Really f***in off the last few days. Was fearful that I might lose my ambition again and end up falling off the training which would result in me not racing. I must not let that happen again. Today It was cold and rainy all day , I watched Weather underground radar until lightest patch hit. Scheduled 1 hour hill sprints . Stayed in town and hit pierce park. Wore rain pants I bought for the motorcycle and booties, was very wet when I got home but proud that I got out and did it. Tomorrow is scheduled 2 rides but will combine into one as I go back to work finally . YAAAAYYY!! Money. Hiway 172 overpass being redone in Green Bay,Wi . not sure how much work there is . 630 am show time , so the Milwaukee boys can get back for Training. Hopefully we can pull off a little overtime to supplement my recreational costs. I figure if the trails open up I can get some hours in at the Race venue after work some nights. My but will be kicked from work for the first few weeks though so I better settle down with the crazy talk.
Got my big team sponsor pack today YAY. Mainly Kenda Tires and Crank Bros pedals. Got the White candy Ti , because my fat asp is to heavy for the red ones. After the first hour and a half on pavement they are great, enough float that my knee won't get irritated , this year it has been fine though. The plat form is at the perfect height so when you clip in the shoe is firm . Sidi,Dominator5 shoes. .
Got a call about a big money job for a bit in Brew city, either a stack is 5 12 hour shifts or something. It'd be kinda cool to do a stack , several hundred feet in the air, and the money would be good. But these things always seem to be different when you get down there. I really don't want it to mess up my bike plans this year however irresponsible that may sound. I'm at a spot in life where I'd really like to accomplish this and see what I can achieve, and maybe the next year be even better,call it mid life crisis or trying to recapture lost youth, it is what I wish for this year.
Nice wind to day for hill tempo simulation, 14+ mph winds . 2 rides today 1 dowmn , great ride 2 x 20 min zone 4 90 rpm nailed them this time. and in 15 mins I'll do ride 2 which is an hour with one 20 min zone 4.
Good news came my way of Mr.Chops, he gave me a line on bridge work job in Green Bay hopefully Mon or Tues. this company also has the college ave bridge here in Appleton as well as much of the highway work between Milwaukee and Chicago. I wonder if Robert needs a new roomate again, ,better check with Kell first. "Gotta make hay while the sun is shining." Y.G.
The cake was done by GF ,all the animals and hunter and trees are edible, ,just be care full of the occasional toothpick.
Pizzas here BRB
OK.
Did nice 4 hour ride to De pere and back, totally new route for me came out to just under 60 miles, 90% zone 2 . Yesterday was to be 4 hours also, but got back from party late , did 2 hours 'til 1030pm , tough to find 4 hours worth of road that won't be drunk driver routes.It was good to ride with lights though. Strength tomorrow.
Small shower on its way so today I decided to work on my steep off road hills. Again we have no true hills around here but I spied a sledding hill over yonder on yesterday's ride. I'll take a pic tomorrow as I want to incorporate it into my ride. Not to tall but the first time up was easiest granny gear and after that it was second easiest I should be able to tame it down to middle ring and big cog before long. I road that 6 times 2 in a row cool down and so one wearing 2 pairs long johns and blues jeans was a bit restricting.
Kell had a shipping scale upon which I weighed my bikes . And was a bit disappointed to have my good bike weighing only 2lbs less than my 6500, I hope i was doing something wrong. But it definitely puts a full suspension frame at a priority. Today's duals weigh less than my good bike. Arrgh.
Tomorrow is to be nice ,cant wait for trails to open.
'Twas the night before spring time and all through the air was the chill of winter glad my legs were not bare.. blah blah blah. Great ride, only 'sposed to do 1.5 hrs but adventured out on a new found incline ,probably a longer one in the area. total time was 2 hours. Felt really good after the first 30-45 mins I was prime legs were nothing but powerful pistons churning at a steady 90 rpms,not the gear iwould have liked but for dirt tires,wind,and 32 degrees it was alright. Tomorrow 40 degrees.Yay.
Kell is busy makin cake, for her dad's bday. pretty awesome.Can't put pics up yet.
