Somewhere in Tulum, Mexico

"Anybody seen my keys?"

Wait for it.

I have been delinquent in holding up my end of the bargain for posting on this blog. As a part of the team requirements, I am supposed to be keeping up with this. You can imagine my surprise to find out that my log-in still worked. I am kidding.

Couple of days ago, maybe a few, I received an email in my inbox with a link to this video from my former team director, and my good buddy to this day, Dave. Technically, I was not racing for Soulcraft at the time, but I was riding a Soulcraft when I sunk my teeth into this sweet victory. Hence, the reason I think it is appropriate to post this video here to make up for my lack of posting(s). Plus I live in a foreign land, a third world country at that. Never fear, Sean, as I will be making my way back to the U-S-A, looking like, in 2015.

Without further ado, enjoy the video, and wait for it. You will see why Sean picked me up to be a part of the team.  You must have mad dancing skills in cleats.

La vie est belle: Râper la route en France.

Greetings Sean and the SOULCRAFT community! It's been too long and I thought I would share some of my recent biking-related activities with the blog readers. I, for one, like bike stories, especially those that show how useful the bicycle remains for transportation, fun and adventure! So, I have a velo-story about a journey to the mother-ship, at least for some of us. In my case I decide to visit Provence, France with a small group of B.F.F. to ride bicycles for a few hundred miles among other distractions. While Polish myself (Pilarski), I chose France because of the bike culture and the stellar roads (see below for more on this and keep in mind I don't actually know anything about the roads in Poland, since I've never been there...yet). Anyway, it seems appropriate to have introduced this thread using my typical non-standard white-bread Ame-ree-con way of saying anything in the land of the franks, so I hope I didn't offend anyone. (Can anyone decipher what I was trying to say?). To get to the point--in English: Road bicycle touring in France rocks...!!!

Why? The reasons for this are not complicated but sometimes rare in other locales, especially in combination: First, the intrinsic beauty of the country side is hard to beat and camping spots both on and off the grid are relatively easy to find with a good map, although be aware these sites are somewhat different than forest service/BLM camping in the United States. Most municipal on-the-grid camp grounds are like KOA on steroids, but cheaper (bring your swim trunks...and a tennis racket if that's your style.). It is also important to note that organized camping is not open year around. I have heard rumors that these facilities close soon after the summer months expire.

Second reason, and importantly, in most "rideable" regions of the world it's rare to ride long distances in relatively remote areas, while camping wherever you like more or less, without a lot of "extra" weight due to the need for H2O, shelter, calories, and coffee (in my case). Yet, in rural France, there are bitchin' century old villages along the way stocked with patisseries on nearly every block, un boucher and REAL coffee. What more do you need? You say water...well, one of the most convenient aspects of this set-up is the potable water fountains in every little village, precluding the need to carry much of it...some pictures to illustrate...

On a personal note, I found that I could ride comfortably all day--in a metabolic context--by gorging on pain au chocolat with a cafe' chaser. My favorite.

Last but definitely not least, the pavement. Perhaps, one has to give socialism some props for this one. The pavement in France is blissful and mostly car-less if you follow the right paths. While I consider myself a mountain biker, and, intrinsically, a lover of wild trails, it's difficult to argue with this...

It's the speed and the views I suppose. I only wish I had my SOULCRAFT with me for this climb, and, maybe more importantly, this decent...

but alas, I could only fly the SOULCRAFT colors as I did not trust the airlines to fly my beloved circa 1999 Royale safely to and from Europe (note: they--the airlines--did manage this task pretty well but it took an extra day on both ends due to missed connections). Nevertheless, it goes without saying that Mount Ventoux is pretty special. Referred to as the Beast of Provence in Tour de France lore, it has been featured in the Tour about 15 times in total (i.e., the Tour is 100 years old now), including this year. From the looks of it, the July 14th (Bastille Day) stage was a helluva party. It would have been a nice diversion to our trip to stay on Ventoux and experience this Tour scene, but we had to keeping rollin'. The route ahead called and it was worth it...

