Slapshots and Dull Blades

Tommy Bengel and I played hockey with the college kids down at the Groveland Rink today. The punks skated circles around us... I got a couple of goals though. After 1 hour 24 minutes, I made the announcement that I was done. Playing hockey is as tough as sitting-in during a crit... Tommy and I did crash into each other once. He was on the other team. That was the team that destroyed us... It was my fault. I picked the teams...

Smokey

I was in the local Cub Foods store in Saint Paul this morning buying donuts for my customers. Yeah, I could use a different job... Anyway, Smokey Robinson walks in. Yes, THE Smokey Robinson. He's got a new line of frozen foods so that's why he was at Cub. He was real friendly to all of the employees at Cub as far as I could tell. His frozen food line included; Down Home Pot Roast, Gumbo, Red Beans and Rice and some others. My question is; What makes him an expert on Cajun food when he's from Detroit? He's gotta be around 67 years old but he could pass for 50. When he spoke though, his lips and face did not move... I think he knows a good plastic man...

In other news, I've decided to hit 180 before going on a diet... It's winter. It's just easier...

Getting Serious! Again...

I've been riding in a casual comfort zone on the trainer for the past month and a half. The result has been a loss of fitness and weight gain. Today, I decided I needed to make a change. I rode for 45 minutes but I added Tim Mulrooney's time trial training intervals to the equation. He does a set of five but I only did three today. I'll build it up as I continue to ride. Also, I rode in a harder gear. Hopefully, the increased tempo work and harder gear will help me get into better shape. Anyway, the guys at Now Bikes gave me some more stickers today. The Twin Cabinets O' Bike Parts have only a little more space for stickers. I'd say it's 80% covered.

Getting Ripped...

Man am I sore! It's not from my normal lifting routine either like today when I rode the trainer for 10 minutes and then lifted. No, the pain is in my chest and shoulders from my first ski race of the season on Saturday and my neck from a two hour ride on the roads yesterday. Riding for an hour on the trainer when you can sit up and relax while pedaling doesn't prepare you for riding on the road... Talk about a tension headache! Aspirin and Advil... Keep it coming...

MCF Banquet

My wife Kathleen and I had a blast at the MCF Banquet last night. Grumpy's is a great venue! Skibby did a great job as emcee and it was fun to watch fellow Loons Jim and Jordan Cullen, Greg Golbrisch and Andy Frye get awards. Mike Lyner was the only other Loon there and since he's outgoing MCF Prez and now theTreasurer, he had to be there. I think he would have been there regardless. Hey, where were the other Loons? Among some of the others in attendance were Tom Bengel, Paul McKinney, Tim Mulrooney, Bob Mairs, Dan Casper and Linda Sone, Hollywood and Christi Creme, Aric Haerland, Bob Williams, Bill Nicholson, Todd Trembley and Chris and many more. The food was great too!

Back On The Road

New Loon State Team member Rob Belz and I rode the cross bikes through the east metro. We started in Lake Elmo and rode into Bayport. From there we moved south along 95 and Saint Croix Trail to Afton. The route back was Stagecoach to Indian Trail where we hit a couple of decent climbs. After that, we took Hudson Boulevard to Manning and back to Lake Elmo. The roads were mostly dry, the sun was out and the temp was in the mid 30sF. It was a great day for a ride. All told, we got in a little over 27 miles.

Racing Again...

Wow! It was back to racing and man did I do well today... I skied the Balsam Branch 20K skate race in Amery, Wisconsin. I'm a prime example of someone who needs to ski to race well. Once or twice a week like I've been getting in just doesn't cut it. Okay, I wimped out on the cold days and rode the trainer inside. Yeah, my weight is up to 176lbs which is about 10 to 15 over my ideal. Who's complaining... The weight and lack of skiing are my own fault... I guess I'm more of a biker now than a skier and the desire isn't there. That being said, I don't want to embarrass myself at the Birkie so I better get skiing. I used to ski with John Stamm in the ski races. We'd go back and forth depending on the day. I had Dan Meyer's and Tom Bengel's number for over a decade. Not anymore... They beat me handily today. In fact they got me by 10, 6 and 3 minutes respectively. The hills are where I got destroyed. A couple of kilometers from the finish, three skiers caught up to me. They went around me and I had just enough to jump on their draft. I blasted around all three on the downhill run to the line!!! I'm back racing!

