asshat

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ass-hat

know your history

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


Berserkers (or Berserks) (Swedish: Bärsärk) were Norse warriors who wore coats of wolf or bear skin and who were commonly understood to have fought in an uncontrollable rage or trance of fury, hence the modern word berserk.

bonus poem, wilfred owen(18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918)

Mental Cases

Who are these? Why sit they here in twilight?
Wherefore rock they, purgatorial shadows,
Drooping tongues from jaws that slob their relish,
Baring teeth that leer like skulls' teeth wicked?
Stroke on stroke of pain,-but what slow panic,
Gouged these chasms round their fretted sockets?
Ever from their hair and through their hands' palms
Misery swelters. Surely we have perished
Sleeping, and walk hell; but who these hellish?

-These are men whose minds the Dead have ravished.
Memory fingers in their hair of murders,
Multitudinous murders they once witnessed.
Wading sloughs of flesh these helpless wander,
Treading blood from lungs that had loved laughter.
Always they must see these things and hear them,
Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles,
Carnage incomparable, and human squander
Rucked too thick for these men's extrication.

Therefore still their eyeballs shrink tormented
Back into their brains, because on their sense
Sunlight seems a blood-smear; night comes blood-black;
Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh.
-Thus their heads wear this hilarious, hideous,
Awful falseness of set-smiling corpses.
-Thus their hands are plucking at each other;
Picking at the rope-knouts of their scourging;
Snatching after us who smote them, brother,
Pawing us who dealt them war and madness.

fear not

late start 10 pm home by 11. road ride on the jamis, nothing interesting 'cept some paranoid schizo at the well on harriet.
[insert long boring story]
that's a day in the life, nice to see ya ma'm, carry on.

weather:63 and clear
time: time to wake up

sonnet #130, William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564 – died 23 April 1616)

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

Minnesota Statutes 2007 Chapter 169. Traffic Regulations

169.222 OPERATION OF BICYCLE.
subd. 6. Bicycle equipment. (a) No person shall operate a bicycle at nighttime unless the bicycle or its operator is equipped with a lamp which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front and with a red reflector of a type approved by the Department of Public Safety which is visible from all distances from 100 feet to 600 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful lower beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle.

......more drivel........

A bicycle may be equipped with a rear lamp that emits a red flashing signal.

anybody have a spare left crank arm

170 mm

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock;Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965)

S'io credesse che mia risposta fosse

A persona che mai tornasse al mondo,

Questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.

Ma percioche giammai di questo fondo

Non torno vivo alcun, s'i'odo il vero,

Senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

1Let us go then, you and I,

2When the evening is spread out against the sky

3Like a patient etherized upon a table;

4Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,

5The muttering retreats

6Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels

7And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:

8Streets that follow like a tedious argument

9Of insidious intent

10To lead you to an overwhelming question ...

11Oh, do not ask, "What is it?"

12Let us go and make our visit.

13In the room the women come and go

14Talking of Michelangelo.

15The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,

16The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,

17Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,

18Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,

19Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,

20Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,

21And seeing that it was a soft October night,

22Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

23And indeed there will be time

24For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,

25Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;

26There will be time, there will be time

27To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;

28There will be time to murder and create,

29And time for all the works and days of hands

30That lift and drop a question on your plate;

31Time for you and time for me,

32And time yet for a hundred indecisions,

33And for a hundred visions and revisions,

34Before the taking of a toast and tea.

35In the room the women come and go

36Talking of Michelangelo.

37And indeed there will be time

38To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?"

39Time to turn back and descend the stair,

40With a bald spot in the middle of my hair --

41(They will say: 'How his hair is growing thin!")

42My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,

43My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin --

44(They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!")

45Do I dare

46Disturb the universe?

47In a minute there is time

48For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

49For I have known them all already, known them all:

50Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,

51I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;

52I know the voices dying with a dying fall

53Beneath the music from a farther room.

54 So how should I presume?

55And I have known the eyes already, known them all--

56The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,

57And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,

58When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,

59Then how should I begin

60To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?

61 And how should I presume?

62And I have known the arms already, known them all--

63Arms that are braceleted and white and bare

64(But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!)

65Is it perfume from a dress

66That makes me so digress?

67Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.

