Pre-turkey puddle romp...

Well it's Thanksgiving, for years I have been trying to establish a "tradition" to partake on Turkey day, or at least right around it. Lets just say with the cards life has dealt, its a "ride." Whatever my nutty schedule allows, I ALWAYS have to ride around the holiday.


In years past I have ridden down the trails of Downieville, rode the insane traffic of the East Bay, or just rode my bike around with my kids. This year was a good year, not only did I get to do one of my favorite road rides (oxy-moron, but you take what you can get) but I got to ride it with a good friend.


Chris, aka Burrito (sorry Chris, that's for my Dad), met in Danville to ride Mt. Diablo from the South Gate to the summit, down to the North gate and back to the summit, then back to the truck...hopefully. A great climbing day....not so great weather. But the roads Chris and I have each been down the past several years, we were riding regardless.... Keep in mind the last time we attempted this ride we were turned away 1.5 miles from the summit as the road was closed due to snow and ice. So, we ride, regardless.

Chris rolls in a few minutes late with a borrowed bike from Sharon's cousin, so I hop out in the rain to get the bike ready. I grab the bike out of the back of the truck and turn my flasher on to which Chris then enlightens me that he has to change out the seat and pedals to his own. My California-Fall "b" hops in his car with the heater on as he changes out the bike.....No wait a minute, this is Chris....so it turns out that he has forgotten his saddle (not a big deal) and his pedals (a very big deal)...I am clued in by the expletives coming from the rear of the vehicle...hmmm...surely it was Sharon's fault?!


Hmmmmm, like I said, we were going to ride. I suggested we buy some cleats for the spd's on the borrowed bike, but no, Chris wants to buy the pedals to match the cleats on his shoes....okay, same deductive reasoning works for that option as long as you leave out the economics of it out of the discussion....but this is Chris, so it makes perfect sense.

New pedals bought, plus the $20 dollar install and we are off...no wait, we have to go back to the car to drop off the old pedals....now we ride. Sloppy and wet, cool, but not too cold, we ride out to the climb. It was a great day going uphill. The rain was refreshing. Chris was climbing well, he will never lead on to it, but the man has come a long ways...lets see, "widow-maker" to century for 1yr anniversary of widow-maker, helping raise 3 kids and the tiredness that goes with that, i.e. the perfect reason (no I refuse to say excuse here for fear I might hurt his feelings) to tell yourself "I don't have the time." Oh yeah, and the most impressive was Chris' 24hr race that he raced, again he'll deny it, but coming out for his first one he nailed it! SO he spent 4+ hrs crying, trying to convince me "you don't understand how this feels" at 3a.m., but hey he pulled himself out of the depths by 8a.m. So anyway....

We had a nice casual climb to the summit, threw on our rain shells, dry gloves and started down. Here is a spot to explain, what I think, sums up the day. Here we are, two fathers who are completely obsessed with bikes and getting ourselves in the best shape possible to ride them. I am proud when I ride through less than favorable conditions because a lot of people likely won't ride, I mean what happens when it starts raining at a race say at 8pm and the race doesn't end until noon the next day...gotta deal....so here was Wednesday, at least for me these were my thoughts:

1. On the way up, "That's right, here we are riding while everyone else in home warm and dry. I am a bad-ass!
2. On the way down upon passing another cyclist climbing up...the only other cyclist we saw that day, "Man there's someone else as dumb as me, didn't think that was possible...whoa this pavement is 'wavy'...oh wait, it was just resurfaced... I'm just shivering uncontrollably..."

There's really nothing else to say here...when we reached the ranger station at the "Y" we headed down to the South Gate, I tried my best to sound sincere and ask Chris why we weren't going to the North gate and back up, but he just laughed and mumbled something I couldn't quite make out. Don't think I was convincing though.

Despite the grim description, it was a great ride, one that will stand out. A new baseline for cold on the way down, I guess our California-Fall temps being in the 80's really haven't acclimatized me yet, go figure.

