wirth classix flyer

http://mcf.net/misc/2008/Wirth%20Classic%20Cup%20Flyer.pdf

couldn't load as a picture

do you know where your balaclava is?

out the door at 10:30 home at 11:15. easy singlespeed ride, longsleeves and wool sweater, still in shorts. nothing special, not much off-road in the dark of the moon. same route, like to be safe by sticking to the paths..... almost feels like cyclocross temperatures.

weather: 50 degrees, clear a little windy
time: 45 minutes

sunday night special

Out at 10:15 back by 11:15,back on the meister, everything clicks…. Hit every opportunity for play, stair run-up on south side, beard’s plaisance, water stop running dismount. Felt strong, and when it got boring a gentle rain began to fall. Almost perfect cyclocross weather.

Weather: 60 and clouidy, humid, then rain

Time: 45 min to an hour

roadie style

left at ~ 10 pm back by 11:30. on the jamis w/ look pedals and skinny tires. added an extra lap around calhoun. need to re-adjust seat and toe in rear brake. exhausted my reserves, which is a good thing this is training after-all.

weather: 60 and pleasant, clear
time: 1.5 hrs

overdressed

left at 10:10 home by 11:06, felt flat and heavy, so i kicked up the pace in the second half of the ride... need to put in a longer period in the saddle. maybe i do exclusive roadwork for the next two nights, out the jamis w/ road tires and shoes. change my diet, ride longer, something/anything to mix up the routine and that's what it feels like, i hate exercise. i ride for fun and it wasn't so much the fun tonight.

weather:65 degrees but it felt warmer, clear, no wind
time: not long enough

wednesday night braaap...

left at 22:00 home by 23:00, same old same old, hooked up with the bad boys at harriet right after a water stop at the well. heard a brake squeal in the bowl and took a few turns in tight formation. still didn't get to do the run up at beard's plaisance.... too sketchy in the pitch black. felt strong

weather : 58, but felt warmer by the lake, clear
time:45 minutes

iskabible

there are several words that cannot be defined. this is but one of them

middle aged: when does it start, is it chronological or just a state of mind

shut up and ride!

no, i'd rather ride and trash talk.
....if i shut up that means i'm exerting myself too much.

is cyclocross road or mtb event?

cycling news says mtb,
as evidenced by the email dept. covering cyclocross

Cyclo-cross news & racing roundup for September 19

Edited by Laura Weislo

Welcome to our regular roundup of what's happening in cyclo-cross. Feel free to send feedback, news and releases to mtb@cyclingnews.com.

where can i find the pave` in richfield?

i know it's fall not spring.
but i like the pave`, i used to ride it every morning on my way to the university from downtown. down on the st. anthony main and up to a street and along the tracks on a cinder access road underneath the new 35w bridge and carry my bike over to a sidewalk under the 10th ave bridge.

last night in the wet would have been a great time to hit some 100 yr old bricks.

training log

left at 10:15, home by 11:15 easy road ride around harriet and up parkway to lyndale, thought i would make last call at starbucks. stayed on the roads/path to prevent tearing up the turf... and didn't feel like picking sod out of my teeth when i went down in the soggy grass/mud. rain earlier in the evening kept humidity high but temps were cool, almost cyclocross weather.

weather: 65 degrees and 94% humidity cloudy
time: one hour without breaks

Thunderstorms will be most numerous through midday in western Minnesota, with scattered storms in eastern Minnesota, and more isolated in Wisconsin. Some storms in Minnesota may be severe through the evening. The storms will be associated with a cold front, which will also produce gusty south winds. Dry weather is anticipated Wednesday.

i am not an angry man...

but i am known to namecall,

evidence:

By bloodline at 5:46 pm on Sep 19, 2008

@Smithers: @T3: fucking roadies, single minded ‘my way is the highway’… scumbags


and i did it again

bloodline
Sep 23, 11:50 am scumbags, and i mean that it the best possible way



i'm guilty, not sorry

gravel roads in the spring

http://almanzo100.blogspot.com/

http://ragnarok105.blogspot.com/

sifting thru the BS

occasionally bikesnobnyc.com warms my heart, such as this excerpt;