Got out had do do intervals. I was supposed to do 2 rides with 3 20min int total but ended up doing all 3 together for 2.5 hour ride. No real hills around so I used the wind to help simulate. Not perfect but it helped. the last 5 miles was really nice with wind at my back. Sigma HR computer fritzed out with 10 miles to go probably batteries again 48 hours battery life span or 3 batteries 1chest1forks 1display each month , it could be the cold a little bit . But my cateye hasn't gone dead in 2 years of riding 3 years total. I just know I'll be selling off to some poor sap at a heavy discount when I start working again.
The lay off is suckin'. Up 'til 2 watching movies wake around 9-10 am . washed the bikes today, just rough clean , need to schedule a tear down for each. Need to organize gear so I know where I stand with supplies. Kenda order on it's way I hope I ordered slicks, i think I did. cant wait for the Crank bro pedals too. So broke yet so spoiled. Had to get in on the sale. Starting to feel the crunch of the lay off, really gotta watch the pennies now. Maybe liquidate on ebay craigslist.Was checking out the want ads on there and there's even Adult film jobs. Hmmmmm..... Nah Kel wouldn't go for it and it would probably interfere with my biking and informational reports I put out there to you my Loyal readers. I SAID!!!! MY LOYAL READERS.. read the first post for understanding.
FAT cyclist is auctioning off a cool fixey go there and bid.NOW then come back and read.
Welcome back. Been busy with things today running around,might do later bike ride to get used to riding at night again. Always like the night air.Was quite windy today. Tommorrow the break is over and I have 2 bike workouts, intervals we shall see how that goes. Gotta make the most of the focussed training while I can. Bottom of my page is a link to a thing I just signed for which in essence they pay you to view ads, usually making money ads , as well as recruiting more folks to sign up and view ads.Feel free to check it out so far today. As with anything buyer beware. But a fellow who has been workin it has been quite happy with it.
Kell just gave me my Easter presents 2 sweet backpack one a top shelf wegner swiss laptop backpack(100Plus buckaroos)and the other a High Sierra Brand. backpack,which I've beat the hell out of one of their backpacks for 10 years now and not a sign of fraying.
Reading some articles on a blog about Iraq and although it was written in 2008 .You Know way before the recession and that guy came into office and destroyed all the great work we have accomplished over the last few years. Any way . I think it's funny to find an article about how Iraq can essentially live together having both a government that works for the common interests of the groups there and also allowing the individual groups to govern themselves. I think we're on to some thing here. We have what I have come to learn is a variation of a four group government here, Liberals,democrats,republicans,and conservatives. All we need it to find out what the common interests are? Security,regulation,law enforcement,border control,living wage jobs,accountability, and no bonuses until the books are balanced. BLAH BLAH .
Sheboygan still had snow on trails by the pool/beach so I left it , but glad I checked it out, before unpacking the bike. Got home in time to get the Triumph out for a spin, just through town a bit nothing too fancy. Quite a few bikes out all kinds , offered a draft to a wheel and sprocket roady but he declined.
Looks like 2-3 more weeks before any chance of work. Got some calls to make to get the scoop from contractors. I'll have time to clean the garage at least.
Thinkin about driving down to evergreen park been searching for conditions and no luck. If its sloppy I won't ride but can still pay on the quarry rocks which I need work on also. It's a skills day.
If you've wanted to travel the world but doubt you'll get the chance, check out this site pics around the world, Not as cool as Snow melt but it's up there.
A.I.G. to Pay $100 Million in Bonuses After Huge Bailout
Despite being bailed out with more than $170 billion from the Treasury and Federal Reserve, the American International Group is preparing to pay about $100 million in bonuses to executives in the same business unit that brought the company to the brink of collapse last year. Read more here If they brought the company to the point of collapse why are they been rewarded?
Here's is another thought. when Some one who received government help towards their home mortgage , can there be a clause in there that guarantees pay back of that amount with interest of course upon the sale of that home?
