Sunday Road Ride

Hey All,
just a quick note about tomorrow's ride....unfortunately there will be no Rider's representation as Shayne has other "obligations" for the day and can't make it out....that said the weather looks a wee bit hellish so here's your excuse to stay warm and cozy inside tomorrow.
happy trails kids

GET READY FOR VIKING CAT!!!

The Viking Cat has been mapped out for the most part. I have a few changes to make here and there, but it's pretty much set up. I rode the course last night and it took me just over 42 minutes. That's not stopping too much but not riding super fast either. I did however, kind of know where I was going and did not have to look for clues. So I think that fast riders should be able to finish the race in about an hour or so, and the less speedy ones about an hour and 20-30 min. The cat will be almost entirely based on clues, that is, you'll have to find the answer to a question in any given place, find an object etc. This is because I want all of my bike people to ride instead of standing around and making people do the "running man" all night or any other chore that is only achievable with a warm jacket and copious amount of a fermented alcoholic beverage.
That said, (or written) There might be one stop, where I will personally present you with a skill testing question, or punish you in any way I feel is appropriate. The focus is primarily on the fun factor though and there will be beers to quench the thirst of weary racers. I'm currently in negotiations with a couple of respectable proprietors supplying us with a secure area for sweaty cyclists so we should be able to stretch our legs and put the liver to work in a bike friendly atmosphere.
As is customary in alley cat races, there will be an award for: First place and DFL (Dead Fucking Last) as well as the oddball "Geoffrey award" for best costume or best spill, or something that Geoffrey deems worthy of reward.The Race will take place on Wednesday the 11th of March at 7:30pm, so get your commuters/beer bikes/road bikes/bikes ready. Costumes are encouraged but not necessary. The excuse: "I don't have a bike for the race" will not be accepted as valid, and keep in mind that the Geoffrey award (and probably the DFL) may go to a person that rides their 7 inch fully in the race wearing a tutu.
check out the Facebook group as well: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5096454443&ref=ts#/event.php?eid=53468706913

Lots of Bling....but no Pling

Hey kids, so it's just like christmas here at the shop these days as our spring bookings come in. Every day it seems we get to run around giggling like little school girls, waving around hands that have the latest and greatest bling clutched in whitened fingers. Some of the bling is personal bling, i myself just aquired a V-One carbon bar....weighing in at a whopping 134g for a 685mm width...i know...fatty fatty fatty my bike's going to weigh a ton....but enough about my stuff...we just got in some wicked Hope seat clamps and quick releases (blue, gold, red, and polished), some new Saint cranks, Straitline Wedgie stem, bar ends, and brake levers, 661 Evo gloves, knees, and elbows....to protect yourself when you go try out your bling for the very first time....sadly amongst all this glorious shtuff i found not an ounce of pling (pink bling for those of you not in "the know") and seeing as pling is one of my favorite things....i was momentarily saddened...until i saw the stack of new tires and went back to running around with stuff clutched close to my chest....for those in need of some Maxxis lovin....we've got everything from Swamp Things to Hookworms. That is all.

brakes, spokes, and hamsters on treadmills

So, I'm currently working on the brakes of the Subaruboob. This little car has served me well and has just under 300.000k's on the ticker. It's in need of some TLC though, hence the brake work. It is desirable to have brakes in cars unless, of course, they're fixed gear cars. In that case you can brake and even lay down phat skiddies just by "flexing your enormus quads" (insert german accent). My car is of the freewheel variety so I need brakes, and the brakes needed shoes. As I was working on the car yesterday, I managed in my infinite stupidity to brake one of the springs in one of the brake adjusters in the rear. Ensuing was a mad dash around the city in my buddies very agreeable Pantiac Bonneville SSEI (that stands for FAST). After going all over the city and even going to see old man Saunders at Subaru, with no luck, the hamster started to run in the wheel upstairs and thus generating enough electricity to spark one independent thougt: "Spokes!" So I gave the parts guy at Saunders a look that I hoped clearly conveyed contempt and disgust, got in the Bonneville and peeled off to the next bike shop to beg for spokes.
The results are not pretty, but as long as it works, who cares it's inside a brake drum for crying out loud:

