Notes From Dejay

croppedgear
Originally uploaded by Endurosnob.

"Finally proof that geared bikes go to hell. It's to bad that the singlespeeders have the closest seats by the fire.

"Just a month to go to experience the singlespeed!! I just can't ride this trail enough. On saterday a group of us took it for a spin. Starting at 6.30am, it was 24 degrees, but 2 miles into the ride i was all warm. Threw out the ride i was able to take a few photos. I attached a goodie, this is singletrack!, but for the rest go to singleswizzle.com.

"The games following the event are coming together nicely. B.I.C.A.S. the local non-profit bike shop are donating some 12"-16" bikes for the mini short track.
now go for a ride, but first forward this to all that are worthy.
D---- "

"Notes from Dejay" are musings, info and general good vibes from Subaru/GaryFisher's Dejay Birtch.

JonesXR

JonesXR
Originally uploaded by Endurosnob.

What tire would you run for TransIowa? Here's my choice. Thanks for the photo, Sam.

December Heaven

47 degrees, Sunny, No Wind. Can I get an Amen? Off to ride.

Apparently, I Really Am a Snob

When Sam and I were riding yesterday, we discussed his rule to not post on forums. He said he may follow the TransIowa thread though as he wants to do well and pick up what value is there. After visiting today, I think Sam maybe on to something with his rule... jeez.

I have several very good pics that Sam and Dejay Birtch sent my way, but I couldn't get them to upload. I will try to get it sorted as all are of interest and worth a post in-and-of themselves.

In case you haven't looked at the comments in the last post:
Christmas Eve Ride. Snob's Place (bar name?) at 7am. Riding until ~10am. Gravel Grinder heading South. We'll finish on time. No angering the family during the holidays.

I wonder what would happen if I got on the forum and asked if I should "run" chops?

That confirms it, I guess I am a Snob.

**This just in. I checked some other blogs I like and apparently I am also a bandwagon jumper. Crap.

The Draw of Endurance Events

The FolksFromLincoln blog, which is a local portal of sorts for the Lincoln, NE cycling community has an interesting post about bringing more Marathon length races to our area. As most of the readers from this blog are from out of the area, if you have input on how marathons and endurance races have grown in your area, please visit and give your two cents.

Nice ride today with Sam, Mark and Jeff. Good weather, good people, I wish I could have ridden longer. Sam and I were tentatively talking about doing an early morning Christmas Eve ride. If you are interested, give a yell.

Defining "SingleSpeed"

The TransIowa discussion on MTBR has now turned to the matter of what is, or is not, a single-speed. I thought I would bring the discussion to the Snob as well since I think the same dialogue applies to other races and events.

Here's my two cents. Give me yours.

Single is one, which for me begins and ends the discussion. As soon as you start flip-flopping, wrenching or being clever in order to change your gear ratio, you've just shifted. It's no longer a SS. As you'll see from the thread, people have a lot of valid reasons why they might want to change things at some point in the race. The course does this and that, etc. Which is simply another way of saying, "I might decide at some point that I need to shift."

As I was typing this, Mr. 24 just posted the following to the thread: "For all singlespeed and fixie...Show up to the start line with a gear. Run it all the way to Decorah. Simple as that."

I couldn't agree more. What about you? I'm not afraid to admit I am wrong, but you'll have your work cut out for you on this one.

Step On

Weird day today. I think I will chalk it up to the start of a two week vacation.

Rode for only a couple of hours today. 20 degrees. Fairly windy but really pretty comfortable. Planning something similar tomorrow with Sam-I-Am.

Nice crew out at Yia Yia's tonight. I think we were all a little tired from the weekend. Thanks for joining me fellas.

MW is ready to plan it all out and go to Iowa tomorrow. I love his enthusiasm.

Two decisions I have made regarding TI.
1. Go out with the lead group until it stops making sense. (Last year I purposely started in the back.)
2. Not make any stops until Algona. (The halfway point.)

Two Weeks of Heaven

Tomorrow, which happens to be my birthday, also happens to kick off two workless weeks here in Snob-land. I probably could not work for a cooler company. The decision was made that we should spend the holidays with our families, so there you have it. Two weeks of base, no stress and family.

During the two weeks, I'll be trying out a new helmet which was given to me at X-Maxx. (Seen in the picture.)

Corey and I made it about a third of the way to Branched Oak for the Cross race today, but at one point Corey thought his junk was about to freeze off and we called it good.

Lots of TransIowa talk occurring now that Registration is close and Lincoln is representing. If you have interest in cookie dough or over excited mashocisists, visit MTBR.

Riding tomorrow at 1pm. Jeff Avey, I am looking at you.

Yia Yia's at 7pm.

My War at 24

"This one goes out to Johnny."




Inspiration.



Genius at Work.


Happy Birthday, John. Much Love.

Hey Iowa!! Bring It!!

Lincoln will be strongly represented in the TransIowa.

Here's the breakdown:

Geared Hammerheads:
Sam
Jeff Avey
Corey Godfrey
Emily B. (One of Two Ladies)

Single Speeders:
Matt Wills
The Snob

I'm really pumped so many of us got in.

Names of note who are also racing: Mike Curiak, Matt Chester, Nick Martin, and I assume Mr. 24 himself.

GET ON IT!!!

If you want to get into TransIowa, GO REGISTER NOW!!! Thanks Matt for sending me the email. I would have been white hot angry had I missed out because registration opened early. Also, my baby sitter (who by the way rides a fixed gear) said our phone was ringing off the hook while I was at my company X-Mas party. If you guys were trying to give me the heads up, I sincerely appreciate it. I know Sam and Jeff both called and there were other numbers I didn't recognize. Much love fellas.

