Wash Out

Today was pretty much a wash out. I like to do a big ride on Saturday, but the weather was crap with strong winds and rain. The forecast for Sunday is chilly but nice, so why bother going out in shit if I don't have to? So I hunkered down in the Rumpus Room with my iMac worked on some mag stuff and a new t shirt design to be available with the coming issue. Barring any issues it should be off to the printer this week. I call it "Instant Nostalgia." The T will be heather gray and black with the phrase "Inspiring saddle sores since 2009" underneath the logo. It will be available for purchase as well as being part of a "gift pack" that will include also include a download of #5, and a sticker pack.

Even though I hate to leave the house for anything other than a ride or race, I convinced myself to go get my locks cut. So off to Super Cuts I went and was able to get my hair cut by a voluptuous black woman dressed up like Raggedy Anne and also saw a woman dressed up like GoDaddy Girl Danica Patrick. Needless to say both will probably making a "pop ins" later this evening.

Today is Halloween. Not a fan. We're boycotting our neighborhood Trick or Treat this year. Getting some treats for our neighbor kids and ballz to the rest of the bussed in people that come to get free candy while they dress up as such things as... "urban youth" and "infant in stroller with teenage mom saying trick or treat" and my favorite- "some kid with attitude dressed as nothing and just asking for candy." Sorry dude, if your mom or dad can't fess up when they smash into my car, I can't come up with the coin for your sugar high. I know this makes me sound like an asshole. But two hit and runs and $500 in insurance deductibles will do that to you.

B-Man dressed as The Hulk and was going to hang with Wifey and Papa-O' to Trick or Treat in his neighborhood. Still W.O. but far enough away to avoid the attitude of suck that seems to make its way into my part of W.O. So a rainy fall day in WPA will have me hunkered down with some Dales Pale Ale, a remote control and my fave show (Curb Your Enthusiasm) on the boob. Tomorrow will find me out in my hometown getting some back road miles in and working off some of those Dale's calories.

I leave you with this (Like you care). The B-Man has been on a creative streak. As much as he's like his mother (thank God!!) and loves to read, problems solve, etc., he does have a creative streak that I try to squash (sort of kidding), due to the life of suck that pursuing a penniless career can spawn, he fights me hard and has made me give up and just proudly embrace.

So in a month that has had him designing about 20 menus to be used in his pretend restaurant, a bunch of super hero costumes (see pic), race cars (see pic), his own calenders (see pic) and even coming up with his own tests to be taken at his pretend school (that he calls "work"). He topped it all on Friday by winning the "Say No To Drugs" Poster Contest at his school and bringing home a basket full of tablets, crayons, and markers.

The poster is not around, it's going to be hung up at school, but he was able to bring home his hat that he made. Complete with crossed out hypodermic needle (no more watching Trainspotting for him!! Kidding of course, he has no idea about one of my fave movies).

I have never seen the boy so happy (not even on Christmas). He was so proud of himself, and we are indeed proud of him. I turned into such an Uber Dad on the way out of school. Everyone that asked about his prize had me in their face saying "HE WON THAT! DESIGNED A POSTER! AN AWARD WINNING POSTER!!!"

Anyway sorry for blathering on about my kid, but it was cool. And I of course was joking about squashing creativity, I couldn't be more proud or happier. Both with him or my career choice. Whilst I hated the 16 years I got paid to design shit newspaper ads, the last nine months of designing and running XXC have been the happiest work days of my life. It it ends tomorrow, so be it. I've tasted my version of success and it tastes damn good. So draw on B-Man.

Later.

Friday Riding

I thought about not riding today, maybe chill, get some work done and maybe even go get my mullet trimmed. But a quick 2 hour local ride won out. Knobbies were rode, mental stones of suck were passed, and a quick 2 hours of limestone and hick roads were had. Oh well, I'll just have to get used to my Shag/North-Am-Mullet. Fall was clinging to me everywhere, and would NOT let go. Better than winter's snow and ice clinging to me, but still a few leaves in the face are bound to piss off just about anyone.

You KNOW you're on a good ride when you are surrounded by an angry dog, the pavement has turned to leaves and dirt, and you have to ask an old man on a riding mower if the road you are about to take is a "real" road like Google said or Private Property. It was a road. I love how some roads just sort of "end."

For a moment I thought I was in WV, because
I SWORE I saw the Shogren Mobile. But it wasn't.

As you can see above the leave are REALLY starting to fall. But it WAS 70 degrees today, and THAT freaking ROCKS! For an idea of my return trip to the xB via the Rail Trail, I divert you to the video below; The leaves were falling like big, orange clumps of snow.

Knobies on the road are SO unforgiving. Slowing down is super fast when you let of the gas and accelerating is super slow. Knobbies on the road is one of the best workouts ever. Plus road rides in Western PA are pretty much all the same- They hug a creek or river for a bit, then sooner or later (usually sooner) go up a steep saddle in the colon climb. Combine that with the steady tempo demands of the Rail Trail and you have the makings of nice workout.