At least spring?? when? Today was a great day, went for nice 30 mile ride on the fixey today been awhile. Those little hills look a lot bigger when you have no other gears. A lot of credit to the single speed riders. Maybe I should rig it like Nelson Vails, I think I read he had a brake lever rigged to switch between 2 chain rings. I like it fine the way it is. Don't think I touched the brakes once, but still won't take them off, the day I do I'll get a flat and put the wheel on backwards with the freewheelgear on the chain. HA HA HA . Tomorrow is to be skills day on the trail. still too wet and muddy. Cant even get in the parks due to snow. Wonder who we can blame for that??? It's a Joke. Kinda funny like today on the country road and over my Werewolves of london blaring in my ear I hear a "POP" well thinking the worst I look down , Nope still got air , then "POP" ...."POP" "POP" WTF!! As I crest theridge of my rolling hill I see Big sign for Clay pigeon Shooting. I can see 50 guys back from the road blasting targets. geeze. At least they were point the other way.
All for now gotta clean, got the Big bike on the charger might take it out tommorow.
Did HR test today 20 min time trial . waited until today to do it so it could be on the road and get a better reading. The wind was a bear going out , road into it fo 40 mins and 2/3rds of the time trial then it was at my back all the way home. Sweet.
Nice dinner tonight with Kell's boss and partners. I always feel like I must be on my best behavior. which I can do once or twice a year.
Moriah Munsch to teammoosen, bmccaffrey, dan.clasen, me, graphics, SNGLTRK2061, the4kents
show details 1:31 PM (6 minutes ago)
Reply
Dear Concerned 24-9 Solo Racers,
We have received a lot of feedback on the 2009 solo classes at 24-9. Though we made our decisions back in February about classes for our whole 2009 series, we had another meeting today to discuss the emails and phone calls that continue to come in from 24-9 solo racers such as yourselves. We really want this year's 24-9 to be as successful as it has always been, and we want the racers, their support crews and families, to have a good experience with Granny Gear, now and ever after. The racers are why we do it, after all!
So we have decided to update our classing decisions by adding a Solo Just For Fun class (two, actually - Mens and Womens), as well as an Open Duo Just For Fun class. These classes will be modeled after the Solo Freak classes from previous years at 24-9: there will be no prizes for the classes, and they will be priced per person the same as our other non-pro classes. It will take our IT guy about a week or so to add the new classes to our computerized registration system. After that, you'll be able to register for $100 until April 15, and then the prices go up incrementally as we get closer to the race.
I sincerely hope this is encouraging news to you and that it's not coming too late! If you have already registered for one of our other classes and would like to switch, please contact me; I will be able to override the no-refund policy for you. Also, if you have any further questions or suggestions, keep the emails coming! We put a lot of thought into our decisions, and racer input is a huge part of that.
Thank you again for your feedback, and I hope to meet you all at 9 Mile! -Moriah
PS. A reminder to please be patient with the registration system; Zack our IT guy says it'll probably be the end of next week before the new classes are ready to roll. Thanks!
************************** Moriah Munsch Production Manager Granny Gear Productions P.O.Box 189, 24 Fourth St. Davis, WV
Economic Scene The Looting of America’s Coffers By DAVID LEONHARDT Published: March 11, 2009 An academic paper in the early 1990s had predicted the behavior of the banks when it came to relying on the government to absorb their losses. Here's the rest of the story.Sorry don't mean to quote the the late Paul Harvey
As I have yet to tackle this task yet I'm glad I came across this post first.
I have the tendency to over simplify the task and not pay attention to the small details, one of which is you need to have a delicate way about yourseelf to be able to wrench on bikes. Or else your paying top dollar for an XTR derailleur and pissed because you creased your down tube. Anyone need 98% of an XT front drlr?
Easy day today 45 mins of spin ups HR Zone 1 it was like a non workout.
Went bowling with uncle and his boys today good fun , if I ever get a game over 200 I'll be happy.
Hey there. Takin' it easy today,no bike no weights. Been really over tired and such and felt I should tune down for a day. Picked up a couple books today one on Blogging, which I hope will help me to provide a more structured,informative,and enjoyable way for my visitors to spend their one to five minutes average viewing my posts. Which I think is pretty cool that my visitors are actually reading and linking from the articles I've listed. Another book I picked up was Joe Friel's Training diary ,Well actually it's called The cyclist's training diary, with an introduction by Joe Friel,ANDPublished by Velo Press Which I picked up because of the lay out and page quality was well done. I've used a different famous trainer's training journal before but didn't really like the paper it used.Just weird like that I guess.
