Monday, June 15, 2009
The Pugsley ruled as no other bike could have....
The North Shore Trail has been tamed...It is now safe for civilian travel. It took me 44 hours including two bivies. I left at 10:30 on Friday morning rode 'til about 9 that evening and bivied on a flat spot on the trail. I was up and on the trail by 6:00am Saturday and rode until 9:45 pm where I hunkered down in a shelter, up early and on the go by 5:30 am on Sunday morning arriving in Grand Marais by 7:30 am on Sunday morning. Lots of swamps, high grass, lots of hike-a-bike, lots of trees down, very hilly, some angst, and zillions of bugs, I used my granny gear a lot and rode slow and easy!!!! But I made it!!!...I was most impressed with the Pugsley's ability to crawl through the swamps.....More to come........A full trip report in a few dayz with (hopefully) some pictures, as I brought my daughter's cheap camera...but I was confused by itz commands....
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The North Shore Trail...
North Shore Plan-of-Action: I’ll skip the initial swamp that lies between my home and the Zimmerman and Jean Duluth Access point with the justification that I have ridden that section dozens of times, including two weeks ago (it was not bad, but itz rained since then). Yet, I am sure that I will encounter significant swampland along the route, so I’ll bring a pair of high rubbers. Also, there will be a lot of tree barriers as there was a enormous ice storm in March that caused thousands of trees to go down. I am opting to ride the Pugsley because it is already equipped with racks and gears (2x9), plus the big wheels may be of benefit in the swamps. Although the Pugsley will be unwieldy in negotiating the downed trees. I have approximately 48 hours to pull it off, so if I am making good progress I will be able to bivy on both Friday and Saturday night. The plan is to gage my progress by counting the shelters. However, if the trail is wet and slow and if there are tons of trees blocking the trail, it will be an epic battle. To my limited knowledge the only guyz that have ridden it were the Evingson Duo and Pierre Ostor several years ago in the winter, but I do not know any of the specific details. Of course, it is the mystery of the whole thing that captivates me, the DNR has no information other than there is a potential for lots of trees down. The trail is essentially maintained for use by snow-jets as ATVs are not allowed (so I am sure that I will see absolutely no evidence of ATV use as that crowd is law-abiding almost to a fault!). Accordingly, a local DNR crew tentatively plans to get "back in there sometime in July, but with budget cuts...who knows." I'll be surprised if I see anyone else for the entire effort. How cool is that, 150 miles of remote trail all to myself after leaving my house and riding a few blocks. Thatz why I love Duluth. Perhaps if the trail is "reasonable" we will be able to use it as a Trans-Iowa like contest in the future. If I go missing, ask Mallory what to do....
There is nothing like the anticipation that lurks in ones mind as he/she waits for the departure of a trip into the unknown. I can only imagine what the guyz are thinking as they ready themselves for the beginning of the Great Divide Race (or Great Divide Tour). Good luck to those brave souls and special DBD kudos to Joe Meiser....
From My House to Zimmerman & Jean Duluth Rd is ~10 miles
1. From Jean Duluth/Zimmerman to Shelter 1 is 12.4 miles
2. From Shelter 1 to Shelter 2 is 11 miles… Total 23.4
3. From Shelter2 to Shelter 3 is 13.2 miles… Total 36.6
4. From Shelter3 to Shelter 4 is 9.8 miles… Total 46.4
5. From Shelter4 to Shelter 5 is 12.2 miles… Total 58.6
6. From Shelter5 to Shelter 6 is 9.7 miles… Total 68.3
7. From Shelter6 to Shelter 7 is 7.7 miles… Total 76
8. From Shelter7 to Shelter 8 is 8.8 miles… Total 84.8
9. From Shelter8 to Shelter 9 is 9.7 miles… Total 94.5
10. From Shelter9 to Shelter 10 is 7.2 miles…Total 101.7
11. From Shelter10 to Shelter 11 is 9.7 miles…Total 111.4
12. From Shelter11 to Shelter 12 is 12.2 miles-Total 123.6
13. From Shelter12 to Shelter 13 is 9.8 miles- Total 133.4
14. From Shelter13 to Grand Marais 7.2 for total 140.7
15. Total ride distance from my house to the pick up site is ~155 miles
Pickup on Sunday—Directions to Pincushion: Pincushion Mtn Parking Lot (Milepost 109.3): From Hwy 61 go 2.1 miles on Cook Co.Rd.12 (Gunflint Trail), then right on Cook Co.Rd.53 for 0.3 mi to parking lot. Note: Finland looks to be the best place to access a town w/ amenities.