Wrist report... or crying Vikings

So despite my best effort, I did not succeed in fracturing my wrist on that fantastic endo on Friday night (when are endos not fantastic anyway). Apparently I only managed to sprain the wrist which means I should be back on the mountain bike fairly soon. Unfortunately I won't be making it to tonight's night ride though as I'm still whining and generally being a sissy about the sprain. And as we all know, sissies are not allowed on the night rides and this sadly includes myself. So no night riding for me tonight, but I hope the rest of the crew gets out there. I shall be with you in spirit, and in beers...

Svein Tuft kicks ass

Tuft, image shamelessly pilfered from Canadian cyclist.com

Svein Tuft who races for Garmin-Slipstream is not your average cyclist in the professional cycling world. The 31 year old Canadian started racing late at the ripe age of 23 and only did so because his dad encouraged him to give it a shot. He's traveled extensively and lived a lifestyle that is not usually associated with cyclists. He traveled to Alaska on a cheap Value Village bought bike with a homemade trailer for his dog, Bear. He frequently goes into the woods or up to the mountains to escape the everyday life and, has worked out a deal with Garmin that allows him to do so in the off season. "We had to get used to saying, Svein is missing," Kevin Cunningham said. "He’s AWOL again." Tuft likes to work out too and has a barrel-chested shape that's not normal for a cyclist. He's an interesting character and one that we'll be watching in the upcoming races.
Tuft's teammate David Zabriski who's known for his dry wit and excessive facial hair (and he can kind of ride a bike as well, 2nd in the recent Tour of California) and is the only American to have won stage wins in all three grand tours (France, Spain, Italia). These two make an interesting team even though we're officially supposed to be Saxo bank and Astana supporters here at the shop.
New York Times, somewhat surprisingly, has a pretty good cycling section and if you wish to read a little more about Tuft, check out the link below:

Tuft

travis pastrana trike backflip

The awesomeness of this trick is undeniable. So I stole it of the Trek commuting blog...Travis is riding the Trek Mod tricycle, a pimpin Trek version of the Big Wheel. We approve.

Reigning RSCT trophy winner Halldor hangs onto the cup for yet another ride....

So Mitch, Baker, Halldor and i all went for an impromptu night ride last night....a night ride that was full of people definitely NOT at a level one could call "fit" (that's NOT fit Claire! Myaha!So come out and play!) so the night was crisp and beeeeautiful, and i was able to take it all in, slowly, as my lungs attempted to cut my body off from that pesky gas called oxygen. We did a bit of a different route from usual, meandering up the fireroad to the top of jelly roll(where i achieved a bird-shaped bruise due to leg/frame interactions), then ran down to northridge, sidewinder, who's yer daddy, night shift, short cut(where upon Halldor had a mighty viking crash down the left side of the first rock roll and injured his wing...VIKING DOOOOWN!!!!) , shock treatment into the TTA....i have to say i'm becoming quite the fan of night riding. i don't know what i'm going to do when i can see more than a 3' circle of fuzzy light in front of me. Something about night riding makes you do stupider things that you'd usually bypass, makes you look up at the stars and breifly forget that irriatating burning-lung syndrome you picked up somewhere between the last vestiges of summer and the first chilly winds of winter (too wordy for you Jamie?...too bad!). in short...suck it up, buy a light and come join the silent masses....oh did i mention you rarely run into other riders on the mountain...oh yes...if your local hill is crowded during the day, then go by night and find a whole new mountain to play on!
that is all

Rider's Club

Yo Yo Yo, It's time to sign up for the 2009 Rider's Club.

