This Aint Camp!

I thought you'd be smaller

2008-03-12T21:11:00.002-05:00

The record to the top of Lookout Mountain is 16:04. Come to find out I can not beat that.

Tyler Hamilton won a stage of the Tour, and after last weekends crit I have learned that I can not beat him either.

Who would have thought.

Yaw

2008-02-25T22:26:00.003-06:00

It seems I can't keep things upright. There was no getting out of this winter mess I keep hearing hasn't so bad. I sat with AKO+ in Lambert airport for 8+ hours hearing flight after flight get cancelled in this winter seasons fourth or fifth icing. Not able to travel it was back to trudging through the slop on the fat tires. My last outing I had enough of the endless chain suck that comes along with my crap crank and set a plan to purchase (blow more money) a new XT setup. Not thinking that ice is slippery I loaded up my bike in flip flops. The next thing I remember after loading my bike in the truck was seeing my feet above my head as I plunged to the bottom of the back steps. A certain feeling of flight made me nostalgic for the aeronautics experience that I missed out the day before. All I heard in my head was MP3 telling me to tuck my head. Landing on the last step and what appeared to be my kidney, I went to a darkness I had not seen since last years season opener in Albany, GA. That one fall was an expensive ER trip. So, this time, as I lay in a pool of slush blacking out and calling for help I managed a whimper to the cycling gods to spare me this season of formal or forced trips to the doctors office. Luckily, I just feel like I got hit with a bat, but no blood seems to be appearing. Yippie.

Hear is the good news. I got every dime we paid AA to fly to Texas back in my pocket.

The old in out in out

2008-01-26T09:12:00.000-06:00

When it gets to be turn back time, things get hectic in the reconditioning world. Automobiles manufacturers get flooded by rental fleets and they have to move them in a New York minute. So they rely on Auto Auctions to broker the deal. Manhiem Auctions is the biggest auction on the planet and they move the cars back to your friendly neighborhood dealer. So once the auctions are flooded reconditioning companies are slammed. Thats when travel season starts for me. Playing "Major Backup' I come in and support local markets for whatever task is needed. I have seen so many cars in the last three weeks I feel like I actually have a job again. You might be asking yourself, "what's the problem." Well, working on the weekends sucks, living out of a hotel room with no kitchen is worse, riding the bike at night sucks after the first couple novelty rides and I haven't seen the temperature gauge crack 25º in the afore mentioned three week period. Yes, I work outside, and ride outside half the time. The bitching continues live somewhere in the midwest if you can find me to here it.

There is not much I know for sure. But, I do know this.....cars are coffins, I hate the auto industry, but I like what I do. Wrap yourself around that one if you will.

Today....

2008-01-21T14:25:00.000-06:00

....I got up and had a cup of Coffee. Gotcha. I don't drink coffee, and I got up last night. Code Red works better than coffee, and it tastes like sugary goodness instead of dirt. Caffeine has its down side because rest stops suck to sleep in. I woke up in a hot sweat somewhere on I70 as the sun was coming up in a safeish looking rest stop with a handful of truckers staring at me (hot sweat). Not sure when I got there, but I am guessing since I was sitting in it I got there in my Danger Ranger. So the travel season begins. And, as it begins know this...if I am found dead on the side of the road in the afore mentioned Ranger, I hate that truck and it hates me. I love to travel and I like my job. But, my back hates to travel and standing on ice all day sucks.

Go ride your bike and pop a wheelie. Don't read this.

why did I start racing bicycles?

2007-12-28T21:17:00.000-06:00

On the summer afternoon of July 29th, 1984 my brother and I sat in our living room watching the summer Olympics. We were swimmers and I would guess we didn't miss a single event that was broadcast from USC's aquatic center. But, there was something else that caught our attention.

I don't remember if it was live or just a recap of the finishing miles of the men's Road Race. In the closing miles, the break away included names like Grewal, Bauer, Phinney, and a Norwegian named Lauritzen. Obviously, my brother and I were filled with American pride and were going nuts because there were two Americans at the front. It was the beginning of my interest in bicycle racing.

Where are these guys now?

I met Alexi Grewal about 7 years ago at the Collegiate Cycling Nationals in Athens, Ohio. My team, Miami University, sponsored his presentation at the awards ceremony. I can tell you he is anything less than interesting, but truly out of his mind. In the span of about 10 minutes of conversation he managed to suggest that if he had a truck like the one I was driving he would probably kill himself in it, professed he had a running knowledge of systematic doping in European cycling and lastly pronounced his envy of my approach to cycling (the kind of approach where money doesn't exchange hands). Not the most stable of beginnings. He looks more like the uniBomber in this picture than an Olympic Champion. I did not tell Alexi this, but he is the reason that I bought my first road bicycle at age 15 and began racing. He isn't my hero, I'm not that kind of guy, but that race definately sparked the fire.

Steve Bauer runs a touring company and UCI Continental racing team, Team RACE (Race Against Cancer Everywhere), in his native land.

Dag Otto Lauritzen just appeared on the radar. 13 years after his bronze medal effort he is still dancing. Holy crap, if you are going to be embarrassed about something it should probably be in the past, not yesterday. Nice suit Otto!

home again

2007-12-19T02:01:00.000-06:00

5 or 6 left over vacation days, 1200 miles, a dead battery, 2 bowls of gulf gumbo, three saddle sores, one roller derby girl with one broken leg, 28 hours of bayou saddle time, one sit down with a lawyer, a flat tire, 75º to 25º in 9 hours, one terrible band, two half eaten raccoons and 20 hours of drive time = quality vacation days.

within a mile of somewhere

2007-12-15T20:57:00.000-06:00

Back on the Gulf Coast for another winter training session. 9 days, average high temp of 72º, great host housing and the smell of wet dogs. Perfect.
605 is a big wide state highway, but it also has a decent bike lane that stretches 12+ miles. It makes the connection to all the back roads up north.

The futher north you get the bigger the rollers, but the grade never really gets much over 6%. But, there are endless miles of backroads to get lost on, and it is a long way between intersections. Without a tour guide, its best to keep to the cloverleaf. Maybe its time for a GPS on board the two wheeler.

Took a lazy stroll down by the coast the other day. I-90 is high speed right here so no dice on taking that to NOLA. But, at the end of the outer road you can catch a serious draft to Loraine-Cowan. Just make sure you are doing 40 mph by the time you hit the pavement.

So ILL

2007-11-23T20:03:00.000-06:00

In the last month or so since the frat party so poignantly named the Burnin', I haven't really touched my mountain bike. It just hasn't been in me. Not sure why. Normally, I am all about the dirt this time of year. Maybe the 12hr left a bad aftertaste this go around. Not sure. But, my guy AKO, now referred to as AKO+ on this particular page, got me amp'd about hittin' the place where I cut my teeth off road and I helped show him the way some years ago. If you took a survey of midwest mountain bikers the list of names that have hollowed the wooded hills of Cedar Lake would probably be pretty short. At about the same distance from St. Louis as Council Bluff, the trails of Cedar and little Cedar are just as promising, and a bit more varied than the Bluff.

After almost a decade of missing out on these trails, I pointed the Danger Ranger southward. With the strike of the flint we were off and running. No warm up from the Pamona boat launch. It points skyward pretty quick. I can't say I remembered every step of the way before we got going, but once we got there it all came back. Cedar Lake has everything to offer. Tight, fast single track wraps the lake in similar fashion to Council Bluff. The majority of the hills are longer and a bit more challenging than the Bluff, but not as relentless. It could be said that there are trails a sweet as Cedar Lake, but I haven't ridden anything better. Life can only get so good and then its only different. I only single out Council Bluff because I believe it is equal to Cedar Lake on the fun meter.

So ILL truly is an untapped source for riding whether its on or off road. It won't take so long to get me back there, but the riding isn't the only draw. So close to SIUC you would be silly not to hit the fine college dining establishments Carbondale has to offer. AKO+ suggested Quatros. Ah, mountain biking and deep pan pizza. Normally, I like my pizza on a cracker St. Louis style, but you would again be crazy to pass up Quatros. If you need some see if they will deliver, 549-5326.

The Quatros Challenge did satisfy the hunger, but with so many places to gorge how could I pass up the chance to get some carry out from another nutritious palace who's nutrients have been missing from my veins. So I hit up La Bambas for their Super Pork Burrito.
La Bambas is famous for the burritos that are as big as your head. Its no joke. back in the day I could put one of these bad boys down in under 4 minutes. Once I got home I decided to see how much I have slowed down in my 30s. I could not break 4 minutes, but I did a sub 5 minute effort. respectable, but I will have to do better next time. If you need to get in touch with the wonderful people at La Bambas check them out at www.labambaburritos.com. There are plenty more attractions to Carbondale, but you will need to make your own plans.

Burnin' in my pants

2007-10-09T15:13:00.001-05:00

How many times in one weekend can you hear the term 'roadie' before you blow a gasket? I never liked the term. I always felt like it spoke to an inability I had to ride in other disciplines. After all I have ridden off road since 1990, cross since '91, and track since '98. From '90 to '98 I probably road as many or more mountain bike races a year than road, but I suppose that doesn't mean anything to the new blood that dominates the attendance these days. Maybe its me that has the problem and not those who see us as outsiders. Maybe I should think of it as a compliment when someone says not to bad for a 'roadie'. Maybe it is meant as a term of endearment? What ever the case may be, my team made it clear to me, we are 'roadies'. So thanks to all the 'mounties' that supported us this weekend, and we look forward to coming back next year.

On to the racing. Huge amount of respect goes out to DRJ, Gateway and CycleWorks for battling it out. The only thing I was able to beat you at was the Lemans start. After that it was an old school beating by a new school crowd. Obviously outclassed from the start we put our plan into motion. Make as few mistakes as possible, limit mechanicals, ride hard tempo just under threshold and hope things fall apart for those in front of us. With as many flats and mechanicals as those in front had, we were able to battle back in the middle only to loose complete contact shortly after. At the end of the day we managed a hard earned 4th place due to the removal of BVD and the Dickstroyers who had at least one magical lap that recorded a 26 mile lap with a 6 mile run, a broken frame, a phantom disappearing act, a 1:15 lap time, a mysterious ruling and a DQ of sorts.

After all was said and done, I guess I was proud that I managed to train approximately 10 hours offroad for the Burnin' and still be on a team in the top 3rd in our class. But, this 'roadie' is still tired from his efforts, and needs a nap.

Photo of Martel stolen from the DRJ website. You guys went a little too fast. If you could just slow it down a bit, we might be able to hang on next year.

Come off crisp

2007-09-26T17:07:00.000-05:00

In a new world of sport where every calorie, inch, milliliter and milligram count. A bicycle racer needs to be dialed in. On his recent trip to the muggy Austin Texas, LVB, stopped by the Source Endurance factory for a little torture testing. I'm not going to bore you with numbers and percentages, but this kids got talent. But who cares about talent....all I wanted to do is get him unhooked from the machines, and take him out to the hill country and rip him apart.

Peggy Pletcher of SE with Logan closing in on VO2 max (lets just say he is well within the top 10 percentile).

Now that's a Movie....

2007-08-13T19:03:00.000-05:00

.....theater. If ever in Austin, TX check out the movie going experience that is the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. With a full menu of eatables this establishment takes diner and a movie to another level. The food is good and interesting. The service quick and efficient. And, you can watch whatever type of viewing experience you choose. Except that kind.

Nevermind the movie. Go see a crap film and through food.

www.drafthouse.com

This is my sport.....

2007-07-25T18:09:00.001-05:00

Time for a rant of small proportions. Finishing my second decade racing bicycles feels just like the finishing the first. Disappointing. Not because of injury this time. Although, I was injured. Its the lifeless state of professional cycling that has left me limp.

