The first place Mrs. Snob and I ever ate in California always remained our favorite.
A little park in Los Gatos
"Dammit!!!"
Trying to find a mtb so I can hit this.
This picture doesn't do the area justice.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Damage Control
Heading off to the the Bay Area this morning. I wasn't able to find a quick resource for renting a bike in Los Gatos, so I am left wondering if I'll be able to get any bike time in at all. Frustrating. Still, my bigger fear is getting out there and lamenting the fact we moved back to the midwest. Maybe a glance at the housing market will snap me back if that happens. Who knows.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Monday, June 04, 2007
A Convoluted Plan
Lexington Reservoir near Los Gatos, CA. With this on the work schedule, I had thought that my Lumberjack entry was going to end up a donation as opposed to a race fee, but leave it to a fuel efficient car and Corey to save the day. For perfect race prep, it's the schedule of dreams. Fly to the Bay Area, work and fun, but little time for bike until Thursday. Hit the ground on Thursday, hug the crew and hop in the car to drive to 12hrs to Michigan. I am sure my legs will feel lively and spry. The question now is, do we drive the whole thing and then have Friday to recover and preride the course or do we stop somewhere. I would guess it's all the way.
*
Speaking of the Prius, it prompts a lot of comments. I was filling the tank up one weekend when someone at a neighboring pump driving a cliche SUV asked me how much gas it held.
"About ten gallons. It doesn't need much."
"What are you? Some green-nik?" The tone: I'm joking, but I am serious.
"Maybe. Maybe I am a fiscally responsible conservative. How much is that tank costing you?"
I did not get a response.
*
I do hope to get a bit of time on the bike while in San Jose. When I first began riding, I rode the Lexington Reservoir quite a bit. (It was actually on my way to work from Redwood Estates if any of you know the area.) First on a Rockhopper Sport and then going for a Specialized FSR. A lot has changed since then, but I regretted never climbing to the top of one of the longer double track sections that exists. I am holding out hope that I can fit that in.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Hitting A Reset
I hadn't really thought about it until I was hitting the deck in the 12hr, but I believe all of the gravel grinding has eroded my technical skills a bit. The 12hr saw some pretty greasy conditions but nothing which should lead to hitting the deck on half my laps, which is precisely what happened. Pathetic. Kerkove may have seen the most visually dramatic, but the most painful occurred on an access road. What the hell?
Time for a change in riding routes. Mopac to Platte for laps. Wilderness-Branched Oak-Wilderness. You get the idea. Route ideas welcome.
I'll be trying to upgrade the links in a couple of days. I'm pretty stoked on the new header. The muddy bike and crooked light capture the vibe for me, at least for now. Apparently, I'm not the only one who worked on a new header over the weekend. Get out of my head, FatMarc!! (Make sure you read the adjustment post. "It's gold, Jerry.")
Open field, daylight, and upright.
Time for a change in riding routes. Mopac to Platte for laps. Wilderness-Branched Oak-Wilderness. You get the idea. Route ideas welcome.
I'll be trying to upgrade the links in a couple of days. I'm pretty stoked on the new header. The muddy bike and crooked light capture the vibe for me, at least for now. Apparently, I'm not the only one who worked on a new header over the weekend. Get out of my head, FatMarc!! (Make sure you read the adjustment post. "It's gold, Jerry.")
Open field, daylight, and upright.Sunday, May 27, 2007
The Universe Is Plunged Into Darkness
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Rule Of Two
"At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi."12hrs of Branched Oak is only a few hours away. Last year this event was a low point in my athletic life and mirrored personal low-points as well. FF to '07 and things are 180 degrees of difference. Races have been fun and life has been good.
Too bad I turned to the darkside.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Do I Come Here Often?
Another Mo Java commute this morning. Sunny, sixties, stars, hearts, dreams to throw on the cross. Back to riding 29, the roll of the tread, friction. Espresso, wireless, weighted down and zoned out. Proof of concept. Business case. Shorter pit-stops. Ego feeds. Mixed messages.
Speak of the Devil.
Speak of the Devil.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Closing the Door on Kanza
Two stories still stick in my mind regarding Kanza.
