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6.28.08

revived my trance after an epic layoff after weaverville.  rode jump trail and sunnybrae trail tonight, confirmed the sunnybrae side as the most likely location for my pirate push turn trail.  gotta have something technical with changes of direction in it...  so working on my ironhorse (hill) form, falling from one obstacle to the next.  had one sweet get off hanging it out on a steep off camber around a tree.  work work work, trying to grind and get paid, it's tough to do it for the money but that is this station.  pay to play, and with potential whistler a couple weeks away i am pulling no stops.  more dorking soon.

 

6.26.08

sorry it comes as such dribble sometimes, but it was late and thus the consciousness streams.  Focus has been shifting round regularly like a geeked out second hand twitching away the hours.  not quite sure what i'm here for, but trying to do it all well while i find out.  the new bike has given me some fresh goals and motivation, welcome things.  along with this friendship, and community support, are rekindling the gasping flame of drive.  At times when the profundity of experience seems too much to summarize one must simply begin.  So I will ligten this latent log with a short rundown on the new SWD in my life...

well Matt Snyder's custom Psycho 7 DH to be exact.  He built this thing days before we went to nortstar (June 15th) and just days before I built the new Kona Stab.  Yes that breakdown is coming, but let's stay somewhat chronological.  but to spoil the ending Matt then raced the Psycho to 2nd place in Expert Class at northstar.  Big up Hank Matheson aqnd SWD, keep the dream alive.

 

 
     
   

 

 

6.26.08

got around to the log later than expected, thus the date discfrepancy, ha, you don't even know what i'm talking bout... did you ever?  why resent out  own bandito? i don't know that's natural, and so is indulgence...  Quarters anyone?  pracitce your bounce cause we be havin ultimate tournaments next month.  Was on Mt. Ashland yesterday, almost forty miles of DH and now i'm back to small town USA.  which way?  mmmm till the next border bounce i'll be avoiding devulging details.  closing thought, my bike is faster than yours.  which one?  you pick.

6.03.08 konakonakona konakonakonakona  tool to dominate kona kona kona  eat my dust, kona kona kona.  dig deep in your memory banks if you want to picture my fanny, all you used to see, cause now it is gonna be gone...  not pissed, two days off, move is done, life is great.  peaks and valleys, love the peaks.  clarification pending

5.27.08  frustrated.  pinned down part of it today... kinda pissed i am at a point with riding competitively where training won't do me as much good as making money.  keep getting bested because of resources, rather than skill.  and what do i do for a livin?  i fix their bikes not mine.  need to find a better way. 

 

5.27.08

crazy may is almost gone bye bye.  two rents, two bikes to ship to new jersey, bidding my brother adieu, plus races and races made it a busy month.  now i am back, getting a move across town done and winding down a bit.  joel g raced diablo freeride park's U.S. Open this weekend and overcame mad mechanicals to advance to the amateur quarter finals in slalom and lay down a 20th in the dh final.  big deal getting a smooth run down that rough course.  we are proud of him.  i raced in weaverville on sunday, DH and super D, after 16 hours of timing work on the previous day's 12 hour endurance race.  was nowhere near peak form, didn't eat a good breakfast, got the worst side ache of my life in super d and did a light headed off the ridge high speed wheel ender in my second run.  more i could say about that, was racing the trance for everything, another 2nd overall at lagrange. todd hoeft sniped me again   but it's whatever and now we move on.

5.20.08

ok, let me begin with a funny story to build up humboldt's rep a lil more...  was starting my laundry last night at the emerald city laundramat.  thought i should peruse the inside to find the cleaner washer in the row I had selected.  and what is the only thing i find but an inch and a half stem from a marijuana plant.  i din't know what it was so i had to ask the clerk.... yeah right.  but it was indeed a weed stem in the washer.  i couldn't help but cackle out loud, awesome.  true story.