All in all a great time that I highly recommend to anyone who thinks it's super bitchin' to refuel and relax with a pastry and a double espresso after climbing for 2 hours. I do. While you could fit France inside the state of Texas, it's a diverse regions with many guilty pleasures rare for long distance touring. More than anything, the people love the bike and it shows. Thanks for reading. More soon.

Bon jour.

JQP

June was a busy month for my extra curricular cycling affairs. Started off with my sixth finish at the Dirty Kanza 200, which was a long fun windy day. Two weeks after that was the ninth annual Ponca ride which usually runs somewhere between 155 and 160 miles. Two weeks after that was the second annual Odin's Revenge

which is in some awesome country in western Nebraska. All those miles were completed on my trusty Soulcraft 29er drop bar single speed bike. No flats, no nothing, just riding. Thanks to Guitar Ted for the pic. It was taken along the amazing route for this year's Odin's.

Finally, my third finish in the TransIowa

I've been craving my third finish since my second finish at the great TransIowa. My last finish was way way back in 2009 so it kinda seems like a while ago. Now at the moment it does not. I remember with great detail because I just went thru it. I had a riding partner for most of the fist day and gained another once night set in. So, it was Matt Jennings third attempt, and John Welsh's second attempt and it was all greatly satisfying. We kept a good pace in the daylight but I'm pretty sure we were crawling thru the night. There were a few scattered moments of panic during the final 100 in which I pondered the pain of crossing the line at 10 minutes after the final cut off. In the end we had about 40 minutes to spare in the 32 hour event time. The picture is of me getting ready to leave check point one. Thanks to Elisabeth Reinkordt for the pic. I had flatted about ten miles in to the event. I considered it good luck but I did lose my riding partners for the remaining 42 miles in to the checkpoint. The weather was perfect, the route was beautiful, the gravel was constantly changing and the skies were clear. Thanks to everyone who helped me complete the journey.

getting the shakes...

As TransIowa approaches for yet another year, thoughts to it fill my mind. I do my best to prepare myself as best I can, but the uncontrollable elements as just that. I'm hoping for my third finish this time. I've kept up my century per month from last year and those have been good as usual. The crew around here did a Kansas state line ride for a nice even 128 miles. Thanks to Cornbread for the pic. I'll let you know how I did...

Oh dang

As some of you may have noticed, I've fallen off the radar. Like, way, way off. I think it's been a year since I posted anything...and well over a year since I rode my bike with any regularity. School, job hunting, new career as a nurse in the ER...bikes have been on the back burner. But I'm starting to feel the itch to ride again, especially thanks to some fellow Flagstaff Soulcrafters Leslie and Stacy. It's hard to beat a long ride with good friends! Hope to keep up my riding streak, and who knows I may even (gasp!) race my bike this year.

Back to It

For most of us, riding bikes is a typical part of the weekend schedule. It may be a race, a roost on a favorite mtb loop, or a cruise to an over-priced coffee and a yard sale, but it's there. The weekend bike ride is always there, like a good friend, or your laundry basket: waiting for you to dive in.

So in a sense, this weekend was like most others, except my "laundry basket" has been a bit empty when it comes to bike riding. Cancer can do that to you-set your priorities on the sideline while it wreaks a game of havoc on the main field. But I am back to it. I'm back to that invigorating flow of trail and rock and trees and laughter. I'm back to it, people, and cancer can watch me roll.

late December post

I finished 2012 with at least one century ride a month. It was a challenge initiated by Hurl and shared with me by a friend. I had always wanted to do a year's worth of centuries, so it was easy to bite on. December's century was the tried and true Wilber, Malcolm, Lincoln route. It's almost dead on 100. We streatched December out to 103.5 or something. Mostly gravel as usual, but to change it up I rode drop bar fixed 29er. Already puckering about the notion of a Jan hundy this year...it's snowy and cold, sort of. I do hope to keep up the hundy a month for a while tho. It's adictive.

