Arrrggghhh!!!

Being sick sucks. Just thought you guys should be reminded of that. And of course, I always get sick before or during a long weekend (especially one with nice weather!). And what's worse is that I have 200 hrs of sick time at work that go untouched.

Have a nice Easter everyone. Safe travels and I'll see you on the bike sometime.

Want to go storm chasing? Spring Weather Productions is your solution!

You've seen the shows. You've seen the cool pictures and videos. You've heard the cool stories. BUT you don't know a damn thing about weather and you don't want to ruin that shiny new ride of yours on the country roads chasing storms. Well here's your chance...





My good friend Scott Nicholson has started his storm chasing company, called Spring Weather Productions. He went to Creighton at the same time I did, works with his wife and friends in the field of weather, and he himself has gone on many storm chasing adventures year after year. He currently lives in Omaha, so the tours are based around the midwest region. I've seen the videos/pictures and I'm very impressed by what he has to show for it. So yes, Scott has the experience and knows what it takes to find the best of the midwest storms. And he'll take you to them!

Him and others (65 years of weather chasing experience!) supply the vehicle, the driving, the gas, the technology, and even the lodging! There are week long tours, along with weekend long tours for those that can't get away from family and work for too long.

photo from www.springwx.com

I went to a presentation of his last Thursday and was very impressed by how he is sharing his passion for weather. He took it upon himself to go one step further in life by creating and building a unique business that allows others to experience something outside of their norm, even if they know nothing about weather! Also, he is currently doing presentations in the area teaching children about science and weather safety. And while on the chases, he plans to assist the National Weather Service with real time information regarding active storms.

photo from www.springwx.com

So how do you sign up? Go to his website http://www.springwx.com or get a hold of me and I can forward you his phone number. And he actually has a special deal going on this month to help people get into the excitement and the thrill this chase season.

Those Crazy Wal-Mart Bikes

Chris had posted a Wal-Mart fat bike cruiser on his facebook account. Comes in different colors, coaster brake, steel is real, and has a "Kickstand: extra strong kickstand holds the Beast". Hey. they took the words out of my mouth. The bike probably weighs a ton. So looks like Mongoose has joined the bandwagon.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Mongoose-Beast-Men-s-Oversized-All-Terrain-Bike-Blue/22861844?wmlspartner=je6NUbpObpQ&sourceid=42535893311627573895&affillinktype=10&veh=aff



And then check out this bike. Its a blacked out 29er cruiser. I was reading the reviews because it actually looks decent. But the review...the review cracks me up. And I'm not making fun of the cheap bikes, or the guy in the review. But come on, the Wal-Mart employee "slapped the bike together in 30 minutes". Yikes!

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Genesis-Onyx-29-Cruiser-Bicycle/16203481?findingMethod=rr

"Since there were no reviews, I had to see this thing in person before I bought it. I drove out to a store that said it was in stock, but none were on display. The dude who puts the bikes together said they sell as fast as he can assemble them, and he had one left in the back. He slapped it together in about 30 minutes, and when he brought it out I went a little weak in the knees. It's a big beautiful beast. I drove home with it, grabbed the dog, and took off around the block. It's an absolute dream ride. The tires are huge, and they just glide"

The Panama Enduro

As you guys know, I don't do too many races during the year. Just a few here and there. Psycowpath, adventure races, and flip cup races (its a drinking game!). Well after having done a few gravel rides to get me off the couch this past winter, I decided heck, why not do a gravel race with the fellas down in Panama. I'm not looking to break any records, just a reason to get out and ride with the gang.

Despite being turned around at the start of the race, Nick still managed to finish first in the 15 mile category. Good work Nick!

#1

#2

and #3!!!

Well, it was funny how the race went down. Dave N had rocket fuel of some sort for breakfast, Paul needs to find a GPS unit for his bike because like the Energizer bunny he kept going and going and going. And myself? I was just happy that I didn't cramp up. I was getting slower by the end, but my legs felt good and I could have probably gone for at least another 5 or 10. I think the lower body weight lifting has been helping. That, and maybe the no drinking at all this weekend so I wasn't dehydrated like most of the Saturday/Sunday training rides.

My old road I grew up on. Except it was 148th street north of O street. This was S 148th.

The only spectators of this race were cattle

Well it turns out that I did most of the ride by myself. I didn't push myself like I should have, but that was mostly in fear of cramping up towards the end. Yes, I know. Only did the 15 miler. But still, last thing I need was to be pushing my bike on gravel. Most of the ride, I was maybe only 50-100 yards behind the same riders. Towards the last 3 miles they shifted into hyperdrive and took off. I almost didn't see my turn, but I figured that Panama Street would be the one I needed to turn on. As for Paul, he was looking for the yellow caution tape at the intersection. Which there was none. He ended up riding all the way out to Roca, NE before turning around. He finally made it back to the finish line about 45 minutes after we did. Whoops. Oh well, it was a beautiful day to ride. And that is exactly what Jim Craig said. If you miss your turn. Well enjoy the day and just have a good ride. Paul was all smiles after he crossed the finish line, so I'm sure he enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed the laugh.

The last stretch. Turn here!

1:21 was my time

Paul makes his own course!

Good work to everyone I know who raced. Nick took first in the 15 mile category. Thanks to all who rode gravel with us this winter season. They have been fun. I hear there is another snow storm coming this weekend. After that, dry up so that we can ride some singletrack!

Maybe the only real winner of that race. 