I saw a ton of yard docked boats today, cars on blocks, angry dogs, and wood chippers ready to eat up my lycra clad ass. But it's all good, 'cause seeing that stuff means that I'm on the bitch slap back roads of Western PA, and they always make for a pretty good ride. Of course I have no Idea what the pic below is of. It's either A. an old chicken coop or B. some sort of vintage "unpaid, poorly treated, servants quarters." Not sure. I'm going with chicken coop, since it seems many folks on these back road keep chickens as edible pets.

Weather looks "ify" right now. Might just abort a ride (something I HATE to do on a Saturday) and get all the stuff I neglected to do this week. Who knows?

Later.

Frig

No ride today. Day was taken up fun stuff like venous dopplers, which were looking at the clots in my leg that don't seem to want to go away. Not thrilled with that news, but hoping for the best come Monday's doctors appointment. So far I've been able to avoid going back on the blood thinners (they never really seemed to thin my blood anyway), and I'm just hoping to KEEP avoiding them.

Along with excitement of letting a middle aged woman rub an electronic device covered with K.Y. Jelly up and down my bare leg for 10 minutes, I was able to... Get the car inspected! Oh yeah! THAT'S EXCITEMENT BABY!!

Trend Setting.

So in the last issue of XXC Mag I did an "Off The Bike" piece about Motorhead. A couple weeks later Rolling Stone (hardly the cutting edge of ANYTHING cool) did an article about Lemmy. Then on October 27th, Bike Snob mentions the Rolling Stone article and how he also is a Motorhead/Lemmy fan. I think it would have been cooler and snobier to see a man reading an article about Lemmy in XXC, but hey, that's just me. ;)

Later.

The Feel Of Wet Leaves

Wanna know how my ride was today? I'm sure you said "no", but this is my blog, and you did come here, so you most likely expect SOMETHING of bike stuff (not to be confused with "butt stuff", but on this blog you never really know).

OK, I'll tell you how my ride was... If you were to go out in your yard, rake up big pile of leaves and let 3 or 4 months of fall and winter rain and snow fall on them. Then return to your yard on a grey, 55 degree day in the early spring and dig to the bottom of said big ass pile of cold wet leaves to were the leaves are REALLY stanky, composting, and riddled with worms, etc., etc., THAT is about how both my ride and my legs felt like, looked like, tasted like. Yeah that's right, rides have a taste.

The legs felt like two fat sausages stuffed with lead and the weather sucked. BUT I was in the saddle and outside, and there is no place I'd rather be. OK, there's a couple other places I would have rather been, but this is an adult family blog, and I can't go into it here.

The things you notice when you ride in the fall with the leafless trees, going slowly uphill on a road you normally come screaming down...

Noticed this old abandoned house for the first time today. I've ridden this road about 1,000 times in my life, but only twice in this direction and never at this time of year. I might spend Halloween night there. Then again, if don't start making more jing, I WILL be LIVING there. LOL!

More signs of fall riding in Urban Redneck Country...

No better place to dump that old TV you need to get rid of than the back roads of Western PA... Someone did "Kill Their Television." I just wish they didn't feel the need to do it along the road.

Then we have this poor little ass...

As you can tell from my attitude, today's ride was not all that great, but I'm sure riding 3 of the past 4 days on the road, getting 8+ hours in, using a knobby tired mountain bike and cutting my calorie intake pretty dramatically had SOMETHING to do with it. I'll take it though.

Time to make some grub. Mmmm... Veggie Crumble Bean Burritos with a big pint of something not at all beer.

Later.

Creative Block

Got a ton of LITTLE, sort of unimportant, things done today, but the major creative c*ck block I'm dealing with is still blocking said creative c*ck, rendering in UNNNcreative and flaccid as it were. Sorry for the graphic imagery I handed you there, hey at least I wasn't talking about my chap ass. I blame the fact that I didn't ride. How can you get inspired to be creative about riding your bike when you're not on your bike? Oh well, I guess I'll cruise the Net looking to get inspired. Or at least vaguely entertained/aroused.

Later.

P.S. This post really lacked pictures of sausage....

There, that's better.

Thanks to mtbs.cz for the pics.

The Female Dog Run Off With...

Last night's homemade Buffalo Chicken, Rice and Bean Burrito Glutton Fest was incredible! BUT, I think the spicyness and my morning coffee binge got the best of me, and by the time I got on the Mamasita this morning I was feeling a bit... Let's just say my caboose hurt a bit. But a perfect, crisp fall day on the bike was not gonna be deterred by a little wing sauce chap ass.

Rather than waste time driving around to hit the trails, I opted for an extended "multi surfaced" mountain bike ride starting from the local rail trail. Bunch of folks out today on the trail, mostly senior citizens. Apparently the seniors had some sort of Halloween theme to their ride, with many of them in full costume. Surreal.