Next couple days are gonna be 18 degrees out , so it'll be back to the trainer. YAY. I was looking in my training log from last year and essentially this week is the week I stopped training for the races last year, I talked myself out of it Using High gas prices,lack of work,the self detrimental argument that "If I'm not gonna win ,because of the much higher skill level I compete against,then why should I pay to go to some competition that cost 30$ 50bucks for gas , the extra food,the stress, the cost of new parts that wreck in a race. All of these I was able to difuse my excitement for the race season. And with this removed from my focus I ended up getting hyped on getting a motorcycle , which I've always wanted and am Very happy I did get. And if you must know I got a beautiful 2008 Triumph Tiger 1050. OOOOBABY...It Is good for the Goose,Gander and not bad on gas either. This year I think I have had many of the same arguments about why I should or should not race this year. I have realized that my competition ,although technically it is against others,it is more about pushing myself further than I have in the past,and with that comes my overcoming limiters I've placed on myself over the last 36no 37no 38 years. This year my goal is to better my performance considerably through losing the excess weight and gaining the cycling power to finish strong in every race knowing I have planned and executed it to the best of my abilities. I've thought about the gas prices and hope fully this year will be less than last the 6 races I want to do this year if planned properly I can cut costs to off set the gas. My other concern is lack of work , but as I look at the finances and expected layoff duration the first part of this year will suck eggs but I believe it will pick up and I will spend the remainder of the year playing catch up, much like last year. Any new ideas are welcome. I have allowed myself to ramble again and I apologize.I guess I better read that book tonight to limit my ramblings and give a more focused report. Be WELL
Did great ride sat out side ,38 ish degrees supposed to be race simulation but no trails so I kept pace up and cadence around 85. Pushing it up the hills but good form. 3 hours was the plan and I worked it out nicely. BUT sunday was to be 6 hour easy spin and I couldn't get my self to do it. Blowing snow out side4-6 inches but even so the trainer is still fine for me and couldn't pull it off. Today strength, tomorrow calls for easy for 30 mins or off if tired, because of guilt I might ride but I will probably push myself to hard and mess up the HR test scheduled for wed . Maybe I'll swap those. I do need to do that test outside to get a better avg, I don't seem to run as high inside on the trainer, it could be due to the cold temps . and 3 layers of clothes.
PHOENIX (Reuters) - Hit men dressed in fake police tactical gear burst into a home in Phoenix, rake it with gunfire and execute a man.
Armed kidnappers snatch victims from cars and even a local shopping mall across the Phoenix valley for ransom, turning the sun-baked city into the "kidnap capital" of the United States.
Violence of this kind is common in Mexico where drug cartel abductions and executions are a daily feature of a raging drug war that claimed 6,000 lives south of the border last year.
But U.S. authorities now fear that violent crime is beginning to bleed over the porous Mexico border and take hold here.
"The fight in Mexico is about domination of the smuggling corridors and those corridors don't stop at the border," Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said.
Execution style murders, violent home invasions, and a spiraling kidnap rate in Phoenix -- where police reported an average of one abduction a day last year linked to Mexican crime -- are not the only examples along the border.
In southern California, police have investigated cases of Americans abducted by armed groups tied to the Tijuana drug trade. One involved a businesswoman and her teenage daughter snatched in San Diego last year and held to ransom south of the border.
In south Texas, a live hand grenade traced back to a Mexican cartel stash was tossed onto the pool table of a bar frequented by off-duty police officers in January. The pin was left in it and the assailant fled.
COPING WITH SPILLOVER
Mexican traffickers have always been violent, but the death toll has soared since President Felipe Calderon took office in late 2006 and sent tens of thousands of troops to fight the country's powerful cocaine cartels.
Soldiers have fought pitched battles with drug gangs in several Mexican towns and overwhelmed police officers have fled municipal forces the length of the border. In many cases, police officers have been paid off by the drug gangs or even joined them.
In a sign of an increasingly desperate struggle to rein in the violence, Calderon this week ordered 5,000 more troops and federal police to Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas.
The cartels have killed 250 people in Ciudad Juarez in the past month, forced the police chief to resign, and shut down the airport with bomb threats.
