ANOTHER IMPOSTER

I put this clown into the ditch lickity-split. My truck was bigger than his...GIT-R-DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IF THIS IS YOUR VIEW, YOUR DAY CAN ONLY GET BETTER

Good news.... I was only 45 seconds away from winning the whole sport clyde race(both age groups) riding the rigid singlespeed.


Bad news......As this guy says, That makes me the first loser.....I was edged out by the only guy I could not afford to lose to.

Now I must battle with Holcomb for the series overall on his home course. He has had input on the layout of the course as well........Should be interesting.

IMPOSTER!!!!

I can assure you if this were my party, you all would have been invited.

DA-SUG HAS A FUNNY WAY OF DOIN' STUFF

PRODUCT TESTING

So I break my frame and the Fisher folks send me a new frame, eccentric (ik-sen-trik) and one of these "fancy-shmancy" carbon forks. I just assumed they needed a crash test dummy for some product testing. Now...I'm quite sure these two can put the Switchblade fork through the paces big-time, but unless they are riding with one on the others shoulders or have a full keg strapped to their backs(I think example 2 is more likely) they are not leaning as much tonnage on it as I can. So it was off to Chequamegon for my first real "taste" of rigid singlespeeding.

Thursday was my first ride on the new set up. We rode the Ojibwa trail right next to the Hayes guy's condo. I must agree with Jay ......This is quality singletrack...Pretty darn bumpy, and the fork was really cool. Friday was a short easy pre-ride on a section of the 40 course and an early crash(bed that is)to prepare for Saturday's events.

The 40 came and went in 03:23:40.8 shaving 5 minutes off last year's time. Da Monsta and The Darkness(congrats to both) finished just a few minutes ahead of me robbing me of my podium spot, but I'll live............and I am happy to report that the bike,the fork and the Bubba are all in one piece and no worse for the wear.

I'm still trying to find out if these forks have a weight limit and I'm just lucky to be alive,or are they rated "Bubba-tough"??

Thanks to the Hayes guys for the post-race beers and hospitality.

Killn' it

40....OFF TO DA NORTWOODS EY'

Leaving at 6am Thurs. to get in some riding on the Rock lake trails. I know you will all be patiently awaiting the 2nd worst race report of all time.

Check here for the worst one.

I'M AT A DIS-ADVANTAGE.......

The fast guy's always have cool race reports. How can I write an interesting one like this guy, this guy, or this guy???? I can't..... However, now that Iv'e started and refuse to DNF, here goes.

The day started with a few of my fellow sport clydes bustin' my chops because they did not see my name on the weigh-in sheet. I forgot. So off I go to registration to weigh in. As I was about to step on the scale, I asked Minigoat (who was volunteering) if I looked like I lost 42 lbs. in the last couple days??? I don't remember her response. NOPE....gained 2.

Don yells gooooooooooooo and I'm feelin' pretty good on the lead out. Did not even notice my new 2 lbs. until we hit the hill climb. I was sufferin' at a turtle's pace all the way to the top. Once at the top, I turned my 244 lbs of rolling momentum to the desents, "gutterballing" almost out of control trying to make up the time lost inching up the climbs.

This was repeated the final 2 laps and wound up being good enough for second place and 1 step closer to winning my series overall, but the fat................................................tires and beer guy is going to battle until the bitter end.

If I get a new rig, and am able to keep it in 1 piece....I intend to finish the year singlespeeding. Someday I will find the stones to race SS on a ski hill .

5 BUCKS.....AND I BET I CAN'T BREAK IT

My wife scored this beauty at a rummage sale in Rhinelander last weekend. The chick who sold it to her must have needed a cocktail or a pack of smokes real bad because she originally wanted 15 dollars, but took 5. Julie actually made me take it for a test-drive to see if I thought it was worth the money. She bought it for Russell's 4th of July "Crappy Bike Ride". Now she better get training because she got dropped this year and that thing is a tank.

CAN YOU SEE MY CRACK???

