If riding the fixi lately has taught me anything it’s that I need to do some serious work on my high cadence spin and that working out my lower back at the dreaded meat market (gym) 2 winters ago really helped out. How do I know that for sure? Because I didn’t work my lower back or go to the gym this past winter and I can tell a huge difference (in the negative) in several areas. Oh well there is always next winter.
So onto the high cadence stuff. I managed to sweet talk a fellow co worker into switching days with me so that I would have a Friday off work even though it meant working all holiday weekend. It just so happens that Monkey (who is still balls deep *or the female equivalent of balls deep!* in her Ironman training) had plans for a solid ride on the pavement of the Blue Ridge Park on Friday so I was able to tag along. We had a nice little route of 102 miles planned out and the weather was looking great. The only hiccup that we encountered was that she had over trained during the week and was having some knee pain and over exhaustion issues still despite the fact, she wanted to press on and we did…very slowly. See I’m used to never having to leave my big ring on the road bike. Monkey on the other hand was riding very conservatively due to her knee pain. By conservatively I mean she was in the little ring and low end. That’s cool. It would make for an ultra long and slow day BUT it would allow me a chance to practice some high cadence work. So I made a rule that I couldn’t leave the little ring easiest gear combo for the entire length of the ride. 9 hours later I still hadn’t shifted out of the pansy gear. Even so I did manage to hit 42 MPH on a downhill. I’m pretty sure that hitting 42 MPH in the 36x23 gear must be a world record. All of that wild spinning seemed to pay off on Saturday.
Bright and way to freaking early Saturday morning I had the chance to introduce a fellow co-worker to mountain biking. Said co-worker is the proud owner of a new 29er SS fully rigid MTB and was completely geeked to be trying out mountain biking. He does have a background in road/track riding so he wasn’t a complete beginner. At his request I mounted up the fixi and met him at what I’m pretty sure was the crack of dawn. After a quick 5 minute warm up so that he could get a crash course in to clipping in and out on a MTB we hit the trails. An hour later he was doing way better than I had expected and was still smiling and ready for more. He had a few wrecks and walked a few sections but was learning the ropes much quicker than I had anticipated.
Speaking of wrecks I narrowly avoided a spectacular one. I neglected my attention span of the trail and mis-timed a wheelie drop off of a rock on a fast steep down hill section that has a high penalty for failure and wound up riding a nose wheelie for about 40’ before bouncing the handle bar off of a friendly trailside tree and finally getting the rear end down on the ground just in time to clean the stream crossing. Now lets be honest we’ve all had those occasional accidental down hill nose wheelies when we have too much weight forward. There is a pretty typical protocol that serves to remedy that bad situation. That protocol is COMPLETELY different on a fixed gear! Having your back tire spinning along with your pedals and legs while ¾ of your bike is airborne really throws off your balance unless you are used to situations like this. Knowing that the soil is very loose and that 80% of your weight is on or over the front wheel and headed down hill means that even a slight tap of the front brake (the only brake that you have on a fixi) will result in an endo and your ugly mug will be skidding along the trail. Your ONLY choice to possibly avoid a terrible wreck is to lean back & ride it out. And when it actually works it’s a beautiful thing & mandatory that you stop at the bottom and high five your terrified looking co-worker while screaming “Fuck yeah that was awesome!”
The only thing better than said co-workers look of “you just cheated death and laughed about it” was the “helpful” comments of a few passing cyclist who saw the entire thing, thought they were talking to 2 inexperienced cyclist and offered some great advice like “You shouldn’t tense up on a downhill, a wreck will really hurt” and my favorite “If you can afford it, save up some money and buy a suspension fork. It will really smooth out the trail.”
