Just rediscovered how cool it is to race locally. The Apex Mini Triathlon was this weekend and I talked myself into it despite that fact that I don't swim, I only run when chased, and I just sold my road bike. But only in a local race can you convert your mountain bike to a road bike and head out just to enjoy the day and try not to drown.
What I discovered is that I had forgotten how cool it is to race locally. Aside from being able to show up with crazy rigs and be under trained, you find that you know a good portion of the people there. This is not because it is the same people following a circuit that you have been on all year, but because they are friends of friends. People you work with, guys you saw on a club ride once or people you just happen to run into in your every day life. So thanks to the gang at Oldham County Parks and Recreation for putting on this event again, and thanks to my wife for convincing me to come out and do the race. I will be back again next year and next time I will be able to swim.
For those of you who are interested the Photo above in a Niner EMD9 fitted with 700X23 tires. You can do this? Yes. I was a little unsure at first if the rims would be a little wide to accomodate a true road tire, but they beaded up just nicely. If you try it though you will want to make a note that the bike has considerably less pedal clearance this way, so don't pedal through the corners as you might otherwise.
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
USGP Derby City
Given that he is the CFO of a bike shop, it seemed only logical that he start racing. So this weekend shop mascot and Cookie Finding Officer Lane entered his first race. Now there is no going half way for this kid so he started out at one of the biggest Cyclocross races in the nation, Derby City USGP.
After a considerable amount of effort trying to corral him away from the big boy course he settled into his grove on the junior course which was complete with a couple of run ups, a mud pit (bikewash run off) and a staircase run-up.
A couple of warm up laps and he was off to the obligatory port-a-pot visit.
And then the start.
The first lap held some excitement with a three-kid pileup that blocked traffic right from the start. After a short pause Lane was able to take the inside line and get around. He blew through the Cannondale tent and was out on course.
As the only one with training wheels Lane was at a bit of a disadvantage on the back section because as it turns out when you are on an off camber slope, the training wheels try to push you over rather than hold you up. It is because of this section that his pit crew believes that he so narrowly missed the overall win.
He blasted through the mud pit and dismounted for the staircase where he did have to receive a little outside assistance lugging the bike up the stairs. Back on the bike he headed out for lap 2.
With an uneventful lap 2 under his belt, his race was over, but he was not going to stop for something as silly as everyone else being done. Like a true champion he headed out on a victory lap so while everyone else was at the award ceremony Lane was turning a few extra.
Eventually we had to drag him from the course, but if you ask him today what he wants to do, you are sure to get his new standard answer.
"I want to do cyclocross"
After a considerable amount of effort trying to corral him away from the big boy course he settled into his grove on the junior course which was complete with a couple of run ups, a mud pit (bikewash run off) and a staircase run-up.
A couple of warm up laps and he was off to the obligatory port-a-pot visit.
And then the start.
The first lap held some excitement with a three-kid pileup that blocked traffic right from the start. After a short pause Lane was able to take the inside line and get around. He blew through the Cannondale tent and was out on course.
As the only one with training wheels Lane was at a bit of a disadvantage on the back section because as it turns out when you are on an off camber slope, the training wheels try to push you over rather than hold you up. It is because of this section that his pit crew believes that he so narrowly missed the overall win.
He blasted through the mud pit and dismounted for the staircase where he did have to receive a little outside assistance lugging the bike up the stairs. Back on the bike he headed out for lap 2.
With an uneventful lap 2 under his belt, his race was over, but he was not going to stop for something as silly as everyone else being done. Like a true champion he headed out on a victory lap so while everyone else was at the award ceremony Lane was turning a few extra.
Eventually we had to drag him from the course, but if you ask him today what he wants to do, you are sure to get his new standard answer.
"I want to do cyclocross"
Saturday, January 24, 2009
The Worst Cup of Coffee
Ok, I probably shouldn't share this, and Mark Ritz will be disappointed in me, but now that I have had a decent cup of coffee and the sun is almost up, I have to share the story of my morning and the worst cup of coffee in recorded history.
Those of you who know us at the shop know we are caffeine driven. A couple of years ago we started carrying Kinetic Koffee as a nod to a fellow team sponsor. What started as a nod became an addiction, and I now am used to drinking good coffee.