Added some "new to the loop" roads to today's ride, and was able to bang out a nice 46+ miles. Felt pretty good and 3:20 of knobbie riding was a great way to start off Operation Eating Disorder (O.E.D.) 2009/10.

One of the "new to the loop" roads gave me this little gem sighted on a local "deer processor's" gate-

Can't say I understand the first part of the message. I think it may have just been an excuse to use the phrase "bitch run off with", I know I try to work it into conversations as much as possible, but who knows? Today's roads also threw me a bunch of short to moderate steep climbs. Real glute popping, lower back hurting, "My ass isn't raw enough! Can I grind my it into the chamois a LITTLE more??" type climbs. BUT I guess it was the whole "pain/doesn't kill/stronger thing. Hope so, I'd hate to think that all that will come from all the climbing is a big ass, a bad back and a raw ass.

It was a pretty perfect day in the saddle and I think I even was given the gift of a tail wind coming back to the xB via the rail trail. That was nice.

So today was the first day of the above mentioned O.E.D.. Pretty much a success, except that I could not say now to a handful of shredded cheese on top of my veggie rice and beans. But I figured other than tablespoon or so of e.v.o.o., and a tablespoon of Smart Balance butter on my toast this morning, I really had no fat today. So I figured some from some 2% shredded cheese wouldn't kill.

No meat is hard enough (even though I spent 80% or so of the first 7 years of my marriage as pretty much a non meat cooker/eater due to Wifey's one time pre-pregnant with B-Man vegetarianism), but no cheese too??? Not sure about that. I think I'll be good as long as I limit it to a handful here and there and not the 10 pound bricks I usually sit around an snack on.

Time to go read, get some sleep and dream of giant mugs of hoppy beer, bricks of cheese, and plates full of turkey sausage. LOL! Only 3 more days and I can have at least few of those hoppy beers! ;)

Later.

Fun In The Fall

While I didn't get time on any dirt today, I DID get time on my bike and that is really all that matters. Did a nice 30 mile road loop on my Mamasita out in Scottdale. Nice back roads, low traffic, fall colors and the whirl of my knobbies to make 2:10 feel like 3:10.

The colors this fall have just been unreal. Not sure what the deal is. Maybe it was the shit load and a half of rain we got all f*cking summer? But fall in WPA is popping! Knowing that Old Man Winter will be "tea bagging" us PDQ with his graying sack of cold and ice, is not a pleasant thought, but for now I'll take all the good weather riding I can.

Tomorrow starts Operation Eating Disorder. No meat, cheese or beer for 5 of 7 days out of the week. It's not pretty but it needs to be done. The weather is good enough to get some nice riding in, and the weight issue is not so out of control I can't put and end to it before it gets out of hand. The "reward" eating needs to stop. That is one of the big things. Riding 2 hours a day does NOT give me a licence to eat and drink like a f*cking glutton. Eeesh. I have some issues. Oh well, I could use the discipline.

Time to get some rest, get ready for the monastic lifestyle that is hurling itself at me.

Later.

Murrysville Cross Photos

Spent the day watching and snapping pics of the Murrysville Cross race with Wifey and B-Man. It was great to see all the local racer boys amongst others. Got some pretty good pics. Will be adding more as I futz with them.

Later.

Can It Be Good AND Bad?

Today was just perfect out. Bright sun, blue sky, and perfect 70 degree temps. But my cheeks saw not ONE minute in the saddle. Boooo! BUT I DID somehow manage to get myself into the stankment for a quick couple sets of weights and core. I think today may have been the first time I lifted weights in like 2+ years. It felt oddly good. I figured that given my age, love of all things cheese, sausage, and beer like, AND my lack of God given talent in racing/training I should embrace my inner fatty, and just lift, get stronger, bigger, help out the bones, and see if I can get up to Clydesdale weight by spring. Kidding of course. I just need another type of work out to motivate me. I don't want to lift BIG weights, I just want to keep my muscles used to the shit that I put them through when I do attempt to race.

Most of today was spent writing, linking some stuff up on the XXC blog, sending e mails, and trying to coordinate some stuff for either a print edition of XXC or a move to a SLIGHTLY different digital format that will help ensure that XXC sticks around for awhile. I also had to make a run to the USPS to mail a t-shirt. All sizes are still in stock but with 5 or less in all sizes and only 2 larges left. Yikes! Big thanks to all the folks that dug the shirt. Hope to possibly have some slightly less offensive shirts in the coming month or so.

Made one of my fave recipes tonight. Hot turkey sausage, brown rice, diced green peppers, red peppers and onions, white kidney beans, secret spices, and a handful of shredded cheese. Side of corn chips, and a dash or two of hot sauce. Dear God I was in heaven for a few minutes. Should have been longer, but I pretty much just stuck my face down in the plate and ate it like a dog lapping a fresh turd in the grass.

