Summer Commuting Challenger - Regina

Name: Regina

Distance of daily commute: 20 miles

Average commuting miles per week: 100 miles

Estimation of gas saved per week:

Daily gas savings is $2.50 dollars, weekly gas savings $12.50 dollars, monthly gas savings would be $50.00, and yearly gas savings would be $650.00

Interesting commuting story:

An old lady yelled at me because she thought I did not call on your left but I had so I stood up to her, and I said I did call out. That's right I talked back to a senior citizen who was gabbing so loud she did not hear me, cuz I am tough. Keep that in mind. Oh yea that's not the best one though, I just remembered the time I was cutting down 33rd to skip the wind beating me, and I ran into this little kid, I want you to know he talked me into leading him all the way to woods pool, I walked with this kid from holderedge to woods pool. I still do not know how this happened but it took me two hours to get home that night, he was 10, and out there on his own, and even though I was scared to do it I was scared to not also. But that was just the craziest thing. Calvin, you meet a little kid named Calvin out there pedal away quick he will talk you into something if you do not.


Cycling aspirations :

When I grow up I want to be a real randonneur instead of paying people to schlub my stuff along for me. And be in Butch's Randonneuring club and ride to Valentine, and not be the slowest one. Even though it is not a race.

No more payouts at the TNMWR please.

CycleWorks Leadville Recon

Summer Commuting Challenge Update

Back in town and lots to do, but first let's get an update on the Summer Commuting Challenge.

Did anyone drive to work this week? Come on, fess up.

Well, Regina owes everyone a beer tonight. Come on down to Yia Yia's around 5:45 - 6:15 if you want your free beer. I'll be there fo sho.

Lot's of pics from the Leadville recon trip coming up soon.

View atop of Columbine Climb

Spectacular.

Leadville Recon Wildlife #2 - Marmot?

This fella was on the top of Columbine climb (about 12,200 feet). I was rollin' towards him on the trail and he stopped, laid down on his stomach and stared me down. The fella didn't move and I got within ten feet and stopped. I rang my bell to try to scare him off the trail, but remained vigilant. I didn't want to get too close, but I also wanted to keep moving (stopping at that elevation is a bad idea). So I rolled on and when I was within five feet the little fella did a 180 and began to guide me down the trail. Decided to get video as he booked down the trail. Looked like a beaver. Must have been a Marmot (according to Butch).

Leadville Recon Wildlife #1 - Coyote?

This little fella was hangin' out on the bike trail in the town of Leadville. At first I thought it was a fox, but then realized it was probably a coyote. Very mangy, emaciated and domesticated.

Recon

Headin' to Leadville here in a bit. Driving thru the night tonight and riding half the course tomorrow morning. Hopefully beat the rain. Thursday we finish the second half and then head home. Quick trip. Should be a lot of fun.

So who's doin' what this weekend? Omaha Metro Swanson and Landahl are goin' down. Bacon Ride on Sunday?

Summer Commuting Challenger - Butch

Name: Butch

Distance of daily commute: 2 miles there-2 miles back

Average commuting miles per week: ? work plus around town...25miles?

Estimation of gas saved per week (yes, this involves math.): 1 gallon?

Primary commuting bike: Surly Cross-Check

An interesting story about the commute:

1.) I ride by the same house most days and there is usually a man that sits on his porch and is chilling in the morning when i ride by i wave. In the evening if i choose to take the same path home he is usually on the porch hanging out and i wave again. Never met the man, but he always waves back or says hello. It puts a smile on my face and is part of my ride to work and my ride home.

2.) When we bought our house a major factor was it's location to the bicycle trail.

3.) My favorite people to help at CycleWorks are the people that are using their bicycle for their transportation. There usually very interesting people and come from all walks of life.

Cycling aspirations:

I would like to arrange a brevet from Lincoln to Valentine and form a Randoneering Club. Wool jerseys and patches and even some funny caps. Let me know if anyone is interested...andLive life, have fun, and ride my bike.

"It's gettin' hot in here, so take off all your clothes...."

Raced Ponca this weekend and got ridden into the ground by CVO. Congrats dude. I'm proud of you. The folks at Sioux City Velo put on a great race. Lot's of climbing.

Weekend of firsts. Steph, did her first race. Amy came all the way from Gothenburg to crash at D street and follow the posse up and race. CVO had a mohawk. Syd came in first (no, not her first or last win). Dave rocked a FS SS. I vomited a lot. Good times, good times.

