Hello,
How are all of you? Well life has been hectic as F for me! haha.... It is full speed ahead. Sorry I can't keep up with the blogging like the days of yore.
What have I been up to? Hmm.... The bike park is coming along slowly but its coming along. We buffed out the first berm in the return line last week and we will either do the next berm or finish the forth jump this week. I wish I had more time and a wee bit more help and commitment from other people. It is taking awhile with only two people doing the work. Anyways super excited to have it done and just be able to go their on Tuesdays and sweep, water and ride.
High school mountain bike league has officially started. We have had a few practices. We have 3 die hards and a few others that come and go as they see fit. The fourth amigo is a camp making some money right now so soon to be 4. I am the odd one out. The only person so far rocking the 26inch bike and he only full suspension rider but its all good. I crushed them on the short lap race we had the other practice... haha I know I know they are only 17! but I am way out of shape and on 6inch bike and they are on 29er hard tails and there was nothing technical about this short course, haha. I'm sure in a few weeks I will be back at the back of the pack were I belong.
Last weekend was the Brown County Fair or BCF as the youth are calling it these days and my 27th birthday, haha God I'm getting old! I don't really feel old. I still heal pretty quick, I'm healthy and bounce off the ground pretty well! I will say I'm a few LBS over my ideal weight. I was 5 lbs over my ideal weight of 175 when we went on our honey moon in June and put 9 more lbs on top of that to top out around 189 and have only managed to get down to around 185 and now I'm stuck. I'm hoping all this riding with the whipper snappers will help me get my ass back into shape. I have also started to take my nutrition more serious.
Ok enough of that boring stuff back to the BCF. It was a blast! Not as crazy as years past but still a really good time. The concerts were great. Jerrod Niemann and Dierks Bently tore it up! It was good to see the family and friends.
Unfortunately it wasn't all tulips and butterflies. A classmate and a friend, not a super close friend but we grew up playing sports together, decided that life wasn't worth living anymore and took his own life. It really saddens me. I guess I just don't understand but he wasn't the first class mate but I damn well hope he is the last! My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family and close friends! God rest his soul!
Last night was a Salsa demo at Carver Lake and since I was already there for practices I grabbed a Horse Thief and gave it a short ride. I know you can't make up your mind in 4 miles but I was rather pleasantly surprised by the ride. I was forced to ride a Large as the medium was out and I didn't want to hang out too long. It was a bit too big for me but maybe if I had a short stem and a dropper post it would have been ok. The bike was surprisingly nimb and didn't really feel like I was on a 29er when we were at pace. However I knew right away I was back on a 29er when the speeds decreased and things got more technical. I would like to give a medium a go and really get out on a trail where I can put it through it's paces, like up at Piedmont in Duluth or the Black Hills. It would also be nice to have the bike that fit better and was set up more for me. The bars had a goofy swoop, I like my answer pro bars, 1 inch rise 9degree swoop and it had a 90 or 100m stem I would rather have a 50mm. I like a tight compact feeling bike as I really like to be able to muscle a bike and through it around. I did feel like I was on a bit of a monster truck but it was probably the best feeling 29er I've ever ridden and if and when I'm in the market for a new bike I would consider it. There are few more that I would like to try first. Rocky Mountain Element 950, Yeti SB 95 and the new Giant Trans x29er
Well I hope you all have had a nice last couple weeks. The weather feels like October already. I hope that doesn't mean an early winter. I still have some more riding I would like to do but if winter does come, I hope it really comes. I would like some snow to play in this year!
Keep it real!
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
The Freaken weekend and what not....
Well last week wasn't too bad. I, along with some other people built some jumps and then went on with my business through the week. On Thursday I met up with Trevor at Lexington for 45mins of pump track and and some jumps. Then we headed over to Lebanon were we were to meet my buddy Stu at 6pm. I thought I was feeling pretty good, Lexington was a nice solid warm up. Chatted with Stu for a few minutes and then saw Dave and Craig. I forgot Thursday's were the Lebanon Group ride. So we hoped on the tail of that . I realized quickly that Lexington was more then a warm up as I was feeling the early stages of bonking. I was pretty bummed with myself. I have let myself get out of shape. My work outs are few and far between and my nutrition is terrible. It has just been a tough year for MTB in general.
Spring came early and was super busy with other more important life events and then summer never really came. The weather turned to rain shit and then go unbearably hot and now with fall quickly approaching it is like where has my summer gone what happen to my physical abilities... Who knows? My tech skills are still there. They hardly go away but being able to use them relies heavily on having enough energy and strength to do it when the time comes. I do not have this ability. Last summer at this time I would rip out 2 + laps at Lebanon on a normal ride! Now I am surviving 1 lap.
Back to survival. I was quickly fading and falling to the back. With Dave the animal in the lead. This guy has the XC motor and the DH skills, total package and unless you are on your A game, hard to hang with him! By about 1/2 way through the ride I was in no mans land sucking water just getting pissed at myself for becoming such a POS. We regrouped and started on our way through the blue out. About 1/2 way I caught my second wind and was able to hang with the group a little better and was feeling alright as we go to the green section.
We were barrelling down the first two big berms and bam! Not sue what happened but Craig was 2 riders in front of me and all I saw was dust and then heard him swearing up a storm! He some how clipped the only rock on the trail with his pedal and went down hard. The pins on his pedals did a number to his shins! Stu and I grabbed our spare tubes and used one as a tourniquet and the other as a wrap and got him up and on his way back to the parking lot.
He had to go to Urgent care and ended up with a 3 inch gash and 13 staples! Ouch!
