The Kid on the Big Wheels

New Kits

2011-02-23T15:19:00.001-08:00

Just received the new 29er Crew team kits from Papa Trek today, whaddya think?!?!

I dig it, but I guess Ill have to deal with the all black again this season.

trials

2011-02-09T15:01:00.000-08:00

If you havent seen the new video from Danny Macaskill you should do so. Its even more "Dankerer" than the last one. Hes technically one of the best trials riders Ive ever seen and has more flow than anybody else...ever!!!

So here it is:

But almost more incredible is a dog who does Parkour, sort of like trials, but with feet.
Check it:

Experts

2011-01-25T17:05:00.001-08:00

"Most of them is drug-heads"

and my favorite:
"why they riding a bike stoppin at a red light?"

Now thats sexy!

2010-10-04T16:26:00.001-07:00

And I dont even like tri bikes!!

Trek did this one-off Speed-Concept Tri bike for their K-Siss rider Julie Diebens. I this its hawt.

Maybe theyll do one for me? I dont even do tris, thats gotta make me cooler than julie eh?

Worlds

2010-09-12T05:57:00.000-07:00

The Swiss Cycling Federation recently announced that Cancellara will head both their tt and road race teams, well he is the tt team; but they are fielding an 8 man squad based around getting him in stripes for the road race as well. Id put money on it.

Blingin new shoes from Eurobike

2010-09-01T16:36:00.001-07:00

I love Eurobike even more than Interbike. If you dont know what either of those are then learn quick before we stop speaking entirely. Eurobike is this week, later in the season so it often offers a little more in terms of preview for next season and late year presentation of new goodies. So far I am most stoked about Fiz;k's new shoes:

See mo' here

Riding much?

2010-08-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

I sure as hell am! My Polar heart rate monitor assigns me weekly exercise goals which I largely ignore but I like to get the weekly updates as to how much of that goal I completed. If I managed to do either enough mileage, burn enough calories, or do enough rides then it gives me a little trophy on my watch face for the following week.

So hypothetically if the weekly update says "100%" I spent at least 6 hours on the bike, or took at least 4 rides. Well this is what it said at the end of last week:

Thats right, 366%. And that aint the first time ive been in the 300 something percent this summer either. Maybe I oughta get a job.

So I guess im out to ride, hope you are pleased with the update

Seriously

2010-06-08T05:10:00.000-07:00

While I contend that a can of cold coca-cola is plenty enough of a boost for me some folks just seem to need more. I laughed out loud when I saw this recent article accusing my favorite cyclist Fabian Cancellara of using a motor-driven bicycle at this years Rubaix and Flanders. Check it out here.

Also see the video below:

I mean seriously?!?! Whatever,

Race season well underway

2010-05-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

More often than not when I roll up to a start line this song begins to play in my head, and as soon as the gun sounds the distortion cranks and Zakk Wylde drops the hammer.

Just a note to say that the season is going really well with some really solid results in the Virginia Off Road Series and Ive really enjoyed seeing some of you out there. Till next time!

The Right Kind of Season Opener

2010-04-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

My season is usually pretty long. Technically it opened back in February with a local winter series where I had great results. But the season opened officially two weeks ago with the Ride The Ridge to benefit WorldBicycleRelief. That race was a dismal failure. I anticipated dry conditions since the forecast was for rain beginning late that night, mother nature brought it early and dumped it all the night before. So my trusty XR1s were not exactly the perfect tire. My legs felt fine that day but I hadn't hydrated enough and had almost no control with the XR1s in the mud soup which covered the entire course. So I chalked it up to poor prep and even worse luck.

This past weekend the VORS series really kicked off with the first of two races at Camp Hilbert in Goochland VA. I had always heard that Hilbert was a great course and was a fun race but always had conflicts. This year I'm dedicated to getting out and doing more of the VORS series and so it was a must.

I put on a lower gear because the scoop was that CH was a fast course, so I dropped the 20t for a 19t and set up the 'Fly for some racin'. I pulled up the morning of and was blessed with the best weather you could ask for a race day to have. Just a little cool but warming up very mildly very quick. I rolled to the start to greetings from lots of friends and when the horn sounded I took off in my usual fashion. The course proved to be as promised and after the pack behind me thinned out a little and I had gotten a feel for the trails I began to push it a little. What few reports of "hills" had been reported proved to be nothing more than long rollers for a mountain boy like myself.

The course was a blast, fast, swoopy in all the right places, and because of just enough rain a few days before the dirt was perfectly sticky to really throw the big hoops into the corners. A skeptic had mentioned that Hilbert was "totally not a 29er course" when I rolled up to the Ride the Ridge two weeks before. My response was of course two parts: 1) Everything is a 29er course, and 2) how bout you roll out with me and Ill prove the big wheels are faster. He of course didn't race his unnamed 26" fully suspended bicycle whose shocks have a 'brain,' whatever that means.

Here's a shot of the Superfly in action:

So as I pushed the juice I found Hilbert totally was a 29er course and each racer that I passed (kindly of course) can verify how well the wagon wheels rolled through. What started as a small lead continued to grow into the minutes as the third lap rolled around. I crossed the line in first with a couple minute lead and in good standing even in the class before me. All in all, it was a great day. The right kind of season opener, one which shows you that the legs are good, the bike is good, and the season is gonna be great.

Keep em rollin'

SPARTACUS!!!

2010-04-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

Ive been a huge fan of Fabian Cancellara for a long time. The "Time Machine" is just an amazing cyclist packed into a very humble and enthusiastic package. I imagine him like myself in some ways, but way cooler and waaaaay faster. Enjoy this video (in Belgian) of Spartacus wrecking on Tornado Tom on his way to a Flanders win:

I cant resist...

2010-03-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

This song!

In the words of Jeremy Clarkson it is "SAWEEEEEET!

70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L'Ogre on Vimeo.

I apparently also cant resist titling blogs with ellipses

Im happy on my bike too!

2010-03-18T19:41:00.001-07:00

Mother Nature owed me!

2010-03-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

Mother Nature owed me. The weather this year has been awful. I mean awful. I can take a little, I can take some rain, I can take some snow, but we really got slammed all year so far. Ive mentioned the local Mountain Cross series we have here in South West VA. This weekend saw the conclusion of that series, withe the last of three races. The format is a lot like short-track, but shorter and not exclusively on singletrack.

We are also privileged to have one of the best race organizers around in a guy named Kenny Palmer. Kenny has done a really killer job putting together this series and past races. Sundays race was no exception except this time Mother Nature called in her debt and blessed us with really spectacular weather. 60 something and sunny. The trails were in suprisingly good conditions with the exception of a few sticky spots.

As the "equalizer" format sending racers off a few at a time until it was literally just myself and kenney lined up waiting for the clock to tick down so we could go. As it finally did we hid the gas hard. Kenny hung on for about a half a lap before I could shake him, I was pretty pleased given that its his trail, he built it and rides it regularly whereas this was my first time on clean dry singletrack in far too long. Pushing through some kind of sinis infection or cold or something I was able to make up time on everybody that had started before me, catching everybody and putting a little time on most. My buddy Dave T looked really good on his new Superfly 100 and as I caught him he hung on pretty well. Everybody really enjoyed the course, especially the berms and banked corners:

Coming in only a few second off of first place I knew that I had done well. My legs and stomach told me otherwise, I hadnt felt as good as usual, or as good as I knew I could. Still second meant that I would have gotten a very decisive first in any other format. Still it was even cooler to see the podium: all fishers. A 1x9 Rig, my Superfly SS, and Dave T's Superfly 100. Then there was the series podium, also ALL Fishers! Hifi 29er, Rig, and Superfly...cool.

Having only done two of the three races I wasnt in the running for the series but all the same it was a great series, a good time was had by all. If you get a chance swing by any of the Bedford VA parks and check out their slick singletrack, you'll be impressed.

Out to enjoy the continuing good weather...its supposed to rain again soon.

The indescretions of contadoper part 1

2010-02-23T19:22:00.000-08:00

case in point: champions dont wear things like this:

They might wear things like this:

Contadoper still has a lot to prove to me.

Disc brakes for sale!

2010-02-16T19:13:00.000-08:00

Yo blogosphere!

Im sellin some of ma brakes. I have decided I will not be stopping in 2010 and would like to rid myself of the extra weight of these slow'ems.

They are Avid Elixir CR model hydraulic disc brakes that I can sell with or without rotors. Let me know if you would like further information. Make me an offer but I am looking to get around 250 for them. I think they retail for a little over 300. Probably fewer than 100 miles on them.

Photos:

And mine pretty much look like that, except with al levers. It also happens I like the aluminium levers a little more because they dont have the flex that carbon lever blades have, and if theres one thing you dont want to flex 'is yo brakes!

