it's bright

i tried out my new Urban 300 that i won last month in the Ask Reba contest.  i must say, for being such a small light it's pretty damn bright.  here's to winning!  :)

'tis the season...

for coffee and studded tires.

the ladies on the hill

from the second day of the lincoln CX weekend.

last of fall

it's suppost to get cold and rainy tomorrow (which imho is THEE WORST weather for cyclists), and on top of that we might get our first snow, so i made sure to get some miles in today. i went out north of the airport and west out past pawnee lake, and then south to van dorn where i did a lap through pioneers park at sunset. i've ridden this route many times, but today i really appreciated everything along the route. i even saw this little guy spying on me when i stopped to check my tire :) i hope everyone got some quality time outside today, it might be the last we have for a while.

hello lincoln

just goes to show you that many hidden treasures await you if you leave the car keys at home and just bike or walk around the city with no particular direction in mind.

gravel mondays

tonight i got in some casual miles with bob and megan. it was megan's first time on the gravel and she enjoyed it. she's going to get a new cross bike soon so i'm sure we'll be seeing her out on the dirt more often.

que hora es?

time to get this retro campy clock that's what! nate down at the shop got this cool commemorative campagnolo 50th anniversary clock from one of his buddies. dealers probably got some of these back in '83. no doubt there are very few of these around now, man what a great find. lucky!!!!!!!!!!!!

harvest time

three day weekend

thursday night's girly hustle (finishing downtown at the hr. lounge)

saturday i stopped by the urban prairie's bike wash / bake sale. i had never had a PBJ banana hotdog before, and i must say those kids know what's good.

and later that evening i hit up the war axe relaunch downtown at crescent moon.

and finally on sunday while riding around in the near south hood i stopped by the bike kitchen. pepe (of pepe's bistro) was there coordinating some bike fixin'.

welcoming dusk

first night gravel ride of fall, and there's to be many more... especially if this weather keeps up.

streets alive

the first streets alive! event was today. i saw all sorts of people out along the route. there were whole families walking, joggers, skateboarders, and of course lots of peeps on bikes. everyone was in such a great mood and we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather either. i certainly hope it will be come an annual event.

relaxing wednesday for me...

fignon's autobiography arrived in my mailbox today. i've been wanting to read it since it came out in 2009, but it was either sold out or way too pricey at the time. today was gorgeous out, like it's been lately. i should've got in a real ride but instead just rode down to the mill, got a dirty chai, kicked back on the dock and started in on "we were young and carefree".

monday night gravel

lis

GWorlds

well it's over... the 2011 Gravel Worlds is in the books. most of it was okay... but the first part sucked because of a 2 mile stretch of MMR 'county road B' (minimal maintenance road = dirt road that becomes a mud bog after a rain). that small section alone brought the race to a stand still. many derailleur hangers were ripped off, and for a while i thought i had entered a hike-a-bike competition rather than a bike ride.  the sun came out and dried things up nicely and the rest of the race was just one long gravel roller after another in the heat. i can barely move today but i guess i did have fun. after all, i got to ride my bike all day :) i did 110mi before bowing out. my legs, hands, and lower back were saying 'no more'. it was a good decision because on the 15mi ride home i caught myself falling asleep as i rode. i was that spent. major props to all those who finished the whole thing... especially to the single speeders.

prepping for mud

g-worlds is still on for tomorrow. after the deluge last night and with it raining right now and till the morning... it looks like i'll have to go with the CX bike instead of the merckx. 153mi of potentially soggy gravel and muddy b-roads does not sound fun... but we'll see how it goes.

prepping for gravel

the tire that was made for the cobbles.

front clearance... no problemo.

the back... they barely fit. i have about 3-4mm to spare :)

gravel worlds is this weekend... and it's gonna be epic. last year i did half of it on a whim, staying up till 2am the night before putting flat bars on my bianchi cross bike (dumb idea i know) and setting it up as a single speed with a 39x18 gear. i crashed hard in the first 20 miles and ended up bowing out at the halfway point in malcolm. this year i will try to get to bed early friday night and be well-rested and plan on riding all 153 miles of it. most will be riding cross or mtn bikes but hey... i'm a roadie so i gotta represent, so if there's no downpour the night before i'm going to ride my merckx corsa! :) i've been testing the challenge parigi-roubaix clinchers on a few rides since last week. they say 27c but trust me... they are fat! 29mm when mounted on a mavic open pro rim to be exact. my initial impressions of this tire are pretty good. it turns your road bike into a gravel/dirt road machine. you just float over everything with these bad boys. we'll see how durable they are... most reviews aren't that good when it comes to puncture resistance. if your frame can fit them i'd say give them a try, they really are comfy. my corsa has clearance for them, but it's the campy brakes that are making things tight. the front is ok... but the back has about 3-4mm clearance. if there is any mud on saturday's course it will be interesting to say the least. :-P

euro bike night

for a number of years (i think it started in 2004 or so) the first wednesday of each month is euro bike (motorcycles) night down in the haymarket. it's grown to where they block off the whole street for it and lots of people show up around 5:30 or so and hang out till about 8 or 9. well this month a small group of well connected bike aficionados (an ex bike shop owner, a few collectors, and just all around cool biker peeps) started a 'euro bicycle night' right across from the moto one... on the dock of the mill. i was happy to participate in the first one... and i proudly hung my '89 bianchi up with the other bikes. whether you have a euro bike or not, come on down next month!

night owl...err... bug

these guys sure do get big toward the end of summer.

nacho'ing with the ladies

riding out to eagle for nachos on a tuesday night.

99 degrees

bike jewelry

i had a pair of these way back when and regretted selling them. imho the cobaltos were probably the prettiest brake back in the 80's. well recently i acquired another set and they are going on the '89 bianchi. they are a perfect match for dulce.

a lazy sunday

cruising

downtime

i had a great time out in SF. now i'm in that lazy post-vacation mode... and also recovering from a cold that i must've got on the return flight.

having fun in SF

i need a vacation

the ritchey is ready for SF. i've had a break-away frame for quite a while but just now am i getting around to using it. i can't wait to ride up mt. tam this weekend and kick it in SF with some peeps (it's been a few years). oh i know i've been a bad blogger. i shall post more upon my return, i promise. till then i hope everyone is out riding lots and enjoying spring. :)