wooooo fast thursday

damn, this picture of rusty doesn't just look fast, he is going fast.

i barely had time to turn around and get this on the north bridge.

i couldn't get one of javier, he was right up my ass the entire ride. fast fast fast.

the first lap was all cool and smooth, barely broke a sweat; then we decided we wanted one more full lap before dark. bam, we were off. at first i was just going tempo, but every turn rusty and jav were about buzzing my wheel, so i started picking it up. pretty soon i was going race pace, and i don't think we were ever spaced more than about 15-20 feet. fast fast fast.

love it. love those rides. thanks guys!

Thursday's Too?

Tuesday was a fun ride...and it was good to see a group show up. Two things were evident: 1) I'm out of shape from a lack of riding this summer; and, 2) It won't be long until we will need the lights to get in a good ride in the evenings.

I missed Wednesday night's ride...but do plan on heading out tonight. Probably will go to Corby again, but could be swayed in other directions if others think differently. I'll be there around 6 PM...

Tuesdays are Back!

Seems like everyone has been pretty busy with life this summer, but apparently schedules are starting to open up again. We had 6 riders last night! It was a good ride too, everyone was going pretty hard, especially on the North loop. Although it was an all out, full open, leg twister - I think everyone felt like they got a good deep breath or two. I know I was sweating pretty good.

Trails were in good condition. No major blockages, besides one reroute on the South trail. There is some small debri that needs to be kicked off on a hike, but nothing that will take you down if you are paying attention.

I'm thinking about Krug tonight. Any takers? Call if interested. 752-2025

You thought this shit was ugly before

But look at it now. That's right, we're going for the ugliest page on the web. Getting close, I don't know. Probably should have ridden tonight instead of screwing around with this piece of shit.

Spiders

After eating about a pound and a half of spiders on the Corby South Loop I ran into Dave, Randy, and Tom heading out for a Sunday AM ride. Stopped to chat for a bit as Randy fixed the cables that he previously put on Dave's bike, that were originally purchased from Tom. Confused? Me too, but I think the jist was that everyone in that little circle had screwed eachother in one way or another.

Here's a picture of Randy tuning up Dave's bike on the back of his car - while he tells me what a pussy I am for the previous posts this week. Excuse me for having feelings. Well, after a good cry and a group hug we hit the trails again. I had to peel off after a North lap but it sounded like the rest of the group was heading to the girlscout camp trails. Good times....

Hey Guys!

Ran into Mike and Jeff at Corby North this evening. It's fun to see those guys - and I love Jeff's teal Yeti, should have got a picture of it. They helped me cut out one of the trees that had dropped in the storms this week. Trails were generally in good shape on both sides of the parkway, and there were only about 4-5 trees that made the trail impassable. There was only two that required the saw.

The big rains have brought some opportunities for improvement to light on the South trails. There are a couple steep ups and downs that have become white water washouts. On one of them I added a diverter log to send water over the side of the trail and down the hill. Hopefully no one knocks it out of the way. The other trails will need something similar, I think the water just needs to spill off the edge of the trail periodically and it should be fine.

All in all it was a beautiful ride. There were some unpleasant challenges though. The flying ants were out and I think I must have had over 100 of them in my hair by the time I got home. That's okay though, all the spiders I ran into in the trails needed a snack anyway. I think I shook 3 spiders out of my hair and jersey when I got home. Nasty.... Starting to look forward to fall and the first deep freeze. Also looking forward to day hikes in the long slow drizzles on a 40 degree day. The woods are just a completely different world on those days, and they are one of the things I have come to love about Northern Missouri.

Saw mama deer and what looks like a brand new fawn. I thought August was a little late to have a wobbly legged fawn tripping through the woods, but what do I know. I guess practically living in backyards, they probably don't have to work too hard to survive in the winter, but I imagine things would get a little rough if doe and fawn were in a little more wild area. Good luck friends.

Mid-Summers Night Acoustic Prelude

Last night was like a sweet, warm cup of cappuccino. The woods were opening up, getting ready for the rain. Wildlife was also out getting ready for a good soaking. An olfactory potpourri from a thousand sources settled into the low areas and hung like fog over the river.

Everything seemed like it was in tune and on rhythm, the cicadas, birds, and crickets filled out the string and woodwind section. The adjacent neighborhood dogs provided the rhythmic brass, and 29" tires rumbling through a rigid frame provided the essential base line.

As acoustic as it gets..... Every season has its perfect ride - Last night was the one for this summer.

Weeks Off

It's not just updates that I haven't been doing. I haven't ridden or maintained trails either.

After painting the house, I went to New York for a whirlwind weekend. Got to drink some of the good stuff, and see some sights - but no riding.

Since I got back I have been working quite a bit. Pretty far behind still.