Yep....That's the 3rd frame this year. In fact I was dropping this off and picking up my waranteed Sugar at the same time. Both Rigs cracked in the exact same place. One Memorial Day weekend and one Labor Day weekend.
Here is a better look.
Glad I have the Surly now because I'm registered for Chequamegon as a SS'er.

I have taken the liberty to post Mountaingoat's comment for him.

NEW RIDE

One less skeleton in Da Monsta's closet and a new winter bike for me. I was able to put gears back on my old Specialized and sell it to my buddy Billy at work.I then turned the cash over to Ron and put the SS parts on.........Presto

GET A LIFE

That's what my wife and Coop told me after listening to me whine and sulk about my complete meltdown at Devil's Head last week. I'm over it and better days are to come.
Thursday, Julie and I ditched the knuckleheads for a short trip to the nortwoods hey! We started in Rhinelander, the home of my cousin Amy and her boyfriend Terry. They turned me on to the Smokin' Spoke trails. A local bike shop puts on an early season race there and if you have not ridin them, it is definately worth a try. If fact we ran into WORS Don there on Friday riding with the potential race director who is trying to get it as a replacment for one of the races that will be lost after this season.
I ran into Don again Saturday at the WEMS race at Stump farm and he admitted he was checking out both places as possible replacment venues. I talked to him about it briefly and wish I could tell you I had some kind of inside scoop, but Don is not really one to "show his cards."
I think both of these courses would make for great WORS races to replace Kewaunee and Calumet. He actually mentioned that he may need to find 3 new race venues, but did not say which other one may be out.??..??

Alright.... enough business and on to some of what has made this blog what it is today.........LAME-ASS........
I did my first 6 hour solo race at the Stump Farm on Saturday. O.K...so I show up with a gallon of gatorade, 2 salted nut rolls, and a box of cheez-its. Ronsta and Coooop just shook their heads really putting a dent in my fragile self-asteem. So I ask them for a little advice as this was my first race of this kind.
Ron advised me to eat and drink from start to finish to avoid the big bonk. Easy enough.....I've eaten and drank for 6 straight hours plenty of times before. Coooop suggested wearing 2pair of shorts to keep the "grumpy-ass" to a minimum.
I knew I could count on these guys. My wife ran to the store and got me some decent food and I had no problems with the backside whatsoever.

MELTDOWN

Does yakin' up a couple Cliff shots on an empty stomach count as puking??

A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS

BLOGGIN' AINT EASY..................BUT LAME-ASS BLOGGIN' IS

I am finding that people actually do tune in here to read this stupid dribble and quite honestly I'm feeling a little pressure to keep y'all entertained. I have also come to realize that all blogs are not created equal. I'm sure this blogging machine knows his place on the "food chain". Old Captain-quick-link is at the top of just about every link list out there.

Surprisingly, I have experienced pretty good feedback when making fun of myself. I will coutinue to do so because if you can't make fun of yourself...who can you make fun of????

Oh...A very lame showing tonight at the metro race at Crystal Ridge did A BIG FAT NOTHING to help me make a decision about the weekend.

WTF DO I DO NOW??????????????

I do not have a mountain bike with gears right now. While I really like riding SS, racing them requires a set of mid-section marbles that I have only been able to produce twice so far this season. I thought I would finish the year SS'ing at The Rapids and Sheboygan, but it was never in the plans for Devil's Head for sure.
Race or volunteer becomes the question for this weekend.??????

Reasons to volunteer
1. I would get quality volunteer points as I am in a battle for the series win.
2. Jamie and Megan are really doing well this year and I have not been able to watch them race. If they let me volunteer on the course somewhere, I could do that.
3. I should do it because, as Coop says, volunteers are needed to make these events what they are. He has volunteered in WORS, WEMS, and at the Wed. night metro races.
4. It may rain (but I like racing in the rain).

Reasons to race
1. Racing is cool(even for a fat, old, slow guy)
2. It might rain. On the single, that may be a plus.