Let me know if you made it in.

Note: Corey, I got you registered. Merry Christmas.

This is Getting Old

"We Jam Econo"

Good night last night hanging out with Keith Schieron, who works from my company, and also happens to be the guy who produced We Jam Econo: the Story of the Minutemen. What started as a polite work-related affair, which included JK "I have a sweet IF but never ride it" Purtzer, moved one step over to a fun-filled evening of banter. Johnny then joined us to take it up a notch, particularly when we began to point out the homo-eroticism in all of JK's stories about his days as a councelor at a Winona's Boys Camp.

We did also go through the seasonal "You Ride when it's this Cold out?" chit-chat as well. I am sure all who visit the Snob know what I am saying, except for maybe those of you down South. Usually, I find myself giving an explaination along the lines of, "well, with good clothing, yada, yada, yada." Once in a while though, I do want to simply say, "Do people ski when it's this cold? Then Shut Up."

Oh well, the mini-rant is over.

Great weekend on tap: Cross, TransIowa Registration, X-Maxx and Johnny's Birthday.

Not too shabby.

What Would Dejay Do?

MW and I have discussed this a bit in a couple of posts and now it's available for discussion on MTBR; if you are riding a bike Single Speed across Iowa, what gear are you going to run? Thoughts? Opinions? Could the proper gear choice earn you Endurance Cyclist of Year?

What Would Dejay Do?

By the way, predictions from Mr. 24 are that the race fills up in an hour. If you are racing Cross and want to make sure you get registered, let me know. Sam, I am looking at you.

This, That and a Few Others

Remember Brad Cole running neck and neck with Tony W the last time cross was in town? Well, while Tony stepped it up with the Elite Men, Mr. Cole raced Killer B's and won. I think this says it all.

Details just in regarding TransIowa. We'll need to set an alarm for a really early start. Had a nice conversation with Matt W. during the CW Holiday Festivus. He wore the subtle smile of a man ready to ride 337 miles.

Butch has his Cycling Awards up for the year. I would like to add that honorable mention should be the Johnson's return to Lincoln, but that would just leave Butch to buy himself beer.

Need a stocking stuffer for the Hardcore Cyclist in your life? This will scratch the itch.

Good morning. Pass me a cup of Doper's Suck.

This One Goes to Eleven

Saturday Night was the Cycleworks Holiday Party.

The Safety Word is "Pride."



I have to get that out of my mind.



"Just stay out of the way."



Photo courtesy of "JP Photography."



"Wanna See Something?"


The Sparks muffled cries of "Elephant" go unheard.

Notes From Dejay

i'm comin home,

here in this frozen land. Dallas Tx. last night i froze my ASS off(sweat pant, long sleeve shirt, wool socks, inside my sleeping bag, in the rv) I'm only what it feels like, inches(953.38m(13h55m) from the place where i want to rest my head for 2sun rises, that crest the same mountains. Just so I can say i'm home. Dry dessert air, i hear it is cold there.cactus that blocks the sky. rocks that are bigger then, who i'm I. Is this a lesson, that will be learned in time? give me what i can git used to, then it may feel like it is mine. but then again it is all on borrowed time.

only let your thoughts get inturupted with what is artistic

i am Unable to share what i see, as close my eyes

*"Notes From Dejay" are musings from Dejay Birtch, travelling man and Gary Fisher-Subaru Single Speed Endurance Machine.

Welcome Big Skinny

The Snob is quite happy to report that Big Skinny has joined the ranks of Single Speeding, Karate Monkey style. Welcome my friend.

Smallest post yet.

Fast Like Rabbit

Don't blink or this post will be gone. It will be that short.

The man known as Mr. 24 has an interesting question posed on his site. You're going to an endurance race, you can take a stock Full Suspension Frame or a Custom Hardtail, which do you choose?

Visit Jeff and let your inner-geek shine. I have.

Holiday Word Jumble and Quiz

First, let's do the jumble (as inspired by JK).

Fill in the blanks. "- - - - - Claus." Here are the letters: A, A, S, T, N. Your clue: Some kids, and even some adults, freak out when asked to sit on his lap. Answer appears at the bottom.

Now, let's do the Quiz.

If St. Nick was going to come down the chimney with a great gift for your inner bike geek, what would he bring?

I will reserve my answer for later, but because, as Sam points out, my bikes suck. How hard could it be to figure out?

Word Jumble Answer is, of course, "SATAN."

Maybe I should dress as Satan Claus for x-max.

This is Radio Clash

The Clash have been helping me get through my work-a-day morning with the less often play (by me anyway) Sandinista.

Btw, our office closes down for two weeks at the end of the month. Expect to be heckled to ride and expect it to occur often.

Two signs you listen to good music: One, you name your dog Lars and the musical reference isn't Metallica. Two, you reference the song "Let's Go Crazy" and it has nothing to do with "formerly know as."

Decisions Decisions

Despite the cold temps, I had a great ride today. A mix of city trails, some gravel and some snow-covered Wilderness single track. It was the kind of ride that will make you consider a race like the ArrowheadUltra. Of course, you'd really need something like a Pugsley for that kind of snow and I can't see buying a bike like that for one race. I know that Corey and Jeff went out today as well. How was the ride fellas?