Pro cycling is just like any other professional sport. It is filled with deceit, payoffs, deals and collusion. Not just from the direction of the riders, but from every direction. Directors long past their prime running the 'show' behind the wheel of a clutchless Fiat, operate in the same suspect manner as they did as riders. With reckless abandon. These pretenders of the sport claim to know nothing when riders are caught for doping, and wipe their hands of the talent when only a shadow of doubt appears. If I was their employer they would certainly be fired for poor management of the riders. What industry in the world would stand for such incompetance. Promoters look to extract every last cent from sponsors pockets then they choke on the pocket lint when they get too deep. They post blame in every direction but themselves when the events of their promotions fall short of their perdictions. Pour you. Come up with a better idea than excluding people because you don't like their sponsor or somebody pointed a finger at them. They run by old rule, that if it floats, it must be a witch. Somebody save us! Scienticfic studies based on hocus pocus stand as law, and the labs that police these laws take cash (from any direction that will give it) under the table to manipulate the results and destroy lives leaving every result positive or negative as suspect. Not to mention, that if these labs operated in any other part of the scientific community with a whiteout pen in their hands they would be destroyed by their peers. In no other part of this community would it be acceptable for the same lab scientist to test both the A and B sample of a study. Why is it okay in these cases?

How do I know that my claims are true. Simple, if a rider conspires to cheat, then so does his director, his sponsor, the promoter of the race he enters, the newspaper who writes about them, their governing union and the scientific lab the manipulates his blood. It is not possible that just one part of the equation is guilty. Why? Money. The result of this mess.....so far so good. More people seem to watch this stupid soap opera with increasing addiction than ever before. Like vulchers waiting for the first sign of the next riders demise. Sponsors stick around, and only a few bail out. Why? Money. Its so bad for sport, but advertisers realise the cost effectiveness of cycling. It reaches so many people so much more effectively than any other platform. Why leave when the ratings are up, and everyone is preaching for reform. Reform of the dirtiest sport on the planet. On the planet? Nope. Its just the most visible. Why? Because the vampires of the sport stick prod and hold out wiz cups for every 20 year old that happens by. Unlike high dollar sports in the US these riders are tightly policed. But, this kids don't police big brother, and thats a huge problem. Little do these kids know (because generally speaking they skip college to goto the show) they have the right to pee in two cups, seal both with a witness and have a neutral third party hold onto his own sample for a later date. It is after all his piss. Why has someone not developed a company that does just that for atheles? An independent company that manages athletes DNA, blood/urine or what ever fuild required these days to prove ones innocence would makes sense. Anyone want to fund an idea?

I did not start out as a cyclist. I cut my teeth in a 50 meter swim pool for a decade and a half. As a kid, I dreamed of going to the Olympics. What can I say, it was just a dream. I was the child prodigy that didn't prodig. I never thought about money. I didn't care about it. To me that didn't have anything to do with what was important. Winning was great. I did alot of it, but it was always about the battle of competition. I like the process of training, and the percievable progress that a well developed program delievered. Some bang their head against the wall because it feels good when they stop. I do it because I like the way it feels. But, back to the Olympics...what happened? They went PRO. Screw pro. I am not impressed with so pro attitudes when a guy can barely beat me in a local race with busted ribs and a broken wrist. Not to mention the 50 hour a week job that allows me about 10 hours a week of training.

Some say that they would do anything to win. Others will do anything humanly possible to do their best in pursuit of a win, but they won't cheat. So, go jam a needle in your ass, make fools of us, rocket up a climb, win it all and tell us how badass you are at the finish. And, next time you get beat by some random ameteur on the day of his life realise you suck.

This is my sport. I live here. You are just passing through, so make it quick. Your retirement is eagarly awaited.

TT not me

2007-07-20T10:40:00.000-05:00

I twice followed Dave Wenger and Eric Walters in a National TTT Championship. We placed well. I blacked out both times. At least I remember coming too twice.

I swore I would never, ever do another time trial at 100% effort again. Those two days behind those great TT riders were two of the longest and most painful of my life. But, for some reason, in the absolutely terrible fitness I have right now, I am thinking the MO State TT is in my sights. If you are interested in a good laugh look up my time, and whether or not I DNF'd once the times are posted.

out of commission

2007-03-15T18:42:00.000-05:00

In the event that you find yourself in an undesirable situation it is best to get out of it. I have never choosen the easy path, but the harder less traveled one. Probably because I don't learn so well from my mistakes. But, this time I do not think I will for get. I have written before on my simple little page about my previous incidents on the bike in the Southeast. Maybe I should have proof read them so I had the sense not to do a local mass start all category training crit on open streets in an industrial complex in Atlanta. Bad idea right? Well, for some reason I baited myself into thinking it wouldnt be that bad. Wrong. After about 10 minutes I gottaken to the curb and haad to bail out into some soft bluegrass. Soft landing yes, but as the hours ticked over my wrist began to swell to the size of a orange. After another trip to the ER, this time the very effecient, professional Northside Hospital in Atlanta, I learned I was the recipient of a broken wrist. Whoppie. I snapped the Scaphoid bone in half. At least this time I did it right, and if its gonna hurt it might as well be a clean break. It looks like I won't be racing until May now, and I will probably be out of work.
Can't wait to see whats next.

Fork Shoals to Donaldson Center

2007-03-12T21:34:00.000-05:00

After tip toeing through the daiseys on the bike for a week JC and I ended up outside of Greenville for a couple circuits through the rollers of South Carolina. I still can't get out of the saddle, but......
Once again the so pro field cranked up the pace, and it never seemed to let up. But, these clowns are like a gang of shriners on minibikes, completely unable to ride in a straight line. Hack, chop, sweep, cut, hack, chop....repeat. Not sure if I have ever seen such collectively poor handling skills. It may be directly related to the inablity to handle automobiles in traffic because I have experienced the worst driving in memory here in the southeast too. Is it a complete lack of respect for the people around them, or an unawareness? No clue, but it sucks. I am glad to be done with the racing, except for a training crit tomorrow night I am ready to head for the ass crack of the US and do some races with some guys who can drive.
.......man my ribs hurt.

The first last lap of the year

2007-03-03T21:56:00.000-06:00

People in the south are so personable. I made it down to Albany Georgia this weekend to do the first road of the Georgia Cup. WIth my stomach still not right from my bout with gut rot the drive down was less than nausiating. On to the racing. Our new teammates from Florida were up for the weekend scoring a series of podium spots. Two wins and a fourth on the first day for the women, and a second for the masters. What a way to start. For myself, the TT was a lung bleeder. I turned out a decent time, about 20 seconds off the pace, but so did everyone else. I went through the usually thought of, I suck at TTs, I could've shaved some time starting a bit slower or if I preroad the course. most probably actually properly warming up would have helped? Whatever, I am here to choke out some cobwebs, and that I did after the TT. I was actually unable to move for about 5 minutes after the 3K effort. The crit started with a bang, literally. Very eventful day With 4 to go in the crit today, I shot forward in 4 corners past about 50 riders. Not bad for a guy who was saying earlier in the day that he didn't think he had any leg speed I made it to around a lap and a half to go today. At which point the rider my travel and work associate and I began to realize there was some dangerous riding going on. He took evassive action. I did not. In front of me the worst culpret hit the deck. Sliding to a stop I made contact, possibly with the assistance from someone behind. Not wanting to hit the pavement I searched out my friend and his not so soft torso. At first all indications were of a couple broken ribs. After a 4 hour stint at the local meatball ER it looks like no broken ribs, but I am very uncomfortable. Several bruised ribs and bruised the lining in my torso beneath. No chance of racing tomorrow, but I will try a ride on monday and go from there. I am still hoping to race next weekend in Greenville, but no telling. Josh said we finished the race in 1 hour exactly. My simple math tells me thats 31mph for the avg. I knew it was fast, but with the 10-15mph wind gusts thats storming.

Cachectic

2007-03-01T05:57:00.000-06:00

Ever notice how time slows down when your sick? I am moving at the speed of mud right now. I got the heave ho the other night, and lost my inerds. If memory serves, the chilli I had eaten and everything else came up like a trash filled tidal wave of fear. The kind of fear you get when things become uncertain. The survival kind. After a couple of hours of purging I fell asleep from exhaustion. It wasn't over though. Waking completely dehydrated, feeing like i got kidney punched, I down a glass of water. Wow, bad idea. I never knew I was allergic to water. If you have ever been caught in an undertow you know what that experience was like. After another bought with the puking, completely dehydrated at this point, all ability to move lost and quite a ways from bed, it took me 10 minutes to crawl to my covers. 12 hours later I was finally able to hold down a little Sprite.

I bet your asking yourself why am I reading this? Because you love a train wreck. Don't ya?

Its all relative.

2007-02-09T20:09:00.000-06:00

As I rolled back into St. Louis this afternoon I kept hearing, "I can't believe how cold it is." It is cold. But, it feels like spring to me. I'm not bragging just speaking to the strange phenomenon that occurs when you have arrived in a place where the weather conditions are much different. Hot-cold, windy-calm, you get the point. This is where I am going. CHICAGO IS REALLY FREAKIN' COLD! I have been working there for the past couple of weeks, and I can not stand the weather. The arctic blast has invaded up there, and St. Louis has just got the tip of exposure. I generally don't whine and complain about the weather. True I would rather it was sunny and 80 degrees all the time, but a little change now and again is good for the head. Variety is the spice or life, right? Well screw Chicago, you can have it, they can have it. While working outside all week all I had in my head was the voice of one of our managers at work. "Chicago in the winter? I have never been colder than when I worked in Chicago in the winter." Hands down, the coldest I have ever been in the winter is working in Chicago this past tuesday when the high temp struggled up to 4 degrees, and the wind chill brought the digits down to -20. I guess the numbers don't really carry much meaning at that point because I have been in worse, but never for 8 hours a day. The best part of my week was getting out of my truck when I got back into St. Louis today, and stepping out into the 20+ degrees and felling content.

Not everything is note worthy

2007-02-04T15:42:00.000-06:00

Too often I find myself reading some dribble about someones non-eventful day on an obscure blog in the middle of vapor space. Not sure why I am reading it, either. Maybe because I am a nomad living in hotel rooms and claiming sqauters rights wherever I can. Possible I can't think of another direction to go once all the work and traing is done for the day? But, back to my thought. I am not sure what possesses someone to scribble such mindless garbage. Maybe I will take a crack at it and see how I feel. What follows is my attempt at such an effort.

-It has been a long time since my last entry. Not sure if this is note worthy, but it is fun to ride your mountain bike in the cold. You get warm. The frozen ground makes for good traction. I like it. When you meet up with old teammates you haven't seen in years it is even better. What a good day. Thank you for reading about it.-

Yep. Just as I thought. Didn't do anything for me.

Damage

2006-12-03T10:12:00.000-06:00

We got hammered. Period.

Wreck a Trek

2006-11-11T14:35:00.000-06:00

Ah, demo days are here. Trek boasted their annual demo days at Castlewood State Park today, and it continues tomorrow. After a slaughtering on the slick roots of the Blue Ribbon trail and a short loop along the river down Zombie lane AKO, 54x12 and I made our way back to the trailer to check out some new carbon. AKO and I both top the 07 Lemond Zurich to see what it had under the hood. I have riden the gaunlet of steeds Trek has to offer. I own a couple. I have a couple of Lemonds too, but they are undergoing a wholesale change for 07. I have heard rubblings through the grapevine that the Trek designers are up in arms because the Lemonds Triomphe frames are getting a better response than their counterpart Madones. Humm. Gotta see for myself. I am in the camp that believes that there is more to feel in different wheels than frames so I was a bit sceptical going into my test ride. Frozen at my tips, riding low tire pressure (too lazy to pump) with mtb shoes on I hit the bricks. Wow, first thoughts, who ever started the rumors is right that Zurich is a missle. If you like it stiff like a scandium frame, but truely want a smooth ride this frame is it. Even with the muddy wheels on it I could stand on it and feel full gas right out of the box. I am not the biggest guy and I do not produce superwatts, but I can put the wood to it. I do not believe there was a single bit of flex in that bad boy. Flex never really bothered me in a frame because if you know anything about physics it is ludicris to believe you are actually loosing power due to flex. If a frame flexes on one axis the power delivered is transfered to the opposite pole of that axis. But, this thing just feels incredible solid (stiff) without the jaring ride that accompanies most rides that have this quality. I am impressed. I sounds like the uberlite Tete de Course will not happen for 07 however so if you want to shave off another 55 grams you will need to get out your files and ceramic saw blades.
Thanks Trek. Your super!