“Thanks fellas” we replied then we were off. Just as I was expecting my riding buddy to fizzle out he exclaimed the he could go for a bit more. So we rode over to Powhite for a few laps me knowing that the half pipe run section would surely put a big smile on his face. He also took the liberty of nick naming a few objects like the log drop aka the ball buster and the bridged log pile aka the “huge fuggin no way in hell log pile.” On the way back to the cars we took a minute to stop at a gas station for some “wayback” and some munchies.
Yes I did have a superb ride on the fixi and my pedal stroke timing is getting better as well as the high cadence spinning but the best part of the ride happened as we were sitting on the curb outside the gas station with only about 3 miles to go before the end of the ride. I was drinking that green double deuce German stuff and listening to my man who was excitedly reliving the days events with a huge smile and various hand gestures and noises when it hit me.
He’s hooked.
I can’t wait for him to ask me to go out again. Another 20 mile MTB fun ride? I’m ready dude.
Peace,
Metro
Monday, July 6, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Takin it back
Sitting on the porch drinking some recession beer (Sam Adams) playing a tune and thinking about a sweet ride on the sheeety bike this morning with a newbie that went very well.
What ever you are into today:
Happy Quattro de July
Happy start of the Tour
And good luck to you Breck Epic folks.
Viva le life
Peace,
Metro
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Get-cha pull
I was in need of a spoon full of dirt love so I decided to blow some things off to make a few hours for myself.
It started with the 18.4 mile commute to work.
A full day of work later I found myself running a few errands (thank god for quick releases & taking your front wheel inside stores w/you to help prevent bike theft) then hitting some mediocre single track before winding my way back home.
There was supposedly some guerilla work done to a certain trail system in Yuppieville that added some “cool new stuff” like “Sick jumps,” “sketchy down hills,” “huge steep climbs,” and a few places to “G-out.” There has been quite the buzz among certain circles so even though I knew better I figured I would drop in and check it out.
Well as to be expected. The Yuppieville trails are still the same. No one built a mountain there, so there wasn’t any real new climbs or descents and those sick jumps? 5” kickers at best! If you G-out in the gully you need to stiffen up your shocks because you are just riding low in that 6” of travel. I did see several new log piles, but for the record and pay attention here guerilla trail gnomes; there is no need to pyramid a 4” tree branch that has fallen across the trail with thumb sized branches. If you can’t get a 6”+ travel full suspension bike with 12”-14” of Bottom Bracket clearance over a 4” limb laying flat on the ground then you need to give up mountain biking and just buy a real motorcycle. Sorry but the truth stings a little huh?
Those trails are great for beginners and I guess that’s why a local group does a superb job of teaching mountain bikers beginner skills on said trails. Oh well I guess I will keep an eye out for those “sick jumps” elsewhere.
Still it was nice to see some dirt & find a nice little spot to clear my mind.
After riding 13 miles of circles & and smiling at soccer moms in Yuppieville I rolled the pavement closer to home to hit another beginners gem trail system called Pony Pasture. Again nothing fancy here and just like the Yuppieville trails this is better off left to the hikers, dog walkers and soccer mom joggers but still it is a trail system that I don’t regularly ride so as easy and mind numbing as it is it was a nice change as well. After 2 laps riding the Pony I had gotten a thirst for real trail so I pedaled off to do the normal Powhite/JRPS loop.
Just in case you didn’t know, riding trails that you know takes on a whole new spin when you are carrying a weeks worth of groceries on your back and your bike. While I was smart enough not to buy eggs and ride mountain bike trails I was not smart enough to bring along a cooler for the milk, meat & cheese.
I rolled in the driveway with 78.3 miles under my tires including the commute to and from work and some very warm milk, cheese and turkey. BUT there was a nice smile on my face from hitting the trails while getting errands ran.
Maybe we can all get along?
PS. The good word is in!
Boot to the Kool! Getcha Pull...
Peace,
Metro
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A quickie in the dirt.