now today blustery weather has resturned to town, i splattered myself on the pavement once, felt grumpy, felt good, am packing for a dh race and am not really excited.  things change.  the 12 hours of weaverville xc event is this saturday, followed by super d and dh events on sunday, in what should be sunny weaverville bally.  at the moment I am loking forward to working the timing for the 12 hour more than I am looking forward to the dh race.  limited competition, limited resources swelling confidence, and a crumbling downhill bike all have me thinking of other things when I would normally be focused on the race.  two weeks working over 40 hours a week, paying off debts, facing debts etc are greater obstacles at the moment, and with greater reward, then posting a fast time on sunday.  in fact doing so requires a substantial outlaw of energy and finance.  and what i am excepting is the marginal benefit that one's racing can bring to others.  can count my fans on one hand, and  "sponsors" on the other.  this doesn't really bum me out, but it is changing the way i wish to expend my energy on the bike.  missions  of self enlightment should take precidence over missions of public display.  in other news it seems the earth's biosphere is definitely changing, dying, to the detrement of the majority of its life... so trips out for medals seem less and less pivotal.  but at any rate I am packing to go out there, am excited, escpecially to work the race on saturday.  of right now I am gonna take one bike, kinda a big deal for me to boil it down.  but the faith is worked and so am i, without the energy to revive her.  other things been goin down, and my attention has been elsewhere, as can be good.  so i will try to revive the trance from 3 couch runs last week, shake up my disillusioned head, and go pin it.   that's all there that's better than ever, the pin, wide open, not worried about the win but just trying to find the edge, my edge.

ok last to sum up.  the pavement.  took off on shop cruiser to grab lunch.  see my man bowman at the stop sign, sprint toward him ready to do something ridiculous.  huge gust blows my hat off.  i spaze out , cross up , and slam over the bars straight to my right elbow and hand.  seeing stars i approached his car to check in, then checked out for awhiiiiile.  feelin better now, but elbow hella tender.  hope its not a factor this week.

5.14.08 

 Guess who got lost yesterday... Lost beach that is, way up on fickle hill road.  Yesterday was Brian Hapgoods Birthday (Happy Happy) and by some request we joined together to revive his "twisty" from the lost trailer.  hour or so of racking and another of schralping the freshly revealed loam.  nothing so sweet as ripping that fresh powpow.  Then cleaned the dual and did some hot hot runs down that, felt surprisingly accurate and smooth on the trance, legs still aren't what they were before the 100, but they are comin back.  have yet to get a mellow road spin in to clear the legs, cause I been holding up my pants woring at revo everyday.  so yesterday's tooling was it, at the end of the session Happy and Big C headed off to dinner and I headed for the couch, the couch at home after the couch trail.  was pleasantly surprised with the couch, the top was wide, rutty, mushy, and all kinds of out door moto cross.  was laughing and having a ball all by myself.  Have been getting by on three bucks this week, so was bumming lil debbie calories and develed eggs from Curtis to keep the enigne going.  Then one beer before the descent and I was feelin pretty light.  Had some close calls, the funniest was a full flat spin in the flat creek crossing, too fast and too light and too leaned, front wheel went way out and thanks to slow mo I saved my wrist from being broken.  first time i've crashed there i think ever...  that's all good, today opting out of a kings range mission with some K.R. virgins to save my legs for the crit this weekend, i'll get on the road bike today if this fog burns away.  a lil roller doctoring at the Revo Pump Track, and some other junk.  Making decisions to give myself more time for my art, so hoping to make headway towards the birth of GP3 in the next two months.  realistically it could be the end of summer, but I have to throw something else at the scene.

5.12.08 

 Was talking with my health guru roommate this morning, talking about how many calories one should have consume, per hour, in this past weekends race.  Somewhere around 500 cal/hr.  That's roughly 3000 for the ride.  After two eggs, and two pieces of toast with tea for breakfast I ate the following on the ride in chronological order...  I had talked about some ideas with my roommate beforehande , which resulted in a lil experimentation here and there.  Looks like a wacky list of consumables, but you have to understand what an ordeal eating can be out there.  and when your body needs it the most is when it gets the hardest.

1 Bottle Accelerade (2 scoops)*  =  240 cal

1 Cliff Bar  (staggered in halfs)  =  250 cal

1  Pack Shot Blocks (staggered in halfs)  =  200 cal

1 electrolyte pill 

1 Mango Gu = 100 cal

1 Bottle Accelerade  (2 scoops)  =  240 cal

1 electrolyte pill

1/2 Pack Shot Blocks  = 100 cal

1 Mango Gu  =  100 cal

1 Bottle Cytomax*  =  160 cal

2 Mocha Gus (50mg caffeine each) = 200 cal

1 Bottle Accelerade (2 scoops)  =  240 cal

Total = 1830 cal 

* denotes bottles mixed with 200 mg caffeine

 once again in hind sight i could have utilized the sag wagons better.  some guys had v8's and cokes and mad shit!  i turned down a few too many hand outs...  your out there suffering and self denial just seems to go along with the rest...

 

 

5.11.08

 who doesn't want to go everywhere?  you tell me that...  side tracked in this twisty time.  yep, yesterday rode 100 miles in 5 hours 48 minutes, with a little help from my friends.  didn't win the t.u.c. this yeaer against those who live on the road, but i did accomplish every other goal i had.

