It was a good MNR

Had ten riders tonight at Tranquility. Not too cold, no wind, trail was perfect! No skunks, no owls, Dave saw a rabbit and that was about it. Thanks to Dave and Paul for the brewskys afterwards.

Turn by turn

I've been watching too many bike trials videos. My new goal (besides riding the unicycle on the Taco Ride one of these days) is to be able to turn by lifting the rear wheel and swinging the bike. I know it's not hard, just too many memories of going over the handlebar. Gonna work on it! This site is geared more towards trials, but some good pointers that might come in handy on the trail.
 http://www.trashzen.com/index.php

Black Friday is nuts!

Okay, so I slept in till 9 and decided to forgo the 4am crowds. Went to Nebraska Furniture Mart and Best Buy, just to see what the big deal was. Best Buy, dead. NFM, crazy! Watching the news later that day, I guess people were lined up for hours waiting to get into NFM. The line actually wrapped around the electronics building and went all the way to 72nd street. What! Here is the line inside at 10:30am. See the sign the guy was holding, "End of Line," the cashier is all the way up front by the green banner going across. EACH cashier had a line this long. INSANE!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all fellow bikers and readers of this blog. Hope you've given thanks for everything that you are blessed with. Now that you've had your fill of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie...get out there and ride to work off those calories!

A nice day to do some trailwork at Calvin Crest

Part of the deal for today was if you came out to Calvin Crest to do some trailwork, then you got to ride the trail. The trail will NOT be open to the public until next year. Luckily I got to experience the trail firsthand and WOW! I like it a lot. Up there as one of my favorites next to Swanson. The dirt is still a little loose in some areas and some kinks are still being worked out, but it is shaping up well. There were six of us out there today working on the trail: Dale, Brian, Todd, Tim, Marie, and myself. Craig joined us later for the ride.

This is what the new climb next to the rooted climb now looks like

First item we tackled was the ankle fracturing rooted climb (I suggested the name, "Price Check"). Another line was put in alongside the rooted climb; this time no roots! It works quite well, just need to pedal hard and work those legs.

Secondly, we cleared a dirt path leading from the parking lot to the actual trail. At first we started with shovels and McLeods, ended up being Dale with the weedwacker.

Work done for today, time to ride! I like to live by the words of the cap on the headset of my Gary Fisher.

Dale making it up the second ravine

 Getting ready to cross the crazily swaying bridge!
*update, video on sidebar. Probably best if only one crosses at a time!*

The trail is very fast and twisty at the beginning, some low grade climbs towards the middle to end, and some technical stuff in between. Like I said, what a great trail! Good job Dale and T.H.O.R.! Can't wait until next trail day and for it to be open to the public next year!

Lewis and Clark ride

This weather is unbelievable! Enjoy it while you still can. Get out there and ride! Chris and his new Trek, Todd, Cory and I made it out to Lewis and Clark this past Saturday while Patty and Krista hit up Lake Manawa. Good times, especially down by the bottom loop of L & C. Sorry, no humorous movies of me flying off of huge tree trunks. I'm not that stupid anymore!
Todd and his new pedals...we'll let the pictures below tell the story!

Yes it is that time of year again...

While in surgery today, I hear Star 104.5 bust out the Bing Crosby Christmas tunes. I know that Thanksgiving and black Friday are a week away, but seriously? Hmmm...I wonder if the LBS will have any black Friday deals? Might be the only reason for waking up at 3am and going shopping. The rest of America can have their cheapo laptops, tvs, and cameras, I want some nice cheap biking gear!!!

Watch out for them skunks!

Since we couldn't make it out to Manawa for the TNR, Todd, Paul, Greg and I set out for Tranquility tonight. Greg and Paul already did a half lap and warned us of a skunk near the creek area. As I'm leading the way with my new Stella 150L (love it, really lights up the trail) I see a skunk three feet away from me! I pedal harder and warn the guys as they are right next to it. Luckily nobody got sprayed!

$500,000 Trek Madone!

This is from Trek.com. Hey, it's for a good cause!

--------------------
Bikes With A Mission

Photo from Trek.com


"Damien Hirst's Butterfly Bike fetched a cool half million at Sotheby's. It's one of seven custom-designed Trek Artist Series bikes, raced by 7-time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong and auctioned off at Sotheby's in New York, raising a total of $1,250,000 to benefit LIVESTRONG's crusade against cancer.
 
To help give Lance an extra boost across the finish line in this year's Tour de France, Hirst customized a Trek Madone with a gorgeous array of real butterflies from the frame down to the Bontrager rims, which also bear a repeating pattern of the willowy creatures. Eschewing the traditional LIVESTRONG yellow in favor of bright shocking pink logos all around, Hirst brings even more attention to the cause in a colorscheme that can be easily read at nearly any distance (or speed)." From Trek.com

Come out and ride Calvin Crest's new trail

All you have to do is come out for the trail day on Sunday Nov. 22, and.... YES you can ride the new Calvin Crest trail before it opens to the public next year. I have had the pleasure of riding it already and I am looking forward to it again. Meet at Bike Masters on 129th Fort at 11 a.m. Check out the THOR blog for some pics and more details.