What a great day for sneaking in a ride. I managed to hit the trails around 6pm with the Sheeety bike (Version 5.who the hell knows) and make a few loops running into some folks that I was very glad to see out on the trails before making a detour to Powhite via Riverside for a few quick laps before a sprint back home saw me beating the rain. I even had a “run in” with Cheney Jr. Good to see you out there bro.
Bikers & trail runners were on the trails sweating to the beat of their shoe soles and fat tires on the hard pack while the dogs of hikers happily panted and tagged along with their masters. Boaters (kayakers) were out shooting what’s left of the rapids on the river underneath a nice cloudy sky and a great city skyline. There was also no shortage of scenery (thank you college girls) and scenes (thank you arrogant college jocks) out on the rocks. I even managed (with a little help) to spot a stray pair of thongs on the trail side. It’s good to see the park being used by EVERYONE.
Now I find myself sitting around on the porch drinking my last “Ten Fidy” watching the light show in the sky & listening to the pouring rain and a DBT song comes to mind as I’m recounting the evenings 37 miles and trying hard not to think about the alarm that will go off at 6am.
Sheeety bike it’s been way to long since we tangoed.
I tried to dance upon your pedals but I know I was a virgin on prom night; Sweaty palms, labored breathing, picking all the wrong cheesy lines, fumbling around with my two left feet, moving in for the kill at the most awkward of moments. Don’t worry baby with a little bit of practice I will get better.
Peace,
Metro
Bikers & trail runners were on the trails sweating to the beat of their shoe soles and fat tires on the hard pack while the dogs of hikers happily panted and tagged along with their masters. Boaters (kayakers) were out shooting what’s left of the rapids on the river underneath a nice cloudy sky and a great city skyline. There was also no shortage of scenery (thank you college girls) and scenes (thank you arrogant college jocks) out on the rocks. I even managed (with a little help) to spot a stray pair of thongs on the trail side. It’s good to see the park being used by EVERYONE.
Now I find myself sitting around on the porch drinking my last “Ten Fidy” watching the light show in the sky & listening to the pouring rain and a DBT song comes to mind as I’m recounting the evenings 37 miles and trying hard not to think about the alarm that will go off at 6am.
Sheeety bike it’s been way to long since we tangoed.
I tried to dance upon your pedals but I know I was a virgin on prom night; Sweaty palms, labored breathing, picking all the wrong cheesy lines, fumbling around with my two left feet, moving in for the kill at the most awkward of moments. Don’t worry baby with a little bit of practice I will get better.
Peace,
Metro
Hump day doggie style (;-0)
“Ain't seen a night, things work out right, go by. Things on my mind, and I just don't have the time, and it don't seem right. Ain't seen a day, that I don't hear people say, they know they're gonna' die. This may seem a little bit crazy, but I don't think we should be so lazy. If you think you've heard this before, well, stick around I'm gonna' tell you more.”
I’ve got some places that I would like to be, like slumming for DFL at the Grand Tour but it looks like the Mac attack is in full force.
I’ve also been spending my dial up internet time living vicariously through Justin’s GDR experience and keeping an eye on those fortunate guys who are racing the Breck Epic. I’m psyched for Tomi and really looking forward to his thoughts on the experience and I can’t lie Rich always amuses us with his trash talkin’ jive. Good luck out there fellas.
Why I logged in to post this up was… well hell I forgot.
Oh yeah I wanted to talk about the draft.
I decided that since I’m currently working at a bike shop it would be smart to reduce my dependency on Petrol and save some cash by riding my bike to work as much as humanly possible. It seemed like a great idea but honestly it made me die a little inside. While it gives me the opportunity to ride my bike in a busy life that now days I wouldn’t otherwise have time to do it makes me view the bicycle as a necessary tool of my day rather than a fun hobby. Does that make sense? Take for example that 10 year old performance car you own. 10 years ago when you rolled it off the lot it was your baby and you barked the tires all over town to show it’s power off. Then slowly it became a part of your daily life and the relationship slowly grew stale. Now you pack your kids and groceries in the back seat and never take the time to think about how fast it can still do 0-60 or how it feels to drift it around sketchy 2 lane mountain switchbacks while heading back home from a skiing trip.