This is especially true for cyclists, who after a couple of days of epic two-weeled conquests must return to the mold, their legs sore, their appetites raging, and their pride back in check. (Obviously this doesn't hold true for people like messengers, who ride all week long. Or for the unemployed. Then again, what's the difference between the two, really?)

i get the joke cause i was a messenger in chicago for two winters 2000-2001 and 2001-2002.

this guy is faster than death...

and death, my friends, is slow and painful.

more cowbell

can i get a cowbell ringtone?

training log
left the house at nine - back by 10am
route: more grass and trails, plenty o' pavement, hills, short trip but intense. penn to 52nd str. bridge , james ave, across lynnhurst ball diamond, lake harriet, beards plaisance, upton to 52nd, penn, back along creek, to upton across armatage ballfields to penn and home(no gps)


weather: 70 and humid
time: 45 minutes

news flash: cyclocross

it seems this seasons campaign will see our author in a little action ala kurt rambis.

Rambis Lacerates Leg in Practice
By TIM BROWN, LA Times Staff Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Laker assistant Kurt Rambis was taken from the floor of Continental Airlines Arena on a stretcher after suffering a deep cut on his lower leg before Wednesday night's game against the New Jersey Nets.........

.........By the time he was carried away, Rambis had regained his famous sense of humor. Appearing pale, strapped to the stretcher and with his leg raised, Rambis was being rolled from the floor when fellow assistant Frank Hamblen peered down and said, "Hey, you going to the hospital?"

"Well," Rambis said with a laugh, "I hope so."

look for the state cx to turn into a derby....details later.

training log

left again at 10 pm, home by 10:48.
easy spin on streets, sidewalks and path. same as last night 'cept without the dismounts or mechanical. even when i scout out routes on grass i don't feel like trying 'em in the dark.

not sure whether theres a creak in my cranks, or bottom bracket, don't want to open that can of worms. i'll tighten some bolts b4 sunday am.

weather: 70 degrees, hazy and humid
time: enough

tour of pologne

weather shortened stage, it is september after all

http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=ap-tourdepologne&prov=ap&type=lgns

way up north

this week in belgium..

stolen from pez.....

GP Wallonie
Stefano Garzelli is not a happy man after winning the GP Wallonie up the steep ascent to the Citadel in Namur (or Namen) in Belgium.

The reason? See the top of this page and the Italian selection for the Varese world Champs.

“I am in top form and yet [Ballerini] is not taking me to a Worlds that passes 5km from my door. I came here [to the finish] yesterday and once I had seen it I knew immediately I could win,” Garzelli said. “Above all, you can compare the worlds to this race here.”

Garzelli beat home Quick Step’s Giovanni Visconti, who said, “I made a horrible mistake. I knew I had to pass Garzelli before the last 300 meters. Afterwards it would have been impossible. I missed my chance. It’s a real shame.”

Last year’s winner, Bert De Waele (Landbouwkrediet) finished fifth and his team manager Gerard Bulens expressed similar sentiments about Belgian national coach, Carlo Boman’s decision, to leave DeWaele (also 4th a Paris-Bruxelles) at home.


Results:
1. Stefano Garzelli, ITA, Acqua & Sapone - Caffe Mokambo
2. Giovanni Visconti, ITA, Quick Step
3. Jérôme Pineau, FRA, Bouygues Telecom
4. Janek Tombak, EST, Mitsubishi-Jartazi
5. Bert De Waele, BEL, Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner
6. Benoît Vaugrenard, FRA, Française des Jeux
7. Sergey Lagutin, UZB, Cycle Collstrop
8. Bram Tankink, NED, Rabobank
9. Frédéric Guesdon, FRA, Française des Jeux
10. David Lelay, FRA, Bretagne - Armor Lux

hopefully we'll see these names again when cyclocross starts in europe towards the end of the month.

update: my bad season opened last sunday in belgium
UCI calendar (excerpt)

All Competitions

Date

Event

Venue

Ctry

Class

ME

MU

MJ

WE

14.9.08

Steenbergcross

Erpe-Mere

BEL

if the players at not exhausted by this time of the season, then bet on these winners, not so much the veulta or the pologne riders fanned out across europe.

interbike 08 website

this is what the bicycle industry has planned, i'm not making this up.....