We grabbed some toasty soup and some grub and headed to our families for turkey's eve. Another Thanksgiving Holiday ride, continuing my tradition....of course I would love every holiday ride to be an epic one, maybe that day was epic in its own way... Its a day for me to put life in perspective...

I always used to look at what was wrong with my life, wrong with the world...several years ago I woke up and now I remember I am responsible for my life, my happiness, now I relish in my two beautiful children and hope I can instill in them the importance of making a difference, persevering, and being happy with what you have.

I think about my family and how I wish we were all closer, the many friends that I have and the ones that have come and gone in my life and the special ones that, even though we seldom get to talk, its like we spoke only yesterday.

I think about how lucky I am to have Marja in my life, how much like me she is (poor woman) and how much she isn't like me (lucky her) and relishing in that.

I think, wow life is good! a day like yesterday, as cold and wet as it was, choosing to be riding in it and appreciating the fact that I can.

For those of you who forgot, yeah I am a sap...

"Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional..."

-Zen

Why not enjoy life, every second of it!

Back on the DeSalvo again....

Well this weekend marks the first mtb ride I have done on the DeSalvo in a LONG time, maybe early October. For fear of offending my CX bike, I love all the hours I have put on the CX but there is nothing like being back up on the single track (actually climbing other than up and down the levee 50 times).

Scott, Linda and I met up at the top of Russel for the old faithful loop in Auburn. We have all been concentrating on CX lately so we were planning on leaving out Ruck-a-Chucky. It was a cool morning, but beautiful. No one was out and we were starting late at 8a.m.

We discussed the future of the team as we rode and just had fun. As we approached Driver's Flat I had to take care of some business...now Driver's Flat has a porta-john, but State Parks has 4 outstanding bathrooms down at the bottom of Ruck-a-Chucky...I made my case that they were nicer toilets, Scott of course pointed out to Linda that it would only add 25 minutes or so...to which Linda quickly said , "well if we bust it out on the way back we can make it....we can just bust it out" and the right turn was made for the descent to Ruck-a-Chucky.

The road was in absolute perfect condition (keep in mind that perfect here is a relative term). I believe Scott and I pulled 22 minutes once from top to bottom to top. I dropped fast, cause I had to go....afterwards we turned around and headed back up....Scott dropped part of a Gu wrapper so he stopped for a moment, and being the friend I am I picked it up a bit to try and get a gap...

I guess I should back up and give a little background: Ruck-A-Chucky is an area on the Middle fork of the American river where runners in the Western States 100 Endurance run cross, its approximately 800-1000 feet below Drivers Flat on a dirt road that makes the bulk of that elevation gain in 1.5 miles...its 2 miles total one way. Its 1.5 miles of hell followed by .5 miles of gasping for air trying to bring your heart rate down. Its great in that it puts every other climb you do in any race into perspective. There are only a few who love it like Scott and I. And when you don't pay Chucky a visit in a while, he usually makes you pay for it!

So....after somehow not giving in to the temptation to get off my bike and make the pain stop, I held off Scott and Linda and reached the gate in 25 minutes....not the best, but with a poop and a rock-in-the-shoe-stop, not bad! As to my "cheeky tactics" with Scott, he laid down the law later on the confluence!

A great ride! Nice to be back on the mtb!!

Sunday I joined Marja and Shelly for the same ride minus Ruck-a-Chucky. We arrived a little later at 9a.m. and there must have been 20 vehicles parked at the top of Russel road...another 20 down at the confluence...it was definitely a different day out there atmosphere-wise, you had to constantly be looking for traffic on the trail...Both Marja and Shelly busted out a great ride despite their self-proclaimed handicap of "lack of riding"....they were smoking it! As for me, I was/am pooped. The girls killed me. Two long days on the mtb, I should be sleeping well tonight.

Cheers, and have a happy Monday!

...words for the day

"Waking up every two hours and crying...thats sleeping like a baby."

Make a difference...

Lately I have been bitter about "people" in general. Whether its drivers, runners, walkers, roadies, etc...just most people seem unhappy and rude. And for some reason I have been letting it bother me.