Don't call it a comeback.

Back in 1988 when I started working for Bruce Gordon Cycles he had just started building his Rock 'N Road bikes which were cross type bikes built around his own Rock 'N Road 40C tire.  He also made cable connectors so you could swap bar/stem set ups between road and mountain without having to adjust your gears.  Pretty slick.  I road one of these bikes with flat bars for a couple years while I worked there.  Rode it everywhere I rode my mountain bike.  But at the trade shows shops couldn't wrap their heads around the bike.  "What am I going to do with that? It's not a mountain bike and not a road bike", they would say.  I'm pretty sure that was the point.  And who would come into Bruce's shop checking out the Rock 'N Roads?  Wes Williams, father of the 29r, who will tell you that Bruce's bikes were an inebriation for him.  So here we are almost 25 years later talking about "Monster Cross" bikes like they're something new.  The good thing about this resurgence has been that Bruce decided to make his tires again.  This time Panaracer is making them in Japan for him and they're lighter and a little fatter than before.  The first ride I did on the new ones was aboard my Dirtbomb on a 70+ mi ride with lots of road and lots of fire road climbs and save for the severe suffering, the ride was amazing.  The Rock 'N Road tires are really the best dual purpose fat cross tires out there.  Not too buzzy on the street and super-traction on the dirt, both climbing and descending.  Kudos to Bruce for going out on a limb all those years ago and also for bringing these tires back!  

Greetings from Sarteneja, Belize

As the title suggests, greetings. It's been awhile since my last posting, and I know this. Life is keeping me busy in Belize, and while I have been thinking about posting here, the time is now. I can't promise this is going to be anything outstanding, other than a simple hello. Right now, I am on Day 14 of not having running water, and have at least 10 more to go. That's a total of 24 days. Yep, the village I live in has received a grant for a new water system, and it's in process. Supposed to be finished by end of 2012, but it's anyone's guess for project completion. The situation currently is two-fold since the Water Board couldn't pay the electricity bill to pump the water, and now that the bill is paid the construction has to continue, and since the tank is dry from not having water for the past couple of weeks, why not now? I can think of many reasons why, one being the fact that I have been without running water a most basic human need. I have been hauling water back and forth from my landlord's house tapping into his well, and his rain water. Awesome sauce, I know, pure adaptation. A part from that, I am ok in terms of happiness. I will be much happier when the water returns. That said, have been working on my bike here, and I think I have it to a place where it can bomb most anything. I hope to post some pictures of it, and slap a Soulcraft sticker on it at some point. They actually had a bike race in the village the other day. And we are talking coaster bikes all the way around. No hipsters allowed -- these people would school you on a bike. Anyways, that's enough for now. Cheers.

keeping the dream alive

Shooting for one century a month this year ala Hurl. It's a nice goal. It's been going well and I've been clicking them off on gravel with Carl on either my drop bar 29er or my extra clearance road bike. October was a tuffy. We're having to do it separate for the first time since last December. Two more to go for me at this point

. So, anyways, October hundy was up to Prague and back. Prague was in full on party mode. It was great. The dirt roads were barely dry enough get across, but they worked.

recently had a quick weekend trip to the mountain bike nirvana that is western CO and eastern UT, with a few buddies incluing kliner. did the big loop from rabbit valley to western rim. great way to clear the mind out from work work work...

Short Attention Span Frame Building

FROM STEEL: Short Attention Span Edition from michael evans on Vimeo.

more of the same

Sounds like a bad thing, but not all the time, and not in my case, at least for this post. The century a month challenge has been keeping me motivated. In July, Carl and I did an overnight century from 10pm till 7am on a Saturday evening. It was a trip, to say the least. August was Gravel Worlds and that was 170 door to door. We

were forced into the final weekend of September for September's 100 miler. It was a gorgeous day. We took a familiar route down to Wilber and up to Malcolm and home.