68 And should I then presume?

69 And how should I begin?

70Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets

71And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes

72Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows? ...

73I should have been a pair of ragged claws

74Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.

* * * *

75And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!

76Smoothed by long fingers,

77Asleep ... tired ... or it malingers,

78Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.

79Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,

80Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?

81But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,

82Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter,

83I am no prophet -- and here's no great matter;

84I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,

85And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,

86And in short, I was afraid.

87And would it have been worth it, after all,

88After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,

89Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,

90Would it have been worth while,

91To have bitten off the matter with a smile,

92To have squeezed the universe into a ball

93To roll it towards some overwhelming question,

94To say: "I am Lazarus, come from the dead,

95Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all" --

96If one, settling a pillow by her head

97 Should say: "That is not what I meant at all;

98 That is not it, at all."

99And would it have been worth it, after all,

100Would it have been worth while,

101After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,

102After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor --

103And this, and so much more?--

104It is impossible to say just what I mean!

105But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:

106Would it have been worth while

107If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,

108And turning toward the window, should say:

109 "That is not it at all,

110 That is not what I meant, at all."

111No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;

112Am an attendant lord, one that will do

113To swell a progress, start a scene or two,

114Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,

115Deferential, glad to be of use,

116Politic, cautious, and meticulous;

117Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;

118At times, indeed, almost ridiculous--

119Almost, at times, the Fool.

120I grow old ... I grow old ...

121I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

122Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?

123I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.

124I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

125I do not think that they will sing to me.

126I have seen them riding seaward on the waves

127Combing the white hair of the waves blown back

128When the wind blows the water white and black.

129We have lingered in the chambers of the sea

130By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown

131Till human voices wake us, and we drown.

Notes

rebel yell

out a 9:30 back by 11. not much riding, 'cept on the pine. boyz night out, flask passed, kona ridin' and carried. phone call and they went north and i went south. sorry i missed the wrestling under the bridge at 2 am.

weather 45 degrees cool and clear
time: And indeed there will be time...

bike fit

http://tiemeyercycles.com/fit.html

3 measurements: leg, torso and arm
is that really enough?

i need to consider

• riding style, upright or tuck?, road or offroad?
• seatpost set-back/position
• footwear
• balaclava, yes or no
  

the silence is def...

two new authors on this blog. if you don't have time to post that's fine.

i don't really care, my goal: if love something set it free.
or maybe this is an experiment in socialism or maybe it's an elaborate set-up for the Halloween prank of the century

todays date

Othinn's Day, day 16 of Winter-Finding, in the year 1008 EVFS

What is EVFS? EFVS stands for "etter Vinlands fyrste sjå" which means "after the first sighting of Vinland",

http://www.northvegr.org/main.php

here also find the 30 virtues of the northern peoples
most noteworthy is this one;
19. Refraining from mockery is praiseworthy.

Guest poster, beeeeotches!!!!!!

Hey Hurl, look who got the keys to Bike Knob. By year's end we hope to have a daily readership of 10.

nightly business report

out at 9:30 back at 10:30. almost took out my eye on a low hanging branch, no marks. the thing i noticed was the smells of autumn and winter. mostly leaves, good dismounts, good run-ups. tomorrow night is later, we'll see who shows, gonna be warmer than this evening.

weather: 40, cold and clear, no moon
time:1 hr

more info filters in

bike snob mpls: moonshine cx race will not be promoted

moonshine cx race will not be promoted

save the date

tentative cyclocross race
sunday december 14 8 pm

update:10:06pm reykjavik time
the race has a name=> moonshine cyclocross

pot still

this is moonshine cross

fast and hard

that's how you do it when it's cold. left the house at 9:30 back in 10:22. cool enough, exhausted enough and raring to go, the last 15 minutes of the ride i was killing gorillas. grass, sand, dirt, leaves getting thicker and stairs to run. it was really dark without a moon to guide me.

weather: 32 degrees, clear, no wind
time : 52 minutes

put that countdown to use

rec'd my confirmation of registration for the ragnarok 105 today.

race promoters

i would like to be work in a field both thankless and hated, race promotion. i have sneaking suspicion that i could be good at it. i have no patience, i am prompt and and i do not tire easily. i don't want to make any money, but i would like to put in the sweat equity to register my team/club with USAC or maybe just MCF(would one get me the other?).