There is nothing like the anticipation that lurks in ones mind as he/she waits for the departure of a trip into the unknown. I can only imagine what the guyz are thinking as they ready themselves for the beginning of the Great Divide Race (or Great Divide Tour). Good luck to those brave souls and special DBD kudos to Joe Meiser....
From My House to Zimmerman & Jean Duluth Rd is ~10 miles
1. From Jean Duluth/Zimmerman to Shelter 1 is 12.4 miles
2. From Shelter 1 to Shelter 2 is 11 miles… Total 23.4
3. From Shelter2 to Shelter 3 is 13.2 miles… Total 36.6
4. From Shelter3 to Shelter 4 is 9.8 miles… Total 46.4
5. From Shelter4 to Shelter 5 is 12.2 miles… Total 58.6
6. From Shelter5 to Shelter 6 is 9.7 miles… Total 68.3
7. From Shelter6 to Shelter 7 is 7.7 miles… Total 76
8. From Shelter7 to Shelter 8 is 8.8 miles… Total 84.8
9. From Shelter8 to Shelter 9 is 9.7 miles… Total 94.5
10. From Shelter9 to Shelter 10 is 7.2 miles…Total 101.7
11. From Shelter10 to Shelter 11 is 9.7 miles…Total 111.4
12. From Shelter11 to Shelter 12 is 12.2 miles-Total 123.6
13. From Shelter12 to Shelter 13 is 9.8 miles- Total 133.4
14. From Shelter13 to Grand Marais 7.2 for total 140.7
15. Total ride distance from my house to the pick up site is ~155 miles
Pickup on Sunday—Directions to Pincushion: Pincushion Mtn Parking Lot (Milepost 109.3): From Hwy 61 go 2.1 miles on Cook Co.Rd.12 (Gunflint Trail), then right on Cook Co.Rd.53 for 0.3 mi to parking lot. Note: Finland looks to be the best place to access a town w/ amenities.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Okay...the guy from Granny Gear Productions is not the devil...the fact is that he's pretty cool and well hez a good guy...and maybe I was wrong to...
Recently, I have enjoyed a compelling dialogue with the director of Granny Gear Productions and I have come away impressed with him, coupled with a change in my thinking regarding his endurance series. I now see this enterprise in a new, more positive light. Furthermore, Granny Gear Production events will not be removed from future LIST considerations. Below is a sampling of our exchanges...
Dear Liard: Again I am impressed with your willingness to address my concerns and I would be a hypocrite if I did not approach your ideas with rationality and open-mindedness. To be honest, you seem like a top notch fellow, and I am fascinated by our dialogue and I might just pony up the “big cash” and head out to Moab just to prove it! Plus, we obviously share a love of mountain bike racing and too me that is a significant point of agreement. Yes, you are bringing me around to your way of thinking on several points with a significant exception that I will address below. Also, I find nothing inconsistent about the points you make, especially the reference to the mismanagement of NORBA or itz off-spring of which the name escapes me. Finally, to make myself clear, my central point in my previous communiqué was that while I do not in anyway disallow you the opportunity to promote and profit from organizing endurance cycling events, I am of the opinion that the organization and structure of a 24 Hour National Championship event that is seemingly just sort-of willy-nilly held out there for the highest (or sole) bidder is inappropriate and counter to what I believe the USA Cycling governing body should represent.