DIdn't see this one so I will respond here.

2006-10-14T19:57:00.000-05:00

Troy wrote this:
"Nope Karl, I don't put millions of dollars into the sport of cycling and neither does COX. I know they put a lot in, but I assure you, it is not millions.
As far as not hearing stories that make sense from former DW techs, I don't know what you mean. What does not make sense to you? Hey, I know most of the corporate guys and old school techs. I was one of them back in '95, so I know what I'm talking about. I was only trying to give you what I believe to be good advice. Not looking to "stir the puddin". Besides, I've got no dog in this fight. If it's security your looking for stay with 'em. If your looking for a career and long term success, check out DoorDing.com and go to the Mobile Tech Expo in January (mobiletechexpo.com).
Good luck,
Troy
PS- Rich, DW doesn't GIVE you a insurance, 401K and a vehicle. You pay for it by giving up about 50% of what an independent would earn."

Troy, I apologize if I was a little vague about where the millions of dollars Cox Enterprises has put into cycling over the years has come from. First let me ask that if you know its alot, how do you know its not millions? Or, how do you even know its alot?
Let me explain to you what I meant. First of all, there are many companies that are owned by Cox Enterprises. Several of these companies put alot of money into cycling dierctly and indirectly because of its good return on investment. Meaning that it is a cheap and effective way to get the word to the right demographic and in specific areas. I know this because I do this very advertising work with one of those companies (not to mention the other companies not affiliated with Cox I work with). In the past, I have intentionally left many of those names out of my writings on this blog because it (this blog) was not started as an advertising sceme. The reasons for my writings no bearing on this message so I will leave them out. Eventhough, I have left theses companiy names out out of the blog I will mention a few of them and you can make the connections yourself: Cox, Discovery & OLN (I realize Cox is only partial owner. If you want to do the math to see what their contribution was to these adventures its up to you), Manheim, Autotrader.com and Dent Wizard to name a few. No these are not all direct companies in the Cox family, and no I did not say they put in millions all in one year. However, the sum of the whole is great and it far exceeds a million dollars. I meant the statement as a drastic dollar amount. So, it is not necessary for you to tell me what Cox does or doesn't do. I am sure you were never involved with the company in respect to a cycling advertising adventure as I am. Why then would you question something you know nothing about.
As for the good advice, I appreciate it. But if you were a tech at Dent Wizard over 10 years ago how would you know what the corperate guys are like now? Before I worked for the company as a tech or with the company in advertising I had close friends at corperate. Neither of these guys were at DW in 1995. Not to mention Cox did not buy DW until 1998. Where you with the company more than just 1995?
I don't work with DW for security, I work there for money. The benefits a great for a job the requires no college education. As a former teacher, at higher education institutions, I can tell you thats extremely rare. Not to mention the free or should I say paid tutition. I haven't checked, but I am guessing there are not many PDR companies or colleges out there that will pay you to come and learn the trade and then give you, excuse me loan you, all the tools you need to do your job (don't the even house the out-of-towners for free during training?). I have had alot of jobs over the last 19 years and that just doesn't happen. As for the percentage that DW takes, I have done the math for the entry level guy to the experienced 5 star tech and I know the percentage breakdown. I also did the math on the truck, insurance, phone, gas and so on. No, nobody gets these things for free. They pay into them. You are absolutely right. I calculated aproximately 56%-76% of the billed dollars go to the tech in some way depending on your level and billed amount. The lowest amount is okay by me since I understand that if I was an independent I would have to buy a vehicle (I no longer have one tha runs), tools (I on't have 3K laying around), pay my own insurance (the main reason I took this job), establish my own retirement (never happen), develop a route (which I can not do here which means I would have to move) and at the end of the day I would be making nothing because I just spent every last dollar I made because I am not yet as fast as average guy.
The stories I have heard are mostly about the how the tech seems to think he got screwed on his percentage or someone advanced him because of who he is. Everyone knows there percentage when they join the company. How can it be a surprise when that is all you get? If someone gets preference over you because they know someone I think that sucks. In the same breath I will tell you I got my job because I know someone at corperate. Thats how alot of people get in. Yes, there are many more situations that have gone on and still do that could upset the work force, but I don't care about the knitting circle. I am with the company to work. I have no interest in running every aspect of a PDR business so I will leave it up to the corperate office.
So I will give you a quick and simple reason why I do what I do and who I do it for. As a person with a Masters Degree in metalsmithing my only real interest in PDR is manipulating metal. I have been forging, pouring, raising and sinking metal since 1990. Out of graduate school I did not believe I would be able to support myself as a full time Metalsmithing so I went from job to job until I found a teaching position albeit part-time. Teaching is fun and sometimes enjoyable, but doing it part-time doesn't pay the bills. I could not go any further in my particualr situation so I gave up the ghost. I still talk to a few of my former students. They are doing incredible things with the skills I helped to develop which is rewarding. But, as John Medwedef once said about what he loves about metalsmithing, "I just love to heat metal up and smash it." Well I love that too, but I haven't found a company I would work for that does that yet. The next best thing for me is sinking and raising. Thats what PDR is. So for now I will do that at Dent Wizard. And, I will continue, with the help of my friends, to further develop the Dent Wizard Cycling Team. The team that this year supported junior riders that went to Nationals, Belgium and a little jr. World Cup 9 day stage race called Tour L'Abitibi. Not to mention the 5 State Championships they brought home, or the near miss Erik Tomlinson had in the Elite race at Crit Nationals. Did I mention to total and complete support of Mindi Martin's quest to break through at Track Nationals.
Man the more I write the better the company sounds. I am sure there will be alot of crap to swim through in the company but, I think I will stick it out.
Sorry I missed your response before Troy. I hope this clears up my thinking, and I am sorry you had a bad experience with te company. That doesn't mean it is not for everyone, or that the companies we are involved with don't do great things.

Good Luck. Karl.

Smooth

2006-10-14T16:45:00.000-05:00

This morning I met up with "the John Rhines" for a little R&R at Castlehood. The trail the doesn't get the respect it probably deserves. Because of its layout, Castlewood has always been regarded as the second class citizen to some of So MO's giants like the Berryman or whatever the trail of the year is. But, Castlewood is a spiderweb for fast technical rocky hardpack single track. Yes there is asphalt in between and some double track to link up some of the trails, but the trail really has it all. The man, Rhines, reminded me of that today.

It has been over 5 years and maybe a decade since we have riden together, and I am sure it was in a race. He probably smoked me. I will tell you why. John is probably not the strongest guy on the flats, and too tall to fly up steep ascents. He doesn't disapear down descents. He also does not make mistakes. Plainly said he is smooth. Thats is nothing more, and in a sport that will beat you up if you don't clean the obsticles that is paramount. John crsuhed me two climbs in a row on the Blue Ribbon loop. Not because is is so much stronger than me, but because he cleans everything in front of him with ease. I miss that place you get off road where handling your bike is automatic.

I can't wait for the next play date in the dirt.

Its Gettin' Hot in Here

2006-10-08T21:07:00.000-05:00

It seems when you go to a 12 hour mountain bike race you are supposed to be prepared. For the 12 hour Burning at the Bluff, I had my trusty pogo stick (with unreliable front tire it seems), a torch of a light (plugged in once never used) and a cooler full of grub. My compatriots AOK and 54X12 were both on par for sub 1:10 laps which I thought was realistic for myself. My first lap was just that. With dozen or so mistakes and taking it easy on the climbs I managed a 1:09. Not bad, and our mechanicals were kept to a minimum at this point, but as by guy AKO kept saying, "its 12 hours and the guy with the least amount of mistakes will probably win the race. My second lap put us out of contention. What a knockout. My front tire went loose on a down hill, and it was instantly like going ice skating for the first time. When you flat, have the equipment to fix the poblem, and still can not make it happen you know you are in trouble. I tried to ride it for about a mile. Not a god idea. Then my thought was to run it but, when it took me over 10 minutes to go a mile the second reaction was hope someone came along soon. Rider after rider stopped to helped me out and I either couldn't get my tire seated or whatever.......at some point I realized I would just have to struggle back. What a long lap. After that experience I was ready to pack it in. After some proding I manage to get suited up for our last lap. When your racing it is never good to try new things. Well, I have never raced offroad at night so I was in for a new experience for sure. By the time I was finishing up the final lap I was done, and thinking I would never do another 12 hour race. A day later I can't wait for next year.

OUCH!

2006-09-02T08:26:00.000-05:00

Man what a hack fest Gateway Cup is turning into, or has turned into I should say. Suprisingly enough I wasn't feeling to terrible after my long day. At least when I was warming up. I wanted to quit Lafayette Square after about ten minutes of trying to misss the barriers, not hook bars with some clown trying to pinch me out and not lock up my legs. Wow, my legs felt aweful. I could step on the gas and my lungs would provide, but my long work day just crushed my calves. This was my biggest fear coming to life. So, I did everything to help my guys without doing any real damage. The problem is that now my legs feel like garbage, not tired, but just complete crap. Like after a long mountain bike race where you ran out of water.

Hopefully the Washington Street criterium and fun fest will not bring as much agony and anguish. Hey, at least I didn't wreck like the other 80 people last night.

Just try

2006-08-21T15:40:00.000-05:00

My manager got to work a little late this morning. He was visibly shaken. He had been at the scene of a auto accident on 270 (I think). As he stopped to help he didnt see quite what had happened, but a tractor trailer was on fire. The driver? appeared to be putting out the fire, but it was actually a crushed car. He ran to help, and saw there was someone trapped inside. It was a little unclear to me, but I believe he smashed one window with his Johnson. One person was saved with his help. He said he heard screams from the car and believed there was someone in the back. So he tried to break the rear window out, but the intense heat was too much. This isnt an exact account of what happened because it is second hand and he was pretty upset. But, Keith did what we should all do when people really need our help. He tried.

The winning move

2006-08-08T21:47:00.001-05:00

I can not say that I was super on sunday, but I was able to play damage control for about 25 minutes. With a rider up the road and my guy on some decent form I knew I had to cut the lead in half at the very least. With the heat approaching the 100º mark at 30 second gap is enormous. I was able to cut the lead in half, but after my effort I was left with the thought that my head my explode if I didn't pull over. So I did. But, our guy was able to bridge the gap to what became the winning move. You might think he is the UniBomber at a quick glance, but its really the new 30+ Missouri State Champion, Jay Marbarger. With a lap to Go, Jay put in a move that made me so happy that I forgot how bad the second half of my season has been. For me the right rider won, and I don't think too many people will dispute that. It was the days third State Championship for the team after Turner Rapp and Austin Allison won their respective Junior age groups. Not a bad outing for the DW boys.

In the 1,2 race I was much more comfortable, but the beginnings of heat exhaustion were getting to me, and that just wasn't worth pursueing. So, I called it a day. If I had been coherent at all I would have probably stayed in to help Kurt and Chris, but I was never in the game.

There comes a time.......