2010 Trek Remedy OCLV and Scratch review

Since Trek wouldn't send me these two bikes to review, I'll leave it up to the reviewers at Millimeters/Mountain Bike to get the job done. Two very nice looking bikes, less XC and more geared towards the all-mountain and freeride categories. Probably overkill here in the Midwest...but who knows? Link here.

Salvation Army bell ringing

Saturday morning started off a little chilly to be ringing the bell, but by early afternoon the weather was great. I learned my lesson and wore four layers of clothing this time. Last time I rang bells, I think it was 20 degrees out and I nearly froze outside Kmart! This year I was at the Sears Oakview. It amazes me how giving and charitable people are. Especially surprising to see teenagers pull bills out of their pockets and just throw it into the bucket. Thanks to all that donate time/food/money to those in need. Sounds like the other biking folk had good success and times with the annual Cranksgiving! I'll try to make it next year.

Great song by Faithless, UK DJ extraordinaire

Faithless - Music Matters feat. Cass Fox

311 Concert Rocked!!!

Despite getting kicked in the head and elbowed in the temple, the 311 concert at MidAmerica Center was a blast! KottonMouth Kings opened the show for the Omaha natives. Brian, Dan, Eric and I made it into the open bowl area right as they exhausted the 600 wristbands allowing you access. Whew! Kids were even offering us money for our neon yellow wristbands.

NO, Eric and I are NOT holding hands in the picture. It may appear so, but no.

It was funny because as KMK was finishing their set, people left their seats and jumped the three foot high barrier and ended up in the bowl anyway. Security tried to block them, but what can 10 security guards do when they have over a 100 people rushing them? Eventually we made our way up to the stage for 311... as with any rock concert, it was pretty much a mosh pit and shoving match. I may not be a big guy, but hitting the weights definitely helped! We managed to enjoy the entire 311 show from second row! Brian lost his camera, I got kicked in the eye by a crowd surfer. All in a good night's fun!

Good article on today's OWH front page

It's about bicyclists and car drivers sharing the road together. Gives some tips for both riders and drivers when trying to share the asphalt.

UNLess you've been living under a rock...

NU beat Oklahoma 10-3 in a crazy good game down at Memorial Stadium. I think it lifts everyone's spirits in the entire state of Nebraska after a good win. We took a party bus down to Lincoln...quite possibly a better time than the limo that we took a few weeks back. Dance party during the entire drive home! And yes, there was a green dinosaur involved in this night of shenanigans!

MNR 11-09-09

We had a h-OWL-ing good ride tonight. The ride consisted of Dave,Greg,Brian, Craig and myself. The ride was a little shorthanded as a few people were at the IMBA meeting or working late... Mike and Cory!! Along the way Greg saw an owl up in a tree, Brian saw one just off the trail path and Dave got ambushed by one, as if the night time riding wasn't hard enough. We did almost 2 laps tonight, I was not in tip-top shape as I had not eaten anything since lunch. I expressed this to Dave at the end of the ride, he said go home and eat something good... well to my delightful surprise I get home and open the door, the aroma of steak was in the air. My beautiful wife had surprised me and made a steak dinner. Now tell me does it get any better? a ride with some friends and a steak dinner with the family after.

On a side note the movie "Race Across The Sky" Leadville 100, is having an encore presentation Thursday night at 7P.m. Mike, Cory and myself are planning on attending since last time we went, the movie theater had "technical difficulties"

I wanna be like...Dan

Yes, I know my name is already Mike. I made my way home today after breakfast and NBC had a show on called World of Adventure Sports. Right as I turned to it, they were highlighting an extreme unicyclist by the name of Dan Heaton. Wow, this guy rocks! Just watch the clip and you'll understand. This was actually the same footage that they had on the show.