Therefore, here is where we may differ: I am of the belief that, in practice, regarding the relatively new sport of endurance racing (at this point-in-time) where there is but a very select class of racers that are truly professionals—"professionals" as defined as their primary jobs are racing bicycles in endurance mtb events, the classification of "professional" is a misnomer and inconsistent with the facts. Certainly, in 24 hour-endurance mountain bike racing, where there are what maybe eight guys at the most that are getting by financially racing, and probably five true “professionals”, the “governing body” should hold a national 24 hour competition that is affordable and representative of the competitive, albeit nonprofessional bike rider that still constitutes the vast majority of slots for such an event. I am talking about guyz like myself; an old guy pushing 50 that finished 12th and 11th respectively in the last two 24 Hours Nats. I am a committed enduro-bike racer, but I have a full time job, a kid, a wife, a cat, a gecko, etc. and I am not an anomaly, I am the face of the average racer that shows up to enter a USA Cycling-sanctioned 24 Hour National Championship event. The average guy, the average USA Cycling license holder is not looking for a significant pay-out or big prizes; the average guy just wants to see how he stacks up against the rest of the field in this relatively obscure and fringe subculture of cycling. Therefore, in theory, I believe that an affordable, not-for-profit USA Cycling 24 Hour National Event is what WE should get for buying a license from USA Cycling. I don’t know if USA Cycling is a non-profit, but it should be… Instead what WE get, in my view, or what is happening is that your event in Moab (which you have every right to promote and profit from) has agreed (perhaps generously and with the potential for financial loss) to let USA Cycling piggyback onto your event, because presumably they will not, or more likely, are incapable to act on their own. So, WE, the competitors, due to "the luck of the draw" are left with an event that is significantly more expensive than the last two USA Cycling 24 Hour National Championship events and thus for many of us, simply out of reach financially (a reasonable and in your words "unsustainable" $90 dollars last year at 9 Mile, versus $340 this year in Moab). So based on a nebulous or ill-defined decision by USA Cycling (which I suspect was an act of desperation), one either needs to pony up an entry fee that represents a %265 increase over the last two previous events or stay home... and watch the three professionals and the rich guyz battle it out...
Thanks again for your insights,
Charlie
Dear Liard: Again I am impressed with your willingness to address my concerns and I would be a hypocrite if I did not approach your ideas with rationality and open-mindedness. To be honest, you seem like a top notch fellow, and I am fascinated by our dialogue and I might just pony up the “big cash” and head out to Moab just to prove it! Plus, we obviously share a love of mountain bike racing and too me that is a significant point of agreement. Yes, you are bringing me around to your way of thinking on several points with a significant exception that I will address below. Also, I find nothing inconsistent about the points you make, especially the reference to the mismanagement of NORBA or itz off-spring of which the name escapes me. Finally, to make myself clear, my central point in my previous communiqué was that while I do not in anyway disallow you the opportunity to promote and profit from organizing endurance cycling events, I am of the opinion that the organization and structure of a 24 Hour National Championship event that is seemingly just sort-of willy-nilly held out there for the highest (or sole) bidder is inappropriate and counter to what I believe the USA Cycling governing body should represent.
Therefore, here is where we may differ: I am of the belief that, in practice, regarding the relatively new sport of endurance racing (at this point-in-time) where there is but a very select class of racers that are truly professionals—"professionals" as defined as their primary jobs are racing bicycles in endurance mtb events, the classification of "professional" is a misnomer and inconsistent with the facts. Certainly, in 24 hour-endurance mountain bike racing, where there are what maybe eight guys at the most that are getting by financially racing, and probably five true “professionals”, the “governing body” should hold a national 24 hour competition that is affordable and representative of the competitive, albeit nonprofessional bike rider that still constitutes the vast majority of slots for such an event. I am talking about guyz like myself; an old guy pushing 50 that finished 12th and 11th respectively in the last two 24 Hours Nats. I am a committed enduro-bike racer, but I have a full time job, a kid, a wife, a cat, a gecko, etc. and I am not an anomaly, I am the face of the average racer that shows up to enter a USA Cycling-sanctioned 24 Hour National Championship event. The average guy, the average USA Cycling license holder is not looking for a significant pay-out or big prizes; the average guy just wants to see how he stacks up against the rest of the field in this relatively obscure and fringe subculture of cycling. Therefore, in theory, I believe that an affordable, not-for-profit USA Cycling 24 Hour National Event is what WE should get for buying a license from USA Cycling. I don’t know if USA Cycling is a non-profit, but it should be… Instead what WE get, in my view, or what is happening is that your event in Moab (which you have every right to promote and profit from) has agreed (perhaps generously and with the potential for financial loss) to let USA Cycling piggyback onto your event, because presumably they will not, or more likely, are incapable to act on their own. So, WE, the competitors, due to "the luck of the draw" are left with an event that is significantly more expensive than the last two USA Cycling 24 Hour National Championship events and thus for many of us, simply out of reach financially (a reasonable and in your words "unsustainable" $90 dollars last year at 9 Mile, versus $340 this year in Moab). So based on a nebulous or ill-defined decision by USA Cycling (which I suspect was an act of desperation), one either needs to pony up an entry fee that represents a %265 increase over the last two previous events or stay home... and watch the three professionals and the rich guyz battle it out...