2006-07-30T15:13:00.000-05:00

......when it is necessary to reevaluate your situation. I have not had the time or drive to ride my bike much in the last couple of months for whatever reason. I don't think there is much left in the season for me to salvage, but I will ride through the suffering of being out of shape. For me its really not about winning or loosing any longer. I won tons of events as a swimmer over a 12 year period. As a soccer player my club team rarely lost. As a cyclist I learned how hard it is to win. It took me a long time to figure it out, but for me it is the battle that is most important. I love the struggle of a race. And, at every level of fitness. I love that feeling of collapse you get in your lungs right before the blood vessels begin to leak blood into your mouth. I welcome the crushing feeling of not getting any oxygen to your brain and the tunnel vision begins to close in on you. And, for a short period of time life plays a little game with itself. As you are physically propelled through space at incredible speeds, time seems to slow down. That dichotemy is simple and fascinating, but horribly antagonistic. That is fantastic. I won't lie. I would rather be in the other place. Where the suffering feels so good you can't stop. When you pound every inch of you body into the pedals as they sink below you, and nothing seems to stop you. I feel most alive when I am in that place. I hope I see the place again sometime soon. I love it.

Two hip pointers, a blown knee and a christ can I.....

2006-07-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

...catch a break please. My attempt to get back into a training regime last weekend has only resulted in another setback. Pounding out a moderate tempo for four hours pissed my body off real bad like. Now is the time when I am paying the price. Another week of easy rides is in store for me. At least if I can convince myself to actually ride.

When you change your time tables and training schedule by 180 degrees there is an incredible adjustment to make. I have trained at a particular time and in regimented way for so long that my body and mind for that matter are just resisting the change. I can not remember home long it has been since I worked 'regular' hours. Training in the morning is completely the polar opposite to an after work program. I never thought I would like to train after work, I think I tried it once, and I don't.

In the face of collapse

2006-06-01T20:48:00.000-05:00

I do not recall ever feeling like I would fall over from exhaustion. In my time of exploration on the bicycle I have climbed Mt. Lemon, Trail Ridge Road and Clingmans Dome. I have run over thirty miles through Canada, contributed to several iron pours as an artist and stayed awake for a week straight for a summer intensive during undergraduate school. I have hike several ridges in the Sierra Madres. I have done some tough tasks. I have also worked some physically demanding jobs, but nothing like I have experienced the first few days at my new job. As a new Dent Tech trainee for Dent Wizard International I was run through the guantlet the first week. Standing for 9 hours is no problem. Bending over repetitively for that period of time is a bit tougher, but bending over and staying there for 9 hours is a different story. Once you can figure out how to do that then you are now in the desperate postion that enables you to visualize damage incurred on a car door. I would describe the task of a paintless dent removal technician as nothing less than miraculous. You have to be able to touch a penny with the end of a yard stick and repetitively move that stick around the center of the penny with millimeter precision. While doing that you have to stand bent at the waste with your head at your knees. If you can manage several hours of this ritual without falling over on your face, you might be able to do the job.

I am tired. I will now sleep.

Keep on keepin' on

2006-05-07T21:19:00.000-05:00

Today the cycling community lost another great member. Mike Pohlman passed on after a training ride accident. Mike was a sponsor and member of the St. Louis Cycling Club. As a former teammate, I only knew Mike from the all to few rides we were on together. But, in our community, once you have put it into the wind together you have a certain bond with that person.

My friend Louis Branz said some beautiful words about his lost friend after todays race. Showing his true class Louis made it clear that Mike Pulhman will not soon be forgot. I tip my helmet to the members of the St. Louis Cycling Club for putting on a class show today when the had every reason to not.

I have no idea what helps people push through the bad times like this. It has always been best for me to grab a hold of the things that are most important and drive home the point of life which for me is simply living. So tommorow I will put on my cycling shoes, through a leg over my Lemond, drop the clutch and give it every inch of my life.

Chapeau, Clubbers. Chapeau, Mike.

End of an ending

2006-05-07T09:39:00.000-05:00

After a couple of hours out in the wind, we came to a screaching hautly with about a kilo to go. My first thought was thats not good for anybody. There were two groups of two within a few seconds of us. Would they have gotten caught? It is an impossible answer, but the more important matter at hand was the guy laying in the middle of the road bleeding out. It truely is hard to keep yourself in the game at that point. The riders off the front deserved their shot, but the situation could have been handled much better. Again.

I had done my best all day to cover and counter, and made most of the dangerous moves. Including a 15 man group that seemed to just roll off the front. Not knowing I was in a move for the first 5 minutes I just watched as they rolled through. After awhile I took a look back to see the wheel truck. Could we have a gap? Had it already gone out to a minute? I guess I just wasn't paying attention. With 4 strong Mesa riders in the move and two Big Shark I figured I would join in for awhile and see what happened. But, as there were so many people and some conflicting personalities it was doomed from the start. When I saw a mass of blue on the front of the chase I softpedaled through for while, but the chase looked to be stretched to the limit.

What a day. I felt great, we worked hard. And, I feel completely deflated because the fun was sapped right out of me in the end. In this case, the end of the race was a Kilo from the finish.

And the rain came

2006-05-01T20:18:00.000-05:00

Saturdays Carondelet Park race left me demoralized and quit empty of the spite I am usually full of. Along with other things of course. We just got it handed to us. No question about it.
On sunday I was excited to be on a course that suits me when the pace is high. So I was as eager an instigator as Woody Woodpecker after a seond bowl of Captain Crunch. Chomping on the bit to get going after another run in with an official at this race I quickly got in some early moves. Finally with the run combination I managed to break loose. As I struggled to get comfortable we established a solid gap for this course, we never managed to get a comfortable lead out of sight. And then the rain came. With a little caution we tested the wrong corners, the concrete ones. I was sure at this point the gap would go striaght out giving us an opportunity to sprint for the win. But we were loosing a ton of time in and after the corners. We just couldn't get on the same page after the rain dampened the spirit of the move.

Here is the catch.
Somebody please pat me on the back. I am given' everything I got. It seems that my only consolation is that I left everything on the road.

Is losing for losers?

2006-04-26T05:28:00.000-05:00

The two big motivations for me to do a race like Joe Martin are the experience (yes even at 33 I am looking for experience)and the recovery after. If you can recover after Joe Martin you will most certainly be flying at Quad Cities. For me it is always a blast to be competitive at the big races. One of my best memories on a bike doesn't even have a happy ending. Three years ago or maybe four now, at Nature Valley, we came into Virginia, MN after 90 miles at 30mph, I was sitting 10th wheel with 7 circuits to go. Man we were flying into town, and the place was packed. I could not care less about doing a grand tour at this point. That was the moment I most wanted, and I was in it. At that point I was convinced I would be sprinting with Henk Vogels, Marty Nothstein and Victor Rapinski. I just knew this was my day, but......I blew with 3 to go. A three man break actually held off the charging field. My point, Sometimes the result doesn't matter. It left a lasting impression no win at a regional race could give me. Just like nobody could take the win away from Ciaran Power (Navigators) that day, nobody can take that feeling from me. Some say that is what losers say when they lose, but I hope to remember it someday in the near future.

The last 30

2006-03-28T10:27:00.000-06:00

A word of advice from the experienced. Never I repeat never, get dropped 80 miles into a 110 mile road race. With only one big climb left to ascend I suffered a bit from flat legs last saturday. The excellerations that were sure to come, came. I did not respond, but was able to keep the group close, at least until the top. At the point I thought I would be able to catch back on the big accellerations came leaving me for the long lonely ride home. When faced with abandonment or forging ahead, the stubborn continue. Since that discribes me I went head with my foot on the gas pedal. By this point the wind had changed to what seemed to be south easterly gusts. But, this could have been my imagination whihc was in overdrive. The first few rollers went by quickly after the feed, and I was still in a big gear when rolling up. But, after a dozen or so big ones, I began to dream of the KFC buffet and Tempur Pedic luxury. Wishing that my bike was a 12 lb super stead, and the temperature was soaring in the mid 70's..........I felt the road to the road home would never end. Once I managed to make my final turn towards Bradleyville, I thought I would give up the ghost, and began looking back hoping my pit crew was headed back to the finish this way. Could I catch some motor pacing? Another hand up? Would somebody tlak to me? As lonely as the raod became I managed to picture the rest of the course in my head. But, as soon as I could think of it my head would go blank, surrendering to the concentration necessary to climb the next roller. Closing in on the finish I notice the silouette of a Turin rider two or three rollers ahead of me which became my concentration. It must be aweful to be stranded in a place where there is no help. A deserted island, boundry waters or jungle. I can only imagine. I only hard the theme to Gilligan's Island in my head. There was Ginger or Mary Ann. As I looked back one more time I seemed to start to see things. Splotches of color seemed to suggest I had too much fun in college. It looked like there was a group coming up from behind me, but as soon as I looked back again they were gone. This happened a few times before I decided I was close enough to the finish to empty the tank. With what seemed to be the last two climbs in front of my I dropped the clutch. I guess I can't count because for the first time in my life there was only one climb left. And, the illusion of group behind me wasn't an illusion at all. A group came in a couple of minutes behind me. What a day. I was close to fading to black. In the end, I managed to push through on my own and finish not too far behind the group ahead. My outer body experience of the last 30 miles too me to new pain induced places. Time slowed to a crawl, and hunger reached all new levels only to level right back to reality once I finished.

Never get dropped with 30 to go in a 110 mile road race. Push through the flat with everything you have in the tank.

The Martel Group

2006-03-11T21:13:00.000-06:00

I raced last weekend, but it wasn't that hard. I can feel todays ride in the legs for sure.

It felt like I had a camera behind me in a big stage race, and the commentators were reading off the names of those in the Martel Group. Last on the list were the names of Jay Marbarger and Karl Stover. Jay struggling from the previous nights battle with a gang of Makers. Karl wrestling with a preride meal that wouldn't go down, in, up or out. Both popping rivets at the seems.

Oh boy. Listen kids, eat early ride later. Don't shoot yourself in the foot before you draw your guns. Give your food time to go down and in or you may well be in a whole mess of trouble. Yack.

Vuelta Snoro

2006-03-08T09:14:00.000-06:00

Through the winter there was alot of talk about the Mesa team. Well here is a link to the Vuelta Sonora results page: http://www.fmc.org.mx/vueltasonora/ (yes these results are on cyclingnews.com, but broaden your horizens and learn some spanish)
The challenge I present you is to find a Mesa rider on the first page of General Classification. You may just find one, but is he actually a Mesa team member?

When you make statements like these you have to put up the results: "....I have selected our team’s roster with the intention of stage victories - we are also looking to place in the Sprint Competition and place respectively in the General Classification; I realize these are lofty goals, but I have a lot of faith in my team this year.” Big ambitions for a UCI race.

I think I would have just stayed here after stage 5. San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico

Or maybe I would still be stuck on the side of the road with this guy.

My toes.....

2006-02-27T09:26:00.000-06:00

....were the last thing froze on sunday. This years addition of 'Winter Worlds' turned out to be a sunny and balmy 40+ degrees. With the last couple of weeks of arctic weather this was a heat wave.
For me the race is usually a way to clear out the cobwebs that are next to impossible to get rid of just training. It is clear that isn't the case for everyone. But, considering the number of tan-lines I saw the race was a little lack luster after the first 3 miles. True to form the attacks went at mile zero, before most could get out of the parking lot. I don't mean to degrade the race in down playing its toughness, but this year my handlebars were not keeping my head from getting caught in my wheel to hide from the wind. The wind may well have been a huge factor. The break once established was able to take its time and hold it despite the efforts to bring it back. Not sure who they were working for, but they gave it a go for at least half of a lap.
What did I see? Steve Tilford can attack alot, Kurt Fletcher is clearly the best on the climbs (and may well have made the most powerful moves), Jeff Schroetlin can pull for a long time, Bill Stolte can motor, Several people (maybe this includes me) were fairly jittery in the first race of the year, Buddy is a bit overzealous with inforcing the yellow line rule (came close to stepping into the group several times) and there are again questions about the finish. Why in a race like this is it not possible to close down both lanes for a few minutes to spare the lives of a few bicycle riders. This is not a question for the promoter. I guess law inforcement does not understand the dynamic of bicycle racing. Thats easy to believe when you look at our official that doesn't understand the pack dynamic of swelling. Be careful Buddy somebuddy is going to pile into you one day.