Summer Commuting Challenge

Well, tomorrow wraps up the third week of the challenge. Or is it the fourth week? Ah, whatever. Anyways, did anyone drive to work this week? Who owes me a beer? Tomorrow night at Yia Yia's around 6 is pay up time.

I'm happy to report that Maggie has officially joined the challenge. Sorry Maggie, I didn't realize you were in. So now we're up to 13 riders. So if you don't ride, you owe a 12 pack of beer.

I've got a little homework for all the Summer Commuting Challengers. I need you to send me some info. Gonna do some profiles. I need the following info.

Name
Distance of daily commute
Average commuting miles per week
Estimation of gas saved per week (yes, this involves math.)
Primary commuting bike
A pic of yourself commuting by bike
An interesting story about your commute (anything goes)
Cycling aspirations

Please send this info to my email address at coreycycle@hotmail.com

Should I shave my legs? Yay or nah?

Last time I shaved my legs a friend said to me, "I thought your legs were tan, but in fact, they're just hairy." Yep. Sure are.

Pro's of shaving:

1. Fewer ticks
2. Keeps me cooler (and looks cool, right?)
3. Wounds heal quicker and less likely to get infected
4. Aerodynamics....pfffttt, yeah whatever.
5. Can show off that sweet chemical burn

What else am I missing?

Con's of shaving:

1. Time, lots of time (I'm 6'5" and have long arss legs)
2. Increased risk of sun burn and skin cancer
3. Clog up the drain with hair
4. Probably cut myself and bleed to death
5. Can show off that sweet chemical burn

Anything else?

Majority wins. Vote now.

Dust off that Crown Jewel you schmuck

Been thinking about bustin' out the road bike. It's been neglected for quite some time. Pretty pathetic to have a IF Ti CJ just sittin' on my trainer in the living room collecting dust. I even got a fancy schmancy power tap hub on the back.



Got into riding on the road for a bit a couple of years ago. It's a great way to get low impact miles in. Plus you can work on the sweet farmer's tan....I'm hoping to have the best/worst farmer's tan in Lincoln.

I did my last road race two years ago and didn't have a great experience. On the final lap of the Cat 4 race around Branched Oak, some dip-shit bunny hopped a large branch that had somehow gotten on the road. Well, after he bunny hopped the branch the next two riders ran it over and kicked it up into me. It bounced off my leg and went into my rear der and nearly my rear wheel. Everyone scattered around me in anticipation of a crash that never happened. Somehow I was able to stop without going down. I got dropped trying to get the branch out and had to bridge back up by myself. Not fun. Fuck that shit.

So tomorrow, I'm gonna roll that bad daddy to work and hit Hwy 2. I say this now, but I'll probably wake up and say fuck it and just ride in on fat tires.

Guess I need to shave my legs...

Lumberjack 100 recap

Skip and I loaded up the Prius early Friday morning and were out of Lincoln by 5 am. Stopped in Omaha to get some Fat Tire for Gary, but was disappointed to find only domestics at the Flying J. Sorry Gary. Next time.

The drive/ride was relatively uneventful except for a near bladder control accident near Chicago. Thank goodness for the Oasis. We made relatively good time and gas mileage (averaged around 46.5 mpg) on our way to Manistee. Took about 14 hours and two tanks of gas to get there. Fuckin' awesome! Gotta love the hybrid.

Rolled into Manistee around 8 or 9 pm and grabbed some groceries and dinner before hitting the sheets around midnight. Stayed at the Microtel in Manistee and was pleasantly surprised to see we had a fridge and microwave. Was even more stoked on our room after hearing about other racer's accommodations.



Got up at 0415 and got ready to roll.

Lined up for the start next to Syd and Skip. I was leaning on my bike chattin' with Syd when I heard the truck pull away. Doh! I wasn't even on my bike when the start occurred. Lol! I'm such a dumbass.



The start was relatively fast and everyone maintained a great pace the first lap. Finished the first lap under two hours. Chilled for a bit at the start/finish and chatted with a rider that came in with me. He looked young, but I didn't ask how old. Gave him some chain lube and offered some electrolytes which he declined. Back on the bike for lap two.

Ran into Syd and Danielle on the second lap. Passed them and then ran into the youngster again and rode with him to the start/finish. Refilled bottles, ate some blocs, took some electrolytes and gave the youngster some chain lube. Off for lap three.

Rode by myself for a majority of it. Was able to relax a bit and take in the surroundings. Looked up while going thru a section of ferns and said outloud, "Holy fuckin' shit!". Beautiful trees about 60 feet tall lined the sides of the trail. Wish I had my camera. The trails were amazing. Lot's of trees, ferns, sandy corners, flowing single track, short climbs, and one smokin' fast decent. Highly recommend the trails, but I hear there are better ones in Michigan. Someone clue me in....

