repair sucks worse than the break
although the mechanica sucks
well.... it really sucks as it appears to be defective equipment
but the repair really sucks
as it not only takes longer than it should
but it is also a more frustrating process than it should be

a straight screw driver works better than a curved one
that is why they do not make curved ones that fit safely in your back pocket

eventually the repair is finished
time to finish my ride home
with red and white flashing lights already blinking on my backpack
I turn on the velcro attached battery operated light that I bought from the Princeton Lights booth at the 24 Hours of Big Bear
thirty bucks well spent
or was it twenty bucks
either way they gave into my haggling
we both won
I got a great light and they got my money
still above cost

the rest of the ride was uneventful
the set up did not feel clean
had to loosen the barrel at the break lever to get the pads off the rim

then rolled home
opted to head through Adams Morgan again rather than towards Cleveland Park from Georgetown
figured I could go around the hill instead of down one then up one

got home
said good night to the boys
had a laugh as Dean and Grant competed to get Brutus in the bed
eventually is was more about the competition of calling the dog
and having what the other wanted
rather than having the dog in the bed
extra elation came each time Brutus jumped from bed to bed
five year old dean won brutus for longer durations as he was enjoying petting the dogs and brutus was enjoying being pet

now it is time to go to bed
wanted to work some images
but do not want to risk starting a project that may keep up up later into the night

I can get my pleasure with creating a puzzle with blocks instead of photographs
already built up a little star wars village downstairs
am thinking of some wooden blocks and some thomas the train
my brother's older son is coming over
want to have a little something for them to start the day
I already know that the star wars toys have been mentioned between the boys

maybe the little people and thomas the train will entertain younger grant
already set up in the living room
will put the train in the other room so it takes two hurricanes instead of one to destroy my projects


hmmm.
what was that list of things that suck?
-SRAM power links
-the chain tool on the alien multi tool
-the surly jethro tool
that may be it

oh....
monkey nuts suck as well
but
only someone with a geared karate monkey would know that
but anyone with a geared karate monkey will tell you that monkey nuts suck

you suck monkey nuts

accidently posted this on my roscoe tribute site
a site that has not gotten the attention that it needs
especially since brutus is going through some changes

monday night.... sounds like a broken spoke

monday night after having to work late I was running late
late for my mountain bike team meeting
it is a casual affair
but I still do not want to be late
if I push it I will only be minutes late
only a few minutes late

so I get out of the saddle and start to work the pedals
mashing the pedals like a sororiety sister burning calories on the stair master
only with lets a little more scarred and a little more bruised
just a few strokes forward
still accelerating
not yet back in the saddle
not yet spinning in a groove
I hear it
I feel it
with a strong metalic thud and a smack something popped on my back end

not sure what it was
did not feel like I hit something
was alert enough to know that I had not hit an urban obstacle
no pothole
no random trash left on the street intentionally or unintentionally
nothing

I continue with a few strokes through the intersection
the light was not quite green
but the opening was there
so I went on through before I stopped

without much thought or without much concern
I lifted the back end of my several year old Jamis Nova cyclocross bike
spun the well worn now knobbieless ritchey cyclocross tire
that old cross classic mavic open pro with a standard 105 hub
the wheel spun clean
not even coming close to the Spooky cross brakes
there was no hop
there was no visible broken spoke
I grabbed at the crisscross of the spokes as I moved the wheel in incremental rotations
nothing
the wheel seemed solid

then I played the sound back in my head
as I pictured the sound in my head I knew it was metal cracking
with the riddle revealed I smiled
no I did not smile because I broke my frame
I smiled because I solved the problem in my head

being closer to home then to the meeting I changed my course and headed for home

I rolled slowly
examining the break
watching to see how much flex occured as I coasted down the road
keep it easy fearing that a little flex could bring the now imcomplete drive side of the rear triangle into my rear wheel

got home
grabbed my pedal wrench
pulled the time pedals off the Nova and put them onto the Karate Monkey single speed
and over spun my way into Columbia Heights
arriving at the meeting a little later than planned

hope nobody was offended
will try not to break my frame next month
and
will try to be on time to the meeting