The Four O

2006-02-21T11:42:00.000-06:00

Here is a little something Chris Martel put together. It has been suggested he may wear too many layers when riding. Maybe we really don't know what he looks like at all.

Uh Oh! Its Chris's birthday. You guessed it #40!!!

Snow Bunnies

2006-02-13T22:37:00.000-06:00

It got a little ugly this past sunday. I love riding in the snow. It is an ethereal experience I usually take offroad. This day was a road trip, and it was eventfull. We saw the B-Team Big Sharkers on the flats. We questioned there tactic of staying in the windy flats, but hey I am not their coach.

If it gets too warm the roads are going to melt the white stuff and leave you coated in a sheet of ice. Well after about 3 hours that became a reality. As MP2 pointed out, at least the wind couldn't get through the sheet of ice.

Malibu

2006-02-09T20:37:00.000-06:00

Not the town the car.

When I was a sophmore in highschool I began racing bicycles with the Gateway East Freewheelers. My then and now teammate Kurt Fletcher said I was so annoying it was funny. Cocky and full of myself. Has anything changed? Do I remind you of anybody on our team? I guess kids don't change our perspective changes as we get older.

To the point. At the end of my first year of racing I was heading home in the rain when a Chevy Malibu pulled out in front of me. I hit the car at what I recall was a high speed. But, I can't really remember yesturday so we will leave an actual speed out of the topic. It had just been sprinkling for a few hours so the roads were like ice. Before impact I can remember feeling like I was flying as I got a thin layer of water, oil and grit under my Continentals (I was a big fan of the German tires back then). That free feeling of hydroplaning quickly soured when I collapsed the front quarter panel of the mid 70s model Chevy. Once airborne I was free again, and no longer confined or restricted to my not so comfortable Cannondale. It seemed like I had the hang time of a football on opening kickoff of the Superbowl. I am sure it was no more than a second until I was introduced to the worst thing I have ever felt. I broke one knee and tore up the other leaving me screaming the worst of obscenities in a phetus-like mess on the wet pavement. Luckily Johnny Law was not too far off, and prevented the Malibu from escaping the scene as they began to dart off. Not sure Johnny had done anything for me before that or since. Both knees swelled to the size of gratefruit as they strapped my neck down to the back board. Good thing they were worried about my neck. Do not ever break your knee or knees you will not like it

When it is cold and my knees hurt all I can think of is that Chevy Malibu. Its cold and my knees hurt.

2006-02-05T08:53:00.000-06:00

Euwwee it was not sunny in the river bottoms today. When you loose the acclimation to the cold it is a tough fight back. For the first fifteen or twenty minutes today everyone had the lets turn back face on. With the wind chill in the bottoms colder than everywhere else we were probably hovering around 10-15 degrees. Certainly not your ideal road bicycle weather.

Let me get to the point of todays message. When some part of your body is in trouble with the temperature. COMMUNICATE it to your fellow riders. Little LP suffers from little brother syndrome. He has to prove himself by hiding any weakness. Including not telling people his hands are about to fall off, or at least until they start to shake involuntarily so bad he can barely hold the handlebars.

Communicate. Only passive agressive old skool morons with an insistant need to put you down because of their own low self image steming from early childhood will think you are a wuss.

Frost bite looks like this:

Belleville Bicycle Trail?

2006-02-02T09:16:00.001-06:00

In the heartland of diversity that is Belleville I have finally run across something that sticks out like a sore thumb. Two, count them again, two bicycle trails. So eloquently know as the

Richland Creek Greenway or the East Belleville Bikeway

and the

MetroBikeLink

Both trails are graded fairly flat, but on occasion the rider gets a turn or two. I imagine the most use that Belleville residents will get out of the trails will be as a dog walk, and for reference when they encounter a cyclist on the road. My favorite debate is the old one about how they just had to pay for a liscense and gas tax. Certainly, no cyclist pays those,and therefor should not allowed to exist but on the trail they just spent the rest of their tax dollars building.

On the MetroBikeLink map you can see that the trail through to the Eades Bridge is not yet complete. Imagine what names the trail might be called as it enters Washington Park and East St. Louis. The Gauntlet, The Shooting Gallery, St. Louis or Bust Trail, and my favorite the East Side Trail Sponsored by the Deciples. Ahh, the youngsters of East St. Louis will have a ball (or throw a ball) as you ride by through their wounderful neighborhoods. At night, the trail will be lined with the bright and colorful light emmiting from burning tires. Flashes of brilliant refracting light will glance off the millions of recycled bottles left on the trail for riders by. Oh what fun. I will be there.

If it weren't for bad luck..

2006-01-28T17:41:00.000-06:00

...I would have any luck at all. At least today that was the case. I began the day by shoveling dirt and rock for 4 hours. Man am I in rock shoveling shape. After I cleaned up, I banged my elbow on a towel rack and lost all feeling in my arm for about 3 hours. When I finally came back to functionality I strapped on my shoes and made out for a sprint workout. Everything was going well until The road on my usual route was missing. Gone. Dug up. So I road it. Maybe its not a great idea to roll every road without a care in the world. It might just come back to haunt you. A few miles down the road I finally found the Belleville Biek Trail. Its only been there for a few years. 1 mile into the tail I flatted. When I reached back for my tube I realize I left it on the counter at home. So instictively I reached the other way for my phone. Wouldn't you know it I forgot that too. I will give you one guess where it is. Wait my day isnt over. At this point I am as far from hom as I planned to go today. I figured I need to get to a phone. So I rolled by a friends house, and of course he wasn't at home. At this point, I have ceased to care how I get home, and I point the Zurich in that general direction. After about 10 minutes of lower back abuse that some would pay high dollar to have a therapist do to them it begins to rain on me. I made it home an hour later witha real bad attitude.

Take your freaking phone and repair crap with you when you ride you moron.

Death March

2006-01-22T09:37:00.000-06:00

There is something about suffering that just reals me in and won't let go. Once you start to suffer it would make the most sense to stop what you are doing. On the bike it is a little different. Its not like swimming. If you run out of gas in the pool you drown. Unlike running, you can not stop and walk. On the bike you are supported by your machine, and if you still have your equilibrium you can still coast. So, if you ride out into the middle of nowhere you have to make it back somehow. Instead of riding easy and taking more time, most of us would prefer to endure great amounts of pain just to get home quicker.

My legs were not any good when we started today. Maybe riding the track bike a couple of days before a big group ride is not a good idea? Rolling out of the Marketplace I felt fine as we cruised down Bluff road at a steady clip. But, once we rolled up into the bluffs I knew it would be a long way home. Maybe the fact that it was almost impossible for me to decend a staircase the day before would have clued me in on the fact I was about to suffer.

Adios

2006-01-15T22:53:00.000-06:00

Got up early to meet up with Adam and get in an easy spin before I hit the bricks. After two easy hours and a handshake I split for base camp. After gathering up some pecan cut for the Bland family smoker, I did my best to fix a downed chainsaw before I left. Before I could sneak off Yvonne Fulton packed up a load of shrimp caught by a family friend.

I said my goodbyes to the Fultons who assured me I did not need to leave. I am sure they could use my help for some time to come, but its back to work for me.

Somewhere in Ohio a village is missing its idiot

2006-01-14T17:07:00.000-06:00

I would kill for a group ride with people that understand how to ride their bikes. I road with a maroon today that thought it was a good idea to hammer out of the blocks and blow out the elders and the juniors. Then leave them for dead. I medium sized group was four inside of 20 minutes. Half way through the only junior blew sky high, and the knuckle head has the stones to say, "I think it would be okay to leave him at this point." I had already pulled him back into the fold twice and fixed his bike so I wasn't prepared to do it again. I should have. I know better.

The clown in question, seemed like a nice guy when I rolled up to the lot were the ride began. Wearing an Ohio State jersey and sportin' a shinny Tete de Course I thought we might have alot in common. Well just because we are both graduates of the Ohio school systems and riders of Lemonds magical mystery bikes doesn't mean we will be holding hands at the back of the bus any time soon. Today was just like being back in the club. Except I taught this guy a valuable lesson once we got to the few hills on the way back. He was seeing black by the time we cleared the last little rise. Trouble is I dont think he will learn, and I blew up the other guy (Adam) that was left at this point too. Not a nice thing to do because he seemed like the only rational member of the group. Just so happens Adam was an out of towner as well. He is from Virginia and his company is contracted by a local HVAC company to help fill their rehad contract. It seems it isn't really rehab when you replace everything though. I will meet up with Adam early tomorrow for my last ride on the Redneck Riviera.

Generations

2006-01-13T17:19:00.001-06:00

Ken was feeling good today so we got in some time behind the camera. He had not been down to the beach yet because his back has been so bad. He knew what to expect, but there is no preparation for what is there. We got in about two and half hours of video between us. We went by some of his friends house Biloxi to see what the damage was like. The Parker family was the worst. Total loss. We spoke to Miss Parker, and she said that the homes that have been in their family for nine generations both have work permits, but even if and when they rebuild (they do plan to rebuild) there is still a chance the state will take their homes for the new Casinos and parks planned for the area. Thats a hard pill to swollow. Her son had just last year bought a new shrimp boat estimated at five hundred million dollars. He had insurance, but evidently it wasn't enough, and they weere not paying. He has about thirty thousand dollars in damage to the boat, and it is being repaired in Bayou La Batre. I am not sure if Forest Gump or Luitenent Dan are working on it. The fact is that the Parker family has fallen through the cracks. The only payment they have recieved from anyone was 735 dollars from their home owners insurance. But, Miss Parker had a certain spring in her voice when she spoke, and smile on her face. You see, you just can not take the spirit out of some people. No matter what happed to Forest Gump he just kept on going.

When we got back, I geared up and made my way back out into the field to clear some more trees. I managed to clear a few more trees and make myself really tired.

Pro

2006-01-12T18:01:00.000-06:00

I am starting to feel the affects of my efforts. I did a lazy hour and a half today before I got back to home base. I had planned on working in the field today. Once I got the chainsaw gased up and lubed I set out to the far end on the property. There are several trees down on angle cutting off any path through that side of the property. The goal was to cut them down clear them out so as to have access with the tractor. The lumber and logging companies are no longer taking wood. Their schedules are completely full. So the only other option is to burn (when the burn order is lifted), but the trees need to be cut, limbed and cleared. This is easier said than done unless you are a professional. I cleared 6 trees and I am wasted. It would have been worse had the trusted Husky not run out of gas.

3 hours hours of death

2006-01-11T19:59:00.000-06:00

When water gets up under the pavement strange things start to happen.

I gave it hell on the bike today. Three hours of unstructured efforts and I came back home like rubber. I did get some really good pictures. Hopefully, I will be able to continue with the effort.

New job title

2006-01-10T21:56:00.000-06:00

I had two jobs for the day. Ride my bike and try and fix a lawnmover for Jack. If I were a basball player I would be doing great because I am batting 500. I did not get to the lawnmover. We did finally see some rain which was brewing just off the coast as I road along a now open section of Hwy 90. I did hear the tractor fire today, but there is still an electrical problem. With my ability to only shock myself when encountering electricity I will leave that to someone else.

If you do not have a strong constitution, sense of humor and a unmatched ability to roll with the punches you might not have what it takes to live on the Gulf Coast.

Tractor Games

2006-01-09T20:01:00.000-06:00

Today was a day of rest. Originally I was going to do a couple of hours down along the beach, but we got going late. Jack Fulton and I got to working on one of his tractors, and that took most of the afternoon. It seems that if you run this brand of diesel out of fuel you have to bleed the fuel lines. Air is no good for compression you see. Yes, I looked at the manual. No, I did not read it, or maybe I should say I did not read until after we worked on it. No, it does not run. But, I was covered in diesel fuel and grease by the time we got done bleeding the poor machine. I do not think I would hurt the tractors feelings if I said it was whipped. Jack thinks we will get it running tomorrow. I will hold my pessimistic line until I hear the bad boy turn over.

