Discipline

It was tough to skip this weekends WORS race, but in the long run I think it was the right thing to do. I needed to get another solid month of training under my belt and if I raced it had the potential to interrupt 2 weeks. So instead of the race I spent Sunday on my road bike discovering new roads out in the kettles. 4. 5 hours later I was in the reclinerw/ Rosco watching the CAVS and Celtics. I'll be ready for Wausau!

I also discovered some more hardwood floor in the kitchen underneath about 4 layers of linoleum and subfloor....I had nightmares about the orbital sander.

Friday nights fountain park Bike To Work Week party was sweet. Free Brats! I am officially a Sheboyganite after grilling over 100 Brats in a single day!

Finished off Bike and Walk to Work Week w/ 0 miles on the car and 5 days commuting including the ride home from Klunkerz at11:00pm Friday night.

OLD SCHOOL - NEW SCHOOL

Before

After

U SHOULD BIKE TO WORK 2

$1.33 and the scenery is not half bad.
















Thats how much I save each time I ride my bike to and from work. Doesn't sound like much, but that doesn't count the benefits to my heart, the environment and saving the wear and tear on my car. Three times commuting saves me a gallon of gas!















Word on the street is over 75 people showed up to the morning commuter station at Fountain Park in Sheboygan this morning for the free coffee. Friday night finishes off the week with yours truly grillin' brats She Vegas style 6:30pm also at Fountain Park.

Get on your bike and ride!

IOLA

I was pretty busy at work the other day and didn't have time for a proper update....now I'm waiting for a pizza at a new place in town so here goes....

Iola: It was a last minute decision and I almost didn't even make it to the start line. Drankus called and told me he was leaving at 9:30am for the race. I was still in Sheboygan at 10:30 getting some new 29er Hutchinson Python rubbers(with tubes).

I used the full power of the new Hyundai Sonata and made good time to Iola. 1:45 from Sheboygan not too shabby.

First race of the year. Not really motivated with a late start to training. Wanted to get more miles in the legs before giving it a whirl, but with near perfect weather I had to do it.

With less than 10 minutes warm up I was called to the front row after last year overall performance. I knew I wasn't ready for the pace on the first few climbs so I settled into 11th or 12th position on the first 4 climbs.

At the end of lap 1 I had moved inside the top 10 and by lap 2 I had latched onto the wheel of Tom Bender and the Flying French Canadian.

And that's the end of the story as I sat in comfortably for the next 3 laps. We dropped Bender and the F.F.C. was kiling it on the last lap and we almost caught Eppen in 3rd place.

Overall very happy. Good HR Numbers, Consistent Lap Times, and a solid finish.

The bike: Gary Fisher Superfly w/ Carbon Switchblade 21lbs

Superfly was nice...slow on the accelerations and there were a lot of them. I felt like I was taking bad lines the first 2 laps and it took a while to get used to the big wheels. No problems with the rigid Bontrager Carbon Switchblade. It's true suspension is not necessary with the big wheels. I was always overgeared coming out of the corners. Maybe if the wheels were lighter(no tubes) I could have accelerated faster. This was the first time I have raced with tubes in 7 years!

Who still rides with a CamelBak? Wasn't that like 7 years ago?

Next time I will be on this bike!!!!!

The 2008 Top Fuel weighing in at 24lbs.

What Race?

That's how good I feel today! Legs feel great, confidence is high and motivation is in full force.

5th place 2 minutes down on the leader. Debut on the rigid 29er Superfly! A little different than the fuel. Probably would have preffered the Fuel with all the accelerations and save the 29er for the long fast races. What happened between Dec 2nd the last cross race and April 7th when I started training? Not much but I didn't seem to lose too much fitness. Another month and I'll be a contender! Thanks Don for holding another great race, Rusty for some more fantastic photos, and all my sponsors for allowing me keep the dream alive.

It's Time~~~

So, last night around 6:00PM, towards the end of a busy day at work, I received a message from a good friend. He was hoping I could help him pack up some boxes, load a trailer, and move all his beloved belongings. He had just helped me move across town so it was my turn to pay back the favor, even though it was lightning, windy, and pouring down rain. A quick call to my lovely wife was due just to make sure nothing was going on. Her phone was off. A quick call to the in-laws to see if she was there, only to find out she was on a bike ride. So I decided to brave the inclimate weather and go help a friend.

Then the bad news...the phone call..."Where are you?" "I'm helping Tristan move." "I thought you were going to be home at 6:00?" "I called, your phone was off." "I made you homemade pizza."

So I basically bombed our first sweet date at the new house. Andrea had planned the ultimate romantic dinner by the fireplace(I masterfully figured out how to light the fuse the night before)....the lightning storm was just an added bonus, but I bombed it....

Tristan was pretty pumped that I helped him....

On my way home from helping Tristan I had one last chance.....a late night trip to the Piggly Wiggly flower shop. Lets just say the flowers saved the day....

Which leads me to this morning....I had one of those, amazing, solo, 7:00am, the only guy in the world, this is why I love riding bikes, kind of rides. Then the random song on the IPOD....The Weather Girls...and at that moment I knew it was time to let the world know just how Superfly I am(was?).

