"If a group of frame builders goes riding together and no one knows about it, is it cool?"

In substitute for the dog and pony show in Austin, a few custom bike builders got together to do something almost unthinkable upon their wares. They rode them.

So what's the answer to this post's title? According to El El Capitán Pirata, it's "No, definitely not".

24 Hour Race Report

2011 Old Pueblo is in the books, and as usual, it was both brutal and fantastic at once. The day started off just fine, I felt great for my first solo 24 attempt.
Noon: The mass LeMans start was mayhem, there had to be 1000 people all trying to run in bike shoes. I got off to a comfortable start, cruising with a big group, until I misjudged a corner and ran my foot through a cactus. Oops. After the lap I changed shoes and went out again, and this time the winds started kicking up.
3pm: Winds hit 40 mph, out camp area blew down, and I started trying to find big dudes to ride behind. Fortunately, my husband Andy got the pits back together (mostly) and kept everything running smoothly.
6pm: Bike race turns into shitstorm. Winds are howling, rain is coming sideways, temperature is dropping fast. Somehow I am dumb enough to go back out in it.
9pm: Rain finally stops, and wind slows down. I'm suddenly an HOUR up on second place. Laps keep coming smoothly.
2am: All my technical skills desert me. I hit every rock within a foot of the trail. Kept it upright only because my bike knows how to ride better than I do.
4:30am: Things start getting weird. I start hallucinating rabbits, or at least I don't think they were real. I kept telling myself "don't swerve, they're not really there!"
6:45am: Sunrise lap! I felt sortof ok again, and put in a decently fast lap. Met up with a fellow solo rider named Phil who pulled me around the back half of the course. Thanks Phil, I would have been a lot slower without you!
10am: Made the decision to go out for another lap. I probably didn't have to, but I wanted 13 laps...that one hurt. A lot. I felt like I was going about 4 mph, but I still made it back in under 2 hours.
Noon: The finish! Finally! I have a photo from the end, but it's too awful. I couldn't bring myself to put it on the internet.

Final tally-24 hours, 212 miles, 15,600 feet of climbing, 27 dead kangaroo rats on the trail (yes, I counted), and 1 sweet first place trophy.

Mid-ride pint

Vine St Pub, Denver, CO

Race Report: CCCX #1

Me and my secret weapon (pre-race PB&J) rolled up to CCCX #1 at Fort Ord today, anticipating the usual fun that Keith D. and th' boys put together. This time, I remembered to bring my warp drive, a new pair of MTB shoes, and my quick-release-mounted spikes to try my luck in the 35-44 Cat. 1/Exp./whatever division. Weather was extra-spectacular, and not a lot of cold wind that Fort Ord has this time of year. After a hot lap and a half, I decided the new shoes would have to wait for some more adjustment, and I threw on the old retreads. After chatting/meeting up with some riders/buds just emerging from their caves, Rod The Startman and MC put us 3rd wave, and with a drop of the hanky, we took off for the 1/4 mile asphalt drag-race to the first turn and start of the dirt. The following are transcripts from the little voice in my head. "1st lap: super mellow. 2nd - 3rd: mellow. 4th lap: mellow still, but let's go a little faster, try to close on the leader a little, and pass a lot of flotsam from the waves that started before us. 5th and final lap: test the mettle a bit, glad this is just the first race, too much road-riding-read sore butt, and they made the course a bit more fun to help us lazies feel confident that we can still ride, am looking forward to 2011." This course is fast and in places very slick, but no hassles, not even a close call-damn I'm smooth. There was a guy right behind me during the middle of the race that pulled a complete vanishing act: one second he was there, the next, the ground sucked him right up. I'm pretty sure I heard a "Whoa, hey Moe" back there. If not for a family function I had to hurry up and git to, I would of stood on the box. Next time, we're racin' for pinks. Thanks Keith and the CCCX gang for your brand of family fun.

Editor's note:

Supposedly, there was some video generated from the races-will post as req. so you can view my exemplary trail etiquette ("oh, but no, you first"), textbook bike-handling skills, and clean, close shave.

cccxcycling.com

P.S. Sean, love the bike-building movie. When do we get the director's cut?

Why the Dirtbomb was meant to be.

Six hours in the saddle, sun, sleet, wind, rain, darkness, paved roads, dirt roads, fire roads, singletrack, sand, dust, silt, mud, and even slick rock, all concluding with a collapse from exhaustion. I used to be fond of quoting Robert Ives when I said "I may not be the fastest person on a bike, but I can suffer better than anybody." After yesterday, I realized I'm not all that great at suffering either.

You missed the first one....

But there are at least 4 more in the series. Not for the faint of heart.  Or for type A buttholes.

 

january gravel

is generally alot like december gravel. bike shown is a holy roller drop bar soulcraft dream bike come real set up fixie and with nerd touring tires for a ride in NW iowa. 4200ft of climbing in a 60 mile loop. us lincolnites lengthened it a bit by commuting to the ride from bellevue which is just south of omaha. ride left from the new(er) pedestrian bridge from omaha to council bluffs in iowa. it's the only pedestrian bridge in the country that connects two states. thanks as usual to cornbread for the pics. hes good at it. i am not.