As some of you already know (since you were at the partay on wednesday) I am putting together a new Sugoi riding kit for the roadies, which will consist of, Mens and Womens short sleeve Jersey's, Mens and Womens RS shorts, Mens RS bib shorts, arm warmers, and aero bootie covers. Yes I said aero!! The kits will be black with red side panels and white logos. As for the Mtn. bikers we are doing a black argyle Royal long sleeve jersey, pro race gloves, and shorts (optional). Now roadies you do not have to buy the arm warmes or bootie covers but I would like all club members to wear Jersey's and shorts (so the club stands out and is consistant). Also, I would like to expand the membership this year and possibly put together some race teams, wether it be a Trans Rockies team, BC bike race team or a road cycling team. The only issue I have at this moment with the road kits is I need to know sizes, how many of the pieces you would like and a 50% deposit (kits will be at the store's cost). So the sooner you sign up the sooner I can get the kits produced (call or stop by for details and pricing). So let's get rollin on this so's we can look good rippin up the dirt and tarmac!!!

Peace out kids!!!

Shayne

Girls getting dirrrrty!

Yeah....first of all you're gross...and if you want one of those websites, google something else. I'm talking about mountain biking chicks getting dirty whilst learning the fine art of skilled riding. So this year i've decided to sign up for Rocky Mountain's Dirt Series. A camp i've heard oodles about from many friends and randoms who come in the shop. Everyone raves about the quality of coaching and how much their riding abilities increased post-camp. So, after a few years of fumbling my way down trails and mentally crossing my fingers before many a roll or drop, i've decided to find out how to properly ride down things. So here's the deal, you check out the dirt series website and find the camp taking place closest to you, or the camp in the place you'd like to ride....then just pony up the cash and you're in. The camps accomodate riding skills from total begginer (like how to properly sit your bike, ride a strait line, stand on the pedals in neutral position) to how to huck a 20' gap jump.
Be careful about thinking this one over for too long, because the camps fill up pretty dern quickly. I myself am going to the Co-ed (oh yes boys, you can come ride with the girls for a couple of them...)Whistler camp on July 25/26. And let me tell you, i'm stoked. I'm one of those people who does most of the things i do by accident or copious amounts of prayer. i can't wait to roll up to a drop and actually know how to do it...i mean really how...like what to do with my feet, where to put the nose of the bike, when to flick....all those things that the boys can't tell you because they just "do it".....no more "here, just watch me"....no more..."well i don't know HOW to do it....just ride up to it and you'll figure it out...". Don't get me wrong, balls of hardened steel are useful and admirable....but i'd really like to have a closet full of skills i can sort through when i'm doing things instead. So there you have it, The Dirt Series is a golden oportunity not to be missed....c'mon ladies....how good would it feel to show up the boys as you charge off a drop and rip through a birm??
BRAP! BRAAAPPPPP!!!!!!

Police Brutality @ NYC Critical Mass

After 7 months of sitting at a desk job with the NYPD Patric Pogan has been fired. According to the New York Times:

"Mr. Pogan was accused last year of assault and of filing false paperwork related to the arrest of the cyclist and was suspended from the department. The Manhattan district attorney’s office dropped the charges — attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct — against the cyclist, Christopher Long.
Mr. Browne (NYPD chief spokesman) said on Thursday that the firing stemmed directly from the events involving Mr. Long, which took place on July 25 during a monthly event known as Critical Mass, in which hundreds of cyclists ride through the city to advocate nonpolluting forms of transportation."

read the whole article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/nyregion/20cop.html

Night Ride report...