"The Urban Legend Fashion and Art Show will help feature the great gear, bikes and apparel that have been recently introduced for the increasingly important urban and transportation cycling categories," said Rich Kelly, Interbike's communication manager.
Instead of a traditional catwalk, a road loop will be laid out on the floor of the Venetian's Ballroom G, while bicycle-inspired artwork is displayed throughout the room. Urban Legend attendees will gather in and around the loop, while models ride among the audience. The innovative layout allows the models to display urban cycling apparel and bikes in action and allows each attendee a front row seat.

wrench

training ride tonight, left at 10 pm

single speed set and ready to rock, down oliver to harriet, around harriet and back through park at 52nd. 3 dismounts, a little grass, didn't try anything too interesting cause it was pitch black. at 55th and oliver hit a pothole and felt it, pinch flat, walked 15 blocks home. should have turned off at the creek and picked up an espresso instead of riding thru the pothole.

i packed a tube and CO2 inflater, but didn't pack a wrench to pull off the bolt-on rear wheel.
i added one to my bag as soon as i got home.

weather: 70 and partly cloudy
time: home by 11:15

go tinker juarez

cactus cup preview
http://www.velonews.com/article/83339

this week in belgium..

stolen from pez.....

GP Wallonie
Stefano Garzelli is not a happy man after winning the GP Wallonie up the steep ascent to the Citadel in Namur (or Namen) in Belgium.

The reason? See the top of this page and the Italian selection for the Varese world Champs.

“I am in top form and yet [Ballerini] is not taking me to a Worlds that passes 5km from my door. I came here [to the finish] yesterday and once I had seen it I knew immediately I could win,” Garzelli said. “Above all, you can compare the worlds to this race here.”

Garzelli beat home Quick Step’s Giovanni Visconti, who said, “I made a horrible mistake. I knew I had to pass Garzelli before the last 300 meters. Afterwards it would have been impossible. I missed my chance. It’s a real shame.”

Last year’s winner, Bert De Waele (Landbouwkrediet) finished fifth and his team manager Gerard Bulens expressed similar sentiments about Belgian national coach, Carlo Boman’s decision, to leave DeWaele (also 4th a Paris-Bruxelles) at home.


Results:
1. Stefano Garzelli, ITA, Acqua & Sapone - Caffe Mokambo
2. Giovanni Visconti, ITA, Quick Step
3. Jérôme Pineau, FRA, Bouygues Telecom
4. Janek Tombak, EST, Mitsubishi-Jartazi
5. Bert De Waele, BEL, Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner
6. Benoît Vaugrenard, FRA, Française des Jeux
7. Sergey Lagutin, UZB, Cycle Collstrop
8. Bram Tankink, NED, Rabobank
9. Frédéric Guesdon, FRA, Française des Jeux
10. David Lelay, FRA, Bretagne - Armor Lux

hopefully we'll see these names again when cyclocross starts in europe towards the end of the month.

update: my bad season opened last sunday in belgium
UCI calendar (excerpt)

All Competitions

Date

Event

Venue

Ctry

Class

ME

MU

MJ

WE

14.9.08

Steenbergcross

Erpe-Mere

BEL

if the players at not exhausted by this time of the season, then bet on these winners, not so much the veulta or the pologne riders fanned out across europe.

interbike 08 website

this is what the bicycle industry has planned, i'm not making this up.....

"The Urban Legend Fashion and Art Show will help feature the great gear, bikes and apparel that have been recently introduced for the increasingly important urban and transportation cycling categories," said Rich Kelly, Interbike's communication manager.
Instead of a traditional catwalk, a road loop will be laid out on the floor of the Venetian's Ballroom G, while bicycle-inspired artwork is displayed throughout the room. Urban Legend attendees will gather in and around the loop, while models ride among the audience. The innovative layout allows the models to display urban cycling apparel and bikes in action and allows each attendee a front row seat.

wrench

training ride tonight, left at 10 pm

single speed set and ready to rock, down oliver to harriet, around harriet and back through park at 52nd. 3 dismounts, a little grass, didn't try anything too interesting cause it was pitch black. at 55th and oliver hit a pothole and felt it, pinch flat, walked 15 blocks home. should have turned off at the creek and picked up an espresso instead of riding thru the pothole.