I better pull my head out of my ass and make up my mind.

BUSTED.........DISGUSTED.............AND CAN'T BE TRUSTED

My Sugar frame is cracked.....busted. No, not a little stress crack like my bitch's, but snapped in half on the top tube where it meets the shock mount. I know what you are thinking...NO WAY !!! Not a Sugar. However a little research has turned up a few folks who have experienced durability issues with this particular bike. Big Mark, Big Jim, Big Russell, Big Coop, Big Kenny D(I think) and now Little Bubba have all busted these at one time or another. Funny thing is I think all these guys and others really like these bikes when they can keep them in one piece.

So, I take the bike to the shop last night and who is in there buying a couple bikes for himself, his wife, and little kid??? Danny Gadzuric..center for the Milwaukee Bucks. For a guy that recently inked a 36 million dollar deal, he was scoring some pretty entry level equipment. I recommended the Sugar (pointing to my busted one) He chuckled.

2ND-3RD........4TH 2ND

Jamie and Meg finished 2nd and 3rd overall in the womans sport race Sunday. They really seem to be coming in to thier own and improving every race. I, on the other hand took 2nd for the fourth race this year. I may have hit the wall.

We collectively, however have not gotten much better with experience when it comes to the podium. While this and this isn't too bad, this just doesn't cut it. My podium shortcomings have been well documented.

I WON A REALLY NICE BOTTLE OPENER AT THE BIKE RACE YESTERDAY.

JUNK

-Got my ass handed to me at the beatdown last night as usual, but made it further than ever before. Good ride for me.
-Speaking of my ass...it's finally back to normal after 24-9. Must have been the humidity.
-I could really use a decent race at Calumet Sunday. I have never done well there. Calumet was my very first WORS race back in 2002. It was also my first and only DNF.(flatted with no tube , tools, or air) rookie move. I have brought myself in on fumes and my bike across the finish line in pieces, but I'm not a big fan of the DNF.
-No news on my Poprad. I wonder what color they will be offering in 2008??
- I need to get working on the trails in front of my house. They need my attention.
-I need to build a shed and lay some pipe(drainage) in my back yard. I am starting to think this may not happen this year. Whatever...................................................

ROCKSTARS.....A VERY RARE PHOTO

Judging by the looks on their faces, they thought they were these guys. Yes.....That's mabeeeaatch on the right anchoring his Extreme Dream Team boys to the podium in the kids race (12 hour). In fact Team Extreme had a nice showing overall with our youth team wrapping up 1st in their 12 hr race by about noon on Saturday. The Hoffman's placed well (7th) in the 24 hour duo....and they were co-ed although Candy really showed she had quite a "set of stones". After Big Mark took a digger Saturday, The Extreme team of Dr Dave, Rick Walls, myself , and the fill-in Tim Montee placed 8th out of 25 teams in the 24 hour mens sport race. I told Coop," We must have been more desparate than I thought, we grabbed a Hayes guy" Coop said " Smart move,NOW you have a chance" (note to self....come a little heavier next time you want to be a smart-ass to Coop.)

I had a blast for my first 24 hr event and will put it high on the "must do" list for next year.

Highlights include;

Drinking Big Mark's white gas for his camp stove because it was in the same looking bottle as my water. I did not swallow it though, instead opting to spit it out at Nitnylion's campsite. Got a match??

Helping Cathy (The Michael's Cycles girl) out to the road after she crashed pretty good on my 2am lap. She thanked me Sunday morning and said she had to go to the hospital for 6 stitches in her elbow. I felt pretty good about helping her out.

The same 2am lap I passed a 50 yr old chick(cause I can do that) on some CC ski trail, I then headed into a piece of singletrack and she said "There's another one behind us coming 100mph. Sure shit...A light was headed up the trail and it was moovin. As it approached she exited the trail. At the last second I hopped off between a couple of pines to allow the pass in what was a very sweet technical move on my part if I do say so myself. Guess Who???? By the time I processed the Alterra kit he was gone and I missed my chance at a good wise crack. I did tell the 50 yr old chick behind me,"I know that dude" She said "How can you tell, all I saw was a blur". Then I showed my "Macho" by dropping her for good.