I used to straddle my fine 2 wheeled steed and anticipate throwing it into a tight corner or think about what line I may try next through the sketchy rock garden. If I heard a noise that didn’t sound normal I would go home and have it diagnosed within 24 hours. As of lately when I straddle the bike my mind drifts off into “Shit I’m late, now I have to sprint all those traffic lights. So much for a leisurely spin.” I’ve left the single track for Richmond’s pot hole ridden and terrible driver infested highways that lead out west to Yuppieville USA aka the southern most tip of Northern VA. Those trailside compliments that used to come from fellow cyclist admiring a riding style or in most cases a spectacular wreck that I just preformed have now changed to daily insults and threats from irritated drivers who just like me are late for work.
Oh well. Apparently that is the life of a bike commuter and it has given me a whole new level of respect for folks who bike commute daily and have done so for years and years.
It sucks that the thing that used to free the mind now helps cluster fuck it. Thankfully I’ve re-discovered an old friend and we’ve been getting along quite well. I’ve got knobby enema on tap for tomorrow but for now I’ve got a date with Jimi, Janis, The Lizzard King, Bootsy, George Dukey, Maceo Parker, Paul Rodgers, Paul Kossoff, Mark Farner, David Gilmour, Allan Woody, Warren Haynes, Les & Flea, Jimmy, John, Robert & Jon, LSD era Clapton, Jack & Ginger and a host of others.
“You say we need a revolution? It seems to be the only solution”
Peace,
Metro
I’ve got some places that I would like to be, like slumming for DFL at the Grand Tour but it looks like the Mac attack is in full force.
I’ve also been spending my dial up internet time living vicariously through Justin’s GDR experience and keeping an eye on those fortunate guys who are racing the Breck Epic. I’m psyched for Tomi and really looking forward to his thoughts on the experience and I can’t lie Rich always amuses us with his trash talkin’ jive. Good luck out there fellas.
Why I logged in to post this up was… well hell I forgot.
Oh yeah I wanted to talk about the draft.
I decided that since I’m currently working at a bike shop it would be smart to reduce my dependency on Petrol and save some cash by riding my bike to work as much as humanly possible. It seemed like a great idea but honestly it made me die a little inside. While it gives me the opportunity to ride my bike in a busy life that now days I wouldn’t otherwise have time to do it makes me view the bicycle as a necessary tool of my day rather than a fun hobby. Does that make sense? Take for example that 10 year old performance car you own. 10 years ago when you rolled it off the lot it was your baby and you barked the tires all over town to show it’s power off. Then slowly it became a part of your daily life and the relationship slowly grew stale. Now you pack your kids and groceries in the back seat and never take the time to think about how fast it can still do 0-60 or how it feels to drift it around sketchy 2 lane mountain switchbacks while heading back home from a skiing trip.
I used to straddle my fine 2 wheeled steed and anticipate throwing it into a tight corner or think about what line I may try next through the sketchy rock garden. If I heard a noise that didn’t sound normal I would go home and have it diagnosed within 24 hours. As of lately when I straddle the bike my mind drifts off into “Shit I’m late, now I have to sprint all those traffic lights. So much for a leisurely spin.” I’ve left the single track for Richmond’s pot hole ridden and terrible driver infested highways that lead out west to Yuppieville USA aka the southern most tip of Northern VA. Those trailside compliments that used to come from fellow cyclist admiring a riding style or in most cases a spectacular wreck that I just preformed have now changed to daily insults and threats from irritated drivers who just like me are late for work.
Oh well. Apparently that is the life of a bike commuter and it has given me a whole new level of respect for folks who bike commute daily and have done so for years and years.
