Whelp, it's about that time. Heading up to International Falls for the big daddy... Arrowhead. I'll be posting plenty of pics and video when I get back, but until then you can keep track of my progress on the following sites.
Facebook
Arrowhead Results page
Twitter
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Good News, Bad News
Good news:
Got in a 3 hour snow ride this weekend.
Bad News:
This happened. Are derailleur hangers supposed to be banana shaped?
Good news:
I have a steel frame. With a long enough lever and the proper amount of stank applied, it's good as new.
Bad news:
My derailleur... Not so much. SRAM X-0 -> To the junk bin.
Good news:
Worst case scenario, I've proven I can ride at least half an Arrowhead distance on a fixie.
Bad News:
That was minus 20 lbs of gear.
Good news:
No one is dumb enough to ride Arrowhead fixed.
Bad news:
Except me...
Got in a 3 hour snow ride this weekend.
Bad News:
This happened. Are derailleur hangers supposed to be banana shaped?
Good news:
I have a steel frame. With a long enough lever and the proper amount of stank applied, it's good as new.
Bad news:
My derailleur... Not so much. SRAM X-0 -> To the junk bin.
Good news:
Worst case scenario, I've proven I can ride at least half an Arrowhead distance on a fixie.
Bad News:
That was minus 20 lbs of gear.
Good news:
No one is dumb enough to ride Arrowhead fixed.
Bad news:
Except me...
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Fatties Fix Fine
Well, I failed in my attempt to become the first person to ever finish Triple D on a fixie. Instead, I had to settle for being the second. Enjoy the photos, I'll have a more detailed post race write-up later on.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Hey Winter, glad you could make it
Apparently Winter was just waiting for me to commit to a fixed gear Triple D before deciding it was going to show up.
Well, I did say I wanted more of a challenge...
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Small Adventures
Thursday:
Hooked up with Charles for our weekly night ride. Left Atkins at 6pm and hit a long string of B roads that were in much better shape than we were expecting. Two hours and 25 miles on the night.
Friday:
Camping at MacBride with Lisa and Dennis. Showed up well past gate closing time, so I parked down the road at the back entrance to Sugar Bottom and hiked four miles by moonlight. Met with the others just before midnight and set up camp. Low of 24 degrees that night wasn't anywhere near the single digit temps I was hoping for, but at least it was a chance to test my gear. A beautiful night helped to make up for the lack of cold and snow.
Saturday:
Got up at 7:30 and started packing my gear. Met Dennis and Lisa at the parking lot where we dropped off our stuff and headed out for a four and a half mile hike along the reservoir. There was fossil hunting, a trip through the raptor center, a herd of wild-yet-tame deer and plenty of conversation. I was happy to hear that I had passed the snore test the night before and was invited back for more camping down the road.
Sunday:
Headed up to Dubuque with Charles and met up with Mr. Davey Gie for a pre-ride of the Triple D course. Had a great time and was glad to finally get a ride in with Dave. We've been chatting back and forth on the interwebbings for the last year, but I'd only briefly met him in person once. I was happy to find that he's every bit the goofball in the meatspace that he is online. Ended the day with 64 miles over six hours. Along the way it was decided that I need more of a challenge than a snow-free Triple D course can provide, so I've got something big planned. Something never attempted in the history of the race. Seriously... I checked. :-) Shhh... It's a secret.
Days, weeks, months to come:
Things planned, things still swirling in the aether. I've got a whole new year ahead of me, with plenty of opportunities for adventures big and small. Thanks for reading. I enjoy sharing.
Hooked up with Charles for our weekly night ride. Left Atkins at 6pm and hit a long string of B roads that were in much better shape than we were expecting. Two hours and 25 miles on the night.
Friday:
Camping at MacBride with Lisa and Dennis. Showed up well past gate closing time, so I parked down the road at the back entrance to Sugar Bottom and hiked four miles by moonlight. Met with the others just before midnight and set up camp. Low of 24 degrees that night wasn't anywhere near the single digit temps I was hoping for, but at least it was a chance to test my gear. A beautiful night helped to make up for the lack of cold and snow.
Saturday:
Got up at 7:30 and started packing my gear. Met Dennis and Lisa at the parking lot where we dropped off our stuff and headed out for a four and a half mile hike along the reservoir. There was fossil hunting, a trip through the raptor center, a herd of wild-yet-tame deer and plenty of conversation. I was happy to hear that I had passed the snore test the night before and was invited back for more camping down the road.
Headed up to Dubuque with Charles and met up with Mr. Davey Gie for a pre-ride of the Triple D course. Had a great time and was glad to finally get a ride in with Dave. We've been chatting back and forth on the interwebbings for the last year, but I'd only briefly met him in person once. I was happy to find that he's every bit the goofball in the meatspace that he is online. Ended the day with 64 miles over six hours. Along the way it was decided that I need more of a challenge than a snow-free Triple D course can provide, so I've got something big planned. Something never attempted in the history of the race. Seriously... I checked. :-) Shhh... It's a secret.
Days, weeks, months to come:
Things planned, things still swirling in the aether. I've got a whole new year ahead of me, with plenty of opportunities for adventures big and small. Thanks for reading. I enjoy sharing.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Figures...
Build a new snow bike, get record winter highs.
I should have evened the jinx with a crate of mankinis...
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
New Years Day Hangover Metric
Yesterday five of us headed out of West Des Moines for a 70 mile gravel ride. In attendance were Charles, Courtney, Rob, Scott and myself. 30MPH sustained winds along with 50-60MPH gusts made for an interesting day, especially when combined with the steep, punchy hills. It was a long one with frequent stops, and we rolled back into town 8 hours later under cover of darkness. Thanks to Courtney and his wife for hosting and feeding us, dinner was delicious. Thanks to Charles for coming up with this crazy idea. Thanks to all for showing up and making for a great start to the new year.
When Charles gets his pics uploaded I'll link to those as well.
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