Man, it is not hot out here!

That was my favorite quote from Loon Camp today. Some pretty rough conditions today but still a lot of fun. The area that we were riding in today is the best riding in the state of Minnesota, so even in bad weather it is fun! I rode from my sister's in Preston to the ride in a light rain and then met up with the team. There was a crash and a mechanical with in the first ten miles. I rode my three speed and got some looks right away. I couldn't sell this bike for $100 on ebay but I love it. It is a great training tool. My biggest problem was my raincoat flying in the wind. I got it when I weighed 220 and now I weigh 180, it is like a flag in the wind. After lunch I took it off and was moving along much better. It was windy on the top of the bluffs. Some of us took the Root River Trail back to the camp from Houston. I was riding behind John B. and it was like we were motor pacing, man is he strong! I finished by riding in an absolute downpour and pulled into my sister's garage soaked. Great ride, 105 miles and many great climbs! Thanks to the Loon leadership that takes this on and makes it a great time!!

My 5 year old son, Owen, had the second best quote of the day as I pulled into the garage... "I am hungry just looking at you."

Bike Love Continued... Thanks for reading John!

Input Output- What ever you put in is exactly what you will get out. I didn’t love team sports. We always had a bully on the team that would blame everyone else for our failures and the coaches didn’t seem very interested in creating an environment where that didn’t happen. In cycling you get out exactly what you put into it. If you train and ride you will grow. It is completely based on how far you want to take it. You are in charge.

53X13- Be confident, love it, and ride hard. Believe in yourself! You are BBA! Ride the big gear in what you do. Be strong in your convictions. Love who you are and hammer at life. Livestrong. The miles over the road give you a confidence to stand up for yourself. You have ridden through rain, hail and snow, you have battled fierce headwinds and all of those challenges prepare you for the road ahead. It is a dirty road, but a beautiful road and to soak in life you have to face it with a passion and energy that is naturally brought out by riding your bike. I have a picture of George Hincapie covered in mud . I tell my class and the parents that this is my metaphor for life. They cringe... then I tell them to look at his eyes and it is very apparent that George wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. The picture also has fans lining the road and they are clean and under umbrellas. I ask what is it that they wish for? To be in the race. You have to face the mud from roads built 500 years ago to truly experience life.

Family Sport- Do it forever and do it as a family. Youth sports is a complete nut house. Sportsmanship is out the window and the adults have completely destroyed it. I know that the potential for a good experience is there but the loud parents do not get it and cast a shadow over all the good that there is to get from youth sports. Get your kids on a bike. There are so many lessons in simply going for a ride. Get out there in a positive environment, challenge yourselves and get fit. Do it as a family and with friends. Work on building each other up rather than tearing someone down.

You’ve already won- Just getting on is the win. A friend of mine said when you ride a bike simply getting on is the win. You forget about wins and losses, it is taken care of, you can simply focus on how much you love the sport. Wouldn’t it be great if that is how we treated all of our sports.

Goal: Get those around me to keep challenging themselves in someway other than one upping each other... hopefully on a bike.

Scenarios- 1) Last night we were riding and one of our riders ran out of gas and got dropped. I hung back for him and he got on my wheel, he started to draft. He told me to go on as all cyclist will, but this is the beauty of the sport. I was able to shield this stranger from the wind which allowed him to complete the ride with us. We finished as a group as we always do. As simple as that seems, it is exactly what I love about this sport, it is about lifting up rather than pulling down.

2) "Cycling is so hard, the suffering is so intense, that it's absolutely cleansing. The pain is so deep and strong that a curtain descends over your brain... Once, someone asked me what pleasure I took in riding for so long. 'Pleasure?' I said. 'I don't understand the question.' I didn't do it for pleasure, I did it for pain."
LANCE ARMSTRONG, WINNER TOUR DE FRANCE 1999 – 2004

3) Concrete benefits of cycling
A stronger and healthier heart, Increased HDL, Decreased total cholesterol, Reduced blood pressure, Reduced risk of heart attack and stroke, decreased body fat, decreased risk for diabetes, reduced feelings of anxiety and depression, improved sleep, and higher levels of energy.

