What if....?

What if there had been NO dopers in The Tour in the last 10 years? Who would have won?

What if Greg Lemond had refused to follow team orders and didn't let the Badger win?

What if he hadn't been shot while hunting?

What if you could somehow put a Flux Capacitor in your rear hub and everytime you got tired or behind on a climb or in a TT you could flick your brake lever or something and get a little burst of assistance? What if someone is already doing it?

What if Lance hadn't been dropped from Team Cofidis when they found out he had testicular cancer? What if he had never gotten cancer?

What if Big Tom Boonen hadn't snorted coke? What if he hadn't gotten caught?

Just curious.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

This weekend....

The Cedar in the morning....
The Main Street bridge in CF....

Main Street....

My new office....
Jackal's Passat wagon, my Jetta.... Beautiful day!

You'll have to see the close-up....

Picnic table stuck to bottom of the bridge....

For the last year my boss has been trying to get me out of my office in the plant and into a new one in another part of the building. I didn't want to move because I could see everything that was going on from where I was at. The new office is removed from the production area and not where I want to be. It's never been occupied before, part of as new addition to our scheduling area. It's nice, no doubt, but I feel out of touch with my people. About a month ago he came to me and told me that my presence in my old office is disruptive and unfair to my plant managers and supervisors. He pointed out to me that people were coming to me with questions that I had other people there who should be dealing with those things and that as long as I insisted on staying it would continue. Hmmmm.... He's the president of the company and he told me to pack my things and move to the new office. No more discussion. Whoaaaaaaa! I moved.

It just isn't the same but I 'spose I'll get used to it.

Waited until 9 last night then went for a long ride through the parks on the Surly. I've always liked riding at night and last night was a good one. I changed out the 20 tooth freewheel for the 17 and all was right with the world.

Took the Colnago Cross bike out today and rode a similar route. They opened the paved trails through the parks within the last couple of weeks after the flood cleanup was done and they are in good shape. I know Redg and his mates were out there working on it. Good job! I came home covered in mud from a short section of pavement at the end of Greenwood. About 50 yards or so of it is covered with a half inch of mud. Sweet!

Time for bed.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Brother of Jackal....

Sometimes we have to pass farm equipment 'round these parts.....
Or take a little break on a brand new bridge....

Perhaps wait for a train....

Or just chase each other around the countryside....

Whatever we end up doing, Brother of Jackal and I usually have fun. We usually don't go all that fast, but fast enough that it's a good workout.

Lame post? Sure. But I'm pooped, so you'll have to forgive me. This is just to let everyone know that I'm still around.

Better go watch le Tour for awhile....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

We went to lunch....

....and came home with a new bike. Hmmmmm.... I was looking at the new Specialized Transition TT bike that The Thin Man has in his front window and Judy gave me the look of death. "No more bikes" is what she said to me. No more bikes. (I was just looking at it. I can't help it that I like bikes) The Queen of Cross was riding this new pink Hotrock around the shop and she really seemed to like it. I figured that if the seat could be lowered a half inch that it would be a perfect fit. I said so to Judy, looking for a reaction. I was waiting for the "no more bikes" comment, but she just smiled and said "who spoils her?" I said that it's too bad I can't buy any more bikes. She said "no more bikes for you". Hmmmm..... Every comment that a woman makes has some sort of qualification attached to it :) I asked Clay if he would let the seat down a half inch, so he went and got the allen wrench to lower it. Uh-oh.... It was all the way down. I asked if he had a hacksaw. Oh yeah! Clay and Jackal made short work of "adjusting" the seatpost and The Queen of Cross had a new bike! Pretty sweet!

ENOUGH!!!!!

My vote for "Most Annoying Commercial of All Time" goes to this year's Saab Tour de France ditty....

For the perfect balance of fuel efficiency and performance, we take energy from the exhaust and recycle it....

For the perfect balance of fuel efficiency and performance, we take energy from the exhaust and recycle it....

For the perfect balance of fuel efficiency and performance, we take energy from the exhaust and recycle it....