Still managed to get in my green beer. Which they ran out of after my first pint.

Tearing down of the outlet mall. 

Idiot supporting a bike tax

A friend of mine sent me this link, thought I would get a kick out of it. Proposed bike tax, why? Because we are using the roads that are being paid for by the motorists and we exhale more CO2 because we breathe heavy while pedaling. Hilarious and the guy is an idiot. And yes, he is a state representative (not of NE).

http://blog.cascade.org/2013/03/legislator-to-small-business-owner-bicycling-bad-for-the-environment/

More snow!

Somehow I've associated shoveling snow with drinking a beer. And this time I wanted a beer specific for the chore to be done. I looked for a New Belgium Snow Day in my fridge with no luck. Dug through the bottom drawer and came up with a close second. Snowdrift!

Deer + Bike =

2.4 million views. Yeah, it's gotta be good.

What angle to set grips?

A couple months ago I bought those Ergon grips from Bike Masters. They are the ones that are made for gripshift, so short little things. I like them. But I still need to figure out the angle at which they need to be. Before throwing away the packaging, I read to put them nearly horizontal if not at a little bit of an angle. I opted for more of an angle because it seemed comfortable to me while riding (maybe because of the more upright position of the Mukluk?). Well now the problem I've noticed is that I'm getting a pain in the wrists while doing bench press at the gym. The bending back of the wrist while the bar is over me causes some aching, pretty similar to the angle at which I have the Ergon grips. Related or not? Try more horizontal at the sacrifice of having less comfort during the ride?

They are currently set to about this angle here

Do the Dew...Drop...Ride

It's just like Dale said, "I feel a blog entry is in the making." Ahh...the group knows me too well. This past Sunday we did a gravel ride to not only get us out of the house, but to help us get ready for the Panama Enduro in less than two weeks. Yikes!

Not a camera trick. Yes, that hill is that long. And it was narrow and squishy on the side, as I found out when a car passed us. 

Ready or not? Speaking for myself, not. As we left the Dew Drop Inn in Kennard, NE., our first gravel hill was a killer. Dale had too tall of a gear and I simply had no excuse. My bike is too heavy? Haha. I was struggling to get the cold air into my lungs. I think my nose had turned a little runny and the cold air just stung as I tried to breathe in. Man this was going to suck. Hill after hill. Let's ride to the top of that one and see if there are more. Yup. Well let's keep going...over and over for 15 miles. But hey, it makes you a better person for accomplishing your goals and not giving up. My lungs finally opened up halfway into the ride. I was breathing better and getting more into the rhythm of things. Finally.

Not a lot of color on this ride. Brown. Gray overcast skies. Dirty snow. Kind of depressing. Hence the b&w pics to make it look a little more interesting.

We were actually having trouble finding gravel roads during this 14.63 mile loop. We hit a section of highway with no shoulder, and man we were flying. At some point in the ride I hit 30 mph on the fatbike. Weeee! Chased by a dog or two, crossed paths with a train, and we found a cool Civil War cemetery. And we unfortunately had a lot of traffic on the gravel roads.

People's private lane names crack me up. But to tell you the truth, I did hear a bird as we passed this one. Driving out of town, I saw a "Cattle Grate Lane". And yup, there was a cattle grate by the entrance of the drive.

We made it back to the Dew Drop Inn about two hours or so later and had some grub and beverages. It was a good ride. My one leg did start to cramp up a little bit on the last stretch of road. But not bad. I didn't go out the night before, but two nights before we were out till 6am on a partybus so I attribute my cramping and dehydration to that. Think I'll have to do a bottle of water and another of sports drink for the race. See if that helps, maybe do some of those chews also.

One thing I liked about this ride is the exploring of new territory. You never know what kind of roads you'll find. Every town has its own story and its nice to just see what is out there. Go by car and you'll miss alot. But by bike, every turn of the crank gets you one pedal stroke closer to that Civil War cemetery, to the oncoming train, to that crest of that never ending hill. You really notice things around you. And having a camera in your pocket or hand makes you  that much aware of the even smaller details! This was a trip of many firsts. Never been to Kennard, NE., never ridden next to a train, and the last time I passed cattle so close was at Potter's Pasture many years ago (they were actually running right next to us with no gate). Good times.

I got bored after the train had passed and was just taking different angles during this flat stretch. I also took pics of myself. Even Nick asked if I was just taking random pics. Yup!

The Dew Drop Inn pics and story.

Okay, maybe it's my being newly single and on the market again. What a mess that last relationship was. But anyway, a family came into the DDI as we were finishing our beverages. I gather they somehow knew the owner or a worker there. One of the blonde females kept looking over, I would guess mid 30's. No ring, as compared to cuter brunette who did have a ring on. Maybe it was my looking at the blonde that made her keep looking. We use to joke that we would stare at a girl until they were uncomfortable. But as I told Paul, I think she was checking us out the whole time. And by us, I was hoping to mean me. Selfish. Anyway, didn't think much of it. But as we were walking out, she actually stopped Paul and I and asked up about our riding. Was that a sign? Should we have asked if she also biked? We quickly answered her question and just left. Oh well. Next time!

Do the Ride.

Hoochie Momma!

Well thank you for the kind greetings!

TerraTrike

Watch the guy at 20seconds. They cut away right as he gets...


http://www.terratrike.com/news.php?a=expand&ID=302&c=0

Throwing Stars?

Really?


http://m.omaha.com/om/db_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=7Oc03bNf&full=true#display