Well, it's about time I got the Rock Star Crash Trophy (RSCT). I've had a couple of close seconds this year but, last Tuesday I took it fair and square. It happened at the first climb on Jelly Roll, and it happened in slow motion. Shayne and Nic where waiting at the top and I was making my way up the rock face when my front wheel started to lift of the ground... At this point I thought it was kind of funny but I did not think too much of it. I managed to blurb out the internationally recognized "uh oh," as my wheel kept creeping towards the sky. It was at that point that I remembered that I had tightened my spd's earlier that day. Yes, they are apparently a bit too tight. The result was a dead sailor over backwards. Or as some would describe it, a half a backflip. I landed on my camelbak and thank god for camelbaks, they've saved my bacon more times than any other "armor" except for helmets. The camelbak softened the blow, but it was still a pretty hard landing (as most back-landings are) and I felt rather unintelligent laying there on my back, still clipped in and looking up at the stars through my frame. I came out of that one with a sore back but no other injuries, except for the horribly bruised ego. The bike sustained a bent brake lever wich made the rest of the ride sort of interesting.
The ride was epic though and the conditions at the park are kick-ass these days. We rode all the way to the top and shayne was "laying ze powah dooown" (insert German accent). Apparently giving Shayne a gentle tire rub at the bottom of the hill is like giving him some "Boonen powder." He was pedaling like a mad man and the hills seemed easy compared to our hangover Zoo-ride on Sunday. Tyler and Chevy did great on their 34,5lbs (TJ) and 38lbs. (Chevrolet) beasts and soldiered up those climbs, kudos to them . It was great to have Nic back as well since the nightrides just don't feel the same without him. Sadly Ryan blew apart his Crap Brothers pedal (oops who said that? What what!?) just after the tta and had the world shortest nightride, at 1 minute and 53 seconds.
All in all a great ride...can't wait for next Tuesday.

The Crew at the top of Jelly roll...soon after this photo was taken the undersigned went down.

Shayne and Nic doing the Lumpy pants drop

Shayne gets a Valentine's Day card

Shayne could not participate in the lovely annual Velo Vixens' Alley Cat fundraiser so aptly described by Mitch in the last post. Shayne claims he could not make it because of excessive horizontal gymnastics the previous night and on the day before the race. That of course, is a very lame excuse, but I suppose there are worse ones out there. However, some of us suspect that he was off fighting cougars again, which may or may not be exactly what he's talking about. Chevy had an illumination at the party after the race and went ahead and bought Shayne a very special Velotines valentine's card, to be specially delivered by the Velo Vixens themselves. This was a part of the Vixens' fund raising efforts and a fine idea at that. So all of us were waiting sort of anxiously on Saturday for the Vixens to show up. Once they did, there would be no disappointments. The store was exceptionally busy at the moment they arrived and even though Shayne looked a bit perplexed by the Vixens' wardrobe, (which was very stylish by the way) he did not realize they were there for him. I had to inform Shayne that these fine looking ladies were actually there to see him... What followed was an exciting dance routine by the Vixens and a professional delivery of the valentine card. In all the commotion I almost forgot to grab a camera and take a shot of the spectacle but I just managed to get of a shot before it was all over. You can see Shayne's rosy cheeks, if you look closely, and the crank set he's holding suggest that he was caught totally by surprise. An entertaining scene to say the least.

Odd Underpants, Excitable Vikings and Metalic Mammals...

The Velo Vixens Alley Cat race / Variety show went down last night on the streets of Victoria. The epicenter for all the bedlam was the Camus book store in Quadra st. village. The Race consisted of five checkpoints throughout the city. The checkpoints were spread out all the way from Recyclistas to Clover Point to the Delta hotel. At each checkpoint there was a Vixen or two ready with a fun game or challenge to be completed before you could leave for the next stop. After visiting each checkpoint, in any order you saw fit, we were to return to the bookstore/finishline for the afterparty show.

Our intrepid team of adventurers, consisting of Haldor (viking cat), Justin (steel wolf) and Mitch (magnanimous), left the start line with the rest of the riders at 7:30ish. Imediately there was mass confusion off the line as all the riders took off at full speed through an intersection. And since the checkpoints could be visited in any order, all the riders were going in different directions as fast as they could. I nearly careened in to two or three other riders within the first twelve feet of the race.

<-The Riders team... impressive.

Once we emerged from the initial melee, our trio rode incedent free for at least, oh, say a block, Until Viking Cat got confused and must have thought he was pillaging a small village 300 years ago. He charged into traffic with reckless abandon, hurling Norse insults at any driver who dared venture near him. "Eulalia!!" he kept screaming. "Eulalia!!"... if any one knows what that means, let me know. Steel Wolf and I were so taken back by Viking Cat's agressive style, that we became confused and imediately lost each other down side streets. the race had been on for two and a half minutes now and we had nearly had several collisions and had lost sight of each other completely. I was already delerious with joy. What fun. We rendezvoused at Recycalistas and continued on reunited from there.