Recently we started carrying the AeroPress coffee maker which we talk up as both a better way to make coffee, and also a great tool for camping. What I am ashamed to admit is that I don't actually own one yet.
Now the transition to our new website has not only lead to some late nights, but an increased importance of caffeine in my life. So last night I was up until the wee hours of morning entering in all 130 of our Derailleur Hangers. When I finally got them all into the system I dropped bleary-eyed into bed.
The next thing I remember was a pair of cold feet on my face as my two year old crawled into bed on top of me. As my clock wasn't visible I had no idea what time it was, but all I new is that it wasn't time to get up and it was still dark. I made all attempts to get him to go back to sleep, but he wasn't having it, so I gave in and decided it was time to start the day. Once downstairs I discovered that it was only 4am, but I was in it now, and I just started on my day. And that was when the trouble started…
Lane and I were just working on our bowls of oatmeal, and I was about to brew a pot when the power went out. We have a gas stove, so hot water wasn't a problem, but like I said before I was not yet a proud owner of an aeropress. Now I could have gone without, but trust me when you go to bed at 2, get up at 4 and you are playing with Choo Choo Trains by candlelight, coffee is important.
So here was the issue. No Coffee pot, no Coffee grinder, no light. Fortunately I had some Folgers in the cupboard that I save for emergencies so I didn't have to grind anything, and as I said, I did have a gas burner so I had hot water. So here was the brilliant solution I came up with. Boil water in a teapot, dump in some coffee grounds, let it sit for a bit and then dump it into a cup, let it settle and drink.
How did it turn out? Let me just say that if you ever find yourself in this situation, you have two options. Option 1: use your aeropress. Option2: just wait for the power to come back on.
Incidentally I was chewing on my second cup when the power came back on. We are now half way through watching the Lion King, and the sun is coming up. This is going to be an interesting day.
Those of you who know us at the shop know we are caffeine driven. A couple of years ago we started carrying Kinetic Koffee as a nod to a fellow team sponsor. What started as a nod became an addiction, and I now am used to drinking good coffee.
Recently we started carrying the AeroPress coffee maker which we talk up as both a better way to make coffee, and also a great tool for camping. What I am ashamed to admit is that I don't actually own one yet.
Now the transition to our new website has not only lead to some late nights, but an increased importance of caffeine in my life. So last night I was up until the wee hours of morning entering in all 130 of our Derailleur Hangers. When I finally got them all into the system I dropped bleary-eyed into bed.
The next thing I remember was a pair of cold feet on my face as my two year old crawled into bed on top of me. As my clock wasn't visible I had no idea what time it was, but all I new is that it wasn't time to get up and it was still dark. I made all attempts to get him to go back to sleep, but he wasn't having it, so I gave in and decided it was time to start the day. Once downstairs I discovered that it was only 4am, but I was in it now, and I just started on my day. And that was when the trouble started…
Lane and I were just working on our bowls of oatmeal, and I was about to brew a pot when the power went out. We have a gas stove, so hot water wasn't a problem, but like I said before I was not yet a proud owner of an aeropress. Now I could have gone without, but trust me when you go to bed at 2, get up at 4 and you are playing with Choo Choo Trains by candlelight, coffee is important.
So here was the issue. No Coffee pot, no Coffee grinder, no light. Fortunately I had some Folgers in the cupboard that I save for emergencies so I didn't have to grind anything, and as I said, I did have a gas burner so I had hot water. So here was the brilliant solution I came up with. Boil water in a teapot, dump in some coffee grounds, let it sit for a bit and then dump it into a cup, let it settle and drink.
How did it turn out? Let me just say that if you ever find yourself in this situation, you have two options. Option 1: use your aeropress. Option2: just wait for the power to come back on.
