Cyclocross Season

Having a Saturday off when working at a small bike shop is a treat. Having 60+ degree weather in November in MN is an amazing treat. Put them together, throw in free beer, hot dogs, and a bunch of bicycles. I could barely contain myself.


Joe and I rode up to the Velodrome in Blaine as a warm-up for his race. We were a little tardy so there was little time before he was off and pre-riding the course. I walked around a while and took some average photos. There weren't many really exciting places for great shots. I was hoping to capture something that I could use for our shop website since we are starting to have a little more presence at the track, and at cyclocross events. I almost tried climbing on the soccer goal to try to get rid of the fence.


I have heard it happens, but it rarely happens to me. To be in the right place at the right time. Looking for that one chance for a great photo, I try to take a fair amount in hopes of something turning out the way I want. Well when David decided to ride half a lap on a bike a little too small for him, it was a great opportunity for a photo. I had been taking some shots of him coming through the parking lot. I turned around after he started riding around the soccer field and ended up with exactly the kind of photo I was looking for...



Too bad I can't use it for our website. Plugging another bike shop on our website is probably not the most appropriate.

Biking Weekend

I was able again this year to partake in the Urban Assault Ride. Sponsored by New Belgium as "Beer, Bikes and Big Wheels", it is a "race" through Minneapolis to compete in some unusual events. Again, Ken and I were on the Schwinn Twin, and even made better time this year. I think we shaved 20 minutes off our time. Another 5 years competing at that same improvement and we have a chance to win.

I hosted a pre-race warm up with bloody marys. Mehgan and Pete were also racing, so they showed to get their game on. Joe stopped by to drop off a bike I had loaned him, all of which I did not account for in my supply purchasing I had done the day before. We were out of mix before we even left for the ride. Fortunately, I had enough fixins, and a quick stop at the grocer yielded a tolerable mix for the remainder of the ride.

We followed my planned route very closely, which means we put on 28 miles during the event. Add to that the to and from my house and we were very close to 40 miles for the day. My butt is still a little tender from the original saddles that still grace the bike. Next year, bike shorts.

Packed Sunday

I started out the day with a couple of nice laps down at Lebenon Hills. It's so funny riding with Ken. The classic, "I'm trying to stay ahead of you the best I can" vs. "I'm just trying to keep up with you" pretty much all the time. I have been riding the Surly 1X1 with a second-hand Manitou fork and IRD Dual Banger discs. It was riding well, but really started rocking when I let a few psi out of the tyres. After the first lap, I lowered my saddle because it just didn't feel right. Again, marked improvements. Just reminds me that the nicest of bikes can be made to ride like crap if not set up correctly. And also that a mediocre bike can ride just fine if it fits you and your riding well.

After a quick shower, I loaded up the trailer and Carrie and I went up to Como Park for a cousin picnic. I have a bunch of cousins in the metro area, so we decided that we needed to reconnect. Some of us had never seen each other before, and a lot of us had forgotten what others looked like and such. It was a great time. Cook'n out and getting to know family again. Something that gets lost in the fast charging lives of so many of us.

Unfortunately, I lost at bocce. (But what form!)

After the picnic, Carrie and I continued our quest at canning. We bought a box of tomatoes to save some freshness for the upcoming winter. Now, after several jars (why we still call it canning I can't figure out), we are approaching the end. Looking forward to nice pasta sauce come February.

What's in the Stand

I found this post that never made it to being published. I have to remember to keep this type of thing in mind whilst working. Just to show the interesting things we run into working at the bike shop.

Bike : Surly Steamroller

Repair : New handlebar

I don't know why this guy wanted to change his bars. I think the setup as I pulled it from the basement was just fine. Although, controlling this one up and down sidewalks after spending the day at the bar would be a little tricky for me. I was impressed by whomever took the time to rotate the cross top levers to make them more usable.

Bontrager Satellite handlebar. Dimension leather grips. Deore brake levers. If it weren't for all the white (a fad I hope fades as fast as the clean white color) this would be a great ride!

Full of photos

A number of things have transpired since my last post. Biggest and best of all being that I was able to ride a couple days of RAGBRAI this year. Usually, it is the same week as the MS TRAM that I have been providing support for, for a number of years. Being the week before, Ken and I crafted a plan for a small loop to include a couple days of the route.