In december i would like to plan and execute a cyclocross race in richfield. i have some basic knowledge of UCI rules for cyclocross courses. i have planned banquets and written a few contracts. i'm going over my commitments and find the time lacking. how about running this thing bootleg; no permits, no liability, but a firm commitment to follow through.

this is nothing new i wrote about course design before.
http://bloodlinefour.blogspot.com/2008/09/cyclocross-course-design.html

maybe i try being a race promoter

after dissing the gorilla, i need to focus my energy. what about a cross race in december. i'm just swishing this one around in my mouth.

talking points

• significant date
• location
• sponsorship for prizes
• limit money handling and liability

support your local order of water Buffalo

http://crccoffeebar.blogspot.com/

support my local bike shop, like 4 blocks away

open season on the organizers of gorilla cross

true story;
dude, 22 yrs old,wakes up sees that it's snowing /windy/cold.
unhhn, time for another bong hit, no racing today

another dude, is 44 yrs old , shows up for a race despite weather....and there's no race....no race, who you gonna bitch at? nobody.

it's like breakfast at the triple rock in november, if the homos show it'll be festive, not that there's anything wrong with that

gonna be cold tomorrow. cold as the grave

nye ,ikke likke ------clot

slynge, Tommy-gun de alle vennene mine, men at ____clot,

iskabibble

Shibboleth (IPA: /ˈʃɪbəlɛθ/^[1] or IPA: /ˈʃɪbələθ/^[2]) is any practice which is indicative of one's social or regional origin. However it usually refers to language usage. More specifically, it is any word whose pronunciation identifies its speaker as being a member or not a member of a particular group.

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

weather oracle says

Some sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures are in store for Saturday afternoon...especially across western and southern Minnesota.
A strong cold front will move southeast across the region Saturday night. Northwest winds will increase into the 25 to 35 mph range late Saturday night and Sunday with gusts to 60 mph possible.

national weather service, mpls, MN

can't get the night off

fartlek = 'speed-play'(swed.)

out 9 back at 9:53. fast and dirty, left the driveway in a light rain that i thought would continue, but it didn't. intensity increased because i thought i would fighting the weather. it was fun and flawless, only stopped for water at the harriet spring.

i will be taking the next two nights off cause i'm working overnight friday and saturday. i won't make any promises for sunday until i see what i feel like in the a.m.

weather: 50 degrees cloudy and misty
time: 53 minutes

don't go if yr working

registration is open

http://ragnarok105.blogspot.com/

support your local bike shop

wrecking ball

letterman's story

Monday, October 06, 2008
Show #2995
used w/ out permission

Dad and son were going to sleep upstairs while mommy slept downstairs. And then Harry came up with the idea: "What can we do in the middle of the night to scare mommy?" Dave admits to not being a stranger to scaring mommy in the middle of the night.
Harry and Dave discuss their diabolical plan to scare mommy during dinner. Mommy had no idea that they were making such a plan since they discreetly spoke behind their napkins. And this is the idea the 5-year-old mind of Harry came up with: "We can scare her in the middle of the night by calling out, "Eat Poop!"
Though it sounds silly at first, Dave admits few things could scare you more in the middle of the night than someone shouting, "Eat poop!"

i saw this last night after my ride, my wife has no idea it's coming.

what shall we do to scare mommy?

i rode tonight 9:30 to 10:30. hooked up with a small group waiting for rain at the boom shelter. after a push up the hill i was off, once again no deer in the grove. fine ride, no suspicious activity. still no confirmation from _____clot on a 'gorilla cross' appearance, few drops of rain b4 i entered the door.

weather: 45 and cloudy, high humidity
time: enough

bit of weather, grand evening for a ride tho'

Weather Story
NWS Twin Cities, MN
wednesday october 22, 2008

Rain amounts could range from one-half to one inch by late evening across west central Minnesota and western portions of south central Minnesota. Snow may mix with the rain across far west central Minnesota late this afternoon and early this evening. The low will take its time moving through the area and continue to influence the weather into the weekend. However, dry periods are expected Thursday before rain chances return Thursday evening and continue through Friday.

british cyclocross

The Three Peaks race has grown in popularity over the last 10 years and organiser John Rawnsley admitted to the crowd at the presentation that he is finding it increasingly difficult to promote the race. He appealed for new blood to step forward and help him establish a race committee to promote next years event, it's a mammoth job but hopefully someone will step in to help keep this classic race on the calendar for many years to come.