Vapor

2006-01-08T17:50:00.000-06:00

I had not gone much further north of Gulfport on hwy 90 so I decided to take a look see. Well now I know what thats like. I thought the destruction along 90 in Gulfport was incredible. How naive that thougt was. I have never seen destruction like the 15 miles of coastline I road today. My chin was on my handlebars. Long Beach, Pass Christian, and Wave Land are destroyed. The wave must have come in twice as far as in Gulfport. It looks like about 3-4 blocks inland are vapor. I road west as far as I was physically allowed to go (the bridge in Waveland is out and the raod is blocked with razor wire), but I was unable to take pictures. I just could not bring myself to do it. Tommorow I will head up there and get some images.

After about 3 hours I had enough so I turned my trusty Lemond north. After about another 30 minutes I hooked up with a man in his 50s who was out on his afternoon stroll on his Motobecane. We chatted a bit about the hurricane and its damage. It is generally the first thing that comes up in new conversation. It is still very fresh in everyones mind. That may not change for years. This man gave me a little encouragement I had been looking for. He assured me that many if not most of the people living on the coast know their situation well. There is a documented history of hurricanes in this area, and these people know they will come. Certainly they hope for the best, but who could imagine that homes that have stood for almost 200 years would be washed away? I guess I dont pity the people here. But, just like many people, I am young, fit and ready to help.

After 5 hours of spinning, visual over load and chatting with my new friend I was ready to be home. Ken's house is something out of a horror flick, but I see those two red doors it means I am home. Good thing because I think I was just ripe enough for the Bayou Bandits to pick me from my tree.

Man on a Mission

2006-01-07T15:43:00.000-06:00

With the social-political growlings of Greg Graffin squelching from my ipod I set out for my daily flogging. I hit out with 2 sets of 5 spinups to 160+rpm towards Woolmarket (yes that is the name of a town). The I managed 3x3min @ 90-95% with 3 minutes rest after turning north towards the national forest. It was a hard to warmup, but after I recovers the next series of beatings was pretty relaxed with 3x10min @ 90% with 3 min rest, and 4x2min @90% with 1 min rest. There is nothing like a little gravel or dirt road to polish off a ride.

I definitely am guilty of protesting my distrust and dissatisfaction with the establishment. Whether that is government and its programs or private establishments like the insurance industry. I believe it is our duty as free people to speak out against programs that do not serve us to the best of our/their ability. Whether you are right or not is peripherial to the reasoning. It is necessary to question authority to keep that structure intact, in check. But, I am no preacher. You will not get directional services from me. I am not a hypocrite either so I will go pick up some more downed limbs.

Ships Ahoy!

2006-01-06T22:12:00.000-06:00

Oh brother, were are thou. I have riden over the canal bridge a few times, but I had not looked over to see what was floating in or not floating in the canal. On the way down to coast today I caught a glimse of these boats run ashore. I was shooting some film for Ken today. There are some places you can only get on foot or the bike. The footage was okay, but I will have to make another run later.

Kopper Kopper crime stopper

2006-01-06T12:27:00.000-06:00

Got up, got out of bed and drug a comb across my head.....gotcha. I don't have any hair. Friday is usually a rest day for me on the bike. Why should today be any different. So I got motivated and strutted out the door to the sound of yappin' dawgs. Kens terrior Tricky is an old friend, but Kopper is a newbie. Just before the hurricane season Kens Chihuahua Pepe was eaten by an alligator. Sad but true. Pepe was aggressive and maybe over stepped his bounds down on the bayou. That bayou can be rough at times. So, Kopper is a high powered sprinter that can run with the best of them. Fast and nimble he has a deft touch on his accelerator. He is quite talented, and in all reality looks somewhat like a reindeer without antlers. A bobcat had been sighted on the Fulton property recently, and Ken and I saw what appeared to be bobcat tracks. Hopefully, Kopper and Tricky will keep clear of this guy.

The plan was to get the brush cleared in Kens yard so we can get the pecan tree that has fallen next to the powerlines out. I cleared much of the brush and will get at it again later. Time to spin the battery acid out of the legs.

You create your own reality

2006-01-05T21:09:00.000-06:00

My reality is of awe with how people on the gulf take their reality. While in passing at the store I heard a converstion between aquintances which went something like this, "how did you do in the hurricane? Pretty good. How about your self? Not too bad. We lost or roof, but it was only about 15 thousand in damage. Thats good. We were about the same....." The conversation went on to family and relatives. Not the idle conversation you would expect to hear in the midwest. The people in the south are of true substance, and it shows each time you meet someone.

The anti-cyclist

2006-01-05T15:05:00.000-06:00

Sit right back and enjoy the tale. The tale of a long long trip. Well, only a 5-hour tour. Got in the long easy miles today, and even caught a glimpse of the SS Minnow seen here in this picture.

Originally, I had planned to start around 8am so I could get back and start working on the downed trees in Kens front yard. But, I just couldn’t get things together to get out the door. Ken had planned a session at therapy and a hair cut (I think they call the cut the El Vez) so that took most of his afternoon. Once I was late, I just set out to ride the day away. With the buzz of Year of the Rabbit squelching from my ipod I hoped off to coast. There is ever-present bit of traffic along Hwy 90. The west board lanes closed so it congests quite a bit. After about 2 hours of ride time, I got a call from Cha Chee wanting to spin out for a few miles. He was still suffering a bit from the previous days effort back to the coast through the wall of head wind. At not quite 3 and half hours in the saddle I hooked up with Cha Chee, Ponch and new guy Super Dave. Super Dave is a fireman who possesses arms the size of my legs. He has an interest shaving regime. It appears he is an anti-cyclist with his arms shaved and legs in full growth. Evidently, the wind had gotten quite heavy. I began to really feel the effects of spinning into the wind as we came back into town. My legs were like two cypress trees bending like blades of grass in the torrential winds of a hurricane. Donzo.

Before and After

2006-01-04T19:03:00.000-06:00

I had some pictures saved from last Jan. when I was down on the Gulf. I thought it might be interesting to see what some of the homes were like.

YOU LOOT WE SHOOT. For real bro!

How about the stone wall that disappeared around this house?

Those walls were really just blocking their view of the ocean.

Blown Face Down

2006-01-04T15:04:00.000-06:00

Just like the Dazzling Killmen song, my new partner in crime, Cha Chee, came home blown face down. Our 3:45 of ride time left him with little more than a wimper left in his legs. I think he could feel every millimeter of his skin shrinking aound his already petrified muscles when we rolled up to the Fulton Compound. Call your congressman because these Navy boys down here are out of shape! On second thought, don't worry about it. I will drill 'em for another week and a half. They should be good after that.

Cha Chee took me up north today into the Desoto National Forest. If that develops images of the Shawnee National Forest for you, get rid of them because it is not the same. The Desoto is mostly flat, even though Cha Chee was able to point out every false flat we came to. It is a beautiful area. Hurricane season has left its mark many miles north of the coast, but man is nature resillient. We definately passed through our share of downed cypress, but it just seems like the trees here might have won the battle with Katrina.

Cha Chee struggles up the Col de Notahillatall.

An afternoon stroll amounst the cypress and the saplings

2006-01-03T17:07:00.000-06:00

We just got back from surveying the Fulton family property. It looks like well over 50 large trees have been snapped in half at the midway point. Another dozen or so trees have been up rooted. The job now is to limb out the trees that pose the most danger. Ken has a large pecan and average size cedar tree down right to the south of his house. It appears this two trees and the low lying foliage to the south are what saved his home from being picked up in the 140mph winds and slammed down across the way. The Fultons neighbors just to the east of them lost everything when the back bay and bayou came up over their roof line. They are now living in Kens house.

North Biloxi 40 turns into 50

2006-01-03T16:07:00.000-06:00

To get another perspective I went out on a ride with some of the locals who happen to be stationed at the nearby Naval Base. They took me of a 50 route that helped me make sense of the roads I have been trying to link up. We were also able to get an understanding of the tornados that came ashore with the hurricane and beat up the terrain inland. If you have seen Band of Brothers the trees look like the scenes from Bastogne when the Germans are lobbing mortors into the trees. It is surreal to say the least. In the end it was a nice ride. I handed out Dent Wizard jerseys to my to new riding buddies, Cha Chee and Ponch. Not sure if these are their real names.

Day 2 '06

2006-01-02T15:37:00.000-06:00

Made the effort to ride to the coast again today. The problem today was that you can't get there from here if you flat twice. After I got my air situation under control I headed for the local bike shop for some support supplies. Ya, I never found it. Not sure if they are amoung the survivors or not.

Once I got to Long Beach I headed down to HWY 90. You may have seen glimses of HWY 90 in Long Beach on the tv. There once was beautiful plantation homes hear on the beach from. I counted 4 FEMA trailers in a 5 mile stretch. Gulfport isn't any better. I appears the at impact Long Beach got hit a little harder, but Gulfport was affected further in from the coast. At any rate it is total destruction.

This family is for real. They were evidently watching me closely from down the outer road as I took his picture. I was not shot.

On New Years Day

2006-01-01T15:30:00.002-06:00

So first things first. Congradulations goes out to the Marbarger Clan with the union of Jay and Becky New Years Eve. After the wedding party I had to head home before I passed out. I thought the I was getting over my cold, but I was fading in and out at the wedding.

After I got home I still needed to pack for my trip to the Gulf so I polished off that task and had a Mountain Dew Amp to make my head feel better. Well, I got so Amp'ed that I decided to drive through the night to Gulfport. Not usually a bad idea, but on New Years or Amatuer Night it is probably not the best of ideas. I got a few minutes of rest while watching the best of the UFC 2005, and then I hit the bricks. My idea of running caffiene, guarana and ginsing for fuel was working. At least for the first 6 hours. Thats a problem when it is a 10 hour trip. After a needed nap at a rest stop I got on with the journey. You can start to see the damage from Katrina as soon as you hit Jackson, MS. With an occasional tree blown to bits or some roofing missing the first glance at Jackson suggests a minimal amount fo loss. But, my first glance gave way to the understanding that the damage here is not selective as I pass by a home split in two by fallen tree. Imagine lossing your favorite tree in your yard. Then imagine it spit your house in half. Thats sucks.

So where am I headed. Last January I spent some time in Gulfport. MS with my friend Ken Fulton and his family while on a tour of the southland. 3 months ago their home of Gulfport was devasted by Katrina and the 30ft 70 mile long wave she brought with her. The closer I got to Gulfport the dmamge becomes more and more apparent. Needless to say it is hard to describe. I will say that it is not nearly as bad and at the same time completely worse than what I had invisioned. When you look at photographs your perspective is limited. In video the depth of you perspective and your peripheral vision is constricted. In full view, the experience is awesome.

I rode down to the coast, but the fog was so heavy it was hard to see very far. Most of the homes near the coast are now just a memory.

infected

2005-12-30T20:03:00.000-06:00

Its that time of year. Its a weekday. Like an old wife and her tail, I have been avoiding those around me with the cough like the plague. Is it a coincidence that I got sick today because I was outside working in the cold and rain. Yes, but it probably has more to do with the fact that everone around me is hacking like a rabid hyena with half a yack down its throat. I have been avoiding the situation, but in the end....I am infected.

Solution: Buy everything in the cold and cough section, pound the OJ (not Simpson) and hit the liquid vitamins.

Merry Christmas

2005-12-25T19:27:00.000-06:00

Hope you got everything you wanted? What a riff. I wanted someone in my family to win the lottery. I guess that sounds a little vain, but...... How does the saying go, "money can't buy you happiness." Shit, I'm already happy. Anyway, every year I feel a little spoiled because I have such a giving family. For me, the food would be enough. As Milo Aukerman put it, "I like food, food tastes good."

Rolled out a good plan on the trainer just before diner. Its all about the plan. You may not stick to it exactly, but a plan definately helps you accomplish your goals. Get it together in the new year. Thats good advice for me I guess. Maybe I will listen to it for once.