Flashback to the Ultimate Iceman experience; The Golden Garter Review 1999!

Or click here

All New....

WOW 10 days between blog post seems like a lot has happened.

WOW the new ride is Smooooth Like Butter...

First ride on the all new Madone.....

Impressive, almost more comfy than the Fuel w/ 700c's. Definately smoother than the Superfly with 700c's. Thanks to Snuddy and Asif again...those Trek guys rule! Plus word on the street is a new Fuel is on the way soon!

Superfly is under a top secret upgrade...a few photos were realeased earlier today.

Check out the new Shadow XTR...nice....

Spent last weekend riding and hooking up the washer and dryer...its nice to be able to finally do laundry! Also snuck out of work early to watch this guy take the most painful looking sprint in the worl and the midwest collegiate road championships. The miles are adding up...

Settling Down

After another crazy weekend things are settling down. We spent the first night in our new house last night. I was hoping for a ghost or some funny noises in the middle of the night, but pretty much fast asleep after my head hit the pillow. Maybe I was a little BLOWN out after TJ, Bennet, Andrea, Elicia, and I did the windiest bike ride in history. The Superfly was rocking with the 700c's....pretty fast set up....now I just need to slap on a Bontrager Switchblade and I will be all set.

Speaking of settling down....the rest of the weekend was spent hanging w/ Tristan. He took the plunge this past weekend and got hitched. It was an awesome wedding and fun was had by all. I am pumped for both of them....I was hoping he would pass out or something cool during the ceremony so I would have a great story to tell, but no such luck.

Today was unpacking boxes and cleaning the house in the morning followed by this place. I did manage a little cruise on the SUPERFLY on the dirt....

Why didn't somebody tell me....

I guess I forgot that the season started two months ago.....so I have a little catch up to do, and things started off good yesterday. I called up some old friends at Pearl Izumi and scored a sweet pair of super stiff Pearl Octane mtb shoes.

Then I called up my best friends at Trek (Snuddy and Asif) and they sent over a brand new Fisher Superfly! I quickly added some Crank Borthers Egg Beater pedals...now I can't wait to get this thing dialed in...more photos to come soon....

Finally I called up my man Tasche at Hyundai and the rest of the gang at Gear Grinder and told them it was time to start training....back on the war path~

ps....the back pack is filled with bricks...

The Final Push

We did it! Made the big move yesterday....

It started off by putting on some Polyurethane over the freshly sanded floors.

One more light sanding after the Poly dried....

One more coat of Poly.....

Then we loaded & unloaded the trailer...

and were are in....kind of...we have to let the floor cure for 7 days so we are staying at the Hildebrands...couldn't have done it without them.

thanks a ton to Tristan and Dano for helping move some heavy furniture....

Favorite pictures to be posted soon....if I can find my stuff in the huge pile of mess we have in the back room! Time to go for a ride!!!

Free Advice

DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME

8:00AM

14 Hours Later 10:00PM

Home Ownership Rules!

Rules? Like Yeah this rules...or like rules to live by...

1. Don't buy a house or start a remodeling job at the beginning of bike season....

1. Buying your own house after paying rent for 10 years is pretty sweet....

2. Don't argue with your spouse over paint colors...just paint...

2. Ordering a pizza and watching some basketball after hard days work on your own house...

3. Don't eat too much easter candy when not riding your bike a lot....

3. Eat lots of easter candy to ward off the bonk from sniffing paint all day...

Yeah in the end everything has been blending together...this past week after Gravel Rouser has been crazy...leaving the old house at 7am and not returning until after 9pm. Packing three sets of clothes just to leave for the day. Once again I have acheived blown out status, but I am having fun and we are making good progress on the house. More pictures soon.

I did manage to ride 3 times this week and hoping for a 4th ride tomorrow before the final painting push. Until next post...I hope you are riding more than me...

Gravel Rouser Epic

Yesterday was the Gravel Rouser! Shouldn't that mean Spring Time is officially here. Maybe in OH, but today we are driving back to Wisco where old man winter might linger for another month or two...always a little depressing going home after vacation...even more so with fresh snow on the ground.

The Gravel Rouser Lake Hope Epic was another for the record books. We gathered at the W. State St. ball fields for the 20+ mile dirt road ride out to Lake Hope. Right off the bat Duncan w/ his rockin' mullet jumped out to the lead in the road kill points competition. The ride out was great and we even took some local short cuts.

The points competition heated up when Mike Boyes tied things up with this sweet score...

When everyone arrived at Lake Hope it was time for the real racing to begin. 8 miles of the best singletrack in the midwest. I started off 3 wheels back and slowly made my way to the front. On one of the climbs I pushed the pace and only Ryan Curtis could hang. Ryan took the lead like any local would and pointed me in the long way around an option section! I bided my time and followed him on the technical descent until he took a corner a little too hot and the wet leaves unhooked his back wheel. I cruised it on in for my second stage win of the 08 Rouser. More photos & GPS route to come soon.