Kinda like the ol' fingers across the blackboard. Or your dentist's drill. Enough. That commercial alone would prevent me buying a Saab.

Today's edition of Le Tour was great. If you haven't seen it yet, I won't spoil it for you. Suffice it to say that there was suffering. Serious suffering. This is turning out to be one of the best races in my memory. I'm thinking I may be late for work tomorrow....

46 mile solo ride in the heat and humidity yesterday. If you take the bike path south of the soccer complex to get to the Hudson path, be prepared to "hike a bike" under the Hwy 20 bridge. Water over the pavement, but you can walk around it.

I went to Hudson then west on the Zaneta blacktop and then north to Dike and 27th Street. It was a good ride. Glad I refilled my first bottle at the cemetary in Hudson. The heat and humidity were pretty intense.

I saw Super Saul as I was heading down Grand on my way out of town. He, Jeremy, and Doug did a hundred mile grinder on cx bikes. Apparently there was some "B" road action involved...

Yesterday was also G-Ted's Death Ride. And the Bike Tech folks were planning 2 laps at Colesburg. Whoaa.... Redemske and crew are attempting the first stage of that annual bike race across Iowa today. I'm betting that they'll stop for meat on a stick and it will do them in.

The sun is shining, the Tour stage is over, and I'm hungry. A bit of lunch is in order followed by a ride to Janesville and Finchford. I'm going to attempt to cross the Winslow Road bridge this afternoon, I think. I wish they would get the construction done on it and reopen it :) We'll see. May have to do some back-tracking.

That's it for now.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Lookie, Lookie....

Fat Albert's 2008 Fan Club Tour official stickers....

500 of these sweet little babies showed up on my desk at work this afternoon. 4" x 2" stickers with a nice picture of the man himself on them. I suspect that they'll start showing up around town really soon. "When you last expect it..."

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Monday....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Amy J......

Kim and Amy keeping everyone under control at Clear Lake....

Happy Birthday, Amy. How old are you? 25? :)

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Newsflash....

The first positive result for doping in The Tour this year. I really, truly hoped it wouldn't happen.

Manuel Beltran, one of Lance's former Team Discovery domestiques was suspended from Team Liquigas today pending testing of his "B" sample. His "A" sample, taken at stage 1 last Saturday, tested positive for a banned performance enhancing substance. If the "B" sample also tests positive he will be released (read "fired") immediately from his team and sent packing. Don't these guys realize that the organizers are taking this seriously? It appears that most, if not all, of the teams and the other riders are also taking it seriously. Full story here.

I suspect that someday Lance will write a book that tells how he did it. I mean, let's get serious, a substantial number of the world's very best riders were doping just to keep up with him, and he was clean? Personally, I find that kinda hard to fathom. Oh well.... Maybe they didn't train as hard as he did.

Don't think for even an instant that I'd like for that to occur. I wouldn't. I love cycling. I love the grand tours and the classics. I love a cat. 5 USAC race and a 24 hour mtb race. There's nothing more exciting than a good cyclocross race. Nothing! It's such a beautiful sport and the prolonged effort required to win, or even finish, isn't found in any other sport that I'm aware of. It's amazing what these athletes can accomplish through training and sheer determination. I just don't think I can take anymore let downs from the Gods of the sport.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

It' Friday!!!!

Kat, The Enforcer....
South into the wind....

We had 5 people for the group ride last night. Jackal, Tom, Brother of Jackal, The Thin Man, and myself. There was a pretty stiff wind out of the SSW but it wasn't terrible, as long as you could stay on a wheel. The motorists that we encountered were all pretty good. I'd give a grade of B+ for last night. We headed out 27th then south to Dike and back into town on old 20, which gave us a touch over 32 miles.

Kat and Kim and the ladies were leaving on the "L" ride about the same time we left the shop. Hope you gals had a good time too!

Jackal is racing up at Clear Lake this weekend. Crit on Saturday evening and a road race on Sunday morning. He did well up there last year and hopefully will do the same this year. Sounds like a bunch of the Bike Tech crew will be there too. Good times!