It sucks that the thing that used to free the mind now helps cluster fuck it. Thankfully I’ve re-discovered an old friend and we’ve been getting along quite well. I’ve got knobby enema on tap for tomorrow but for now I’ve got a date with Jimi, Janis, The Lizzard King, Bootsy, George Dukey, Maceo Parker, Paul Rodgers, Paul Kossoff, Mark Farner, David Gilmour, Allan Woody, Warren Haynes, Les & Flea, Jimmy, John, Robert & Jon, LSD era Clapton, Jack & Ginger and a host of others.
“You say we need a revolution? It seems to be the only solution”
Peace,
Metro
Sunday, June 28, 2009
3rd Quarter Christmas with Infinit Nutrition
That’s kind of what it felt like when I got home to find yet another bag of schwag from the great folks at Infinit Nutrition. What have we here this time?
Oh hell yeah, the new team jerseys are in. Sweet! Hmm a yellow jersey just in time for the start of the tour huh? I may have to wear it on the commute to work several days next week and proclaim the prestigious title of tour leader of the tour de paycheck. That sounds about right huh?
While I’m thinking about it, I have to ask you; why aren’t you racing & training with the winners choice?
Did I forget to post up a handy dandy link for you?
Did I not explain how it all works?
Does the podium just not appeal to you? Well I guess I can respect that but for the rest of you go check out the great custom made for you products that Infinit Nutrition produces. I’ve been using I.N. products religiously now because it’s simple, easy and most of all it works great. After having met the company owner and some of it’s great employees and seeing how passionate they are about their product and the many sports & athletes that use their products I’m very stoked to be racing for them this season. I have a very short, short list of companies who’s products kick ass, who’s owners, management and employees not only believe in the product but are out on the front lines testing it out and using it to continuously refine the product to be better.
It’s simple leave that medieval tool at home and fuel your body with the best.
Peace,
Metro
Oh hell yeah, the new team jerseys are in. Sweet! Hmm a yellow jersey just in time for the start of the tour huh? I may have to wear it on the commute to work several days next week and proclaim the prestigious title of tour leader of the tour de paycheck. That sounds about right huh?
While I’m thinking about it, I have to ask you; why aren’t you racing & training with the winners choice?
Did I forget to post up a handy dandy link for you?
Did I not explain how it all works?
Does the podium just not appeal to you? Well I guess I can respect that but for the rest of you go check out the great custom made for you products that Infinit Nutrition produces. I’ve been using I.N. products religiously now because it’s simple, easy and most of all it works great. After having met the company owner and some of it’s great employees and seeing how passionate they are about their product and the many sports & athletes that use their products I’m very stoked to be racing for them this season. I have a very short, short list of companies who’s products kick ass, who’s owners, management and employees not only believe in the product but are out on the front lines testing it out and using it to continuously refine the product to be better.
It’s simple leave that medieval tool at home and fuel your body with the best.
Peace,
Metro
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Famous?
Bleed Black Label
SDMF
While it seems like now days being famous will soon mean death on more than one level I’m proud to say that Monkey is getting her 15 min of fame as one of the swimmers for the ITU competition coverage from last weekend’s race.
Sweet that means that for what it’s worth I’m banging a celebrity! {Love you too baby ;)}
Did you see her? It’s kind of like the magic eye book put your nose on the screen then slowly back away until you see her.
Wait right there, can you see?
I’m not sure what question was asked but they all had their hands raised like they all knew the answer. Maybe the question was “Who wants to be the swim model for this year’s coverage campaign?” Regardless in case you couldn’t tell I’m very proud of her. Now if I could just get her a Bikeman.com wetsuit that would be on point.
Speaking of Bikeman.com if you haven’t been by the site in a few weeks you probably don’t know about this kick ass little thing. Carver Ti Rotors! How sick is that? Maybe If we all band together and ask very politely we can get those as a mandatory team issued item for next season. Who’s with me? While you are there check out the Dirty 30 as there are some sweet deals on there.
