Wednesday Quote Unicorn's and Boobie's

I'm not "allowed/supposed" to smile when I race apparently so I'll save it for when I'm hangin with my pal Tigger.

"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game."  Michael Jordan 


I was gonna go all race report on your asses but decided that can wait.  This last weekend was Charm City CX and it deserves some word's because it is a great course and a good time.  Other inportant thing's are precluding me from that post for now.


Important thing's like Unicorn's.  


My tall skinny follicly challenged neighbor went to London and all I got were these awesome Unicorn pictures.

Apparently the second part was the only piece that survived from the Castle of Grey Skull.

Or more accurately from The Grand Storehouse Pediment.  Google it.  It's kinda cool.


He also came back with this picture of "The Rack"

Does this not look shockingly similar to a cyclist's torture device?

Coincidence?  Doubtful.


In the past few years I have participated in the Young Survival Coalition's Tour de Pink.  This is an amazing organization that support's women under 40 who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.  These women have a unique set of problem's as most people seem and the healthcare system tend to treat this as an older person's disease.  It is not just an older person's disease.


Doing this ride has opened my eyes to the plight of people going through a difficult time.  It also taught me that people can go along way with support a positive attitude and a gentle guiding hand.  This ride has also introduced me to many people that are my friends and will be for life.  


Life is not just about racing.  Riding a bicycle can be a positive change in peoples lives.  Read HERE about how the bicycle opened Jen's eye's, changed her body, and brought her closer to her father (who happen's to be a hell of a great guy).


For several reason's I am not able to do the ride this year.  The East Coast ride starts this Friday and I will be en-route to North Carolina to celebrate a good friend's nuptial's.  I seriously considered going to do the West Coast Tour de Pink  but that is not going to work for me either.  


I believe that this is an organization that deserves some help.  So if you have a few spare dollars in your pocket, possibly even get up off your rear and look under the sofa cushion's to find some spare change.  This is an organization that is worth helping out.  You can donate to help someone close to me attain her fundraising goals by clicking right HERE.  Every little bit helps.  I already did my part, and if you are all kinds of money smart it is even tax deductible.


Next time we can talk cyclo-cross and Charm City, but this post you got Unicorn's and some banter about boobie's.  

Nittany Lion Cross

The Photographic magic of Anthony Skorochod Mr. Cycling Captured himself

*** This was supposed to be uploaded Last Friday but earning a living got in the way as I was in Las Vegas at Interbike.  Charm City has happened since and I will have pic's and words following shortly.***

The solid week of rain the week before the races ensured that what is usually a very fast dry race wasn’t to be.  The ground was wet but there were several areas of standing water and one very long mud bog. 

Mike Yozell is a local cross legend and all around fast guy.  Besides just being fast he design’s a hell of a course and this one didn’t disappoint.  He couldn’t do any thing about the weather and being the Flahute that he is he dealt with and reveled in it.  Everyone I spoke to had good thing’s to say about the course.  By the way he pulled top 10 placing’s both days against a stacked masters field.

***Note***  Mike was not the only one working on the course there were many of the dedicated Tifosi from the Emmaus/Bicycling/Lehigh Valley crew helping.  More on this collective group of fanatic’s later. 

 The racing was fun and the course offered a bit for every one.  Saturday was difficult and kinda muddy. Sunday was a kick in the nuts.  The mud bog mentioned above was rideable Saturday and at the end of the lap.  Sunday it was placed barely a minute in and not rideable.  Look at the picture below.  I am the marshmallow in the black and blue, check out the other two guy's and try to see the foot that is in the mud.  You can't because it is buried in that deep muck.  

At least it didn't smell like sewage.  The two up top on the course smelled a bit like they emptied the porta potties into them.  

The first day I was rusty and felt like I was riding, the second day started the same and then 2 laps into the 4 lap race I woke up.  Turns started clicking, barrier's got smaller, and I was racing again.  Now if I can inform my lung's and Leg's something may happen.Both day's I held up my end of the bargain.  I finished mid pack and had fun. 

Quote of the weekend.  As I rode past the LRHG and smiled for a pic.  "Don't smile at me, RACE!!!!!"  That girl is smart.

The second day I was "racing" 

Then I saw Anthony and couldn't help myself. 