Pics. of Phillips and myself were stolen from a much better blog than mine.

PIMPIN' AINT EASY

It doesn't look like DaSug has fallen on his head, but he is about to attempt a 24 hour race with Candy this weekend. Good luck to the Hoffman's.

Do they have a catagory for 24hr duo- Top shelf pimp and number 1 lady??

What are the odds they will make it back to see this little tribute??

TWENNNNNYFOURNINEASSISTANCE

Another first for The Bubbster. It sounds like it's going to be a blast.
My checklist:
beer
bike
beef jerky
salted nut rolls
deodorant

Somebody said I'm getting a free t-shirt, so I'll have that as well.
Am I forgetting anything?

HONEY MY ASS

Two summers ago I found out that I am allergic to the stings of yellow jackets and two kinds of hornets. Badly allergic.

A colony of yellow jackets had taken up residence on the side of my house in my vegetable garden(I fancy myself a farmer) and jacked me up but good landing me in the hospital twice within a 48 hour period. The second time with multiple stings.

Luckily my wife and my bitch were able to get me to the ER very quickly before things went too far south.

Further testing confirmed the allergies and I now am getting desensitizing injections and may need them monthly for the rest of my life. The doctor also perscribed an epipen(adreneline) and said if I am in the woods and get stung,"You better make sure you are with someone who will stab you in the thigh with it if you can't do it yourself." Scared the shit out of me.

Fast forward to yesterday..... I got stung by yellow jackets (at laest once, maybe twice) in the ankle while working in my back yard. I run in the house, grab the epipen and wait for the first signs of anaphylaxis. Nothing. A pretty swollen, very itchy ankle is the result of the latest sting(s) and I am now feeling much better knowing the bee-shots are working.

Now that I probably wont need the epipen for bee stings , I was thinking about sending it into my leg next time I get dropped in a race. With my new health insurance the co-pay on the epipen is only ten bucks. A small price to pay to move up a few spots and maybe on to the podium.

SEPARATED

I think I'm gonna be single for a while. Whatever the case, I could use some counseling....That's for sure.

Faster last night on the SS than I was Sunday with gears at Crystal ridge.

Got me.?.?

SUFFERIN' SUCCOTASH

Mediterranean Succotash Recipe #159784
A yummy low carb vegetarian side dish from Rachael Ray's show.
2
tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1
red onion, diced
2
garlic cloves, chopped
2
bell peppers, any color seeded and chopped
1
bunch asparagus, sliced on bias, tips 1 1/2 inches long
2
cups frozen corn kernels
15
ounces butter beans, drained
salt and pepper
flat leaf parsley, chopped

1. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat.
2. Add oil, onion, garlic, peppers. Saute peppers, stirring frequently, 5 minutes.
3. Add asparagus and corn, cook 3 to 5 minutes longer.
4. Add beans and heat them through, 1 or 2 minutes.
5. Season dish with salt and pepper, to your taste, then stir in parsley.
6. Transfer to dinner plates or bowls and serve.

GOOD STUFF

Oh yeah.......The creeps put together a couple of nice races to finish within 2 seconds of each other yesterday. I think they were trying to be like these guys (minus the ink).

Some interesting exchanges last night......

Meg- I would have beat you if I woudn't have lost all the air in my fork and dropped my water hand up.

Jamie- I would have crushed you by a mile, but I just started riding again.....etc. and so on...

After years of telling them to quit arguing about stupid shit, I found myself thinking"FINALLY..An argument with some substance" I said nothing...just reclined back in the lazyboy and giggled.

Check the results for great showings from locals in almost every race from elite down to citizen. I wish I could have done my part.....I sucked.

SNACKING INJURY-NICE GUYS FINISH LAST.