One week to Mississippi.

That ones gonna leave a mark

2005-12-23T19:15:00.000-06:00

Never trust the guy who says, "I haven't been riding much I am not sure I will be able to hang on." Definately do not trust him when you have been putting in the miles, and are a little tired. See where I am going with this? With Mark Pirtle (now refered to as MP2 on this blog), Andy O, Martel and Tomlinson in tow, we hit out at a 70 miler today. No problem except it was my fourth day on. I may well have been done before I started with this crew. I think three out of the five guys had said they might have trouble hanging on and wanted a easy ride. Just so happens it was those three pushing the pace at the turn around. Humm? All I could think of was food. Mmmm, chimichanga.

ET was looking slim and fit despite his declaration that he hasn't been training. He will be ready when called upon. Andy O continues to come around, but we need to put a rev meter on him. He looked like he may have blown a seal at the end. And, MP2 looks better every ride. Could there be a State Masters title in the waiting for him?

My legs are like wood. Roll on, roll out.

Can we not have our own history?

2005-12-22T21:51:00.000-06:00

The St. Louis cycling message board had been lit with enthusiasm when the topic of great former local St. Louis riders came up. History is hard to define after the fact. Those that were there know their true stories, but it is still interesting to here a debate not about Lance Armstrong. After debating the whos who of St. Louis past racing history, I realized that everyone has their own idea about who the hardmen were. Of course, I put in a couple of names I thought were missing. The midwest has always been a hot bed for racing, and this topic reraised that issue. It must be winter. Ultimately, the thread came to a screaching hault when a veteran who should know better quite smartly pointed out none of these people or the current talent are as good as Lucky Lance. Okay, sure, there really aren't any grand tour riders here. Kevin Livingston? Whatever. I do think that it is important to know the history so you can evaluate the present and improve in the future. But, holy shit, if I have to hear about Armstain the rest of my cycling career (life) because people are so blinded by his tv coverage I am gonna need a rope and a tall tree. Sure I think he is super, but for me cycling or even bicycle racing does not begin and end with Lance Armstrong. He is a small extremely visible part of a huge global community of riders. My point is that our little local history is as important to our cycling community as Lance is to the international cycling community.

Our past and present local hard men are important. Do not forget who helped you get started, motivated you and who supports you now. Otherwise we all should retire like Lance. I don't know about you, but I am a lifer. And, no I didn't get arrested again.

30 degrees and rising.

2005-12-21T09:12:00.000-06:00

Holy Cow!

It has cracked 30 degrees outside, and its only a quarter after 9. Its amazing how quickly your perspective changes in respect to what temperature is too cold to ride in. Just a couple of months ago 40 degrees was like riding on the polar ice cap. Now I am praying to the cycling gods for the wind chill to hold off and let the sun warm the temp up over a balmy 30 just to get outside. I am gonna take advantage of the solar radiation and jettison. I'm out.

D-

2005-12-15T21:11:00.000-06:00

When I was a student I would certainly question a professor when I did not understand something being presented to me. I would also question what I did not believe or want to believe. But, I can not understand a student that would tell a professor that they were over thinking something that they had just presented. As a teacher, you learn quickly that there will always be some subjectivity to grading. For the life of me, I can not understand how a student would not recognize how a negative attitude would not reflect in a poor participation grade. If it were myself, and I had a poor thought out, shoddily executed and flimsy project I would do little to help along the failing grade that was sure to come. This has not been my experience in my classes. Today was no different.

U2

2005-12-15T00:19:00.000-06:00

When my friend asked me to goto the U2 concert I thought that would make for an eventful night. But, by no means was U2 on my top ten radar for must see bands. Sure The Joshua Tree was overly popular when I was in highschool. Already huge in Europe they ignited America with their a subtle complexity. As a young punk it would have been hard to reveal that I often listened attently to even the b side of that cassette. U2 has always had the context of a punk band, however. With the charge of an IRA Sargent, they frenzy the listener into a rage of empowerment and inspiration. With beginnings that appear with no more than a low rumble their songs of dissent, distrust, broken promise and relations cruschendo into epic adventures with the strength of ten bands. This does not always translate well to a live show however.
So we get to the show, and song after song they shot right to the top of my radar. This is a band of seasoned vets, and they truely put on a feverishly power packed set. With hit after hit, they manage to continuely build on the energy already prevelant in their music, but I had not expected that their stage presence would equally be masterful in its simplicity. I have seen countless shows, this one rates amoung the best of the big bands. Like an old friend, U2 has come back into the fold, and chargednew life in their music for me.

Thanks William.

www.u2.com
www.one.org
www.u2tours.com

In the beginning

2005-12-12T08:53:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking about the possiblities of our Elite team for this 2006 season. Right now we are ten individuals. Everyday we put pedal to pavement together we get closer to the unified and individual goal. Over the past few years, we have built what I believe to be the perfect age and experience combination. Six of our riders are over 30 years old and the others range from 18 to 26. This combination of youth and experience is a powerful mix. The young riders invigorate the older riders, and the older riders inspire the sprite youngsters. It is a dynamic crew of roleurs, power riders, climbers, sprinters and finishers. By no means is any rider a specialist, but each rider has their qualities. With such a broad spectrum of riders we have a full house to play with. If done right it will look like Rabobank on their best day with a flurry of action. Once we can communicate in the race with just a glance the top finishes will come. That unspoken communication is necessary for a solid fusion of ideas and direction. I can not wait to to get a few races under the belt and iron out the details. I am already dreaming of a big finish at Hueston Woods.

Rest

2005-12-09T00:51:00.000-06:00

I could do it the rest of my life. Rest. Just lay down and rest.

Back in Blue

2005-12-06T22:36:00.000-06:00

So.....without anticipating anything positive in the saddle today, I strapped on my shinny pair of Genius 5s and clipped in. I wasn't expecting to get aboard the Ergotrainer and pound out the rythym. Nor was it the plan of attack. I was merely hoping to feel comfortable and get a little work in. With a week of rest my back is maybe at 80% again. My comfort level off of the bike is not great, but once I put pedal to electronic gizmo. If the erg is right (it seemed to be calibrated correctly), after about an hour warmup I was able to belt out three 4 minute efforts over 400 watts at over 100rpm. Not bad for a gimp. The rest of the ride was uneventful. I had see enough blindness for one night

Lets see what kind of work I can get in the rest of the week.

Change is good

2005-12-01T14:36:00.000-06:00

Every once in awhile you have those days that reassure you that it is time for a change. Whether it is work, home, social life, whatever it doesn't really matter. Is it the change of direction that can reinvent your driving force? I think for myself that must be the case. I am not looking for a reinvention of my constitution, but a redirection of the path taken to accomplish those goals.

For myself it has always been the road less traveled that attacked me the most. I guess it is the curiousity that gets me turned onto the direction others have opted out of. Maybe because less traveled avenues tend to be tougher, longer routes. I do like a challenge.

Spondylolisthesis

2005-11-29T21:39:00.000-06:00

Holy Crap! I have some incredible shooting pain down my leg. It feels like a munchkin hanging off and swinging from the connective tissue in my upper leg. I suffer from a degenerative condition called spondylolisthesis resulting from breaking two vertebre. It has been over 8 years since I broke my back, and today brought me back to day one. I could barely stand let alone walk. This makes for a rough day in the studio, and horrible day on the bike. Despite that I still climbed on top of the Zurich strapped to the Tacx Erg and got warmed up. I got in an hour, some leg curls, crunchs and dips. That was truely the only comfortable part of my day. I feel like somebody took me apart and put me back together wrong.

There is tomorrow, and every day is a new day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spondylolisthesis

And the sun 'll come out

2005-11-27T19:39:00.000-06:00

After waiting for sky to clear and the roads to dry up, I didn't see myself doing a four hour tour. So I opted for the alternative. Pound my head against the wall for 2.5 hours so that when I stop it will feel good. With a short warm up, I put my back to the wind, dropped the clutch and put it in the gutter. I managed about 90 minutes of real work.

Some of you may remember the old Centennial Circuit Race course put on by the Austrian Assasin Claus Claussen. That was todays stomping grounds. Strange, but I miss this course, however simple it is or was. Just a short rectangle it rolls fairly hard. Todays serious cross wind reminded me of why this race never came down to much of a bunch sprint.

The legs are like wood. If you can tell me who that quote comes from I will give you a punch in the gut.

Rain rain go away

2005-11-27T09:53:00.000-06:00

It easy to sit on the trainer and belt out a couple hours. But, four hours is impossible when you don't even have a trainer. I was really supposed to get in 5 hours today.

My idea of fun is 4 hours in the sun and 75 degrees. I do not think that is going to happen to. There is nothing more painful and energry sapping than a long ride in the cold and wet.

I must not hold that high a position in life because family and friends always come to me to house and dog sit. Yes, its Wentzville this weekend. At least there is the hot tub to look forward to.

Here comes the pain.

Thanks for giving

2005-11-25T21:38:00.000-06:00

Bicycle sales have been down as of late so I have only worked a few days in the past couple of weeks. Good thing because I have been able to catch up on other random tasks. The simple stuff that always gets pushed aside when time becomes a high commodity. But, today I got the call. I said put me in cold, I need the money. So if you are thinking, three call ups in the last two weeks hardly seems worth it. You are right, and that is without the stupid crap that happens to you whe your broke. As I made out of the sweat shop on my way home, I excellerated out of a stop light with four other cars. All of us at the same speed heading down hill around the corner and look who is sitting their with his gun pointed right at us. I you guessed Johnny Law, the Fuzz, the Boys in Blue, the Rollers or Coper Coper Crime Stoper you are correct. Somehow I was the only one to get the speeding ticket clearly setup by a steep downhill and blind spot situation. . Isn’t it always when you are riding high that life rears its ugly head and kicks you full on in the junk.

Man I swear I could be on the ride of my life, come home, fall over in the front yard on a garden hoe, smack myself in the head and fall backwards only to wake up in a different dimension. One of sight and sound of course.

Turkey Day

2005-11-24T21:44:00.000-06:00

I love Thanksgiving. It is a true eaters holiday. It is completely centered on particular food items. Why do these things not translate to other times of the year. Man turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing could show up on the table any day of the year, and I would eat until it hurt.

Luckily I was prepared today. The plan was to put in the time in the wind today. Four hours seemed about right to earn three plates at the table. I was figuring on three plates as that is normal for me at Thanksgiving.

The problem with my planning is that I did not consider that th advertised 20mph wind was actually gusting up around 27-30mph on the way home. An executive descision was made to head back around Maestown. It was a wise move. Jay, Chris, James and I clearly suffered on the way in. Back to the problem. This got us back too early.

I got home and the food wasn't even close to the table. Everyone knows you gotta get something down the food tube within an hour of getting off the bike. I snuck some scooby snacks and that ended my plan of three plates. I was really looking forward to three, but only managed two.

Now the tryptophans got me down. Nighty night.

Note to self

2005-11-22T09:36:00.000-06:00

Never,ever take up a position of responability. That way no one will ever have to count on you. Then, you can sit back and point out the mistakes those in charge have made. You look like a hero! Ah, the 'pool side hero'.....many say he is a mythical character, but I say he is real. I have seen him many times, but only once with both his cape and mask on. Look out folks he may just sabotage you too.

I wish I was in Dixie

2005-11-20T19:06:00.000-06:00

Well, I was really thinking about the Dixie Riviera when I left home this morning. Cold and grey are not my favorite weather conditions here in the midwest. I can not wait to get down to see my friends on the Gulf Coast and let that warm air fill my lungs.