4) Jay’s Take-
Suffering- Much of the cycling experience is pleasure, but just like life, there is hardship and suffering. However, suffering on a bicycle can be a life changing experience. Take hill climbing; the act of suffering and overcoming becomes so cleansing and rewarding that you begin to seek a bigger challenge.
Society today is mislead with the sense of entitlement and fairness. It has come to the point that we do not accept challenge. We seem to think that we are entitled to many things or that everything must be fair. Given these notions we struggle when things don't meet our expectations. As a result we tend to blame, complain, and remain unsatisfied.

Life's true rewards are not born from these ideals, but rather, from suffering. It's through suffering that we are cleansed and we can come to understand that there is no absolute entitlement or fairness. It is good to experience hardship and to learn that success can be earned through hard work, despite tough times (or tough climbs) and bad breaks. Facing challenges brings out the wonderful and genuine sensations of life; appreciation, gratitude, and accomplishment.

Catagory Ride

RAAM is a perfect race for me... just ride your bike. We had our last spinning session of the season last night and it was great. For me so much of the cycling experience is social. I do not have aspirations of climbing the ranks of cycling, I just want to ride. I was asked once in an interview what my life goal was and I answered to ride as many miles as I can before I die. They panel all laughed until they noticed I wasn't laughing. Just come out and ride... it will make you feel better about just about everything. It is very simple, like riding a single speed.

Bike Blab Continued...

Our Culture- We need a fire, a cleansing fire. A voluntary suffering that can take away our need to feel superior, to take away our bigotry, and to take away our ignorance. Cycling is that fire. Rather than living in a media induced panic that can sell us anything or any idea, we need a way to sort through all of the messages around us to get to what is real. Cycling provides this.
The marketers of our culture do not want you to find yourself. They know that if you do you will also realize you don’t need much and that you have most everything you need. It is the marketers nightmare.

Transformation- I got into cycling for the wrong reasons. I do think that I may have gotten into the sport for the wrong reasons... To kick my dad's butt and all his buddies butts. But cycling has a way to quickly take you to the spiritual and mental parts of the game and on the other side is peace and personal satisfaction, plus a lot of great relationships.
People ride on anger for motivation. Lance was the king but even he found satisfaction and answers to many of his issues (which were plentiful). Now he has a sense of peace about him and it seems that he is truly ready to become a father full of love for his kids.
Even when people get into the sport for the wrong reasons it has a way of cleaning out some of our personal issues. Again, it forces you to look inside and understand what you are really about. We all have a little creep in us but a whole lot more good and cycling has a way of finding our good and developing the good which develops self esteem and strong relationships. When you understand yourself you become a problem solver and a helper. You understand what other people are going through. It develops grace.

Getting Started- Time trialing. I don’t care if it simply running around your house or your block. Once you set a time try to beat it once a week. You will eat differently, sleep differently and start to see life in a whole new way. It is a concrete way to see your growth and realize that things are changing. It will hurt a little but will open you up to the wonder of life. The wonder of what can be.

Inner Strength- My only regret is that I wish I would have had this in high school. It is truly my only regret! I love biking, there is just something about it. I love it as a metaphor for life. We all come to the start line and it is our attitude that determines what we are going to do and where we are going to go. It seems like people form this attitude right at the beginning of the race. You meet kids that feel like they have a 1,000 gears and that there is no problem that they couldn't solve, then there is a group that feels they have 100 gears and they are confident and ready to go, then there is a group that is convinced they only have 5 gears, and finally a group that is convinced they only have one gear with few options.

Group Ride

"They don't call it a group ride for nothing!"

-Jay Thompson

That is my cycling quote of the season so far. It was a week of great group rides and I know that I am biased but I love our group. Evan brought me a deraillier today and I threw it on this afternoon and it works like a charm. That is our group! We are so there for each other. Maybe all groups are like that but man I love this group. We had 18 riders today... 20 has been my goal, we are right there.