And speaking of great deals I’ve got to sell the Second Hand Snatch to score some entry fee money so shoot me a comment with your contact info if you are interested in a kick ass 16” frame 1x9 drive train complete 29er. I will drop all of the details in an email. I should note that the 16” frame fits most anyone from around 5’4” to 5’11”. So unless you are built like a leprechaun or a bridge troll you will most likely fit it.
Peace,
Metro
SDMF
While it seems like now days being famous will soon mean death on more than one level I’m proud to say that Monkey is getting her 15 min of fame as one of the swimmers for the ITU competition coverage from last weekend’s race.
Sweet that means that for what it’s worth I’m banging a celebrity! {Love you too baby ;)}
Did you see her? It’s kind of like the magic eye book put your nose on the screen then slowly back away until you see her.
Wait right there, can you see?
I’m not sure what question was asked but they all had their hands raised like they all knew the answer. Maybe the question was “Who wants to be the swim model for this year’s coverage campaign?” Regardless in case you couldn’t tell I’m very proud of her. Now if I could just get her a Bikeman.com wetsuit that would be on point.
Speaking of Bikeman.com if you haven’t been by the site in a few weeks you probably don’t know about this kick ass little thing. Carver Ti Rotors! How sick is that? Maybe If we all band together and ask very politely we can get those as a mandatory team issued item for next season. Who’s with me? While you are there check out the Dirty 30 as there are some sweet deals on there.
And speaking of great deals I’ve got to sell the Second Hand Snatch to score some entry fee money so shoot me a comment with your contact info if you are interested in a kick ass 16” frame 1x9 drive train complete 29er. I will drop all of the details in an email. I should note that the 16” frame fits most anyone from around 5’4” to 5’11”. So unless you are built like a leprechaun or a bridge troll you will most likely fit it.
Peace,
Metro
Monday, June 22, 2009
Hot time summer with the Sheeety.
Another weekend of racing has passed me by but this time it wasn’t me wearing the number plate.
I found myself in the “athlete management position” (that means my girlfriend had a race and I took care of everything but the actual racing part) this weekend supporting Monkey while she participated in another Olympic Tri. This time we found ourselves shacked up with the Sheeety bike in tow in DC.
Worse off I found myself waking up at 4am to get down to the 6am start of the race in time. 4am! Fuck! Even 5-Bucks coffee isn’t open at 4am. What kind of people do 3 separate activities and finish them all before everyone else wakes up? The Army boot camp crews or the Navy Seals maybe? Ok enough of that. Picking on Tri athletes is like shooting fish in a barrel. I mean in what other sport do guys proudly walk around in moisture wicking tank top belly shirts and Uber short shorts sporting fore arm and calf warmers with their 80’s neon color running shoes? Most of the “athletes” there were riding ultra high end full carbon fiber TT aero frames with full Dura Ace kits and full on Zipp (or similar) Carbon aero wheels yet they couldn’t tell you the first ting about their bike except “well it cost me almost 1/3 of my tri-annual bonus check and it’s all top of the line and super fast!” But they could tell you all the major selling points listed on the outside of the box on their super light IPOD compatible sweat shop made running shoes.
Oh wait I said that I wouldn’t shoot the fish didn’t I? Sorry guys and gals I will let you get back to squeezing into those wetsuits!
So while Monkey was out on the course
I was riding the Sheeety bike around town cheering her on at several points along the course which just so happen to pass by most of the national monuments. So I wound up getting a nice tour of DC via bike in the mix.
Somewhere along the tour as I watched the President’s private helicopter land at the Whitehouse then take off again then turned to my right to watch street vendors selling people crappy sweat shop made “I heart Washington DC” t-shirts 3 for $20 and $12 disposable cameras then turning to my left just as a tour trolley passed by and 2 little kids threw their snow cones on the lawn of the Jefferson memorial it hit me. Isn’t the USA great. I mean where else in the world can you find the country’s leader doing his thing in the middle of a national park that is pretty much like a fucking 6 flags theme park minus the roller coaster rides (unless you count the DC cab rides.) I wonder how big of a place DC would be without all of the tourism?