The crew of people that is in the Emmaus area as a whole are fantastic.  As someone who drop’s in occasionally to partake in the festivities and shenanigans I always’s walk away jealous.  Jealous of the great time’s they have, the camaraderie, and the fun.  These are my kind of cyclist’s.  They love the bicycle, they live the lifestyle, and if I could collectively ask all of them to go to the Sadie Hawkin’s dance I would. 

This fun may best be described by investing 20 some odd seconds of your life to watch this...

That is people having fun in case you are unfamiliar.

As is this...

If you don’t know you should. 

*** Stuff I forgot***

The folk's at Nittany doing Beer handup's got a stern talking to from the UCI official's for doing "illegal feed's" during the race.  I guess their job is to follow the rules not have fun.

To counter the UCI I tried do a few true "Hand-Down's" Stevil Kinevil style.   I loaded a few dollar bill's into the newly acquired sausage casing AKA Skinsuit and handed them out to some spectator's.  As a whole they were generally confused.

It kept me entertained and one of the guy's ran back out on course and re-handed the bill over to me.  Could that be considered a hand-up or just simply returning someone else's property?  

I sure hope the UCI doesn't fine me.  

Wednesday Quote Mud

I wasn't an Eagle this weekend but hopefully I wasn't a Hippo either.

"There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud." Carl Sandburg

The build up to Nittany Lion Cross

This past weekend September 10^th and 11^th kicked off Cyclo-cross season in the Mid Atlantic.  The Nittany Lion Cross race offered up the first UCI CX points on the planet.  To capitalize on this fact fast guy Jeremy Powers came out.  He won as expected but he had some pressure from visiting euro’s.

This post isn’t a recap of fast guys racing you can find that over at Cylocross magazine.  This is about the every day guy racing.

I raced a few cross races last year and enjoyed the hell out of it so I am racing more this year and have decided to do as much of the MAC series as possible.  Nittany kicked that off.  Of course I was anxious to line up but there was just one catch.  I didn’t have a bike.

As seems to be par for the course these day’s Cross bike’s arrived at dealers late and people were scrambling like crazy. 

I digress here for a moment.  This year for the first time in my life I am racing on a team.  It even sound’s weird to me that at this advanced age and having ridden and dabbled on and off with racing I have never raced for a team. Guess I have never been much of a joiner.  There was a brief stint in college racing for Temple’s “Cycling Club” but that was a bit like the Bad News Bears on bikes. 

The team  I am racing for is C3.  They are one of the most established cross team’s on the circuit.  Kris Auer heads up the team and was gracious enough to invite me aboard.  I guess they were in need of a mid pack C level racer. 

Yike's skinsuit

This brings me back to where I veered off course.  Back to the bike.  Since splitting with BMC  I gave all of my swiss machinery back and was cross bikeless.  Kris graciously got me a Blue.  He was going to get me this frame …

But… then they were out of the EX so lucky me I was getting an upgrade to this frame the SL…

This meant it was getting close to cross season and I was bikeless.  Finally the Wednesday before race weekend I got my bike and it turned out to be this…

I was only mildly bummed but happy to have a bike to build.  Kris traded me red Sram brake hood to replace the yellow ones I got and I was ready to build the bike.  BUT….

All of my parts weren’t here yet.  I didn’t have my snazzy new Easton EC 90 Aero wheels yet so I had to dig into my basement stock and find another pair to ride.  The stem that I wanted was temporarily out of stock so once again I dove headfirst into the pile of bike parts in my basement and came up for air with a fitting if not company correct replacement.

Here is where I heap praise upon Mr. Auer again.  If you have ever put together a team and amassed sponsors  (Which I have) you know what a huge amount of work it can be.  On top of that work you want the riders that are out representing you also representing the sponsors.  That is why companies give sponsorship.  We had a very frank conversation when I started that I would represent as many of his sponsor’s as possible, but me representing different brand’s I would be using their product’s. 

He was very cool with that and understood.  That was why I chose the Blue frame, to represent.  Since I sell Easton part’s I am riding them and I am sporting a Giro helmet although I will be rotating a Bell in as well to keep Don happy.  (Rule of thumb ALWAYS keep Don happy).  Additionally I am using Oakley’s because Mr. Blick and Mr. Engler are always so good to me that to wear anything else would be just f’n rude.  Plus the optic’s kick ass. 

