Today

Alicia and I have been married for 10 years! Thanks for everything Alicia!

Clever title goes here...

Hopefully everyone had a good memorial day weekend. Ours was good. Saturday consisted of doing a whole lot of nothing. We decided to drive to St. Louis on Sunday morning, Micah and Sara, Darby, and Thomas and his girl were in town for Dziewa's wedding and staying at the Kippenbergers house. Good excuse to break out one of my many TI bikes and ride with old friends. Well, we got on the highway, and of course it started raining on us, and it rained pretty much the entire way into the city, just stopping right before we got to the K's house. Nice. Not to mention, everyone and their brother was driving like shit in the inclement weather. Well, we got there, and settled in and had brunch and got caught up on everyones goings on. Finally it cleared off enough for us to ride, we drove out and parked at Ghisalo and rode some great roads for a couple of hours. Finished up the ride, and headed back to the K's for dinner. It was getting late, so we ate pretty quick, and Alicia, Dillon, and I packed it in and started home. About 15 minutes into our supposed sub 2 hour car ride, it started pouring. Hard. I pulled off the road in Wentzville to get some gas and let the storm pass. I consulted the Jesus Phone and it told me that there were t-storms from Columbia to StL, all on I-70. So, either we spend the night in Wentzville, or I drive in the rain. Dillon was asleep by then, so I decided to hop back on the hwy and move along, how bad could it be? Really fucking bad!!! I was able to go about 20mph. My bike was on the roof and getting abused. People were pulling off of the road, and parking on the shoulder, or just stopping in the middle of the hwy. It was literally raining sideways. Well, about this time I started to notice that my car was really rocking and being buffeted by the wind. It was dark. So, I am thinking tornado. Alicia was freaking, and I am trying to decide mentally whether I should just pull off the road and find a ditch and cover Dillon and Alicia, or keep going, or what. I finally found an overpass and got as much under that as I could without bumping the car in front of me. It was crazy watching the people that were still trying to drive almost hit each other. I am serious when I say visibility was zero. Honestly, I can't believe there was not a tornado, the wind was blowing so hard. So we waited for a bit, and of course Dillon woke up and started freaking out. So, Alicia was trying to keep him calm, and I was trying to keep her calm. Finally I decided it was time to go, and we got back on the road. We drove in and out of strong storms for another hour before finally coming to the end of it. All in all, I have to say that I am glad to be alive. I really thought something bad was going to happen. I was still shaking and wound up with adrenaline when we got home. Sunday was much less eventful. I was going to ride, but it was supposed to rain all day. It didn't happen. So, we just hung out, got groceries, and tried to relax.

I raced my bike last weekend in St. Joe. I did shitty. And, I tried to get in a fight with this tall skinny guy from Kansas. I guess I just have a bad attitude or something. He was going slow, so I passed him in a field. He got back on my wheel and started bumping my back tire. No big deal, just annoying and rude. Then he passed me, and started hitting his brakes for no reason. I called him on it, and of course he got mouthy. It took every bit of self control that I had to not tell him to get off his bike right there. So, I eventually passed him again, and kept it that way. Some nice guy I am, huh? There are a ton of new trails there, if you ever head up that way you should check them out. There is probably over 40 miles total of single track in that town, all well groomed, hard packed dirt.


The fat bike bully in action, hard charging to a stellar 10th place in the expert class!

i guess I can update this thing...

Or not.

Riding bikes!

I have been riding a little bit lately. Yay! So, I am making good use of at least 3 of the bikes I have. I turned the karate monkey into a 1x8, and it rocks. I spent about 3.5 hours off road with Jasen on Sunday, we rode Cosmo, Grindstone, and Rockbridge. The trails were great, a little wet in spots, but for the most part in good shape. The KM performed great, and I was comfortable for the entire day on the rigid bike. I am trying to decide if I want to use it for the race in St. Joseph next weekend, or if I want to ride the Rush. I hit up Cosmo for a couple of laps on Monday, and rode the Rush. It is amazing how different the 2 bikes are. The rush just rails, and is super confident due to all of the travel. But, the Surly climbs better, and really rolls when you get it up to speed. Decisions...

Last night I rolled out to the Tuesday night race for the second time this season with Kersha. Good times! I actually felt pretty good, and made a few half assed moves and made the selection towards the end. Tracey hit the gas with a couple of miles to go, and I tried to go with and got about 2/3 of the way to him but gassed myself pretty hard. I did manage to grab onto Butthead and Brinkers wheels when they came by and we rolled it home.

What else...not a lot really. I am getting ready to do a big ebay sell off of stuff, I'll post a link here.

NIght ride

I went for my first night time mountain bike ride in 8 years the other night out at Cosmo with Jasen Matayas. I forgot how much different the trails are in the dark. I scored a Cygolite Li-ion powered LED system for my bike, so I thought I would give it a try. Needless to say, my lap times around the race course are way slower in the dark. I can't imagine riding those trails at night without knowing them. I am super familiar with the trail system there, and I struggled in a lot of spots.