I race with DCMTB a civic minded mountain bike team based out of Washington, DC that is sponsored by City Bikes and Metro Gutter
we just got some new jerseys and new shorts
moving away slightly away from the design of the last many years
got away from orange and red
moved to black and red

it is a good group of guys
some of which happen to be pretty fast
but it not so much about results as it is about riding your bike

the DCMTB Blog

some blogs of some of the other folks on the DCMTB team
http://fatboydeluxe.com/blog/
http://joefoley.blogspot.com/
http://citybikesmike.blogspot.com/
http://bikecentric.blogspot.com/

playing in the creek

dean and grant playing
playing in the creek
playing in the rain

another shot in the same area

it was a rainy afternoon in boulder
my kids did mind the rain as they were having too much fun slipping into the creek
lisa was regretting not buying the kids crocs sandals
as their shoes were certainly not going to dry off before the flight home scheduled for the next day

as the rain grew more steady we worked to try and corral the kids towards the car

not far south of boulder
just minutes from downtown actually
the streets were dry
it had not rained
the mountain climate is unique that way
the afternoon rains drift in and drift out
but do not engulf the whole area

we returned to our hotel and got out of our wet clothes and into our dry bathing suits
only to get wet again

common sites in boulder

some common sites in boulder colorado
homeless and cruisers
here is a homeless guy on a cruiser
well... I am guessing that he is homeless

frank's blog

Frank's Blog (strongest dad in the world post)
(with a tear jerker of a story about a father being an uber dad)
Frank's Shop at myspace
Frank at myspace

the author of that story, Rick Reilly

(I wish I had the time to ride for a few hours)
frank's PSA
and
sport legs

WIKIPEDIA on EPO

Cyclorama.... nothing to do with cycling

.

Cyclorama

Behalt Cyclorama tells the Amish and Menonite story PL (Pre-Landis)

.

magnificient markup

ah... we love to pay more
we like to think that when we pay more we get more
which in so many cases is true

a few weeks ago I stopped by to see an old friend
she took a break from work and we went across the street to grab a soda
the choices were there CVS or Marvelous Market
I was pointing towards the CVS
but altered my course as I could see that she was leaning towards the Marvelous Market
when inside I made things easy grabbed a bottle of Coke and a candy bar, a Bit-O-Honey to be exact
after paying my bill I examined the reciept as the finally tally seemed steep for a two product purchase
it turns out the soda was a pretty standard markup
while the candy bar was a buck sixty five
I asked if the price was correct
to my surprise the man behind the counter claimed it was correct
I asked if I should go back and get the rest of the box
the man stared back blankly
then I asked if this was the organic version of the Bit-O-Honey candy
the man still looked at me blankly
rather than bother to return the product and grab the same thing for its actual price at the CVS or the nearest corner hot dog stand I decided never to return to the world of the Magnificient Markup at the Marvelous Market

my wife and I differ on our stores of choice
lisa is drawn towards the Fresh Fields Whole Foods Market
while I would prefer to shop at Costco

while in Colorado I was pleased to find a Bit-O-Honey for sixty five cents
it was tasty
Bit-O-Honey is similar but different than Mary Jane

not name dropping... tangent hopping

the other day I posted about an old friend and his involvement in this project

les was the executive producer
I was curious if he goes by Leslie across the board
or just went by Leslie when paired with this film
as it is a chic flick
maybe the viewers would feel more comfortable thinking a chick was involved in each and every step of this film's creation

then I realized
so often I like to try and bring my stories full circle
I try to give the story some sort of relevance
then it dawned on me
it was les that first introduced me to the mountain bike
well.... it was first an article in Boys Life and then it was a commercial for a Huffy mass produced with Joe Murray's name on it... The Baja Bike.... by Joe Murray
but then during my senior year of high school it was Les who was paging through the back pages of various magazines trying to find a deal on a mountain bike

