WEIRD AL FLASHBACK

??? Weird


This mornings workout consisted 3 cups of Trader Joes French Roast coffee, a one hour Yoga class at Synergy, and a 20 minute run. For the first time in a long time I decided to use my IPOD. It was pretty cold in WI and the motivation was low so I figured the 80's would be a great genre to help me get through the final phase of training.

As I was finishing the run Weird AL "Eat It" started playing and the flashback hit me....

The setting...1996 somewhere in CA

Back in 1996 I was on the Rock Shox Jr Development mountain bike team....check out the old school picture....anybody recognize the two superstars who are still faster than me? Anybody recognize me?

Also on the team was Miles Jay, I'm not sure what he is up to now, but after one of the Norba in California I stayed at his house before flying home to MI. When I first walked in the house there was lots of guitars, lots of records, and lots of pictures of Weird AL. It thought it was rather strange. This was 10 years ago and I still remember it vividly. It turns out Miles Jay is the son of Stephen Jay bass guitarist for Weird AL!



Simply Amazing. When Miles' dad got home it was late, but he had some steak and we went for a sweet bike ride, with no lights, 20 minutes into the ride we went down a crazy descent and came out on the Pacific Ocean. Steve Jay stoked up the fire and cooked one of the best steaks I have eaten in my life right on the beach. The ride home was really really dark and it seemed like it took a long time. I also remember feeling as if I was facing east. It was sweet. Two weeks later 8 Weird Al tickets w/ backstage passes showed up in the mail. A week later I was at the Fowlerville Fair in MI partying backstage with AL himself! That's it...

I'm Free

The last 12 weekends in a row I have raced except for when I was really really sick two weekends before Iceman. This past weekend was the first race weekend with no required training and no racing and it felt pretty funny. When I had nothing to do I felt like I should be getting ready, preparing, cleaning, doing something to make me or my equipment faster. Fortunately it didn't take long to find the recliner and the remote to the big screen and RELAX, watch some football and eat some chili. I'm prety sure the season is officially over. There are a few more races on the schedule, but it's not the end of the world if I miss them. It's the time of the year to start up again at Synergy, ( www.synergyteamworkout.com ) do some Yoga, and hope it snows. This weekend is the end of the season party for PCW. We'll see what next year has in store.

Also for sale from the garage...$450


a pair new of Race X Lite 700c's just like these except they are black. Let me know...
soon I will have another pair, but they will be Aero...also $450

Turkey Day Trot

From first to last in one week....take away my wheels and I'm not so fast.
This morning we busted out our 3rd or 4th annual Turkey Trot in Sheboygan. Andrea (my wife) wasted me...I ran about 9 minute miles and I'm already feeling the pain. It was a beautiful day so I woke up a little early and rode my bike to the start at the YMCA for a warm up and home for the cool down. 20 miles total ride and 6 miles total run...not bad. Now it's time to enjoy some food and watch the rest of the Lions game. Happy Thanksgiving.

ps - I heard the master of the mullet Mike Spiro won the running race!!!

Holiday Sale

Trek Elite 9.9 - 19.5" - $2500

FULL XTR
Bontrager Carbon cockpit
Rock Shox Sid World Cup
Bontrager X-Lite Disc 26" wheels

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Trek Top Fuel 110 - 19.5" - $3000

FULL XTR
Bontrager Carbon cockpit
Rock Shox Sid World Cup
Bontrager X-Lite Disc 26" Wheels

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both bikes are mint condition

e-mail me if interested

brimatter@hotmail.com

old school picture of the week
1994 flying the flannel on the Haro Impulse

Repeat

Whatever 'Lola'nde wants 'Lola'nde gets!!!















This has been the year of the repeat...

2x wors series champ
2x norba state champ
2x wca series cross champ
and now 2x cross st. champ

here is how it happened

Angel Park Raceway - Sun Prairie, WI CX State Championships



Before the race Lalonde wanted two favors. Beat the guys from Grand Performace and beat the guys who dope. Lap number one saw a huge crash over the first barrier section. I'm not sure what I was doing 15 guys back, but I was in the middle of the crash watching the leaders ride away. By the start of lap two I had bridged up to Paul Ellis.



After sitting on for a half lap and looking back to see the chase group of ten guys it was time to step up the pace. After three or four hard off camber corners and a run up, Paul was gone. I knew it would be hard to hold off the chasers doing a 55 minute individual TT, but each lap I gained time by staying smooth.



The highlights of the course included a raucous crowd in the beer garden and a brutal cement step run up. The fans were great and the victory was sweet. It was about time there were some people cheering at the race....so I rewarded them with some "Hi Fives" each lap through.
Lalonde was the man. "More Cow Bell" After the race Lalonde wanted a Blog!



The best part of the trip had to be the drive home when we saw "dad" driving the family wagon solo clad in blaze orange loaded down with three dead deer sparks shooting of the tail pipe from hitting the pavement at 35 mph in a 65 giving us the big thumbs up! I'm really mad I didn't have the camera. Thanks to Sarah Lukas for the race pictures.

Thanks to all the sponsors...PCW, Hyundai, Trek, Oakley, Crank Bros
Next stop...Rhode Island??? I wonder what Tristan is doing...not really what I really want to know is when will Tristan pop the question?

i'm going old school w/ new age technology

what do i have to say about my daily life that you want to read about....not much in my opinion which is why i have delayed so long with the blog. i have lots of training secrets, lots of advice, lots of mechanical tips, and lots of experience racing, this is why you get a coach...i'm just an old married has been mtn biker (kind of like Tilford, but not nearly as much success) that travels the midwest in search of easy $$$ at races. but i figured some of you might get a kick out of some old school stories from back in the day when mtn biking was cool and we the Mi crew ripped it up expert style in the back of a dodge caravan for 3 years...so here it is my blog...here is what i want to do...update current race results, remember the good ol' days, and stay occupied at work when things are slow...check it out often, leave funny comments, and enjoy

MUDFEST

WI Cyclocross @Janesville

thnxs to madcross for the photos
thnxs to trek for the XO2
thnxs to Chris Z for driving the Saab
thnxs to Bill Street for the muddy potato sack of a jersey I had to wear
thnxs to Schouten for the secret

hanging out at amatuer hour too much caused me to forget my jersey
look at that thing flap in the wind
maybe i would have lapped the whole field if i had a top which fit



next week is state championships maybe i can defend?

ICEMAN

Iceman = 1 hard crash

Iceman = 2 X in a row losing to Tristan

Iceman = 3rd place 2006