The man with the plan

Shabbos: 7 am starting at Aksarben. If it's just Freddy and I, we could even start at 6am since that's what he was originally planning and will get us more time in before having to be places. Post a comment if you plan on showing up at 7am, otherwise we'll switch it to 6am. I imagine we'll be done by 10am or so. 4 hrs if starting by 6am, 3 hrs starting at 7am.

Shabbos + 1: 7am at Carribou coffee (72nd and Pacific). Sorry Peter, old guys(most of us) over-rule young guys (you). If you want to join us later, we can try for a rendezvous place and time to meet up later in our ride so you can disrupt your normal waking up schedule by sleeping in. Sorry dude, but we got places to do and things to be, so early start it is. This one we'll shoot for 4-5 hours. Chime in if you need to be somewhere at a certain time and maybe we can figure out a route to end up there.

I've heard from Brian and Fred. Peter you talked, but I didn't listen, so show up anyway. Anyone else???

Rollcall!!

Who has either Shabbos or/and Shabbos + 1 mornings available? The earlier we leave, the less bad heat we have to deal with. I know that's an issue for Bryan who works late, or rather, early (gets off at 4 am?) on Saturday so a 7am ride may be asking much. Maybe Sunday though???

I know you almost hit the back button when you saw 7am, but if we start then, we can do as much as 5 hours before nooner. That's some good gravy. A century would be nice, but we'd most definitely need to leave early then. Start at 7am and finish sometime around 1 or 2? Makes for an easy pace and lotsa miles.

So post a response with times you're available and DON'T BE AFRAID OF EARLY MORNINGS!!! Unless you really have a viable excuse like Bryan.

Pimpin

Yes it's a Trek. But what is so amazing about this bike is, aside from it looking just insanely fast, the technology that went into it is hopefully entirely industry design changing. The 2 main parts that have large bearings, the headset and bottom bracket, have always had some sort of pressing or threading to fix the bearings. Trek bypassed this by forming the BB shell and headtube/fork interface to be the actual bearing holders.

So normally, you'd have a headset (such as Chris King) which has all these parts; bearing, cups, crownrace, that all have to be press fitted or hammered on to allow the fork to pivot inside the headtube. The headtube of these new Treks are the cups and crownrace so all you need is 2 sealed bearings, your fork, and frame. That's it. You pop on bearing on the fork, slide the fork into the frame, plop the other bearing down the stem, put the bearing cover on, install however many spacers you want then add the stem. That's all it takes. One 5mm allen wrench does it all. No huge torture device looking headset press, no hammering of crown races. It's amazing.

The bottom bracket is pretty much the same idea, but you'll need a 2 piece crank like all the new ones out. You install 2 bearings on either side of the BB shell, slide in your crank of choice, tighten correctly and that's it. So basically, this whole bike can be put together with a few allen wrenches. The seatpost design is also a great idea. Instead of hacksawing your frame like on Looks or Giants, you have a mast that 2 different sized seatposts fit over, tall or short. So this gives you as much adjustment room as a standard 250mm seatpost. This also gets rid of the possibility for water to wash down into your bottom bracket area. It's a capped mast so the seat tube us just one long closed tube from BB to the top.

Ok, I'm done being all hyped up about this bike. I can't help it though. This is basically what I've been waiting for. I've never wanted to commit to a carbon frame since I never saw an advantage of it aside from weight and looks. But now that Trek has done this, I sure hope everyone else in the industry follows suit. Man, it would be so nice if headset and bottom bracket installation would be a thing of the past. Like I said before, anyone with a few allen wrenches could almost completely build up their own bike.

Anyone got a few extra thousand dollars they wanna donate to poor little old me??

This just in:

Mike's kinda fast again.

Uh huh, Shabbos - 2.

Being that I had this week off of work, I got a chance to put in some long days. And since I hadn't really done any long days this winter, eh-hem, eh-hem, it was welcome, but tough. Today I started the ride out with some cats from the Trek Store. I met Dan the pic-man at Carribou coffee on Pacific, rode N on the Keystone to Western Rd then added Paul and Brian to the mix. We headed N to the end of the trail, up Wenninhoff rd then turned on State Street East. We headed toward Hummel and rode up the area West of the difficult steep section. Paul and Dan knew some of the Camp leaders at the Hummel Day Camp and we all got to hear the story that resulted in no more use of golf carts. Great going Paul.