in his enteprenurial efforts he tried to get me and another friend to go in on a purchase
thinking that if he had three people order these bikes we could get a deal
if I remember correctly there were Shoguns, Specialized, or Cannondales
my savings were not as grand as his
or perhaps
my tastes were more humble

les went with the SM600 with the 24 inch rear wheel
I ended up buying a lesser bike, a Mongoose ATB
the Chrome finish was nice... I broke over a dozen of these bikes
Mongoose was good enough to warranty them each and every time
perhaps if I had purchased a more expensive bike I would not have suffered these issues
(actually I broke some higher end bikes as well)

les and I went riding at various local spots
we got mud on our bikes
it was a humble beginning to the sport of mountain biking

in addition to bikes
les was also into photography
les worked a short stint as a messenger doing runs for a camera store
during that time he took photos of various messengers
hmmm....
I wonder if he would find any amusement in the fact that I am still riding a mountain bike and that I enjoy taking photos of messengers?

funny...
I could not catch air then
and
I can not catch air now
not much changes

the ditty bops cd

recently got the ditty bops cd
give it a listen
well....
give their songs at myspace a listen

the ditty bops at myspace

always good to be home

it is always good to be home
it will be good to be sleeping in my own bed
although I slept just fine in the various beds we slept in while in Colorado
and it was various beds

in the world of parenting odd things can happen in the night
a soundless game of musical beds
the children can wake commanding your presence
the children can wake commanding access to your room
there can be all sorts of bed combinations through the night

having the kids sleep through the night is always a pleasure

we will see how the time shift and all the late summer nights effect their sleep cycle in the days to come
maybe the record has skipped and will pick up at a premium position
early to bed and sleeping late
that is the equation that I dream of
but right now
I have kids that are training for a life of late night partying farmers

I love those little monkeys
I just wish they would stay in their own bed all night

excited to see the photos from the trip
am considering printing out the shots that dean took
he was so excited about using the camera
he likes to get abstract
I like to have him take pictures of the family
he likes to take pictures of whatever he wants to take pictures of
he will intentionally cut off my head in the shot
or
he will intentionally zoom in on my butt

but
he also followed my instructions and took a few shots of me on various hikes
my five year old camera man

Shenadoah Mountain Touring

shenandoah mountain 100
my heart rate goes up just typing those characters

the wilderness 101 just passed
one year I should put this event on the calendar

the results are interesting
this company brings a great deal to the east coast scene

shenandoah mountain touring
oh, and chris scott is a good dude too

I need to take the plunge and just sign up for the S M 1 0 0
will have to play the late fee
there is still a little time to start logging some miles

winter park worked out quite well...

the vacation was a family vacation
there was talk of doing a race in Winter Park on Saturday
but only if we arrived by Friday
work did not allow that Friday to be away
which meant that there was no chance of hitting that race

which was fine
there was enough gear being dragged about the airport as it was

being from sea level and all that
well... and
colorado being colorado
well... and
it was alright not getting humbled in front of a bunch of strangers

this all came to surface last night on our last night in Boulder as I jumped into the pool with my two boys I saw a guy with a spanking new black cast on his arm
the fit build along with the location and the Ritchey hat spelled bike accident
I bluntly asked... "did that happen on the bike?"

the exchange was pleasant and open
no great detail
he had one eye on his daughter while I alternated my one eye between my two boys
grant with a life jacket
dean swimming like marine boy sans aqua gum

in our exchange it came up that he had missed the Leadville 100 that day
that brought a smile to my face
sorry for him
yet quasi happy for me
as I missed the Leadville 100 that day as well
had I know that that race corresponded with my family vacation
well...
I could still be riding my bike trying to finish that course right now

apparently missing the Leadville 100 is a real bummer to this guy
his wife understood and offered the Cyclocross Nationals as a way to make up for the missed race and the injury
sounds like his wife understands his addiction

