Where have I been??????

For those of you that are regular readers, you are probably wondering what I have been up to.....

• working
• sleeping
• worked on monkey boys bike
• Got a Christmas tree
• working
• worked on Steeves new ride
• working
• tried to see a movie
• working

I think you get the picture.


Haven't heard form Monkey Boy....

So at this point I can only assume that Monkey boy has started his trek to Florida. It was supposed to start Saturday. I worked on Stevens new TT bike and he had not heard from him either. So we will assume he is on his way and should be about 300 miles into his trip by now.


Like I said I have been busy......

So the Christmas peak is finally coming to an end and I should be able to get back to a somewhat normal life. I hope to get on the bike this weekend for the Tour de Liquor and then back to spinning next week. I wont be able to teach a morning class this year but hope to do some in the evenings.

We also got our Christmas tree up and decorated. Of course flick and his mom were unable to decide which tree to pick and I as usual had trouble explaining that trees look much smaller out in the woods than they do in our living room.

I also forgot that Flick myself SAM and Goliath have been working on a new christmas dance number...Enjoy

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

I think my brain is asleep.....

So after another long day I headed for the gas station for a fill-up. So I pull up to the pump and run in to prepay since it seams that there was a rash of pump and run when prices were high...although I heard of none.

Anyway I come back out to pump my gas and for the life of me I cant find the gas cap on my truck...which is normally located on the drivers side. So I get in turn the truck around, walk to the other side and what do yo know.....no fuel cap. Now I am frustrated so I walk back to the other side and guess what miraculously appears.....my gas cap. So back into the truck and turn it around again and out again to pump. All the while some guy is watching this all transpire and all I could do was look at him...smile..and say..."its been a long day".

Monkeyboys off to Florida......

That's right folks and he isn't using his frequent flier miles either. He is riding his bike. this is a new endeavor for him and I hope that he does not regret it. Not saying that he isn't physically able it is just probably the wrong time of the year to do it is all.

I'm Beat.......

this week has really taken its toll on me. working from 2:30 am until some days after 5 weren't so bat until I got a cold. I figure I will be better by sometime after Christmas since that's when the hours at UPS will cut back.


Kick a man while he is down...........

So I have been working at UPS and doing drafting work. I was hired to help out with a project that is coming to an end so I am pretty sure I will be out of that job shortly. So as I said let the pointed toe kicking begin......

• Job uncertainty
• Grandmother admitted to the Hospital. Not sure what is wrong...maybe a stroke
• Feel like crap due to illness
• And for the cou-de-gra......... Sam was to the vet today, he has been limping around, and they feel that he has bone cancer and there is nothing to be done for him so his time with us may be limited

The bright side........

Some may wonder how that could be but the lord does work in mysterious ways.

• I know that I will find another job
• My Grandmother has lived a very full and happy life. Not extravagant but happy and full of love
• I will get better

Sam on the other hand is not going so easy.......

I have only had a few dogs in my life and only in my adult life. We did not have pets as kids. Annie was the first. she was a beagle and one of the best ones I have ever hunted with. we would hunt from sun up to sun down, and on more that one occasion I actually carried her out of the woods. I spent a lot of time with that dog both hunting and at the house in the yard. She was obedient and would even retrieve a rabbit that was shot ( a real rarity). then she got some kind of hip disease common to beagle and i had to put her down. I couldn't bare to be in the room with her when they did it so I left the room with tears in my eyes. they latter brought her out to me and I took her home and buried her and cried some more. She was my dog so my wife did not experience the loss I had.

Mandy was the next...Annie's replacement. She was a good hunter as well but I no longer had the time to spend with her so I gave her to my nephew.

Next was Lance.....the first family pet. He was a blond lab mix and had lots of personality. He would go mountain biking with us and was a hoot., He could not stand to be last but never got in the way. He was awesome but as one man dog. he never really took to my wife and wen my son got old enough to move around on his own Lance turned on him so I had to give him away.

Now Sam.....Sam is probably one of the best behaved Golden retrievers you will ever see. Obedient to a fault and goes out of his way to please and will chase a ball until your arm hurts. We would go to work with me every day. I would ride my bike he would run. He did that from almost the time we brought him home. He would stop at all the stop signs on command and never got distracted...even if there were other dogs around. He is truly a family dog and I know that this is going to be a blow to all of us. My wife is already crying about it and I am sure that my son and I are next.

Goliath....... Goliath is our dumb blond. He is also a golden retriever but has a totally different personality from Sam. He is a lover and desires constant attention. he is pretty cool but not near the dog that Sam is.

The Christma lights were hung from the gutters with care..........L

That is if you consider a ladder propped up on a one side with a brick with care...more like careless I would say. But what must be done by one man must be done and they all mostly work so I am happy. I don't particularly like ladders, as I have had many friends over the years fall off of them and I think the statistics bare out that.


Ahh the holidays..........

So may of you are used to seeing me on one of these since it is the holiday season you will probably see me in one of these I would be curious to know how much the volume has increased over the years since the Internet.....my guess is three fold but I don't know. I do know this.....Internet shopping rules these days and you would not believe what is on those trucks most days bot in items and quantity. I have actually put a shoulder to the door to get it shut some days.


Probably shouldn't say anything........

So my wife and I have been having some unsettling experiences with some people from our church. Now I must say that it is not earth shattering but it is definitely something you would not expect from people that you worship with. I almost decided not to blog about this situation since many who read this know me and where I worship, but then again, for me not to say anything is completely out of character. Not only that my wife and I think the world of bot of our pastors and families as well as our congregation as a whole so all the more reason to write.

So this whole thing started with one couple in our church and it had now blossomed into more. It actually started a couple of years ago, and actually it started with the husband. We have been attending this church since before were were married and only left for a few years since we were no longer in the area, but would still come back once and a while for a visit. It was a couple of years after we had come back that we were invited to a Church members home for a small dinner party. we went and had a really good time and met some wonderful people, including said couple. We talked and had some wonderful fellowship, but from there it was down hill. At first he would only speak to us sporadically at church and all but ignored us if he saw us in public...today it is as if my wife and I do not exist to either he or his wife...except for the few times that they came into my former business looking for a deal or when we give them not choice but to say hello. Now what bothers me the most about this particular couple is that He is a deacon and she is a worship leader in our church, which to me seams hypocritical and as a church member am concerned for how the church is perceived when others outside the church encounter these people (read the Sunday ride report at the bottom) because I find it hard to believe that we are the only ones.My wife actually could not wait to get out of church last Sunday after hearing him read from the lectern and watching her help lead worship.