i packed a tube and CO2 inflater, but didn't pack a wrench to pull off the bolt-on rear wheel.
i added one to my bag as soon as i got home.

weather: 70 and partly cloudy
time: home by 11:15

commentary from the pimp

lance's old coach gonna keep talking....see it here first http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-7-623-17854-1-P,00.html

local UCI cyclocross

why/how does sun prairie, wisconsin get an international cyclocross race?

mad cross I and II (9/27, and9/28): http://www.uci.ch/templates/BUILTIN-NOFRAMES/Template1/layout.asp?MenuId=MTUxNjc

shockspital

http://www.swjournal.com/index.php?&story=12179&page=152&category=64

train in spain

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/cgi/gallerypicget.asp?pic=http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/races08/vuelta08/vuelta08st16-family.jpg

2003 state champs

anybody you recognize here, i was in chicago at the time;

http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=cross/2003/nov03/nov09USAminnesota

link to video

cyclocross practice video

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-1-323-17851-1,00.html

wirth park cyclocross

i remember a course from the '90s that i rode on a mountain bike. b4 there was basset creek, the state championship was held in wirth park. a certain gentleman name of tito set the course then. it will be a nice trip down memory lane, thank you mpls park board.

the youngsters seem to have a problem with this choice, i will quote;

"I don’t know if this is the same case for the Boom Island promoters, but if it is the race could be really hard and boring."

training log

took the kid out for a drag in the trailer, lake harriet and back. had to ride in the grass a little bit, he likes the rough stuff and so do i. jamis aurora, geared, cyclocross tires

wt. 180 lbs
time 45 min - 1hr
weather; 60 and clear

cyclocross for the masses

i like this, it's from bloodline originally posted 9/11/2008

there was a time, not that long ago, when if you wanted to race cyclocross you had to either convert a touring frame or use a beat-up road bike and hope for the best. those days are gone, i miss them.

now everybody thinks you need this or that expensive set-up to engage in one of the most primal cycling experiences. cyclocross is not rocket science, hell it's how i've been riding all my life. there was that little blip where i thought a mountain bike was a good idea. mountain bike races used to be called cross-country races, the first mountain bikes where designed for downhill racing. it is quite easy to ride a cyclocross bike on many mountain bike trails, just skip the big drops and dismount. look for the trails designed to be cross country ski trails in the winter. the grooming of these courses evens out the wash-outs and really steep sections.

you may even like cyclocross, stranger things have happened.

this just in

damn baseball diamond messing with my bike trail
read it
http://www.mnbiketrails.com/main.asp?SectionID=22&SubSectionID=45&ArticleID=530&TM=44290.27

technique

i'm setting up a course in my back yard...start at the front door, downhill around the house, corner at the se lot line, thru the pine trees, dismount up the stairs, pit/feed zone at the back door, finish at front door.

racing or training or biking

if i drag my kid across town in the trailer for tuesday night cyclocross practice is that junk miles?...i would have the son in the trunk, not the junk.

mafac 'racer'

center pull brakes from peugeot ux-10(c. 70's-80's)

if you can see detail there are some unique features not found on modern brakes. see discussion on last post.

there is a plan

...and there is a way to carry out that plan.
found my rear brake and the cable stop i need.
details: mafac 'racer' center pull, rather unique, straddle cable uses a derailleur cable and cable stop fits outside of seatpost binder, both lightweight but hopefully durable. the brake pads are post style.

a nice walk ruined

the miester needs a re-fitting. we'll put in drop bars, a rear brake and add a few teeth to the rear cog. nice stroll in the park w/ the fellas, to much action not enough talk.

bicycle choice

#1. jamis aurora: mostly stock parts, plus: bell lap bars, longer stem and cyclocross tires

#2 miester frame(one off vintage japanese/taiwan), ss 38x16, mustache bars

i will make my decision in the morning ,or at midnight deep in a trance. it really doesn't matter when i'll be dfl anyway. i could bring both if i was driving, but why would i drive 8 blocks.

update 6:29 pm- ss with 6 cog cluster and extra chainlinks to swap out while finding best gear ratio for the conditions, chainline be damned

bicycle

put together a working prototype, we'll see if it's battle ready.
single speed 38x16, mustache bars, last years tires, one brake(until i buy cable for rear), old school pedals.