1. to be the loosest goose in the front runnings, no doubt.

2. Chase Ken House down the back side of Panther Gapand keep him in sight...  actually crested well ahead of House, then four minutes along i mistake him for a car as he blazes past in a tuck, unreal speed.

3. Arrive at the wall with my significant teammates.  A great gang, enjoyed the company, JJ Katri had joined us after blowing a tire, Geof Hales, House Driving, Humberto with gold bar tape, James ? being an unknown...and a few outties. (as in out of town)

4.  Ride 100 miles faster than last year's 5:55. Check, but given the many factors of the ride I was hoping for more.

Had excruciating inner thigh adducter pain from mile fifty on, was barely hanging in with the chase group, wasn't bonked, think the bike seat beat me down.  But overcame and crawled in with a brief second wind before cramping up as I tried to give Geoff Hales a stealthy push from behind moments before the final Wildcat Descent.  Tis what it tis, won't ever be the same for it, another incredible journey.

5.09.08

 Day of days tomorrow... humboldt county road world championship.  Tour of the unknown coast, and it looks like conditions will be less then comfortable for more then we want them to be, but such is the challenge of this rural century.  though my preperations were thourough this winter the last months have been focused in thedirt.  and the events of this last week have hept me off the bike and feeling less than healthy.  a bit of trembling in my guts, could get popped off on the first climb, but probably not.  got theBOWMOBILE on loan for the night, so we will be sleeping in comfort.  a long checklist today, may the lord help us...

5.05.08

 Well I may not have had my game the tightest ever, but the team's game is making up for it.  Just back from three days in Ashland for the old Spring Thaw festival and had more fun up there then ever.  PirateDH humboldt was myself, Paul Wilson, Jared and Ryan Delong.  A more fun and disfunctional crew there has never been.  Constant entertainment, and constant riding from the time we pulled into town at 4:30pm on Friday till we left at 7pm on sunday we were burnin it up.  The race is good but we were focused on fun and did hella runs on the mountain's other trails, focusing on maximizing T.O.B. and fun, versus over teching the straight forward race course.  Once again , much like the seaotter, my main goal was to ride rather then place, and ended up deciding to race my first Pro heat up there rather than Semi just to help me remember it is me against the course and not the other cats.  Was feeling great in the trails rock section, in Sunday morning practice.  The rocks appear not ten seconds into the run, and then it is pretty smooth sailing, had some of my best campaigns through that morning but towards the end, clipped derailleur just a hair and twisted that old SRAM parallelogram so  that it wouldn't drop into my two high gears, and got punky in the others.  Had to roll with it, was spinning out my 34 -12 (bad choice) in the first straight away, so I tried not to think about the time I would be giving up being unable to crank for a minute or so.  Also got a front flat in my last practice drop in, inverted my bike to replace before run...  That got done, and the run started well, but the inversion had shook some bubbly loose such that after killing a  bermed corner out of the freeway my front faded to bar almost sending me off the edge of the narrow benched trail.  rear end bit and drifted over the edge just in time, a second to recover and  I was back on it.  the rest was smooth until the finish sprint, have been afraid to replace my worn cleats for fear of altered feel, but as I cranked to the line to make my time back my right foot blew out, missing two pedals strokes and much momentum.  Came in with a Personal Best, but frustrated with my gear, lots of compliments, glad I upgraded though as I would have handily won semi pro this year.  nice to hang with the bigger boys even with a 7 speed.  The rest of my Pirate DH riders did great, though as racing goes,  all had some minor issues.   As usual though J Rad Delong took the BRAAAAP award, 2nd semi pro by half a second with a flat foot out drift mid run that left ankle burned and bleeding at finish (are you kidding?! and his finish sprint was about as fast as Mark Weirs!).  Paul Wilson went from rust to thrust, two days of riding and he ripped down smoothly to his first expert heat and first expert Podium.  Ryan Delong... what can I say, the technician killed the rock section up top as it has never been killed, I repeat nEVER been killed, then put in the smooth run, sick.  Ryan and Jared opened a new launch line in practice that morning which had spectators scrambling and cheering with surprise.  Good stuff.  Other riders represented too.  Austin Hoeft cruised to victory in the 14 and under, his pops Todd was third in older expert, and nick rossow was third in  a very Tight Jr.X race.  Good times, now back on the work a day for the next two to pay for  my fun.  TUC a few days away gonna have to be good and rest well.

