I rode today...

I rode to work , the first time in a while . It was good, cool, but not cold. Adrian was ill and over slept so I rode alone. I got in my head fairly deep. It is easy to do when you are alone. Can I ride the Tour Divide alone?? It is a head trip ride for sure. Next year, Hmmm.... 2700+ miles many hours alone...


"Be the Change you want to see in the World"Ghandi

The Madsen - A pretty cool bike!

MADSEN Cargo Bikes

The Tour Divide 2009 Race has started!

The Tour Divide has started for 2009.

I for one am rooting for Deanna of http://ultrarunbikevegan.blogspot.com/ YOU GO GIRL! This young lady is going for it as she always does! Banff Ca. to Antelope Wells New Mexico! Cheer her and all the racers on!

Tour Divide is a solo, self-supported mountain bike race on all 2,745 miles of ACA's epic Great Divide MTB Route. With an average time-to-completion of three weeks in the saddle, this grand tour is the longest, most challenging MTB race on the planet. It's a contest for the ultra-fit but only if ultra-prepared for myriad contingencies of backcountry biking.

Towing a bike with an Xtracycle bike

Ok I was reading in the Yahoo Group called "Rootsradicals" about how some folks did some creative stuff with hitches on their X's. Then it hit me "Hey I have that old front fork doo-hicky." So with some gorrilla tape to thicken up the diameter of the "No step" bar I attached my fork holder. Well the Gorilla tape started to twist so I McGivered zip ties to prevent it from sagging under load. A more permanent solution would be needed long term. I also learned that the towed bike will tend to sway all the to the ground. A rootsrad posting explained this and I thought of a solution. Wide loader tie straps from xtracycle.com.org they are so very cool and thought out see this link (Cam Straps) So I tried out the whole get up and found that I can tow a bike with a bike. Yes it swayed so with some adjustments I got it to a manageable point. But word of warning! I tested it w/o being cliped in at the pedals and rode around a lot at slow speeds. It can be a very dangerous thing so double check all connections and straps before you take off. It would have been easier if I had the double kick stand "kickback"

Clockwork ride went, well like Clockwork

Yeah Dudes and Dudettes the ride was sweet.

Adrian was smiles proud PaPa of a new Bright Orange (Single Speed). We rode and Adrian Hammered some hills I was on e-assist for most so I still needed to work my stuff later. In all it was nice and exciting to be part of an inaugural ride! On the way back I chose a big hill on Cannon to climb, yeah I got a work out. As I approached Robbers peak and the dirt road trail, I pulled an Adrian(1) and said ("f"  it) lets go! I needed to use up more battery power  before a next recharge. OK e-assist the hill should be easy - Not!

Half way up I lost traction almost tipped over and stopped. Now it's "hike-a-bike time for a piece pushing close to 300 lbs up hill. Yeah it sucks and yeah I got a work out. But at the top I hammered down and it was all good.

(1) I am refering to (F - it) being a term of endearment a sense of Being at One with the road. A website called bicyclemeditation.com has a very good explainer on this whole concept explain what  "Get Off the F-ing road" really means. Read here.

I would like to credit SiouxGeonz for having a link to this on one of her blogs.

A Clockwork Orange playing in the O.C.

My friend Adrian and I are riding together tomorrow morning.
He got a cool Windsor Fixie from BikesDirect.com.
It is called the Clockwork and it is Orange, a sort of Freudian / Kubrick slip.

We are riding in the city of Orange on a Clockwork Orange and an Xtracycle, at a particular time 8 am.
Hmmm let's see... 8 arms to a prayer Wheel, 8 am, like clockwork. It's all just too uncanny.
The sun will rise and we will ride...