I also believe I have decided upon the bike setup I will run for TransIowa. After several conversations with Johnny and Corey, along with reference to an archived DirtRag, I am taking a page out of the book of Eric Roman and going to with the following:

29" single speed mountain bike with cross bars, ~42mm Cross Tires. Gearing is a touch up in the air, but 36/16 doesn't sound unreasonable. However, it will not be "really fucking pink."

Saturday in the Snow

Enjoyed a snow ride today, with a brief stop at Cycleworks to chat with Johnny. Good times and warm toes. Now if I could take care of my hands, I would be set.

RockD sent my a link to the Ouachita Challenge, which I think I will simply call the I-Chi-Wah-Wah Challenge. Good price, reasonably close and Mr. 24hr Jeff Kerkove appears to plan on attending. (In fact, his site may be what tipped the Rock off to the race.)

If you're feeling fast, you can always go after the $500 Time Record Reward. Who's got the current mark, you ask? One half of the two-headed hydra of "Sameron", adopted homeboy Cameron Chambers.

Also, our Lincoln "Man on the Scene," again brought huge smiles to my face with his coverage of the UCI Cross Race in KC. If you haven't heard them yet, check them out.

"Okay so Tony is sitting on this guy's wheel... Hold on ... COME ON, TONY... GO GO GO GO ... Tony's just jumped around this guy and came flying to the line..."

Nothing but love. Thanks CVO.

I have your Swizzle right here!!

Your SingleSwizzle that is.

More from Dejay on the SS ride in AZ in January. See the "Link of Interest?" Glide your mouse over and 'click.'

From Dejay: "Some folks (industry style) have come out to support the ride. So far this is them...Respect... WTB, Genuine Innovations, Specialized, Crome, Surly, DT Swiss.

Now that the course is posted you know what your in for. The first 10 miles is on pavement(most of the climbing) going up the Catalina Hwy. Very senic!!! One of the reasons you ride a singlespeed is because you don't like to shift...HERE IS YOUR CHANCE.

After the little climb you will be treated to some of the best singletrack out there. That is if you like single-singletrack that weaves it's way down mtn sides, through grassy valleys and ridge lines. There is a part of the ride that come back on it's self about 3 miles, this is in the grassy valley. So if there is still traffic going both directions it should not be a problem to get out of each others way, or hi five as you ride by. This will round out at about 40 miles and it looks like we will have 2 aide stations. One at Prision Camp and one on top of the climb at Redington Rd. So dollar for dollar this is the best supported ride you can do...OH YEAH IT'S FREEEEEE!!!

If you have never done this ride you are in for one hell of a treat, I hope you like to smile alot. The desert is an amazing place, and all will be fine as long as you resect one another. "

Couldn't some of us meet up with Butch and do this? Hmmmm.

Bring It Hippie!!

Get your credit cards and internet connections ready. Dec. 17th at 1pm Central the TransIowa opens for Registration. I know what your thinking, "I'll be in the middle of a cross race." Don't worry, get with me off-line. Brotha's Gonna Work It Out.

The Voting is also not over for Endurance Cyclist of the Year. The Single Speed love train is rolling in strong for Dejay. Lots of love coming from OneSpeeder and OneGear.

As a lover of board sports, I give anyone props who signs off an email as "PopShuvIt."

Fresh from the NewsWire

A. Holy Hell is it cold.

B. This guy may write for Outside, but he's a nancy boy. Bicycle Diaries my ass.

C. Shots fired at D Street? Tell me something I don't know.

Tattoos in Modern Cycling: Part One

Eric Roman. One of the key men in promoting Single Speed World's this year and a man not afraid to suffer in endurance events (not to mention at the hands of the needle).

When Indy Fab names a color after you, you better be able to back it, particularly if it's, as Johnny said, "really fucking pink." Iron Cross. Wilderness 101. Strong results and all done SS style.

Speaking of Johnny, he had mentioned seeing an article Eric Roman wrote for Dirt Rag outlining a bike setup he ran for Iron Cross that sounded ideal for TransIowa. If anyone happens to hold on to those, I would love to find that issue.

Just Chillin'

After an incredible day yesterday, today was just going to be mellow and it was mellow in spades with the way the weather has been.

Corey and I rode for three hours yesterday, virtually all of it in Wilderness. We were certainly not alone. We saw Don, Sean Craig, Matt Wills, Kevin Wilkins and a train of folks. My office was also well-represented as JK, Regina and I assume her hubby, were seen enjoying the day as well. (Apparently, they also finished their ride along the trail by Haymarket park and managed to flat each and every tire they had.)

Penciled in Races for 05 (Pending approval of the home office in Traverse City, MI.)

TransIowa. (Thank you, Mr. Obvious)
The 12hr. (You know which one.)
24hrs of Afton. (Scheduling your racing around your friends. Priceless.)

Fear the One Gear

TransIowa for the low low cost of $30 bucks. If you're looking at best value per mile, it can't be beat. A moment of silence is in order though. Rock D will be unable to join us in the suffering.

Excellent ride today with Big Skinny today in Wilderness. Nice tempo, nice weather, no head-ons. Priceless.

Ride tomorrow starting at D Street at 2pm.

A very cool video of the Minnesota State Cross Champion can be seen on Dan Swanson's site. No surprise that my favorite moment is Jesse Lalonde's quick comment before the start of the race. He also took 3rd riding a Rig.

The Fascist Killer has thoughts about rocking X-Maxx, then racing the last cross weekend of the year. Stranger things have happened.

Thanks for the emails, Pilgrims.