This ride was my wake up ride. I went to the store on Saturday AM bought some protein and a vitamin and I am going to start building form nutrition up! I also started doing the no weights needed prisoner work out as well as planning on taking my rides more serious like last summer and making each of them count as a training ride in some form or fashion!
Copper Harbor enduro race is coming quick and I want to at least finish and not be dead! Then there is the Dirt Bag and Giant's Ridge DH.
Plus the high school mountain bike season is starting and I can't be a worthless slob role model for those kids! Time to step it up! Iit is never too late to get serious!
See you on the trail!
Keep it real!
Spring came early and was super busy with other more important life events and then summer never really came. The weather turned to rain shit and then go unbearably hot and now with fall quickly approaching it is like where has my summer gone what happen to my physical abilities... Who knows? My tech skills are still there. They hardly go away but being able to use them relies heavily on having enough energy and strength to do it when the time comes. I do not have this ability. Last summer at this time I would rip out 2 + laps at Lebanon on a normal ride! Now I am surviving 1 lap.
Back to survival. I was quickly fading and falling to the back. With Dave the animal in the lead. This guy has the XC motor and the DH skills, total package and unless you are on your A game, hard to hang with him! By about 1/2 way through the ride I was in no mans land sucking water just getting pissed at myself for becoming such a POS. We regrouped and started on our way through the blue out. About 1/2 way I caught my second wind and was able to hang with the group a little better and was feeling alright as we go to the green section.
We were barrelling down the first two big berms and bam! Not sue what happened but Craig was 2 riders in front of me and all I saw was dust and then heard him swearing up a storm! He some how clipped the only rock on the trail with his pedal and went down hard. The pins on his pedals did a number to his shins! Stu and I grabbed our spare tubes and used one as a tourniquet and the other as a wrap and got him up and on his way back to the parking lot.
He had to go to Urgent care and ended up with a 3 inch gash and 13 staples! Ouch!
This ride was my wake up ride. I went to the store on Saturday AM bought some protein and a vitamin and I am going to start building form nutrition up! I also started doing the no weights needed prisoner work out as well as planning on taking my rides more serious like last summer and making each of them count as a training ride in some form or fashion!
Copper Harbor enduro race is coming quick and I want to at least finish and not be dead! Then there is the Dirt Bag and Giant's Ridge DH.
Plus the high school mountain bike season is starting and I can't be a worthless slob role model for those kids! Time to step it up! Iit is never too late to get serious!
See you on the trail!
Keep it real!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
where was I?
Well I'm sorry I haven't been posting much these days. I have been busy still trying to finish off the bike park. So I can ride more and maybe move on to the next project.
We were to have a build day on 7/21 but that got rained out pretty quickly. About 30mins of work. Total bummer since we had Ben the city operator out there with a skid steer ready to do some damage. Oh well that is how the ball bounces.
Last Wednesday I headed up to St. Cloud to pick up my new 24inch Cruiser DJ bike. It's a Haro 124 and it is a blast. The pump tracks are easier, faster and way more fun, not to mention I can get steezy over the jumps now! The icing on the cake is that my MTB wont get over abused now. I can keep that for the trail and DH stuff and bash this bad boy around on the jumps and pump track!
My buddy Griff came out last Friday when Trevor and I were out there doing a little work and a little riding and snapped some picks and helped us sweep and water the tracks here is his write up on www.mountainbikegeezer.com
Yesterday was a great day at the park last night. Ben the city operator came out and moved some dirt for us during the day and for once we had a solid turn out of people, not sure they were there intentionally to work but got shovels in their hands! Had about 12 people over the 3 hours running shovels, brooms and rakes! It was great. Lot of work got done!
Hip option added to the advanced pump track. Intermediate pump track buffed a bit and is riding great-just a little more work needed on that one, buffed out some of the skid steer marks on the run way, the second jump got extended to add more pump ability for the next jump, which is a total sender now and we carved in the face of the forth large jump and shaped the back side of that jump. there is a safety berm there now but it will be getting bigger and more ridable. Spoke with Ben and he has his instructions for some additional dirt moving! If we keep up the big turn outs on Tuesdays and we could have this bad boy whipped into shape in no time!
Keep it real!
We were to have a build day on 7/21 but that got rained out pretty quickly. About 30mins of work. Total bummer since we had Ben the city operator out there with a skid steer ready to do some damage. Oh well that is how the ball bounces.
Last Wednesday I headed up to St. Cloud to pick up my new 24inch Cruiser DJ bike. It's a Haro 124 and it is a blast. The pump tracks are easier, faster and way more fun, not to mention I can get steezy over the jumps now! The icing on the cake is that my MTB wont get over abused now. I can keep that for the trail and DH stuff and bash this bad boy around on the jumps and pump track!
My buddy Griff came out last Friday when Trevor and I were out there doing a little work and a little riding and snapped some picks and helped us sweep and water the tracks here is his write up on www.mountainbikegeezer.com
Yesterday was a great day at the park last night. Ben the city operator came out and moved some dirt for us during the day and for once we had a solid turn out of people, not sure they were there intentionally to work but got shovels in their hands! Had about 12 people over the 3 hours running shovels, brooms and rakes! It was great. Lot of work got done!
Hip option added to the advanced pump track. Intermediate pump track buffed a bit and is riding great-just a little more work needed on that one, buffed out some of the skid steer marks on the run way, the second jump got extended to add more pump ability for the next jump, which is a total sender now and we carved in the face of the forth large jump and shaped the back side of that jump. there is a safety berm there now but it will be getting bigger and more ridable. Spoke with Ben and he has his instructions for some additional dirt moving! If we keep up the big turn outs on Tuesdays and we could have this bad boy whipped into shape in no time!
Keep it real!
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