A ride tomorrow? God I hope so. Bunch of sh*t to do, but I'd like to squeeze in a couple hours of saddle time. Or maybe I'll put on a weight belt, a diaper and do some 400 pound jerk lifts?

Later.

Nooooo Reservations

Wifey and I continued to be sans rental car today, since HAVING a reservation for a rental car does NOT mean that you really HAVE a reservation. Thank goodness Wifey works from home 3 days a week now! So I once again stuff the xA with the Mamasita and headed off for my local loop of rail trails and various surfaced roads.

When I pulled in the lot of the rail trail I noticed a familiar car. The car in question was the Powers War Wagon. He must have been doing one of his patented 80+ miles at 20MPH out and back limestone soul crushers.

I KNEW that Don would come around to Moz!!

My motivation was at level 6 today. 10 being the highest of course. I mean Don was out there doing God knows what, so he could do God knows what to people during this weekend's PGH CX Madness, and build a base for next years WVMBA XC pain. But me? Like a slutty bar fly, I was just sort of "lookin' for a good time." I found it.

The weather man is up on his pedestal of hair spray, laser pointers, and bull shit, preaching about how this weekend will bring rains of Biblical proportions (doubtful at best), so when Ma Nature and her much alluded to here on the Soiled Chamois cold hearted bitchiness lays back and says "take me" in the form of autumn day full of sunshine and warm temps, you chamois up PDQ and make like sailor on shore leave (except on a bike and little chance of contacting genital herpes).

For once the river look beautiful and showed no real signs of its normal muddy, tire floating, "is that a body???", self. Ma Nature was in a randy mood for sure and I was indeed up for it. The temps were brisk to start but warmed up to the 70s, and it felt damn nice. The legs weren't as spanky as yesterday, but still had nice ride with some nice climbs.

Rolled along, check out the cows, snapped a few pics and spent a nice a.m. in the sun. It will be gone soon enough! All in all a pretty good day. I even was able to obtain a high zoot 4 door Chevy Cobalt to roll the next couple days. Look out ladies!!

I THINK I lined up another pretty sweet interview today for the next XXC. Pretty stoked. Dude won a TON of enduros in 2009, and will be nice to pick his brain in the digital pages of XXC.

Annnnyway, that's a day. I spared you the pain of hearing me talk about mowing my lawn, and picking B-Man up at school. Nothing left to do now, but await Don's wrath. I wonder if he looked at the OTHER side. Having trouble remembering what I wrote there, but I'm pretty sure if WASN'T "honk if you want sodomized." That would have been sort of funny though.

Later.

Stank Blown

Car madness continues here with lack of rental cars (but I HAVE a reservation!), reports un-faxed, heads lodge firmly in rectums, etc.,

But what-are-ya-gonna-do? Bend over and insert instrument/organ/device, etc, right betweenst my buttocks I suppose. Actually you get on your bike and go for a ride. So that's what I did... I loaded up the xA with the Mamasita and took off form my rail trail/ghetto trail/shit road loop version 3.a and blew some serious stank out of my mind and legs.

Who knew you could get a large Salsa Mamasita and all your gear in the back of a Scion xA?? Damnnnn, she took it like a champ!

That's why riding rocks. You get your cheeks in the saddle and there is no smashed xB, or rectal lodged device. Just the good stuff; sweat, sun, Native American Summer-ish temps, and mental stank blown all over the place like baked in the sun road kill guts.

I even saw my dream home on the ride today. With a little elbow grease from someone who knows what the f*ck they are doing, this bad boy would be titz! Then again, if I don't succeed with XXC even just a smidge, I might be squatting in this thing in its current state and current local about 50' from the river.

I love the look of fall corn. No NOT the fall corn stalks that peeps put on their front porch to show their man/woman love for fall, but real shit that's out there along the farm roads. When I stopped to take this pic, the wind was blowing and there was nothing but the sound of the brittle stalks rustling. It was great. I've mentioned more than once how I HATE fall. Well the only reason I HATE fall is because fall leads to winter. And there is NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO getting around the fact that I HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHATE winter and all of its slushy, cold, bone chilling, can't move my fingers, can't feel my face, high gas bills, big ass coat wearing, "you should try skiing", bull shit. But fall is cool. Sort of.

Where we just talking about XXC? Yes? Good, OK... I have some plans in the works for a special XXC in the new year. Why is it special you ask? Well it will be PRINTED. Yeah, I figure, since I'm currently bent over with pants down and over a barrel filled to the top with "your life is on track to really suck" fornication, AND since I can't really go THAT much further into debt, I figured it was time to just go for it. So in the new year I hope to release a limited run of XXC in printed form. It will be sort of an image heavy photo annual type piece. It won't be super cheap to produce or to buy, but it will be worth it, and about on par or less (price wise) with pubs like Embrocation and Rouleur. But about riding in the dirt, for long periods of time, with pics from cool ass peeps. At least I HOPE this all works out this way. But even before that we have XXC #5 coming out in December. So stay tuned!