*The Rebirths of MG*
Matt's eve of Kanza was spent just as anyone would want, puking in the bathroom. He toed the line though and the first 50 miles saw him skying over cattle guards, chatting a lot and generally enjoying the ride. Sometime after mile 50 he feel back with MW and JB but then bridged back up to Corey and I just after we checked in at Cottonwood Falls, the 100 mile mark. Corey and I had discussed the fact he had the ability to bridge to us if he wanted to so it was no surprise to see him. The three of us grabbed some fuel at Casey's, then headed out into the headwind grinder described in my last post. Matt fell back at some point during the ride and, at that point, I didn't know whether he'd be back or not. I doubted it mainly because we'd already covered 100+ and it's not easy to pick up the pace after that long in the saddle. However, MG was still game and as we were just getting rolling from a flat, I heard someone behind us and saw the familar maroon helmet of MG rolling up. "Heyyyyyyyyy!!!" I was surprised but stoked. Matt seemed tired but happy and Corey and I were happy to have his company. We rolled together for a while until I was left spinning out during the slight downhill and paved last 10-ish miles back to Cottonwood Falls. I followed Matt to the check-in, we grabbed our maps and, assuming a not-to-be seen Corey had pushed on to the finish, got ready to head back to the Casey's. It turned out Corey had decided to a tourist ride around Cottonwood Falls and he showed up to join us again. We all went in and grabbed various foods. When I saw MG had two large energy drinks in hand, I thought he was through. He saw whatever strange reaction appeared on my face and jokingly told me not to freak out. I had though. Mainly because I would probably puke if I drank two of those at once. We were gearing up when Matt said he was going back for pizza. Corey and I exchanged a glance of concern. Matt came back out and was weighing his options outloud. We tried to be supportive and offer what we could but again I thought it was game over. Corey and I rallied to go and we left Matt pondering next steps and his pizza. Corey and I rode on to the finish and expected to find MG there. After no MG at the finish line, we checked the room. Still no Matt. Part of me was worried about him. Part of me thought he might still be eating pizza. Then, MG came rolling across the finish line 45 minutes after we had arrived. He'd rested, got himself together again and pounded it out. MG was freakin' Rocky. He just kept getting up and coming back.
Much respect, MG.
*Corey Godfrey - Closet Competitor*
As Corey and I were rolling toward Emporia, darkness fell and I was really being anal about the maps. I didn't want to miss a turn for fear of having to ride extra miles. This caused us to really slow down when any road came up which was anywhere close to the mileage appropriate for a turn. When we hit Emporia, we stopped to look at the final Emporia map. I switched it out and just as Corey and I got back on the bikes, a rider came flying by us. Corey gave me a WTF? look as we got back up to speed and I said, "Dude, go get him." Corey looked back and said, "Nah," then a second later he was gone. He grabbed the guy's wheel for a second, just as the road upticked as it became an overpass and blew right by the guy. I raised my arms, not that anyone could see it, then took a shot myself and got within about five feet but the overpass was now a downhill and I was spun out again. "Do not fuck with the Cornbread." I thought to myself as were now within yards of the hotel. Racer X, whose name is actually Brandon, then inadvertantly turned too early, but corrected himself to get back onto the road. He glanced back at me, I told him to come on across as I didn't care about fighting him for a placing. He road out, then glanced back and said, "Hey, are you EnduroSnob?" I replied I was and we hit the line a few seconds apart. Brandon came up afterwards and explained that he'd lost a ton of time due to getting turned around. He was just working hard to grab some spots back. No worries. I had no hard feelings about it at all, but it was still sweet to see Corey close it down.
Next time Corey says, "Nah," I'd standback.
*The Rebirths of MG*
Matt's eve of Kanza was spent just as anyone would want, puking in the bathroom. He toed the line though and the first 50 miles saw him skying over cattle guards, chatting a lot and generally enjoying the ride. Sometime after mile 50 he feel back with MW and JB but then bridged back up to Corey and I just after we checked in at Cottonwood Falls, the 100 mile mark. Corey and I had discussed the fact he had the ability to bridge to us if he wanted to so it was no surprise to see him. The three of us grabbed some fuel at Casey's, then headed out into the headwind grinder described in my last post. Matt fell back at some point during the ride and, at that point, I didn't know whether he'd be back or not. I doubted it mainly because we'd already covered 100+ and it's not easy to pick up the pace after that long in the saddle. However, MG was still game and as we were just getting rolling from a flat, I heard someone behind us and saw the familar maroon helmet of MG rolling up. "Heyyyyyyyyy!!!" I was surprised but stoked. Matt seemed tired but happy and Corey and I were happy to have his company. We rolled together for a while until I was left spinning out during the slight downhill and paved last 10-ish miles back to Cottonwood Falls. I followed Matt to the check-in, we grabbed our maps and, assuming a not-to-be seen Corey had pushed on to the finish, got ready to head back to the Casey's. It turned out Corey had decided to a tourist ride around Cottonwood Falls and he showed up to join us again. We all went in and grabbed various foods. When I saw MG had two large energy drinks in hand, I thought he was through. He saw whatever strange reaction appeared on my face and jokingly told me not to freak out. I had though. Mainly because I would probably puke if I drank two of those at once. We were gearing up when Matt said he was going back for pizza. Corey and I exchanged a glance of concern. Matt came back out and was weighing his options outloud. We tried to be supportive and offer what we could but again I thought it was game over. Corey and I rallied to go and we left Matt pondering next steps and his pizza. Corey and I rode on to the finish and expected to find MG there. After no MG at the finish line, we checked the room. Still no Matt. Part of me was worried about him. Part of me thought he might still be eating pizza. Then, MG came rolling across the finish line 45 minutes after we had arrived. He'd rested, got himself together again and pounded it out. MG was freakin' Rocky. He just kept getting up and coming back.