Luckily, this morning I was graced with the presence of the incomperable Josh Carter. Already miles ahead of me on the training program, I was hoping Josh could drag me down, and hopefully back, to the Marketplace for the group ride. That guy sucks he didn't help at all. Thats the last time I drag him around, right Josh? Once we met up with the rejuvinated Andy O'Guin, the Pirtle clan, Marbarger and Rusty P we made out of Columbia like a snail on crack. Just a lifetime away we sprinted into Maestown with team Pirtle dominating in a chicken hawk sort of way. Come to think of it, did anyone but a Pirtle win a city limits sign? They will get theirs soon enough. The elated feeling of a relatively easy stroll on the way home from the group ride gave way to a painfully empty feeling I my legs. When your power runs out, things can get ugly in a hurry. Luckily I was 5 minutes from home.

Lessons of the ride? Always keep the bluff to your left when going south, and on your right on your way back north (unless you are on top an then its on your left). Do not stop to get water if the house is flying a Dixie Flag. Never sprint for a city limits sign when your 3 hours in on a 6 hour ride.

Multiple choice question: How many kids do Rusty Pesselato and Josh Carter have combined?
a.4 b.2 c.3 d.none of the above e.all of the above
The winner gets nothing and will like it.

Like a donkey punch in the night

2005-11-16T22:57:00.000-06:00

Considering yesturdays accomplishments on and off the bike I was pumped to get off road today. The cold didn't seem to bite, and the ol Kona seemed ready to gallop. However, it was not to be. After an up hill and a down hill the only thing I managed was to figure out it wasn't my day. When you have a bad back like I do, it isnt a good idea to go for a mountain bike ride. You will only get frustrated. Every rock, root and leaf that made its way into my wheel will surely pay one day for the torture I recieved today. Man what a crappy ride.

I love it when a plan comes together

2005-11-16T00:34:00.000-06:00

Itsd always easy to plan out the ride, but it doesn't always look as pretty as it did on paper. Tonight was my first workout on the ergotrainer. Some riders swear by their ergs. Its all about the math. I love it for the pure concentration, and distraction from the boredom of riding indoors. I planned out my ride, my lifting schedule and plyometrics. For the first time in months everything went exactly to plan.
Maybe next time when I am off work by noon I could actually get on the bike before 8pm.

What a difference a day makes

2005-11-13T19:24:00.000-06:00

I have been struggling lately to hold some consistancy in my riding. The reoccurance of an old friend has reminded me of a simple rule. When in a rut hold out for a better time. Things will come full circle if you do not fight out of your situation before it is time. Once your back into the fold, fight the good fight and never give up.
Today was a good day however, and I was able to feel some good sensations coming into the legs. A couple months of consistancy could result in a powerful spring. A new and old lineup in the team this year could prove to be the strongest team I have ever been a part of. So now, I suppose, is the time to take advantage of my own advice.

Six and counting

2005-11-06T22:40:00.000-06:00

I set out for the epic trip down to the Marketplace group ride this morning. It usually takes an average of an hour door to door. But, as I was late I managed in 54 minutes only 5 minutes of the best time. Not smart when you have another five hours to go. Immediately out the gate on the group ride I realized I wouldn't be contributing to the pace. After a few hours, two pbj's, a balance bar, 2 gatorades (one purple one red) and a marble square from the shop in Maeystown I began to feel alive again. Luckily the pace was speratic on the return trip on top of the bluffs. I was able to create some separation rolling into New Hanover and took the city limits sign there. Once we got back to the Marketplace, I strapped the ipod back on, got a 20 Code Red and dropped the clutch. The 15mph tailwind probably helped, but I was on fire on the way home.

Crap not again

2005-10-28T21:08:00.000-05:00

Has anyone ever said to you, "I could have done that." The very idea that you could have is merely brought into the picture because the idea proposed was or is so simple. So in reality the thought that you have the imagination to come up with any simple idea really isn't so. They just seem so obvious after the fact because of their simplicity. In fact, these ideas are the hardest and most complicated to work out. It is all in the details. Check this one out created by a 21 year old college student. Feel free to kick yourself in the ass because it wasn't your idea. I did. www.milliondollarhomepage.com

By the bye

2005-10-22T21:36:00.001-05:00

My sources have corrected me on my last entry. Chris didn't have a mullet, but an all-arounder. In my book he just lost a serious amount of ski punk points. And, in the previous post I suggested that he was a Missouri ski bum, but this was not complete. He actually went out to Telluride where he was bandged up like the little drummer boy (as seen in the earlier post). Something about a snowboard to the back of the head. He is now affectionately known as 'Stitch'. I am still not sure this isn't Telluride, Arkansas though. Thanks to my helper for the corrections.

Awe Shittzle!!!

2005-10-21T21:01:00.000-05:00

Now who says my boy Brewer don't roll in style. These days he is sportin' a Vespa, a member of the Blood Swollen Ticks scooter gang, the manager of the hot new bike store in town and livin' the high life in Glendale. He is nation wide. But, back in the day my guy had a badass mullet, he kicked it like a east-side pimp in the finest ski lodges Missouri had to offer and he lived every minute like it was his last. He wasn't just local, he was World Wide.

What happened Chris?

Long time no sea saw

2005-10-19T20:08:00.001-05:00

After some heart arrested moments through the east side, I rolled through the central west end in STL around noon today. I was giving the trusted steed little more than a false tempo down McPherson past the Xen Gallery, and I see the name of an old friend on the front door. Its strange and exciting when you come around the corner and there is a friend or a rememberance of someone that time had all but forgotten. I get great amounts of satisfaction when I see my people, past and present, doing good things. I guess I get all the competition out of me on the road poundin' out the tempo.

Check out the art stars here: http://www.xengallery.com/sub_terra.html
http://www.xengallery.com/smith.html

Its hammer time!

Rollin' Thunder

2005-10-16T17:04:00.000-05:00

Last sunday was my last big ride so I didn't think 4 hours in the saddle would be that easy. However, I didn't think the hurt box I ended up in at the end of todays ride would shrink to the size of an apple. Mmmmm, food. I do not know what takes a guy like Chris Martel (one of our new Elite riders) away from the sport for 15 years. And, it is hard to say what brings him back to it so quickly. The first three hours were reletively easy, but......as we climbed our way up out of Maeystown and out of the river valley the joking stopped. For those of you watching bike racing in the midwest next year. Keep your eyes on Chris because he isn't looking back.

Never let a kid have a camera

2005-10-08T20:54:00.000-05:00

My tooth hurts. The doctor said a balloon might help.

Otis the terrible

2005-09-27T00:29:00.000-05:00

He beat all odds. Getting hit by a car as a puppy, Otis was hobbled from the get go. Abused and neglected by his first owner he also came with a bad attitude. His favorite pasttime was escaping the confines of the backyard. But, his legacy will most likely be getting maced (and ultimately getting me arrested for the offense action on his part) by the mailman who had been his sworn enemy for life. He had destoryed many doorknobs trying to get at the speedy blue messenger. Deep down, I really would have liked to see that death match. Otis died Monday night. It is hard to let a pet go. We are animal lovers in our family, and we think of our pets as family members. But, Otis had lost all functions that made him who he was. He could barely put five steps together without falling down, he wasn't sure where the bathroom was and it was more than likely the case that mentally he wasn't all together.

What do we really know about our animals. We know they are beautiful, we love them and that love is mutual. In the end, I guess its the memories that we have to hang on to.

How do you value a friendship?

2005-09-25T23:48:00.000-05:00

Is it how much time you spend around someone, the common bond between you or is it the ability to reflect on your relationship with that person? I don't know. I guess every situation is different. What I know is I will miss my friend Al. Al passed away after a long battle with cancer. He always had a quick one-liner for me, and a good word of advice. We had not spent that much time together, but I had alot of admiration for him. Our trip to the northern reaches of our country and beyond will not soon leave me. I caught the flu at the Nature Valley Grand Prix in Minnesota. As I coughed continuosly, fom the backseat, Al championed the 14 hour drive back to STL with only the guidance of his son Brian. I never saw Al as cancer ate away at him. I have a hard time imagining that he was ever weak. But, if he is gone now then the fight had come and gone. Al was and is a great influence on how to live life, a great friend, a fellow passionate cyclist, a leader to his family, and a loving father and husband. How do I know all of this? He quite plainly made me aware of these things without even having to explain it.

I will miss my friend.

Loop De Loop

2005-09-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

Just under way, and already my eyes are bleeding.

Good Golly

2005-09-04T23:51:00.000-05:00

With a bit of luck things could have turned around for me today. hummm. Well I had a good start, covered well in the first half and then the mistakes that have plagued me lately began to reappear. I drifted a little too far back in the 150 man field, and got caught swapping and fighting for wheels. Its an evil game when you get to that spot where guys are making moves to get into 75th position. But, worse than that is the morons crashin' corners to move up 5 spots because they can't on the straights. That always causes trouble, and wouldn't you know 'Lucky' (thats me) got caught up behind a pile up 3 riders deep and sidewalk to sidewalk. My initial reaction to sprint up around on the sidewalk was curtailed by the spectators lining the streets. After trying to chase for three laps I again had to give up the ghost. Maybe tomorrow?

oh boy

2005-09-04T01:38:00.000-05:00

There was no humor coming from my mouth today. Yesturdays tumble made my muscles shrink during the night at the rate of a sprinting snail. I wasnt to last too long, but I started with a good attitude anyway. Oh boy, I should have just gone fishing today because I had nothing in the tank today. My legs were flat as a pancake, and my lungs werent helping.

If it weren't for bad luck........

2005-09-03T01:38:00.000-05:00

......I wouldn't have any luck at all this weekend. I went into this weekends Gateway Cup in St. Louis, MO with high hopes of riding well. But, I was also realistic. I was definately in the hurt box friday night, but I was clearly content to suffer through it. However, a certain rider decided I wasn't to finish intact. After taking a left hand turn in the finishing straight I t-boned the ass end of this village idiots rear wheel. I wasn't too inconvenienced except for the three guys laying on my ankle. My bike, on the other hand didnt fair so well. I snapped my fork blades so bad a case of JB Weld and a roll a Duct tape couldn't fix it.

Hope

2005-09-02T14:03:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to get in touch with some friends on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi all week. Today I finally got a call from my friend Ken Fulton. I stayed with the Fulton family for a couple fo weeks in January. It would be hard to explain the hospitality that this family has for visitors. What a great bunch of people.

They have been displaced from there home and animals in Gulfport, MS. They have gotten word that their property has sustained some damage, but nothing that can not be rebuilt. What used to stand south of them towards the coast is another situation. The entire gulf coast is gone as I am sure most have seen. What do these people do. It will be a substantial amount of time before their economy is restored. Many, most of the businesses they frequent have been reduced to rubble. It is obvious that their moral has been shattered by news media.

The question so many people ask when removed from a situation like this ask is, "what could I do." People need immediate help which means basic necessities like, water, food, clothing and shelter. I hope that I can take some time off and head down to help my friends with these needs.

Fuct In The Midwest

2005-08-28T18:09:00.001-05:00

On April 12th of this year I was charged with a Class A Misdemeanor of Battery in St. Clair County, Illinois. Our speedy blue messenger of a mail carrier had maced my dogs, and then myself. At which time I pushed him away. Evidently your not able to defend yourself when confronted by a federal employee? When the police arrived some time later I was cuffed, stuffed and taken to the county jail to be processed. Luckily, I have made many friends over the last three decades, and an old friend was working admitting at the jail. He had fast tracked me and I was on my way, and back to teaching the youth of today at St. Louis Community College. No worries right?

Well, a couple of months ago my lawyer, Seth, put in a plea of not guilty with the County Clerk. Today, August 17th, was my bench trial date. Everything seemed to be going in my favor. I am a productive member of society as a college educator, there were no injuries to the “victim”, I was on the defensive, and there was no reason for this person to even show up except to be vindictive. It is needless to say that we were confident in my position of self-defense. Sometimes confidence is a bad thing. I was convicted of Battery in the Circuit Court of the Twentieth Judicial Court. Why is this worth writing about? Again, I am a college educator. Colleges and Universities do not hire criminals. I am a criminal serving an 18 month probation.

Think.