Great Weekend of Riding

Started out the weekend with a night ride at Manwa on friday night, Patty, Mike and myself did 3/4 lap. Little interesting at Manawa with the lights, couple times Mike and I found ourselves off the trail a bit. Woke up Saturday morning and did 2 laps at Tranquility, 1st lap with Mike and then met up with Paul and did a 2nd lap. Stopped at Bike Rack and picked up some Shimano clipless pedals and shoes (i know i know everyone has been telling me to pick up some for awhile) I finally gave in. I love them, a little hairy riding in them. We then decided to go get some food, NOT a good idea as Patty found some plastic wrapper in her BBQ chicken wrap. The restaurant (will remain un-named but TGI was Saturday) gave us a free appetizer and comp'd our delicious Brownie Obession.. yeehaa. Saturday night watched my Seminoles lose again, & watched the defensively boring Neb/Oklahoma game. Sunday our family decided to make a trip out to the new trail in Fremont, Calvin Crest, to help the guys from THOR out. Dale, Dave, Brian, Chris, Patty, Alicia and myself raked, lopped trees, and finished up another mile or so to the already great trail. I am really proud of my daughter Alicia she picked up a rake and was helping out, a future trail rider - she already has a trail riding plan in place, Manawa, Tranquility, Swanson and then Calvin Crest. We went to lunch at the Wooden Windmill, scarfed down our food so we could hurry up and get back to the awaiting trail. We unloaded bikes and off we went. Unfortunately Chris was the first victim of Calvin Crest, he was going up a hill with some roots and went off to the side and twisted his ankle and found out later it was broke in 2 places....OUCH!! What a great trail this is going to be, some technical sections, switchbacks, a suspension bridge and some nice climbs. This trail is NOT open to the public yet, but when it is the trail will get hard packed and be fast. Today was my first time helping THOR out on trailwork but will not be my last, it is a lot of hard work and time that goes into making these trails and upkeep on them, we ALL should not take this for granted and should encourage everyone to help out. On the way home Cory text and said "we are going to Tranquility" hmmm... OK I'm in, cannot pass up a ride especially on a 74 degree day in November. So I did another lap there, so all in all I did about 26-27 miles of singletrack riding over a 3 day stretch.

Quite a good turnout of ten riders for the MNR

"Why are there these huge branches on the trail?" That was the question running through my mind as I made my way through them. I hear some chuckles behind me and both Paul and Dave point out the fact that I missed the turn on the trail. Tonight's Monday Night Ride was a completely dark trek through Tranquility due to daylight savings. To add to that, we rode the entire trail backwards! Quite an experience, it was like finding that brand new trail in your neighborhood.

Todd, Patty, Krista, Caryn and I started with a quick lap while there was still some daylight. Then met up with the MNR crew to do a lap backwards. The crew then pedaled on to do another half lap through the north side of the trail. Pretty cool sight to see a connect-the-dot like row of lights meander their way through the trees.

*photos courtesy of Krista*

Another quick review: Hoss Ponderosa knickers

Review of the knickers. I love them! Yes they look dorky as hell, but when an ex-girlfriend tells you that your pants are too tight after seeing biking pics of you in tights...I just knew that I had to take action! And yes Lindsay, I forgot to bring shorts to Ballyhoo. Haha. Anyway, the Hoss Ponderosa Knickers were on sale at Bicyclewarehouse, more than half off! I have torn and shredded way too many warm-up pants on the big chainring, so I said why not?

They are just the right length (3/4 pant length) to prevent any catching while those pedals go round and round. Pockets galore and yes, they have the spandex lined butt padding inside. Bungee cords at both leg openings, cargo pockets and velcro pocket on the rear to keep your belongings safe. The waist seems to run a little tight, even with the buckle closure adjusted, but then again I had underarmour and tights under the knickers. Either that or maybe I'm just getting fat!

Now I just need to find the plaid version on sale!

Was a beautiful day for a ride...

And to think that I almost canceled my ride. Once again, was out Halloween partying too late the night before (4am?). Voice gone and have been sick all week, but I knew that Todd would have chewed my butt for not showing up at the trail. Threw on the new Hoss Ponderossa knickers and headed to Swanson. I figured we should get at least one more good ride there before the snow puts an end to our season (as Patty would say, "Toughen up!")

Todd bombing down the hill, get that boy a DH bike!

Cory coming around the bend

Trail was a little muddy with a good covering of leaves. Eventually, the Race King's treads were obsolete and I had some new mud covered slicks on the bike. Luckily nobody fell, so another great success. Met a few new people out there on the trail today. Chris, hopefully you'll join our MNR at Tranquility tomorrow.

My turn! Either the look of fear or adrenaline?

A Real Shocker at Swanson

So this afternoon while riding the single track with Todd and Mike and a fellow rider we met in the parking lot, I was riding along, business as usual, when all of the sudden it felt like I took a bee sting (to which I'm extremely allergic) or a nasty bite on the inside of my left thigh. Seconds later another, this time on the right thigh. I had to stop to make sure I wasn't in danger of going into anaphylactic shock (which would have required two or three of the others to have to carry me a few miles to the nearest vehicle). Luckily, I didn't find the culprit buzzing around and after a few minutes I realized it must have just been a spider or some other biting pest. I continued the trip and finished the ride with no further complications. I had forgotten all about it until my wife, who hooked up (don't read into that) with the trail director (Frank) ,and received a guided tour through the entire course, mentioned that along their journey, Frank suggested along one particular spot on the trail, to make sure to stand up on her pedals as they were crossing some electrical lines! He mentioned that if you don't stand and ride through the section, that there's a good chance that you will get a nice little jolt of electricity (it's not the volts but the amps that will get you). I laughed out loud hearing this, and although getting shocked on the inner thighs isn't pleasant, at least I didn't have to be rushed to the emergency room. I'll make sure to stand through that section going forward. Not sure if I'll point it out to the others just yet.....