Did get a chance to ride Corby on Sunday. Spent most of the 2hrs cutting out downed trees and branches, and as far as I know - all trails are now clear. Looked like most of the trees and branches had been there since the last time I rode 2-3 weeks ago - even the small stuff. Com'on gang, at least kick off the small stuff - the wheel you save could be your own.

Hoping to get out a little this week, and will try to post here and there. Sorry for the lame post, and lamer pictures.

Paint Sucks

Been off the bike for over a week now. Knees are fully recovered, so that is good.

I am in the middle of painting my house, and have vowed not to ride until it is done. Hopefully I have not bitten off more than I want to chew here.

Group is riding the trails tonight. Call down to the shop if you want in. Should be a nice cruisin' group.

Have fun sweating like crazy and munchin' spiders guys.

P.S.
I have all the wood needed to get the bridges repaired at Krug. Will need some help hauling it down there and setting in place though. Any volunteers for later next week sometime?

Down hill Slide

Well the Laramie Enduro is out of the way for me. It was a mixed success. Finished about 40 minutes faster than two years ago (when I was on a full suspension geared bike vs. this year on a full rigid single speed). Even still, the field was faster and I finished 101st this year vs. 88th two years ago.

In the single speed division I locked up the 14th place, right in the middle of the pack. We started with the Pros andExperts, and I am reasonably certain that some of the ss guys were pros too. The guy that got 7th in the ss division last year came in way behind me, so I don't know what that means.

Anyway, weather was beautiful for the race, course was in good shape, and I had a great time.

My daughter made the trek with me and my mom and stepdad caravanned up too. We all visited some family afterward and that was cool too. It was a great road trip with my daughter though, we had so much fun.

Here are a couple pictures from the race. Do I look shot?

Since then I haven't ridden. Trying to get the house painted, and as usually happens it is a bigger project than I hoped or bargained for. See you when the paint is drying.

Saddle Time

No trail riding for me this weekend, all dirt roads. Did 4 hours and 50 miles yesterday. Went out by Honey Creek, around the Amazonia Levy, then up through the hills to Country Club Village. Seems like dirt road rides usually turn up something interesting, but this one was pretty dull apart from a lot of deer on the road, beside the road, and bounding through corn fields.

Only a couple days till Laramie. Anything else going on this weekend that the world should know about?

Itchy

Well I got into something nasty. Poison oak, poison sumak, poison ivy - don't know which, don't care. All I know is that I would like to cheese-grate myself to death. Uhhhggg.

Rode last night with Aaron (who is getting pretty darn fast), and Tyson who hasn't ridden much this year but is still riding well. Did 2.5 laps on the south side and 1 on the north at Corby. It was a good ride.

Will be doing sporadic riding this weekend, so if anyone wants company - give me a call.

Quiet

It was a quiet evening in the park last night. I did one lap at Corby and didn't see a soul.

Be careful near the Corby South enterance. There is a tree that is about to fall on the trail. I tried to bring it down, but didn't feel like I could do it safely with out some rope or something. The wind will probably take it in the next few days.

Tried to map the GPS stuff last night for Krug, Corby, and the Scout Camp. Just as I was finishing up there was a fatal program error and I lost the file. Guess I will have to start over on that one.

Another Ass-kicker

Winding up for the Laramie Enduro at the end of the month. Did two-furs today. 2-laps Corby South, 2-laps Corby North, 2-laps Girl Scout Camp, 2-laps Krug. I figure this was about 32 miles of trail at the end of the day. Bet I ate 250 spiders at Krug. Next time I'll get a picture of one of those little bastards, incase some of you don't know what I'm talking about.

Took along the GPS from Forces of Nature to get a map on some of the trails that haven't been mapped yet. Batteries died about half way through the journey, so I didn't have a solid read on what I had accomplished.

32 miles doesn't sound like much, but when you throw the single speed, rigid bike, and type of trail into it - I think it was a good training day. Total bike time was about 4 hours.

Ran into Lance on the parkway between trails, he was on his way to infect a youngster with mountain biking fever. Hope everything worked out on their ride.

Jim was going to race at Smithville Lake - how did that go man?

Long Day

Randy and I did an epic. It had a little bit of everything.

We met some folks on the river. We talked to a guy on the hiway. We wend through some woods. Hung out with an old guy on a 4-wheeler. Rode into the Honey Creek Conservation area. Had lunch in a bar in Amazonia.

Randy was having a heck of a time with cramps, and it was hot - but we made it. Went through some interesting terrain, saw some interesting stuff.

Thurs night

Rode Corby with Jim, Rusty, and Aaron last night. Great weather, although I got rained on riding home in the dark.

After Corby, Aaron peeled off and Rusty, Jim, and I rode the Girl Scout Camp trail a couple times. Coming out of the trail Jim ripped a sidewall, bummer. That trail is a lot of fun, and definitely a technical challenge. I have to put my foot down a couple times in the rocks, at least until a good line develops. I think it is a little tougher picking through that stuff with the big wheels.