4.26.08

a month of no entries, so many questions, so many details, how can i begin.  interestingly enough it has taken a manic disaster to break the radio silence, even a podium at the sea otter last week wasn't enough of a kick to start typing here.  the disaster is this; over five hours and loads of energy and stress yesterday trying to get myself to the Lemurian Classic today and the WildFlower Century ride in Chico tomorrow.  But i failed, or my alarm failed, or both.  and now i am here all weekend, with a xc bike prepped for nothing and a dismantled trance to show for it.  skipped the colli budz show last night and ditched all my friends for this?  all i have are questions and nobody is giving me answers... hopefully be able to get my head together to explain more later but for now i'm on the freakout, think there are two people in the world who i "get" right now, and it seems there are none who get me... 

 

3.25.08
a night ride report by Elise Castle

Full LuCar Equinox Ritual (Virgins Included)

Two veterans and two virgins made up the March North Coast Squadron crew, one day into the vernal equinox and growing werewolfier by the minute. The group convened in Lucy's backyard to wait for the moon to rise above the treetops of the Arcata Community Forest while they sat in the dark by the babbling brook and got safe and hydrated.

Word had been circulating around the Revolution Bicycle Repair shop for awhile about this phenomenon known as moonriding, so Justin G. decided to find out for himself, bringing along Winston, who had devirginized himself  with the NCS a couple years ago, and Drew showed up fresh from Oregon. The ACF was chosen as this night's venue, and the riders' energy began to rise along with the moon, which had just crested the toothy treeline of the park. Lucy had her lucky helmet and was happy to be back in the saddle after having rung her bell soundly during last month's ecliptical totality, and the riders set off prepared and stoked, if somewhat prematurely.

The ACF is heavily wooded, with a thick canopy in parts, and the moon still had awhile to approach her zenith, so initially the illumination was...well, it was pretty dang dark in there. But, all of the riders were quite familiar with the layout of the forest, and it was easy enough to stay on the fireroad as the group climbed towards the upper trails, occasionally veering off into parts unknown as their eyes adjusted to night vision. They regrouped at the picnic table and shared body energy electrolyte replenishment and tangerines, then set off down the fireroad to get some singletrack. La Luna was still shyly peeking through the trees, so this normally fast section of the route was executed at a slower pace, which allowed the riders to summon their sixth senses to aid in the fact that it was as dark as the inside of a pocket on a black coat.

Singletrack was embarked upon, and laughs and cartoon-like sound effects accompanied the riders as they picked their way down the trail, using the faint outlines of trees to navigate. Tiny little glowworms glimmered in the duff, adding a magical flavor to the forest floor. A bridge was approached and utilized as a midway point, and the Lady of the Night was properly paid homage to. The ride continued as before, only now occasional bright patches of moonlight began to pool on the trail, allowing the riders to sometimes see where the trail was merrily taking them. Back on the fireroad, a series of steep pitches were overcome as the group looped back around and earned their cardio and endurance training points for the night. The ACF was well-saturated after recent rains, and the muddy track added some more work to the ride, but also made for soft-ish landings if one of the riders chose to get grounded.

 Eventually the lights of the HSU dorms which bordered the forest could be seen through the trees, and the moon was securely fastened above in the night sky. Stairs were dropped on campus and the group debriefed on the quad, remarking on the fact that "I didn't think it could be done, but we did it", a common sentiment shared by newly deflowered virgins and fools alike. Moonriding can be both a humbling and glorifying experience for the few and proud who choose to undertake such a journey. What could have been another random Friday night in the city limits of Arcata turned out to be a communion with darkness, wilderness, compadres, and always, the ever-shining and gracious custodian of tides and riders without lights, La Luna.

3.11.08


3.1.08
forget this week.  gooooood daaaaaaamn!  what a pain, imagine having to put aside fun and games and training for "real world" responsibilties?!  w.t.f.??  was moving a whole five blocks this week, but still resulted in a charisma crash as the weight of address changes, bill cancellations, physical moving, rental apps, house cleaning etc.  brought me to a screaching hault.  it was a party hardy weekevd this last, rolled deep to celebrate my new cheap rent situation, and wound up wiped physically and finavcially, but of course well worth it.  wed. i died and was then reborn to compelte the move thursday and friday.  then last night cinched the noose as i cleaned till 1:30 am...  worked.  woke up at seven this morning to go race a road time trial, had hoped to prep for it all week and set a new age group record but oh well.  20 seconds slower then last october, on the new bike, oh well.  at least the move is behind and life can start anew...  now celebrating with mariachees and a margarita biggger than my face, which is disturbingly stiff (i never say that...) and it's just about tapped.  so headed to s.f. in a few minutes to drop a friend at the air port and to shake hands with one i haven't seen for years.  was supposed to go visit steve, but he died this week, still reeling.  was working with him to negotiate a ride this year, now all is condused.  one day at a time until the world ends, that's what I say.  party like it is here next weekend at paul W's b day, then we''ll see.