So.......... I go to Mcdonalds to pick up lunch for the office because I'm a nice guy. I get out of my truck and start to walk across the rain soaked parking lot because everyone knows you don't get any exercise using the drive-thru. I'm wearing flip-flops because I have a cool boss who allows very relaxed work attire. My flip flops cause me to do some kind of wacky skid-slide on the slippery painted arrow that directs you to the drive-thru (because flip flops are not the correct choice for these parking lot conditions). The end result is a confirmed pulled muscle in my back, a probable sprained ankle, and a possible broken big toe (because I'm a wuss).

I'm thinking about battling Mickey-D's in court for a lifetime supply of McFlurry's. I think I have a case. In any event...This is the excuse I will be using this weekend instead of "The Heat" like so many others will use.

Proof that nice guys always finish last.

YOU CAN'T POLISH A TURD

Through Dave Torgler's camera lens, I actually look like I half-know what I'm doing....Almost fast.......*Scared??

*This is a freebie....I will not serve it up like this very often........so fire away.

MY ASS HURTS

Come to think of it my whole fragile self is in the hurt-bag this morning. I mean shit...stand up, sit down, on the bike, off the bike.The last time I had that much fun and my ass felt like this was..........well nevermind, I'm rambling on and that was a long time ago.
Saturday was the State Singlespeed Championship (Gee Bubba....Do ya think you might be in a little over your head??) at Blue Mounds State Park. I had never been there before and it sure did live up to it's billing. Sharp rocks and flatting was the "mechanical "of the day. Not for Bubba though....I knew I had to fill my tires harder than Micheal Jackson at a cub scout campout in order to keep from flatting which is exactly what I did. I realized right away that I would be paying a price for it. I was bounced around like a pinball and it beat me up pretty good. Any thoughts of "rolling the dice" and letting some air out were nixed early in the first lap when my seatbag worked it's way open and all my flat repair stuff spilled out on the trail. By the time I noticed what happened, it was way too late to go back and collect all my crap. I then knew if I flatted, I was done. I managed to finish (not DFL either) despite not feeling my best and off a long night Friday. I figure 18 or so more spots and I wudda caught this guy. I asked him after if he wanted to sell his plaque. Dude wouldn't even listen to my offer.....
My prediction for the top 5 was right on except Mountaingoat was supposed to be in there instead of the guy that took 5th. Oh well.... he will have plenty of opportunities to get back to the top of my "hero list".

HELP

I'm thinking I might be able to do the SS race tomorrow, but have never riddin at Blue Mounds. What is the bike set up, tires, gearing, training wheels, basket, etc. for the course???

I'm putting together my prediction for the top 5................I'm not in it.

DONT CALL IT A COMEBACK- I'VE BEEN HERE ALL THE TIME..........TIMES 2.

Props to Jamie for putting together a nice race for her first back from scope surgery on her left knee 6 weeks ago. Her knee held up fine while she cracked the top 10 overall and won her age group easily. Her sister and her should push each other in a sibling rivalry as the season goes on.

Props to Jay for putting together a fine race for his first back since his mishap.He does not seem to have missed a beat, but does seem to have gotten a bit weak in the arms.....wuss.

Also shout out to Nate, Ron and DaSug, and Sean for some good racin'.

Oh.............check out the shaved head. Mabeeeatch!!! soooooooo wants to be like me.

Thursday night is Brewers-Cubs and I get to skip the beatdown to observe a bunch of fibs get all liquored up and make asses out of themselves. At least we're sitting in the boss's suite.......sweet.

I just dispatched a truck driver down in Houston. He took his directions, gave me his cell number for communication purposes, and said his name was Bubba. He then said "that's my nickname....what's so funny??"
I said "Aaaghh....nevermind."

HOWARD STERN AND A YOUNG MR. MIYAGI??

O.K. So I surprised the wife with some Steely Dan tickets for next Friday at Moneyfest. She's a big fan and I'm a good husband..........for today.
Don't get me wrong, I like Steely Dan just fine, but there are a couple other shows I'd really like to see like this guy.

