"Against the Wind, I be peddlin' against the Wind."

Itz been really windy out lately...got me to thinking about Bob Seger...and his classic tune:

Against the wind
We were riding against the wind
We were young and strong, we were biking
Against the wind

And the years rolled slowly past
And I found myself alone
Surrounded bv Twitchy Nervous ROADIES I thought were my friends
I found myself further and further from my home
And I guess I lost my way
There were oh so many Creepy ROADIES
I was living to bike and peddlin' to live
Never worried about paying or even how much I owed

Against the wind.......... :)


Jousting w/a Jocular Jet-Stream: This has the makings of a big training day!!!! The morning commute was picture perfect, including beautiful sunrise, friendly tail wing, and abundant bunnies and bambis. In easy-spin mode, I rode out to Esko via the Munger Trail...It was great...energizing...Then I went for a power walk at lunch for 35 minutes, and I plan to take the long way home in the p.m.

Postscript--Headed home via Jay Cooke State Park then via the Munger Trail then via the battle zone of West Duluth, then the GREEN ZONE...NOTE: Funny encounter on the Munger Trail to report...so I'm riding along in my middle chainring battlin' da wind, yet still livin' the dream...I catch up to these chubby little red cheeked McKids, one McGirl and one McBoy...I couldn't tell for sure if they were McChildren or McTeens...In any event, they were riding two of these super loud, foul smelling, chainsaw-like McScooters on the Munger. As I blow by them on my bike, I look back Lance Amstrong-style and call out, "Hey no scooters on this trail!" The Mcboy yells back, "@#%$ You!" So it goes...I didn't take it personal, I never do, as the life of the commuter [especially in West Duluth] is always, always INTENSE!
SWEET TRAINING DAY!!!! Total Time: 4 hours and 28 minutes!!!

Itz Shaping Up as a Great Training Week

I am starting to advocate that Minnesota should quickly secede from the Union. Or better yet, Minnesota should leave the Union, and then the Northland should secede from Minnesota.

Tim Ek has written an outstanding Trans-Iowa race re-cap...more on this later. It should be posted on the Team Ski Hut Website by Thursday...see: www.teamskihut.com
or "click" on Top Notch Guyz on this site...

I ain't bragging, but itz only Wednesday and I got over 10 hours of good training in the bank! And my legs feel pretty darn good..............

Imploring Inhumane Ingrates : 3 hours and 22 minutes...a decidedly anti-biker headwind on the way home made for a hard effort...good stuff.

Build II: Pushing it with a growing sense of excitment!

The Season, for me is 19 days out with the Cable Classic...Unfortunately I have to miss Jay Richard’s Maplelag spring opener…but there just is no way. Crystal, my wife has to work and it’s too far away to justify a baby sitter for Sophie…I need a miracle, but I doubt it is going to happen…I am somewhat comforted by the fact that I can still race there toward the end of the season, as the second to the last MNSCS race is at Maplelag.

I rode in to Esko again this morning with the plan to push it hard especially on the hills…I purposefully rode the hills using hard gears while remaining seated, the idea is to build power…I felt great!!! It was a beautiful morning…

During the morning commute, I started thinking about The RED ASSiniboine 300 and itz potential for a Zen-like encounter and a classic Dylan song came to mind [Note the last two verses are mine :)]

You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may ride a Kelly bike made of U.S. steel,
because you may like the springy feel,
you may pray to be a big racing star,
but it may not be the deal
you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may have a pure bred,
or you may have a mutt.
You may be able to ride
along time on your big wide butt,
you're gonna have to serve somebody.



Haranguing Hard-boiled Hedonic Hellions: Good training rides at or above aerobic pace with power efforts on the hills—[3 hours + 24 minutes]...strong head wind on the way home...

Build II: A Sense of Urgency...The Race of My Fears is Six Weeks Away!!!

Gallivanting w/ Grotesque Gremlins: Esko Commute via Munger Trail: 3 hours and 19 minutes at a good training pace...I pushed it on some hills, both in the a.m. and in the p.m.

VICTORY...Ekimov does it!!!!!!!!!!!

Stand by: As of Monday morning, details are still hard to come by...No word yet from the Victorious One...As mentioned below I am working to get an "exclusive, behind-the-scenes, tell-all, unabridged narrative" from The Northland's Conqueror of Iowa
Tim Ek did it...He finished the Trans-Iowa...9th overall [unofficial], according to Grady Larimer...A work in progress, a story that must be told!...Also, I am working on getting an up close & personal "exclusive interview" with Ekimov...stay tuned...more to come tonight or for sure by Monday evening!!!THIS is HUGE...Ek certainly must know that he is a shoe-in to make the LIST for 2007...He must be overjoyed!!!

Fraternizing w/ Feral Fanatics: 180 minutes, tried to go easy, but it was work with the wind...Recovery weeks over...next week itz time to pay the fiddler...
Total for the week was 14.2 hours, all easy time except on Tuesday when I lost my glasses, more later on this...but I wanted to get the Ek story out!

Trans-Iowa III: First 100; then 63; then 43; now only 30!!!

Trans-Iowa III...Dramas of Greek Mythological proportions are being played out on the plains of the Heartland...TONIGHT in Iowa!

Take heed! Be warned.... Dear travelers forgo Iowa tonight for the veil of darkness beckons those in the business of evil deception and devilish deal-making. I fear that tonight on the back roads of Iowa under a “bad moon arising” there is trouble a brewing…Tonight there will be wailing and mashing of teeth in Iowa. Unscrupulous deals will transpire next to the fertile soils of Iowa this evening. There will be a “moon-light” special on temptation tonight on the farm roads of Iowa. Family men will bargain away their children tonight on the hinder-lands of Iowa. Promises of never, ever racing again will be loudly proclaimed by once proud stoic men tonight in the corn fields of Iowa. The marquees will read “Night of the Living Dead” at the drive-ins tonight in the quiet rural hamlets of Iowa. Opportunistic demons will earn wind-fall profits, as it’s a sellers market tonight in Iowa farm country. Werewolves in Iowa tonight only! Rationality, composure, and sensibility will be in short supply tonight in remote Iowa. Ambition is a dangerous thing tonight in Iowa. Ego may spell death tonight in the small towns of Iowa. Tonight, the Id rules the roost in Iowa. Men of integrity will betray each other tonight in farm country near Decorah, Iowa. Brave, principled men will sell their souls tonight in the lands south of Minnesota. Strong men, patriots, humanitarians will turn to tyranny, treason, and even treachery tonight in the corn-belt of Iowa. The Children of the Corn will seek vengeance tonight in Iowa. Death and transformation, fear and loathing, duress and compromise all play major roles tonight in Iowa...Will morning come or has the Trans-Iowa become The RACE OF THE DAMNED??? Itz 10:23 P.M. and there is No Word on Mr. Ek............or is it now Mr. Hyde? As you climb into your cozy bed tonight...think of those on the lonely Iowa road...the road to NOWHERE.......May Providence save Tim Ek's soul!!!!! March of the Folly, in Iowa.....tonight! Lock your doors, hug your children, for there's a "bad moon arisin'" in Iowa!!!

Dining w/ Demons: 155 minutes easy ridin'

Live updates on Trans-Iowa go to: http://www.ride424.com/ or JUST Click here!

Rejoicing in Recovery! While speculating on Tim Ek's misery!!!!!!!!

"It is as reasonable to represent one kind of imprisonment by another, as it is to represent anything that really exists by that which exists not."
Daniel Defoe

Contemplate that quote for awhile!!!

A Caustic Cavort w/ Cannibals: The week of recovery continues with 50 minutes easyridin'