Thanks to everyone who posted comments and suggestions on the previous post. I certainly appreciate your input. We definitely need to do something to end the "near misses" with automobile traffic. I can say with assurance that the cyclists involved in all of the incidents that I have witnessed this year were doing nothing wrong. Not saying we're perfect, but.... :)

Have a great weekend!

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Fat Cat's right....

Like The Fat Cat said, the guy had big balls on the bumper and, I suspect, small balls in the cab.

I've said it before.... It's different out on the road this year. I've ridden bikes around here for a very long time and have never had so many "near misses" with cars on the road as this year. I've talked to friends and fellow cyclists and most agree that it is different out there this year. Is it high gas prices, the long cold winter that we experienced, the rise in food prices? A combination of all these things? A realignment of the cosmos? Has someone put STUPID pills in the water? I dunno. Anyway....

7 of us were riding south on Waverly Road last night. We were in a single file pace line about a mile or so south of the gun club road. Adam had fallen off the back a bit and I was pushing to get him back with the group. I heard a vehicle behind us but paid little attention to it since this stretch of road is very low traffic and the people who use it tend to be pretty decent folk and pay attention. The noise got louder and louder and then I saw a burgandy truck fender out of the corner of my eye which startled me because it was only inches, and I do mean inches, away from me. The mirror cleared my shoulder by a couple of inches. Same with Adam. That pissed me off. I watched as he rolled on ahead and I couldn't quite grasp what I was seeing as the truck came upon the group of 5 just a few yards ahead of us.... The driver actually pulled over to his right, closer to the riders. If one of them would have burped or farted, he would have been hit. Then he mashed the gas and roared away. It was such an unnecessary and obviously intentional action and difficult to comprehend at the time. I can't imagine what posessed this idiot to do what he did. I wish I'd of had my camera out and would have gotten a picture. He needs to be reported to the police and talked to. Bad. Very bad. I think it shook everyone in the group up. The six 0'clock group also had an incident with an idiot driver on Union Road out by Buck Ridge last night. I've heard about that from a couple of the riders who were there. Also ugly. Wow.

I think Iowa needs a 3 foot law. I think we need it now, but I'm not quite sure how to go about getting something done. I will admit that I'm more prone to reaction than activism. I'm certainly open to suggestions. I definitely don't want to read about one of you getting whacked by some idiot in a motor vehicle who was in too much of a hurry or just being stoopid.

These things are happening on roads that all of us have ridden on in relative safety for many years. I wish I would have had the presence of mind to get his tag number last night.

Apparently it doesn't matter if you're riding alone or in a group. These idiots are getting stupider and stupider.

Your thoughts....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

What can I say....

Rollin' into Cedar Falls....
Good ride....

7 of us took off from The Thin Man's shop at 6:15 this evening and headed to Finchford. The temps weren't bad and the wind wasn't killer. A nice evening for a ride.

I should be in bed but I had to watch the TT from the Tour. Pretty impressive.

If anyone local happens to see a big burgandy Chevy pickup that sits high off the ground and makes a lot of noise, which also has a pair of chrome "bumper balls" hanging from the hitch and a large sticker in the rear window that says "sledneck", please get the license plate number and give it to Brent or myself. Thanks.

That's it for now.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

State TTT Championships....

Share the road....
First team out of the starthouse....

Pete and the Death Squad 5000 boys....

Judy chillin' in the HOT summer sun....

DMOS squad....

The Bike Tech women. Sweet!

Jane from PRC and John from BTR. (Jane's the cute one....)

Donny Quixote, PRC's head honcho.... He's all smiles after the PRC girls won their division.

Pete after the race.... "It's all good!"

Donny making a fashion statement.... Couldn't decide which purse he liked best so he brought all 3....

Death Squad 5000....

Steve Bullerman and Mike Johnson from Bike Tech....

The state TTT championships took place yesterday in Littleton, Iowa. Some pretty serious racing from the 21 teams that entered. Woohoo!

