PIRATES! at the disco

24 Hours of Nine Mile has come and gone againg and man was it fun! What do you get when The BKB, Team Dead Baby-Magnus, Revlution Cycles and three crazy solo riders team up? You get the Disco Pirate Camp! Where 30 packs of PBR, Assos chamois cream and high seas treachery rule the night.
It was a 14.5 mile lap this year that twisted its way through 9 Mile County Forest, providing plenty of singletrack, technical rock gardens and dusty beat down to keep anyone happy.
In the end, our teams hung tough, and kept riding through the sore spots, and we all had a good time. Thanks to those who weren't riding who kept the fire going, the coffee flowing and the bacon sizzling in camp. And to those that rode, well done!

Vino

“I heard that I made a transfusion with my father’s blood,” Vinokourov said. “That’s absurd, I can tell you that with his blood, I would have tested positive for vodka.”

It is now officially a complete mess, this tour. Time to build a bike and drink a beer, or seven.

Time to hammer

Just got word from ZR that the ZR Cycles/BKB 650b race bike is back from paint and awaiting to be built. Sweet, perhaps a hot lap or two at 9 Mile this weekend to break it in. I guess I better clear the slate for this evening. Also got word from Ryan Olthouse at Velocity that black 650b rims will be available in the middle of next month, so that too is exciting. Might have to have him build me up a new wheel set with some dt swiss hubs...
Great tour stage today, if anyone followed it. It will be interesting to see who was the mystery rider who was popped for doping, and how things shake out as the race heads into Paris.
Out.

Very Soon.....

The wait continues for the new frame that Zack Rielley of ZR Cycles built for me. Currently, the frame is out in New Paltz, NY being painted by Vicious Cycles. It should be back in the middle of this week, and ready to race Ore 2 Shore next month. I'm excited to try out the 650b wheel, I think its going to work really well for most of the riding around the midwest. I'm REALLY excited to try out the 2.3 Baby Bear tires we got from Pacenti. They look super aggro, and I think they will eat up rocky single track like Blue Mounds. Time will tell. I'll throw some images up during the build.
In other news, looks like 24-9 is going to be hot, as per usual, but we've got a good crew camping together, and folks in several classes, so it should keep things interesting.
I fully expect the Stars and hearts to kill many dreams.

Dopers.....

I gotta admit I miss this guy a little bit, though this has been a pretty good TdF this year. So many good stages, epic battles by Vino and the Astana team. I'm really surprised by how strong Discovery is as well, maybe 2 riders on the podium? Maybe 3 in the top 10? Crazy.
Really bummed I missed MOTAB dopers race last night, but after this weekend, I was asleep at 9:30
Totally stoked for 24 Hours of 9 Mile this weekend, just hope it isn't as hot as it was last year....

12 Hours of Potluck

Just returned to Madison from a lightning fast trip to Marquette, Mi. ZR and I left yesteday at 4 am to attend the 6th annual 12 Hous of Potluck mountain bike race. Couldn't believe how many folks were there! Trail conditions were perfect, so was weather. Spun 4 fun laps and rode some good singletrack in South Marquette this morning before hopping back in the car to come home. 11 hours of driving, very little sleep, six hours in the saddle, lots of high fives from old buddies, totally worth it. More soon.

Check It Out

Its been a while since I wrote something for a magazine, but the new Handmade article in bike magazine is something I'm pretty stoked about. Its the Photo Annual issue, and its a good one. ANT is an amazing concept, and Mike is very passionate about bicycles as transportation.

Check out both the mag and ANT out over on the links to the right.

Happy Birthday Jen!

You are gnarly!

Any Questions?

If you were wondering what kind of blog this is, well wonder about something else. This is what happens when you talk tough and say you're going to stay up all night, but run out of booze at 10 minutes to 9 pm, and you send Ruckus to get supplies...well, this and a box of donut holes, which were half consumed before he got back....ah, summer.

You stopped by?

Hey thanks, that sho' wuz nice of you. Check back again real soon, ya' hear?