Steel 'effin Wolf ->

There is perhaps too much detail for a short "Blog" story, but the rest of the night was filled with bike-joy, laughter, sore legs and Soda pops. Some highlights include; running around Clover point with bags on our heads trying to find Buns to accomodate our weiners, being wary of Haldor as we ride in close proximity down a steep hill because he is spinning his fixie so fast that I'm sure he'll explode at any second and kill all three of us in some horrible fixie death crash, hearing the name "Steel Wolf" spoken aloud, realizing that the 'velo-vixen' underpants I'd purchased for the race are actually 'womens XL', post race pasta and pops, etc. The list could go on.

After returning to the book store in a respectable 10'th place... outof,cougheleven,cough. We took in the atmosphere of the afterparty. In all seriousness, I must say that the energy surrounding bike folk is always excellent. A mix of joy and eccentricity.

I would say that the event was well organized, the Vixens are a great bunch of fun-loving girls and everyone who took part in the race or the post-race show had a great time. This was my first 'alley-cat' style race and i must say that it was sooo much fun. I can't wait for the upcoming 'Viking-Cat' race.

Two large thank-you's are in order: To the owner of Camus Bookstore for letting a bunch of weird bikers use the space. And to Chevy who carted around our, uh... rehydration liquid.

"Eulaila!!!" -Viking Cat

alley cat and party...

Just a reminder, Velo Vixens' fundraiser alleycat and Variety show is on tonight. Race starts at 7 from the Camus bookstore on Quadra, next to Cafe Fantastico. Entry fee is $5. The variety show/party including performances and bike videos and whatnot's starts at 8, and is by donation. I'm sure there will be some refreshments as well.

"Today (Thursday!) is the day! Come out to Camas for our annual Velotines fundraiser. Come at 7 for the race, and 8ish for the party. Anyone can race, you don't have to be super speedy- it's more about the fun of it all. And speed isn't everything in a Velovixen race - it's more about your style...it's going to be fun... and there's a sweet lineup of performers and entertainment.
See you there!!!"

Check out the Velotines event here

This will be a nice warm-up for upcoming events and a good way to kick start the new year which will be filled with exciting cycling related events. For those of you who don't feel like racing, there is no shame in just showing up for the party, check out the bikes and the entertainment and enjoy the community of cyclists.

Also coming up tomorrow (Friday) is Rev. Will's Moonlight Mystery ride. Which is a monthly casual ride through the streets of Victoria. Meet at 10pm on Centennial Square, ride leaves at 11.

Night Ride!!!

Cleat issues...clack clack, clonk clonk

It was a slushy ride last night, five of us came out, Laurence, Shayne, Ryan, Justin and myself. The problems started early, as Ryan went down somewhere around the TTA on the way to Skull. After creeping up Skull trail inventive, little face, and Crazy horse. The cleat problems were getting bad and Laurence opted to head back to the parking lot as her spd's were getting filled with frozen snow and no amount of banging her shoes against the pedals was getting the snow out from there. The conditions were bad for cleats, and Justin was the only one riding flats, so we would all get a taste of the same problems that Laurence had. Last night would have been primo Crank bros. Egg beater territory but since we're all riding Shimanos we were having major issues. The snow made for really technical riding and some parts of the trail that would usually be pretty tame, were rather sketchy and technical in the snow. We rode up Twister and finished off with Who's your daddy, Night shift, and the short cut into the TTA. Shayne took the Rock star crash trophy (RSCT) with a nice toboggan slide on his right ass cheek down a rockface on the last trail we hit. He got a good speed going on the shortcut, gapped the road and came in way to hot over the snow covered slimy rocks and roots...yeah Yardsale!!!

alleys and velo vixens

These guys are nuts. But since we the crew at Rider's are of varying stages of relative sanity, our race will be nothing close to the above madness. "The Viking Cat" will be a much more relaxed event, focused on the fun factor more than the race factor. I've plotted out the course for the most part and I'm thinking there will be about 15 check points from Rider's Global Headquarters on Cloverdale to James bay where there will be some refreshments on tab at a respectable establishment. As the date for this event has not been confirmed I suggest people do a little warm-up this Thursday and partake in the Velo Vixens' Velotines variety show and Race. These have been legendary in the past where compatitors had to complete a different dance-move for each of the checkpoint judges (the velo vixens), and other fun stuff. Definitely worth the five dollar race fee.