Bicycle of WAR!!!

2010-02-14T19:32:00.000-08:00

Check this out:

I bet the swiss could even get BMC to sponsor a really sweet elite MTB division now. So my real question is do you think that the 29er could win the war in Iraq?

I totally do.

But on another note congratulations to Miss Jen on the birth of her own 29er, an orange one no less!

Still riding

2010-02-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Its snowing, but Im still riding. When the roads are clear it sure is pretty though. Of course the endless back roads of Farmville (the REAL Farmville not this Facebook crap)do help.

And when it decides to get foul I ride this:

Silly Hitler

2010-01-28T19:36:00.001-08:00

Its been a while

2010-01-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

but whats to tell?!

Im still riding a lot, as often as I can.

Im still busy with a full courseload here at school.

Im still trying to find a wee job for the years after graduation known as life

And the world is still prettiest when im on the bike:

The Appomattox river is way over her banks, and spilled over into this poor fellas pasture, but it sure is pretty,

See yall around!

Supremely Ballin'

2010-01-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

I can do this uphill...

but he can do it DOWNhill!!!

Rain/ Snow/ dark of night bike

2009-12-26T13:05:00.000-08:00

I have finally finished the rain bike. I had to order a few parts from East Coasters but with the exception of the handlebar, everything you see was either hiding away in the garage or otherwise procured at little or no cost.

Feast you're eyes on The Fish:

Never you mind that the bars havent been wrapped yet and that the saddle ended up about a cm higher and the bars out another 15mm, this baby rocks.

Additionally the bike doesn't have its fenders on in these photos, same with the Reynolds wheels, those just got put back in their rightful place on the Serotta in favor of the Easton EC90 SLX wheels which will permanently reside on The Fish. Oh well, hope you enjoy, now we can ride in the rain and not feel bad about mucking up the white bike. Hugs and Kisses!

I took a ride

2009-12-12T14:20:00.000-08:00

In the dirt.

You all know of my affinity for dirt road rides. And of course for my love of adventure. So when a friend here in Farmville said he found a really great dirt road out in Cumberland county (about 20m from Farmvegas) I said "lets do it."

So we road out one afternoon and as were riding evening began to sneak up right quick like it does these days. We thought about turning back but I said eh ya know, lets do it. I look on the map on my phone and saw it was just around the next bend. Looked pretty innocent at the time I said:

We planned to ride the loop you see above running from the arrow back to Plank road. It looked pretty chill so I said lets do it. What I didnt see was this:

Yeah see all those crazy twists and runarounds? Well the road apparently ran up and through one of the only Kyanite mines in the world. Of course this sign should have clued up in a little.

So anyways...here we went, up the mountain and ready for the adventure. What I haven't yet mentioned is that this was the week it rained 5 of 7 days. So it was muddy. But fun!

And so you can see what we were up against in terms of traffic: Check out those tire tracks! they were for full-size, bigger than life dump-trucks like you see on Modern Marvels:

So this side wasn't so bad, but coming down the other side we became quickly lost. I mean look at that map!

that whole area was hilly, muddy, and a big ol mess in the fading evening light.

At one point a pick-up truck came swinging by and so we flagged him down...he waved and kept driving. As though we didn't look out of place. So we followed him, through the nastiest mud pit Ive seen in a while. Even the 4-wheel drive slipped. But hey he looked like he was heading home so we followed.

As we follow his path we end up on a clear-cut section following the power lines through the wild, the BLAM!!! Oh piss (remember that blasting warning?) Turns out he was just doing a bit of hunting. We sort've got directions. Trey complemented me on my redneck conversation skills and we slipped and slid on home.

Our path looked something like this:

But anyway, we mad it out alive...ish. A few slips, slides and falls later (due to inability to clip out since the pedals were caked in mud) we were on the way home.

This ride, along with others and all the recent rain has caused me build up the rain bike some of you have heard so much about. Here she is, coming along:

Think other wheels, Bontrager Speed Limit brakes and Green Hudz on Sram levers and youve pretty much got the picture.

See many of you on the 19th!

Is it me?

2009-12-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

Or did "The Shack" just come out with the hottest team bikes since...well...the 29er Crew?

Check it out:

Yeah, its not just me.

Zombie Apocalypse anyone?

2009-12-09T09:19:00.001-08:00

Stumbled Upon this the other day:

I thought some of you would enjoy this. Especially Dave T.

If you havent Stumbled yet...dont start (but just because Im an enabler:http://www.stumbleupon.com/)

I like to ride hard

2009-12-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

I want to climb this:

And ride this

Call me names if you will...but id like to do it. I bet Warren Schimizzi even knows where this is.

New Goods

2009-11-20T18:25:00.000-08:00

So all this rain, what about that?!!? I love the interspersed beautiful days, but not at the price of rollers. Give me consistent, okay weather with periods of both extremes and Ill be thrilled. But since all this rain as come I decided I needed to put my road fenders to good use.

Normal people would just put them on their bike. I bought another bike. Cut right to that chase eh? I bought one of the Kelly Benefits team Gary Fisher framesets. Its pretty-ish. What do ya'll think:

So heres the build:

Frame/Fork: look at the picture
Deraileurs: Sram Force
Shifters: Force front Rival rear
Seatpost: Thomson Masterpiece
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Special Edition
Crank: Dura-Ace 7800 53/39
Handlebars: Deda Fluida white
Stem: Bontrager Race X Lite white 120/130mm
Wheels: Easton EC90 SLX w/ Schwalbe Ultremo R tires
Cassette: Dura-Ace 7900 11-23
Pedals: Shimano SPD-SL Ultegra
Chain: KMC X10-sl

And of course, carbon fiber fenders. yeah, carbon fenders...

okay so just kidding the fenders are made of plastic which is made to look like carbon

Go Willie

2009-11-11T16:51:00.001-08:00

This ones for Tim Carter

Are you ready?

2009-10-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

Tidewater Challenge on Sunday...Am I ready?

Yep, Im ready...

New Goods

2009-10-01T13:10:00.001-07:00

So for starters, thanks Gary! Fisher that is. Many of you know I was riding a Rig most of the season. I really wanted one of the Superfly SS models but wasn't as hot on the sliding dropouts. Sliders requisite either a bolt-on hub or some kind of tom-foolery with tensioners that may or may not work with a quick-release hub. This isn't a big deal for casual riding but for racing it becomes a real pain in the arse.

So I opted for a Rig equipped with a trusty eccentric bottom bracket. Now this season my good buddy Ted out at Fisher decided to change things up a bunch and replaced the Sliders on the old Fly with a new design:

So that did it. I knew I had to have one of those. Place the order with Fisher and a few days later BAM!! Fly. And boy does it. I have ridden some bikes in my day, and I have ridden some 29ers. Four different 29ers now: Soma, Niner, Rig, Fly. Many of you out there heard all of the praise I had for my Niner. I would even venture to say some folks out there in the world bought a Niner based in part on how thrilled I was with mine. Well let me tell you now folks, nothing beats a Fly.

I have been more stoked by the Superfly than ever bike I have ever had. I had my doubts about the G2 with the rig, but I think that's because the Rig wasn't designed ot be a racing bike, whatever the difference between the Superfly and the Rig, the Fly is a whole different bike, or animal I should say. So you all know I dig it; its lighter, smoother, faster, and way sexier.

So here we go:

So whats the same?
Still got the custom Industry Nine wheels, Thanks as always to Frank down in Asheville. And of course the trusty BB discs, and don't forget the rockin foam grips from Bontrager, KCNC QRs and the rest of the goods off of the Rig. All told its just barely over 19lbs. I sold the old Rigid fork, and and planning on scoring one of the new Bontrager Race X Lites (more to follow) as soon as theyre available. I hear Jesse Lalonde has his down to a little under 17lbs. Reckon I can get there? Not sure I want to.

So what is different?
I have a new Gobi on there, one that matches. I also have the Full Bonty XXX Lite kit, bars and seatpost. If y'all haven't checked out the new Bontrager stuff, you should. Its really awesome. I think the kids these days would call it "dank." yeah...dank.

I also have a new set of levers, courtesy of Avid. They were kinds enough to send along the newest Blackbox Speed Dial Ultimates. You all know of my love for mechanical disc brakes, well these babies take it to the next level entirely. Designed by an alien race, and gifted to president Reagan on his first trip to the moon (in the future that is) these brakes have all kinds of trick stuff I had never seen before. A little lighter than the SLs I had previously and cnc'd, all coming in a sick matching black package.

Cockpit:

A set of white Nokon cables and housing will be coming soon (because Gold is soooo Niner), as will some new rubber from Fisher to finally finish off the deal. Im also planning on a new set of I-9s, perhaps Red? Maybe purple! That'd go about as well as Orange. So if anybody wants a set of I-9s give me an offer.