Like I said there are a couple of others as well. One is a person that is in our home fellowship group. this person actually goes out of their way to avoid us wbut their spouse is always friendly the other is another couple that we used to attend their home fellowship group, and there have been a few others as well that I don't know quite as well.

I am really in a quandary because my wife is fed up and wants to try out some other churches. while I really like our pastors and don't want to jump ship.

A 23 degree mountain bike ride is better than indoor training any day......

Back on the bike today after over a month off. Between Archery season and work I have not had much time for anything else. Starting work at 3:30 am and finishing up my day at 5:00 pm makes Rich a tired boy, zombie like you might say. Oh well, I enjoyed the season and work isn't so bad either.

Man did it feel good even though the temperature did not go over 30 deg and was closer to 20 when we finished. Monkey boy, Scott and myself did 1 1/2 hours in whites woods today with little trouble. Riding in the snow is plenty fun but can also make steep descents , with switchbacks impossibly fun. The riding was superb and I actually was dressed correctly. Dressing for winter riding can be difficult. Don't wear too much or you will sweat to death, wear too little and freeze. the only thing that was cold on me today was my toes as usual. I could not find my winter booties so shame on me.

It was really good to get out and ride with monkey boy and this was the first time I had ridden with Scott.


I"ll keep buying them til I fond one that shows me what I want to see......

So I was helping out around the house today and came across another scale. Now you must know that over the years I have seen many of these devices in my home and rarely place a foot on them, but finding this one today made me curious so I asked my wife how many of these things we needed to buy, her reply....."I will keep buying them until I find one that tells me what I want to here." I really did not expect that response but I guess that all of these years of being around me and my smart@&& friends for the past 15 years, a little is bound to rub off. Which means that my son will probably be a comedian when he grows up, or just be plain intolerable.

Dirty....Dirty....

Well it has been quite some time since my hands have been greasy but they were definitely dirty today. Steve brought over Hannah's bike for me to swap the comps to his new/old TCR alliance frame. this should be a nice upgrade for here. She has been riding an OCR2 for about a year now and doing quite well with it.

Steve is all a twitter over his new ride, a 09 Specialized Tarmac frame that he put his other parts on. He really likes the way that it rides, nothing quite like carbon.


Spooky.....Spooky.....


My son and I carved pumpkins the other evening. He drew the faces and I cut them out. he did a pretty good job for a little guy. He still wont touch the pumpkin gut though.I did however sneak up on him and dump a handful down his shirt. He nor his mother failed to see the humor in that, as usual, but did find humor in him doing it to me. That made things all better.



Speaking of Spooky..........

Did you happen to catch Obamas 30 minute, I'm the greatest thing to happen to government infomercial last evening. I hope that the public realizes that it was just that, a commercial, not necessarily reality TV if you get my drift. Shoot, after watching that I was almost ready to vote for him.Unfortunately though the general public is much like my son. If it on a TV commercial it must be true. Grab onto your wallets folks...its going to be a bumpy ride.

Sundays L.E.R.......

Low effort riding that is........ couldn't get out til after 1:00 on Sunday so I missed the regular ride and went out on my own. I was kind of glad to miss the ride because not only did I need a low effort workout but It has been a long time since I have just gone out by myself.

Riding with the group is allot of fun but riding alone allows you just to ride....no particular destination or pace, and nobody to talk to. It also gives you time to reflect. I guess that it doesn't necessarily mean that you wont have any conversation though. I most often find myself praying or just talking to the lord. As a christian I am as guilty as anybody for not spending enough time in prayer.Now I have made much improvement,but i believe that we all fall short in this area of our lives and that we should always seek ways or time to make it a part of our daily life.

I rode for about 2 hours and had a really nice time.


Still Hunting......................

Went hunting on Monday evening.....as usual I got there later than I wanted but had a pretty good hunt. Saw a small buck on my way in and rattled in a small six pointer that spent a good 10 minutes under my stand. I don't know if I will hunt any more weekday evenings though, getting up at 3:00 am every day for work and staying up until 9:30 pm is starting to wain on me. I guess we do turn the clocks back next week though, and it will be getting dark earlier so maybe I will continue.

Gone Hunt'in........

As I said before its Hunting season so the bike kind of moves to the back burner for a while.I was out both Friday and Saturday afternoons. Friday was a pretty good day. After walking in on another hunter I had to rethink my strategy for the day. So I set up in an area I have never hunted before.

I found a tree suitable for my climber and took a perch about 20 feet up and relaxed.I arrived a little later than I wanted to mostly because of the other hunter being in the spot I had originally planned to hunt but that really did not concern me. I enjoy being out as much as anything else, I just missed out on an hour of relaxation is all.. So after sitting for r a while I pulled out my rattling antlers and started to make some noise. I rattled for about 5 minutes and waited. then I rattled again for about 2.

Now I have never used any tactic for hunting that has worked as well or consistently as rattling except for a grunt tube. But that usually only works if you actually see a deer and can intemperate how he is responding to the noises you are making. So I waited about 30 minutes and started again for another 3 or 4 more minutes. I put the antlers down and just waited. I must have been off my game a little because I just happened to look to my right and there was a pretty nice little 6 point standing right there. He was a 1 1/2 year old deer and was sporting his first rack. Where I hunt the deer have to have at least 4 points on a side so I let him walk. I probably would have anyway since hes was such a young deer. That was the only deer I saw on Friday except for the one that I spooked when climbing down out of the tree.

More Hunt'in.......

Saturdays hunt went pretty good. I got out a little later than i wanted to and the deer were already on the move. All in all I saw over 20 deer on the day.

My brother and I are very fortunate to be able to hunt the property that we do. It actually belongs to some long time family friends of mine. it consists of 130 acres surrounded by about 2000 acres of private land. i have permission to hunt both their property and a neighboring property that consist of over 700 acres, so there is ample room. The only rule is don't shoot any of the does hanging around the farm house and don't shoot the white buck..... These are pretty easy rules to follow in returned for the great hunting opportunities.

The only other other place I hunt that produces the quality deer I see here are some public game lands close to my house, but I don't spend too much time there, even though I have seen some of the biggest bucks there as well.