Dejay Birtch emailed to spread the word about the Experience the SingleSpeed ride happening in Tucson. What else are you going to be doing on Jan. 21?

RockD says I am a wuss if I don't do the Arrowhead Ultra. I wonder if Sam will want to kick me in the junk for considering this one.

You will also want to mark your calendar for the 24hrs of 9 Mile this year. Why? Because Sameron will be defending the National Title there. Maybe I will enter and block Eatough for folks every time he comes by (which would be pretty damn often.)

Off Season Questions

Here are some questions milling about my mind. If you have answers, I would love to hear them.

Is there a good reference out there for someone trying to remove simple sugars from their diet? I am trying to visualize what my fridge and cabinets will be filled with. The concern: Watts.

Is a CTS program worth the money for someone like the Snob?

Should I go with the Black Band of Anger for my birthday?

Are basemiles better on a geared bike, since no matter what the road does, you can still spin?

And finally, Jesse Lalonde asks, What would Danzig Do?

Pure Sweet Sunday

Great Day. Base miles in the morning with Jeff and Corey. Grateful Bread. Ride to the races with Johnny and watch everyone play hammer and anvil.

Here are a few of my favorite moments, Kodak style.

Sam and Matt playing engine and caboose. So that's how their team works.



Tony with the Folks From Lincoln banner making the run-up a bit easier. If you didn't see it, the key moment of the A race was at the base of the run-up. With Brad Cole coming up in front of Tony, Cole took a digger and went down hard, Tony gave him a quick look and, without getting over excited, powered up the hill. To Cole's credit, the next time he came to the hill, he tried to ride it to make up time. He wasn't going down without a fight.




My little man, Mohawk and I enjoying the show.

Press Row.

Matt working it fixed gear style. Note the socks. Those may need to become a mandatory part of the CW Team Kit.

Matt was also a part of the Banter Moment of the Day. Through the first couple of laps, some cat. on a Slingshot was stuck on Matt's wheel and not pulling through. Johnny and I wanted that to end. As Matt and Slingshot boy came through the barriers, Johnny yelled, "Get that Coaster off of your wheel." Then, after the two weaved their way to the start/finish line, Matt looked at John and said, "You need to say your sorry." Classic.

The Snob Recommends

"A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. This has nothing and everything to do with endurance. It is my current read and my read of the year and will be no matter what else I pick up in the next month and a half.

Here's a taste:

"I don't want safety or support. I want there to be me and whatever I have to face, be it alcohol or drugs or something else. I want there to be a fight because I know how to fight. There will be a Winner of that fight. If it's me, I walk away and I have beat the shit that I didn't think I could ever beat and move on with my life. If it's not me, at least I get it over with."

Grab your library cards or borrow it from me.

Back to the light and fluffy. Dejay Birtch, who apparently can't deal with cramped German automobiles, has an interview in cyclingnews today.

Of interest, Dejay says, "what I'm trying to work out with Gary Fisher (Birtch's primary racing sponsor), is to do some multi-stage endurance racing with Cameron Chambers; Trans Alps, Trans Rockies, Cape Epic, that kind of thing. That's where the sport is going. "

On a related topic, I have decided to refer to Sam and Cameron as simply, "Sameron."

Mark Your Calendars

Game ON!! Trans-Iowa V.2 will take place on April 29-30, 2006.

What bike to ride? Hmmmm.

What's the course look like? Double Hmmmm.

My question is, can I take this guy along? He certainly helped Frischy.

Needless to say, I'm pumped.

After

Before

Where are my LobsterClaws?

In case you haven't gotten the good word, our pedalling commute may be a bit brisk in the morning.

As if you could forget, CROSS is in town this weekend at Pioneers. Warning, I am bringing pom-poms.

Those of you who are considering TransIowa, might want to do a bit of browsing. Guitar Ted finished a recon of the course this weekend. The pictures of the 'B' roads don't do them justice. Look at the pics, the imagine riding through the ditch and up on to the high edge of the field; that was TI05. You'll also notice I have added Jeff's blog on to my links.

Anyone heard further rumors about a TransKansas?

Weekend Randomness

Thomas Frischknecht won the Ruta today and is the first non-Costa Rican to do so. Apparently he had a motorbike riding with him for support to negate the homefield advantage of the locals. Smart.

In terms of riding, it feels almost like the weekend never got started. There starting and stopping in the group ride on Saturday eroded the time I had so the ride felt really short. No one's fault, just one of those wierd mornings were things don't flow, including a chain-throw which somehow shot my bike out from under me, but left me standing. Strange.

Later in the day, I went for a short jog and somehow managed to tweak my back about 15 minutes into it. Good gravy. I took that as a signal to rest and plan out my off-season training, which made Sunday a coffee and family day.

Wasn't the barista in this pic at the pub crawl with the rest of the nuns?

Wasting Time with Frame Colors

Apparently, visuals have been my theme lately.

I've spent too much time lately wondering what looks our friends at IF can come up with. It's too easy to start looking through their gallery, then turn around and see what other riders have done with their frames. I most likely won't even ride an IF next year, but it's still fun. I would imagine you can do the same with Serotta and others. (Too bad my favorite paint scheme falls under the "might as well get Ti" category.)

Let me know how you like the new blog look. There are also uncomfirmed rumors of double-images, which I am not getting from my machine. Critical eyes are welcome.

Rides this weekend people? Sam, Corey, Rick, who's with me?

How about Endurance Cyclist of the Year?