85 miles, very easy but I was not ready to get off the bike at all... I feel great right now! Just riding outside is enough!

Bike love installment 3:

The People- The culture that surrounds cycling is the most enthusiastic and optimistic group I have ever met. I have become fast friends with all the guys and gals that I ride with. We are immediately drawn to each other. It is not simply that we pull each other through the wind, it is a common interest in an area where the endorphins are clicking and where the more positive energy the merrier! Heft on Wheels is a book written by a person that discovers the bike culture and all that it offers those who join it. Rather than focusing on what's wrong it is a group that focuses on what is right. A group that is made up of every socioeconomic group and everyone is equal. Everyone truly cares and there is a togetherness that is hard to find anywhere else.

Fitness- Fitness becomes natural. Once your riding you can’t help it. And if you set up your own personal time trial course it could change the way you live your life completely. It is that powerful. Lighter and stronger are the keys.

Priorities- Fitness leads into priorities. One risk you run is that cycling can become an addiction like anything else. Cycling also can straighten things out. It gives you the time you need to think about what you or your family need and it has a natural calming element that allows you to think about what you need and not what the culture is telling you you need. Time trailing is a part of this. There is nothing like racing yourself because you can see the growth and you can monitor your riding, running or swimming. Beat your time; it will change the way you sleep, eat, drink, and live your life. Get started! Run around your house and time it... then try to beat it tomorrow!

Nature- You see a lot of different things on a ride at a pace that you can soak up so much that you would miss in a car. You can do this in running too but you get so much farther on a bike. You will really learn about an area on a bike. Mark Twain once commented you can always tell if it is hilly when you are on a bike. By riding you are silent like nature, at one with nature. I ride through our park in the drizzle and I feel like I could be 100 miles away. It makes you want to save every parkway and park we have simply to experience the healing power of nature.

Endurance- Endurance not just for the ride but for life. Health clubs have mastered diet and exercise for an hour cycling teaches it to you for a day, two days, or a week. Nutrition is completely different than the health club model. Diet on a bike is eat and keep eating. You are out there too long to not keep the supply up!
It also is endurance for life. Things get rough and because you live the living metaphor of cycling you know you will get through it and that you need to power on.

Love/Respect- At the height of the endorphin high you could love anyone and have respect for everyone. You don’t have to agree with them but you can respect them probably because you respect yourself. And that is it I guess, it took a long way to get here but maybe we have the problems we do because we don’t respect ourselves. Thousands of people living vicariously through their children to do what they couldn’t or what they did and can’t anymore. You can ride well into your 70’s and some make it well into their 80’s. Have we lost our sense of accomplishment and in not loving ourselves we can’t love anyone. Your kids want you to get a life, not live vicariously through theirs. We don’t believe in ourselves so we yell at coaches and refs or our neighbors. I think everyone should get there heart rate over 140 everyday simply to get to understand that we don’t have to sweat the small stuff and that we are all in this together.

Suffering- Our culture struggles with a sensation of entitlement. We seem to think that we are entitled to many things and when it doesn’t work out our way we tend to blame and complain. We need a cleanser and that cleanser is suffering. It is good to put your self in a place of hardship once in a while to understand that you can make it through tough times or bad breaks. Facing challenge brings out the wonder of life. You know that you are living and you celebrate the wonderful things you do have with a whole new sense of gratitude. We have so much and it seems like our culture wants to focus on what we don’t have rather than all the wonder we do have.

Prairie Roubaix II

What a great time! We had a wonderful ride west of town repeating the classic from last winter. The roads were extremely different in comparison to last December, they were dry and fast. John R., Bernie, and I rode from the shop and headed out to the course. A perfect day for goofing off in the country.

As we rode the start we chatted and recited poetry. It was very pleasant but you could tell that we were preparing for the ride ahead! When we got to town Dave H. was waiting for us and soon the other riders were pulling in. At the start we had 7 riders for the neutral lap. Evan put on overalls and a flannel shirt as he said to keep the Prairie in Prairie Roubaix. It was very funny and there will be pictures.