Guess what, they are unhappy, they are rude...doesn't mean I have to accept it. This morning I rode past countless cyclists and pedestrians, and I said "hi" and waved to each and every one of them. 3 said hello back, one waved in silence. I bet by next month my smile makes at least one more of them smile.

I see kids at Cameron's school, very selfish and rude with no regard for others....then I see their parents and understand where it comes from...doesn't mean I or my kids will be the same way. That's just not how I was raised.

So a challenge to all of you, next time you are cut off on the road....don't react. When that person flys up the shoulder to get in front of you...let them in. Smile at people, say "excuse me." Hold the door open, help somebody... Don't be a victim of someone else's unhappiness, rise above it.

I had a great time this past weekend talking to the kids about helping others and that we needed to donate clothes and toys we didn't need anymore. They asked who we would give it to and I explained someone who needed them, someone not as fortunate as we were to have all this "stuff," such choices in clothes. etc. To my surprise, other than a few toys the kids jumped at the opportunity to help. They bagged clothes, toys, etc. We went down to donate and they helped me load all the bags and items into the goodwill trailer....

Afterwards, as we waited for the recycling depot to open (cashing in the cans) enjoying an Icee the kids were really happy helping other kids out.

Remember, each one of us is to blame for the state of our country...because we have all let it happen...and if you have kids, you are more to blame and you carry a HUGE responsibility to our society to make certain our kids are "good citizens." As you all know, most people in this country could care less about anyone else, its all about themselves and how much they have compared to someone else...and that's how their kids are too.

I have been burned in the past and likely will again in the future but I refuse to be that way, and I will not allow my children to be the same. There is a fine line between "being polite" and letting someone walk all over you....but I will continue to walk it with the hopes of making this world a better place....at least a friendlier one.

Make a difference!

...okay I am off my soap box, time to go get on my bike!

from FLatness to the Stars all lining up!

Rode in this a.m. nice and early, beating the sun to get a long ride in. A little fog here and there, but otherwise the bike trail (when I am on it) and the trails were totally empty. A little chilly, seeing its been near 80 in the afternoons lately....um, isn't it almost Thanksgiving?

So I am about an hour into it and I take a corner...hmmm, a little squishy! I look down, sure enough I am slowly flatting. No biggee right? Well, seeing I had 2 flats the other day from my house and now this one.....WTF? I sat down went over my tire like I was looking for gold (keep in mind its a brand new tire), but nada. I am going to have to go tubeless, and trust in Scott's Stans-Mojo-Magic! We shall see! Despite that, it was a good ride...the worst morning riding is better than the best day anywhere else for that matter!

We shall see what the ride after work holds for me. Looking at another 1.5 to 2 hrs easy spinning.

On another front, Chris and I have made things interesting with a bit of a wager....details to come, loser buys a set of Chris King Salt and Pepper shakers of the winners color choice... Stay tuned, April 1, 2009 will tell all!!!!

Finally, I asked Marja what her and I should do for our anniversary coming up in December, figured we should do something big seeing she has put up with my annoying butt for three years, anyway, she responded, wait I am tearing up....she said, I am dead serious here....she said, "I want to ride my bike..."

I couldn't respond, I was speechless! Life is good ya'll!

What a difference a week makes...really?

Well, here I am a week later and now I have a cold...ah the joys of two kids in school. You get to share every illness with the entire community! Small price to pay I guess, it's just I am a WIMP when it comes to a stuffy nose....

Despite a lot of "garbage" going on this last week it was really uneventful. This week was full of kid craziness between gymnastics, soccer pizza parties, and more gymnastics! Annika will be starting on a team here in Cameron Park starting in December, she is already working on her front tucks (flips) on the tramp.

Commuted from Folsom both ways on the CX bike Thursday, wow it felt great just to ride after last weekend. I was falling into the depths of depression being off the bike for 4 days...sounds silly but my kids start asking me to stop whining when I haven't ridden for a few days, its ugly.... I then rode up to Pville from here in Cameron Park on the rail trail Friday...sticky and fast single track since the rains, but I still flatted twice...both punctures...WTF? The Stan's gods really want me to convert back to tubeless on the CX!