"7:00
Velolicious Variety Race
Tucked away in nooks and crannies around town, you'll find each Vixen with a 'skill testing' obstacle to get you on to the next stop.
$5 entry.

8:00 - ...
Velotines Variety Show
Come for the show, stay for a sweet treat, and enjoy our line up of burlesque dancing, bike love story telling and films of bike love, and bike lust!
By donation.
See you there!"

Fixed gear revenge

I came across this video at the good folks of Raleigh Commutes. Seems like I was not the only person to take a bad spill this weekend. Mine was an exceptional art of fixed gear revenge as I tried to throw down a fat skid with my left leg as the brake (I'm much better at using the right.. but even so I'm a beginner with this fixed gear stuff). the Bianchi revolted and my left thigh hit the bars and I soon found out that my eyebrow and chin are, in fact, not tougher than your average Victoria pavement. So after riding home, wiping the blood of my glasses every once and awhile so I could see, I was forced to pay my good friends at Royal Jubilee Hospital a visit and they stitched my face together with great skill and swiftness. Ahh...the joys of the school of hard knocks. Perhaps I'll learn one day, but I'm not sure. You learn by doing, and my doings tend to be a Little on the crazy side. Two injuries in four months is a little too much though and I hope this trend is over with...
But since these bruises are only cosmetic, they won't be standing in the way of me going nightriding on Tuesday, so I'll see you there.
Selah,
H.

Bad Marketing

I don't know if it's just me, perhaps I'm just so rotten and twisted but I just find the above product to be poorly named. It's a lock that's marketed towards children or at least parents, and it has just the worst product name ever conceived. It's made by Abus, which is supposed to be pronounced like "a bus" but someone as simple as me or someone a little less informed might think it would be pronounced sort of like the word "abuse." If someone makes that mistake and is browsing through Abus's catalogue and giggling, the giggle would stop and be replaced by discust when they'd come across the name for this product. "My First Abus."
What was going on in the Abus headquarters (giggle giggle) when they thought of this name? At some point you must simply stand up and say: "Ok guys, I can't take it any longer. There is NOOO!!! way that we can use this name for that lock, and if you don't see why, you should probably have a little more coffee in the morning or a little less scotch in the evening."

By the way we con't carry these locks at Rider's.

Dungeon Ramblings

Rider's Cycles now has a huge presence in the South Island Mountain Bike Society (SIMBS).

Shayne, Mitch, and I managed to get ourselves elected to the board of directors. Shayne is the Treasure while Mitch and I are directors at large. Our first meeting was this Tuesday. We got to know the other directors, discuss upcoming SIMBS events, and brain storm ideas of how to spend our member's money. SIMBS will be holding a screening on March 26 at the Victoria Events Center of the latest DVD in the New World Disorder series:

NWD 9 “Never Enough”

The event will be free for SIMBS members or $20 (the cost of a membership) for the general public.

SIMBS is also looking for spaces around town to build small beginner technical training areas. We would like to build parks where kids can have fun and learn the basic skills so that they can feel more confident riding at Hartland. We are looking for public land but preferably not CRD land. If anyone knows of a great spot please post it in the comments below.

Trail maintenance this month will be on Sunday the 15^th. Please contact Chris before 9:00 a.m. Friday the 13^th if you would like a free a sandwich lunch after putting in a few hours of hard labour.

Rider's Cycles just received the latest version of the Hartland Mountain Bike Trails map. It is now water proof and has been tested to survive going through a wash with your cloths. There are a few new trails and the map has been updated to remove sections of land that are not within the park.

"Speak, Build, Respect, Ride.", IMBA

Coffeeee!!! Give it to me now!!!

The Concentration is all-encompassing..

and so is the joy...

