Freak'in Frigg'in Rain

Rain. That's all we've had in terms of weather lately. Eighteen degrees (that's 64 for you Yanks) in July. Stooopid. I could have been in Colorado right now sucking wind and trying to acclimatize.

Canada Day Ride

Got out early'ish yesterday morning with Stu for a road loop of the park. It was moist and hummid - conditions that I don't do well in . The dampness does something to my lungs and I find it hard to get a full breath in. Same thing happens in the shower. Meh. What are you going to do. To better prepare for these type of conditions I'm setting up the trainer in the shower over the winter.

That's Disco Stu . . . you may not recognize him from the arse end. Perhaps you saw him at the last 24 hr race . . . .

Here's mud in your eye.

Chico's 24 Hr Summer Solstice turned into 12 hours of rain and mud before they shut it down. Stu pushed his bike to nine laps for a very impressive second place finish in the men's solo division (2nd our of 24 riders). Last year Stu and I battled it out in a race or two and we were generally about the same speed. This year however, the guy is fast! He hauled me around the loop and waited for me at the top of climbs.

View from Champlain yesterday morning - hazy and foggy . . . . like how my lungs and legs were feeling.

Crazy legged skaters

On my way home I ride though the back streets of my neighbourhood and came across a skateboard slalom contest near Dovercourt Community Centre. I stopped to watch for a bit. I spoke to one guy and the fastest time down the course was nine seconds. Freaky fast.

Got home to find The Peanut just off the boob and she had the JAMS. Just Ate Must Sleep. Out like a light.

Recovery food. Toasted peanut butter and bacon sandwich. Don't knock it until you've tried it - yummmmy.

School's out & going steady

School is finally out for summer and I am free. Free I tells ya. I don't think that I could have lasted one more week without committing some hideous act of violence against one or all of my nutbar students which would have found my ugly mugg on the front page of the newpaper. I cannot completely and 100% tell you what a relief it is to be finished.

With all this free time on my hands I'm getting to spend lots of time working in the workshop.

You don't actually use those for brushing your teeth, do you?! Bike gets cleaned first, then the teeth.
Recycle your toothbrush!

What? I've got great oral hygiene.

Working away wrenching on a bike I've finally made a decision that I've been tinkering with for a couple months now . . . . to ride exclusively single speed from here on out (mtn bike that is). Yes, exclusively single speed. That means my big race of the year, the Wilderness 101 down in Pennsylvannia, will truly be a sufferfest like I've never suffered before. I'm embracing the suffering to be honest. No ride from here on out will ever be completely easy.
Meh. Easy is overrated.

We're going steady.

So, since I'll only be on one bike from here on out, I'm selling off most of my geared gear.

The first to go is this very lightly used Vassago Bandersnatch and bits (King headset, White Bros Magic 29 fork, Thomson seatpost and stem, Easton Monkey Lite carbon low rise bar, Salsa seat collar, WTB Rocket V saddle). Tell your friends!
This is truly an awesome bike. It's the same frame geometry used on the Jabberwocky - the same bike as current points leader in the single speed category for the Marathon Challenge series uses. So you know it's got to be good!

Also up on the chopping block:

• Hope Mono Mini brakes
• X9 & X7 rear derailleurs
• a couple bottom brackets
• a BLT lighting system
• etc.

You can find all of these items here (clicky clicky!)

All profit made from my sales will go directly towards my "2010 Yet-To-Be-Announced Stage Race Fund".

And since I've made the decision to suffer I may as well go all in. Rigid. I located a never used White Brothers rigid 29'er fork! Whoot!
Thanks Peter!

Happy Canada Day

Mmmmm . . . . Canada Day.

Sunday saddle time

Sunday I was riding up the gates in the park to meet up with some of the Tall Tree fellas for a long'ish ride in the park. On the way up I picked up a Cyclery rider, Jay (I think that was his name?), who decided to join us. Five us headed out, making our way up to Chelsea via the fifteen. Matt lead out and set a pace that is more like my race pace. It was only 9 am'ish and I was already sweating buckets on this humid, hot day. I was burning too many matched too early. Visions of cramps danced in my head.