Much respect, MG.
*Corey Godfrey - Closet Competitor*
As Corey and I were rolling toward Emporia, darkness fell and I was really being anal about the maps. I didn't want to miss a turn for fear of having to ride extra miles. This caused us to really slow down when any road came up which was anywhere close to the mileage appropriate for a turn. When we hit Emporia, we stopped to look at the final Emporia map. I switched it out and just as Corey and I got back on the bikes, a rider came flying by us. Corey gave me a WTF? look as we got back up to speed and I said, "Dude, go get him." Corey looked back and said, "Nah," then a second later he was gone. He grabbed the guy's wheel for a second, just as the road upticked as it became an overpass and blew right by the guy. I raised my arms, not that anyone could see it, then took a shot myself and got within about five feet but the overpass was now a downhill and I was spun out again. "Do not fuck with the Cornbread." I thought to myself as were now within yards of the hotel. Racer X, whose name is actually Brandon, then inadvertantly turned too early, but corrected himself to get back onto the road. He glanced back at me, I told him to come on across as I didn't care about fighting him for a placing. He road out, then glanced back and said, "Hey, are you EnduroSnob?" I replied I was and we hit the line a few seconds apart. Brandon came up afterwards and explained that he'd lost a ton of time due to getting turned around. He was just working hard to grab some spots back. No worries. I had no hard feelings about it at all, but it was still sweet to see Corey close it down.
Next time Corey says, "Nah," I'd standback.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Dirty Kanza: Grind
Three quarters of the way through the Dirty Kanza Corey looked at me and asked, "so what's your favorite moment of the race?" I didn't have anything for him. I also knew he was asking as much for the sake of conversation as for anything else. Riding 200 gravel miles can be a bore. "I don't know. Getting out of that fucking headwind around 120 was the first thing that came to mind."
After a 20 mph first hour ("No one's going to keep this up"), hub deep creek crossings ("Damn, I thought I was going down", and riding with only the Lincoln crew for miles ("It's like a group ride") that's what I had to offer. Headwinds.
From the checkpoint at mile 100 to a point at approximately mile 120 where the general direction finally switched to the North, the race was a south, southwest grind into a 15-20mph headwind. I looked at Corey before we started out with MG and said, "This is going to be a grind." During this time, we saw nearly as many people who had turned to head back to Cottonwood Falls as we had seen going forward on the course. "What the fuck?" I thought. "Just get to the turn, man." Somewhere along the way, the Alice in Chains song "Grind" got stuck in my head. (Click and get the groove before continuing to read.) It was perfect. I'm no fan of the group, but that song fit the bill so well I would never complain.
After a 20 mph first hour ("No one's going to keep this up"), hub deep creek crossings ("Damn, I thought I was going down", and riding with only the Lincoln crew for miles ("It's like a group ride") that's what I had to offer. Headwinds.
From the checkpoint at mile 100 to a point at approximately mile 120 where the general direction finally switched to the North, the race was a south, southwest grind into a 15-20mph headwind. I looked at Corey before we started out with MG and said, "This is going to be a grind." During this time, we saw nearly as many people who had turned to head back to Cottonwood Falls as we had seen going forward on the course. "What the fuck?" I thought. "Just get to the turn, man." Somewhere along the way, the Alice in Chains song "Grind" got stuck in my head. (Click and get the groove before continuing to read.) It was perfect. I'm no fan of the group, but that song fit the bill so well I would never complain.
In the darkest hole, you'd be well advised
Not to plan my funeral before the body dies, yeah
We also rode by one of the race organizers who flashed ten fingers at us and yelled out that we were tenth in the race. Now it was head game time. Angel/Devil. Sweet/It's not over. We're rocking/There's a lot of race left. We chucked that nonsense, managed to not flat over a beautiful but incredibly rocky creek side rode and found ourselves only a mile away from turning out of the wind, when I promptly started to bonk. I walked a hill, ate my last food with 35 miles to go and cursed myself up and down.
I could set you free, rather hear the sound
Of your body breaking as I take you down, yeah
I walked a hill, stuggled my way back to Corey who was standing at the long sought turn and smiled.
"That hurt."
"Yeah."
"How's your food."