“Do I like my coffee black? There are other colors?”

A momentous event took place in the staff room at Rider's on the third of February, 2009: Mitch made his first ever pot of coffee in a drip coffee maker. He did this under my expert guidance and showed that he has the potential to consistently pour a splendid cup of Joe. As Mitch mentioned in a previous post he believes that we are making a full blown caffeine junkie out of him, so the thought crossed my mind to feel bad about teaching him the tricks of the trade. But I washed that thought away like dirty old coffee grounds from a reusable filter. "Typical junkie behavior," I thought; blaming the circumstances and somebody else for his own addictions.
Sure, rider's is perhaps not the best atmosphere to be around if you want to stop drinking coffee. But imagine a place in the city where it would be suitable to stop drinking coffee. I can't personally think of one but I know it would be a dull place. Dull dull dull...dull like Stephen Harper dull.

“Remember, even if you don't love coffee, coffee loves you.” ~ Alex Gottschalk

Fixed gear, cyclocross, maestros

Check out Shayne and Mitch strutting their stuff yesterday. Shayne is riding his Specialized Langster Vegas and Mitch is popping a wheelie on his bitching Trek CX machine. The skills are undeniable.
There are events coming up, where these skills will come in handy: For example "Pedal and a Pint" and the "Annual Unofficial Rider's Alley Cat Race." No dates have been decided yet but the weather is getting pretty nice and everyone is a little jittery and ready to rip it up.
In Mitch's case, the jitters are mostly because of his new found and delightful caffeine addiction, but for the rest of us, we're just itching to go out for a spin with our fellow cyclists.
I'm currently plotting out a course for the "cat," so be ready for real alleys...

Exponential increase in caffine intake.

I love coffee. I previously enjoyed this drink in moderation, I would have one, maybe two a month. It was like a wonderous treat now and then. It was, (and still is), my recreational drug. I now work at Riders Cycles. Riders Cycles is staffed by a group of Caffine fanatics and pushers. In the past five working days I have had one coffee every day. Two years ago this would have filled my quota for nearly half a year. Today I stirred my coffee with one of my t-handled allan wrenches... and I didn't bother to wipe it down for potential grease... I predict that the descent in to addiction will be a slippery slope.

Night ride!!!

Great right last night, and lets face it, when do you ever have a bad ride? The ride could only qualify as a borderline, group ride. Me and Justin made it out from the shop, and made it up our conventional climbing route: Skull, inventive, little face, centerfold, switchbacks. We were just about ready to go when we saw a light shining trough the trees and the hard breathing that most people would associate with Ryan Leech. I recognized the breathing as another Ryan, that is to say Ryan "Lavadome" Wickam. He had forgot his shoes and was late, but hammered up the trails to try and catch up with us. We let him take a breather before heading out again, and when Ryan stopped seeing double, we continued up the trail. It was a beautiful night, and surprisingly warm which resulted in slick trails and quite a few bails. Ryan took the "Rock star crash trophy," with his SUHE (spectacular up-hill endo), and I have to say that I feel blessed to have been able to witness this phenomenon for the second time in under a month. I almost managed to bail into the drink on one of the bridges and if I had succeeded in that I surely would have taken the "RSC Trophy" for myself. The park was busy with at least four groups on the go, which was awesome to see. We rode for about two hours and got a good burn going, and then had a beer in the parking lot with one of the other groups.

Cowboy logic of the day: Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

Cool kid in Iceland...pun intended

Check out my nephew Alexander, sporting the Rider's scull cap with the higly fashionable Winnie the Pooh helmet and getting ready for a trailer ride to the kindergarten. The cap was supposed to be a christmas gift for my brother but Alexander has claimed it his own and wears it everywhere. According to his father, the cap would stay on his head all day and all night if Alexander had his way, as he is very interested in anything bicycle related. For example he likes to "fix" his dad's bikes, using whatever tool is convenient, such as hammers, dinosaurs, yogurt, screwdrivers etc, and loves riding in the trailer. Up and coming cyclist there, and very likely the only kid in Iceland who owns a Rider's Cycles skull cap.