Now all there is left to do is finally conquer Tidewater. Every year I go out to the Tidewater Challenge and hunt for Single Speed glory, and every year something goes wrong. Last year I made the mistake of racing the Mountain Crit the day before and didn't have the juice for the big day. A year before I flatted, big time, and the year before that I don't even know, probably just slow. But this year I can do it. Im there, its there, jam-time!

So yeah, I dig the new bike, and I dig all of you out there. So if anybody would like to go for a ride, I would really like that. But I'm rambling. Hugs and kisses......well maybe just smiles and grins.

haha, the ad guys finally get singlespeeds

2009-09-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

First of all you all need to visit my 29er crew blog to learn alllll about my Shenandoah Mtn 100 craziness. Here you go. Now on with the show:

So all the hype of singlespeed road bikes "urban fixies" or whatever must be wearing of, or at least reaching a critical mass. I saw a bunch of ads the other day and I just had to post them. Check it:

Now even little Asian girls can have ripped tree trunk legs, but that's not all, even OLD men and little hipster dweebs can have swole quads:

eeeeeewwwww...

Sneak Peek

2009-09-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

Ok so for starters, those of you who didnt see my Dark Mountain Disaster, here it is:

As a result my newest toy is not yet finished so it will not yet be presented (however it is rideable and boy is it fast).

So here is a little sneaky peak of my new toy:

Lets just say this one has had my name on it for a while now:

Stay tuned, now that I'm back at school blog posts will come more and more frequently.

Euro-trash?

2009-08-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

So I know that visors are supposed to be all preppy and crap; but what does that mean for this guy spotted at the Tour of Ireland?

He has turned his cycling cap into like a 1980s sweatband visor kind of thing....I kinda want one. Now where is that campy old cycling cap, the pink one of course.

No Giro

2009-05-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

So thanks all of you for all of the welcome home messages I have received. It feels good to finally be back in the land of the big wheels (and freedom and all that crap). Watching some late night TV the other night however I was reminded just how backwards our country is unfortunately. I tuned into ESPN to try and catch the new of the Giro from that day (from the ticker tape on the bottom of the screen because there definitely want going to be any actual coverage) and was shocked to see what was playing on the 'ol Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. NO Giro, duh, but I was quickly riveted nonetheless by what played...thats right, the National Spelling bee (live-ish) from WAshington DC. Here are of a few of my favorite moments:

Unfortunately that video only contained the winner; who no doubt deserved the award and the 40 large he received as a prize. However the only slightly less coveted award at the National Bee is the "best mustache for a kid who has yet to ht puberty" award. And this years award goes to the runner up:

Wow, so glad I was able to watch this instead of the Giro.

2009-05-19T12:23:00.001-07:00

I wanted to find the video for "im on a boat" but apparently its not available in the UK. Sucks! Oh well in lue of that here we go:

So that's right folks, by the time many of you read this I will in fact be either on my way or home already. And just like Ozzy says its been sooooooo long. I'm ready for my Blue Ridge back, I'm ready for all my old friends and my family, I'm ready for mountain bikes for cheesesteak's sake! See ya'll soon.

-GWW-

Anybody need a new road bike?

2009-05-11T12:25:00.001-07:00

I recently put my Pinarello up for sale:

Make me an offer but consider that it retails for around $2200. Oh and you pay shipping to wherever in the world you may be.

And just as a tease here is a little vid from my last week's adventure:

Haha...the bicycle mechanic.

2009-05-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

And the thrilling conclusion:

I wonder if I know any of THOSE bicycle mechanics? Don't think so.

Coast to Coast!

2009-04-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

Here in Scotland the cyclists are blessed with a relatively small country. I decided to take advantage this on a spur of the moment this past weekend. I said to myself "Self, how far do you reckon it is to the west coast?" I answered myself via mapmyride.com and saw that it could be as little as about 75 miles from the east coast to the west coast of Scotland. If I added in a few really great climbs and a dirt road here or there I could have a really killer 90 mile cruise with rewarding views and great roads. Word!

So here I am in the North Sea (rather here are my feet):

And here I am on the way to the Atlantic: (Resplendent in my new 29er Crew team kit of course)

And here I am (90 miles later) in the Atlantic:

Another great thing about Scotland is that there are about a bazillion little towns on any given ride in which you can stop and take a load off for a while. Here I am at the "Lanark Tea Room" enjoying a little Cafe Americano and a sandwich:

All in all the ride was a huge success and I have a killer cycling tan (burn) to prove it. When I stopped for lunch I think my kit frightened the little old lady, I promptly informed her that the weapons on my back and leg were not in fact real. She seemed relieved.

And as always, because one can't get enough of the Scottish scenery here are a few of those shots:

I even spotted the alleged home of one of my favorite JK Rowling characters:

All in all it was a great trip. When the sun is shining and the wind is calm (both more the exception than the rule in Scotland) even a 90 mile coast to coast cruise isn't all that tiring. Hope all is well back home, see y'all soon! I look forward to heading home next month to begin my off road season and enjoy some dirt as opposed to all of this tarmac I've been on lately. It looks like the rest of the crew has been having a great season; great job boys and girls.

Dr. Fisher that is

2009-04-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

I mean, I knew Daddy Fish was an accomplished fellow but I ad no idea that extended to a PH.d and a literary career. And of all things a specialty in "ld" chillins. Wow, he really does care.

The internet is a strange place kids, and while you're there (Because we all know the internet is a place) check out one the Internet's newest publications XXC. hopefully rags like this will gain some serious steam because the writers are legit, well-spoken (or read I suppose?), the content is enjoyable, and the photo-centric style provides a great, easy to read little mag.

In other news Im coming home early! I fly back in on the 20th, take delivery of a SupaFLY!!, and then hit tha' dirt! WOOO I may be organizing a wee partay/ride event sometime so I can catch up with all of my favorite dirt-buddies. Peace, Love, and bicycle grease

-GW-

Why is it that I'm fat?

2009-04-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, now I remember...

This is why I'm Fat

I love this sight, it absolutely cracks me up, and oddly enough makes me think of Ron G a little bit, maybe its all the bacon. Seriously they should add fried mars bars, a Scottish delicacy. Okay so delicacy, maybe not, but seriously delicious. In other news, training going well. I cant believe I say training now, I don't train! What a joke. I enjoy riding my bicycle, more and more everyday actually, that's my training. Scottish springtime is second to none, and I am even managing a wee cycling tan (a feat not only given Scottish weather but also my skin-tone).

My internet has been a proper A$$ lately and I have gone for several days at a time without any access so I apologize to all of you for the lack of posts, but I hope our time apart is made endurable by the wealth of calories above. Git'N R'Done,

-GWW-

PS be sure to check out the 29er Crew blog from time to time, and post a comment, they make me happy!

Scotland aint all that bad

2009-03-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

When it comes to road cycling there are a lot of really fantastic places to train, race, and ride. For instance Girona Spain. For years we have seen pro after pro buy a little slice of Girona to do their training all year long. Another cycling mecca would be Asheville NC, we all know and love the riding down in Asheville and its a wonder we haven't picked up and split long ago (Wes!). I would like to nominate Edinburgh for this list of incredible locales. The weather is suprisingly nice, rarely wet (believe it), considerate drivers (for the most part), and incredible roads all add up for a really great cycling spot. Heres a few from my recent 80 miler after which I concluded that any ride with more sheep than people is alright by me.

Heres even a wee video so you can maybe get a better feel for what the scenery is like:

All in all, not bad. But at the end of the day anywhere the sun is shining and Ive got wheels is a great place to be.

The Bug!

2009-03-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

So I have leaked that I will in fact be riding a Superfly this season. We all know that. I have also mentioned that I will be opting out of the offered Superfly SS frameset because of the sliding drops. This choice is highly unlike me given the exclusive nature of the elusive SS frame, sliding drops and the fact that you cant ever sell it are small deterrents to a fellow like myself. So I have decided to put my photochop skills to the ultimate test. I present you a mockup of what my new raceday rig will be. Note the standard superfly graphics in place of the team graphics and the caveat that I will not actually be racing in the big ring (this is just for photoshop ease you see).

Oh yeah and our new team kits have shipped. I present you with another pile of exclusive goodies, see if you can dig my name out of the bunch...hehe

Until next time folks!

-GWW-

Whoah...

2009-03-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Crazy times folks...crazy times:

"Man with Shirt Off Terrifies Community"

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39254

Dude, again...this is my training. Growing out my fro and eatin some chili dawgs! WOOO

training

2009-03-13T13:42:00.001-07:00

Dude, this is my training:

Mountain Bike

Perform crazy stunts in this downhill mountain bike racer!