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/cyx/EventReports2008/20080928_3_peaks.asp

will anyone step forward to promote, provide sponsorship this race?

practice is exercise

if i have to read one more blog post about 'cyclocross practice'...... i'm gonna.... i don't know what i'm gonna do, but won't be pretty. I ride, i do not practice. the whole notion is an anathema. i ride and i race.

i understand the idea and the value of preparation. i ride hills, i throw a few run-ups into my ride, i do intervals of intense exertion, i ride long slow distances, and i can even fartlek. but i will never practice or workout. i try to condition my body and enhance muscle memory so i can dismount and grab my bicycle without thinking before i act. technique is what i'm talking about.

one cannot race without preparing for it. better racers have more experience, and better trained athletes have better results. but practice is bad, running up the same hill ten times in the same session teaches you nothing. I ride approximately the same route/course for 45 minutes to an hour 5 nights a week. every ride is different, i gauge my fitness by the time it takes me to finish and how i felt doing it.

truth be told

i am not a multiple award winner, i have one medal from spring cyclocross in chicago(march 2000).
my main strength is longevity, few if any of my peers compete regularily. but then again i'm only coming out for a few selected cyclocross races this year.

• where do my strengths lie? hmmmm, that's a good one
  
• what is my mission? unknown.
• what is my strategy.... i not thinking about that now, the bacon is finished cooking, it's time to eat,

" kids, grab a biscuit..... i got some bacon fat for youse to sop up"

i like squirrel- w/ a little dijon

rain late

out at 9 back at 10 pm. hard ride is easy now. almost got t-boned by a suv on oliver, i didn't have the stop sign and she most likely didn't look for a bicycle. i'm liking the loop thru the grove next to rose garden, the run up to the hill is brutal after 200 yds of grass and trees. no deer tonight. a few raindrops, higher humidity

weather: 47 degrees and cloudy
time: 1hr

gorilla cross = texas funeral

that's all i can say, hope i get enough whiskey in me....texas whiskey

http://jonwayne.com/story.html

there's always ragnarok

Old Norse:

Fylliz fiǫrvi

feigra manna,

rýðr ragna siǫt

rauðom dreyra.

Svǫrt verða sólskin

of sumor eptir,

veðr ǫll válynd

Vitoð ér enn, eða hvat?^[8]

English:

It sates itself on the life-blood

of fated men,

paints red the powers' homes

with crimson gore.

Black become the sun's beams

in the summers that follow,

weathers all treacherous.

Do you still seek to know? And what?^[8]

prince valiant

commence sabre rattling

gorilla cross against the ----clot. soon enough the meister will taste blood.

His hands are clean who warns another. - Sögumál 5

to try ones steel against an opponent fairly is praiseworthy

work bike

[no picture please]

fixed gear for ease of maintenance or freewheel if i care to set that up. schwinn letour II frame, 56 cm, nice bars(there's a story here), centerpull front caliper. wheels are needed; 27" in the front, rear wheel is roached.

this bike is a progression from something i found on the street, i'm a scrapper. the fork was tweaked a little when i got it, replaced it in '95. i had it set-up as road bike for a while, rode it in one race. switched it over to a single speed in 2000.

the future: i would like to get a new rear wheel built for a 7 speed freewheel. give it back downtube shifters, 105 transmission. different bars too.

gorilla suit cross

nothing runs like a deer

out at 9 back at 10pm. crossed paths with 3 whitetail deer in the rose garden. just making my way through the fruit trees to the top of a hill when i saw something that looked too big to be a dog. at the top of the hill a saw them bounding across the road. good ride three dismounts, stairs, hill and hill. didn't notice ant real loss of fitness after 4 days off.

weather: 45 and clear
time 1 hr

jamis aurora

this one is technically my wife's bike. she 'let's' me; set it up, ride it and do all the maintenance, when she feels like riding though i have to return it to a commuter again. i put the rear rack on( w/ bags) re-mount her seat, and adjust to her specifications.

