commute at night

I went to a party last night and then to a hole in the wall punk rock venue that well....rocks. I knew I would have a few beers with the utrekker BBQ and then a few more at the venue so rode the bike. So I was trying to figure out what I wanted to ride that would be simple and also I would not worry about being locked up at midnight to some pole so I took my Fixed gear and flipped over the flip flop hub to single speed. I knew at midnight I would not want to ride UPHILL to my house with a few beers in me and being tired, worked out great. Sean rocked from Hands on throat which is who i went to see and Sean plays drums...they rocked the place until 1 am,......it was great. so when I rolled in at 1:30 i rolled the bike right in the front door and parked it there........no garage last night!!!

putting it on the line

I bet against one of my long time buds here in Bend...MARSHA, MARSHA, MARSHA...big mistake as she pulled out all stops and beat our bet. So here is Jeff and I paying up on our dinner. She won fair and square and should be proud! Good job Marsha and thanks!

here is a great pic of Jeff and I being publicly shamed in Bend at Deschutes Brewery.

the bet was that we would beat Marsha ( who did it solo) by 33 minutes......we only beat her by 2.....weak!

memorial day Weekend

Spent the weekend with a vet.....my youngest brother. but alas he slept in for the bike ride and we mostly all three brothers drank beer as opposed to worked out. after a weekend of rain and a visit to the Portland ZOO ( we walked right by the crazed bird on the way out...so close to DANGER) Akuma and I went to Round lake and did some muddy singletracking.....FUN

N 45° 36.209 W 122° 24.333

10T E 546357 N 5050165

comment from Bruce

In the spirit of not hiding the truth:




"Drew- You must publish this comment on your next blog and quote it from me. I can't believe you left this part out....

Picture This: 1 piece tri-suit draped over a pasty white body (think- color of an egg shell)...But wait, stop, it's not the pasty white that catch's your eye.....it's what's on Drew's wrist. Check this- The dude is wearing a Gucci Leather Band watch (not digital). My reaction to Drew's "winter" color and Gucci Watch starts to draw a crowd of on-lookers and the verbal sparring commenced. As many of you probably have figured out thru the many blogs, Drew has a way with words. But, I gotta tell yah, the dude's attire was easy pickins'. True Story: The next day I was riding my MTB and came across a group of women running. I stopped off to the side of the trail and one of the women recognized me as the "other side" of the verbal sparring match that took place up at the PPP bike transition. She proceeded to tell me how that episode was all she was talking about at the end of her race: "This pasty dude in a one- piece Tri Suit with a Gucci watch that was in a verbal jousting match justifying what he was wearing with some other dude".
Forget that I owe Drew a beer for a valient finishing time...The beer is on me for the "nads" it must have taken to wear that outfit. With a little probing from his fellow blog readers, maybe we could get Drew to put on the outfit. I will photo him and you can take a looksee at what the commotion was about on PPP day.
Signed: Bruce (Drew's racer bro')"

note: its the same suit in my pic to the right......he is just jealous,,,,,,he was wearing a one piece at the same time but it was covered up by shorts and a sweatshirt......flaunt that creamy white i say...bring it on BRUCEY!!!

moto ride

So i took a mid day mental break from the corporate world and I keep thinking i need a rack fro my bike on the moto.....NOPE...just a spider web and a strap and I was good to go!!! so SWEEEEEET! I was able to ride to a ride point and back on the moto with the bike no problem. bike shoes and helmet fit in the saddle bags. I think the fact that I was able to moto to the ride made it even better. I rode Storm King up to the helipad and back and had a super sweet ride. listened to Brett on the ipod and that is always enjoyable as his style is unrehearsed and feels like chatting with a buddy on the ride.

The weather was spring cool with sunshine,,,does not get much better than that!

Tonight I am taking Jennelle camping near the house ( about 6 miles away) in the national forest at our new secret camping site for "wacky Wednesdays" camping through the rest of the year until it snows again....an idea I had that would break up my week and also give me some good "Daddy time" with Jennelle. A ton of my good memories growing up were camping so I want to share that with her. I don't got no city girl!!!!!

after a few rest days

So I rode into work today and it was about 66 degrees...perfect with shorts and a light windbreaker. after a few hours of work I went to Sawyer park and ran about 2 miles did push ups and triceps dips on a park bend and then ran another 2 miles and then another set...a bit more running back to the office....refreshing.

bike commute to work is the way to go...clear your head...wake you up.

race results

event:
THE RACE
It's a relay race, with six legs that include alpine skiing/snowboarding, cross-country skiing, biking, running, canoe/kayaking and sprinting to the finish! You can do it all yourself or be part of team (or pair). We invite you to take part in the festivities and enjoy Central Oregon.

1. The Alpine Leg starts at the top of Mt. Bachelor's Pine Marten chair lift with a mad dash uphill to put on your skis. The skier wearing his/her helmet (helmet required) will pass through the SG gates to the exchange point by West Village Lodge.
   