I should really carry a camera....

So I set up in one of my favorite spots and as I said the deer were already on the move. So I did a little rattling and waited. I saw a bunch of does but no antlers. then about 40 minutes or so before dark 2 does come balling by my stand with their tails tucked and the hair standing up on their backs. they come to the field and abruptly stop and then meander on into the field. So I stand there for a minute listening and I here another deer approaching. Now I am pretty sure that a mature buck is coming due to the loud guttural grunting I am hearing approach. So I grab my bow and wait. Pretty soon he appears..........."THE WHITE BUCK".

Now he is not your normal white buck, he is actually a palomino buck. Brown at the head turning to spots then white at the rear. He also has a dark chocolate rack, and unlike most palomino bucks his rack is perfect. He is an 8 point with plenty of mass and I would say at least a 18" spread, and would probably score in the 130'-140's. Needless to say he is beautiful and would make an awesome mount.

So he approaches the field and stops about 15 feet from my stand and works a scrape, then moves out into the field and walks right in front of me, nose to the ground. What an awesome display. I think that I am going to start carrying my video camera all the time now. There is so much to see in the outdoors and I would like to be able to share what I see with others.

Antler carvings

Didn't ride yesterday. My wife had to work so my son and I went to the woods for some leaf collecting and deer recon. We really had a great time. I really enjoy sharing the things I enjoy with my family and they are always more than happy to oblige. so we collected many leaves and also inspected some deer sign. It is so cool the interest young children have in things they know nothing of. i showed him sum Deer rubs only stating to him that that is were the deer rub their antlers. he said, "cool, antler carvings". then we went to inspect the pond and found a couple of scrapes which he dubbed "deer diggings". we had a great time, the only drawback is that I become so enthralled with explaining things to him that I often forget to take pictures.I di get this photo on our way out though.


The SNUGGIE???????...Oh brother......

I think that the Jedi should get credit for this one. It appears it also comes with some new fangeled Light Saber, you would definitely need it if you planned on wearing these things in public, an di wonder if they are fire proof.........Enjoy the lunacy...........

The original JEDI SNUGGIE...........













Then there is this of course........

Finally remembered what I did two Sundays ago.......

I just finished reading Steve's blog and my memory was jolted back two weeks. On that Sunday, Steve, Matt, Zewack, Nicoll, Hammer and Myself did the Three man loop. We stayed together pretty god until we left 286 to McEntire the steady climb and accelerations left a couple of guys a little short as we approached the steeper part of the road. We then waited and regrouped for the big climb to Parkwood and finally regrouped again at sportsman's club road. Everybody pretty much hung on til 422 then Nicoll took it up a notch and He, Hammer and myself spit the rest of the guys right off the back and never let up until the end.We all had a pretty good ride and it really feels good to come home with little or nothing left.


By the way which ones PINK.........

Went to the Benedem to see the Austrailian Pink Floyd on Tusday October 7th. What a spectacular show. We kind of decided to go at the last minute so our seats could have been a little better but there really aren't any bad seats at the Benedum Center so it was still OK. They played The Wall front to back with some theatrics and video. It is hard to believe how much they sounded like the original and I don't think anybody left disappointing, I actually have the movie playing in the background right now. If you have never seen the movie before it is a must see for any Floyd Fan..... set aside 90 minutes follow this link and enjoy or if you have already sen it, enjoy it again. They also played about a 45 minute set from The Dark side Of The Moon. If you get the chance to see this band or the Pink Floyd Experience you really should go.

This kind of puts things into perspective.........

A friend of mine did Iron Cross this past weekend and had a bad day (flat tire). Anyway he is a good writer and has written many anecdotal stories over the years, most of which are hilarious, this one however shows another side of Mike which is why we all love him so much.....enjoy.

No Joy In Muddville

Three major races this season and three major disappointments. Mohican 100‐total implosion with 10 miles to go and then a wrong turn, adding 6 miles. Wilderness 101‐broken rib at mile 67 and then limping into the finish. Finally, Iron Cross, my shot at redemption‐a torn tire at mile 47 of 62. I was well on my way to shattering my personal best, when it all went rushing away, like the air from the 3” gash in my rear tire. I’ve spent the last 24 hours sulking, thinking of wasted efforts from thousands of training miles, hours suffering in heat, cold, rain. Long lonely miles working towards goals left unfulfilled and dreams left unrealized.

The more I thought about things gone wrong, the more bummed I became. Then it hit me like a frying pan; what a complete tool I am. It’s pretty ridiculous that I could be so self absorbed to actually be upset that a couple bike races didn’t go well. Over the last two years; I’ve watched a friend return to the bike after a life threatening illness. I’ve watched another friend come back to competitive cycling after battling a heart disorder. So many others, with REAL problems. Financial distress. Marital problems. Sick children. Lost jobs. Fire. Plague. Petulance…Bad bike race… My God…please. Riding a bike is a luxury, racing a bike a privilege. My friends have taught me that. It’s a lesson that I’ve needed to relearn and apparently must remind myself frequently. How many things do we take for granted? Far too many I’m afraid. Go out and ride your bike…just because you can.

Back at it........

Haven t been posting much lately. Been busy with work and such. Haven't been riding too much either. I have only ridden twice in the past two weeks. I rode this past Sunday and the Sunday before adn that is it. Gabe and I rode to the park this afternoon so I guess I did do something on the bike.

I cant quite remember the previous Sundays ride but this past Sunday, Rich, Hammer, Matt, Andy, Botsford and Jason did the Bar Slope loop headed out Airport to Hoodschool then back to Airport to 286. Then into Clymer to 403 to Bar Slope the back home through Tanoma. I was really kind of looking foreword to a easy ride since I haven't been riding too much, but as usual it wa not long before things got in a hurry. Riding with these guys is real similar to racing except that instead of having a big group of guys to hide behind when you don't feel good there are usually only 4 at best and if you lose contact your sunk.

So it was your usuall reindeer games and such and I survived to win a couple of township line sprints. The heart is behaving pretty well these days adn I am happy for that.


IRON CROSS UPDATE........