leadville 100
one of the great things about the Shenandoah Mountain 100 is how late it happens in the year
it allows that race to be at many mountain bike rider's to be at their peak fitness
as well as being at the tail end of their year
as a 100 miles off road may take the snap out of a rider's legs for a few weeks

riding the chair and riding down hill on a bunch of times may not have been making use of the high elevation for training for a distance event
but who said anything about training
who said anything about racing

missing the monkey

missed race two of the cranky monkey
missing race three of the cranky monkey this sunday

no worries
there will be other races
although this one is so local that the fun factor is increased

my results at the Cranky Monkey #1 shock many including myself
it was a fun day for racing

my DCMTB team mate Chris Clarke stepped it up and won the 35+ last Sunday
wonder where everyone sits in the standings
(chris also kicked ass when we teamed up on a 35+ team for the 24 Hours of Big Bear)
((scroll down for the race report from that event)

citybikesmike has a good post about the rapidly approaching SM100

dial up sucks
I am going to bed

the domestic side of bike guatemala

bike guatemala/old town outfitters

was going to post about how the domestic half of Old Town Outfitters is going to be on HGTV House Hunters with his beautiful family this Sunday....
but can not find the email with the specifics so the message loses its punch
I have yet to make it down to Guatamala for an Old Town Outfitter's adventure
maybe when the boys get bigger

totally wired... totally space

f_ck!

packing my bags
getting ready to evacuate grand lake colorado and head to boulder in the am
as I was scanning my gear it occurred to me
the desire to snap some shots, drop off a rental bike, and get back to a rented mini-van to a cranky two and a half year old clogged my objectives
I totally spaced as I returned my rental to totally wired
left my TIME pedals on the bike

will need to track those folks down
did a GOOGLE
will have to GOOGLE further
need to get give them a call and see if they can send those pedals to dc
as I need those pedals

GOT IT!

• TOTALLY WIRED CYCLERY
• 543 ZEREX
• FRASER, CO 80442
• p. (970)726-4400

dirt rag has them listed as a totally cool shop
the folks running the place seemed cool
so...
there should be no issue

funny... they had a computer in the shop
yet they have no Internet presence
the guy that helped me out, rented me the bike, and pointed me to the trails on the mountain was online reading some stuff at NPR
wonder if he checked out my blog?
as I did give him my card

stole this from blue collar mountain biking

.

landis is offer cash for a polygraph

.

music brings back memories

I have always enjoyed the music of Seal
his first album still goes into my rotation

just as I enjoy the sound of seal
I enjoy the site of Heidi

sales people

"i get sales talk from sales assistants"
-martin fry of ABC

today I got on the bike
it was awesome
not well planned
but awesome just the same
as per usual
it all worked out

loaded up the car with the kids and drove from grand lake to winter park
not a long drive
40 minutes, well, a tad longer than forty minutes as we searched for a place to drop our recycling and dump our trash

arrived in winter park and scanned the area for a mountain bike
went to a number of shops and was less than pleased with the selection
a good number of deore level hardtails
nothing with disc brakes
nothing in my size
at one shop the sales person asked me what I rode
I told him a 22 inch 29er
asked me my inseam... I told him my bike size
he told me we were the same size and he rode a 19 inch bike
I withheld my east coast and took my attention elsewhere
he was six foot
I am six four
that is not the same size
and
I doubt that he rides a ninteen inch frame
asshole...
hope he comes east to dc and asks me for directions
I will send his green horn ass straight to anacostia

the other shops were less aggressive with the improper fitting
the third shop sent me to a shop in fasier
while all shops should have sent me to the base of the mountain
but... I feared getting to the base of the mountain and not finding anything in my size
just as I fear getting to the bowling alley or the skating rink and them not having shoes in my size
so I settled with what I could get in frasier
a 20 inch double banger
a short cockpit on a heavy bike
but... figured it could work for the day
it had disc brakes
loaded it in the car and headed to the base of the Zephr chair at Winter Park
where I saw a line of big travel Konas that looked nicer that the bike whose manufacturer I have already forgotten