Incidentally I was chewing on my second cup when the power came back on. We are now half way through watching the Lion King, and the sun is coming up. This is going to be an interesting day.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Drink More Coffee
Ok so I got an earfull the other day. It wasn't anything I had done wrong, but every now and then my wife works an overnight shift at the local children's hospital. One would think that working with kids even sick kids would be an uplifting experiance, but when you have a floor where half a dozen of your patients that night are labled "non-accidental Trauma" it is hard to remain upbeat, and when she comes home I serve as the outlet. "Non-accidental Trauma" is a steril way of saying that mom or dad beat their toddler or infant nearly to death. How someone can throw an infant against a wall, or hit their own child in the back of the head so hard that his eyeballs explode, or otherwise bludgon a child to the point that the bleeding in their head causes the brain to swell leading to brain damage and a life on the ventilator, is completely beyond me. But apparently it is not that uncommon.
Many of these children, simply die. And in many cases this is a blessing. Still many of them live as vegitables or in constant pain at least long enough for their parent to be charged with the lesser crime of child abuse rather than murder.
Some of them survive and regain some degree of functionality, and yes some do recover completely from their wounds, and if they are luckey find a loving home that will take them.
So I hear these stories a lot, and I usually become mad enough that sit around and contemplate ways to get even with people who do these things, and invision myself as some crazed vigilanti. Unfortunately, I have no way of tracking these people down, and even if I did there would be legal issues to contend with. All this is topped off by the fact that I am probably not strong enough to pull off what I would want to do. The way I see it, any worthless, sissy-faced pansy can throw a 13 month old at a wall, but I would have a little more difficulty throwing an adult hard enough to cause his brain to hemorage on impact. So as all these fantasy of being some sort of masked avenger fade into a pile of logistical problems, I have to focus on what I can do.
And what I can do, is drink more Coffee.
Not long after we started this business we started our Koffee for Kids program. The idea was origionally that we would give $1 for every bag of coffee we sold to the Home of the Innocents. When we got around to sending that first payment (aproximately $3) it was just impossible to send a $3 check so we sent one for about $20 instead. Sales have picked up slightly since then, and we finally gave in and just said we would give 100% of the profits, but every time I go to write the check, it doesn't seem like it is enough, so despite our advertised 100% of profits, we usually come in well above that. I just sent in our payment for our march sales, and realized we still have yet to have a month were we send over $100 from coffee sales. In my book this falls roughly between pathetic and shamefull, especially considering that most of the kids I talked about in the first part of this eventually end up at Home of the Innocents. So I am going to drink more coffee. It would be awesome if everyone else bought a buch of coffee too, but it would be even cooler if they just sent a bunch of money to the home. (www.homeoftheinnocents.org)
If all this just sounds like one big guilt trip, please know that I am not intending to guilt everyone, I am just letting you in on the guilt I have been having every time I hear one of these stories. Any letting you know why I am sitting here at 10:30 at night drinking decaf.
Many of these children, simply die. And in many cases this is a blessing. Still many of them live as vegitables or in constant pain at least long enough for their parent to be charged with the lesser crime of child abuse rather than murder.
Some of them survive and regain some degree of functionality, and yes some do recover completely from their wounds, and if they are luckey find a loving home that will take them.
So I hear these stories a lot, and I usually become mad enough that sit around and contemplate ways to get even with people who do these things, and invision myself as some crazed vigilanti. Unfortunately, I have no way of tracking these people down, and even if I did there would be legal issues to contend with. All this is topped off by the fact that I am probably not strong enough to pull off what I would want to do. The way I see it, any worthless, sissy-faced pansy can throw a 13 month old at a wall, but I would have a little more difficulty throwing an adult hard enough to cause his brain to hemorage on impact. So as all these fantasy of being some sort of masked avenger fade into a pile of logistical problems, I have to focus on what I can do.
And what I can do, is drink more Coffee.
Not long after we started this business we started our Koffee for Kids program. The idea was origionally that we would give $1 for every bag of coffee we sold to the Home of the Innocents. When we got around to sending that first payment (aproximately $3) it was just impossible to send a $3 check so we sent one for about $20 instead. Sales have picked up slightly since then, and we finally gave in and just said we would give 100% of the profits, but every time I go to write the check, it doesn't seem like it is enough, so despite our advertised 100% of profits, we usually come in well above that. I just sent in our payment for our march sales, and realized we still have yet to have a month were we send over $100 from coffee sales. In my book this falls roughly between pathetic and shamefull, especially considering that most of the kids I talked about in the first part of this eventually end up at Home of the Innocents. So I am going to drink more coffee. It would be awesome if everyone else bought a buch of coffee too, but it would be even cooler if they just sent a bunch of money to the home. (www.homeoftheinnocents.org)
If all this just sounds like one big guilt trip, please know that I am not intending to guilt everyone, I am just letting you in on the guilt I have been having every time I hear one of these stories. Any letting you know why I am sitting here at 10:30 at night drinking decaf.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Random interlude...