Thanks again for your insights,
Charlie
A sojourn into the Northern confines...
Into the Heart of Darkness in search of the enigmatic Kurtz…
Due to commitments beyond my control I am forced to miss the most challenging COGGS sponsored Dirt Spanker MTB Race to be held on this Sunday afternoon at Mont du Lac Ski Resort. A local event put on by a wonderful group that has always successfully exploited all of my many flaws as a single-track racer. Yet it is usually the case that for the optimist, one door closing usually implies that another will swing open. Consequently, while my Sunday afternoon is spoken for, I am afforded a “free” Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning. Thus a plan is hatched.
The venerable DBD member, Bill Tilman, perhaps the last great explorer of those compelling (and now sadly nonexistent) “blank spaces on earth,” over pints of Guinness, likes to entertain his minions, of which I count myself, with stories of ill-conceived sorties into wild places armed only with a little gear, food, and most importantly; a zest for adventure. So it is in his honor that I load up my Surly Pugsley with a bit of food, a bivy bag, some netting, and head up the 150 mile North Shore Trail on early Friday morning. The plan is simple: Leave my house on Friday morning and ride my bike to Grand Marais via the trail. More to come…as the departure approaches…
Monday, June 8, 2009
THE 2008 LIST...The standard by which all other lists are judged...
THE LIST For Most Impressive Cycling Feats of 2008....Better late than never!
Due to a busy spring with the better half in graduate school coupled with several great races to train for and participate in; I am a bit behind in publishing The LIST OF MOST IMPRESSIVE CYCLING ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2008. Of course, it is every competitive rider’s dream to make THE LIST and thus I apologize as I know the delay has caused great consternation (and in some cases; counseling fees) for those fringe candidates that anticipated that they maybe on the cusp of great renown, and yet in their hearts they know that they are not ready. In an effort to give hope to some, the author of THE LIST notes that there exists a certain degree of bias in favor of the elder statesmen of the sport. In fact, longevity is a positively weighted component of the complex assessment process, so the young should not despair too deeply for their time may well come in later life. Remember also that in order to make the list the rider must have been at an event that the author was privy to in person or at least had some special or intimate knowledge of the “impressive” effort. Usually it is the case that preference goes to those that participate in races that are more involved than riding loops on a ski trail for ninety minutes. Also noteworthy is the elimination from LIST consideration anyone participating in duo-athlons/tri-athlons and any event that is connected with Granny-gear productions. The Board, without official explanation, has simply decided to de-list these “elitist sports” from consideration, citing only “off-the-record” that these endeavors have become too obsessed with all things “carbon.” With their shoddy "credit-card" timing systems and their silly/wimpy name coupled with their outrageous entry fees puts Granny-gear out of the running for any future consideration. Furthermore, in the future the author of THE LIST will de-emphasize any events that are organized under the auspices of USA Cycling, an organization that is severely out of touch with all but a tiny fraction of racers. An addition to this year’s list is a special category for recognizing a few of those visionaries that have been the catalyst for the amazingly compelling grassroots neo-endurance events including, but not confided to, the following: WEMS races, the Arrowhead 135, the Trans-Iowa, the Red Ass 300, Almanzo 100, the Ragnorak 105, the Dirty Kanza, Ore-to-shore, the Great Divide Race, Lance Andre’s Winter Race, etc. Essentially the message being send by the author of The List is— To be seriously considered for placement upon the 2009 LIST one should consider entering one of the above events or itz like, or consistently beat Doug Swanson and/or Jesse Lalonde.
#10. Jan Rybar @ 47 for winning the Over 40 Minnesota Mountain Biking Series. Jan Rybar is a fixture at both the MN Series events and the WORS events as well as a perennial top 40 finisher in the Chequamegon 40. He makes the list cuz hez so strong and such a great climber and he races nearly every weekend and I love his accent. Also Chris Peariso for a most impressive run at the 2008 Chequamegon finishing in the fifth position in a race that each and every year becomes more competitive. Peariso and his wife are two of the nicest people at the races…A fully and indisputably impressive duo!!!