2.23.08
bombed from 61 miles today, a few of which were freezin cold.  but anyway here are a few pics taken by Cherish Bowman, thanks, of our T.U.C. pre ride last weekend, the weather was considerably better.  Times etc. are undisclosed, there are spies everywhere...




2.13.08
HERE'S THE CHALLENGE FOR ANY WHO CARE TO JOIN...Got a pirate ride this sunday right?  well we can't let that hold us back from massive base training as we have in years past, none of this saving it for the downhill race stuff.  We are going to pre ride the Tour of The Unknown Coast course on saturday (100 miles) then we are going to paint the Tish Tang DH red with the blood of our splattered opponents.  Right?!  Yes.  Don't be surprised if you see me in a seizing babbling puddle at the base of the course on sunday, we'll see how it goes.

2.11.08
After a fabulous week, full of startlingly sweet turbulence, the mystery grows thicker this morning. All around me the apathy of months has been melting, as I have been assessing and fixing broken things that have been put off for far too long. Yes that is the theme, overcome the apathy, risk failure and try for success. This mantra is one I constantly struggle with as I often surrender for fear of failure before trying. Part of this awakening has encompassed all the trails in this area, and roads, which I have yet to explore in my twenty something years here. Yesterday held our Sunday road ride down with Anthony Kahn, Winston Sauber, B-Rad, Jessica, and Euro Chris. Fifty glorious sunny miles later, Checked one route off my list. Butler Valley was explored and found a place in my heart. Was pretty cooked after the ride, but following a short recovery session Arieh popped in amped to head into the woods, so I went along. Rode up through the forest, across the new six, across the 11.5 three times and then set about checking a second secret route off my list, the Community Forest to West End Road drop. Awesome. Have know it was there since highschool but never explored... Then took it easy in front of movies last night. Rolled out the door to get a cup of coffee this morning, and low and behold, there are my two unmatched shoes sitting back on my porch, saoking wet, but none the worse for wear! Two weeks!!! Exactly two weeks they were missing, had just given up! WTF?! How I wished they could talk and describe their adventures, and or unveil their captor. So now I ask you who! Someone I know, an acquaintance at least, is my guess, but really I have no leads and only a couple vague hunches. If anyone wants to come clean I will buy you mad drinks in exchange for the story. Just glad their back, it's been a good week. Below is the moment captured just as I found them this morning, border line creepy.



2.01.08
becoming clear to me that it is all coming down...  signs are all around us and it becomes harder and harder to plead ignorance, meaning that this consumptive and blissful existence is in its twilight.  the higher order has begun to visit with greater frequency, exposing themselves to many in stephensville whether or not they had achieved mental silence.  now just this week the infamous Rag Man Pete (aka Plaza Pete) of Arcata, CA has moved back, ascended, returned home...  Things are shifting, are the storms not witness enough, cetainly the climate is in natural flux, but come on...  Seems all the wise sages of our times are in tune, Rasta John has been noticeably edgy as the trials of our times grow...  My frustration grows with even our local civic processes.  I do not plan to vote any time sooon, don't even plan to register, but I have made efforts to raise our voices in the community, but these are foiled by laundry box retraction predating deadline dealines.  so I creep with a stick of sheets that I begged freinds to fill out in complete repeat, feeling a bit of defeat.

1.28.08
first off, piratedh.com has been receiving a lot of hits this month, thanks for the attention...  well ice fell from the sky intermittently all night last night.  no frosting left on the community forest's trees this morning, but a generous amount of hail on all the autos.  heavy drizzles continue but I am staring right at a patch of blue sky for the moment.    Looking forward to a long training day tomorrow, don't mind the cold as long as it isn't too wet.  would love to ride up to the snow.  with the staggered work schedule I have this month that's all my work days are, looking forward to the next ride day, my days off being sunday, tuesday thursday.  In other news was so cold last night some needy body stole a pair of my shoes!  pretty pissed cause it was actually one shoe each from two pairs, rendering both pairs useless!  one of my worn out filters which are my mud flats, and my fresh pair for dh clip ins...  they also took one of my swampy team bigfoot socks!  w.t.f.?  gonna be scanning feet all day today.  didn't need new dh shoes, so now i do, that's a pisser cause the budget is tight and first thing is first I've got to move in the next month.  bloody cleptos...

