A New Discovery

I discovered a new band tonight, Handful of Lovin'.  They were playing at the Bitter Root Brewery in Hamilton, Montana.  Good beer and great music.

How To Do Cyclocross Barriers. Or Not

Done right, with a flying leap off the pedal, hitting the ground at a full sprint, and leaping over the barriers with bike in hand like a hybrid cross between a gazelle and a high-hurdler, a cyclocross dismount is a true thing of beauty.

Done wrong, like not getting your foot out of the pedal, it's as ugly as the bloody scab on my knee.

What If?

What if Loganistan, Utah was like this?  What if we had just a little diversity, open-mindedness, and progressive vision?


Meet the Met from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy on Vimeo.

There is a place in Utah with vision.  It's Park City.  They have a fantastic trail system.  It's one of the best I've seen.  Check this out!

On The Road

Doubled up again
At Raleigh Cross on Sunday
Single, forty-five

Two races just kill
When they called the forty-fives
I could hardly walk

So I dug real deep
Patty was yelling, "You're strong!"
Right before the crash

What bike am I on?
Sprawling toward barriers
Foot still in pedal

I'm getting faster
But surely not the fastest
Got second and third

A few hours of sleep
Then beelined for Montana
A seven hour drive

In the Bitterroot
The trees tell me it is Fall
But feels like summer

Recycled Haiku

Crimson red maples
Under the yellow aspen
Painted mountain sides

From Matt's New Blog

Yes, Matt Chester has a blog again.  That's a good thing.  If you really want to learn about the history of flared drop bar bicycles, modern flared drop bar bicycle design, meaningful bike fit, quiet meditation, or listen to good music, you may want to read it.  He has a ton more knowledge about these subjects than I do, and he writes very well.  Why should I write about it if someone else has already said it.  He put in a link to this video, and it just says so much about why I like to ride a fixed gear cyclocross bike with strange looking handlebars.  Comfort, control, power, simplicity, etc.  It also shows a lot about how cyclocross looked in 1925.  Longer races, serious run-ups, and "no-trail" sections.  I would love to put on a race like this someday.  I wonder how many people would show up?

Riders of the Purple Sage and Golden Aspen

For Now

I like these results.

I did Raleigh Cross Race #2 today.  I rode a geared bike in a race for the first time since 1994.  I placed second today.  If I'd been on the fixed gear bike I think I still would have placed second.  The race was decided on the first climb, less than a minute into it.  I settled into second place, pulling away from third while first place pulled away from me.  And that's just how it ended.

Theres's one thing for sure.  Once you get comfortable riding a fixed gear flared drop bar set up, you just can't go back to riding regular drop bars on the hoods.  It's just too sketchy going over the bumps while trying to brake hard.  The answer?  I may put flared drop bars on the geared bike with bar cons (STI does not work well for me on Midge Bars). If you really want to know about flared drop bars, read this article by one of my heros, Matt Chester.

I'm looking forward to the points race.  I'll post it next week.  Looks like this old guy is at the top.

A Haiku For Fall (Updated)

I'm back from Montana.  I left Logan at 3 pm on Wednesday, checked all 32 cameras, copied pictures, changed batteries, and started driving back home before dark on Thursday.  It's a new record, 34 hours, door to door.

The drive through the north end of Cache Valley, between the Lemhi Range and the Beaverhead Mountains (sothern end of the Bitterroot Range), and up and over Lost Trail Pass into Montana was quite scenic as usual.  I saw a herd of elk and a yearling black bear cub.  The bear was in the middle of the road and did not move until I was stopped right beside it.  It loped in front of me for 100 feet or so because of the guardrails.

Fall has come to northern Utah and Idaho.  Life is buzzing, a last hurrah before winter sets in.  Driving along the Lemhi River, the insects were so thick, it sounded like heavy rain hitting the windshield.  All the trout were well fed.

Last dance in the sun
Hatch, swim, reproduce, and die
Before the snows fly

Magpies, starlings, geese, and sandhill cranes are flocking up, getting ready to move.  I love this time of year.  I lived for 35 years without a real Fall.  Now, I'm going to enjoy and embrace each and every one.

I took this picture in southern Idaho on Wednesday, a blaze of color in the desert.  I will go this weekend to get some pictures in Logan Canyon and post them soon.

One More

Now that I'm on youtube I'll just wait for the offers to roll in.  Still waiting.

Live In Concert

Just ignore the wind.

I'm Famous Too!

I just looked at the web site for yesterday's race.  That's what I get for riding a fixed gear bike while wearing sandals, cutoffs, and a t-shirt.  I need to get a skin suit.  Not.

Daddy Daughter Race Day

We went to a cyclocross race yesterday at This Is The Place Heritage Park.  This sign was right at the start finish.  It is typical of Utah.  The only place in Utah where I've seen a lot of dogs and dog lovers is Park City.  Why?  I have no idea.  But, it is quite true that Mormons do not seem to like bicycles, dogs, smoking, and drinking, not necessarily in that order.  It's a control thing.  People that have rules imposed upon them seem to impose rules upon others.  It all flows downhill.

It was a small race, early in the season, and everyone was out just to have some fun.  Lupine raced against three other kids.  She finished third overall, and of course, being the only girl, first in her class.

Lupine Cramer wins gold!

The tall boy rode away from the others.  The real race was the three 9 year-olds all on the same bikes, Redline Conquest 24s.  The three stayed together for both laps.  At the end Lupine was right behind the red-haired boy.  He was out of breath at the finish and Lupine was talking and smiling.  She said she didn't want to beat two boys.  The boy on the right was not happy at all.

How did Lupine's Dad do?  Not bad.  Second place in the single speed race (there were only three of us) and second place in Masters 45+ (there were seven starters).  In the single speed race I dropped my chain two times.  Never change your wheelset the night before.  I put on a new chain and rode faster in the second race, just out of first place.

Patty Cramer Is Famous

And I get to hang out with her all the time.  Check this out.  Looks like we will be in Denver, October 14 to 17.

Where Have You Been?

I've been everywhere, man.  And, I've been busy.  My sisters Bonnie and Lynn came to visit.  I've been trying to ride more.  And, we went to Park City for the holiday weekend.

Here is a video and some pictures from Park City.  We did some riding, some walking in the Miner's Day Parade, and some wheelbarrowing in the park.  Ignore the audio on the video.  My squeaky saddle is one hit away from falling off of my seatpost.  When that happens, well, you can just use your imagination.  For now, it sounds like noise from the other side of the wall in a cheap hotel room.

Patty with an aspen problem

Mid-Mountain Trail, Park City, Utah

Lupine, Hanna, and Paul

Lily

I'm still learning how to use my new digital camera.  It's mid 2010 and I finally own one.  Sorry Lily, I know your picture is out of focus.

There is a cyclocross race on Saturday.  I will be on the starting line at high noon for the Masters 45+ race.  I just hope I'm not last at the finish.  I have no fitness.