Play this free game now!!

I hope yall are ready for some sick "peg grinds" this season

News

2009-03-05T11:23:00.000-08:00

Hey kiddos. So as all of you likely know the 29er Crew is my new home. Because of this I am operating a new blog. THE blog as it were. Look for most of my posts on the 29er Crew website (29ercrew.com). I will occasionally post here as well. If I manage to find something so deeply depraved in the world of cycling that it just inst for the faint of heart look for it here. I submit as my example the gentlemen you all know and love from several posts ago:

I know how much we all liked that fella (I wouldn't have called him that based on his face but other evidence presented a clear case)

In other news I have decided that I will be flying this coming season. SUPERflying! I know I know, us 29er crew dweebs and our superflies (flys?). But as usual mine is going to be *special*. I will be running a single speed, but not the ss frameset. See I have a little obversion to slotted dropouts; something about a soma that sucked major ass because the wheel slipped in the drops all the time. Well how do I intend to run a ss on a standard frame? Eno hub? Nope. Half link? Noooope. Oh lord, not a chain tensioner!!! GASP! Again, nope. I have a special plan for this superfly. But what I do need it help selling the bits and pieces off of my Niner in order to fully fund this great venture into superflight. For sale I have:

1. A brand new, if slightly worn, Fox F29 RLC.
2. Bontrager RXL Carbon handlebar
3. Ritchey WCS 4-Axis stem 90mm 7degree rise
4. Thomson Elite seatpost 330mm 27.2
5. Truvativ Stylo ss crankset with bashguard and bb
6. most importantly a Niner ONE9 Frame size large (19") in raw bb included

Please spread the word, some of these parts are on the block and available for pick up as soon as others (frame) are on the way. Im entertaining all buyers and prices. until we speak again!

-GWW-

Hero of the day

2009-02-17T09:20:00.000-08:00

Ok so really, hero of life my life.

Riding here in Edinburgh has given me a really great appreciation of an awful lot of things. Not the least of which is a deep appreciation for bike lanes, roundabouts, and cobbles. But much of my time here has been spent chatting with local cyclists about their national cycling hero. As Americans we are all familiar with the scuttlebutt about the news from the Tour of California, who Lance is dating, or what Chris Horner had for lunch. Here the chatting is all about Chris Hoy. Some of you may know Chris, some of you my be new to the cult of chris.

Chris Hoy is the first Brit in a century to win three gold Medals in one Olympics. For that reason alone he has risen to a pretty prominent position in the eyes of most scots and brits alike. Chris cut his teeth (or quads as it were) on the streets of Edinburgh and at the Edinburgh Velodrome. Sometimes I ride along or cruise up a really quad-killing ascent and say: "yeah, I bet Chris Hoy did that one a few times."

So anyways, enough about the man. Lets talk about the legs:

Yeah, those are Chris Hoy's legs. 27in in circumference each. Thats like a large Christmas ham for an entire extended family. Think about it this way; thats over two and a quarter feet in diameter. HOLY CRAP!!!

Moving on. Chris can squat lift over 500 lbs. Yeah, over twice his bodyweight. Not bad for a human being.

This is the the one that rocks my socks. From a standing start Ol' Chris can generate over two thousand three hundred watts of power as he starts his pedal stroke. Yeah, I dont know what that is in horsepower or any of the other technical crap, but if I plugged my house into Chris, he could run it for several hours with just his start from standstill power.

My next favorite, when asked about the torque he can generate Chris politely responded: "Yes, it’s true," he laughs. "I can generate more torque than an F1 car. But I can only hold it for a nanosecond. They can do it for about two hours."

Yeah, whatever Chris. We know you could break apart one of those dinky carbon fibre and balsa wood F1 cars. (oh yeah, note the proper spelling of fibre there)

Lets talk about an afternoon on the training track and a cool down from all that hard work. A typical session might include four 500-metre sprints at 100% effort. That doesn’t mean going till he feels a bit red-faced and puffed. It means going so hard that lactic acid streams through his legs, requiring a half-hour recovery.

Because of all of this Chris Hoy is pretty much my hero. If only my legs can be as ripped as chris's one day. Not gonna lie, a little bit of bromance going on between me and Chris (just ask kristin).

Heres a few more lovely photos and the lot:

Check out Hoy rip up Theo Bos in the 2008 World Championships.

Lance rides in Scotland

2009-02-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

You can tell this is Scotland because some of the roads up here are pretty much like offroad. Here is a bit what this mornings ride was like.

2009-02-11T09:38:00.001-08:00

While searching for a few extra pieces of winter clothing lately on Ebay I found what I personally believe to be perhaps THE ugliest pair of cycling shorts on the planet. Leave it to Castelli.

There arent words...

2009-02-05T09:38:00.001-08:00

...For Kanye West:

Too bad eh

2009-02-02T09:57:00.001-08:00

This puppy would have matched so Gordon (see what I did there, I made my name into an adverb, cool huh)

Riding in sunny Scotland

2009-01-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

Yes folks we have bicycle! Finally. After a couple of weeks sans biciclette I have finally procured a suitable steed for my foray into life on the left side of the road. After a stolen credit card, and much research I have found this lovely Italian steed with which I have already begun conquering the cobbles and pave of sunny Scotland.

This picture was taken on just one stretch of Scotland's extensive greenway system. Miles upon miles ahem...kilometers upon kilometers of greenway stretch the whole length of the country. Yes you read right, COUNTRY! make you jealous? It should. An entire paved trail system packed with unaware ipod absorbed scots, joy! It really is pretty cool because it allows car free access to come of the neighboring townships and such.

The road surface is smooth and even includes huge underpasses and tunnels which allow foot and bicycle traffic to move under the busier sections of town.

So on the other days ride I followed this greenway out about five or so miles, and then rode back in and under the tunnel to explore the inside of the city a little more. I rode up and over the mountain which dominates the Edinburgh skyline on a purely pedestrian and cyclist roadway.

Here is that little mountain:

I followed the road and roundabout which runs up this fair molehill and was rewarded with just a peak of the incredible view which the mountain, known as Arthur's Seat, offers of the city.

I tried to take a little video, hopefully it will work:

Up and over I went. I have since learned that a frequent fixture of the various road furniture in Scotland is black ice and frosted road surface. With so little daylight this time of year some roads never see the light of day, even if it warms up nicely.

Permanent frost is especially common on roads which aren't traveled by automobiles like the greenways or this lovely road around the mountain which I decided to come screaming down on this particular ride. As the road narrowed I found myself coming down an really tight section of road which wove its way down the northern (and thus cold) side of the mountain. I found out about the ice real fast, trust me. I wish I had a video of my near brush with pavement. As my rear tire slid out I leaned back out of the corner to get a little more vertical and place my weight squarely on the center of the bike. Of course this put me unable to corner and flying towards the curb and the mountain itself actually. I decided to go for it, mountain biker that I am at heart, Bunnyhopped my pinarello up and over the curb casing it into the muddy grass. Followed through with a sweet curve up and back down a slope of the mountain, and hopping back onto pavement. Whoah! crazy. I was impressed with myself, especially since my Pina is setup with moto braking.

Back down the rest of the mountain, cautiously of course. Around town I went. Up the Royal Mile and towards the Castle esplanade. Did I mention some of the roads in Edinburgh are older than America? Yeah, and they feel like it too. Here is just a few shots of the cobbles I rode that day.

And some more, this one of my new favorite roads. There is nothing in the world quite like climbing up cobbles in the big ring.

Anyways, We have a castle here. Also older than America. The castle itself has stood since about 1300 but similar structures have stood on the same glacially made promontory since Scotland's earliest history.

As I rode up to the Castle, passing the Gates an armed guard hollered "walking traffic only on the esplanade." It took me a few to hear him and then I dismounted. When I did he called "Cheers mate!" Wow, awesome treatment from an armed guard. Folks really are well nice here in Scotland (we say well like an adjective for pretty much anything here, for instance 'It's well cold out'" Anyways, the Esplanade. Promontory from which all of Edinburgh can be seen.

Pretty eh?

From here it was back down the cobbles and home for a hot shower to wipe off the road grime. In my next post "mudguards and miles." Stay tuned!!

New Team!