You've seen its various forms on Velonews and read the MTB Omaha post with North American Male Cyclist opinions, but how about the endurance set? Somehow I doubt we will see this option in the year end issue. Endurance Cyclist of the Year.

Some folks who could merit your vote:

-Dave Weins. Crushed it in both Leadville and the Vapour Trail.
-Cameron. Do I really need to add anything here?
-Ernesto aka. Sologoat. Pushed Eatough at "Worlds" to finish 2nd and won nearly everything else he entered.
-Eatough himself. "World Champ."
-Jeff Kerkove. Got screwed out of his biggest goal, regrouped, then crushed it both locally and in Japan.
-Mike Curiak. No hamster wheels here. Set a new record in Alaska.
-Dejay Birtch. SS "Worlds" and National Champ.

You get the idea. Who have I forgotten? They all get mad props. Opinions?

I believe the proper name for this would be the "John Stamstad Award."

'Derailleurs are for Failures'

As some of you know, lately I have become a bit obsessed with single-speeds. It's pretty easy to trace things back to the source; a conversation returning from Leadville between Jeff, Mohawk and myself. By the time it was over, Johnny had offered the Fascist Killer to convert and it was game-on.

It didn't take long to see benefits. I am a mechanical nitwit, so life was easier there. But more importantly to me, it helped make me faster. It's funny how you ride better when you have to carry speed as opposed to over-braking, then cranking it up again. It was nice to longer be dropping back through the winding sections at Wilderness then having to fight back on. (If you haven't seen it yet, and I am sure you have, there is also some interesting comments on Folks from Lincoln in regard to 'why?').

It's now reached a level where I plan to race SS in any short races next year, while gearing up for anything longer. With two possible exceptions, TI and Leadville. Cameron and I discussed the prospects of racing TI on a single speed. It's also been done before by Todd Scott (4th) Patrick Humenny (5th) and others. I had also planned on racing Cross single-speed until life intervened.

To me the best scenario is two mountain bikes with identical dimensions, one single and one geared. That way, you can switch back and forth without causing your body to ask, "WTF?"

The quote used as the title of this post is lifted from Jesse Lalonde's site (see link on the side). Jesse won the Single Speed World Championship bike race, but not the carts.

I say ride it all, geared, single, fixed. It's all bikes and it's all good.

By the way, the pic's of Matt Slaven.

Low Drama Weekend... Priceless

It's hard to be snobbish when everything goes smoothly, but I will take it anytime.

Before Corey and I left for Wilderness, I got to talk with Johnny at the hotel, about bikes, life and his needle dropping neighbors who just lost their privacy curtain. We apparently share the same fall clean up gene that kicks in about this time of year. Strange but effective and neighborhood friendly, drug-addled neighbors being the exception.

It was nice to have Corey back on the bike. Without a doubt I have ridden with Big Skinny far more than anyone else this year, so it really felt that things were back to normal.

Below is an actual x-ray of Corey's leg.

Corey and I kept expecting to see the CVO and the rest of the rolling caravan but popped out in the south parking lot without a sighting. Not wanting to push Corey's leg to far, we headed to LBC to say hello to Sam. Of course, there was the usual bike chit-chat, but it's also always a bit more and that's what makes it sweet. (Even if Corey kept wanting to discuss bodily functions. )

There was also this bit of eye candy. Me likey.

Mr. Bike Shop Owner fared a bit better today, but still must not have been quite himself (scroll down to page two). I haven't bothered to do the math, but if you glance the the points standings, I would think he sealed the deal.

Remember my post about the 3 Peaks race? Of course you don't, but Keith Bontrager has a nicely written piece about it on CyclingNews.

The Assorted Saturday

Shrugging off a couple of no-shows, I rode gravel this morning at around 6:40. I tried to do a bit of photo journalism for the snob site, but ended with four very mediocre shots and one excellent one. The latter shot is being saved in an attempt to make a header for the blog. This will be a new level of geekdom for the snob, so we will see how it turns out.

The ride itself was nice, if a bit brisk. It's sad that TI jumps into my head every time I hit the farm roads. Speaking of, if you are considering it and also wondering what the bike of choice is, check out the following discussion. I haven't chimed in yet, but probably should. After about 50 miles last year, I was wishing I had ridden my cross bike. This year the plan will be a 29er with thin tires. I'd like the best combination of rolling spead plus some float. After having ridden in the grass on the edge of cornfields last year during the 'B' road section, getting some bounce per ounce seems key.

Speaking of 29ers, Intense appears mating big wheels and VPP technology. Check it here and here for your morning read over espresso.

It appears Mr. Bike Shop Owner had a rough day down South, but I couldn't find the details yet. Let's hope it's nothing that will impact tomorrow as well.

On a positive note, you have to love the people at Grateful Bread. I walked in and ordered a dozen scones, only to discover that the $10 and $5 bills I was holding were actually two 5 spots. No worries, just bring it in later today. Not to mention, when I arrived there were no scones out so the lady goes into the back and boxes them up fresh from the oven for me.

Now if they only served espresso.

Get It Done, Fellas. Get It Done.

The Mid-America Cross Cup has it's final weekend starting tomorrow and the local crew is one-two and looking to close it out.

Keep it smooth and fast fellas.

The Inspiration - Joel Gion

Joel Gion, formerly of the Brian Jonestown Massacre is primarly to blame for the current facial hair setup.

Here he is seen in the movie Dig! riding a conveyor belt saying, "Here we go top floor. Ladies underwear. Illegal Drugs and Cigarettes."