#9. Chris Skogen of the Almanzo 100, Pierre & Cheryl Ostor of the Arrowhead 135, and Guitar Ted & Dave Pals of the Trans-Iowa, all make THE LIST for putting on three amazing events in 2008. These events are all labors of love that afford the essential core elements of adventure/endurance racing. These three events for 2008 were groundbreaking and the great thing is that they are back with 2009 versions. The juxtaposition of their approach and commitment to no-support and self-sufficiency with the mainstream trends of “safe” albeit Rock Concert/NASCAR style events with exorbitant entry&license&trail&camping fees being set by “various corporate productions” (with the apparent blessings of USA Cycling) is stark! The 09 Almanzo 100 and T.I. are already in the books as full-on classics…look for their recent winners to be high on the 2009 List (e.g. Mesier, Ek, Pramann, Shockey, Reints, Tri…). If truth be told exceptionally and authentically impressive group of race directors!!!!
#8. Jesse Lalonde for his performance at the 2008 Wisconsin Single Speed Championships. Again, like Doug Swanson, to not include Lalonde on a list of impressive cycling events would cancel any warranted legitimacy. Case-in-point, Tim Ek and I were fighting our way through the incredible single-track at last summer’s Levis-Trow 100 miler. There is a long winding ascent that even with fresh legs forced the two of us to walk. Suddenly, as if on a motorcycle, Lalonde came by us followed by a rooster tail of dirt!!! It was such an impressive display of power and speed that Eki and I both wept for we had truly witnessed a master at work… Out of this world!!!! Should be higher on The List, but hez too young, genuinely impressive!!!
#7. Charly Tri for winning the 100 mile epic at Levis Trow. When he is on, he is incredibly strong and fast. He was "ON" that day and it was wholly impressive. Eki and I felt like we were riding well and he beat us by nearly eighty minutes! He is probably too young to be on the List, but I know how to spot talent and this kid has talent… Truly impressive!!!
#6. Tim Ek & Daniel Strese @ the Blufflands Epic in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Both of these guyz make the list for battling the awesome climbs and techy single-track of the WEMS bluff course. Due to a screw up with timing and/or lap counting, Ek was led to believe that he was in the lead while Strese was just as surprised as Ek when at post race ceremony it became clear that he has indeed beaten Ek. Really it doesn’t matter as both of these guyz had top-notch, “list-worthy” efforts on that hot and extremely humid day last summer. Collectively certainly most impressive!!!
#5. J. Ross Fraboni for his second consecutive victory at the Thunderdown in the Underdown. This course is the quintessential mountain bike course and Fraboni has mastered it. Itz really a tough course and so the ease with which he has won it over the past two seasons is very impressive… Tremendously impressive!!!
#4. Chris Shotz for winning the overall WEMS title. Chris Shotz looks like the middle-aged social studies teacher that he is, but put him on a mountain bike and give him a long tough challenge and he ends up beating lotz of riders. He has won the WEMS for the last several seasons and is likely to win it again in 2009. He has earned this spot on The List… Exceedingly impressive!!!
#3. Doug Swanson, even though he is a tad young, he will continue to make THE LIST annually for the foreseeable future just because he is the best all around cyclist in the Midwest. The following is his bio as it appears on the Team Grandstay website and I think it sums up what I am trying to convey in a succinct manner: Cat 1 road/cx; Pro mtn and Undisputed team leader; 17 wins (including State Road Race Championship, Ken Woods RR, Tour of Granite Country overall) in ‘08; also set two TT course records in ’08; dipped under the mythical 14 minute barrier at Black Dog for the second time; can manufacture win in any manner; in first and only venture on the velodrome scorched the fastest 3K pursuit seen on the track in many years; despite his freakish abilities is humble and very likeable, someone his teammates are more than happy to work for. Should be higher on The List, but hez too young… Particularly and astonishingly impressive!!!
#2. Dave Pramann, 50+ years of age, winning the Arrowhead 135 in 15 hours and 48 minutes, or two hours and three minutes ahead of a very fast, Joel Cahalan. Pramann holds the record for the Arrowhead and has completed the event twice in under sixteen hours, no one else has come close to Pramann when it comes to the Arrowhead. In 2010 he heads to Alaska for the ultimate in endurance events… Exceptionally Amazing!!!