This is getting long so next post will be a brief Nittany Cross report.

For now relax kick back and I hope someone brings you a Schlitz.

Just like the one I got.

Although mine was handed up as I was being a mouth breather and being yelled at.  Hammock time never materialized.

Wednesday Quote Passion

“I wasn’t living up to expectations and I had a hard time dealing with that. That’s when I just wanted to give up on cycling. It’s my job, it’s what I do, but it’s not my passion.”  Juan Jose Cobo current leader of the Vuelta Espana.


First off... Yes I realize it is not Wednesday.  I started this post Wednesday and that is the theme.  Since I make the rules here I am running with this.  


I have written quite extensively about the passion I have for riding bicycles.  It is probably the one overriding theme of this site, that and unicorns. 

I read THIS ARTICLE from Velonews.com or is it now just simply Velo?  It appears that Juan Jose Cobo may have a bit of an issue with mental illness.  I state this as my opinion based on the description of his moodiness and apparent depression.  I also don't want my next thought to be taken as persecuting JJ Cobo.


I just don't understand that quote.  Racing bicycle's isn't his passion so he want's to quit and get on with becoming an electrician?  Most folk's I know ride or race because they love it.  Additionally I talk with people on a daily basis who work in the bicycle industry.  Almost all of us do it because we have a passion for the bicycle or riding or both.  


How do you get into racing bicycles as a job if you aren't passionate about it?  Are there really people out there thinking... "Hmmm I could be an electrician or a bicycle racer?  I'm pretty good at this whole turning my leg's in circles thing.  I guess I'll race for a while and when I'm bored of it I'll transition into my true passion.  Wiring houses"


Some how I don't know that this conversation ever happened.


Since I have a passion for the bicycle and for riding I am going to race this weekend.  Do I have a passion for racing?  Honestly.... Not really but I do love cyclocross and hanging around with people who love bicycle's and bicycle riding.  


Some might call them passionate.




****For the record it is Friday early morning as I am posting this Wednesday quote.  The workmen tearing up the front yard and replacing the gas line so I don't blow the entire block up distracted me a bit****

Danny Hart ripped it up

Giant Factory DH Rider Danny Hart won the World Championship in dramatic fashion yesterday.  I knew it had to be a great ride because my tweeps on twitter and facebook blew up about it.  Even people I know from competing companies were praising his 11 second victory.  I gave it a look.  Pretty amazing, you should to.  For convenience sake I posted it right underneath.  I'm thoughtful like that.

**Update**  I have been informed that the YouTube link is not working.  Click directly over to VITAL MTB.com and check it out from there.  Here is the LINK.  (Hint click the word LINK over there < )



I met Danny at the River Weasel Festival, Or Sea Otter if you want to be all correct about things.  He is a nice quiet kid and then he rip's stuff out like this quick phone video I shot at the warm-up's for the Speed and Style competition.

Congrats young Jedi.

Wednesday Quote Noah Forgot the Unicorn's

Today's quote is in picture form above and Sent by a fellow unicorn enthusiast via Haus Interior's.  Clearly I wasn't finding this gem there.

I have been receiving much unicorn love lately.  For example I found these propped up on my front porch upon returning home the other day.

My Bro-friend Eric left them there and it's only fitting that he liberated them from this Cellophane hell.

My girl's brought them in from their perch outside to save them from the wrath of Hurricane Irene.  Upon bringing them in they promptly color enhanced the unicorn's.  Color mingling them to bring them to an unknown even greater state of being.

Speaking of my girl's... I had a chance to spend several day's with them at the beach before they went back to school this week.  It was a great time.  I don't have nearly enough time doing nothing with them to just chill out and get to know them.  They are amazing individual's and make life right.

There was time to ride at the beach although most of it was on our beach cruisers.  That was fine by me. After all my favorite ride's are because I enjoy riding my bike.  Several longer road ride's were mixed in and were perfect to wear me out so I could fall asleep on the beach with a real live novel in my hand's.

Cyclocross season start's September 10th and I am excited and anxious.  Mostly anxious because I have a few boxes of part's and no frame to hang them on.  I sure hope everything come's together in time.  I have been looking forward to racing some CX for several month's now.  

Bring on the racing, bring on the frame, bring on the fun!