in the mean time i ride it on the road/paths and use it to drag the trailer with the children. last year i set it up for cyclocross and used it for a particularly hilly course. i like gears sometimes, i might use it for endurance events in the spring, wide tires, comfortable seat, lights and big toolkit, that's what i'll need for an unsupported 105 mile randonnee.

specs: stock gearing 3 up front, 8 in the rear, sora group, cantilever brakes, bell lap cx bars, 700x26 tires.

time off

took a few days off due to work, i really hit it hard for a week, i need to recover occasionally
days off: thursday-sunday, (friday and saturday i worked 9 pm to 6:30 am)

monday is a new day, i will ride in the evening

fox on the run

bicycle sport

i hate bike polo, bike derby is more fun.
i hate ultimate frisbee, frisbee golf..... i like like playing catch.

road bicycle racing has become an expensive bicycle show.
mountain bike racing is for overbuilt bicycles that weigh too much and fail too often.
triathlon is for aerobics instructors
track is alright
endurance racing and randonneuring are the ne plus ultra of bicycle sport

cyclocross is a 'man's sport'("Manly, yes, but I like it too", you remember the irish spring ads) combining the best of bmx, mtb and road cycling. the best cross bicycles can not be bought off a showroom floor. it takes skill, endurance and speed, strength doesn't hurt.

new rear wheel

here's the rim
http://www.bikepartsusa.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=01-124507&source=froogle
here's the hub
http://www.comcycle-usa.com/ProductInfo.aspx?id=3282134

where's the builder?

festivus preparation has begun

in true fashion we have begun with ' airing of the grievances'
in the last 48 hours i got into two fights that weren't really fights

1. the blog comment wars -part #365
2. the hurl is annoyed crionicles [since '93] - yes; crionicles like crionics, this ones been in cold storage for over 15 years

i'm working overnight(9 pm -6:30 am) tonight and tommorow night so we'll catch you on the rubber side.

i hate noisy bikes

i yell at bikers who have creaky cranks, annoying clicks, and the dreaded brake squeal. like a true ninja i try to operate in silence; my body makes enough noise, i don't want to hear nothing from the mechanical extension.

sometimes it's not the riders fault, but it's annoying none the less. i even get pissed off at the sound of knobby tires on pavement, if you ain't riding in the dirt..... but the most easily fixed sound is the squeal of chattering cantilever brakes that have not been toed-in. it's like a horn, announcing to the world that you are an idiot biker. the solution is simple, the effect is sublime. hell, if you won't do it yerself, i'll fix those brakes, i got a hammer right here in my bag.

don't even get me started on un-lubricated drivetrains. simple maintenance costs next to nothing, get it done or do it yourself or try to do it yourself and run off to a bike shop when you fubar the damn thing. talking to a bike mechanic is not nearly as embarrassing as listening to your bike make noise as you roll down the street.

'a thorn in my side since '93'

i just can't get it out of my head. 1993 was the year i may have bought my bridgstone MB-5 from the Alt.

that was what got the ball rolling in the mineapplepuss. i had been riding in these twin towns since '88, i moved to loring park from st.paul in '89 as i recall. i went back to college in '90. i raced in a biathalon in '90. i wore one of the last pairs of'' traditional' clipped pedals that i had bought from jay erickson for a song. i raced 6 mtb races in '93. i rode in the cyclocross championships in wirth park one of those years, and ghost rode the bridgestone after a dfl finish at basset. that is what i remember.

frost on the pumpkin

wednesday night ride

left at 9:50 arrived home at 11 pm. started out as usual, stopped by the well at harriet,filled two water bottles and headed up to the circle of death. it was there i heard the sound of familiar voices, numbering less than a dozen the crowd had gathered. hello's were exchanged, the meister was approved by the boys from the Alt, even after she dropped a chain . i left and headed up to the rose garden for a little grass and running. i hightailed it home alone, which is good.

weather: 45 degrees, clear
time: since '93

the meister

this is the meister, i bought the frame for 20 bucks. i like old frames for cyclocross and single speed conversions, the key is the semi-horizontal drop-outs in the rear. i have tried to track down the name/brand, the closest thing is a ski clothing manufacturer. i assume it was imported in the 70's/80's from japan or taiwan and labeled by the importer.