Judy and I were corner Marshalls on turn one and got to watch the race up close and personal. It was pretty neat watching and listening to the racers as they came through our area. I think I'd like to try the TTT sometime, though I'd have to be with a team that didn't mind dragging a boat anchor around behind them.... :)

All but 2 of the drivers of cars were very understanding and courteous. I stopped a guy in a big assed Chevy truck while one of the teams was going through the corner. He was obviously impatient and not happy to be stopped for a "bicycle" race. He didn't say a word to me but when I saw that the team was safely around the corner and I moved out of the way he immediately charged through the intersection then stopped next to Judy and asked if bicycles were no longer required to obey stop signs. She put on her most charming "customer service smile" and told him "not during a bicycle race. That's why we have all the signs along the road like the one you just drove by that say Caution, Bicycle Race in Progress". He rolled up his window and mashed the gas, taking off like an idiot.... I started laughing and yelled at Judy "4 bucks a gallon". All you can do is shake your head....

Then there was the case of the Nissan barreling south on Judy's side of the road when 2 of the teams were rounding the corner at the same time.... She stepped up to the edge of the road motioning for him to stop. He didn't slow down much but started to move into the other lane to go around her. She stepped out into the center of the lane and pointed at him saying something like "if you don't stop right now I'm gonna beat your @#*!&% ass...." He stopped. You'd have to know Judy to really appreciate that, I guess.

Like I said, other than those two instances, everyone was super! Jackal and Moo had turn 2 along with The Queen of Cross and Dirtram. I think they had pretty good control of their corner too. Jackal got sunburned big and bad. He stood out there for the better part of 4 hours with no sunblock and no cap. He was a hurtin' unit today!

The racing was awesome, considering the 91 degree heat and the high humidity. Everyone seemed to be having a good time at the event. It was great to see such a good turnout for the race!

Congrats to all the racers that competed yesterday! A big pat on the back to Bike Tech Racing for hosting this event once again. Good job!

I think we'll be going up to Clear lake this next weekend for the Saturday evening crit and Sunday's road race. It'll be good! I'm sure we'll see some of you there....

That's it for now.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Done, for now....

Those buggars are heavy....

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

Single speedin'....

Rode the Surly tonight. It was good!
Closer view of Fat Albert's groupie bus. Click to enlarge....

The Surly is set up as 34 X 20 right now. Top speed of about 12 mph. It's going back to 34 X 17 before it rolls again. Kicked my ass tonight!

There is apparently a bit of controversy out there regarding the tour bus in the background of this picture. It's Fat Albert's bus. Trust me.

I hope everyone has a great 4th! Independence Day! Enjoy, but be safe. Me? I'm going to plant 5 evergreens in the back yard tomorrow. Should be fun! They are quite large. 10 gallon pots. Heavy. Judy has 10 shrubs she wants to plant also. That means a lot of digging for me. She'll supervise and tell me where to dig the holes, I'm sure. :)

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

I like Guinness.....

Today is Jackal's birthday.

I had grilled chicken and pasta for lunch.

In about 3 1/2 hours I'm going to blow this popstand and ride a bike.

Or take a nap.

I didn't sleep well last night.

It's 74 degrees outside right now, with a light breeze. Very nice!

It's all good.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!

It's all in the cleat....

Source of my knee pain yesterday....
Fat Albert. Who's the chic in the background, Buddy....

Are we gonna roll or what....?

Oldman suggested that I check my cleats as the possible source of the knee pain I experienced last night. As you can see from the top picture, the right cleat was broken on the back locking edge. I rode 32 miles with The Thin Man tonight with not even a suggestion of knee pain. It was good! Thanks, Brian!

I ran into Fat Albert, Doug, and Tony on my way down to the shop for the group ride tonight. Super Saul joined us at Pfeiffer and admitted that, yes, it is he who is the subject of the picture of recent post. He claims that he was trying to count change, not pee, in that pic. Whatever you say, Ron. It's all good! I didn't see any pop machines in that picture!

Fat Albert owes me two Guinness draughts. Yep, the camera works!

Rode with The Thin Man out to the end of 27th then south to Dike (into the wind) and then east on old Hwy 20 back to CF. It was a good ride. Thanks, Brent!

That's it for now.

Ride safe.

Peace out, yo!