Plans are in the works for a weekly ride out there with lights, come out if you want.

On another note, I am registered for the Berryman Epic 60 mile mtb race in the Fall. Good times.

A blatant plug...

My good friend Chris Reynolds does custom comb work and tuning on harmonicas. Here is his website. The guy does excellent work, if you are a player or collector I would recommend picking one up. Here are a couple of pics.Chris does extensive filing, giving the harp a custom touch.
You can get whatever you want engraved on the harp for an additional charge.

It's pretty cool, I talk to Chris on a regular basis, and he has some bitchin ideas coming up. Plans for working with damascus steel and titanium are in the works.

Something to ponder...

Bum Bars

Definition of bum bars: road bars that are turned upside down, typically found on bicycles of the homeless or clueless. "Did you see that bike? That dirtbag was rocking hella bum bars!"

Below, Dillon's version of bum bars:



Oh man, I am a RIOT!!

Odens Beard

Not to be confused with Odin's Beard! Oden was the name of the town where the Ouachita Challenge was staged. Steve Miller and I left town on Saturday morning for the drive down to Oden. I decided to put some Coke that I had flattened for the race in my water bottle on my bike. Bad move. We stopped at the Arkansas/Missouri border for gas at the worlds largest liquor store. Well, I was coming out of the bathroom and Steve said "did we drive through something sticky?" He had sticky all over his bike. Well, come to find out, about half of my soda had leaked out of my bottle and glazed his frame and drivetrain. Nice. We finally arrived at our destination after about 8 hours in the car, Mt Ida, AR. The Mt Ida motel, to be exact. Steve had made reservations at this motel, and they had even charged his card. Well, guess what? They did not have a room for us. Great!! So, down the road we went, to the Aqua Motel outside of Washita. After unpacking and getting cleaned up, we drove to Oden to pick up our race packets and partake of the free food at the school. Pretty uneventful, afterwards went back to Aqua and slept. Sunday morning we got up and rolled over to the race for breakfast, which was extra nasty. Microwave pancakes. Gross. CBC was represented in the race by me, Steve Miller, and Jasen Matayas. We were scheduled to roll out at 8, so we got lined up. My strategy for the 60 miles was pretty simple: survive. I decided to start out fast to get warmed up before hiting the single track. I made it through the 2.5 miles of gravel with the lead group, decided I was sufficiently warmed up and going too hard, and sat up when we entered the singletrack. Ok. Well, pretty much all I can say is that I suffered pretty bad for most of the day. The trails were technical and hilly, I think we climbed over 8000 vertical feet. There were some rock gardens that were unrideable, at least for me, and a ton of deep mud puddles. I went over the bars once on a treacherous descent, so I have a bunch of scrapes on my legs and one on my face.

The race was really well organized, each aid station took great care of the riders, and was well stocked with food and drink. Really, I can't say enough about how well the race was run, and I think the entry fee was a bargain. Probably the toughest point of the day was climbing blowout mountain, my legs were toasted by that time, and I was looking to just finish the ride. Also, there was a guy in front of me going so slow that I kept bumping his rear whel, but he wouldn't let me pass. Argh!! Needless to say, I finished in 6 hours and 46 minutes, not a very good time. But, like I said, finished, and as an excuse, I have been sick and am still sick, and have been lucky to get 3 hours a week on the bike. So, not too shabby, considering that this is the longest I have ever ridden my bike, time wise. Also, I burned over 8500 calories.

Afterwards, we got cleaned up and hopped in the car for the drive back. We took a different route, which led us through the mountains. It was beautiful!! We stopped in Russelville for some mexican food, and I immediately started cramping up. Nice!

Not a whole lot to report, really, I have some pics I'll post later.

No sleep

Since I am sitting here, already having been awake for 3 hours at 7 am, I thought I would post a few pics.


My future skater, he can actually stand on the board and balance on his own.


Dillon has beautiful eyes, just like his mommy.


Pretty..


My Mick Jagger pose. I am going to grow out the stache again...



Little Eric, rocking the old school cycling cap.

Ok, I am going to rant a little. I hopped on the Rush Saturday afternoon and headed over to Cosmo park. Now, I know that there are no "rules" for the trails there, but come on people. Don't ride on the trails if you are going to cause permanent damage. Someone had been out there when it was very sloppy, and there were a ton of ruts and damage to the trail. Its pretty irritating, people go out there and work and maintain the trails, and then some ass comes along and rides when it is too sloppy to be out there. You can't possible have had a good ride, and I am sure your muddy bike hates you. Anyway, I got in a couple of hours, which was nice. The Rush is a great bike, and I am sure it will be perfect for Ouachita.

What else...I need a new battery for my laptop. On a full charge, I have about 25 minutes tops. Fucking awesome! And, new batteries are expensive! We got a new digital SLR camera, so expect some hopefully good pictures from me. Thats about all for now, dont forget, buy my stuff!!

Hi there!

Its gonna be funny...