2009-01-23T10:45:00.000-08:00

Well folks, Im excited. As if it took much to get me excited about anything. But seriously though Im pretty excited for the upcoming season. I have been trying to break out of the East Coasters club/team/thing that I have been racing for/with/through for a season or two but this past season I get kinda serious. Motivated for results and for podiums I set out at the beginning of last season hopeing for a change of colors. Independant Fabrications, Niner bikes, Kobold-Cannondale (the only traditional team I applied to) and my long shot the Gary Fisher 29er Crew all received race resumes from yours truly last November. Months past and no new news. more months past, no new news. I began to worry. Rick Bartels at Trek showed a little interest, so did Chris Sugai at Niner. I spoke to all kinds of folks at each team with seemingly little avail. Until that is I finally received an email from inside Trek bikes. The email was from Rick asking if I still had an interest in the team. HELL YEAH!!! was my response. A few more months and nothing yet. I went ahead with plans to race more or less unnattached. I even entertained purchasing this kit with which to race next season:

Pretty hilarious I realize. I might even buy one just for yucks. Its pretty cool if you ask me. Thankfully I received another email from Rick at Trek reconfirming my interest and after my response of yes I promptly received the "Welcome to the Team!" that I had been waiting for from someone.

Ladies and gentlemen of the blogosphere for the 2009 season I will be donning the black and blue of the Fisher 29er Crew. I am officially in. I get my blog login next month and already have the paperwork and list of rides and equipment to choose from.
I will still have to pay for my bike, but lets put it this way, what I paid for my I-9s would buy two team bikes. Extensive kit complementary and racing PIF. And speaking of kit, how would we all like to see the new 29er crew colors? Dont get too attached as this season they are not available to the public. Unless of course Warren tears it off of my cold dead back. Here it is folks:

With cycling caps, arm warmers, three lengths of socks, knee warmers, ladies underpants, water bottles, nipple rings, and so many more to match.

The only question is WHAT WILL I RIDE!!!!????!!!!????

That is where you all come in. AS my public (yeah right) I am allowing you to choose. My first thought was one of those one-off superfly ss frames. But those arent even available yet and their release date continues to be pushed farther and farther back. I will probably go with a rig but what will it wear?

Let me know how you all approve of this:
'09 rig frame and Fox RLC G2 fork.
XXX Lite carbon wheels for racing (dont tell but im training on my I-9s)
XXX Lite bar and stem
Thomson Masterpiece seatpost or X Lite
Avid BB7 brakes with red and blue Nokons to match the kit
Stock Bonty crank with my favorite 34t spot ring
Carbon Blackburn bash guard
Some wicked sweet brown saddle as of yet to be determined.

Let me all know what we think!

Cheers

AHHHH!!!!!

2009-01-17T15:19:00.001-08:00

I saw this woman!

She was waaaay pierced, but friendly. I also know this is the second post beginning with AHHHH!!!!! But hey, like is just that way sometimes.

AHHHH!!!!!

2009-01-12T06:29:00.000-08:00

NO CYCLING!!!!

Dont worry friends, Im working on a few great blog posts in the works. If you don't know Im in Edinburgh, Scotland for a few months. the bike search is underway.

P.S. I spoke to a bike mechanic who had NEVER seen a 29er, that's just so sad.

Lizard skin much?

2008-12-11T19:51:00.001-08:00

Lets count the skins?

Id also like to point out the doggy mace, or is that bear mace since its a mtb? Or perhaps redneck mace.

Ive never broken a bike before

2008-12-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

Until now. When swapping the ol'Niner over to a 19t cog recently I flipped the bike over only to discover...da da DAAAAHHH!!!!

You see it? right along the bottom of the chainstay. I reckon it failed because of the stress of the flattening on the chainstays in production. I spoke to Ryan at Niner and warranty wont be a problem. But here's what is: COLORS!!! So lets put it to a vote:

So here are the options:

Atomic Blue:

and it glows in the dark:

or Raw, which is the absence of paint actually. It happens to be the lightest paint option in Niners arsenal.

So lets put it to a vote:
Take the poll

Free Poll by Blog Flux

Wee tiny bikes

2008-12-04T17:21:00.000-08:00

A favorite pasttime of mine (who am I kidding, I live for this) is riding kids bikes in the winter. The shop slows down a lot when the weather turns icy and what better way to deal with the tedium than race little kids bikes around the shop. I was encouraged to see this photo recently from the Team Columbia trainig camp, proving that I am not the only one smitten with the wee tiny bikes.

Okay so sometimes we all get cold

2008-11-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

But seriously? Do we all live in Siberia? Or would any of us ride if we needed these?

I would be afraid the Kool-aid guy would break through a wall and accuse me of stealing his gloves or something. Anyways, to each his own. Ill just keep wearing normal gloves and being warm like a normal person.

Tidewater CHALLENGE!!!!

2008-11-13T14:55:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of my race season every year is the Tidewater Challenge. Some of you may know this race as "steve's race," and rightly so. Steve Nevins, a former pro for someone (I dont know who) back when anodized purple was stil the hot thing, puts this race on every year alongside the Eastern Virginia Mountain Bike Assoc. Steve and the EVMA use trails on Steve's property right outside of Williamsburg, VA. Williamsburg??? What mountains are there in W-burg? Well, they are in Steve's backyard. Literally! Steve has built about 8 miles of trail in the forest right behind his house. Now for most of us that would be pretty sweet. Add in the fact that Steve's trails are some of the favorites of east coast pros; boasting fast-as-lightning sections, technical descents and ascents, and even a killer BMX track, and you have a recipe for one of the coolest races I have ever done. So here is the report.

I love this race an awful lot but Kristin really loves this race. I often think that Kristin wouldnt love mtb near as much as she does if it werent for the promise of Tidewater at the end of October. So Kristin drove up to ol' Hampden-Sydney on friday and spent the night so we could be prepared for the drive the next day. She still had her slicks on from the PoMo so that was priority numero uno when she arrived. Hmm...seating kevlar beaded tires without an air compressor and with only a million year old Wrench-Force floor pump and some elbow grease, not so fun. As it turned out we had to re-tape her rims three times and use the compressor from the Exxon station down the street to put on a freshi(ish) pair of Maxxis crossmark tires. That done, we hit the hay.

This is the 21st running of the challenge, but the first annual Tidewater Mountain Crit. "The" race was on sunday, but saturday afternoon was the crit. K and I figured we would go and watch some folks tear it up in the crit and maybe get a chance to ride the course before sunday. **This is especially important in Steve's race because the only day it is open is the day of the race itself and the day before to pre-ride.** We get there, get suited up, and I decided that it wasnt any fun to be all dressed up with no place to race. So I entered the crit. Steve promised 100% payout for the crit so I figured "hey, at least I wont lose that much money on it right?" I kne I would be at a disadvantage being on a single racing a bunch of gearheads, including Steve himself (talk about home-course advantage). But who cares

So the first lap, I blow off the front in classic Gordon Wadsworth style; only to miss the first turn, again in classic style. I always did like a challenge i suppose. So I manage to quickly start cutting through from last place up to an eventual second in the first heat. there was an epic battle between Steve and myself for an entire lap. He had a lot of advantage (gears and an intimiate knowledge of the new crit course) but I still managed to take him by the second to last lap. Second heat went a little better at the start. I managed to jump into third, again pass steve (a little easier this time) and try and catch up to the only pro to do the crit. I never managed to catch that pro, but I gave it a good fight. 2nd overall in the mountain crit and a little richer for the effort we headed off to find out lodging.

A last minute decision ot stay in a hotel was a good call since the KOA was closed, and rain was hitting pretty hard by the early evening. A little Applebees later (we couldnt find anything with a little character believe it or not) and some Wal-Mart for the mornings fuel and we hit the hay.

Arriving at the races we were both a little nervious but not too bad. The crit helped me burn through some lactic acid that built up over the past few days getting the nerves up. We proceeded to sign up for both our races. Kristin for the sport women's race and I for the SS state championship. Tidewater is also a big race for me because it is the state ss cup. A big single field always shows up, including some W&M guys and a lot of local folks. There is usually a field of about 10 or 15 or so, this year w had 14 riders, including last year's defending champ. Last year I flatted and couldnt manage a really respectable finish.

This year was going to be different. I had faster wheels, suspension, a better feel for the 29er, and a lot more miles in my legs. Bang! The gun was off, I hit it pretty hard and made the turn this time at the front of the pack. I felt pretty good about my speed and what I had in the legs. Through the BMX, into the woods, over the barriers (yes Steve even has barriers laid out for the pain train) and off to a good start. The one spot of trouble I consistently had throughout the race lay ahead. A nasty rooted steeply off-camber and uphill section was the bane of my first lap. I slipped and put a foot down, allowing three other racers to come around. I got the third, but first and second stayed consistently ahead of me the rest of the race. Too bad I suppose.

I was glad I raced both days (so was my wallet) and I had a great time. I think that If I had'nt raced saturday, i could have taken sunday pretty decisively but hindsight is 20/20 and both races were a blast. Heres a fw good shots of some of the best sections of steve's race.

Up and over BOSS!!