Brownie, and Dirty Mike did Iron Cross VI this past weekend and I wish I could have been thee but was not able to make it this year. Brownie actually added to his suffering by doing Iron Cross light the day before. For those of you that aren't familiar with Iron Cross, here is the skinny. Iron Cross is a 62 mile long Cyclocross Race (follow link for more description) where you ride a bike very similar to a road bike through the woods, fire roads and such. Mike flatted and Brian did it in just over 65 hours not quire beating his designated mark. This really surprises me because Brian is probably one of the most fit people I know. He actually placed 2nd overall in the PA State Time Trial Championships. He just does not do well in mass start races for some reason. Probably partly mental and partly a lack of specific training in short all out repeated efforts.


Time for my other obsession.......

Well fall is here and so it is time to start thinking about archery season.......... I haven't done a whole lot of hunting the past few years and really hope to be able to get out a little bit more this year. it is things like this that keep me interested.......
























All score 126 or better, the first I hunted for 3 years , missing him once and finally shooting him right under my tree stand on October 31, 1998 the other two I could not wait and when we crossed paths in rifle season I could not pass them up. I had a buddy that totally focused on archery and let a lot of bucks pass in rifle season. He later in life regretted doing that so I decided not to follow in his footsteps....


Some Bail out huh..........

Well the Dow dropped again today......I must say that at this point I am unaffected, since as most people I know, I don't have enough money invested to be concerned and definitely not enough in the bank to not be covered by the FDIC. Shoot most of the people I know have less money on hand than they spent on their bikes........ I hope that things turn soon, but I really don't see that happening for another year at best.

Sunday ride report to follow

lots of stuff to write about. will get to it tomorrow.

Been busy.......

Haven't been writing much lately. I have been busy working and studying. As some of you know I have been in business for myself for the last six years and finally, after a hard two years, decided to get out. I have found gainful employment, and currently testing for another job though, so all is good.


Its about time............

So it appears that OJ has finally gotten caught red handed, please excuse the pun. I cant believe that he got off the first time and was elated to see him found guilty in the civil suit. His finatial situation must be a lot different that it was duing his first trial.


O.K John Give Us some Names..........

So John McCaine has promised to elimainate the PORK in Washington when he becomes president. I think that he should start know by letting us all know who is responsible for all of the PORK added to the big Bailout Legislation.


Speeking of Government.........

I think this kllady has a pretty good grasp on reality.............

O.K. Maybe not but it is funny though.........

Saturday Ride Report......

Rode with Steve, Brownie, and The Beachcomber this past Saturday. We started out doing the 3 man loop but happened to chase the rain down so we diverted onto 217 to Thompson road then back to Indiana. IT turned out to be 34 miles or so and was a bit harder than I actually wanted to ride so I bagged the Sunday Mountain bike ride for this week.No heart problems today and the Beachcomber actually passed up two work gloves thsu missing out on a pair.

I really Do Not Like Politicians.....

So if is is so important that they pass this legislation to bail out all the rich CEO's of these defunct financial institutions, why them are they going home for a couple of days before they reconvene on Thursday to revisit the situation. Meanwhile the stock market is taking a nose dive. And these are the very same people that are going to manage this money as well.......give me a break, all they can manage to do is spend and take days off, or better yet not even show up for work on a regular basis.

Thursday Trounce.......

Well last nights ride turned out to be the usual fair. I figured that since Nicoll was at interbike, that we could have a good recovery ride from Wednesday nights outing....no such luck. Andy, Botsfrord and Steve showed up and Andy suggested the Tanoma loop after I was done pining about how tired I was from Wednesday. So we headed out, me thinking that it was going to be a fairly easy ride.

We had a fairly leisurely ride for the first few miles until we reached the new pavement at the Airport the Steve started to pick up the pace....buckle up. My legs wee feeling a little flat so I migrated to the back til we got onto Hood School Road then it was game on.Everybody seemed to be feeling a little frisky..even Botsford was riding strong. He hasn't been out with us much this year due to some chronic back pain, attributed to a large farm tractor flipping over onto him a few years back. Luckily guy to survive that. He is having surgery sometime this year to try to solve the problem.

Really ended up being a fast ride and I felt pretty good once we got going. Brownie and I are riding on Saturday afternoon....maybe I can talk him into riding easy.


Here is a cool biking story.........

This guy walked into my store a few years back and started to me he wanted to buy a bike and ride across the country. Now this may not seam like and odd statement but you must understand that Joseph, up until this point had only been riding a short time and had done nothing but Rails-to trails. Far be it from me to put the damper on ones dreams, so we talked for a while and I fit him up with a nice Cannondale T2000. He picked up the bike and a few weeks later started on his journey across the Northern part of the country. Long story short he made it with no real issues. He called me a couple times along the way and has doe several trips since. Here is the short version of the latest.....enjoy.

Rich,

Enjoyed your blog. Just thought you might like to know I did a month long tour of central Europe this spring . Did a month in Germany and Switzerland last summer.

Flew to Munich (second year in a row), took train down to Rome to meet up with my little sister, then back to Munich to pick up my bike and head by train to Linz, Austria to rendezvous with a fellow I met 2 years ago in N.Dakota when crossing the USA. We rode down the Danube (Doneau to the Germans) to Vienna, onward downstream to Bratislava, Slovak Republic then headed north east through rural Slovakia along the south side of the small Carpathian Mountains. After Neva Mista (New City I think from Soviet days) we headed north OVER the mountains to the south east corner of the Czech Republic and entered Poland not far from where the Czech/Poland/Hungarian borders come close together.

We were intending to visit the Nazi death camps at Auschwitz and rounded a corner and just stumbled upon the Birkenau complex. Took a 3 1/2 hour guided tour of the camps which left me physically and emotionally exhausted. It is an mind blowing experience. If you get the chance it is a must visit. You see things a bit differently after that experience.

We then cycled 45 km to Krakow, Poland which is a wonderful place with reasonable prices like I imagine Prague 15 years ago. After 2 days in Krakow we headed to Cottbus Germany by train (just over the border from Poland) and headed by bike down to Dresden, After Dresden we headed up the Elbe River to Prague. Well the Elbe does not actually go all the way to Prague but branches off so we actually followed a major tributary to Prague. Stayed a couple of days in Prague then headed cross country toward Germany with a destination of Munich. Made it all the way to Regansburg on the Danube where I cut the trip short and headed home due to illness in the family.

Spent a month and did about 1800 km. Beer in Czech Republic is US dollar 1.15 in restaurants and bars. Great stuff at the right price. Germany, Poland and Austria have great beers but the price is much higher. Slovak beer prices were also cheap but the whole country is pretty poor.