OK, time to make some grub and chill.

Later.

Natural Causes

RANT: My angst with the world is completely natural. As I mentioned in an edit of yesterday's post the xB was the victim of a hit and run last evening. I heard nothing, and saw nothing. Wifey came home from visiting her Dad with B-Man and says "what happened to your car??" I had no idea what she was talking about. Yada, yada, yada, my car got hit for the second time in a few years and for the second time I have no idea who did it. Because we now live in a society of low life's who refuse to own up to their mistakes.

Confederate flag sticker, tater tots, baby not in car seat,
and chocolate stained stretch pants not included.

So I have a car that's not even a year old and has a smashed front panel and I'm out $500 in insurance deductibles. Sure I have the savings to cover it, and we have insurance and yes, it at least it wasn't a "real" accident where someone could have got hurt, but it still chaps my ass. Do you have ANY idea how far from earning $500 I am with my current job?? Pretty f*cking far!!

So the Saturday night that I thought was going to be a night of chilling with my Unit was spent calling insurance companies, filing police reports, and arguing with Wifey over my distaste for the human race (I'm very at ease with painting U.S. society with super broad, double dipped in suck brush strokes) and her defending of said society. Before you knew it, my Saturday turned into a day I'd just as soon forget, and bed time solo came very early.

OK, thanks for letting me vent a bit about my distaste for society and a bunch of non bike related bull shit. The sleep did a pretty darn good, not bad job at getting me sorted, but I am not pleased that the weather looks to improve in the coming days and I will be without a car to haul my bike to the trail heads. Grrrrr. RANT OFF.

Do you remember my post from Thursday where I rehashed my DVT that I had this time last year. Well have you seen the news (as in the real news, as in the cycling news) lately? Roadie Frank Vandenbroucke is dead. Dude was a cheat, and had a world of issues that many of us can and can't relate to. BUT he did die from natural causes. The natural cause in question according to VeloNews?

"The rider suffered a "double pulmonary embolism as well as having an existing heart problem", Salobe Ngingie, the public prosecutor for the Thies region overseeing the probe, told Het Nieuwsblad. A pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches, usually caused by a blood clot."

Damn. Dead at 34 years old. A confirmed cheat and a depressive with blood clots. Jesus, I guess If I want to (to paraphrase the t shirts) "Be JUST like Frank" all I need to start is shooting some EPO.

All black humor and sarcasm aside, this is sad. Sure he (as we all are) was faced with choices every day to do the right or wrong thing. On more than one occasion FVDB made the WRONG decision. He paid for it. Sadly in the end he paid with his life. When folks die the term "at least they're at peace now" gets bandied about quite often. Truth be told not one of us knows for sure. But in this is a case, as with many troubled folks, I hope that phrase is true. I hope he is at peace.

Reading the stuff about FVDB also make things like $500 insurance deductibles look pretty small when compared to life, a loving wife, the best kid ever, and a thimble full of talent to produce stuff that can motivate someone to ride, to laugh or to day dream about their next epic adventure.

You can't get this sort of weighty dark shit on other blogs. For today, I'm gonna go have the beer and the meal that the hit and run goof deprived me of last night.

Later.

Forcing It

With temps hovering in the high 30s this morning and a mist in the air, I probably could have named you 3,000 things I would have rather done other than layer up and stuff myself into various bike clothes so as to go out and get some miles in. Jeeezuz IT'S ONLY OCTOBER!!! WTF??

Bbbuttttt, when you've got the illness that is VeloH1N1, there's really nothing you can do but submit to the ride like a ball in mouth, shirtless, ass-less chapped gimp in a box. So layer up I did, and sulked off to ride in the chilly misty morning.

Sadly no trip to the mountain today. It was pure rural ghetto roads and rail trail. Not the best by a long shot, but it got my ass outside to ride for 2:45 instead of sitting inside bitching about the weather. The only suck part of the ride was that I got started late, and went longer than I anticipated and missed most of the PTAG trail day at White Oak Park. Frig. By the time I got home and dry the rain had changed from mist to drizzle, so I aborted.

I got to try out my newly acquired Endura gloves that I picked up from ProBikes the other day. They were really good! At one point my hands were sweating! My digits stayed dry the whole ride and comfy for most it. Towards the end of the ride the digits started getting pretty cold but at that point it was all tempo rail trail along the river, with little chance to heat up the furnace.

All in all I can't really complain about the ride. Glad I went. Blew the mental stank off of me and burned some calories that I packed on last night whilst were at some friends for some dinner and beverages. But of course I'm putting those calories RIGHT back on with some Sierra Nevada Big Foot that Y-Nizzle gave me the other day in exchange for testing out some of my lights. Thanks dude! They are dammmmmmmn tasty and heating the core back up PDQ!