Here's Jim racing up the parkway to get to the Scout Camp:

After the flat we all rode back to Corby where Rusty and I took another full lap in the twilight. Rusty and Jim are riding fast - put them in the lead for most of the ride, as I was just trying to keep up.

It was a good night.

Heavy Use

Great night last night. Went out for a couple laps at Corby and found myself in a relative mtb traffic jam. Ran into John, who I had ridden with once or twice last summer. We did a lap South and North. Ran into Rusty, and did a partial lap with him. Saw some teenage types out on mountain bikes. They were walking the hills, but it's a start - and any start is a good start. Saw a guy on a nice Cannondale. Rusty talked to him and I forgot his name.

Also saw a couple hikers on the South loop.

Weather was great, trail conditions are very dry, but good, and people are friendly. It is fun to see the trails being used. Hats off to Randy, Shawn, Brian, Brad, Lance, Jim, Rusty, Javier, David, the Boyscout Troop, and all the others not listed who have worked so hard making these trails a reality. This trail system is really becoming something you can be proud of.

BTW, if I forgot someone - sound off in the comments.

News Story

Yep, Made the news - see below

Driver injured after hitting treeSt. Joseph News-PressA one-vehicle accident on Corby Parkway sent one woman to the hospital and blocked traffic for more than an hour as workers cleared a fallen tree from the roadway Sunday afternoon.Laurel J. Grimm, 21, was driving southeast at 4:16 p.m. on Corby Parkway between Corby Pond and Ashland Avenue when she lost control of her 2003 Chevrolet S10 and veered off the right side of the road. The truck crashed into trees along the road, one of which fell and blocked traffic, according to Sgt. Richard Ketchem of the St. Joseph Police Department."By the time city yards employees arrived and got it all cleaned up, it was probably an hour to 90 minutes or better before we opened the road and traffic could come through," Mr. Ketchem said.Ms. Grimm was transported by ambulance to Heartland Regional Medical Center, where she was treated and released, according to a nursing supervisor.Ms. Grimm was issued citations for careless driving for failure to maintain control of her vehicle and for failure to provide insurance, according to police records.

Manawa Race

Well, it was really hot. Really hot.

The trails were in fast condition, even though they had sustained major flood damage earlier in the year. Poised between Lake Manawa on one side, and the river on the other, they didn't have much of a chance in those big rains. THOR (trails have our respect), the trail building group in Omaha, is awesome with good community support, good funding, and strong membership; they got the trails whipped into shape really quick.

For my part, I forgot just how flat the course was, and I have apparently forgotten how to gear for flat races. I spent about 1/3 of the race totally spun out. In the heat spinning like crazy blows energy quick. The rest of the 2/3 race was spent in very, very tight and twisty single track. This is the kind of trail that I have always preferred, and I was able to at least sort of hang on because of the single track part. I guess that's the cool thing for me about single speed, it is just as much about planning for the race as it is about riding during the race. I fell down on the planning part this time.

Regardless, it was a fun race. My mom, step-dad, and daughter also came to the race - so it was fun to have a fan base, even if I didn't perform like I deserved one. Here are the results -

Note that Woodman had almost 4.5 minutes on the next 3 of us. What an animal... And a helluva nice guy.

Next up - St. Joe trail building story. Went out for a Corby ride this afternoon. Was trying to map the south side for the website, but kept running into problems. The weirdest part: while starting the second lap I heard the snap of a tree falling, then constant honking for a few minutes. I was farting around with the GPS, so I wasn't paying much attention. Then after rolling into the trails, right before the rock bridge there was a yellow pick-up hanging part of the way across the trail. There was a very disoriented woman in the driver seat, and a few by-standers jumping around trying to figure out how to get her out of there. Luckly I had my saw in my pack, so I cut the trees that were pinching her doors shut, then cut a trail up to the road so they could pull her back to the road. Also cut out the trees that she had knocked onto the trails. By-standers and Paramedics thanked me, which was cool. The lady just staggered past without saying anything, might have been rattled, or drunk - not sure. At one point a cop asked if I had a permit to cut trees in the park. I just gave him a look and that was the end of it.

Anyway, it was an interesting ride. Ate a lot of spiders, so I guess it is that time of the year. All in all, I had fun - just wish I would have thought to get a photo of the truck on the trail, it was something else.

Race Saturday

For anyone interested, there is a race in Council Bluffs this weekend at Lake Manawa. It is part of the Nebraska Lottery Psycowpath race series (a well run, safe, fun series). Payouts and prizes are generally very good and the crowd is very cool.

The course is a lot of fun, and is great for beginning racers, as there is almost no elevation change. The course is very twisty/curvy through the trees on an approximate 7 mile loop. It will be a fast but fun race.

Here is the information - hope to see some of you there!

http://www.nebraskacyclingnews.com/content/view/728/190/