Some fair roads in Slovakia and Poland but no problems. One factor that I had not anticipated was the fact that camping is associated with the Communist era and most in Slovak, Czech Republics and Poland have closed down because everyone now has money and fancy cars to go to far off places ans stay in hotels.

No problem with bike. Need to tear down wheels and check bearings. I have never regretted purchase. Thanks for helping me get the right size. I had the bike parked on the street in Linz, Austria in front of a Internet cafe and a Austrian fellow was admiring it when I emerged from cafe. I did not have panniers mounted since I was all set up at a camp ground. He said he really liked the classic touring style. Interesting because Germans and Austrians all tour (lots of them) on very upright bikes with what I would call butterfly handlebars.

Anyway the Cannondale T2000 has not let me down and other than that first go around with the blown tire (x2) I have had excellent success with the Schwable tires. I like wide and tough touring tires.

Rich, If you ever have anybody ask questions about touring Europe have them contact me. I love to share my experiences.

Best regards,

Joe Trudo

This is comforting.........

Maybe you might want to slip your pilot a coffee next time you fly. Unless these guys are you flight crew then maybe you should just get off.

Wenesday Night Quad Buster.....

Road with Hammer, Matt, Monkeyboy, Zwack, Andy and Steve this evening. We did a through together loop which included Fulton Run, Marianne Hill, Cheese Run, Northridge Road and finished up with five points from just before the old mine shaft. 32 miles with over 3000 feet of vertical climbing, the major climbs included Marianne, Cheese Run and Northpoint.

Lots of fresh oil and chips on Ben Franklin form Marianne to 422 after the new pavement ends at the township line. Then Cheese Run turns from pavement to improved surface, if you consider dirt and gravel improved surface, then down the other side which is sort of paved but scattered with rock and dirt from the hill above.Northpoint is a road I have never done before...pretty much one big climb approximately 5 miles long or so...maybe more. then back to five points from there.

The group stayed together until we reached the regular five points loop then after we reached the summit of the climb past the mine shaft the game began. I took of and Monkeyboy, Hammer and Andy responded in kind and grabbed my wheel. Lets just say that for the next 15 miles or so nobody let up and if somebody did there was somebody there to attack.The 4 of us rolled into town pretty spent but ahead of the darkness. Matt and Steve showed up a while later and Rich headed straight for the barn.

All in all a really good ride. It felt really good as hard as I could and I know everybody else in our 4 man group at the end was as well. Monkleyboy is really getting strong on the climbs. He has only been road riding this summer...although he is sporting a triple and I made him work to make it to the top first. Steve fell over on Marianne Hill. and double flatted on Cheese Run Road. My heart flip flopped a couple of times this evening but no real issues.


Make sure your wife wears contraception next time she goes swimming.........

Man these Scientologists have all the luck. It appears that Nicoll Kidman and 7 other women got pregnant from swimming near some waterfall. What a bunch of idiots. Sorry for pointing out the obvious........ and on the other side of the fence.....


Two egomaniacs on one stage....how rich is that.......

Sunday Ride Report

Did the Nolo Hill loop with Matt, Andy and Duane Sunday afternoon. Once I fixed Duane's bike we headed out 6th street to Metts Road. Man I hate that road. It like riding a roller coaster without the thrill or fun. Actually that was pretty much how the whole ride went. Climb after climb with what seamed like little or redemption. The best descent of the ride ended in a T at the bottom so you couldn't even enjoy the role out before the next climb.

All in all a pretty good ride with some pretty good efforts and a descent average for a hill 44 miler. I felt OK today except my legs felt like two anchors. No real heart problems today just a few little jumps but nothing serious.


The Clintonistas Are Supposedly On the Prowl......

So I heard rumors today that Bidon is going to pull out due to some health issues and Clinton is going to step up. How stupid. For her to stand up and be 3rd choice would be both a disgrace and humiliating. Now don't get me wrong, I would not have supported her for president, but....she would have been a much more worthy opponent than NOBAMA.......BTW have you notice that when he gives his speeches he refuses to look straight into the camera at his television audience. its always left or right while diverting his look while changing back and forth.And what if this happens.

Ride Reports and more......

Did the Eastern Shore loop with Rich, Henk, and Fanning. What a wind Whopper. 14 mph Headwinds with gusts up to ??????? I have never ridden across 217 that slow in my life. The other anecdotal note from the ride is the balls of my feet my feet hurt at the end. I have only ever had this happen a couple of times in my riding career. Usually during a century early in the season. I contribute it to the forcible pedaling into the headwind for 34 out of the 40+ mile ride. Oh and about 3 miles out I bonked. Didn't eat lunch before the ride......Stupid.

Wednesday Night Ride report........

Did the reverse Tanoma Loop this evening with Matt, Rich and Steve. This was Steve's first ride with the group. It is always fun when somebody new shows up. What makes it fun is the unknown and trying to see if you can make them crack. Not to be mean or anything like that, it is kind o f a training ride and it helps them see where they are at in their fitness. He is a pretty good rider and if he keeps racing it wont be long before he is hangin and dropping others on the ride. I had a really good ride today. the stress is dissipating in my life and I hope that this will have a positive affect on my heart.

Peanutbutter Racing.........

Sam won the peanut butter festival race this past weekend. The team had a fairly good turn out as well.

• Brownie finished 38th overall which isn't bad for a guy that has been spending way too much time on his TT bike
• Rich Allen finished 42nd overall.
• And Henry forgot his shoes....... which surprises me because he usually starts preparing for these kind of things way in advance.

Other notable mentions are....Jason Blews 24th (SS), Martin Flynn 26tth, Duane "Corkett" Corbett 36th, Liz Martin 55th, Ben Shcerf 62nd (SS). and lets not forget those that competed against SANDBAGGER OF THE YEAR "HANSEL LUCAS",(I hate that stuff) Charles Flynn (Martins dad adn first race), and Rebecca Blews (Jasons Wife).

Congratulations to all for doing such a great job. That course is not easy and to complete it is an accomplishment.

Get Out Your Pooper Scooper.......

So this is the best use we can come up with for DNA testing? I'm sure that Indiana Borough (Sorry their site is still under construction. Maybe the will get caught up to the 21st century before we reach the 30th century. Should change the name to Mayberry) will be all over this. Any way to make a buck and make people not want to come or live here.......Thanks for all you do.

