FU monday group ride

so, i get a text from from the arch enemy of good times on monday, should have known something was up. I meet up at the coffee shop at the time provided, thinking me and captain miserable, maybe one more would show there mugs on a traditionally celebrated day-off for cyclists. Nay nay. The pope of bad-times village was accompanied by Foist, The Pettis', Eric Mac, and Gary Shuey. Gary has 2 speed, sleep and awesome, so if he's having a good time on a group ride, chances are, you're not. We decided to do the mostly rideable Jack Rabbit Trail, which i had never done before, so that was pretty fun. Except for the climbing.

Let me say this about climbing: I hate it. It's a neccessary skill to have for any cyclist, but every time i have to do it, i do my best impersonation of a donkey trying to ride a bike. I've been that the only way to get better at something is to do it over and over. Makes sense. So, once a week until i can stay with a group up a climb, I'm going to do 5 sets of climbing intervals. Im gonna call it Project Bike Donkey. Since i know all 4 of my blog followers are probably reeling from the shock and awe of this new project, i'll keep you posted with my next blog post, sometime this week, weather permitting tomorrow or friday. Tune in.

Oh yeah, here's a link to the group ride foist and i dubbed "FU monday"

Jackrabbit group ride by x_steve_x at Garmin Connect - Details

Bender

Cancer is a son of a bitch.

Rob Bender was a cool guy. I don't know him a tenth as well as a bunch of other people who could elaborate on it a lot more than i can. Every time he came into the shop he was in a good mood, positive in general, and not a sawed off "bike guy" type, which isn't an easy feat for somebody who was an accomplished cyclist.

My favorite (and only real for that matter) Rob Bender story is, one time at a local organized dirt crit, there were some young guns who were new to the area, driving the front of the race. For the duration of the race, they were controlling the front like a road crit, rob just sat back and waited. Everybody who was watching or racing was fairly impressed by these new guys skill and didn't know what to think, except Rob. I'd imagine he was probably thinking, "I'm gonna show these guys how a race is won in about 2 minutes". About a minute and 59 seconds later, coming into the finish of the last lap, Bender powered around them and won. Man, were these dude's pissed. The look on Bender's face was classic. It was just like "Well, you win some and you lose some fellas, unless your me, then you lose til it counts, at which point you win..." it was like a half smug half disappointed that they thought it would be that easy look. It was awesome.

Cancer took Rob from the world. It's cliche to say, but he was too young to die. He'll be missed.

Do I Feel Lucky?

Leadville lottery opened at 11 today. Got my ap in at 11:04. Chances are the race will blow my head CLEAN off, but imma give it a shot anyways.

Came REAL close to checking the box for singlespeed. I wonder if i can alter my entry form, cuz i'd really like to do that, i'm just nowhere near the dominate physical prowess it would entail.

So, thus begins the painstaking gut-checks up the hill til i find out if i even get picked. I figure it like this: I get picked, i'll be in shape. I don't get picked, it enforces my "eff the man" attitude, and.... i'll be in shape. So, i really hope i make it in. But seriously, either way, Eff the man.

Til then,
Fight Oppression, Rise Above the Opposition.

Juggernaut

I've been laying silently in the weeds for some time, re-prioritizing, re-focusing, etc. Re-inventing. Destroying the old machine.

A new prophecy will come to be in under a half a year. My seed will enter this world. The seed of destruction. This, fulfilling the prophecy and and bringing to fruition my rightful place of Paternal Lord of the End.

Next order of business, a gathering of the faithful for All Hallows Eve. Update of componentry. Update of plans and goals for the next year.

Fight oppression, Rise above the opposition.

settling in.

strange days of late. Last 3 weeks have been an adjustment. Boxing + Heat - One Salesperson - One Mechanic + Better Working Environment=BUSY.

Thai Boxing is going great. Kicks are finally coming around. Still have to adjust to the punishment as well as the science of it. Coaches are awesome. Funny and encouraging and full of knowledge. Plus hilarious.

June was coming. The heat was coming. We all knew with the onset of one the other is hand in hand with it. Something about it though, made me feel like it crept. It was hot more suddenly it seems to me. It made me go "How hot is it today? 90's? Oh, well, i guess it IS june..."

We're down a salesperson, although i am assured that we have a new one to take Mary's place, although i doubt this person will bake oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, which is both a good thing and a bad thing, but definitely a symbol that Mary's shoes will be tough to fill. Man, she could sell ice to an eskimo.

Mike's gone. When people ask where he went, i gleefully exclaim "Who cares?" I have debating making a post dedicated to mike for a long time. I will sum it up in this little ode. Mike was a very capable wrench (notice i said very) with a piss poor memory, and a tendency to turn his "my way or the highway" attitude up to 11. Mike loved to call people out, which was good. Its better though, if you can do it in a blameless manner. For example, he would make a big deal out of incomplete work orders. If he wasn't the most heinous offender of this crime, he was certainly the second most. He would make a point to take personal responsibility for work. Only problem is, when you keep everyone in the dark, the work suffers in your absence. Also, mike would pick tickets. He would write 180 tickets for huffys hand over fist, but you would only see 55 dollar repairs on bianchis in his stand. That gets old fast. So he's gone. I heard he went to some shop in the hood by the name of Ron's. hope the best for him. Real talk.

So much easier to get work done in his absence, but, the work load is increased. You do the math. According to The big guns, were "looking" for another wrench. Personally i think we need to settle for another wrench. We just need a warm body that can change flats and build bikes.

If i dont go for a run tomorrow morning that consists of more than 2 miles, the next person to call me out can punch me in the stomach if i didnt. Free shot.

back in the saddle again

man, a lot has gone on since my last post. I got a new bike. 2 Technically. I started Thai Boxing again. I say again because i have taken kickboxing lessons in the past, however, this time, im taking actual Muay Thai, from real life Siamese Twins.

The new bike came from Waltworks. Bike is sweet. Somehow i forgot to tell Walt to put a braze on for the front derailleur, so i have to use an adapter, which is lamesville, however, it still weighs in astoundingly below what i expected. So pumped. I'd be a little more pumped if i was totally healthy for the first rides. Still getting rid of the last of my bronchitis.

Got a single speed from Tom Kessler my KHS rep. Dude is rad, and i noticed that KHS made steel singlespeed rigid 29ers last year, but not this year. Hey Tom, what are the chances you have any from last year on closeout. Pretty freaking good actually, and for a price i couldn't possibly say no too.

Now when i say that my coaches are siamese twins, i don't mean conjoined you ignorant bastards, i mean they are from siam, or modern day thailand. They immigrated here from thailand at the age of 17. Both of them Thai champions in their weight classes by the time they set foot on american soil. They are unlike any other workout i have recieved in martial arts. Completely different.

here's where i am now...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIzvHYWGvY4

here's the goal:

Death To False Metal