Once at Chelsea, we hooked up with the Vegan Vagabond and Paul to go ride some trails in Chelsea - rooty, rocky technical trails with some nice flow. Had the opportunity to ride some new trails that I hadn't ridden before, which were a lot of fun.

I was so tired, sweaty and hot when I took this picture . . . . it accurately portrays the blurred vision I was having at the time.


Double culverts under the highway leading us to some undisclosed trails.


Rode from O'Brien down to the Meech Lake boat launch to dip our legs and heads into the refreshing water. Might have been a bad idea for Thom . . . . see below.


As we started our long climb up the forty a doe and her fawn crossed in front of us on the trail.


Bambi


On the number one heading towards Champlain


Thom fought a good battle trying to hold off the cramps . . . they eventually got him.


All said and done, from my place and return I got in 90 km'ish. I had planned to get in a much longer ride (for the August sufferfest that is looming around the bend) . . . . well, 'planned' . . . . poor choice of words. Cause if I had 'planned' it, I probably would have done it. Leaving the house with one cliff bar, five cliff block cubes, no money and 2.5 litres of water and trying to fit in 120-140 kms . . . . that's not very good planning. Stoopid.

Loaded

This past Saturday was the Bicycles For Humanity loading day for the container that is being shipped over to Namibia. I arrived at the B4H warehouse at 9 am and got to work prep'ing the last bunch of bikes to be loaded on.

At 10 am the truck arrived with the sea container.

And loading began.


The Vegan Vagabond . . . . and the bike that began it all. It's totally made with zero animal by-products.

Feats of strength

I was bent over all day wrenching on bikes - removing pedals, dropping seats and bars, zip tying pedals to the frame, removing kick-stands, and turning bars (all to make for easier and more compact loading and unloading). Every time I got through a bunch of bikes, more would show up to be prepared. I was so busy that I didn't even lift one bike into the truck. Toughest part of the day was removing the steel pedals from aluminum cranks - some sort corrosive welding between the two metals going on. I was shagged by the time I got home - all tired and stiff - body was a bit achy for Sunday's ride (that report tomorrow).

VV & Giles - West Side Posse

I mean . . . Li'l Possers.

Almost full

Boxes of bike parts, tools, soccer cleats, balls and jerseys all sent over. Tubes and tires were crammed into every nook and cranny.

An empty warehouse

332 bikes loaded



I was so happy to have the container loaded I got down and did the B4H shuffle.

Enthusiastic and energetic bunch of volunteers.

Hot turtles cookie landspeed record

Dr. Peter (he's not like a real doctor, you know the kind that stick their finger in your bum - but Peter would like to) wanted to get some long'ish miles in yesterday, so I couldn't let him go at it alone. I had second thoughts (been having a lot of second thoughts lately) on riding after work due to the high temperature (+40 Celsius with the humidex - that's + 104 Farenhiet), but caved and decided to go and see what happened. I took two bottles on the bike and one in my jersey, some Zone Caps, and two bucks.

Peter wanted to get in around 100 km, so I suggested this ride. I wasn't sure if we were bitting off more than we could chew, so to speak, due to the ubber hot day. No sense going into the hurt locker and get all dehydrated - I got a big mtn bike ride this weekend!

Peter found someone/some reptile faster than me to draft off of.

Covered bridge in Wakefield.

We stopped to top up the bottles and grab a snacky at the bakery. My two bucks bought me a big ass oatmeal chocolate chunk cookie, which are the cat's meow.

Riding out of Wakefield towards Ottawa along the Gatineau River was much cooler than being out on the open road.

Peter climbing up River Road.

I finished off just a teeny tiny bit under 100 km - not bad for an after work ride. I also set my new all time land speed record on the hill at Mt Cascade = 88.51 km/hr. Not one cramp while riding - and just a tickle of one while stretching after the ride. I ended up drinking eight tell bottles in the three plus hour ride. I should have Salt Loaded before the ride, but didn't have time or chips, so I'm going to replace what I lost while I sit in front of the jumping box.