1.27.08
today saw snow as I have not seen for nearly 20 years.  snow on the ground in blue lake, and snow on the lawns of arcata...  incredible.  a shop ride, of sorts, put five of us in willow creek today; myself, sean t., nic the quick, james the cypher, and code jo-el-o.  horse linto campground to be exact.  no snow until the last run, when it began to fall.  at that point conditions were a bit slippery, as would be our drive home.  but how fantastic to see the cleansing snowflakes again grace the coast.  to boot the tish tang championship course is alive and ripping.  a few wind falls have created a bit more single track and a bit more off camber...  nice pace breaker...  and old mother erosion has continued to deepen her ruts to man eating size...  so basically it's perfect.  never better.  can't wait to race 'er, the slopppier the better. 

1.24.08
progression is this... an open mind and a humble approach.  have been at long last applying this to the "manual" technique.  for a very long time i just accepted that I didn't have the "manual gene" necessary. and so was content to pedal wheelie forever.  only in the last two months have I admitted to myself that I am just lazy and suckie at this and have begun to focus specifically on betterment in this technique.  with a little specific practice and a do or die attitude I have begun to see results.  it was the simple fear of the balance point and the "loop out" that has kept me from working on it, the unwillingness to slam on my ass while attempting to maintain balance while coasting a just the rear wheel.  last night I took it hard several times at the bmx track, trying to go further and farther with more control.  got a shiner on my hip today  but well worth it.  the edge is never as bad as your imaginastion makes it out to be, and the realization of such technique is even more enjoyable and narural then dreamed of.  you won't see me holding the coaster wheelie downhill for blocks any time soon, but you may see me loop out as I continue to grapple with a fear of the unknown.  it's never too late to start pushing it and learn something new.

1.20.08
Well the sunday excursion from revolution continued this morning at 8 am, or rather, roughly 8 am.  There were in fact two rides from revo today.  The worker ride concisted of Winston Sauber and nic Loomis (who had to work at 10am).  The two arrived promptly at 8 and disembarked mere moments before I arrived and soon after Geoff Hales riding in from eureka.  We waited around a bit and  phoned everyone, including both of the lads who were already out, before heading up fickle hill.  the road was quiet this sunday morning, but also quite cold.  we were met with light snow and solid frost on the ground at the 11 mile summit.  bikes were caked in the mire, followed by frozen fingers on the descent.  then continued on to eureka with Geoff, and back round the bay to round out forty miles.  I heard the other two headed out 299, to north bank, up azalea, to dows prairie, then home.  so the jist is... fabulous time come join.  next week we are trekking down to ride the kings range trail on sunday the 27th. Forgot to point out as I typed of this frigidness the sky was blue and the air warm here in arcata.  greeted me just as i was pulling off the highway into town. 
irony
or victory for those who stayed in their p.j.s

1:14:08
that's right i have perfected a time machine.  the last entry was placed almost exactly one year in the future!  but anyway trying to be everything, and pirate has been nothing, no clothes, no rides.  I'm sorry.  not having a carbon monoxide emitter of my own makes it all the more difficult, and as usual have trouble asking for assistance.  but hope to be organzing a couple more this season.  just need to get out and do some scouting.  62 mile road ride yesterday, part of it was climbing the old 299 to the top of lord ellis.  reccomend it to any who want to shake it up.

1:08:09
Took full advantage of a break in the weather here yesterday.  the sun was shining so we had to go go go.  First after passing out on a friends couch after way too many "eye of the hawks"  i rolled home at five thirty am to wake up at seven thirty am in time to be at the gym by 9am.  New gym in the old outlaw skatepark joint, free "Streama" coditioning through their first month.  After an hour of that I ran about with Curtis getting Hank's old futon frame from Hapgood's place, and then my/Curtis' old pad from his place.  Boom shackalacka, now i have four sitting options in the apartment!  then dug up Luke Buell and we rolled back to eureka to sessions happy's new trails and the safeway jumps.  mudduy, slipper, drifty, sooo much fun.  the terrain there is compressed bu quite varied, so sessions are always good and well rounded.  then over to the secret side hill jumps at zane, where the over riding under eatin sickness caught up with me, crashed three times, but still couldn't stop.  all to the good though as today it is shitty so will be resting.

1:06:08
New year, happy happy.  riding is beginning to pick up.  went out for my first new years day hill climb up kneeland on the 1st.  turned into a sixty mile day.  then today did six miles.  not far but considering it was in the snow it took a bit out of me.  now just gotta get this game of equipment tetris sorted out without letting the epic rides cease.