07

I first ordered the 2006 Poprad disc in orange late last year around the holidays. For one reason or another it was not to be as it never shipped. I have recently found out I will be getting the 2007 model in metallic red.

Carbon fork.....disc brakes....LUCKY!!!

Should be pretty sweet. Stay tuned.

I WAS THINKING ABOUT COUSINS FOR LUNCH

Until I saw this..................I went to Qdoba.

LAST WEEK'S LOTW

And comp overall leader John Lirette confirming that there was going to be little, if any screwing around.

Note Weezer looking at the ground like a beaten man and the race hasn't even started.

HOLY SMOKES

I thought I was a shitty racer until I tried this.

KEWAUNEE

That was hard......Right bike........wrong tires.........gear......who knows???

CREEPS ON THE SHELF

The end result of Jamie being hit by a car last July (uninsured motorist with a rap sheet longer than DaSug's list of fine ladies) was scope surgery about
3 weeks ago. While she finished the racing season last year, nagging pain in her left knee required the removal of some pinched tissue as well as cartilage. She is feeling better every day and back on her bike. She plans to start racing herself into shape in early July. Meanwhile, her sister Meg had a tonsillectomy yesterday and has been grounded from racing at Kewaunee as well as any other physical activity for 10 days. If you ask nice she may do your handoffs. This leaves yours truly as the only racer in our family for the first time since we started doing WORS races.

PATIO IS DONE

For more than a decade this space was taken up by a huge 12 foot long sandbox for the creeps to play in. Now it is a cocktailing slab for me to play on. You see,...everybody gets their turn at La Casa.

I think it turned out pretty nice despite not taking Russell's design suggestion.

I'M NOT AS DUMB AS I LOOK.....A LESSON

I have been getting some very nice compliments on the photography I have been posting lately. My wife Julie is the one behind the lens. I recently bought Tosacrosser's emergency backup camera for her as a gift out of the kindness of my heart. Well...not really. After being married for 13 years(my kids are 20, 14, and 12....you do the math), I have realized that it is much easier to buy myself something if I do something nice for the little lady in return....Sure, it costs a little more to do things that way, but I dodge alot of hassles, I get what I want, and hell..it's only money and I don't plan to take a nickle of it with me when I exit this piece of spinning dirt.

This happens to be a win-win situation for me as not only do I get to buy this (on order), but I also get some nifty pics of myself, family, and friends to post on this lame-ass blog. I think the last bike I bought wound up costing me a new washer and dryer ....Again...win-win for The Bubbster.

I am trying to convince her that this can work both ways. As soon as I do, she will be bringing me a case of beer every time she comes home with a new pair of shoes.

THEY MUST HAVE KNOWN........

When I bought my RIG, that my big ass would be bustin' that shit lickity-split. I bet the Fisher folks put a purple 19 in. frame on the shelf with my name on it fully expecting a warranty job because the turn around time was less than 48 hours. I thought I was going to be slummin' in black with DaSug and his old lady, but I got purple again so I can match my idol and inspiration.

Russell is now under the gun to get it put back together for the WEMS race this weekend. I'm too embarrassed to go into detail on how screwed up that pile of parts was when I dumped it off at The Tool Shed, but I think it's safe to say I won't be wrenching for the pro's anytime soon.

RACE REPORT-WAUSAU

The original plan was to try to stay towards the front of my wave and just hang on until we got to the singletrack, but 250 yards into the grassy lead out I was in the lead. While this would have been my preffered position at the end of the race, I knew it was not where I wanted to be for the leadout. I was about 6th going into the single track behind Lenny, a couple 50-55ers and a few of the younger clydes. I figured I would take my chances in the singletrack rather than try to chase them on the road. I rode all the trails real well and even caught MAYBEEEEATCH the SSer at the top of the Ho-chi-min trail right where it spits you out into the ski trail. He knew I was on his tail and took that turn real wide so I could not crack him on the ass as I passed as instructed by my coach and the shcmuck that claims to be my coach.