Paul and Brian had to head into their perspective works by noon so we just headed back at that point. Dan had an interesting hand fracturing accident a couple days ago so his ride was pretty much over too. You'll have to ask Dan about that one. So Dan headed straight S to his home and I followed Brian and Paul West back out to Keystone and Western Rd. After saying, "Tah, tah" to them (whatever that means), I ventured down Cass st to meet up with the Union Pacific guys going out for their Noon lunch ride.

I had been told by Fred Hinsle that a couple new guys needed to be taught a lesson in pain. So we promptly turned the screws on this pretty good rider, Reed. He's new and has lost about 20 lbs due to riding. He plans on losing more and once he does, he could be a real threat. Hopefully he'll take up racing! The route we took was the basic ride South from downtown. 7th St to Bancroft, over to 10th, down by Rosenblatt/the zoo, down 13th to Mandan, South on Bellevue blvd to the turnaround point, Fontanelle Forest. There was a couple attacks and I Johann Museuwed it on the cobbles. After returning to UP, I again said, "Tah, tah" and made the slog home up those hills of downtown into the Western wind. Started riding at 8:45 and ended at 1:20, so that's 4 and a halfish? Good times.

I felt really good so hopefully with an easy spin tomorrow, I'll be ready for this weekends events up in Norfolk. Even if there aren't too many competitors, I'm still working on getting in fighting shape, so I'm not expecting too much. I think by Babcook race, I should be golden. If I rode with you today, thanks for the ride and hopefully we can do it again sometime.

To Danny-O

Here's that stem I was talking about. I have it dropped down as low as it can go, but I think it can be raised a 2-3 inches. Let me know if you're interested.

I need miles.

So I'm not visiting Counciltucky this weekend to do the mtb race. Sounds like fun to push my bike up that crazy hill a few times since I'm on a single, but I need some road miles. My horrid performance at Beatrice made me realize I need to stick to one bike and get my muscles used to pushing one geometry efficiently hard.

So Saturday and Sunday, yes both Shabbos and Shabbos +1, I'm rollin. Don't care if it's raining and cold, I'm putting in some time. At least 3 hours each day if not 5-ish each. I'm tired of getting lapped dammit. I don't have any get up and go because I don't have any go to begin with. So I'm beginning my long build up now. Just so I can peak for cross season where I'll to horribly anyway, but at least I'll have fitness to last me over the winter.

So, you'se guyse need to chime in and let me know if you'll be around and when so we can conjur up some group ride magic. I'll see if I can also get Jonny to come out of his dungeon to play.

You must to reply, plzkthx!!!111

Will there be beer?

Yes there will be beer.

Redemske house
Monday night, 8 p.m. or so
Gathering of people
Food will be served
Some beer will be there (bring a 6er to have guaranteed beer)
Dogs will go nuts

Because it's my birthday on Sunday.
map

Pictorial representation of lap differences.

So we did 3 laps. There's this sweet dip with a ramp that you can catch air on. Photographers know this, such as Tom Winfield. So the 2nd lap I knew he was setup at the ramp and decided to have some fun with it:



Then the 3rd lap, after my donation of flesh to the trail gods, this is the difference:



I'd say I'm just a little less happy in the 2nd pic. Hopefully my skin graft gift will appease the trail gods for quite a while. Feel the burn!!

Attack of the killer tree.

Swanson MTB race. I've been sick for a while and not riding. I knew what I was getting into since on Thursday, I only had a couple laps in me before I was zonked. So on to the race report:

They lined us up in the grassy area far from the start/finish line to allow separation. Mission accomplished. If I had been stronger instead of being sick and had a 17 tooth rear cog I might have stayed with the fastest of the ss'ers. 5 guys got out front: Nate W, Mod, T-bone, Tim W, and someone else I'm not sure of. I followed Sam R into the single track. He'd get away from me in the toight stuff, but I'd be on his wheel on steady climbs. I could have tried to pass him early in the lap, but I would have just exploded earlier. I stayed with him until the beginning of lap 2.