The struggle by outgunned Mexican authorities to contain the violence was highlighted for Arizona state police last November, when Mexican police officers pinned down in a raging gun battle in Nogales, Sonora, reached out to them with an urgent request for more bullets.
While U.S. authorities stress they have not seen anything like the kind of street battles and horrific beheadings that are now common in Mexico, they are already taking action to curb was has become known as "overspill". Continued...
Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he wants 1,000 troops to guard the border. The state's Attorney General Greg Abbott is backing legislation to crack down on money laundering and human, drug and weapons trafficking through the state by the warring Gulf and Sinaloa cartels.
Lawmakers in Arizona heard testimony on border violence last week from police and prosecutors, who are seeking more robust measures to seize smugglers' assets, as well as cracking down harder on gunrunning to Mexico.
PLANNING FOR THE WORST
Washington has stepped up support for Calderon, pledging to give Mexico helicopters, surveillance aircraft, inspection equipment and police training under a $1.4 billion plan to beat the cartels in Mexico and Central America.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano -- a former Arizona governor -- told a Congressional hearing last week she was focused on curbing the southbound traffic in guns that are being used to arm the violent cartels.
In a measure of that commitment, a Phoenix gun dealer goes on trial next week on charges he sold hundreds of weapons, including AK-47 assault rifles, to smugglers knowing they would send them to a powerful cartel in Sinaloa state on Mexico's Pacific coast.
As the spiraling drug violence shakes Mexican cities and towns along the U.S. border, U.S. Senate lawmakers announced last week they would hold two hearings to assess the ability of U.S. security forces to deal with the rise in crime on the U.S. side.
Senator Joseph Lieberman, chairman of the homeland security governmental affairs committee, said the panel would assess border security programs already in place and review whether federal, state and local authorities are ready to respond to any serious spillover of the Mexican drugs war.
For the sheriff of Hidalgo County, in south Texas, where the live grenade was thrown into a bar in Pharr, possibly by street gang members armed by a Mexican cartel, that renewed attention to the war on his doorstep can only be welcome.
"It's the first time we've had a hand grenade attack," Guadalupe Trevino told Reuters. "I believe there's more out there that we need to find."
(Additional reporting by Ed Stoddard in Dallas and Randall Mikkelsen in Washington; Editing by Kieran Murray)
Should you see it yes go see it. really a nice and full comic book based movie. Expect some graphic gore but in a fun way, expect some sex ,but again be ready to twinge a bit in some scenes. In the reviews and hype shows I watched, I figured I'd need to go out again see it but that won't be necessary. And Mooch did a hell of a job, "Come on You CUTTERS!!!!"
Yes I'm going to Watchmen tonight. I'll admit I was never big comic book guy, but the movies lately Dark Knight ,and now Watchmen, are really awesomely done. I had made a comment to some one several days before I saw Dark Knight about how movies are way too short they don't dive enough substance about the characters. I was way happy with Dark Knight , beside continuously visioning Christian Bale as American Psycho . Tonight's movie is to be 163 minutes long, I hope so. They better have the P-corn refills going on .
Today did hill sprints found some hills 30 minutes out and just kept turning around and doing them . I had 10 mph headwind going out but boy coming back with that tail wind for 45 mins was awesome. Then I had strength workout too which I'm used to doing body building type workouts and now I find I'm doing more of a circuit, which is hard to grasp. But I feel these workouts are giving me a leaner musculature as well as creating a pure-er strength base. Tomorrow I've got 3 hours ,supposed to be race simulation but I guess I'm SOL on that too. It will be warm enough for outside as long as the snow stays wet. I've got a slick on the back and don't want to change out again.
we finally broke 40 degrees. I did half ride on trainer last night still steamin about the 24-9 bs. Been lookin around and Iowa has a good 24 as well as ohio,Michigan,Minnesota is have one right on the border. Well gotta get outside. and ride. 1.5 hours hills anaerobic.intervals.