12:27:07
just wanted to share a trade secret with you all for the holiday.  here is the old glory that takes almost all the pics you see here on the web page.  digital shot of the film shooter.  been in the family at least as long as my younger brother.  oh yeah.

12:24:07
Solstice has passed, and for us residing in the temperate northern hemisphere we now hold faithful that our days will be growing longer. Today I am hopeful that the curse of Christmas will soon pass and i will be ready to leave the winter time warp. Coldness of the air, and coldness of the mind, have left me prone to shuddering fits of late. They may better be described as twitches, twitches triggered by the confrontation of reality which personal reflection brings about. In these rainiest and shortest of days I often find myself hiding from myself, not ready to assert the motivation that I historically find in another month. Nevertheless, sitting still and biding time allows the mind more liberties to explore itself then amidst the perpetual physical activity of the other seasons. Yet all stages are part of the cycle and therefore all parts of the cycle are dependent on each stage. Were it not for this time of darkness and reflection I would not likely become so infused with direction come spring.
Physically this may in fact be the most taxing time of year. The last two days my body has felt like that of Frankenstein. Relative to my normal state I feel broken and rusty. This has been brought on by nearly two weeks late nights and full pints. Beer is just the half of it, the whole though has been the game of pool. As the weather has turned here in Humboldt I have migrated from the trails and the dirt into the bars, for the first time in my career, set on improving my pool game to the point of an efficient hustle. Much progress was made in my game the past two weeks, this of course paralleled by a digression of my health and pocket book. Wouldn't, couldn't, trade it so it goes into the personal history and we roll into the personal future.
Must now nurse myself a bit before stepping into the family holidaze. think i should announce a denomination and pronounce my separation from all this consumer crap. but the rap is not all wrapping paper, in some ways the season is a family saver, so gotta be what we gotta be. Embrace the twitch.

12:07:07
further proof that the skinsuit happened... a shot from the la grange classic that armijo just emailed me.  lotta spray, oh yeah.

12:06:07
rain rain, today i am grateful.  settling into the winter sootheless, occupying the path of the grooveless, life of the toothless.  Foul westher and winter dulldrums equate to a slow bike shop and thus i have found myself with a total of three of days this week.  the perfect amount to give a day to hard shredding.  yesterday was the best session is awhile.  hung with nic loomis in eureka.  hit the safeway downhills and the freeze street dj's all afternoon.  a lil tune a lil cooler puddle drain, but for the most part the trails were packed and sweet.  hadn't raged a hardtail at safeway since i worked at henderson and the jumps were smaller.  so felt good to stomp it all with flow on the lil cyclocross bike.  freeze was a sketchy run in due to some slippery mud, that was harder than the jumps.  on run drifted a lil too much, decided to turnout, drifted sideways off the lip and supermaned into a log.  kinda stayed up right but smashed knee on top tube.  had to sit for fifteen minutes but was able to come back and jump more.  this lil break was definitely part of making it the perfect day.  test it a bit over the edge and then continue.  then as the sun went we cruised to the bmx track where our tired bodies sprinted a lil more.  was killer, and nic was shredding the 2 4 free agent the whole time, sick.  will have some photos of that in the coming winter ride files.  nic is pushing harder than anybody i know and it is fun to be a part of it.  last night my knee was pretty swollen, was hobblin, a bit better now after a dose of serious party last night.  slept till almost noon, yep winter training has begun, too much fun.

 


12:05:07
days are counting down should talk all about myself and then some but who has that time these days.  so pictures are worth a thousand words plus a couple hundred in captions.  so suffice to SAY THE STP OWnS ALL.  continuing in the path.  where we go nobody knows.

11:27:07
10:50 at night, what do you buy at the corner liqour store...?
I bought Vitamin D milk, coffe filters, and pinto beans.
word

11.19.07
Well it may not matter to you but it sure as heck fire matters to me.  in this cold dark time of year it gives me great comfort to say that GP3 is on the way.  after losing my camcorder last spring the video is not going to be near what i had hoped but it will be good and it will be loc.  while others are out trying to exercise in this foul season, i am sitting scraping together what's left from this past spring and back a lil farther to bring some fresh shots to the screen.  gonna much more hodgepodge and surface level than GP2 was, but that is the fun part.  "In production" teaser should be up soon so be ready.