I can't really describe what happened. People ask me how it was and I just have to say that it is in the top 5 experiences of my life. From the food, drink, people, dancing, riding, tom foolery, and carousing, it was an almost perfect combination of everything. What I can describe is yet another adventure that Ken took me on in order to get to the route. We parked in Knoxville and rode over to Indianola to pick up the official route. Ken had warned me that we might have to ride some or all gravel, and I am not one to shy away from some lack of pavement. Little did I know that the rain from the night before had turned our closed road into a quagmire. After deciding that the road couldn't be THAT closed, we had to push our bikes because our wheels wouldn't turn due to the mud packing in under our fenders (so much for thinking I had ample clearance).





As you can see, Ken was simply in his element. Having the time of his life.













This is the view from our first night campsite. This is the entrance to the dean's office. Nice view.
Here is the porch where we spent the second night. We had a little rain, but all-in-all, not too bad.

So, we rode for a couple days and then headed back to Knoxville via paved roads. Great time. Almost the best time I have ever had on a bike. Can't say enough good things for this ride.

So after coming back from Iowa, I had a day to go to work and catch up on things before heading off to TRAM for 5 days. Fortunately, everything was pulled together so it was just a matter of packing the van and driving off to Ortonville for the start.

TRAM, was the best ever. Weather was perfect. No huge bike problems. Was able to hang out with a number of people that I hadn't had in years past. It was just great. At one town, we were shopping in the local grocer and came upon the paper bag that is on the ground. It says, "99 cents + tax. Grab bag. No peeking. All sales final". Well, we couldn't pass that up, so we bought it, didn't open it, and sold it for 99 cents (no tax). Turns out it had a beer baster.


The problem with having a couple of super fantastic weeks in a row, is that the real world calls. So this past week has been me getting back into the swing of things. Luckily, I enjoy my work so that isn't much of a problem.

Trying a new sport

Last year during one of our rides, Ken and I thought it would be a fun idea to throw some clubs in the panniers and ride to play some golf. Last week, we again thought this would make for a fun day's events. I think we could make a new sport of it.

The bike/golf duathlon. We were thinking of a few names, I like the "Pedal and Putt Classic". We rode out to Stacy, MN where there is a nice little executive course so all we had to bring were a few clubs. I wish I had taken my 9 iron or sand wedge as well, but the 5 wood, 7 iron and putter were sufficient for most everything. It was the first time golfing for me this year and it certainly showed. We hacked our way around and if it weren't for prior commitments, may have gone around again. It is probably best we didn't.

Riding 40 miles and then playing 9 holes of golf will make you a little hungry. We stopped at a pub in Wyoming on the way back and had some great grub (Blu cheese salad dressing you had to cut with a knife!). A couple of beers with lunch and it was all I could do to get back on my bike. Fortunately, the wind was to our backs most of the way home, so it was not much of an effort returning home. Just that my legs felt like jelly almost all the way home.

So we are going to try to round up some more people who may be interested. Possibly pick a course a little closer to home so we don't scare anyone off with excessive mileage. A little marketing and then maybe a 2016 bid for the Olympics.

Welcome Weekend

I went for a much needed ride this morning.


I left the house around 5:30 to pick up Ken. We didn't have any particular ride in mind, and since I hadn't been out North/East of town for a while, we headed out to Marine for some coffee. We took the somewhat normal route out and each of us at separate times, mentioned how much we needed to get out and ride. After working on building a new front landing and steps, not taking any time during to go for any pleasure riding save one Sunday Slow Ride, it felt amazing to get out on the bike.

We stopped for coffee and a couple signature muffins and decided we shouldn't return the same way we came, so we started wondering our way home. We passed a girl on a nice old Centurion as we climbed the first hill out of the river valley. Over the top of hill, we came upon a gravel road that headed in the right direction. We hadn't ridden any gravel yet, and we both had gravel in our heads after eyeing one on the way out to Marine. So, we took it.

We ended up back on 170th about 100 yards from another route I had been talking about. Neither Ken or I have done a lot of cycling this year, so we weren't after an epic ride. So we followed our route out for a while. Coming up a hill and over some rail tracks, Ken veered right. A gravel road named for a former pet of his (coincidence, I think not). This turns out to be a great alternative to the "normal" routes we have established. We passed the same girl shortly after returning to the pavement.

After a quick water stop at the end of the Gateway Trail (and being accused of following the Centurion girl), we followed it most of the way into the cities.

Ended up with 72 miles. Actually a little further than I thought. Very much needed. I'll try not to let myself go so long between rides.