#1. Scott Cole, veteran of over twenty years of racing, taking fifth place at the United States 24 Hour National Championships held last summer near Wausau, Wisconsin (24 Hours @ 9 Mile). We are talking a deeply talented allotment of racers, including Eatough and rivals. It was simply the most impressive display of endurance riding that the author has ever witnessed by a local old guy with two little kids and a full time job. Outstandingly Amazing Effort…Fantastically impressive!
Quite simply: The most impressive thing I witnessed in 2008!!!!
Due to a busy spring with the better half in graduate school coupled with several great races to train for and participate in; I am a bit behind in publishing The LIST OF MOST IMPRESSIVE CYCLING ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2008. Of course, it is every competitive rider’s dream to make THE LIST and thus I apologize as I know the delay has caused great consternation (and in some cases; counseling fees) for those fringe candidates that anticipated that they maybe on the cusp of great renown, and yet in their hearts they know that they are not ready. In an effort to give hope to some, the author of THE LIST notes that there exists a certain degree of bias in favor of the elder statesmen of the sport. In fact, longevity is a positively weighted component of the complex assessment process, so the young should not despair too deeply for their time may well come in later life. Remember also that in order to make the list the rider must have been at an event that the author was privy to in person or at least had some special or intimate knowledge of the “impressive” effort. Usually it is the case that preference goes to those that participate in races that are more involved than riding loops on a ski trail for ninety minutes. Also noteworthy is the elimination from LIST consideration anyone participating in duo-athlons/tri-athlons and any event that is connected with Granny-gear productions. The Board, without official explanation, has simply decided to de-list these “elitist sports” from consideration, citing only “off-the-record” that these endeavors have become too obsessed with all things “carbon.” With their shoddy "credit-card" timing systems and their silly/wimpy name coupled with their outrageous entry fees puts Granny-gear out of the running for any future consideration. Furthermore, in the future the author of THE LIST will de-emphasize any events that are organized under the auspices of USA Cycling, an organization that is severely out of touch with all but a tiny fraction of racers. An addition to this year’s list is a special category for recognizing a few of those visionaries that have been the catalyst for the amazingly compelling grassroots neo-endurance events including, but not confided to, the following: WEMS races, the Arrowhead 135, the Trans-Iowa, the Red Ass 300, Almanzo 100, the Ragnorak 105, the Dirty Kanza, Ore-to-shore, the Great Divide Race, Lance Andre’s Winter Race, etc. Essentially the message being send by the author of The List is— To be seriously considered for placement upon the 2009 LIST one should consider entering one of the above events or itz like, or consistently beat Doug Swanson and/or Jesse Lalonde.
#10. Jan Rybar @ 47 for winning the Over 40 Minnesota Mountain Biking Series. Jan Rybar is a fixture at both the MN Series events and the WORS events as well as a perennial top 40 finisher in the Chequamegon 40. He makes the list cuz hez so strong and such a great climber and he races nearly every weekend and I love his accent. Also Chris Peariso for a most impressive run at the 2008 Chequamegon finishing in the fifth position in a race that each and every year becomes more competitive. Peariso and his wife are two of the nicest people at the races…A fully and indisputably impressive duo!!!
#9. Chris Skogen of the Almanzo 100, Pierre & Cheryl Ostor of the Arrowhead 135, and Guitar Ted & Dave Pals of the Trans-Iowa, all make THE LIST for putting on three amazing events in 2008. These events are all labors of love that afford the essential core elements of adventure/endurance racing. These three events for 2008 were groundbreaking and the great thing is that they are back with 2009 versions. The juxtaposition of their approach and commitment to no-support and self-sufficiency with the mainstream trends of “safe” albeit Rock Concert/NASCAR style events with exorbitant entry&license&trail&camping fees being set by “various corporate productions” (with the apparent blessings of USA Cycling) is stark! The 09 Almanzo 100 and T.I. are already in the books as full-on classics…look for their recent winners to be high on the 2009 List (e.g. Mesier, Ek, Pramann, Shockey, Reints, Tri…). If truth be told exceptionally and authentically impressive group of race directors!!!!