Ok so enough with all the updates about the shop for a minute...
This is what happened when Santa told Lane he couldn't have another bicycle for Christmas. It wasn't pretty and he still hasn't recovered.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
What does your bike say about you.
I am a firm beleiver that you can tell a lot about a person by how their bike is set up, and the gear they use. Sometimes they will fool you if they just bought the bike second hand from someone and haven't had time to modify it to their own personality, but usually you can have a look and learn a lot about the person.
Sometimes this is easy. If you spend enough time at the races you know that single-speeders are a breed of their own. If you can count the number of gears on a bike on one finger, you know you have a special kind of nut on your hands. But there are often more subdle things that you can note, even on a brand new bike. Which accessories if any did the person go in for? Did they go for flashy looking bits on the bike (disc brakes on an entry level bike) or did they stay basic (entry level bike). Did they opt to get all the little safety bits (saddle bag, tube, tire iron, multi tool), or did they shell out for the upgrades that would increase the quality of the ride (clipless pedals). Or did they just walk out with the bike as is? All these things tell you a little about how a person goes about their life.
As the bike ages, you can see what parts get replaced when. Is the bike ridden into the ground or is is kept fresh. How clean in the drive train? How clean is the bike? (By the way I love seeing bikes that are all muddy and dinged up, and then you look at the drive train and it looks like it has been washed with a diaper and lubricated one link at a time) Did the person go in for the latest bit of technology or did they stay with the tried and true.
Most important is the frame material. Seeing a steel hardtail tells you almost as much as seeing only one gear. Ti riders have a similar mentality, but they either have more cash to throw around or they are obsessed with quality. Carbon riders tend to be techno-weenies. Aluminum is either a financial decision or a simple decision that all that other junk isn't worth it, and that aluminum can be made just as light and stiffer anyway. (You will know which from the other parts on the bike)
So what is my point here? Well I just had a scary realization. My son is a much more hard core rider that I will ever be. I checked out his rig the other day, and there were two glaring indicators. "Steel is real" and "No Brakes".
Sometimes this is easy. If you spend enough time at the races you know that single-speeders are a breed of their own. If you can count the number of gears on a bike on one finger, you know you have a special kind of nut on your hands. But there are often more subdle things that you can note, even on a brand new bike. Which accessories if any did the person go in for? Did they go for flashy looking bits on the bike (disc brakes on an entry level bike) or did they stay basic (entry level bike). Did they opt to get all the little safety bits (saddle bag, tube, tire iron, multi tool), or did they shell out for the upgrades that would increase the quality of the ride (clipless pedals). Or did they just walk out with the bike as is? All these things tell you a little about how a person goes about their life.
As the bike ages, you can see what parts get replaced when. Is the bike ridden into the ground or is is kept fresh. How clean in the drive train? How clean is the bike? (By the way I love seeing bikes that are all muddy and dinged up, and then you look at the drive train and it looks like it has been washed with a diaper and lubricated one link at a time) Did the person go in for the latest bit of technology or did they stay with the tried and true.
Most important is the frame material. Seeing a steel hardtail tells you almost as much as seeing only one gear. Ti riders have a similar mentality, but they either have more cash to throw around or they are obsessed with quality. Carbon riders tend to be techno-weenies. Aluminum is either a financial decision or a simple decision that all that other junk isn't worth it, and that aluminum can be made just as light and stiffer anyway. (You will know which from the other parts on the bike)
So what is my point here? Well I just had a scary realization. My son is a much more hard core rider that I will ever be. I checked out his rig the other day, and there were two glaring indicators. "Steel is real" and "No Brakes".
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