   
   
2. In the Cross Country Leg you can use the skate or classic techniques to ski around the parking lot and onto the Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center's groomed trail system for 8 km. The change to cycling takes place in front of the Nordic Lodge parking area.
   
   
   
3. The Bike Leg is a beautiful ride into Bend along scenic Century Drive for 22 miles - the majority being a descent, except the one uphill stretch after the Sunriver junction. The biker then proceeds to Colorado Avenue for the next exchange point. Helmets are required and drafting is not allowed.
   
   
   
4. The Run Leg leaves the exchange point and heads towards the scenic running trail along the Deschutes River. After completing the 10k course the runner passes the lanyard to the canoe/kayak participant.
   
   
   
5. The Canoe/Kayak Leg paddles upstream from put-in point for 1/2 mile on the Deschutes River to Healy Bridge then back downstream for 3/4 mile, then back upstream for 1/4 mile to the sprint exchange. Any float-worthy craft that does not have oarlocks is legal. Dress appropriate, the Deschutes River can be cold in the spring. Floatation devices are required.
   
   
6. The final Sprint Leg is along the grassy banks of the river to the Finish Arena from the Canoe/Kayak take-out, is approximately 1/3 mile in length. Cheer everyone on for the final leg!

WOW I hit that hornet juice 3 minutes before and pow the mouth numbness starts again....that stuff is strong. All ready to go Jeff and I head up early get the bike in transition after a safety check. all is well, take the lift up and it is going to be a warm day. Now since I am a purist I telemark the downhill ski section which does not save me time or cost me time but a few seconds at the top due to slow get the ski on time ( you have to run up 200 feet and then put your skis on at the starting gun). I make it through the gates passing many skiers and watch some fantastic uneeded wipeouts. then as I come around the corner for the final turn in front of the crowd......a few low and sweet telemark turns of course.

hand off to Jeff who does the XC ski and I wander over to the bike ready to go. They yell out the numbers of the XC skier coming up the hill so the biker can be ready...I thought I heard our number so I grab the bike. WHAT!!?!!! I have a flat tire in the rear! crap and for a moment I think that Bruce or Marsha have flatted my tire as a dirty trick....but then I realize that's not what happened which is worse because I think maybe glass in the tire or something??? I run out of the transition area and startchanging my rear tire while waiting for Jeff any second. what a frenzy!!!!! I have to somewhat change it twice as I could not get the tube in well. Here comes Jeff with not a second to spare and I am off.

Now not more that 100 yards and I can feel this kachink kachink and and I think the tire is not seated properly still and I am freaked. this is a down hill course where I can get upwards of 50 mph on the TT bike and I just know the tire will roll off and I will spit into the woods never to be heard from again.

I am hauling down the mountain and get to the flats and start eating up other bikes like pacman dots since the TT bike is faster than those with regular road bikes etc in the wind. I slow down through the final two turns as I know they are bike crash zones from years past and roll into the transition after a fast 22 miles......I roll in and the volunteer tells me to dismount and then BOOM!!!! the rear tire blows up! I kid you not, it lasted until the last 2 inches I needed and then it was done......got to love that!

Linda throws me my shoes and I transition triathlon style right into the run. I feel great and head off with a cold bike bottle of water....then the heat comes....the mind numbing 85 degree heat that we have not had until this event and the change is killing me. This had to be one of my worst 10k runs ever. UGGGGH I even walked a few very small hills to try and get my composure and legs back. after about 45 minutes or so i finish and hand off to Jeff who has the boat portion..I was done and then remembered I had to help get the boat into the water which was a chore as it is a fast but large sea kayak and I was spent. Jeff does awesome in the boat and then has a 1/4 mile sprint to the end......times:

Dj Super Circus High Wire Act ( Drew and Jeff) 2:32:28

Ford, Marsha 2:31:04

Willrace Performance 1:48:12

so we beat Willrace ( and Bruce :) ) as they spotted us an hour and Marsha handed us a slap as we spotted her 33 minutes....so Bruce owes me a beer and I owe Marsha a dinner.

good times had by all and now time to go change tires on the TT bike as she deserves some love since she got me to the finish........barely!

race day

view of the Old Mill district and the river from a deck on a new bar in town



super secret packets that were mailed to me from New Zealand




its 6:20 and the temp is 55 degrees and sunny...going to be a hot one. may be slower for those skate skiing later in the day???? run in heat not really my bag. I do have a secret weapon though...HORNET JUICE!!!!! I got some samples from the company and tried them out the other day and will use before this race....I guess the power of the bee!!!!! or Hornet I guess they are different. the hornet is faster yeah thats it. This is a secret weapon used by Texafornia for a few years now. I tuned up my bike that I had not ridden since Ironman Canada and got the skis ready. pulled out a one piece Zoot Suit .

It is going to be a madhouse here in Bend in the Old mill district. as always once you start racing you are good to go its the logistics and parking that are a pain in t he arse!.