Tall Tree Wednesday Nights

Rolled out from the gate with five other riders in +32 degree Celsius heat (that's +89.6 Fahrenheit) last night for a loop of the park. It wasn't painful as other Wednesday nights, the kind where you bleed out your eyes, but it still hurt. I suck ass in the heat, thankfully it wasn't humid cause I suck even worse . . . like smelly ass.

On top of Champlain everyone regrouped - Wednesday nights are generally a "no drop" ride. Faster riders who get to the top often head back down the hill and keep slower riders company until they reach the top. Which is always nice for slower climbers like me - some fast, little skinny guy comes down with a big grin on his face and wants to talk to you while you try to summit the crest of a hill while your lungs are hanging out of your nose.

Speaking of noses, while riding along Matt wiped a big booger on the side of my jersey. "According" to him, there was a deer fly on me. Then he said he really wanted my Big Ring Racing jersey. I guess he thought he deserved it cause he was in his big ring the entire ride. Show off.
I'm going to have to explain to him the irony of the name big ring . . . . like calling a fat guy Tiny.

Kent launched an all-out sprint assault the last 300 meters or so which left him in a wrecked heap by the time he got to the water fountain. The guy has the uncanny ability to put himself automatically into the recovery position (as history would have it) just in case he passes out.
Stop, drop and roll.

Looking for excuses

On my birthday, you might recall (my birthday in fact was not on the 27th, that's when I posted - my birthday is in fact on the 30th. Those of you deadbeat friends and onlookers who have not yet submitted a present may, no - MUST, do so now. Money or bike related presents muchly appreciated), that I treated myself by registering for a few races early in the year. One, I was giving myself a present, two, I was forcing myself to suit up and show up to race. Three months later and I am having second thoughts on one of the races - the Wilderness 101.

The reasons for the second thoughts are not the obvious ones being overweight, under trained and not all that smart. It's funny with the timing really. I was over on The Soiled Chamois blog reading his Lumberjack race report and the same feelings that he was having before that race are similar to the ones I am having.

My reasons:

• One - it's a long ass drive all by my lonesome - 8 hours each way from Ottawa! I don't mind being by myself, anyone who does endurance events better get used to their own company. Maybe some of the slower riders really like themselves and the faster ones can't stand themselves - more or less time alone - you choose. Me on the other hand, being slow, am forced to spend that time all by myself.

• Two - the race takes place August 1st in Pennsylvania. It's bound to be stinking hot. If it's hot, anything around 100km (that's 62.137 miles folks!) and my legs start to get all stabby and crampy. 8 hours is a long way to go to DNF. I'm sussing out the finer details of my cramping issues, but there are no guarantees. And in all likelihood, I will be cramping and badly.

• Three - there's a shit load of climbing involved. Apparently a shit load. Now that doesn't normally bother me, I kind of like settling into the groove and grinding away . . . but 160kms worth . . . . fugg me. What gearing do I run?? WTF!

• Four - if it isn't already apparent, I am lacking some confidence going into this sufferfest. Up in these here Canerda parts, we don't have races that long. That being said, I've ridden about 300 km or so in a couple solo 24 hour races, and around 130-140km in some 8 hrs - but this one big ass loop down in PA seems a little different to me. Can't get my head around it and the suffering it will take to complete it. This will be my longest one day race on the s.s. Guess it's got to happen sometime.

I'm looking for excuses to bail, but can't seem to find any . . . . other than . . . . it's going to hurt . . . alot. Anyone want to drive down with and suffer alongside (or uphead of me)?

* my apologies for yesterday's lameness . . . though I see Dicky enjoyed it.

I got nothing

Blah blah blah go to hell blah blah blah.

That's about all I feel like writing. No motivation, feeling lazy, had a terrible ride this afternoon after work, blah, blah, blah.

The school year is winding down in three days, I'm going to have two months off to do what I please and I feel b-l-a-h. Go figure. I can't explain it.

Yes, this is a lame excuse for a post. Not even a photo or nothin'.
Go pound rocks.

Sunday Country Ride

concession roads

haunted houses

gravel roads

highland cattle

country charm