Still Here

Don't worry blogger fans. I am still here. Just been busy. Will have ride reports and other fun stuff for you tomorrow or the next day.

Wednesday-Thursday Ride Report.......

Wednesday nights ride was allot of fun.....Andy, Rich, Bill, Matt and myself did the Bar Slope this evening. Headed out east Pike to Hood school and straight across at the bottom to 286. 286 to Clymer and then to bar slope then home.. It was a pretty good ride with a few reindeer games mixed in.


Thursday Evening.........

Well it was you usual suspects thins evening. Mark , Andy and myself did the Three Man Loop the usual way we do it. steady and fast. My legs were burning before we got to hilltop and once we reached the turn at the Golden Pheasant toward Parkwood we never dropped bellow 21 mph until we were almost to the end..and as we all know that is just a steady annoying climb going across that road. Anyway we had a really good ride and had it lit up for the majority of it...man I'm tired. No heart problems either night to speak of.


Where were you on September, 11 2001??????

Wow it is really hard to believe that that day in history is upon us again.....I am glad to see that it has not become just a passing thing and is always on the minds of people. We will become victims again if we allow ourselves to be complacent which I am afraid has already happened to some extent.

I was actually sitting at my workstation listening to the radio when I heard teh first announcement of the first plane....to this day I cant forget the feelings of anger and disbelief I felt that day.....NEVER FORGET


So I hear that Lance Guy is going to try road racing again.......

Stupid I say.........egoimaniac.........I'm bored so I am going to go race my bike again.......the way I see it it will go one of 3 ways for him.......

1. It will be the best decision of his life and he will be even more of a cycling icon.
2. He will finally get caught doping .
3. He will fail miserably and be know as the guy how tried to make a comeback and made a fool of himself.I doubt this will happen but it would be funny.

I Will never go to a regular movie theater again.......

So my wife and I went to the movies a week ago. We went to see THE DARK NIGHT in IMAX...only $2 more than the crappy theater at our local mall and 10000000 times better.

Sunday-Monday Ride reports

Sundays ride was relatively easy for an outing toward Lusiousborough. Matt, Andy and Myself did the dark side and had a pretty good ride...Not too hard and not too slow. Lots of good conversation and just what I needed. Still not fully recovered and I needed a good recovery ride.

Monday Morning Ride......

Zewack and I did an alternate version of five points this morning. Started out Ben Franklin from his house and out to 422. then back onto five points road. Did the standard Five points loop from there until Creekside. From there we headed across to Fulton Run then took a right onto Marian Hill...OUCH. them n back Ben Franklin to Rich's.

Was nice to get out in the AM for a change adn I felt pretty good for the whole ride.

Just in case you don't know what a Prairie Dog is......

Well...this is what might come to mind......



But......This is a breif story of ones own personal Prairie Dog

Prairie Dog

Saturday morning started a little early about 5:30 AM with a rather immediate need to evacuate my system. OK race day poop, out of the way, that might be a good thing. Always good to know that you’ll be a little lighter for the race;) The Tour De Strongland mountain bike race started at 10AM and being my home course, I wanted to have a good showing. Unfortunately, about ½ way through brushing my teeth an audible rumble starts in my mid section and the need returns urgently enough to force me to the throne, toothbrush still in hand. After three more angry contributions and some Pepto; I’m heading out the door about 9 AM to still do the race. I’m feeling better and at least the cramps are gone. I don’t really feel sick or anything so I line up with the rest of the boys to start the race. Apparently there are no other bike races today in Western PA and about every fast rider (both road and mountain) have lined up at the start of the expert class race.

I’m lined up near the front knowing that a bad lead out to the single track destroys any chance of a decent finish. I feel a little grumble. Ah, just race day nerves, it’ll be OK. The gun goes off and away we go. I’m sitting about 5^th wheel on the express train to the single track. We are cruising along fast enough that no one can come around on this double track section to pass. Perfect. A little surge occurs and I hop out of the saddle to respond. That’s when I make my new friend. Sparky the prairie dog has made an appearance. I sit back down, clench up and Sparky hides away…for a little while. The entire first lap becomes a new game that really doesn’t involve cycling much. Sparky wants to come out and play, I try to contain him. Great fun!

Apparently when prairie dogs are kept inside they get bored. So to pass the time I guess they do what comes natural. BREED! It now appears that Sparky and his family are a rather prolific mixture of Irish Catholic and Mormons. No birth control in that group. By about half way thru the second and mercifully, the final lap, Sparky, his wife, his 12 kids, aunts, uncles, a couple cousins and some adopted refugee prairie dogs from China all want to come out a play REAL BAD! I’m now putting twice the effort into my sphincters than I am my leg muscles. Luckily I ride a perfectly clean lap (both literal and figurative) for fear that a crash would undoubtedly release the entire clan. With about a mile to go I am fantasizing about the port-a-potty at the finish. I’ve got my gloves off, by camel back unclipped, and my helmet off as I cross the finish line and am now putting out the hardest cycling effort of the day to outsprint the 70 year old women ambling towards the john. I power slide across her path to block her progress and beat her sorry ass to the prize, in just enough time to return the Sparky and his kin to the wild….Shew! Close one!

PS: Although I had a rewarding finish in the mountain bike race on Saturday (I didn’t soil myself) my placing was abysmal. The good news is that I conserved a lot of energy and came back on Sunday and vindicated myself by actually winning The Tour De Strongland Road Race II in a full on sprint, by beating the rest of the 11 man break away.

Thursday Night Ride Report

Nicoll, Andy and Myself were the only ones to show up this evening....buckle up and hang on. We did the Marion Center loop, one of marks favorites and probably the flattest 40 mi. ride you can do around here and believe me its not very flat.
We rode real steady and of course there was no chatter just rhythm. We actually didn't say much until we got to the last climb before Marion Center then the chatter started for about 2 miles or so and off again. Andy and I hung with mark until part way up the climb to the Lacerations Farm, I said "hey....this wreaks of effort , sat up and Mark just kept riding". I was still tired from the weekend and all Wednesday nights ride did was clear out the old lactic acid to replace it with new. So Andy and I just kept a steady pace back to Indiana and still had a respectable average at the bottom of the climb on Fulton Run. No heart issues this evening and a good hard ride....