POLE PEDAL PADDLE

This Saturday we will battle team Kyle Will ( they spotted us an hour) and Team Marsha ( we spotted her 33 minutes)......we could be victorious or defeated or we could go 50/50.....let the battle begin!!!!!!! We have the gear but do we have the fitness??? will the heat be a factor? Will my last minute 20 mile mountain bike ride be an excuse? time will tell. tune in Sat night for results.

With a rebel yell !!!!!!!!!

oh yeah baby!!!! got me some tix!!!!! taking my baby brother so see a rock legend! This is the guy I had about 10 posters on my wall growing up in the eighties!

down and out

So Thursday I went on like a 1 hour easy spin with Bruce and I was feeling tired for some reason. I mentioned that I may go home and take a nap which is not my normal routine. Well I got home and it went downhill from there. really bad flu or something. Actually missed a day at work which never happens. My first real meal was this morning having some breakfast. so clearly not racing like I had planned. That sucks not because I was hardcore into the race but because it is a fun race with great turnout and a super vibe. best race in Oregon for MTB I feel. actually feeling like just a light headache today and if I can keep all the food down should be good to go. see how recovery goes for next weeks pole pedal paddle race I am doing?????

Utrek mobile

check out Robs new ride, this is a shot from the shop of his bike right after they built it, he has not even got to touch it yet.....oh he is hurting today waiting for the end of the day to come.....SUPER SWEET RIDE BRO!!!!

looking back

Wish I had not sold this bike........I cannot remember why I sold it???? but it was sweet.

night ride

Went out and rode the lair with Rob last night at twilight and then did about an hour in the singletrack with headlamps. got home about 9:20. good fun. I forget how much fun night riding can be. usually when I have been using my headlamp its due to going to work at 6 am. I am going to try and do more of the night rides this summer with everyone. so with race coming up ( again not racing but want to do well for me....expectations are fun first place second) I am taking today off a bit, I may swim this afternoon for a break from work but I have been riding a lot lately and want to go into Sunday Fresh.

commute to work

tried a new pannier combo yesterday and with two bags and a top bag over filled them so super heavy.....bad mistake. bike rode like crap and then after work on my way to the red cross to donate blood hit a small hole and BOOM rear tire went. so today i am down to one pannier and minimailzed the carry load to lunch and the laptop and thats it.....much better.

i will try this for awhile as opposed to my bag. I feel so much better when I ride to work. doing anight ride tonight with lights with Rob maybe get some video????

test ride a success!!!

Project SURLY

So I finished my project today with Jennelle's help holding tools and taking pics, I do recall the years of yesterday handing tools to my dad or holding the work light for him......ahhh, full circle.

So i took $13.50 ( thats what the bike is named since that is how much I paid for it with parts as a previous project. and made it into the 29/26 project. got the idea from dirt rag article HERE.

Rob is getting a full suspension 29 that should be sweet, Chris has one already that was made by Vulture , Lugsby got a 29 single speed, for sure the way of the future or at least nice to have another odd bike.

So after 4 weeks of waiting finally got the fork, not the lightest but the cheapest.






note the older 26 inch fork an dthe new in package surly 29 fork, its set up for V brakes or disc brakes. the 29 wheel is an older cyclocross wheel....already had it so FREE

Black! I was thinking of painting the frame black too but that ended up being more trouble than it was worth so black and teal it shall be,


taking off the old fork ...remeber when you do this onmce everything is loose it will fall to the ground...fortunately I learned this years ago working in a bike shop on someone elses bike. :)

took off the brakes



took the race off carefully with a screwdriver....



trying to figure out how to get it on the fork without damaging it.....used this website alot



searching for a tool that will do the job.......



decided it was not worth the risk and went to a LBS and had them use the PARK tool
this is a 20 second deal and they charged me nothing as they should have.

I would have gone to my team shop but not worth another 10 minute drive for a 20 second fix.


came home and realized the fork was too long so I measured it off the old one and then realized I better just put it on the bike and measure it which was smart but then after i cut it forgot the headset needs to have another 1/4 inch to set in the top cap so had to cut another 1/4 inch.."measure once cut twice"....thats me

I took off about this much...well exactly this much







all reassembled and a little Surly bling!!!!!!! how ya like the flask holder? I was going to have the shop do it but decided I would do it and I would say I learned alot during the project. good bike to practice on as not my expensive bike or anything so fun. getting the star nut out was a pain and their is a screwdriver stuck inside the other fork that I used to force it out. I should have bought a new star nut. I think all bike shops when they hand you a new fork should ask you if you need a star nut.

I will go test ride this baby this afternoon and then race it next Sunday at the chainbreaker

moonpie

i realized today that long time bro Moonpie was not in my lineup!!!! yikes

So I added the super dork to my blogs link area

Day off mega 35 mile singletrack solo adventure

taking a break near a logging pile



Shevlin park near the bridge


all day ride love potion




crash number 1




enjoying my java at the picnic table in the middle of nowhere



saw this guy out in the forest