Sunday Ride

Planning a ride for Sunday at 10:00 am. The plan is to meet at the Chaska Firemans Park located here:
Firemans Park, Chaska Map
Hopefully plenty will show up, it's always nice to share the roads and fight the wind as a group.  So far it sounds like myself, Pribble, and Gorski.
Plan on 55 miles.

Road miles in February?

I typically don't get in too many miles until Opus starts.  Usually I have been busy either training new mechanics for the bike man or the last few years too busy with school.  Today was too nice of a day to pass up and the scale has been laughing at me.  I did my old standby Jordan loop which winds up being 55 miles.  Being that this route has no shortcuts I was a little apprehensive to start.  I had to get psyched up for the distance since I knew I was in for the cross eyed bonk and the numb toes and fingers.  It wound up being a good ride with intermittent bouts of cold fingers and cold toes, but not too bad.  No bonk. That must be because of my excess fuel stores or my 30 mile mtb commute to work last week. I'm not a big fan of dog induced intervals, but I got one of those in today.  This has never happened before on this route, hopefully that will not become a regular feature of the ride.

I saw the movie Shutter Island on Saturday with Karen.  It was an alright movie.  I expected it to be more scary.  It really wasn't scary but it was a psychologically twisted movie that came up a bit short of great.

Spit

It's kind of nasty, but it is also very useful for cleaning bikes. I guess that might explain spit shine.  Seriously when cleaning a bike that has that nasty accumualtion of sticky whatever drink all built up and baked on from months of sun exposure nothing I have come across cleans it better than spit.  Windex won't clean it, Acetone won't clean it, the bike manufacturers degreasers wont' clean it, but spit takes the stuff off easily.  There has to be a product out that works as amazingly as spit.

My Brush with Fame

I came across an old video "Chainsmoke" by FOX racing. Back in the day some of my MTB buds and I were watching some bike videos and to my surprise someone caught a glimpse of me in the video.  We rewound it.  Yes rewound it, it was B4DVD.  Sure enough their I was going over the bars and breaking my collarbone.  Thankfully Bob Roll was nearby in the parking lot as I struggled to get my bike on top of my car with one arm.

Arrowhead 135

Nice Job Dave Pramann hanging tough with the Alaskan's.  Next up Iditarod.  Finishing this race in the brutal conditions is quite a feat.

1 95 Oatley Jeff 40 M Bike 2/1/10 11:20 PM 16:17:00 1st Overall, 1st bike
2 58 Bassinger Peter 29 M Bike 2/1/10 11:20 PM 16:17:10 2nd bike
3 5 Pramann David 52 M Bike 2/1/10 11:21 PM 16:18:00 3rd bike

Trickle Down Theory

Hopefully all the good will and resources going towards Haitti, are reaching the recipients. 

Arrowhead 135 Results at Halfway

The racers took off from Intl Falls Kerry Park Arena a few minutes after 7am Monday.
Temps about -21. It is sunny and guessing around zero during the day. The bikers are making great time as the trail is hard and fast.

With Pramann, Bassinger and Andre and Oatley were leading the pack, Charlie Farrow was about half hour behind. A runner from South Africa was in the lead for foot category, passing bikers early on, about in the middle of the pack of bikers.


Latest updates
1Farrow Charlie M Veteran MN USA 50 O11:22
2Grelk Dennis M Veteran IA USA 30 O10:48
3 Gauld Lindsay M Veteran Canada 61 O12:02
4 Pramann David M Veteran MN USA 52 O10:54
5 Peterson Josh M Veteran MN USA 35 O12:15 

Bye Di Luca

Here is Danillo Di Lucca taking the 2nd tier of the podium in the 2009 Giro

Here is Danillo Di Lucca today as he waves good bye for 2 years.