11.14.07
well winter is upon me.  dark days and long nights.  still finding fun but not much for strength or endurance training.  time of year for skill training, conering, manualing, etc.  along with that goals to get my gear tight have me giving up my days off to earn extra scrill.  it did stoke me up to hear a friend has started commuting home on his bike, full hour in the dark is a hard core initiation into the commuting class.  hope to get that punch back soon.  still looking toward premiering earthed five here in humboldt around november 28th, hopefully with a local footage trailer.  no flyers yet, still finalizing.

11.09.07
Pirate Album

the above is an unofficial post, trying out new flash viewers, this one i don't like so much, but i am agro and impatient this week so here is the rough draft album of pirate team 2007.  just an explanation as i am about to publish and don't feel like deleteing the test link.

11.04.07
damn wireless.  can lose two paragraphs in a blink, and along with them all motivation...   need to start builidng the log outside and putting in when it is safe...  what i had said and volunteered to the vast limbo of internet un savery, was that I am over typing about weaverville, i've already forgotten everything important that happened there, with the exception of our celebration story, tht may appear soon...  so i will just save the main points.  point one; racing nearly as much about equipment choice and set up as it is pyscical and mental training and prep.  perhaps it is a three way street, and i think each street is about the same width and speed limit.  sometimes when i make the right choices i feel bad (i.e.  xc bike, lycra and geax blades in the mucky 30 min super d.  lack of glasses in the xc.  and a svelt single ply rear tire for easy sprinting in the dh.) because it can be such an advantage, but that is part of the game, getting crafty. 
this weekend past well and good.  rode out to willow creek with sean t. and pony t. on friday.  we explored up to the top of a trail/jeeproad known as gross anatomy.  that was clear and good.  then we drove up and did some clearing enabling shuttling to the tish tang championship course.  the drive is slower then ever but one can get through, and the trail still exists in all its natural sweetness, with a few new routes around windfall.  finally we headed up waterman ridge to cut the final bushes and do our first runs on the G.T. race course.  all was good and beautiful.  three runs later I flatted with no pump within 50 miles.  so my riding was done, sean was kind enough to drive me back to the top where i camped out by my lonsesome friday night.  sweet weather, not too cold, super clear.  got down with some charcoal hood art, some red bandana flaggery, some trail tunage, and lots of burning.  was the last and first one on the trail, and though i was only armed with a small folding entrenching tool i was able to fix one lip and create another, small changes but worthwhile.  The sunrise could not have been more superb, not a cloud in the sky, and within an hour it was quite warm.  dallyed with knives, and fire, and shovel, and tire boots until the first folks showed up.  then started riding and having a ballio.  soon we got organized, a small but friendly group.  i ran the bottom as we were short a timer and i really wanted matt snyder to be able to record split times at the half way point.  so i timed out practice and finals, then the crew got together so i could have one timed run.  rode hard, smooth, and safe and managed to pull out the fastest time on what was really a cold pracitce.  this was mandatory as Robbay Rhall was sitting in the hot seat, .7 up on Sean T. and Rhall senior said Robbay's ego couldn't afford a first place.  like to think i could shave as much as everybody else did on their second runs (5-7 sec).  time was about the same as last spring with a slightly slower trail, so was going faster.  conditions were ideal, moist ground and dry sky.  legs felt good and so did the mental.  just snapped into it after sitting all afternoon.  that was good.  stoked we had a turn out and some fans.  looking forward to number two and beyond.

10.31.07
earned a hundred bucks doing this on sunday.  this gallery may take a bit to load, it is a brief synopsis of my race at redwood acres.  gotta find a better viewer.



10.29.07
well today is monday, still here.  weekend ended on a positive note, almost.  Made it out to Redwood Acres Fairgrounds yesterday to take part in the Halloween cyclocross.  Rode over there and competed in the one hour contest.  the most confident I have felt coming into one of that length.  plus almost all the big boys were out of town or boycotting the event.  which was fine with me as there was a hundred bucks up for first.  only five? of us in the expert race.  was basically in the drivers seat from the start, though i didn't expect it considering my milage of yesterday.  covered a couple attacks in the first fifteen minutes and found it was clear I had the technical advantage I needed to get away, between corner exit speed and riding through two runups faster than most I found new confidence, plus the legs just kept firing so I pushed the pace against those fast cross bikes I had feared.  Out the start Chris Johnson was threatening, but after two laps and numerous blown corners and PVC he fell off and was eventually lapped by me.  Than Geoff Hales made a move and started stringing it out for two laps until he broke and I rode off the front from then on.  about forty minutes.  JJ was there cheering us on and giving splits which made it extra fun.  Definitely found the zone, didn't even notice the clip board covered in $20's Vic was waving at me the whole time.