I was glad that I rode the "Flying Dutchman," because the roads were very fast. I put on 700x25 tires. (Please no comments on tires, thank you) My old steel road bike felt great. I would later get very frustrated and said words that I shouldn't say when my rear derailleur started to malfunction. Thanks to the field for waiting for me each time this happened. What a bummer! But since the field did wait I really shouldn't have said all those awful words!

Now for the race itself. You will hear different accounts but here is mine...

As we were getting ready to go (going down the road to relieve ourselves) Dave got the message that Bernie had taken off so Dave went after him on a full sprint... No one saw him leave. After waiting a while we started to look for Dave and finally figured the only explanation was that he was up the road, so we took off. He was riding hard because we never did see him again.

So we started racing the three laps in hopes that we might see Dave. The first lap was pretty even. Dan put in a couple of surges to see where people were at and the four of us responded. The rest of the lap was very congenial as we rode and chatted the rest of the lap.

The second lap would see a lot of the same kind of racing. We figured we were all at about the same place and pretty much rode an even lap with out to much action. We did pass Mike and he told us that Dave was five minutes up on us, so we at least knew where he was. At the end of the second lap John flatted. We slowed down to discuss what we should do, wait or go. We sat and discussed it for a little bit, 5 minutes maybe... wait, where is Dave? Is he a part of this or not? This group did not seemed concerned... and so here is the controversy...

The third lap, the bell lap. We knew that it was going to happen here. I felt very good at this point and I didn't know how the others were doing. We started the lap together. I was very tempted to put in an attack right away but knew that it was too far. I surged and all responded. We were all in the same boat and we were riding south together again. My rear derailleur started to malfunction.

As we headed north back to the finish I started to think about putting in some attacks. Dan slowly ramped up the speed and once we were within about 4 miles I began to put in small attacks. I would get about 100 meters and then the guys would reel me in. I did this a few times, catch my breath and go again. I had just read about Bernard Hinault the night before and he says if you can breathe you should attack. On the last attack with 2 miles to go Dan bridged and the others didn't. Dan is a new Loon and he played the perfect teammate as he told me to sit in and he brought me to the line! What a great addition to our team... not to mention he is SUPER strong and could have wasted us all... that takes away a bit of this controversy... HA!

Dave was back at the parking lot when we got in and had puked in his efforts to catch Bernie's double... None of us worked that hard!

Dan also brought Guinness for all of us. With this being St. Patrick's Day even the Priest who was walking his dog around us had a slight smile on his face and we were tempted to offer him a stout.

Final Podium: 1. Dave H. 2. Neil E. 3. Dan C.

Bernie mixed me up a bottle of Hammer fuel and I have to say it was great! I simply kept sipping at it all day and I never felt the hunger I usually do at the end of a ride. Thanks Bernie!

Lots of help!

Oxbow Creek really came through when talking about the fund raising! Our school raised $2,500 for Camp Odayin. The kids that helped out signed the bike. It was a fun way to make them a part of the ride. Thanks everybody!

I was on the snow ride last night with Bernie and it was wild!! What a great time. It was cold and a little scary. The elements are what makes cycling so great. That was a ride we will never forget. Bernie was the good teammate as he bridged the gap and paved the way to super prime. I love riding with these guys that are six inches taller than me!

Here is my next installment on bike love:

The Act- Popular Science came out in 1896 and said there was no reasonable explanation for why you should be able to balance on a bike. I think that is part of the magic of riding. By balancing your surface worries are taken away and you are left with yourself. There is a natural introspection. You start to discover what it is that you are about and what it is that you stand for. Riding is different than running or swimming in the sense that you can do it for hours and hours and the longer the endorphins are running and as you get into a rhythm you find things out about the world and yourself you didn’t know were there.

    100- When people ride 100 miles for the first time there is a definite sense of accomplishment but there is also the realization that you have gone a long way and have seen many things. You can hear in peoples voices, they survived and not only did they survive they thrived. As hard as a century is you are left feeling cleansed and a bit light on your feet. There is a peace that surrounds the event and you accomplished more than you thought you could, you are already looking for your next goal.