After passing, I pushed it hard since I knew there was a couple guys that might be ramping it up toward the end and I was going to be on a steady decline pretty soon. About half way thru lap 2, the climbs got harder, the rough descent seemed really rough, and I was really dehydrated. So I slowed up a little and just tried to limit my losses. I was a good distance from the top5 guys, the last being T-bone, but I was ok with that. Sammy was still behind and CVO was also gaining on me after we exchanged a few passes earlier.

So the 3rd laps starts and I feel a little 2nd wind coming in. My core was seriously rocked since single speeding relys mostly on muscling up any climbs. This was slowing down my one good asset, but I felt I was riding smoother overall. Right before the last time down the descent off of Tetanus ridge, I saw another single speeder coming. DOH! I flew down the hill and started thinking of the upcoming climbs I was dreading. Right about then, on that little dip into the trees past the firestation fence, a tree reached out and bit me! I fell hard on my left shoulder, arm, and leg, sliding down into the pit of despair. I realized after the race I should have rolled, but I was confused as to what had happened and why my bike was no longer under me. I hopped back up just in time to get out of the way of the SS'er that was on my wheel, Sam R, and CVO. So I dropped from 6th to 8th right there. I gingerly got on my bike and fixed my race number after it made a noise like my bike was self destructing. (For the roadies out there, your race number is attached to the front of your handlebars in mtbing - therefore it was ripped in the crash.) My front brake was also acting funny so I just decided to stop using it from then on. I didn't have much to go and I was in a buttload of pain. Cruise control was set on survival mode. Of course, I was slow enough to let another single speeder pass me so, more salt in the eyes.

I cross the finish line and head for the water reserves to wash the bloody mud clots away. Little did I know, I therefore opened a buffet for gnats. Ouch. Nothing 2 hotdogs and a Mt. Dew couldn't cure. I then decide to pack it up and ride home, just a mere 7 mile ride straight home on the Keystone. The tail wind ride home was exquisite, but the ensuing shower was torture.
-Neosporine, check
-gauze pads, check
-med tape, check
-3 ibuprofins, check

Large spasketti dinner after a nap and I'm almost normal, aside from the swelling and the burning sensation around all my skin donation areas. I'm really not looking forward to the training this coming week before the Beatrice races. I foresee much pain and ibuprofin in my future.

So now I know what taking care of a little baby is like...

Ok so not really. My cold is pretty much gone except for one major part. By about 9pm I start getting this uncontrollable cough where every 15 minutes I'm hacking away.

This goes on AAAaaaalllll night. I get a couple hours here and there where the cough stays at bay, but other wise I wake up, hack away for half an hour then dose off again. This has been going on since Friday. So I'm seriously fried. Any downtime I have, I try to nap, but I haven't had a lot of that either. ugh. So I'm hitting the Wed night worlds tonight but might end up riding with the slower bunch. We'll see how long I can hang with the fast guys. I just want to be healthy again so i can ride hard and not be such a wuss at the races. grrrrrr....

Wonderful timing

Our friends Dude, Donnie and Walter were on G4 today. I was trying to avert my eyes from the disaster that is Carlos Zambrano on the mound for the Cubs.

As it came back from the commercial, I heard Dude's phone ringing. And ringing. And ringing. And that meant it was time for the seminal scene for the Shabbos +1 (aka Shomer Shabbes) ride. "Shomer Shabbos! Shomer fuckin' Shabbos!"

Plans are underway for this week's ride. Sounds like the Petarr won't be in attendance, and Munson may have to drive the support car. That leaves me and ... who, again?

Saturday night update: No Shabbos +1. I'm gonna go for a run and be nice to the mom-to-be who puts up with me.

I think I have enough signs now....

So this year has been pretty rough on everyone. The weather hasn't been cooperating, lots of people have important life stuff going on, etc.

I'm kinda getting tired of riding solo just for trainings sake so I always look forward to group rides. I couldn't really find any consistent group rides over the winter. In the past I would put in 3-5 hour endurance rides with at least a few buddies almost weekly, that didn't happen this year. I also picked up mtb which is not so much endurance based, but fun as hell. I don't mind doing a couple hour mtb ride solo since it's new and fun and improvement of handling skills really is a personal solo experience.