Race Preparation

I skied at the somewhat famous Highland 9 Hole golf course with Tom Bengel on Friday. After close to an hour of skating, I proclaimed myself ready for Saturday's Balsam Branch 20K ski race.

How About a 29er Frame and Fork?

I'm selling my Jamis Dakota 29er Frame and Rock Shox Tora 29er Suspension Fork pictured on the left. The size is 18". Let me know if you are interested. Anyway, I hit the trainer for 40 minutes yesterday. I'm becoming a wimp as I get older. A few years ago, I would have been out skiing in 2F temps and a nasty wind...

Wheels and Skis

My buddy John Wyland is one of four guys I'm bringing into the Loon State Club this season. The others are Rob Belz, Jay Wenner and Bill Stuber. Anyway, John and I dropped into the Chain last night and ordered Hed Jet 60s from Dave Bole. Johnny Wyls wanted the Jets and I planned on getting a deep section carbon track wheel. I'll have to get that later because I talked myself into a set of Jet 60s too... Don't forget to drop into the Chain and take advantage of this great deal. That is, if you're a Loon State rider... Today, I got in a huge classic skiing workout at the famed and storied Highland 9 Hole golf course. I did two laps which lasted about 40 minutes...

Yeah, The Trainer

This post should be a repeat of yesterday's. One hour spinning on the trainer. I've got the Motobecane winter/rain bike set up with one of those Continental trainer tires. That tire doesn't wear at all!

Spinning On The Trainer

The temp was too cold for me to go skiing outside today... Well, not really, I just didn't want to go out in -0F temps... I rode the trainer in the basement for 1 hour which was just as good since I need to keep the cycling legs in shape over the winter. I though about cleaning up the shop too. I trashed it over the summer by leaving tools and bike parts all over the place. I've got wheels and tires hanging from hooks all over the ceiling also. I did manage to put a few things away and I did throw out a bunch of old water bottles. You know how they can get after a while... After that, I put all of my new bar tape and mountain grips in a separate container. I need to keep the Twin Cabinets 'O Parts neat and clean.

Yeah, Another Day On Skis

The venue today was the Highland 9 Hole Golf Course. I got in four skate laps with Tom Bengel. The Cretin H.S. Team was out there as well as a few other skiers. It's a tremendous course and will get you in fantastic shape for ski racing... A dude skied a few laps with us. His name was Jerrod. He was eating a Subway sandwich while skiing...

Back On The Snow

It was back to Como Park, aka, the Comenkollen for some skate skiing today. The sun was setting and the temp was around 20F. I skated for over 1 1/2 hours. Tom Bengel skied a few laps with me, Steve Thatcher of Ride and Glide was giving a lesson and the Moundsview Team was spread all over the course. There's something special about gliding along on fast skis and fast snow.

On the Road Again

I got out for a ride on the Diamondback (No) Podium. I was thinking about getting some skiing in but I need to keep riding so my Loon State teammates don't get too many miles ahead of me. Anyway, I rode up the High Bridge then followed 110 west to Fort Snelling. From there, I headed north through Minnehaha Park and then took River Boulevard and Summit Avenue home. The temp was in the low 20s but you can easily dress for it.

Navigating The Crowded Aisles At Cronometero

What a day for a trip to Madison, Wisconsin for the annual Cronometro Bike Swap. New Loon State Team member Bill Stuber joined me for the drive down. It only took us 3 hours 20 minutes from Lake Elmo! We had a blast and the place was packed. The event is what the MCF Swap could be with the right ingredients of which I know... Ouch! I just dislocated my shoulder patting myself on the back... Anyway, I picked up some Hed Jet deep section carbon wheels for $250, a brand new pair of Northwave road shoes for $40, Shimano 105 and Ultegra rear derailleurs, a set of Shimano 105 STI 9 speed/double-triple shifters and an RSX 7 speed STI shifter. The shifters are on eBay already ( I need cash to pay for the trip...). Paul Schoening and Dag Selander were at the swap too. They were selling some Ridley bikes and a bunch of team stuff. The picture to the left is of the crowd waiting in line to get in. There were four times as many people behind me...

