140 + Cherubic Cubes + Cribsh*tter = Epic

The word "epic" gets thrown out a lot in the cycling world. For instance, Lance Armstrong is planning an epic comeback. Or when Pantani launched an epic attack on the feared Col du Galibier. Well I had my own epic cycling adventure this weekend as well (and I'm going to say "epic" a lot in this post).

My epic day started out with a 140 mile tour of MN and WI. We headed out from the usual Dunn and made it as far north as Taylors Falls. Crossed the river for lunch in St. Croix falls and meandered back through WI. The fall colors were epic and the weather was beautiful. Made one last stop in Stillwater (and up that damn hill on Myrtle St.) then headed home. Almost made it without getting soaked, but I just wasn't fast enough - the last 8 blocks were wet ones.

In order to embark on my epic journey, my parents took the boys, so naturally I had to pick them up. They were not going to eat Mom's PBJ, so a quick stop at Mc D's and the boys were on their way to an epic day as well (they are pretty easy to please sometimes). Note - as we are concerned parents when it comes to diet, you'll be happy to know that they only get the 4 piece McNuggets (0 trans fats), apple slices and chocolate milk.

Capped my epic day off with a PBR filled concert going experience at the Hexagon. The two bands on tap were Cherubic Cubes and Cribshitter. Fun times indeed, but every epic day must come to an end. I made to around midnight then headed home where I instantly fell asleep. For some strange reason I was really tired...

Steamroller hits 3k

Sweet, what more need I say. Even @ $3.00/gallon, the steamer is more than paid for!!! Funny thing, I have more miles on it than the R3 which currently stands @ 2,470. Quick math puts the current season mileage total @ 5,470!!! I will hit that 6k goal, easy...

In other news, I should soon be discharged by my Chiropractor. I have about 2 more appointments, so I'm looking forward to not having to see him any longer. No offense, he's a nice guy but I'm sick of going 2-3 times a week for a treatment.

I also have some pics (finally) from the MS300 adventure. This is what $30k worth of Treks looks like and here is the motley crue (minus Benjy as he had to take the pic). Smell ya later...

Crazy Tube Update

Well, it's been almost two weeks since the crazy tube incident. Let me get right down to it starting with my Steamroller post-mortem:

• New fork (went w/ the cross check: same price but cantilever brake for those winter fatties)
• New brake
• True front wheel
• New saddle

So, all in all, not too bad other than I bent my f-ing fork...that is a thick steel fork to bend!!! (but crazy tube owner is going to pick up the tab thank goodness). Craziest thing about this incident is that MY auto insurance covers my injuries as a vehicle was involved. The other driver (and their insurance where applicable) is responsible for vehicle, or in my case bike, damage. Thankfully, the driver has been very supportive of my situation and is covering my bike situation.

Now on to me - I'm still laid up, I've not been on a bike since said incident. I have gotten on the trainer twice though - doc wants me to take it slow. Yeah, that's great but I'm going nuts. To average 250+ miles a week and have that come to a screeching halt sucks....big time.

I've never had back problems in the past and guess I never quite got it having not experienced it. Well not to sound like too much of a whiner - it sucks. I never realized what a role the back plays in cycling (and many other simple movements like say, getting into a car). But on a good note, it seems to be getting better. I'm on a diet of ibuprofen and three weekly trips to the Chiropractor (and now Summit Oktoberfest w/ its wonderful arrival). Damn I hope this isn't a long-term thing and it just heals with time and care....more to come, the whiner has left the building....

Somebody tell me - what are the odds?

Last week I took a little vacation with the family. We packed the kids and car and headed down the road to the in-laws cabin, just over the border in South Dakota. As usual, I brought a bike with (steamroller this trip), but now I no longer put it on the rack - I break it down and put it in the back of the wagon.

Thing were going splendid - nice weather, a little water skiing and of course, some riding. That all took a turn for the worse on Saturday. As I was nearing the end of my ride, I came upon a truck pulling a boat. No biggie, see them all the time around the lake, especially near the boat launch. The problem this time was this boat also had a tube in the back. Of course said tube was NOT tied down and just as we neared each other it flew out. Not only did it fly out, but it flew right in front of me. With virtually no time to react, I ran into this behemoth. I kid you not, this thing was huge - one of those 4 person deals. I then proceeded to flip over and land smack on my back in the middle of the road.