Anyhow back to the story at hand. I’m very proud of Monkey for finishing yet another Olympic Tri. It’s just another notch in her belt towards her goal of a ½ Iron Man in August but it’s still 100% more than I personally would do before 9am on a lazy Sunday. Shit we met my brother for lunch in NOVA, got stuck in the hellish NOVA traffic and still got home early enough for me to give the jungle that I call a yard a pedicure before the land lord came over.
In other bike news let’s talk Salsa. I’ve been rocking an Ardent 2.25” tire in the rear of the El Mariachi lately and while I can definitely feel an increase in the rolling resistance I can also feel the extra cush that it provides in the rough stuff and so far the extra weight is well worth it. On the negative side it was recently pointed out to me that my (and others) rear most water bottles have been rubbing the pain off the frame just below the front water bottle. I wonder; have any other El Mariachi owners had this same problem? If so what did you do to remedy it? I’m thinking a patch of clear tape is cheap and fast. Also as much as I loved the EBB being in the 6-o’ clock position on all of our local trails I will admit that while riding the rocky ridgeline at Massanutten I felt like the EBB was too low. So I decided to put it at the 11-o’ clock position and give it a spin. I now have to readjust the seat quite a bit to accommodate the new EBB position. Oh well. I put some road miles on it today and still have some tweaking to do but I hope to get some more trail time in on it before the weekend.
Umm that’s all I’ve got for now Captain Stabbin.
<>End transmission
Peace,
Metro
I found myself in the “athlete management position” (that means my girlfriend had a race and I took care of everything but the actual racing part) this weekend supporting Monkey while she participated in another Olympic Tri. This time we found ourselves shacked up with the Sheeety bike in tow in DC.
Worse off I found myself waking up at 4am to get down to the 6am start of the race in time. 4am! Fuck! Even 5-Bucks coffee isn’t open at 4am. What kind of people do 3 separate activities and finish them all before everyone else wakes up? The Army boot camp crews or the Navy Seals maybe? Ok enough of that. Picking on Tri athletes is like shooting fish in a barrel. I mean in what other sport do guys proudly walk around in moisture wicking tank top belly shirts and Uber short shorts sporting fore arm and calf warmers with their 80’s neon color running shoes? Most of the “athletes” there were riding ultra high end full carbon fiber TT aero frames with full Dura Ace kits and full on Zipp (or similar) Carbon aero wheels yet they couldn’t tell you the first ting about their bike except “well it cost me almost 1/3 of my tri-annual bonus check and it’s all top of the line and super fast!” But they could tell you all the major selling points listed on the outside of the box on their super light IPOD compatible sweat shop made running shoes.
Oh wait I said that I wouldn’t shoot the fish didn’t I? Sorry guys and gals I will let you get back to squeezing into those wetsuits!
So while Monkey was out on the course
I was riding the Sheeety bike around town cheering her on at several points along the course which just so happen to pass by most of the national monuments. So I wound up getting a nice tour of DC via bike in the mix.
Somewhere along the tour as I watched the President’s private helicopter land at the Whitehouse then take off again then turned to my right to watch street vendors selling people crappy sweat shop made “I heart Washington DC” t-shirts 3 for $20 and $12 disposable cameras then turning to my left just as a tour trolley passed by and 2 little kids threw their snow cones on the lawn of the Jefferson memorial it hit me. Isn’t the USA great. I mean where else in the world can you find the country’s leader doing his thing in the middle of a national park that is pretty much like a fucking 6 flags theme park minus the roller coaster rides (unless you count the DC cab rides.) I wonder how big of a place DC would be without all of the tourism?