The fact that the chops tied into cycling so nicely was just icing on the cake. (And enough people have asked that it's worth its own post.)

Chops In Modern Cycling: Part V

Most of the shots I have seen of Deejay Birtch have involved a full beard and not chops, but we're giving DeeJay clearance, Clarence. This Soul Ride victory celebration picture shows great chop potential, so he's in.

In addition, Deejay took was the first SS man at both the US Nationals and "Worlds" 24hr events.

I'll take "Badass" for $100 please, Alex.

"Another Animal Entirely"

Mike Curiak just posted details of The Grand Loop race on MTBR, including photos and link were you can read accounts of previous attempts. While this could prompt another round of "pipe-dream" comments, this is exactly the kind of blend between adventure racing and mountain biking that fires me up.

Read it and weep.

THOR's Hammer

Random Notes and Observations on a solid weekend.

- When you're an espresso freak, it really hurts when your machine flakes on you before you ride to Platte. Long day, no espresso. However, that was nearly the only negative of the day.

- Okay, the wind wasn't my friend riding out to Platte, but that just reminded me of TransIowa, so it was good. Sort of.

- Cameron and Sam came up and said hello just after the start of the Sport Field looking like members of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Apparently, they worked it like rockstars the night before. Cameron and I chatted quite a bit throughout the day and, as I believe CVO said, he's just a solid guy who I think we'd all love to have around more, even if he wasn't blazing fast. Just a great guy.

- Travis failed to rock the chops, but it was fun both watching him race and hearing him answer the various questions posed. Well spoken and articulate. No wonder he made Chops In Modern Cycling.

- Supporting Sam's "Your bikes suck" theory, as the raffle came to the point where the wheels were given out, Cameron looked at me and said, "You could use those, couldn't you?" Ummm Yeah.

- Over 2K was gathered for THOR. Props out to John and the LBC crew. While I am sure it was a labor of love. Putting on an event like that is never easy. Nice job to everyone involved.

- Finally, the realization hit that I need to go to more local races, so expect the Snob to be rocking the Single Speed Category next year. Good times.

See You at Platte

Depart Cycleworks at 7am.

Ride SS style to Platte.

Take it from there.

Sherlock Holmes

Applying strict analysis to completely circumstantial evidence, I have reached the conclusion that we will have not just one trans-state race to enjoy next year. But two.

I submit to you, that the Trans-Kansas will be coming to us in May of 2006.

Exhibit A: Mr. Kerkove's post from Friday, October 21st.

Exhibit B: Guitar Ted's post from Wednesday, October 26th.

Either that, or it's that bastard Colonel Mustard.

Now if I could just track down William Shippert.

By the way, don't we know some people, who know some people down in Kansas? People who may even work in a bike shop in fact?

Moving on to 2006

It's funny how the mind and body connect. Once Cross was out for me this year, I went from wanting to go out and try to get better everyday to having no interest in training hard. This last week has been about commuting to work, some exercise ball stuff while watching the World Series and that's about it. My get up and go has got up and went. Therefore, I will be playing the role of cheerleader this weekend at Platte. By the way, sweet Platte River Riot artwork to whomever designed it.

2006 planning now begins in earnest. Time to get the winter Y membership and lose more weight.

As long as 06 doesn't turn out to be as foul as 05. The Snob is hoping it looks a little something like this:

New Weapon from the kids at IF: Ti Deluxe of the 29er variety. Paint scheme is a well-kept secret.

Trans-Iowa is a must. (Note promo on the right side.) Sam, Tyler and Rock are verbals. Whose gonna be the first Lincoln-ite to finish it?

Leadville appeals to me if I do the Leadman (which is all of their races including the 100 mile run) or on a Single Speed. Just doing it again to do it, not so much.

The Endurance 100 is new to the radar. There is an interesting thread on it here. Primarily single track you say? Please elaborate.

Another consideration is an AR this year. The only problem is how slim the selection is anywhere nearby when you feel like at least 24hrs and maps are a must.

Note on the pic. No, I did not let that guy borrow one of my bikes. Why do you ask?

One Question Interview

Even though I couldn't make it up to Omaha over the weekend, I still wanted to bring the "One Question Interview" to the Snob so I emailed Sam to get the ball rolling.

EnduroSnob: During Sunday's race, what was one non-race thought that popped into your mind?

Sam: It kind of has to do with the race, but I remembered a quote from Paul Sherwin. I think I first heard it last year, he used it again this year. "Deck to engine room, we need more power." That was right between turn, speed up, oxygen, brake, turn, gas, oxygen, more oxygen, shit this ground is soft, pedal, turn, OXYGEN dammit, can't you people hear me?

Congrats on the two top tens, Sam. Be warned I will be going cheerleader on you during the next cross weekend.

Not one hyperlink in this post. I feel lazy.

Costumes

It's mid-morning, rainy and I'm sitting drinking espresso, listening to Broken Social Scene while my crew just chills. By all accounts I should be racing a bit of single speed cross today, but oh well. I don't know anything about Standing Bear, but maybe some mud will even make an appearance. Hope everyone goes hard, feels strong and has a blast.

I started to spend some time this morning looking at some 29er info, but came across a post from Guitar Ted, co-conspirator/creator of TransIowa that led me in a different direction. "29ers, Punk Rock and Zealots."

Wherever the loose and floating connection between Punk and Bikes is, that's where I seem to want to be and remember it first getting framed for me by Hurl on the CRC Site. My first thought wasn't that the read was cool, but that it simply made sense to me. Apparently, it makes sense to a few other too. The Ashville band "Dead Things" gave a good example in 2002.