Well I know I'm no pro cyclist, I'm barely considered avid. But last night when I found out that 24-9 was soley run by Granny Gear and there would be no solo freak 24 hour class, I was pissed. Why wouldn't you offer a category for the sport class rider who wants to test himself in one of the most extreme tests of will and fortitude the sport can offer? This was the reason I am on this blog right now, this is why my ass is chaffed, my wallet is bare and my spirits are elevated with the vision of crossing the finish line after 24 hours on my own. . BUT NOOOOOO.... Granny has said no mediocrity for you old man ... You have 2 choices you may ride in the pro level with Etough,Hendershot,and Marenchin. OOORRR you can ride in some catagory they call the Just for fun class, which from the description is anywhere from a solo rider to teams of 10 members all competing against each other. My response was this idea was proposed by someone a bit out of touch. A 10 member team would only encourage extreme novices on the trail which would only cause headaches,confusion,and accidents. And probably a few drunks on the trail too. I looked at the results of other granny races and yes the amount of competitors was few and far between , but Wausau had 36 pros and 36 solo freak riders I think that is very commendable Wisconsin. Home of the largest mountain bike racing series. I told her I did understand that maybe some of the racers in the freak division were not up for it but who are they to decide. My other issue is that now that I have gone from 12 hour solos to "Professional Status"With out the free volvo mind you. My entry fee went from 80 ish dollars to any where from 280-340 dollars . To clarify half of that fee goes to the Purse And I'm all for that I have always chipped in for the leaders and anything to make it a worthwhile event for them. What about the other 60 - 80 bucks difference where does that go and why is it not distibuted equally. And don't say it's to get the average rider to sign up because that's me you're talking a bout .
I guess I'm going pro this year, on my Trek 8500 HT . Please contact me with donations. I'll have your name stenciled on my bike. I figure if I keep the fuel going ,the coffee brewin'.and a hammer gel I V I should be just fine.
No really. I am glad to see the current government is trying to contain the problems of our neighbor. It's pretty bad when spring breakers are told not to cross the border. Hopefully it will result in better control at there southern border as well.
Little tired today , probably due to ride last night. No planned bike today just strength. did 45-hour circuit , not over doing it. Placed order for tires and new crank bros pedals getting candy white ones and the next level down for my fixy road. As I don't own roady shoes. and I'm OK with that. Have to hold off on the wheels , but ended up going kleptomaniac on the kenda order , one of these one of these...
Gotta get some thing in order to make the most of this layoff, been stayin up too late and losing what little structure I had.
This is the beginning of week 3 and it is going very well so I must be certain to create order, so when I go back to work it doesn't get chaotic and too much to handle. Forecast says warmer38 , and rain this week I gotta get out. Might drive to hillier roads to get those rides in.
Kell got me this photo from I stock ? Just gotta get a frame , its just missing the ST in front of the bike. I had procrastinated all day sunday for doing my 5 hours easy on the trainer yesterday,partially to do with my sat night out until 2am and sleepin 'til 10. But finally at 9 pm I began pushin the pedals , supposed to be easy non technical trails but because I'm on the trainer I thought I would try to maintain a 15 mph avg speed which would give me 75 miles at the end came up with 73 miles and that was fine by me. Finished at 2 am . next sunday she wants 6 hours. Gotta get more Butt er and motrin. I gotta say I am very proud of myself for sticking with it the whole 5 hours , one quick break for bathroom and butter refresh , but as far as food drink I planned it perfect for energy.
Today it is 8 degrees out, I'm gonna fill out my order to KENDA tires 'cause it's all I can afford right now. this year I have to get a lot of stuff both for the bike and gear for the races, tents ,lights, tools. not to mention all the other things in life I must stay ahead of. This lay off is reall gonna bite if I don't see something coming over the horizon. In a week I will be searchin Craigslist for odd jobs. I'd do well to find 30 hours at 15$ an hour cash to keep me above water. Besides family I've noticed little by little people passing by here and checking out my blog thing I wanna refresh what I've got here.I'm 38 yo male from wisconsin training for several 12 hour solos and a 24 hour solo race this year mainly to really to put full effort into it and see what I can pull off, I don't expect podium places but I want to be a worthy competitor . And when the 24 comes around I want to be able to finish it without injury , a good attitude and knowing I put in the effort to get me the best result possible. I am currently following a 12 week personal record training plan from LW COACHING for 12 hour solo which is helping me stay focussed and not overdoing it.I've been following a lo of different rider Blogs and forums tring to gain as much knowledge as possible. I am open to constructive input to help with my training or support so feel free to say hey and let me know what you think.
Posts