Gotta Love the Trainer...

I spent Friday on the trainer for 45 minutes!

Back in Action

Yesterday, I couldn't decide between skiing or biking outside so I decided to play bubble breaker on my pocket pc. Today, I couldn't decide between biking outside, skiing or playing hockey at the local rink so I rode the trainer for 1 hour. I'm still winding down from the long bike racing season. I did 24 races starting with Ken Woods and ending at Cross Nationals in December.

First Bike Ride of the Year!

I got out on the bike for the first time this year. I'm way behind Skibby, Frye, Cleary, Macy, Cullen and many others... The Diamondback (NO) Podium cyclocross bike performed well with considering I had attached to it. Among the items, a seat bag, front and rear lights and fenders. The road was damp but the fenders kept me dry. It was a big effort today, I got in 10 miles on Summit Avenue...

Skiing and Biking Double Workout

It was a great day for a skiing and biking double workout. I classic skied at Afton State Park with Jerry Engen, Lori Belz and John Wyland. The tracks were great up above on both plateaus but the tracks down below along the river were full of leaves. We used our classic wax-less racing skis and they worked really well. After 2 hours, we hung it up. Rob Belz rode up on his single speed and he and I were going to go biking. The rest of the group decided we should go back to Rob's house, drink beer and shoot the 22 rifles. Mixing guns and beer is always a great idea... We shot holes in a bunch of pop cans and plastic bottles plus we shot a bunch of bottle caps that we pressed into a tree. John Wyland was trying to dial in his scope. The shooting lasted as long as the skiing... Anyway, we didn't go biking... The picture to the left is of me, Rob Belz on the bike and John Wyland. Both Rob and John are joining Loon State this year.

Skating Away... Again... Another Record Again...

A tremendous workout today was had by me at the famed and storied Highland 9 Hole golf course. I grabbed the skate skis with the white bases from the wax coming off... After three laps in under an hour, I'm sure I'm ready for a ski marathon... Hey, I'm a bike racer now... Or maybe a golfer. Did I mention my handicap went from 15.8 to 17.8 over the course of last season. I couldn't keep the drives in the fairway the last few months of summer and fall... Did I mention I set another new record? I tipped the scale at 176 1/2 pounds today.

Back On The Trainer Again

The on again, off again rides on the trainer will continue until the roads are dry. I only got in 40 minutes today because I had other things to do. Okay, I could have started earlier... The picture to the left is a bunch of parts searching for a bike swap... Among the parts, two brand new Hayes mechanical disc brakes, two brand new Sella San Marco Ponza saddles, a brand new WTB Rocket V saddle, one USE Alien carbon seat post, one Easton EA70 carbon seat post, a Giant carbon stem, one brand new Michelin Jet S Wildgripper tubeless mountain bike tire, a Rock Shox Judy suspension fork, a brand new Truvativ Elita cyclocross crankest with 170cm crank arms and a GXP outboard bottom bracket, a set of Tektro road brake calipers, some handle bars and a few other things.

Parts Is Parts

Here's the famous twin cabinets 'o bike parts. Anyone have any bike stickers for me?

Back From Vacation

In an effort to stay with instead of off the back of the pack, I got back into the training routine. Tom Bengel, the famous GP rider and I classic skied three laps at the legendary Highland 9 Hole golf course. We even skied a lap with former track cycling legend Lou Chouinard. I talked Big Lou into getting back on track for the track this season. I told him he should join Loon State too. Anyway, the picture to the left is the alley garden I built for my wife last summer while she was away. I surprised her big time. The spot was nothing but monster weeds and garbage before I tackled the project. I won an alley gardening award which is the flag among the flowers. It was one of my few podium appearances for the season along with 2nd place in the Sport Division 50+ at Erik's Spring Cup...