#8. Jesse Lalonde for his performance at the 2008 Wisconsin Single Speed Championships. Again, like Doug Swanson, to not include Lalonde on a list of impressive cycling events would cancel any warranted legitimacy. Case-in-point, Tim Ek and I were fighting our way through the incredible single-track at last summer’s Levis-Trow 100 miler. There is a long winding ascent that even with fresh legs forced the two of us to walk. Suddenly, as if on a motorcycle, Lalonde came by us followed by a rooster tail of dirt!!! It was such an impressive display of power and speed that Eki and I both wept for we had truly witnessed a master at work… Out of this world!!!! Should be higher on The List, but hez too young, genuinely impressive!!!
#7. Charly Tri for winning the 100 mile epic at Levis Trow. When he is on, he is incredibly strong and fast. He was "ON" that day and it was wholly impressive. Eki and I felt like we were riding well and he beat us by nearly eighty minutes! He is probably too young to be on the List, but I know how to spot talent and this kid has talent… Truly impressive!!!
#6. Tim Ek & Daniel Strese @ the Blufflands Epic in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Both of these guyz make the list for battling the awesome climbs and techy single-track of the WEMS bluff course. Due to a screw up with timing and/or lap counting, Ek was led to believe that he was in the lead while Strese was just as surprised as Ek when at post race ceremony it became clear that he has indeed beaten Ek. Really it doesn’t matter as both of these guyz had top-notch, “list-worthy” efforts on that hot and extremely humid day last summer. Collectively certainly most impressive!!!
#5. J. Ross Fraboni for his second consecutive victory at the Thunderdown in the Underdown. This course is the quintessential mountain bike course and Fraboni has mastered it. Itz really a tough course and so the ease with which he has won it over the past two seasons is very impressive… Tremendously impressive!!!
#4. Chris Shotz for winning the overall WEMS title. Chris Shotz looks like the middle-aged social studies teacher that he is, but put him on a mountain bike and give him a long tough challenge and he ends up beating lotz of riders. He has won the WEMS for the last several seasons and is likely to win it again in 2009. He has earned this spot on The List… Exceedingly impressive!!!
#3. Doug Swanson, even though he is a tad young, he will continue to make THE LIST annually for the foreseeable future just because he is the best all around cyclist in the Midwest. The following is his bio as it appears on the Team Grandstay website and I think it sums up what I am trying to convey in a succinct manner: Cat 1 road/cx; Pro mtn and Undisputed team leader; 17 wins (including State Road Race Championship, Ken Woods RR, Tour of Granite Country overall) in ‘08; also set two TT course records in ’08; dipped under the mythical 14 minute barrier at Black Dog for the second time; can manufacture win in any manner; in first and only venture on the velodrome scorched the fastest 3K pursuit seen on the track in many years; despite his freakish abilities is humble and very likeable, someone his teammates are more than happy to work for. Should be higher on The List, but hez too young… Particularly and astonishingly impressive!!!
#2. Dave Pramann, 50+ years of age, winning the Arrowhead 135 in 15 hours and 48 minutes, or two hours and three minutes ahead of a very fast, Joel Cahalan. Pramann holds the record for the Arrowhead and has completed the event twice in under sixteen hours, no one else has come close to Pramann when it comes to the Arrowhead. In 2010 he heads to Alaska for the ultimate in endurance events… Exceptionally Amazing!!!
#1. Scott Cole, veteran of over twenty years of racing, taking fifth place at the United States 24 Hour National Championships held last summer near Wausau, Wisconsin (24 Hours @ 9 Mile). We are talking a deeply talented allotment of racers, including Eatough and rivals. It was simply the most impressive display of endurance riding that the author has ever witnessed by a local old guy with two little kids and a full time job. Outstandingly Amazing Effort…Fantastically impressive!
Quite simply: The most impressive thing I witnessed in 2008!!!!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Gone are the shackles of gears...
I have made the order with the Good People at THE SKI HUT...A Surly Tensioner, a full-on Wipperman SS chain, a couple Surly Cogs (17 & 19 to compliment a 34 chainring), and a Surly SS spacer kit...If all goes according to plan I will become a new man, a force to be reckoned with, and this time next year I will have had my Gunnar converted to include horizontal drops while enjoying Rock Star status. Also I can use the above quality MN Surly designed components to transform my old but beautiful 1988 Merlin for this fall when the snow flies....I am so pumped, I feel like a little school girl on her first junior high date...I am free....free from the tyrannical oppressive grip of gears...I am reborn....I am now a MAN with his own life to live unencumbered by cassettes, shifting, shifters, and all the trappings that these unnatural gizmos entail...
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