the sales person at Totally Wired was cool and helpful so he got my business

was totally stoked with my decision to ride the chair lift rather than guessing around some xc trails around the area

an 11 minute chair ride fed me onto all sorts of terrain... most of which pointed me down

rode a few times
got lost once
was having too much fun to notice that I was off the designated trails
did not complain
was still on single track
was just pointed away from the mountain
got to get a little cardio as I worked the flats to get back to the base of the mountain
most of the ride was in the woods and I guessed the right way back
so it was all good

while I rode lisa and the boys indulged themselves to the summer activities of winter park
there were all sorts of things for them to do.... climbing walls, alpine slides, bungee assisted trampolines, minature golf... and yes more.... did I say more
sure it was a heafty ticket... but not for kids five and under
it was good to see my wife and kids smiling each time when I got to the base of the mountain

we met for lunch
just as I told lisa I would rather ride than eat.... thunder and lightning rolled in
with lightening in the sky... the lifts closed
our day was cut short

which was fine...
it was time for grant to take a nap
so we pointed the mini-van rental for grand lake
dropping off my rental in frasier on the way home

everyone was tired
everyone was smiling
well... other than grant
as grant was napping
I wanted to nap
but I was driving
napping while driving is bad

rocky mountain national park

here it is
the halfway point of my humble vacation
okay... it is less than humble
it is totally awesome

all has gone well so far
our younger son grant was suffering a little bit of a cold
but nothing that a shot glass of motrin did not cure
now.... he is up to his usual self

my vacation has been bike free thus far
there was a moment on a paddle boat today at Grand Lake
but... I quickly traded it in for a canoe
Grant demanded to have the right to steer
lisa and I were working very hard
grant had us going in circles
we turned to back to the dock... with grand demanding to steer I held our course for the dock
we traded the paddle boat for a canoe
so, I took Dean and Grant out for separate canoe trips in Grand Lake
it was awesome
I tried to get them to imagine that the houses that surrounded the lake were tee pees
and that we were indians
I later learned that the indigenous people were wiped out by a great fire
the indians tried to seek safety in the middle of the lake in their boats
they were robbed of oxygen and died
we were not playing that indian game
although I did get winded trying to paddle these guys around the lake

we have done a variety of hikes
Adams Falls twice
Crater Hike, Dean rocked it at an adult pace... Grant road like a prince up and down on my shoulders
then the rocks on the Ridge Trail
in addition to all the hikes there have been evening drives and walks trying to find moose
lots of elk
finally a few moose
no males
although we did see a deer buck at Adams Falls and an elk bull on the road side in Rocky Mountain National Park
no bull moose
just cows and calves... awesome... but not the prize that we all seek

amazing
I never saw Colorado until I graduated from college
saved up some money
got on my motorcycle and pointed west
these kids... they are exposed to a great deal
hope it aids in their development in one way or another
maybe one day they will thank us
but... I bet they will give us the finger as they take the car keys before they thank us

things do not look good for landis

could landis be innocent?
sure, he could be

maybe it is a witch hunt

either way... it does not look good

landis on leno

floyd's lame blog
it reads like a few captions without the images

someone wants to sue landis?
absurd
sue them all... he does not stand alone

today at the highest point of Rocky Mountain National Park as I climbed some rocks with my son Dean there were some Menonites on the trail
I considered making some small talk
chatting them up
getting a feeling of how this whole episode with Floyd Landis has effected their community

he could be innocent?