On that note, seems Stan's is suing Specialized, can you say KARMA? Where's my TerraLogic?

Anyway, its November and my favorite time of the year with cold days, some rain, leaves falling from the trees....can some one tell me why it was 80 degrees yesterday, more of the same for today? I was able to ride two days in the rain a few weeks ago, but after looking at Folsom lake, man we need rain! Maybe Chris can send some via the Washington-CA aqueduct!

Well we are out the door, Cam and Annika are going to ride Brown's Ravine today with the mutts, Marja and I running it. Annika's first single track ride, no more fire roads or Prairie City, she'll be on a single speed just like her old man!! :)

Happy middle-of-November!!

Humble Pie Anyone???

Well, if today was any indicator of my body's need for rest...wow! Marja and I headed over to the Sac CX race at Discovery, an NCNCA Cup stop, only a few miles from Marja's house. After the standard whining from her that she hadn't ridden in a while due to school, I decided she needed to race since she refused to make up her mind.....well she dropped her arch rival on lap #2 and finished about 6 seconds out of third place....remember she hasn't been on a bike in a month! Like it matters!

Then there was my ride....I say ride, because today I paid $30 to ride around a fun CX course Rich laid out in Discovery Park. I stayed home from Portland, SSCXWC, due to exhaustion and my body hinting that I might be getting sick...so after sleeping on average 9.5 hours each night since Friday, I figured I should be up for a middle of the pack finish- tough at an NCNCA race in the A's as there is a lot of competition, never mind I am on a SS...why not make it harder on myself!

Well I felt O.K. warming up, halfway through the first lap I was relegated to the back of the pack thanks to some schmuck trying to ride a six-pack of small barriers, seems his second bunny-hop left him on the ground sideways in front of me w/ nowhere to go....no worries, the next straight away I crept back up to the middle, passed a few on the next two barriers, another in the tight muddy single track in the tunnel, and then we hit a long grassy straight away...I came around one rider hammering to grab the wheel of the group he fell off of...then my head started pounding and I just felt weird....so I got on a wheel and held it for a while, but ouch!

"He's calling the engine room, but no one's answering.."

So began my slow slide to the back of the pack. Lights were out, and unfortunately I was home!

I couldn't even hold a wheel....now its one thing to be suffering while having a good race, and holding your position, its another when you are sliding down the field like a ball rolling down Stage Coach in Auburn....Lap 2 under the bridge, I puked....not that "wow that's awesome" puke you see because you are pushing yourself so hard in a CX race, but that "wow this is pathetic puke" that happens when you feel like you are going to lose it at both ends and your legs might pop as well thanks to lactic acid....one mouthful. What next???!!!

I fought every urge to ride off the course back to my truck and pack it in. After Humbolt, when after a mechanical I cruised and didn't realize until 9 hrs into a 12 hr race I was still in 3rd, I refuse to ever give up on a race. So I fought the urge, and I almost lost several times...

So, to somehow make one of the worst races a positive experience I look at it like this:

1. I did not give up and ride off the course...unless you have been there, this might seem silly, but it was something I needed to do for myself (never mind Marja felt I should never have started...she's likely right, but DO NOT tell her that)
2. I was not lapped..again sounds lame, but in a CX race, a bad day usually means you are getting lapped at some point...o.k. so the course was really long, but give me a break here!
3. I was not last...baby steps!!

So I have said it before, be positive...even my pathetic display today I can walk away from it with something, just not my pride, I left that in the truck before the race started!!

Gordon asked me at the end of the race, "You bring the wrong gear Brad?"

I replied, "no I brought the wrong legs!"

...all about timing....

...it had to happen, two days before the SSCXWC in Portland I get a little sniffle and then the body aches....long story short Scott and Linda are up in Portland eating some breakfast about to head over to Chris King in a few hours to take part in Saturday's time trial and here I am writing about it. I was jealous of those two last year, but its killing me now! I will be honest, I have slept more in the past 36 hours than I have the past week and a half it seems...my body needed a break. I have to admit part of me wishes I went just to go after the heckling award! See I played Lacrosse at UC Davis, and what we lacked in skill at times we could ALWAYS make up for with heckling the other team or even fans....