Gran La Fonda Bike Show

Friday night is the Gran La Fonda Bike Show in Santa Rosa.  5pm at the corner corner of 5th and Davis near the Sycip shop and across from Toad in the Hole Pub.  Bikes+beer+food truck=boner.  Check it out.

Where oh where has the time gone?

I promised Captain Shants that I would come through here on the regular to pen some of this, or some of that, and I'll be damned if keeping my own ship off the rocks has prevented any such activity. It is with my heart in my hand (or is the adage 'my hat in my hand'?) that I come here right now to get some work done. Whatever the case, at least my record is still cleaner than Hurl's. Anyhoo, the primary reason for darkening this blurg's door today is to mention for the forth year running, Interbike will be seeing the underside of the bike industry converge at the nearly world Famous 'Underbike Industry Mixer®. The players in this bash will of course be the Soulcraft Bicycle Corporation, Ritte Van Vlaanderen, Swobo, and my personal All Hail The Black Market imprint. I've lost track of what we're actually celebrating, but when friends who don't see one another but on an annual basis do, celebrating in the most debauched way is advisable. Do your worst, cats and kittens. It's going to be the handsomest of all trainwrecks.

Ben is a married man!

This is somewhat old news, but I recently came across this picture from the 2012 24 hours of the Old Pueblo (held in February), and Ben recently was married in June. I also really like this picture as Ben has been an important part of my life since I met him. So, I wanted to say congrats Ben and his new bride Sarah! Ben has had a relationship with SOULCRAFT bikes almost from their inception, and I met Ben at SOULCRAFT dealer Absolute Bikes in Flagstaff in 2001. We hit it off immediately and we subsequently attended the 2001 race together, which was their second go in Tucson. We still tell stories from that early race and we added a few more to the cache this year.  Thanks for all your help this year Ben.

A RUOTA LIBERA: A celebration of artisan pizza, handmade bicycles and music - August 12, 2012

Second annual "free-wheel" event to be held at Una Pizza Napoletana, Sunday August 12th 2012 1pm-7pm

Una Pizza Napoletana and Soulcraft Bicycles invite you to spend an afternoon with a collection of passionate craftsmen as they showcase the fruits of their labor in the second annual "A Ruota Libera" -- Italian for "free-wheel" – a celebration of handmade bicycles, handmade Neapolitan pizza and live music. Doors to the event open at 1pm.

The annual event developed by Anthony Mangieri, founder of Una Pizza Napoletana, and Sean Walling, founder of Soulcraft Bicycles brings together a cross-section of the preeminent names in the cycling industry with a focus on bicycles, parts and components created in Northern California.

Anthony Mangieri will be working his pizza oven surrounded by exhibitors, including: Steve Potts, Bruce Gordon, Soulcraft, Black Mountain, Rock Lobster, Steelman, Hunter, Inglis/Retrotec, Falconer, Caletti, Frances Cycles, Black Cat, Paul Components, Ahrens, Pass and Stow, Rebolledo, Blue Collar, and White Industries. Handmade bicycles, parts and components will be on display around the restaurant for people to enjoy up-close and personally.

The event features an exhibit by photographer Brian Vernor and will be soundtracked by a live performance from San Francisco native and legendary Bones Brigade skater Tommy Guerrero. The Reveille Coffee truck will be on the scene to give a little extra boost.

"A Ruota Libera" is sponsored in part by Beer Moretti and Lambrusco Pronto wine. Doors open at 1pm and the show will close promptly at 7pm. Admission of $10 includes pizza, music performance and secure bicycle parking

"A Ruota Libera"
August 12, 2012 1pm
Una Pizza Napoletana
210 11th St (at Howard St)
San Francisco, CA
For more information: 415-861-3444