Phonak Cycling has a history for being dirty

are there levels of cheating?
is syntheic testosterone as bad as EPO
is it the same?
is this like leading versus stealing?

oh....
that is Carole Landis
it seemed more interesting than another picture of a geek on a bike

nina gordon

nina gordon
a friend of a friend
which makes her a friend
especially if there is a chance to drop her name

glad to Seether still rocking and rolling

ninagordon.com

nina gordon at myspace

when I get back to high speed I will give it a look and give it a listen

sent her a clever and cute myspace email
but it got lost in the dial up

that is a cute shot
not the glossy beauty shots that you can also see representing her
she is very cute
with or without the fancy photographer

independent for Arkansas govenor

bicycles
recycling
common sense
an independent

this guy does not have a chance
rob bryan for governor

I must say
I do like his style

strange sites for me.... everyday for colorado

passing through Estes Park I saw Elk munching on the freshly watered and well trimmed grass at the McDonalds

deer in your front yard
(well, that is not so strange.... I see deer in Rock Creek Park, which is my front yard)

double rainbows after a short afternoon rain

mountains
mountains
and more mountains


hmmmm.....

wanted to create a list

two sets of images from Boulder

[image one: street performer- imagine a bearded street performer, maybe in his forties... maybe older maybe younger... years of fun and partying may have taken its toll
imagine a tall home made unicycle
white wall tire with low tire pressure
the body of the unicycle stretching 8-10 feet tall
add in a background of the Pearl Street Mall and a crowd of on lookers
a close up of his bearded face
a picture from below with a wide angle lense stressing the length of the unicycle
his shadow on the brick
and
a close up of the talented street performer juggling three sticks on fire]

[image two: a hip hop kid with a crunchy touch on a kids bike with 12 inch wheels
picture a baseball hat askew
the boy is young
his clothing is urban hip hop with a mountain spin
he pedals his bike till the chain falls off
then he walks along side the diminutive frame
several images: moving past, close up with a smile, walking the bike]

actual images to appear when I return to the city

camelbacks.... and the kids

[imagine a camelback or better yet... imagine a collage of my two boys hiking up to some peak above tree line in Rocky Mountain National Park*]

still not in dc
not complaining about the lack of heat, lack of humidity, or the lack of work
although....
this trip could use a little bike
that may change
it will be cool if the bike thing happens
while
it would be fine if it does not
Winter Park is on the radar for tomorrow

in Rocky Mountain National Park with the family

last month at the swarm of Wednesday at Wakefield races I managed to take the series in the Clydesdale class
(yes, first in clydesdale with four races... while my doubling up and racing single speed before the clydesdale race put me in last for single speed in the series)
for the three wins out of four clydesdale races I scored a camelback for each win
although this may seem like overkill
to a father with two young boys
this was perfect
actually... the fourth would have equiped the wife.... now that would have been perfect
but that is not how it played out

took these three packs out with the family on this colorado trip
in an effort to keep the boys hydrated I am having them wear these packs
the novelty is so strong that they sip while seated in the car
very cute to see two and a half year old Grant wearing gear
Dean is totally into the pack
he has already customized it with an olympic badge that came with some item from the grocery store
Dean is wearing the pack on all hikes....
Grant is touch and go with the process

killer

Dean and Grant have both chewed through the bite down valve
bummer
my free packs are already starting to cost me
guess I will get a chest strap when I get the replacement valve as these pack could serve us well back east

thanks PVC for a great set of races at Wakefield
and
thanks for a great set of prizes
oh... the boys look great in the medal
but coming home with one medal did initiate a fight

*not only am I on dial up and bypassing the long upload time of images
this computer lacks a slot for an SD card
had thought it had such a slot
but... was thinking of my silver laptop
not the work silver laptop that I am traveling with
oh well...
guess the images will be played with when I get back
a few images of bikes in Boulder
lots of images of the family

off road to athens... 24 Hour Solo Movie!

jason berry east coast film maker and east coast local mountain biker is not just promoting OFF ROAD TO ATHENS
(jason won sport series at my heavily blogged about Wakefield event last year... while he raced with the single speeds this year)
Jason Berry is moving forward and working on his next film
this film earning his the Trek Sponsorship that he saught with his Olympic quest film is found on his new project following Chris Eatough and his quest for the 24 Hour Solo Championship

I am certain it will ROCK!

www.24-solo.com