During the third lap I began to have some stomach issues. Got progressively worse during the fourth lap until I popped. Couldn't eat or drink much at all for the final lap. The thought of quiting never entered my mind thanks to all the razing I got at the start/finish line. There were several folk near my pit that were giving support to other racers as well as race officials that were tracking the official lap times. They were really friendly and we made small talk every lap. Because I was so dirty, one of the race officials asked me if I had crashed. I told them "No, it's just really dusty and I'm really sweaty" and we all had a good laugh. One of the officials egged me on to finish strong. I laughed and told her I just wanted to finish. She yelled, "Strong! Strong! Strong!" as I pedaled away up the first climb. I got a great laugh out of that and it really picked up my spirits. Thanks.

Felt really, really bad on that last lap. Forced down some Coke and water at the aid station and crawled my way to the finish. Stoked to see Danielle and the youngster cruise by on the final lap, both looking really strong. That put a big smile on my face and helped me push on to the finish.

Finished a little under 9 hours. Sat down for a bit and chatted with the youngster at the start/finish line. He was waiting for me. His name is Ryan (didn't get the last name). Look out Chris Eatough. This kid is only 16 and finished strong. This was his first mountain bike race over 40 miles. Frickin' amazing. Bravo! I talked with him a bit about sticking with mountain bike racing and hope I convinced him. He plays tennis in high school. Maybe that's what I need to do during the week. Play tennis.

Syd and Skip rolled in not too long after I did. I was stoked to see all of the Lincolnites finish. Great job everyone.

The awards ceremony was a hoot. Had some great conversations with Gary, Kris, Syd, Joe and Skip. Had three beers and was good and drunk. Gary won a sweet Endura cycling jersey and gave it to me to wear with pride. Oh, I'll wear it. Trust me. Syd threw down at the arm wrestling and won some tires.

Skip and I rolled out of Manistee around 7 am and got back to Lincoln around 8:30 - 9 pm. Fourteen hours in a car sounds bad, but it wasn't bad at all. Time goes by quickly when you have a good buddy to chat with. I don't recall us ever running out of things to chat about. That's one of the reasons I love doing these events. It gives me a chance to hang out with some super cool people. Skip and I chatted about next year. Sounds like we'll definitely be back next year and maybe make a few more in the race series. Guess we better start planning now.

Big shout out to all the Founders Ale team, race organizers, race volunteers, all the racers and support crews, and the city of Manistee, Michigan. Thanks again!

I wish I could have seen my face when....

The hose from the parts wash machine at CycleWorks came disconnected and sent a blast of arsenic laden solvent onto my crotch. Butch was chattin' with me when it happened. I was lookin' at him when it all went down.

Butch: Dude!
Me: WTF?!
Butch: Well, turn it off!
Me: Huh? WTF?

By the time I realized what was going on, my shorts were completely soaked and my legs were covered. Butch advised I go home and shower, but I decided to wash my shorts and clean up in the restroom sink. I did a decent job of cleansing myself and my clothing, but neglected to take off my socks. The solvent that got into my socks ended up burning me.

Wonder how long a chemical burn will last? Well, I guess I'll find out.

How ghey would this be?

Expert Clydesdale!

Update on Summer Commuting Challenge

Well the third week of the Summer Commuting Challenge has already begun. My week is over for commuting to work. Got 60 miles in for the week. Anyone tracking mileage for the event? I may start just for the hell of it.

Here's an update on the first two weeks.

Week 1

Gersib is the first to drive. Reason? Vocational. He bought beers for everyone at Yia Yia's on Friday evening. Thanks dude!

Week 2

Run into a shit ton of mud on the trail due to the flash flooding. Lots of rain all week.





Finally got a pic of this sweet pickup in the well-to-do South Edenton development on the southeast side of town. I'm sure this kid's parents are embarrassed beyond belief...or maybe not. I think it's funny.

So has anyone driven to work this week? Come on. Tell the truth. I know many of you probably got soaked today. Nice work. Stay out of those coffins. Fuck gas.

Yep, I'm lazy.

Well, I guess I better post something cuz Steph says so. Sorry I didn't post sooner....I'm lazy.