I finished the race riding pretty much alone for a second behind Lenny.

I'll take second to Lenny any day, but I must admit this view is getting old.

LINKED UP IN THE ROCKIES

All it took was a little shamless lobbying, and I am now part of a small but deserving new class of recruits to be linked up at Mitch Man's World.
While I will take Cat-3 status any day of the week (I can't even come close to cat-3 as it relates to pedaling a bike), I would guess it's been a while since Ronsta and Mike have been called cat-3 anything.

Picture is a view of Pikes Peak from my uncle's patio. Here is a view of my uncle's patio from the top of Pikes Peak.

WE CAN'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE

Well....I busted the RIG.
We were camping over the weekend in Warrens,Wi . I was loading up the van to go for a ride with Meg at Levis Trow about 25 miles down the road when I noticed a crack on the seat tube right above the top tube weld. I'm pretty sure I cracked it at Crystal Ridge last Wednesday night. Bummer.
I guess there will be no singlespeeding for the fat guy for a while.
I should know by the end of the week how long it will take to be replaced. I thought the purple really looked good on me, but I'm pretty sure the replacment frame will be black. Oh well....Maybe I'll just get some Mr Bigg stickers and pretend.

I KINDA GOT THIS HAYES THEME GOING

Good lookin' bunch....hey????? NOT. And I don't even have a good pic. of Jerry or B-dog. yet. Do they have some good riders and all-around decent chaps??...Sure (except for this one), but a swimsuit calender ain't coming anytime in the near future.
Aw hell.....who am I to talk.
Maybe I will pay a little photo tribute to the Alterra or Team Wisconsin boys next. They both provide plenty of ammo.

JEFF

This is the guy that won the sport clyde race at Alpine. If I ever catch his ass the first thing I'm gonna do is put him on a scale. 201....SHIT!!! I'm a twinkie shy of 240.

The second thing I'm gonna do is send him to this guy for a lesson in chopology.

No sour grapes...I'm just playin'.

PRETTY FAST

And really slow.

RACE REPORT-CRYSTAL RIDGE
I have never done an official race report, so here's my cherry-buster.
Had a decent start while watching Randy's ass fly past me like it was on fire. Then passed Randy in the very first section of singletrack. Did not see Randy again until the "results meeting" after the race.

MISSED HER PODIUM PICTURE

Meg put in another great race today, but the bad parents that we are were off in the bushes drinking rum and partying with DaSug and a few other shady types when they called her name. A shame too because now that the Wolf's have enjoyed a little early success, Russell felt the need to give us a little lesson in proper podium etiquette.Meg was instructed to put her teeth in and no booze. I was told to loose the "wife beater" and stop looking so stuuuupid. We both were instructed to wear official team garb as well. My wife did manage to get a shot of me. I'm still a dork.

BUTLER, WI
This suburban ghetto is a bloggers dream. Oh... the shit I see on my way to/ from work. I really need to throw my camera in the truck. It should pull me out of the blog cellar real quick.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Dump, whizz, tube, air, goo, suffer, how are the kids going to do? Did Randy DNF yet? These are all things that go through my head in the start chute. Yea...I get the willies BIG TIME. But why? Mid-way through the first lap I relax and have a blast, but all that anxiety can't be a positive. Can it? At least when I ride the Rig , I don't have to worry about the derailluer falling off.

I think the RX-7 is sold. Angel from Chicago called last night and said he's renting a trailer at 7am and will be at my place by 9am on Saturday morning. He originally wanted to drive it home last Saturday when he first came to look at it. I had to convice him that it was not a good idea to drive back to Chi-town with a busted brake line and having to stop the car using the parking brake even though I made it look easy on our test drive. It also has 20yr. old gas, oil, antifreeze and all fluids. He finally agreed that a good tune up and going over would be best before it is driven too much.