"I've got tons. I need water."
"Let's find a farmhouse with a hose."
"Yeah."
"Now we've got a fucking tailwind. Let's go."
More tomorrow. Unless it's your first time here, you know it takes a few days for me to get this out of my system.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
The Art of Showing Up
I don't have a full post's worth of energy tonight, but I did want to throw up some mediocre photos and offer some quick thoughts. Corey's got a great post already up for your Sunday evening reading.
Thanks to Jeff Bonsall, Matt Gersib, Matt Wills, and Corey for a great weekend. I believe there were 19 finishers and Lincoln rolled 5 for 5. To paraphrase Butch, "We Like Bikes!!"
Big thanks as well to the Heartland Race Crew. The race was very, very well done. You could tell their heart was in it for all the right reasons. More tomorrow...
Thanks to Jeff Bonsall, Matt Gersib, Matt Wills, and Corey for a great weekend. I believe there were 19 finishers and Lincoln rolled 5 for 5. To paraphrase Butch, "We Like Bikes!!"
Big thanks as well to the Heartland Race Crew. The race was very, very well done. You could tell their heart was in it for all the right reasons. More tomorrow...
Dirty? Yep, Dirty.
MG's look reminds me of the three musketeers. This weekend, we rolled five.
Punch Drunk Cornbread.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
DK Update
Dirty Kanza Update
(Mrs. Snob reporting)
Just got off the phone with Skip. He was very happy to report Corey finished 7th in the Mens Open, 8th overall. Skip came in 2nd in the Single Speed catagory, 6 minutes behind the Single Speed winner, Cameron Chambers. Skip was 10th overall.
No other Lincoln finishers at this point to report- more info if I stay awake for a later phone call.
Just got off the phone with Skip. He was very happy to report Corey finished 7th in the Mens Open, 8th overall. Skip came in 2nd in the Single Speed catagory, 6 minutes behind the Single Speed winner, Cameron Chambers. Skip was 10th overall.
No other Lincoln finishers at this point to report- more info if I stay awake for a later phone call.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Landis, Lemond and 'Uncle Ron'
... And by Road Cycling, I mean the Jerry Springer Show. If it weren't so pathetic I might care a bit more. Velonews? Cyclingnews?
If it please the court, I'd like to demand a recess from this... permanently.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
A Little Too Easy
I'm a little unsure of what to think heading into Kanza weekend. I've been ready to race since volunteering and not racing the CW 6hr race. As Corey and I have discussed on many occassions, sitting on the sidelines is not my cup of proverbial tea.
However, I also don't have my usual prerace anxiousness. I can't decide if that's for better or worse and yet am not stressed about that either. Consider prerace anxiety and I go together like espresso and caffiene, something is certainly amiss.
Time to find my compass.
However, I also don't have my usual prerace anxiousness. I can't decide if that's for better or worse and yet am not stressed about that either. Consider prerace anxiety and I go together like espresso and caffiene, something is certainly amiss.
Time to find my compass.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
"Every Decent Man is Ashamed of the Government He Live Under." H.L. Mencken
The quotation replaces a long rant mixing politics and european cycling. I type a fair amount of bile on both but never actually hit "publish" to send it out. That said, if you don't know of H.L. Mencken, get a taste. (I once had to remove one of his quotes that I was using as a screensaver from my computer at a former place of work. Dinner for anyone who can pick it out.)
*****
Corey and I did a couple of hours today. His legs are back and it was very cool to see his mood shoot straight up. Headwinds, gravel, good legs, and good times.
"My Yard Art Will Kill Your Yard Art" (and you for that matter.)
"Here's to Healthy Legs."
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Cycleworks Battle Royal 6 Hour
My photography skills were beyond suspect today. Below are multiple pictures of people turning around a tree. These shots have the majority of the subject in frame. I also have several pictures of bike and body parts. I seemed particularly challenged in trying to catch Bonsall.
Charlie and Anne killed it, including a great save by Charlie on Tooth Gap.
Mr. 24. The Ergon Monster. Had some flats. You know where the story will be told.
T-Bone had bike issues from the start but still rolled strong.
See. Corey loves the "Hippy Power."
MW.
I thought he had won until the awards. Strong 2nd for "Hippy-Power."
MOD and his Euro-Booti(es).
Charlie and Anne killed it, including a great save by Charlie on Tooth Gap.
Mr. 24. The Ergon Monster. Had some flats. You know where the story will be told.
T-Bone had bike issues from the start but still rolled strong.
See. Corey loves the "Hippy Power."
Not racing this race felt strange. My day consisted of a little data entry, in-race trail maintence in the gully, and ~4 hours of grilling with a screwdriver and a saw. That's right, spatulas and tongs are for sucks.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)