tnmwr... riding in the dark

it was dark by the time we got to the ep bridge. i'm gonna have to bring a decent light on these rides from now on.

ribbon of darkness

i headed out west for a nice ride last night. out to malcom and up to branched oak, but i timed it a bit late and it was getting dark really fast on my way back. as i crossed I-80 on hwy 55a, i stopped to put my lights on. looking out and seeing the 18-wheelers, and riding back as the darkness came, i started singing to myself, as i sometimes do when i ride alone. it was an old marty robbins tune, ribbon of darkness. i've had a fondness for his music that i didn't realize until i came to lincoln to go to UNL (and that was a long time ago, man i'm getting old). it was the fall of '87 and i was a freshman and living the dorms. this one guy down the hall who was a farmboy from michigan had a cassette of old school 'truck driving' music. he was playing it one time and a few marty robbins tunes came on. surprisingly i knew the words. it took me back to when i was growing up in scottsbluff (in western nebraska for those who think it's in wyoming). there wasn't much variety in radio stations out there. besides one top-40 station the rest was pretty much just country. i do like some country music, but only the old stuff. when i was like 7 or 8 i went with my family to the county fair which was held at the mitchell fairgrounds. i was with my brothers and sisters trying out the bumper cars and other attractions at the carnival, but the whole time i could hear some music. nearby in the open air arena there was a concert going on and it was marty robbins who was playing. my mom and dad were at the concert and i remember them saying they really enjoyed it. ever since then a marty robbins tune will pop in my head out of nowhere, usually it's while i'm riding a bike.

frame hauling 101

taking a ridley cross frame home. remember kids, you don't need a car to haul a frame home, but just make sure it's strapped to your messenger bag securely.

32 forever

happy birthday to kim. i met up with a group of friends downtown for FAC and to celebrate kim's '32nd' birthday. nice black dress kim. :)

riding in iowa

i go up to omaha/council bluffs at least once at this time of year with some friends to do the taco ride. this was my third time up there, and i get my pic taken at this same spot just outside of mineola each time i go (same spot in '07, and in '06). i'd recommend this ride to anyone but you have to be careful of the drunks (they tend to only make it to margaritaville and mineola), but once you get past that and on to silver city it's a really nice ride. the trail is lined with lots of trees, goes over some wooden bridges, and has great views of all the farm land and valleys. coming back in the dark from silver city, take time to stop somewhere on the trail, turn off your lights, and look up. you'll be blown away by how many stars you can see.

riders in the dark

after a nice solo ride south of town, i headed for a few margaritas with jen and the rest of the team-fire people. riding home in the dark after a few margaritas is getting to be a habit on wednesday nights.

mud means gravel

turned back by mud after a brief foray into the park, we ended up going for a nice long spin south on the jamaica.

rhinestones

there are a lot of technologies being used in cycling equipment these days to improve aerodynamics. like zipp's dimple technology, i think kaelly is on to something with her rhinestone sunglasses. perhaps they help smooth the airflow around the sides of her head, while at the same time scoring some style points.

los zopilotes

some cultures believe that seeing a zopilote is a harbinger of bad luck. but what if you see a whole kettle of them?!??

long load

now that is a big piece of steel.

barista soul

when i stop in at the coho most nights, it's usually toni who makes my double latte. for the last few weeks she's been telling me about her new bike that was suppost to be arriving soon, and it finally did. it's sweet... a masi soulville.

tnmwr

bad moon arising

coming back into town via west van dorn, the moon was just coming up. it was an absolutely perfect evening and i took full advantage of it, opting for the 40mi loop before dark.

yo liz

i ran into elisabeth at the shop today. she was riding her bertoni and her cousin was riding her old road bike, a rampar. she was sportin' her new custom printed bike luv tee... with a birdie on the back.

have frame will travel

you never know what you will find at a swap meet. i scored a '04 bianchi s.a.s.s. frame (future mtb fixed gear project) and janna considered getting a chopper. after strapping the frame down i then headed back to town with lindsey.

swap meet

heading to the swap meet with janna and lindsey.

always bring a pump

sydney needs to practice using those co2's. good thing i had the micro rocket with me.

cool colors

it was another perfect evening to be out on a bike.

sans wheels

if you drop $400-500 on a bike why would you then just lock up the frame and leave it outside all night, especially downtown? i've seen this redline 29er outside the coho for a few nights and tonight the wheels were gone. perhaps the thief will return for the cranks, bars, and everything else tomorrow night. seeing one of my bikes like this would be my worst nightmare. whoever's bike this is, he/she should have followed a few tips on bike theft prevention.

oh so delicioso

it's been awhile

i got roped into volunteering at the road race this weekend. it was a long day and when i got home late in the afternoon i crashed for 6 hours. perhaps i should have gotten more than 3 hours sleep the night before huh? i still had to get out there real early and help set up, and then i drove one of the race official vehicles for the men's 1/2/3s, amongst other duties. i was shot, and yet i didn't do much. i don't know where janna gets her energy, but she rocks. her and the team-fire people and all the volunteers put on a really good event. it's been a long time since i've been to a local road event. weekend commitments like my radio gig usually means i miss most of the local racing, but i probably should try to make it to more of them. despite the long day i enjoyed helping out.

red wedges and gold cranks

i ran into a friend downtown. being from the land of the crescent moon, she has both beauty and some killer style (ipek, nice choice on the shoes :)). she loved the gold on the obey too.

ready for the weekend

the eastern sky was totally awesome this morning.

40mi before sundown

i'm gonna have to start heading out before 5 to get a decent ride in. i broke off from the team-fire wednesday night ride and headed out west to get some more miles. ended up chasing the sun on the way back. if you're 20mi out and have less than an hour of daylight, you just have to big ring it to get back before it gets too dark. it was the first day for arm warmers too... summer is definitely over.

labor day miles

not much traffic, no other cyclists... and one unlucky bull snake.