it has mafac 'racer' centerpull brakes, modolo levers, the bars are wrapped with bennetto 'cello' tape. the rear hub is a flip/flop fixed and freewheel compatible, the rear rim is a campagnolo mockva '80, it has ritchey cyclocross tires. the gearing is 38X16, the crank is 170 mm, i ride with standard pedals.

i'm taking it out for ride now.

samurai girl

One minute Heaven looks really happy being an ordinary girl. But then, when she comes up against Sato and his ninjas, she pulls out her sword and flashes this wicked smile. Looks like Samurai Girl is here to stay.

hard click in rear wheel or drivetrain

i'm thinking my freewheel is dying, maybe that or my chainlinks could be sticky i am running the chain pretty tight

splitting headache, right temple

dehydration or caffeine withdrawal ?

speed

out at 9:30 back at 10:15. sunday was distance, monday was strength, and tonight was speed training. mash them pedals, i was riding so hard in the first 15 that the soles of feet hurt. with the ss it's all about high rpm, 38x16 winds out pretty quick. it all means nothing though w/out an opponent, but i'm sure i'll find a target soon enough. nice to break a sweat at 50 degrees though.

weather: 50, hazy full moon
time: 45 minutes

this week's horoscope

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I usually don't have to tell
you Bulls how important it is to finish what you've
started. You are, after all, among the top three signs
of thezodiac when it comes to following through. But just
in case you've momentarily fallen under the sway of a
delusion that would encourage you to escape before the
resolution is fully in place, I'm here to
remind you: It's time to make the art of completion
your graceful obsession.

http://FreeWillAstrology.com

SPONSORSHIP REQUEST!

Bloodline Bicycle Racing seeks sponsorship

After careful consideration director sportif Andrew Rosenberg announced today that sponsorship opportunities are available for the cyclocross comeback of the season. ‘BBR will be present at one race this season; in the singlespeed division at state CX championships on November 15, 2008 at basset creek park in Crystal, Minnesota’, Rosenberg announced

Sponsorship entitles the individual or corporation to logo placement on any jersey, website or blog that is produced by BBR. Contractual terms will be negotiated at the signing of said contract. Currently BBR is seeking sponsors for equipment (manufacturers/retailers) and direct financial enhancement. Interested parties may reach the BBR team via email at amrosenberg@hotmail.com .

where is the ritual...

right here. back to ss cyclocross. felt good, nothing like the sound of leaves under your tires. off at 9 back by 10:15. nothing else to add, dismounts good, run-ups not long but tough enough. gonna need new brake pads before November.

weather: 50, clear, full moon
time: 1 hr and 10 minutes

flying dismounts

If you want to race fixed gear cross, make sure you are comfortable with all sorts of flying dismounts and lots of off camber skidding stuff. Prepare to be utterly uncompetitive, but a crowd favorite.

from tariq at http://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlecross.html

from bloodline, i'm prepared to be 'utterly uncompetitive', but i know that in my realm fixed gear is training not racing. i like fixed gear for winter riding and with a front brake it works downtown.
why would i want race conditions that feel like i'm getting kicked in the shins at every dismount?(imagine a 4yr old in combat boots)

fixed gear cyclocross (10 sec w/ bad sound)

ride to race

and not race at wirth park classix.
it was too damn hot, c'mon it 75 degree's now at 18:31. so time/distance was basically two 45 minute rides with a break for spectating and free beer.
route was as follows : penn to harriet to calhoun to dean pkway to greenway to cedar to wirth parkway and back. felt rugged mainly dehydration and numbness on lft hand. oh yeah, stretching/yoga could help that.

road ride

left at 9:30 back by 11:00, two lakes and a flat tire. that's it, nothing special, changed a tube under a street light on 54th. saw an an aluminum scrapper on a bike w/ a trailer, professional. i rode my bike cause i had to.

weather:60 degrees, clear no wind
time: 1 hr 15 minutes

one too many curbs...

out at 9:05 in at 10:33. lots of grass, 3 dismounts, enough hills and a flat tire. coming up oliver at 58th i thought i would bunny hop a curb instead of taking the triangle turn, and didn't unwieght the rear tire. fortunately i changed it and rode home. the best efforts were the grassy slopes around harriet, of course the one run-up to the shelter at beard's palisance and then the hill above the rose garden. no stopping to rest, kept running the whole distance. i'm stoked for cyclocross as the weather begins to turn.

