27 March 2009

22 days to ragnarok...

and i do not feel that i feasted enough at the tables in Valhalla.

the prospect of pulling out of this challenge pains me, i do not fear the prospect of a crushing defeat. that is a given, i am always the Dfl and it doesn't pain me to say that. preparation has gone poorly, not enough miles, i'm not looking to put in 105 miles every weekend or even hit that once before the randonnee`. i'm more concerned about financial and equipment issues. i did recently take a new job and the loss of income for chasing a goal that i am sure will be anti-climactic enters the picture. the straight story is that i haven't got the money or the time to prepare properly.

this will not be a cascade, i am committed to the almonzo a month later and feel that if i'm gonna do a gravel road race this should be the one. Now, some may question my performance in the slick 50(73 miles) as an indicator of my fitness. i actually felt pretty good for most of the ride, the loss of the group after a flat did bring my map reading skills into question.

i will not make any firm decisions until march 1st. i'm thinking about adding a 25 mile commute to my training schedule.

22 March 2009

cheap parts abused here

stubbs bay

left at 10:15 am, met up with hurl and krewe at 12 left NE mpls for parts unknown. Flat tire on trail at maybe 1 pm, lost contact with group. followed best i could up trail ending on luce line and stubbs bay road at roughly 2:20. tracking skills determined that this was not the course, headed onto paved road where i flagged down an unknown rider and got an escort to wayzata and he dumped me onto mcginty road which lead me to minnetonka blvd, followed trail to hopkins where i headed to blake road and ended up on 44th and upton. at home and safe by 4:30 pm
nothing too scary i had plenty of food and water. rough estimate from google maps leaves me with a 45-55 mile route for the day. thanks for the inspiration and hope the ride was good for you hurl, rumors tell of an 80 mile route

21 March 2009

training effects


that's what you call it when you feel better after riding than before. or maybe it's the weather, i've got it..... i'm 45 years old and get 6 hours of sleep/day if i'm lucky.

18 March 2009

grumpy's NE


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17 March 2009

lovely day for it....



left at 12:30 pm arrived home at 3 pm
weather:65 F, sunny
roads: sandy/wet

16 March 2009

when the going get's tough...

the tough jump on the fun bike. by some miracle of science i found the extra long seatpost i needed for the bridgestone, it was on the meister. nice to have a little leg room, and the opportunity for some highjinx. I always say it ain't mountain biking unless you take enough chances to dump the bike in the mud, ice, or snow. i'm not thinking distance tonight, that's for tomorrow.
route:
weather: 43F hazy/clear, excellent conditions
roads: the path less taken

15 March 2009

dark and muddy

one and one half hours on the beast of burden tonight. I thought i could head down to cold sprints, but i really didn't feel that fresh. i'm not getting that much sleep or having the quality of rides that i require. breaking out of the deep freeze is nice, i haven't been posting much on rides lately cause i'm not that amused with the progress toward my goal of competing at any level in a 105 mile challenge in a little more than a month. hopefully i will feel a little better after i ride this week and put in a passing grade in the 'slick 50' in a week.

weather: 43 and excellent riding conditions
roads: muddy not icy

a public apology to pinto

i have perpetrated a cruel hoax, no-one should follow my advice in technical aspects of bicycle building. I am at best a hack mechanic and the assumption that if it works for me it will work for anyone else is dubious at best.

I apologize for misleading anyone in the matter of fixed gear/ single speed conversions. I very quickly dispensed partial information in an attempt to perpetrate a friday the 13th 'joke post' on the Bloodline bicycle racing blog. i have done myself a dis-service, i only hope that all true bicycle mechanics will forgive me.

i will not discuss this matter any further, besides if you need to explain the joke then it wasn't that funny. and now back to our regularly scheduled updates.

12 March 2009

maps of gravel roads/back roads

http://www.hudsonmap.com/
http://bikeverywhere.com/topic/twin-cities/tc-map-updates/

i'll update this post when i find the best maps for redwing area or... can one of my readers suggest a good source? hurl,

11 March 2009

long rider

how many litres of water for ragnarok?, during the summer i go 1 litre/or at least 20 oz per hour.
food: herring of course; but with vinegar or the sweeter swedish style

bicycle chosen: jamis aurora, i'm not trusting the new build on the schwinn for at least a month, i'm cutting corners if i rush the selection of cost efficient parts ...oh and cash is getting tight.

10 March 2009

cat power 'moonshiner'

08 March 2009

The Moon is Increasing in Light

The next phase will be
Full Moon
at 9:38 pm Mar, 10 2009
Full Worm Moon

An auspicious time for affairs and businesses which are at an expansive stage of development, as well as for new beginnings. A growth phase: stimulate the growth of plants which bear fruit above the earth now, and cut hair to accelerate its growth.

cat on a hot tin roof dialogue; Tennessee Williams

                 
You know what I feel like
I feel all the time like a cat
on a hot tin roof
.
Then jump off the roof, Maggie
Cats jump off roofs and land uninjured.
Do it. Jump.

Jump where?
Into what?

Take a lover

i don't deserve that!
I can't see any man but you.
Even with my eyes closed, I just see you.
Why can't you get ugly, Brick?
Why can't you get fat or ugly or something,
so I can stand it?

You'll make out fine.
Your kind always does.

I'm more determined than you think
I'll win all right.

Win what?


What is the victory
of a cat on a hot tin roof?

Just staying on it, I guess...
...as long as she can.



Calm down. Not yet. Now wait a minute.

05 March 2009

something to think about..

lost in transmission

the jamis, left home at 2:30 pm returned at 5:30 pm. unusual, yes... first half of the ride was marred by drivetrain issues, water, salt and sand. stooped to pick up ray and visit a mechanic, 10 spot later, problems identified and smoothed out. I am a hack mechanic, and i don't have a stand in my basement, i can replace, i can adjust on the fly, i can call on the professionals. i'll be replacing some casings and cables soon enough.
oh the ride was long but not difficult, i mmm, like gears, they vex me sometimes. route: creek trail, to nokomis, back roads to HC and then to the river road, almost stopped by a ghost bike, back on to green way trail at the railway bridge, greenway to bryant to 36th and of course the kings highway(potholed) to harriet and back onto penn and home. long enough, not many stops. some employee at the midtown freewheel tried to sell me a lock, i bought a snickers.

weather: 40 F and sunny
roads: oatmeal slush on the back alleys, main roads/trails good

02 March 2009

end of an era...

and the beginning of a new team.

press release
bloodline/bloodclot bicycle racing for the unemployed announces an addition to the roster;

01 March 2009