The course conditions Saturday will make the decision for me as far as bike choice for Sunday. The original plan was for the Sugar, but the wetter things get, I will lean towards the Rig. I can only imagine the gear combo needed to haul 240 lbs up that mess.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAY

Russell was offering half-way decent cash for this photo, but the photographer (my wife) was having none of it. Jay was lookin' pretty good on Sunday. Some day he might look as good as this guy.

I'M A DORK

PROUD DAD... I'LL MAKE THIS QUICK

I did not know what to expect for Meg as far as moving up to sport. She has spent almost zero time on a bike in the off-season except for bmx practices which ended a while ago. I know she is a good rider technically and did very well in citizen last year, but the extra distance and lack of saddle time had me a bit concerned. I think I was worried about nothing. She won her age group by almost 17 minutes and finished pretty near mid-pack overall. A successful first face on her newly refurbished race bike. Given to her as a gift by MAAABEEEATCH it was his circa 1996 race bike. I hear he was fast back then. I had it powder coated and bought new parts for a Xmas gift, and this clown built it up for her.

She is racing middle-distance for her high school track team and taken 1st in the 800 in every JV race she's done. The coach has also put her on some varsity relay teams in 4x800 and 4x 1mile. Not bad for a freshman and total track rookie. She is setting PR's in the 800 just about every time she races. After dropping the hammer on Helga -the eastern european a few weeks ago I started to get the idea she is developing the competative edge. I kinda like that. She showed it again yesterday when she shot out of the pines and locked horns with some guy in a sprint to the finish line.

GOOD COMPANY

Rumor has it Russell was the 3rd finalist in the contest to grace this billboard.

I FINALLY HAVE MY PC SET UP JUST THE WAY I LIKE IT

Some hispanic guy from Chicago called about my car. The guy could hardly speak english. He wants to come and look at it on Sunday(I think). Ican only imagine what he will do with it if he buys it. Another guy from Gurnee is going to look at it this weekend as well. He spoke very good english. Sounded like he could have been one of The Baron's old neighbors. I'm sure this guy has other ideas for it. I hope it's sold soon.

The beatdown,

I hung in fairly well with some pretty good riders last night. Improvment has been realized, and areas that still need improvment have been noted.

FINALLY.......A DECISION

I guess Favre's decision is news, but the BIG news of the day.....I've decided to race the RIG at Iola.

THIS BLOG SUCKS!!!!!!!!
Why even waste your time??
I've got nothin' really. This time of year allergies are kicking my ass. I snort Flonase and it helps a bit, but the really good meds. just put me to sleep for the day. Who (besides Mountaingoat) wants to sleep all day?? The Thursday night beatdown is kickin' my ass too. I made it about 1/4 mile further than last week before being spit out like Jay's used Copenhagen. Oh well....next week a little further yet hopefully.
I put my car up for sale on a RX-7 message board. I was reading their "rules" . They are simmilar to the rules of the WORS board regarding insults and flaming.... I have been trying to find the "Wheezer" of that board and see if I can't amuse myself for a bit while I'm trying to sell the car, but those guys all seem pretty tame.
Work is work....It's not kickin' my ass...I wish it was. The day goes alot faster when I'm actually busy working instead of trying to think of crap to post on this lame-ass blog.
Hopefully some off-road riding this weekend.

BEAT DOWN AND BEAT UP!!!
But making progress........enough said.

THAT'S IT BUBBA....TIME TO GO HOME

That's what my wife told me after mimicking this stunt trying to get back into the house with what turned out to be my last beer of the evening. Of course I felt the need to debate my condition saying "Hey...hey...hey...hey... I can't be half as drunk as Randy."

Happy birthday to Tosacrosser and Julie Tosacrosser. Those two put on a bash for the ages. Mad props for the great food, drinks, and hospitality. It was the best party I've been to in a long time. Come to think of it, it's the only party I've been to in a long time. I don't get invited to many parties anymore. I don't really know why.

TOSA TRAILS UNDER WATER