I am "NOT IMPRESSED"........

So I have been riding a Giant TCR Advanced this year and I am very impressed....What does not impress me is the wheel set I got with it. It came with the MAVIC KSYRIUM ELITE...Now I have been riding KSYRIUM SSC SL's for years with no problem but these particular wheels really stink. They feel sloppy in the corners and wont stay true.

So I send them back, paying the freight the FIRST time and 3 weeks later I get them back not only is the rear wheel not true but one ride later it is really messed up. So I call and MAVIC and explain the situation to them and they're response is that they probably didn't not replace all the spokes and something else about something inside coming undone. So they offer up an RA# and say to send it back, to which I reply "why don't you just send me a call tag ", and they did. SO about a week later it shows up and the wheel is off again.

The wheel finally shows up at my door earlier this week, I put it on Wednesday before the ride and after the ride it is out of true again. I called MAVIC again on Thursday and we go through the same spiel again. I finally get them to agree,begrudgedly , to send me another call tag.Now as the day progress this did not sit well with me so I call back and ask to speak to somebody in warranty.I tell him the story and he asks me a few questions IE maybe this wheel is not strong enough for you...so you are saying I am fat...eh fella. I go on to explain to him that I'm not an elite racer but I'm no lard but either. We go back and forth a couple of times and he finally asks me what I want him to do. I tell him that all I want is to ride my bike and not have the wheel go out of true. He then says that he cant do anything without seeing the wheel.So why did we bother even discussing this anyway.Customer service is definitely not his forte......and fortunately this is my own personal wheel and not that of a customer.

The bright side to all of this is that I have been riding a set of Rolf Wheels, that by the way are a less expensive wheel than the MAVIC and what do you know they are defiantly more stable and much stiffer than the Elites and I am pretty sure the same would go for the SSC SL's. and after about a month of riding them they are still true....go figure.

What industry are you in........

So I call to order a couple of Cross bikes the other day as well as a Sport fitness bike for a customer. Now Cross season is just around the corner and good weather is upon us and guess what. nether style bike is available. The sport fitness is not available for about 3 weeks and the Cross bike not for at least another 4. How am I suppose to run a successful business when my suppliers cant supply me with product, and who's idea was it to release the new model year right at the tail end of the selling season. Close out the new and have no supply of the new......makes allot of sense huh. Oh and by the way there will be about a 16% increase in new bike prices across the board this year........OUCH!

Wednesday Night Ride Report

Ended up having a descent ride this evening. I hadn't been on my bike since the 24 hour extravaganza this pas weekend.Rich,Andy,Matt,John,Bill and myself did the Eastern Shore loop. We started out rolling slow out of town.I am glad for that because my legs were still full of junk from the weekend.My heart wasn't in it either. It was jumping around and actually went into affib once before we were even through campus. I actually at one point was ready to bag the ride but pushed on.

I was somehow able to keep it together and as we rode I continued to feel better and by about 5 miles in I was starting to feel normal again. My legs still weren't in it but my heart was starting to come around.I took really short pulls for a while and just kind of hid in the back but once we got near Virginia farms I was really starting to feal like muyself again and started pullling more and picking up the pace.

Somthing is missing here.........

Today was my sons first day of school. He has come to work with me every day for the past 3 years adn I am going to realy miss him. We dont alwasys get to do much when he is heare but we do spend allot of time talking.I am really going to miss him.


Matt update.........

So you might remember a week or so me telling a story about an abduction on our ride...well here is the rest of the story. When I arrive at the shop the following day it was kind of like the scene from Close encounters were all the war planes show up without their pilots only not as dramatic and Matt was actually standing there as well. It seems that his front derailure was a bit out of adjustment dropping his chaing, which bound things up forcing his rear derailure into his spokes thus breaking 5 and bending his front derailure.

Seven Springs Subaru 24 Hour Challenge

24 Hours of racing....It doesn't get any better than that. It was however a little bit warm but a far cry better than the last time I did this race.

Mike, Henry, Mark and I did the 4 sport Masters (Fogy) division while SAM did the I'm pretty sure I've have lost my mind Solo Division. We all rode really well with only minor mechanical's and mountain bike folly. Mike crashed 2 times both his first 2 laps, once while Hopping a log and landing on a rock, some guy ran into him while passing, some girl was standing along the trail and freaked him out and off of the trail and the fourth...well I'm not completely sure about that something about speed and a tree. Sam had a flat and Henry had a slow leak as well but was able to make it through his loop without having to fix it, topped it off once with a CO2 and stopped buy the tent on his way through to top it off with a pump.Mark hurt his calf on the run but was able to recover from it. As for myself I went down in the rock garden on my third lap and jammed my pedal into my calf on my last lap while all along trying to keep my heart beating properly.

My own personal experiences......

The day started out great and we arrived about 10am and got set up. These events are allot of fun and the atmosphere is awesome. My first lap was not going to be until around 4 so I set off to take some photos and hang with Jay and Liz for a while. We spent some time lurking in the rock gardens at the top of the course watching and looking for the best lines to ride through.

Eventually I headed back to our site to fuel up and get ready for my first lap. I was pretty relaxed and felt pretty good. I had a plan to just ride steady and really focus on keeping my heart rate under control by bombing through what ever I could and just setting a good tempo for the climbs.

Lap #1..... 4:45 pm - 5:09 pm

Ben was at the transition tent waiting on his team mate to come in so I said see ya to him and I was off. I knew I would be seeing Ben on the trail because he is such a strong rider. as most single speed guys are. The first lap went pretty well, I forced myself to just hold a good tempo, which was really frustrating because there were plenty y of places where I could have really ramped it up and shaved some real time off of my lap but I figured it was better not to. Benn caught me just before the Big climb which was at about the half way point, I believe Henry said that there was a 1000 foot elevation gain at that point. I was feeling pretty good until I got close to the top, my heart wasn't in affib but it wasn't in a normal rhythm either...push on. I cleared the top, fast as pancakes, and continued on to the second half of the course. This part was on top of the mountain so there was little climbing but plenty of rock gardens to keep it interesting. I finished with a better time that n I thought I would considering I was just riding steady and my heart didn't not beat funny until I sat down at tent. It stayed out long enough for everybody to feel my pulse and see my color change from normal to pale to normal again.