Finished off the 4.5 hour day in some rain with Joey and Mike hoping to score some last minute roadkill and win the weasel, but it looks like this is the closest it will ever make it to Sheboygan...

Bunny Ears

Day Two: Gravel Rouser Grab & Git City Scramble

Earlier today we suited up for stage 2....Elmer Fudd and the wabbits was our theme of the day. Operation goal; Kill The Wabbit....

We started off at Athens Bicycle and at 5:00pm sharp maps were handed out and the scrambling begun. Just like a scared rabbit we were off to the first of 5 check points. Andrea, Elicia and I decided to stick together and work as a team. Andres is very directionally challenged and it was a necessity, if I ever wanted to see my wife again, that I made sure she stayed nearby....Elicia is not that much better. We struggled a bit with the first two stops, but after that it was smooth sailing. Stops 3, 4, 5, nailed down, no wrong turns, and a couple of shortcuts. In the end it was a massive 6 up field sprint to the house....I managed to be the 2nd to arrive, followed by Duncan, and Elicia....Corey, Kevin, and Andrea did some Hockey fighting no blood was spilled. Mr Fast even had time for a beer before winning stage 2. In the end after time bonuses and time penalties I finished 7th. Elicia won the womens race and Andrea was 5th. One day a cheesehead will win the Grab & Git....

All eyes on this prize for tomorrows epic stage to Lake Hope!

Thunder Bunny

Gravel Rouser 08....Lovin' the Easter Bunny

















The 2008 version of the Rouser kicked off last night with the Thunder Bunny Time Trial. A 2.5 mile off road tt that truly tested your handling skills. As I was riding my dads Trek Fuel 98 I realized it was the first time on a mountain bike since 100ft past the finish line of the Iceman. With 2 days of rain and massive flooding in all of Ohio I was ready for a muddy day on the bike. The crew down in Athens does amazing work on there trails and it could have been a lot worse. I was the 2nd rider off and instantly the HR was pegged as I was climbing the muddy switchbacks. The Bontrager Revolts were not the tire of choice, so I dropped the psi to about 20 and started to let 'em rip on the descents. My time was just shy of 15 minutes and it was pretty painful at some points, but I was able to pull out my first win of the season for team Gear Grinder. No new team clothes yet, so I had to go Athens style with the Hunter jersey and the clear Oakley Radar shooting glasses.

Tonight is the Grab & Git...a scavenger hunt around town and inside scoop is that race promoters did all they could to take away the local advantage...

Rain

We made it to OH! Only to be greeted by rain and flooding! Good thing I brought the rain jacket! With double fenders, double booties, and the double visor we managed two 3 hour days. The first was slightly painful w/ temps in the 40's and a hurling wind. Day 2 was much nicer as the temp increased to the mid 50's and the wind died down. The riding here is still amazing with all the climbing and the endless number of different routes.

After Tuesdays ride we had a homemade pizza and then cruised down to Ohio University for a Bobcats B-Ball game. Just what I needed to get in the mood for March Madness. Gravel Rouser starts tonight....it's going to be muddy.

Forget the Baby Steps

Go Big or Go Home....

We bought the new house on Friday and are leaving for a week vaction later today....bad timing I know, but its Gravel Rouser and warmer weather.

So with one weekend to work on the new house we had to go pretty big. The muscles are feeling it today.

Now it's off to OH for Gravel Rouser 08...can't wait to see the number plates!

It's On

Day One: One Key To Rule Them All

Before: 1950's White Shag!

During: Thanks for the help Rosco!

2 More Days

2 Days and counting until we close on the house! If anyone wants to work for free don't hesitate to call me! We have carpet to rip up, furniture to move, and plenty more elbow work, so really call me. We took the final walk through the house yesterday. I am pumped. Now that the personal property of the seller is gone the house looks a lot nicer. We also discovered all hardwood floors under the carpet.

Eagle River was a pretty well timed relaxing weekend. We stopped by the warming hut on day number 1 to feed the birds. I skied all three days including a 40k day on Saturday. That's all for today....need to start making more phone calls...todays agenda is switching over the electric and gas, calling a floor restoration guy, and going for a bike ride!

All Of The Above

8 Days and counting until we close on the new house. My brain has been scrambled lately. Yesterday Andrea and I went and looked at paint and flooring samples. Mind boggling to say the least. Then they tell you how much it is going to cost! Lets just say winning the triple crown doesn't cover stuff like that...

Anyway I am pretty excited about moving into the new house, but at the same time I just want to bust it out, get in there, and start to focus on riding my bike. We are taking a little breather this weekend to forget about things and heading up to Eagle River. We haven't made it up there at all this winter.

This photo was taken back in 2003!

I remember when I headed up for the first time with new skate skis. I had no idea what I was doing and Andrea put the hammer down on me with her classical skis. The next year I went up there with Schaning and we skiied 35 or 40 k and I was blown out. After 5 years I think I finally nailed it down. Now if I could just muster up some motivation to wax those things I would be Rockin' like Dokken.

Rosco is pumped to go to E.R. It has been a long winter for the little guy.