weather: 54 , cloudy, light rain
time: 1hr and 15 minutes(in the saddle)

living the unreal life

personally i have no problem existing in the plane that directs i have great bikes/bike parts and no cash on hand for food or rent. the thing is that i left that path behind in '97 (or in 2003-cruel mistress), moved to a different city w/ a beautiful woman.

enter the now,........well, that beautiful woman and i have 2 children, a mortage and all the rest. i still wouldn't mind hanging w/ the fixxie hipsters and entering cyclocross races every weekend...but ain't going down like that no more. the simple life can only be lived in bubbles outside of time. what i'm saying is this....you can go back, ya just can't stay for long.

trash

don't pick it up....
left by 9 pm home at 10 pm. same course of course, dirt in the dark. couldn't raise the boyz after a lap around the derby bowl, got a second bottle of water and headed down the path. the primrose path, past the turtles and nymphs and on the grass up to cricket hill for the moonglow. rest of the ride was uneventful. feeling strong not stressed. brakes work fine could use and extra 'toe-in '.

weather: 60 degrees, clear and humid
time:45 minutes

proper maintenance

nothing broken yet, old parts can break more easily, and aesthetically i like new stuff on old bikes.

here's the list for the meister

1. brake pads, koolstop 'salmon'
2. bar tape 'natural' cork
3. freewheel, 16 teeth

just look....

Brakes for cyclocross
Edited by Dave Carr, Oct 1998
Updated Feb 2002
http://members.aol.com/napavelo/brakes.htm

The most popular brake for 'cross has traditionally been the old Mafac "Racer" brake which has been around for decades. It features brake arms that stick out almost horizontally from the brake boss. Designed at a time when there were no mountain bikes around, this brake works very well with road levers.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=395549

that's how i roll

out at 9:15 back for post debate at 10:20. new front brakes on the meister, newer tires (at 5 atm) and flawless performance. i tried to spin out in the mud but never lost traction, that tom ritchey knows tread. stairs, grass and all dismounts at a 'hit the ground running' pace, overshot a few marks. this is cyclocross weather and i'm loving it. i'll see if i can school the Wednesday night ride at the bomb shelter on harriet tomorrow.

weather: 50 degrees and moist, rain all day stopped at 6 pm, clear and foggy
time: 45 minutes

peak performance

haven't exactly given the notion 24 hrs. yet,....but i slept on it. i'm bailing on wirth park classix this weekend and concentrating on one race-the minnesota cyclocross championships on november 15th, 2008

should be a fab time and i don't have to worry about slowing the training regime to race this wknd. 2 issues; time and money, if i have the time, then i'll have the money for race fees and a growler after the race. instead i can concentrate on base miles and bicycle parts for the next couple of weeks.

what you say...

when your body tells you something, it's best to listen. out at 9:30 back at 10pm. road bike and short ride, that's what i said.

felt like i was tired and not recovered from the last 3 days of normal effort. they'll be days like this, and it's best to get through them and move on. couple of pointers for me; better diet and more sleep. the weekends leave me more tired than than the weekdays, too much to do and time enough to finish a few things with two parents at home. it'll be easier tomorrow and i might get a better work-out. i wish i was a recreational cyclist, every minute on the bike feels like work to me, cause it is work. I enjoy my work and next week i'll start at a new job.

weather: 55 degrees, a lttle wind and clouds
time: 30 minutes

i'm ready

too bad no-one is up late enough to care.
out at 9:30 back by 10:25, routine singlecross, found the path in the dark, ran a set of stairs. kicked as on the flats, dominated the cycle path. we'll see what i do when someone else picks the course.

weather:55 and clear, slight wind
time:55 minutes

could of used a balaclava....

but i didn't want to rush the season. one hour on the road bike, two lakes, no prisoners. nice night, no stopping, 'cept for the well at harriet. could stopped at maude for a beer, but i didn't.