In an interview with Singletrack Magazine, Travis Brown commented, "I think that a timeless characteristic of the cycling industry is a healthy desire to be unique and I think there will always be individualistic minds there that we can count on for something new and fun." Similiar notion in a different context.

Of course, the philosophy major in me could break all of this apart really quickly into commentary about existentialism and pigeon holes, but why bother. Right now this little costume fits really comfortably.

I'd still love to be racing my bike.

Or maybe I'm just bored.

Fame and Fortune Await.

The new and improved TransIowa site has Emily front and center. Hopefully, she won't be the only woman to take the start this year. The Rock has already been asking me questions about lights and logistics. It's nice to have friends that over think things as much as I do. Team OverAnalysis in the house.

In endurance on the other side of the world, The Crocodile Trophy is going on in Australia as we speak. Thirteen stages through the land of Oz. Only twenty people took the start and only one was a woman.

Visited the hotel last night to learn a few tips from Mohawk and watched Corey working a wheel. Looked completely like an art meets science situation. Good thing Johnny has my back.

Time to research 29ers.

The Snob Suggests

A sunset ride through Wilderness.

The comeback kid (Jeff) and I rolled through the park last night and I really wish I had taken a camera. Sure, there were the usual fall colors and brisk, cool air, but as we started back from the South end of the park we were met with a grand sunset with the sky painted with various reds and oranges, then had the cloud steaked full moon beaming down on us heading home on the Rock Island.

If we would have only had a touch of the Ludwig-Van, it would have been perfect.

Btw, if anyone has room for a Snob and his bike heading up to the cross race Saturday, I could use a ride.

One Question Interviews - Coming to a Race Near You?

In the midst of espresso enjoyment this morning, I visited CyclingNews and found my way over to Dave Zabriskie's website. Apparently he has been posting One Question Interview throughout the year. The Snob highly recommends you visit and give it a read. Here's an example:

DZ: Thor what does it feel like to have the coolest name in the peleton?
TH: I didn’t know it was a cool name.
DZ: Trust me it is.
TH: O.k. then. It feels pretty cool then.
DZ: Thanks for the interview.

Dry, subtle, what could be better? I may do this at cross races this year. Seems to fun to pass.

Great ride today. Out for an hour on the gravel solo, then met up with Jeff to flow through Wilderness and enjoy the fall. If it wasn't for the aroma of fresh horse droppings, it would have been perfect.

Saturday Sundries

Woke up at 6am and was sitting outside drinking a mocha waiting for the Jeff at 6:30. I am not a fan of early mornings. By 7am, we were cruising through Wilderness and at roughly 7:30, just went down in a 'S' curve, the victim of wet soil and matted leaves. Kneecap to top tube. We cruised it in from there. I am convinced I am a jinx for those who ride with me. I come away unscathed from the Dave and Corey head-on, then Jeff gets the rug pulled out from under him. It's like I am a riding version of Murphy's Law lately.

Cameron is sitting in the 12th spot at Moab as of about 10 minutes ago. His teammate, Nat Ross is in the lead.

The new cross rims hit the shop today. Hopefully, the hubs will be soon to follow. Time is running short.

I cannot believe how much I am enjoying riding the single speed. I am really looking forward to cross SS style. And with the way I ride...

Will There Be Chops?

In case you haven't been keeping up, Travis Brown and Cameron Chambers will be at Platte on the 29th. Two National Champions at endurance events in 2005 (Marathon and 24hr respectively.) There will apparently be a question and answer sessions with them. If Travis is clean shaven, of course then enquiring minds will want to know, "Travis, where are the chops?"

Speaking of Cameron and 24s, he'll be rocking Moab with the help of Sam this weekend. Live updates to be had on the Granny Gear site, just follow the link.

Jeff and I will be single speeding it through Wilderness in the early am. I predict espresso galore for the Snob shortly afterword.

3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross

Roughly a month ago, I posted some information about the Iron Cross race. Well, in a patch of boredom I decided to research the inspiration for the race, the Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross event.

In what I found to be a happy surprise, this race has been running for 44 years. It's an obsession with riders from all walks of life. In fact, this gent has set up a blog focused only around this race. It reminds me of a conversation Kris, Rick and I had at Leadville regarding people who do the race year after year after year. In the end, we didn't really get it. Of course, I could see myself becoming that way about TransIowa, so no stones being thrown from me.

I can't help but think about how the 3 Peaks would be a great race to schedule a race calendar around. Vacation in Europe. You already speak the language. Crush yourself for day. Grab a spot of tea and fly home.

Snob Favorites on a Roll

Like Butta'

Jeff Kerkove scored the express win over the weekend. Fly to Japan, kick ass, fly home. Now we need to get Kerkove, SoloGoat and Cameron all in the same event. Maybe some chops as well.

Wilderness is great right now. Do not delay. The Avey-a-tor and I went out last night and swung through SS style.

Endurance News Fit for a King

Chalk another win up for the Sologoat and, of course, riders sporting Chops. We need to get the Goat up against Cameron simply because those would be too cats I can pull for as a spectator.

TransIowa just got more difficult and a bit longer as well. The key difference. NO SUPPORT. Only a dropbag at the halfway point of Algona. If the wind is anything like last year, I may have to grow the chops extra thick for this years edition. Btw, they are also accepting 75 riders this year, but given how quickly the thing filled up last year (a day and a half) I wouldn't expect anything less this edition. Browsers at the ready!! The caption for the recycled photo will now read, "What do you mean no help?"