Thanks folks. Hope to see you all there next year!

Yep...

2008-11-04T20:40:00.000-08:00

John McCain made a very classy speech admitting defeat this evening, and like senator McCain, I stand behind our new president 100%. But I know someone that doesn't:

Oh Yeah Baby!

Cross...FIRE

2008-10-31T10:49:00.000-07:00

Who remembers the game cross-fire? anyone. Well this picture is way cooler:

Always looking for the next (or not) best (or ugliest) thing (of course bicycle)

2008-10-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

Like most of you, I am always looking for the next coolest thing to dive further into the world of cycling. This season I have wanted a rain bike. You know, a bike for those gross winter days when the beautiful custom paint job on your road bike wont be tarnished by muck. Maybe not everyone knows that, but I sure do. Guess that's what working at a bike shop all those years got be...a little bit of snob. Or perhaps something equipped for all of those long adventure rides you have always wanted to take. Something fitted with downtube shifters and a classic brooks racing saddle. Maybe even custom copper fenders. who knows.

I missed out a few years ago on an older Serotta steel that actually matched my custom fit numbers and even matched the main color of my current Serotta. Unfortunately, money was a problem at that point. It was the problem when I spotted this beauty as well. The rockin colors was what made me really want this fella, not to mention a great fit for me. Check it out below:

Believe me, I could rock that baby.

Who knows...maaaaaaybe

2008-10-16T19:22:00.002-07:00

Its got I9s already and everything, too bad about the gears and all:

Just in case....

2008-10-15T16:34:00.001-07:00

...You forgot what awesomeness sounded like:

What?

2008-10-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Crazy Indians

just when you think you have seen it all

2008-09-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

Holy Crap! What is that?!!?!! Its a bird, Its a Plane, Its a TT Trike, Its superman!!! No. Its DEFINATELY not superman, thats for sure. You got it folks, It must be a time trial tricycle. Ive found my calling.

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/uk-time-trialling-roundup-18654

This is my new rig for the 2009 season, I let this guy borrow it of course. Notice that I am still an avid supporter of the single speed in my newfound discipline.

yep, trikes....

Im A NERD

2008-09-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

You know you are a nerd when reading the Wall Street Journal in the afternoon you freak out because there is a picture of Lance! I mean come on! the Wall Street Journal? For those of you who dont know I am a college student, double majoring in Economics and Commerce and Classical Studies. Classical studies happens to the my third realm of nerd-dom but we wont go into that right now.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122230356936173641.html

But seriously, as I sat down on my chair-and-a-half to peruse yesterday's Wall Street Journal I saw the man himself. Lance! if you dont remember, a few months ago the international investment firm Lehman Brothrs purchased a minority share in SRAM corporation. Why? beats me, except of course that SRAM (pronounce S-Ram :) rocks everyone's socks. So here we are a few months later and agin for those of you living under economically dim rocks Lehman Brothers has declared bankrupcty and filed for ch. 11 protection. Now having already read on Cyclingnews.com that this hasnt affected my dear componant manufacturer at all I was not terribly dismayed to hear this because ol' Lehman made some pretty stupid decisions in the past year or so.

So now here we have it, Lehman Bros. investment beginning to pay off because Lance is coming back and will be riding SRAM goodies and where are they, bankrupt. I got excited, thats all im saying. Its not often two of my passions meet each other, much less on the pages of one of my favorite publications. I will make some comparisons for the sake of further understanding my excitement:

1) if Warren S found out that bike-hocky was the new bike-polo.
2) if Kristin found out Moots was going to make rollerblades (hehe).
3) if surlygirl Laura found out Chris King was sponsoring crazy-ultra-enduro races
4) if Dave Tompkins found out the Leprechauns and Forest elves were putting on a rave
5) if Paula S. found out that bike-golf was the new bike-polo

Okay, so I wasnt quite THAT excited, but I was pretty stoked.

"My BB brings all the boys to the yard"

2008-09-23T17:50:00.001-07:00

For Rizzeal! Chris King; Tyrant of threadless headsets, Tsar of the Top-Cap, Ceasar of crown-races, sovereign of sealed bearings, and lord of all things anodized and shiny has outdone themselves this time ladies and gentlemen. The long awaited missing peice to the puzzle of life is now at hand. The hole in all of our hearts that we all tried in vain to fill. Put away your ISIS and Octalink, cast aside your ceramic bearings, and pick your color because the time has come.

I guess what I am trying to say is maybe now my bottom bracket will stop making popcorn every time I pedal. My favorite color is "Mango."

Here is the link to the gospel: http://chrisking.com/bottombracket

Crankey! or is that Crikey!

2008-09-11T12:59:00.001-07:00

Flavia Lepine won this years Mt. Washington hill climb on her fancy pantsy Trek MADone. In the womens category that is. Check her crank:

that has got to be the smallest little ring I have ever seen. It might even be an 11 tooth cog really. I guess Mt. Washington is pretty steep huh?

tandemonium

2008-08-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

This is just one of the many reasons tandems are dumb. I mean seriously what a waste of what could have otherwise been a full bikes worth of avid bb brakes and a phil wood hub.

Expect an update on whats cooking at school when I have a while.
Over and Out

ASIA BABY!

2008-08-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

Whats that saying about a screen door on a submarine? I think it applies pretty well here.

New Hottness

2008-08-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peek of what is coming in from Trek in the coming months for the 2009 model year. I think I see myself getting a cross bike:

And maybe another townie:

And Im not even going to say whats in store for Gary Fisher. Just wait!

Olympics. Whose excited???

2008-08-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

The Headline for the Drudge Report this morning is :

AMERICAN CYCLISTS ARRIVE IN BLACK MASKS

with this now classic photo of Michael Friedman:

I cant wait

Nationals Part Deux

2008-08-04T10:39:00.001-07:00

So as I mentioned it rained the night before my race. Saturday at 8AM was the given start time for the Expert class race which would also hold the Single Speed field. As I headed out to warm up I met up with my new buddy Davey B. You can check out Davey's blog linked from my blog now. We warmed up and chatted for a while and my legs felt pretty good, maybe not great, but certainly better than some races. Davey and I part ed ways and I set out to give directions to my pit crew (The Muth and The Fath) for what and when. Into the start gate I went. Met up with the hugest ss field I have ever seen. The race had to be filled to the limit. 50 riders all loaded and on the hunt for stars and stripes.

Bam goes the gun and we are off. Given my gearing I was up in the front pretty quick, but of course not off the front. Up and around we went and I felt pretty good, but it had become clear that the pre-ride woes were more than just not having eaten lunch, but that my chosen gear was way off. 34-20 is a manageable gear uphill. If I can get those big wheels rolling uphill and stay on top of it It makes for a killer climbing gear. That was my plane. Kick it big ring style on the climbs and make for a pretty good race. Unfortunately that was a less than ideal strategy given the now soaked grass and slick mud on the climbs. I was going to have to stand up and try and push that gear up the mountain, not a good option.

So I quickly discovered that a lot of guys had planned much better than I did and ran with something like 32-20 or even higher. those guys proved unbeatable on the climbs, and with the rigid fork I wasn't going to be able to out descend them either. It was time to just sit in and do the best I could. By the third lap I was sitting in 13th place, the first rigid fork in the race, and was having a blast just hanging in there and putting the pain train on some of the experts.

There were the exciting spots like the really annoying Subaru-Fisher guy who couldn't hold a line or climb out of the saddle to save his life. Or my buddy from Culpepper VA who traded "Ladies Man" quotes with me for a half a lap. for example "oh Snap, Id like to buy that rock a fish sandwhich!"

Almost there...heading into the very last section of single track on the downhill and then its smooth sailing. I can probably catch at least one ss on the flats with this gear. BLAM!!! Thats the sound of a tubeless tire blowing straight off of the bead. Later guys. I threw a co2 cartridge into the tire but since it was off the bead there was nothing goin. Seal-n flate wouldn't do the trick either since the bead was blown now. I guess Im running down the single track. Needless to say I wasn't the one doing the passing at that point.

Finally the open flats. Run down the hill and to hell with my Race Lite rim, I am not walking across the finish line. Hop on the bike and go. Sprint finish with my "Ultra-low pressure tubeless system" and even took some guy on the line.

23rd. Holy cow, thats a lot of people to pass me when I was messing around with that tire. But I was happy, and felt pretty good about just getting out there and doing it.

Pez confusion

2008-08-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Remember to stay tuned for the Nationals review part deux.