weather: 49 degrees, clear and cool
time: one hour

bike fight

pursuit

left at 9:30 home at 10:25, repetition of earlier route mostly, added a stroll thru kenny park. not as riotously amusing as thought, but then it never is. i'll scout the route and find a more difficult line this weekend. i'm leaving more on the course than i was earlier in the season. progression; the first 20 minutes suck, the last 15 minutes i'm exhausted, that leaves 10-15 minutes of good, hard riding, what more could i ask for. how about 45 minutes of peak performance?

weather: 60 degrees, cloudy, no wind or rain
time: 45 minutes

press release

Ghost Bike Memorial Ride to Honor Fallen Bicyclists

Minneapolis / St.Paul-October 2008 - This Saturday, the bicycle community will come together to honor the memory of cyclists who have been killed in recent accidents on Twin Cities streets. A memorial ride will visit the sites of three of the most recent crashes, where “Ghost Bikes” have been placed as a memorial to the victims. For more info on Ghost Bikes please visit http://www.ghostbikempls.org .

Family, friends and cyclists are invited to participate in this group ride. Organizers are asking that participating cyclists please wear a black shirt with orange ribbon around their arm or handlebars. Ribbon will be provided for those who need it.

What: Memorial Ride to Honor Fallen Bicyclists

13.6 miles for Twin Cities route (http://www.bikemap.net/route/89109)
14.3 miles extra for Blaine route (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2304032)
Where: Meet on the traffic island at Summit and Snelling Avenues in St.Paul

When: This Saturday, October 4th, 2008. The ride will meet at 10:30 am; depart 11:00 am

Contact: ghostbikempls@gmail.com or 612-276-1008

The ride will begin at Summit and Snelling Avenues near the ghost bike memorial for Virginia Heuer Bower. It will then head west down Lake Street to Excelsior and West 32nd Street, the ghost bike memorial for Jimmy Nisser. The ride will then head back up Excelsior/Lake, then northeast on Hennepin to the ghost bike memorial for Nik Morton.

There is an unrelated “group photo” event at 3pm at Gold Medal Park (the red square on the bikemap) and participants are welcome to continue on to be part of the “Unite Bike” group photograph: http://www.unitebike.com/

In the afternoon, another ride will head to Blaine in order to place a Ghost Bike at Central and Cloverleaf, where cyclist Dale Aanenson was killed.

Riders are expected to be orderly and respectful of traffic. If you are riding recklessly, you will be asked to leave.

More discussion on the memorial ride can be found on the community message board Minneapolis Bike Love: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=9557&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Information about the victims of these tragedies can be found here:

Dale Phillip Aanenson - http://www.legacy.com/StarTribune/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=117902776

Virginia M. Heuer - http://www.legacy.com/StarTribune/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=118137017

Nik Morton - http://www.legacy.com/startribune/obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=118097033

Jimmy Nisser - http://www.legacy.com/StarTribune/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=117453438

the power to recover...

last couple of days i've been feeling obligated to ride not really invigorated until i'm in the saddle. last night i didn't, today i slept in till 5:30 am, son in bed at 4:15 pm slept until 4:30 am. wife up w/ kids since she was in bed at 8:30 not 11:30.

either way i feel better than i have in some days, took a shower too. i might have recovered from yesterdays long ass day

happy gefilte fisk

my astrology fortune cookie

Be a fighting rooster with the heart of an artist.

freewillastrology.com

ghetto twitter

1. 1:46 am local time : baby wakes w/ night terror
2. 1:48 am: # 1 son also awake
3. 2:00 am ; nobodies sleeping
4. 2:30 am baby back to sleep
5. 9:53 am(2:53 pm gmt) no back to sleep yet for #1 son( except 7 pm to 1:48 am)

tuesday night under the lights

out early 9:20 in by 10:06, same route, i actually believe that taking the course nightly has allowed me to gauge my fitness progression quite nicely. i don't take any breaks like i did 3 weeks ago, the moves in the grass are flawless even in the dark and i'm going faster over the terrain. we'll see what it's like with some real competition one of these days. and one of these nights i'm going to hit the rollers in kenny park, it would start at the top of the hill by anthony school, down to the parking lot up again and down into the soccer field try a little off camber there and run thru the sand pit at the playground. maybe next weekend in the light of day or maybe if the keep the lights on at the soccer field.

weather:51 and partly cloudy, no wind
time; 45 minutes