My job has a rotating monthly schedule where every 4th month, I have to work night time hours. During the month of April, when everyone else is hitting the group rides and pushing each other to be stronger, I was working and not getting those high intensity rides in. I know Bryan has been getting the job done even though he works late, but he's new to the sport and has a lot of dedication. Since I was really looking forward to doing the mtb race thing, that's mostly what I rode. Then the Lincoln plating race came up and showed me that to really even be competitive (or stay with the pack) you have to ride that specific discipline to train your body. Riding almost only mtb really hurt my road performance. A new experience for me.

So now that it's a new month, May, I work the early shift, sort of. For some reason, the guy who's doing the late shift this month decided to get married and go have a honeymoon for a couple weeks. So I split the late shifts with another guy. I worked it out to come in early on Wednesdays so I could do the group ride. At the beginning of this week I was all excited to get back out there on Wednesday then......I get sick. So, I'm out for this week. Next week I will hopefully get to ride with the group. With my luck we'll probably have another deluge of rain.

I was also looking forward to riding the Platte River race this weekend, buy my little bro is flying in from out of town for just the weekend. I might still do the 3 hour race if I'm over my sickness by then.

Also, I found out that I'll be doing an event for work on Saturday the 19th during the NE State TT championship.

Ssssssssssoooooooo.... All of that may sound like excuses for having a piss poor year and if I was more dedicated I'd probably would work it out, but I'm just gonna have fun riding my bike this year and not stress out about racing too much. I've been going at it hard for 4 years and figure I need a recovery year. That's how periodization training works right? So next year I'll be flying, right? RIGHT?!?!?!!?

Not much of a Shabbos ... +1

A group ride is always nice.

A group ride in my basement isn't near as nice. Mike and I rolled in one place for about two hours while watching Paris-Roubaix 2003. Pretty cool sprint at the end, several wonderful crashes, etc.

The highlight? When my wife walked in after her workout at the gym and said, "you guys stink."
True enough. Two guys in a tiny, humid basement will do that. And the two dogs, who have been in and out of the rain for the better part of what seems like a month, probably weren't helping, either.

We're looking forward to getting outside from now on.

Shomer f-ing Shabbos +1, indeed

Munson dared me, so I'll say it.

Shabbos +1 ride
Sunday, 9 a.m.
Rallying point: My basement
Destination: Unfortunately ... my basement
Workout: Time Trial. 'tis a bitch, but only an hour long
Equipment needed: Your bike, your trainer and a sense of humor
Note: Tonka will be waiting for you

Directions: 12937 Himebaugh Ave.
go to Bike Masters.
If coming from the east ...
Instead of turning south (left), turn right. You're on 129th Street. Himebaugh is four streets down, near the bottom of the hill. Turn left, because it's the only way to go. Our house is on the left at the top of that short little hill. I'll try to remember to turn the light on. Park on the right side of the driveway.
If coming from the west ...
Just turn left at Bike Masters instead of right. Duh.

Gents ...

Things are not looking good for Shabbos +1. If, by some miracle, Thor doesn't hurl lightning bolts at us, it's at least supposed to be windy and raining. And I sure as shit don't fuckin' roll in the wind and rain on Shabbos +1.

Any suggestions? Peter? You're always good for a half-assed plan. Think of something.

Heavily Southpark Influenced...

Now this picture I like to call, "Aging Gracefully." You can see how time has an affect on everything in life, even pre-packaged, highly preserved condiments....

And this picture

This picture, as you can see, shows 2 cranes in the process of building a large structure that will permanently block out future sunsets - a representation of our impact on the earth.

Shabbos +1 ride: 5/6/07

More information soon. Formulating a route, complete with cutesy map and sardonic wit placed within tiny red waypoints.

Shomer Shabbos ... Shomer f'ing Shabbos, dude.

So I'm a day late a dollar short....

THIS IS NUTS!!

So if some group reopens the whole Puerto case, that's 107 riders that might not being playing in the big races. Prudhomme, TdF director, said he won't allow any implicated riders to start. This could be half the fricken field. Basso has now officially left Discovery. Who knows who else is on the chopping block? Maybe it's a good thing I'm getting into mtbing. Only the crazy guys who want to win everything (ahem...Meirhaeghe, Absalon, etc) in the mtb world are probably on the juice. I just don't think there's enough money in mtb to warrant the systematic doping of the road world. Who knows, big money and sport always equals corruption.