But in other news. I think PEZ cycling news tester Charles Mananten (probably spelled incorrectly) must be a little confused in his allegiance to the cycling community. I'm going to start off saying that his bike building prowess is second to very few in my opinion, but I think he is a little confused in where his allegiance lies. Just check here:

Marlboro!?!?!? Smokers and cyclists? Not a traditionally agreeable crowd there I dont think. If you dont know, Repsol if a spanish oil and gas company that also has a big hand in motorist convenience. Think the love child between Stuckeys and Exxon. Again, motorists and cyclists?

That said, Charles (can I call him Charles?) second passion top cycling is Moto GP, whose sponsors heavily include such companies. So Charles' bikes are beautiful, but a little confused. Of course here is the moral to the story:

Nationals

2008-07-28T12:30:00.001-07:00

It rained the night before, and thundered, and lightning was quite noisy too. the lightning kept me up for a while, but I slept quite well given my proximity of about 25 feet from the trail itself. I stayed in the Hotel at Mount Snow so that was one less headache when it came to preparing.

My pre-ride of the course was crap. I drove down from Lyme NY after staying with family and only had $25 cash for lunch, which I promptly was charged for the right to park. "Daily parking or weekend parking?" the attendant asked. "You tell me. I have reservations at the hotel so does a reservation come with parking or not?" "Nope." She was wrong. So I hung around on Thursday checking out all the courses and watching energy-drink fueled crazies ride their downhill bikes off of mountains. At around 3:30 I suited up for a pre-ride or the course.

So as you can see the course is a lot of fire-road climbing with a good stretch of fast technical single track coming back down the mountain. I felt like crap on the pre-ride. A big part of that was the lack of any food that day. I also decided to just go straight into the climb instead of any kind of warm up. Jesse Lalonde passed me when I was warming up and that made me feel even worse. If you dont know Jesse you need to up you Single Speed game yo!

I proceeded in loosening up when I hit the downhill, but nonetheless becoming thoroughly discouraged by the pre-ride. I drove back home discouraged but excited at the same time. There was still the real race a few days later!

Keep an eye out for part 2 coming soon

Wow, this time in english

2008-07-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

I promise the Nationals update is coming, im waiting to get my pictures; then the goods. In the meantime, heres something cool:

I dont know what "wow" is in Asan, but insert it here

2008-07-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

http://vsearch.cctv.com/plgs_play-CCTV4news_20080719_6392208.html

National Championship

2008-07-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Well folks, wish me luck. I will be out of the office (yeah right) for the next week. I am heading up to Vermont to compete in the National Championship Single Speed race. Hopefully we will see full equipment cooperation and good legs next saturday as I line up to start the biggest race I have ever been involved in. Wish me luck!

Road Bikin

2008-07-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

SO as some of you may know. I raced a road bike this past weekend. Im a little ashamed, and my Niner missed me. But The Serotta got to go fast and have fun too. Ill preface this by saying my Serotta fork is cracked so I rode a friend's Bontrager RXL fork. THat explains the poor matching in the pictures. Here we GO!!!

The race began in a big ol field of cat 5s. In the mix were a bunch of good folks; however new to the sport of road bike racing. I was a little concerned, as anyone in a cat 5 race should be, especially given the technical nature of the course. As we took off I was sure to jump into the top 5 just to be safe. In the mix were two racers from the Fat Frogs race team, who wins the award for stupidest and least appealing team name, and one of the VT/Rouges Racing racers. The FF guys kept going off the front and getting pulled back in. Im not really sure what their plan was but it became apparent that it didn't really matter as they were consistently easy to pull back into the pack and not really threatening since they were just two men.

This is where the fun begins. Someone (not mentioning names here) went down around the 1st corner and split the field up. Thats why I was hanging around in the top 5. So from there it was just Jared Wilburn and I, the FF guys, and the VT feller. At that point something magical happened and Jared and I were putting the hurt on the rest of the field.

We continued to push it a little by a little as we kept lapping the field time after time. I tried to get passersby to jump on but no one really hung on all that strong for very long.

And so Zippety doo da we went around and around Jared and I....

I wasn't very concerned with beating Jared just because I was having a great time zipping around putting in a really good effort with Jared. I put a little into thinking about getting him at the finish. I knew I couldn't take him on the line, given the size of his quads. SO my thought process is this: "It sure would be nice to get a gold medal, but whatev..." So my idea was to go two laps at the front and guilt Jared into taking two laps. On the second of his two laps he flicked out and I went...way to early. I got a little gap, but not as much of a gap as I thought, or as much as I needed. Jared sprint, and I didnt so there goes second place. heres a good pic of me crossing the line:

And heres one of "Tim's buddy" Jen getting ready to do some power sweeping (thats her sweep face you see there)

And here is a good photo of Dave "The Leprechaun" Tompkins and Bob "The Closer" Welsh shooting the breeze

NERD

2008-06-24T11:22:00.001-07:00

You know you are a huge bike nerd when you lust after things like the Bontrager Power Charger.

Its a 12 volt powered air compressor specifically designed for bicycles. It goes up to 200psi and rocks my world. Consider myself "Upgraded."

Full Moon Mornin

2008-06-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

Ah Sunday mornings! If groovin on a Sunday afternoon is ok, then riding on a Sunday morning has got to be where it is at. After a late night taking care of my sisters puppies (shes got three weimaraners) I almost didnt get up to do the famous coffee pot ride this sunday morning. But I did, and boy was it a blast. A whole bunch of folks showed up and due to the indecision of the group I ended up riding the usual Dawnwood-parkway course alongside two of my favorite people to ride with. Gary Roach and Tim "Aint Skeered" Carter.

We cruised up dawnwood and spun up pretty much everything, only going really hard one one parkway climb, and briskly descending everything the morning would throw at us. We chit chatted and yapped a lot about nothing in particular. New gear, Greenways, and Tim's queer chainrings were prominent points in our conversation; which remained jovial and enjoyable.

Undoubtedly the high point in the ride came when we took a left at the spur heading back towards Mill Mountain. We all gazed foreward and were perplexed by what appeared to be a man's naked (and very white) ass standing in front of his car which was parked carelessly in an overlook lot. Something a little like this:

You know...one of those times (may they be few) when your are just not sure if that person is actually wearing underpants or if they are just that pasty white. So anyways, we continue our ride, moving closer and closer toward this man. Surely...no underpants...and what is that hes doing?!?!? Or rather WHO?!?!?! That man, and that lady (though hardly ladylike I might suggest) were shagging on the parkway. As we rode past she realized our presence rather quickly and hid in her lover's car. embarrassed and at the same time somewhat amused our new friend was slightly less troubled by his own nakedness and gave us a sort of Rock On salute. I can only imagine what was going through their heads.

Needless to say our conversation the rest of the ride was dominated by this comic scene and as we continued down Mill Mtn. we saw several police cars no doubt going to meet our newfound friends. God bless em' they could a picked a little bit better spot. I understand wanting to have a little fun but there? ON The parkway? at that time of day? Oh well. This is what their car must surely have looked like afterwards I reckon:

I truly have seen it all.

Record THAT!

2008-06-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Since crossing the finish line at Poor Mtn. last year I held the unofficial SS record. Now, I hold the Official Record: check it

COURSE RECORDS

Men Course Record Jeremiah Bishop 37:16 2007
Women Course Record Trish Stevenson 49:10 2003
Single Speed Men Gordon Wadsworth 51:09 2007
Single Speed Women Justine Rawley 1:12:00 2007
Anybike Men Frank Mullins 50:24 2007
Anybike Women TBD
Clyesdale Men Adam Caldwell 1:04:42 2007
Athena Women TBD

From Here: http://www.roanokecountyva.gov/Departments/ParksRecreationAndTourism/SpecialEvents/PoorMountainHillClimb.htm

The Next new thing

2008-06-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

With the advent (or is that reinvent?) of the 650b wheelsize I have designed my own new wheel size. They are already widely available, and of course better than anything else on the market. Nearly every major suspension and tire company has already jumped on board with my wheelsize. Such is my prowess within the cycling company. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you 73.66 centimeter wheelsize. Believe it folks.

Fork Goodness

2008-06-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

With all of warren's fork talk these days I have been kind of playing around as well. As most of you know I ride a Bontrager RXL Switchblade rigid fork. I love that thing, it is plenty smooth and and the same time "rigid." Can you believe that its rigid, I know right...whodathunk? Warren's recent review of the White Bros Rock Solid fork has me doing a little lusting of my own.

At 950grams the Bonty is not pig, but its downfall is its ACC (Aluminum Core Construction) design. Ol Keith uses aluminum sleeves to reinforce the legs on the switchblade. And we all know, whats better than aluminum and carbon??? TITANIUM and carbon. So I present the DT swiss XRR rigid fork.