    Psychology- When you are riding you make many cycles through Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. If it is hilly, which it always is, your legs will start to ache. This is suffering and through suffering we see life clearer. We begin to understand just how beautiful life is and how our day to day concerns are not as overwhelming as we thought. We have many gears and options to solving problems. Riding in the rain or a headwind reminds us how good we have it and how many gifts we truly have. The ride is rough. The road is muddy. This is a metaphor for life and no matter how rough the road, it is still beautiful. We are living.
    I have a picture of a rider covered in mud in the cycling classic Paris-Roubaix. It has been rainy and they are on dirt roads, all you can see are the whites of his eyes. It is all in his eyes, he is loving the moment and he is living. One look into his eyes and there is no question that he is living! There are people on the side of the road cheering, under umbrellas and totally clean... What is it they wish? That they were racing! They want it but they can’t get there and what is holding them back? Themselves. It is the danger of the video game or TV, it turns of our heads and gets us to believe that media is life and that we are living.

From Jay...

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments. Here was a machine of precision and balance for the convenience of man. And (unlike subsequent inventions for man's convenience) the more he used it, the fitter his body became. Here, for once, was a product of man's brain that was entirely beneficial to those who used it, and of no harm or irritation to others. Progress should have stopped when man invented the bicycle. ~Elizabeth West, Hovel in the Hills

Riding outside

It is not just riding outside but it is riding in a group outside. Man that was fun. Probably about 50 miles and a whole lot of smiles. I rode my 3 speeder and I felt great for 2.5 of the ride, great. Then it started to sink in but only in the best way! I love riding bike... I believe in it. I wish everyone rode, the world would be a better place.

I am going to look at different aspects of cycling that all add up to make cycling the powerful activity that it is. I will start by examining the sport itself and why it is unique to other games, then I am going to look at the physical nature of cycling, then taking a look at the social aspect of cycling, and finally the spiritual aspect of cycling.

The Sport- This is the only game that I know of where you have to team up with your competition to win. Lance Armstrong can not win the tour alone. Cycling is a sport where you have to team up with your adversaries to make time and to pull away. In a breakaway you find your self teamed up with someone you have never talked to, you have no idea who they are and suddenly you are depending on their strength and fitness. You work hard together to stay away and if do stay away you shake hands and sprint for the finish. That is beautiful and there is no other game like it.

Outside

We are riding outside today!! I think we should have 5 or 6 people! This has been a good week. I got on every day except yesterday and I felt it. I think that it was good work. I could feel it at spinning last night. Can't wait for today!

Oxbow got very close to their goal for Camp Odayin! Very cool, everyone who gave to the cause signed my bike... I will get a picture up soon. I may have to clear coat it!

Ski Season Wrap Up

Last night was probably the last night for skiing. It was great. The snow was perfect and the park was empty. It was not a great season for snow but skiing is a great break from the bike. I finally learned how to V2, which is a more efficient technique of skiing. I did a little speed work but for the most part just enjoyed skiing through the woods under the lights. I talked to a guy who was thinking about trying skate skiing next year and I had him pretty convinced by the end of the conversation. I never thought that anything would hold a candle to the bike but skate skiing is close. I did hill repeats in the basement Monday night and felt great. We are riding outside Saturday. Here comes the season!

SNOW and more SNOW!

Wild week and crazy night last night. I don't know what the final count was but in the end it was more than a foot. To think that a week ago we were begging for snow at the Birkie. I got to ski on the new stuff on Tuesday, man was it great to get off the 2.5 K loop! Last night I put in two good hours along with a whole lot of shoveling. I rode today and it was great... I found a nice stretch of road to ride on and it was snowing pretty good. I love my studded tires! It was fun to ride around as the snow was coming down. The road I was on was actually pretty nice with a lot of spray. Check out the picture my bike had a layer of ice all over it! It was a great ride. I think that I will get to do some serious skiing tomorrow. I am working at the bike expo in the morning downtown. If anyone reads this come and say hello tomorrow!