If you haven't checked it out yet, Sam I Am, took some more time out of his allotted 15 minutes of fame in Bicycling Mag.

Confederacy of a Single Dunce

How's this for train wreck preparation for the duathlon this weekend? First, instead of prepping for a Sunday race, I thought the race was on Saturday and believe that until about 10:15 Friday night, we Jeff gave me a call to tell me I had it wrong.

So, Saturday I took the Giant out for a spin in Wilderness to keep the legs fresh, but managed in the process to break yet another spoke on the rear wheel I have been nursing along with since July. Note to self. If you are going to be a cheap ass and not buy new equipment when you need it, you better be prepared to suffer when it fails. Of course, I discovered this little problem at roughly 8pm so while I did make a couple of calls to try to resolve things, it was pretty useless.

I then decided to make lemonade by riding the Fascist Killer out to Platte and simply helping out, but sleep right through my alarm. Overall, just a genius weekend. I did discover that Jeff had, essentially, saved the day for me by leaving a note on my car saying that he had brought a wheel for me and that once I got to Platte, we would make it work. Of course, the family needed our one car so that was out as well. Thanks though, Jeff. It means a lot that you tried like that.

On the good side of life, I did have a great ride through Wilderness and around the gravel roads down South. It was certainly a Mind Clearer, which is Snob vocularly for a ride that helps you work all of the build up crap out of your head.

Here's to well made plans and not knowing how to execute them.

Nebraska Cycling - A Bit of Perspective

Recently, we have been considering plans to go back to Indiana for Thanksgiving. In the process, I discovered that I can take my cross bike and race in Indianapolis over that weekend. If you look at the link, you'll see that the event, on the surface, doesn't seem to have nearly the following that our Nebraska Cyclo-Cross Series has. While there is something comparable to the MidAmerica Cross Cup in the Ohio Valley Cyclo-Cross Series, it's the lack of depth around Indianapolis and in Indiana that's really interesting. (which is also a round house compliment to this cat.)

Indianapolis is the 12th largest city in the country, but lacks the scene we have in the Lincoln/Omaha area. I used to work at one of the larger stand-alone bike shops in the country, Bicycle Garage of Indianapolis, but was just amazed at by the cycling community once we moved here and I started working at CycleWorks part-time.

The point of this little diatribe isn't to crack on Indianapolis, but to simply voice an appreciation for what exists here. No scene is perfect, but if you look at what's happening with the effort toward the Wilderness Loop, you see the positives far out weigh the negatives.

Apologizes for the rant, but I hated Lincoln when I moved here, so you can see I have come a long way. Now if we can just get CVO and the waraxe bob to cruise through Indy cranking the MPU and spreading some soul, I might be more excited to go back.

We now return to your regularly scheduled snobbery.

This Most Foul Year of our Lord, 2005.

Corey is now out of physical action for an extended period of time. C-Funk has a clot behind his left knee that is requiring him to take two shots a day in the stomach for five days. He's got the medical details available at the House of Cornbread.


As H.L. Mencken said, sometimes you just have to "raise the black flag and start slitting throats."

Secret Training Callout: Part I

Remember this quote from the D Street Blog not too long ago?:

"I'm only racing if you race. I'm out of shape also. Jay Thomas"

Apparently, Mr. Bike Shop Owner's been holding out on us a bit. 2nd and 4th for the first two races of the Mid-America Cross Cup.

Cloaks and Daggers.

The Grand Loop

Awkward. Yesterday opened with riding promise and potential and ended up being a lot of nothing. In the morning, prospects were high that Corey, Jeff and I would roll. Then No, then Yes, then maybe then the afternoon, then just Corey and I, then just me cruising through Wilderness and riding a touch of gravel against the wind. Boring but good. The kind of day were I would be tempted to ride with an iPod. I did also sneak a run in so it wasn't all bad.

There is some news from the endurance racing world to report. Apparently, Mike Curiak will be hosting a second race called the Grand Loop. "The Grand Loop is a remote wilderness race that is 350 miles." (That's via Jeff Kerkove's site.) This is the kind of thing that excites me. The only way it could be better would be route choices.

Apparently, there is also a push to make RIDE424 the site for all things endurance racing. I'm down, as Karl Etzel, from what I have read really seems to want to do it right.

Up with Wilderness. Down with Hamster Wheels.

Break Right!! Break Right!! NO LEFT!! LEFT!!

Nothing like a head-on at Wilderness. Corey and I had been out for a couple hours on a gravel/Wilderness Combo affair, when we decided to take one last pass from North to South at a pretty good clip. Shortly after the suspension bridge, where you can hold nice pace through every turn, Dave Draus was holding a similar tempo but heading North.

If it could have been caught on video, it would have been a great adventure in rodeo clown style mountain biking. Dave and I both started to break right, respectively, which usually works well, but we were actually to the inside of each others right side so I darted left, narrowly avoiding the worst possible scenario, but that left Dave heading straight for Corey. By the time I had fallen my way into the briars at the side of the trail, Dave and Corey had found themselves piled up together with their bikes; a mass of tall skinny guys and 29ers.

While the three of us gathered ourselves and talked about it being one of the strangest crashes we had experieced, Dave found his left hand to be pretty swollen. As we rode out, it was clear this was more than just a bump and Dave was riding one handed out of the park. It could have been a lot worse, but I still feel badly for Dave.

Dave, I hope the x-rays are negative. Take care.