So enough, I wish Scott and Linda a great two days of racing, I will be buying Ciro's pizza upon their return to hear all about it!! I know they will do well, Scott has been on a terror lately at the cross races and Linda always steps it up at the big events!! Lastly I am bummed as I will not get to see my buddy Chris and his family, that would have been fun! Jake and Zack love the cow bells and we all know you can never have enough cow bells!

So 0n to rumors:

1. Coolest 24 hrs may not be in Cool...sources close to me say that the State Park folk may not let the event happen in Cool, using the Olmstead loop as the core of the race. Instead it may be moved to Granite Bay...now don't get your panties in a bunch and whine and cry, just like I did (it was ugly), the idea would be to run the course up toward rattlesnake bar and use the trails toward the Auburn Dam overlook and form a loop that way....I don't know enough of those trails to hypothesize.. Personally Cool needs to stay on the same course, create a little history, plus its the "COOLest" not the "Granite Bayest 24hrs"...I hope Jim can strike a deal...anyway, its all RUMOR at this time.
2. Sly Park 100 has approval, hard part is coming up with a course....I have no worries about the course, the trouble is Sly Park proper and the tight rules they have considering the reservoir is for drinking.... But how cool is it to have a 100 miler so close to home! Who ever can lend help to Jim to get this one off the ground!!
3. So No Mas 100 course has been mapped out, and I have to say, "ouch!" 2 weeks after the Coolest 24, this course is going to cause more than a few of us to cry. I have ridden only once out the Lake Sonoma way, but after talking to Carlos from Bike Monkey this one will be an EPIC...break out the 19 and 20's!!!
4. This is fact, Boggs 8hr in April is up to 300 registered so their are only 150 spots left, so sign up and enjoy a really fun early season 8hr race!

All in all Jim's series is going to be great, whatever the details might be. There's the Boggs 8hr, Coolest 24 (Granite Bayest), the So No Mas 100, Boggiest 24hrs in Cobb, Sly Park 100 and Tahoe Sierra 100...all in our backyard!

I am going to try and race out at Discovery Park manana, its an NCNCA Cup event in the Sac CX series...I just wish it was Portland, there is next year!

...to pay for bike racing habit...

85.5" tip to tip, adjustable either direction 45 degrees

Float bags included (2)

OCD...

I would be the last one to call myself OCD, in fact I don't know many that would even think of that acronym when they thought of me...ask my Ex-wife and see what she says :).... My friend Chris, he has been writing a lot about his obsession(s)...all bike related...and I give him grief. Truth be told, I might be just as bad as he is, and when Marja and I get together and obsess on bikes (when she is not slammed in school), we are really bad. Heck, I even get excited about new bar tape!

Back to obsession...carbon forks, canti vs. V brakes, no matter what it is bike I love it. Chris and I could waste entire days discussing and looking for whatever part we need, well okay...WANT. I guess what it comes down to is this, like Chris I have a problem, I acknowledge my problem and I accept full responsibility for it.

Now don't get me started on Scott, if I have a question, he will know the answer, if he doesn't, he will tomorrow and will have fully investigated the matter. Oh and Ti SS, of course I needed my Ti SS.... Then there's Marja, who got a job in a bike shop just to be around anything bike...bless her heart!

I don't really see any issues with it, I see it in Cameron already, his obsession at the moment is soccer, the moment he steps outside he has a soccer ball at his feet... Annika, well she is a cartwheeling fool where ever we may be.... They see/hear how much I ride, the trainer in the house all winter, etc. They know what it takes to get good at something and you ALWAYS can get better...so they obsess....I think it is healthy and the old cliche holds true, "IT KEEPS ME OUT OF TROUBLE..."

Anyway, I need to go read Velonews, check my order status at Universal Cycles, and see if I can't find a better price on a EC90X fork for Chris' CX bike....then I will work a little before heading out and riding for 2+hrs (I hope, work is TRYING to get in the way!!!)....