Looking forward to staying in tonight, having a couple beverages (or 20), making some Mexican, savoring the pain the cold put on my fingers (is 38 too early for arthritis??) and hanging with the Unit (as in Family Unit).

I came home to find a package from a clothing MFG that contained some products for testing. It was addressed to XXC Magazine. I think I got a chill when I saw it and even blushed a bit. Issue #4 is only a couple weeks old and I'm already making some good progress lining up #5 which is due in early December. I love my "job."

A.M. EDIT: Night was ruined by the xB being a victim of a hit and run about 20 minutes after I finished this post. Sat around waiting for the police all night, and arguing with Wifey. My contempt for 90% of the human race and her seemingly loving them all real pain in both our asses.

Later.

Friday Night Thought

Reading about and or watching road racing in the fall is like continuing to watch porn long after "satisfaction" has been reached. What's the point? It just all seems a tad silly. Can't everyone just race some cross, go on some long rides or drink beer?

Just a thought.

Later.

Memories...

Remember this from last October?? Memories...

Yep, THAT my friends was a DVT. A blood clot. A "this ould kill you thing" in my leg. 12 Months, a bunch of blood thinners, even more blood tests and a whole lot of THANK GODS later and I'm pretty much 100%. The DVT is gone, I've been off blood thinners for some time now, and the swelling I do get in my leg now is from some non life threatening, non DVT clots in some superficial veins. Still no reasons why I may have got the clot. All tests show I'm "normal". At least blood wise, the mind is a WHOLE other story, but still freaky. Why? I may never know.

What I do know is that I'm glad to be off the meds, with normal sized legs and little to no risk for pulmonary embolism. I also know I'm happy to still be alive, to still be racing, riding, and thinking of nothing more than bikes, racing, and all matters related to. Thanks to the powers that be and the medical community for alllll that.

Not sure why I felt the need to post this tonight. Maybe that it's been a year. Maybe it's that I have another Doppler coming up, and another Doctor's visit. Who knows? Maybe it was that I had nothing else to talk about?

Later.

Steaming Pee Ride I

After yesterday's good but mentally lackluster ride at Boyce I headed to the mountain today. Temps were only in the high forties here this morning, so the temps atop the mountain would be al lot cooler. And they were. I think this was the first Steaming Pee Ride of the season.

I parked at the bottom of Camp Run, rode up a bit and took Dead Guy to Mountain Streams and then took the Auckerman dirt road up to the top of the mountain. Going up was fine, but the Tunnel Road down hill to 31 froze the fingers fast. Like a moe-ran I left my cool weather gloves at home so the digits were freezing and hurting on most of the down hills.

Shot down and rode the pavement through Hidden Valley up to Lookout. Just as I was entering Lookout a group of horse people came trotting out. Super nice and apologized for the poop that I was about to have to ride through. I think this is the first time one of the horse folks apologized for the poop. I just said "no worries, I'm used to it."

I took the right hand option of the loop and went down to Fire Tower. I love that rooty down hill. Much fun. Wish it was longer. Headed down FT to Cherry and then looped back to Hit the rest of Lookout and then over to Camp Run and down to the car. All in all a short ride on the mountain at just 22.5 miles, but there was a good bit of climbing involved so it still took a good 2.5+ hours, and I didn't have all the time in the world since it was a "work day ride."

For some reason I envisioned the run down CRR to be easy, but it's really not. The forest road is washed out in parts, covered my leaves now, and has a good deal of embedded rock in it. Add in I really couldn't feel my fingers to brake well, and it was sort of a pain in the ass. Still much fat going DOWN than UP so I'll take that shit.

I was just glad to escape to the wood for nearly 3 hours, and even happier that the drizzle held off until I got home. For all I know that drizzle would have been sleet up there. Either way it would have been Witch Tit Cold, and I am in need of some new rain gear and cold weather gloves as I've lamented about earlier this month when I was soaked and frozen.

Sorry the pics were of the forest road sections. Sort of lame, but hands were cold and with the trails covered in wet leaves, rocks were hidden, traction was at a minimum and I was having too much fun to worry about snapping a pic.

The week is now 3 days in and I have to say NO ONE has done less (other than ride). I've done some web site putzing, sending some e mails to get some stuff for the next XXC, but that's about it. I can't imagine that anyone has done less than me. Trying to get hold of some Iron Cross pics, some Moab Pics (solo type people), and also looking for a creative types that might be racing or covering the Pisgah Mountain Stage race this week. Maybe I should go work on that eh?

Time to fire up some bung warming Mexican food.

Later.

Fall Riding (Time On The Couch)

This time of year is always a strange time for me. I have no real goals with my riding other than to have some fun and try to keep the fall/winter blubber at bay. The thing is- I NEED goals. I need something to sort of set my mind to. I thought this year that it would be Iron Cross VII, but I lost race motivation in September, got caught up in publishing XXC #4 and I.C. came and went.