Lap #2..... 9:03 pm - 10:40 pm

Started getting ready at around 8 pm. Our site was right beside the long climb before the loop at the top which made it easy to gauge when it was time to start getting ready to go to the transition tent. I wasn't feeling 100%. I could tell I might be in for some trouble but by the time I was ready to head for the transition tent I was feeling OK again. I Chatted with Ben again for a while while waiting for our team mates. They were racing the regular, young stud, sport division and doing about the same lap times as we were.

So lights on and off I went....I love riding at night, Its quiet, except for the Ted Nugent concert that was going on at the main lodge, and you become so focused on what is ahead of you. Had a good steady lap....I am however always impressed by the abilities of other riders. I was passed several times during the race by the Visit PA guys, it was like they were riding on pavement, and I had my brakes on. The ride was mostly uneventful and was a blast.

Lap #3..... 3:01 am - 4:48am

I had laid down for a little bit,but did not sleep, you would think that it would be easy to catch a wink but in all reality it is nearly impossible, lots of commotion throughout the night plus you are all hyped up; I really was not feeling good but that can be a normal feeling. I got dressed and headed for my bike...crap my heart is defiantly in affib now. I grab my bike and start for the transition tent again. About half way there my heart comes back into rhythm......Thank you lord.

I checked in and chatted with Ben again. This time his rider showed up before mine. This only due to the fact that Henry had a to top off his tire twice. Had another descent lap just riding steady and getting around without any mishap or mechanicals., I did however go down in the second rock garden at the top. I came around the corner hit one of the big rocks that I should have gone around and before you know it I'm on my side in a pile of rocks laughing out loud.....back on the bike and I am off. Now I am cruising along at a pretty good clip on the latter part of the second loop when all of a sudden my bike feels like it hit a brick wall lunging me foreword but not off the bike. Just so happens that there is a big rock just barely on the side of the trail that I caught my pedal on as I was passing by, aha the perils of night riding. Liz was at the tent waiting to start her next lap when I returned so I chatted with with here for a bit before heading back to the site.

Lap #4..... 8:50am-10:30am

I actually must have passed out for a bit in the camper...the last thing I remember after my last lap was grabbing a bite to eat and sitting by the camp fire for a while. I also remember talking briefly to my wife and that's it, lights out.........then form a galaxy far far away I here the theme from star wars....seriously my son was humming the theme while playing with some of his toys. I did actually sleep for about 30-40 minutes which can be a bad idea.I awoke and steeped outside to a beautiful sunlit day.So I strolled over to a chair and had a seat.

Man did I feel bad. My legs and everything felt pretty heavy,I am pretty sure that I had been in and out of affib during my siesta, since this is usually how I feel after an episode. So I got up to try and walk it off...big mistake....I walked up to Tahoe and it was all I could do to make it. Crap I am totally flat and I'm on deck. So back to camp to get ready. I'm sure that one of the other guys would have gone in my stead but those that know me know that I would only do that as a last resort.

So I got dressed, all this time my heart is jumping around, and onto the bike.Fast as pancakes I exclaim as I head up the hill to the transition tent........amazingly though as I road up the hill I started feeling better...normal even.

I get to the transition ten and check in. Ben was there again so we chatted for about five minutes until he was off. Henry showed up shortly after that and I was off. I wasn't 100% but I knew I was going to be alright. made it around the first half with no problems then up the climb. Everybody riding was in good spirits. For most of them it was probably their final lap and the morning sun also has a positive effect. I made the big climb and off to the second loop. As i approached the second rock garden I heard somebody coming up on me fast so I said let me know wand I will let you by. He wasn't interested, instead he stuck up a conversation. What lap you on...how ya feeling....I hate these stupid rock gardens. We chatted for about 5 minutes or so then he was off.......your would never have that happen in a road race for sure. the only other thing of interest that happened during this lap was that my foot came unclipped and my pedal smacked the back of my calf.....ouch.


Sam is the man.............

So while the 4 of us were out doing our 17 laps Sam was out by himself doing 14 on his own. Bet he will rethink that one down the road. He ended up finishing 3rd overall and was in a field of guys that do this kind of stuff on a regular basis..........I am sure that he will blog about it here.


Final ramblings .......

I'm glad that my family enjoys going to these events with me. They give great moral support and I just plain like having them around.Of course my wife is always busy taking pictures so she doesn't get to be in them very often.

I have always been fortunate to either attract or choose the best of friends and it was great to have many of them around this weekend Mel, Jay & Liz, Bill & Lisa,Todd,Henry,Mike,Mark, Sam and his dad Kirk and many others that i did not mention here.
I don't think this had looks stupid....does it? My wife bought it for me you know......and by the way anybody that is a mountain biker knows that dogs, especially those that owners are bikers could care less if a bike goes by and for most of us are great riding partners.Make sure to let the organizers of this event know that.

The race promoters should be less concerned about dogs and more concerned about non-cycling spectators and make sure that they don't decide to take a rest right in the middle of the rock garden trail. Somebody could get hurt....just ask Mel

Its a good thing John wasn't on our team....He would have never been able to finished a lap with all the bottles and other debris that I saw along the way although he probably would have found Sam's tool.

If you leave your multi-tool laying along the trail somebody will find it. This actually happened to Sam .His dad went around to ask people to buy one and the very first tent he stopped at the guy had Sam's tool...weird.

Some people will dress in anything at these events.

The blond chick on the left is a dude the one in the skirt is not.

Beer and sleep depravity don't mix......

So we are done and we are tired and sitting back with a cold one. My wife asks me to keep an eye on our son while she strolls up to the lodge and I say no big deal. Now my son is a great kids as are all of the kids that hang around our crew. Almost every event is a family event including after race picnics and such. So like I sad we were just sitting there and my son comes over and asks me to take him to the BR. So we start up to the lodge and my wife is on here way back so she knows that I am beat so she offers to take him. So I return to the tent and some good conversation.Now I am not sure how much time had lapsed, but I start looking around and don't see my son anywhere and kind of get an empty feeling inside (now remember he is with his mother and I have not really slept for over 24 hours and I have been racing my bike), So i ask tho guys if they had seen my son anywhere? Of course they haven't because he has been with his mother for who knows how long. So I get up and start to kind of holler for him I turn and look up to the lodge and there he is with his mom dancing to the music.MAJOR BRAIN FART and a graet releif.