Anyhow back to the story at hand. I’m very proud of Monkey for finishing yet another Olympic Tri. It’s just another notch in her belt towards her goal of a ½ Iron Man in August but it’s still 100% more than I personally would do before 9am on a lazy Sunday. Shit we met my brother for lunch in NOVA, got stuck in the hellish NOVA traffic and still got home early enough for me to give the jungle that I call a yard a pedicure before the land lord came over.
In other bike news let’s talk Salsa. I’ve been rocking an Ardent 2.25” tire in the rear of the El Mariachi lately and while I can definitely feel an increase in the rolling resistance I can also feel the extra cush that it provides in the rough stuff and so far the extra weight is well worth it. On the negative side it was recently pointed out to me that my (and others) rear most water bottles have been rubbing the pain off the frame just below the front water bottle. I wonder; have any other El Mariachi owners had this same problem? If so what did you do to remedy it? I’m thinking a patch of clear tape is cheap and fast. Also as much as I loved the EBB being in the 6-o’ clock position on all of our local trails I will admit that while riding the rocky ridgeline at Massanutten I felt like the EBB was too low. So I decided to put it at the 11-o’ clock position and give it a spin. I now have to readjust the seat quite a bit to accommodate the new EBB position. Oh well. I put some road miles on it today and still have some tweaking to do but I hope to get some more trail time in on it before the weekend.
Umm that’s all I’ve got for now Captain Stabbin.
<>End transmission
Peace,
Metro
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Goes down smooth
So today I found myself actually off work at 5pm with a short list of responsible things to do before bed it dawned on me that I actually had time to squeeze in a quick mountain bike ride. A few calls were put out and an hour passed before I actually found myself on a mountain bike headed out for a “just for fun” ride on a weekday. If that doesn’t sound like a big thing to you please keep in mind that for the past month or two the only time I’ve been riding the MTB or even any bike has been at races on the weekends. I have not had a single “bike practice” (to borrow a term from the Soiled Chamois library) before a race in the past several races and the results speak for themselves. Yet there I sat atop a comfy saddle happily dodging traffic on my way to the trails.
I did have a quick mission in mind to take care of before I met the boys. I buzzed over to a piece of single track that housed a downed tree from about a month and a half ago. I had brought along my saw just in case that tree was still in my way and the trail was still blocked. I rolled along and sure enough the tree was still there. I wanted to get it removed before people tracked in an alternate ride around and ruined the trail structure. It took all of 4 songs on the mp3 player before I had the trail ride able by any MTBer with a few basic skills. Everyone can now walk that section without bushwhacking so please don’t bushwhack!
After the impromptu trail work I hit a quick ¾ loop of the trail then rolled over to A.G.’s place. Team Finger Bang was there (sans Holden McGroine who is off doing his own thing chasing nation points with the big boys) and we were all ready for a reunion tour ride. The sky clouded up and the temps cooled down a bit as we rolled out for some single track. Stories were shared, times were caught up on, friendly attacks were thrown and Super Dave naturally brought the playful trail riding skills out for dinner. The ride continued into darkness before we returned back to A.G.’s place for a few post ride brews. Afterwards it dawned on me that I was going to have to pull an asshat move and make the 10 mile commute back home without a light. This was stupid for several reasons but mostly because as I had rolled out the door earlier I had the EOS bike in my hands and decided at the last minute to leave it on the front porch thinking that there would be no reason to carry it along.
Ah well shit happens dude.
Good luck to all of you who are racing this weekend. Someone's gotta win that axe.
Fuck it man lets go bowling.
Peace,
Metro
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Big Bear 2009 in pictures
Because words take too long to think of when you are in a hurry.
Drinking
Sleeping
eating
Browsing
Racing
Oops! I guess he's drinking.
Peace,
Metro
Drinking
Sleeping
eating
Browsing
Racing
Oops! I guess he's drinking.
Peace,
Metro
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