Then I thought maybe I would do the SpeedFreaks race down in Leesburg this weekend, but I just don't have the want to spend the whole weekend away from home. If the race was JUST the enduro on Sunday I would have been on it like brown on rice. But it's a two day stage race. And that is super cool, but I just don't have the mojo right now to be gone the whole weekend.

Then there's Cross. Cross is cool for those who dig Cross. I really enjoyed the races I did last year, and told myself maybe this year I would get that Cross bike, so as to avoid feeling even slower and more sluggish than I already am on my mountain bike, and I'd get more into it. But jobs were left, magazines were started, and I find my focus is even MORE on endurance racing and riding, even though my goal for 2010 is to do but just a couple/few races and spend the rest of the time getting someplace new and getting some big miles in. Maybe even get back to the Motherland (Colorado) again.

Folks always tell me "you should mix it up, do some xc or some cross." But I always feel like saying "I do mix it up- There's 6, 12, and 24 hours solos, 50 mile races, 100 mile races, 30 mile mountain rides, 50 mile mountain rides, etc,. etc.," LOL!

Annnnyway, I was starving for some single track, so I went to Boyce to ride. It was sweet! My legs felt good, I felt good, and it was great to spend some time in the dirt. But after 1:20, I had enough of riding in the park. I got a workout in, and felt good, but I couldn't help but wish for something a bit more. I wanted my mountain ride that I sort of got jipped out of on Saturday. I kept thinking "I should have drove to the mountain!" Boyce will be there when the mountain is covered in snow and slush. The road will be there almost all winter, and the trainer will be available when WPA is frozen over. I should have taken advantage of the time I had to get another 30+ mile mountain ride in. Because this time of year, every ride on the mountain has the potential to be the years FINAL ride on the mountain.

Moral of the story? I had a good ride, had some fun, wished I would have done something else. Poor me. Ha! Oh well, I had fun and got to play in the woods instead of working. You live, you learn, you make plans to get up the mountain ASAP! (or get a job).

Later.

EDIT: And NOW there is the opportunity to MAYBE do a gravel hundie on Sunday. Hmmmmmm.

Knobs To Pavement

I went out to my Dads' digz today with B-Man. B-Man did his "thang" with my Dad and his cousin (his "thang" being having fun) and I went out on the Mamasita (continuing to shun my road bike) and did 30+ miles on the road as well as hit some dirt in the local Game Lands.

The ride was titz. I felt good, the weather was crisp, cool and sunny and there was hot chicken chili that my seestor made waiting for me when I got back. Like I said- "titz."

"Little Fluffy Clouds" (as The Orb would say)

Coming up from a long climb in the Game Lands there was some kat in the parking lot smoking a cigarette by his motorcycle. He sees me and says "Hey man, did you just ride the whole way up from the creek? That must have HURT." To which I said "It's really not that bad." (like I was talking to one of us.)

What I wanted to say was "If you don't f*cking smoke it's even easier! Now stop using the Game Lands for your area to chill out and smoke a cancer stick and get out and do something!!" But of course I didn't. I was just happy he was friendly and pedaled on happy with the joy that even the loosest forms of fitness can bring.

The further I got back in the Game Lands and closer to the train tracks and creek the worse I felt about being alone, in Lycra. This is prime pissed off, people different than us suck, red neckian territory. The perfect place to be stripped naked, gagged, and left for dead by drunk ya-hoos. Not that I'm stereotyping or anything. But if the high top Reebok fits...

Soon it was back to the road, and more miles to go before I would taste the spicy, chickeny goodness of hot chicken chili. But a nice day in the saddle and a nice way to spend close to 2:30 on a Sunday. God bless the bike!

Later.

Putting The Fun In Un-Fun

Prior to today my week's time in the saddle was at a tiny, sad, pathetic three hours. But bitch not my pointy-nosed talentless friend (that's me talking to myself), because that was with publishing an 86 page M.F.O.A.E.M. (mother f*cker of an endurance magazine), flying solo with Wifey in B'More all week on bithnizz, and B-Man sick. Annnyway today I was itching in the nuggets to get out on the bike. Road be damned, Friday rains be damn, hunters be damned I was going up to do a loop on the mountain.

The weather.com radar showed no precip, the temps weren't bad and the sky looked OK down here. So I bibbed up and got my shit together for ride. I was giddy with excitement. That "giddiness" would fade fast when half way down the turnpike things started looking a tad darker, and tad moister, and eventually a tad rainy-er. I guess the weather.com radar was full of shit, because I was driving through rain, watching the temps drop into the high forties and realizing that the Zip-Loc baggy for my camera was the most water repellent item in my car. Shhhhheeeeeit.

But Lemmy was on the hi-fi and he would not let me think about turning around. That and I was pretty much stuck on the turnpike until my exit anyway, so onward I went...