can't talk about the plan or the execution of alleged plan

in the words of Kia Lan(nick jr. star)....'cyclocross makes me super happy"

Witness Changed Her Story During Rosenberg Spy Case
Washington Post - all 349 news articles »

iskakabibel

there are several words that cannot be defined. this is but one of them

icky: i have heard that it is a regional word, from the norwegian 'nye, ikke likke' or 'no, i do not like it'

practice

why do these people torment me with their silly ideas such as practice. I practice yoga, i would have liked to practice medicine.... practice cyclocross? of course it is a skill..... but c'mon i just do it.

i recall my master saying once "i just get on with it" it is just riding a bicycle after all.

the daughter sleeps

should i start a daddy blog or should i stick with politics and bicycles. this whole blogging thing is pretty much for me . i started it last year when i was psyching myself up for cyclocross. i spend more than a few hours during the day immobile cause the offspring have me pinned down. it's just a pastime really, not an addiction

how i plan my day

i make a list of things to do, sometimes yesterday's list is still valid. when i can i try to engage in something more productive than looking at a computer screen and listening to children's television.

a few highlights are: bike repair/enhancement, yard work and looking for food.

9.11.2001 is beyond politics and should not be used as a reason to select a president... the politics of fear and retribution are bigger than what can be determined by a selection of a candidate

soled out

... in a shameless ploy to gain the homeless vote i have commented on bikesnognyc.com
let's see what this does to my readership
i could top out in profile views,.....the count is 1,068 as of now

8 pm update: no bikesnob bounce, another theory shot to hello kitty

living on the road my friend.....

was sure to make you free and clean/ now you wear your skin like iron/your breath as hard a kerosene... i forget the rest of the words

the song is 'Pancho and Lefty' it was written by townes van zant
recorded by willie nelson once and sung by a few others (including me w/ my wife accompanying on guitar(and trying not to laugh)

vote?!#$%@&

if you don't vote, the validity of your political arguments decreases exponentially. oh, and ya can't wear that sticker and the smug impression that goes with it. no need to pre-register you can do it at the polls. any questions, see any number of local news websites for your polling place....... or just look for the signs and the goons out front asking for yr vote.

chilaquillas

this is one of my favorite breakfasts. i'm not giving you the top ten, i must hold some secrets back...

here's how you make it. take the scrambled eggs and mix 'em with last nights stale tortilla chips, salsa and cheese. it's good and good for you. next week: german farmers breakfast

bike culture

...... for the record 'i am nobody and nothing', alas, i have an opinion.

bike culture is a meaningless characterization created to artificially divide 'us' from 'them'
or to restate there is no bike culture or subculture.

get over yourself you self righteous bastards that think roadies are different from mountain bikers or bmx is better than all the rest, or commuters are novices or messengers are a stain on the scene, or tri-athletes are maggots(btw,they are)....enough already.

.... if it has two wheels and it's human powered it's a bicycle and the rider is a biker.

mpls 2008 vs chicago 1968

i know, different party convention(dnc/rnc)....do the protesters get any better or are the cops just more fun. i will admit to being uninformed on the protest actions. i'm out of the loop since my college days in madison, wisconsin. is the 'anarchist bowling league still around... these are the punks who carried bowling balls to smash store windows. those were the days, burning tires on lake and hennepin, trash dumpsters in the street and sometimes even a band.

which reminds me of a joke.... how many madison hipppies does i take to change a lite bulb? 3(three), one to change it and 2 to discuss how it was done in the 60's.

the primary is still out there

on september 9th, (next tuesday) minnesota can select a comedian to run against a clown. think about it, al franken for senate, he's a celebrity and he used to be funny and he still can be one, give him a bigger stage. get out and vote. close your eyes and select a challenger for your city council or judge or park board while you're at it.

minnesota does the election day registration, so whats stopping you from thowing the election? 'ventura nation' i'm talking to you.... btw i moved to chicago for the jesse years, so you can't blame me for that.

does anybody want to hear my insane ramblin' about politics ....

it's just a question that needs to be asked. i watch the msnbc like way too much and know the mannerisms of the personalities far too well.

what affliction makes me think the rest of the world needs to hear anything i have to say?