Getting ready for Portland...

Well the last few days have been nice...ride, work, ride some more! After last week with my "run-in" with a valet, actually he ran-into me, left my cleat mark on the front bumper of the Lexus he was driving....tried to do the right thing and caught up to him, oh no he didn't stop after he flew out of an alley and into me, told him to just slow down, it wasn't worth hurting anyone...he dropped the F bomb, blah blah blah...I think you know how it goes...

After a fun Halloween with the munchkins it was back to business come Monday on the bike in prep for the SS Cyclocross World Championships in Portland...good excuse for a lot of fun on the bike!!! Looks like Saturday we meet at Chris King headquarters at 11a.m. to find out the secret location of the time trial to qualify for Sunday's main CX race.... Hoping Chris and his family make it down from Seattle one of the days, it would be good to see them all and give Sharon sh%#, its been a while, and I need to get my fill.

Feeling under prepared as usual, I road for a few hours Monday on the CX bike on what felt like new trails, so tacky and forgiving, even the sand pits were fast and furious. We really needed the rain.

Monday night saw more rain, a lot, and I looked forward to riding after work. I rode in, played a little on the single track but needed to get to work in order to meet Marja for some coffee heaven at Temple before she had to run off to school. The day, like most lately, dragged on...lots of work going across my office, but mundane details that have to get done, but man it gets old! Hey, I am employed, working to live!!

I headed out at 3pm and noticed my newer SRAM Force carbon crank just won't stay on...maybe she has an aversion to dirt, but I am not impressed with it so far..super stiff and the bearings are heaven (ceramic with stainless cups), but if it won't stay on it poses some problems. So I borrowed a 8mm T at Mike's so I could get some torque and tightened that bad boy down...of course my arm is calibrated and I am certain it was tightened to the proper torque spec...surely. So off I went hoping it would not loosen up again.

After a 30 minute warmup, I started my race-pace ride where the dirt access roads turn to a great mix of dirt road and single track. Start the clock...the south side of the river (same side as Slac State (CSUS)) is twisty single track through trees with short stretches of dirt road along the base of the levy. After about 6 miles I wind out thru a neighborhood and have to get around some private property and cut back into Goethe, River Bend Park, to cross back over the river and head back...

I got a lot of weird looks as I was having a tough day...made it back to Slac State in 59:32 to end my "interval"....at this moment I noticed I had made a big miscalculation, my leisurely spin home turned into a tempo ride as I was pushing daylight and I still had about 13 miles to go on single track and access roads....figures. I actually felt okay after the lactic acid left my legs. I also had to make a detour back to my office to grab some things too...ah more downtown Sac during commute hours...

Got home and grabbed the mutts and threw them in the truck...well of course I didn't throw them...well I guess I could throw Phil, he's 40lbs, NO I wouldn't actually....anyway...we headed to the River so they could get their play time! They went nuts, the coolest part was they had some unexpected friends to play with....for several months now, two sea lions have been hanging out at the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers here in Sac. Its odd to be on the river and hear the lions barking at you...seems like you should be at Pier 39, not Discovery Park. So anyway, as Phil and Maddie are pummeling each other along the beach, the sea lions are swimming parallel to the beach barking at the dogs....Maddie and Phil ran up and down the beach barking back at them, neither one getting in the water...I think they were thinking along the lines of Jaws...it was hilarious!

So here we are, another day in paradise (use sarcastic tone), saved by:
...and for those moments when you question your life, you see morons driving around with their kids in their car making statements like this (read the bottom of the license plate holder):
Yes I drove in, need to get up the hill to grab some parts/tools for Portland and see Annika and Cameron at A's gymnastics practice....Missing them this week badly!!

Finally, after last night I have a little bit more faith in the American people...seems more have been paying attention than I thought, good for you...for US...the beauty of this country is the fact that we all have the right to choose between riding on the dirt or riding on the road and we all can have our own opinion and call ourselves democrats or republicans without being persecuted...unless of course you actually choose to ride on the road...then obviously you are just stupid.

Take a joke and smile, you will live longer!