Somehow I got roped into racing the Ouachita Challenge. Not really sure how, but I am trying to cram 3 months worth of training into 3 weeks. Mmm boy, should be interesting. I am glad I will be riding a full suspension bike, though. I am also going to do the spoke pony showdown as a guage of my fitness in a couple of weeks. And then...I am going to road race! Yeah, I'm back I guess. What else has been going on? This past weekend was pretty good, save for a few blips of badness (see Alicia's blog). Got in a good ride on Sunday, 40 miles of hilly gravel with Steve and Jasen. Micah and Sara came and visited Saturday night, we went to Flat Branch. It was really good to catch up with the Squares, I wish they still lived here. Alicia and I decided on a name for the new kid, Brodie James. Dillon is doing good, too, I have some great pics of him to post up. He is definitely turning into a little geek, just like his dad, the big geek. He loves working on his 'puter and playing Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast. And skateboarding. Hell yeah!!

Someone buy my road bike, I am parting it out. And, buy my Airborne.

I guess I'll update this turd...

After getting complaints from some of my biggest fans about updating, I guess I should do just that...

So, what has been going on? A lot I guess. I have been riding when I get the chance and the weather is good. I took off with the noon ride last Saturday for the first time on the road bike in a few months. We did an Ashland, and it hurt me. I started having problems with my achilies tendons, and then got some really bad cramps. Nice times, I actually thought I might have to call Alicia to come and get me. I have ridden some trails, mostly snowy which hasn't been pleasant. I am going to get on the bike quite a bit more, so I should be ready to race pretty quick hopefully. What else...work has been interesting.

Dillon is growing quite a bit, and he is excited about the arrival of the little brother. Alicia is doing well and is staying busy with work.

Man, I guess there is not a lot to talk about, I will update this more often.

Oh yeah, I have a ton of stuff for sale, and will make deals. MTB, track bike, road bike, parts, frames. Buy some of it.

This is good

It gets really good at about 20 seconds in. I love celebrities!!

Big pimpin'

A bike fit for a fat man...with no sense of color matching.

Just a few pics...

We went to the park today. Dillon really enjoys going down the slides, even though someone shot up the place with paintballs. Here he is throwing his hands up as he starts his descent...

Here is a pic of him in my Volcom hoody with my old LA Dodgers hat on on New Years Eve. Pretty Gangsta, huh?

Dillon, Climbing up a ladder at the park today. He is fearless. He can go up and down a ladder on his own without any help. Pretty scary for a 2 year old, huh?

Another scary sight...

This is pretty boss

There is a substantial amount of f-word usage, so if you are at work, you should turn down the sound.

The Wizard says...

That Dillon will be getting a little sister. Actually, we won't find out for sure for a while, but the Wizard says its so. In case you haven't heard, Alicia is pregnant. About 3 months. Yah, we are super fertile I guess.

Mmm, sweet beard, and nice chipmunk cheeks to go with it.



My hot wife!!


The Look KX light is for sale. Full Dura Ace 10 group and Ritchey WCS components, 55cm carbon frame, full carbon fork. Excellent shape. Make me an offer, or I would be willing to part it out. I really don't want to put it on ebay...



Why I'm selling the Look.


Trouble?

I guess I'll update this

So I am 2 teeth less then what I was the last time I blogged. My mouth blew up, I had an absessed wisdom tooth, and a molar that decided that it wanted to shatter, so I had them both pulled. And then I took about a months worth of antibiotics. My body, especially my digestive tract, really hates me. On top of that, I somehow managed to get a chest cold that stayed around for a week. Hell yeah! I did, however, on the first day of my chest cold, get to ride the Berryman trail for the first time, which was a blast. Thanks for the invite Steve. I have never had a chance to ride down in that area, and I jumped at the opportunity. Not only did Steve drive, he provided food for me and 8 other cyclists, and pretty much planned the whole trip. Very sweet indeed. I definitely owe him one, actually more then one, so thanks man!! The riding was good, lots of climbing and rocks, and I am glad I rode something with gears.

Lets see, what else...I almost got my co-worker Dusty killed on his first ride on his MTB at cosmo park. He ended up getting 10 stitches to close up the wound in his hand, and 7 stitches internally to stitch the muscle together. Good stuff, I guess thats what happens when you crash onto a razor sharp rock without gloves on. Man, talk about feeling bad...I should have hooked him up with a set of gloves before we left the house.

Dillon and Alicia are doing good, like usual. Dillon is a handful, and he is really getting into video games, which I guess could be good and bad. Good, because it gives me a reason to play. Bad, because supposedly it rots your brain. Granted, I am not introducing him to anything bad, just playing guitar hero and Beautiful Katamari with him. He likes to clap along with the music, and likes to pick out the different objects and things on the screen. So, I guess it could be worse. And I know he likes hanging out and playing the games, so I think it will be ok...

Something special

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We are only running this promotion for Christmas, so beat the rush. Our turn around time is one of the fastest around, and our quality is second to none.