Getting ready to head to the Lumberjack 100 this weekend. Took a vacation day tomorrow and have Friday off as my day off for the week (I work part time plus and get one day off per week). Took Monday off as my day off for the week for next week and put in for a vacation day on Tuesday (just in case Skip and I get held up after the Lumberjack). I looked at the calender and noticed from June 2nd to July 8th, I will only work 13 days. Do the math and that's only 35% of the time. Fuck you American work ethic! I'm rich bitch! Well, not really, but I'm sure enjoying life. Why work 90% of your life? No thanks.

Not really looking forward to driving 900 plus miles to get to the race, but stoked to be going with Skip. We're taking his Prius, so hopefully we'll be able to get there rather cheap (50 mpg on the highway). I'm kinda worried about how my knees will hold up. Still having pain pretty much all the time. Even soft pedaling to work. I know I should probably rest and not race, but fuck it, I sat out two races two weeks ago and don't wanna do it again. Time to suck it up and grind some teeth.

There's a new resident at the Hotel. CVO has joined us at the Dirtbag Mansion. He moved into the Cubicle of Hate and has made it nice and cozy. I'm rather impressed at how nice it looks in there. Just be careful of the ghost. Seriously. Ask Dave Story. I guess one of his friends or maybe his brother woke up one night and noticed a ghost strangling his girlfriend. So the story goes. Crazy shite.

There's been some interesting happenings next door at the low income housing apartment. The crackheads are at it again! Yay! They should make a reality show from these people. I love sitting in my room at night trying to sleep listening to them argue like five year olds. Just the other day there was a very entertaining ruckus next door. I'll sum it up for ya.

Early one afternoon, one crackhead called another crackhead, ironically, a crackhead and that crackhead got pissed at the other crackhead. So the pissed-off crackhead leaves for a bit after demonstrating to all the children watching how to "Keep it real" which basically consisted of him cussing up a storm using fuckin' for every other word, throwing a bottle and threatening to kill someone. Oh about five minutes later the crackhead comes back and commences to get beat down by a third crackhead. After getting pummeled for a minute, he was forced into the cracked-out apartment building. I swear I heard a muffled gun shot about five minutes later. The Police showed up and settled everyone down for a bit. Not sure if anyone got taken away, but it sure was nice to hear silence.

Around 3 am they decided to continue their debate. The joys of cheap rent.

Oh...what's this? Channel 8 News is parked outside in the street. Gotta go. Maybe I did hear a gunshot the other night.

Cali is one phat cat

The Battle up Mt. Neverest - Lewis and Clark Saturday June 2nd

First lap action. Missed the first two riders up the hill. Here's some of the racers grindin' and pushin' up Neverest (in order).








CVO was by far the fastest person up the hill.




Nate was one of two SS's that rode up the hill.






Lansen!

There's a revolution in Missouri.

Stjmtb.blogspot.com



Here's the other SS that rode up.




Best Facial Expression Winner!







Beav loves mountain bikes! Good job dude.




Nate, you've had some bad luck at Lewis and Clark. Third times a charm.








Charlie telling me to go to hell.

KC Cup Landahl Park Sunday June 3, 2007

Gettin' ready. This is some serious bizness.



CVO.



Good turn out again. These races are really well done. Highly recommend any of the Heartland Race events.



Line 'em up!



You know who you are.



I believe this guy won it. He had the lead the entire race.

Rain had left the course a bit muddy. Majority of the mud was at the first quarter of the course (or so I'm told).



This way.



One of the muddier sections on the course. It kept getting worse every lap. Stood there for most of the race and only saw one sliding fall. Everyone else remained vertical.



Damon rockin' the SS 29er.



Martin runnin' a muddy section.



The finish for C-VO.



The Dark Side, dirty.



Is Emily tough? Anyone that crashes before a race and busts off their right shifting pod, zip ties it to the handlebar, finishes the race on the podium, and is also attacked by a bobcat is definitely tough in my book.



Good ole zip ties. Thanks Rob!



Close up of the bobcat claw attack wounds.



CVO hit the podium twice this weekend. Fuckin' sweet. Beer is good for you kids!



Troy kicked ass today for the win in the SS category. Lansen also had a strong day finishing second (consecutive podium days for him as well). Nicely done gentlemen.



Emily took home some hardware. Christine also won her race (no pic available). Congrats ladies!



Martin hit the podium. Lot's of Nebraskans up there all day. Gotta love that. Nebraska represent! Oh yeah!



Troy taking home his first place booty.



T-bone's ride after the race. Pretty fookin' muddy.



Big arss windmill prop. Passed several of these on the way home. Damn sketchy. Those things were bouncin' pretty good.



Clean up of Troy's bike in Omaha. I offered to pee on CVO's bike, but he declined.

These clips are a hoot. Check out the StarWars one too.