I pulled the xB into an empty lot (seen above) and proceeded to get the rest of my kit on and the Mamasita ready in the misty and chilly temps. My "headlights" were on and I was hurrying as fast as I could to get on the bike and start pedaling. Whilst I had no rain gear of any sort, I DID have my arm and leg warmers- Thank God!

After getting all Famed up with my leg warmers I was off. The roller up Fire Tower felt good, my legs were spankier than a 13 year old with a stack full of nudy books and I figured it wouldn't be THAT bad, I'd warm up, and make the best of it. I mean after all I hadn't been on the bike in days and I was axious to see how much muddy, dirty, gritty, cold ass mountain water I could have my soaked chamois shoot up my ass enema style and most likely lay hundreds of pin worm eggs in my poop shoot.

Fire Tower was fine. It was going down Cherry that soaked me and froze me PDQ. Frig. This ride was NOT going as planned, but given my current local on the mountain, I figured I would just plow on.

I avoided some dirt and stuck mostly to some forest roads, but the wide Red Oak snow mobile trail demanded I ride it, or I would have have to live at the Beltz Road intersection until it dried. Oh well. Here we go...

Luckily trails like Red Oak are armored pretty good given that they are more grassy service road/snow mobile trail than mountain bike single track. So there was little mud, but plenty of cold water laying about anxious to find the inner regions of my anus.

After Red Oak, I was gonna take Lookout, but there was a lot of standing water on the singl track, so I figured I would be a self imposed Trail Nazi and stay off of it. So I took the forest road to the top. Once to the top I could NOT say know to riding the slicker than a fat man's thigh sweat roots of Lookout back down to the parking lot rather than the road.

I took some pics of the mass amounts of thick spider webbed roots that make up much of the upper part of Lookout, but they turned out like shit. Drat! But they were a blast to ride and the Mamasita and her Ignitors stuck like glue as I hurled her wheels over the wet and muddy roots. I love the feeling of cleaning a section like that. Everything working as one, the shock, body, legs, etc., etc., it's just the best. You know what I'm talking about!! I know you do!

I wish I could say that I kept riding and put in a 35 mile loop like I planned, but this ride needed to be aborted. I was soaked, cold, and getting wetter with every trail. Damn!!!!! The ride was hardly worth the drive, but I did have some fun, took some pics, and spent some time on the mountain. My goal for the coming weeks is to seek out some better wet weather/cold weather gear and make sure I always have it in the car. Pro Bikes is and Endura dealer so there is always a ton of high zoot water proof/repellent shit laying around. Me thinks I'll pay the Little Ball of Hate a visit next week!

As I thought it would be, on the way home the sky started to clear, and as type the sun is full on out here in the W.O. Friggin' frig of friggin' frig!!

Later.

The Worst And The Best...

Today was the best because B-Man made a SUPER recovery from his fever/illness and is on track for complete recovery. The "betterest" because I had a fine day slinging XXC, got some new advertising, and made a few coins to at least make it look like I put up a fight before I drowned in a pool of stinky penniless suck. And the best because B-Man's school had an "in service" day today, so we went guitar shopping so he had one for his round of upcoming guitar lessons.

B-Man doing his best "power stance."
Jack White AND Jack Black would be proud.

The worst was that I didn't ride... AGAIN. AND I think I saw my belly jiggle today. Oh well, Santa's belly jiggles and people fucking love that fat, bearded bastard. I'm not gonna worry until I can't see my own nuggets.

Wifey is home, the beer is cold, and I need some lovin'.

Later.

Uphill To The Good Stuff

Sometimes "training" comes in all forms. Today it was "mental training." Dealing with B-Man home from school sick with a 103 temp, and me flying solo with Wifey in Baltimore dropping law knowledge on the .gov crowd all week. Oh mama!!

But I'm doing it. Callin' doctors, fielding calls from a worried Wifey every hour, and doing my best. And B-Man is hanging in there, taking his Motrin, napping, and doin' his thang as Best Son Ever. Sometimes you gotta go long ways up to the good down hills, right? (wow the medication must REALLY be working these days!)

Later.

Lets Call It "Early Base"

Get it? Got it? Good!

I was happy to get out for a nice knobbied road/r.t./ghetto track ride today. Got a hair over 3 hours of saddle time in and ton of steep ass WPA climbing. Not sure what exactly WHAT I'm riding for other than just the sheer love of riding my bike. I have no desire to race right now, just the desire to be on my bike. I guess there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe I'll just say I'm starting my 2010 base now? Then again, I'm not sure there will be any real need for a base in '10! LOL!

Later.

Time to breathe and RIDE!

Thanks to a minor obsession and the talents and generosity of a bunch of fine writers and photographers (professional and amateur alike) I got out the 4th, and (maybe my favorite) edition of XXC. No it's still not PRO, but I'm getting there. This time last year there WAS no XXC. Where will it be this time next year?

Time to do some breathing, some chilling and then some thinking. After all, December will be here before you know it!

Later.