This beauty is a scant 725 grams in the 29er weight! In the words of Harry Kerry "Holy Cow!" I'm a weightweeine and thats a little shocking, and yet soothing...or is that arousing? Whenever niner lets me get my hands on a TSL (The Simple Life), named of course for the Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie television series and not the fact that the bike is a ti single speed, Im getting an XXR. Thanks ladies and gents, over and out.

Still gotta get pictures of my dog on this thing, I hear thats all the rage.

Szechuan, Sunshine, and the gimp foot

2008-05-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have been eating a lot of szechuan lately. I succeeded in going a full 24 hours having eaten nothing but the delicious Mandarin cuisine I love. Especially the Mongolian BBQ out by the airport. That location is by far the sketchiest, but the best. The shop has ordered Szechuan out a lot lately as well, I have tried to order without MSG, mostly because if Frank does it its got to be healthy...right? But I have lately come to the realization that MSg is tasty, I think thats the point. I have also come to realize that Crab Rangoon is disgusting. "Seafod" and cream cheese should only mix in vomit, if there.

Like most good Americans I spent Memorial/Labor day (because they are totally the same thing) vacationing and bbq-ing it up. I decided to join my family at our lake house on Smith Mtn Lake for a weekend of fun in the sun. Unlike most Americans I chose to ride out to the lake on my bicycle for said fun. the ride out was a blast, except coming over Windy gap with a 30lb messenger bag full of everything but underwear (thats another story entirely). Ill post the ride profile off of Mapmyride.com later because its definitely worth checking out if your heading out that way, or if you really like riding past cows.

While at the lake I had a little accident that prohibited me from riding back however. I gouged a huge chunk of flesh from my ankle when i caught it on a nailhead on the dock. That was a blast, let me tell you. Thankfully my sis brought her audi with her Yakima goodness atop the roof and she was kind enough to take my Serotta back to the Noke for me. I was not going to make 40 miles with a huge hole taken out of my foot. Better safe than unable to race I always say.

well, thats al for now Blogosphere. next to come: Pictures of my dog all decked out in medals.....tehe....tehe....

What I do when my bike breaks

2008-05-28T13:30:00.001-07:00

Ergon

2008-05-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I have tried out the Ergons on the Niner. I raced them at Bedford and they worked great, except when they started twisting down on me. I had a hard time fitting them properly because my handlebars are fairly low on the bike and so the brakes are close to level so they don't hit the frame. Now, that being said, the ergons worked great when they were set up as close to level with the brakes, like the were intended. But as I raced along they tilted downward and began to cause more trouble than I ever had with traditional grips. So, the verdict is that they are great, when set up properly, and waaaaay snug, but not above the 5nm of torque of course.

New Goodies in the works

2008-05-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

On test right now (thats code for I got new stuff): Ergon grips for the Niner, and brand spankin new Schwalbe Ultremo road tires for the Serotta. Stay tuned

Race season

2008-05-04T09:24:00.001-07:00

Vroom Vroom goes the Niner

2008-05-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

Well, as you may or may not know my loyal blog visitors, Kristin and I have been competing in the Southern Classic Series of mountain bike games. They have gone really well with 4 of 10 races under the old belt. Ive been racing in the single speed class to much victory (pronounce "wictory"). The most recent race in Clemson was a blast, except that I was sick as a dog. I was unable to win but kept in third. I was only a few minutes behind the lead fellers (both locals) and I knew that the sickness was what was keeping me from catching up and stomping them into the soft bloody earth. Not that I would ever do something like that, "kill 'em with kindness" my muth(er) always said.

While the Clemson course was a blast, and really songbird-esque in a lot of places I just didn't have the recovery time I should have had. I went out well the first lap and the entire ss pack slowly whittled down under my guidance through the masses of slow sport riders. We managed to get the pack down to just the three of us stuck behind this one huge sport feller who just would NOT let us around. Here is my interpretive dance of that jerk:

Despite Fatty Mcgee up there we ended up coming around him for awhile but when the second lap really got going I just didn't have it in me: No recovery. I spent the entire lap recovering and letting a little gap grow to a couple minute gap. I never quite got back to those two and took third in the end. I continue to lead the Southern Classic series in the SS division and anticipate when those races pick back up, until then its misspelled bike part series time (Derailer that is).

Well, enough said about that. Danville is this weekend, and Warren S is the only person I know of for sure racing Man-speed with me, Its gonna be fun. See ya'll. Look for further pictures from Clemson soon.

Just when things start to look up...

2008-04-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

...someone finds a way to botch it up allllll over again. Exhibit A. the "Revo Gas Powered Bicycle." This delightful gadget can transform you common average bicycle into a machine that is able to "travel cheaply, efficiently, and easily." Yes folks, you too can own a piece of technology that will make your useless bicycle into a vehicle of the future. Need I say more folks? make up your own ridiculous jokes and have fun because life just got a little more ridiculous!

https://www.revopower.com/

Frame Material

2008-04-14T10:53:00.001-07:00

I am working on my blog skills so here is a little poll I developed:

Take the poll

Free Poll by Blog Flux

Race Report: Caraway Hills

2008-04-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

Where is caraway Hills: Sophia/Sofia NC. Where is Sofia? Exactly...

This weekend's Southern Classic race took me and my dear Kristin to the Caraway Hills off-road Omnium in Sofia NC (about 20 minutes south of Greensboro). The usual crew was down south for this race: Guy Spyer (really fast old guy who always races in wool) Chris Coulter (Young skinny feller who rides a Kona fully-SS) and Mike Blankenship (Nice guy who drives an Xterra and races a Trek 69er with I-Nines). Much like Uwharrie, for which I did not post a race report, and for that I apologize, I hung with the pack for about a mile and then simply rode away. I ended up with a total gap of about 5 or 6 minutes on Guy with Chris close behind him.

I was really pleased with my performance. Especially since we arrived only about 25 minutes before my race began and I had never ridden the course before. The course was great; a real blast. Not as fast as it could have been due to recent rain. There were plenty of soft spots and plenty of slick corners. I couldn't count the number of times the BOSS slid out on roots and rocks clambering up some of those short steep climbs. The race consisted of two 6.5 mile laps and i rode each of those laps in just under 42:00 each. I felt comfortable since I knew I had a good gap going and didn't push it too much harder in the second lap. I passed a bunch of sport riders which brings up another issue to be dealt with soon.

Overall I am very pleased since this puts me in the lead for the Southern Classic Series, see y'all soon.
-G-

Oh yeah...and heres a picture of a Niner made out of TITANIUM!!

Greg LeMond (TUUUUUUUURD)

2008-04-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

I have always despised Greg Lemond. He should have faded away quietly into the sunset like other great champions. I cite Miguel Indurain as a perfect example here. As you may or may not know Greg has had a rough road with Trek Bicycles and the Trek family of brands. Recent news is that Greg has been dropped by trek. Good riddance. Heres What greg's Response was:

Its too bad Greg. Not really, You were always a sore loser. You cant be the only Famous American Cyclist forever, but hey. Why don't you just sue me for calling you out champ? Guess he should stick with the "real" rulers of the cycling world:

TDF '08

2008-04-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

Its pretty early, but Ive gotta call it. Fabian Cancellara in the maillot jaune ladies and gentlemen. With Astana out of the current picture he gets my vote. His season is shaping up incredibly and is only going to get better.

Youtube Gem

2008-04-01T13:46:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while I come across one of those YouTube gems that just demands to be blogged. Here is one

Watch out for Cyclists!!!

2008-03-18T20:05:00.001-07:00

I got this from my dear Kristin

Spiraling vortex of death

2008-03-18T10:12:00.001-07:00

In my previous post I made reference to a certain "liquidation" we will never mention again.Upon closer inspection of said liquidation I noticed this fine product:

Initially nothing is wrong with this fine(ish) pair of performance shorts. However, Look closely at the chamois region...see is...the SPIRALING VORTEX! Performance bike proclaims that these shorts feature:

Durable 7.6oz. nylon/Lycra fabric wicks away sweat while offering the supportive compression of an 8-panel design
Anatomical “Y” antibacterial chamois conforms to your body’s shape for non-chafing performance
Flatlock seams add comfort
Drawstring waist provides a customized fit
Covered elastic leg openings keep this short in place
UPF 50+ application blocks 98% of UV rays
Short inseam design for a feminine fit

While any one of these features is fairly hilarious in their own right it is the "Y Chamois" I am troubled by. Judging by the appearance of said vortex I submit that Performance may have missed their mark, only slightly...but at least its better than this:
Yep, you see those boxers beneath those cycling shorts...classy. of course it could always be like this too:

Or, because Google image search is a fantastic and sometimes troubling thing this fine fellow:

Shorts liquidation...tehe

2008-03-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

I think some of you out there in the world will definately know who i am thinking of here

"Shorts Liquidation"

Get is...shorts liquidation...hehehe...