The driver stopped and quickly came over to help me out. I was a bit shaken to say the least, but nothing seemed broken. The road rash wasn't too bad, but my back was starting to hurt as it took the brunt of the fall. After assessing my bike, I determined it best to have this fella give me a ride back to the cabin. I did make sure to get his name and number prior to him leaving. He felt horrible, and at that point I didn't feel too bad and the whole thing was so bizarre that I had to shake my head and laugh.

Ha ha, not so funny anymore. By Saturday night I was whining like nobody's business. I think I have a decent tolerance for pain, but I must say my back was really starting to hurt. And I don't even want to talk about the 3.5 hr drive home yesterday. So the net is - going to the doc today to have it looked at....What are the odds of this happening???

SPBRC Summer Party

Last night was the SPBRC summer party at the Longfellow Grill. I love the Longfellow - $2 beers and a mouth watering Cubano sandwich. It's hard to believe the road racing season is pretty much over (dang, that means summer is nearing its end too). I may have to give this 'cross thing a shot. Sounds like a good time and a bunch of races well into the fall. Actually, I am looking forward to more group rides with the Dunn crew.

Met some great people last night too. One person of particular interest was Joe from Mello Velo Bike Tours. Check out his site, these tours look awesome. He even brings a top notch local chef to do the cooking. The upcoming Provence tour will have the head chef from Vincent. I need to start saving my pennies as well as earn some serious marriage capital to make one of these happen. Maybe I could convince my wife to start riding more? She loves Europe, and biking in Europe sounds a heck of a lot more fun than just sightseeing...ahhh, I'll keep dreaming...

I'm Back - and I bring good news and hardware

Man, the day job has brought my blogging skillz to a screeching halt. Not that you might care, but we are trying to launch a new product at work...enough said, onto bringing my loyal flock (LOL) back up to speed.

Races - yes, I have continued to race. Even though my Birchwood experience made me think twice, I decided to HTFU and finish up the Summit/Hollywood Crit series. Here is how it all played out:

• Race 1 - 1st place (see previous post for breakdown).
  
• Race 2 - DNF due to bike in shop getting post-mortem analysis. Good news here - only about $50 in repairs: new hoods, bar tape, front wheel truing and rear derailleur adjustment.
• Race 3 - 2nd place. I thought (WRONG) that I could beat the 1st place guy in the final sprint, but the gap was too large and my legs not fast enough. Food for thought for next race - get better position into last turn.
  
• Race 4 - 1st baby. Yeah, got into a little 2 person break near the end of the final lap and punched it to take the win. Also took a sprint prime in this race and another in the 3/4/5 masters race. I actually won money ($25 winnings - $20 reg = $5, or about one beer at the local tavern) - does this sacrifice my amateur status?
• Race 5 - 4th place. Spent a good chunk of the race pulling back a break. As I was the series points leader, nobody wanted to help - and I don't blame them. Great thing here, my teammate John Bradford got the win. Props to him and an awesome final sprint. It was a a really close finish, the top 5 within a bike length of each other.
  
• Race 6 - 2nd place. Good enough for the series win, and to the winner go the spoils (see above pic).

Other than that, been on a few good rides with the Dunn crew and plan to do another tonight w/ a little refreshment stop post-ride...I'm thinking something hoppy.

Birchwood Sqaure Lake Race

Sorry it's been a while....last biking related thing of note was this race. Not a too much to say other than I DNF'd due to a spectacular crash. Things were going real well until the final lap. I think I took second or third on the hill prime on lap one. A guy came around me near the top and I backed off in order to save myself (ha, that's funny now!).

Just as we crossed the finish line to begin the final lap, I must have hit something. Not sure what, but this much I do know - it sent me flying. We must have been moving around 20 mph and I hit hard. Fortunate for me, it happened right next to the first aid tent. Someone came up to me to initially help with my bike and ensure that I was OK. After a quick look at my arm, it was safe to say I needed to take a seat and have it looked it. Diagnosis - you need to go to the ER.

So after an hour of driving to the ER and four hours of mostly sitting around, I was on my way home with seven stitches, a prescription for an antibiotic and another script for Vicodin. I didn't have the painkiller filled (I'm tough that way...NOT) as I really didn't hurt that bad and figured ibuprofen/tylenol/beer would suffice for the night.

Last order of business was my bike. Lucky for me, my body took the majority of the damage. My right shifter is scratched up and the hood and bar tape were messed. Front wheel was out of true and actually had a bit of the rim sheared from whatever I hit in the road. Other than that, the frame/fork escaped with nary a scratch, lucky for me. I picked it up last night and it's ready to roll...

I'm getting back on the horse tonight @ Dakota County, so more to come later this week...